**Side: Reinhardt**
I received a report from Yamato the other day about a divine revelation given to Aria, and the contents were truly unbelievable.
To think that under the Celestial Emperor’s magic power, not only new An or Catastrophe Species, but even Demise Species were actually being born on the Philia Continent…
I immediately informed the kings of each country and convened an emergency international conference. However, it’s not easy to come up with countermeasures.
Still, I’ve alerted the Hunter’s Guild and Ritter’s Guild to be vigilant, instructing them to report even the slightest piece of information. I’ve also made it mandatory to report to the Hunter’s Guild whenever moving to a new town, so that emergency requests can be issued to the Ancient Hunters immediately.
Fortunately, the Ancient Hunters understood the gravity of the situation. They showed understanding towards my instructions and even willingly took on the investigation.
While it’s not perfect, if the Ancient Hunters are mobilized, defeating Catastrophe Species is not difficult.
The problem lies with the Demise Species. For these, we will likely have to ask Yamato to intervene.
However, Yamato is currently without his weapon.
He is wearing the Azure Silver Sword – Pale Green, Type 2, crafted by Ed, but it still doesn’t match the sword forged by Master Richard.
That said, the Azure Silver Sword – Pale Green, Type 2 also serves as a substitute for a sword made with Divine Metal Alloy, and Ed acknowledges that it is inferior to the sword his grandfather forged, so it’s not an issue for now.
We won’t know for sure if the Divine Metal Mine truly exists until we investigate Enigma Island.
Therefore, once the subjugation of Nidh is complete, the Grishina Beast King will dispatch an investigation team immediately, and preparations are already underway.
And today, the subjugation of Nidh will take place.
The one undertaking the subjugation is Yamato’s Father, Asuka. Astonishingly, he plans to do it alone.
A few days ago, I heard that he also defeated the Demise Species Kobold Emperor in Valentia, which was the cause of the divine revelation, with the ease of twisting a baby’s arm. To be able to so easily dispatch a Demise Species demonstrates a terrifying power that sends shivers down my spine.
Ah, the magic stone of the Kobold Emperor was presented by Folias, the Dragon King.
We have also been given the Slume Lord’s magic stone from Torencia, and the Grishina Beast King has stated that he has no intention of keeping Nidh’s magic stone for himself, so it will likely be brought after its subjugation.
The three kings have all stated that the magic stone of a Demise Species should belong to its liege, though their true intention is likely just to get rid of a troublesome item.
As the leader of the Federation Heavenly Empire, I suppose I will have to accept this.
However, more than that, I am now more interested in how Asuka will face Nidh.
And Falcon’s, who also accompany him to observe Asuka’s battle, are here as well.
They were saved during the Polar Defense Battle by Asuka and his wife, Maoh, but no one understood how they were rescued. Mako, being a close friend of the two, seemed to be the only one who understood.
There are others similar to Falcon’s, so Holy Grave and Gracious Lynx are also accompanying us. They are delighted to have had the opportunity to meet Asuka and secure an appointment.
Furthermore, the Grishina Beast King is accompanying us this time as it concerns the profit and development of his own country. Folias, the Dragon King, whom I had also invited, is watching Asuka with a tense expression.
Folias, the Dragon King, was not originally scheduled to accompany us. However, since Hilde, the Torencia Phantom King, is accompanying us as a member of Wing Crest, we couldn’t simply not invite the Dragon King, who is her equal among the Three Kings.
So, after obtaining Asuka’s permission, I invited him. He was very enthusiastic, having been impressed by Asuka’s defeat of the Kobold Emperor a few days prior, and reportedly agreed without hesitation.
All the Ancient Ritters are accompanying us as guards, and Grand Dragoner’s Master Lord Harut is also present. There’s no doubt they are all interested as well.
Given the large number of observers, we will be using the Multi-functional Beast Carriages of Wing Crest, Holy Grave, and Gracious Lynx. Athena, Eos, and Lady Themis, the Dragonian wife of Lord Harut, will transform and carry the carriages.
Therefore, simple belts have been prepared in the Multi-functional Beast Carriages of Holy Grave and Gracious Lynx. This will likely alleviate some of the burden on Eos and Lady Themis, who are carrying the carriages of Holy Grave and Gracious Lynx.
“I’ve seen it from a distance before, but this is my first time actually coming here.”
“With Nidh here, we couldn’t fly over the island.”
Yamato, this is your first time on Enigma Island too? Well, it’s natural, since the only ones who have business on Enigma Island are Hunters who enter the Enigma Labyrinth.
“Certainly, if three Dragonians approach, Nidh will try to intercept them, won’t they?”
“Of course.”
As if sensing the approach of the three Dragonians, a colossal dragon with a jet-black body emerged from Enigma Island. There’s no reason for Nidh to appear other than for the reasons Prim and Maruca stated, but its size is immense.
“It’s certainly big.”
“Yeah. It’s far bigger than the Dragons we defeated in the Polar Defense Battle.”
This is my first time seeing Nidh as well, but as Maoh and Asuka said, Nidh is indeed larger than I had imagined. Just a rough estimate puts its length at over 100 meters. It truly possesses the overwhelming presence befitting its reputation as the strongest among the many Demise Species. With its four horns, four wings, and appearance as if clad in armor, its majesty, combined with its immense magic power, causes even Ancient Class individuals to falter.
“Mff!”
“I won’t let you!”
As soon as Nidh spotted us, it opened its mouth wide and unleashed a breath attack. However, due to Maoh’s Engraver Art, the Silverio Defender, not even a trace of heat reached us.
“I’ve never seen it before, but you’ve developed such a spell too, haven’t you?”
“Yeah. It’s a neutral, formless spell, but it’s primarily for defense.”
I’m surprised Mako didn’t know about it, but it’s not unthinkable that an Engraver would think along the same lines, given that Hunters also develop Unique Magic suited to their situations. Still, to perfectly repel Nidh’s breath attack, is this the power of an Arc Human of level 217?
“Maoh, I’ll leave the defense to you. I’m counting on you.”
“Only if I’m attacked first. Asuka, you handle it yourself!”
“I understand. Then, Your Majesties, I shall take my leave.”
As if going for a stroll, Asuka used the Engraver Art called Fly Wind and leaped from the Beast Carriage. Asuka’s flight speed is incredible, and he was confronting Nidh in no time. It became clear from Asuka’s confrontation that Nidh’s body alone is nearly 100 meters long. Its tail appears to be of similar length, making its total length around 200 meters. The sheer size difference makes Asuka look incredibly small.
“Seeing it like this, I have to admit it’s worthy of being called the strongest Demise Species.”
“Indeed. Not only its massive size, but that breath attack earlier could have swallowed all three Dragonians and still had room to spare.”
El and Holly of Falcon’s, who are in the same Multi-functional Beast Carriage as me from Wing Crest, speak with fear on their faces, but I completely agree. I understood that there were differences in strength even among Demise Species, but I never imagined it would be this vast.
“Defeating that will require more than a little effort.”
“And as for weapons, I’m sorry to say to Edward, but the Pale Green Type 2 might not be enough.”
I suppose so. It wouldn’t be a problem if it were the Pale Green Type 2 from the start, but with the weapon’s performance being one step lower, that difference could be fatal. If Yamato were to undertake the subjugation of Nidh, we might have to start by preparing a weapon for him first.
“It’s starting!”
At Mana’s words, I turned my gaze back to Nidh, and saw Asuka powering up his magic. Initially, Nidh paid no attention to Asuka, who was vastly smaller than itself. However, upon sensing Asuka’s extraordinary magic power, it immediately retreated. To make even Nidh back down, what immense magic power…
“It’s far more potent than last time…”
“Last time… Ah, you mean when I was bothered by those thugs!”
“To bother Lady Maoh, what a foolhardy thing to do…”
I was surprised to hear El and Lady Maoh’s conversation, but I could only share the same sentiment as Maruca. It seems that hunter has already been apprehended and all involved were sent to penal servitude, but apparently he had many other crimes as well. Oh well, that’s irrelevant now.
“Is that… no way, is Nidh actually cowering?”
“That’s absurd…”
“Bu-but… by all appearances…”
Indeed, as Falcon’s says, Nidh appears to be cowering. Its tail is curled, and it’s gradually retreating. Perhaps instinctively realizing it cannot escape Asuka, it swings its arms to create an opening to flee, but Asuka not only parries it with the sword in his hand but also slashes at it. Blood gushed from its attacked right arm, and it fell powerlessly.
“As expected, with that size, Mist Inflation’s power is severely reduced.”
“Still, its right arm is unusable, so it’s a combat capability reduction for Nidh too.”
Though it looked like a mere light slash, I never imagined it would render Nidh’s right arm unusable.
“Is that one of Asuka’s trump cards, the one that defeated the Kobold Emperor?”
“Th-truly, Big Brother?”
“I only heard about it, but apparently Asuka defeated the Kobold Emperor with a single blow using that Engraver Art.”
“W-with a single blow!?”
“Yes. Apparently, the Engraver Art called Mist Inflation was used at that time.”
Lord Harut and Folias, the Dragon King’s conversation reached my ears. I had heard that Asuka defeated the Kobold Emperor, but I never imagined it was with a single blow. However, the Kobold Emperor was only about 3 meters tall, smaller than the arm of Nidh, which is likely over 10 meters. Since it rendered Nidh’s arm unusable in one blow, it is plausible that it could defeat the Kobold Emperor in one blow.
However, before our astonished eyes, an even more astonishing sight unfolded.
“It seems Mist Rebellion was used as well, because it’s bigger than I expected.”
“Asuka probably intended to defeat it with Mist Inflation, but didn’t expect it to be so large.”
“Yeah. It’s the largest monster I’ve ever seen, and Asuka probably hasn’t fought anything that large before either.”
“If we used Fergus, it would be over quickly, but if we use that, who knows if we’ll be able to return.”
“That’s a problem in itself, though.”
Mako and Maoh’s conversation is already beyond my comprehension. It seems they are having trouble because it’s larger than anticipated, but to us, it looks like they are overwhelmingly defeating it. No one here has any experience fighting such a massive opponent, so it’s not a matter of experience alone. Furthermore, I heard that Fergus is the Engraver Art that defeated the Dragons all at once in the Polar Defense Battle. The fact that they say it would be over quickly if used implies that Asuka doesn’t even consider Nidh a threat.
As if affirming my thoughts, Nidh was enveloped in the barrier of the Engraver Art called Mist Rebellion and fell onto Enigma Island, blood gushing from its body.
“Wh-what… was that…”
“Yamato, haven’t you seen it before? Father’s Mist Rebellion.”
“I have… but I didn’t think it was such a brutal spell?”
Yamato is also astonished, but this is a valuable sight in its own way.
“Mist Rebellion, in a word, is large-scale Mist Inflation. When I showed it to Yamato, he probably couldn’t use it that way.”
“…It’s beyond excessive.”
I completely agree. I don’t know what the Engraver Art Mist Inflation entails, but using an Engraver Art that can render Nidh’s right arm unusable as a barrier is nothing short of brutal. What kind of conception could lead to the development of such an Engraver Art? I’ve heard a little about it from Yamato, but even so, Earth is a terrifying world.
But now, let’s face reality. As Asuka declared, Nidh has been successfully subjugated. This means Enigma Island has been liberated. A full-scale investigation will be conducted later, but we also need to retrieve Nidh’s corpse, so let’s conduct at least a basic survey.
