HLnovel Chapter 448: Instant Refinement
Chapter 448: Instant Refinement
After the Dragon-Ghost Union, not only was Gauss’s physical body enhanced, but his mana was also strengthened.The same spells he once wielded would now likely be twice as powerful in his hands.
An exhilarating feeling of total control surged through his mind, as if he had become omnipotent.
Of course, he was fully aware that this was merely the illusion of a sudden doubling in power.
His appearance had undergone a drastic transformation.
If his human form exuded a handsome charm tinged with a hint of authority, his current form added an aggressive, oppressive pressure on top of that foundation.
Standing over two meters tall, his flowing robe concealed clean, streamlined muscle lines. Small horns grew from his forehead, and his hair had turned white. His skin had quietly lost its rosy hue, becoming paler, yet his body was now covered in a dense layer of translucent dragon scale patterns.
As he gently stretched his body, a pair of energy wings burst through his robe from behind.
It could be said that, even after the transformation, his physique remained minuscule compared to the three Juvenile Dragons in the distance, but in terms of aura, the roles were completely reversed.
The aura flowing from his small form instantly suppressed the draconic aura of the three dragons.
It forced their aura back around their bodies, even repelling the floating emerald-green spores in the air as if an invisible force had knocked them away!
“!”
The knocked-away spores collided with each other, exploding into corrosive toxic mist mid-air.
The next moment, Gauss’s form vanished from his original spot at a speed almost impossible to track with the naked eye, so fast that a flickering afterimage still lingered where he had stood.
“Boom!”
“Where is he?”
Just as the three Juvenile Dragons were looking around, trying to find Gauss’s vanished figure.
An incredibly condensed silver palm suddenly appeared beside one Green Dragon.
The air seemed to be squeezed out as if forcibly pushed aside.
The Green Dragon was clearly not prepared for this, and caught off guard, was immediately grabbed by the giant hand.
Although the dragon’s size was enormous, this nearly twenty-meter hand could still grasp it like a pet.
Soon, the Green Dragon, trapped by “Bigby’s Hand,” let out a painful roar toward the sky.
It struggled to break free.
But the massive palm’s strength continued to increase!
“Gah!”
Under this grip, even a True Dragon—renowned for its thick hide and terrifying physical resilience—showed signs of being unable to withstand the pressure.
Thick, viscous blood seeped through the gaps between its scales.
Then dripped down along the surface of the giant palm. If any dragon enthusiasts witnessed this scene, they would surely lament the waste of a precious creature.
“Pfft!!”
Poisonous breath sprayed from one of the Green Dragons, drenching the giant palm, attempting to slowly corrode and consume the mana of Bigby’s Hand.
If Gauss had used Bigby’s Hand in his normal state, it might indeed have been heavily corroded by this breath. But in the Dragon-Ghost Union state, the quality of his mana was greatly enhanced.
Thus, the overall quality of the mana-condensed Bigby’s Hand was also comprehensively strengthened.
The Green Dragon’s poisonous breath only left a trail of white smoke on the surface of Bigby’s Hand; aside from that, it could not achieve any ideal destructive effect in a short time.
“Gah gah!”
More blood spurted out from the cracked scales and skin of the Green Dragon.
Until this moment, the captured Green Dragon was completely panicked.
It felt a deadly threat from the hand.
It was a noble True Dragon—how could it not even withstand a single attack?
Its poison magic, its ability to control natural elements and manipulate plants, its magic resistance, speed, and agility...
At this moment, all these abilities seemed useless.
Endless force was brutally squeezing into its body from every inch of its skin.
The organs inside its body began to shift out of place, and its breathing gradually became difficult.
Meanwhile, in the distance, the other Green Dragon, which Gauss had not prioritized as an attack target, watched its companion’s miserable struggle and couldn’t help but feel a fortunate relief.
It and its sibling were about equal in strength—in other words, if Gauss had chosen it, it would have been just as unable to break free.
It exchanged a glance with the Blue Dragon, who had been preparing a defensive spell. Both the Green Dragon and the Blue Dragon knew the situation was not optimistic.
This mysterious enemy seemed a bit too strong—he had subdued their companion with just one spell.
If he freed up his hands, they would be next.
Thinking this far, even though the relationship among the several Juvenile Dragons was not particularly harmonious, they had to act out of self-preservation and quickly help their companion.
The Blue Dragon turned its gaze toward Gauss, who was standing in the void, coldly staring at the captured Green Dragon.
“Enhanced Hold Person!”
A practiced spell was released from between the Blue Dragon’s claws.
The Blue Dragon’s magical talent was indeed not to be underestimated.
The fluctuation of mana instantly crossed a distance of hundreds of meters and descended upon Gauss’s body.
Gauss soon felt an uncomfortable sensation coming from all over his body.
“Gah gah gah!”
It was as if countless hands were restraining him from all directions, not just his body but also penetrating deep inside, interfering with his magic flow.
Affected by the spell, Bigby’s Hand, which had been increasing its pressure, suddenly loosened.
The Green Dragon, which had been on the verge of being unable to breathe, instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as it was about to escape from the loosened Bigby’s Hand, the giant palm that had just relaxed tightened again in its despairing gaze.
“Roar!”
A mouthful of blood surged up along its slender dragon neck and then spewed from its mouth. Looking closely, it even contained many pieces of mangled flesh tissue.
Gauss’s gaze turned to the Blue Dragon. Its spell was indeed extraordinary, capable of affecting him even in this state.
This showed just how exceptionally gifted the Blue Dragon was.
But fortunately, he was equally exceptional. Unlike most spellcasters, his resistance to interference was maxed out.
His professional feat, [Greater Spell Mastery], made his casting effects more stable. The two enhanced states were not even worth mentioning, as they inherently possessed some all-around defensive capabilities. He also possessed three professional feats: [Magic Resistance], [Stable Casting Master], and [Artillery Mage].
All combined, it was actually quite difficult to interrupt his spellcasting.
Gauss wasn’t floating in the void to show off his skill; it was to maximize the effect of his spells.
His strategy was to ambush one Green Dragon, then relentlessly beat it to death, quickly reducing the number of dragons in the group.
This was also a common strategy when facing multiple opponents while being outnumbered.
Seeing that his spell had not achieved the desired effect, the Blue Dragon’s forward charge motion suddenly stiffened.
It felt as if its spell had been thrown against a stone—aside from the initial feedback upon contact, it was like throwing a rock into the sea.
What kind of monster was this?
At this moment, it no longer thought Gauss was a Gold Dragon or a Silver Dragon.
His aura was very different from the metallic dragons in its bloodline’s inherited memories.
So now, it was a bit afraid.
It abandoned the idea of engaging in close combat and helping the captured Green Dragon escape.
Spreading its dragon wings, its form soared straight upward.
The closer it got to the sky above, the stronger the resistance the Blue Dragon felt.
It was that invisible barrier blocking its path.
The Blue Dragon quickly judged that it couldn’t escape in a short time.
But this attempt was merely a test. As the escape route was cut off, the Blue Dragon’s heart also turned ruthless.
Since the enemy wanted to kill it, it would viciously bite a piece of flesh off him in return.
At their core, True Dragons were all proud.
“Boom!”
Within the area trapped by the Silent Birdcage, the originally clear sky suddenly changed drastically.
Deep, dark clouds surged wildly, and flashes of lightning faintly flickered within, clearly brewing some terrifying attack.
Gauss glanced at the sky above, then looked at his side and rear.
Unlike the Blue Dragon, which had wisely realized it shouldn’t engage Gauss in close combat and reacted quickly, the other female Green Dragon that had charged alongside it was not so fast.
It flew toward Gauss’s location like a cannonball.
A dragon claw lit up with emerald light.
At the same time, countless plants burst out of the ground beneath Gauss.
“Swoosh! Swoosh!”
The Royal Land churned like the sea.
Vines, much thicker than a person’s waist, crazily shot upward.
Hundreds of vines and trees surged up like a plague of giant pythons, all rushing toward Gauss in the air as their target center.
Coupled with the female Green Dragon charging in head-on, all attacks seemed to surround and trap Gauss.
“Magic Missile!”
Gauss glanced at the commotion below with a sidelong look, his face still as calm as still water.
His other hand, which was not holding his magic wand, opened its five fingers. Black-and-white ghostly energy coiled around his slender fingertips. After a brief preparation, Gauss pressed his left hand downward.
The air below seemed to freeze for an instant.
The next second, that stagnant feeling suddenly disappeared.
“Boom boom boom boom!!!”
Countless magic missiles shot out from Gauss’s left palm at a terrifying speed, like a gatling gun.
The sound of the high-speed volleys stacked together, becoming exceptionally deep and resounding, almost like a dragon’s roar.
Countless magic missiles poured down like a rainstorm, each one wrapped in intertwined black-and-white ghostly energy, dragging dense trails in the air.
The green tide and the missile rain collided mid-air, erupting in a deafening explosion in an instant.
Spherical blue magical halos bloomed like fireworks beneath Gauss, scattered in a staggered pattern.
The vines shattered instantly upon contact with the missiles, sending wood chips and sap flying everywhere.
Gauss’s dragon-roar magic missiles were even denser than the Green Dragon’s plant-control magic.
Those snake-like green plants, before they could even fully rise, were cut off at their roots by the missiles.
Facing the increasingly close pressure of the female Green Dragon bearing down from above, Gauss turned his left hand, which had been pressing downward, upward, then suddenly clenched it.
“The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.” Behind the Green Dragon, another silver giant hand was condensing at an extremely fast pace.
“Bigby’s Hand! Duet!”
Why was Gauss so confident that he, in the Dragon-Ghost Union state, possessed level 13 strength? The reason lay in this extremely exquisite spell control.
The Green Dragon, which had been staring intently at Gauss, felt a chill on its back.
A terrifying Wind Pressure came from behind it.
“Danger!”
But before it could react further, that giant hand grabbed it just like the first Juvenile Green Dragon.
Maintaining two enhanced 5th-circle spells simultaneously was actually very difficult.
Especially the casting in the blink of an eye, which was far harder to achieve than it looked.
High-level creatures like Green Dragons were not roadside goblins. Even though Gauss had caught them off guard, the attack window left for him was extremely fleeting.
If he acted too quickly, the Green Dragon would have spotted the second Bigby’s Hand in advance and dodged by flying away.
If he acted too slowly, the fast-moving Green Dragon would also have had time to react and escape the spell’s range.
Fortunately, the process went smoothly.
Gauss floated in mid-air, one giant hand on each side holding a captured Green Dragon prisoner.
Especially the first dragon; it was now on the verge of death.
A large amount of dragon blood had dyed the originally silver-white Bigby’s Hand a glaring crimson.
Its dragon sinews were severed inch by inch, its internal muscles had exploded, and its bones were either dislocated or broken. All over its body, only one heart was still stubbornly beating.
The light in the Green Dragon’s pupils was gradually fading.
Suddenly.
“Bang!”
A roar came from within the dragon’s blood-soaked body.
The next moment, its body, which had been tensely resisting tens of tons of force, suddenly relaxed, turning into a heap of limp flesh.
A Juvenile Green Dragon—an individual destined to become a strong one if it lived—ended its life in an almost humiliating death.
A notification flashed before Gauss’s eyes.
“Killed Transcendent Creature: Green Dragon (Juvenile) *1.”
A hint of satisfaction appeared in Gauss’s eyes.
In terms of level, according to his perception, none of the four dragons present had truly stepped into the Transcendent rank.
But their bloodline was too noble, allowing them to cross the rank bottleneck that was unbreakable for humans.
This Green Dragon’s combat power had already crossed the Transcendent threshold, and in terms of survivability, it far surpassed most level 11 Transcendents.
It died somewhat unfairly, ambushed and suppressed by Gauss’s Bigby’s Hand without any knowledge of him.
Bigby’s Hand had clear advantages and disadvantages.
Its sustained suppression was extremely strong, but once formed, its movement speed was relatively slow compared to its massive size, leaving room for agile enemies to react.
The best way to use it was to catch the enemy off guard, combined with Dimension Door, to condense it at close range in a short time and control the target.
The Juvenile Green Dragon, suppressed by the enhanced Bigby’s Hand, had lasted long enough to be proud.
Gauss was now at what he considered level 13 combat power.
“Transcendent Path: Kill 5 types of Transcendent-level monsters (2/5). Reward: Randomly draw one racial talent from a Transcendent-level monster.”
“Because you have killed a Legendary race creature, the True Dragon, you have obtained the title [True Dragon Killer].”
“Purple-quality racial talent [Dragon Breed] is absorbing bloodline energy…”
“Absorbing bloodline energy…”
Gauss, who had been slightly fatigued, felt a powerful, hot blood surging wildly within him.
It was like soaking in a hot spring; his entire body was filled with a wonderful feeling.
For this reason, he controlled Bigby’s Hand not to release the first Juvenile Green Dragon that had died.
He could feel that his racial talent, [Dragon Breed], was absorbing part of the power from the dead True Dragon’s corpse, rapidly strengthening as if refining it.
“Roar!!!”
When the other dragons saw the death of the Green Dragon, shock and unease flickered in their pupils.
The dragons, who considered themselves noble, were deeply shaken by seeing a companion die before them, even though they had already realized Gauss’s strength.