It was good that we defeated the Divine Emperor and the Demon Race, but the problem that arose afterward made the previous issues seem trivial.
I never imagined that the Divine Emperor would possess something as dangerous as the Seal Engraving, and that he would have been transferred to the Gradia Continent with it.
What I really didn’t expect was that the seal of the Seal Engraving would be broken immediately after the Divine Emperor’s defeat, leading to the appearance of a monster like the Five-Headed Dragon.
However, the Allied Forces, having just finished their battle, had no strength left to fight.
So, we decided to fight on our own, but considering the opponent and the situation, simply having numbers wouldn’t be enough.
“Some of the beasts sealed by the Seal Engraving are said to absorb the souls of the dead to increase their power. I don’t think the Five-Headed Dragon is like that, but it’s not impossible, so we have to go with an elite force,” she said.
That’s the reason, but the idea of beasts absorbing the souls of the dead is truly horrifying.
Almost all of them were sealed or defeated, but was Earth in the past such a perilous place?
I can’t believe humanity not only survived but even thrived.
“Looking at it like this, it’s about the same size as the castle.”
“About the same as Thanatos, or perhaps even larger. But with five heads, it looks bigger than Thanatos.”
Thanatos, the Demise Species of Allosaurus.
It’s true that it was about 50 meters tall and 100 meters long, and this is certainly close in size.
However, with its long neck and tail, the Five-Headed Dragon appears to be almost twice as long.
So, in reality, the Five-Headed Dragon is probably bigger.
“Stop! Something’s wrong!”
“Huh?”
With only a few hundred meters left to the castle, Mako suddenly exclaimed.
She seemed to sense something unusual, but what could… No!
“No…”
“From the Five-Headed Dragon’s torso… a separate body has grown?”
“Wh-what is this…!”
It’s no wonder everyone is surprised. From below where the five heads of the Five-Headed Dragon converge, likely its back, a body that appears to be male is growing.
You might not understand what I’m saying, but that’s the only way to describe it.
The body is only the upper half, but it has arms and is a colossal size, comparable to the Five-Headed Dragon itself.
It looks like the monster Scylla from Greek mythology.
“…Hmm, so this is the body of a true god, the Divine Body. It’s not as bad as I thought.”
Words were spoken from the head of that Scylla-like body, specifically from its mouth.
What in the world is this…
He called himself a true god, could it be him!
“The evil god… Abaricia!”
“You dare call me, who is the creator god of this world, an evil god in my face? How utterly disrespectful, you brat!”
“Huh? Creator god? The creator god of the Helios Orb is Father God and the twelve goddesses. I highly doubt there’s any room for someone like you to interfere?”
“Wait, Yamato. I believe he is indeed the creator god. However, not of the Helios Orb, but of the world into which the Gradia Continent was meant to be transferred.”
Ah, so that’s it!
Does this mean he’s the creator god of another world and, at the same time, the enemy of the creator gods of the Helios Orb, Father God and the others?
“That seems to be the only conclusion, doesn’t it? I don’t know what his objective is, but he’s far more significant than we anticipated, which is a bit problematic.”
That’s absolutely true.
We didn’t even consider that Abaricia could be the creator god of another world.
And why would such a being transfer the Gradia Continent to the likes of the Helios Orb, only to merge with a Five-Headed Dragon?
I truly don’t understand.
“It’s impossible for an insect like you to comprehend my noble purpose. However, your previous insult is unforgivable. Therefore, I sentence you to death.”
This god is too arrogant.
And don’t think I’ll just let you do as you please.
“No, now that I have finally achieved incarnation, it would be interesting to test the power of this Divine Body myself. Don’t die too easily, boy?”
Abaricia, speaking as if playing a game, gathered magic power in one of the Five-Headed Dragon’s necks and unleashed a breath attack.
Judging by the angle, it’s targeting the Wing of Order!
“This—!”
“I won’t let you!”
Mako’s Field Cosmos and Meena’s Wide Mirror Shield blocked it, but just as the Wide Mirror Shield was about to be breached, Field Cosmos also vanished after enduring immense strain.
What power…
“Hoh, you managed to defend against my greeting blow. This might be more enjoyable than I thought.”
“Everyone, scatter!”
This time, energy blasts were fired from each of the Five-Headed Dragon’s necks!
The power is lower and the range is shorter than the breath attack, but even so, being hit would result in more than just injuries!
We have to disperse and make it impossible for him to aim at us by moving at high speed!
“We’re aiming for a short battle! We’re going all out from the start!”
While dodging the energy blasts, Prim donned Silver Ray Penetrator, and to support her, Flam’s Tidal Disaster attacked Abaricia.
Due to its massive size, it couldn’t be avoided, and both attacks hit Abaricia directly, but the damage was less than expected.
Moreover, Prim’s Silver Ray Penetrator couldn’t even pierce it.
“Ho, it has more power than I anticipated. However, with the spear stuck in me, you won’t be able to move either. As a reward, I will let you die without suffering.”
“Prim!”
Of course, I wouldn’t let that happen, and immediately activated Maha Jarugu, targeting the neck of the Five-Headed Dragon where Prim’s Crimson Wing was still stuck.
Since it’s a single-point attack, it saves magic power, and the power should be increased!
“Wh-what!?”
As expected of a Mythical-class technique, Maha Jarugu succeeded in severing the Five-Headed Dragon’s neck.
At the same time, Prim detached herself at high speed along with the impaled neck.
Oh, it pierced through.
“Thanks, Yamato!”
I acknowledged Prim’s thanks with a slight wave of my hand, but the attack had stopped.
Ah, it must have stopped attacking in surprise when the neck was severed by Maha Jarugu.
“To think you could actually cut off one of the heads of this Divine Body. It was truly unexpected. But don’t think you can win just because of that!”
“What—!”
However, a new head grew from the severed wound.
It regenerates too!
“It’s like the Yamata no Orochi. If it were just that, we could defeat it, but the fusion with Abaricia makes it troublesome.”
“Mako?”
“The Yamata no Orochi also has regenerative abilities, and it regenerates unless all its heads are cut off simultaneously. What’s worse, it only temporarily stopped its movement.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. There’s only one way to defeat the Yamata no Orochi: crush its heart. But to do that, the heads get in the way, so you have to cut them off first. But cutting off just one or two will only lead to regeneration.”
So, we need to cut off all the heads.
All five heads that even Prim’s Silver Ray Penetrator couldn’t easily pierce?
And with Abaricia fused, that alone doesn’t seem like it would be enough.
Damn, it’s already finishing its regeneration.
It’s fast, and it’s already resumed its attack!
“Athena, dragonize.”
“Mako?”
“I never thought we’d actually have to use it, but since we can’t use Tuatha Dé Danann, this is our only option.”
That.
It’s the ultimate magic of Wing Crest, a Layered Magic used by the four of us, Yamato, Prim, Athena, and Mako, which is also Dragon Resonance Magic.
This time, we’ll unleash it with a Mythical-class technique added, so even if it’s not as powerful as Tuatha Dé Danann, it should be close.
However, a condition for using it is that Athena must fully dragonize, and we who use it will be immobilized.
Athena, in particular, will become a target when she transforms into the Shining Crystal Dragonian, so the risk of being defeated before we can even use it is high.
Are you sane to use such magic?
“I don’t want to use it either. But Abaricia’s attacks are barely manageable even with my Field Cosmos and Meena’s Wide Mirror Shield, and Prim’s Silver Ray Penetrator can’t pierce the Five-Headed Dragon’s scales. The heads we managed to cut off regenerate immediately. On the other hand, if we take even one hit, it’s over. In that case, it’s a gamble, but we have to fight back with our maximum firepower, or we’ll be in a losing battle?”
That’s true.
Mana and Mako, who haven’t brought any summoned beasts this time, have reduced our combat power.
Because of that, even Field Cosmos is slightly weakened.
However, even if we had the summoned beasts, I doubt they could fight Abaricia head-on, and they might have just become targets.
“In that case, we’ll buy you some time.”
“Even if we can’t inflict damage, we can divert its attention.”
“Yes. Fortunately, its movements aren’t very fast. We can feint even while dodging.”
“I will protect everyone. I can manage to block those energy blasts, and even if an attack stronger than before comes, I will absolutely not let it pass behind me.”
Mana, Ludia, Flam, and Meena look at me with determination.
As Mako said, if we get into a losing situation, we’ll have no chance of winning.
So, if everyone buys us time, and we complete the Layered Magic in the meantime, our chances of winning will be higher.
“Alright. But don’t push yourselves too hard, okay?”
“Of course not.”
“Naturally.”
“Yes!”
“I’m fine!”
With the four of them nodding resolutely, my resolve is also set.
Then, all that’s left is to do it!
“In that case, to buy us some time, we’ll ascend a bit higher. It’s only a few hundred meters, and the Wing of Order won’t be targeted anymore.”
“Yes, do that. We’re counting on you.”
“Alright! Then Prim, Meena, Athena, Mako!”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
“Yes!”
“Shall we go?”
While dodging the energy blasts, we ascend towards the sky.
I feel reluctant to leave Mana and the others behind, but I trust that the three of them will be fine and entrust them with this task.
I pray that the strike we are about to unleash will be the finishing blow, staking everything I have, everything we have!
