CHAPTER 130 – JUSTINE THE QUARANTINE
CHARLOTTE MARGARET
Gunshots rang out, each one a staccato beat in the hallowed silence of the cathedral grounds. My finger squeezed the trigger, sending a bullet slicing through the air straight toward his face. But no matter how precise my aim, the enemy kept replicating, a relentless tide flooding the battlefield.
Memories surged, unbidden. The black dragon that had ambushed the Windwalker flashed before my mind's eye. Hiraya's words echoed in my thoughts—the Conquest Dragon, a creature of myth and terror, its abilities shrouded in mystery. Yet, one trait stood out clear as day: multiplication, like an infestation of a pest that refused to be eradicated.
"Have you not heard of my name?" The man before us, his bowl-cut hair framing a face twisted with arrogance, proclaimed his identity. "I am Justine Azregon, The eleventh of the Erudites Twelve. I am sure that you heard of my colleague Dennis Cavalier. Oh, but I heard that the Daybreaker Squad has already eliminated him.”
The battlefield was a symphony of chaos. I continued to fire, my sniper rifle a constant rhythm in the cacophony of war. Darlix stood by my side, his presence a steady anchor amidst the turmoil, supplying me with the bullets I needed to keep fighting. And ahead, Xenon stood firm, a tower shield against the onslaught, his unwavering resolve a shield for us all.
The enemy swarmed, their numbers multiplying with every passing moment. Their smiles, infuriatingly smug, taunted us, a silent mockery of our efforts.
“No matter how many times you kill my clones, you cannot stop me.” Justine's voice cut through the chaos, a chilling reminder of his indomitable will.
Then, without warning, they struck. Knives flew through the air like deadly shadows, aimed with deadly precision at our vulnerable positions. But Xenon, ever the stalwart guardian, interceded, his shield a bulwark against the onslaught.
"Darlix, cover us!" Xenon's command sliced through the chaos, a lifeline in the storm.
"R-Right!" Darlix's voice shook with determination as he channeled his magic, the ground beneath us pulsating with energy. "Forge!"
Suddenly, a shimmering barrier materialized around us, a fortress of steel rising from the ground to shield us from the onslaught of the cloning dragonoids. The throwing knives, meant to pierce our defenses, clattered harmlessly against the impenetrable barrier.
"Heh!" Justine's laughter echoed through the chaos. "There may be three of you, but I outnumber you completely."
As the enemy's taunts filled the air, Xenon turned to me, his gaze unwavering. "Have you figured out where the original is?"
"Huh? Ah, yeah," I stumbled over my words. "All his reinforcements are coming from the bell tower doors. If I can get a clean shot, I can take out the original."
"Okay, I'll give you one chance," Xenon declared, his voice a thunderous command. With a mighty bash of his shield, he carved a path through the steel barrier and charged back into the fray with a primal roar.
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Xenon's onslaught cleared the way for my shot, leading straight to the entrance of the bell tower. Darkness loomed beyond, but it was my only opportunity to end this relentless adversary once and for all.
"Darlix, I need a .50 Caliber Barret," I demanded.
"R-Right away!" Darlix's voice trembled with urgency as he called upon his magical forge, conjuring a massive sniper rifle and placing it into my waiting hands.
I dropped to the ground, my body going prone as I swiftly aimed towards the entrance of the bell tower. With Xenon's help, the path cleared; I wasted no time, pulling the trigger with precision. A deafening gunshot shattered the cathedral's stillness.
The bullet sliced through the air, leaving a faint shockwave in its wake until it found its mark at the entrance of the bell tower. Blood sprayed in a gruesome arc as the original Justine met his end.
But even as his form crumpled, the clones persisted in their assault on Xenon.
"Ha-ha-ha!" Justine's laughter rang out, chilling in its triumph. "Each one of me is the original! Unless you annihilate all of me simultaneously, I am eternal!"
"W-What?" Darlix's cry echoed my own shock.
"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath.
I continued to fire, each shot targeting a clone with lethal accuracy. Yet, for every one I struck down, another emerged, multiplying like a relentless infection.
"The game is over, dear guests," Justine declared with a mocking bow.
Then, in a blinding flash of crimson light, the pestilent dragonoid underwent a transformation. In an instant, he morphed into an eight-meter-tall black dragon with eyes aflame with malevolence. Though its form resembled others of its kind, its ability to replicate marked it unmistakably as the dreaded Conquest Dragon.
"I am the Conquest Dragon, Erudite of Quarantine!" the beast roared telepathically, its voice reverberating in our minds. "With my power, I have sealed off this island from the dwarves, and none can oppose me!"
Fifty-plus Conquest Dragons gathered fiery orbs in their gaping maws, their collective power charging the air with impending doom. With a mighty launch, the fireballs hurtled toward us like meteors of destruction.
"Crap!" Darlix's panicked cry mingled with the impending chaos.
"Forge into a Great Wall!" Xenon's chant cut through the turmoil. With a thunderous crash, he drove the tip of his tower shield into the earth, pouring forth his magical energy to conjure a fortress of metal. The fireballs crashed against the barrier, exploding in a shower of debris.
But the onslaught persisted, relentless in its fury. The Conquest Dragons continued their barrage, each fiery projectile testing the limits of Xenon's makeshift defense. Time was not on our side.
"Darlix," I muttered urgently, desperation coloring my tone. "Use the Vesryn Pulse on me!"
"H-Huh?" Darlix's confusion was palpable, his brows furrowed in bewilderment. "How?"
"Just do it, damn it!" I snapped, frustration boiling over. "Touch your heart or something!"
"L-Like this?" Darlix's uncertain hand found his chest, and in a flash, a golden glow radiated from within him and mirrored in my own chest.
It dawned on me then—the inexplicable heartbeat resonance I had felt since our first encounter, the same sensation shared with Hiraya, Kate, and Gaeun. The warmth of the Vesryn Pulse, a testament to our synchronized heartbeats.
"What are you waiting for? Say it!" I urged Darlix, urgency driving my words.
"Will you go out with me?" Darlix blurted out.
Instinctively, I slapped his cheek. "Not that!"
"O-Okay! Activating Vesryn Pulse!"
In an instant, a surge of golden light enveloped my body, its warmth suffusing every fiber of my being. As the brilliance faded, I found myself transformed, no longer bound by mortal limitations. Where once stood a mere human, now soared a magnificent quad-pedal dragon, adorned with formidable armor resembling thick, impenetrable shells. Instead of wings, a pair of colossal cannons protruded from my back, ready to unleash devastation upon my foes.
My scales, once human skin, now bore the sturdy gray metal of war, capable of repelling even the most relentless onslaughts. With this newfound form, a fusion of magic and machinery, I stood as an avatar of ultimate offense and defense, a force to be reckoned with.
No longer would I be plagued by the incessant annoyance of the pest that had tormented me for so long. With a roar that shook the very foundations of the cathedral, I embraced my newfound power, ready to bring an end to the tyranny of the Conquest Dragon once and for all.