Fenrir is a famous name, considered one of the strongest even in games.
Its appearance is that of a completely different breed of poodle, but I can tell it’s clad in immense magic power.
Therefore, I don’t doubt that it’s Fenrir.
However, there’s one point that bothers me.
“Larval stage?”
That’s right, this poodle, with a body exceeding ten meters in length, is not yet fully grown.
Considering how much larger the Dungeon Core’s divine beasts were when the instructor had them, this one is probably considered on the smaller side.
“Yes, it’s in its larval stage.”
Yamru nodded frankly at my repeated question. Then I looked at the instructor and Evia.
“Are all Dungeon Core divine beasts handed over in their larval stage?”
“No? Mine was an adult when I received it.”
“Mine too.”
Apparently, this is not the norm.
“Why did you bring it in its larval stage?”
At this point, setting aside whether Fenrir has abilities or not, the priority is to confirm the reason for bringing it in its larval form.
Tilting my head, I decided to ask Yamru the question that had genuinely arisen. Becoming a Dungeon Core means it will serve as the ultimate defense measure.
A larval stage means it’s still immature. Frankly, I question whether such an incomplete being can bear the burden of national defense.
“Ah! You doubt this child’s strength, don’t you? Let me tell you, don’t underestimate it just because it’s in its larval stage. Its abilities are far beyond those of ordinary divine beasts.”
Yamru puffed out his cheeks and complained, as if he had seen through my thoughts. Saml, standing next to him, also sent a gaze that seemed to be criticizing me.
“No, I’m not looking down on it. I just wondered why.”
“That’s because this child’s abilities are already sufficient, obviously. It can grow even more as an adult. You should be grateful that we’ve given you a state where there’s room for further growth.”
Leaving misunderstandings unresolved can lead to future grudges, so I decided to clear the air by stating my honest feelings, but Yamru didn’t seem convinced.
He even turned away sulkily. Wondering if my wording was poor, I scratched my head. Just then, Fenrir slowly stood up.
“Oh?”
“Hmm.”
Then, it let out a growl and glared at me. Hearing the growl, the instructor and Evia seemed amused.
“Ah, it’s upset. Once it gets like this, it’s difficult to cheer it up. I’m not responsible, though.”
It’s natural that a divine beast would possess commensurate strength.
Perhaps it didn’t like my wording, as Fenrir bared its fangs and threatened me.
Yamru and Saml from the temple, who should normally reprimand it, were leaving things to unfold.
“This is a good opportunity, Jiro. You rarely get a chance to fight a divine beast. Experience the strength of the dungeon’s final defense line.”
The instructor was enthusiastic, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Wait, aren’t these guys the final defense line after the general was defeated?! That means…”
“Yes, in some cases, they are stronger than us.”
Evia also made no move to stop it and, before I knew it, had quietly moved away to avoid getting caught up in the battle.
Words can be a source of trouble.
Even without ill intent, a being confident in its strength will be displeased if that strength is doubted.
Realizing I was careless and could no longer expect mediation, I steeled myself.
“Um, please be careful. If I’m not up to par, this child might bite me to death.”
“Thank you for the warning. Ideally, I would have liked it a bit earlier.”
The innocent puppy-like eyes that seemed gentle had vanished, replaced by eyes filled with pure hostility.
I messed up. It was too late to regret it. There was no way I could go easy on a divine beast that supplied inexhaustible magic power, nor could I expect it.
Yamru’s warning was as effective as pouring water on a burning stone.
“Partner!”
“Ooh!”
I summoned the Ore Tree I had stored with space magic. The moment I gripped the hilt, Fenrir kicked off the ground.
“Fast!?”
Its speed, considering its massive body, had me wondering if it should possess such explosive power. Fenrir’s speed in leaping at me was so fast, I didn’t even have time to process my doubts.
The magic concentrated in its foreleg alone was absurd. I instinctively dodged, realizing it was dangerous to block it.
“Geh.”
My intuition was correct.
In an instant, the floor of the Demon Lord’s Castle, reinforced by magic, was shattered. The impact sent cracks running across it, as if sliced by claws.
The Demon Lord’s Castle should be quite sturdy, built to protect its lord, yet it was easily damaged.
Is this a divine beast?
I instantly switched my befuddled thoughts to combat mode, kicked off the air, and used the air itself as footing, crossing the sky in an instant to bring myself within Fenrir’s range.
With that massive body, it would be harder to move and attack when closer rather than further.
Channeling magic, I unleashed a single stroke, capable of slicing through the instructor’s defenses, towards its white fur. But.
“Tch!”
Grasping, my blade scattered sparks against its soft fur. It wasn’t cut and was perfectly defended.
…
Before I could launch a consecutive attack, a counter came flying. To maintain my distance, I leaped toward Fenrir’s blind spot.
That defense isn’t just pure physical strength. The purity of the magic imbued in each and every strand of fur is orders of magnitude higher.
That highly compressed, high-purity magic acts as natural armor, protecting Fenrir. My magic still lacked sharpness and couldn’t penetrate it.
“Kaha.”
What is that? That’s interesting.
Faced with something I can’t cut, I’m starting to feel a bit excited.
A crescent moon formed on my lips. A sign of enjoyment, I found myself getting carried away.
The ferocious beast before me is trying to hunt me, and it’s about to chase me with a speed that belies its size.
Even while parrying its counterattacks, my mind was already running at full speed, thinking about how to break through this divine beast’s defenses.
Its swinging forelegs, its biting fangs.
“It uses magic too!”
To corner me, it unleashed bolts of lightning. Before I could catch my breath, the air froze with an icy chill, attempting to freeze my legs.
It’s intelligent too. It’s not just brute-forcing with its body but calmly thinking about how to corner and kill me.
That’s right. It was originally designed to be the core of a dungeon that defends against heroes.
It would have been designed with strength capable of defeating a hero.
“You’re strong, so strong!! You!!”
Before I knew it, I was saying those words, swinging my Ore Tree at Fenrir repeatedly.
Did it say “air walls”? Those are meant to be cut. Breaking the sound barrier, from an observer’s perspective, my arms seemed to multiply like an Ashura’s, the slashes blurring and forming multiple blades, striking the same spot.
I tried to bypass Fenrir’s defense, but even hitting the same spot repeatedly, I felt no sign of it being cut. What is this? It’s a sensation I’ve never felt before.
“Kahahahahahahaha!!!!”
Laughter welled up inside me. From the bottom of my heart, I was grateful to be able to fight such a powerful opponent.
The frustration that had been building up from my conversations with the nobles exploded, and I immersed myself in the battle, a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
It was the same feeling as when I fought the instructor seriously to the death.
My nerves grew sharper and sharper.
Sharpening my five senses so as not to miss a single movement of my opponent.
“Partner!! Connect!”
I got serious. Relying on the Ore Tree, roots crawled into my arm, and I began circulating magic. If the opponent uses brute force defense with high-purity magic, I’ll push through with brute force as well.
“Ah, so dangerous!?”
Distracted by the magic, a swinging claw passed right by the side of my face. My cheek was ripped, and blood splattered. It was just a scratch, but one wrong move, and my head would have been gone.
With my other hand, I deflected Fenrir’s opposite foreleg with the Ore Tree.
Normally, it should have been a slash, not a deflection, but my Ore Tree had changed from a cutting weapon to a striking weapon.
The blade wasn’t crushed, but still, I felt a frustrating sense of something that couldn’t be cut.
“Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeya!!!!”
It unleashed a roar, slamming its magic. Did it flinch? No. Annoyed,
“Uooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnn!!!!”
It roared back, and its magic clashed with mine, canceling it out. I had never been countered like that before.
This makes it even more fun, I thought, my smile deepening as I unleashed a slash at Fenrir. Even my slashes, infused with highly compressed magic, were deflected.
“Gau!!”
Are you saying it doesn’t work!
Even increasing my magic power, the opponent’s output is overwhelmingly superior.
Even though this is a large space, for Fenrir, it’s no exaggeration to call it a confined space.
It’s nearly impossible for me to create enough distance to evade it.
Fenrir’s attacks intensified as it realized its attacks weren’t working.
Speed, power, and magic quantity are all orders of magnitude greater.
On top of that, its defense, created by seemingly inexhaustible magic.
I can see why Yamru was so confident in its strength.
But you know.
“There are openings!!”
It’s only in its larval stage, so its combat experience is limited. Even though it’s fighting with all its might and not being careless, I can tell.
“My weapon isn’t just the Ore Tree!!”
Making it seem like there was an opening by swinging the Ore Tree, I lunged forward with all my might towards Fenrir, which pounced at me, and deployed a magic circle on my toes.
“Magic can be unleashed from anywhere on the body, that’s how you become first-class.”
That was Instructor Fushio’s catchphrase.
“Pile Regret!!”
The magic circle I deployed, seven in total, was intended for instantaneous deployment.
I kicked Fenrir’s lower jaw as if kicking a soccer ball.
A dull thud echoed with the impact.
It strained my legs, but this much is nothing.
The problem is.
“You’re tougher than you look!!”
Despite the impact that should have sent its face flying, and despite it closing its mouth and clenching its teeth, it glared at me with an unconcerned expression.
If even one fang had broken, it would have been a success, but divine beasts don’t fall that easily.
“Takemikazuchi!!”
Using Takemikazuchi without incantation to blind it, I shifted its swinging foreleg, and with the returning blade, I launched a slash at Fenrir’s face.
But the sensation was similar. It didn’t cut.
A slash that passed right above its eye, an area that should be impossible to train, yet I felt no sensation of cutting.
This is a being empowered by the gods, a divine beast.
I have no idea how to defeat it.
But I won’t despair over something like this.
Recalling the work I did during my corporate slave days, where I rechecked everything from the beginning without knowing the problem to identify it.
“This much is nothing for me!!”
A mere tough divine beast is not a reason to give up on defeating it.
Neither of us has landed a clean hit.
I’ve landed many attacks, but the opponent has vastly superior stamina. I have insufficient equipment and no potions.
It’s impossible to continue fighting in such a disadvantageous situation indefinitely.
How can I defeat Fenrir? I must think.
Think. Think.
Meanwhile, my body continues to move.
Dodging, counterattacking, blocking, counterattacking, pursuing, blocking, blocking.
Freely moving horizontally and vertically. Gravity is merely a sensation to recognize direction; the ceiling, the ground, the walls are all just footing from which to move.
“Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh!!”
“Gaooooooooooooooooooooooooh!!!”
At this moment, this space has become a battlefield for just one person and one beast.
Today’s Word:
Be careful with careless words.
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