The Villainess Returns with a System-Chapter 113: Dragon-Tiger

A thunderous projectile erupted from the rifle’s muzzle, signaling the dawn of firearm dominance over all existing weaponry. The shot was devastating, striking its target with merciless precision and delivering a jarring recoil to the shooter.

The target—the revered Dragon-Tiger—was struck just beneath its chest with the force of a supersonic sledgehammer. Caught in this vulnerable position, the Dragon-Tiger was hit where its scales were softest. Not even this mighty beast could withstand a second blow and was sent hurtling through the air.

Esmeralda, the unexpected shooter who surprisingly managed to wield this oversized gun, was severely stunned by the massive recoil. Depleted of strength in her arms and legs, she crawled as quickly as possible toward Vivian and dragged her lady from under the shelves.

Outside the building, the critically injured Dragon-Tiger plummeted a full story before regaining its balance with its remaining strength. The humans, previously unaware of its presence, panicked and scattered in all directions like a disorganised pack. An intelligent creature like the Dragon-Tiger realised that its element of surprise was lost and that this target, which it had tracked all night, would not be easily subdued.

Just as it decided to retreat as swiftly as possible, another powerful force surged toward it from the point of impact. A man leaped from behind the shattered glass and speared the beast down the remaining three stories.

The man and tiger landed heavily, but the tiger cushioned the man’s fall. The man rolled away and drew his sidearm—a sabre—attempting to strike the barely recovering beast. Realising the potential lethality of the attack, the Dragon-Tiger managed to regain its footing and create distance between itself and its unexpected assailant.

Man faced beast, and beast faced man, perhaps equal in ferocity, but the Dragon-Tiger possessed a significant weight advantage. Logan, however, had no further plan after charging the beast and forcing it off the building.

Circling each other with seething animosity, the man and beast resembled two clock arms ticking in anticipation of the impending battle. They locked eyes and assumed battle stances, ironically mirroring each other as they lowered their upper bodies and bent their legs in anticipation. They were prepared for a fight that would determine the fate of the other, leaving no room for retreat or cowardice, as everything was at stake.

The beast scowled, growled, and bared its fangs. The man remained unfazed, but he could not comprehend why such a monster had abandoned everything else in the city to target Vivian, about whom he was deeply concerned, relentlessly. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

The Dragon-Tiger immediately lunged, attempting to overwhelm Logan with its superior size, but Logan swiftly slashed at the beast’s foreleg with his blade while leaping out of the way.

Each time the Dragon-Tiger repeated the maneuver, Logan avoided direct confrontation, focusing on wearing down the beast. He could discern that the beast was obsessively guarding its left side, indicating that the earlier shot had inflicted substantial damage.

This street fight caused widespread chaos. The Knights of Marshall had been clearing the area, but some people remained trapped in the congestion. The earlier shots and the tiger’s appearance triggered a disorganized flight, delaying reinforcements.

Logan knew he might have to face the beast alone, but his sabre was already dull from repeated strikes, and he did not want to waste his Aura without a proper weapon.

Suddenly, the gate of ViTech opened, and a man peeked out before retreating behind it. A few seconds later...

"Sir Logan, catch!"

Oscar Mason, holding a weapon almost as tall as himself, lifted it above his head and hurled it toward Logan with all his might.

"Finally!"

Logan watched his Zweihänder soar toward him. With exhilaration, he maneuvered himself to meet his companion midair. Executing an artistic slash enhanced by a bombastic manipulation of his Aura, Logan delivered a downward strike toward the tiger, causing the mighty creature to dodge in fear of further injury.

The attack landed, its force reverberating through the ground, creating a tremor that shook the area.

Oscar was immediately pulled back by his fiancée, Jane, and the gate slammed shut once more.

"She’s alright, Sir Logan. You can take care of that thing."

Hearing Jane’s assurance that Vivian was safe, Logan felt relieved and could finally dedicate his full attention to dealing with the Dragon-Tiger.

On the other hand, as if possessing its own intelligence, the Dragon-Tiger glared at the building with rage but then realized that Logan, now armed with this far-reaching weapon, posed a greater threat. It began to retreat, clearly intending to return at a later date to finish its task once and for all.

"HAAA!"

But contrary to the Dragon-Tiger’s expectations of a smooth retreat, another human wielding an oversized sword appeared, waving it wildly in its face. The beast dodged the incoming attack and braced itself for a fight under unfavorable circumstances.

The attacker’s wide-ranging attack swept from the Dragon-Tiger toward Logan as he landed with bloodshot eyes and a furious expression. Logan parried the unnecessarily broad attack and was about to reprimand the man, whoever he was, but as they looked at each other, each secretly hoped to team up with the Dragon-Tiger to face the other.

"Back off, Moore Knight. This one is mine."

Richard Marshall declared as he pushed Logan aside and advanced to confront the Dragon-Tiger.

"You want another beating?" Logan retorted, seemingly ready to take on both a beast and a 3-star Bronze Knight.

"Fuck off!"

Richard charged toward the Dragon-Tiger, wielding a spear made entirely of metal to prevent monsters from snapping it. Its head was jagged and its appearance morbid, as if long prepared for this type of hunt.

As for Logan...

"You fuck off!"

...he was displeased at being dismissed by a junior. Just as he was about to charge after Richard, he sensed something sharp approaching and parried immediately.

Clank!

Two swords clashed, sending sparks flying. On one side stood Logan, and on the other, a face he had not seen in a long time.

"Eric?"

"Hey, Logan."

The knight named Eric swung his blade artistically, and Logan responded with the same precise movements, skillfully parrying each other’s attacks.

While their skill seemed evenly matched, Logan felt he still had the upper hand. However, he was facing an old classmate.

"2-star silver, eh? Not bad for a plonker."

"And you’re almost 2-star yourself, twat."

Logan might have been happy to see an old friend, but he glanced back at Richard, who was facing the Dragon-Tiger alone.

"I see you’re still with the Marshalls."

"Should not every knight be?"

"Be what?"

"Loyal to the Grandmaster."

"To honor, you moron."

"Always the romantic muppet, Logan. Too bad, romance will not get you past the silver."

"I do not see you with gold."

"But I can, and I will. The Moores, though, are they worth burning a bridge with the Marshalls for?"

Logan and Eric seemed friendly enough, but their last parting had been less than amicable. This was not a new conflict between them. Those who followed House Marshall always aspired to higher ranks and dreamed of becoming Gold Knights, while those who chose different paths believed they could reach the top through sheer effort alone. While not impossible, only a few had succeeded.

"Careful right there, that numbskull young master of yours will get himself eaten," Logan said, gesturing toward Richard.

"Bullocks! I believe in him." Eric scoffed at Logan’s words and turned to watch his young master in action.

Respecting Eric’s presence, Logan stepped forward and stood beside him near the closed gate of ViTech HQ to ensure the beast would not escape toward the building.

As for Richard, he was locked in a fierce battle with the Dragon-Tiger, recklessly disregarding his safety in numerous maneuvers just to stab the beast a few times, almost getting his head crushed on several occasions. Eric flinched several times during these reckless moments, and Logan’s superior senses did not miss it.

"You sure have faith in him," Logan said sarcastically.

"Zip it! He has a dragon spear with him. He can definitely kill it," Eric replied sharply.

"Well, well, well, that’s one hell of a treasure. Must be nice to have a wealthy family to serve. Oh, wait! I think I have seen some of those used for table support in Count Moore’s study," Logan said provocatively.

Eric almost laughed, but shook his head and asked Logan:

"You were never the type to come up with stinging lines."

"And you have not seen Lady Vivian."

"True. We knights always adopt some qualities from those we serve."

"Careful. Richard is a prick."

"Then you have to be careful. After all, he is going through such a fight just to become Silver."

Logan turned to watch Richard and realized the source of his reckless drive. Perhaps it was that night when Logan held him against a wall for almost touching Vivian. Richard had been furious as he left, and soon after, Vivian was attacked.

It had been a messy day, and Logan had forgotten about it, but it seemed Richard had never forgotten. From the way he fought now, he was trying to get Logan out of the way at all costs.

"Shit."

Logan mumbled, distracted by his thoughts. Now, a vendetta had taken root in the heart of the Knight Grandmaster’s son against him, and if Richard were to become a silver-ranked knight, he would surely come looking for him.

Logan was ready to face Richard at any time, but the consequences would never be good for him. He was already in the Knights Hall’s bad books because of the incident at the Auction House.

These thoughts distracted Logan, and he did not notice when the gate behind him opened and an angry-looking Vivian walked out, aiming the oversized rifle, and...

THA-BAAAAAAAAAAM!

As Richard faced the Dragon-Tiger, almost succeeding in delivering a critical strike by driving the spear into its maw, the entire beast was suddenly blasted out of Richard’s view as a thunderous boom made everything and everyone shudder, cower, and drop to the ground.

"CANNON FIRE!"

One knight, seemingly suffering from severe trauma, threw himself flat on the ground, covering his head, eyes closed, and teeth clenched.

It was nothing less than a cannon, judging by the sound and the fact that Vivian needed support from Esmeralda, who stood shakily behind her.

Along with them were Voros, Oscar, and Jane, each armed with their own firearms, with Oscar being a complete novice.

Vivian immediately pulled out the bolt action from the back of the gun and handed it to Voros, who returned a replacement with a bullet attached. Vivian loaded it back and aimed at the Dragon-Tiger to deliver the killing shot to the fallen beast.

"STOP! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

Just as the situation seemed to be wrapping up, the roaring Richard Marshall stepped between Vivian and the Dragon-Tiger.

"Hold my back well, Esme. This looks like a two-bastards-one-giant-bullet situation."

"This was my kill, you wretched woman! I will punish you for interfering in my fight!"

Richard charged at Vivian, who aimed directly at his heart. But just as she almost had a justifiable cause to tear him to shreds, a silvery streak of light intercepted Richard from the side, halting his reckless charge and shielding him from Vivian’s deadly aim.

"Stop! Young Master! Do not lose your reason!"

Eric intervened to stop Richard’s foolhardiness, but Richard continued to glare at Vivian as if she had destroyed something he had paid £350,000 for... which, in a sense, she had.

The Knights of House Marshall—also known as the Lion Heart Knights—are the strongest group of knights in the Empire, operating outside the authority of the Royal Family. Some argue that they can match the Royal Knights in strength, especially since Lord Henry Marshall is famed as the Strongest Knight. A notable characteristic of the Lion Heart Knights is their exponential growth through combat by fighting monsters and beasts.

With the arrival of Richard and his knights, who seemed to have been pursuing the beast for two nights, and the suspicious Dragon Hunting Spear in his hand, Vivian was now certain that the Dragon-Tiger was what Richard had been trying to acquire through the unauthorized convoy.

"Move him aside, I will put the beast down," Vivian said to Eric, who faced her with obvious concern.

"My lady, please. Your actions are unwise. Point that thing away," Eric said, and turned to Logan, "Say something, Logan."

"Eric’s a good egg, Miss. If you are going to shoot, try and miss him, please," Logan said.

"Hey!" Eric shouted.

"I tried my best. If she wants to shoot, she will shoot," Logan shrugged.

"You and your young Master are standing in the way of shooting down a dangerous menace. Is it me or you people who are inviting trouble?" Vivian asked.

Eric gulped and reached out to Richard.

"Young Master, she’s practically right. You cannot find fault with her for attacking a monster. We’d better step aside."

However, the reply he received was typical of his young master:

"I will not."

Richard was enraged, and if Eric had not stopped him, he would have risked being shot just to tear Vivian apart.

Opinions varied about Richard’s actions. Some saw him as prideful, while others saw him for what he was—a stubborn fool—but most likely leaned toward the former.

Eric, however, seemed to be on the latter side. He understood that it would be shameful for an Aura Knight to back down against a firearm—an Arma Diaboli, a weapon of the devil—but this particular firearm seemed like a cannon. If they were to face it head-on, things could turn ugly.

Vivian immediately pointed her gun upward toward a pillar that stood as part of the pavement decorations in the middle of the street and...

THA-BAAAAAAAAAAM!

Everyone lowered their heads except for her and Esmeralda, who supported her back with an agonized expression.

Looking at what she had shot, the stone pillar, with the diameter of a human arm, had a large hole in its side before gradually losing its structural integrity and crumbling. The debris sprayed across the street, but since it was empty, no one was hurt.

"You knights are so prideful!" Vivian exclaimed as she lowered the firearm, "Standing in front of him and thinking your aura can tank a bullet from this."

While everyone’s ears were still ringing, her words were clear in their minds, as was the threat of the firearm she held. Knight Eric, who had been attempting to shield himself and Richard behind him with Aura, realized that even as a Silver Knight, this weapon could kill him.

The first of its kind. Such a weapon must have been something House Moore was developing to increase their strength, and it was certainly something extraordinary.

But from the looks of it, it was not standardized among the Moore Guards. It must have something to do with how cumbersome it looked, despite reloading faster than a regular musket.

Now that Vivian had moved her firearm aside, everyone could see the woman whom Richard would call the "Moore Witch" on every occasion.

She had endured a rough ordeal when the Dragon-Tiger attacked her office. Scratches marred her clothes, and blood stained her face, yet her beauty radiated power and defiance. It made a whole squad of knights instinctively keep their distance, as they could all sense she was more than just a pretty face.

"I appreciate your patience, my lady. We shall stand in your way no longer," Eric bowed to Vivian and looked back at Richard, "Young master, let’s finish our business here."

Richard had words stuck in his throat, but still refused to move as Vivian reloaded the shot to kill the tiger.

But right behind him, the beast opened its eyes and shivered from the pain of the last shot. The Knights noticed too late as the Dragon-Tiger jumped up and was about to run. Even Vivian had barely finished reloading and was not sure she could hit a moving target with such a hefty rifle.

Suddenly, a chain was thrown after the Dragon-Tiger and, like magic, twisted itself midair and caught the Dragon-Tiger by its left rear leg.

On the opposite side, an unimaginable scene unfolded as a man almost two heads taller than Esmeralda began to hold the chain from his end and pulled the Dragon-Tiger as if pulling a toy tied to a rope.

Roar! Scowl!

"That!"

Esmeralda looked with obvious fright at the man, recognizing the technique used to throw that ridiculously heavy chain.

The Dragon-Tiger struggled to free itself from the chain, but as it seemed pointless, it turned and charged at the giant holding it, but it was futile. Another chain appeared from another direction and ensnared its right foreleg.

Then another... and another.

At the end of each chain was a giant man like the first, making them four in total. Each with a height that made Esmeralda—the tallest person in this part of the city until now—seem like a child in comparison.

The four men pulled the chains in unison, holding the Dragon-Tiger suspended between them. The two at the front held it up as if displaying it to someone. However, that someone was not in the direction of Vivian or the Knights but rather approaching from the plaza in a carriage pulled by six more giants.

These men with ridiculous stature were all clad in armor from head to toe. They wore what seemed to Vivian like Greek Corinthian armor—bronze plumed helmets, bronze muscle cuirasses, and bronze arm and leg bracers. Even their hands, feet, and what little skin was visible were also bronze.

These were no mere humans; they were Hulklings... unlike Esmeralda—the half-human, half-Hulkling—these were True Hulklings.

Only one man in the entire Empire had subdued ten Hulklings and used them as his slave guards.

The Strongest Knight of the Empire, Commander of the Elgard’s Army, and the King’s Military Advisor, the Red Butcher, Count Henry Marshall.

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