Chapter 151
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If possible, I want to close my eyes.
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The Magic Sword Nidhogg’s strike, which devours one’s very existence, is a cut above mere physical or magical attacks. Add to that the barrage of high-level magic spells and the finishing blow of a mana explosion using two disposable Imitation Golds.
It was an all-out battle where Purume—no, Purume and her companions—poured in every ounce of their strength.
While some are breathing heavily and others are on their knees, unable to stand due to exhaustion, Purume keeps a watchful eye for any signs of the Liquid Dragon’s revival. However, there are no indications of gel-like parts gathering to resurrect the dragon as before.
「Is it over?」
A cheer erupts from behind her as she’s released from fatigue and tension. Not just her party, but many others had risked their lives in this battle. Their joy is immeasurable.
As Purume stands there, dazedly watching them celebrate their victory, Nelly Virtuous appears with multiple personnel—likely from Honest, the Knight Order, the Rebellion, and Eden’s Garden.
Purume scratches her cheek with her finger, thinking, 「Oh no.」
It’s quite awkward to tell these people who’ve come all this way that their help is no longer needed since they’ve already defeated the enemy.
「Well, I suppose this is better than them arriving to find us all wiped out.」
She says with a wry smile as she walks towards the reinforcements.
I’m sorry you came all this way for nothing.
It was tough, but we managed with just our personnel.
Ah, sorry for worrying you.
Purume continues to chat cheerfully with Nelly and the leaders of the reinforcements, like the Knight Order’s vice commanders.
Still, it’s an impressive sight to see so many gathered in one place.
There are those originally assigned to this area, Purume’s group of former dangerous elements, and now the reinforcements. All of them are renowned warriors.
Nearly 150 people have gathered here. It’s a sight rarely seen outside of situations like this.
「I’m impressed you managed to gather this many people to come here. It must have been difficult on your end too.」
Purume starts with those words, intending to express her gratitude.
In response, an executive from Eden’s Garden waves his hand in front of his face.
「Actually, about that… The fog that had been swarming in such large numbers suddenly decreased dramatically. We figured it would be more efficient to send personnel elsewhere.」
「Hm? The fog decreased…?」
At his words, Purume feels like she’s on the verge of remembering something.
「Was it the same for you? We were moving with Lady Nelly, and the number of fog creatures in our area decreased as well. Well, everyone was satisfied, thinking our efforts had paid off.」
The vice commander of the Arcana Kingdom Knight Order responds.
It’s wonderful that the fog decreased in the areas they were handling. But—
「That’s right.」
Hadn’t I questioned why the rate of fog extermination seemed too fast?
Purume feels her heartbeat quicken.
And finally—
「This is strange. Abnormal. There’s no way fog extermination could go this smoothly—」
She finally realizes.
「The flow of mana in the air is… off somehow. And why…」
Why haven’t we seen a single fog creature since we took down the Liquid Dragon?
Purume’s 「intuition」—which had failed to function properly due to being intoxicated by victory, or rather, a temporary victory—finally kicks in.
「No! No! No! It’s coming! It’s coming!」
The other members are dumbfounded by Purume’s sudden outburst, their faces blank with surprise. Time limit. Be concise. Quick. Need to communicate.
「Klein! Shizuku! It’s not over yet! Get everyone together and prepare for battle! Appropriate recovery too! And replenish the consumed mana! Hurry!」
Purume shouts instructions to Klein and the noblewoman who became her second friend. Then, to the leaders of the reinforcements before her:
「I’m sorry. I’ll be brief. The monster I defeated was a three-headed dragon with a liquid body. Physical attacks were completely ineffective, and it had excellent magic defense. I barely managed to defeat it by using up all my trump cards.」
Those who heard her story gulped.
「Before this dragon monster appeared, I felt something was off. The unease was that the fog was decreasing too quickly. Now I understand. It wasn’t just unease.」
「Then, what are you saying?」
Nelly Virtuous asks.
「Probably, the three-headed dragon created its body by absorbing the fog. And even now, even after it’s disappeared, the fog continues to decrease. Moreover, the flow of mana, which was faint until just now, is now gathering here in a massive torrent.」
Just as the Arcana Knight Order vice commander was about to ask why—
「Damn it!」
Splash!
A large amount of murky liquid pours down from above.
The viscous substance forms into one giant, distorted sphere, repeatedly contracting and expanding vertically and horizontally.
「The dragon we thought had vanished was actually recovering by absorbing the fog that was swarming in various places!」
Finally, everyone present realizes why the fog had suddenly decreased in various locations.
「Here it comes! Prepare yourselves!」
Purume shouts loudly.
Just then, the giant liquid in front of them transforms back into a three-headed dragon—the Liquid Dragon.
「This is bad—」
First, can the already exhausted Purume and her companions stand a chance against it?
Second, the torrent of mana gathering from various places still shows no signs of stopping.
「Everyone! All of you! Get behind me!」
It was an instruction to escape diagonally behind her.
There’s no time for detailed explanations.
「Gugyuruooooauuuuuuuuu!」
Fully recovered—no, continuously strengthening—the Liquid Dragon roars energetically.
「Activation!」
No sooner does she speak than the Liquid Dragon moves—intense light once again condenses in the mouths of each of its three heads.
Unlike the initial attack, all three heads are now aimed in their direction.
「Hellgate」
At her summons, a massive gate engulfed in flames appears to protect them. At that moment—
「Gugyaruaaaaaaaa!」
Energy masses are spewed from the three heads, colliding with the flaming gate.
「This is—」 Purume grits her teeth.
A cracking sound emanates from the flaming gate.
It’s the sound of fractures—truly the sound of despair.
「Activation Zwei!」
Purume says without hesitation, using up one of her two remaining amplifiers to further strengthen her power—
「Hades Gate」
At her summons, a giant, ominous door appears, rivaling or even surpassing the Hellgate in its malevolence.
Purume’s quick defense proves effective as the three-headed dragon’s energy wave breaks through the first door and collides with the second, the Hades Gate—reaching a stalemate. It seemed only a matter of time before the energy wave would dissipate—at that moment, the Liquid Dragon’s body begins to writhe and bulge.
「Priests, barrier makers, put up barriers as far as you can reach! Shielders, brace for impact!」
The writhing areas swell up and—
「What… is this…」
A fourth head is born. The newly formed dragon head rises slowly—its mouth cavity begins to glow—and another energy wave is released.
「—」
Before Purume can say anything, the Hades Gate shatters. The energy wave, though greatly reduced, still unleashes massive destruction, engulfing many of those behind her.
Those immediately behind Purume are safe. However, those who were further away—
「Klein! Shizuku! Russell!」
She turns around with a scream, but there’s nothing left—all traces of their existence have completely vanished.
「Aaaaaaaahhhhh!」
She wails—but there’s no time left.
「Nelly and other leaders. Escape from here. Seek help from Omi and Low in Noble as quickly as possible.」
That’s all she has time to say.
「Hurry! Get out of here!」
She touches her last ring (amplifier) and says,
「Activation!」
She takes out the staff she’s been carrying on her back.
The staff’s name is Yggdrasill Twig.
It’s a masterpiece of the highest caliber in the world, capable of multiplying its wielder’s abilities many times over.
「Gyarururururuoooooo!」
Light begins to concentrate in the mouths of the now four-headed dragon for the third time.
There’s nothing left—to do.
So, before that—
「Ah, Lady Omi—」
I’m sorry for my incompetence. I leave the rest to you.
「Ichiro—」
I’m sorry I couldn’t keep our promise to go to the village together.
「Angie—」
I wish I could have patted your head one last time, to tell you how much you’ve grown, how hard you’ve worked.
Purume’s mana reaches an abnormal peak.
It’s a sign of an impending massive mana explosion that could obliterate everything around.
There’s no future left for her.
For the sake of those who will live on, Purume charges towards the four-headed dragon. She approaches the massive body, staking her entire existence on this final act.
And then, along with a flash of light, she causes an explosion, engulfing everything and blowing it all away.
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