Honestly, we didn't consider the risks. Just why did we have to prioritize our appetite first? There are no regrets though, so we'll just have to be careful. As much as possible, I'd like to stick with it till the end. The battle against the Crimson Dragon Emperor had been going on since yesterday. But on today's morning, we were finally about to finish.
It was terrifying. After all, the Crimson Dragon Emperor was ridiculously strong. The damage we sustained was enormous. Us 9 demons continued to fight until today. However it was only Minokichi-kun, who boasts a strong body, Kanami-chan, who was acting efficiently in the back, and me, who still has some hidden trump cards, that were still able to fight. Thankfully no one died. The other 6 demons wouldn't be moving for a while due to their current conditions.
First up, Burasato-san had attacked at close range with great intensity.
Thanks to her experience and skill, she was able to crack through the tough dragon scales with her sword techniques, managing to damage the thick dragon shells. By combining her abilities, she was able to deeply cut the flesh underneath, causing the dragon to steadily accumulate damage.
While in the middle of the battle, Burasato was somehow able to dominate the purple dragon blood by force. The Crimson Dragon Emperor's blood contained a large amount of dissolved magic, turning it into a dangerous substance that can cause one to die from madness if they came into contact with it.
Even though she is a Blood Lord Subspecies specialized in controlling and using blood as a weapon, what she did was definitely not an easy task. It was a reckless move, something that a normal Blood Lord wouldn't even think of in the first place. Even if they were able to control it, using it would only result in death.
However, Burasato took things slowly and carefully, making it possible. All of the draconic blood controlled by her converged into a giant sword-like weapon. After that, she swung it with all her might in combination with her Sword Techniques.
The length of the dragon blood sword was nearly dozens of meters and yet despite that, the speed at which it was swung was almost impossible to see. The attack succeeded in cutting the roots of the two pairs of wings that grew on the back of the Dragon Emperor.
Draconic blood has the capability to inhibit one's abilities, and with Burasato managing to take control of the blood, the Crimson Dragon Emperor seemed to be affected by his own blood as well. With its regeneration slowed down and having lost its means of escaping to the sky, the enemy was now inevitably locked in combat.
Although it was a magnificent result, the price to pay for using dragon blood was heavy. Although Burasato had only wielded it momentarily, she began vomiting blood repeatedly and her whole body became dyed in red. Beneath her armor, her skin and muscles were being torn apart.
As such, her body was in tatters. It was the price to pay for doing something so reckless. Still, her willpower kept her fighting while she was being healed. After reaching her limits, Burasato went to the rear to the recover and drank several recovery potions. Even if one was at their limits, with several potions ingested for recovery, they would be able to recover.
After her came Supesei-san. She dealt a staggering blow to the Crimson Dragon Emperor thanks to the magic that she was able to prepare, using the time given by our vanguard. Regrettably, the Crimson Dragon Emperor had the skill[Flame Nullification]and as a result, Supesei's powerful Fire Magic had no effect. Still, she made full use of her wide variety of magic by combining them together, playing an active role in many occasions.
Since she was fighting from the back, she did not suffer any severe physical injuries. However, due to the consecutive use of high-powered magic, her once enormous magic power was now depleted. The side effects were quite strong but thanks to a last minute[Mana Vitamin]and[Concentrated Mana Potion], she didn't suffer from magic deficiency. Although if she had acted a little more recklessly, she would have lost consciousness.
Right now, she was lying down besides Burasato while waiting until her magic power naturally recovered slightly. In order to protect those in the back from the Crimson Dragon Emperor's flames, Asue-chan had brought out a conveniently sized lump of heat absorbing metal and held it with all of her might. The lump of metal was something I had collected back in the large river.
Although it cannot completely stop the Dragon's flames, it was still able to absorb most of the attack and protect those in back.
However, after 10 minutes of resisting, the lump of metal could no longer endure the heat and resulted in severe burns on Asue's arms and legs. It was only due to her equipment and Seiji-kun's treatment that her limbs were not fully burnt. Nonetheless, the burns on her limbs were still quite severe.
In addition to that, her endurance had reached its limit due to the intense movements she had undertook. Right now, she was lying down and recovering in the same manner as Supesei.
As for Seiji and Kugime, since their bodies were not physically fit, they had passed out from magic deficiency. Because Seiji pushed himself to the limit in healing everyone, he had eventually run out of magic power. Among us 9 demons, only Seiji and I can heal others. But, because I was busy dealing with the dragon, it was all up to him to perform the necessary medical treatment on the others.
As a Saint Lord subspecies, Seiji has the capability to heal everyone. He has never had any problems. That was up till now. While I did help out, it was only a bit in order to close the gap. Seiji-kun had to use his abilities beyond conventional limits. Even if he was vomiting blood, he probably would've continued healing everybody. If it weren't for him, someone probably would have died.
As a result, he started suffering from magic deficiency. Right now, he's sleeping peacefully with the others. Once he gets up, I intend to praise him for his great efforts.
Kugime-chan observed the whole body of the Crimson Dragon Emperor. Every time she foresaw an attack, she would inform everyone about it. At this particular time, she was looking for the very few weak points that were common to all of Dragon kind.
There was only one weak point in the scales of the dragon's body; the part known as the[Dragon's Reverse Scale]. Naturally, there are probably countless number of scales covering that part but looking for another weakness right now was impossible. Besides, the Dragon was spewing out a lot of magical power which hampered Kugime-chan's perception.
You'd need the same amount of magical power to cancel the effect. Though Kugime-chan managed to do it somehow, she started to bleed from her eyes and nose due to the extreme strain it caused on her brain. Still, she managed to find the weak spot. However, due to this, Kugime-chan ended up with Magic Deficiency. Although thanks to her, it was now possible to find and attack the[Dragon's Reverse Scale]. She did great.
As for Irofu-chan, she kept the dragon from flying. She played an active part by using her corrosive attack while hiding herself behind everyone else. Unfortunately, when Burasato cut off the wings, Irofu was caught by an attack from the tail of the Crimson Dragon Emperor. As a result, she got blown away by the impact.
Although she managed to escape the fate of being fully crushed, she still suffered grave injuries, her lower half having been turned to mush. I quickly treated her with my[Blood Elixir]though she didn't regain consciousness. For now, I rolled her close to Supesei while healing her.
Among everyone, Irofu had the most severe injuries. Well, she did mumble the words『Overwhelming pathos... a handsome man and a wild beast... dripping with sweat as their flesh clash...』, so it was unlikely that she would die.
Irofu-chan; she probably wouldn't die even if someone tried to kill her. With the current condition of 6 Demons, only us 3 Demons were left standing up against the Crimson Dragon Emperor. As the dragon was stuck to the ground, his strength had been reduced to approximately a quarter of what it had been at the start.
The accumulated damage on his beautiful scales was visible and most of his strong limbs had been severed. His four wings are already gone with half being severed by Burasato-san's blood sword and the other by me and Minokichi-kun. Right now, the severed parts were lying around somewhere nearby.
Some of his huge internal organs had already spilled out from the numerous injuries surrounding his body, having been pushed out by flowing blood. He was still alive even in this state. The Crimson Dragon Emperor was truly really strong. It doesn't matter. It wouldn't change the fact that he will die soon.
With the Starving Impaler of A Thousand Thorns (Kazıklı Bey), I pierced the reverse scale located on his throats. Half of my spear's handle was buried in his throat in the process. Pulling it out, I then followed by thrusting the vermilion spear towards the golden eye located in the middle of the dragon's forehead.
I then triggered the spear's special ability,[Army of the Bloody Vermilion Spear], annihilating the dragon's brain and other internal organs. However, even though most of his brain had been destroyed, the Crimson Dragon Emperor did not die. Rather than dying, he even tried to bite me. This kind of vitality, isn't it ridiculous!?
Not wanting another counter attack, I activated[Sizzling Cursed Wounds]. With this, even[Flame Nullification]would not be able to stop the Abnormal Conditions (Bad Status). Even if it only impairs his regenerative ability a little, he would still surely die.
As expected, what life was left in the Crimson Dragon Emperor disappeared from his eyes. With this, I guess we've finally captured [Flames of Fire Dragon Mountain].
[Field Boss Crimson Dragon Emperor Flerve Ignatos has been successfully subjugated.]
[As a bonus for being the first to subjugate, the treasure chest[Crimson Emperor's Tomb]will be given.]
Huh. Apparently, there's still more. Hearing such a shocking announcement, I couldn't help but feel exhausted. While contemplating the announcement, I quickly collected the treasure chest and the body of the Crimson Dragon Emperor.
After that, the missing ladder reappeared. It seems like we can finally leave the arena. Soon, there was a new spiral path leading to the bottom of the crater. The wall of rocks in the crater changed to accommodate the new path. It was also possible to go back to the dungeon entrance by flying or by going through the floating mass of metal located on the opposite side.
In addition, I sensed several creatures flying from the bottom of the crater. According to[Phased Radar Array]and[Sense Area], there were 6 of them. Moreover, there was a unique reaction that made it seem like their bodies had just been created.
If I were to guess, it looks like the dungeon boss who created them was waiting at the bottom of the crater. Moreover, the opponents are troublesome when I think about it. The 6 flew up with great vigor from the bottom up towards the arena, showing their true appearance.
3 "Heat Dragons", 2 "Fire Dragons", and 1 "Flame Dragon". However, they felt more like a single entity. The length of the Heat Dragons were around 15 meters, the Fire Dragons around 20 meters, and the Flame Dragon around 30 meters long. After having fought against the Crimson Dragon Emperor, they might look small when compared to him but they're still huge.
By the way, it is said that a normal Heat Dragon is capable of fighting against a Fomorian. Normally, it's not something I would consider as an enemy. However, taking into account the benefits it receives from the dungeon and the geographical advantage, it's now a formidable opponent.
Including the Fire Dragons which are higher-ranked Heat Dragons, and also the Flame Dragon which is even more powerful, we cannot fight them carelessly. While I started planning, the 6 dragons remained hovering dozens of meters above us.
Together, they simultaneously used their[Dragon Breath]. Their dragon breath mixed into one seamlessly, significantly raising the heat. Just one breath was already strong and now there were 6 of them combined. If I were to try and endure the attack with my[Resistance], I would be overwhelmed by the heat.
If it hits the arena, it would instantly cover the entire place with crimson flames. Not holding back at all, I used[All Creation] on the descending breath, compressing it as it approached. I thought it would be harder but compressing it was easier than expected.
Even though the fire ball was made by 6 dragons, it couldn't be compared to that of the Crimson Dragon Emperor. Though it's certainly strong, the power is still not to that extent. The once huge fireball had been reduced to one meter in size. While it continued to burn, I still kept on compressing it.
I wonder what would happen if I used[Greater Compression]on it? I tried it out. As a result, the breath became thumb-sized and resembled a precious gem that was shining brightly. Putting that aside, the dragons were left dumbfounded after seeing such a spectacle.
Having obtained this Flame Gem, I ate it with the help of[Absorb Magic]. After doing so, I felt satisfied. It was the unique feeling of something which had been lost being replenished. To be frank, it wasn't delicious since there was/it had no taste. Still, a fireball made from the magic of 6 dragons was more than enough to recover my own power.
I felt relieved for managing to absorb the magic power of the dragon's breath. Knowing this however, I couldn't help but think that I should've done this from the start. Well, I'll just keep that tidbit to myself. Meanwhile, the dragons were now descending straight towards me. They probably thought that their breath was useless against me.
It looked like they had decided to kill me up close and personal. With their eyes set on me, they roared fiercely and bared their sharp fangs. Anyways, fighting them head on would just exhaust me. Instead, I used[All Creation]to increase the gravity around them by a factor of ten.
Unable to withstand the burden, the dragons crashed onto the arena one by one. The impact was terrific, managing to tear and rip through their tough dragon scales. I guess I could say that their posture during their fall was bad? There was even one which had all of the bones in its thick limbs broken.
Though the pain angered them, they couldn't move at all due to the powerful force weighing them down. They writhed painfully as they continued to endure the force. I approached the dragons while keeping my guard up. With my vermillion spear, I stabbed each dragon once and gouged their hearts out. After doing so, I then collected all the corpses. For managing to obtain a large amount of Dragon ingredients, I am thankful.
However, even though I've already defeated the dragons, there were more coming up. This time, I could perceive 12 of them, twice as many as before. Even if it's that much, I think I can still deal with them no matter what. However, there were 6 demons that couldn't move and if I tried to protect them at the same time, the fight could become very tough.
Even if they were to advance or pull back, there were still a lot of risks. Besides, even though Minokichi-kun and Kanami-chan can still move, they can't fight at full strength. Even with a Gods [Divine Protection], even if their minds and bodies had been toughened by daily training, as a species, there surely exists a physical limit.
Having just finished the fight against the Crimson Dragon Emperor, the two would likely reach their limits if they attempted to fight the dragons without any rest. In this case, I was the only demon who could still fight.
Still, I don't know if even[Summon Archfiend]can keep them safe and if possible, I don't want such a disadvantageous situation to appear. In this situation, wouldn't we get eaten by the dragons? Or maybe we would just be burnt down to the ground and turned into ash.
I'd want to avoid that at all costs. There are others waiting for us to return and I still want to do some more things. In that case, I can only propose an absurd plan. First, I will have Minokichi-kun and Kanami-chan protect the 6 demons in the arena.
Meanwhile, I will head down to the bottom of the crater and reduce the number of dragons so that the two could handle them. After doing so, I will go and defeat the Dungeon Boss by myself. By doing so, the capture can be completed and I can return without any regrets. It's something that can't even be called a plan.
When I told them, they complained about it but… well, there's no other choice. Because it's a plan mixed with my own interests, I just listened to their complaints. For some reason, unrelated complains were mixed in as well though I just set those aside. After hearing out their words, I carried out my plan.
As for them, they said something like『Well… Since its Aporou, there's no helping it.』before letting me go. It was probably the result of the trust that I have built from them since the beginning. They most likely believed that I would be able to carry out this absurd plan. Entrusting them with the rest, I jumped off the arena. Minokichi-kun blamed himself for his weakness and injuries, but was determined to succeed in his goal of protecting the other 6 demons.
Although she worried about my safe return, Kanami-chan waved goodbye with a beautiful smile that would have charmed anyone looking at her.
『Well then, I'm going, I leave the rest to you.』
Holding onto a red spear and cursed spear, Aporou, the black demon Apostle Lord, jumped off the arena. As Aporou began to fall, a tremendous amount of pressurised hot air blew past him. He had avoided the normal route which was the spiral path along the walls of the crater. As a result, he approached his destination extremely quickly.
Because of the speed of the fall, the temperature change was immediate, and very soon the heat reached a point where the fireproof outfit in which he was dressed reached its limit. The magic items, which had cost a lot of money and up till this time had performed their duties properly, disintegrated in less than 10 seconds from the beginning of the fall.
The heat did not weaken, but only intensified, and it began to disintegrate the armor that protected my upper body, leaving me in my pants alone, which were now my only armor. Fortunately, having[Iolite Liquid],[Refractory Mucus Secretion]and[Complete Fire Resistance], I was not in any real danger.
The fall was only safe because he was Aporou, and so the heat was still easy to deal with. Anyone else in his place would have turned into ashes long ago. Below the arena, there was only a blazing inferno. But in these flames of hell there were still monsters.
These monsters were dragons, long known as one of the mightiest species. Covered with bright red scales, and possessing a huge body, they carried destruction with them. They approached in a group of 12:
6 Red Dragons
4 Flame Dragons
2 Purple Dragons
If the dragons were to attack outside of the dungeon, they held enough power to easily destroy a large kingdom. The 12 Dragons looked down on the defenseless demon who was seemingly taunting them. Unlike the wyverns, dragons have sharp intelligence. To them, it appeared that he had decided to commit suicide by jumping off the arena.
Even if this wasn't the case, a demon capable of flight, in the eyes of dragons, looked pretty pathetic. To them, he was seemingly bringing himself on a platter for lunch. The manner in which he wanted to commit suicide also seemed stupid.
Thus the dragons thought, who knew nothing about Aporou. However, they had to obey the orders of Flame Dragon Empress, Mustaria Ignatos, and kill the intruder at any cost. Using the magical power contained in their throats, they directed their flames towards Aporou.
All at once, the 12 of them opened fire. The sight of it was like a volcanic eruption, and it seemed like anything within attack range would be turned into ashes. If such an attack hit directly, then perhaps even Aporou would not survive. However, that was before he had evolved. Instead, Aporou just smiled wickedly. If a lizard has just learned how to fly, tell it not to be conceited.
『Get lost.』
[Aporou used combat art[Multiple Lightning Cross].]
[Aporou used combat art[Killer Breath].]
Due to the profession[Holy Knight (Crusader)], he was able to use[Crusades Attack]. Even without[Groin Attacks]and[Multiple Lightning Cross], it still has great damage. It had a large radius of destruction, and thus was an excellent fighting art.
In addition, Aporou had the ability[Grand Cross Smash], adding a bonus to the attack and further increasing attack power. It was enough to punch their breath. He also held the profession[Dragon Slayer]and combat art[Killer Breath]. As the name states, this combat technique was very effective against breath attacks.
Aporou performed just two fighting techniques with his spears, but in the next instant the area in front of him was covered in red flashes. The space in front of him exploded with large amounts of cuts and strikes. The flames, previously on course at Aporou, were cut into 4 pieces as easily as paper.
However, although the flames had been split into parts, they had not yet lost all of their power. As such, the attack was not completely prevented. Luckily, the cuts resulted in the flames splitting around Aporou and escaping upwards towards the sky, leaving him unharmed.
They rose hundreds of meters with a terrible roar, and finally dissipated near the top. This slightly surprised Minokichi-kun and the other demons at the top, but they were unharmed as it did not quite reach them. The first attack of the dragons was a complete failure. As such, the dragons were stunned to see Aporou unharmed from their attack.
Even after witnessing his response, they could still not comprehend how such an action was possible. Because of their confusion, their next response was even slower than that of the wyverns. Laughing at the dragons, Aporou activated the[Death Dealing Roar (Desperado)]and used[All Creation]so that anyone apart from the dragons wouldn't be harmed.
『Die.』
The short phrase had enough strength to instantly kill 6 of the red dragons. With all of their life force drained out of them, their enormous bodies crashed to the ground. The rest of the dragons which had survived, the flaming dragons and purple dragons, did not die. However, it could not be said that they had escaped the attack unharmed.
The flaming dragons had become dull in their movements and their speed had visibly decreased. They beat their wings desperately while trying to maintain their flight, releasing huge amounts of energy. They could not understand what was happening to them.
The strongest of the 3 types, the purple dragons, only slowed down slightly. Realising that part of their group had perished, the dragons recovered from the attack and glared at Aporou angrily. The Dragons then focused on him with magical power burning in their eyes.
Usually, living organisms would be rendered helpless under the concentrated power of such a gaze, and some may have even died. For dragons, this common method of attack allowed them to suppress the opponent's attacks and allow an easy victory. If they had used it against any normal opponent, it would have been quite effective.
Unfortunately, it was the wrong move to make as the opponent they faced easily surpassed the classification of 'normal'. Thus, throwing their evil glances at him, the dragons stared straight into the eyes of Aporou. He responded by activating[Deadly Evil Eye], and immediately the predator became the prey.
The dragons could have eventually recovered from the negative effects of[Deadly Evil Eye], but they were still under the influence of[Death-Dealing Roar (Desperado)]. Thus the effect of the attack was multiplied and the power was significantly increased.
Almost immediately, the four flaming dragons stopped beating their wings and fell into the fiery abyss. As things stood, 10 of the 12 dragons had already lost their lives without much of a fight. The scene was not something that the average person could fathom, but even for a[Legendary Hero], it looked quite unreal.
The remaining dragons were a superior species than the others. Although they had been reduced to a weaker state by their injuries, pride allowed them to roar and with bloodshot eyes they flew at him as though he was their sworn enemy.
『Gaaooooooo!!!』
In response to this, Aporou grinned ferociously. He looked as though he had been waiting for a good catch of catfish which had just ran straight into him.
『Shii??』
Transparent black wings grew behind Aporou through his[Electric Generation]and rapidly beat the air. The power of the wings sent strong waves of air away from him. The distance between him and the purple dragons seemed to instantly disappear as he flew forward.
[Aporou used Combat Arts[Headhunting].]
His Job[Vorpal Punisher]and Battle Art[Headhunting]made both his red and cursed spears coordinate in the timing of their attack. Two sets of red flashes later, the heads of the purple dragons were cleanly cut off. The power of the blow was such that the durable dragon scales provided no resistance, easily cutting through the flesh. The severed heads of the purple dragons retained their life for just a second, enough for Aporou to see his victorious reflection in their eyes.
『Beautiful, the blood of this purple dragon.』
He tore off the necks vigorously, ejecting a huge fountain of blood. Since it didn't evaporate from the heat, he poured it all over his own body.
Since dragon blood was high in magical potency, spilling it on oneself in such a quantity was quite dangerous. An ordinary person would immediately begin to collapse in agony from the pain, and it would not be surprising if their whole body began to disintegrate.
『Oh, this thing is better than I thought. It doesn't feel that bad.』
Indeed, the blood served the opposite effect on Aporou, and strengthened him instead of inflicting any harm. After activating[Bloodsucking Vampire], the fresh purple dragon blood further replenished Aporou's strength. He then retained his self-control, and the blood on his whole body gradually evaporated. He quickly collected the bodies of 12 dragons, and began to hurry downwards towards what he was sure was certain hell.
During his flight, Aporou encountered 3 waves of ferocious dragons. The number of dragons increased as well as the quality of their attacks. Soon, the fighting had increased in difficulty and he could no longer kill them instantly. Enough time had passed since he had left and there could soon be an attack on Kanami-chan and the other demons. Now that he considered how long he had been flying, it was likely that the battle had re-begun in the arena.
He was not really worried about their ability, but rather if they were able to recover in the time that he had bought them. However, he was now approaching the bottom of the volcano and had no time to be distracted by someone else's battle.
『This... truly, it is huge.』
He saw lava that glowed like the sun, and in it floated an enormous mass of metal, the "final arena". The temperature here was so intense that his internal organs began to bake from the heat. Here, at the bottom of hell, one dragon waited for Aporou.
This dragon was quite similar to the one that the 9 demons had just beaten. It was probably of the same race or a close relative species. This one differed from the Crimson Dragon Emperor in that it had 2 pairs of huge arms instead of wings on its back, and 10 horns shaped like a crown protruded from its head. The shape of the dragon was also slightly different.
But these differences can be attributed to the gender and individual characteristics of members of the race. Aporou was not surprised because he did not even care. But what surprised Aporou was the fact that, for some reason, this dragon was even stronger than the Crimson Dragon Emperor.
The lower part of the dragon was not even in the final stage as it was submerged under lava, and its body lay in a cave carved into the wall of the crater. Although it was not entirely visible, Aporou could sense its size using[Sense Area]. Its total length was longer than the Crimson Dragon Emperor's body by at least 150 meters, and if its hands were to be held apart, its wingspan would have been more than 300 meters.
As such, its other body parts were also huge in scale. In front of this massive dragon, Aporou looked like an ant compared to an elephant. In addition to the huge body, its aura was overwhelming due to the magical power it possessed. Its power made you feel like you would disappear if its gaze was directed upon you. If the opponent facing the dragon did not have a strong will like Aporou, he would die with fear on the spot.
The huge dragon looked at the intruder into its lair, and opened up a mouth which could have easily engulfed a building.
『Congratulations, you managed to defeat my husband; and to get here, you are quite worthy.』
『I am Mustaria Ignatos, direct descendant of the proud[Red Flame Dragon Emperor, Doragon], according to the contract with the[God of Rebirth]I defend[Flames of Fire Dragon Mountain.』
The voice of the Flame Dragon Empress was shockingly beautiful. It was produced at an extraordinary volume and surprisingly said with a hint of affection, slightly shaking the surroundings. Aporou was confused because he had expected the empress to be furious after the death of the Crimson Dragon Emperor.
『Before we fight, I'd like to thank you.』
『Why? I have killed your husband.』
The empress bowed her head slightly, and the surprising action puzzled Aporou once again. However, it didn't seem to be a threatening gesture.
『I do not care so much about that. You are the first person to have reached this far. Thousands of challengers have attempted to do so, but none apart from you succeeded. So I thank you for succeeding, and finally bringing a change to my never-ending stagnation in this place.』
After ending her speech, the Flame Dragon Empress opened her mouth wide. Inside her mouth, which was strewn with huge fangs, an incredible amount of magical power began to accumulate and compress. Under the compression, the mana began to distort space, and the air took on a unreal and strange appearance.
Looking at this, chills ran through Aporou's body. He had a premonition of certain death. If he did not move instantly, he would die. Even if he did try to escape, his death was still extremely likely.
Using[Sense Area], he grasped the unimaginable scale of the attack. Even if he used[Emergency Escape], he could still not avoid the range of the attack. Thus, Aporou realised that an unavoidable, fatal attack was about to be released right at him.
『To start...』
『Kaa...』
Instantly, Aporou leapt into action, setting up his defense while the Dragon Empress prepared to attack. Using[All Creation], he created countless layers of vacuums by influencing gravity. It acted almost like a black hole. The power of the field was enough to distort light, and slightly attract any organisms towards it. If an organism was to get too close to it, they would be ripped to shreds.
Aporou had to resort to using such a formidable attack as part of his defense. With its help, he was also able to attract a huge mass of metal which was floating in the lava beyond the final stage. The size of it was huge, easily weighing several hundred tons. However, it would just float around if it wasn't held in place. Using the ability of his red spears, he replicated several hundred copies and forcibly secured the lump of metal onto the final stage.
Although some of the metal's ability to resist attack fell due to being drilled into by the spears, it was nonetheless quite indestructible to many strong attacks. The remaining spears also formed a shield wall in front of Aporou. The size and layers of his present defense were more than enough to prevent the attack of any enemy he had encountered previously. A normal attack would not even leave a scratch.
However, he still had a bad feeling that it wasn't going to be enough. He turned his silver hand into a semi-circular shield to protect himself from the front, and equipped his armor which had the added attribute of the[Red Bear Beast King's Prestige]. As a result, his fire resistance increased drastically.
For extra measure, he enhanced his body with the[Black Demon Laminated Dragon Scale Armor]. This also led to a boost in his current armor and it started to cover him in a black aura due to the[Black Undead Knight's Cloth]. To increase the defense of his silver arm he activated the profession[Shielder]and[Shield Wall][Lesser Physical and Magical Damage Reduction], which also resisted against magical attacks.
He then sacrificed most of his mobility for added defense through[Endurance]. The effect would activate for a short time while he defended. However, it would switch back after the Dragon Empress' attack, allowing him to go on the offense. Even with all of this, Aporou did not think his defense was perfect. However, it was the best he could do in the short time period before the Dragon Empress' attack. The Empress released her blistering attack, the[Breathing Flame End], which could not be controlled upon release as it was too powerful.
The entire arena exploded with a storm of white flames, reaching Aporou instantly. The resulting impact battered Aporou, and he struggled to maintain his balance. His teeth began to crack, but he paid no attention to them. The lightning fast attack was so incredibly hot that it evaporated everything it touched. The dense layer of vacuums managed to take away some of its momentum, but the sheer force of the attack pushed it through.
The huge mass of metal held for 10 seconds before it too was consumed. Amazingly, the heat surpassed the absorption limit of the metal, and it began to distort in shape. This caused a small gap in the mass of metal. The small hole was enough for the flames to burst through, and consume the metal from the inside out.
Aporou's barrier of spears also met the same fate. Having smashed through his first 3 layers of defense with only a small loss in power, the flames reached Aporou's silver shield. Such an item was nigh indestructible, and yet the flames still surpassed the amount of heat it could absorb.
Even though the Empress was a servant of the divine, she could not completely destroy the silver hand. While it did not disintegrate, it was warped terribly out of shape, not managing to stop the attack either. The white flame then reached the black aura that covered his armor.
Although his armor had been reinforced with a plethora of abilities and it provided some resistance, it couldn't suppress the attack completely. The aura scattered, and then the armor began to melt. The flames met the ability-enhanced skin of Aporou.
Although he had always imbued his skin with large amounts of abilities, it still wasn't enough, and the flames finally overcame his last layer of defense. The strong smell of burning flesh permeated the air. The flames had been reduced to a fraction of their original power by the combined might of his defense, but even so Aporou was left barely hanging on to his life. Somehow managing to make one last effort, he activated[Hyper Speed Regeneration].
Thus began the endless process of destruction and regeneration. He knew that if he lost focus for even one second then he was dead. The flames brutally attacked both his body and his mind, and he almost didn't manage to pull through. Luckily for him, everything had a beginning and an end.
『Uuoooaaaaa!!』
The roar from Aporou could finally be heard as the effects of the attack wore off. Flames that could have easily melted a kingdom were eventually reduced to a more bearable heat. The direct attack was over after Aporou managed to outlast the deadly flames. He managed to survive, just barely. Afterwards, he collapsed onto one knee. His breathing was ragged and heavy, and his shoulders shook badly. His body smelt of burnt meat.
『Ooooh! I'm glad you managed to survive that! That was excellent!』
[Breathing Flame End]had melted most of the surface of the final stage and lava filled the surroundings. Breaking through the surroundings walls, it had reached the very[Border Circle]. Without the outer circle, the attack would have definitely left a scar on the face of the huge continent. An attack like that would have traveled for days. All that came before it would have been vaporized. It would have left a lifeless desert of molten earth in its wake. The Dragon Empress was awfully glad that Aporou had survived her attack.
『After being here forever, I even forgot how to hold back. Who would have thought an Apostle Lord would be able to suffer my attack and only collapse!! Although you carry the patronage of a Great God.』
『You can be proud of yourself, you can truly be proud of yourself! The one who took a direct hit from my breath and lived. From now on, you will be known through legend!』
『As expected from the past tests, as expected from the chosen one of a Great God.』
The Flame Dragon Empress, having a lot of abilities, easily recognized the hidden divine favors in Aporou. Before, no one had been able to ascertain Aporou's divine blessings. Hearing this, Aporou thought it would become necessary to block the leakage of information in the future. Just at this moment, Aporou replied to the Flame Dragon Empress.
『As expected, it was hard.』
While he survived, the damage done to Aporou was not insignificant. His armor, after having suffered serious damage, was seventy percent destroyed and his body suffered from severe burns. Some parts of his body had become charred meat.
The living body armor may have survived, but the silver hand which took most of the damage was severely warped out of shape.
Aporou had made a priority of protecting the head and not the body. Inevitably, this resulted in his body not fully being protected by the living armor and the damage in those regions was very severe. In particular, everything below the elbow in his right arm was missing and the rest was charred to the bone.
Even with the incorporation of[Severe Pain Resistance], the pain violently attacked his body and brain. Even after receiving such damage, Aporou restored his body with incredible speed and further reinforced his body. Under the influence of[Blood Elixir]and[Hyper Speed Regeneration], the burnt skin was restored and replaced with a new layer.
Nonetheless, the restoration of his lost right hand was difficult. He had to salvage an arm by taking out the meat of the Dragon Emperor from his item box, and absorb it with[Infused Liquid Restoration].[Ultra Recovery]and further modifications enabled Aporou to enhance his physical state once again.
Several times stronger than before, Aporou pointed the cursed spear and red spear towards the Flame Dragon Empress. Even after such an overwhelming attack, there was no despair in the eyes of Aporou. In fact, they were filled with even more determination, focused on the Flame Dragon Empress.
『Oh, you're able to move already! I thought I would have to wait until you had recovered, but this is even better!』
『I really needed a battle like this to dispel the boredom I have felt for so many years.』
Having said that, Flame Dragon Empress finally came out of her cave and stepped onto the final arena in her entirety. This time, she attacked with one of her hands, which were located on her 4 dragon wings. A huge hand with wide range and enhanced with long claws attacked extremely quickly despite its large size.
The impact was like a collision with a large truck at full speed. Aporou crossed the red and cursed spears to protect himself. The blow was extremely fast and made a screeching sound upon contact with the spears, creating a bunch of dazzling sparks.
Aporou had superbly parried the lightning fast claws with his 2 spears. To fend off such an attack without using combat techniques was an unheard level of skill for ordinary people.
『Ooh! Even that attack was easy to fend off for you! What frightening skills you possess.』
In the wake of the first strike, a second hand came swinging at him from the Dragon Empress. It was much stronger and faster than the previous one, but it was also easily parried. Without a pause, it was followed by 3, then 4, then 5 attacks, merging into a continuous series of strokes. Screeching noises were heard and sparks were scattered each time the opponents clashed, the impacts carving out pieces in the final arena.
『Guuu!』
Even Aporou was surprised that he was able to fend off this dance of fatal blows. The Dragon Empress was 75 times larger than Aporou. Even if it was easy to parry every attack, each blow could be fatal to the mosquito-like Aporou.
『Even at this level, you still avoid being harmed by my attacks? You still resist?』
The final arena was painted several times by blood under this barrage of attacks, but Aporou was still alive. That was because he had used a lot of abilities at the right times, and his reflexes had sharpened through the long time spent training in combat techniques.
As a result, he had no wasted movements and his attacks looked like a beautiful dance. But even for Aporou, the Dragon Empress' constant attacks prevented any counterattack. No victory could be attained only by parrying. To win, going on the offensive was absolutely necessary, especially as precious time was slipping away.
『Even with this damaged body, you are trying so bravely. It is a very magnificent spectacle... what kind of attack will be enough to break you, really...』
『My next move will be interesting, how will you deal with it?』
[Sizzling Meteorite]
The Flame Dragon Empress raised her hands to the top of her wings, and with the help of her huge magical power, used a type of magic known only to Dragons. She summoned a flaming meteor that was 65 meters in diameter, which came crashing down on the final stage. Coming under such an attack, even Aporou would be crushed. The attack, unlike the claws, came from the top and was much bigger, which made parrying impossible.
In order to get out of this dire situation, Aporou decided to use one of his hidden trump cards.
[Demon Orbs - Orb Liberation]
The mixture of black, red and golden colored Demon Orbs embedded in his breast and on both elbows and knees simultaneously melted.
The substance completely enveloped Aporou's body. The huge fiery meteorite was called forbidden magic[Dragon Magic: Sizzling Meteorite]and had the power to destroy a small country. It approached from the sky at a high speed and was aimed directly at Aporou.
Its majestic appearance looked like a sun was falling on the arena and it raised the temperature of the final stage even higher. The Empress retreated to avoid the direct impact, and the meteorite crashed onto the final stage without any interference.
After that, everything was consumed by a sea of flames. The earth quaked from the titanic blow and the walls shook so hard that they began to crumble.
First, there was a bright flash. It was not the type of flash that would blind you, but the type that incinerated everything. Then, the sound wave came, louder than the roar of the dragon. The physical destruction was like the sound had the force of a hammer.
A moment later came the shock wave. Any living thing within the radius of impact would have turned to mush upon contact as it spread outwards in the final stage. Obliterating fragments scattered everywhere at high speed. The destruction caused by the meteorite covered the entire arena.
『Hmm. I overdid it a little again?』
The incredibly strong final arena had been partially destroyed by only one of the Dragon Empress' magic attacks. The Empress had survived the destruction of the meteorite due to her dragon scales. The Flame Dragon Empress, who was bathed in flame, carefully looked around the arena.
But as a result of the impact, the area was still covered with flames and debris, and it was not surprising that she could not find her target. However, that was unavoidable. The area where Aporou had been standing had been destroyed, and torrents of lava and debris filled the spot. Rising plumes of smoke caused a thick fog which enveloped the arena.
It might have been different if there had been any sort of movement from him, but in this situation, even the dragon's eyes could not find him.
『Umm. I think he failed.』
『As expected, it was too much. I should have at least found out his name.』
After not finding Aporou or feeling more of his presence, the Flame Dragon Empress thought he was dead. It could be felt that her face expressed disappointment, because although a dragon's emotions are rather difficult to understand, it was easy to judge by the tone of the voice. After waiting a long, long time, she finally met the creature she had wanted to fight, and now regretted using such an overwhelming spell.
Suddenly, she noticed a shadow moving in the corner of her field of vision.
『Umm, that's...』
Turning her head, a cold shiver ran through the body of the Flame Dragon Empress. It was a very uncomfortable feeling, like having ice travel down your spine. Before the Flame Dragon Empress could understand what was happening, her instincts kicked in, forcing her to evade the deadly attack. She quickly crouched, flattening her body to the battle field. She was still about the size of a house, but these actions saved her.
『Adddhhh!』
Since she had become a dungeon boss, this was the first time she had felt such pain. It was felt as if her whole back was violently burning. Aporou had originally gone for a fatal wound to the neck, but instead her wing-arms were completely ripped apart.
『What is it?』
From the stumps, a huge amount of blood exploded outwards. The blood vessels in the Dragon Empress were extremely thick. Her heart circulated blood with a very strong beat, and constantly sent out enormous volumes of blood.
As a result of the thick artery being severed, there was a large fountain of blood, irrigating the entire battlefield like rain. This rain of potent blood would cause instant death if not evaporated immediately. However, there was one more creature in addition to the Dragon Empress who was bathed in the blood.
『Ohhh, how delicious!』
Completely, covered with blood that he enjoyed as if it were expensive wine, the creature licked off chunks of meat which were left on the red spear. Fallen into a trance, as if it have caught a great ingredient was none other than Aporou. However, Aporou now looked significantly different from how he had looked earlier.
『Fuwa Fu wa wa wa wa wa!』
『It's serious! Great, just great! This overwhelming aura, this arrogance!』
『As expected from the chosen one of a[Great God], who so admirably managed to get to here!』
Aporou, who was staring at the Flame Dragon Empress, stood on a fairly large fragment of the final stage. All of his body except for the silver hand was covered with the gold, black and red suit, the color of his Demon Orb. Unlike other armors and exoskeletons, this gold and black suit tightly hugged his body, and was similar to the ones he had worn in his previous life.
But unlike those, which were made of elastic materials, this one had the hidden ability to freely transform. Constantly changing, the suit grew another pair of hands the same color as the suit and he became the 4-handed demon. He had transformed as a result of the activation of the Demon Orb, whose properties were different for each individual.
For example, a Fire Lord would have received a flaming greatsword, and a Gale Lord would have received emerald armor. That is, each Lord would receive his own individual style of combat methods upon activation.
In the case of Aporou, he had received the whole body armor. All at once, it was a weapon with an infinite number of variations and forms. Aporou had finished eating the chunks of meat left on his weapons. Rather than being held by him, they were now attached to his forearms. As a result, his main arms were free to attack through the hydraulic punch, made through the Demon Orb.
You would expect that his spears would get in the way of his fighting, but instead they shot out at high speeds with greater attack power and destruction than could be attained by fighting by hand. Even if it was to be a problem, it wasn't worrying because he was Aporou.
『OOOoooooooo!!!』
Equipped with his spears on both arms, Aporou roared using[Death Dealing Roar (Desperado)]. It was the voice of death, hunting out the life in living beings. But in order to take the life of the Flame Dragon Empress, it was not strong enough. In fact, he was not even able to impose any negative status effects. In terms of attack, it would have been a meaningless roar.
But having absorbed the blood of the Flame Dragon Empress and using the skill[Bloodsucking Vampire], Aporou had significantly increased his strength and now throbbed with a huge amount of energy. After absorbing the shower of blood from the fiery Dragon Empress, he headed straight for her, accelerated by the ability of the[Black King's Mad Advance]. His lightning attack was faster than sound.
『Shaa!』
But the Flame Dragon Empress would not just stand there in silence, she was not that weak. She struck with her right forearm using magical power. It was a terrible blow, also exceeding the speed of sound. The sharpness of her claws would easily be able to penetrate Aporou's defenses.
But Aporou narrowly avoided it by leaping with perfect timing. If he had sped up, or hesitated for even a second, he would have turned into a spray of blood. But having avoided it, he flew forward without stopping. At the same time, the armor on his feet transformed into a sharp knife, which carved out distinctive footprints.
He used the techniques of[Penetrating Physical Damage]and[Greater Strengthening of Penetrating Attacks]together, and collided with the Dragon Empress.
『Ooooooooo!"
From the feet to the knee, from the knee to the waist, from the waist to the back, from the back to the shoulders, he attacked every part of her body with the red spear, amplifying the damage at each site. He easily penetrated the Empress' dragon scales, slicing through the muscles and getting to the bone.
But there was still not enough in it. It was not strong enough to kill the Flame Dragon Empress. Even if his body was heavily soaked in blood from[Bloodsucking Vampire]and his abilities increased from the Demon Orb, there was still a huge difference in size.
Even with the previous attack, where he was able to cut off the dragon's hand-wings, it was only due to the fact that the Empress had weakened her vigilance. Her body contained a huge amount of magical energy, which made it possible to withstand the attack, and each attack would be immediately countered.
This is precisely why Aporou did the following. Immediately synthesising a combination of abilities, he activated the[Renovate Tyrannical Power of the Black Demon][Divine Destruction of the Black Demon]. After using it, there was a huge illusory hand which was capable of interacting with matter, raising Aporou's physical abilities to a completely different level.
『Oooooorraa!』
The illusory fist directly hit the stomach of the fiery dragon empress with an impact similar to a meteorite, with a huge shock wave. At the site of impact, a storm of lightning exploded outwards. The blow that Aporou had just landed to her stomach was more than just terrible, it's strength was such that it was impossible to imagine.
This single attack by the relatively tiny Aporou was magnified in impact several times, with a size comparable to the mountain-sized Dragon Empress. At the point of impact, dragon scales were broken or dented inwards, and the durable dragon armor easily broke apart.
The lightning burned countless wounds on her body, and blood gushed out from all of these. With the blow exceeding even the Dragon's carapace in strength, bones broke with a thud, and ruptured some of the internal organs. The powerful attack was so unexpected that the shocked fiery Dragon empress gasped for breath, and even so, the attack was still not over.
『What was that!!??』
A golden thread was attached to the body of the Dragon Empress. Due to her collapsed posture and shock, she could not counterattack, and did not have time to concentrate on magical defense. Using the golden thread released from his auxiliary arm, Aporou shot onto the shoulder of the fiery dragon empress, and this time attacked with his hydraulic punch.
It struck with amazing speed, around 10 times per second, and was well suited to the destruction of the thick armored enemies. In addition, Aporou possessed the profession of[Master Spearman]and combat maneuver arts[Lotus Flower Spear]. His red spear and cursed spear radiated with a murderous aura of crimson.
[Aporou used combat maneuver arts[Lotus Flower Spears].]
The attack became stronger with[Continuous Thrust]and[100 Blossoms 1000 Spears], improving the power and speed of each blow. As a result,[Continuous Thrust],[100 Blossoms 1000 Spears]and[Triple Stab]along with the hydraulic punch greatly increased the attack speed, attack power and attack range.
The dragon armor was drilled through as if it were paper. The cursed spear and red spear penetrated the body of a fiery dragon empress like a spoon through pudding. With his spears drilling deeper into her flesh, even the Dragon Empress probably felt some fear. Her pain-filled roar echoed throughout the arena.
『Gaaaaaa!!』
At this point, because of the magical power in her body, her armor ignited in a quick burst. The temperature of her burning armor was much hotter than the meteorite and the lava. Even Aporou was in danger, so he decided to quickly retreat before his body started to fry.
While doing so, he managed to gather the Empress' right hand which had been gouged out by his attacks. They glared at each other across the battlefield. Aporou ate the first-class meat of the Crimson Dragon Emperor whilst keeping an eye on the Empress.
Then the fear of the Flame Dragon Empress was replaced by rage and her whole body erupted in hot flames. Her evil glance was brimming with magical power, and caused a distortion of the force field in between them.
『Fu fu wa wa wa wa wa wa.』
『The frightening truth of such a dreadful creature. No chance that he can destroy this flesh so easily. However, his sufficient strength to obtain flesh and increase his force is what makes him less afraid.』
The severed wing-hand as well as the chopped off right arm had already begun to recover.
First of all, the Empress had incredible regeneration. In addition to that, she had an ability higher than[Fire Resistance], higher than the[Complete Fire Resistance]and even higher than[Heat Immunity]. She had[Heat Absorption], which allowed her to absorb the surrounding heat of the lava, generating a huge amount of energy to accelerate her recovery.
This place was the perfect battleground for the Dragon Empress. While the Empress could recover this way, Aporou could eat her severed leg, increasing his strength. Together with the acquisition of this power, his Demon Orbs also changed. These changes were more like full evolution, rather than improve.
In less than a few tens of seconds, a full recovered Dragon Empress attacked just as Aporou finished eating. In battle their forces were equal, with every single attack having the power of changing the local landscape. This battle for life and death was such that is was like a myth descended from the pages of legends.
■ ■ ■
The battle carried on until late, largely due to the fact that the Flame Dragon Empress had incredible recovery and stamina. Frankly, I did not think one single demon could win this battle. But you should try the meat once... I almost went to heaven with delight.
When you consider that and take into account the pros and cons, the pros probably still outweigh the cons. Soaked in her blood, I'm enlightened. It was unimaginably rich, and I can only compare it to the taste of first-class wine which has had long-term exposure.
Although to be honest, that was still not sufficient to describe the taste. Just one bite and my fatigue is completely removed. If you ask me of what it can be compared, it was too great to be compared with anything I had ever eaten before.