"Everyone! Let's hunt a bounty monster!!!"
Darkness barged into the mansion early in the morning. In her hand is a wrinkled up bounty poster of the what seems to be a many headed dragon. An Orochi?
Beside me, Liz looked up from her G*me B*y and Aqua put down her precious chicken egg. At the other side of the room, Megumin and Yunyun looked away from their game of chess towards the Crusader.
Darkness gave me the bounty poster. It looked really old, like she just pulled it out of a trash can or forgotten storage.
"Kowloon Hydra. This fellow lives in the hills near Axel, a big bounty target that usually lies dormant. It'll hibernate in the bottom of the lake after exhausting the mana inside its body, and will absorb mana from the land around it. The hydra will need ten years to replenish its mana as it hibernates. The last time it did so was about ten years ago."
Huh, sounds like a big bad bounty to me… I'm assuming it's going to be something like the Hydra in the Greek Mythology. The one that grows its head, that's probably why it hibernates for ten years, probably to gather enough mana.
I turned to everyone else. "What do you think guys?"
Megumin smirked a little and raised her staff. "I'd like to see how many explosion that guy can handle,"
Liz grinned in excitement. "This fellow sounds like an adequate challenge for one such as myself,"
Yunyun nodded in agreement. "I will not let my rival take all the credits for killing the Kowloon Hydra,"
Aqua on the other hand just shook her head. "No thank you, I'm going to stay here and nurture my dearest Zel kun,"
"What about Elena? Where's Elena?"
Yunyun stood up from her position. "I'll go get her, though I'm not sure she'll be up for it,"
With that I turned back to Darkness who looked equal part excited and relieved. "So, Darkness, any particular reason why you want to kill the Hydra? I mean, obviously, the Kingdom always takes care of it every ten years right?"
"Yes, I just wish to take care of this threat once and for all,"
I tilted my head a little. "Is that really all of it?"
Darkness averted her gaze. "Of course…"
"So you're not aiming for the bounty then?"
"Maybe…?"
"How much does these bad boy have anyway?" I asked her.
"It can go up to one billion Eris,"
Oh wow! That's quite a lot of money!
"As expected of our treasury, keeping track of our party funds even if we already have too much to spare,"
Darkness smiled a little at that.
"Right, thank you, Kazuma…"
---
True to Yunyun's words, Elena refused to come with us. The plant girl decided that I'm better than her in what she does best in any shape way or form. So she doesn't even want to bother.
Aqua also refused to go, but I coaxed her by telling her that we need her to wake up the hydra and that she can stay in the sidelines if she wants. The girl agreed and left the egg under Elena's care.
So here we are standing in front of a vast murky lake. There were barren hills surrounding the area around us. Not a single tree in sight. It is said that the Hydra's poison is keeping this land barren and deadly, so only monsters lives neat this area.
I also remember a cave near this place where I first met Adam's Party, one of the first adventuring party we saved in my earliest days of adventuring. The cavern is empty now, but I can almost see the roaring of the Red Eyed Rookie Killer stalking us from within it.
"Okay Aqua, do your thing,"
Aqua nodded and held out her staff. "Sacred Purification!!!" she exclaimed while shooting a beam of purifying magic straight at the lake. A part of the lake turned crystal clear and a gigantic shadow came lurking from beneath it.
"Get ready everyone, it's coming…"
I brandished my Winter Shogun Sword. Liz cocked the Fantasia Mark IV. Megumin flicked her cape and raised her staff. Yunyun brandished her staff and her sword. Darkness held up her great sword.
Eight serpentine heads emerged from the water, each one the size of a house. Half of its back resurfaced, resembling a small island. It is, by all means, the single most largest creature I have ever encountered in my days of adventuring.
It is thrice the size of my mansion and looked incredibly pissed off.
"KYRIIEEE!!!" The creature screeched, all eight of its heads glaring murderously at us.
…
We've been at it for almost an hour now…
Gigantic vines has sprouted at the edge of the lake, binding the Hydra's body and sucking its mana, but still unable to overpower its head. Numerous craters are visible on the ground and on the Hydra's back. Dozens of Hydra heads are lying all over the ground.
"EXPLOSION!!!"
Another gigantic explosion shook the earth and the Hydra wailed in agony as five of its head were swallowed in its wake. But the heads easily grows back good as new and two of the heads started aiming at Megumin.
Up above in the sky, The Emperor rained down bullets like a freaking war copter. She shot all the heads coming at Megumin's direction, riddling it with countless of holes. The head wailed in agony but the holes quickly regenerated back to new.
Beside me, Darkness is fending off four heads at once, giving us a better chance at hitting the Hydra where it hurts more. Mainly its body.
"Light Of Saber!!!"
Yunyun cut off two heads at once before landing on the other side of the area. I took it as a chance to leap straight to the Hydra's back and pressed my hand on it, desperately trying to drain its mana.
After a few minutes of struggling and close calls, an idea came to me.
"Cover me!" I yelled before stabbing the hydra with my sword. I sucked off its mana and quickly convert it into blazing hot fire that also burns through its mana. The fire quickly turned from red into blue and just kept going.
The fire grows larger and hotter, soon engulfing the Hydra's entire body. The flames burns both drains and burns the hydra itself, treating the hydra as one gigantic magical charcoal.
I looked up and saw a gigantic jaw coming straight at me.
"MEGUMIN!!!"
There was an explosion and the head flew into the lake below me. Megumin landed beside me and I tried to see if I can make my flame fill the girl with mana. "Whoa! What are you doing?" Megumin asked when my flames engulfed her lower body.
"Can you feel your mana returning?"
"A little, yeah,"
"Great!"
Okay, okay, I think I'm on to something here. Now I just have to focus on draining this bad boy of its mana.
After another ten minutes, the Hydra started to panic and began its retreat. It struggles against the gigantic vines binding it and dragged itself to the lake. I can feel the water around me rising and boiling from the fire.
"Damn it, I can't keep track on both the fire and the vines…" I looked around, trying to figure out a plan.
"Forest's Embrace!!!"
Thick wood sprouted out from the edge of the lake and bound each of the Hydra's heads. I grinned a little at the new comer and couldn't help but laugh in mirth.
"Way to make an entrance huh? Elena chan?"
"Shut up! I wasn't worried or anything!"
The Alraune gritted her teeth and made a pulling motion. All at once, the heads were started to get pulled back to the lake shore. It wasn't just her, everyone else also helped by feeding Elena with her mana.
"ELENA! What about Zell! Where is he?!" Aqua yelled suddenly, breaking the plant girl's concentration.
"What? You mean the egg? Wiz is taking care of it,"
"What?! How could you!? Handing over my poor boy to that filthy undead!"
Aqua grabbed Elena's shoulder and shook her body.
"Bring him back to me!"
"W-wait! Aqua! Not now! God dammit Aqua!"
The Hydra trashed around, almost breaking free from Elena's binding. The fire went almost out of control and I'm struggling to even stay on top of the Hydra. Explosions rang all around me as Megumin, Yunyun, and Liz did their best to distract the Hydra's head from chomping me.
"Kazuma, whatever you're doing, hurry up!"
"I'm working on it! How much mana does this thing have anyway!?"
After a minute, an idea came to me. An idea that if it works, will prove that I am just so overpowered beyond reason.
"Megumin, Liz keep it distracted! I have an idea!"
"What do you think I'm doing right now?"
I chuckled silently and concentrated on the flames around me. Then I concentrated on my wedding ring before focusing on absorbing all the magic into me. The Fire formed a gigantic column of blue flames that gathers in my hand.
Then, I jumped off the Hydra's back and ran to the lake.
"Oi! Kazuma! Where are you doing!?"
"Something extremely badass! Just keep it distracted!"
I focused on the water in the murky lake and raised my hand. A gigantic column of water the size of a small hill burst out of the lake and up to the sky. The column of water spins like a giant water tornado and grew bigger and bigger.
I closed my eyes and pictured a shape. A humanoid shape that has proven its might. A powerful foe that has been passed down in the realm of legend. Then, I imagine the cold, the winter, and the unyielding power of ice.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at an Ice Golem the size of a freaking G*ndam. It resembles the Winter Shogun, complete with its armor and its giant katana.
Gasps of awe and disbelief came from my party members.
Then, I closed my eyes and opened it again.
However, what I'm seeing isn't the Winter Shogun itself but the Kowloon Hydra. Only this time, I stood almost as tall as the Hydra and I got the strength to back it up. I brandished my gigantic Ice Katana and charged at the Hydra.
What follows next was possibly the most awesome battle I've ever had in a while. The Hydra now fight with all it has, blocking my giant blade with its claws. All eight of its heads showered me with its lethal acid.
The Acid quickly drains my mana so I kept my distance from it. I cut off its head with my blade only for it to regrow it again and again. It kept going until I noticed that its regeneration is slowing down.
I continued my relentless attack on the hydra, my ice structure body cracks every now and then, but I simply absorbed the magic from the head I cut off to replenish my own mana.
Soon enough, the Hydra is in its last legs. Its head has stopped growing and only five more remaining. I raised my giant ice sword victoriously when was about to end it once and for all when that happened.
"Iteration One Release!!!"
My blade hits an invisible wall and it shattered into pieces. I took a step back warily and the Hydra was pushed back into the lake by an invisible force. I looked down at the vines binding the Hydra and found them all cut cleanly in half.
Then, a powerful pressure came crushing down on me. My body cracked under the pressure and I was brought to my knees. The pressure kept going and going until I finally shattered in an explosion of ice shards.
I suddenly found myself lying down beside Megumin. The Crimson Demon is staring at the Hydra with wide eyes.
A single figure stood where the Winter Shogun ice golem once stood. Her short white hair cast shadows over her eyes. Her hand was outstretched in a gripping motion.
Paradox lowered her hand and snapped her fingers.
Just like that, all seven members of the Fantastic Dreamers were lined up in front of her. Her eyes shone brightly as she glared at each and every single one of us. She then glared right at me, seething in anger.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!!?!?!?"
This is the first time I've seen Lady Paradox this mad and something tells me that the next time will be the last…
I glanced around me and saw all my party members frozen stiff in fear. They then slowly turned towards me, because of course they do.
"I'm trying to get the Bounty Target Hydra?"
"Why?" Paradox replied curtly.
"It's Darkness's idea,"
Paradox turned towards Darkness and even the extreme masochist couldn't help but whimper a little under her stare.
"Explain,"
"I was…" Darkness gulped a little. "Forgive me, I was just thinking that we should kill the Hydra because… It's been ten years…"
"Did the guild give you permission to go after it? Did no one in the guild warned you against going after the Hydra? Did Luna not tell you anything?"
Darkness froze and we all turned to look at the Crusader. She lowered gaze and sighed in defeat.
"I… I'm sorry… I couldn't find the bounty poster so I grabbed one from the archives… I didn't mention it to anyone… forgi-"
Darkness's words were cut short and her form slowly floated up from the ground. The crusader put a hand on her neck, desperately clawing away at an invisible force that's choking her to death.
"Pa-Paradox sama! Stop!"
I tried to move, only to find my body unable to do so. Like we're being bound by power chain. The rest of the Fantastic Dreamers also struggled to move, Yunyun even yelled teleport but nothing happened.
We watched in horror and awe as the Crusader rose higher and higher to the sky. She kept going until she was around the Hydra's level before she finally stopped rising.
"TEN!"
The goddess flicked her hand downwards and a blast of dust filled our vision. When it dies down, Darkness lay in the middle of a large crater, still struggling to breathe. She was then wrenched up again before plummeting back on the ground.
"BILLION!"
Again and again and again, the Crusader was thrown all over the hills faster than my eyes could follow. She didn't even seem like she was enjoying it since I caught a glimpse of horror and pain on her expression every now and then.
"ERIS!!!!"
I turned to my left and saw Megumin gritting her teeth in pain. A visible burn could be seen on her left hand that is slowly healing. Even her explosion couldn't free her from Paradox's bindings.
Darkness fell on the hill a distance away from us and she was then dragged through the ground by an invisible force. A gigantic trench formed on the ground and we found ourselves staring at a dying crusader.
Her armor was in tatters and some of her bones were bent and broken. Her face is pale, still unable to breathe.
Beside me, I saw Aqua struggling with all her might to rush over to Darkness. But even the fellow goddess cannot fight against the invisible pressure.
"Senpai…" Aqua whispered. "Please…"
The goddess of wisdom snapped her finger and Aqua was freed from her bounds. She rushed straight to Darkness, her hands brimming with healing magic.
Paradox then took out a piece of paper and handed it to me. It is an official letter from the Kingdom of Belzerg signed by the Knights and the Princess herself.
"Read it,"
"By the order…"
"LOUDER!"
"By the order of the Princess Iris and the Knights of the Belzerg Kingdom, the Kowloon Hydra and its surrounding habitat is now the property and responsibility of Haios Paradox. No adventurers or civilians may interact with Kowloon Hydra and any attempt of trespassing and hurting the Kowloon Hydra falls under property damage."
Okay, let's make gigantic internal reminder to always, always double check the availability of a bounty before going for the kill. Heck, just to be safe, let's always ask Vanir before going after a big game bounty.
"Ten. Billion. Eris. That's how much your attack cost me," Paradox then turned towards me and I wavered under her gaze. "Now, you are going to fence this entire hill while I figure out how the FUCK am I going to recover from this..."
"Alright, got it,"
"I want fifty signs with my logo and promise of death to anyone that dares to enter this area."
I turned to Darkness who still looked extremely weak and under Aqua's embrace. Her face is still pale and she still too powerless to do anything.
"Let's go everyone…"