--- Lava
Every fortress always has to be such a maze, just a 'you are here' sign on one of the walls would be incredible.
As it stands the only idea I have is mindlessly roaming the hallways hoping to find the right path.
None of the rooms look special in any way, the only indication I'm going the right way are the surroundings becoming more flourished and well kept.
Then when I finally reach the entrance to a larger chamber, it's blocked off by some strange wall of magic.
This must be pretty important, then!
I break through it in just a few swipes and proceed, but instead of a throne room, I seem to have stumbled into a boss fight that Elestra warned me to stay out of.
"I've been expecting you for a long time now." A female voice echoes through the chamber.
"Who's there?!" I call out.
"You already know the answer to that, there's no need to ask. It would be rude if Elestra didn't tell you about me. That hag should have just obeyed and quietly returned to being a forgotten relic!" The voice continues.
"So you're Senna, then. It doesn't matter. I'll just have to defeat you like everyone else." I proclaim boldly. I can't come this far to lose here.
"You've already stepped into my domain, it's no longer that simple. You should have thought harder before coming in here, because I control everything in this space." Senna chuckles, "I can do anything! Like say, creating metal spikes out of the floor-"
As she says it, metal spikes indeed come from the floor, but they aren't hard to dodge.
"Or a rain of acid!" She continues, and it again comes true.
Barriers sound like such a basic ability but they are so versatile, a magic umbrella was almost needed for this.
But what the hell is her deal? Everything she says just comes true? That's too broken.
So why doesn't she just instant KO me with words? There has to be a catch that I'm not smart enough to figure out.
I can't keep defending and letting her keep surprising me with overpowered nonsense. I have to attack right away.
I swing my tail to create a moving blade-like barrier in her direction, but she just shatters it.
She didn't even say anything that time, so now I really don't understand.
"We would prefer having you alive, so I'm going to drown you, and then clean up the rest." Senna says.
Unlike the other statements, I didn't believe at all that I could drown here, where there isn't any water or anything. I thought it was absurd even for a broken ability to be able to do that.
What was even more absurd to me was that nothing happened, if anything she changed it seemingly desperately.
"No, maybe I should just hit you hard on the head the old fashioned way." She appends to her previous sentence, putting on a suddenly annoyed look.
No way. Is her power just whatever I believe?!
No wonder she was monologuing so much, I just have to ignore and dismiss whatever she says as being impossible, then she can't do anything.
"Tch. It's annoying when a dragon has a brain." She complains mid-battle.
I use my opportunity to try and grab her quickly, but she evades and moves out of the way like it was easy.
"Even if you know, you still doubt yourself and perceive me as a challenge. That alone is enough of a belief to become reality here!" Senna shouts while jumping over me.
I feel a sharp pain in my back as she uses a dagger to nail an engraved piece of wood onto my body. It looks just like the wood pieces Elestra carries around, but with different symbols.
"There, I've sealed your magic inside you. Good luck using magic now!" Senna celebrates a little too early...
I don't have anything to seal inside me, I've been using the Arcana in the environment directly. I thought that was how it was supposed to work?
It's very easy for me to put her in prison with my barriers after that.
"Why can you still use magic! Damn it, I should have exploded you instead!" Senna screams fruitlessly. There's nothing else she can do since I don't even perceive her as a threat anymore. So if anything, her ability that centers around what I believe can only backfire.
I still feel like I got lucky, and that's not a good feeling to have against someone that's not even the final boss.
I put her to sleep with my Mana breath like I did the Ralei.
I think this is it.
At least the door is big enough for me to fit.
The end of the chamber leading to what I assume can only be the throne room is closed off with a huge and very ornate door.
It isn't easy to open either, and that's with it being unlocked.
Dragon strength can manage it, though.
I can finally meet what is hopefully the last disaster I have to face. Surely after I've fulfilled the role of hero I can just grow up peacefully?
As the door opens, it reveals a spacious throne room, with short pillars holding up what must be precious artifacts or treasures.
Those don't concern me, what does is the sight I see on top of the throne.
I look across the room to witness Grimnal, who is far from what the last demon lord was.
He literally looks like a giant evil bear, pretty much the size of me.
"My insolent subordinates have failed me. To force me to do this myself... Once I finish with you, I'll dispose of all the useless trash in my fortress!" He growls in anger just from the sight of me. Serious anger issues.
Alright, what's your thing going to be?
Many things crossed my mind, but instead of anything like I was imagining, Grimnal simply roars and starts charging at me with an axe materialized out of magic.
Woah, he really isn't that creative.
I blocked the axe easily, but he launched shards of sharp magic spikes hurtling at me too. Those would have got me if I let my guard down right there.
He follows with another swing that I block quickly, but his axe is breaking through my barrier!
No fair!
What can I do now? I have to fight dirty!
I unleash my Mana breath right in his face to escape the attack, and with the opening I have, I imagine all the Mana I can muster concentrating in my claws and take a slash at him.
This is just an idea I had from my first attempt to hunt in this world.
Mana can be like venom here just from how it reacts with this world's magic. It's a good thing I sharpened my claws or I would be struggling to get any good cuts in.
"Agh! What did you do to me! You bratty lizard!" Grimnal yells and tries to crush me with gravity, however thankfully I also learned that my Mana breath can cancel out magic.
Elestra was right, this would be so much harder if he knew how to do anything but trying to crush me with brute force.
I should be able to get in small attacks until his powers weaken if this continues, but I don't think he would let me do that over and over.
I'm not sure how many times it would take to really weaken his power.
I try another quick strike, but he doesn't let me do that again, instead grabbing my arm and preparing to run me through with a conjured sword.
I've seen this one before, I'm not getting stabbed the same way as last time, no way!
Don't underestimate the power of angles! An angled barrier easily deflects the stab and he has to back off to avoid my bite.
Not allowing him any time to do anything crazy, I send flying blades of magic towards him right after.
He is not happy with being on defense, and this time he forms a gigantic sword that barely fits the room.
Oh crap. No way I can dodge that and I was barely blocking things before, I might have underestimated the power of brute force.
I jump backward to try and get out of range, but I was just a little too slow, and I can feel a lot of pain where it slices my side open.
I'm so lucky. He's only getting stronger the longer this goes on. I need to end this quickly before he learns how to use the full extent of his power.
What can I do with just barriers?!
As I'm desperately trying to think, I knocked over one of the pillars and shattered something that looked important.
It used to look like a colorful glass cube, but there was something inside it that was revealed by its current state of being smashed into pieces. Something red and round. It looked kind of like a pill or something, and I could see Grimnal getting nervous when I picked it up.
Of course! This must be some kind of secret power up pill, right? There was nothing to hesitate for, as long as I can beat him it doesn't matter if I die again.
I want to go home, but I'm more afraid to lose without taking him with me.
I shove the little pill thing in my mouth immediately, which might be dumb since I don't even know what it does. But I've always fought with this reckless amount of stupidity, it always works out somehow.
If I die after then I guess I'm dead. It would be nice not to, though.
I can feel something changing, like my Mana is being boosted and that something in me is moving around, it's not easy to describe but it does make me feel stronger, sort of...
Grimnal doesn't look so confident anymore but I don't know what it did yet...
He seems to see the look in my eyes that I'm just an idiot that doesn't know what I just did and charges at me. Very very fast.
I block his stab again with a barrier, except this time, it goes through the barrier, disappears, and comes back out to stab him instead!
Woah, I reflected it! That's so cool! I don't remember being able to do that before.
"I didn't want to have to kill you before escaping this place, but I won't let you make a mockery of me any longer!" Grimnal yells and goes for other fragile looking things on display.
He took not one but three of those pills at once.
Uh oh. I can tell I'm in trouble as soon as he starts emanating the same aura I have due to my Mana.
"This is the power of a true god! I'll turn you to du-" He proclaims, before an arrow hits him in the back. Huh? That has to be Shiba, right?
Grimnal is super super pissed, "You think a flimsy thing like this can destroy a god?!"
Or so he says, but he can't move at all and slumps over while struggling.
Is that it? All it took was an arrow?
"What the hell are you doing? Finish him off before the seal breaks!" Elestra screams from the doorway.
"Oh, right! Right!" I stutter sheepishly and quickly go for his neck.
I was expecting a block or even a dodge, but it was a clean slice!
I don't want to dare ask if it's over or not, that's the worst thing you can ask after defeating someone strong.
Should I even be happy? What if that also jinxes it?
"It's okay to celebrate now, he's gone for good." Elestra says. "If he hadn't tried to use those soul pills, he would've been a problem. Thankfully he was an idiot."
"Oh, is that what those are called? They came in pretty handy, I might have been in trouble if I didn't find one that was hidden." I chuckle in relief, feeling the pain start up.
"WHAT?! YOU TOOK ONE TOO?!" Elestra grates loudly and starts getting closer in an uncomfortable manner.
"Yeah. Why? Is it that bad?" I ask. Now I'm getting a little scared of being done in by side effects after all that.
"You are the stupidest dragon I've ever seen in my life! The fact you're still fine right now must only be because of your compatibility with Mana, but even without that reckless act you still fight like a suicidal maniac." She states and storms off.
Oh, Liora is here too, and is healing me!
But OW, it hurts even more while it's healing!
"Stay still! The cranky woman is right! If you died then I wouldn't be good enough to replace you." Liora snorts.
As for Shiba, he seems quite happy that he got to do something important.
"What was that arrow, anyway?" I questioned curiously.
"Elestra told me it was some kind of seal enchantment thingy, she tried to explain the whole thing but I just wanted to be useful so I didn't care." Shiba explains.
Makes sense, I guess.
Once the painful cut is healed I start trying to get up, but I'm suddenly feeling very sick. So much so that I can't stand anymore.
Anything but this feeling again! I'm too familiar with this sensation of not being able to even move, I can't go through this in my second life as well!
"Lava! Don't do that, get up! Please?" Shiba cries and tries to push me up, but I can't.
It just feels like something is dissolving me from the inside. Could this be the pill's doing?
Elestra, being the smartest of the three seems to have an idea of what it is as soon as she sees my aura weakening.
I'm having trouble trying to stay awake at this point, but she personally stabs me again just to force me awake with the pain.
Obviously I scream and flinch awake from the pain of being stabbed again, even from her thin sword.
"Hey! You can't sleep or you're dead! You have Mana and Arcana generating inside you now, focus on separating them!" She commands loudly.
It's hard to focus through the pain and the sick feeling, but after a few minutes I can finally feel like there's a line somewhere inside me where the two meet.
Just separating them a little bit has already made the sickness recede by a lot, though it's still there and is very unpleasant.
Now that my mind is more clear, I realize that I've taken the title of Demon God as well.
I guess that means that I'm creating Mana and Arcana inside me now, and they don't like each other one bit.
I have to be careful not to let them mix too much from now on.
"I'm okay. There's no need to be scared for me." I console Shiba, who was worried for me.
I just need to find a way home now! I'm so excited to get back!
"Dragon, come with me." Elestra orders without much explanation.
Well, she's much smarter than me, I'm sure it's important.
She leads me down multiple passages and hallways until we reach what looks like a library.
"This is where Azgaroth kept the information on his experiments." She explains as she goes through each shelf. "Here it is."
She pulls out a dusty book and hands it to me.
"What is it?" I inquire, my mind blank and confused.
"This is a book containing information on runes, it's useless here, but it should be helpful for you in your own world. They aren't as complex as enchantments, but you can use some of the same tricks." She clarifies.
My eyes wander to a more decorated pedestal closer to the center, which is empty.
"What's that?" I point.
"Oh, that's where he used to keep the Soul Grimoire." She states uninterestedly.
"Okay, then what is that supposed to be then?" I repeat.
"Supposedly it contained ancient magic, it's what he used to corrupt Mana into the kind of magic we use. But after an attempted rebellion he was afraid of anyone else using it to surpass him, so he threw it into a rift to your world and then sealed it so no one could follow it." She answers.
Interesting, well, guess that's not my problem.
"Any ideas on how I can get home?"
Elestra leads me to the next room over, but she doesn't go in.
The inside feels refreshing, it's full of Mana!
"This is where he did his Mana experiments, you should be able to open a gate here. That's why they wanted you alive, since it's difficult for Arcana to force the veil between our worlds open. For you, it's as easy as opening a door." She says. "I'll make sure no more tyrants make their way to power here, you've done your part."
"Hey, hold on a minute! I still need to say goodbye to Shiba." I interrupt before he arrives as well.
"Don't worry, you can always come visit later, right?!" He cheers.
I'm not sure about that, but Elestra nods so I guess it's possible.
"I don't know how magic works for you, but as long as you focus on where you want to arrive it should work fine." Elestra adds, but with an extra warning, "It might not be very stable because of your Arcana."
Alright then. I'm just going to try without an incantation so I don't have to make up some magic gibberish that sounds embarrassing. Please work.
"
Oh, it feels so good to use a spell after so long, I miss the unlimited possibilities of my world! Not to insult the magic of this world, but I prefer when magic actually feels magical instead of pure talent.
The gate itself is kind of blinding, it's practically blasting it's blue glow into my eyes.
I waved goodbye to the companions that got me this far and tried to keep my mind focused on where I wanted to end up as I went through the portal.
Part of me wondered if I could have ended up on Earth if I let my focus wander too far.