Crackle.

The white lightning spear came down on Wain, but the hand that appeared behind Wain snapped its fingers and suddenly a green magic circle appeared. Lightning hit it as the magic circle glowed brightly, but the spear couldn't get through it, even though it had an incredible amount of energy.

Snap.

The hand snapped its fingers once more and the lightning bolt with the magic circle turned into a multitude of blue butterflies that flew apart like the most beautiful creatures in the world.

The man's eyes went wide as his hands trembled.

"You were able to negate my attack...? Dragon attack?!" The man exclaimed while in disbelief.

"Huh, you think just because you could handle the Fourth Chronicle one, you're strong now?" There was an arrogant voice as the crack in space widened, "Although, even for that you needed a few blows. What a shame."

Step.

A short girl with red hair and blue eyes stepped forward. She wore a cute black dress with a white edge and glasses as though she were a scientist.

"Marlis... What are you doing here...?" Wain muttered while in disbelief.

"You shouldn't be talking right now. Every second brings you closer to death, so talk as little as possible." Marlis said with a serious look.

She looked around, sighed, and muttered, "Damn, I ended up having to break through the passageway to Dragon World... That could be problematic."

"It's you!" Dragon exclaimed with a dazed look.

"Yeah. I don't feel like staying here a second longer, but..." Marlis muttered as her gaze became as cold as glaciers, "I can't pass up an opportunity to teach such an insolent Dragon that decides to kill someone just because of a possible threat."

"Watch what you say!" The man exclaimed with a furious look, "I don't care if it's you! No one dares invade Dragon World! You must die!"

The man's dark wings were covered in white sparks as his aura reached its limit. A huge lightning bolt appeared in his hand that made space shake because of its incredible power.

"Well, well, it will be enough to kill several Fifth Chronicle monsters that are on the verge of becoming demigods." Marlis muttered while shaking her head, "Agh... I expected more..."

"How dare you! You're just a pathetic insect who thinks you're something more!" The dragon exclaimed in an angry voice before throwing the spear at Marlis.

The lightning spear moved with tremendous speed, however, Marlis did not try to retreat, she just extended her arm with a careless look.

The lightning hit the exact target as a powerful bolt of lightning struck Marlis's body, but after a second she recovered, spat out a clot of blood, and said, "Huh, it was even weaker than I thought. Looks like the Dragons have completely forgotten how to fight, don't they?"

Snap.

Marlis snapped her finger as all the absorbed energy burst out in an eerie green flame and her hair with her gown rose up as though from a powerful current of wind.

"You're not even an Elder, but you think you can decide the fates of others, it's fucking disgusting." Marlis said with an ice-cold look before swinging her arms.

The flames transformed into two long spikes that, at her command, rushed toward the man. The spikes moved so fast that when Wain blinked he saw two massive holes in the man's wings as his face distorted with pain.

At the same time, several black dots appeared amidst the blue sky that swiftly headed this way.

"Looks like it's time for us to leave. Well, I hope I don't have to come back here again." Marlis said with a calm look, took Wain's hand, and stepped into the crack.

Space returned to normal as several Dragons appeared beside the man in particularly long robes that emphasized their status.

"It was Marlis... right?" One of them muttered with a thoughtful look.

"Yeah... She saved this guy, so they were watching him..." The other uttered in a calm voice.

"Damn... Apparently, we haven't noticed the new threat in this world. We need to keep a close eye on this situation as even They are interested in him..."

...

Wain and Marlis found themselves in a dark space, just like dozens of times before, but suddenly Wain found it hard to breathe as he grabbed his throat.

"Hmm? What is it...?" Marlis asked as she raised an eyebrow, "Right... You're still too weak to move freely here."

Marlis waved her hand as Wain's body was covered in a green, transparent shell.

"Argh!!!" Wain immediately took a deep breath as though he had held his breath for several minutes.

"Where are we...?" Wain asked with an exhausted look.

"You're in an open space, nothing special." Marlis said as she shrugged.

There was nothing but darkness around them. It was a place Wain had only heard of before, now they were literally between zones, so there were no doors like in the spatial rifts.

"Why did you save me...? How did you know I was in Dragon World?" Wain asked with a serious look.

"All questions later, first we have to get back." Marlis spoke with a slight wave of her hand.

"What makes you think I'm going with you?" Wain uttered with a frowned look as he took a few steps back.

"Well, you can stay here if you want, my job was to save you, but I wouldn't advise you to do that. The barrier can only protect you for about five minutes, then you'll just suffocate or the pressure of the space will break all your bones. Either way, you'll die." Marlis said in a careless manner while walking forward.

Wain stood still for a while, wondering what to do, but after a few seconds, he headed for Marlis. He realized he had two choices to die here or find out what was going on, but Marlis certainly didn't want to kill him since then she just wouldn't save him.

'I wonder if it was Marlis who saved me back then in the Colosseum. Hmm... maybe, but somehow I think someone else did it as the way is too different, but who...?' Wain wondered.historical