"This is—"
As Shinji felt the changes in his body, he realized that the amount of magical power he had drawn from the "Great Source" had decreased, roughly to only about seventy percent of what it was initially.
"No wonder the air here feels unusual. So, the problem lies here."
It was natural for the Child of Einnashe to inherit the characteristic of devouring life to strengthen oneself and give birth to fruits, just like the Forest of Einnashe itself. This devouring was not limited to tangible creatures but also included the omnipresent "Great Source."
No matter how excellent a magus' magic circuits were, they couldn't compare to this colossal entity with a diameter of over ten kilometers. The closer one got to the entity, the less magical energy could be converted. Fortunately, Shinji had studied rune magic, where the magical energy was already infused into the runes when they were engraved. As long as he had rune stones, his combat ability wouldn't be greatly affected.
With this in mind, Shinji increased the load on his magic circuits to maintain the supply of magic to his feathered shoes.
Just then, another change occurred in the lava lake, and the red flower continued to bloom. Beneath the petals, a massive bubble swelled upward. Instead of immediately bursting, the bubble expanded slowly, as if nurturing something, reaching an unimaginable curvature.
"Isa!" Shinji raised his left hand, and three runestones shimmering with an icy blue radiance shot through the air and landed in the magma bubble directly below. However, the ice magic contained within the runes was utterly insignificant compared to the entire lava lake. It was like throwing three grains of sand into the ocean, not even causing a ripple.
Shinji instinctively felt something was amiss and subconsciously materialized the Shield of Athena.
His intuition proved to be completely correct. The moment the shield materialized, the magma bubble finally burst, and a colossal red serpent, as thick as two people embracing, broke through the molten lava and shot into the sky.
The movements of the giant red serpent were incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, it collided with the Shield of Athena. The tremendous force made Shinji's arm ache and pushed him back from a distance of fifteen meters to twenty-five meters from the lake's surface.
Sensing the feedback through the shield, Shinji deduced that the serpent's body was likely as hard as the exotic flying fish, making physical attacks ineffective. On the other hand, lightning magic could potentially inflict damage.
However...
Maintaining his stance and continuing to evade the lava flowers, Shinji glanced at the towering and imposing giant serpent.
This monster, with a length exceeding fifteen meters, would likely be barely affected by ordinary magecraft—it would be like scratching an itch. To defeat it, at least a large-scale magic attack would be necessary. So...
Shinji glanced at the sky, confirming that the Barthomeloi family's helicopter was not within sight, and a slight smile curved his lips.
The next moment, Shinji discarded his cloak and feathered shoes, reverting to his original appearance. He descended rapidly like a severed kite string, reentering the hunting range of the giant serpent.
As expected, the serpent stretched out its body, appearing as if it were crafted from rubies, and aimed to collide directly with what seemed to be its head. The reason for the "seeming" was that Shinji did not see any organs such as eyes or a mouth in the expected location for a snake. Indeed, everything in this otherworldly realm born from the Child of Einnashe was abnormal.
Of course, whether the giant serpent had sensory organs made no difference to Shinji. What he needed was just the fact that the serpent was getting closer.
Right before the serpent was about to collide with the Shield of Athena for the second time, a dazzling golden light, even more radiant than the crimson hue, manifested from behind the shield, accompanied by a deafening explosion. The light pierced into the serpent's body.
Noble Phantasm—Indra's Thunder.
No matter how formidable the exotic serpent was, it couldn't compare to the Indra's Vajra. The gigantic crimson body was no match for the divine punishment of the Thunder God. Amidst a faint and resplendent thunderous display, the serpent trembled and collapsed with a resounding crash, splashing a large wave of red.
Shinji's body followed closely behind the serpent, plunging into the magma. This natural shield concealed what hidden currents and exotic creatures lay beneath the lava. It wouldn't hurt to have an extra layer of protection.
Shinji's caution yielded corresponding rewards. As soon as he dived into the magma, the exotic fish swarmed in. If it weren't for the serpent's body acting as a natural barrier directly in front, he wouldn't have been confident in withstanding such a dense barrage of attacks.
But now, with over forty percent less defensive coverage, Shinji could handle the situation calmly.
He wielded his shield in his right hand and held a runestone in his left, alternating between shield bashes and lightning strikes, combining physical and magical attacks. No matter how many exotic creatures there were, they couldn't break through his defensive circle.
When the serpent's body sank to the lake bottom, Shinji found a bend in its serpentine form and positioned his shield to take cover inside. He let the outside world "rain and storm" while he remained steadfast and unmoving.
Of course, he didn't forget to toss an "EIHWAZ" runestone under his feet. The entire otherworld was a part of the Child of Einnashe and attacks could come from any angle.
Only at this moment did he have a chance to reassess the situation and contemplate what to do next.
The visibility in the magma wasn't as awful as he had imagined. While not as clear as pure water, it wasn't truly pitch-black either. If one were to make a metaphor, it was probably akin to being immersed in a strawberry jelly—hazy in the distance, but not much of an impact when up close.
The connection with the "Great Source" has indeed dropped to an all-time low, with a magic conversion rate of only about thirty percent, barely enough to sustain the consumption of Athena's Shield.
However, this maintenance is only temporary, as the replenishment of magic will soon be unable to keep up with the rate of consumption due to the fierce attacks from the exotic swarm.
It is crucial to determine the location of the core of the Child of Einnashe before that happens.
Just like the core of the Forest of Einnashe, which bears the crimson fruit, the Child of Einnashe also has a core. Although there haven't been any reports of a crimson fruit, they do possess a core. Once the core is destroyed, the entire otherworld will quickly wither.
The core of the Child of Einnashe usually resides near the most active spiritual vein, near the nodes. It is generally the central area of the entire otherworld. Shinji chose to descend directly above the center of the lake for this reason.
The activation of the detection rune sent invisible waves of magic rippling outwards.
Seemingly aware of Shinji's intentions, the entire magma lake began to shake, and a crevice wider than the exotic serpent appeared beneath Shinji's feet, resembling the gaping maw of some prehistoric creature, ready to swallow the intruder whole.
At the same time, the exotic creatures dwelling in the lake entered a state of frenzy and rushed towards Shinji recklessly.
Such a reaction only confirmed that Shinji's judgment was correct—the core must be nearby. As expected, the feedback from the detection rune revealed an abnormally distinct source of life. If the other creatures in the lake were fireflies and the exotic serpent was a star, then this source of life was the moon.
"I found it—"
Shinji tightly gripped his shield with both hands, switching the magic circuit's mode from the world's "Great Source" to his own "Small Source." The life force strengthened by the golden apple rapidly transformed into magic and infused into the Noble Phantasm.
Nourished by the magic, the central face of the shield, the alluring countenance of the snake-haired Gorgon, became even more enchanting, as if it could come to life at any moment.
The magic pushed aside the magma, and Shinji loudly unleashed the true name of the Noble Phantasm.
"Aegis—Gaze of the Medusa!"
In his field of vision, everything turned gray and white.
PS: Bellerophon and the Gaze of the Medusa are Shinji's two most powerful trump cards.
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