Only I Am A Reader

Ga… ga…

The Poison Dragon tried to protest that a fly had gone into its mouth, but it seemed like the insect had been caught in its throat, preventing it from drawing air from its lungs!

Logically speaking, even if it wasn't a fire dragon, the insides of all dragons with the exception of glacial ones were extremely hot! Anything that went inside would be burned alive, and in the current dragon's case, it would also be subsequently burned to death. However, this particular fly's life seemed to persist for too long.

Ah… ah…

Before it knew it, the Poison Dragon's lungs kept protesting by sending pain signals into its brain, the heat inside was dying as violet light shone out of its mouth.

Kugh…

The monster had long stopped its rampage, neglecting the other flies as it gagged on the internal obstacle that grew bigger with time. Even its eyes started shining as another stream of tears dripped down its scales.

Gahhhhhh!

Just when it momentarily restored its ability to produce sound, screaming to the limit of its ability, the Poison Dragon's body quickly started inflating. At this point, it could already sense it just like all dragons usually managed to…

Its inevitable death! The Emerald Calamity only became aware of its upcoming end for a second when…

Bang!

The gigantic monster instantly turned into an oversized balloon, exploding with all of its might!

Splaaash!

For one second, no empty spot could be seen in the sky as the world was dyed in a mix of dark green and red. Scales, flesh, bones, teeth… Every little bit that composed the Poison Dragon's body was used to decorate the flat plain! At this point, it wasn't hard to tell what had just happened. The Sword Sage had self-detonated!

By sacrificing himself out of nowhere, Pung Chungwon quickly brought an end to the threat that people would have dreaded the sight of in time. A lot of people felt deep respect to see such a selfless move…

"Junior brother Dang didn't make it…"

However, it wasn't like he was the only to come as a sacrifice in this endeavor, another few hundred corpses could be observed within the shreds, losing their lives to the poisonous rain that followed. This was undeniably a very costly move.

Naturally, the Sword Sage was well aware of the cost of his decision. In the bigger picture, it was still crucial to take the dragon by surprise rather than wait for the people to evacuate.

In the first place, most people had retreated far away from the main stage of the battle. It was only that the range of the body explosion was quite large due to the monster's size. In this regard, Pung Chungwon trusted almost everyone to move far enough after his warning, a very doable action considering that most Martial Artists had expertise in footwork.

'It's not bad at all.'

Although some people's reaction speed drastically fell from the shock that had been constantly exposed to, the numbers were still too small compared to the casualties that would have fallen as collateral damage to the prolonged battle.

"This damn geezer, shouldn't he have warned us long before?"

"What are you talking about, you ungrateful scum? This is obviously for the better!"

"You would have died to the spreading poison sooner or later, why can't you be thankful for avoiding that fate?!"

Of course, not everyone was satisfied with the result. Some of the foreign visitors and wandering Martial Artists complained as they rose out of their hiding spots, prompting a conflict to break out within the group of survivors.

"Are you okay?"

Leo and the rest had unquestionably survived the explosion's impact under Cheon Jeong's protection, but Cheon Chang still flashed to their side to make sure they were alright. After all, the field was simply too chaotic.

"Didn't I tell you not to worry? Most importantly…"

The Blade Spirit walked out with a triumphant smile on her face. However, she quickly shifted her gaze as the green fog started to disperse…

"It's still okay!"

Those possessing exceptional perception or special observation techniques were surprised to see that the Sky Fruit was still intact. The Azure Tree had persistently protected its 'offspring' even though its body was in a horrible state!

The opportunity that everyone thought they had lost was now still up for the picking! Lower level Martial Artists didn't dare rush into the hazardous plain, but Transcendent Martial Artists and above that could cover their whole body with Internal Energy madly moved to try their chance at getting the prize!

"Let's go!"

Cheon Chang only took one last glance at the four seeds before decisively making a choice. He directly grabbed Leo by the waist before he moved out. Taking his junior brother to the fruit was the only logical option for someone like him!

'Eh?'

Leo was surprised by the sudden turn of events. He was glad that this battle ended without Cheon Chang's sacrifice, but he didn't expect to get the chance to obtain the Sky Fruit himself?

There was no reason for him to resist the chance, so he silently let himself be carried to their destination as the Absolute Spear competed in speed with the other powerhouses. However, he couldn't help overthinking the situation from his perspective…

'Would it be possible now?'

A lot of possibilities had opened up with the exchange of cards. The one who was supposed to die was right by his side while the one who was supposed to help the protagonist retrieve the Sky Fruit had taken his place. Would it be truly possible to push Geochin out of his destined path? Or were certain things simply unchangeable?

Leo could only push away the persistent questions in his head and focus on the task he had at the moment… To bite into the Sky Fruit if it were to come into his grasp!

'Almost…'

Time seemed to freeze for a moment as four powerhouses jumped on the Azure Tree's crown. No one knew who the final winner would be!