Chapter 578 The Water Dragon… Could It Be？
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Hiroya’s POV)
They opened the door and leaped inside.
Before them was a vast hall of natural stone.
Half of the space was taken up by…
(It’s definitely…a subterranean lake)
I made eye contact with Asuka, Simona, Aluda, and Rena and then charged towards the subterranean lake.
It’s to visit Rena’s ice magic on the surface of the water.
──WHOOSH!
As they got closer, the surface of the water rose up, and from the waterfall-like flow of water emerged…
”A Water Dragon…!?”
”Bingo!”
Asuka and Simona, shielding Rena with her hands outstretched towards the water’s surface, faced off against the giant Water Dragon.
However, there was still a distance of over 20 meters, and they couldn’t reach the Water Dragon in the middle of the subterranean lake.
A different silhouette from Goliath’s Water Dragon.
Its long neck and stout body were visible from the surface of the water, and its pure white appearance was almost divine.
The wings that grew from its back were completely independent, unlike those of a Demon Dragon, and its arms existed separately from the wings.
”Rena! This way!”
”Hurry!”
Aluda and I were also ready to pounce at any moment.
”Here we go…’Absolute Zero’!”
Wrapped in a blue aura, Rena unleashed her ultimate magic onto the water surface that she had her hand raised towards.
From Rena’s hand, the subterranean lake began to freeze at an incredible speed.
”Let’s go! Charge!”
At Simona’s command, we all ran across the frozen surface of the water.
”Fire!”
”Enchantment: Fire!”
”Fire Spear!”
At Liz’s signal, arrows imbued with fire magic by Dorothy were fired in unison, and Kazumi unleashed her advanced-level fire magic at the Water Dragon.
Dorothy’s longbow, Martina, Meluda, Noo’s Black Bow arrows plus a blazing spear way bigger than the rest, surged past us towards the Water Dragon with a WHOOSH!
Among them, several arrows fly erratically towards the water dragon. They are probably arrows shot from Liz’s Eagle Eye.
(Are those also the power of Divine Eye…?)
But the rearguard’s preemptive strike…didn’t inflict any real damage on the Water Dragon.
Kazumi’s ‘Flame Spear’ barely struck its neck, and 3 arrows from Liz hit its head, but the Water Dragon remained unfazed.
”Extra Defense Field!”
Rena, who returned to the rearguard position, deployed a powerful, wide-ranging magic barrier.
And so, we faced the Water Dragon.
* * *
”HAAAH!”
I kicked off the ice and leaped towards the Water Dragon’s belly, expertly shaving off its scales with the unsheathed Yamikirimaru.
Fast as lightning, over and over again.
”Kansenmaru!”
From where I chipped away, Asuka launched a Full-Force Thrust attack.
As expected, the ‘Pierce’ magic imbued Kansenmaru’s strike pierced through its tough scales.
It was a direct hit.
”Take this!”
Simona, already in ‘Berserker’ mode, swung her Greatsword in a wide arc, hammering a heavy blow into its abdomen.
”Physical Boost!”
Aluda, when did she learn that?
With Physical Boost, she swung her hammer from the opposite side of Simona’s attack, landing a blow on the Water Dragon’s abdomen.
Neither attack broke its scales, but the Water Dragon flinched, its head drooping.
(If we can keep the lakebed frozen, and prevent it from moving its lower body…!)
With our rank S speed, and Aluda’s Physical Boost, we hammered the Water Dragon from all sides.
* * *
(Liz’s POV)
”Here comes its breath! Rearguard, be on guard!”
The water dragon raised its head, and even from a distance, white smoke could be seen escaping from its mouth.
Asuka from the vanguard signaled for caution, and Meluda stepped forward, raising a large square shield called a ‘scutum.’
We tried to hide behind her as much as possible.
”With RenRen’s protection barrier, we should be fine, but… just in case… right?”
Meluda glanced back at us with a smile, but her voice trembled slightly.
Can’t really blame her for that.
The dragon’s breath is coming, after all.
”Rena will hold firm, so don’t worry.”
Meluda turned to face forward, nodding in reassurance at Rena’s words as she sent magical power to maintain the protection barrier behind me.
──WHOOSH…!
With a heavy jet sound, a massive torrent of water shot out from its mouth.
”──Uh!”
For a moment, Meluda’s body stiffened under my support, but it seemed the water breath was deflected before it reached the shield she held up.
”T-This is… pretty tough…”
”Hang in there, Rena! I promise I’ll learn Protection magic next time!”
Kazumi encouraged Rena, who looked like she was struggling, in a voice that trembled on the verge of tears.
…Is she really encouraging her?
Eventually, the long breath subsided, and I peeked out from behind the shield.
”Let’s attack! Mr. Hiroya seems to have taken off quite a few scales!”
Dorothy was already nocking an arrow to her longbow as she said that.
”Okay! Doro-Doro, give me the magic boost!”
”Noo is on it too!”
”Got it! Enchantment: Fire!”
While holding her longbow, Dorothy infused magic into her arrow as well as the arrows of Martina and Noo with the Black Bow.
I also nocked 3 arrows on my Eagle Eye and readied myself.
The target was… the area where the scales had come off.
”Rena…cancel the magic barrier. At the same time, apply Wind Protection magic to everyone in the vanguard.”
”Understood. 3…2…1…Unlocked!”
”Fire Blast!”
On my command, Rena disabled the magic barrier, and then, with Kazumi’s attack magic, everyone fired their arrows all at once.
”Extra Defense Field! Wind!”
Just in case, Rena cast a magic spell to deflect arrows for everyone in the vanguard.
Kazumi’s attack magic scorched the water dragon’s face, and our arrows perfectly hit the spots where its scales had been peeled away.
’I…I surrender…’
An old man’s voice echoed in my head.
Not just me, but everyone seemed to receive the message, as they looked around in confusion.
It seemed the vanguard, including Hiroya, had the same reaction, and stopped their attack.
* * *
’Whoa, I didn’t think you’d freeze the lake. I can’t move…I can’t even fight…’
Rena unfroze the underground lake, climbed onto the land, and cast ‘Extra Heal’ on the water dragon’s head, which was lying on the ground.
’I’m sorry, little lady…’
”I never thought we’d be patching up the floor boss.”
Apparently, this water dragon is the floor boss of this level, but not really.
It wasn’t a monster created by the Great Labyrinth, but a water dragon that had been living here since the era of ancient civilization – even before the Great Labyrinth was born.
”Being here, we just assumed you were the floor boss…”
Hiroya scratched his head apologetically.
”Ho ho ho. I suppose you were taken in when the Great Labyrinth was built, eh?”
Lilith giggled beside Hiroya.
’Exactly, Goddess of Darkness. – I’ve been able to leave here a few times, but I couldn’t get far from this Great Labyrinth. Or rather –’
As Rena healed the wounds all over its body, the water dragon, lying down, lifted its head and looked at us.
’You little ones…weren’t you worshiping me?’
”Are you…the Dragon God of Raetia?”
’Yes, yes, people call me that… I thought you were paying me homage…’
Everyone, including me, except Lilith, was frozen in shock.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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