As he predicted, it was a protracted battle.
It had been an hour since the fight began, and Charlie's body was nearing its limit.
"Haah… Haah… Haah…"
He felt pain throughout his body, while his vision began to blur from blood loss. Dia Fratel and Elixir only healed wounds, but couldn't restore the blood that kept flowing out of the wounds on his body. His breath was heavy, and every movement felt like moving a mountain.
His clothes were now nothing more than torn rags clinging to his body. His body was covered in dried blood mixed with mud and dust, making him look like a homeless person.
But Fafnir's condition wasn't much better. The wounds caused by Aithra Athanatos continued to gape, flowing with thick black blood that stained the ground around it. Its left wing was completely destroyed, while its right eye was now empty after being cut off by one of Charlie's previous sharp attacks. The dragon's breath was gasping, each puff like a small fire coming out of the cracks between its scales.
'This fight has reached its climax.' Charlie thought, looking at the Sword of Damocles, which was now covered in cracks as if it could break at any moment.
*WHOOSH!*
With the wounds that continued to gape and its body looking increasingly weak, Fafnir showed no signs of giving up. It opened its jaw wide, revealing a row of sharp teeth stained with blood, then lunged towards Charlie, trying to bite him with full force.
"Not good!"
His body had reached its limit; Charlie tried to dodge, but his reaction slowed down due to severe anemia. His vision was spinning, and his body felt heavy as if filled with lead.
*CHOMP!*
He was too late. Fafnir's large jaw closed with tremendous force, clamping Charlie inside.
"ARGH!"
Fresh blood spurted from his right calf, which had been pierced by Fafnir's sharp teeth. The pain was excruciating, as if his flesh and bones were being crushed into fragments.
"I can't die here!"
With all his might, Charlie lifted the Sword of Damocles, holding it horizontally to prevent Fafnir's teeth from completely crushing his body.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
Fafnir's roar echoed, unleashing its anger. It shook its head wildly, trying to crush Charlie and his sword. Each shake made Charlie's body shake violently, blood continuing to flow from his severely injured calf.
"No… I can't give up now!"
With a determined yell, Charlie pushed the Sword of Damocles harder, pressing against the dragon's teeth until they were pushed slightly open. But the pressure of Fafnir's jaw was still too strong, and its teeth continued to dig deeper into his calf.
"AAARGHHH!"
The pain almost made him lose consciousness, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to surrender to the darkness that was beginning to engulf his mind.
"If I give up… everything will be in vain!"
Charlie forced his body to keep moving even though it felt like it was being crushed.
*BOOM!*
With a quick movement, he diverted some of his magic essence to the Sword of Damocles, creating a small energy explosion that was enough to force Fafnir's jaw open wider.
"ROOOAAARRR!"
Fafnir roared loudly again, shaking its head roughly.
*WHOOSH!*
Charlie used that opportunity to pull his body out, even though his calf was still severely injured. He fell to the ground with a loud thud, biting his lip to endure the pain that almost made him faint.
Despite being staggered by the small explosion, Fafnir quickly turned its gaze back to Charlie. Its vertical pupils were filled with burning hatred.
"Cough… Cough… Haah… Haah… My head hurts…"
With gasping breaths, Charlie urged himself to use Dia Fratel again. A soft green light enveloped his body, closing the wound on his calf that had previously almost destroyed his ability to move. Despite that, the pain wasn't completely gone, and the side effects of using the magic began to hit him.
A severe headache attacked him, like thousands of needles stabbing directly into his brain. Severe anemia from repeated blood loss made his vision blurrier and blurrier. The world around him felt like it was spinning, and his eyelids felt heavy.
"No… I can't lose consciousness now… Not now…"
*SLAP!*
Charlie slapped his face hard, trying to drive away the drowsiness that was starting to take over him. The burning sensation from the slap brought him back to consciousness for a moment, enough for him to focus on the large figure of Fafnir still standing firmly in front of him.
"Just a little more…" He murmured weakly, gripping the Sword of Damocles tightly. His blood-stained hand trembled, but his determination didn't waver.
*WHOOSH!*
Charlie forced his body, which had reached its limit, to move. His figure shot forward at high speed, creating a blast of wind around him as he approached Fafnir.
*Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!*
The Sword of Damocles shone brightly, leaving a trail of sparkles in the air. Each time the sword slashed, it carved a new wound on Fafnir's large body, wounds that couldn't be healed due to Aithra Athanatos.
"GRRRAAAAARGH!"
A roar full of pain came from Fafnir's mouth. Its body was increasingly covered with deep sword slashes, thick black blood flowing from its wounds, contaminating the ground beneath it. Its left wing, which was previously severely injured, was now almost completely destroyed by Charlie's relentless series of attacks.
But Fafnir didn't give up so easily. With a surprising movement, it swung its large tail towards Charlie, creating a strong wind that hit his body.
*BAM!*
"UGH!"
Charlie was thrown far, his body hitting the hard ground with a resounding thud. He felt his bones almost break, and fresh blood flowed again from the corner of his lips.
"It's time to end this… Fafnir is very weak now; it's time to use 'that'…"
With difficulty, he got up, using his sword as a support.
"ROOOAAARRR!"
Fafnir, whose body was now covered in severe wounds, stepped forward with a low growl. It opened its jaw wide, gathering its last strength to launch a final attack. From its mouth, a flash of orange light emerged, becoming brighter and brighter, a sign that it was preparing Nibelheim.
But Charlie just stood there, holding the Sword of Damocles with both hands, while a thin smile was etched on his face.
"Come on! Let's decide victory and defeat in the next attack."
With burning hatred in its eyes, Fafnir prepared the fiery breath called Nibelheim. Meanwhile, Charlie closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, then began to chant to make it easier to visualize his ultimate technique.
"Through The Cycle Of Rebirth And A Parting Gift, I Bring The Ultimate End With Transformation Of 'Clear Sky', I Deal The Ultimate Strike—"
A red and blue aura enveloped Charlie's body, swirling with increasing intensity. The colors merged, forming black flames that enveloped his body completely in a flash.
"That Which Can Cleave Even Dragons...…"
*WHOOOOOSHH!*
The fiery breath released by Fafnir was a terrifying sight. The blazing tongue of fire shot out like a hellstorm, destroying everything in its path with unstoppable force. Its heat burned the air, creating a shockwave that shook the ground.
But Charlie remained unfazed. With the black aura burning brightly, he raised the Sword of Damocles above his head, then swung it down with a powerful vertical motion.
"Sky Clear (Tensei)" He whispered sharply, just as Fafnir unleashed Nibelheim.
*SWOOOOOSH!*
The vertical slash from Sky Clear shot out with unimaginable speed and precision. The black light from the slash shot out, hitting Nibelheim with extraordinary force.
*BOOOOOM!*
The collision of energy created an explosion that shook heaven and earth. The energy wave from Charlie's slash destroyed Nibelheim, breaking it into fragments of orange light that quickly disappeared into the air. But the slash didn't stop there.
*Pu-chi!*
With unstoppable speed, the black slash continued to shoot out, cutting Fafnir's large body into two perfect halves. Its black blood spurted out profusely from the large wound on its body, creating a dark rain that soaked the ground.
The slash even shot further into the sky, cutting through the low-hanging clouds, creating a bright gap between the rolls of gray clouds. For a moment, the world seemed to stand still.
Fafnir's large body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous sound that shook the earth, creating a large crater around it.
Charlie stood with gasping breaths, his body trembling from exhaustion. The black flames enveloping him slowly faded, revealing his tattered clothes and his wounded body.
"It's finally over…" He murmured tiredly, before his knees buckled. He used the Sword of Damocles as a support, holding himself up so he wouldn't fall completely.
But he no longer had the strength to avoid the thick black blood flowing from Fafnir's body. The blood formed a rushing stream, pooling on the ground before touching his feet and starting to creep upwards, soaking his wounded body.
In a condition too weak to move, he allowed the dragon's blood to soak his body, like an inevitable ritual of destiny. The blood felt warm on his skin, emitting a pungent metallic smell, but there was something else—something that felt powerful, deep, and ancient.
He was now experiencing the same situation as the strongest Dragon Slayer, Siegfried from the legendary Nibelungenlied story, who bathed in the dragon's blood after defeating the Evil Dragon Fafnir.