"Shall we begin the main event?"
As Seth announced it, the 3 Dragons in their human forms—fully clad in draconic armor—along with hundreds of monsters, began marching toward us, their footsteps grinding against the ruined paves like a funeral march.
"Hahaha!" He burst into his usual manic laughter, spreading his arms as if welcoming us to a stage. "No matter how many times you kill my puppets, I can revive them endlessly, without consequences—while the two of you will only grow more worn down the longer this battle drags on!"
"Resistance is futile," he continued, his grin stretching unnaturally wide. "So just submit yourselves already. I promise I'll make your end merciful—by my standards."
"It seems this guy really doesn't understand how the world works," I said flatly, shrugging. "Not only was he already brings us enemies that increased our Lv cap, he's also dumb enough to flood us with massive sources of exp."
"Yeah," Verdra replied just as calmly. "Maybe he's been buried down here for so long that he doesn't even know how the Lv system works—well, that was also the case for me before I met you."
"But he was able to send a body double to the outside world, though." I muttered. "How could he be this clueless?"
"Perhaps…" she said after a pause, "…there are limits to what his body double can do—or… maybe the dark elves sealing magic was still had an effect on him."
"That's… likely," I said, pulling a Kijin Ōu's sword from my Book and storing the Yeti Shogun's one. "Maybe he's just bluffing about how strong he really is. After all, he never really trying to attack us directly—almost everything goes through his 'puppets.' Still… he's Lv7777. We can't let our guard down—especially now that our potions' effects had expired."
"Yeah." She reconstructed her draconic armor. "Either way, we have to kill him. He's still holding my mothers' souls, and they've suffered enough already. I won't let him toy with them any longer—and his blabbering with Verd's face really irritates me."
Vermilion scales began forming from her wrists and feet, gradually wrapping around her body until the armor reached her neck, each plate locking into place with a muted, ominous hum.
Seriously—no matter how many times I see it, it still looks super cool.
"So," she said, steady and composed, "what's the strategy?"
"Well… thanks to Nyxia, my brain's kinda overheated right now."
—————————————————
Brain load: 71%
—————————
"Can you buy me some time?" I asked. "I'll keep fighting alongside you, but I won't use my Psychic powers for a bit—at least, until my brain load had cool downed to around 50%."
I needed to cool down my brain load. That was why Verdra had to engage the stronger monsters—the ones I couldn't handle without my Psychic abilities. As long as she kept Leveling up, her mana reserves were practically unlimited.
Worst case, she could downed a Mana recovery potion. I had more than enough stored in my Book anyway, especially since the shop's cooldown rule didn't apply to potions obtained outside of it.
"Got it." She replied shortly, forming her helm and covering her head, leaving only her face exposed.
She straightened her posture as the seemingly endless wave of monsters closed in from every direction. Her vermilion hair fluttered beneath the helm with each beat of her wings. In her grip, she formed a blood-red, dragon-scale greatsword larger than her own body, as if welcoming the incoming horde, her stance radiating absolute confidence.
"One more thing," I said.
"What is it?"
"Be extra careful with Lydia. If her weapon works the way I think it does, she's dangerous."
"Oh, that one?" She glanced at Lydia—the only one float besides Seth who hadn't moved an inch. "That weapon she called 'rifle' fires extremely fast, powerful projectiles. Yes… don't ever take your eyes off her—she does need some time to charge up, though."
So it is called a rifle in here, too…
"I'll keep that in mind." I tightened my grip on my sword.
—————————————————
Tenrai no Tsurugi
Lv: 5500
Class: Phantasma
Special effect: massively increase lightning resistance and generate lightning surges at will.
—————————
Using this sword's special effect, I could activate Reinforced without relying on my Psychic powers—though not without drawbacks. With only the sword's lightning resistance, my body would suffer some damage, and the output wasn't nearly as strong as Reinforced powered by Electrokinesis.
Still, this was my best option for fighting without touching my Psychic abilities, because my brain load wouldn't go into cooldown if I used even just the slightest of Psychic power.
And there was also the fact that my strength stat ranked F. I was pretty sure my raw strength was weaker than a Lv4000 monster. Hence, fighting without my Reinforced ability would be a death sentence.
"Let's go!"
At my signal, both of us flew forward to engage the horde.
In a flash, Verdra tore through several Chimerberus effortlessly, while I decapitated dozens of smaller, ranged-attack-capable monsters. With their Lv hovering around 6000–6500, I could handle them—with some effort—using Reinforced and my physical strength alone.
Each time my Lv went up—even by just 1—the damage I suffered from my crude Reinforced usage was fully recovered by my Lv-up recovery skill.
I specifically targeted Super variants of Satyr Warlocks and Queen Arachneas. Their fire magic and thread attacks could spell trouble even with our ability to fly above them.
As for why the Arachneas' distracting, bountiful jiggle physics no longer affected me…
…It was simply because Verdra's gentle—yet dangerously enticing—body curves had already been permanently engraved into my brain, like an intrusive thought that refused to uninstall itself, no matter how many times I clicked the prompt.
After thoroughly indulging myself in her presence last night, I'd gained an unshakable confidence: no other womanly charm in the entire world—short of hers—had even the slightest chance of breaking my focus anymore.
Sure, she's not as outrageously voluptuous as the Arachneas, but honestly; I prefer Verdra's body type. It's well-proportioned, elegant, and—most importantly—doesn't make me feel like I'm one wrong glance away from being crushed by sheer biological intimidation.
In short: practical, tasteful, and significantly less threatening to my mental stability.
Hence, a mere Arachneas' upper-body jiggle wasn't enough to distract me—
…Well, it still does.
Kinda…
—I did my best not to let it show.
"Don't get distracted, Yuu!" Verdra shouted straight to my mind, as if she had read my improper thoughts.
Suddenly, I felt a far greater threat bearing down on me.
I know!
I shouted back telepathically as I flew backward, narrowly dodging an incoming attack.
With a thunderous boom, a massive figure slammed into the spot I had occupied just a second earlier. The impact sent waves of dust and debris flying in all directions, killing the unlucky monsters caught in the blast—and freezing several others solid.
At the center of the newly formed crater, stood Nyxia, her massive lance stabbed deep into the ground, radiating a chilling mist that crawled across the battlefield.
Slowly, beneath her helm, she turned her gaze toward me.
At the same time, a low rumble of thunder echoed from behind—the unmistakable result of Verdra and Crona trading blows, greatsword against greatsword.
Nyxia took a stance, spreading her wings as she began emitting an even denser freezing haze. I could feel the cold biting into my skin despite the distance between us.
And then—through my 3rd-person view—I saw Lydia move.
She raised her rifle and began aiming directly at me.
…Uuuh, this could be a problem.
The Greater Agility Boosting Potion (High) was already out, and my brain load was still sitting at 60%.
Nyxia alone wouldn't be much of an issue if all I had to do was dodge. The real problem was Lydia…
Verdra!
I called out telepathically.
Can you swap targets with me?
"It'll be difficult right now," her reply came instantly into my head. "Mother Crona is surprisingly hard to deal with in her current form—she's too fast!"
Then I'll handle her.
I need you to take Nyxia.
I already have an idea to immobilize the other two without killing them—so that Seth can't revive them. But I doubt it'll work on Nyxia specifically…
I hesitated.
This felt awful to ask, but—
Can you kill her again?
"Got it," Verdra replied without the slightest hesitation. "Then come here quickly!"
Alright.
With the plan set, I turned and pulled a card from my Book, flying toward Verdra—that's now quite far away from my current position—while keeping my 3rd-person view locked on Lydia.
Activating Reinforced through the use Kijin Ōu's sword effect, I shot forward—and Nyxia immediately gave chase, rapidly closing the distance.
I weaved through incoming Hellfire from the Satyrs and deadly threads from the Arachneas as I advanced, while also just barely able to dodge some projectiles from Lydia. Everytime she missed, a loud boom followed shortly after, as the projectiles leave a huge crater on the ground, instantly killing every unlucky monsters unfortunate enough to get involved.
Be ready!
I warned her.
I'm bringing Nyxia with me—and Lydia's targeting me too!
"No problem."
Just as Nyxia was about to reach me—
I'm here!
The moment I announced my arrival, Verdra deflected Crona's incoming sword slash and immediately flew backward past me. Twisting her body midair, she pulled her greatsword to her side, preparing to swing—
*Clang!*
A deafening metallic crack tore through the air as Verdra blocked Lydia's bullet with her sword.
In one fluid motion, she intensified the Hellfire coating on her greatsword and swung down at Nyxia.
*Clang!*
Another thunderous clash echoed as Nyxia intercepted the strike with her lance.
Switching my focus, I pulled a massive chunk of ice from the card I had taken earlier.
Still staggered from Verdra's deflection just a second earlier, I immediately activated Cryokinesis, launching the ice chunk at Crona's shoulder. I hardened it using Cryokinesis Lv10 ability; Picno-Cryokinesis, drastically slowing her arm movement and creating an opening.
I poured Electrokinesis into my Reinforced and shot forward at lightning speed.
The moment I reached her, I placed my hand on the ice embedded in her shoulder and activated my skill.
"Plasma Frost."
The instant the words left my mouth, Crona's entire body froze solid. The overwhelming cold from my Plasmakinesis locked her in place before she could react, freezing her whole body solid as she plummeted helplessly toward the ground.
—————————————————
Brain load: 81%
—————————
"Haah…" I muttered, rubbing my head. "That hurt my head for quite a bit—but at least she won't be melting for a few days."
I turned my gaze back to the battlefield.
Verdra was still locked in combat with Nyxia. Each time her greatsword clashed with Nyxia's lance, the Hellfire coating of her greatsword was snuffed out by the overwhelming cold.
Then Verdra changed tactics.
She feinted a strike—then twisted her body at the last second, narrowly avoiding Nyxia's thrust. Extending her hand, she unleashed a massive Black Thunder strike that slammed into Nyxia's body, stunning her for a brief moment.
She didn't waste it.
Verdra intensified the Hellfire coating on her greatsword—far beyond its previous limit—and launched herself forward.
*Slash!*
With a single, flawless diagonal swing, she cleaved straight through Nyxia's draconic armor, severing her body from shoulder to waist.
The force of the strike was so absolute it felt as though space itself had been split in two. A violent surge of blue flames erupted from Nyxia's bisected body as it fell apart.
< Your party member have slain Nyxia's Spirital Remnant. exp + xxxx >
< Lv up x115 >
The exp gain from Nyxia was massive. Killing her repeatedly would be an extremely efficient way to level up…
Still, it didn't sit right with my conscience. She was Verdra's mother, after all—well… one of them. And the way her body reformed each time she revived made it feel less like grinding exp and more like reopening an old wound.
"I'm sorry for making you do this…" I said as I approached her. "I'll make it up to you later. No matter what you ask of me, I'll do it."
"No need to feel bad about it," she replied calmly. "This isn't just my problem—it's yours too. I won't hesitate." She paused for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Though… I'm still taking your offer, hehe."
She ended with a soft giggle.
"Go easy on me, please…" I said with a strained smile before asking, "So, what Lv are you now?"
"7205."
Hearing her answer, a smirk slowly bloomed on my face.
She's a level higher than Lydia. I hope our next move will work.
"It seems you had no problem defeating my strongest puppets," Seth said as he drifted toward us, as if nothing had happened. "and it appears you even found a way to immobilize Crona without killing her. I can't say I'm not impressed—though, in the end, it doesn't matter."
His voice dripped with mockery as he snapped his fingers again.
"How many times do we have to do this?" I sighed.
As expected, Nyxia was resummoned—perfectly restored, not a single scratch on her body. However, this time, all the other monsters vanished from the battlefield.
Now, only Nyxia and Lydia floated beside Seth, one on each side, roughly 30 meters away from us. The silence left behind by the missing monsters felt heavier than their presence.
"Verdra," I called out. "Do it."
Her eyes glowed with a faint crimson light as she spoke in a low, commanding voice.
"Obey me."
Suddenly, both Nyxia's and Lydia's bodies shuddered slightly.
"Come here," Verdra ordered again.
Slowly, the two True Dragons in their human forms, began flying toward us. Once they stopped at Verdra's side, they turned around, facing Seth.
…So Verdra's True Dragon Supremacy skill even worked on Nyxia, despite her Lv still being way higher.
Perhaps, killing her once had weakened her resistance—or perhaps, Verdra's authority had finally surpassed Seth's?
"Hahaha…!" Seth burst into manic laughter yet again. "I can't believe it—there's actually someone who can seize control of the souls under my command!"
He spread his arms wide, eyes gleaming with madness.
"Magnificent! This is far more than I ever hoped for. A True Dragon who can dominate other True Dragons… I never imagined such a prize would fall into my hands."
Then—he fell silent.
"With this," he continued, his voice dropping into something cold and venomous, "I can finally have my revenge against the heavens."
"Why are you talking like you've already won?" I asked, dumbfounded by his delusion. "We've taken control of your strongest forces. The power gap between us isn't that wide anymore, and we have the numbers. What exactly do you think you can still do?"
C'mon—just play along with my stalling. I need my brain load to cool down for a bit before I can go all out again.
There's no way the monster that destroyed Draconia and took control of 3 True Dragons was this easy to deal with. No way.
He probably still has an ace up his sleeve—and being overly cautious won't kill me. Acting reckless will.
"It seems you've misunderstood something, young boy," Seth replied calmly, his scythe twisted eerily and reformed into a sword. "Yes, your Dragon girl will be troublesome—I'll give you that." he shrugged.
"But every True Dragon bound by contract has one, fatal, flaw," he said with a slow, crooked grin.
"And what is that?" I asked flatly, tightening the grip on my sword.
"That flaw is…"
"Yuu," Verdra called out sharply, her voice filled with unease. "Get behind me."
Before I could even react—
Seth's presence vanished.
Not just his body—his existence itself disappeared in an instant, together with a sharp, searing pain tore through my abdomen.
I looked down just in time to see the blade of Seth's sword protruding from my stomach, having pierced me from behind.
"—Cough…!"
Blood spilled from my mouth.
Seth's presence reappeared behind me, close enough that I could feel his breath brush my ear as he whispered beside.
"…Their master."