Chapter 102
In the final floor of Fáfnir, 『The Golden Chamber』―――
Fully armed, I stand my ground, facing forward.
Countless monsters surge forth.
To them, I swing my arm in a wide arc.
That alone generates a tremendous shockwave, and more than ten monsters are blown away, reduced to lumps of flesh.
『Such raw power…』
The full-body armament delivers several times the force of my mere limbs – perhaps nearly tenfold?
Inflation is an understatement.
I affirm the sensation in my swung arm.
…For now, it seems I can handle it.
Monsters vanish into particles of light the instant they die.
This is a characteristic they share with my dungeon’s golems, birthed by Gijie.
Monsters born from dungeons revert to magical power in the dungeon upon death.
「KILL! KILL! KILL!」
Fáfnir, no, the dungeon core shouts instructions as it roars.
My previous attack must have been more effective than he expected.
He’s panicking now that I, once a candidate for the vessel he deemed insignificant, have suddenly powered up.
Upon receiving orders, the monsters charge towards me.
Not just from the front.
They appear from the shattered walls and corridors too, one after another.
He’s likely summoning all the monsters from this floor and the ones above.
「Hisssss!」「Roooooar!」「Rustle, rustle!」「Growwwwwl!！」「Goaaaar!」「Grrrrrrr!」「Jujujuju!」「Geee, geee!」「Sha-sha-sha-sha-sha!」「Osssssssh!」「Roaaaaaaaaar!」
The monsters approach, bellowing their battle cries.
But, Fáfnir.
You saw what happened just now, didn’t you?
Your creatures are no match for “the current me.”
I gather strength in my legs, and like a bullet, I charge into the horde of monsters.
Bop, bop, bop, bop! Just like poking holes in clay figurines, the monsters in front of me are gouged, turning into light and disappearing.
Furthermore, the shockwave sends the surrounding monsters flying.
「What…is…this…?」
In an instant, I’ve reached Fáfnir’s front.
The dungeon core wears an expression of disbelief.
However, it quickly goes on the offensive.
That golden arm swings down at me.
I catch it with a single hand.
This time, there’s no crack.
On the contrary…
「Ugh…gaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!」
Fáfnir winces in pain.
His arm’s scales are cracked, some even peeling off.
It’s Fáfnir, the one who struck, who has ended up injured.
『It’s not just physical strength. The hardness has also increased tremendously…』
The difference when not just “parts” but the “entire body” is armed is this great.
Surely as Elibel said, my combat capability has been drastically enhanced.
Whether I can revert… for now, that’s for later.
Now, I must deal with the problem in front of me.
Fáfnir creates some distance and opens his mouth wide.
That stance―――
「GROOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARR!!!」
―――BREATH!!
A torrent of golden magical power rushes towards me.
It’s like a golden tsunami.
But I’m not scared.
There’s no need to be scared.
I take a deep breath.
『ROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARR!!!』
I unleash my own breath in defiance.
The breaths we released collide.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
The two breaths become a massive swirl of magical power, spreading throughout the dungeon.
However, the actual damage is minimal.
My breath nearly nullifies the power of Fáfnir’s breath.
A comfortable wind of magical power whirls around my body.
Looking over, Fáfnir is gasping, his mouth opening and closing.
He’s probably lost his ability to speak.
The power of my breath has increased too.
Not just the surface of my body.
Parts of my lungs and the inside of my mouth have been armored, and it seems to have strengthened the amount of magical power I can release.
I leap once again, closing the distance.
『Hmph!』
A claw attack.
My strengthened claws easily tear through Fáfnir’s scales.
Fáfnir writhes in agony.
But it’s not over yet.
I follow up with more attacks.
With my fangs, my fists, my tail.
Each time, Fáfnir’s body is torn apart, gradually becoming a wreck.
「――――Dad! If you keep this up, Fal will die!」
A voice rings out from behind me.
『Don’t worry! I won’t kill him! But I will beat him to a pulp! Until he can’t move anymore!』
「Wha…!?」
The girl’s voice wavers, almost breaking into a sob, but I’m sorry, I can’t listen, I just can’t.
Really sorry.
But it can’t be helped.
Right now, it’s not the personality of the Mineral Dragon that’s controlling Fafnir, but the dungeon core.
And it’s in a state where its defense instinct has run wild and it’s almost impossible to communicate.
There’s no way we can proceed, whether to kill Fáfnir or prolong his life, in his current state.
So, I need to somehow bring the personality of “Fáfnir” himself back to the surface.
So, what to do?
Simple.
――――Leave it to Elibel.
A complete hand-off.
No matter what I do, I can’t think of a way to revert Fáfnir back to normal, let alone prolong his life.
But I believe she can.
She’s the sage who came up with the ridiculous theory of dungeon destruction, fixed my armed limbs, and created a pseudo-dungeon core. I believe she can definitely do it.
All I can do is prepare the groundwork.
Beat Fáfnir to a pulp, weaken him to the point where he can’t move at all.
Even if he’s controlled by the dungeon core and in a state of rampage, if he’s hurt to the point where he can’t move, it should be easier to deal with.
…Really, it’s depressing.
Despite all my posturing, in the end, all I can do is warm up for the solution to the problem.
But that’s okay.
Even if it’s just a warm-up or a chore, if it helps the lead actor, I’m more than happy to take it on.
And if it makes this child―――this girl smile, it’s a small price to pay.
I’d bet my life on it.
I’m her father, after all.
「Guh… gah…」
Fáfnir is already a mess.
His magical recovery can’t keep up.
Maybe I can do this.
『This… is the end, Fáfnir!!』
One more hit.
This will finish it.
That’s what I thought the next moment.
Gakun…
I collapse to my knees.
「―――!?」
『What… the…?』
I can’t move my body.
It trembles, shaking and shuddering, unable to so much as lift a finger.
Why?
I’m not out of magical power.
My magic still overflows.
With that in mind, there’s only one explanation.
――――The limit of the physical body.
It’s just like when I faced Wald.
The scant remnants of my physical body, unable to keep up with my armed form, cries out in agony.
I, after all, can’t armored the organs necessary for life.
Those parts couldn’t endure the combat of my armored form, reaching their limit within mere seconds.
Such a premature limit.
It indicates just how fragile my original body was.
My body, merely two years old, was far too immature to move while fully armored.
『――――Gah…』
Blood drips from my mouth.
The moment I realize the damage, an intense pain assaults me.
Fáfnir watches this scene with icy detachment.
Perhaps he’s become jaded by the abrupt turn of events, or maybe it’s relief. Fáfnir exhales deeply.
And then, Fáfnir raises his hand.
Once again, the monsters gather.
Emerging from the walls and ceilings, they begin to blanket the vast room again.
「That was close, but it’s over now, intruder…」
Blood drips from Fáfnir’s mouth as he declares his victory.
『……Yes, it seems so.』
「For the last time, will you accept me?」
『……No, I won’t.』
「Then die.」
It seems, no matter how hard I try, I’m not cut out to be the protagonist.
But that’s okay.
Because I’ve bought us time.
After all, the real hero always arrives late.
It’s the moment when Fáfnir is about to deliver the final blow to me.
Suddenly, the ceiling shines brightly!
The next moment, a massive pillar of light appears before me.
Or rather, it might be more accurate to describe it as a “vortex of light”.
The light vortex, like a tornado, carves out the space before me.
Ah, I’ve seen this scene before.
「What… what is this?」
A few seconds later, the light fades.
There, a massive hole is opened.
A large hole that seemingly stretches upwards endlessly…
I know this… this technique…
「――――Honestly, you’re just too reckless.」
From the hole, a familiar voice echoes.
Something―――is descending.
Four shadows descend.
They line up in front of me.
「Are you alright, Lord Earth?」
「Puu~」
「Ah, found you, Dad!」
And one of them steps forward.
「……Haa, you broke your promise, you idiot.」
With a twist of her staff, she lightly taps my head.
It doesn’t hurt.
『Haha, I have no words… But I owe you.』
Perhaps surprised by my sincere gratitude, she scratches her bald head.
「…Well, for you, you’ve done pretty well. Leave the rest to us, and rest there.」
I look at the four of them.
『I’m sorry, everyone. I owe you…』
Ann, Pururu, Tres, and Elibel.
They’re the most reliable–––my loyal companions have assembled.
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