Boom!
The earth quaked as the dragon plummeted, dark-golden blood splattering. Two drops landed in Truman's hands.
"Hmph!" Medici glanced at Truman. Moments ago, he had teleported atop the dragon's head, delivering a fatal "slaughter" strike with his sword.
The dragon's wounds in the dream were real, inflicted by Medici in reality.
Buzz! A shadowy veil surged around Medici, as if seawater poured forth, disrupting fate and concealing everything.
This was akin to the Sefirah Castle's paper figurine angels in Truman's memory, a protective blessing from the Sun God.
With this, the psychic dragon was as dead as could be.
The Chaos Sea's aura was a lethal pollutant even for the Dragon of Imagination. No matter how many revival tricks the psychic dragon had, it couldn't resist.
A Sequence 2 Weather Warlock of the Hunter pathway, bolstered by a legion, paired with an overpowered Angel of Dreams and the Chaos Sea's aura—the psychic dragon's death was no injustice.
Such was this era. Ancient gods ravaged land, sky, sea, and even the Spirit World. Even angels' lives hung by a thread, snuffed out in an instant.
"Pleasant cooperation." Truman chuckled, smearing the two drops of blood onto the Robe of the Sage. Information surged, fully analyzing the dragon's beyonder abilities.
"You did decently as support. Here's your share of the spoils!" Legion members approached with mystical items, hastening the extraction of beyonder characteristics.
Soon, Medici tossed over a characteristic—Sequence 3 "Cognizer" from the Reader pathway.
"The Sequence 2 characteristic goes back to Sasrir," Medici said, clearly displeased but explaining nonetheless.
"Got it!" Truman nodded, satisfied. Medici's lethality was formidable, and their brief collaboration had already yielded rewards.
The Sequence 3 characteristic was secondary. More crucially, Truman had analyzed most of the dragon's abilities, recording several key ones.
"This dream power…" Truman was most adept with the dream ability, replicating it successfully on his first try, even deceiving the psychic dragon in its use.
"It pairs well with the Book of Dreams, perhaps even surpassing the original. The Darkness pathway also holds authority over dreams…"
He opened the Book of Dreams, the divine badge on his chest faintly glimmering with starlight. An ability named "Illusory Dream" was inscribed into the book.
"Who dares invade my Golden Kingdom!" Truman was still studying the Illusory Dream ability when a thunderous roar pierced the skies, deafening.
A giant appeared within sight, clad in silver full-plate armor radiating clear light, his eyes condensed into orbs of dawn's glow.
"It's Badheil, God of Dawn!" Medici and his legion instantly readied for battle. "Kill him, and the Giant King will lose his mind!"
Medici's eyes burned with fervor, his battle intent blazing like fire.
"Forget it. He's the Giant King's son, not some crazed dragon. The Giant King's gaze could fall at any moment!" Truman's words doused Medici's fervor like cold rain.
This was the Golden Kingdom under the Giant King's rule. Killing Badheil here would summon Giant King Aurmir instantly, and even the Chaos Sea's favor couldn't save Medici.
The most likely outcome would be prematurely sparking a divine war between the Ancient Sun God and the Giant King.
"Then we'll spare him!" Medici's proud head never bowed. He prepared to withdraw with his legion, avoiding a direct clash with the God of Dawn.
"You're not leaving? Are you Courting death?" Medici glanced at Truman, intending to pull his temporary comrade along but with his usual grating demeanor.
"I came here for him. Why would I leave?" Truman shot Medici a look, eyeing the distant twilight giant.
Badheil's warrior instincts sensed the two hidden angels, cautiously observing.
Medici raised a hand, manipulating the local weather. Thick fog rolled in, dampening enemy perception.
"Sequence 2 Glory of the Warrior pathway, the strongest in direct combat?" Truman narrowed his eyes, recalling everything about the Warrior pathway. Its dominance in frontal battles was proven by countless conflicts in later eras.
"Him? Strongest? Did he ask me?" Medici scoffed, his legion-backed War Angel claiming supremacy.
"Then go fight him," Truman goaded, glancing at Medici.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Medici looked at Truman as if he were Leodero. For a moment, Truman genuinely wanted to slap him.
The mockery was overwhelming.
"Ahem!" Truman refocused on Badheil. At that moment, the giant in the fog locked onto their position!
"Warrior instincts…" This combat intuition was terrifying, defying reason.
The instant the giant spotted them, a greatsword of orange-red twilight light pierced the void. Badheil leaped directly before Truman and Medici!
Clang!
The War Angel charged, wielding his own greatsword, his body growing to three or four meters, skin turning to steel, becoming an iron giant.
Their swords clashed, sparks of various flames rising, while orange-red twilight light spread.
"This isn't the right aesthetic!" Truman couldn't help but quip, watching two giants duel with swords in this bizarre, frenzied world.
It felt jarringly traditional.
Truman opened a page in the Book of Dreams, the "Illusory Dream" symbol glowing, an invisible force spreading.
The Glove of the Ancient shimmered faintly, the Robe of the Sage radiating phosphorescent light. In that moment, Truman seemed to embody the psychic dragon, unleashing a psychic dragon breath!
An angel-level attack!
Simultaneously, Truman hurled "Frenzy," "Mind Deprivation," and "Psychic Storm" at Badheil, all drawn from the psychic dragon.
The angel's blood had unlocked several extraordinary abilities, mastered via the Sage's information manipulation, while the Traveler characteristic included "Reappearance."
"Ugh… ah…" In that instant, the one-eyed giant's body stiffened, his mind significantly affected.
"Get lost!" Badheil roared, an orange-red twilight light erupting from him. Everything it touched decayed and aged, even Medici's expression hardening, avoiding a direct hit.
"Die!" Badheil leaped before Truman, his towering height exuding immense pressure, his terrifying greatsword slashing down.
It seemed the next moment, this peculiar angel would be cleaved in two.
Medici moved to assist, but Truman waved him off. This time, he would make Badheil recognize his weakness!
(End of Chapter)