Chapter 16: The Thrill / The Battle Against the Super Dragon II
“Listen up, everyone!”
Pulmy-san’s voice boomed with an air of authority from the back.
“Behold! This rain of light that fills the sky! And the trampled Three-Headed Dragon before us!”
As Pulmy-san spoke, her followers—diverse in age, gender, and occupation—seemed to have a switch flipped within them by her words.
“They are not even fighting at full strength!”
I could feel their excitement rising palpably.
“Here are the three warriors joining us in this battle! The first is Orphelia Verite of the Seventh Blue! The second is Sage Angelica Honest!”
Cheers erupted from the crowd upon hearing their names.
“And the third is Row, the greatest and most powerful wielder of Light Magic, the Seeker!”
Caught up in the momentum, the crowd cheered even louder at the mention of my name, a name that should have been a mystery to them.
It was a truly bizarre situation. Right in front of us, the rain of light continued to pummel our enemies, yet behind me, I was being introduced to a throng of people.
Wait, this is bad! I’m going to become famous! What if they start asking for my autograph or for a handshake? “Please, I’m not that great of a Seeker… hee hee,” I’d have to humbly deflect their praise!
“But do not be surprised! I know this! You are all warriors who are no less than they are! To unleash your full power, trust in me! Follow my lead!”
As her speech concluded, the crowd erupted.
“Uoooooohhhhhh!!!”
Their battle cries shook the very air around us. The tension was at its peak.
“That was a great speech. It seems we’re just about out of time.”
The torrential rain of light ceased, revealing the Three-Headed Liquid Dragon, not quite unscathed, but still in nearly pristine condition.
“Resistant to Light Magic, huh?”
The monster roared with ferocity, its clear hostility and rage palpable. The Three-Headed Dragon plunged its claws into the ground as if scooping water, then hurled a massive clump of earth toward us while simultaneously slamming its tail into the ground, sending rocks flying like a shotgun blast.
The dragon’s fury showed no signs of abating. It attempted to repeat this assault again and again, determined to exhaust us into oblivion, but that was not to be. By the time it began its onslaught, Angelica had already prepared her spell.
“Fire Rain!”
She unleashed the fire version of my Light Rain spell. It was her unique magic, a nostalgic spell we had developed together. The massive destruction that the dragon’s earth magic was supposed to wreak was swiftly countered by countless fiery needles released by Angelica, who was said to possess infinite Mana. In mere moments, the number of fiery needles overwhelmed the dragon’s defenses, piercing through the rocks and striking true—one, two, three, four, five, six needles struck home, continuing to inflict damage on the Three-Headed Dragon.
Booom! Booom! Booom!—It seemed some force was at work on the dragon’s surface; while it didn’t ignite from the impact, it still suffered undeniable damage.
“Is this okay?” Angelica asked me, her expression hidden beneath her hat. She had acted just as I had instructed. My earlier suggestion was to expose the dragon’s weaknesses by attacking it with different elemental spells in succession.
“Yeah, that’s perfect.”
Angelica simply replied, “I see…” while still concealing her expression.
So far, I had gathered a few insights. I could deduce that the Three-Headed Dragon was immune to cutting attacks, and thus wind magic would be ineffective. Similarly, given its liquid form, water magic would likely have little effect. Light magic had proven nearly useless, while fire magic had shown some effectiveness. That left us with—
“Angelica, can you handle this?”
She nodded and succinctly conveyed our strategy. As Fire Rain began to dwindle, the dragon flailed its three heads, expressing its rage.
“GGYAAAAARRRRR!!!”
With a simultaneous roar from all three heads, they began to glow ominously—a clear sign of the dragon’s destructive beam attack.
“Pulmy-san, Orphelia-san!”
They responded to my call.
“Just call me Orphe.”
“Same here. You can call me Pul.”
Accepting their suggestions, I continued, “I’m going to charge in solo. I’ve faced a boss with a liquid body before. I don’t know if this one is the same, but it’s worth a shot. In the meantime, I’ll leave the defense to you two.”
With that, I dashed toward the Three-Headed Liquid Dragon.
“Hellgate!”
A magnificent, blazing portal appeared behind me, summoned by Pulmy-san.
“Ying!”
Orphe murmured something, and her twin swords darkened to a dull hue. Just then, the three beams of light unleashed by the dragon converged and surged toward them. In that instant, I reached the feet of the foolish dragon, which was still spewing Gero Beams.
“Stinger!”
With the Mana I had meticulously refined within me, I unleashed one of my ultimate techniques, striking with a powerful blow.