“Kriiiiii-!”
Wind Blast!
Before the wyvern could scream aloud, I slammed its jaw shut with a strong gust of wind, staggering it as I transformed into my minor dragonewt form. The moment I allowed the wyvern to roar, it would mean any chance of winning this fight would go out the window. The fact it was rank B was already a problem.
However, what would be worse than one rank B? Three rank Bs. My instincts were telling me this single wyvern was already a tough customer, not to mention it was ICE type. One of my three weaknesses. I didn’t know if I could win against it, or at least, it might be impossible alone!
We need to get the lizardmen away!
[“Saori!”] I called out to my first companion, using this small opening to point my arm away from the wyvern.
[“On it, Hestia!”] dropping any formality to keep her answer concise, Saori replied, before leading the lizardmen away from the battlefield. [“Apsala, Caszcur, Aksmias, lead everybody away from here! We'll find you guys, so take these and run!"]
Taking some of my bombs from her own storage, Saori shoved them into the lizardmen’s arms before ordering them to leave us. Ensure the escape of the lizardmen first, then we could do something!
[“Tasianna!”] in the meantime, my fairy companion grabbed onto me, already knowing we had to get serious. [“Wings!”]
Buffs up! Fire at those wings!
Half-half; one-half of my parallel minds concentrated on my buffs while the other shot out [Earthen Spears] and [Sacred Smite] at the wyvern. Fire was a no-no, as I couldn’t risk setting the forest in flames and drawing in the wyvern’s reinforcement.
Tasianna understood my intentions and immediately cast her readied [Icicle Spike], following up with my plan to strip this monster of its wings. Our first victory condition was to ground this flying monster at all cost, it was so essential if we couldn’t fulfill it then it was game over already.
Having recovered from my initial surprise attack, the wyvern quickly understood our hostility as it swiftly stretched its wings and jerked up its body. While the wyvern was larger than me, its movements were graceful, leaving little wasted movements as it curved and swerved and slipped through our spells like a slipstream.
Not even giving us a second look, once it found a window of escape in my spell-slinging machine gun, the wyvern turned its body upwards and began digging itself through the tree foliage, fully intending to get back to its comfort area — the sky.
Wind Blast! Spark Claw!
I blasted myself towards the wyvern and snapped my fingers, igniting my claws on fire. Adjusting my wings, [Wind Blast] helped me barely catch the tail in time, digging my claws into the wyvern’s scales.
Due to the momentum of grabbing it, I swung forward. Using my tail to pierce a nearby tree, I anchored myself to it to prevent being dragged away by the wyvern. Holding with all my strength, the wyvern desperately struggled to free itself from my grip, losing its balance as it broke branches with its flapping wings.
“Krriiiiiiiaa!”
Verdammt nochmal, its scales are hard!
While it wasn’t as hard as the eye of that [Vellestra Leviathan], it was still quite hard to sink my claws deeper into them. I was pretty sure if I hadn’t used [Spark Claws], I would have only slightly scratched its carapace.
However, what made everything worse was not only the high-pace battle but also the cold mist chilling my bones just by being close to it. Thankfully, my unnaturally high body temperature and the fact I was blowing fire at its tail prevented me from turning into a popsicle.
Dammit, I need to get this down somehow.
A forest fire was a problem, but I couldn’t even use my flashy spells either. [Bedrock Blades] and [Banishment Beam] were two extremely good spells, but they were huge and explosive. There was no choice, I had to transform now! I needed to use my stats to overpower it at least.
Profile!
‘Level 0. Mostly ice and a great flying fighter. Higher stats than us in dragon form. Should be nearly equal with our buffs, so just humanize!’ Manager Mind summarized everything to me, as she was too busy spamming spells to send the information.
I was a C rank, the wyvern was a B rank. Level zero meant the monster was newly evolved, so its potential power wouldn’t be too far apart from a max level C rank, and I was one level from that point. With my myriad of buffs, I should be able to fight this thing now. Which meant…
Humanize!
Activating [Humanize], a mana mist dispersed from my body, covering me and Tasianna in its blue cloud.
“Kraaa!” the wyvern cried as my body transformed, pulling it towards the ground with my weight alone. Finally digging my aflamed claws right through its scales, reaching its flesh, I then gnashed my fangs and bit into its tail with [Spark Fang]. “Krieeeeeeekraaaaaaa! Kra!”
Arck! Cold!
[“Lady Hestia! Winds of the mystical fairy goddess, oh, I plead for your ethereal veil, Air Shield! Falling water from the air, freeze and shield us from the danger of the world, Frozen Shield!”]
Hakhak, cold, cold! COLD!
The moment I fit into its scales, I had to let go, feeling the cold fighting against my fire in my mouth. And it was then when my [Prediction] activated, warning me of the wyvern’s waning patient as it launched a wing attack at me.
However, certain circumstances like having my tail stuck in the tree and being so close to the wyvern I could smell its blood, made this impossible to dodge. I had to rely on [Draconic Barrier] and Tasianna reacting fast enough with [Air Shield] and [Frozen Shield] to protect myself.
And then bam!
I was slung away from the wyvern, bashed by its wings.
Argh! Damn! I cried out in my head as I crashed on the ground, before blowing fire at the spot where the wyvern hit me. The wyvern’s attack broke not only through Tasianna’s spells, but also my [Draconic Barrier]. Ice, water, and dark all ignored my defensive skill.
And ‘cause of that, I felt my scales and my muscles freezing up. I saw my crimson scales turning slightly blue, frozen in place with a layer of ice. Terrible pain which I couldn’t ignore with [Absolute Pain Tolerance].
Looking up at the wyvern, I saw its left wing was fully covered in hard, jagged ice, the reason for my damage. I also noticed how this thing seemed larger than me, meaning it was probably bigger than an elephant in height. And this large monster was now attempting to escape again!
No! Quick, stop healing me and shoot something, girls! I cried out to my parallel minds, stopping them from using healing spells due to the current problem.
As it was about to catch wind, a giant monster leaped onto its back and started biting into the wyvern's unfrozen wing, holding itself onto the flailing monster with shadowy long talons.
[“Saori!”]
[“Miss Saori!”]
Tasianna and I cried out as we saw our reliable garm partner jump into action\ with all the flare and style you would expect from her.
[“Yes, hi. Enough, do something about this thing already! I can’t hold onto it without your buffs, Hestia!”] Saori's voice was hurried, perfectly reasonable since the wyvern was actively trying to kill her with her ice breath, compared to how she only tried to shake me off.
Oh, right! Sanctuary! Air Shield!
Realizing the wyvern was grounded, I understood this was the time to capture it. Materializing a barrier of light just large enough to give us room for our battle but not large enough for the wyvern to fly freely or above the trees.
The [Air Shield] was there to stop any sounds from escaping the fight, giving me back my access to [Draconic Roar], [Terra Wall], and [Bedrock Blades]. No longer having to worry about it calling for its friends made this a bit easier on us but, hopefully, the other wyverns wouldn’t find us anytime soon.
[“Saori, jump off. I can’t hit you with [Synergist’s Oath] when you’re swinging around like that,”] I called out.
Understanding I might accidentally transfer all my buffs on the wyvern, Saori let go of it and jumped on the ground. Using [Synergist’s Oath] to transfer all my buffs to Saori, I then reapplied everything onto myself.
This was gonna be a rough battle, even after taking its ability to fly, so any advantage we could gain over it was absolutely necessary. Be it extra stats, ganging up on it… or even some dirty tricks.
I need to buy as much time as possible!
“Grrrrrrr,” Saori snarled.
“Kriiiie ah kraih,” the wyvern let out, eyeing me as it roared. This thing must be trying to intimidate us, but I wouldn’t be scared away.
“Kriiiiiee,” I growled.
There was a standstill between the three of us giant animals, cautious of our opponent's next move. While it did make me nervous the wyvern wasn’t showing as much hostility as I thought, it did work into my favor as I could buff myself.
What is it doing? Is it not seeing us as a threat? Calmly standing around, waiting for its companions? I can’t let that happen!
Once I readied my determination, I invoked magical circles behind me, causing the wyvern to cry out “Kriah! Kriah!” before having to brace for it. Unfortunately, I did not understand wyvern cries, so this was useless. Relying on my earth spells like [Earth Spears], due to my fear of burning this forest down, I shot at the hesitating wyvern.
Understanding I was intending to kill it, the wyvern cried out once more before shooting out a breath attack, a very cold breath attack!
Scheiße!
[“Stay behind, Lady Hestia! Falling water from the air, freeze and shield us from the danger of the world, Frozen Shield!”] Tasianna announced confidently.
Seeing the ice shield materializing made me put my hope into Tasianna as Saori delved into the shadows to protect herself.
[“Urgh!”] Tasianna groaned, doing her best to hold the shield upright as she pushed back the stream of cold air.
As I tried to keep my body from freezing, I suddenly heard a loud howl coming from the other side of the shield, and then another pained shriek. Noticing the icy stream stopping, I immediately took this as my cue to move into action.
The sight of two giant shadow wolves combating the wyvern, fully shrouded in a black veil of [Shadow Armament], surprised me, but at the same time it shouldn’t. Saori and her [Shadow Clone] were weaving [Shadow Tendrils] around, reminding me of a certain ninja video game I once saw the “Let’s Play” of.
Regardless, it seemed Saori used [Shadow Clone] to create a fourth combatant for our side. Using the surprise attack to its fullest, she evaded attacks and countered the wyvern, inflicting chip damage with her clone and limited spell arsenal.
As I ran towards them, I filled my mouth not with saliva but a thick, viscous fluid — horrendous taste, mind you — using my mana. Spitting the concentrated ball of venom out of my mouth, seemed to have alarmed the wyvern quite a lot as it knocked its head in my direction the moment I did that.
Its own [Prediction] probably warned it as it quickly reacted by freezing its wings and using them to shield itself. Having no way to enter its body or even touch its skin, my attack was ineffective, but this little distraction gave Saori the opportunity to deal a proper attack.
Enlarging a [Dark Bolt] into a long spear, she and her clone pierced the wyvern’s legs with them, essentially pinning it to the ground. Shrieking once again, the wyvern seemed to have finally had enough of us, immediately freezing the air around it and coating itself a thick coat of ice.
Using its newly hardened body, the wyvern used its long forearm wings like sickles, defending itself from my spells, and my melee attempts to land a [Spark Claws] or [Spark Fang] on it. Saori and her clone were also struggling as the wyvern masterfully used its now trident-shaped frozen tail to sweep, stab, and slice any of Saori’s further attempts.
I can use a fire attack now!
Realizing it had no way to dodge my larger attacks now, I smacked my teeth together to create a spark then added mana to have it grow and surge inside my mouth.
Spark Fire Breath!
An eye for an eye, if you used a breath attack then I should be allowed to use one, too, right? Knowing what was about to happen, the wyvern tried to slam my mouth shut, but it was unable to due to Saori holding its tail back with her mouth.
[Prediction] is warning me?! No, I am fast enough!
Ignoring my trusty skill to focus on dealing damage, I was fully confident I could make it before its attack hit me. Opening my mouth, the last thing I saw was the wyvern’s face twisting around and then slamming into mine with the force of a truck. The next thing I saw were the leaves of the forest burning from a flame pillar, as I then began tumbling on the ground, rolling around before stopping.
Ahhhhh, my head-ahh, cold!
Clutching my head with my forelegs made me notice a portion of my head felt cold to the touch. The freezing sensation, similar to a brain freeze, made me keenly aware my gambit failed horribly.
[“Lady Hestia, please stand up! You must stand up!”] A voice resounded inside my head, but the sheer headache I was having made it hard to follow its instruction. It was so bad I wasn’t the one to hear it but my parallel minds.
Urghhh, dizzy… come on legs! Stand up, come on!
The next moment, my whole body was sent flying as my sides felt an intense sting that reached down to my stomach.
[“Hestia, heal yourself!”] Another voice came into my head, which my parallel minds obediently listened to.
Relying on my parallel minds to identify where to heal myself, I warmed up any cold areas through [Body Temperature Control] and then cast [Major Heal] on my head and sides. With the cold and pain dissipating, my senses returned to normal and I darted my head around until I saw Saori and Tasianna were barely holding off a hail of ice spikes and freezing dragon breath.
… Bedrock Blade!
Invoking a massive sharp blade of earth from the ground, the wyvern had to quickly dodge it mid-flight, uncomfortably flapping its wings inside my [Sanctuary] which restricted most of its aerial ability. Thankfully, the blade became an amazing shield for my companions, giving us some time to rest.
Looking at our opponent, I could see the spears Saori had drilled into its legs were still there. It was bleeding a bit from those areas and also from its tail where I bit and clawed into, evidently from the blood-red ice. The last wound was a charred area on its face, most probably the reason for its now enraged state.
Okay… I still managed to hit it, I felt overjoyed that my attack still hit, motivating myself with the fact it was weak to fire attacks, after all. My parallel minds forgot to mention if it had [Inferno Resistance] or not, after all.
[“Thank you, you two. You really saved me there,”] I told my two friends as I rejoined the fight.
[“At your service, Lady Hestia!”] Tasianna said proudly, still hovering over her [Frozen Shield] before me. However, although she wasn’t bleeding blood, I could see blue-colored wounds on her body, probably meaning her mana was leaking.
[“Haaaa, good to see you up, Hestia,”] Saori sent me a telepathic smile despite having two ice spikes stuck on her front leg, not also including her [Shadow Clone] literally turned into a porcupine.
They endured a lot for me. All I could do was to support them by healing them up — sharing mana with Tasianna and healing magic for Saori.
[“Thanks! But look sharp, I can see that your ‘dirty trick’ is finally showing its effect,”] Saori pointed out, making me look at the wyvern’s status board to see it had [Poisoned (Minor)] and [Paralyzed (Minor)].
Ehehe, it worked ~
When I transformed back into a dragon, I quickly injected some venom into its body using my bite. Due to how sudden the battle started, I barely had the time to secrete enough venom through my claws and bite to really cripple it, though. Just a bit longer and I could have injected a full dosage, hadn’t I let go of its tail.
Thankfully, it was finally kicking in. I was elated to see the wyverns breathing heavily and struggling to keep itself in the air. The wyvern was finally being serious about this battle and it showed when both of its recent attacks broke through my [Draconic Barrier] and dealt some serious damage to my Health.
So, this is the power of a B rank, huh?
The three of us were barely keeping it at bay, right now, but it didn’t seem like anybody did a serious blow to it. Tasianna’s elemental magic weren’t effective, Saori didn’t have the stats, and I couldn’t get one good attack in. But with the poison, it was time for us to turn the tides!
[“Get ready! Bedrock Blades!”] I told my friends.
Erupting even more earth blades from the ground, the wyvern was forced into the defensive, having to swerve its body through this hellish grinder. Even with the damage and status affliction we caused it, it still showed its dominance as an aerial fighter. It had no problem dodging while using breath attacks to counter.
[“Not while I’m alive!”] Tasianna proclaimed, shielding me with her floating [Frozen Shield].
“Grrrrrouh!” Saori snarled, throwing one of my poison bombs from her own storage at the wyvern.
Exploding in the air, the wyvern breathed in a huge amount of it which slowed down its movement drastically enough for it to get hit by a [Banishment Beam].
“Kriii!”
The bright laser rammed right into the wyvern’s body, causing it to crash into my light barrier. As my light spell kept lasering and keeping it in place, I took in a deep breath.
[“Close your ears!”] I warned everybody.
I then roared, further amplifying its intensity with [Draconic Roar] and [Aerokinesis]. The wyvern desperately shielded itself with its frozen wings but looking at the breaking ice, it was only a matter of time before my attack got through.
However, even as its ice armor cracked, it also started to regenerate. We were in a stalemate, and I had to keep up my attack otherwise it would flee.
I can’t hold on! Didn’t get enough air…
Due to how long this fight lasted, the oxygen inside this double dome of [Sanctuary] and [Air Shield] was nearly gone. [Air Shield] prevented sounds from escaping, but it also new air couldn’t get in at the same time. The longer we fought, the faster the oxygen will be depleted.
My [Sanctuary] was also on the verge of breaking due to the chaos. Even now as it was defending against my spell and acoustic attack, it was using its trident-shaped tail to bash the barrier.
I need to end this now! Any sorta attack could break the barrier right now-WHAT?!
[Prediction] once again exploded to warn me from a new attack directed at me. Realizing [Danger Perception] was also telling me to stop attacking, I stopped my assault and dodged from my current spot.
Just as I was telling myself to end this fight now, something broke through my [Sanctuary] like breaking through glass, nose-diving where I once stood. Noticing my [Air Shield] also broke, Saori, Tasianna, and I quickly pumped our lungs full with oxygen.
That spell is so useful, but its double-edged sword effect is so annoying, I complained about [Air Shield].
Once the dust settled, my party began to grimace at the intruder — another[Drifting Snow Wyvern]!
“Kriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeah!” it shrieked angrily.
How did it find us… oh.
As my party wondered how it even knew our position, we breathed in a bit of smoke caused by the burning leaves above us… which happened ‘cause of my botched [Spark Fire Breath] form before…
[“Hehe, scheiße… we have a situation now,”] I tried to stay cheerful, but only sounded anxious.
[“Less speaking, we need to run now! Our plan failed!”] Saori announced as she began running away.
Knowing if we struggled this much against one, we couldn’t justify trying to attack both of them at the same time. Fighting one B rank at a time was our party’s current limit… two was not possible when I couldn’t even use all my fire spells.
We didn’t know where the third one was. Now that one of the wyverns shrieked loud enough you I could probably hear it a couple blocks away, we didn’t have any other options besides to flee.
But the second one didn’t even let us move a few meters as it twisted through the air like a cold tornado, appearing before us before shooting out an [Icicle Spike] at us. Compared to Tasianna’s, this one was indeed quite a bit larger.
Wind Blast!
Casting the spell, I barely managed to change its trajectory to prevent it from hitting one of us. However, the wyvern didn’t leave us any time to decide on our next move as it shot out a stream of ice at us. Using whatever was left of her shield, Tasianna threw it in between us, saving us from an icy shower.
At the same time, Saori once again used [Shadow Dash] to dive into the shadows, appearing behind the second wyvern attack before ambushing it. The attack stopped the stream of ice, leaving us free to support Saori who was struggling to bring the flying beast down with [Shadow Tendrils].
That was when another icy stream came flying behind us, forcing Tasianna’s shield back into action, however, it was unable to withstand stress any longer. Quickly casting [Terra Wall] to protect us, I managed to stop it, but I still felt a chill run down my spine as it was slowly breaking through.
Unable to let this happen, I cast [Earthen Shackles], sending numerous chains towards the wyvern in hope of being able to catch it. The wyvern flapped its wings, flying up in the air to flank us with its breath attack. I technically could have challenged it with my own but Saori needed my help now, and I couldn’t waste time with a stupid breath duel!
Casting an even higher [Terra Wall], I made it block not only the wyvern’s attack but also its sight from me. With its line-of-sight blocked, I cast [Wind Blast] to rocket jump up into the air.
Striking my claws together, a brilliant flame enveloped my claws as I tore the wyvern’s wing membrane into shreds. Unable to hold itself up with only one wing, the wyvern quickly fell, grounded for the meantime
……….. NICE! Lightning Bolt.
A purple magic circle materialized around my wings as I began falling towards the ground. The crackling of electricity surged around it as a yellow bolt began to form, sizzling the very air as I put in even more mana.
Strange, isn’t it materializing the spell as fast as a wind spell? Woah, then, come on, you gotta do damage like my fire!
[“Vaporize into nothingness!”] I shouted out as a bolt of lightning was shot out of its magic circle, causing a thunderous sound a few seconds after it was cast.
Terror crossed the wyvern's face who was unable to recover in time from my attack, striking the beast down with unrelenting magic power. The electricity stunned the wyvern, dulling its movements and senses, leaving it open for even more [Lightning Bolts].
One wasn’t enough to do enough to harm it, however, what if I kept casting the spell like a gatling gun? Well, constant streams of thunder descending from the sky felt like I was Zeus right now! Probably more than 18 casts were shot out before I landed on the ground.
Spasming from being electrocuted, the wyvern showed clear signs of being alive despite the barrage of spells. High Health and Wisdom would help you survive that, I guess. The System truly was amazing for giving a living being the resilience and toughness to survive even the most fatal of attacks, if your Health didn’t reach zero.
Landing on the ground, I and my combined eight parallel minds simultaneously agreed to end this once for all. The poison in its body was slowly taking over now that its body was weakened. It was moving slower, and I new I could take it down now.
Like a fierce fire, unquenchable and unrelenting, I will not let you kill me today! Nine lightning strikes! Lightning Bolt x9!
With nine purple magic circles materializing, I was fully ready to shoot them at the now crippled wyvern. From the side of my eye, I also noticed the other wyvern pushed Saori to the side and was rushing forward, fully intending to shield its fallen companion from my assault.
…Verdammt, I scorned myself, feeling slightly guilty at witnessing this remarkably selfless act but I nonetheless steeled my will ‘cause they were my enemy.
I’m sorry… but I won’t let you kill me or anybody I hold dear!
As the crackling intensified, I could slightly feel my own body being affected by this miniature thunderstorm around me. As the second wyvern was about to reach the first, I released my-
[“I request that you stay your hand, Princess Hestia Atsuko.”]
As I was about to release the full arsenal of my newly gained [Lightning Magic], the spells suddenly activated and moved by themselves upwards… towards another wyvern?!
Identify!
SpoilerName: Asterios Level: 43 Race: Boltreaver Wyvern
Age: 153 Years
Status: Health: 20456/20456 Mana: 8578/8867
Strength: 7451 Intelligence: 7067
Vitality: 6597 Wisdom: 6490
Agility: 9874 Stamina: 13450/14310
Effects: None
Unique Skill: [Lightning Revolt Lv. 10] [Lightning Rod] [Boltreaving Blade Lv. 4]
[Electromagnetic Barrier Lv. 2]
Skill: Magic skills and related:
[Mana Control Lv. 9] [Arcane Mind Lv. 6] [Mana Efficiency Lv. 8]
[Fire Magic Lv. 10] [Fire Amp] [Fire Magic Efficiency]
[Inferno Magic Lv. 2]
[Wind Magic Lv. 10] [Wind Amp] [Wind Magic Efficiency]
[Storm Magic Lv. 7] [Lightning Magic Lv. 8]
[Silent Casting Lv. 1] [Magic Power Enhancement Lv. 2]
[Mental Stability Lv. 6] [Mental Warfare Lv. 7]
Physical skills and related:
[Dragonkin Claws Lv. 6] [Dragonkin Fangs Lv. 7]
[Toxic Claws Lv. 6] [Sundering Enhancement Lv. 9]
[Piercing Enhancement Lv. 5] [Crushing Enhancement Lv. 7]
Senses and movement skills:
[Stealth Lv. 3] [Accuracy Correction Lv. 7]
[Concentration Lv. 6]
[Foresight Lv. 3] [Danger Perception Lv. 8]
[Probability Correction Lv. 6] [Detection Sensor Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 7] [Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 8]
[Enhanced Vision Lv. 10] [Tracking Lv. 8] [Night Vision Lv. 10]
[Presence Killer Lv. 3] [Evasion Lv. 10] [Acrobatic Lv. 10]
[Air Walk Lv. 4] [High-Speed Aerial Tempo Lv. 4]
[High-Wind Maneuvering Specialist Lv. 5]
[Superior Aerial Fighter Lv. 2]
Resistances:
[Physical Super-Resistance Lv. 4] [Absolute Pain Tolerance]
[Bleeding Resistance Lv. 10] [Poison Resistance Lv. 6]
[Paralyzation Resistance Lv. 9] [Torpor Resistance Lv. 7]
[Arcane Corruption Resistance Lv. 7]
[Fear Resistance Lv. 5] [Lightning Resistance Lv. 9] [Fire Resistance Lv. 6]
[Earth Resistance Lv. 3] [Storm Resistance Lv. 4]
[Water Resistance Lv. 7] [Dark Resistance Lv. 3]
Stat growths and related:
[Health Recovery Lv. 6] [Mana Recovery Lv. 7] [Stamina Recovery Lv. 9]
[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 8]
[Enhanced Health Capacity Lv. 6]
[Enhanced Mana Growth Lv. 9]
[Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 7]
[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 8]
[Enhanced Strength Enforcement Lv. 6]
[Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 7]
[Enhanced Intelligence Enforcement Lv. 5]
[Enhanced Vitality Growth Lv. 6]
[Enhanced Vitality Enforcement Lv. 4]
[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 6]
[Enhanced Wisdom Enforcement Lv. 3]
[Speed of Sound Lv. 3]
[Steadfast Endurance Lv. 1]
Others:
[Identify Lv. 10] [Identity Blocker Lv. 10]
[Noble Aura Lv. 1] [Terror Aura Lv. 8] [Warrior’s Mind Lv. 2]
[Leadership Lv. 2] [Thought Acceleration Lv. 2]
[Body Temperature Control Lv. 7] [Humanize Lv. 10] [Telepathy]
Information Blocked
[collapse]That’s a Rank B, too?!
Not only was its stats much higher than the two Drifting Snow Wyverns, but it had a more quality status board than both of them combined. He was 43 levels higher than them and also the age disparity was apparent… so much those two wyverns could have been his grandchildren
[“I do not know what might have happened, but I request that you not harm my subordinates any longer, Princess Hestia Atsuko,”] the wyvern spoke.
Wha-?! I-It spoke-It spoke to me through [Telepathy]?!
… Oh oh.
[“…”] I stayed silent, not moving a muscle but also not dropping my guard.
[“You have my gratitude,”] the wyvern said with a short head bow before directing his attention to the other two wyverns, speaking with the paralyzed one, probably to make sure if they were okay.
[“Hestia…”] Saori called me out as she returned to my side, all bloodied and weary from her solo fight. [“This is not good… not good at all…”]
I couldn’t help but nod. The situation was fucked up. The second wyvern already had a higher Agility stat but this thing… was another level. H-How were we supposed to get out of this situation?!
[“I see… Princess, it might not be my place as a wyvern to lecture a true dragonkin, bearer of our god’s blood and one of his descendants, but I must insist that it might have been inappropriate of you to attack someone without speaking,”] the wyvern said with a grim expression. [“However, I believe that should have been known to me as I heard you killed three other wyverns.”]
Hearing this, I instantly readied myself, spells ready to be activated at any second. Saori looked confused as she saw me getting into a stance but hastily adapted her own, despite having trouble standing up due to her wounds. It seemed like the wyvern was only sharing a telepathic connection with me.
[“Oh, now I must apologize. I have no right to say that after bringing that topic up without considering your situation,”] the wyvern bowed. [“Honestly, despite being saddened to see my subordinates hurt, I will still praise you for a grand performance. A magnificent display of your abilities as a dragon, Princess Hestia Atsuko, despite only being at the age of a hatchling.”]
…
Silence. Neither Saori nor Tasianna said anything as they weren’t able to hear anything, while I didn’t answer ‘cause I wasn’t sure what I should even say in this situation. It was beyond surreal.
[“Mhmm, Princess? Is your silence due to not being able to speak our language, yet?"] the wyvern asked. [“Ahh, I forgot, I did see you have [Telepathy] with my appraisal, so even if you do not know how to speak, you should still be able to convey your mind to me. Well, you are a newborn, so it makes sense. Hmm, I also made my status board available for you to see to show you that I have no hostile intentions, so what further must I do…?”]
[“Aren’t you mad?”] I finally built up the courage to ask.
[“Oh, Princess! Your voice is truly divine, absolutely wonderful. You honor this old wyvern with your words,”] he bowed once again but this time, both wyverns bowed. [“However, what do you mean about being ‘mad’?”]
[“The three wyverns! Weren’t they your friends or something? Wh-Why are you so calm about this?!”] I nervously asked, not knowing if this was just an act of his to have me drop my guard before stabbing me in the back.
[“Do I mourn for the deaths of those wyverns? Hehe, nonsense.”] His cold chuckle ingrained itself into my mind. He really was showing no reaction to it, at all. [“Yes, they were also arbiters of our god but I could care less. They were lesser wyverns that haven’t gained power over an element yet. The law of the strong. You have done well to show them their place, Princess Hestia Atsuko. I am in awe of your power.”]
[“… Tch,”] I couldn’t do anything but click my tongue, knowing fully well I was the last person to reprimand him for his words since I killed those three. [“Then who the hell are you, huh?! Stop slithering around my tail and stop hiding behind that persona of yours! You’re here to kill me, right? Well, fuck you and that blasted Kargryxmor as if I'll let that happen!”]
I could feel my [Fear Resistance] was doing its best to stop me from shaking but my inner self told me it was helpless. I couldn’t beat him… not without any sorta preparations, at least.
I can’t die here! I can’t let the others die with me!
It almost made me cry how I’d gotten this far but circumstances were just unforgiving. Why hadn’t Aurena done anything yet about this? Why was she letting me get killed by Kargryxmor, huh? Wasn’t he one of her subordinate gods?!
What have I done wrong? Were those two gods fighting against each other and she couldn’t do anything right now? But she was an origin goddess, one of the mightiest beings in this world! How could she be stopped by a subordinate god like Kargryxmor?
W-Was all of that a lie?! Was I lied to?! Why-Why would she send that message just to abandon me! WHY?!
[“WHAT?! What nonsense, Princess!”] the wyvern shouted. [“By my name ‘Asterios,’ given to me by the grand wyvern priestess, I am here to protect you! Our God had given us unworthy relatives of the true dragons a divine quest to escort you to safety! Back to our home at Wyvern Peak, so you may speak with your ancestor, God Kargryxmor!”]
… Eh?
…
…
[“Lady Hestia? Lady Hestia?! Are you alright, Lady Hestia?! Why aren’t you responding?! What have those monsters done to you?!”] Tasianna cried out in full panic.
[“Hestia! Damn it! No, this can’t happen! You monsters, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY PRECIOUS FRIEND!”] Saori howled, having fully cloaked herself in [Shadow Armament] again, despite being heavily wounded from her battle with the wyvern.
[“Wait… calm down you two…”] I said to stop my companions from doing anything stupid, finally healing Saori with my healing spells. [“I-It’s all a big… verdammt nochmal, it’s all a goddamn misunderstanding!”]
Fuck! Fuck!
[“I’m sorry… I truly apologize,”] I told the wyverns, bowing my head in shame and guilt for causing this amount of problem just ‘cause… just because I wasn’t willing to talk it out! [“I-I murdered them in cold blood…I also nearly did that to your companion…I am so so so so sorry.”]
[“Princess!”] the wyvern, Asterios, yelled. [“Preposterous, how could you bow your head to us, your lesser relatives. Stand strong, you have nothing to be ashamed about, actually, you should be proud of defeating them! My subordinate has much to learn if she wishes to further survive in this world, and her brother should have been there earlier! They should blame themselves for being weak and nearly falling to your prowess!"]
After explaining the situation to Saori and Tasianna, while also requesting Asterios to also share a connection with them, I finally calmed down.
[“However, I cannot… I cannot come with you,”] I said hesitantly, still not sure what this wyvern’s real personality was.
[“Hmm? Ahh, I think I might have an idea why,”] he said before releasing a bellowing roar.
Once that happened, the ground began to shake and from it, a giant white snake head appeared. I didn’t think it was the same but using [Identify] definitely proved it was another snake head of the [Vellestra Leviathan].
Why can’t I see its profile?! How high is its [Identity Blocker]?
As my party was shivering at the mere sight of the only A rank monster we knew of, the ground once again quaked as another head came out, this time opening its mouth to spit out several dozens of lizard-like mons…no, those were the lizardmen!
As I was further dumbfounded by the situation, the surprises seemed to not want to stop as in the next moment a giant crocodile-like head appeared and blocked the sky for us. Considering the direction, it was most likely the area where we found that deep swamp.
Releasing a roar that was loud enough to shake the whole world around me, I couldn’t help but feel like this was a stupid gag. That was how ridiculous the situation was!
[“I heard that you were a belligerent one, so I made sure to ask for aid from one of the true dragons, or, leviathan, in this case,”] the wyvern said proudly, strutting his large crest around. [“It was just insurance, but that unfortunately delayed our meeting. I apologize, Princess Hestia Atsuko.”]
What the fuck?!
AbyssRaven So, first we get a mini-boss, then another mini-boss, then the main boss, and then the end-game boss. Nice! So, who wants to bet on Hestia's encounter luck?
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Thank you for reading this chapter.
“Kriiiiii-!”
Wind Blast!
Before the wyvern could scream aloud, I slammed its jaw shut with a strong gust of wind, staggering it as I transformed into my minor dragonewt form. The moment I allowed the wyvern to roar, it would mean any chance of winning this fight would go out the window. The fact it was rank B was already a problem.
However, what would be worse than one rank B? Three rank Bs. My instincts were telling me this single wyvern was already a tough customer, not to mention it was ICE type. One of my three weaknesses. I didn’t know if I could win against it, or at least, it might be impossible alone!
We need to get the lizardmen away!
[“Saori!”] I called out to my first companion, using this small opening to point my arm away from the wyvern.
[“On it, Hestia!”] dropping any formality to keep her answer concise, Saori replied, before leading the lizardmen away from the battlefield. [“Apsala, Caszcur, Aksmias, lead everybody away from here! We'll find you guys, so take these and run!"]
Taking some of my bombs from her own storage, Saori shoved them into the lizardmen’s arms before ordering them to leave us. Ensure the escape of the lizardmen first, then we could do something!
[“Tasianna!”] in the meantime, my fairy companion grabbed onto me, already knowing we had to get serious. [“Wings!”]
Buffs up! Fire at those wings!
Half-half; one-half of my parallel minds concentrated on my buffs while the other shot out [Earthen Spears] and [Sacred Smite] at the wyvern. Fire was a no-no, as I couldn’t risk setting the forest in flames and drawing in the wyvern’s reinforcement.
Tasianna understood my intentions and immediately cast her readied [Icicle Spike], following up with my plan to strip this monster of its wings. Our first victory condition was to ground this flying monster at all cost, it was so essential if we couldn’t fulfill it then it was game over already.
Having recovered from my initial surprise attack, the wyvern quickly understood our hostility as it swiftly stretched its wings and jerked up its body. While the wyvern was larger than me, its movements were graceful, leaving little wasted movements as it curved and swerved and slipped through our spells like a slipstream.
Not even giving us a second look, once it found a window of escape in my spell-slinging machine gun, the wyvern turned its body upwards and began digging itself through the tree foliage, fully intending to get back to its comfort area — the sky.
Wind Blast! Spark Claw!
I blasted myself towards the wyvern and snapped my fingers, igniting my claws on fire. Adjusting my wings, [Wind Blast] helped me barely catch the tail in time, digging my claws into the wyvern’s scales.
Due to the momentum of grabbing it, I swung forward. Using my tail to pierce a nearby tree, I anchored myself to it to prevent being dragged away by the wyvern. Holding with all my strength, the wyvern desperately struggled to free itself from my grip, losing its balance as it broke branches with its flapping wings.
“Krriiiiiiiaa!”
Verdammt nochmal, its scales are hard!
While it wasn’t as hard as the eye of that [Vellestra Leviathan], it was still quite hard to sink my claws deeper into them. I was pretty sure if I hadn’t used [Spark Claws], I would have only slightly scratched its carapace.
However, what made everything worse was not only the high-pace battle but also the cold mist chilling my bones just by being close to it. Thankfully, my unnaturally high body temperature and the fact I was blowing fire at its tail prevented me from turning into a popsicle.
Dammit, I need to get this down somehow.
A forest fire was a problem, but I couldn’t even use my flashy spells either. [Bedrock Blades] and [Banishment Beam] were two extremely good spells, but they were huge and explosive. There was no choice, I had to transform now! I needed to use my stats to overpower it at least.
Profile!
‘Level 0. Mostly ice and a great flying fighter. Higher stats than us in dragon form. Should be nearly equal with our buffs, so just humanize!’ Manager Mind summarized everything to me, as she was too busy spamming spells to send the information.
I was a C rank, the wyvern was a B rank. Level zero meant the monster was newly evolved, so its potential power wouldn’t be too far apart from a max level C rank, and I was one level from that point. With my myriad of buffs, I should be able to fight this thing now. Which meant…
Humanize!
Activating [Humanize], a mana mist dispersed from my body, covering me and Tasianna in its blue cloud.
“Kraaa!” the wyvern cried as my body transformed, pulling it towards the ground with my weight alone. Finally digging my aflamed claws right through its scales, reaching its flesh, I then gnashed my fangs and bit into its tail with [Spark Fang]. “Krieeeeeeekraaaaaaa! Kra!”
Arck! Cold!
[“Lady Hestia! Winds of the mystical fairy goddess, oh, I plead for your ethereal veil, Air Shield! Falling water from the air, freeze and shield us from the danger of the world, Frozen Shield!”]
Hakhak, cold, cold! COLD!
The moment I fit into its scales, I had to let go, feeling the cold fighting against my fire in my mouth. And it was then when my [Prediction] activated, warning me of the wyvern’s waning patient as it launched a wing attack at me.
However, certain circumstances like having my tail stuck in the tree and being so close to the wyvern I could smell its blood, made this impossible to dodge. I had to rely on [Draconic Barrier] and Tasianna reacting fast enough with [Air Shield] and [Frozen Shield] to protect myself.
And then bam!
I was slung away from the wyvern, bashed by its wings.
Argh! Damn! I cried out in my head as I crashed on the ground, before blowing fire at the spot where the wyvern hit me. The wyvern’s attack broke not only through Tasianna’s spells, but also my [Draconic Barrier]. Ice, water, and dark all ignored my defensive skill.
And ‘cause of that, I felt my scales and my muscles freezing up. I saw my crimson scales turning slightly blue, frozen in place with a layer of ice. Terrible pain which I couldn’t ignore with [Absolute Pain Tolerance].
Looking up at the wyvern, I saw its left wing was fully covered in hard, jagged ice, the reason for my damage. I also noticed how this thing seemed larger than me, meaning it was probably bigger than an elephant in height. And this large monster was now attempting to escape again!
No! Quick, stop healing me and shoot something, girls! I cried out to my parallel minds, stopping them from using healing spells due to the current problem.
As it was about to catch wind, a giant monster leaped onto its back and started biting into the wyvern's unfrozen wing, holding itself onto the flailing monster with shadowy long talons.
[“Saori!”]
[“Miss Saori!”]
Tasianna and I cried out as we saw our reliable garm partner jump into action\ with all the flare and style you would expect from her.
[“Yes, hi. Enough, do something about this thing already! I can’t hold onto it without your buffs, Hestia!”] Saori's voice was hurried, perfectly reasonable since the wyvern was actively trying to kill her with her ice breath, compared to how she only tried to shake me off.
Oh, right! Sanctuary! Air Shield!
Realizing the wyvern was grounded, I understood this was the time to capture it. Materializing a barrier of light just large enough to give us room for our battle but not large enough for the wyvern to fly freely or above the trees.
The [Air Shield] was there to stop any sounds from escaping the fight, giving me back my access to [Draconic Roar], [Terra Wall], and [Bedrock Blades]. No longer having to worry about it calling for its friends made this a bit easier on us but, hopefully, the other wyverns wouldn’t find us anytime soon.
[“Saori, jump off. I can’t hit you with [Synergist’s Oath] when you’re swinging around like that,”] I called out.
Understanding I might accidentally transfer all my buffs on the wyvern, Saori let go of it and jumped on the ground. Using [Synergist’s Oath] to transfer all my buffs to Saori, I then reapplied everything onto myself.
This was gonna be a rough battle, even after taking its ability to fly, so any advantage we could gain over it was absolutely necessary. Be it extra stats, ganging up on it… or even some dirty tricks.
I need to buy as much time as possible!
“Grrrrrrr,” Saori snarled.
“Kriiiie ah kraih,” the wyvern let out, eyeing me as it roared. This thing must be trying to intimidate us, but I wouldn’t be scared away.
“Kriiiiiee,” I growled.
There was a standstill between the three of us giant animals, cautious of our opponent's next move. While it did make me nervous the wyvern wasn’t showing as much hostility as I thought, it did work into my favor as I could buff myself.
What is it doing? Is it not seeing us as a threat? Calmly standing around, waiting for its companions? I can’t let that happen!
Once I readied my determination, I invoked magical circles behind me, causing the wyvern to cry out “Kriah! Kriah!” before having to brace for it. Unfortunately, I did not understand wyvern cries, so this was useless. Relying on my earth spells like [Earth Spears], due to my fear of burning this forest down, I shot at the hesitating wyvern.
Understanding I was intending to kill it, the wyvern cried out once more before shooting out a breath attack, a very cold breath attack!
Scheiße!
[“Stay behind, Lady Hestia! Falling water from the air, freeze and shield us from the danger of the world, Frozen Shield!”] Tasianna announced confidently.
Seeing the ice shield materializing made me put my hope into Tasianna as Saori delved into the shadows to protect herself.
[“Urgh!”] Tasianna groaned, doing her best to hold the shield upright as she pushed back the stream of cold air.
As I tried to keep my body from freezing, I suddenly heard a loud howl coming from the other side of the shield, and then another pained shriek. Noticing the icy stream stopping, I immediately took this as my cue to move into action.
The sight of two giant shadow wolves combating the wyvern, fully shrouded in a black veil of [Shadow Armament], surprised me, but at the same time it shouldn’t. Saori and her [Shadow Clone] were weaving [Shadow Tendrils] around, reminding me of a certain ninja video game I once saw the “Let’s Play” of.
Regardless, it seemed Saori used [Shadow Clone] to create a fourth combatant for our side. Using the surprise attack to its fullest, she evaded attacks and countered the wyvern, inflicting chip damage with her clone and limited spell arsenal.
As I ran towards them, I filled my mouth not with saliva but a thick, viscous fluid — horrendous taste, mind you — using my mana. Spitting the concentrated ball of venom out of my mouth, seemed to have alarmed the wyvern quite a lot as it knocked its head in my direction the moment I did that.
Its own [Prediction] probably warned it as it quickly reacted by freezing its wings and using them to shield itself. Having no way to enter its body or even touch its skin, my attack was ineffective, but this little distraction gave Saori the opportunity to deal a proper attack.
Enlarging a [Dark Bolt] into a long spear, she and her clone pierced the wyvern’s legs with them, essentially pinning it to the ground. Shrieking once again, the wyvern seemed to have finally had enough of us, immediately freezing the air around it and coating itself a thick coat of ice.
Using its newly hardened body, the wyvern used its long forearm wings like sickles, defending itself from my spells, and my melee attempts to land a [Spark Claws] or [Spark Fang] on it. Saori and her clone were also struggling as the wyvern masterfully used its now trident-shaped frozen tail to sweep, stab, and slice any of Saori’s further attempts.
I can use a fire attack now!
Realizing it had no way to dodge my larger attacks now, I smacked my teeth together to create a spark then added mana to have it grow and surge inside my mouth.
Spark Fire Breath!
An eye for an eye, if you used a breath attack then I should be allowed to use one, too, right? Knowing what was about to happen, the wyvern tried to slam my mouth shut, but it was unable to due to Saori holding its tail back with her mouth.
[Prediction] is warning me?! No, I am fast enough!
Ignoring my trusty skill to focus on dealing damage, I was fully confident I could make it before its attack hit me. Opening my mouth, the last thing I saw was the wyvern’s face twisting around and then slamming into mine with the force of a truck. The next thing I saw were the leaves of the forest burning from a flame pillar, as I then began tumbling on the ground, rolling around before stopping.
Ahhhhh, my head-ahh, cold!
Clutching my head with my forelegs made me notice a portion of my head felt cold to the touch. The freezing sensation, similar to a brain freeze, made me keenly aware my gambit failed horribly.
[“Lady Hestia, please stand up! You must stand up!”] A voice resounded inside my head, but the sheer headache I was having made it hard to follow its instruction. It was so bad I wasn’t the one to hear it but my parallel minds.
Urghhh, dizzy… come on legs! Stand up, come on!
The next moment, my whole body was sent flying as my sides felt an intense sting that reached down to my stomach.
[“Hestia, heal yourself!”] Another voice came into my head, which my parallel minds obediently listened to.
Relying on my parallel minds to identify where to heal myself, I warmed up any cold areas through [Body Temperature Control] and then cast [Major Heal] on my head and sides. With the cold and pain dissipating, my senses returned to normal and I darted my head around until I saw Saori and Tasianna were barely holding off a hail of ice spikes and freezing dragon breath.
… Bedrock Blade!
Invoking a massive sharp blade of earth from the ground, the wyvern had to quickly dodge it mid-flight, uncomfortably flapping its wings inside my [Sanctuary] which restricted most of its aerial ability. Thankfully, the blade became an amazing shield for my companions, giving us some time to rest.
Looking at our opponent, I could see the spears Saori had drilled into its legs were still there. It was bleeding a bit from those areas and also from its tail where I bit and clawed into, evidently from the blood-red ice. The last wound was a charred area on its face, most probably the reason for its now enraged state.
Okay… I still managed to hit it, I felt overjoyed that my attack still hit, motivating myself with the fact it was weak to fire attacks, after all. My parallel minds forgot to mention if it had [Inferno Resistance] or not, after all.
[“Thank you, you two. You really saved me there,”] I told my two friends as I rejoined the fight.
[“At your service, Lady Hestia!”] Tasianna said proudly, still hovering over her [Frozen Shield] before me. However, although she wasn’t bleeding blood, I could see blue-colored wounds on her body, probably meaning her mana was leaking.
[“Haaaa, good to see you up, Hestia,”] Saori sent me a telepathic smile despite having two ice spikes stuck on her front leg, not also including her [Shadow Clone] literally turned into a porcupine.
They endured a lot for me. All I could do was to support them by healing them up — sharing mana with Tasianna and healing magic for Saori.
[“Thanks! But look sharp, I can see that your ‘dirty trick’ is finally showing its effect,”] Saori pointed out, making me look at the wyvern’s status board to see it had [Poisoned (Minor)] and [Paralyzed (Minor)].
Ehehe, it worked ~
When I transformed back into a dragon, I quickly injected some venom into its body using my bite. Due to how sudden the battle started, I barely had the time to secrete enough venom through my claws and bite to really cripple it, though. Just a bit longer and I could have injected a full dosage, hadn’t I let go of its tail.
Thankfully, it was finally kicking in. I was elated to see the wyverns breathing heavily and struggling to keep itself in the air. The wyvern was finally being serious about this battle and it showed when both of its recent attacks broke through my [Draconic Barrier] and dealt some serious damage to my Health.
So, this is the power of a B rank, huh?
The three of us were barely keeping it at bay, right now, but it didn’t seem like anybody did a serious blow to it. Tasianna’s elemental magic weren’t effective, Saori didn’t have the stats, and I couldn’t get one good attack in. But with the poison, it was time for us to turn the tides!
[“Get ready! Bedrock Blades!”] I told my friends.
Erupting even more earth blades from the ground, the wyvern was forced into the defensive, having to swerve its body through this hellish grinder. Even with the damage and status affliction we caused it, it still showed its dominance as an aerial fighter. It had no problem dodging while using breath attacks to counter.
[“Not while I’m alive!”] Tasianna proclaimed, shielding me with her floating [Frozen Shield].
“Grrrrrouh!” Saori snarled, throwing one of my poison bombs from her own storage at the wyvern.
Exploding in the air, the wyvern breathed in a huge amount of it which slowed down its movement drastically enough for it to get hit by a [Banishment Beam].
“Kriii!”
The bright laser rammed right into the wyvern’s body, causing it to crash into my light barrier. As my light spell kept lasering and keeping it in place, I took in a deep breath.
[“Close your ears!”] I warned everybody.
I then roared, further amplifying its intensity with [Draconic Roar] and [Aerokinesis]. The wyvern desperately shielded itself with its frozen wings but looking at the breaking ice, it was only a matter of time before my attack got through.
However, even as its ice armor cracked, it also started to regenerate. We were in a stalemate, and I had to keep up my attack otherwise it would flee.
I can’t hold on! Didn’t get enough air…
Due to how long this fight lasted, the oxygen inside this double dome of [Sanctuary] and [Air Shield] was nearly gone. [Air Shield] prevented sounds from escaping, but it also new air couldn’t get in at the same time. The longer we fought, the faster the oxygen will be depleted.
My [Sanctuary] was also on the verge of breaking due to the chaos. Even now as it was defending against my spell and acoustic attack, it was using its trident-shaped tail to bash the barrier.
I need to end this now! Any sorta attack could break the barrier right now-WHAT?!
[Prediction] once again exploded to warn me from a new attack directed at me. Realizing [Danger Perception] was also telling me to stop attacking, I stopped my assault and dodged from my current spot.
Just as I was telling myself to end this fight now, something broke through my [Sanctuary] like breaking through glass, nose-diving where I once stood. Noticing my [Air Shield] also broke, Saori, Tasianna, and I quickly pumped our lungs full with oxygen.
That spell is so useful, but its double-edged sword effect is so annoying, I complained about [Air Shield].
Once the dust settled, my party began to grimace at the intruder — another[Drifting Snow Wyvern]!
“Kriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeah!” it shrieked angrily.
How did it find us… oh.
As my party wondered how it even knew our position, we breathed in a bit of smoke caused by the burning leaves above us… which happened ‘cause of my botched [Spark Fire Breath] form before…
[“Hehe, scheiße… we have a situation now,”] I tried to stay cheerful, but only sounded anxious.
[“Less speaking, we need to run now! Our plan failed!”] Saori announced as she began running away.
Knowing if we struggled this much against one, we couldn’t justify trying to attack both of them at the same time. Fighting one B rank at a time was our party’s current limit… two was not possible when I couldn’t even use all my fire spells.
We didn’t know where the third one was. Now that one of the wyverns shrieked loud enough you I could probably hear it a couple blocks away, we didn’t have any other options besides to flee.
But the second one didn’t even let us move a few meters as it twisted through the air like a cold tornado, appearing before us before shooting out an [Icicle Spike] at us. Compared to Tasianna’s, this one was indeed quite a bit larger.
Wind Blast!
Casting the spell, I barely managed to change its trajectory to prevent it from hitting one of us. However, the wyvern didn’t leave us any time to decide on our next move as it shot out a stream of ice at us. Using whatever was left of her shield, Tasianna threw it in between us, saving us from an icy shower.
At the same time, Saori once again used [Shadow Dash] to dive into the shadows, appearing behind the second wyvern attack before ambushing it. The attack stopped the stream of ice, leaving us free to support Saori who was struggling to bring the flying beast down with [Shadow Tendrils].
That was when another icy stream came flying behind us, forcing Tasianna’s shield back into action, however, it was unable to withstand stress any longer. Quickly casting [Terra Wall] to protect us, I managed to stop it, but I still felt a chill run down my spine as it was slowly breaking through.
Unable to let this happen, I cast [Earthen Shackles], sending numerous chains towards the wyvern in hope of being able to catch it. The wyvern flapped its wings, flying up in the air to flank us with its breath attack. I technically could have challenged it with my own but Saori needed my help now, and I couldn’t waste time with a stupid breath duel!
Casting an even higher [Terra Wall], I made it block not only the wyvern’s attack but also its sight from me. With its line-of-sight blocked, I cast [Wind Blast] to rocket jump up into the air.
Striking my claws together, a brilliant flame enveloped my claws as I tore the wyvern’s wing membrane into shreds. Unable to hold itself up with only one wing, the wyvern quickly fell, grounded for the meantime
……….. NICE! Lightning Bolt.
A purple magic circle materialized around my wings as I began falling towards the ground. The crackling of electricity surged around it as a yellow bolt began to form, sizzling the very air as I put in even more mana.
Strange, isn’t it materializing the spell as fast as a wind spell? Woah, then, come on, you gotta do damage like my fire!
[“Vaporize into nothingness!”] I shouted out as a bolt of lightning was shot out of its magic circle, causing a thunderous sound a few seconds after it was cast.
Terror crossed the wyvern's face who was unable to recover in time from my attack, striking the beast down with unrelenting magic power. The electricity stunned the wyvern, dulling its movements and senses, leaving it open for even more [Lightning Bolts].
One wasn’t enough to do enough to harm it, however, what if I kept casting the spell like a gatling gun? Well, constant streams of thunder descending from the sky felt like I was Zeus right now! Probably more than 18 casts were shot out before I landed on the ground.
Spasming from being electrocuted, the wyvern showed clear signs of being alive despite the barrage of spells. High Health and Wisdom would help you survive that, I guess. The System truly was amazing for giving a living being the resilience and toughness to survive even the most fatal of attacks, if your Health didn’t reach zero.
Landing on the ground, I and my combined eight parallel minds simultaneously agreed to end this once for all. The poison in its body was slowly taking over now that its body was weakened. It was moving slower, and I new I could take it down now.
Like a fierce fire, unquenchable and unrelenting, I will not let you kill me today! Nine lightning strikes! Lightning Bolt x9!
With nine purple magic circles materializing, I was fully ready to shoot them at the now crippled wyvern. From the side of my eye, I also noticed the other wyvern pushed Saori to the side and was rushing forward, fully intending to shield its fallen companion from my assault.
…Verdammt, I scorned myself, feeling slightly guilty at witnessing this remarkably selfless act but I nonetheless steeled my will ‘cause they were my enemy.
I’m sorry… but I won’t let you kill me or anybody I hold dear!
As the crackling intensified, I could slightly feel my own body being affected by this miniature thunderstorm around me. As the second wyvern was about to reach the first, I released my-
[“I request that you stay your hand, Princess Hestia Atsuko.”]
As I was about to release the full arsenal of my newly gained [Lightning Magic], the spells suddenly activated and moved by themselves upwards… towards another wyvern?!
Identify!
SpoilerName: Asterios Level: 43 Race: Boltreaver Wyvern
Age: 153 Years
Status: Health: 20456/20456 Mana: 8578/8867
Strength: 7451 Intelligence: 7067
Vitality: 6597 Wisdom: 6490
Agility: 9874 Stamina: 13450/14310
Effects: None
Unique Skill: [Lightning Revolt Lv. 10] [Lightning Rod] [Boltreaving Blade Lv. 4]
[Electromagnetic Barrier Lv. 2]
Skill: Magic skills and related:
[Mana Control Lv. 9] [Arcane Mind Lv. 6] [Mana Efficiency Lv. 8]
[Fire Magic Lv. 10] [Fire Amp] [Fire Magic Efficiency]
[Inferno Magic Lv. 2]
[Wind Magic Lv. 10] [Wind Amp] [Wind Magic Efficiency]
[Storm Magic Lv. 7] [Lightning Magic Lv. 8]
[Silent Casting Lv. 1] [Magic Power Enhancement Lv. 2]
[Mental Stability Lv. 6] [Mental Warfare Lv. 7]
Physical skills and related:
[Dragonkin Claws Lv. 6] [Dragonkin Fangs Lv. 7]
[Toxic Claws Lv. 6] [Sundering Enhancement Lv. 9]
[Piercing Enhancement Lv. 5] [Crushing Enhancement Lv. 7]
Senses and movement skills:
[Stealth Lv. 3] [Accuracy Correction Lv. 7]
[Concentration Lv. 6]
[Foresight Lv. 3] [Danger Perception Lv. 8]
[Probability Correction Lv. 6] [Detection Sensor Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 7] [Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 8]
[Enhanced Vision Lv. 10] [Tracking Lv. 8] [Night Vision Lv. 10]
[Presence Killer Lv. 3] [Evasion Lv. 10] [Acrobatic Lv. 10]
[Air Walk Lv. 4] [High-Speed Aerial Tempo Lv. 4]
[High-Wind Maneuvering Specialist Lv. 5]
[Superior Aerial Fighter Lv. 2]
Resistances:
[Physical Super-Resistance Lv. 4] [Absolute Pain Tolerance]
[Bleeding Resistance Lv. 10] [Poison Resistance Lv. 6]
[Paralyzation Resistance Lv. 9] [Torpor Resistance Lv. 7]
[Arcane Corruption Resistance Lv. 7]
[Fear Resistance Lv. 5] [Lightning Resistance Lv. 9] [Fire Resistance Lv. 6]
[Earth Resistance Lv. 3] [Storm Resistance Lv. 4]
[Water Resistance Lv. 7] [Dark Resistance Lv. 3]
Stat growths and related:
[Health Recovery Lv. 6] [Mana Recovery Lv. 7] [Stamina Recovery Lv. 9]
[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 8]
[Enhanced Health Capacity Lv. 6]
[Enhanced Mana Growth Lv. 9]
[Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 7]
[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 8]
[Enhanced Strength Enforcement Lv. 6]
[Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 7]
[Enhanced Intelligence Enforcement Lv. 5]
[Enhanced Vitality Growth Lv. 6]
[Enhanced Vitality Enforcement Lv. 4]
[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 6]
[Enhanced Wisdom Enforcement Lv. 3]
[Speed of Sound Lv. 3]
[Steadfast Endurance Lv. 1]
Others:
[Identify Lv. 10] [Identity Blocker Lv. 10]
[Noble Aura Lv. 1] [Terror Aura Lv. 8] [Warrior’s Mind Lv. 2]
[Leadership Lv. 2] [Thought Acceleration Lv. 2]
[Body Temperature Control Lv. 7] [Humanize Lv. 10] [Telepathy]
Information Blocked
[collapse]That’s a Rank B, too?!
Not only was its stats much higher than the two Drifting Snow Wyverns, but it had a more quality status board than both of them combined. He was 43 levels higher than them and also the age disparity was apparent… so much those two wyverns could have been his grandchildren
[“I do not know what might have happened, but I request that you not harm my subordinates any longer, Princess Hestia Atsuko,”] the wyvern spoke.
Wha-?! I-It spoke-It spoke to me through [Telepathy]?!
… Oh oh.
[“…”] I stayed silent, not moving a muscle but also not dropping my guard.
[“You have my gratitude,”] the wyvern said with a short head bow before directing his attention to the other two wyverns, speaking with the paralyzed one, probably to make sure if they were okay.
[“Hestia…”] Saori called me out as she returned to my side, all bloodied and weary from her solo fight. [“This is not good… not good at all…”]
I couldn’t help but nod. The situation was fucked up. The second wyvern already had a higher Agility stat but this thing… was another level. H-How were we supposed to get out of this situation?!
[“I see… Princess, it might not be my place as a wyvern to lecture a true dragonkin, bearer of our god’s blood and one of his descendants, but I must insist that it might have been inappropriate of you to attack someone without speaking,”] the wyvern said with a grim expression. [“However, I believe that should have been known to me as I heard you killed three other wyverns.”]
Hearing this, I instantly readied myself, spells ready to be activated at any second. Saori looked confused as she saw me getting into a stance but hastily adapted her own, despite having trouble standing up due to her wounds. It seemed like the wyvern was only sharing a telepathic connection with me.
[“Oh, now I must apologize. I have no right to say that after bringing that topic up without considering your situation,”] the wyvern bowed. [“Honestly, despite being saddened to see my subordinates hurt, I will still praise you for a grand performance. A magnificent display of your abilities as a dragon, Princess Hestia Atsuko, despite only being at the age of a hatchling.”]
…
Silence. Neither Saori nor Tasianna said anything as they weren’t able to hear anything, while I didn’t answer ‘cause I wasn’t sure what I should even say in this situation. It was beyond surreal.
[“Mhmm, Princess? Is your silence due to not being able to speak our language, yet?"] the wyvern asked. [“Ahh, I forgot, I did see you have [Telepathy] with my appraisal, so even if you do not know how to speak, you should still be able to convey your mind to me. Well, you are a newborn, so it makes sense. Hmm, I also made my status board available for you to see to show you that I have no hostile intentions, so what further must I do…?”]
[“Aren’t you mad?”] I finally built up the courage to ask.
[“Oh, Princess! Your voice is truly divine, absolutely wonderful. You honor this old wyvern with your words,”] he bowed once again but this time, both wyverns bowed. [“However, what do you mean about being ‘mad’?”]
[“The three wyverns! Weren’t they your friends or something? Wh-Why are you so calm about this?!”] I nervously asked, not knowing if this was just an act of his to have me drop my guard before stabbing me in the back.
[“Do I mourn for the deaths of those wyverns? Hehe, nonsense.”] His cold chuckle ingrained itself into my mind. He really was showing no reaction to it, at all. [“Yes, they were also arbiters of our god but I could care less. They were lesser wyverns that haven’t gained power over an element yet. The law of the strong. You have done well to show them their place, Princess Hestia Atsuko. I am in awe of your power.”]
[“… Tch,”] I couldn’t do anything but click my tongue, knowing fully well I was the last person to reprimand him for his words since I killed those three. [“Then who the hell are you, huh?! Stop slithering around my tail and stop hiding behind that persona of yours! You’re here to kill me, right? Well, fuck you and that blasted Kargryxmor as if I'll let that happen!”]
I could feel my [Fear Resistance] was doing its best to stop me from shaking but my inner self told me it was helpless. I couldn’t beat him… not without any sorta preparations, at least.
I can’t die here! I can’t let the others die with me!
It almost made me cry how I’d gotten this far but circumstances were just unforgiving. Why hadn’t Aurena done anything yet about this? Why was she letting me get killed by Kargryxmor, huh? Wasn’t he one of her subordinate gods?!
What have I done wrong? Were those two gods fighting against each other and she couldn’t do anything right now? But she was an origin goddess, one of the mightiest beings in this world! How could she be stopped by a subordinate god like Kargryxmor?
W-Was all of that a lie?! Was I lied to?! Why-Why would she send that message just to abandon me! WHY?!
[“WHAT?! What nonsense, Princess!”] the wyvern shouted. [“By my name ‘Asterios,’ given to me by the grand wyvern priestess, I am here to protect you! Our God had given us unworthy relatives of the true dragons a divine quest to escort you to safety! Back to our home at Wyvern Peak, so you may speak with your ancestor, God Kargryxmor!”]
… Eh?
…
…
[“Lady Hestia? Lady Hestia?! Are you alright, Lady Hestia?! Why aren’t you responding?! What have those monsters done to you?!”] Tasianna cried out in full panic.
[“Hestia! Damn it! No, this can’t happen! You monsters, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY PRECIOUS FRIEND!”] Saori howled, having fully cloaked herself in [Shadow Armament] again, despite being heavily wounded from her battle with the wyvern.
[“Wait… calm down you two…”] I said to stop my companions from doing anything stupid, finally healing Saori with my healing spells. [“I-It’s all a big… verdammt nochmal, it’s all a goddamn misunderstanding!”]
Fuck! Fuck!
[“I’m sorry… I truly apologize,”] I told the wyverns, bowing my head in shame and guilt for causing this amount of problem just ‘cause… just because I wasn’t willing to talk it out! [“I-I murdered them in cold blood…I also nearly did that to your companion…I am so so so so sorry.”]
[“Princess!”] the wyvern, Asterios, yelled. [“Preposterous, how could you bow your head to us, your lesser relatives. Stand strong, you have nothing to be ashamed about, actually, you should be proud of defeating them! My subordinate has much to learn if she wishes to further survive in this world, and her brother should have been there earlier! They should blame themselves for being weak and nearly falling to your prowess!"]
After explaining the situation to Saori and Tasianna, while also requesting Asterios to also share a connection with them, I finally calmed down.
[“However, I cannot… I cannot come with you,”] I said hesitantly, still not sure what this wyvern’s real personality was.
[“Hmm? Ahh, I think I might have an idea why,”] he said before releasing a bellowing roar.
Once that happened, the ground began to shake and from it, a giant white snake head appeared. I didn’t think it was the same but using [Identify] definitely proved it was another snake head of the [Vellestra Leviathan].
Why can’t I see its profile?! How high is its [Identity Blocker]?
As my party was shivering at the mere sight of the only A rank monster we knew of, the ground once again quaked as another head came out, this time opening its mouth to spit out several dozens of lizard-like mons…no, those were the lizardmen!
As I was further dumbfounded by the situation, the surprises seemed to not want to stop as in the next moment a giant crocodile-like head appeared and blocked the sky for us. Considering the direction, it was most likely the area where we found that deep swamp.
Releasing a roar that was loud enough to shake the whole world around me, I couldn’t help but feel like this was a stupid gag. That was how ridiculous the situation was!
[“I heard that you were a belligerent one, so I made sure to ask for aid from one of the true dragons, or, leviathan, in this case,”] the wyvern said proudly, strutting his large crest around. [“It was just insurance, but that unfortunately delayed our meeting. I apologize, Princess Hestia Atsuko.”]
What the fuck?!
AbyssRaven So, first we get a mini-boss, then another mini-boss, then the main boss, and then the end-game boss. Nice! So, who wants to bet on Hestia's encounter luck?
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