NOVPUB
Chapter 71: The Inverted Temple (III)
Zayn gritted his teeth, his fingers tightening around the griffin’s reins as the projectiles streaked toward him.
The air crackled with energy, each of the incoming purple-glowing rocks leaving a trail of eerie luminescence in their wake.
There was no time to hesitate.
"Move!"
With a sharp pull, he guided the griffin into an evasive roll.
The beast, pulsing with golden energy, responded instantly, twisting its body through the air with newfound agility.
The first few projectiles missed by inches, but the moment they passed, they detonated in violent bursts of energy.
The force of the explosions sent shockwaves through the air, pushing the griffin upward.
Zayn barely managed to stay in the saddle, his muscles straining against the pressure but he reinforced them with soul energy nevertheless.
Up close, the skeletal monstrosity’s sheer size became overwhelming.
Its spine stretched endlessly, a grotesque construct of bone and darkness, reinforced by an unnatural purple glow that pulsed like veins filled with corrupted energy.
The ribs curved like towering spires, some broken and jagged, others stretching outward like the remains of an ancient fortress.
Zayn swallowed hard.
’Where’s the core?’
Every monster had a core.
Destroying it was the key to victory.
But this thing? It was massive, sprawling across the entire battlefield.
The core could be anywhere.
His griffin flapped its wings, bringing him closer. But before he could scan further —
A movement.
The bones shifted.
From the massive ribcage, bony figures tore themselves free, dislodging from the creature’s body and launching into the air.
Skeletal warriors.
They had no flesh, no eyes — just hollow sockets burning with the same eerie purple flame.
Their elongated limbs stretched unnaturally as they jumped from the dragon’s body, spreading their own jagged wings, soaring straight toward Zayn.
"Shit."
He barely had time to react before the first one reached him, bony fingers stretched forward like claws.
But the griffin moved first.
With one powerful flap, it sent arcs of golden energy slicing through the air.
The moment the energy connected, the skeletal warriors shattered.
Their bones scattered into the void, their purple flames snuffed out in an instant.
But more came.
A lot more.
Zayn tightened his grip on his sword, his golden aura flaring to life around him.
He exhaled slowly, focusing.
The next skeletal warrior lunged.
With a sharp twist of his wrist, Zayn slashed downward.
His blade cleaved straight through the creature’s torso, cutting it in half before its body dissolved into nothing.
Another came from his left — he ducked, allowing the griffin’s wing to smash the enemy aside, sending it spiraling into the darkness.
But they just kept coming.
Zayn and his griffin moved like a storm, weaving through the chaos.
The skeletal warriors attacked relentlessly, but for each one that lunged, another was torn apart by golden cutters of soul energy.
Still, they were slowing him down.
He wasn’t getting closer to the core — he was stuck fighting these endless waves of undead!
A flicker of movement caught his eye.
Zayn’s eyes locked onto the glowing blue orb as it pulsed with energy, moving steadily through the tangled mess of bones within the skeletal dragon’s massive chest cavity.
It wasn’t stationary — it was being transported, cradled by shifting ribs and vertebrae that acted as a conveyor system, carrying it through what could only be described as the creature’s lung system.
The bones weren’t doing a particularly good job of hiding the core, but that didn’t mean getting to it would be easy.
Zayn tightened his grip on the griffin’s reins, feeling the powerful muscles beneath him tense in anticipation.
The beast, infused with his soul energy, was more responsive than ever, almost an extension of his own will.
"We’re going in."
With a sharp tug, he directed the griffin into a dive.
The wind howled in his ears as they plummeted toward the dragon’s chest, weaving through shifting rib bones that jerked and twisted like massive, skeletal fingers trying to swat them away.
Whatever this monster was, it did have an amazing control of its innards.
A massive chunk of bone swung toward them from the right — Zayn barely managed to twist his body, urging the griffin to roll mid-air.
The attack missed by inches, but another came from the left, a jagged vertebrae lashing out like a whip.
"Dodge!"
The griffin tucked its wings and spiraled downward, narrowly avoiding the strike.
The impact sent a shockwave through the air, shaking the very bones of the dragon as they moved.
Zayn gritted his teeth.
The core was still moving, slowly ascending through the dragon’s ribcage, shielded by a dense network of bone. 𝘯𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
It was close enough for him to reach...
Zayn gritted his teeth as he reached for the glowing blue core, his fingers barely brushing against its surface when —
Slash!
A jagged bone, sharp as a blade, snaked forward from the dragon’s ribcage and tore a deep gash through his arm.
Blood spattered against the cold, ivory bones, and pain flared through his body.
He hissed but didn’t stop.
With a sharp inhale, Zayn poured more soul energy into his palm.
The golden light pulsed through his veins, strengthening his grip, and with a raw burst of power, he ripped the core free from its bony encasement.
The dungeon itself shuddered in response.
The skeletal dragon let out a hollow, echoing scream, its body convulsing violently as if its very essence was being torn apart.
The bones that carried the core flailed wildly, trying to reclaim it, but it was too late.
"DIVE!" Zayn ordered, gripping the griffin’s reins with his uninjured hand.
The griffin obeyed immediately, its powerful wings folding inward as it plunged downward with breathtaking speed.
The wind roared past them, but before they could gain any distance —
A swarm of skeletal soldiers jumped from the dragon’s crumbling body, hundreds of them, all descending toward him.
Zayn’s breath caught in his throat.
They weren’t just falling.
They were aiming for him.
The first of them reached him in seconds, slashing downward with rusted swords.
The griffin twisted midair, barely dodging, but the creatures kept coming.
