I Only Tame Dragons

Chapter 162 The Obsidian Flame's

"what did you say?"

"everyone knows that items have limits, even if they're artifacts," horizon shot back, a sharp edge to his voice. "it would be a matter of time before that fake dragon crumbled and by then, you're dead."

cedrick's smirk twisted into something darker, his eyes glinting with malice. "we'll see about that! get him, you filthy thing!" he commanded, pointing toward horizon's dracolich with a cruel grin.

but horizon wasn't fazed. cedrick's smug expression, his boasts, and even the impressive artifact didn't rattle him.

horizon had encountered plenty of players who relied too heavily on powerful items, thinking they were invincible simply because they had something rare in their arsenal. cedrick's little tricks didn't matter. he had tricks of his own—ones far more dangerous than any copied dracolich.

for now, he only needed to keep cedrick distracted long enough for his team to finish their job. as long as frigid and the others could hold their ground, this battle was as good as won.

=== ===

meanwhile, back at the battlefield, aeloria and her squad stood tense, frustration etched across their faces.

every plan, every spell they threw at frigid seemed to bounce off his icy armor like pebbles off steel. his passive defenses, combined with the precision healing from silphie, rendered their attacks ineffective.

worse, with each second that passed, frigid's health regenerated bit by bit, thanks to horizon's well-prepared equipment and enchantments.

the weapons wielded by the kingdom of stars were beginning to show signs of wear, their once polished edges dulled by constant use.

every clash against frigid's impenetrable defenses chipped away at their durability, and it wouldn't be long before they reached their breaking point. if this continued, the weapons—crafted from high-tier silver and low-tier gold—would be reduced to useless fragments long before they could breach frigid's icy armor.

losing those weapons would be more than just a setback—it would be a devastating blow. these weren't ordinary tools of war; they were painstakingly forged with rare materials, enchanted by master artisans to withstand intense battles.nôv(el)b\\jnn

legends said it was once used to bring down the walls of a fortress said to be indestructible—and now, it would be used to annihilate frigid.

aeloria gave a quick nod to her team. "channel your mana into it."

without hesitation, liora, trisha, and theron each extended a hand, their palms glowing with energy as they poured their mana into the artifact. the runes flared brighter with every passing second, the heat intensifying to the point where the grass beneath their feet began to wither and burn.

von, watching from afar, narrowed his eyes as he saw the artifact begin to activate. his usual easygoing demeanor vanished, replaced by a rare seriousness. "that's not good," he muttered under his breath.

"what's going on?" lydia asked, noticing the sudden tension in his posture.

"they're using a high-level artifact," von explained grimly. "if they pull it off, frigid's done for. we're done for. that thing doesn't care about defense or enchantments—it'll burn through anything."

lydia's eyes widened in alarm. "can we stop it?"

von clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white. his eyes locked on the artifact radiating destructive energy in aeloria's hands. he knew frigid couldn't endure something of this magnitude—not even with all of horizon's enhancements.

they were out of time, and von had no choice but to use it, or they would face total annihilation.

"all of you, get behind me!" his voice was steady, but the tension in his tone made it clear—this was serious.

"von, are you sure?!" lydia's voice wavered, concern etched across her face. she could sense the gravity of his decision, but von didn't respond. his gaze remained fixed on their enemies, eyes narrowing into a glare as he assessed aeloria and her team.

despite their graceful appearance, those women were as ruthless as any warrior von had ever faced. they weren't just trying to win—they were prepared to kill every last one of them, including silphie and lydia, without a shred of hesitation.

von's jaw tightened, his resolve hardening like steel. "not on my watch."