Chapter 286: The Dragon's Roar

  The wails of the dying mingled with the frenzied roars of the other Minotaurs, accompanied by the sounds of tearing flesh and cracking bones. Despite such a vast disparity in strength, their fighting spirit did not waver in the slightest. The eyes of every Minotaur warrior had been reddened by their fighting spirit and the Bloodthirsty Aura until they looked like two beads of blood. These warriors knew nothing of death or fear; their ferocious fighting spirit and mad courage were often more powerful weapons than their bodies and axes.

  But no matter how great their courage or fighting spirit, it could not bridge the gap of an absolute difference in power. Just as even the bravest mouse is no match for a fierce tiger.

  Even an ordinary Minotaur warrior's strength was comparable to that of a rhinoceros, but in the face of this red-haired woman, these elite warriors seemed to possess less strength than even a mouse. The giant axes in their hands clashed with the ones wielded by the red-haired woman, letting out huge rumbling sounds before being deformed and sent flying. What also flew up were blood, flesh, severed limbs, and the corpses of Minotaurs. The combined defensive power of their prayers and Stoneskin spells was completely useless against this woman. It was like covering a thin piece of paper with another thin piece of paper; it would break just as easily.

  The woman's movements were graceful and casual. Her body was slender, and the curves outlined by her tight leather armor could undoubtedly be called sexy, but amidst the shower of blood and flesh raining down, it was impossible to have any other thoughts.

  But in less than a minute, more than thirty of the most elite Minotaur warriors had already become tattered corpses in her hands, scattered all around.

  However, the red-haired woman was panting all along, completely inconsistent with the aura that stirred up a storm of blood with every move. Her expression remained one of great weariness and exertion. Finally, it seemed she was truly exhausted, and her movements slowed for a moment. A Minotaur then seized the opportunity and landed a full-force axe blow on her back.

  The huge steel axe, as large as her torso, struck the red-haired woman's body heavily. The immense force sent her flying sideways.

  No blood oozed from the red-haired woman's body. This axe blow, which was enough to cleave a gap in a city gate, had only left a white mark on the leather armor on her back. If this axe had truly struck the massive body of a giant dragon, even with its thick scales, the armor-piercing axe, powered by a Minotaur warrior's strength, would have surely sent flesh and blood flying.

  But this was not the massive body of a dragon, but a human form, over a hundred times smaller. It was less that she was knocked away by the axe and more that she used the force of the blow to leap away on her own. A human body is not only light and less resistant to force, but its agility is also incomparable to a dragon's massive body. Less than one-tenth of the axe's power had actually struck the red-haired woman. She was virtually unharmed.

  But the instant the red-haired woman flew back, a thunderous rumbling filled the cavern. The roars of the Minotaur warriors were instantly drowned out by this even more immense wave of sound.

  The Battle Qi on the Golden Battle Bow had long been charged to its limit, but it was only now that Wilskey released it. He fired the arrow, which had gathered all of his Battle Qi. For the speed and agility the red-haired woman had displayed among the Minotaurs, only now could he be certain this arrow would not miss its mark.

  The Minotaur warriors were almost all dead or wounded, but the five Temple Knights, who had already activated their Divine Aegis of the Heavens, did not move. These Minotaur warriors were merely sacrifices from the start. They could also see that the red-haired woman, in her transformed state, had not been using her full strength. So they waited, for the perfect opportunity to strike. And now, with the Minotaurs nearly wiped out, the moment had arrived.

  The light that had originally gathered on the Golden Battle Bow transformed into a massive pillar of white light. It shot over the heads of the Minotaur warriors towards the red-haired woman. Amidst the huge rumbling, the upper bodies of three Minotaurs were completely obliterated. This was insignificant compared to how the entire cavern seemed to tremble slightly under the power of this single arrow. These Minotaurs died silently and without notice. The massive pillar of white light was like a thunder god from the heavens suddenly descending into this underground cavern, unleashing its full fury upon the red-haired woman.

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  Wilskey, who had fired the arrow, staggered on his feet, almost falling. Even the glow of the Divine Aegis of the Heavens on his body extinguished. This arrow had not only been all of his strength and Battle Qi, but it had also expended nearly all of his essence, energy, and spirit.

  The red-haired woman was still flying backward. She looked at the pillar of light, like the roar of an angry god, and suddenly stopped panting. The light in her narrow pupils flared, becoming as bright as the white light of the arrow hurtling towards her. Although she had been fighting these Minotaur warriors, she was also keenly aware that the five people standing behind them were the main force here. Her attention had been on them the entire time.

  As she retreated, the red-haired woman threw the two massive axes, now mangled pieces of iron, to meet the thunderous white light. The steel giant axes let out two short, crisp shattering sounds under the arrow, which contained the full Battle Qi of a Temple Knight, and shattered like glass. The white pillar of light paused slightly, then continued to cleave towards the red-haired woman.

  The red-haired woman's back was now against the cavern's rock wall. There was no room to retreat or dodge. She suddenly reached out her hand and grabbed the massive pillar of light that was now before her. The pillar of light was several times larger than her body. The power and momentum it carried even caused the rock wall behind her to begin to crumble and fall. Her not-so-tall and robust body looked as if it would be torn to shreds like a piece of paper in a hurricane.

  But with a dull thud, as her hand closed, the rumbling sound that had filled the entire cavern instantly vanished. The white light also disappeared.

  With one clasp and grab of her slender, well-defined hands, the massive rumbling, the momentum, the sound, and the white light all vanished. She had grabbed the roar, which was like the fury of a celestial thunder god, and crushed it into nothingness, as if it had never been an illusion.

  The rock wall behind the red-haired woman cracked open in a large area with her at the center. The foot-long anti-magic arrow of fine steel was held quietly between her two hands. She had caught this single arrow, which was originally enough to kill a Behemoth, with her bare hands.

  A drop of bright red blood dripped from her palm. She was finally injured. At the same time, the glint that had just flashed in her eyes also faded. A look of confusion passed through her yellow eyes. After panting heavily a few times, she bent over and coughed violently twice.

  But just then, the just-subsided rumbling returned with ten times its former might, as if the heaven-shaking arrow from before was merely a small prelude. The entire cavern seemed about to crack and shatter under the rumbling of the Battle Qi magic's light and airflow.

  Because this time, it was not just one arrow, but two swords and a spear. These three weapons struck from three angles and three directions. The light of their Battle Qi was equally intense. The airflow and momentum stirred up between the three weapons resonated and amplified before erupting. Two or three Minotaurs who were closer were directly torn to shreds by this airflow.

  This was a full-strength strike from three Temple Knights, long held in reserve, following closely after Wilskey's arrow. It gave the red-haired woman no time to breathe or dodge. This strike was powerful enough to destroy half of the massive cavern.

  The Minotaur warriors were now essentially all dead or wounded. Their purpose had been served. Although they had not caused any substantial harm to the dragon as expected, they had at least exhausted the red-haired woman's stamina and created such an opportunity. The Temple Knights would never miss such a chance to deliver a fatal blow to their enemy. The killing intent and momentum from the three weapons had locked the red-haired woman in the middle firmly in place.

  The red-haired woman, who had been bent over coughing, suddenly straightened her body. She craned her neck, opened her mouth, and let out a roar at the three Temple Knights who were flying towards her like three pillars of light.

  This was the first sound she had made since her appearance. It was not a sound that a human could possibly make.

  The combined strike of the Temple Knights made the entire cavern rumble and tremble, but this roar completely drowned it out. Anyone who had not seen it would never believe such a sound could come from the small body of such a red-haired woman. Even the strongest Behemoth or the largest Thunderbird could not emit such a shriek. This sound was not just loud, not just deafening; it shook the heart and the soul.

  The majesty and pressure contained within this roar, imposed directly upon the shock of all living beings who heard it, could not be compared to any other sound.

  All the remaining Minotaurs who heard this sound went limp at the knees and knelt down. This had nothing to do with courage or fighting spirit. It was an instinctual fear of a being that was higher and greater than themselves, innate and inborn.

  The figures of the three Temple Knights, who were already in mid-air, also faltered. Although they were not completely stunned like the Minotaurs, their combined strike, which was powerful enough to crush any being, was interrupted. Their momentum and killing intent instantly dissipated.

  The red-haired woman waved her hand, throwing the fine steel anti-magic arrow she held back at the spear-wielding Temple Knight in the air. The arrow no longer carried its previous surging and grand Battle Qi. Although the sound of the wind it made was no longer majestic, it was exceptionally sharp, as if it could pierce the Temple Knight with sound alone. This was pure power and speed.

  With a loud clang, the forward-charging figure of the spear-wielding Temple Knight was suddenly thrown backward. The white light that enveloped his body shattered and dissipated in that crisp, clear sound.