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"Are you kidding?"
Jericho shook his head mechanically.
"It's not funny. It's not funny at all!"
"No, Lilith's words aren't unreasonable. Look,"
Moriarty pointed into the distance.
A rumble echoed as the snowy mountain completely collapsed, revealing the colossal figure of the black dragon underneath. Its pitch-black scales shimmered in the fading light, and its immense wings unfurled like shadows cast across the world.
The black dragon had cast aside its icy camouflage—like shedding a white robe—and as it liberated its broad wings, Moriarty felt that even two Hogwarts castles could fit across their span.
"Wooahhh—!"
With a thunderous beat of its wings, the black dragon ascended slowly into the air, and a veil of darkness fell across Avalon, dimming everything beneath its shadow.
The dragon's head twisted in exhilaration, dark red eyes scanning the world below, unbothered by the tiny, shrieking Dracula who now looked insignificant beneath it.
Dracula's roar was swallowed by the wind, his severed head reconnected to his body via writhing tendrils of virus magic. The connection wasn't perfect, but the shared magic was enough.
Now, the hate and fury amassed across millennia burst forth in a tide of rage.
Dracula's head surged with dark emotions, manifesting his twisted psychology. Black smoke churned around him and materialized into thick shadows, pulsing with malevolence.
The shadows began to spread at an alarming speed, blanketing the lake and rushing toward the forest and the sacred flowerbeds.
"Let's go!"
Moriarty cried, grabbing Lilith as he soared into the sky.
Jericho took flight on his silver stag.
The shadow paused mid-spread, then suddenly twisted upward, a beam of black light shooting toward Moriarty. The majority of the shadow spiraled off toward the black dragon.
"So many distractions!"
Moriarty deflected the black light with a swift magical barrier. His eyes gleamed as an idea struck him.
"Let me try to capture the virus magic."
He swung his staff sharply.
"Wind Capture!"
The air around them stirred violently. The magic of the wind element mingled with the surrounding atmosphere, and the black light surged toward Moriarty like a piercing arrow.
But instead of resisting, the wind element magic penetrated the dark light, wrapping around the virus magic.
Ding Dong~ Congratulations to the host for capturing a small amount of virus magic and gaining the ability to provoke human rebellious psychology.
Only "rebellion"? Moriarty frowned.
Compared to the full scope of virus magic—negative emotions, dark psychology, and evil thoughts—this was the weakest aspect.
Yet, used cleverly, even rebellion could create chaos at critical moments.
More importantly, this success proved that virus magic could be harnessed. That meant Moriarty had one more tool at his disposal, and now, the research and perfection of the "Secret Whispering Snake" spell could resume.
With the wind element stripping the black light of its corrupted essence, it faded from sight.
But the black dragon now struggled to hold the infected head in its jaws. Thick black mist seeped from the severed head, corroding its mouth, tongue, and face.
"ROAARR!"
The black dragon unleashed a torrent of dragon fire, blazing hot and furious—but even that fire couldn't purge the mist.
Elsewhere, Dracula's corpse raised its rotted arms and pointed skyward. Black tendrils erupted from his hands, coiling around the black dragon's hind legs and rooting it mid-air.
"ROAR! ROAAAR!"
The black dragon howled and thrashed, but the binding magic held firm.
"It's no use, Merlin!"
Dracula sneered, floating on a sphere of black light and rising until he hovered opposite the black dragon's suspended head.
"I've already corrupted the Holy Lake and infected the lake spirits. Through them, my magic is endless!
Give me back my head, and I'll make your death quick. I'll slice off yours too and seal you in rotting armor!"
Watching the horrific scene unfold, Jericho's face paled.
"If I hadn't seen it, I'd never believe it. That black dragon is the size of a mountain. A flap of its wings could cause a natural disaster—and yet Dracula is suppressing it. That's how powerful he was even with just a head…"
"You have to do something," Lilith turned to Moriarty, her voice low and urgent.
"Only you can help Merlin now. We can't let Dracula reclaim his full self."
Moriarty scratched his temple. Something was missing. A clue—just out of reach—but now wasn't the time.
He glanced down at the battlefield. The shadows had spread. The once-pure blue lake now ran muddy, slowly transforming into a swamp. The forest nearby was dull and dying, its creeks and springs fouled, its trees stripped of magic.
And where were the elves?
He remembered Diana—the elf priestess. She once mentioned the elves' mood swings. Now, with the forest decaying, why weren't they responding?
"There's a reason why Merlin's power feels weakened,"
Moriarty pointed toward the corrupted land.
"There are magical beings within the lake and forest—Dracula's virus magic must be feeding off them."
"We'll split up," he said with decision.
"I'll purify the Holy Lake. You two cleanse the forest."
Jericho and Lilith exchanged a determined nod.
"If you see any elves," Moriarty warned,
"retreat immediately."
"Eh? Why?" Lilith looked confused.
"Isn't our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor an elf priest?"
Jericho narrowed his eyes.
"Then where is she? Not one elf has lifted a finger to help."
With a grim sense of urgency, the three dropped to the ground and split up.
"Apparition!"
Moriarty whispered.
Pop!
A soft sound marked his arrival by the lake. He knelt and extended his index finger to the water's surface. Blue energy streamed from his fingertip into the depths.
A moment later, most of the lake froze solid—but in the center, a stubborn swamp resisted the magic. The swamp not only endured, it seemed to feed on his magic.
He rushed to the center and saw it: a sword without a hilt, embedded deep in the swamp's core.
Suddenly, he remembered a story Lilith had told on a summer flight—King Arthur pulling a sword from a lake, invincible until he lost the scabbard. Merlin once said the scabbard could prevent the bearer from bleeding…
"The scabbard of the sword in the lake?"
It seemed likely. Moriarty cast a barrage of spells. Water and wind alike were consumed, absorbed by the swamp's viral taint.
"Fine!" he roared.
"Then take this! Forbidden Wind Magic—Roar of the Wind!"
His staff rose into the air, pulsing with storm energy. Cyclones spun to life around him, wind columns howling, building to cataclysmic force.
Fwoosh!
The staff landed back in his hand. He thrust it toward the swamp.
BOOM!
The air exploded with motion. Wind blades cut through everything. The swamp was torn to shreds, virus magic torn apart.
Even the combatants paused. The black dragon and Dracula both turned at the noise.
From the ruins of the swamp, a golden scabbard soared into the air.
The black dragon went wild with joy. Its body surged with newfound strength. A sacred aura rose around it.
Draconic breath spells erupted from its mouth. The dragon language cursed the head in its jaws, bombarding it with explosive force.
Dracula struggled to respond, his focus split.
At the same time, a distant explosion echoed through the forest. A brilliant green light lit up the horizon. Lilith and Jericho had succeeded.
Moriarty's eyes gleamed. He tucked the scabbard into his system space and turned back to the dragon.
It was time for Merlin's true power to awaken.
The shadows binding the dragon broke apart, melting like snow in the sun.
Dracula screamed in protest as his magic waned—cut off from its infected sources.
ANGHHH—!
The black dragon unleashed a devastating roar that hurled Dracula backward.
It followed with a jet of searing dragonfire.
Dracula howled in agony, writhing in the flames. His flesh ignited. His magic faltered.
Within moments, his body was engulfed and disintegrated.
Then, the black dragon clamped its massive teeth around Dracula's head and took to the sky.
Ding Dong~ The host has discovered Merlin's incarnation: the ancient black dragon of Western mythology. Host awarded 10x Achievement Draw!
Host assisted Merlin in defeating Dracula's body—rewarded 50,000 points.
Host discovered and claimed the scabbard of the lake sword—rewarded 20 Exploration Draws.
Host currently lacks sufficient magic power. Please consume a Magic Recovery Potion (Mid Grade).
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