The Primal Hunter Chapter 1233 - Dragon Hunter (2)

Jake had entered the confrontation with a high degree of wariness, far exceeding his usual standards. In his mind, True Dragons commanded significant respect, and he intended to treat such a creature with the reverence he felt it earned.

However, Jake found himself increasingly irritated by Yrelstromoz’s attitude and her approach to their duel. While her initial defensive maneuver had been quite remarkable, everything that followed was a letdown.

Her physical appearance alone was absurd. Yrelstromoz was decked out in ostentatious armor, which was nonsensical for a True Dragon. As a monster, equipment didn't typically provide stats, and since his arrows were puncturing the metal with ease, it clearly wasn't specialized gear designed for her race.

Instead, the armor seemed to be nothing more than a vanity project. It was purely ornamental, serving no more purpose than a fancy gown. Any defensive utility it possessed came entirely from the energy she funneled into it; she could have achieved the same result by simply manifesting a series of barriers.

While some monsters possessed armor with genuine functionality—like Scarlett’s snakeskin attire—those items were usually integrated into their biology through the Polymorph skill. Yrelstromoz evidently lacked such a refinement.

Then there was the matter of her blade. While it wasn't unheard of for monsters to wield weapons, those tools were typically summoned via skills or crafted from their own essence. Her sword was neither; it was just a massive hunk of crystal with a grip. She was even squandering her energy and focus just to make the weapon look more aesthetically pleasing.

None of this even touched upon her actual combat technique. It was painfully obvious she had no idea how to handle a sword. Even if she possessed the skill, it clashed with her innate abilities, making the choice fundamentally flawed. From what Jake could tell, she was essentially a caster, yet she was "playing around" with a giant crystal blade as if she were toys with some lowly C-grade challenger who didn't know their place.

Jake knew he had been holding back, but the fact that she continued to underestimate him, believing he wasn't even worth her full attention, left him genuinely insulted.

Fine, then. He would take great pleasure in showing her the consequences of such arrogance.

Yrelstromoz failed to notice the shift in Jake’s aura. She didn't even seem concerned when he stowed his bow and manifested a katar in each hand.

If she wanted a close-quarters brawl, Jake was more than happy to oblige. If she refused to take him seriously and rely on her true strengths, he would match that energy—with the critical difference being that he was a master of both melee and ranged combat.

The dragon, seemingly waiting for Jake’s stamina to fail, was caught completely off guard when he stopped his tactical retreat. Instead of firing more harassing shots, he lunged forward, closing the distance instantly.

She reacted instinctively with a burst of light, but Jake’s passive shield from Arcane Awakening, combined with the scales concealed under his gear, soaked up the damage. He didn't let the blast slow his momentum for a second.

Jake drove a fist forward, catching Yrelstromoz in the midsection as Eternal Hunger tore through her decorative plating and sank into her skin. The True Dragon’s eyes went wide as she tried to retreat and swing her blade, but Jake was faster, landing a second strike on her arm before she could complete the motion.

Panicking, she transformed into a streak of light to flee backward. Jake, however, had already anticipated her flight path. A katar met her in the back, highlighting the dragon’s glaring lack of combat experience once again.

With a groan, she spun around with a desperate sword swing. Jake ducked beneath the arc, used a mana platform to gain leverage, and delivered a punishing high kick to her chin that sent her spiraling into the air.

Refusing to let her recover, Jake stayed on her heels. His katars became a blur of steel, a relentless storm of stabs and slashes. Yrelstromoz tried to defend herself, but the only real damage she inflicted was to Jake’s pride as his disappointment in her grew.

Jake couldn't fathom her thought process as he continued the lashing. Did she truly believe he was about to collapse? Was she incapable of gauging her own physical state? Or was she perhaps some sort of masochist seeking her own end?

Regardless, Jake didn't relent. He tore into the True Dragon, her armor falling away in shattered fragments as he ripped it apart. Yrelstromoz continued her futile resistance, swinging her useless crystal sword between desperate attempts to dodge.

Her constant flashes of light were little more than a nuisance. Jake was waiting for her to show some real backbone. Finally, after nearly a minute of total domination, the haughty dragon seemed to grasp that Jake wasn't going to tire out.

Just as he moved in for another strike, her body erupted in a flash of light far more intense than the previous ones. This blast possessed a physical weight that shoved Jake back. Before he could re-engage, he was forced to sidestep as a lethal beam of radiance targeted his head.

“You… who are you!? What are you!?” Yrelstromoz shrieked, her energy levels surging. Suddenly, the sky was crowded with glowing orbs, surrounding Jake with a sense of impending doom. Through the shimmering air left by her previous blast, Jake saw a furious Yrelstromoz pointing a finger at him, her body covered in the gashes he had inflicted.

Jake didn't bother answering; he didn't feel she had earned the right to know yet. Instead, he attacked. Over a thousand light beams rained down on him, forcing him to chain several teleports together until he was back within striking distance.

Instead of relying on her sword, she raised her hand and summoned a magical circle that released another forceful wave of light. Jake met the impact head-on, channeling destructive arcane mana into one of his katars. He punched through the wave, creating a secondary explosion that cancelled out her magic and allowed him to drive his second katar into her chest.

He landed another deep stab, but this time Yrelstromoz seemed to have prepared a trap. Six glowing magic circles materialized around him—top, bottom, and all four sides—brimming with power.

In an instant, they detonated, bathing both of them in a searing light that burned Jake’s skin and blinded his vision. Through his sphere of perception, he watched Yrelstromoz’s hands transform into energy claws as she lunged for his face. Since he didn't rely on sight, Jake countered effortlessly.

Using a katar for each hand, he parried the claws and impaled her through both wrists, halting her attempt to shred his face. The dragon was stunned once more, and her shock only deepened when Jake delivered a brutal headbutt that shattered her nose.

She yanked her arms free and stumbled back, throwing out a hand to release a spray of piercing light. The attack forced Jake to block, resulting in several small puncture wounds on his forearm.

She could clearly do some damage when she tried, but Jake had no intention of letting her find her rhythm. He exploded into motion once more.

The two plummeted through the air as Yrelstromoz tried to deploy her magic again and again. Nothing worked; Jake either ignored the minor damage or avoided it entirely while landing consistent, heavy blows.

Because of the frantic pace, only a short time had passed since the fight began, yet Yrelstromoz was looking battered. Her armor was a ruin of twisted metal, her sword had been knocked away to fall toward the planet below, and she was covered in nearly a hundred wounds.

In contrast, Jake only sported a few minor burns and holes from her occasional successful claw or laser. He could have avoided even those if he played less aggressively, but he wasn't in the mood to change tactics.

His irritation at being looked down upon hadn't faded. Even though she had finally abandoned the sword and the brawling style, she still wasn't taking the fight seriously enough despite her mounting injuries. This realization only fueled Jake’s anger, especially after he noticed something else frustrating.

Despite the amount of toxin he had pumped into her, his Dragonsbane Poison wasn't doing anything. He could barely sense the poison within her system, and what little remained was being neutralized naturally.

Initially, Jake worried he had botched the recipe or that she wasn't a True Dragon at all. Then the realization hit him. Dragonsbane Poison was designed to exploit the specific Soulshape of a dragon, particularly how they circulate magic.

For the poison to work, the target had to actually be in their dragon form, not this humanoid Polymorph state. Jake couldn't understand why she was still refusing to transform.

Was she really going to die in this form out of pure stubbornness? Jake knew the damage wasn't superficial; her health was plummeting, and soon her physical body would start to fail.

He couldn't fathom the logic of this dragon, but if she wanted to die like this, so be it. Still, he decided to give her one final push to make the right choice.

After another exchange where Jake dictated every move, he created a massive opening. Deflecting her clawed hand, he left her completely exposed and struck with Piercing Fang.

The katar sank deep into her torso. As Yrelstromoz tried to shove him away, Jake triggered a Venom Burst through Fangs of the Malefic Viper, causing a massive eruption of toxic energy to tear through her internals.

She shrieked in agony, her body erupting with a colossal pillar of pure light. Jake tried to leap away, but a second beam followed instantly, forcing him to guard.

This wave also had a physical component, pushing Jake higher into the sky as the heat seared him. Gritting his teeth, he flooded his body with arcane energy to stabilize himself before darting out of the beam's path.

Seizing the moment, Jake dived back toward Yrelstromoz, who was clutching the festering wound in her stomach. She spotted him just before he arrived, but Jake was faster, triggering Primal Gaze.

Her body and soul locked up, her magic sputtered, and her defenses vanished. Eternal Hunger punched through her cheek and exited the back of her neck before Jake’s fist followed through, slamming into her face and sending her hurtling toward the surface of the planet.

Jake didn't let up. He released his katar and grabbed her face, accelerating their fall. As they plummeted through the clouds, his hand glowed with dark green energy as he channeled Touch of the Malefic Viper, forcing toxins directly into her as they picked up speed.

The descent became a blur as Jake pushed her down faster and faster. They tore through the final cloud bank, the ground rushing up to meet them.

Jake drove Yrelstromoz’s head into the rocky crust like a falling star. The impact was so violent it likely registered across the entire world. A massive crater opened up, obliterating the surrounding mountains and canyons, leaving a vast, bowl-shaped arena in its wake.

Still pinning her head down—with his katar still embedded in her jaw—Jake looked her in the eye. He expected to see terror or confusion in her one remaining good eye, but instead, he found a look of sudden clarity.

“You’re the Chosen of the Malefic Viper,” she wheezed through a mouth of blood. Her voice was strangely steady, stating a fact rather than asking a question.

Before Jake could reply, his danger sense screamed. He threw himself backward just as a pillar of celestial light descended from the heavens, bathing Yrelstromoz.

Summoning Eternal Hunger back to his hand, Jake stood his ground, sensing a fundamental shift occurring within the light.

“I ought to apologize for not recognizing you sooner, though since you attacked me first, I suppose we are past pleasantries,” Yrelstromoz’s voice echoed, growing deeper and more resonant. “Knowing your identity… it is no dishonor to face you with my full strength.”

With a final burst of radiance, the beam vanished. In its place stood a True Dragon. Her form was covered in pale yellow scales that shimmered in the sun, her massive wings unfurled as if tasting the air for the first time in ages. Her aura had surged to an entirely different tier.

What Jake noticed immediately was that all her wounds had vanished in this form. As he sensed the lingering mana from the healing magic she'd used within that pillar of light, he recalled a vital detail:

The Lumenflight was renowned as the lineage of the greatest healers among dragons.