Getting spoiled in a woman dominating world Chapter 481: The First Companion [5]

Brandon leaned back against a tent pole within the tent, his legs extended straight out ahead.

To fend off the chill, he had draped a spare blanket across his shoulders.

His eyes lingered on Rheanne.

On the opposite side of the tent, she slumbered serenely, curled up on her side, her flowing white hair tumbling over the blanket.

Her white eyelashes trembled softly with every slow, steady breath.

The lantern's soft light traced the gentle arch of her cheek and the tranquil looseness of her lips.

A quiet sigh slipped from his mouth.

He grabbed the metal cup next to him and sipped water deliberately.

’I wonder how Elize, Florence, and the others are doing,’ he pondered, as their familiar faces surfaced in his mind like a comforting recollection. ’I miss them so much.’

’...Charlotte must be blaming herself for losing me.’

After another sip of water, he placed the cup aside and reclined against the tent pole.

He looked at Rheanne once more. ’I can’t tell her the truth yet,’ he thought.

’So I’ll play my part. I’ll be the companion she needs right now. And when the time comes... I’ll find my way back to Florence and to everyone waiting for me.’

The chill began infiltrating the tent more deeply. He tugged the blanket snugger around his shoulders.

---

BOOOOOOMMM

A thunderous blast hurled sand skyward in a massive upheaval, unleashing a huge plume of golden dust into the heavens.

From the dunes erupted a colossal sand dragon, its form composed of tightly coiled, ever-shifting golden sand.

Vast wings crafted from compacted sand spread out with a booming snap, propelling waves of dust surging over the desert.

The dragon bellowed, the sound vibrating the air as Brandon gazed up at it.

His fingers clenched the sword hilt harder, knuckles paling. ’With my ether skills, this should be a piece of cake... but using ether just to boost my body...’

He exhaled deeply. ’I need to find a way to replenish my ether soon. Anyway, let’s finish this first.’

The dragon surged forward.

Its enormous head darted ahead at alarming velocity, mouth agape wide enough to engulf him entirely.

Brandon burst into action.

With a precise influx of ether, he amplified his body's speed and power.

At the final instant, he vaulted to the side.

The dragon's jaws clamped down on his former spot, pulverizing the sand with a resounding crunch.

Mid-leap, Brandon spun and propelled himself onto the beast's shoulder.

He touched down nimbly and plunged the sword downward using his full augmented force.

The blade buried itself profoundly into the dragon’s neck.

SHUNK!

A ferocious burst of sand sprayed outward.

In rage, the dragon roared and thrashed violently to dislodge him.

Brandon clung fast, wrenching the sword further in, then pulled it out and jumped clear as the dragon’s enormous tail lashed like a wrecking club.

He tumbled over the sand, rose into a low stance, and dashed back in.

The dragon whipped its head his way.

Brandon ducked low, skidding under the biting fangs, and slashed the sword upward in a forceful ascending stroke.

The edge tore a profound slash along the dragon’s jaw underside.

Additional sand burst forth.

Yet the injury sealed up nearly at once. ’I have to hit the core before it reforms.’

He evaded a claw slash from the dragon, then propelled himself skyward with his empowered legs.

In the air, he rotated and hammered the sword down in a crushing overhead blow, targeting the dragon’s head center.

CRACK!

The dragon’s head cracked apart partially as sand detonated in a huge explosion.

For an instant, the beast lurched unsteadily.

But it remained upright.

Sand swiftly started reshaping, and Brandon hit the ground with a thud.

Biting the sword's hilt, Brandon ripped away his already torn shirt.

He conserved ether rigorously, yet the ongoing boosts depleted it quicker than desired.

The dragon bellowed anew and barreled forward, its huge frame rumbling over the dunes.

Brandon confronted it directly.

Darting ahead, he employed brief surges of boosted speed to dodge amid its assaults.

He evaded a chomping maw, rolled past its forelegs, and sprang up striking.

The sword swept in a broad curve across the dragon’s belly.

Sand erupted.

But once more, reformation began.

He sprang onto the dragon’s back, sprinting along its spine.

Arriving at the shoulders, he thrust the sword down with maximum power, targeting the presumed core location.

The blade plunged deeply.

The dragon spasmed ferociously.

Brandon got flung off, somersaulting through the sky before crashing onto the sand.

Slowly rising, he gripped the sword tighter and charged once again.

He vaulted high, spinning in flight, and delivered a mighty two-handed overhead cleave with the sword.

SHIIIIING-

With every ounce of strength he possessed, the blade slammed into the dragon’s head.

*THHOOOOMM*

The dragon’s head exploded entirely, sending a huge burst of golden sand billowing outward in a thick cloud.

Its whole body then crumbled apart, turning into a tremendous surge of lifeless sand that poured over the dunes, creating a gigantic crater in its former spot.

Brandon flicked his hands to dislodge the clinging sand. "That’s it, I guess..."

"With those two doors cleared, that one has to be the way out."

While murmuring to himself, he shifted his eyes toward the distant massive door encircled by swirling blue energy.

Rheanne streaked across the sky at that moment and touched down right before him.

She parted her lips to say something but suddenly halted.

Her sky-blue eyes grew a bit wider upon fixing on Brandon.

There he stood, shirtless.

Sweat gleamed on his chest and abs, etched with light red scars from wounds healing midway.

His well-sculpted muscles heaved up and down with every labored breath.

Without thinking, Rheanne’s eyes traced his upper body—the wide shoulders, chiseled chest, and etched abdominal lines—until awareness hit her.

A soft flush rose from her neck to her cheeks.

Hastily, she bowed her head, letting her white hair cascade forward to veil her features partly.

‘What am I doing...?’ she wondered, chiding herself inside.

Brandon, panting hard still, faced her and inquired offhandedly, "You finished up over there?"

Rheanne nodded briefly and sharply, struggling to compose herself.

"Yeah... Also, where’d your clothes go?"

Brandon offered a weary, parched grin in response. "They were already shredded and just hindering me, so I ripped them away."

"Hopefully, this gate leads out."

She directed her focus resolutely at the radiant archway, keeping her tone even by force.

"Yeah... let’s go."

Side by side, the pair positioned themselves before the enormous gate of churning blue energy.

Rheanne drew in a deep breath. "This could be the exit, or perhaps the path into the dungeon’s core."

Brandon nodded, and together they crossed the threshold.

---

"Haa... Haa..."

Brandon slumped against the icy wall, his chest heaving in agonizing bursts.

Blood mingled with sweat trickled down his face, burning his eyes.

drip... drip... drip...

Heavy globs of blood dripped relentlessly from his severed left arm stump, pattering onto the stone with damp thuds.

His sight blurred, yet Brandon compelled a profound, stabilizing inhale to combat the vertigo and trauma.

‘Charlotte was right...’ he mused grimly, clenching his jaw through the agony. ‘Towers truly are bizarre and far beyond dungeons or ruptures in difficulty.’

His eyes darted to his detached left arm nearby.

‘Fuck this...’