Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 619 - 572: Academy Giant Dragon

It was as if he was caught in a snowstorm, with solid ice beneath his feet, the cold wind stealing the moisture from the surface of his skin. A dragging sensation seemed to stretch and tear his body apart, while the air exploded like artillery outside his eardrums, making Lyle unable to hear his own swallowing.

His body felt like it was about to explode, and this nightmarish discomfort made Lyle open his eyes.

His billowing robe slapped against his cheek like a hand, but Lyle ignored the sting on his face and the icy coldness of his body, and stared dumbfounded at the scene before him.

The sun was on his left, its blinding light like a warm cloth laid over his skin, obscuring his vision. Clouds were beneath his feet, and his left leg, poking out from the gaps in the bones, swung high in the air, his exposed ankle already numb with cold. Lyle lifted his head, and in the cradle of interlocked dragon claws, the giant Bone Dragon was like a mountain laid low, allowing Lyle to see through the gaps in the bones the dragon’s wings and the sky, filtered through a netherworld tint by the power of death.

He was being held in the hand of a Bone Dragon, flying at high speed above the cloud level, even with the sun.

Tentacles burst from the shadows, fixing the wobbly Lyle securely onto the joints of the dragon’s claws.

The sticky discomfort made the Giant Dragon move its joints, the leading skull bending. Within that massive head burned fierce Soul Flames, which still blazed vigorously even in the oxygen-thin, frigid high altitude.

A rough and heavy voice emerged from the raging wind.

"I knew it, a bit of wind would wake you up faster. Paired with piercing cold and a lack of oxygen, the effect is even better," the teasing voice closed the distance between Lyle and this unfamiliar Bone Dragon, the familiar tone overlapping the impression of the Bone Dragon with Lyle’s memories.

"Giant Dragon teacher?"

"Yes, my student, you have succeeded. As a reward for your excellent performance in the final exam of White Bone Spirit Summoning Studies, I am sharing with you a scene only my kin and I can experience, above the clouds. Ah, just as I thought, flying is indeed a joyous activity!" The outstretched bony wings flapped hard, and the massive Dragon Bone surged forward at an even more lethal speed, the Dragon Corpse’s spinal column transforming like piano keys, its body now more streamlined to handle the new velocity.

The Giant Dragon couldn’t help but roar with joy. "I love my body!!!"

Lyle’s whole body trembled as he secured himself more firmly with the tentacles amidst the howling wind.

"Can I opt out of this reward? The me who sought perfection was such a fool..." Lyle’s murmur was ruthlessly cut off by the wild wind. In order to survive, Lyle had to yell at the top of his lungs, his own voice mingling with the Soul Scream that Nia used in tandem.

"Teacher!!! Where are we going!!!!!"

"Where to? Obviously, back to Andrei Academy, to let my colleagues and students admire your masterpiece, the most beautiful creation of this era, my body."

He could understand Mr. Giant Dragon’s feelings, but...

"Why not use a Teleportation Gate!!!!!!"

"That’s for you," the Bone Dragon curled its finger to lightly tap Lyle’s forehead, though to Lyle, it felt more like he had just been hit by a battering ram, "aren’t you just like me, sickened by Teleportation Gates? Now that you have new abilities, how could I let my proudest student suffer?"

Lyle looked coldly at the gaping jaw of the Dragon Corpse; it must be smiling. All that about for the student was just an excuse; it was really for the pleasure, for the exhilarating sensation of flight. Lyle had thought that being sickened by Teleportation Gates would be the worst feeling he’d experience, but now Mr. Giant Dragon had given him a new fear: acrophobia. With the situation beyond his control, all Lyle could do was pray that this agonizing journey would end quickly.

Lyle could guarantee that the moment he experienced weightlessness, the wish for it to end quickly hadn’t even faded from his mind.

Suddenly, as if the engine of a supersonic jet had been turned off, the flying Bone Dragon stopped accelerating, and the earth’s divine power captured the giant bird.

His body, organs, and blood all began to drift upward. Before Lyle could get used to this inertial force due to gravity, he grabbed the Giant Dragon’s thumb and shook it for dear life—or rather, he shook his own body.

"Teacher!!! Teacher!!! Fly now!!! We are falling!!!"

The Giant Dragon let out a hearty laugh, embracing his student, who was as frantic as a restless mouse.

"Yes, we are falling because we have arrived, right above the Andrei...."

Death from above, meteor strikes—skills he had once jokingly made up and now he was fortunate enough to witness as part of the caster himself.

"Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!"

"Hahahahaha!!!!"

The intertwining screams and bouts of hysteria formed the most ludicrous sonata as the mentor and apprentice plummeted.

The wind, like the harshest bathhouse attendant, toyed with every patch of Lyle’s skin, even Nia’s defenses stood no chance. As the Giant Dragon had said, Andrei Academy’s ancient castle came into view, enveloped layer by layer in magical prohibitions, like a cute, exquisite snow globe containing the most insane and horrific powers and explosions.

"Giant Dragon tutor, we’re going to hit Andrei’s defensive barrier soon. I hope you’ve already notified the relevant authorities and secured permission to pass..."

"Don’t worry, my dear student, I have a pass."

"That’s good news."

"My pass is the powerful body you gave me, combined with my undying and indestructible nature, I am the key to all doors!!!"

"Damn!!!"

Lyle could already easily see Andrei’s outermost defense layer, comprised of spatial rifts scattered in the air like a torn-up map, blocking most attacks. The inherent danger of space-time magic made these dimensional rifts as sharp as spears and as sturdy as shields.

What followed was beyond Lyle’s sight. The Giant Dragon began to curl up, placing Lyle onto his belly. Transforming, his contracting dragon wings resembled fins, and the whole Dragon Bone descended like the sword of Damocles, crashing viciously into Andrei’s Mana Barriers.

Protected within the Dragon Bone, on the inner side of the Mana Barrier, Lyle witnessed layers of defenses punctured by the Bone Dragon explode into blinding fireworks, illuminating the entirety of Andrei with multicolored smokes as the barriers shattered.

The Dragon Corpse, aflame, smashed through one of Andrei’s corner towers like a meteor, carrying terrifying shockwaves, shattering the castle’s garden lawn and landing safely.

Mr. No-face was performing his duty as a Teleportation Mage today, as always. Due to intense dissatisfaction from endless overtime, the once diligent Mr. No-face began to slack off, soul fishing inattentively.

A loud noise interrupted his out-of-body experience, and before he could react, a meteor spectacle suddenly appeared before him. Suddenly, a large group of non-Lich species appeared in front of him. The Giant Dragon had shattered Andrei’s space-time barrier, also disrupting the nodes of various teleportation gates. Mr. No-face suddenly had his work cut out for him—all those poor souls incorrectly teleported would have to wait for the Lich Teleportation Mages to send them home before the Andrei Liches took an interest in these uninvited guests.

Naturally, Mr. No-face threw the now garbled Teleportation Scroll on the ground and issued a cold proclamation to his colleagues.

"I quit!"