4 minutes later, Augustus arrived at Coco Village with Ramon.
Coco Village was already caught in flames.
"Arghhh…!"
The villagers screamed as they ran everywhere in panic.
They didn't even try to counterattack. The mere sight of the predator was all it took to set the whole village in panic as they all ran for their lives.
The brave men of Coco Village mustered the courage to face the beast but it only lasted a second. Opening its maws once, fire blasted out of the mouth of the Dragon, incinerating all the men and their makeshift weapons.
Coco Village was literally defenseless before this beast.
Ramon watched with eyes filled with shock and fear, his stubborn heart was tamed at this moment seeing the flames and the culprit floating in the skies.
The culprit of this attack was a terrifying red Dragon.
The young Dragon was a ridiculous 10 meters long with large wings that when spread almost bloated out the sky. Its 4 muscular legs ripped entire houses apart, showing the sheer power in them and the sharpness of the beast's claws.
With each roar, it exposed its terrifying rows of teeth.
Each fire breath from it left fire, ash and death in its wake.
Its long tail had a pointed end like an arrow through which it aided its body, fending off the terrifying assault of the 4 humans who now assaulted it.
Amid his fear, Ramon watched with curiosity-filled and terrified eyes.
For the past 3 days, he had seen Joel's crew in action multiple times, fighting against beasts but none of them gave them a hard time.
Ramon could tell that this was different though, they would have a hard time.
"Ramon, stay behind this stone house and wait for me". Augustus glared at him as he ordered.
Ramon nodded instinctively.
"Look at me!" Augustus shouted at him. "This time, no games!"
"If you come out, you will die!"
"You want to become the strongest in the world, right? This is a courage test".
"If you manage to stay put and not run around in panic, we'll be able to kill it, that means you pass and it is a great starting point in your journey to become the strongest".
Augustus looked at the 5-year-old boy. "Can you do it?"
Ramon nodded again, this time with more clarity in his eyes. "Yes".
"Good boy". Augustus patted his head then he turned around as his eyes also became serious, gleaming with intense bloodlust.
He looked and observed the current situation of the battlefield.
With his twin cutlass, Joel led the assault even as his 3 crewmates supported him. They were fighting intensely against the Dragon but Augustus' battle experience easily made him see that they were not fighting seriously but stalling.
They stalled because this beast was too powerful and dangerous and they intended to wait for his arrival to go all out.
Augustus' eyes gleamed, he no longer hesitated.
Bam!
Kicking his fat but powerful left leg against the ground, the next moment, he exploded forward with speed even as he clapped his twin butcher ax together, creating metallic sparks that became catalysts for his astral energy.
"Specialist Astral Ability: Defense Shield!"
"Specialist Self-Created Astral Ability: Doppelganger- Armor of Protection!"
"Specialist Astral Ability: Defense Amplification!"
Augustus protected himself first as his defense shield narrowed, kissing his body while massively amplifying its defensive power in the process since he only now had to focus on protecting himself with it.
Then from the sparks created by the twin butcher ax, 4 white faceless humanoid doppelgangers created out of his astral energy appeared as they rushed towards his 4 crewmates and enveloped them.
These 4 doppelgangers became his crewmates' armor.
Augustus' 3rd ability amplified the defense of his shield and the doppelgangers even more as they glowed in an intense white color.
With the doppelgangers surrounding them, his crewmates became bolder.
They became more reckless.
"Astral Ability: Musical Realm Access!" Joro's funky-styled hair stood like daggers as his astral energy was aroused.
"Astral Ability: Musical Set- Whiplash!"
Joro's astral energy was yellowish brown and as it spread out, sweat filled his face as with strain showing on his face, he conjured a musical set out of nowhere.
Guitars, pianos, violins, drums, saxophones, and even flutes appeared the next moment as with his hands spread out, Joro played a melody.
He spoke. "Melody- D Sharp!"
The musical set played a sound and they materialized as a giant yellow whiplash that extended all the way to the skies, tying the Dragon in one place.
Joro spoke again. "Melody- C Major!"
BOOM!
A loud sound reverberated but all the sound was controlled, directed into the ears of this Dragon as they blasted with full force.
"ROAR…!" The Dragon twisted and roared in pain in the air.
This was the cue for the others.
"Astral Ability: Energy Burst!"
Through the course of the battle, Joel found himself on top a stone building. At this moment though, activating this ability, he kicked this building, shattering the ground below him as he launched himself into the air.
"Special Astral Ability: Lightning- Blade Twister!"
Joro's whiplash that was created out of music held the Dragon in one place temporarily, this created the opportunity for Joel to attack.
In the air, his eyes gleamed as he rapidly twisted his body.
Twisting rapidly in the air, Joel spread his hands as holding his twin cutlass, they spun with his rapidly twisting body even as the friction from his movement in the air generated lightning from his astral energy that now coated the blades.
They cut into the scales of the immobilized Dragon the next moment.
WHOOSH!
Blood splattered in the air as the Dragon's thick scales were cut through at the place just beneath its neck, close to its front right limb.
"ROAR!"
The angered Dragon roared, shattering Joro's whiplash in the process as it opened its mouth wide and unleashed a fire breath at the cutlass-wielding human.
Joel simply curled his body into a ball while he was still in mid-air as he believed in Augustus' ability.
BOOM!
He felt pain even as his skin was burned but Augustus' doppelganger took most of the damage, leaving him still battle fit.
In that moment of the Dragon preparing for its fire breath though, it briefly let its guard down and the assassin of the crew took advantage.
"Special Astral Ability: Ghost Step- Finishing Move!"
Before the Dragon could understand what happened, a ghostly silhouette engulfed in astral energy arrived beneath its levitating body as the twin daggers coated by black destructive astral energy dug into its skin.
Lynx rarely attacked but each time he attacked at full power; it was a finishing move. The twin daggers tore the Dragon's scales open, exposing its heart.
Alarmed, the Dragon swatted with its terrifying claws at the human even as its arrow-head tail also lashed out with shocking speed.
BAM!
Lynx was hit as he fell down coughing blood, injured.
He already did his job though.
"Special Astral Ability: Magic Ice Dagger!"
BOOM!
The Dragon did not see it coming.
With the scale beneath its chest cut through, exposing its heart, a thin dagger made out of ice accelerated towards it the next moment.
Before the Dragon could react, the ice dagger punctured its heart.
This dagger was fired by the 2nd mage of this crew, Meyer.
She dealt the killing blow to this terrifying Dragon.
"ROARRRR…!!!" The Dragon's dying roars reverberated far and wide as it lashed out from the phobia of death, spewing fire everywhere.
"ROAR!"
"Roar…!"
Its roars reduced as time passed.
The Dragon died after turning half of Coco Village to a wasteland.
Throughout, Ramon was hidden behind the stone building but he built the courage to peek through mid-way. He saw everything.
Augustus came out to check on him as soon as the Dragon fell down dead, he sighed in relief on seeing him alive then he smiled. "You pass".
Ramon looked up at the fat cook, he tried to smile back but he could not, his smile changed as tears flowed down his eyes.
He wailed as all his pent-up tension and fear was unleashed.
"Waaaahhh…!"
"Waaahh…!"
Looking at him, the whole crew burst laughing.
"Jdon't whaugh ach me…, waaah…!" Ramon wiped his tears even as he sobbed and continued wailing.
They kept on laughing at him.
…
4 hours after the battle, after receiving news from the nearest outpost of the Lightning Manor about the help that was on its way coming, the survivors of Coco Village finally felt safe again.
The village head, an old man led the appreciation as they gave their best harvest of the past few months to their saviors as gratitude.
Joel refused but the old man insisted.
"I thought you were astral travelers!" Ramon glared at him.
Joel chuckled. "We're astral travelers".
"Are you not supposed to be the criminals? Why did you save them? Why are you not robbing them? Why are you rejecting their goodwill?"
Joel looked at the kid then he rubbed his chin. "Why are you crying?"
"…!" Ramon shook in rage. "I hate you!" He wiped his tears.
Joel laughed. "Why? Hmm…, I don't really think about why I do things. Besides, I told you we came here to hunt the Dragon, it's very valuable".
"But you protected them! I saw you!" Ramon accused.
Joel laughed. "I protected them because I wanted to". He looked into the distance. "That's the joy of being an astral traveler, you're not tied down by any rules or etiquette of society, you get to do what you want".
Tears began flowing down Ramon's eyes again. "Don't leave".
Joel laughed. "Why?"
"Then take me along!"
"You're not big enough". Joel patted his head, then thinking a bit he removed his necklace pendant and gave it to the kid. "Take this pendant, when you become an astral traveler in the future and get strong enough, find me and return it to me".
He rubbed his head. "I'll miss you Ramon".
"We'll miss you Ramon!" Augustus yelled loudly and laughed.
"I can't believe we're really leaving him; I really loved his foolishness and energy". Meyer laughed but they no longer stayed.
Joel swiped his right hand that had a strange ring on it at the Dragon's corpse and it disappeared, Ramon was too busy with his emotions to be astonished by what happened.
Having gotten their goal, they no longer stayed.
The strange crew of astral travelers finally left Coco Village.
Watching them leave, Ramon bit his lips.
"Waaaahhh…!" He wailed.