"Okay."
A cold and short reply hit him as if Bella was completely done with him. She ignored him afterward, looking like she was preparing for a battle.
Why did it have to end up like this?
Why?
They have been so good with each other, cuddling and enjoying. Suddenly, it was all gone, with just a few words influenced by anger. He was trying to provoke her into an argument, so they can finally squish this beef yet it backfired at him.
'She was right. I'm stupid…' Drakos declared in his mind, unable to explain his current behavior. He was acting like a total jerk and douche.
How was that supposed to work on a woman like Bella?!
Arrrgghh!
Drakos grunted at his stupidity and bit on another Fate Stone sticking out from the pile. It would be best if he slowly absorbed the Fate Qi from it but he didn't really have much time to spare. If he wanted to redeem himself and help her, that was the only chance they had.
He couldn't just hate Bella, even after she rejected him, but his hurt ego ruined everything for them.
Crushing Fate Stones into small chunks, Drakos swallowed them all while digesting them in his stomach to speed up the process. His Cultivation was growing steadily, but it was still too slow than what he wished for. Recalling the last time he sneaked into the Dwarf Kingdom to steal Fate Stones, the King of Dwarfs mobilized his force in less than thirty minutes.
He unconsciously gazed at Bella and his heart broke again, seeing her sitting on one of the Fate Stones Ore mountains while staring at the entrance.
'Damn it! Damn it!' Drakos cursed as his claws shining with golden light. He smashed the gigantic chucks first, searching for the biggest Fate Stones.
He had to make it! He didn't want to live through that again.
Back when he got caught by Dwarfs, he spent years being used by them until he finally found a way to escape. They will not let him go this easily for the second time.
When Drakos told Bella of any possible ways out, he lied. There was one more way and that was teleporting away using a special Artefact that could break through all restrictions. Unfortunately, he only had one of them.
If he could reach the Celestial Stage, there was a chance both of them could escape, even if he had to sacrifice his Celestial Body.
After ten minutes and one mountain, Drakos' stomach already hurt, filled with a lot of dirt left on the Fate Stones, but the effort paid off.
Immortal Stage!
His Dragon body grew in size with each minute, his scales becoming more blue and sturdy. With his Fate Qi body, as long as he consumed enough Fate Stones, he could raise in cultivation when he wished. There were enough Fate Stones in this storage to even push him beyond the Celestial Stage but he didn't have that much time.
He was about to fly over to the next pile when the entrance door suddenly creaked, beginning to open.
"So soon?!" Drakos cried out. He needed more time to save them! "Bella! Stop them from entering! We need more time!"
The call to Bella came on instinct, as that was their only hope. Too bad, Bella was completely ignoring him.
"Bella! This is serious! I can save us if you give me more time!" Drakos called out again and only then did Bella turn around, gazing at him with dead eyes.
"You talking to me? I thought you want me to be a slave for the Dwarfs so I decided I will just wait and give myself to them. It's exactly what you wanted. You should be happy."
Drakos' heart stopped at that comment, especially when she spoke in her serious tone.
"You can go escape on your own with your soul as you said. I don't mind. We are just strangers now so you shouldn't worry about me," Bella added, deepening Drakos' depression.
He momentarily dropped all the acts.
"Nooo! I didn't mean it! I never wanted you to be hurt! I was just acting like a sore loser who got rejected! Please, trust me this one last time. I can save us both! Stop them for ten minutes and we will escape!"
He ignored her right after, rushing to the next pile of Fate Stones. He didn't hesitate and bit on the shiny golden crystals, swallowing them whole. If he didn't speed up, there was no way he could make it in time.
Their fate was entirely in Bella's hands. If he didn't reach the Celestial Stage, which allowed him to create a human form, he wouldn't be able to destruct his body and escape with his soul.
Drakos was worried she wouldn't listen once again when he heard an explosion.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Heatwave spread even to his side but compared to Bella's direct flame, it was nothing to him. The entrance door that opened inward was shut by her fireballs, but the Dwarfs didn't give up, raging from the other side.
The opening mechanism of the doors combined with the strength of the Giant Dwarfs was enough to create an opening in the door, gaining an advantage over her.
"DRAKOS! YOU DARE COME BACK AND STEAL AGAIN! YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE THIS TIME, YOU THIEF!"
A loud bellow broke through the Dwarfs' shouts, making Drakos shudder. The King of Dwarfs wasn't someone to mess with, especially when he moved with his army.
Putting all faith in Bella, Drakos continued to cultivate and observed the ongoing battle with one eye in case he had to use his last resort to save her.
"YOUR FLAMES WILL NOT STOP M—" King of Dwarfs called out dominantly but his words were cut off by a sea of flames that escaped through the entrance, spilling like a tsunami on the army of Dwarfs.
Even after everything that Drakos said, she still trusted him for the last time.
'Do I even deserve her?' Drakos couldn't help but ask himself an important question. Even he would hate himself for the words he said.
'At least I can save her to pay her back… It was never her fault… I created the problem from nothing. Damn it!'
One minute, two minutes, five minutes.
The King of Dwarfs was getting pissed off at the constant flames that burst out from the Storage, so he eventually brought a gigantic shield, blocking the flames as they pushed inside the Storage.
"PUSH FORWARD! PREPARE THE NETS! HE CAN'T PRODUCE FLAMES ENDLESSLY!" King of Dwarfs shouted commands as they pressed through the gap in the door when Bella changed her tactic.
Pa!
A flaming chunk of Fate Stone Ore smashed against the shield, exploding upon impact.
Pa! Pa!
Two more followed suit until Bella blasted the whole mountain of ore at the door, burying them completely. She didn't stop at one but flew to another pile and covered the doors with another layer. If they wanted to get to them, it would take them a while to uncover the entrance.
He didn't see when but Bella suddenly appeared above him, gazing at him coldly.
"I gave you one last chance. If you betray me again, you and I are done forever," Bella announced. "Even if you save us, we will still not return to how we were before. I might have been cruel by not considering your feelings but you should have known how I am from the start. I wanted to forgive you for leaving me but your words from earlier hurt me. I don't want to have a friend like this."
As she said so, Bella flew away, hovering between him and the entrance.
"Hurry up."
Drakos could only lament at his stupidity, but it was too late to change the history.
"I'm sorry I hurt you…" Drakos replied with a sigh of regret. "I understand your decision and I will not lose your trust again."
Drakos' body grew the more he ate, until eventually, it began to shrink, turning into golden light. His four legs turned into a pair of arms and legs while his long neck shortened into that of a human.
Black hair spilled from his head as his golden eyes snapped open. A robust man in his thirties quickly covered his naked body with a set of black clothes and flew up in the air where Bella was. The pile covering the entrance was already vibrating, showing Dwarfs were near.
"Bella…" Drakos muttered her name, his brows relaxing while his deep voice softened ten times.
She turned around, eyes widening at his new look, but they quickly returned to normal.
"How do we leave?" Bella asked straight forward.
"Can I approach you?" Drakos questioned, trying not to scare her away.
Thankfully, she nodded.
He pulled out a sky blue box from his Storage Ring as he stopped a meter away from her and explained, "This Spirit Artefact will transport us away. Please hold it. We don't have time."
"Can't you do it?" Bella wondered confused, not even reaching out for it, but Drakos insisted.
"No, you have to hold it else it won't work. Hurry!"
Bella knitted her eyebrows at his yell, but she still took the box. Only then did Drakos relaxed, taking a deep breath.
"How do I activate it?" Bella questioned as she observed the box, but Drakos suddenly distanced himself from her, replying, "You don't need to do anything. It will activate on its own."
Bang!
The chunks of ore burst from the pile in all directions as the King of Dwarfs' angry voice hit them.
"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME!"
Click.
Before Bella could speak, Drakos snapped his fingers, and the box in Bella's hand activated. It's corners expanded in eight directions and passed through her body, creating a giant cube of her size that swallowed her inside.
"You—" She wanted to question, yet Drakos cut her off.
"I'm sorry for everything… I don't deserve your trust. I lied to you again," Drakos muttered, his eyes gazing into hers as he placed his hand on the cube. "This Spirit Artefact has only energy to carry one person out of here, so I can't go with you. I also forgot that I can't escape with my soul as it still didn't heal enough from the last time. I guess I will have to suffer from the tortures."
Bang!
Bella smashed her first into the cube, but it didn't even leave a mark.
"It's useless. You can't break it. The box will soon teleport you away to a safe distance. You said that only someone ready to die for another person could love them. Let it be the proof of my feelings for you," Drakos muttered, bringing out a smile for her. "Too bad, I'm the worst of the sort. I tried to be good, but it seems I will forever be a degenerate. You deserve better than me, so please forget about me."
Bzzz!
The sky blue cube began to shine brightly right after his words, making Bella scream from the inside.
"No! Stop this! Let me out!"
Their hands touched from both sides of the glass-like box, yet he couldn't feel her warmth anymore.
"Goodbye, Bella."
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