Chapter 132 Huh?
The magma is rising.
From beneath the blazing, fiery magma, Ignitor emerged slowly, as if rising from the water to the land.
And with a leisurely pace, he climbed up to the vast, giant foothold spreading across the fire mouth area.
There was not a single shred of caution against external enemies in his movements. It was as if he was completely confident that he wouldn't be harmed, and he moved with an arrogant and disdainful attitude.
Before long, Ignitor's entire massive body emerged from beneath the magma.
He gazed down at the area below from his lofty height, his golden eyes gleaming like a king's. Grr... He let out a faint growl, as if questioning why there was only one puny existence that dared to challenge him.
However, whether the enemy was one or a hundred, it made no difference to Ignitor. There was no need to suspect any traps, and even if there were, he would simply crush them all. With that thought, he opened his mouth wide.
Just to eliminate the annoying insect, he lit up the sharp, tooth-lined interior of his mouth with a bright light.
――Dragon Breath
This is the ultimate attack that represents the very essence of dragons, possessing the incredible power to destroy everything. And it's not just any dragon; it’s significantly stronger than most when it comes to destruction.
Meanwhile, I waited with my sword held high, ready to strike, until my weapon was fully charged with magma.
How should I defeat Ignitor?
If this battle turned into a long one, I probably would have already taken off my clothes to keep cool. But I didn’t do that.
There’s one reason why.
I’m confident this fight will end in an instant.
When the stampede hit Necronia, I launched my [Absolute Flash Blade] at Ignitor. However, his Dragon Scale blocked my attack. It wasn’t completely canceled out, but even with the [Absolute Flash Blade], I couldn’t cut through his Dragon Scale to deal a fatal blow. That’s why defeating him was really tough.
In the second battle, I used [Dragon Scale Crusher] copied from Logan to crush his Dragon Scale and behead him.
However, this time's method of defeat is neither the first nor the second.
The preparations for the attack are already complete.
A refreshing sound rises with a "Riiiiin!"...
The sufficient aura has already been poured into "Silver".
So all that's left is to wait for Ignitor to fully emerge from the magma with its massive body.
The moment it stepped onto the foothold of the fire mouth area, opened its mouth wide, and revealed the light at the back of its oral cavity...
I swung my sword down.
My unique sword technique [Heavy Blade], [Giant Blade], [Flash Blade], and [Flying Dragon Sever].
Combining four sword techniques into one.
My ultimate technique――[Dragon King Slash: Frostbite].
As I swung my sword, the entire "Silver", including the hilt, turned to dust and disappeared.
However, the aura released from the sword transformed into a massive blade, tracing the trajectory of the sword's path, and flew forward at Flash's speed.
It was impossible for Ignitor's massive body to avoid it. No, Ignitor, who had absolute confidence in its own Dragon Scale, didn't even feel the need to dodge. Without stopping its breath, it waited for the aura's Giant Blade.
I would crush its futile resistance head-on and kill it in despair.
The massive blade collided with Ignitor's body――Dragon Scale.
In that instant, the aura forming the blade was forcibly dispersed by the Dragon Scale, scattering like intense water droplets. For a moment, a mocking color dwelled in Ignitor's golden eyes, as if it was certain of its own victory.
The clash between the blade and Dragon Scale lasted only for an instant.
The one that was overpowered was the Dragon Scale.
The [Dragon King Slash] is a sword technique that evolved from the [Flying Dragon Sever]. Its essence is a blade of aura that stacks multiple layers to cut through the Dragon Scale. With the new blade that appears from the tip that spreads through the scales, it finally cuts through the Dragon Scale――and runs straight through Ignitor's massive body.
"......"
I observe Ignitor's state, still in a state of residual mind.
The light that was shining in the back of its mouth has disappeared. However, Ignitor's massive body doesn't split in 2, nor does it fall over with its mouth open.
The blade certainly passed through its body.
But, did it regenerate before the cut surface could be severed due to its extraordinary regenerative abilities?
That wasn't the case.
――Splat!
And that sound echoed, as frost fell upon Ignitor's entire body.
Then, a little late, a cold air started flowing from its body like a mist.
Now, Ignitor has completely frozen to its core, transformed into a massive ice statue. It's clear that the cut surface isn't splitting into 2 because it's frozen together.
The attack called [Dragon King Slash: Frostbite] split the enemy in two, freezing their entire body and ending their temporary life functions.
Soon after, I saw particles of light rising as the giant Ignitor began to release magical energy, and I finally relaxed my mind.
"Alright, everything is going as planned."
When I developed the [Dragon King Slash], I was confident that I could take him down alone, and now that I did, I felt a bit relieved.
If I hadn’t succeeded, I would have had to hurry and get completely naked!
* * *
The captains watched from a distance as the impressive Ignitor crawled out of the magma.
It was huge――even bigger than any dragon you could imagine――truly a dragon among dragons: the Imperial Flame Dragon.
The overwhelming presence it released reached the captains standing outside the crater area, making them certain that they couldn’t win against it.
In fact, wanting to challenge something like that was just plain foolish.
Aaron stood before the manifested Ignitor. The size difference between the two was so vast that it would shatter any illusions of victory in an instant. Just one glance would make you understand that fighting was out of the question. Fundamentally, it was different from the immobile ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫.
But...
(Lord of Extreme Sword... he's not running away from that?)
They gazed at Aaron's back as he confronted Ignitor.
With a beautiful longsword radiating a sharp, intimidating aura, Aaron showed no signs of retreat before Ignitor. In fact, he didn't even flinch with fear or anxiety.
He was as still as a giant tree rooted to the ground.
The captain couldn't even imagine what Aaron was feeling as he faced Ignitor now.
Ignitor, who had been gazing down at the puny opponent before him, opened its mouth the next instant.
Its mouth, which seemed to hold a sharp, glowing fang, lit up with a light. A sign of the Dragon's Breath.
In that moment, the fuse of battle was lit, and Aaron moved before Ignitor could unleash its breath.
He swung down the sword he was holding up.
A massive blade shot out from a sword's energy beam and flew forward, turning into a flash of light.
It crashed into Ignitor and spread its energy, creating a bright and flashy explosion. But before anyone could understand what was happening, the blade of energy pierced through Ignitor's huge body and flew out the other side.
"..."
There was a moment of silence.
Ignitor didn't move or react at all, as if it didn't feel any pain.
"..."
The silence continued.
But then, someone noticed a tiny change. Ignitor's mouth was still open, and the light that was supposed to be inside its mouth had disappeared.
"...what?"
Suddenly, a strange, eerie sound echoed through the silence.
For some reason, Ignitor's huge body didn't move at all, but in an instant, it was covered in frost, and cold air started flowing out of its body like mist.
――It was frozen in place.
The captain only understood what was happening after Ignitor's massive body had completely disappeared. So, when they saw the frozen Ignitor start to revert back to magical energy in the next instant, they couldn't move or say anything meaningful.
"...Huh?"
They didn't understand.
Ignitor was a powerful monster, a synonym for the strongest guardian in the modern [God's Remains Labyrinth], one that only a handful of genius Expertexplorers dared to challenge. Even if you managed to defeat it, it would be a legendary heroic tale of intense battle, where you'd exhaust all your strength to emerge victorious. It wasn't supposed to be an opponent you could easily defeat, like swatting a nearby goblin with a single swing of your sword.
That's what it was supposed to be.
"...Huh?"
The captain' brains refused to comprehend, while their hearts struggled to process their emotions, trying to think of something, anything.
They opened their eyes wide, gazing at reality, and opened their mouths to say something. But their overwhelming emotions couldn't be put into words.
After a while, they thought.
Huh? What is this?
The battle... is it over?――
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