Spells and bullets flew toward the Black Dragon one after another. While they struck the scales and caused varying degrees of damage—some piercing the hide to leave deep wounds, others merely scratching the surface—the number of combatants was simply too small, even with the aid of a powerful Archmage like Andromath.
Furthermore, casters like Raymond and Zaldimar were only between novice and intermediate levels. Even Shadobreak, despite his immense strength, could do little in a long-range engagement.
After casting four consecutive Ice Bolts, Wayne felt the mana within him dwindling. At this rate, even with several more rounds of attacks, repelling the Black Dragon seemed impossible. In the cellar, Cassus and his two companions were paralyzed with fear, silently cursing the person who had sent them to this death trap.
Having had two consecutive bursts of flame blocked by the shield, the Black Dragon realized its target was far more formidable than imagined. Not even Ronin, the leader of the Kirin Tor, possessed the ability to cast such a powerful magical barrier. In this world, perhaps only Medivh himself had such mana, but the former Guardian of Tirisfal had been missing for years and had not even appeared when Dalaran was destroyed.
Who, then, possessed such power?
To avoid wasting more energy, the dragon dived and landed heavily beside the protective shield, using its long tail, claws, and fangs to tear at and ram the magical barrier. With the dragon grounded, Shadobreak finally charged. Empowered by the Seal of the Crusader, his massive hammer glowed with Holy Light as he delivered heavy blow after blow to the dragon's claws and head.
It was a race against time. Those inside the shield attacked relentlessly, while the dragon endured the assault to frantically bite and claw at the barrier. Although he couldn't see the dragon's "HP bar" like in a game, Wayne could tell that the vending machine's power was draining far faster than the dragon was being damaged.
"Miller! Hold on!"
A long cry echoed from behind. Everyone turned to see Sandar arriving with two others, followed by Oneria and Anasha!
Sandar and his companions charged into the purple shield on Warlock-exclusive Dreadsteeds. They dismissed their mounts as they dismounted to cast, sending volleys of Shadow Bolts toward the dragon's head. Unlike the riflemen, Anasha, the Night Elf hunter, gripped a wooden bow and rapidly pulled arrows from her quiver, aiming for the dragon's eyes, neck, and other unarmored weak points.
Oneria shouted at Wayne, "Boss! We're not helping for free!"
Wayne forced a bitter smile. He couldn't believe they were thinking about business at a time like this. Were they Night Elves or Goblins? He shouted back, "No problem! If we survive and the cafe is built, everyone plays for free for three days! Overnights included!"
"What? Are you serious, Miller?! I brought two people with me! Everyone gets it for free!" Sandar asked while attacking.
Wayne yelled, "It has to be real! Why the hell did you only bring two people?!"
Sandar thought to himself, Bringing low-level warlocks like Raymond would just be sending them to their deaths... The two female warlocks beside him were no slackers; together with Sandar and three others, they formed a formidable unit.
The battle grew even more intense. Wayne had considered having the vending machine cast offensive spells to increase damage, but seeing the rapid power drain and the arrival of reinforcements, he chose to let it focus entirely on maintaining the shield for as long as possible.
Feeling the increased pressure of the assault, the Black Dragon beat its wings and took to the sky once more. Everyone stopped attacking, gripping their weapons and gasping for breath as the dragon flew out of range.
The dragon, now visibly scarred, hovered above, the sound of its wings beating like a rhythmic drum. It didn't open its mouth, but a hissing roar echoed in everyone's ears:
"Understand your position, foolish mortals!" "You know too much! Our cause will not be stopped!"
Wayne couldn't help but think: People are always threatening to burn down my cafe, but I didn't think the day would actually come...
The dragon finished speaking and turned to fly toward Mirror Lake.
"Is it gone? Is it retreating?" Amy asked in surprise, having just finished using Evocation to recover her mana. Many shared her thought. Relief began to set in, and people started wondering where the dragon had come from.
But before a discussion could start, Wayne shouted with all his might, "It's coming back!!! Brace yourselves!!!"
The Black Dragon hovered in mid-air, its maw open as if it were inhaling the surrounding air—gathering it into its body as fuel for a blazing fire. The movement looked exactly like a person taking a very deep breath. As a red glow began to emanate from the dragon's belly, it beat its wings and charged toward the construction site again.
"Roar... CRACK!!!"
A blast of flame, several times larger and more violent than the previous dragon breath, didn't just pour from its mouth—it seemed to erupt from its entire body, slamming heavily into the shield!
Inside the barrier, everyone looked up to see cracks appearing in the magical dome, being patched, and then cracked again by the sustained inferno. Outside, the lake water boiled, the trees in the lumber yard turned to charcoal, and the cows and rabbits that hadn't escaped were incinerated into nothingness.
The alarms in Wayne's ears rang incessantly. To the naked eye, the shield's color faded significantly, and its radius shrank. Even those who knew nothing of magic could tell that the effect was weakening and was about to collapse.
The Black Dragon saw it too. Although the fight had exceeded its expectations and it was exhausted, the scales of victory had tipped entirely in its favor. With one more "Deep Breath" of this magnitude, it could shatter the barrier. Those inside would become its food and the victims of its claws.
Sandar and Andromath were silent, focused on recovering as much mana as possible for a final stand. Zaldimar and Raymond had long since run dry and could only use their wands. Amy and Ana pulled them to the ground, handing them prepared magical spring water to speed up their recovery. Shadobreak refreshed everyone's blessings, switching the casters to "Blessing of Wisdom."
Wayne was anxious. He wanted to say something to encourage the group, but he was also wondering why his planned reinforcements hadn't arrived yet. He realized it wasn't that they were late, but that the dragon's power was simply beyond his imagination.
Watching the dragon fly off again to catch its breath before another massive blast, Raymond took a few sips of water and muttered, "How are we supposed to fight this... if only it were like the game, my teacher could kill it alone!"
Ding!
The words sparked a light in Wayne's mind. Seeing the dragon beginning to gather energy in the distance, he scrambled into the cellar's storage room, dove under the felt covering the vending machine, and began tapping the screen frantically.
Raymond: "Teacher! The dragon is coming! Where are you going?!" Shadobreak: "Everyone, conserve your strength to protect yourselves! Give it a full volley when it gets close!" Sandar said to Andromath: "I never thought I'd be fighting side-by-side with a mage like you on a night like this." Andromath raised his staff toward the incoming dragon, not looking at Sandar as he whispered, "Fight with everything you have. The time to prove yourselves has come."
[Consume all remaining power to activate Scene Conversion Mode?]
A line of text appeared on the vending machine's screen. "Yes!" Wayne pressed it without hesitation.
[Scene Conversion Initiated: Switched to Schrade Castle]
Just as the Black Dragon approached to unleash its stored heat once more, the space-time around them seemed to shift. The sky and earth changed color. The combatants and the dragon felt as though they hadn't moved, yet they were suddenly transported to another world.
Raymond, Zaldimar, Amy, and Marlin—who had all watched Wayne slay a dragon in Monster Hunter G—recognized it immediately. They were standing amidst the crumbling ruins of Schrade Castle!
Wayne put away his wand and drew the massive axe from his back.
"Onyxia! Today, you shall witness the power of a Monster Hunter, a Hero of Might and Magic, a student of Hogwarts, a Saint Seiya, and the Dragonborn!!!"