The Demonic Dragon And The Demonic Tree

“SKREEEEEE!”

The demonic dragon’s cry echoed through the Demonic Tree Forest. I entered the state of Moment of Foam and broke into a run. At the same time, the demonic dragon also began running. The instant we closed in on each other, it thrust its claws toward me, so I dodged and swung the Lightning Topaz Spear. The slash tore through one of the demonic dragon’s forelegs.

I had not severed it completely, but the wound had reached the bone, so it probably could no longer move that foreleg. I thought the injury might make it flinch, but the demonic dragon roared madly and swung its remaining foreleg around.

The instant its claws passed before my eyes, the intense cold made my skin crawl. There was no mistake. Those claws converted demonic qi into freezing air. Interesting. I did not understand the mechanism, but it was fascinating.

The demonic dragon was fast, but while using Moment of Foam, I would not be struck by its attacks. I narrowly dodged another claw strike and was about to drive the Lightning Topaz Spear into its neck when freezing air burst from its entire body.

“Whoa!”

Judging it dangerous, I hurriedly leaped backward. I nearly fell when I tried to land. The cold had slowed the movement of my muscles. Had I continued being exposed to it, my body might have become completely immobile.

I fled. I had judged that continuing the battle like this would be dangerous. After running about fifty meters while avoiding trees and tall weeds, I stopped and looked back. The demonic dragon was pursuing me from behind.

Running had warmed my body, and the sluggishness in my muscles had returned to normal.

“Good. I seem to be fine.”

Using the principles of Coiling Slash, I wrapped the Lightning Topaz Spear in Floating Yang Qi and aimed for the demonic dragon’s neck. It reflexively pulled its head backward. Because of that, I failed to sever its neck completely, but I sliced through the front half. A large amount of blood sprayed out, and the demonic dragon staggered several steps before collapsing.

“That was dangerous. So it wasn’t only the claws.”

When it released freezing air from its entire body, it seemed to come from its skin. The hide might also possess a special function. Thinking that, I removed its claws and skinned it.

There were six claws, and I removed enough hide to make about two coats. I stuffed them into my pack and took a break. I pulled out my shell waterskin, drank some water, and sat on a fallen tree to rest. I had come here intending to obtain demonic wood, but I had acquired something valuable instead.

After resting until my fatigue faded, I resumed walking in search of a demonic tree. Before long, I discovered a tree whose branches were swaying despite the lack of wind. However, it was larger than I had expected. The library records stated that they were around five meters tall, but this one appeared to be more than ten meters.

Demonic trees themselves were not frightening as long as one did not approach them. Their roots extended deep underground, so they could not move. However, they could flex their trunks and branches to beat anything that approached to death. Their roots supposedly dragged killed prey into the ground and converted it into nourishment.

I placed my belongings on the ground and carefully approached the demonic tree while holding the Lightning Topaz Spear. The instant I came within seven meters of it, the trunk suddenly bent and tried to smash down on me from directly above. I leaped sideways to avoid the attack, then jumped toward the demonic tree.

Just as I thought the Lightning Topaz Spear’s blade would reach it, one of its branches stretched toward me. I blocked it with the spear shaft, but my entire body was sent flying. While airborne, I thrust the Lightning Topaz Spear toward the ground. Using the embedded spear as a pivot, I regained my balance and landed.

After landing, I looked toward the demonic tree. It swayed back and forth as though threatening me. I observed it and considered a route for approaching. There were no other trees around it, making the area easy to move through. The demonic tree had probably eliminated them to monopolize all the nutrients.

“Whew. The clear visibility is useful, but it also makes approaching while hidden impossible.”

I decided to rely on the speed of Wind Cutter. I approached as close as possible without provoking an attack, then used the principles of the Shrinking Earth Method and sprinted at full speed.

Noticing me, the demonic tree attacked by slamming down one of its branches. The instant I leaped sideways to avoid it, the Wind Cutter secret technique failed. Even so, I continued forward, entered striking range, and swung the Lightning Topaz Spear. The blade, trailing flames from Yang Fox-Flame, sank into the demonic tree near its base.

One strike was not enough. The demonic tree was tougher than I had expected. After delivering the slash, I continued running and escaped into the safe zone. Behind me, the sound of the demonic tree striking the ground echoed through the forest.

Once I escaped, I turned and stared at the demonic tree. If one strike was not enough, I would attack again. While avoiding its attacks, I used the principles of the Shrinking Earth Method to close the distance, then sliced into its base with the White Flame secret technique. The strike felt solid, but it still did not fall.

One more strike should have been enough to cut down the demonic tree. After steadying my breathing, I began running. The demonic tree attacked while swinging its entire body. Seeing that, I remembered a kabuki performance I had once watched. It had been a performance called Lion Dance, featuring a scene where the actors vigorously swung their long hair.

While avoiding the attack, I closed the distance in one burst. Then, using the breathing method and principles of the Broadsword Fox-Flame Technique, I channeled highly pressurized Heavy Yin Qi into the Lightning Topaz Spear and struck the base. The blade, trailing white flames, severed it. I did it! I immediately retreated.

The demonic tree thrashed violently. However, since it had been completely severed, it slowly began to fall. It crashed down with a tremor and stopped moving after about five minutes.

“It’s over.”

I approached and confirmed that it was dead. While sitting on its trunk and resting, I considered how to transport it. The trunk was around twenty-five centimeters in diameter, so carrying it would be difficult.

After putting on my pack, I filled my entire body with qi to enhance my physical abilities, then began carrying the demonic tree through sheer strength.

“Heavy.”

Complaining as I went, I carried it to the edge of the Demonic Tree Forest. When I looked up at the sky, the sun had begun to set. Judging that transporting it alone was impossible, I decided to return with companions the next day. I had not expected the demonic tree to be this large.

Afterward, I hurried back to Gyorei Cave using Lightness Skill. The sky had turned red. As I was about to head toward the dining hall, I ran into Elder Min, who was also going there, and she spoke to me.

“Kou, were you in the demon realm?”

“Yes. I went hunting.”

“Did you find any good prey?”

I pulled the demonic dragon hide from my pack and showed it to Elder Min. I thought an elder might know what kind of creature it was.

“…Is this an Ice Dragon?”

Elder Min exclaimed in surprise.