Chapter 113
The battle between Gijie’s golems and Elja continues unabated.
『―――Magical power of the target has been measured. Initiating the next golem.』
『―――Magical power of the target has been measured. Activating trap.』
『―――Magical power of the target has been measured. Initiating the next golem.』
『―――Magical power of the target has been measured. Activating trap.』
『―――Magical power of the target has been measured. Initiating the next golem.』
The mechanical voice repeats this cycle, I’ve lost count of how many times.
Right now, Elja is on the second floor of the middle layer dungeon.
I’ve lost count of how many hundreds of golems she’s demolished.
The golems keep being generated, only to be dusted by Elja without touching her, then return back to the dungeon.
The prepared traps proved totally useless.
Somehow, Elja managed to trip all the traps, but she avoided each one brilliantly, rendering them useless.
By the way, the traps that had been set were simple ones like pitfalls, spears jumping out, and falling rocks.
『Phew… This is all too easy, really.』
With an air of complete ease, Elja saunters through the dungeon.
『At this rate, I’ll be able to see my beloved Earth soon. Now, I wonder how much of this floor is left?』
Saying this, Elja extends her hand forward.
『――”O’ light. Illuminate the path ahead and guide me.”』
An intense light emanates from Elja’s hand.
In a flash, the light engulfs the passage where she stands.
「Whoa~ it’s so bright…」
「Puu?」
The amount of light is overwhelming, even through the monitor.
I’m not bothered since I’m in the vessel golem, but it looks like it’s a bit much for Tres.
Pururu seems… unfazed, though.
Could it be because she’s a slime, she’s absorbing the light?
By the time I finish thinking about it, the light has subsided.
『This floor is fairly large. But, I have discerned the path to the lower floor.』
Saying this, Elja starts walking again.
Could that spell have been some sort of area scanning or terrain mapping magic?
『―――Spell analyzed. It corresponds to a derivative of fire attribute, ‘light magic’. It is believed to be structural analysis magic that utilizes the transmission of light.』
Gijie quickly provides an explanation.
So, it’s a terrain mapping spell that uses the transmission of light.
Light magic…
So it’s a derivative attribute from the basic attributes, different from unique magic?
Elibel mentioned before that combining multiple attributes can create different attributes or effects. Is it something similar?
Derived attributes of fire magic…..
So, is the Holy Dragon a ‘fire attribute’ dragon, or…?
Ah, it’s no good.
I don’t have the faintest idea
Well, anyway, the magic just now should be seen as an illumination spell that understands the entire area.
But the range of its effect is remarkable.
Illuminating the entirety of a floor isn’t something one can do easily.
『Now, let’s hurry up. Oh, thinking of getting closer to my beloved Earth, my heart is soaring. Please wait for me, Earth, my love!』
Elja picks up the pace.
And her breathing is ragged, her cheeks flushed.
…Honestly, it’s creepy.
This girl has been talking to herself a lot since a while ago.
Maybe she doesn’t have any friends?
It’s pitiful to speak aloud to oneself in a loud voice when no one else is around.
「…Puu?」
I feel like I’m getting a “Huh, you’re one to talk?” kind of look from Pururu.
It must be my imagination. I have friends.
…I do, right? They’re there, aren’t they? They should be…
Shaking off the inexplicable anxiety, I continue watching Elja’s actions.
She’s completely overwhelming the golems.
But then―――
『―――Measurement of target’s magical power ‘completed’. Commencing the extermination of the target.』
Gijie’s lines change.
And at the same time, I feel a change in the flow of magical power circulating within the dungeon.
In Earth’s dungeon, at Elibel’s laboratory―――
「It’s about time…」
With a mechanical click, Elibel manipulates a brilliantly colored sphere in her laboratory.
Displayed on it is the same image projected in the surveillance room: the figure of Elja.
「Well, let’s carefully analyze you, little Holy Dragon. You’re a crucial ingredient to heal Earth’s body, after all…」
Elibel giggles.
The flames in her eye sockets flicker with anticipation and curiosity for the unknown.
Before Elja, five drawing mannequin golems armed with weapons appear.
Elja gazes at them with a look of disbelief.
『Sigh, again? Can’t you realize this is pointless?』
Elja takes a deep breath.
『――――Disappear.』
She utters the command.
However, instead of vanishing, the drawing mannequin golems start moving.
『Eh?』
For the first time, Elja’s expression changes.
The golems brandish their weapons, initiating their attack on Elja.
『―――Tch!』
She quickly swings her arm to remove the obstructions before her.
But the moment Elja swings her arm, the five golems make a motion as if to strike something with their hands.
A sound like a sharp impact echoes.
After that, the golems casually resume their advance.
This time, Elja’s expression truly changes.
『Wha-?! What is this? Why aren’t these golems ‘purified’?!』
Elja folds up her parasol and brandishes it like a sword.
『”Light of purification, revert these earthen puppets tainting this land to their original form.”』
Elja chants something.
A flood of light radiates from the parasol, directly hitting the golems.
However, the golems are unfazed.
Moreover, they even shrug their shoulders as if to say, “Well, was that an attack, Miss?”
…These things really don’t have emotions, do they?
But Elja can’t seem to believe it.
She glares at the golems before her, trembling slightly.
But what exactly is happening here?
『Gijie, what’s going on?』
『Target’s magical power was analyzed. Golems were created with a wavelength counter to the magical power. Currently, with the target’s magical power output in ‘human form’, it is impossible to destroy these golems.』
So the golems are automatically nullifying Elja’s magic?
That’s insane…
How did they get so powerful… ah, I see.
I think about it, and every day hundreds of adventurers challenge the surface dungeon.
Not to mention the soldiers and merchants who gather at the entrance.
All of their statistical data is accumulated in Gijie.
Naturally, the analysis power must be phenomenal.
It’s just that there was never an opportunity to demonstrate it.
Oh, while I’m engrossed in Gijie’s explanation, Elja has started moving.
Instead of walking as before, she’s now running at full speed.
Her destination: a large room designed for major battles.
She must have some sort of plan.
Elja plunges into the large room without hesitation, breathing heavily.
『Huff… huff… I was careless. To think golems with a wavelength that counters my magic would be made… No matter how much magic I use, everything is nullified.』
Following her, the golems also storm into the large room.
Watching them, Elja smiles.
『―――But that is only as long as I remain in ‘this state’.』
Elja discards her parasol, raising both her hands high in the air.
『I’ll show you! My true form―――my true power!』
Elja declares and takes her stance.
Did she move to a larger room to return to her original form as the Holy Dragon?
A narrow corridor would have hindered her movement.
『Be proud! It’s not every day that mere golems like you get to witness my true form as a Dragon King!』
Apparently, that’s exactly what was going on.
Elibel had mentioned earlier that she couldn’t fully unleash her dragon powers in her human form.
So, this must be her real deal.
『Now, behold! The true form of me, the Holy Dragon, Elja Lude!』
Suddenly, around Elja, an incredible magical power begins to―――
『Haaaaaaaa……』
The magical power―――
『Aaaaaaaaa…… Wait, is this right?』
――――didn’t gather.
『Huh? What? That’s… that’s odd. Why can’t I… Why can’t I muster my power?』
Elja curiously feels her own body.
The drawing mannequins watch her with their jaws agape.
『Wait, wait a moment! Hold on! Please, give me a moment!』
Panicking, Elja attempts to inspect the anomaly in her body.
The drawing mannequins observe her with an air of ‘well, can’t be helped,’ utterly nonchalant.
…They really don’t have emotions, do they?
But, what’s going on?
As I ponder, Gijie provides an answer.
『Over time, we have layered several ‘Magical Decay Barriers’ around the target. Additionally, we have used around thirteen types of magic and barriers to weaken her, such as ‘Mental Wear Barrier’, ‘Magic Dispersal Barrier’, and ‘Degraded version of Sanctuary Interference’. We determined it’s virtually impossible for her to break the ‘Human Form’ state and return to her Holy Dragon form.』
Seriously…?
It seems Elja has been unwittingly trapped within multiple layers of barriers and spells, each carrying a different effect.
Watching through the monitor, Elja’s expression visibly darkens.
But usually, one would notice if they were under the influence of this many spells, wouldn’t they…?
『To prevent the target from noticing, we took our time, proceeded with extreme caution. That’s why we intentionally made our golems seem powerless against her.』
What a twist.
The numerous golems spawned were not only analyzing Elja’s magical power but also distracting her from realizing she was being weakened by various spells.
In other words, Gijie was not “increasing” the quality of the golems being spawned, but “decreasing” it. Matching the weakening abilities of Elja.
So, even though she was getting weaker, Elja was under the misconception that she was overpowering the golems.
In reality, her strength was dwindling, unbeknownst to her.
And it all caught up with her when she tried to revert to her dragon form.
If she had reverted to her dragon form sooner, the outcome might’ve been different.
Her arrogance and Gijie’s psychological manipulation led to this outcome.
Gijie was just one step ahead.
The monitor displays a pale-faced Elja.
『Haa… haa… What… what’s happening? I can’t transform into the Holy Dragon… And this suffocating feeling… What in the world…?』
Eventually, Elja falls to her knees.
She breaks out in a cold sweat, struggling to stand.
『―――Target’s weakening confirmed. Deploying ‘True Forces.’』
Following Gijie’s announcement, a pale blue light begins to flood from around her.
『What… what’s happening…?』
From within the light, countless monsters, golems start pouring out.
Each and every one of them possesses immense power.
The Four Chiefs of the Forest appear first.
Su, the Venom Hydra.
Mon, the Blue Monkey.
Feru, the Ark Fenrir.
Taran, the Sinister Tarantula.
Behind them, their tribes line up.
Next appear the armed Golem-Homunculi.
Starting with the rhino-type Gonzo, the giant snakes, lions, lizard types, insect types, a large army of hundreds, if not more.
Considering it’s Gijie, he probably applied the same enhancing spells to all these troops as he did to the drawing mannequins before.
Leading these monsters is a black ant, brandishing a large sword.
This scene must appear like a nightmare to Elja.
The quality of the magical power of each creature is vastly different from the golems she encountered earlier.
What is this? A monstrous army in such grand numbers?
Where on earth did they appear from?
Her expression seems to voice these questions.
『A… ah… ah…』
Elja groans, her voice not forming words.
Her breath is ragged.
Sweat is pouring.
Her body won’t stop trembling.
Why can’t she muster her strength?
Why can’t she transform back into the Holy Dragon?
Why, why, why?
Question marks race around in her mind.
Amid the chaos, the black ant at the front of the horde takes a step closer.
At that, Elja trembles again.
That’s how depleted she is right now.
The black ant, raising a large sword, seems to grin at her.
『This is our first direct meeting, Holy Dragon. My name is Ann.』
The black ant’s words flow into Elja’s mind, laced with fear.
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