With its giant body, Fafnir lifts its wings, creating a storm wind that breaks stones and knocks down trees around them.
*SHUA!*
But Charlie shows no fear. He stands firm, both hands gripping the Sword of Damocles tightly, which shines with an aura of death. No words come out of his mouth. All his focus is on one thing: defeating Fafnir.
*WHOOSH!*
With incredible speed, Charlie shoots forward, leaving a trail of wind behind him. His sword swings with full force, targeting the giant dragon's neck.
*CLANG!*
Fafnir's hard scales deflect the attack, leaving only a small spark of fire on its surface. Charlie lands agilely several meters from the dragon, not stopping even though his attack failed.
With a quick motion, he uses Spirit Arts to strengthen his attack. He raises his left hand, and from his palm emerges a large ball of fire that burns brightly. In a flash, the fireball is launched directly at Fafnir.
*BOOM!*
But the attack is completely ineffective.
The fireball explodes on Fafnir's chest, creating a shockwave that destroys the ground around it. But the dragon just stands there, showing no signs of injury. Its thick scales protect it from even high-level magic attacks.
It's common knowledge that dragon species have high magic resistance. Especially a dragon like Fafnir, almost all modern magic can't hurt it.
'If fire doesn't work, let's try another elemental attack.'
Charlie doesn't give up so easily. He changes the element of his attack, this time using ice. A giant ice spear forms in the air, shooting at high speed towards Fafnir's head.
*CRASH!*
The ice spear shatters into pieces before it can touch the dragon. Fafnir's magic resistance is too high, making all of Charlie's elemental attacks meaningless.
*BAM!*
Fafnir counterattacks. With one flick of its tail, the dragon creates a strong wind that hits Charlie, sending him flying several meters back. His body slams hard into the ground, kicking up dust and rocks around him.
"Cough… Cough… Cough…"
Charlie quickly gets up, gritting his teeth to endure the pain. The wounds on his body start to increase, even though he keeps drinking Elixir from his Space-Time Cache to survive. He knows he can't keep relying on it; his body will reach its limit if this continues for too long.
'Only three Elixirs left; I have to use them at the right moment.' He thinks while using Dia Fratel.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
Fafnir doesn't give him time to breathe. It opens its jaw, and from inside its mouth emerges blue-green fire—Nibelheim.
"Damn it!"
*WHOOOOOSHH!*
Charlie jumps to the side, trying to dodge. But Nibelheim is too fast, and its heat is too wide. The left side of his body is swept by the attack, making his skin blister and his light armor melt in several parts.
"Ugh!" He grits his teeth, holding back a scream. His trembling hand grips the Sword of Damocles tighter. Despite the pain, he doesn't stop moving.
*WHOOSH!*
Charlie slides forward, avoiding another attack from Fafnir's claws. With a swift swing, he directs his sword towards the wound on Fafnir's chest, the wound that can't be healed due to Aithra Athanatos.
*PU-CHI!*
"ROOOAAARRR!"
The attack is successful, even if only slightly. The crack gets bigger, but not enough to cause significant damage. Fafnir roars angrily, swinging its tail with full force.
*BAM!*
The tail hits Charlie directly on the side of his body, sending him flying dozens of meters into the air before crashing into the ground. He rolls several times before finally stopping, his body full of wounds and blood.
"Cough… Dia Fratel!"
Charlie slowly stands up, his breath heavy, but his eyes remain sharp. He quickly uses Dia Fratel. Now he can use Dia Fratel without a chant, which is progress he has made in this world.
*SWOOSH!*
Fafnir attacks again, this time using a combination of its sharp claws and its wind gusts. Charlie has to use all his abilities to dodge, but he's not fast enough. Fafnir's claws sweep across his side, leaving a long, bloody wound.
Despite this, Charlie persists. He grits his teeth and launches a counterattack, aiming the Sword of Damocles at Fafnir's head. But the dragon is too fast. Fafnir raises its head, avoiding the attack, then retaliates with another burst of Nibelheim.
*WHOOOOOSHH!*
Charlie raises his sword to parry the attack, but the heat from the flames is still burning his skin. He falls to his knees, his body trembling.
But he doesn't give up. With gasping breaths, he rises again, gripping the Sword of Damocles with all his might. He knows this is a fight for life and death, and he won't back down.
Fafnir opens its mouth once again, gathering energy for a larger Nibelheim. Blue-green light begins to gather in the sky, creating immense pressure around them.
'Damn it! Can Fafnir spam dragon breath continuously?!'
Grumbling in his mind, Charlie grips his sword tighter, focusing all his magical essence into the blade.
In front of him, Fafnir gathers energy longer than before. The Nibelheim being prepared looks much larger and more dangerous. The blue-green fireball in its mouth emits immense pressure, making the air around them feel hot and suffocating.
Charlie realizes what's happening.
'This is going to be much stronger than before; I have to stop it no matter what!'
If Nibelheim is released in this condition, he's not sure he can withstand it—even with the Sword of Damocles. He has no choice but to stop the opponent before the deadly attack is complete.
His feet slam into the ground; he initiates a counterattack.
*WHOOSH!*
With incredible speed, Charlie shoots forward like lightning, his body only visible as a faint shadow crossing the battlefield. With each step, he leaves a trail of slashes that hit Fafnir's hard scales.
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
The marks of the slashes are clearly visible on the dragon's body. Although not deep enough to seriously injure it, the attacks successfully disrupt Fafnir's concentration. The blue-green light in the dragon's mouth begins to vibrate uncontrollably, indicating that the preparation of Nibelheim is being disrupted.
"ROOOAAARRR!"
*WHOOOOOSHH!*
Fafnir roars angrily, releasing the unfinished Nibelheim. Blue-green fire bursts out of its mouth in an uncontrolled explosion, hitting the ground around it and creating a powerful blast.
*BOOM!*
A wave of heat sweeps across the battlefield, throwing Charlie back several meters.
Charlie rolls on the ground, trying to withstand new injuries from the extreme heat. But he quickly gets up, even though his body is shaking and his breath is getting heavier. His eyes remain focused on Fafnir, who now seems annoyed that its plan has failed.
*SHUA!*
Fafnir launches a counterattack. With one large step, its giant claws swing towards Charlie, creating enough wind pressure to destroy skyscrapers.
*WHOOSH!*
Charlie dodges to the side, taking advantage of his incredible speed. He jumps into the air, spins his body while swinging the Sword of Damocles with full force towards Fafnir's head.
*CLANG!*
His sword hits the dragon's head scales hard, creating a bright spark of fire. But like before, Fafnir's scales are too hard. The attack only leaves a small scratch that is almost meaningless.
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
But Charlie doesn't stop. He continues to attack, jumping and running around Fafnir's giant body, leaving a trail of slashes everywhere. The Sword of Damocles looks like a flash of light dancing around the dragon.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
Fafnir frustrated by Charlie's rapid attacks, begins to use its physical strength. Its giant tail swings at high speed, hitting the ground and creating a large crater.
*BAM!*
Charlie jumps high into the air, avoiding the attack. But Fafnir is already waiting for him. With a quick movement, the dragon opens its jaw, aiming it directly at Charlie.
"It won't be that easy!"
In the air, he spins his body agilely, parrying the dragon's jaw with the Sword of Damocles. The energy of magical essence explodes outward, creating a spark of light bright enough to make Fafnir close its eyes for a moment.
*WHOOSH!*
Charlie uses that moment to attack. He jumps to the side of Fafnir's neck, swinging his sword with full force towards the small crack in the dragon's scales that he previously made.
*CRACK!*
"ROOOAAARRR...!!!"
His sword successfully enlarges the crack, causing black blood to flow out. Fafnir roars in pain, swinging its body wildly to throw Charlie off.
"Good, I managed to injure it! Fafnir isn't invincible!"
Landing agilely on the ground, Charlie is happy to have successfully injured Fafnir. Each of his attacks is blessed with Aithra Athanatos. In other words, Fafnir can't heal itself, and its wounds will always be in a bloody condition!