Phoenix Flight [Lite LitRPG - Dungeon Diving - FFM Romance]

Chapter Seventy: His End


'I feel empty?' Davi felt different. It was hard to describe, but one moment he was staring at the dragon, and the next thing he knew, he was looking at his back. 'Oh? Is that me?'

Davi's head crashed to the icy floor, and he watched as his suit of armor collapsed to its knees and then fell over. His head had been torn clean off.

'Shit.'

He was dead.

Dead before he could even come up with a plan or figure out what he needed to do. It wasn't fair. He finally found the beast that ruined everything, and then in an instant, he was dead and gone. What sort of cruel joke was it?

Davi was forced to watch as the world began to fade away. He was dying. Losing control over his brain functions, everything was shutting off. He felt his rage double and triple and grow even more, but it wasn't enough. As a head, he could do nothing but fade away.

Davi felt himself lying down. He felt himself bleeding out. He felt his brain shutting off. His nerves ending. Still, his rage grew.

'I just wanted to do something. Anything. Please. Move.'

The others were screaming now.

'Move.'

The dragon turned to look at the rest of the group. Ken stepped away in fear, and her body shook.

'Move, move, move, move.'

The dragon was laughing, and Ken shuddered. Was this the end for her? Was she about to die here?

'Move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move—'

Ken's eyes flashed before her eyes, and at the same time, unseen by everyone else, Davi's body moved.

***

Eight years ago…

"What is an Arcane Knight?"

"Oh? And why are you asking about this, Lord Ken?" Feng gave a soft chuckle as he walked down the forest path. "Are you perhaps interested in joining them?"

Ken Yuan felt her face heat up a bit, and she let out a soft hiss. "Of course not, you idiot!" She would have swatted her teacher, but unfortunately, her arms were wrapped around his neck, as he carried her on his back due to the broken ankle she currently sported. "You once told me that you were hunted by the Knights, though?"

Feng let out a soft hum, and the tip of his nose twitched slightly as he suddenly recalled a bad memory. "Yes, Estiria was my homeland. That was years ago, though. Your father's father's father wasn't even born yet." The man let out a soft chuckle. "I doubt the Knights even recall what name I used to go by."

Feng was a very old man, though he didn't look a day over thirty. He had pale skin that was almost the color of snow. Long black hair cascaded down his back, and he wore white robes that clung to his skin. What was most notable about Feng was the jagged scar that went across his eyes, leaving him blind.

A wound he had received during his time in Estiria.

"They drove me out of my home." Feng's smile faded for a moment, but it soon returned. "Luckily, the Yuan family took me in. I suppose I should count myself lucky that Han's bloodline is so kind. I got to serve your family, and in turn, I got to teach you. Of that I am grateful. You alone will be the Lord who stands at the top. There is always a silver lining, huh?"

Ken let out a huff and shook her head. "Those people sound terrible. The Arcane Knights are truly disgusting if they ran someone as nice as you out of their land."

Feng gave a light chuckle. "It's not so simple, Lord Ken."

"How isn't it simple?" Ken hissed. "The Knights attacked you and drove you out of your land, forcing you to come here?"

Feng stopped for a moment and stood on the path he had been marching through. The forest was enclosed and dark, with hundreds of oak trees all around them. Eventually, he looked up and spotted what he had sensed. A hawk flew through the air. Ken also spotted it watching the animal fly around.

"Do you see that bird?"

"Yeah?" Ken asked, confused. "What about it?"

"Do you ever think the other animals get jealous of it?" Feng questioned.

"What kind of question is that?" Ken made a face.

Feng's kind smile returned, and he gave a lazy shrug while still holding her on his back. "I think they do get jealous. They live down here, while the hawk lives up there. They always see it, totally free and unburdened from the rest of the world. Despite that, they leave it be because there is nothing they can do. Their lives and the life of the bird are separate. To the bird, the animals down here hardly matter as well. It hunts when and what it wants as it wants, and that's as close as it gets to being part of the world that is this forest. What happens when it gets greedy, though?"

"What do you mean?" Ken asked softly.

"The hawk gets hungry, so it swoops down and it eats its prey," Feng explained. "It's a mighty creature, and the other animals can't do anything to stop it, so they sadly have to lose one of their members. Life moves on, and things remain in balance. What happens if the bird isn't happy with the meal it caught, though? Maybe its belly had grown fatter, and it requires more. Maybe it isn't even about the food now, but rather the rush it gets. The hawk swoops down and takes another prey hostage on the same day. Again and again and again it does this over and over, getting more and more until it isn't even about survival or a circle anymore. Suddenly, the world the animals have come to know is forced to change. Before they stood by and allowed their kind to die and be eaten, for there was nothing they could do, but when pushed to the brink, the animals will have no choice but to fight back. After all, if they're going to die, they might as well take the hawk out with them, right?"

"This isn't about the hawk, is it?" Ken winced.

Feng just chuckled again and finally began to walk. "The hawk gets away, but not unscathed. Its wings have been ripped off, and its eyes torn out. It escapes the forest and flees. Are the animals who fought back in their hour of need to blame for what has become of the hawk, or is it the foolish bird who grew too wrathful and failed to understand that prey can fight back?"

"I still don't think the Knights should have done what they did to you, though," Ken said after a while. "You're one of the nicest people I know."

Feng let out a soft snort. "Lord Ken, you barely know anyone. You're quite antisocial, aren't you?"

"Hey!"

Feng's look softened. "They were protecting what they held dear. I can still remember seeing it for the first time. It almost makes me regret my actions, as I'll never see something like that ever again. They did the best they could with what they had, and I paid the price. Maybe one day you'll see them in action as well. It's truly a marvelous sight, watching a Knight do everything it can to protect that which it holds dear."

"Protect that which it holds dear?" Ken's look changed slightly, and she wrapped her arms tighter around her teacher, holding him. "That does sound nice…"

Feng stepped out of the forest, the winding path leading to a large palace in the distance. "Well, shall we get you home, Lord Ken? I'm sure your brother is worried sick."

"Yeah." Ken nodded. "Let's go home."

***

Ken didn't know why that memory went through her mind. It ticked her off a bit that she was recalling such a thing. Was this what they called 'having your life flash before your eyes'?

If that was the case, then did that mean she was about to die?

Of course she was. There was a fucking dragon in front of her.

She was going to die. There was no way around that fact. The blizzard she stood in was insanely cold, but it was nothing compared to the heat that was coming off of the dragon's body. Even with her natural fire resistance, it wasn't enough. If not for Jack Larison's mana barrier, she likely would have burned alive. That alone was a scary fact.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Cain was doing about as well as she was, but Ruby was having a full-blown panic attack. The red-haired girl was on her knees, breathing heavily, had already thrown up, and looked to be completely shut down.

Ken could hardly blame her, though. The same thing nearly happened to her when she watched Davi's head be torn clean off his body. One moment, he had powered up so much that she was convinced the qi he was giving off was greater than her own, and then the next, he was dead. Killed by the Dragon in a single hit.

The dragon itself was already terrifying just looking at it, but the enormous amount of qi that was radiating off of it nearly made Ken lose control of her bladder. If not for Feng's training, she likely would have.

Davi's body was on the ground, blood still pouring from the neck wound, and near her feet was his helmeted severed head. She had been looking down at it instead of the dragon the entire time. His shadowy armor remained behind, one hand still clutching its sword, but that's all it did. Without a doubt, he was dead. Killed in an instant.

"Go." Jack took a cautious step forward. "The plan doesn't change. We're just down a member now. Go and I'll—" The dragon almost seemed to snicker, and it began to stand up on its four legs. "Go!" Jack yelled, and his blue energy crackled out of him wildly and untamed. "Now! Row Imagination Hand!"

Jack's mana surged out and filled the air, twisting into what looked like a massive hand. It was made out of pure magic and landed in front of him, its palm out. The giant hand was ready for whatever attack the dragon would throw his way, or at least Jack thought it was, but the dragon only chuckled more and casually lifted a hand.

Slowly, it brought its arm forward, its claw poked out, and it began to easily puncture into the construct. While that happened, the others took off running, leaving Jack behind.

Ken was in the lead, followed by Cain, who was forced to fling Ruby over his shoulder since the girl shut down and looked to be in an unconscious state despite her eyes being open. Ken glanced back, watching as Jack yelled out another spell and swung both his swords at the dragon, but it wasn't enough. The dragon's nail jerked forward with sudden blinding speed and rammed directly through Jack's stomach and out his back. Then it twisted and tore the man's upper body off of his lower one, ripping him straight in two.

So much for the Imaginary Knight…

Ken nearly screamed in frustration but focused on running ahead. She looked around wildly, like an animal that had been cornered, but she saw nothing for miles. It was just snow and ice that stretched on and on. How big was this dungeon? Where was the barrier? These were questions she didn't know, and she doubted they mattered, as the dragon took a single, thundering step forward and flapped its wings.

Everything exploded in a hail of ice as the force of the wings shoved Cain and Ken down and sent Ruby flying out of Cain's arms. Tornados ripped through the area, and Ken forced herself to look back and see the dragon was already halfway toward them with just a single step.

Ken was about to get up and sprint away again, but something else caught her attention. When the Dragon flapped its wings, Davi's head had also been caught in the blast. The helmet rolled her way and once more landed in front of her. She didn't know why, but her eyes were drawn to it. She felt a twist in her gut as she looked at it. She barely knew Davi, but he had been friends with Olivia, and that white-haired girl had caught her full attention.

Davi had jumped to the rescue when she first fought Olivia, and in the battle with that noble brat, he had allowed himself to lose, even though she knew he could win. He also didn't seem hostile to her despite the fact that they had fought and even threw himself at the dragon first as if he could save them all.

What confused her most, though, was the armor he was now wearing. How long had he had something like this up his sleeve? The spell was potent, all the more impressive since he was being nerfed into the ground by the two dungeons, yet still managed to pull it out. It frustrated her to no end because he hadn't bothered to use such a thing on her. Was she not worthy? Was he mocking her? It didn't matter anymore since he was dead, but it still caused her blood to boil. Even she knew the tale of the Ebony Knight, and this armor was precisely how she had pictured that cursed warrior to look.

"Ken!" Cain's words caused her to tear her head away from the severed head, and she looked toward the silver-haired man. He once again had Ruby over his shoulder and was running. "Come on!"

Ken got up and was about to run but stopped and glanced back at the dragon. It was watching and smirking.

An arrogant hawk that was going to eat more than it should.

"Cain." Cain didn't stop running but looked back at Ken just in time to see her throw something his way. He caught it and stared down at a gourd. It was red and gold with various letters in an unknown language going across it, and it felt warm to the touch. Just holding it fought off the cold that was biting into him. "Get Yujin and yourself out of here." Ken hadn't budged an inch and instead raised her arms up in front of her. "I guess I'll buy you a few seconds."

Cain wanted to argue, but he couldn't. The truth was, he had actually been planning to dump Ruby if it came to it to buy himself an extra second. Cain looked away and kept running.

Ken stood in the blizzard feeling colder than ever, even as the mighty beast of fire stood before her. "Alright." She called up to it. "Get ready because I'm going to kick your ass—"

Instantly, Ken felt a wave of pain explode through her, and she tumbled back several feet. Her qi had been on full blast, but it didn't matter. The entire left side of her stomach was now gone. A sea of red flooded out of her, and Ken nearly vomited. The dragon's tail lazily flicked the ground. Just like Davi, faster than she could see, it had torn through her. Her blood was flowing out rapidly.

Ken felt her arms give, and she fell face first into the snow and ice, the chill crawling through her body. She weakly glanced at the creature. She was about to die.

"Damn it." Ken squeezed her eyes shut and hissed. "I—I still haven't gotten to see Feng. I-I haven't gotten to live my life. I should have been the head of my clan, damn it. I deserve a harem of men and women whom I can have whenever I want. This isn't fair. I-I don't want to die." Ken cried out, feeling the tears burn her face as she began to flow. "P-Please."

The dragon raised its palm above her, and it brought it down as hard as it could.

Ken didn't die, though. Instead, she felt a cold pair of arms holding her. Her eyes weakly opened, and she found herself staring into the chest plate of black, shadowy armor.

"D-Davi—" Ken's eyes went wide with horror when she looked up fully and saw that the suit was still missing its head. Blood flowed and bubbled out of the neck wound. "What the fuck?"

From the suit's shadow, more of those inky black hands rose up. They were long and wavy, their fingers digging into the arms and legs of the suit and forcing it to move, even though all it contained was a long-dead corpse. The arms of the suit dropped her, and it jerked and twisted, its limbs bending, and the bones inside snapping and breaking, as the armor took a wobbly step toward the dragon.

Ken stared in fear as the suit lifted up one of Jack's blades, which it had stolen off the Knight's body. The dragon's eyes narrowed, and it watched as the suit began to limp toward it, dragging across the ice and snow.

Vil Shadow Armor was the advanced form of Row Shadow Armor. Like all Vil spells, it was ten times greater than Row Shadow Armor, but where did these ten times fall into? Davi's armor was already impressively strong and able to be improved further through the use of mana and other forms. Making the suit ten times stronger could have been possible, but wouldn't have done much for him, as the strength of a dragon would be able to tear through it just as easily as Row Shadow Armor. Because of that, Vil Shadow Armor had the tenfold increase placed into the use of the creation of a construct.

Not only would the standard armor be created, but the very gates of Shadow Vault would be brought forth and twisted over the suit and the surrounding area, using the shadows from within his vault to create his armor instead of the shadows from the rest of the world that he usually had access to. This allowed the spell to fall into the school of Enchantment while it was cast, and the Enchantment was simple yet effective.

Fight.

The shadowy hands of the Vault would control the suit and force it on even if the wearer died. That was Davi's solution—his trump card. A warrior full of spite who knew he stood no chance in the fight with the dragon, yet still sought some sort of outcome, no matter how pathetic it was.

The dragon growled, and its tail came down again; it tore the left side of the armor and arm clean off, but the armor didn't budge or stop. It moved forward. The tail came back around and tore a leg off, but shadows lifted and twisted, the palms of the hands forming at the missing spot and turning with the armor, giving it support, allowing it to still walk forward!

The dragon's maw opened, and this time it unleashed a hellish blast of fire. The armor melted and cracked, shattering, and the corpse inside began to explode and become pure ash, but still the armor didn't stop. It held the arm that was clutching the sword up, and it stabbed it forward, aiming for a nasty scar that ran along the dragon's body, the same place Orion had wounded all those years ago. The sword shattered and broke, unable to pierce the dragon's scales.

The dragon almost laughed, and the fire cut out. It didn't matter how stubborn the spell was. Nothing could stop it—

Massive shadowy hands lifted up, some grabbing at its wings, others its tail, and the largest one wrapped entirely around the dragon's maw. It thrashed around, tearing at the constructs, but more came. The suit's shadow was now touching the beast's, and as such, the dragon's massive shadow now belonged to the dead mage.

The Shadow Vault opened…

More hands kept coming, as if Vil Shadow Vault had been cast; they attempted to drag the monster into their depths, but the Dragon wasn't having any of it. It howled and tore, ripping through the arms, and its wings expanded out, sending waves of fire everywhere as it scorched the land. It shattered the vault and broke it into a million pieces, finally landing back on the snowy ground.

Its eyes filled with rage, and it glared down, but it stopped when it didn't see the armor. The girl was gone as well…

Cain and Ruby had reached the edge of the barrier after enough running and had long since left. Ken stared at the edge in shock as the suit hobbled forward. It was barely scrap now, being held together with pure mana. Davi's body wasn't even inside of it, yet it still felt like his spirit. In a way, this suit was more him than he was himself.

The barrier glowed and shimmered with a bright white light. It was like a dome going down, and it formed a wall, one that if she were to walk through, she'd be back in the real world.

Ken grunted as the suit dropped her to the ground. She was about to say something but stopped when she watched as it began to crack and shatter, turning to ash, leaving nothing behind. Ken stood there silently, listening to the wails of a dragon.

"Thanks…" Quietly, she turned around and left through the barrier, leaving the dragon behind in its realm.

Davi felt fingers going through his hair. He felt grass touching his back as well, along with warm summer air that brushed the side of his face. He let out a satisfied sigh but kept his eyes closed.

"Davi?" The voice that spoke made him pause. It was beautiful, soft, and kind.

"Mom?" Davi tried to open his eyes, but they didn't work.

"Davi…"

"Mom."

"Davi. Why didn't you do it?"

"I? I don't understand…"

"Why didn't you avenge? You worthless son."

Davi's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he found himself staring ahead at the dragon. He couldn't move or even speak, yet somehow he was still staring at the beast that ruined his life. His severed head was turning blue now, and his brain had long since stopped, but something in him kept going. Something full of pure malice.

The dragon glared down at the head, its eyes staring into those pure blue orbs that glared right back at it.

"When we really meet, it'll be the same, you know." The dragon let out a soft snort. "You're just a cursed child. A miserable brat waiting for death. Are you cold?" The dragon sneered and lifted its palm up. "Here. I'll make sure you don't freeze to death!" And stomped onto Davi's head, crushing it to less than dust.

And just like that, the third exam came to an end.

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