The collapse was aimed directly at Sirin. The light from the raging fire on the ground was so intense it felt like it would burn everything to cinders. Sirin not only couldn't feel a shred of warmth from those lights, but instead felt an endless, bone-chilling cold rushing towards her.
Thick black clouds roiled in the sky. The dragon's hideous head poked through the hole, drawing closer and closer to Sirin under her terrified gaze.
"No..." Sirin's voice trembled. She scrambled backward on all fours, trying to put distance between herself and the dragon's head.
Her trembling legs could no longer support her to stand. Fear made her clumsy. Tears that had welled in her eyes now streamed down her face, leaving dull, lightless tracks.
In her retreat, she pressed down on her own hair, the wound on her knee, Bella's urgent and desperate cries... Sirin noticed none of it.
Her pupils were filled by the approaching dragon's head. She watched it bare a cruel, savage grin, watched it open its fang-filled maw towards her, watched crimson dragon fire gather in its throat, aimed directly at her.
No... She didn't want to die—!
She didn't want this ending... A sweet dream shouldn't end like this—this wasn't what everyone was supposed to see!!
But... she couldn't do anything... Without a Knight, she was helpless...
...
The dragon fire had finished gathering. The next moment, it would erupt, burning everything here to ashes.
Bella, struggling to her feet, lunged forward, her face pale. But the distance between her and Sirin was now insurmountable. All she achieved was putting herself within the dragon fire's attack range...
Sirin raised a hand, a flimsy shield before her. Beyond this gesture, she could do nothing else...
It's over...
...Or is it?
Another burning flame "stood" before Sirin. He raised his hand, and the crimson dragon fire split into two before him, diverting to either side.
The carried heat made this flame "burn" even more intensely, but unlike that cold, malevolent fire, this flame brought only warmth...
Sirin, opening her eyes in Bella's tight embrace, first saw the figure standing proudly amidst the flames. The world, consumed by fire, now held a new silhouette.
And Bella's shriek, a release of extreme terror.
It was the kind of dry howl one makes when expecting to be hit, but isn't.
The dragon's breath, lasting several seconds, finally ended. Shu's figure swayed twice, then he could no longer support his body and knelt on one knee.
Joyce's evacuation had been very effective; Shu hadn't received any new empathetic pain for a long time. However, the accelerated heartbeat from the Panacea Potion and the residual effects of the anesthetic made him extremely uncomfortable.
Forcibly using [Wish] to block that attack under such conditions was basically his limit.
Amidst the charred surroundings, Shu coughed violently twice. Something seemed to be caught in his throat, but he forced it down, leaving only a stinging sensation.
Shu's coughing gradually silenced Bella's screams. She tentatively opened her eyes, squeezed out the tears, released her tight hug on Sirin, and patted herself all over.
"I'm okay!" she exclaimed in pleasant surprise. Then, with a distinct lack of etiquette, she grabbed Sirin's shoulders and looked her up and down again.
"Lady Sirin is also completely unharmed!!" She was even more overjoyed. Then she looked back, and Shu, kneeling on the ground coughing, didn't look much better than when he was lying on the ground earlier.
Instantly, Bella understood that Shu had just blocked that attack for them.
The dragon closed its mouth, preparing to survey its handiwork with satisfaction, only to see three people still "alive and kicking."
The dragon paused, then its attention focused on Shu, kneeling at the forefront.
So this guy blocked my attack, huh? Another slightly larger ant?
The dragon's curiosity made it stretch its long neck, wanting to get a closer look at this "ant."
At the same time, a wisp of flame escaped the dragon's tightly closed mouth. It was clearly charging up a second breath of fire.
Once it got a clear look at Shu, this dragon fire would immediately erupt.
Bella, wanting to help Shu up, shrank back again as the dragon approached. She turned and hugged Sirin tightly once more, opening her mouth to let out another dry howl.
And just as the dragon drew near, Shu abruptly raised his head, looking at the massive beast with a cold, stern expression.
The messy strands of hair revealed eyes flashing with a pinkish-purple light, displaying divine patterns. His gaze, filled with murderous intent, made the dragon suddenly shudder.
The next moment, the dragon fire exploded in its mouth, directly blasting the dragon backward.
Shu, however, coughed again. This time, a pool of fresh red blood gushed from his mouth and onto the ground.
Detonating the dragon fire was the last thing he could do. If the dragon had a third wave of attack, he really would be...
The dragon, yelping in pain and shaking its head, retracted its neck, not caring that its head widened the huge hole in the ceiling even further.
Bella, snapping back to reality, quickly pulled both of them up, then prepared to carry Shu on her back again.
"Lady Sirin, we have to leave here quickly!" Shu didn't refuse Bella; he truly had no capital to refuse.
Sirin was still in that dazed state. Bella called out to her twice more, then could only grit her teeth and prepare to leave, pulling Sirin along.
A violent tremor shook the area. Another section of the ceiling collapsed.
A blazing fireball fell from the sky, piercing straight through the ceiling and floor, leaving a scorching crater beside them.
Bella was startled. With Shu on her back and pulling Sirin by the hand, she bolted.
The fireballs closely pursued them. If they slowed down even slightly, they would be engulfed.
Shu could feel his body recovering, but due to the recent forced exertion, his recovery rate had now dropped to an icy point. During this entire escape, Shu hadn't felt even a tiny bit of recovery.
The fireballs, or rather, the dragon, kept chasing them. If this continued, none of the three would escape.
Right now, Sirin absolutely could not be harmed... Meaning someone had to stand up and lure away the dragon or delay its advance, buying time for Sirin to enter the underground town...
At worst... Shu gritted his teeth, making a decision in his heart.
Suddenly, Bella made a sharp turn, ran to a corner, and placed Shu against the wall, letting him sit.