City of Sin

Book 7, 34

Long Dream

Voidbones continued burrowing deeper into the dome for a few seconds before the impulse died down. His eyes fixed onto the legendary mage below him, and he watched as her breaths grew even faster until they were almost at the level of someone awake. He suddenly found himself slipping from the crystal embrace, beginning to fall straight down towards the crystal table!

Raping Sharon had been his greatest wish only moments ago, but now that she was about to wake up the situation was completely different. Without even noticing she had swatted him to the top of the hall; if he really did fall straight towards her, his death would be certain. Voidbones tried his best to move, but the sheer force of the impact had paralysed him and he had no control over his muscles; he could only grow more desperate as he fell further.

Someone like the legendary mage had terrifying instincts. Although she hadn’t opened her eyes yet, she reacted to the body falling down with a backhanded swat. The small hand grew larger and larger in front of Voidbones until it was all he could see, and in an instant he felt like the world had shattered apart. The force of a thousand dragons assaulted his body, causing unbearable pain.

*Thunk!* was the last sound he heard.

...

The Deepblue seemed to shake as one of its upper walls exploded, revealing a blue fireball shooting out from within. The body flew out a dozen kilometres every single second, sending ripples through the night sky before disappearing into the distance. Several spatial cracks were left behind in its wake; the thing went so fast that it broke through the fabric of spacetime.

The huge energy fluctuation attracted the attention of every decently powerful being on the battlefield. At the top of the tower, Ensio barely raised his head and looked at the space ripples that hadn’t yet dissipated, “Voidbones? How did he get... And so strong... MASTER! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!”

He forced his upper body up and tried to stand up, but even this simple action proved difficult. He hadn’t yet realised that Voidbones had been shot out by Sharon, but as he struggled an enormous draconic claw stepped on him and sent him back into the ground.

Tiamat cackled, “I really want to know what race you’re from... It feels great torturing something that can last so long!”

Just the roar was so powerful that the bay rippled, many of the grey-winged creatures being thrown back. Tiamat’s voice alone could drain vitality, and the more injured of her underlings dropped dead directly. Those in the Deepblue went still as well; while the magical formations surrounding the tower brought the power of the roar down to a tenth, it was still excruciating.

The Prime Evil continued to laugh loudly, celebrating the defeat of Ensio. More of her subordinates fell from the sky while the ordinary people of the Deepblue started screaming in pain, but that was only music to her ears.

However, the laughter suddenly caught up in her throat. She turned impossibly stiff, feeling a terrifying chill in the depths of her soul. Floe Bay itself seemed to change, the fiery clouds dissipating in an instant while the sea calmed down. A lone star broke through the darkness of the night.

Sharon had opened her eyes.

The legendary mage looked around sluggishly, not yet fully awake. Stuck between her dreams and reality, she was extremely dangerous; pure instincts alone made her a terrifying being that would be fatal to many so-called powerhouses. Anything that annoyed her would be the target of a subconscious attack. Time seemed to come to a stop as everyone turned into a statue, even the calamitous dragon atop the tower. Tiamat was still in the middle of her roaring action, looking like a decoration placed on the Deepblue.

Sharon suddenly shook her head and struggled up, continuing examining the place dully. She then yawned for a few moments before her eyes closed, her body falling back to the platform and to sleep. The Deepblue suddenly came alive once more, the ordinary people continuing to struggle in battle while Tiamat’s roar continued.

But the world only took a single step along this path before growing stiff once more. Tiamat suddenly closed her mouth and swallowed the rest of her roar, leaving the people of the Deepblue relieved and confused. The grey winged creatures had sharper instincts, the leaders turning around to flee immediately regardless of Tiamat’s wrath. Their subordinates only hesitated for a moment before following, leaving like the wind. They truly were an elite force in Norland, unstoppable if they wished to escape.

Tiamat glared, but the chill filled her soul once more. She didn’t know where this fear came from; the emotion itself was rare for someone like her. Her strong perception was warning her of terrifying danger, but she couldn’t find the source.

Back within her crystal room, Sharon suddenly sat back up and continued to look around. Starlight suddenly caught her eyes, and she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Rubbing her eyes hard as she looked around, her eyebrows gradually lifted up high.

“MY HOUSE! MY BEAUTIFUL HOUSE!” a scream resounded throughout Floe Bay, quickly turning from shock to rage, “BLACKGOLD, GET OUT HERE! WHAT’S GOING ON? WHO DID THIS?”

The entire Deepblue went silent for a moment before erupting into earth-shattering cheers. Sharon was awake!

Although some doubted themselves still, anyone who had stayed in the Deepblue for a length of time knew that the legendary mage’s rage was as quick as flipping a book. She wouldn’t care for status or relationships if someone touched her property; the offender would be killed even if she had to chase them across a thousand planes.

After the two roars, Sharon quieted down. Her ears twitched as she collected the sounds from the surroundings, hand raising again with a blue light flashing across it. In a single second, everything that had happened within this hall in the last few years flashed before her eyes. Her small face scrunched up, and a storm immediately started over the icy bay.

She jumped off the stone platform, her feet burying themselves into the crystal floor until she was buried up to her chest. Struggling awkwardly, she jumped out and landed softly on the floor. Taking another look at the mess of her room, tears started welling up in her eyes. There weren’t many things that could bring her to tears, but the destruction of this room was one of them while losing money was another. It just so happened that the former caused the latter as well.

The legendary mage wasted another second to revisit the sights she had just seen, suddenly grabbing the lock of hair on her forehead and crushing it in her hands. Still feeling hateful, she tried to pull it out; however, that only caused her to yelp in pain. With nowhere to vent, Voidbones having sent flying into another plane entirely, she started scanning the area for another punching bag.

It just so happened that there was an enormous one right above. Sharon took a deep breath, her chest swelling up before she roared angrily, “TIAMAT! You dare to climb over my head?! Fine, let’s see how you go back! Even if your five colours turn to ten, you’re going to pay!”

Atop the Deepblue, Tiamat was immediately ashamed by the contempt. She had never been known as a coward, and her arrogance wouldn’t let her be one now. Even against Sharon, she still had the guts to fight.

“Sharon!” she snarled, “Come out and fight me! The other dragons might be afraid of you, but I’m not!”