Reborn As a Pirate - Chapter 153

Chapter 153: Ready For the Last Stand!
As Ryan fled through the shadowy depths of the Rotten Miasma Abyss, every second stretched into eternity. When he finally halted, his breath came in ragged gasps, his body drenched in sweat, his lungs searing with each painful inhale. It had been ages since he’d felt such raw, unadulterated panic.

It wasn’t the physical exertion of his desperate sprint that had drained him, but rather the immense mental strain of facing an unknown, potentially lethal threat.

“The sheer power of that thing… What could it be?” Ryan panted, his mind racing.

He recalled snippets from the deputy leader’s notes about a mythical creature lurking within the abyss. “Could that have been the ancient dragon mentioned? Nothing else could instill such terror in a [Upper] being like the Blood Claw Dragon.”

Ryan grimaced at the thought, his mind uneasy with the only plausible explanation. The idea that he had just narrowly escaped an encounter with such a formidable creature was both terrifying and strangely invigorating.

With a bitter smile, Ryan acknowledged the grim reality: he had survived, yes, but only by fleeing. This was hardly a victory, but at least he lived to fight another day.

Disoriented from his frantic escape, he surveyed his surroundings. The area was cloaked in a thin veil of miasma, and in the distance, the ground shimmered with an ominous red hue. Nearby, a cave offered a temporary refuge, which Ryan gratefully accepted.

Inside, the cave provided just enough space for him to catch his breath and recover. It took him two grueling hours to replenish the depleted “Health” of his [Holy Relic: Embrace of Blood], reflecting on the encounter and its implications.

Emerging from the cave, Ryan resolved to mark this area as strictly off-limits. The domain of the ancient dragon was no place for the ill-prepared. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his sought-after “anchor point” might be hidden somewhere within that perilous territory. “One day,” he thought, “I’ll return, stronger and ready for revenge.”

For now, he focused on the immediate task of surviving and gathering strength.

With his greatsword slung across his back, Ryan continued his cautious exploration. He soon realized that the distant red ground he had noticed earlier was a vast expanse of decaying flesh and blood. The stench was overwhelming, turning his stomach.

He was about to retreat from the grotesque scene when movement caught his eye. A figure was hunched over, feasting on the rotten remnants.

As Ryan edged closer, the gruesome details of the creature became clear. Its skin was peeled back, revealing layers underneath that were marred by burns and corrosive damage. The most striking feature was a ghastly scar that slashed across its body from shoulder to hip, oozing an unsettling mix of red and green fluids. The sight was horrifying yet pitiful, evoking a mix of disgust and intrigue in Ryan’s heart.

In the blood-red wasteland, the figure hunched over the decaying carcass was none other than the [Upper] Blood Claw Dragon. Despite the grievous injuries inflicted by the ash column, it had survived, finding solace and sustenance in the grotesque feast before it, which had facilitated its recovery over the past two hours.

Ryan, observing from a distance, narrowed his eyes as he moved silently toward the dragon. He was no knight bound by chivalric codes; in fact, he found a certain grim satisfaction in seizing the advantage when an enemy was down. This was not about honor, it was about survival and opportunity.

Despite the care Ryan took to mute his steps, the distance between predator and prey closed to a mere thirty meters, and the [Upper] Blood Claw Dragon, sensing the approach, snapped its head around. Its eyes, filled with malevolent bloodlust, locked onto Ryan’s advancing form.

In that tense standoff, a small detail shattered the silence, a piece of rotten meat crushed under the dragon’s claw, bursting open and spewing dark fluid onto the already sullied ground.

With the quiet now broken, Ryan’s eyes glinted with determination. No longer unseen, he decided to escalate.

With a powerful leap, the ground under Ryan’s feet seemed to crumple, his greatsword unsheathed in a blur of motion, striking out with ferocious speed towards the dragon.

The space between them vanished in an instant as Ryan charged.

The greatsword crashed down with thunderous force, scattering bits of rotten flesh in its wake, yet its target, the [Upper] Blood Claw Dragon had vanished in a flicker of incredible speed.

“Too fast!” Ryan muttered under his breath, astonished at the agility of the severely wounded beast.

Before he could process further, a chilling gust hinted at imminent danger from behind. Instinctively, Ryan pivoted on his left foot, swirling his body and the massive sword upward in a defensive arc.

“Clang!”

The sound of metal on claw rang out as sparks flew. The dragon’s claws scraped across the greatsword, striking sparks but failing to penetrate the superior craftsmanship of the [Great Sword·Red Crown Horn], a far cry from the fragility of his previous weapon.

Thwarted, the Blood Claw Dragon retreated with a fluid grace that belied its injuries, regrouping for another assault.

Ryan, squinting against the blood-red horizon, planted his sword’s tip into the ground and began to gather his spiritual energy. Power coursed through him, condensing with palpable intensity.

Feeling the burgeoning threat, the Blood Claw Dragon didn’t wait to be attacked. It lunged forward, initiating another offensive, instinct driving it to fight despite the overwhelming odds, a dance of survival on the edge of life and death.

As the blood-red claw of the Blood Claw Dragon tore through the faint miasma, Ryan stood his ground, meeting aggression with determination. A soft, eerie glow emanated from him, casting a faint blood light over his form. As the dragon’s sharp claws made contact, the glow violently erupted, repelling the attack with a forceful backlash.

Remembering the dragon’s agility, Ryan paused momentarily, not rushing into a hasty counterattack. Instead, he drew a deep breath and roared, “Kill!” The word, infused with potent spirituality, burst forth in a sonic wave, striking the dragon directly.

Creatures adapted to the perpetual darkness of the abyss are often sensitive to sound, relying on acute hearing for navigation and hunting. This sensitivity, however, became their Achilles’ heel against Ryan’s spiritual sonic attack. Pain flashed in the dragon’s eyes as its body stiffened under the assault, a vulnerability Ryan was quick to exploit.

“Thump—thump—thump—!” His feet pounded the ground as he charged forward, each step increasing his momentum. White spirituality swirled around his greatsword, giving it the appearance of being wreathed in flames.

With a hiss of slicing air, the greatsword descended upon the dazed dragon. There was no escape for the beast; the blade struck true and deep.

“Boom!” The impact resonated like a gong, the dragon’s head driven into the earth with such force that it created a crater, its edges spiderwebbed with cracks. The sword’s strike was not merely forceful but devastating, tearing flesh and fracturing the dragon’s skull.

The sheer brutality of the strike was magnified not just by Ryan’s raw power but by a combination of skills layered upon each other: [Turning Defense into Offense], [Destroyer], [Sword Drawing·Strength], [Attack], and the professional skill [Blood Hunt]. Together, these abilities amplified the sword’s destructive power to staggering levels.

The shock of the impact snapped the dragon from its stupor. It hissed sharply, whipping a tail toward Ryan with lethal speed, the air cracking in its wake. Such a hit could be catastrophic if it connected with flesh.

Ryan, recognizing the peril, instinctively recoiled, using his sword to parry and stepping back to avoid the bludgeoning strike.

Despite its grievous injuries, the dragon staggered to its feet and began devouring the rotten flesh strewn about, gulping it down in large chunks. Ryan watched, perplexed. Was the dragon trying to fortify itself for one last stand?

But as he observed the dragon’s desperate feeding, his expression hardened. The pieces fell into place, a final effort to gather strength, perhaps, or a creature driven purely by instinct to survive until its last breath. Whatever the reason, Ryan knew the battle was far from over. His eyes narrowed, focusing intently on the wounded but still dangerous predator before him.