CHAPTER 27

What’s Important

“A c-cursed item?! You’d really go that far?!”

“But of course! Elulu is destined to perish and become the sword! Her fate was sealed one hundred years ago!”

Elulu tries to tear off the necklace, but it doesn’t even budge. Within seconds, she clasps her chest, falls to her knees, and her breathing becomes ragged.

“You’re going to pay for this!!”

Mash struggles, forcing his numb, paralyzed body into a half-sitting position, but he can’t move from there. The paralysis potion is still taking effect, and I’m no different.

The black light gradually makes its way around the necklace toward Elulu’s nape.

“S-Seiya…! You have to hurry!”

Time is of the essence. While I panic…

“Great Mother, you’re not part of the Demon Lord’s army, so I’m going to give you a chance.”

…Seiya’s tone is deadpan, even at a time like this.

“Lift the curse off the shrimp. After that, let us leave this village. Consider this your last warning.”

“What a humorous Hero you are. A warning, you say? When I have the upper hand?”

The queen roars with laughter.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha! I refuse! The ritual of the holy sword must continue! If you want to remove her death sentence, then you will have to kill me first!”

“Is that so? Then I’ll stop holding back.”

The Dragon Killer in his hands glows an even darker red than before. When I see the blade engulfed in flames, I know exactly which magic sword skill he’s going to use. Without a doubt, it’s…

“Phoenix Drive!”

This is the special move Seiya used to kill Chaos Machina in the blink of an eye. But as he’s about to unleash it on the Great Mother, I yell:

“Seiya, wait! She’s resistant to fire ma— Huh?”

Using Flight, the Hero is already zipping around the dragon while wildly slashing at her giant body. Even with her resistance to fire, each hit scorches her scales, creating smoke.

“H-he’s tearing her apart…!”

It’s obvious that his attacks are hurting her, judging from the red swelling created with each hit and the queen’s roars of pain.

After the Phoenix Drive rushdown ends, I use Scan once more to check how much damage she’s taken.

HP: 341,577/563,290

Yes! She’s already been brought down to almost half her HP just like that! He’ll be able to save Elulu in time at this rate!

My heart bubbles with excitement as I witness Seiya’s devastating attack power. However, the Great Mother also shows signs of admiration.

“Wonderful! Simply wonderful, Hero! I never expected you to be this strong! Once you obtain Igzasion, you stand a good chance of defeating the Demon Lord!”

Sh-she’s still rambling on about that?! Give it a rest! More importantly, how can she act so confident after having almost half her HP taken away?

“You are strong…but that is still not enough…to save her.”

The Great Mother suddenly changes color. The ocher scales covering her body glow with intense energy until they are completely gold, then stick out like spikes.

“Now none of your attacks can hurt me! Ultimate Wall is an unparalleled, impenetrable defense skill that cannot be broken!”

“U-unparalleled…?! Impenetrable?!”

Even as I mutter to myself, the light continues advancing around the necklace. Elulu moans in pain.

Seiya slowly points the Dragon Killer at the queen.

“I’ll tear down that wall.”

Y-yeah! Impenetrable? Ha! Seiya was even able to break through the ironclad defense of Dark Firus, so I’m sure he’ll figure something out again!

Awash in my admiring gaze, the almighty yet careful Hero takes a small pouch out of his pocket.

“S-Seiya…? What’s that?”

“It’s a speed seed I bought at the item shop earlier.”

“Oh, I see! You’re going to use that to raise your attack speed!”

Then Seiya lifts his head back before dumping every seed in the bag into his mouth.

“…?! All of them…?”

Filled with countless seeds, Seiya’s cheeks bulge.

“Ahhh! You can’t say something cool like, ‘I’ll tear down that wall,’ then make yourself look like a hamster!”

“…What’s the problem?”

But when Seiya looks back at me, his cheeks are no longer puffed out. He must have chewed and swallowed the seeds really quickly.

“Now that I’m faster…”

In the blink of an eye, Seiya vanishes. My eyes dart around until I find him at something of a distance next to Mash.

Wh-whoa! It almost looked like he teleported! So this is what happens after you stuff your cheeks with so many speed seeds that you start looking like a hamster!

Seiya takes another black-sheathed sword out of Mash’s bag, then draws it to reveal another red-bladed sword just like the one in his other hand.

“Dragon Killer?! You had another one?!”

“It’s a spare. I didn’t want to have to worry about breaking one. But sometimes spares can be used like this.”

He adopts his battle stance with a Dragon Killer in each hand. Then he turns his piercing stare on the dragon.

“Mode: Double Eternal Sword!”

Oooh! Speed seeds, dual Dragon Killers, and Adenela’s special move Eternal Sword…! Th-this will surely…!

“Hmph… Feel free to attack whenever you are ready, Hero.”

“I’ll do just that.”

Seiya leaps toward the queen’s bosom and strikes multiple times with both blades. Before the blur effect from one impossibly quick slash disappears, he hits her with another! His attacks are so fast that it just sounds like a continuous clinking. After a barrage of violent cuts to the stomach, the Great Mother begins moving due to the shock.

“Wh-whoa! It’s working! It’s working…!”

It seems like the paralysis potion is wearing off a little. After staggering to my feet, I approach Elulu and wrap her in my arms.

“Don’t worry, Elulu! Seiya’s going to take care of her in no time!”

“Th-thanks…!”

But just how much damage did Seiya’s special attack, unrivaled in its power, do to the Great Mother?

I use Scan to check…and my heart sinks.

HP: 340,881/563,290

“Wh-what the…?! Her HP has barely changed?! B-but…!”

If memory serves, she hasn’t even lost 1,000 HP since the last time I checked!

“Hmm-hmm-hmm! I told you! Ultimate Wall is the ultimate defense skill! Not only does it have zero elemental weaknesses, it is immune to all magic and physical attacks!”

The dragon grins, revealing sharp teeth.

“By the way, each of the Hero’s attacks did around one to three points of damage.”

“Th-that’s it?!”

“He should be proud. Normally, most attacks wouldn’t do any damage to Ultimate Wall. However, the Hero was able to inflict some because of the dual Dragon Killers and his immense strength, though it wasn’t much.”

The black light has already circled halfway around Elulu’s necklace.

The Great Mother opens her mouth and brazenly announces:

“Elulu has only one minute to live! You’ll have to attack even more quickly if you ever wish to defeat me! Hmm… Around two thousand hits a second would do it! Mwa-ha-ha-ha! Hero, let us put an end to this meaningless fight! There is no saving her!”

But even then, Seiya doesn’t listen. He continues concentrating single-mindedly on his dual wielding strikes. Even I could tell that the attacks weren’t meaningless. “A vain attempt” is the only way I could describe it.

“Seiya… I-it’s okay… That’s e-enough…”

“Elulu?!”

Fighting through the curse with what little strength she has left, Elulu calls out from behind Seiya.

“Thank you…for trying to save me… I’m so happy…but…you’ve done enough… It’s okay…”

After seeing Elulu’s courageous smile, the Great Mother smirks contentedly.

“It appears Elulu has given up and accepted her fate.”

When I look at her necklace, the black light is only moments away from her nape. I lose my composure and tighten my arms around her.

Is this it? Not even Seiya can save her? Is becoming Igzasion really her destiny? Will we really not be able to save the S-ranked world Gaeabrande without it?

“Go, Elulu! Die and become Igzasion!”

Her voice resounds victoriously…

“…?!”

But then I notice something different about the Great Mother…

“You’re the one who needs to accept your fate,” the Hero declares.

“…Hmm? What are you talking about?”

“Look behind you.”

She slowly turns her hardened, creaking neck, then looks behind herself with a curious stare.

“What?!” she yells, and soon, she’s at a loss for words.

…It’s such a small thing that it’s no wonder she didn’t notice. I didn’t even notice until a few seconds ago. While Ultimate Wall can essentially nullify the damage caused by Seiya’s multiple dual-sword strikes, it still doesn’t make her immune to impact. After taking constant hits, the Great Mother finds that, little by little, she’s been pushed, prodded, and nudged…right to the edge of the Abyss.

“You’ve grown cautious in your old age? Don’t make me laugh. You’re three or four meters away from falling into the Abyss and were too stupid to realize it.”

While speaking, Seiya vigorously hits her with his dual blades.

“S-stop! S-stop attacking me!”

But Seiya doesn’t even pause. I shout to the Great Mother.

“Hurry and lift Elulu’s curse! Who knows what’ll happen if you fall onto a magic circle powerful enough to turn people into swords!”

“Grrr…!”

The Great Mother ferociously glares at Elulu while slowly backing off the cliff into the Abyss.

“Why?! It makes no sense! Why would you go this far to protect her? She is Igzasion’s vessel! She has neither talent nor fighting ability! Without turning into the holy sword, she is worth no more than garbage! She will be of no help to you on your journey! She’s garbage!”

“…She isn’t garbage.”

Seiya’s voice is as calm as ever.

“She’s my priceless bag carrier.”

“Seiya…!”

Tears overflow from Elulu’s large eyes. Her little face scrunches up as she sobs.

You could have just said, She’s one of us, and I care about her, but whatever…

Anyway, Seiya, I’m kind of touched! Since when did you start saying such sweet things?!

“Great Mother! Lift the curse, or you’re really going to fall!”

“I-i-it’s gone! I got rid of it! So stop attacking me!”

Seiya stops his barrage right as her thick feet are one step away from slipping over the edge.

But at the very next moment, she laughs.

“You fool! I got rid of Ultimate Wall, not the curse! Now I can move freely! Trying to kill me is a serious crime! Not even the Hero will be forgiven! You shall suffer my wrath until you cannot even move a muscle! Dragon Breath!”

She opens her mouth wide, exposing her razor-sharp fangs and ravenous flames while she prepares to breathe fire. However, Seiya is already in battle stance in front of her, holding his swords like a cross.

“…Double Wind Blade!”

Swinging his blades like an X, he shoots a sonic wave into the Great Mother’s stomach at a tremendous speed, carving a cross into her body before she can even attack. Immediately, she falls off-balance, stumbling back into the Abyss!

Even then, she smiles.

“I have wings! With Ultimate Wall gone, I can finally fly! I shall never fall into the Abyss!”

Moments before falling, she spreads out her wings…only to reveal that one is damaged, filled with holes big enough that I can see the scenery on the other side.

“Wh-what?! My wing…!”

After reaching the realization that she can’t fly, her eyes open wide, revealing her enlarged pupils.

“Wh-whyyyyyyyyy?!”

The Great Mother of Dragons’s death cry echoes throughout the valley, then through the village.

I imagined I would hear a crash when she hit the bottom. However, even after her screams fade into nothingness and she disappears into the depths of the Abyss, I hear nothing.

“D-don’t tell me she’s still alive?!”

The curse hasn’t been lifted yet! A-at this rate, Elulu…!

The black light is on the verge of making a full circle around her necklace.

“E-Elulu!”

As if the potion has finally worn off, Mash rushes over to Elulu and then…

There’s a click, and the cursed necklace crumbles to pieces and falls to the ground.

“Ah…”

Elulu rubs her neck in a daze.

“Th-thank goodness…! The Great Mother is gone, and the curse has been lifted!”

Perhaps overcome with emotion, Mash tightly embraces Elulu.

“Elulu! Thank goodness! I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“M-Mash, quit it! Y-you’re embarrassing me!”

It’s just like when Elulu cried and jumped on Mash after the fight with Dark Firus. As I watch over them…

“Phew…”

I’m finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Then I turn to Seiya, who’s casually sheathing his swords.

“Hey, Seiya, can you tell me one thing? How did you damage the queen’s wing like that?”

Obviously irritated, Seiya says, “I did it before she used Ultimate Wall. While I used Phoenix Drive to pummel her entire body, I was actually focusing on one of her wings.”

“Before she used Ultimate Wall…? B-but that doesn’t make sense. I mean, you still didn’t know what kind of move that was then, right? So why did you decide to attack one of her wings before that?”

“It was easy to predict she would resort to defending and running away after setting that three-minute time limit on Elulu’s cursed necklace. Also, when I used Scan and saw the skill Ultimate Wall, it cemented my suspicions that she’d try to hold out for the next three minutes. Normally, I would have preferred defeating her before she used it, but she had too much HP, making that impossible with what little time I had… That’s why I had to get some insurance and take out her only means of escape when backed into a corner, forcing her to remove Ultimate Wall. Her only means of escape, of course, being her wings.”

“W-wait. So after your first attack, you were already thinking about what to do after knocking her into the Abyss? J-just how cautious are you?”

“One thing I miscalculated, though, was how her Ultimate Wall was nothing like a wall. I was expecting something closer to the nurikabe from Japanese folklore.”

“You had no idea what a slime was, yet you know about spirits that manifest as invisible walls…”

“Yes, I know about nurikabe. Anyway…”

Seiya stares down into the Abyss with a distant gaze.

“That dragon—how dare she call herself cautious. If you ask me, she was nowhere near cautious enough. If she hadn’t waited so long, she could have used Ultimate Wall and kept her wing. Then she could have escaped. If I were her, I would have started using Ultimate Wall during the banquet.”

“I-I’m pretty sure it would have been a little too obvious if she started hardening during dinner…”

Just as I’m starting to tire of his absurd predispositions…

“Th-the Great Mother of Dragons fell into the Abyss!”

“This can’t be!”

“You bastards! Don’t you think you’re going to get away with this!”

Dragonewts begin surrounding us, brimming with rage. Some of them are even brandishing weapons. They’re clearly out for blood. Even though the Great Mother is gone, we’re not out of the woods yet. The dragonewts slowly close in, bloodlust in their eyes. Mash puts himself between Elulu and the mob and draws his sword. Right as I hide behind Seiya, a ray of light shoots up from the Abyss and into the skies.

“Wh-what’s going on…?”

As the dragonewts watch with bated breath, a mottled sword with a red-and-black blade rises out of the tunnel of light.

I-is that…?! The Great Mother fell into the magic circle in the Abyss and became the sword!

Seiya naturally grabs the sword and raises it into the air.

“Great. I got Igzasion.”

…After a moment of silence, each and every one of the gathered dragonewts unanimously shrieks:

“““That’s not Igzasion, you idiot!”””

I—I can’t blame them, though. I mean, Seiya, seriously…?!

I may be dumbfounded, but the dragonewts are enraged.

“That sword’s a fake!”

“It doesn’t have that legendary sheen!”

“Yeah! Let’s kill Elulu!”

“Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!”

The bloodlust in the air is palpable. However…

“Silence……lizardmen.”

With the sword brandished high overhead, the Hero—slayer of the Great Mother—speaks in a well-projected voice, instantly silencing the area.

“Igzasion needs the blood, flesh, and life of a woman of the dragonkin, correct? Well, the Great Mother’s life is already in this sword. So…”

Seiya approaches Elulu, then grabs her right arm.

“Ow…!”

Elulu lets out a small cry before a tiny amount of blood trickles down her arm.

“M-Master Seiya…? What are you doing?”

“Get Rista to heal you later.”

Seiya picks up the paper-thin piece of flesh with his fingers, then presses it against the mottled sword.

“I will mix Elulu’s flesh and blood with this sword.”

Perhaps due to using his Synthesis skill, the sword suddenly emits a blinding light and begins to glitter.

The dragonewts are awestruck.

“Th-there’s the legendary sheen!”

“No doubt about it! Th-that’s…!”

“Igzasion! It’s Igzasion!!”

Seiya nods in satisfaction before sheathing the blade. Then he says to the dragonewts surrounding us:

“This is perfect. You all were able to fulfill your mission as dragonewts, and I was able to get the holy sword to defeat the Demon Lord. It’s a win-win situation for us.”

One of the dragonewts mutters, “B-but the Great Mother of Dragons is gone…”

“She became the key to saving the world. Did she not say she would be honored to do so?”

“W-well, I guess…”

“Right? So what’s the problem?”

“I dunno. Like…”

“There isn’t one. It’s a win-win situation.”

“A win-win situation… Yeah…”

“Completely win-win. Therefore, the ritual of the holy sword is now over,” he clearly states. However, the suddenness of it all only creates commotion, and none of the dragonewts even attempts to move out of the way until…

BOOM!

Suddenly, a loud noise echoes throughout the valley, causing the dragonewts and even me to jump!

After noisily clapping his hands together and getting everyone’s attention, Seiya speaks in a voice just as loud as he orders:

“Okay! You can go home now!”

Like children being yelled at by their teacher, the dragonewts hurriedly gather their belongings and trek back down the Dragon Gorge.