The giant dragon roared.
Its powerful jaws, its baleful fangs, its eerily calm eyes—every single feature demanded attention, making it impossible to look away from it. Light streamed down through the shattered ceiling. Its pale blue scales and veil-like, translucent wings shimmered with an otherworldly glow.
I couldn’t help but recall a story I’d heard long ago, back when I was small—before Father was gone.
A tale of an adventurer who entered a cave and fought a dragon.
Our situation now is uncannily similar.
This is the thirteenth floor of the dungeon. A vast chamber without pillars stretched out before us, so large that its far edges blurred into the distance. The ceiling alone had to be at least ten meters high.
The crystal dragon slowly raised its head.
—Grrroooaaar!
The dragon roared again.
The air trembled, a violent vibration rippling through the space. If we were lucky, we might escape—if not, we’d lose consciousness on the spot. Faced with such overwhelming force, my feet retreated on their own.
Mia-san, Felix-san, Nils-san—and even the warrior corps and Safi—everyone was being crushed by the pressure.
A scream rang out from the warriors.
“G-gods…?! Can’t we have them fight in our stead?!”
With trembling hands, I pulled the alarm horn—Gjallarhorn—from my pouch. There was no response. It didn’t glow, nor did it vibrate.
Using the awakening power to rouse a god and have them slay this dragon would place an enormous burden on them. In areas where the seals were strong, even the gods couldn’t unleash their full strength without the horn.
“Not yet! But—!”
Raising my voice, I wrapped myself in the Golden Flame.
I clenched the horn tightly in my hand.
“Even without help… I know we can defeat it! B-because…!”
I am scared.
Terrified.
But there was a heat in my chest that burned even hotter than that fear.
“In the royal capital… in Alvis… whenever it truly mattered, the horn lent us its power. I think the god within the horn chooses the right moment.”
Remember the Royal Capital.
Remember Alvis.
When things were truly dangerous—when it was absolutely necessary—the horn had always answered. Within the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn, dwells the god Heimdall.
“So if the horn isn’t responding right now… then I believe it’s because the god inside trusts us—believes that we can fight this battle ourselves.”
Everyone snapped back to their senses and looked up once more at the pale-blue giant dragon.
Breathing steadied.
Postures straightened one after another.
“We will borrow the gods’ power. But the ones who fight… are us. I think that’s the kind of battle this is.”
I lifted my gaze and met the dragon’s stare.
Stay calm.
Observe it carefully.
Understand what kind of enemy it is.
Its head loomed five meters above the ground. Its neck was as thick as a log. The four legs planted firmly into the floor, and the veil-like wings that obscured the ceiling made it feel less like facing a living creature—and more like waging war against a fortress.
Even so, I was certain of one thing.
The god within the horn believed we could win.
—Are you the guardians of the goddess Freyja?
—If that is the case… something about you suggests that time flows a little differently around here…
The dragon rumbled deep in its throat and yawned.
—Well, in the face of the end, it all amounts to the same.
—Your companions. The countless rabble crawling about above. Friends and family alike—every last one of them… I will devour them all.
Across the dragon’s back, countless crystals reflected the light, as though it were clad in armor made of crystal itself. Each stone glimmered and flashed.
Then—countless points of light burst forth into the air.
『Undine…?』
At Solana’s murmur, the words slipped from my own lips.
“The stones on its back—don’t tell me they’re all spirit stones?”
So that’s why it’s called the “Water Crystal Dragon.”
Countless spheres of water rose into the air around the dragon. In the next instant, torrents of water slammed down like a rain of blows. We scattered as if struck by whips.
“Y-you say we can win, but—damn it!”
Mia-san clicked her tongue and spun on her heel. Innumerable spirits continued to unleash watery strikes at us—an unending rain that would be fatal if any of it connected.
At this rate… we couldn’t get close.
Moving just as swiftly, Nils-san raised his voice.
“It’s enormous! Or are all of your enemies this absurdly out of scale?!”
S-sorry about that!
Blond hair streaming behind him, Nils-san flashed a grin.
“…But that just makes it more interesting.”
With a swing of his sword, a water strike was cleaved in two.
“The power depends on the spirits themselves! There are a lot of them, but each one’s no stronger than a lesser dragon from the fourth floor!”
Mia-san deflected the attacks with her axe, Felix-san countered them with magic, and Nils-san cut them down with his sword. Each of them steadily neutralizing the water strikes in their own way.
Because we had scattered, the enemy’s aim was divided. And once we remembered, we’ve seen this attack before, all we had to do was repeat what we’d done back then.
“Let’s move forward!”
I shouted.
The crystal dragon snorted.
—Hmph!
A vast arena.
The crystal dragon beat its wings and rose into the air, pulling far out of our reach. It meant to wear us down, slowly, with the rain of water strikes.
“Fire Line!”
Felix-san’s spell slipped in through the opening. Steam burst from the water wall that intercepted it.
The dragon lifted its head high.
—Come forth, my kin.
From the hole torn open in the ceiling, multiple shadows swooped down. The ones it summoned were the lesser water dragons we had encountered on the fourth floor. Those water-wielding monsters were its subordinates.
“Everyone—fall back! Get close to me!”
| Skill,『Divine Protection of the God of Medicine』was used. 【Valkyria’s Spoon】…… Recovery. Consumes magical power to expand the range. |
| Skill『Sun’s Divine Protection』was used. 【Golden Flame】⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅Improves physical ability. Further effect for a limited time. |
A sharp pain stabbed through my head. I’m now level 26. If I hadn’t grown this much, my mana would have been completely drained in an instant.
“Ugh…!”
Gritting my teeth against the drain on my mana, I spread the Golden Flame through the power of the God of Medicine.
Mia-san, Felix-san, Nils-san —and Safi and the warrior corps as well—everyone was wrapped in Solana’s blessing. Now no one would be outmatched in physical ability.
The time limit was three minutes. Casting it on this many people wasn’t something I could do more than once or twice.
In that brief window, we had to close in and defeat this enemy.
This fortress of a dragon.
“Kaaaah!”
Four lesser dragons lunged at us. Nils-san and Mia-san stepped forward, swinging their weapons. In the next instant, the dragons were cleaved apart, blasted away, reduced to ash.
Our frontline—already utterly dependable—had been further empowered by the Golden Flame.
“T-this is—”
Nils-san glanced back, lowering his jaw in awe.
“It’s the power of the gods! Now, while we can!”
The crystal dragon seemed momentarily unsettled. Even I had grown through repeated level-ups, able to wield the power of the gods—Solana and the others—more fully than before.
—You!
—My kin, come forth!
More lesser dragons surged forward. Even the sirens and sahagins joined the fray.
Their goal was surely to buy time. Against them, we wielded magic, axes, and swordsmanship. Pushing through the horde of monsters, we pursued the dragon that had retreated deeper into the chamber.
The water strikes no longer frightened us. I could read and anticipate each one now.
“Everyone!”
We surged forward in a single line.
The dragon must have seen the wave of our frontline pushing up like a tide.
I moved in the center of the formation. Exchanging glances with those on my left and right, the party returned smiles and nods. Our plan had surely been understood.
“Alright, I’ll do it!”
Mia-san stepped forward. The water strikes converged toward her.
She met them all head-on with the Crimson Axe.
—Don’t come any closer!
A long tail swung through the air.
“Ha!”
Mia-san’s raised axe clashed violently against the dragon’s tail.
The Crimson Axe gleamed, converting the absorbed magic into a spiraling vortex that struck back. The force made the massive dragon stagger in place.
In that moment, Nils-san and Felix-sab leapt into the dragon’s vulnerable flanks.
『Haha! Using the frontline to pry open the gates of the fortress!』
Thor’s voice gave me a push.
『Slaying a dragon—that’s a hero’s job, isn’t it?!』
Before Felix-san, icy-blue runes flared to life.
“Ice Blade—Ibarak!”
A chill that sent shivers down the spine surged forward. Ice formed, freezing the surrounding water as it hurtled toward the crystal dragon.
—Tch!
Spreading its wings, the dragon tried to escape, wary of the icy restraints closing in.
“Dragon Severing Strike!”
Nils-san moved first. One after another, ice pillars sprang up, and he unleashed his swordmaster techniques upon them. The shattered shards of ice, still razor-sharp, shot straight toward the crystal dragon.
The blades pierced its scales and wings.
The crystal dragon halted its flight and slammed down onto the ground, shaking it with the impact.
With its wings spread wide, it became an even easier target.
“Got it.”
Felix-san planted his staff firmly. Ice magic wrapped around the massive, tree-trunk-like forelegs, holding them fast.
—How cunning…
The crystal dragon opened its massive maw with a roar.
Inside, its mouth glowed a deep crimson, while the crystals on its back shimmered a pale blue.
My magic detection warned that a tremendous amount of mana was gathering within its throat.
The god Uru called out,
『Dragon Breath incoming!』
Dragons can unleash devastating attacks from their mouths—fire, lightning, or other elemental forces. Because it’s like a breath weapon, adventurers call it Dragon Breath.
But—
“Wake up!”
I activated the crystal mounted on my left gauntlet.
From it, the fire elemental, Salamander, was roused and ready to act.
—Guuuoooh!
A torrent of water blasted from the dragon’s maw, sweeping toward Mia-san and Nils-san’ positions.
“Not on my watch!”
The breath collided with the fire elemental, generating a furious cloud of steam. Just as Loki had taught me, perhaps water truly possesses the power to bewilder.
Felix-san acted, quickly adding his fire magic to produce even more steam.
—A distraction?
I ran towards the dragon.
Faster, faster, faster!
Before everyone’s Golden Flame and this steam dissipate!
—The swordsman and the axe-wielder won’t be able to move for a while.
—And the child with the least magic… what can they even do?
The enemy’s vision is obscured by the steam, but surely it senses that I’m moving freely toward it.
I need to finish this in a single strike. If I pause to prepare a second attack, a counterstrike will come. And I must also account for the possibility that it puts distance between us—then I’ll need a follow-up strike.
—Huh?
—What is this… overwhelming power?
While the enemy underestimates me, even slightly—
| Skill,『Divine Protection of the God of Medicine』was activated. 【Sigris’ Spear】⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅a ranged support. The magical effect is channeled into the spear, delivering it to the target. |
| Skill,『God of Thunder’s Divine Protection』was activated. 【Mjolnir】 ⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅Borrows the legendary war hammer from the God of Thunder. |
In my left hand, I summoned the spear of the God of Medicine.
In my right, the hammer of the God of Thunder.
I combined the spear in my left hand with the hammer in my right. Thor’s war hammer, Mjolnir, now resided within the spear of the Valkyrie.
—The gods’… hammer?
The spear and hammer merged at the tip, forming a giant halberd full of divine power. Its destructive force, its ability to pursue a fleeing target, this combination could accomplish it all.
—Who… are you!?
With a running start and a leap, I faced the crystal dragon head-on.
The ancient dragon’s eyes widened at the sight of the thunderous halberd raised above him.
I shouted out the words that came to my mind,
“Valkyrie’s… hammer!”
Mjolnir, embedded at the tip, struck the dragon’s crown.
Thunder roared, lightning tore through its gigantic body, and the dragon was pierced by the raw power of the gods.
Blinded by the thunder roaring so close, my ears ringing from its shriek, I watched as the crystal dragon turned to ash and vanished.
Amid its disappearance, I thought I saw a beautiful goddess on a distant wall—Freyja, the same goddess I had glimpsed in my dreams.
The unexplored area of the Flocia Dungeon… it had to be there, waiting beyond.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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