Shattered Remnants of a Dream

64. Your Death is My Life

Side by side, Maximilian and Kamo lay submerged in water as the ancient dragon Qin Long swooped down, jaw agape.

"Well, Mr. Fancypants?!" Kamo shrieked. "If you've got any more trump cards, now's the time to use them!"

"I do have one more..." Maximilian murmured, as he struggled to keep his head above Rose's developing water. "But it might hurt. I recommend you bite down on something that isn't your tongue."

"What?!" Kamo shrieked again.

"Just do as I say!" The Knight shouted. "Now!"

With that, an electric shockwave exploded out from Maximilian's pocket, rippling through every inch of Rose's liquefied body, not to mention the bodies of both Maximilian and his ally. A waterlogged scream echoed out from the puddle, and Rose reflexively reverted from her transformation, heaving as her body rematerialized on the ground.

"Whew," Kamo shook his head and quickly materialized his bow while still lying face-up on the ground. "Thanks for the pick-me-up, buddy!"

And so, just as the ancient dragon Qin Long finished its descent and prepared to devour its prey – seemingly along with Rose herself, the beast exploded backwards with a cry of pain, raining down torrents of spittle upon the three. Flung back, the dragon landed head-first on the ground in the distance and began pawing furiously at the massive canals of its nostrils, trying to remove the two psynergy arrows that had been fired straight inside by Captain Kamo.

"What's wrong? Didn't that little jolt feel nice in your aquatic form?" Maximilian and Rose both stood up at about the same time, but the woman seemed to have taken the brunt of the electroshock due to the form she'd just been in. In the Knight's left hand, a small metallic fork flickered with electricity. "I'm the protege to Mixam Gradia, the greatest inventor the Guild has ever known. I never come to a battle without a variety of tools to choose from!"

"Tools can be broken," Rose spat between breaths. "Unlike raw psynergy."

"We'll see about that." Kamo eyed the tattoo of a faceless horse on the woman's lower thigh. "I'm more interested in figuring out just how that power of yours works, pony girl."

Rose rolled her eyes and squeezed some water from her drenched hair. Quickly, Maximilian tossed his forked gadget over to his ally, who caught it effortlessly and slipped it into his pocket.

"You keep an eye on her," Maximilian whispered to his partner. "I'll handle the brutes."

Kamo aimed his bow at Rose's upper chest. "In that case, let's get started."

When he fired two more shots, Rose responded by changing back into a large puddle of water. Kamo quickly let his bow dissipate and dashed up to the Horse, desperately trying to figure out a way to ensnare his foe.

Meanwhile, Maximilian watched closely as Qin Long rose back to its feet. The 3rd division captain tightened his grip on the Campeador and ran forward, putting himself between the monster and his ally.

Maximilian pulled back his weapon and sized up the dragon's thick legs. The hardest part is always the first hit...

As he closed in on Qin Long, he saw the beast rear its head back, open its mouth, and suck in a deep breath.

Breathing fire? No, that can't be it...that wouldn't explain the strange psynergy aura I'm feeling...it's strong, and powerful, like some sort of...

A spark ignited in the dragon's throat. In the next instant, a white laser beam erupted from within and went shooting toward the ground – and Maximilian.