Using a second-tier magic scroll required time — a brief moment, but still time. Against ordinary players and bosses, that window was perfectly manageable.
But in front of high-level NPCs and expert players, that brief window was more than enough to dodge — or to land a killing blow.
The moment Shi Feng unfurled the magic scroll, Doran Parei's armor had fully restored itself, and the look in his eyes was pure mockery.
The man raised his silver greatsword and lunged straight at Shi Feng with astonishing speed.
Shi Feng was still in the process of activating the Dance of the Flame Dragon scroll. The slightest movement now, and all his effort would be wasted.
"Quick!"
"Faster!"
Shi Feng's heart hammered with urgency, but the activation bar for the Dance of the Flame Dragon was still not completely filled.
Doran Parei leaped into the air, raising the silver greatsword high before bringing it crashing down toward the crown of Shi Feng's head. Deep crimson fire serpents coiled around the massive blade, so hot that the surrounding air itself began to boil.
In that split second, the activation bar for the Dance of the Flame Dragon finally completed.
The crimson magic scroll erupted with towering flames that coalesced into a titanic fire dragon, roaring skyward before diving straight at Doran Parei with its jaws wide open.
Doran Parei scoffed. Instead of dodging, he gripped the silver greatsword with both hands and hacked down with even greater force.
The fire serpents collided with the flame dragon.
The Dance of the Flame Dragon was a second-tier spell, and its power was clearly superior. The fire serpents were swallowed whole, and Doran Parei was sent flying, a damage number exceeding ten thousand points popping up above his head.
But compared to Doran Parei's three hundred thousand HP, that was little more than a tickle.
The moment Doran Parei hit the ground, he was on his feet again and charging straight at Shi Feng. Not a single pause — he looked like an entirely different person from before. And this time, there were no cracks in his armor.
"What the hell is going on?" Shi Feng stared at the completely unscathed Doran Parei, utterly baffled.
The Dance of the Flame Dragon was supposed to be more powerful than the Inferno Thunder Burst he had used earlier. It had dealt over ten thousand points of damage, yet Doran Parei's armor showed no fractures whatsoever. If anything, the man looked more vigorous than ever, his fighting spirit burning even higher.
Seeing this, Shi Feng finally understood.
The earlier phenomenon — the cracks in the armor — had clearly not been caused by his attacks.
As Doran Parei charged at him once more, a sudden thought struck Shi Feng.
"Let's hope this works."
His body was still somewhat numb from the cold. Even without Doran Parei's Frost Domain active, he couldn't survive a direct confrontation head-on. His escape skills were all on cooldown. With no other option, he raised the Abyssal and unleashed the Earth Splitting Slash.
The razor-sharp Abyssal plunged into the black stone floor. Shi Feng gathered his strength and swung with everything he had.
But his target wasn't Doran Parei — it was the black stone slabs beneath his feet.
Doran Parei's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull at the sight, murder blazing in them, and he surged forward even faster.
But no matter how fast Doran Parei was, he couldn't outpace Shi Feng's sword cutting into the ground.
The Abyssal swept downward, and the black stone slabs parted like paper before the silvery-gray sword energy. Several slabs were cleaved clean in half, leaving a long, deep fissure running across the floor.
Immediately after, a clear, visible crack split across Doran Parei's armor.
"Yes!"
"I guessed right!"
Joy surged through Shi Feng. If attacking the black stone slabs beneath his feet could pin Doran Parei in place, then he could freely use his second-tier magic scrolls. With enough scrolls, bringing Doran Parei down would be child's play.