I Received System to Become Dragonborn

Chapter 718: Shifting Metal

A thunderous crash echoed through the battlefield as Erend’s body slammed into the ground, the impact sending a massive shockwave through the ruined pavement in front of Laston’s tower.

The earth cracked beneath the impact, debris and dust exploding into the air. For a moment everything was just still. The Elves froze in front of the portal, their hearts hammering in their chests as they stared at the crater where Erend had landed.

Vael clenched his fists. Arlyn took an instinctive step toward Erend, his muscles tensed with urgency. Even Sylra, exhausted as she was, gritted her teeth and steadied herself.

The sheer force of that blow... anyone else would have been shattered. He received it at point blank.

"We can’t just leave him!" Arlyn burst out, his voice filled with frustration. "We should stay and help!"

But before he could move, Aerchon’s hand shot out, gripping his shoulder firmly. His expression was grim but steady. "No. We need to leave."

Arlyn turned to him, disbelief flashing across her face. "Are you serious? Did you not see what just happened?"

"I did," Aerchon said, his voice unwavering. "And that’s exactly why we need to go."

Saeldir, still maintaining the portal, added, "You don’t understand. That," he gestured toward the dust-shrouded crater, "is nothing to him. He’s not the one you should be worrying about."@@@@

Sylra and Vael exchanged uncertain glances. They had seen Erend arrive in a burst of power, had witnessed him tear through constructs like they were nothing. But still, to take a hit like that? they weren’t sure anyone could just get back up from it.

"Then why did he fall?" Vael asked, his voice tinged with doubt. "If he’s that strong, why didn’t he just avoid it?"

Saeldir sighed. "Because he doesn’t need to. It’s not a question of whether he can take a hit, it’s a question of whether Laston has any attack strong enough to actually hurt him." He gestured to the portal. "You don’t want to be standing around when he gets back up. We’ll only get in his way! Now, come on and get in!"

Arlyn hesitated, looking back at the crater. The dust was still settling, and there was no movement. His gut twisted. Could they really just leave him?

Then, from the silence, the ground trembled. A deep, rumbling vibration that sent cracks spider-webbing through the street. The dust cloud began to glow, flickering embers swirling within it.

And then, the crater erupted.

A surge of fire and lightning exploded outward, a blinding column of energy that split the air with a deafening roar. The sheer force sent shattered debris flying in all directions, the heat so intense it warped the air around it.

And from within, a shadow rose.

Erend emerged from the explosion, his form wreathed in smoke and fire. The red-black scales on his arms pulsed with heat, embers trailing from his skin like molten sparks.

Erend chuckled, flames flickering along his knuckles. "And I am?"

"You’re a problem, Dragonborn. I will give you that credit," Laston said. "One I intend to erase."

The air around him distorted as countless mechanical tendrils erupted from his back, each ending in a shifting weapon like blades, cannons, and spiked drills.

The ground beneath him warped, reshaped by the nano-metal spreading outward like liquid steel, reinforcing his foothold.

Then he launched forward.

Erend braced himself, and their battle resumed.

Laston launch his attack first, his speed drastically increased by the adaptive metal. His tendrils whipping out, slashing and striking like a storm of steel.

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Erend dodged the first, then the second, his reflexes allowing him to weave between the attacks. But they kept coming, relentless and unpredictable.

One tendril caught his shoulder, slamming him downward again. Another followed, morphing into a massive hammer and crashing into him just as he landed.

The pavement cracked beneath him as he dug his fingers into the ground, stopping himself from being buried further.

Laston wasn’t done. His armor shifted again, the plates along his arms opening to reveal built-in cannons. With a mechanical hum, he fired.

Erend threw himself to the side as a burst of energy blasted past him, obliterating the ground where he had just been.

He barely had a moment to recover before another barrage followed. He raised his arm and decided to not bother to dodge and took the hit head-on. The impact sent him skidding back but the scales absorbed most of the force.

"That all?" Erend said.

Laston didn’t reply. Instead, his armor shifted again, the plates tightening, refining. His body grew bulkier, yet he moved with inhuman fluidity.

The technology was evolving mid-fight, analyzing Erend’s movements and adjusting accordingly. Erend can report this intel into the Elves.

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