Chapter 171 The Chase
"Hmm…"
As Rey looked at the unconscious body of the Half-Elf before him, he thought of the most secure place he could imagine for her.
No matter how hard he thought, only one place came to mind.
'Haaa… why do I keep going back to them?'
He opened up a portal that led to the meeting room where he usually met with Aldred.
According to what he was told, the room was reserved exclusively for him and the deals he brought.
'That means she'll be safe there. Aldred has seen her fact too, so he probably already knows not to harm her if he suddenly finds her there.'
Once he carried the girl into the portal using Absolute Wind Magic, Rey felt a rumbling sound beneath him.
A hole was created several hundred meters from where he stood, and like a blur, the body of the dragon flew into it.
In essence, Rey had even gotten to a top floor before it could.
The boy chuckled, already feeling his body shiver with excitement.
There was always something surreal about pursuing something—like playing tag—that made the human heart race in anticipation.
That was what Rey was currently feeling.
'Well then… let's begin the chase!'
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"Haa… haaaaaa… haaaa!!!"
Jer'ard was wheezing heavily as he made his way out of the Royal Dungeon.
Floor by Floor, he ascended by shooting Dragon Breaths into the ceiling and creating massive holes in them.
In the situation where he neared a ceiling and his breath wasn't fast enough, he would crash into it and create holes with his own body.
It hurt him, sure, but nothing currently mattered to Jer'ard than getting away.
… Away from the monster he just encountered.
'Even Monsters are weaker than Dragons! That man… that entity… he is not a Monster!'
He was far worse.
Jer'ard knew it was pointless to try to understand such a being,
He regretted even trying to fight him.
He should have just escaped from the start! He should have just teleported and run away.
Why did he try to fight? Why did he try to reject his place?
Why did he try to be strong?!
'I just… I just want to run! I don't want anything else!'
He would leave the humans and return to the Empire.
He would report the current state of affairs here and leave things to the Dragon Generals—no, perhaps even the Dragon Lords.
Such matters weren't meant for him—a mere miner.
'Did I lose him?' He looked below. 'I lost him, right?'
The moment Jer'ard couldn't see the man known as Ralyks, he was happy.
Overjoyed, even!
He was safe. He wasn't going to die, after all.
Then—
~WHUSH!~
He suddenly felt a disturbance in the space around him. He turned to his side for a glimpse, but he was moving too fast to clearly see.
'W-was that—?!'
Jer'ard felt like he saw a blur that resembled Ralyks, but he quickly dismissed it from his mind.
There was no way Ralyks had already caught up to him.
There was absolutely no wa—!
~SQUELCH!~
A powerful blade suddenly pierced Jer'ard in the back, causing him to screech as he noticed a figure floating right below him.
IT WAS RALYKS!
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Jer'ard was screaming more about the sudden appearance of his predator than the wound he had just suffered.
'H-how..?! Already?! No way!'
He already knew that Ralyks was much faster than him.
How else would he have been able to slice off his hand back then without him even realizing it?
But, he had not sensed his approach until now!
There was no way he just vanished from the 99th Floor and appeared right behind him… right?!
… RIGHT?!
~WHUUSSH!~
Several more blades appeared from all around Ralyks and they fired towards him.
The pressure behind them was devastating—as if they were being pushed by an unstoppable wind.
Each blade, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, was sharp and powerful.
They also had Mana oozing out of them as the winds surrounding them gave them an additional impact.
Like arrows, they flew and pierced even more parts of his body.
Jer'ard tried his best to evade the next volley, but despite his best efforts at aerodynamics, it was all useless.
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The blades followed and pierced him.
'I-is he controlling them remotely? Why won't they come off?!'
best efforts at aerodynamics, it was all useless.
The blades followed and pierced him.
The blades sank deeper into his flesh, preventing him from properly healing.
It was torture!
'Why is he still behind me? He should have caught up by now!'
Of course, Jer'ard didn't want his enemy to catch up to him, but it only made sense that it would happen.
Ralyks was the faster one, after all.
'U-unless…!'
Could it be that in the air, thanks to his [Draconic Flight], he was currently faster in the air?
Since his air travel speed was superior, could he actually outfly the enemy?
'I-if that's the case, then maybe I have a chance to escape!'
The truth was that Jer'ard had been worried for the longest time that even if he escaped the Royal Dungeon, he wouldn't be able to escape Ralyks due to the man's sheer speed.
He thought he would try to just run and evade until he recovered enough Mana to use his [Absolute Spatial Magic] and utilize long-distance teleportation.
But even he questioned the viability of such.
He was desperate, not stupid.
Even if he could make it out of the Royal Dungeon, there was no guarantee that he would live long enough for his Mana to be sufficient enough for long-distance teleportation.
He was currently at rock bottom, and the little Mana that was being restored, thanks to his Skill, was poured into his 'Breath' attack so he could escape faster and without much damage.
There was no way he would be able to evade the enemy without relying on Mana to do it.
But now that he knew he was faster in the air, there was a chance for him to get out of this alive.
He would just keep his distance from the enemy and escape.
'I won't be dying here!' Jer'ard decided within himself.
'I have to live!'
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
What do you think of the chase? I personally feel like Jer'ard might just escape.
Just saying…