Chapter 509: Winter’s Coming Inside the Magma Chamber.

Chapter 509: Winter’s Coming Inside the Magma Chamber.

Ahem ... level 12, 9, and 8 for the rank As. The rank Bs were 40, 34, 27, 25, and two 24s. Translated into human levels, that would be 137, 134, 133, 120, 114, 107, 105, and two 104s, respectively. As a reference I was still level 32 as a rank B, while Shay and Beth were 41 and 39 respectively, so 112, 121, and 119 as dragonewts. Vifi was level 155.

I didn’t check my fire wyvern retainers’ levels, nor that of their opponents, so I wasn’t exactly sure there, but this should be enough to illustrate the battlefield.

Naturally, our opponents were all fire dragons and, even though their Profiles were mostly blocked with [Identity Blocker], none of them had the skill at a high enough level to block my view completely. Therefore, I knew their stats and some of their skills, including the fact none of the rank Bs had a secondary element like [Earth Magic] or [Lava Magic]. The rank As were where things got a bit spicy though.

One was a burly lava dragon with thick carapace protecting its body, to the point he looked like a giant boulder, barely able to keep himself afloat. The other was your standard serpentine-physique dragon, but with a spiked tail and four hooked toe claws filled with toxins. The last was a humanoid-looking dragon with “gauntlets” covering their arms which oozed a flammable slime, and from the description, could explode upon contact from their own saliva.

To summarize, one tank, one speedster with a debuff, and one dedicated to close-combat battles to restrict mages. If this was an RPG, this would be a decently balanced team to take down one mage, but the issue was all of them were fire elementalists, aside from the lava dragon who had some terra spells.

[“You might practically be unbeatable in the face of all these rank Bs, but you of all people should never underestimate our number disadvantage. You and your party defeated me despite the fact I could wipe out any of you out in a one-on-one duel,”] Vifi warned me. [“Six rank B fire dragons that can survive just long enough are plenty to knock me off your back and restrain you long enough for the rank As to deal some serious wounds.”]

[“Mhmm, and I also don’t know if I can create an opening for me to turn back into a dragonewt so I can utilize all my idol skills,”] I replied.

[“Yeah, will be hard ...”] Vifi stated, cautious. [“Going to need the correct moment, but once I have your buffs, I can down them all.”]

I giggled a bit, mostly to try to let go of this anxiety of today’s event. [“Here I thought you would say you would take them out all in one go without an issue.”]

[“I got [Overheated (Minor)],”] Vifi said, causing me to snap my head up in surprise. Her sweat-drenched face was forcing a wry grin, as I could see some steam rising from her lightning horns, caused by evaporation. [“I’m not feeling too well in this place. Hotter than a summer day on the harbor to me; getting grilled worse than a fish on the blazing pavement.”]

[“... Got it. Rely on me.”]

[“Understood, General.”]

“Krafili!” one of the dragons roared, prompting Hikari’s to auto-translate. “Return to Lord Maustoovaka, now! Apologize for disrespecting Inferno Nest’s dragon ruler!”

“Know the elder scales have worked for the empire’s continued peace; disregard their efforts like today and you will not be welcome!” another snarled. “If so, begone back to your island—Frostwyrm! We need no child of Frozen Nest in the land of flames!”

I was conflicted. It was nice to feel like my princess status had no effect here, meaning, I wasn’t given any privileges due to my birth! Great, since I didn’t like that ... On the other hand, I could have maybe avoided all of this trouble if Maustoovaka had seen me as one, instead of a “detriment to Kargryx’s peace.”

As such, the only answer I had to give to these dragons was—

[“Piss off!”] I shouted. [“Maustoovaka can go fuck himself! All of you can go fuck yourself with your snobby attitude! The asshole in this entire event and the reason for all of this is that stubborn old man, unable to adapt to even an iota of change! I will not apologize, and if you dare threaten me once more, this will turn into more than a kidnapping. I will make you regret hurting my friends!”]

‘Solar Beam!’ Hikari shouted.

Solar Beam!

Solar energy gathered from all around my body within my throat, concentrating into a power laser that sliced through the air as I unleashed it onto the dragons. However, instead of utilizing this power as long as possible, I cut the breath short, merely using it to activate my overdrive mode.

As my scale-dust was being ignited purely from my body temperature, I was forced to play [Dragon Fire] to prevent Vifi from being scorched even more from the heat while standing on my back. [The Heir of Hope], sadly, had to be turned off and, unless I could transform into my dragonewt form to access my Job skills, every other spell song was effectively unusable while Vifi was close to me.

Then again, as long as I could share my spell buffs to Vifi, that was fine enough. Even without the more special spell buffs like [Symphonie des Feuergottes], my level 155 demonkin ex-Warbringer could go far with just a few minor buffs.

Flash Fire!

Using the residue heat, I teleported right in front of the lava dragon. Seeing him snap his head up, I circumvented his [Foresight] by activating my rocket boosters to shoot myself past him as he built his scale barrier. Looking at his confused look when I passed him, he probably thought I would attack him, but there was somebody here with a slightly stronger oomph behind their strike I was worried about more.

[“Don’t hold back! Just punch them into next week!”] I ordered as I heard the crackling of electricity on my back.

Feeling its sting singing my scales, I showed the lava dragon a mischievous grin as red lightning gathered around Vifi’s prosthetic. Forming into a warhammer, Vifi grabbed the thunder weapon with both of her hands before stomping on my back.

“Voltaic Red:—” she growled with all her might. “Rumbling Crash!”

The Ability slammed right into the dragon’s stomach, pulverizing his dragon barrier and the scales protecting his vitals. As the hammer dissipated, red lightning was summoned from thin air, striking on the dragon as if it was a plasma ball, cracking and rupturing his carapace and the remaining scale barrier around him.

The momentum of the strike did enough to penetrate his defenses, leaving him rattled by the attack. Giving him no time to recover and think of what just happened, Vifi once again roared “Voltaic Red!” from the top of her lungs to gather red lightning around her manatech arm, this time, materializing a halberd.

Like the Greek God, Zeus, Vifi held the weapon over her head, putting her back and hips into the next attack. As she was preparing her attack, I grabbed a certain something in the air and crushed it in my left hand as I saw the other dragons finally reacting to our aggression.

[Light Horizon] activated, destroying the light around Vifi and myself. No light meant they couldn’t see us—we were invisible to their eyes—or anything behind the “hole” I created in the air. They could still hear and sense us with their skills, as I didn’t teleport myself away, but this momentary distraction, ‘cause they couldn’t inspect my full Profile, was enough for Vifi to finish her maniacal laugh.

Information superiority! Ha!

“Thunderspeed Roar!”

The sky erupted once again to shoot down thunder, striking through on the lava dragon as it pierced right through its body, ripping off one of his wings and seriously maiming one of his legs. Shrieking, the dragon toppled from the sky, grasping in the air as it unceremoniously crash landed on the ground below.

[“Not dead, as you ordered, General,”] Vifi reported, causing me to momentarily chastise myself for doing so. That lava dragon had plenty of health, and since Vifi probably didn’t hit a major organ, it could probably continue contributing to the fight once it recovered from the pain.

[“Got it, thanks ... Aim for heavy trauma now, though!”]

As the broken light returned to fill the darkness, our vision was immediately greeted by the gauntlet dragon nearly landing an uppercut at me. With [Symphonie des Feuergottes] still in the allegro phase, it was easy for me to react as I swerved my body back with my rocket boosters before propelling myself away from him.

In the next moment, the poisonous fire dragon dive bombed me, nearly hitting me with his claw before he flew around me like a fly. His size made him hard to evade, while his speed made him a perfect companion for his gauntlet friend, as they both kept me between them in this aerial battle.

When I used [Flash Fire] to escape, streams of flames were blasted at my end location, forcing me to use my scales to protect Vifi. Flying over the inferno, I noticed the rank Bs were acting in tandem right now, leaving the close combat to the rank As. Were they aiming for Vifi? The dragons were able to use [Telepathy] amongst themselves to coordinate, after all, and unless I intercepted the mana link between them, it was impossible for me to hear their plans.

With this set up, it made it difficult for Vifi to throw a powerful attack, as she also had to be mindful to not get thrown off. I was flying erratically, too much for a normal person to even stand still on my back.

We were fighting back with Vifi shooting thunder crossbolts at the rank Bs, while I kept the dragons at bay with my assortment of spells, having found a good moment to materialize [Sun, Consume All], [Hydra], and [Quartz Regen]. With the constant [Dragon Fire] flame meteors and quartz hail, flying had become a dodging party to determine who would be the first to get hit by all these obstructions.

Seriously, everybody was dodging very well.

Come on, one of you has to get hit eventually! Even the rank Bs were evading all these projectiles as if they had been trained for this their entire lives! ... Ah ... Maybe all of them had.

[Symphonie des Feuergottes Movement (Adagio)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

... Yeah, of course. The spell has been active since the start of this chase.

The rank As didn’t let the fact my 50% agility being gone go by unnoticed, as they quickly took advantage of it, with the gauntlet dragon using this chance to punch [Hydra] hanging on me. Like a bomb, the obsidian mold splattered in the air, exposing some of my body. The dragon raised his arm with a loud roar before throwing a punch in the air, shooting a slime globule, hitting me right on my tail like a missile.

The impact felt almost as strong as my usual scale-dust explosions, maybe a bit dulled due to [Hydra] quickly shielding me. Fortunately, so, since I knew how to quickly readjust my flying speed to stabilize myself.

Noticing this, the dragon smirked for a moment before scowling, immediately rushing after me while the poison dragon flanked me. I gnashed my fangs, exploding the scale-dust around me to create a giant smokescreen as I cast [Air Shield] and [Light Horizon] while my stealth skills activated.

With light and sound gone, in addition to counters to sensory skills, I snuck past the dragons like a shadow garm, bypassing the impending explosion that happened behind me. Blow away by the shockwave, my cover was blown as the rank Bs stormed at me like a flock of crows, pecking, slashing, and smacking at me with their appendages, all in an attempt to get Vifi off me.

“Get off her, ant! None shall ride true dragonkin but true dragonkin!”

“Disgracing dragons like this! Embarrassment of a princess!”

“Failure of a true dragon! Feeble—”

Hikari stopped translating.

‘Hestia, we have to deactivate [Battle Frenzy] now! I’m not feeling so good.’

Huh, wh—

I felt it. Hikari’s rage rising from the dragons’ word and how they struck a nerve, specifically, my memories during my days with my fellow idol aspirants. The embarrassment, fear, and anger I felt during that day when I blurted my raw feelings at them after they ridiculed me, implying I relied on my “silver spoon” and that I should stop “being a poser.”

Envy, it was as simple as that. Not to mention, I knew I wasn’t exactly the best person back on Earth. All that realization was enough for me to tell myself to let it go and simply become a better friend and, hopefully, person in this world. This memory shouldn’t agitate me.

Gritting through the pain, I activated [Aerokinesis] twice!

“As I open my hand, releasing the sound of searing hot metal. ♫

But I tighten my grip, the pain that follows me with every single thought. ♫”

“In the midst of the desert ♫

A bright ray of light shines ♫

Pure and brave, that she was, as she walked ♫”

[Strength and Wisdom] and [The Heir of Hope] played.

You have chosen the Wisdom option of [Strength and Wisdom]

[The Shield of [The Light]] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

[“Take them down, Vifi!”] I shouted, catching the attention of the dragons, confusing them when I revealed my dragonewt form to them.

Without saying another word, Vifi looked down at her weapon’s sight ... Clank! The mechanical sound of her crossbow shot the bolt through the air, piercing right into the poison dragon’s chest.

... Dragon blood! My eyes widened when I caught the whiff of blood, smelling awfully familiar to the weapons of the dragon hunters I met in Inkoran-Tazul. Was this ... anti-dragon blood?

“Kruuaaaghhhh!” From the painful cry of the poison dragon, it seemed my guess was correct. The blood granted weapons the ability to ignore draconic abilities.

The other two rank As glared in horror as their friend crashed on the ground before turning around, roaring in rage when they saw Vifi loading two more bolts into her repeater-styled crossbow.

“You’re damn lucky I’m not allowed to use ‘Winter’s Gift’ to protect her, otherwise that guy would be dead!” Vifi snarled with loud exhausted gasps. “Get away from Princess Hestia, or I can end it here for you. That bolt is strapped with some explosive as well, for your information.”

The dragon snapped their heads back to their friend, peering into the small hole in his chest. Was the bolt deep inside?

“Kill her!” However, the poison dragon didn’t care. “Anti-dragon blood! She killed a true dragonkin! Kill her!”

Without questioning it for any longer, they charged at Vifi, flustering her as she hosltered her crossbow and was about to dash away ... but that was before the ceiling broke apart. With an ear-piercing roar, a dragon dug right into the dragon chamber—it was Maustoovaka.

“... Found you.” He glared at me, a mad smile on his face like a predator having found its prey. From the look of it, the Dragon Ruler of Fire did not escape his battle with Fehrkatruk’s father unharmed, as a serious scar had blinded his right eye.

... Oh, my gosh.

While my wyverns successfully delayed the dragons for Vifi, the rank As did a fine job for their monarch. Maustoovaka was staring down at me as the rank As roared in response, while the twins and Vifi all huddled up to me. Vifi was already preparing to run away, but this time, the titanic dragon’s aura froze us in place.

[Terror (Minor)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

Dammit! I need to continue playing [The Heir of Hope]!

“No more running. Enough is enough, Princess. Act like a dragon and accept your teaching!” the rank S mumbled, loud enough for us to hear. His rage was hidden behind his glee. “Many dragons were hurt because of you today. Some died ... Hedthalak’s death is your fault.”

Fuck you! I wanted to say that so badly ... It felt too oppressive to do anything.

“Yet ... first, that dragon slayer must die!”

Vifi!

None of them could move though, not even the person in question.

I thought this was it ... but, stalling really was the name of the game today. Just as Maustoovaka appeared before us, so did the second dragon ruler of Inferno Nest.

The ground rumbled as the magma lake in the middle of this place erupted like a volcano, sending boulders of magma through the air before a drake bellowed out a deep roar. A legion of similar sized and smaller drakes appeared as well, stomping on the ground, leaving imprints behind.

One of them—a bulky bear-sized drake—led all of this. He roared once more before he glared at the Dragon Ruler of Fire. “Maustoovaka.”

“Arkanator?” The dragon addressed the Dragon Ruler of Volcanoes. “Remove yourself. This is not your business.”

“Disagree, old friend. You might have gained the right to meet with the princess first, but she personally asked for my help through my drakes. Refuge ... from you,” he said with a wide grin, showing off his mighty tusks. “I said it already, old friend, your demands are asinine for the whelpling. Your actions have only damaged Prince Kalahameet’s rise. Once again, I must sweep your messes away.”

“I do this for him! This ‘whelpling’ has caused enough trouble, and if you were to let me show you the destruction, you would understand!” Maustoovaka growled. “She even harbors a dragon slayer! Can you smell it? The anti-dragon blood? Of course, you can! You might not have been impacted by it, but we know many of our younglings have perished during their pilgrimage. Many through their self-imposed trials, but many of them died by the hands of dragon slayers. What say this demonkin isn’t one of them?”

“... Hrmm, that is a matter I can solve for myself ... after I protect Her Highness from you!” Arkanator declared. “Remove yourself, old friend! This is my realm! My rules, my words!”

“Arkanator! You cowardly fool!”

The two dragon rulers once again re-engaged in their battle, with both sides summoning their retainers with their loud roars. The battlefield quickly descended into madness, as even the rank As who just attacked us were ignoring us for this battle of pride. Sadly, none of them even gave a glance to their fallen comrades, especially the wyverns.

The rank Bs were desperately trying to escape, while the poison dragon Vifi shot was still struggling to stand up. With [Split Soul Autonomy]’s [Mana Eyes], I found that the bolt hit his heart. His health was declining at a dangerous rate.

He’s gonna die!

In horror, I gathered the white flames healing my body into a ball, intending to shoot it at him to help him survive this, but before I could, Vifi grabbed my arm and pulled me back, making me drop the white-fire ball on the ground. The explosion from my improvised fireball destroyed the ground below us, sending our group tumbling into the depths due to the rock rain that followed it.

The twins quickly transformed into their dragonewt forms as I grabbed them, using [Hydra] to protect everybody as we fell deeper into the earth, to the point it became impossible to even keep [Hydra]’s corrosive slime state. We ended up trapped inside of a magma lake, or maybe ocean, at this point.

Seeing the heat sapping my friend’s health away while [Hydra] melted away, I pulled out my [Room] runes and shoved everybody inside. [“Call for help, now!”] I said before I closed the portal into the subspace.

Mom ... I’m a bloody good girl, am I not? Following the house rules ... My core is broken again, dammit. I’m going to overheat if this continues.

Casting [Panzer] and another [Hydra], I protected my body in a layer of cooled obsidian before I swam up with [Obsidian Blaze]. Once I touched the crust, I heaved out a loud sigh. I dug into it before expelling more corrosive fire, turning all of it into obsidian and creating a huge amber-like ball around me to protect myself from the heat underneath.

Using terra magic, I fortified the opened crust, hoping the magma couldn’t just break through, giving me some time to slowly dig up through by melting rock into the magma and hardening it afterward.

Thank goodness for all the magma diving training I’ve done with [Magmakammer].

Opening up my storage for a tank-load of iced Frozen Nest water, I took a shower in it and drank as much as I could to rehydrate myself, but let out a deep sigh. I had to slowly return to the surface, but the damn rank S dragons were still fighting.

Come quick, Mom. Or, anybody, really.

In the meantime ...

Hikari, I think you’re going to have to master [Battle Frenzy] too. Tell me, what is your Sloth?

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Too many big dragons! Hestia still too smol

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