I picked up Gram and pulled it out of the magic circle.
Once again, a metallic sound ringed from the silver blade.
As if in response, the Dragon God shield held by Iris also made a similar sound and vibrated violently.
"Kyaaa!?"
Iris made a startled sound, but she immediately seemed to have guessed everything and turned her head toward me.
"Hey, Kou, could this be──?"
"Yeah. The Gluttonous Dragon is coming."
"I can feel the horrifying presence…"
Lily gulped. Her face was pale, and her body trembled faintly.
"It's like my soul is being crushed…"
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, somehow…"
Lily seemed to regain her composure as she took several deep breaths and nodded with a stout expression.
"Kou-san, let's go back to the surface."
"You are right. Let's hurry and go back."
Just after I answered, Surara shouted from the altar.
"Master-san! I've changed the owner of this facility to me! I will use the transfer device to get to the surface, so please come closer to me!"
Nice work, Surara.
That's what you call a godsend.
I immediately ran over to the altar. Iris and Lily followed me.
"Touch me!"
Surara's voice was heard, and we touched his body.
It felt nice and cold.
"Here we go!"
At the same time as Surara's voice, our entire bodies were enveloped in a floating sensation. The landscape around us distorted as we stood at the foot of the mountain.
"It was only a moment…"
Iris shouted in surprise.
"I wonder if the Elder Lich was using the transfer device too."
"Maybe."
I looked up at the sky. The sun was shining in the afternoon, but for some reason, it was as dark as night.
It was clearly an unusual situation.
"Kou-san, Iris-san, look at that…!"
Lily pointed to the right.
A translucent sphere, like a soap bubble, was floating in the mountain meadow area.
It was pretty large. Its diameter must have been over fifty meters.
The translucent sphere was expanding little by little, quivering and pulsating.
Eventually, as if unable to bear its own weight, it began to fall.
It hit the ground and burst from the inside.
Gram and the Dragon God shield emitted a violent metallic sound as if to warn.
──Then, the great calamity appears.
"RUUUUUYAAAAAAAAAA!"
It was an oddly high-pitched, song-like cry.
It was so far removed from what is generally imagined when one hears the words "Dragon's roar."
The form of the Gluttonous Dragon was also too bizarre to be called a dragon.
It had neither wings nor fangs.
If I were to compare it to an earth creature, it would be similar to a chambered nautilus. It carried a bone-like shell on its back, and countless tentacles extended from the front part of its face.
"Master-san, is that a dragon…?"
Surara muttered in bewilderment.
I felt the same way. Can we call such a thing a dragon?
With a feeling of bewilderment in my heart, I activated [Appraisal].
Emptiness Gluttonous Dragon (Imperfect Form): A great calamity dragon that flew in from the "outside" of this world. It is the natural enemy of all life. The "Gluttonous Ritual" was interrupted, so it was resurrected in an incomplete form.
From the description, it seems that our defeat of the Elder Lich was not in vain. By interrupting the ritual, we at least avoided resurrection in its full form.
The question now was whether or not we could defeat this Gluttonous Dragon.
If we escaped at this point, Surier would surely be destroyed.
I would not accept such a bad ending.
I had no choice but to do what I could.
At the same time as I regained my grip on Grams, the Gluttonous Dragon let out a cry.
"RAAAAARUUUUUU!"
The giant body of the Gluttonous Dragon begins to move, raising a cloud of dust.
When I looked closely, I saw hundreds of centipede-like legs sprouting from the underside of its shell.
The Gluttonous Dragon was not heading in our direction… but in the direction of Surier.
Iris shouted.
"Kou, the city is in danger!"
"I know!"
I called Dest and Grand Cabin from my [Item Box].
"What do you need, Master?"
"Get everyone on board and go after that monster. Full speed."
"Understood!"
"What about you, Master-san?"
I answered Surara's question while taking out the Flying Potion from my [Item Box] with my left hand.
"I'm going to go ahead and stall the Gluttonous Dragon."
I swallowed the Flying Potion in one gulp and activated"Wind Blessing S+". I soared into the sky and chased after the dragon at full speed.
"Anyway, I need to draw its attention to me…!"
I held Gram on my right shoulder and put magic power into its blade.
The"God of War Slash S+"is activated.
"Haaaaaaaahhhhh!"
I swing down the sword.
A silver flash was released, tracing the trajectory of the slash.
It struck the shell covering the back of the Gluttonous Dragon. A large crack appeared in its shell, and its rainbow-colored bodily fluids gushed out like a fountain.
"RAAAAAARUUUUUUU!"
The Gluttonous Dragon screamed, then slowed down while making clouds of dust… made a u-turn, and turned around to face me.
It was easier than I thought it would be to slow it down.
"RUUUUUUUUUYAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The tentacles of the Gluttonous Dragon turned toward me one after another. Each tentacle had a mouth-like feature with jagged teeth on the top and bottom.
Countless mouths opened wide, and they emitted dark-colored heat rays all at once. The number of heat rays exceeded hundreds or even thousands.
It was as if a dark-colored wall was closing in on me.
"Kuh…!"
I activated"God Speed Blessing EX"and quickly raised my altitude to avoid the heat rays.
It was close.
If the activation were delayed even for a moment, I would have received a direct hit from the heat rays.
Now it was my turn.
I readjusted Gram as I lowered my altitude.
My remaining magic power is about 80%, and I put 20% of it into the"God of War Slash S+".
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!"
With determination, I swung Gram down, and a silver slash was released, cutting off the tentacles of the Gluttonous Dragon in one fell swoop.
Rainbow-colored bodily fluids gushed out from the severed surfaces and poured down onto the grassland like heavy rain.
The surrounding area was transformed into a burnt field with a sizzling sound.
Whether it is a strong acid or poisonous, it seems that the bodily fluids of the Gluttonous Dragon are quite dangerous.
But that aside…
At the moment, the battle was progressing in my favor.
The Gluttonous Dragon was already heavily wounded. Its back shell was cracked, and more than half of its tentacles had been cut off.
If possible, I would like to push through this battle.
"RAAAAAARYUUUUUUU!"
The Gluttonous Dragon screamed.
At the same time, the tentacles began to regenerate.
"That's troublesome…"
I muttered to myself.
Maybe I should take care of it all at once before it becomes a drawn out battle.
I offered fifty percent of my magic power and activated the"God of War Slash S+".
"Uoooooooohhh!"
Gram, which became a sword of light so huge that it pierced through the heavens, slammed down toward the Gluttonous Dragon.
I will decide with this single blow.
…That was the plan.
"REEEEEEEEEYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The Gluttonous Dragon emitted an unprecedented high-pitched squeal, and its body became translucent.
The slash of light slipped straight through the body of the Gluttonous Dragon and struck the ground.
A huge crater was born with a thunderous roar.
However, the Gluttonous Dragon was not even scratched.
"What's going on…?"
While I was making puzzled voices, all the tentacles had finished regenerating.
The Gluttonous Dragon, still translucent, aimed thousands of tentacles at me and released the heat rays.
"Kuh…!"
I used the"Wind Blessing S+"to acrobatically weave between the heat rays.
When I thought I couldn't avoid it, I activated the"God Speed Blessing EX".
In order to ensure my safety, I retreated and kept my distance from the Gluttonous Dragon.
My remaining magic power was less than 10%.
"I can't waste anymore…"
I muttered to myself as I looked at the semi-transparent, Gluttonous Dragon.
It was at that time.
The figure of the Gluttonous Dragon disappeared in a flash.
"Wha-…!"
I turned around when I felt a deadly presence behind me. I looked back and saw it at close range.
"RUUUUUUUUUUUUURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
While maintaining its translucent state, it slammed one of its tentacles toward me.
I immediately activated"God Speed Blessing EX"and tried to take evasive action.
But for some reason, I couldn't move at all. It was as if I was being drowned in a muddy swamp.
Eventually, my magic power ran out, and the"God Speed Blessing EX"was deactivated.
The translucent tentacles, however, hit me directly without any difficulty.
"Gah…!"
I felt as if I was being blown away.
I wore the Fenrir Coat over my Armored Bear Armor. In addition, I had the Black Spider Gauntlets on each arm, so my defense was very high.
Thanks to this, my body was not harmed, but I lost control of the wind and was knocked to the ground from the hit. I quickly activated my [Dexterity] and rolled to absorb the impact of the collision.
Looking at my left arm, I saw that the Black Spider Gauntlet was half broken.
Gram was not in my hand, and it was sticking into the ground quite far away.
Apparently, I had let go of it when the tentacle struck me.
"…What a fool."
My attack slipped through, but the attack from the enemy connected.
I don't understand.
Immediately after, I heard the inorganic voice of [Full Assist].
The analysis of the unique ability of the Emptiness Gluttonous Dragon has been completed.
It is presumed to be [Spatial Manipulation].
What on earth kind of ability is that?
As if to answer my question, information poured in.
It seems that the Gluttonous Dragon can cause various phenomena by interfering with the space around it.
By becoming translucent, it can slip through enemy attacks, warp a short distance, or even block an opponent's movement by fixing the space around it──.
However, there is a limit to its effective range, and it seems that as long as one maintains a distance from the Gluttonous Dragon, their movements will not be blocked.
Fortunately, the Gluttonous Dragon did not pursue me.
It turned its back from me and resumed moving toward Surier.
──What should I do?
The Gluttonous Dragon had [Spatial Manipulation].
As long as that power exists, the result will not differ even if I challenge it to a rematch.
It's the same as before, a return blow.
Worst case scenario, I may even lose my life.
However, fortunately for me, the Gluttonous Dragon prioritized the attack on Surier over me.
As long as I did not provoke the Gluttonous Dragon, it would be possible for me to escape.
I would be abandoning the town of Surier, but it would be meaningless if I died. So if I think about it realistically, this is a situation in which I should retreat.
"Well, I know that, but…"
The guard guy who had the [Magic Trick], Cal, the people who applauded my trumpet performance──.
I don't want them to be killed.
Running away from this would not just leave a bad aftertaste. I would regret it for the rest of my life.
Then there was only one answer.
I'm going to challenge it.
I haven't exhausted all my options yet.
There are still plenty of items and skills that I haven't used. If I try them one by one, I might be able to find a way to break through the [Spatial Manipulation].
I will not give up.
At the moment I made up my mind to do so, a warm golden light enveloped my entire body.
"What is this…?"
I knew this glow.
It was the one that saved my life in the battle against the Black Dragon before.
Then I hear an inorganic voice.
The seal of Yggdrasil's bow has been lifted.
It can be used at 20% output.
At the same time, magic power filled my whole body.
My MP increased by the equivalent of 50,000, 100,000, 200,000 ── exceeding the upper limit.
The momentum was even more tremendous than before.
In the blink of an eye, it surpassed 10 million and reached 100 million.
"If this is the case, will I be able to beat the Gluttonous Dragon…?"
I took out the Yggdrasil bow from my [Item Box].
The bow emits a green divine light.
When I held it in my hand, I heard the voice of [Full Assist].
To use the Yggdrasil Bow, you will need the magic power of the [God of War's Shrine Maiden].
This will nullify the [Spatial Manipulation] of the Gluttonous Dragon.
"Is it necessary for me to join up with the [God of War's Shrine Maiden]… Lily?"
Right after I muttered that, the Grand Cabin came to a halt in front of me with a cloud of dust.
Nice timing, Dest.
I felt the momentum coming my way.
"Are you all right, Master?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. But, more importantly, go after the Gluttonous Dragon. Go as fast as you can."
I told Dest, and activated"Wind Blessing S+"to jump onto the roof of the Grand Cabin.
There I found Iris, Lily, and Surara.
"Kou, are you okay? I mean, you're kind of glowing…?"
"Well, a lot has happened."
I can't explain it well either, so I'll answer in vague terms.
"Master-san, you look so shiny and cool! Oh, your left arm gauntlet is broken! Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. My body is strong."
I answered and put the broken gauntlet in my [Item Box].
"Kou-san. So you have broken the bow's seal."
Lily has a thoughtful expression on her face and stares at Yggdrasil's bow.
…Why does she look so sad?
"I understand how to use it. I've seen it many times in [Foresight] since I was little."
"Then that makes things easier. The magic power…"
"Thank you for everything you have done for me until today. I give my life to you, Kou-san."
"…Huh?"
I was a little confused by this unexpected statement.
"I don't want your life; I just need your magic power."
"Eh?"
Lily looked stunned and blinked repeatedly.
Then she regained her composure and replied.
"I-I'm sorry. What I said earlier was a misunderstanding. Please forget it…"
No, indeed, that excuse is too forceful, isn't it?
But that's not the point right now.
The first priority was to defeat of the Gluttonous Dragon.
In response to my intention, an inorganic voice told me, "Please ready your bow together with the [God of War's Shrine Maiden]."
"Lily, let's talk about the details later. Draw the bow with me."
"Understood. …So it's the same there as in my dream."
When Lily muttered something meaningful, she turned to the right side of me. The two of us were going to hold the bow together, but there was too much of a height difference between Lily and me.
This means that Lily's back would not be able to reach it.
Fortunately, the Flying Potion was still in effect.
I activated the"Wind Blessing S+"and lifted Lily up, including her within its area of effect.
"Thank you, Kou-san."
"No problem. …Let's go."
"Yes!"
The two of us exchanged glances and prepared to fire the bow.
The silver light from Lily's body overflowed and took the form of an arrow.
The calamity killer arrow was summoned.
Forceful punishment will be initiated against the great calamity, the "Emptiness Gluttonous Dragon."
Such a message echoed in my mind.
At the same time, a frightened cry was heard from the Gluttonous Dragon in front of us.
"RUUUUYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Perhaps it understood that the presence of the arrow was dangerous for it.
While continuing towards Surier at the same speed as before, the Gluttonous Dragon pointed several tentacles at us and shot out a series of heat rays.
"Iris!
"Leave it to me!"
Iris raises her Dragon God shield and activates her"Dragon God Barrier EX".
A wall of light enveloped the Grand Cabin, blocking all heat rays.
"Kou-san, now!"
"Yeah!"
We synchronized our breathing and fired the arrow to kill the calamity.
The arrows sparkled and turned into silver meteors.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAARUUUUUUU!"
The Gluttonous Dragon let out a cry and activated its [Spatial Manipulation].
The outline of its entire body blurs and becomes translucent.
Then, the silver meteor hit it. A flash of light popped, and a voice echoed in my mind.
The [Spatial Manipulation] has been nullified by the calamity killer's arrow.
"RYUUUUUUUUUUU!"
The Gluttonous Dragon emitted a screeching cry.
The translucent state was lifted as the [Spatial Manipulation] was sealed.
The shell on its back was gouged out, and rainbow-colored blood was gushing from the wound.
"The power is amazing…"
Lily gulped.
Her body is still floating in the air due to the"Wind Blessing S+".
I landed Lily slowly and stored the Yggdrasil bow in my [Item Box].
The situation tilted to our favor from the calamity killer's arrow. I should continue attacking here.
The golden glow still enveloped my entire body, and my magic power was over 10 trillion MP equivalent.
"…I can use that."
The [Calamity Summoning] ── a skill to summon and use the defeated calamities.
It requires 20 million magic power to activate, but it's not a big burden for me right now.
I concentrated and thought about activating [Calamity Summoning].
The back of my left hand became hot, and a crimson crest appeared on it. The crest was shaped like a front view of a dragon's face.
Soon, words came to my mind. It was a spell to summon the Black Dragon.
I raised the crest in my left hand high and chanted.
"──Come from the underworld in answer to my voice. The one who was once called the Flame Dragon, that is, the Black Dragon of Ultimate Destruction."
The crest of the dragon emitted an intense light. A huge magic circle floated in the sky, and a black sphere flew out at a tremendous speed.
When the sphere struck the Gluttonous Dragon at great speed, it sent its huge body flying toward the mountain.
Immediately afterward, the sphere shattered, revealing the Black Dragon of Extreme Destruction.
"Guuooooooooooohh!"
The Black Dragon bared its fangs, spread its wings wildly, and roared violently.
The air shook, and the earth quaked.
With an air of intimidation like a ruler, it turns its red eyes toward me. It looked as if it was waiting for my command.
"Kou, that's the Black Dragon, right…?"
Iris muttered, petrified with a look of surprise on her face.
"Yeah. I summoned it with my skill."
"Master-san, that's amazing…"
Surara gasped.
I looked up at the Black Dragon once again and ordered,
"Burn down the Gluttonous Dragon!"
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The Black Dragon let out a roar as if to say, "Leave it to me," and released a fireball from its mouth.
The fireball slammed into the Gluttonous Dragon with a red tail like a comet, bursting into a huge explosion of flame.
"RAAAAAAAAAA… RUUUUUUU..!"
The Gluttonous Dragon lets out a pained roar, but it is not fatally wounded.
It attempted to counterattack the Black Dragon by releasing heat rays from its countless tentacles.
"Gooooooooooooooo!"
The Black Dragon spread its wings wide, repelled all the heat rays with a dark-colored barrier, and then glanced at me.
An inorganic voice echoed.
Since all of the above conditions are met, the [Divine Technique] is temporarily released.
The anti-calamity divine technique [Laevatein] can be used.
At the same time, the space right in front of me became gnarly and distorted. The one that appeared from there was Gram, which I should have lost a while ago.
"…It is said that Gram is a magic sword that possesses a will."
Lily muttered.
"The sword probably wants Kou-san to use it."
Gram's feelings (?) are not difficult to decipher.
It's kind of sad to be left behind when it's finally time to settle the score.
I pulled Gram out of the spatial distortion. At the same time, the method of activating [Laevatein] flowed into my mind.
Apparently, to use this technique, I need a sword… that has received [God of War's Blessing], in other words, Gram.
"So that means this guy knew his turn was coming and warped here."
When I said so, Gram emitted a silvery light as if nodding. The glow was more powerful than usual and more encouraging.
"Let's go, Gram."
I carried the sword on my right shoulder, activated"Wind Blessing S+"and floated up into the sky.
In the distance, the battle between the Black Dragon and the Gluttonous Dragon was still going on, and it was a back-and-forth stalemate.
Neither the Black Dragon's fireballs nor the raging heat rays of the Gluttonous Dragon could give the other a decisive blow.
I went to the Black Dragon and lined up next to it.
"Are you ready?"
"Gaah!"
The Black Dragon howls briefly.
I focus my mind and say the first words that come into my head.
"Flame of final destruction, purify the disaster with absolute heat. ──Laevatein."
That was the key phrase to activate the divine technique.
Something inside my body shook. And then the Black Dragon roared loudly.
"Guuuooooooooooooo!"
Its huge body gradually disintegrated into red particles and was sucked into Gram. The silver sword blade emitted a crimson glow.
The countdown began for the anti-calamity divine technique [Laevatein].
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four…
"RAAAAARUUUUUUUU!"
The Gluttonous Dragon squealed impatiently and fused all its tentacles into one, releasing an extreme heat ray.
Realizing that it was in danger of extinction, it unleashed a desperate blow.
But it was for nothing.
The golden light that had enveloped my body spread wide and became a huge shield of light, blocking the heat rays of the Gluttonous Dragon.
Now.
Three, two, one ── zero.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
I raised Gram high in the air, and with over 10 trillion of magic power ── swung it down!
A crimson flash was released.
It struck the Gluttonous Dragon with a ferocious force, engulfing its entire body and causing a huge explosion.
A roar resounded.
A gust of wind blew.
A huge pillar of flame rose up, scorching the sky red.
"RYUUUUUUUUYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The screams of the Gluttonous Dragon echoed through the air.
Its huge body gradually became smaller and smaller in the flames, and… eventually, it disappeared completely.
The darkness that had covered the sky cleared.
I won.