Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 76. Hero of Mature Hearts’ Rage

Rick broke through three more operatives, and his dragon-like strength made quick work of their formation. One of the operatives attempted to strike him with a spell that conjured lightning.

Rick’s dragon blood didn’t care. Another tried to cast a binding spell. Rick’s scales messed up the magical matrix before it could form.

And through it all, his Draconic Sovereignty power was at its highest. He got a 40% boost to all of his stats because he was fighting to protect Carmilla, who was one of his bonded partners. He was stronger, faster, and more durable than he had ever been.

"THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FUCKING MESS WITH THE HERO OF MATURE HEARTS!" Rick yelled and killed another operative with a clawed strike. "I COLLECT MATURE WOMEN LIKE POUCHMON!"

"AND YOU CAN’T FUCKING TAKE MY COLLECTION!"

"RICK, SERIOUSLY, STOP TALKING!" Natasha yelled from above as she kept raining ice magic down on the agents.

But Rick was too angry and protective to care how his battle cries sounded. An operative made a mistake by aiming a crossbow at Carmilla. Rick jumped the distance with one wing and hit the man in the chest hard enough to break his ribs.

"DON’T YOU DARE POINT THAT SHIT AT MY CARMILLA!" Rick grabbed the operative by the face and smashed him to the ground.

"SHE’S MY LOYAL KNIGHT! MY PROTECTIVE PARTNER! MY MATURE WOMAN WHO GIVES THE BEST SHOULDER MASSAGES!"

"Oh my gods, someone please make him stop," Sebastian groaned.

Dr. Valen, to her credit, wasn’t freaking out. She had moved back to a safe distance and was getting ready to cast a complicated spell. Her hands were weaving patterns of shadow magic that made the air itself seem to rot and corrupt. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Interesting," she said, even as her agents fell around her. "The draconic change is more complete than we thought it would be."

"The emotional trigger seems to make the—"

"NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR FUCKING RESEARCH!" Rick jumped over a fallen operative and ran straight for Carmilla’s restraints. "I’M TAKING BACK MY WOMAN!"

He got to the support beam and started ripping at Carmilla’s chains with his dragon claws right away. The metal screamed in pain, but it couldn’t stand up to the power of a dragon.

Carmilla’s eyes were wide open above her gag as she looked at Rick’s changed state with a mix of shock and maybe even inappropriate timing for attraction. The collar that prevented the use of magic was more difficult to break.

Rick could feel the collar’s power actively preventing him from simply breaking it. Instead, he dug his claws under the metal band, used all of his strength, and RIP—

The collar came apart with a screech that sounded like metal being tortured.

The Spirit Bond CAME back right away.

When the connection was restored, both Rick and Carmilla gasped as a wave of emotions crashed through the link. Rick could feel Carmilla’s pain, fear, relief, and rage at her captors. Carmilla could feel Rick’s rage at how protective he was, how much he needed to save her, and how much he loved her—that it hurt.

"Rick..." Carmilla’s voice was rough when he took the gag off. "You came..."

"Always," Rick said, and his dragon-like face softened a little as he looked at her. "I’ll always come for you. You’re one of the most important people in my life."

"Even when I say really dumb things during fights."

Carmilla actually smiled, even though everything was going wrong. Then she got frustrated when she was finally free to do some beating.

"Give me my weapon," she said in a low voice.

Rick took off the rest of her restraints and gave her the blade he brings. Carmilla’s legs were shaky, and her body was sore from being tied up for so long and from the effects of the collar, but she held the sword tightly.

Guardian’s Resolve kicked in right away, and the Spirit Bond ability filled her with protective energy because Rick was close and in danger.

"You absolute FOOLS," Carmilla growled, her voice full of the cold rage of a veteran warrior who had had enough. "You took me hostage... You used me as bait... You made threats against the man I swore to protect...!"

She raised her sword, and even though she was hurt and tired, she looked as if she wanted to kill.

"Now you’re all going to be sorry about that shit!"

The remaining operatives, who were already hurt and dying because of Rick’s rampage and Natasha’s ongoing magical attack, looked at each other nervously as the knight with combat training joined the fight.

One of them yelled, "RUN, BITCH, RUUUUUUN...!"

"Fall back and regroup!"

"No," Dr. Valen said coldly, and her shadow magic finally took shape. "We take the Consort and get rid of the others."

Shadow constructs burst out of the ground. They were humanoid shapes made of living darkness that moved at an unnatural speed. It looked like Dr. Valen was merging with the shadows, making her body fluid and hard to hit.

"Oh, NOW you show me the cool spells!" Rick was not happy. "You couldn’t do this BEFORE I turned into a dragon and started killing all your people?!"

"Rick, pay attention!" Natasha landed next to them with a flash of ice magic, and her staff was still crackling with power. "The shadow constructs are weak enough to be cold from my ice magic."

"Can you fight, Carmilla?"

"Try and stop me," Carmilla said with her teeth clenched.

Their bond network made it easy for the three of them to move together. Rick got the shadow constructs’ attention.

His dragon form and Dragon’s Presence made him an effortless target. As the constructs concentrated on Rick, Natasha employed ice magic to disintegrate them.

Carmilla methodically killed every operative who was dumb enough to get close enough to her sword. It was cruel, quick, and very effective.

Dr. Valen finally seemed to understand that the situation was hopeless. Rick saw her preparing to cast a teleportation spell, the same magic that had taken Carmilla.

"Oh no, you fucking don’t, bitch!" Rick opened his wings and flew at her.

Dr. Valen finished the spell, and a purple light started to cover her. Rick’s Dragon’s Presence ability, on the other hand, was at full strength and radiated pure fear.

Dr. Valen thought for a moment. It was the feeling of fear and intimidation, which was deep and instinctive, that made it hard for her to focus.

The spell for teleportation flickered.

Carmilla’s sword came up from behind and stabbed Dr. Valen in the chest. The scientist looked down at the blade sticking out of her sternum, and she looked genuinely surprised.

"Interesting," she said softly. "The knight recovered faster than... expected..."

Carmilla turned the blade and pulled it out. Dr. Valen fell to the ground, her shadow magic fading away like smoke.

The other operatives saw their leader fall and quickly gave up by throwing down their weapons. Eight of the original twenty operatives surrendered. The others were either dead or passed out.

The quarry was quiet for a moment, except for heavy breathing and the sound of magic fading away. Carmilla’s legs gave out after that.

Rick caught her before she hit the ground, and as the adrenaline wore off, his dragon form faded. She was shaking because her body was finally giving in to being tired and the effects of the anti-magic collar.

Rick said softly, "I’ve got you," and pulled her close. "You’re safe now."

He felt Carmilla’s face against his chest and the wetness on his skin. She was crying, but they were quiet tears that she had been holding back with all her strength.

"I was so scared," Carmilla said in a whisper. "Not of them..."

"And not of the pain or the risk. I was afraid I’d lose you..."

"I’m not strong enough to keep you safe, especially when I see you doing better than me and not needing me anymore."

Rick’s heart broke hearing her words. He gently lifted her chin so she could see his face.

"Listen to me, Carmilla. I will always need you."

"You’re not just my partner, bodyguard, or part of my bond network. You were the first person to believe in me when I was nothing."

"You’re the steady thing that keeps me grounded. You can’t be replaced by anyone because you’re the first to make me improve."

"But Sylvia, the Queen of Dragons—"

"Yes, she is powerful. And I love her too, but loving her doesn’t mean I love you less." Rick wiped her tears away. "My heart doesn’t work that way."

"It gets bigger, not smaller. "You taught me that my heart expands, not contracts, when you took Natasha and Liora in."

"Please believe me when I say it works both ways."