Spellcasting Gods

Before he could finish speaking, the dragon opened its mouth and spewed out a deadly cloud of shadow flames.

One of the shield warriors didn't even have time to dodge and was instantly reduced to ashes, leaving not even a complete corpse or bone fragments.

Even more terrifying, after exhaling its breath, the black dragon swung its thick, powerful tail, knocking down two people in one go. It then pounced on them, tearing open their mouths with its sharp claws, scooping out their beating hearts, and throwing them into its mouth, chewing them with a crunching sound.

"Oliver!!!!!"

Seeing his friend burned to a crisp, the young man lost his composure, grabbed his sword, and rushed forward, attempting to avenge his friend.

But before he could get close, the rebounding tail lashed him squarely across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. Had it not been for the helmet, his head would likely have been smashed open.

But that's not all!

As a dragon, what is its most powerful weapon?

Some might say it's the deadly breath, others the enormous size of the dragon and its ability to soar freely in the sky, and still others the sturdy dragon scales that are difficult to damage with ordinary swords.

But what they didn't know was that these were all secondary; what was truly terrifying was that the dragons began to learn profound magical knowledge or superb martial arts skills.

This black dragon, who calls himself Arius, is a powerful magic user.

After dealing with the creature that rushed up to smash its scales with its weapon, the dragon immediately entered a state of focused spellcasting, with complex dragon-like creatures continuously emerging from its mouth.

In no time at all, at least three protective spells and two buff spells had been cast.

Through the dim light, one could vaguely observe that the black dragon's body had swelled to twice its original size, and its two eyes were flashing with a bloodthirsty and cruel red light.

"It...it can cast spells?!?"

The archer noticed this and his mouth gaped open, unable to close it for a long time...

Chapter 1113 The Qualifications of a Hero (Part 1)

"Fool! Dragons are born spellcasters! Their innate magical power far exceeds your imagination."

The woman gave a sarcastic remark, then carefully curled up behind the stone pillar, fearing that the enraged dragon might suddenly change direction and unleash a fatal spit in their direction.

She could clearly sense that the slightly dark flames contained extremely terrifying magical energy; if even a tiny bit touched it, both body and soul would be instantly incinerated.

"So what should we do now?"

The archer was clearly used to this attitude, and he also stayed close to the stone pillar, asking questions without turning his head.

To be honest, if he had known there was a dragon behind the door, he would have definitely taken the treasures and magical items from the chest and left, instead of ending up in this dilemma.

Although he wasn't the one currently being attacked by the dragon's fury, he still felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.

That's right!

It's a sense of crisis!

Just from the name "Trial of Strength," it's easy to tell that this is a test that requires a head-on confrontation to overcome.

Either become a glorious dragon slayer!

Or become yet another charred corpse lying at the feet of the evil dragon!

Of course, being a profit-driven individual, he did not immediately launch an attack from the left flank as promised. Instead, he hid himself and patiently observed the Black Dragon's every move, trying to find some patterns or weaknesses.

It must be said that this act of abandoning allies in battle is insidious, but also very clever.

Just look at that other squad that suffered heavy casualties to see how wise their choice was.

Only a few minutes had passed since the start of the battle, and the blond youth's teammates were now down to just two. The rest had either been burned to death by the flames or torn to pieces by sharp teeth and claws, like tattered rag dolls tossed into the air before crashing to the ground, spitting out mouthfuls of black blood.

The harsh reality has once again proven that in the face of absolute power, any mindless head-on confrontation is suicidal.

If this happened in the wild, the Dark Cultist squad would be more than happy to hide on the sidelines and watch the show, waiting until all the opponents were dead before coming out to see if they could scavenge for any loot.

But now, they are all trapped in the same sealed space with each other. If the other side dies, the enraged dragon will immediately attack them. So even for their own sake, they must preserve as much fighting power as possible.

Without a doubt, neither the ruthless woman nor the skilled archer are foolish and short-sighted.

On the contrary, they understood better than anyone what the right thing to do was at this time.

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously emerged from behind the stone pillar. One drew his bow and shot an arrow, while the other began chanting a spell to distract the black dragon and buy time for the other team of survivors.

……

"A very accurate judgment! I'm starting to admire these guys who call themselves believers in darkness. You know, darkness and evil don't necessarily mean short-sightedness and selfishness. Sometimes, learning to join forces with the enemy is a wise choice. But unfortunately, most people who go down this path firmly believe that everyone else is wrong and only they are right, so they inevitably end up on a path of being enemies with everyone. But in them, I see another possibility."

Watching the battle scene inside the magic mirror where the two teams joined forces to fight against the black dragon, Zhang Cheng gave his evaluation with great interest.

As a madman who embraced darkness from body to soul, he knew better than anyone the biggest flaw of those who walked this path: they valued themselves too much and ignored the feedback from their surroundings.

Such behavior is bound to attract countless enemies, and in severe cases, it could even lead to hostility towards the entire world.

While it might sound exciting to be at odds with the whole world, the reality of being ganged up on is not pleasant at all. Unless you have an overwhelming advantage, you will basically be beaten to death in no time.

This is why, in most stories, the evil are always defeated by the righteous heroes.

It wasn't that the heroes were so great, but that the evil ones misjudged the situation, gradually turning their initial advantage into a disadvantage. It would be strange if they didn't lose.

"Master, are you sure you want to maintain the current strength? According to my estimation, with just a few people, there is no way they can defeat the dragon you created yourself," the ghost asked in a very hollow voice.

Zhang Cheng smiled and shook his head: "No, that's not necessary. You have to understand that what makes a hero a hero is that they can do things that ordinary people can never imagine. Be patient, I believe you'll see some interesting scenes soon."

The words had barely left his mouth!

The woman, who had been focused on casting the spell, finally opened her eyes, her pupils flashing with a terrifying red light.

next second...

A red lightning bolt shot out from her fingertips!

Snapped!

The moment the lightning struck the black scales, the dragon convulsed violently, blood oozing from its nose, mouth, and the corners of its eyes, making it look extremely terrifying.

"This is... divine magic?! A god answered her prayers?" The shadowy figure showed an incredulous expression.

“No, this isn’t divine magic, nor is it a response from a deity to her prayers. Rather, it’s that she has formed a fundamental and direct resonance with the power of darkness. Incredible! No wonder she calls herself a follower of darkness.” Zhang Cheng murmured to himself, his eyes narrowed, his tone revealing intense excitement.

Without a doubt, he is a true and pure believer in darkness.

A noble soul who regards darkness as his lifelong pursuit and ideal, and is willing to give everything for it, even his life and soul.

Only in this way can one, with a mortal body, resonate with the dark essence and thus obtain corresponding feedback and blessings.

Under the influence of pure dark power, even a dragon with strong magic resistance would inevitably suffer severe damage. It is estimated that if it were hit again, the black dragon would become a lifeless corpse.

"You despicable maggot! How dare you harm the great Arius! I will tear you to pieces!"

The black dragon created by human intervention clearly lacks the knowledge and wisdom accumulated over time like a true dragon, and immediately opened its blood-red maw to spew out a ball of black and red flames.

In particular, the highly corrosive shadow energy instantly burned the stone pillar into a strange, black, viscous liquid.

Chapter 1114 The Qualifications of a Hero (Part 2)

"Damn it! Watch out!"

Having witnessed firsthand the consequences of being struck by the black and red dragon's breath, the archer shouted and rushed forward, tackling the woman to the ground and narrowly avoiding the dragon's infamous black flames.

Even so, he broke out in a cold sweat and quickly rolled on the ground several times before getting up.

"Thanks! I owe you a favor."

The woman followed closely behind, scrambling to her feet in a disheveled state, and went behind another stone pillar.

This lucky one, favored by the dark forces, was no longer the calm and proud person he usually was. Not only was his face frighteningly pale, but his pupils also revealed undisguised exhaustion.

The powerful spell she had just cast had almost exhausted all her magic and energy, and she was now barely able to stay conscious, let alone launch a second attack.

In some ways, she is now a burden, a burden who can't even walk straight.

The archer deliberately ignored the woman's weak appearance and jokingly said in a lighthearted tone, "That's great! It's not easy to make you owe someone a favor. Perhaps after this adventure is over, we can find some time to talk privately about how to repay this debt of gratitude."

"Hehe, okay, as long as we can get back alive." The woman smoothed her hair and smiled as she replied.

It's clear that despite the current unfavorable situation, they haven't given up hope and still believe they have a chance to pass the "Trial of Strength".

Meanwhile, the situation was much worse for another squad, with only two members remaining alive.

The blond youth at the head of the group exuded a tragic and heroic aura, his eyes radiating a resolute and fearless courage.

Having witnessed his teammates die one by one, he had clearly given up hope of survival. The only reason he could keep going was revenge.

honor!

sacrifice!

just!

mercy!

humble!

brave!

honest!

……

The noble qualities possessed by the heroes in those stories emerge one after another in the minds of young people.

Suddenly, he realized that this was his final resting place, and also a place where his soul was elevated.

He may not be able to defeat the powerful black dragon, but he can create an opportunity for another team to pass the trial and return to the mortal realm with the holy sword.

Thinking of this, the tragic expression on the blond youth's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a calmness, as if he had accepted his fate. He raised his weapon and began to recite the tune that his parents often sang to him when he was a child.

The severely wounded companion next to him seemed to realize this as well. He couldn't help but shed tears of excitement, and despite the excruciating pain, he straightened his chest and took the lead in launching a desperate charge.

Because he understood what his friend wanted to do, he planned to use his body and life to create opportunities for him.

"Get away! You disgusting bug!"

The black dragon roared and swung its claws, piercing the opponent's chest, then brutally tore the corpse to shreds.

But just as it was venting its fury without restraint, the blond youth seized a fleeting opportunity, and amidst the splattering blood and bits of flesh, plunged his sharp longsword directly into the dragon's pale yellow eye.

puff!

"what!!!!!!!!!!"