We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Absolute Defense
The Spirit Tree Spirit Sword, shining with a fresh green color, was swung down like a single beam of light.
It sliced through the clouds and sky, approaching to cleave the mist rain that covered two of Dragon Peak’s mountains.
With a resounding clang!!, an impact like that of striking a hard object was transmitted to my hands.
“Hmph!!”
The boundary between the landscape of Dragon Peak and the gently falling mist rain. There, the Spirit Tree Spirit Sword was halted.
“Hngh!”
I swung the sword down with all my might.
However, the fresh green blade could not penetrate the soft mist rain landscape.
“Elnea!?”
Behind me, Mistral called out anxiously.
“It’s hard. The sword… the Spirit Tree Spirit Sword hit something and won’t go any further!”
Such a thing is impossible! Everyone’s expression changed.
Even the giant of the Primogenitor Race, the guardian of the underground ruins, and the core of the Demon King’s essence, the Spirit Tree Spirit Sword had easily cut them in two. Why couldn’t its attack, demonstrating absolute sharpness, cleave the Diamond Mist?
The sensation transmitted to my hands was a hard, dull feeling, like striking rock with a blunt weapon.
“Hmph, to think it would come to this!”
Old Man Sleigsta roared and plummeted towards the Diamond Mist. As he did, his entire body changed from the blackness of shadow to the whiteness of light.
“Don’t make a futile struggle, you mere monster!!”
And then, he unleashed a breath of Yin and Yang from his colossal mouth!
Multiple golden magic circles formed in the sky and on the ground, enveloping the Diamond Mist and creating a pillar of golden light.
“You all join in too!”
Revalia, urged on by Mr. Asher, unleashed a fiery breath, raining down crimson flames. Nimia, now grown, stood alongside Mr. Asher and released a breath that turned everything into white ash.
However, even the attacks of Old Man Sleigsta and everyone else only grazed the surface of the mist rain, failing to reach its depths.
“Cut through!!”
I poured all my power into the Spirit Tree Spirit Sword and strained my hands.
Nevertheless, the fresh green blade that touched the edge of the mist rain did not advance further.
“What hardness!”
An abnormal hardness, unimaginable from the soft mist rain landscape, began to creep into my heart from its depths.
“Even swarms of small birds and the Dragon Race could enter the mist rain without resistance, so why not me!?”
The blade of the Spirit Tree Spirit Sword seemed to be rejected by the Diamond Mist, not advancing at all beyond the surface.
If this continues…
If I cannot cleave the Diamond Mist and defeat it…
Currently, Old Man Sleigsta is unleashing his Yin-Yang Dragon Arts with all his might.
If we fail to defeat the Diamond Mist, we will lose those we hold dear.
I don’t want that.
I absolutely do not want that!
“Hngh!”
“Elnea!”
Before I knew it, I had leaped from above Old Man Sleigsta’s head, ignoring Mistral’s attempt to stop me.
“Mr. Ares!”
“Are you planning to use that? I cannot recommend it, but… it can’t be helped.”
Mr. Ares, who had merged with me, summoned a jet-black object.
A grotesquely twisted, ominous long weapon.
The Magic Sword “Soul Spirit Seat,” passed down by the Ruler of the Demon Race as a symbol of the Demon King.
I swung the Spirit Tree Spirit Sword down with my right hand while grasping the Soul Spirit Seat in my left. Then, maintaining the momentum of my fall, I thrust the Demon King’s magic sword, said to devour and annihilate the souls of all it touched, into the Diamond Mist.
With a dull clang!!, another heavy impact was transmitted to my left hand.
Even the Soul Spirit Seat cannot break through it!?
Nevertheless, the Soul Spirit Seat demonstrated its despair-inducing power merely by touching it.
“Yaaahhh!!”
As I descended, I ran the Soul Spirit Seat along the surface of the mist rain, from top to bottom.
“Elnea!”
Near the ground, Mistral caught up and hugged me from behind. Thanks to him, I avoided a direct collision with the ground.
I then landed on the ground, held by Mistral.
In my right hand, the Spirit Tree Spirit Sword, shining with fresh green.
In my left hand, the Soul Spirit Seat, which devours and annihilates all souls.
But neither of the two swords clutched in my hands had cleaved the Diamond Mist.
No matter how much I strained with my hands, they would not bite into the faintly shimmering mist rain landscape before me.
I willed with all my might.
“Even if the blade cannot pass through, let your soul be stolen by the Soul Spirit Seat!”
I put strength into my left hand.
But no matter how much strength I put in, no matter how much I willed it, there was no change in the mist rain before me.
“W-why…?”
I don’t understand.
The Spirit Tree Spirit Sword, which had cleaved even the Demon King’s core, could not rend it in two, and while touching the blade of the Soul Spirit Seat, which devours and annihilates all souls, my own soul was not stolen.
Everything was so abnormal that my mind couldn’t catch up.
Mistral, still holding me from behind, stood dumbfounded.
Why?
Why…?
My thoughts were confused.
Were our attacks ineffective against the Diamond Mist?
Why did the Soul Spirit Seat not show its power?
If this continues…
“Don’t let your guard down, Elnea!”
At that moment, Old Man Sleigsta’s roar echoed from the sky.
With a sudden “ha!”, Mistral and I regained our consciousness.
And then, we saw it.
Beyond the hazy landscape of the gently falling mist rain.
A great turtle, shimmering beautifully in a watery blue, stood quietly, gazing at us.
The great turtle had a body that looked as if it were carved from jewels.
However, there was no time to be captivated by its jewel-carved, mystical appearance. On the contrary, merely seeing the watery blue great turtle sent an inexpressible fear welling up from the depths of my soul.
A shiver ran down my spine.
“Elnea, let’s go back to the old man.”
As Mistral flapped his wings, which were close to a silvery gold, the water-blue great turtle standing in the mist rain opened its mouth at the same time.
“Ngh!!”
I forcefully activated Spatial Jump without waiting for Mistral to fly.
In an instant, I moved far to the side.
Immediately after, the ground and atmosphere shook violently with a rumbling roar.
We, Mistral and I, who had reacted in that moment, looked back at our original location and were aghast.
The place where we had been just a moment ago was now occupied by a new mass of mist rain that had sprung forth from the gentle mist rain landscape.
However, I quickly understood that it was no ordinary mist rain.
“If I had taken… that…”
The mass of mist rain showed us, vividly, a destructive power unimaginable from its gentle appearance.
It was indeed the counterattack of the Diamond Mist. The new mass of mist rain, extending from the main body of mist rain covering two mountains, seemed to possess mass, sweeping away and crushing everything it touched.
It not only destroyed the place where we stood but also the mountain ridges behind us, causing a landslide.
“What are you staring at? Another attack is coming!”
At Old Man Sleigsta’s words, Mistral hastily flapped his wings.
He moved his wings fiercely, disregarding elegance, and ascended rapidly with me in his arms.
The water-blue great turtle, standing in the mist rain, watched us ascend with its eyes and slowly opened its mouth. As if in response to its movement, the contours of the mist rain began to writhe ominously.
I’m being targeted!
The fear of death washed over my entire body. Nevertheless, by activating Spatial Jump, I managed to escape the second wave of mist rain projected by the great turtle.
Although my posture faltered from the airborne Spatial Jump, Mistral distanced us from the Diamond Mist at full speed.
By flying high into the sky and looking down at the ground from afar, I finally understood what the new mass of mist rain extending from the mist rain was.
It was, truly, a turtle.
New masses of mist rain began to extend in four directions from the main body of mist rain, like the limbs of a turtle.
And then, as if to target Mistral and me as we ascended, it began to extend a turtle-like head.
The mist rain landscape transformed its contours into the form of an unimaginably giant turtle. Despite its soft appearance, we felt an unfathomable terror.
The water-blue jewel great turtle, quietly standing in the mist rain, looked up at us as we moved away, further transforming the surrounding mist rain. As it did, it slowly opened its mouth again.
If I leave it to Mistral to fly like this, we’ll just be exposed to the Diamond Mist’s attacks!
I looked around for a way out.
Then, Old Man Sleigsta, sensing the crisis, intervened between us and the Diamond Mist, unleashing his Yin-Yang Dragon Arts.
“Mistral, get on my back.”
“Yes!”
Prompted by Old Man Sleigsta, Mistral landed on Old Man Sleigsta’s enormous back.
Old Man Sleigsta, confirming that Mistral and I were on his back, moved above the clouds with breathtaking speed.
Only after confirming that we had moved to a position beyond the reach of the Diamond Mist’s attacks did I finally place my feet on Old Man Sleigsta’s purely white scales.
However, I then stumbled and collapsed helplessly.
“Ah…”
Severe weakness had already begun.
The continuous battles from the Gate of Underworld Prison, fought at full strength. Moreover, this time, I had unleashed the Spirit Tree Spirit Sword with all my power.
I had now given my all.
Mistral, worried, hugged me.
I tried to hug Mistral back, but I didn’t even have the strength in my fingertips.
The Spirit Tree Spirit Sword had disappeared from my right hand, and a young branch of the Spirit Tree was intertwined with my fingertips.
The Soul Spirit Seat, which I should have been holding in my left hand, was nowhere to be seen. Had Mr. Ares retrieved it?
But I can’t end it here!
“Still… I can still… do it.”
I said, and tried to muster strength throughout my body.
If I couldn’t defeat the Diamond Mist now, there would only be one option left.
So, I have to defeat it!
I put strength into my legs. I tried to move my arms.
But my body, which had begun to weaken severely, wouldn’t move as I willed.
“No… Please, move.”
I desperately tried to muster strength.
Finally, my right hand rose.
Mistral gently squeezed it in return.
“Elnea…”
“Mistral, no. If we give up here, it’ll be bad.”
I looked up at Mistral’s face, pleadingly.
Mistral’s face seemed to waver.
Unconsciously, I started to cry.
Powerlessness.
Regret.
Frustration.
Despair.
Various negative emotions overflowed from within, spilling out as tears.
Mistral, seeing my pathetic crying face, hugged me tightly.
“Of course, we won’t give up either. There must be some other way.”
“Yeah. If we fail, Grandpa…”
“It’s alright, I understand. But the old man has also consumed a lot of power in this battle. So, don’t rush. We have time.”
The Dragon Energy that Old Man Sleigsta had stored for the forbidden technique had been consumed in large quantities by me. Not only that, but Old Man Sleigsta himself had also added to the consumption of Dragon Energy by participating in the battle.
“But…”
Old Man Sleigsta would have to gather Dragon Energy again. As Mistral said, this would take time.
However, even if there was a time limit, there was a fact that would absolutely not change.
That was the worst outcome: even with all our might, we could not defeat the Diamond Mist.
Old Man Sleigsta would undoubtedly begin gathering Dragon Energy again soon. And then, he would confront the Diamond Mist, which we could not defeat, using a forbidden technique.
Would Old Man Sleigsta’s forbidden technique be effective against that monster? We, who had just witnessed the terrifyingly high defense of the Diamond Mist, could not begin to imagine the outcome.
Even before that, regardless of the success or failure of the Diamond Mist’s subjugation, Old Man Sleigsta, who had used forbidden techniques, would be targeted by the Witch, and a futureless conclusion would be set in stone.
Thinking of that, I despaired at my own powerlessness and tears welled up.
My body, utterly weakened, couldn’t muster any strength, and I shed pathetic tears in Mistral’s arms. Everyone else rushed over to my side.
However, they too seemed to understand the flow of events that awaited them, and remained silent.
“Hmph, how gloomy.”
It was Mr. Asher who spoke up.
“Getting dejected here won’t change anything. The old man must also be in no condition to use his forbidden technique after consuming so much Dragon Energy. Wouldn’t it be better to retreat and regroup?”
I, who had exhausted my strength, still could not defeat the Diamond Mist. Old Man Sleigsta, who had not only lent me his Dragon Energy but also unleashed his own Dragon Arts with all his might. Neither of us had any remaining capacity for sustained combat.
Old Man Sleigsta rumbled low in his throat at Mr. Asher’s words.
He ascended to an altitude beyond the reach of the Diamond Mist’s attacks and glared hatefully at the mist rain covering a portion of Dragon Peak with his golden eyes.
“Hmm… It can’t be helped. We shall retreat this time. I was able to learn its strength. Next time, I will surely repel it.”
Old Man Sleigsta let out a final, mighty roar, then turned his back on the Diamond Mist. And then, carrying us on his back, he departed from Dragon Peak.
