The Cornflower Witch

Rain fell among the mountains, washing the green clean.

The cool rainwater dissipated the summer heat. On the night train, the crew members went about their business as usual, some working, others sitting together chatting and laughing.

The plesiosaur dragon bound to the train platform had its scales gradually soaked by the rain. Thin trickles of water flowed along the gaps between the scales, moistening its weary body.

The rain gradually intensified, pattering against the mountain forests, falling onto the train, and drifting into the low grass leaves. A delicate yet dense sound slowly rose.

In the darkness, a pair of jade-green dragon eyes opened. Even the night posed no obstacle to its vision. After suffering a severe blow, the owner of these eyes had become much calmer and more rational. It didn't struggle with brute force but quietly observed its surroundings before closing those dragon eyes again to continue hibernating.

The night was still long.

By four in the morning, the rain had lessened considerably. Only a few scattered lights remained on the train; most people had fallen into deep sleep. In this night as peaceful as any other, the seemingly weak plesiosaur dragon stirred once more. It bit down on the cable binding it, and azure flames burst forth, instantly burning through the tough rope. It repeated the process, quickly snapping the other ropes as well.

With such a massive body, movement inevitably drew attention. The vibrations and sounds from the train's rear startled many awake, and several masters rushed over immediately.

"Damn, it's breaking free!" the female Grace Master exclaimed.

Then, the several of them cast spells in unison. Rows of dark red holy spear projections materialized in the air and rained down, attempting to pin the plesiosaur dragon back onto the platform.

The dark red spear shadows pierced through the rain curtain, striking the dull silver-gray scales, penetrating them, and embedding into the body. The wounded plesiosaur dragon let out a majestic dragon roar. The soundwave ripples shattered the raindrops and also fragmented the holy spear projections in the air and within its body.

Although these spells were derived from the techniques of the "Piercing Eye Spear: Hrædrazi," these degraded versions ultimately lacked sufficient power to defeat the plesiosaur dragon, which had recovered some of its strength.

Having broken free, the plesiosaur dragon no longer hesitated. Its four fin-like limbs paddled, and its heavy, massive body advanced through the rain curtain in an impossible manner, charging into the night of the mountains.

Faced with the fleeing plesiosaur dragon, the several masters gave relentless pursuit. At this time, other elites on the train also arrived one after another, but most of them only followed from a distance, not daring to get too close.

This plesiosaur dragon was indeed very weak, but if it were to fight desperately in its death throes, Transcendents below the Sixth Tier would live or die in an instant.

At this moment, Sylutia was also hovering far away in the air, surrounded by a spherical airflow shield that kept the rain out.

Faced with the fleeing dragon, her expression was worried. She wondered whether she should try to persuade the masters, because she knew that once this plesiosaur dragon entered the rain curtain, its strength would slowly recover. Right now, the masters indeed held an absolute advantage, but if they kept chasing, the outcome might not be so certain.

Should she try to persuade them? But she felt these masters would never accept it. After all, this dragon was already regarded by them as a trophy that would shake the Alliance. Letting it go for nothing—who could be willing to do that? Besides, the dragon was indeed weak right now and couldn't defeat the combined force of the masters. At this moment of advantage, giving up would be truly hard to explain.

Sigh, she could only follow along and see how things played out.

Silver wings unfurled from her back, and carrying Sylutia, she flew into the rain curtain among the mountains, quickly catching up to the dragon's figure that had disappeared into the distance.

...

In the following hour, things developed just as Sylutia had predicted. In the early stages, the masters held a strong advantage but were reluctant to deliver a killing blow, allowing the dragon to break free several times and dive into the mountains and canyons.

Finally, they made up their minds: even if they had to severely wound the plesiosaur dragon and capture it, it was better than just letting it go.

But after several attempts, they suddenly found that their attacks were less effective. So they increased their efforts once more, and began, as before, summoning the projection of the "Piercing Eye Spear: Hrædrazi."

The dark red spear blade materialized in the night, like a tiny candle flame lighting up above the dragon. Though it seemed insignificant compared to the dragon's size, the threat and fear it brought made the plesiosaur dragon anxious and panicked.

As a dragon that had lived for countless ages, it couldn't remember the last time it had felt such panic. Probably it was when it came of age and fought with several brothers over inheritance. It had wanted its mother's "Sea-Snail Twin Spiral," but when it fought with two powerful older brothers, it was beaten horribly. In the end, it could only watch helplessly as its most beloved "Sea-Snail Twin Spiral" was taken by its brother and swallowed into his belly.

Every dragon, upon reaching adulthood, receives a portion of treasure from their parents as their initial hoard. It hadn't managed to grab the best one, the "Sea-Snail Twin Spiral," and only got a "Tide Mist Stone" that wasn't very compatible with its Aspect. Though it could use the thing, it didn't work very well, so it had always left it in a corner of its treasure vault, ignoring it. It never thought it would now have to pin its hopes on that stone.

Upon sensing the holy spear's projection aura materializing in the air, the plesiosaur dragon no longer hesitated. It spat out a peculiar stone from its mouth. The stone looked like a coastal reef, its surface rough and pitted with many small holes. After spitting it out, the dragon controlled it, levitating it above the plesiosaur dragon's head. Then, countless water mists burst forth from the stone, sweeping outward.

[Tide Mist Stone] (Tier 3 - Inferior Quality): A treasure containing the water mist of the composite Aspect 'Snail Fish·Mist Shadow.' When activated, it can instantly release a massive amount of water mist, obscuring the surrounding space. Only Transcendents proficient in the 'Mist Shadow' or 'Snail Fish' Aspect can perceive within it; other Aspects and abilities will be severely restricted. (Uses remaining: 3/3)

In the sky, the dark red holy spear materialized, like a baleful star blazing. Then it traced a long tail, diving into the spreading water mist below. Soon, the pained screech of the plesiosaur dragon came from within.

Did it hit? What was the effect? The masters in the sky had no way of knowing. None of them were Transcendents of the 'Mist Shadow' or 'Snail Fish' Aspect, so they could only use other methods to disperse the water mist.

Taking advantage of the masters' pause, the plesiosaur dragon twisted its long neck back, bit down on the holy spear stuck in its back, pulled it out, and threw it away. Then, carrying the "Tide Mist Stone" overhead, it accelerated forward.

It moved swiftly through the rain curtain. The mountain rain and mud seemed to become an excellent lubricant, reducing friction between its limbs, body, and the rocks and trees, allowing it to move without expending too much effort.

Although it was fleeing, it wasn't without a plan. It had detected an unusual water vapor in this direction. If it kept going, it should encounter a large lake.

Just hold on until then, the plesiosaur dragon thought to itself.

Time passed anxiously. During the pursuit, after several failures, the masters finally found a way to resolve the obscuring water mist. Orbs of orange-red fire, like meteors, raced through the night, chasing into the spreading water mist and exploding. The high heat and shockwaves diluted and evaporated the mist, revealing the outline of the plesiosaur dragon inside.

Facing the plesiosaur dragon that had already fled for nearly a hundred kilometers, the masters finally stopped holding back. They resolved to use their most lethal means to defeat the plesiosaur dragon, regardless of whether it lived or died.

Master Ge Zhen took a deep breath. His figure rose like a slowly ascending purple-gold star, and the invisible ripples of light radiating from his side dispelled the rain curtain for several hundred meters around. Then, by his side, six masters also took their positions. As these masters acted in unison, layers of complex magic arrays unfolded in the sky, and a brilliant halo instantly expanded, dispersing the rain clouds above.

A hole about ten kilometers in diameter appeared in the sky. Cold moonlight fell through it, and not a single drop of rain remained.

Although the masters didn't have Sylutia's special Discernment Eyes, as learned mages, they had gradually come to realize the rainwater's amplification effect on the plesiosaur dragon.

Then, within three magic arrays woven with starlight, enormous phantom figures slowly descended.

【Astral Kraken】(Tier 6 - Alien Star - Snail Fish): An Astral lifeform with huge tentacles, skilled in entangling and creating gravitational vortices.

【Ancient Moonstone】(Tier 6 - Alien Star - Luminous Moon): A dark, lustreless, cold moonstone, within which an open eye resides. It is said to be a descendant of the remnants after a certain world's moon shattered.

【Cloud-Scaling Sky Spider】(Tier 6 - Insect Moth - Mist Shadow): A spider that hides in the clouds and mists of the sky, capable of weaving colorless, transparent webs to prey on flying beasts in the air.

When these three powerful summoned creatures descended, they quickly became the masters' formidable assistants.

Among them, the 'Ancient Moonstone's' rotating single eye shot out a sharp, cold beam, sweeping across the direction the plesiosaur dragon had fled. The previously pervasive water mist was instantly dispelled and vanished without a trace. Then, the 'Cloud-Scaling Sky Spider' disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye, rapidly closing in on the fleeing plesiosaur dragon's airspace. Colorless, transparent webs descended. Even though the plesiosaur dragon spewed out azure flames to wash them away, after partially burning through, the remaining parts of the webs could reconnect, layering down one after another.

Afterwards, the slower 'Astral Kraken' approached. Its body was equally massive, and though it was injured by the plesiosaur dragon's azure dragon breath, the wounds weren't fatal. It persisted stubbornly, drawing closer until its huge tentacles wrapped around the plesiosaur dragon's body like they were latching onto a ship.

It also possessed the 'Snail Fish' Aspect, allowing it to resist many of the plesiosaur dragon's attacks, making it difficult for the weakened plesiosaur dragon to kill it quickly.

Finally, the plesiosaur dragon was trapped by these three summoned creatures, unable to move. And in the sky, the 'Piercing Eye Spear: Hrædrazi,' shimmering with an eerie red light, materialized once more, locking onto the plesiosaur dragon below.

An intense sense of crisis spurred the plesiosaur dragon. It struggled with all its might. Its raised dragon head bit down on the Kraken's dark red head, and then flames burst forth. The azure flames, tinged with a hint of blood, completely cooked the Astral creature's brain from the inside. Then, it tore off the tentacles binding it.

The holy spear in the sky was gradually completing its preparation. At that moment, the plesiosaur dragon raised its head and let out a long howl. The spreading dragon might shattered the webs around it, and a layer of silver-blue light emerged on its scales.

Then, the holy spear descended, like a brilliant meteor tearing through the sky, instantly piercing through the plesiosaur dragon's neck, nearly severing it. Spinal bones shattered and flew, and then the long neck crashed down again.

But even now, the plesiosaur dragon held onto its will. Though it couldn't lift its neck, it made its body drag the long neck across the land, advancing forward, leaving a trail of blood behind.

Seeing the dragon so tenacious, refusing to yield even in the face of death, the masters in the sky felt a flicker of emotion. But this feeling only lasted a few seconds before they began preparing for the next round of attacks.

Far to the rear, Sylutia had also arrived at the scene by now. Looking at the long trail of blood and gouges before her, she was shaken by the brutality of the battle.

At this point, there was nothing she could say. The masters were clearly intent on delivering the killing blow; there was no way they would give up now. As the eerie red light shimmered for the third time in the sky, the broken, exhausted plesiosaur dragon finally reached the large lake it had been desperately seeking.

This was a lake hidden among the mountains, a serene deep blue, surrounded on three sides by high peaks. Trees in shades of green and pale yellow lined its shores.

Mustering its last ounce of strength, the plesiosaur dragon entered the lake water, submerging its entire body. And the holy spear in the sky shot down for the third time, piercing the lake water, stirring up clouds of dark red blood.

Is it dead? The masters in the sky wondered. But their hands didn't stop. They began casting spells together, summoning the projection of the "Piercing Eye Spear: Hrædrazi" for the fourth time.

The blood-red light, like an ominous baleful star, flared up once more, briefly illuminating the mountain wilderness. It streaked across the sky and plunged into the lake water.

Beneath the surface, the plesiosaur dragon seemed reborn, swimming rapidly. Its body kept turning and twisting at the bottom, creating rapid vortices and fluid movements that made it difficult for the masters high above to lock onto it precisely. Then, it sucked in large amounts of lake water to replenish its lost fluids and heal its wounds.

In the distance, Sylutia watched this scene from the air, her sense of crisis growing stronger. At this point, she couldn't care less about propriety. She used her orb to contact Master Ge Zhen high in the sky, urging them to withdraw as quickly as possible, because the aura emanating from the plesiosaur dragon had changed.

In the sky, the masters also sensed something was wrong. But realizing it and making the firm decision to leave were not things that could be done in an instant. After all, they had been dominating the plesiosaur dragon the entire way, nearly killing it several times.

How could it suddenly recover just by entering the lake water? Such a huge reversal wasn't something every master could instantly accept.

Thus, precious time was wasted in discussion and hesitation. A few minutes later, the lake water below suddenly erupted. The massive whirlpool at the bottom abruptly changed form, surging up into the sky like a tornado, connecting with the clouds above. Then it rapidly expanded, sucking in the accumulated clouds and mist from several kilometers around. A piercing cold wind swept across the land, and fine droplets of rain began to fall along with it.

At this point, they finally made up their minds to retreat and give up the pursuit.

But before the masters could fly even a few kilometers away, a torrent of azure breath slanted down from the cloud layer, like a dazzling ray of light, engulfing them.

A few seconds later, the masters emerged from the ray of light. Though they hadn't died, their bodies were scorched, and many of their protective treasures and equipment were destroyed in the attack.

And it wasn't over yet. A long, deep dragon roar echoed from within the dark, accumulating clouds. Then, several bolts of lightning tore through the sky. Three of the masters, flying rapidly through the rain curtain, were struck by the lightning and fell from the sky.

Master Ge Zhen tried to organize a counterattack, but the plesiosaur dragon was swimming through the storm clouds, making its direction and position impossible to track. Even if they projected the holy spear, it was now difficult to lock on and hit.

Having lost their most powerful attack, the spells and abilities the masters currently possessed couldn't inflict effective damage on the plesiosaur dragon. If it weren't for the fact that the plesiosaur dragon was still weak and couldn't kill a few of them outright with its breath, there would likely have been casualties by now.

The scales of victory had tipped. Now, the roles were reversed, and the plesiosaur dragon was hunting the scattered and fleeing masters.