Here’s the chapter, enjoy~
Part 8
“But Ain-sama. Shouldn’t we have just kept attacking in the fog?”
“No, I don’t think so. If it dives into the sea, it can evade the attack… Even so, it looks like it was really close.”
The battle situation is hopeless, no matter how it looks. If he hadn’t been able to stop the sea dragon’s attack a few moments ago, he’d have felt a hair-raising sense of dread all over his body.
“Yeah… You’re right. …The sea dragon quickly fled into the sea.”
“Then let’s go a little further while we still can.”
“Is that as far as the battleship Chris-sama is on?”
“That’s what I mean. I’ll take care of the sea dragon so that Dill can protect the ship.”
“Haha… It’s funny that the guard is just guarding the ship, isn’t it…?”
Dill instructed the sailors to move closer to the battleship Chris was on. The Glacier family’s ship boasts a high attack power.
Of course, they also have several means of attacking from the bottom of the ship. The sea dragon, perhaps wary of the fog earlier, has dived deep and hidden itself.
The ship, with its furnaces running at full speed, quickly approached the battleship Chris was riding. They reached a distance where they could have a conversation without using magic if they shouted loud enough.
“A-Ain-sama…! Why are you here?”
“Hello, Chris-san. It’s been a while. I heard you were in trouble, so I came to help you.”
Not only Chris but also the knights and adventurers were wondering what he was talking about. That’s how ridiculous Ain’s behavior was. After all, if he told them that he had come to this place to help them, it was only natural that they would have difficulty finding something to say.
“Why… why did you come! Your Majesty and Olivia-sama! Lloyd-sama did not stop Ain-sama?”
“Of course, he stopped me! I had to force my way here!”
Then how did you get here? But the means are not important at this time. The most important problem is that the crown prince is coming to this place.
“You should go back to…”
“You’re not going to say that I should go back to the capital now, are you? You know it’s impossible!”
It was true, but Chris wanted Ain to go back to a safe place, even if it meant betting on a low possibility.
“No matter how good your skills are, Ain-sama, you’re too incompatible against a sea dragon!”
In fact, if comparing the pure strength of Dullahan and the Sea Dragon, Dullahan has the upper hand. However, when it comes to fighting at sea, that advantage disappears as it is the main battlefield of the sea dragons.
And one more thing, Ain is not a Dullahan. Even though he has the powerful skills of a dark knight, he does not have the strength of a Dullahan himself.
“Ain-sama, it’s about time…!”
Dill reported to Ain while looking at the sea.
“Ah, okay. …Chris-san!”
“Yes, I can hear you! Please return to the port, please! Please…!”
But Ain didn’t even look back at Chris; he stood at the head of the ship and turned away. After a while, he took a deep breath and said with an air of dominance that has never been experienced before.
“…I give you a royal decree in the name of Ain von Ishtalika! Chris! Use your ship to support the Glacier family’s ship from behind to prevent it from being swept away!”
“──R-royal decree…? Ain-sama! What!”
Chris couldn’t hide his surprise at Ain’s sudden order. Her voice trembled in agitation at the sight of the crown prince in such a place. The adventurers and the knights were also flustered. This was because the crown prince had not only appeared in such a deadly place but had also suddenly given an order.
“Dill. I’ll leave the ship in your hands.”
“Yes. As you wish.”
Standing at the ship’s head, Ain took a deep breath and stretched out his arms and legs.
“Ain-sama! What are you doing…? Please don’t do this!”
“It is unforgivable for the Vice Commander of the royal knights to disobey the orders of the crown prince. Chris, carry out my orders. In the meantime, I…”
──Gyaaaaaaaaa… The sea dragon appeared on the surface of the sea with a roar.
It checked Ain from some distance away from Glacier’s ship and started rushing straight into him.
“I’ll fight this one.”
After absorbing the cursed magic stone, Ain had grown a lot again. Although he could not confirm with his status card, he could be sure that his much stronger magical power would allow him to use his illusory hand even more strongly than before.
Six illusory hands appeared from his back, filled with an even more muscular and disastrous power than before.
“…Don’t worry, I can do it…!”
This is something that nobody would have expected.
Ain spread his six illusory hands like spider legs and pressed them against the giant head of the sea dragon, single-handedly stopping the rush that could be called a disaster.
(Instructor Kaizer, the training for receiving the Red Bison… is surprisingly useful!)
However, the impact didn’t rest and was transmitted to the Glacier family’s ship, causing it to move backward. The battleship that Chris was on held it down, killing much of the impact.
“I’ll win the first move… Sea Dragon!”
No one thought that a single person could hold back the rush that such a huge body could make. Chris finally understood what was meant when she was told to support the ship. But she still hadn’t caught on to the fact that Ain had done so much.
“A… Ain-sama! I’ve never heard of a head-on fight!”
“It’s because I didn’t say that! And sorry, Dill, I’m going to go swimming now… so I’d appreciate it if you’d wait for me when I get back.”
“Swimming…? What are you planning to do?”
“It would be great if I could continue the attack. But it won’t work that way because it’s still alive.”
At the end of the illusory hand that was created at length is the figure of a sea dragon that is about to attack while roaring. At any moment, its momentum would explode, and it would take all of Glacier’s ships and Chris’s battleship with it.
Eventually, as Ain said, the situation changed. The sea dragon lowered its body and began to move as if it were diving under the sea.
“So I will fight alone ─ it’s a game of who will go down first, this guy… or me!”
In the end, he unleashes his seventh illusory hand and thrusts it into Sea Dragon’s forehead.
The tip is equipped with Katima’s special claws, and it is obvious that this one is the [Dark Straw] skill. The claw pierced through the forehead and reached the magic stone of the sea dragon. The sea dragon’s face was distorted in pain, and it screamed loudly.
“…The name [Dark Straw] might be a little less cool for this occasion.”
Ain fixed his body with six remaining illusory hands and was dragged into the sea with the momentum of the sea dragon.
“Ain-sama… Ain-sama!”
In the midst of the changed battle situation, Chris raised a sorrowful voice to the sea.
──The sea dragon dived into the sea and continued to move downward.
The water pressure was problematic, but since Ain had absorbed the cursed magic stone, he somehow understood a little about how to protect himself. So now it was a battle between physical strength, magic power, and also oxygen.
(Sea Dragon, it’s a race to the finish. Stay with me until the end…!)
What Ain thought of was a simple and straightforward method. If he could absorb it, he would win. If he ran out of energy before that, he would lose. He has a bag of Heal Bird magic stones on his waist. It’s also a match between himself and the sea dragon, including that.
──Gaaah… aaaaa….!
It could tell that the contents of its magic stone are being sucked out. The sea dragon screams in pain and just keeps shaking its head to pull Ain away from its head.
(Don’t move around like that. I’m in pain too; it’s the same condition…!)
It’s getting darker and darker, and Ain feels a little scared, but it’s too late now. No matter how much fear he feels, the only way he will be able to see the sky in the future is after he defeats the sea dragon.
(Damn… I can’t believe I have to use this already…)
His physical strength is exhausted. Multifulses to the magic power and mental strength to control a large moving sea dragon and many illusory hands. The only means of recovery is to consume the Heal Bird magic stone.
If it consumes enough to use one, it will not be long before it is used again. A few seconds pass, another magic stone is consumed, and the magic stones disappear one after another.
(…There’s a limit to how much I can breathe, so get down!)
A few tens of seconds after being pulled into the sea. There is a limit to the amount of time a person can endure without breathing. As for the oxygen needed, it was not something that could be recovered from Heal Bird’s magic stone.
However, it must be painful to have the contents sucked out of the magic stone while still alive, and the screaming roar became even more powerful, and the desperation of the sea dragon could be seen in its movements.
(But, Sea Dragon. You’re amazing… You are the most delicious. I’ve never tasted anything like this before. If it weren’t for this moment, I would have enjoyed it even more…!)
It has a rich taste and aroma as if only the flavor and extract of seafood were condensed. Is it fish, or is it crustaceans like crab? Does it taste like scallops or other shellfish? He couldn’t tell which flavor it was.
But it was true that it tasted better than any other food he had ever eaten.
(I can even think about the taste at a time like this. ──I am really a magic stone gourmet!)
A minute has already passed since he entered the water. In addition to the difficulty in breathing, the lack of oxygen has also slowed down his body movements.
If the illusory hand is removed, then at that point, Ain is defeated, and the sea dragon will do as it pleases and disposes of his life.
──Aaa… aaaaaaaahh!
However, the sea dragon also wields power in a desperate attempt to kill. The momentum of the sea dragon, which is really a deadly force, is strong, and the limits of Ain’s grip and limbs are approaching.
(I can still squeeze you out…! If the power is not enough, I can force it out! There’s such good quality nutrition, after all!)
While absorbing from the sea dragon, he used the power he absorbed to apply pressure. The number of illusory hands also increased to nine. Since a lot of magic power is put into each of them, the burden is proportionally greater.
And finally…
(…No way, the Heal Bird’s magic stone is already finished…!)
After that, he had to make do with his guts. But still, the firepower is not enough.
As far as he can see, the sea dragon is on the verge of death, but more than that, Ain’s body is also close to the limit. Tears of blood were flowing from his eyes, and the skin on his arms was peeling apart. His oxygen was almost at its limit, his vision was dark, and his consciousness was fading.
(I guess I couldn’t win… But you’re going to die sooner or later, aren’t you, Sea Dragon? Then let’s call it a draw…)
He really wanted to win. He wanted to go back to the castle and live with everyone as before. At least Chris would be able to go home now. Even if Ain had died, the sea dragon would have died soon…
(He wore black armor, and his sword fights were unparalleled. I wanted to be as strong as such a Dullahan…── But well, I’ll do this…!)
It was the end. But Ain was annoyed that he could not directly wound it with his own hands. Then Ain pulled out a dagger from his waistband.
It’s a beautiful black dagger that Laralua gave to Ain as a gift ─ a dagger that Ain now loves and can call his partner.
(Well, that’s the last of it then, Sea Dragon! …You were delicious, though I hate you for losing.)
Muttering one last time in his mind, Ain thrust his dagger at the magic stone on the forehead of the sea dragon.
(I’m sorry, mother. Krone, Chris-san…)
There was a gut-wrenching sound of flesh ripping, and Ain’s dark straw pulled out of the sea dragon’s forehead. The illusory hand vanishes its figure one after another.
──Guaa, aaaaa…!?
But then, something happened that Ain, who let go of his consciousness, did not expect. Immediately after Ain let go of his consciousness, the black dagger developed a black mist-like aura, even though it was in the sea.
As the black aura gradually spread, it filled the inside of the magic stone of the sea dragon with jet black. The sea dragon’s eyes eventually lost their light, and it stopped moving completely.
At the same time, a crunching sound echoed throughout the sea, which was nothing more than the moment when the magic stone of the sea dragon cracked and the sea dragon lost its breath. After the dull sound, the black dagger disappeared like smoke with a black aura.
Thanks for the chapter
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thanks for the chapter
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