Volume 1, Chapter 72 – The Sinking of the Unsinkable Moon

If not for the urgency of the moment, Fia would have stopped to admire the breathtaking spectacle before her.

But she had no such luxury now.

The Moon Dragon’s sweeping attack had pierced through the ceiling, reaching the surface. Now, even the aboveground temple was split in two by its onslaught, walls crumbling as they collapsed one after another.

To make matters worse, the Moon Dragon, having unleashed a massive surge of magic, was far from defeated. The moment Fia landed in a safe spot, the dragon shattered the ceiling and pursued her.

Its castle-sized body crashed heavily onto the ground, sending tremors strong enough to shake the earth and nearly knock people off their feet.

“Sister, it’s coming after us!”

Liti, clinging tightly to Fia’s neck, shouted.

“Liti, go find Anastasia. I’ll handle this.”

Though Liti’s weightless body was barely a burden, Fia couldn’t fight while carrying her.

“Okay!”

Setting Liti down, Fia turned back into a lone warrior. She looked up at the Moon Dragon, which was now at the peak of its fury, its heavy breaths audible even from dozens of meters away.

Is this phase two?

Fia felt a surge of impatience.

In games, bosses having a second phase made perfect sense—if a boss went down too easily, it would feel unsatisfying. But in reality, all Fia felt was annoyance.

After this, I’m definitely learning [Enchanted Blade] and [Flight] from Claire.

For now, she’d have to make do with her fists.

With that thought, Fia lightly clapped her hands together, her delicate features twisting into a battle-hungry smirk.

“Well? Still want more?”

“You, the Divine Child disguised as the Elf Princess—”

The Moon Dragon’s voice, which had sounded like an AI-generated effect, suddenly cut off. It raised a claw to its head, its tone shifting into something more like a mature man’s voice.

“Absolute Evil… you deceived me… ugh…”

What’s going on?

Fia tilted her head slightly, a question mark floating above her.

Upon closer inspection, one of the Moon Dragon’s eyes was blood-red, while the other remained blue—an eerie sight, as if two souls were fighting for control of its body.

Struggling to suppress the raging force within, the dragon trembled violently as it spoke with difficulty.

“Elf Princess… hurry… destroy the Chaos on my body… there’s no time… the Unsinkable Moon… it’s slipping from my control… hurry!”

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“Hey—”

“HURRY!!!”

The moment the plea left its mouth, the Moon Dragon’s blue eye—the one symbolizing reason—was once again overtaken by crimson. It threw its head back and let out a deafening roar that shook the heavens.

So the Moon Dragon that spoke to me just now was the real one, and this one has been taken over by something else? Destroy the Chaos on its body…?

Following the dragon’s movement, Fia’s gaze fixed on its chest. Earlier, underground, she had noticed an external heart formed from Chaos attached to it. She had assumed it was some kind of symbiotic relationship, but the Moon Dragon’s words suggested otherwise.

The brief return of its consciousness was likely due to damage to that external heart. Emerging from the collapsed underground space, the Chaos heart had suffered an impact and was now spurting black, blood-like miasma.

But what did it mean by “the Unsinkable Moon is slipping from control”?

Fia instinctively looked up. The Unsinkable Moon still hung in the sky above the city, unchanged from before.

First, I’ll destroy the Chaos on the Moon Dragon, then ask what’s happening.

With a clear plan in mind, Fia leapt toward the dragon. Seeing her empty-handed, the enraged Moon Dragon swung its claw, attempting to smash her into the ground.

But Fia was prepared.

The purple magic shield made it difficult for her spells to harm the dragon, but that didn’t mean magic was useless. Alternating between [Mental Shock] and [Flame Storm], Fia used the explosions to halt the descending claw.

Yet the Moon Dragon didn’t rely solely on its claws. As the dust from [Flame Storm] cleared, Fia was met not with fire, but with a chilling black mist.

She had seen this mist underground—anything it touched corroded as if doused in acid.

Even if [Nanomachines] ensured she wouldn’t die from the erosion, the pain would be unbearable.

Thinking quickly, Fia began rapid incantations mid-air.

“[—Ice Bullet]!”

A fist-sized chunk of ice shot toward the mist.

But that wasn’t her goal.

[Hypercomputation] instantly analyzed the structure of [Ice Bullet], and with that information, Fia conjured another beneath her feet—this one three meters in diameter.

The massive ice sphere gave her a foothold. Pushing off, she leapt vertically, narrowly evading the mist, then used another [Ice Bullet] to pivot into a downward dive toward the Moon Dragon.

Still, that wasn’t enough. To ensure the mist didn’t pursue her, Fia summoned the largest [Ice Bullet] she could—directly above the dragon.

If magic doesn’t work, what about a physical attack created by magic?

A blue iceberg, nearly thirty meters wide, plummeted like a meteor toward the Moon Dragon.

Before the dragon could react, the two collided.

BOOM!

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Fia’s earlier punch had similar force, but her small size made it hard for distant observers to grasp what had happened. Now, the colossal iceberg—clear as day—left no room for doubt.

She could even hear distant gasps from the paladins, whispers of “Dragon Slayer” reaching her ears.

The impact drove the Moon Dragon downward, the earth groaning beneath it. Spiderweb cracks spread outward, and the dragon’s horns snapped under the weight, the crisp sound echoing through the square.

Then, a roar of pure rage shook the entire city of Aurora.

The Moon Dragon’s maw began gathering another black sphere.

Can’t let it fire that.

Summoning her courage, Fia channeled all her strength into her right fist and charged at the dragon’s jaw.

This strike wasn’t meant to wound—it was meant to end the fight.

If the iceberg had merely forced the dragon down, this punch sent it reeling. The colossal body flipped sideways from the force, the sound of cracking bone unmistakable as its jaw visibly dislocated.

Seizing the moment, Fia lunged for the external Chaos heart on its chest.

Up close, the heart—about three to four meters wide—was grotesque.

Tendrils of Chaos snaked through the dragon’s flesh, pulsing like veins.

Sensing her approach, the Chaos lashed out, trying to crawl up her legs. Clicking her tongue, Fia bent down and pressed her right hand against the heart’s surface.

At this range, the dragon’s purple barrier could no longer block her magic.

She poured her mana into her palm.

“[Flame Storm]!”

BOOM!

A pillar of fire erupted from the dragon’s chest, shattering the Chaos heart instantly. Simultaneously, the Moon Dragon collapsed, its heavy breaths slowing as its crimson eyes faded back to deep blue.

“Hey, what were you trying to say—”

“Behind you!”

The Moon Dragon’s urgent cry cut her off. A sharp, lethal sensation prickled at Fia’s scalp as the ground beneath her brightened—a familiar purple glow reflecting in her eyes.

She turned away from the dragon and looked up.

The Unsinkable Moon.

The purple light that had once enveloped Aurora had now condensed, the moon itself radiating an eerie glow. Beneath it stood the gray-haired girl Fia had seen atop the Moon Dragon earlier.

Like the dragon, the girl was in a frenzied state—eyes blood-red, a Chaos heart pulsing on her chest. She raised her staff, chanting in a language Fia didn’t recognize.

She’s controlling the Unsinkable Moon… and I’m her target.

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A flicker of irritation crossed Fia’s mind, but she didn’t panic.

The Elf Princess had died to the Unsinkable Moon’s attack because she couldn’t react in time. Fia, however, was different. Even without [Nanomachines], her supersonic speed made her nearly untouchable.

Still, preventing the attack outright would be better.

As she leapt toward the girl, Fia calmly assessed her options.

The girl was only Second Tier, lacking the Moon Dragon’s durability. [Flame Storm] or [Mental Shock] would stop her—but they’d also kill her. That left only one spell.

Not [Ice Bullet], but [Torrent].

At the same time, the Unsinkable Moon’s purple spear materialized.

Once I fire [Torrent], I’ll dodge immediately. At my speed, the spear won’t hit me.

Her mind raced, calculating evasion paths as a massive whirlpool formed before her.

But reality had other plans.

“Dofilia, MOVE!”

Anastasia’s desperate shout sent a jolt through Fia’s chest.

She didn’t need to think to know what Anastasia intended.

The woman still blamed herself for failing to protect the Elf Princess from the Unsinkable Moon. Faced with the same scenario, she’d do something reckless.

But Fia could still fix this.

Carrying Anastasia at supersonic speed was no issue—even as a near-Fifth Tier warrior, Anastasia couldn’t match Fia’s raw strength.

Before Anastasia could shove her aside, Fia grabbed her and slung her over her shoulder.

Yet the crisis wasn’t over.

Above the descending Unsinkable Moon, a light even brighter than its glow appeared in the sky.

Fia’s eyes narrowed as she recognized the figure behind the silver radiance.

Claire.

But this was a Claire she had never seen before—one with horns, a tail, and silver hair billowing like a spectral veil. No longer an ethereal moonlit spirit, but a deathly pale reaper with crimson eyes.

The silver light streaked down like lightning, meeting the Unsinkable Moon.

For a moment, the two forces clashed—then, with a sound like shattering ice, black cracks spiderwebbed across the moon’s surface. In less than a second, the silver light pierced straight through.

The purple spear dissolved mid-air.

But the remnants of the silver light didn’t vanish—they continued toward the gray-haired girl.

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Even a fraction of that power would obliterate her.

I can’t let Claire’s hands be stained with blood because of me.

Moreover, the girl was likely another victim of the Chaos. Fia hadn’t used [Flame Storm] on her for that very reason.

Decision made, Fia amplified [Torrent], sending a raging waterspout crashing into the girl and hurling her away. Simultaneously, she unleashed [Fairy Fire], [Wind Blade], and [Ice Bullet] in rapid succession, stacking them in the silver light’s path.

The explosions weakened the light slightly, but it pressed onward. [Wind Blade] struck from the side, further diminishing its force. Finally, a thirty-meter-wide [Ice Bullet] materialized as a last barrier.

The light pierced through like a needle through paper—but Fia wasn’t done.

One after another, massive [Ice Bullets] piled up, forming a layered shield from sky to ground in the span of a breath.

Just as Fia predicted, by the time the light reached the ground, its power was a fraction of its original might. It dissipated harmlessly against the final ice barrier.

“Phew.”

Lowering her hand, Fia exhaled in relief.

It’s over.

—Or so she thought.

A strange cracking sound drew everyone’s attention back to the Unsinkable Moon. Paladins, civilians—all looked up at the celestial body hanging in the sky.

Then—

CRACK.

The Unsinkable Moon shattered.

An invisible wave of magic rippled outward from the temple, washing over the city like a gentle breeze. From the fragments, a dreamlike shower of pale purple light descended, painting the world in an ethereal glow.

“Eighth Tier forbidden spell… [Divine Judgment]…”

The Moon Dragon’s awed whisper sent a chill down Fia’s spine.

Eighth Tier?

No wonder Claire said she could handle Anastasia with one hand.

Fia looked up at the silver-haired figure in the sky. Despite her demonic appearance, all Fia saw was beauty.

Claire was a demon—one who had stolen her heart.

Good thing I’m still a little stronger than her. Otherwise, I might’ve felt inferior.

Amused by the thought, Fia grinned and waved enthusiastically at Claire.