Chương 9: Behold, The hand of Mochi

Mochi and Amelia rushed Drago together. Mochi came in first, throwing a straight punch at Drago's face. Drago raised an arm to block. BOOM. The impact cracked the ground beneath both of them. Before Drago could counter, Amelia appeared above him. A spinning kick crashed into the side of his head. Drago was sent skidding across the street. Mochi smirked.

"There we go." Drago wiped a trickle of blood from his lip. For the first time, he looked genuinely interested.

"You've both improved." Drago charged. The distance vanished instantly. His fist shot toward Mochi. Mochi blocked. The force pushed him back several feet, but he held. Amelia attacked from behind. Drago ducked underneath her strike and swung at her ribs. Amelia twisted away at the last second. The punch missed by inches. Mochi seized the opening. A hook slammed into Drago's jaw. CRACK. Drago stumbled. Amelia immediately followed with a blast of compressed wind that launched him through a nearby building.

The entire structure collapsed. For a moment, the battlefield was silent. Then Drago burst from the rubble. Not smiling anymore. His coat torn. A bruise forming on his cheek. The street exploded beneath his feet. Mochi barely managed to react. Drago's fist slammed into his guard. Mochi was launched backward. Before Amelia could help, Drago appeared in front of her. The two exchanged a flurry of attacks. Neither could gain an advantage. Amelia ducked a strike and landed a clean hit to Drago's stomach.

The impact made him cough. Then Drago grabbed her arm. Amelia smiled.

"Got you!"

"MAGIC SKILL: CRACKER BULLETS!" Multiple cracker shards fired at Drago Drago was thrown across the battlefield. Mochi rejoined the fight instantly. Together they pressed the attack. Drago blocked one punch. Amelia landed a kick. Drago countered. Mochi landed another hit. The battle became a blur. Each side trading blows. Each side taking damage. Dust filled the sky. Buildings shook. The townsfolk slowly emerged from their homes to see what's going on, they could barely follow what was happening.

Then Mochi saw an opening.

"Amelia, DO IT!" She nodded. Amelia charged head-on. Drago prepared to stop her. At the last second, Mochi jumped. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Launching him like a cannonball. Drago's eyes widened. Mochi's fist slammed directly into his face.

"TAKE THIS!!"

"MAGIC SKILL: BURNING MOCHI!" He launched his projectile at Drago as it hit him in the stomach The ground exploded. A massive crater formed beneath them. When the dust settled, Drago was kneeling. Blood dripped from his nose. Mochi landed nearby, breathing heavily. Amelia dropped beside him. Both exhausted. Both injured. Drago slowly stood.

"Okay, this might be an issue, now you're working together" His expression had changed completely. No arrogance. No amusement. Just focus. For the first time since arriving in town... Drago was taking them seriously. Mochi cracked his knuckles. Amelia wiped blood from her cheek. Drago rolled his shoulders. The three stared at one another. Mochi grinned despite his injuries.

"Looks like you're not invincible after all." Amelia wiped sweat from her forehead.

"We can win this." For a moment, Drago was silent. Then he laughed. Not the amused laugh from before. A dangerous one.

"You've mistaken something." The air suddenly grew heavy. Both Mochi and Amelia felt it immediately. Drago slowly raised one hand. Dark energy began gathering around his arm. The ground beneath him cracked. Then shattered. Amelia's expression dropped.

"Mochi..."

"I know." The dragon opened its mouth. The amount of power being gathered made the sky darken. Drago Roared.

"Magic skill: Dragon Cannon!." The dragon roared. A beam of pure destruction erupted forward. The street disappeared instantly. Mochi grabbed Amelia's wrist and pulled her out the way.. However, the attack grazed her ankle.. Amelia winced in pain as the two collapsed on the floor, Mochi slowly rose up panting heavily..

"Amelia! Are you okay?" Amelia grabbed her ankle in pain"Ow ow ow, my ankle, I got it grazed in the blast.." Mochi glared at Drago watching the dragon smirk"No.. this all turned south fast.. damn it what can I do!" Then.

"DON'T GIVE UP BRAVE WARRIOR""PLEASE DON'T QUIT NOW! WE KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!" Mochi looked around it was some of the citizens... all chanting and giving him hope"Huh? They're cheering us on?" Mochi said confused Ameli nodded"Because they believe.. this is what happens to people who crave freedom, when it's this close all they can do is have hope" Mochi said "Hope.. huh?" He smirked"Alright then... These people have hope and faith in me.." Drago said "Too bad you won't be able to do anything!"

"MAGIC SKILL: DRAGON CANON!" The attack fired at him Mochi clenched his fist saying"Bring it.. I ain't scared of you!" He cocked his fist back and thrusted his arm forward A giant mochi hand formed caught the attack in it's palm. Drago's eyes widened in shock.. Mochi's eyes widened"I- I did it?"

"Is that what I think it is?" Amelia said"Your own defensive move! You did it!" Mochi grinned and he laughed to himself"That was sooo cool!"

"It totally put a stop to Drago's dragon canon""My own technique, I call that the hand of mochi" Drago gritted his teeth with fury"You got lucky! DON'T GET COCKY!" He then pounced charging forwards with immense speed"This time I'll make sure I personally slit your throats!"

"MAGIC SKILL: DRYGONIC CLAW!" Mochi cocked his arm back"Magic skill: Hand of mochi!" The giant hand formed as it protected Mochi and Amelia from Drago's assult. Drago pushed as hard as he could but he was blasted away, he couldn't stop it..

"ARGH" He fell on the floor as everyone watched as they cheered"Mochi looked at Amelia saying please you're injured find some place safe" Amelia froze for a second as she contemplated whether she should or not She let out a sigh"Fine, I guess I should" Mochi called out to one of the locals asking them to help Amelia A man came out and aided her to a safe distance to watch the fight.. Then Drago got up"You frigging bastard!"

"I'll TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB YOU HEAR ME!!" Mochi got into a stance.

"I ain't scared of you" Drago said "Well you should be""Tell me.."

"Can you fly?" Mochi's eyes widened Drago's desperation grew, and with a bellowing roar, he flew toward Mochi, grabbing him in a crushing grip and lifting him high into the air. The power of Drago's wings sent them soaring, thousands of feet into the sky.

"WAAHH" Mochi screamed in shock.

"You think you can beat me in the air?" Drago sneered.

"Let's see you try." At 10, 000 feet, Drago released his grip and started falling, preparing to finish Mochi off.

"You've got one minute to survive, little brat. If you don't defeat me, you'll be nothing but a stain on the earth!"

"But even if you can there isn't a way I see which you can survive" Mochi's heart pounded in his chest as he plummeted. He could feel the wind rushing past him as the ground rapidly grew closer. Drago was flapping his wings in the air, floating confidently, knowing that he was the one who could fly, while Mochi was at his mercy. But Mochi refused to give up. As they fell, he began thinking he had to find a way to beat Drago, even in the air. There was no time left. His eyes darted around, searching for an opening.

Then, it came to him. With the last bit of energy he had, Mochi lunged forward, catching Drago off guard.

"W-wait! WHAT ARE YOU.." He grabbed Drago beneath him, positioning himself so he would take the full impact of the fall.

"SORRY DRAGO BUT YOU LOSE!!!" Drago struggled to break free, his wings flapping desperately, but it was too late.

"NO, NO LET ME GO NOW YOU FREAK!" As they neared the ground, Mochi summoned his burning mochi energy once again, releasing a massive "Magic skill: DOUBLE Burning Mochi!" attack just before impact.

"NO WAY! YOU'VE RUINED THE LIVES OF MANY INNOCENT PEOPLE... YOU MUST BE DEFEATED!"

"YOU LOSE!" Then realizing he was aiming for the village, Mochi slowly shifted to the left just outside... The explosion of magic sent shockwaves through the battlefield, the force of it creating a massive crater upon impact. Mochi landed with a roll, avoiding most of the blast's force, but Drago unable to escape in time, took the full brunt of the attack. Mochi slowly rose to his feet, his body sore, but still standing. He turned to look at the crater, his eyes locked on Drago's unmoving form.

The battle was finally over. He took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "I'm glad I used the Burning Mochi to maximize the impact for Drago and minimize it for myself."

"However, I didn't know I had the power to pull off a double burning mochi.." And with that, the wild west had finally been freed from Drago's reign of terror. After confirming Drago's defeat, Mochi stood tall, breathing heavily as he gazed over the battlefield. His heart still raced, adrenaline pumping through his veins. But then, with a victorious smile plastered across his face, he raised his hands to the sky and shouted at the top of his lungs,"DRAGO HAS BEEN DEFEATED!"

His words echoed through the quiet air, breaking the tension that had plagued the town for so long. For a moment, there was stillness, as though time itself had paused in anticipation. Then, slowly, heads began to poke out from windows and doorways. One by one, they appearedmen, women, and children, all peering out from behind the safety of their homes, eyes wide with disbelief. A few tentative gasps were heard, and then, almost as if on cue, the first shout rang out.

"He really did it!" someone called. Then another voice.

"Drago's defeated!" In an instant, the entire town erupted into cheers, their excitement shaking the very foundations of the earth. People flooded into the streets, and many began to run toward Mochi, who was still standing tall, despite the exhaustion weighing down on his sore body. Mochi felt a warm swell of pride in his chest. He had saved them, he had saved the whole town. The cheers grew louder as the crowd surged toward him. Tears came through Amelia's eyes"H-he did it.. We're free.."

The people began to lift him up, his battered body hoisted in the air, tossed back and forth with joyous energy. Despite the pain from his injuries, Mochi couldn't help but grin. He had done it. They had done it. The people were free. As the crowd celebrated, Mochi closed his eyes, his body finally succumbing to exhaustion. His last thoughts were of the victory and the sense of relief that washed over him. And then, in the midst of the celebration, he drifted off to sleep.