Chapter 74: Battling a witch.
Dorian took a deep, steadying breath, the chaos of the battlefield fading into a dull roar in the background of his mind.
He understood the game she was playing.
This witch, this Bonnie, was trying to bait him. She wanted him to feel like he had a choice, to make him think that following her to Yahoshi was his idea.
It was a classic negotiation tactic: create a false dilemma, and force the target to pick the path of least resistance.
But Dorian Aurelian did not play by other people’s rules.
He glanced to the side.
His sister, Yelena, was already engaging the massive Doom Walkers, her flames painting streaks of orange against the panic-stricken campus.
The first-year students were scrambling, terrified, trying to evacuate under the cover of the smoke.
He didn’t have time to waste on a witch who thought she could manipulate him with vague promises and cryptic smiles.
He looked back at her, his expression bored, almost disappointed. He scratched the back of his head, feigning a reluctance he certainly didn’t feel.
"Honestly, you are really forcing my hand here. I’d hate to put my hands on a woman, really; it’s bad for the public image. But you leave me no choice."
Even before the last syllable left his lips, the air around him shifted.
Dorian stepped forward, the distance between them vanishing as if he had folded space itself.
Bonnie stood there, her calm mask still firmly in place. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips, her eyes glinting with a challenge. She thought he was bluffing. She thought he would hesitate.
Or so she thought.
Bash!
The impact was sickeningly loud, like a sledgehammer striking wet clay.
In the blink of an eye, Dorian had closed the gap. His fist, clenched tight and reinforced with the density of his dragon mana, slammed directly into the center of her face.
There was no time for her to dodge. No time for a barrier.
Her head snapped back with a violence that should have severed her spine. The sound of bones crushing inward echoed through the courtyard, followed immediately by a spray of crimson blood.
Bonnie went flying.
She crashed into the hard earth, her body skidding across the rough stone pavement, kicking up dust and debris before finally grinding to a halt near the fountain.
Dorian lowered his fist, watching her.
By the time her body stopped moving, the gruesome crater in her face was already shifting.
’Regeneration?’
He watched with narrowed eyes as the broken nose snapped back into place, the torn skin knitting together with unnatural speed, and the blood seemingly retreating back into her veins.
In a matter of seconds, her face was flawless again, the damage erased as if it had never happened.
’Annoying. If I let her recover, this will drag on all day.’
He didn’t wait.
Dorian launched himself forward again, a predator sensing weakness. He wasn’t going to give her a single second to breathe, let alone cast a spell.
This time, however, Bonnie was ready. She saw the blur of motion and knew she couldn’t tank another hit like that.
She slammed her staff into the ground, a pulse of purple energy launching her violently upward.
She shot into the sky like a rocket, her face pale, eyes wide with genuine shock as she looked down.
Just a millisecond later, Dorian’s fist occupied the space where her head had been.
Boom!
His punch hit nothing but air, but the force of it sent a shockwave slamming into the ground, blasting a massive crater into the stone courtyard. Debris flew like shrapnel.
Hovering high above, Bonnie looked down at the destruction, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
For a brief second, she wondered if the Demon Lord was actually trying to save her, or if he simply intended to turn her into a red mist.
Her thoughts were cut short.
Dorian looked up. He didn’t look frustrated that he missed. He looked... determined.
Whoosh!
A massive, singular wing composed of swirling dark mist erupted from his back. It was a terrifying sight, the manifestation of his Dragon Monarch authority.
With a single powerful flap, he launched himself into the air, zooming towards her like a dark comet.
The shock on Bonnie’s face was total. He could fly? Since when could the Demon Lord fly?
She didn’t wait to ask. She spun in the air and sped off, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.
But Dorian was relentless.
Dark mist trailed from his wing as he closed the distance, cutting through the air with terrifying speed. He was gaining on her, his hand reaching out, threatening to snatch her from the sky.
Bonnie pushed herself faster, panic finally setting in.
She didn’t understand this feeling. It wasn’t just that he was strong. It was the intent. The sheer, overwhelming pressure rolling off him.
Run.
Run.
The words echoed in her mind, a primal drumbeat of fear. She had to get away. She had to keep her distance.
And yet, even as fear gripped her heart, a strange, twisted smile crept onto her face. It was hypnotic, almost ecstatic. To be chased by him... to be hunted by the Demon Lord...
’Got her.’
Dorian’s hand clamped around her ankle.
His grip was iron. He squeezed, not with the intent to hold, but to crush.
Crack!
The sound of her ankle bones pulverizing was loud even over the rushing wind.
"Ahhh!"
A loud wail ripped from her throat, saliva and blood spurting from her mouth as the pain registered.
She was dangling in the air, held by a shattered leg, but her instincts as a witch kicked in instantly. She didn’t wait for him to pull her closer. She didn’t wait for the next blow.
She swung her staff, her eyes glowing purple.
"Inguros!"
Hummm!
Three massive, diamond-shaped rocks materialized out of thin air, flanking Dorian from all sides. They hummed with kinetic energy, glowing with a dangerous, hard light.
Before Dorian could throw her, the rocks slammed inward.