Chapter 196
In the Eighth Area―――
「Guh… indeed!」
Clang! Clang! Screech! The high-pitched sounds of swords clashing reverberates.
Over and over again, Rasetsu slashes at Almaty’s body.
「It feels so good!!」
Yet Almaty simply stares vacantly, with not a single wound to be seen.
He’s tough.
Too tough.
Not even Rasetsu’s slashes, which tore Ouronus’ “Aberrations” to shreds, can inflict a single injury on Almaty. Incredibly…hard.
「Take this! And this! Indeed!」
「It feels so gooood!」
There was nothing to call it but the worst possible matchup.
For the first time in his life, Rasetsu gritted his teeth in frustration. To not be able to cut something was this vexing. And creepy too.
「Now it’s my turn!」
Almaty’s wild punching.
With hardness surpassing even that of mineral dragons, his fists become ultimate weapons when turned to attack.
In a snap decision, Rasetsu crosses his arms to guard.
「Ugh!」
But he can’t stand his ground, and gets blown away.
He finally stops when smashing into a wall.
Almaty approaches.
「I kinda feel like battles are similar to love affairs,」
…Huh?
What’s he randomly talking about?
「A clash of each other’s thoughts and abilities. And then mutually exposing your own strengths and sensitive spots to deeply insert your own hard-」
「INDEED!!」
While crying out, Rasetsu shuts down Almaty’s crude remarks.
Don’t listen. Can’t listen. It’s maddening.
A mental attack. Stay strong.
And the furigana are weird too. Has to be a typo. I wish.
「Nice… This is the hottest battle I’ve ever had, Armor Warrior!」
「Just die already, indeed!」
「…If you can kill me that is. Can you…snatch away my first time dying?」
―――Piercing gaze shoots into Rasetsu.
A mental attack. So creepy.
That mental flinch creates a brief opening.
「See, an opening!」
Into the unguarded crotch a body blow.
Almaty’s hard thing drills into Rasetsu.
「Gah…」
An intense shock assaults Rasetsu.
Then—Snap!—a “crack” forms in Rasetsu’s armor.
「―――!?」
Shock runs through Rasetsu.
His armor, which nobody had ever damaged since his birth…
Had been damaged.
「Fufu, nice armor you got… My hand that hit you kinda hurts too…」
Then Almaty’s words stop mid-sentence.
The reason is the armored warrior standing before him.
Defenseless as a ghost he stands silent.
「…unfor…givable…」
「Hm? Whatcha say?」
「Can’t…forgive…」
How dare you…put a crack…a scar…damage on the armor papa gave me!!
You damaged my precious, precious armor!!
That’s equal to besmirching the most important bond between his beloved father and himself.
Gush— Steam-like stuff rises from Rasetsu’s body.
That enormous magical power taking visible form.
「Unforgivable, unforgivable, unforgivable! I can’t forgive you! Never forgive! Unforgiv—Absolutely unforgivable!!!!!」
In an instant, Rasetsu’s magic power swells explosively.
Exceeding disaster-class, surpassing calamity-class—and beyond―
「Haha… Now this is impressive,」
At that raging torrent of magical energy, Almaty cracks an agonized smile.
He’d intended to step on a tiger’s tail, but what he actually stepped on seems to be something far more ominous.
「But that’s exactly what makes it so fun!」
Almaty also unleashes his power, dashing ahead at full throttle.
Rasetsu charges as well.
Fists and slashes collide explosively!
Dreadful shocks course through!
The ground splits, walls crumble, the air quakes.
Awe-inspiring greatsword clashes with fist in fierce exchange.
None can now intervene in their sphere.
Evidence being, the battling skeleton troops and even the Demon Army, earlier locked in mortal combat, now huddle together quaking in a dungeon corner to avoid getting drawn into the two’s battle.
Paying them no heed, the clash between the two intensifies.
◇◆◇◆◇
In the Sixth Area―――
As declared, Mulder and the Demon King’s Eight Divison arrives at the 12th floor where Elja’s group waits in the blink of an eye.
The previous foolishness seemingly a lie, taking the shortest route they swiftly clear the dungeon, ignoring repositioned golems to arrive here smoothly.
「Oh my, pleased to meet you all Holy Dragons. I am Mulder, the Demon King’s Eight Division Leader. Apologies for the time it took to come here.」
Mulder bows as he greets, businesslike in appearance. But they won’t be fooled by that anymore.
Elja’s group stands wary.
「Eh? No greeting back? How disappointing.」
Raising a hand lightly—
「Now then all, please come at me.」
Battle begins between Elja’s forces and Demon king’s Eight Divison.
Gripping a hexagonal staff, Mulder leaps at Elja.
His demon troops, following suit, engage the other Holy Dragons.
「Now then, my opponent is―」
「Burn to ash!」
「Woaah?!」
Elja’s flame singes Mulder’s clothes.
No purifying healing flame, but destructive fire to reduce foes to cinders.
But Mulder narrowly evades it.
「W-What’re you doing with a sudden sneak attack?!」
When there wasn’t anything sudden or sneaky about it in the first place…
「Oh do shut up! As Master Earth’s bride-to-be I shall protect his dungeon!」
「Wha—?! Elja, I haven’t given up yet!」
To begin with, there is no engagement or anything – just wild conjecture.
And feeling a quiet shock, Pororo’s competitive spirit burns.
「Oh my, the prince of the Divine Catastrophe Dragon King and Guardian Holy Dragon’s daughter are promised to each other… My congratulations to you both.」
Mulder claps approvingly.
Elja blushes, not expecting congratulations.
「Then I should try even harder as well.」
Raising his hex staff, he charges.
Rushing Elja.
「Flame, grant me―」
Trying to deploy a defense spell immediately, but—
「Fire element defense spell Flame Scale Armor? …Too slow.」
「Wha―――Gahaa!?」
Before Elja’s defense activates, Mulder’s staff batters her.
Struck hard, Elja tumbles along the ground.
「Fire element defenses have slower activation than fire attacks. A fraction of a second, but still. So in this case, you should’ve countered with an attack spell instead.」
「Ngh…」
Quickly, a recovery spell―――
「Recovery spells take even more time. Rather than endure pain, first you need to make distance from the enemy, isn’t it?」
―――Before she can, Mulder’s next blow sinks into Elja’s side.
「Gah… Why…?」
「Is it really that puzzling for me to read your moves?」
Elja nods silently.
Mulder points to his own eye.
「The demon tribe power – the ‘Eye’. And, well…simple empirical rules too.」
「The demon tribe’s… ‘Eye’?」
「Yes. There’s a proverb from Wano Country, ‘Seeing the trees, not the forest’. Focusing on details without seeing the whole. The demon eye is the opposite. ‘Seeing trees shows the forest’. Perceiving the individual reveals the totality. Ability differs of course.」
Which is why he seems to see the future, predicting Elja’s every action.
Why with but a glance he grasped the dungeon’s full structure.
Such observational prowess far exceeding norms is Mulder’s power.
「The demon have various unique spells. The Eye, divination to determine directions, personal teleports. Curses and hexes we’re skilled at too… Though using those would kill me.」
「Is it…alright telling me all this?」
「No issue. It’s pretty ‘meaningless information’ to me. My previous captain, well now he’s a traitor, had a big mouth too. Harlot said she failed to finish him off – wonder where he is now…」
Mulder speaks with almost nostalgic tones.
「Anyway, Elja. Isn’t it about time you got ‘serious’?」
Elja stiffens.
「What do you…」
「Because you all can’t go ‘all out’ inside dungeons, am I right? That’s why I can jerk you around like this yeah?」
True.
A holy dragon’s prowess shines, not underground, but above on land and in sky.
Unable to move freely with their immense bodies restricted, here they languish.
Dammed dungeons leave space to maneuver, but this one was grown to match Earth’s size. Too cramped for their true form.
「I’m unsatisfied you aren’t serious, which in turn leaves me unfulfilled. I doubt… I could bear it you know.」
Glasses veil the penetrating gaze that peers through all.
Eyes boring straight into Elja.
Bear it? So confident in his power, this man?
「You have ‘trump cards’ don’t you? Best to play them instead of holding back no?」
「……」
What is he thinking?
His thoughts elude Elja’s grasp.
「Just what…do you have in mind?」
「Who knows? But at the least, if you don’t get serious, you will die.」
「Then…I shall regret nothing. Do not hold back!」
Resolute, Elja makes her determination.
In the next moment her magic power swells explosively!
The dress she wears becomes decorated with a crimson dragon motif, matching gauntlets and greaves adorning her limbs. So called battle dresses.
Her parasol morphs into a gorgeous rapier studded with gems.
「―――Draconic Transformation!」
Brandishing her transformed rapier, overwhelming magical pressure assaults Mulder.
「Oh my… Marvelous. Condensing your holy dragon power into human form. Doubtless…inspired by dragon slayers?」
Enduring the searing winds Mulder voices his deduction.
Cold sweat beading his brow betrays the strain.
「Correct. Drawing from dragon slayers’ Dragonoid Form… A trump card developed jointly with Lady Elibel.」
「Tremendous power… Looks quite formidable indeed.」
A nonchalant shrug that irks Elja.
「Here I come!」
Rapier poised, Elja charges ahead.
And—the contest concludes in an instant.
◇◆◇◆◇
Meanwhile in Area 8, the tide seems to be turning.
「Eat this… Indeed!!」
So muttering, Rasetsu swings his odachi.
His slash skims Almaty’s cheek.
Blood trickles down.
「!?」
Almaty stunned.
Swinging relentlessly, Rasetsu brings his blade down again.
Guarding hastily with his hand, this time his arm is slashed.
「Guawawawaha?!」
A shriek escapes Almaty.
He flees gaining distance to assess the damage. It’s deep but bone remains intact.
Quickly using alchemy he staunches the blood and sews the wound shut, force bonding it. Crude but serviceable to continue fighting.
Luckily Rasetsu didn’t pursue.
Without shifting ground Rasetsu swings his blade repeatedly, seeming to test something.
「Phew… What happen, getting the cut suddenly throw you off?」
Sweat beads Almaty’s face in sheets. His breathing ragged.
The earlier composure gone.
Rasetsu by contrast—
「Yes…got used to it. Indeed.」
「……..Huh?」
「Really hard but…finally got used to it, indeed.」
「Used to…? Like hell you ‘got used to’ cutting my body—」
Catching himself mid-sentence, Almaty notices.
The explosive magic power surge transformed his opponent.
「W-What the… your body…why’s it that ‘color’?」
That’s right. Parts of Rasetsu have darkened.
Not just armor but blade too, as if ink bleeding into paper slowly staining him black.
「Took quite a while to acclimate, indeed.」
Zuzuzuzu increasingly Rasetsu’s form grows blacker.
Jet armor and blade condensed calamity given shape.
Not just Almaty, his troops and dungeon companions quake at the sight.
「―――Soul Transformation – Black」
!!! An overwhelming shock assaults Almaty!
「Wha—You gotta be—Guhoooh?!」
Blown back several meters by its might.
Tremendous power!
Yet greater shock comes from the attack’s nature – no magical strike at all.
A mere light swing of the blade.
That alone unleashed such an impact.
And Almaty realizes.
Rasetsu’s magical essence, his soul’s core is transforming. No – transcending in response to his opponent’s power!
「Don’t tell me you can…change your very soul to match the enemy’s strength?!」
Rasetsu nods firmly.
Almaty wants to shout No way to such absurdity.
Matching souls to opponents? Ridiculous!
That means physically rebuilding oneself to exceed the foe.
Effectively, limited ‘evolution’. What madness!
Far exceeding Soul King-class – no, even God King-class magics.
As if that’d be possi—
「Ah…」
Pursuing this, Almaty recalls – one extra normal being did just that.
A unique dragon said to embody calamity itself.
Signature attack spells endlessly evolving to counter enemies. Creation of lifeforms adapting without limit.
「I see… So that’s why Agil wants you all dead… I was skeptical but now I understand…」
「What are you saying, indeed?」
「Nothing, just muttering. Come, let’s settle this.」
His odds of winning now close to nil.
Since his foe surpasses him in might.
And attacks are being read too.
Proper tactics demand withdrawal to regroup and devise counters before reengaging.
However,
「But this gets my blood pumping! All forces fall back! I’ll buy time!」
Ordering retreat, Almaty challenges Rasetsu with a grin.
As captain he must secure that window. Abandoning this place unthinkable. Impossible.
Yet equal parts obligation and personal desire to fight such a mighty foe.
Above all, pride forbids exposing his back to a formidable enemy!
「Haha…hahahahahahaha!」
At some point his laughter echoes Rasetsu’s own.
Punches fly, blades slash, tremendous shocks resound.
Ground ruptures, walls collapse, the ceiling wails.
Scorching heat. Body ever accelerating.
Breath, pulse, each drop of blood burning!
Yes – the exaltation! The battle I crave!
Unreachable so I grasp! Worth staking life for!
Punch, punch, punch!
Cut, cut, cut!
Laugh, laugh, laugh!
Fight, fight, fight!
Arms slashed, blood pools.
This is battle. Baring all to mingle with the foe.
Ahh…if only this moment could last forever.
Yet eternity itself must end.
Thud.
Almaty’s knee gives out.
「Ahhh…my limit…huh…」
Oblivious to severed left arm and right leg.
That intense was the clash. Such fun times.
A glance back shows his troops withdrew safely.
Right arm ending above elbow extends towards Rasetsu.
「Thanks… Armor Warrior…I…」
「Rasetsu.」
「Eh？」
「My name…Rasetsu, indeed.」
「I see…nice name…thanks…for everything…」
Murmuring thus, Almaty collapsed.
―――Dead.
Gazing at the corpse, Rasetsu sheaths his blade.
「―――I enjoyed it too…Almaty.」
Area 8. Concluded.
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