""""""GURULAAAAAAAA!!!!!""""""
The swarm of dragons charged at me all at once. I was completely surrounded by giants twice my height with no escape route. But I remained perfectly calm and activated my attack skill.
"Lightbringer!!!"
I unleashed the higher version of Aura Blade from both hands. The red and blue dragons standing on either side of me were instantly killed in a single strike.
"Dragon Strike!!!!"
I swung both hands horizontally, blades of light extending from my palms. Thanks to the skill's power boost, the glowing blue blades sliced through multiple dragons like they were tofu, cutting their bodies clean in half.
I kept spinning, pouring more power into Lightbringer. The blade responded to my will and stretched more than twice its previous length.
"Haaaaaaaah!!!"
Imagining myself like a certain fox-eyed death god, I swung my arm as if firing an endlessly extending laser. It didn't reach 13 km, but it was more than enough to break free from being surrounded.
I slashed horizontally and vertically, carving through the Soldier Dragons one after another. Some tried desperately to dodge while flying, but most of them had their heads and bodies separated before they could even attack.
In less than ten minutes, I had completely wiped out every Soldier Dragon.
"Phew. Is it over? Huh?"
I suddenly noticed that almost none of the dragons I had defeated were lying around as corpses.
The answer became clear immediately. The same light I saw when storing the Emerald Kaiser Dragon was flashing, and new entries were rapidly appearing in my storage.
『I collected the defeated individuals so their bodies wouldn't obstruct the battlefield.』
Isis had thoughtfully cleaned up for me. Makes sense — having piles of giant corpses everywhere would definitely get in the way.
I was impressed by how capable my AI was as I caught my breath.
Storage
[Emerald Kaiser Dragon (Crystallized)] ×1
[Grand Dragon Rouge] ×1
[Grand Dragon Blue] ×1
[Soldier Dragon] ×114
"Now that I think about it, the result screen from earlier didn't appear. Did I not level up?"
『Tōya-sama, a large group of hostile entities is approaching. This time their numbers are roughly three times the previous wave.』
Again!? What the hell is wrong with this mountain?
So the battle isn't considered over yet, which is why the results haven't shown up. This is no joke.
"Let's run for real this time. I've had enough, Isis."
『Understood. Displaying escape route on the map.』
I activated Power Stride and started running in the direction Isis indicated.
But after only about ten steps, I came to a sudden halt. A wall had appeared in front of me.
No — it wasn't a wall. An ultra-massive dragon had landed, forcing me to stop.
[Sapphire Kaiser Dragon LV88]
Total Combat Power 8800 (Doom Star)
It was enormous. Easily over 50 meters. This must be what it feels like to look up at Godzilla in real life. Since it's a Kaiser Dragon, it's probably related to the Emerald one from earlier.
"GOGAAAAA!"
While I was thinking such carefree thoughts, it let out a low growl and stepped forward with its massive leg. I instinctively guarded against the kick, which was unbelievably fast for its size, but I was still sent flying.
"Ugh… Damn, that actually did some damage."
Still, it was way less damage than the surprise attack on my back earlier. My defense must have gone up after leveling.
"My turn!!"
I stretched Lightbringer straight upward, making it longer than the dragon's height, and brought it down like a giant sword. But the attack didn't work — maybe its head was just that hard. It scratched its head, snorted, and looked like it was mocking me.
You bastard.
I lowered my stance, preparing to counter the giant in front of me.
But a chill ran down my spine and I instinctively jumped sideways. A pillar of flame immediately erupted where I had been standing.
The dragons surrounding me had attacked with fire breath.
Looking closer, these weren't Soldier Dragons anymore.
[Imperial Knight Dragon LV50]
Total Combat Power 5200 (Madness) ×325
The numbers made me dizzy. Imperial Knight — as in the Emperor's personal guards? Why are there way more of these elite ones than the grunts!?
All the Imperial Knight Dragons unleashed their breath attacks at once. My stance wasn't ready, so I took a direct hit from the scorching flames.
"U… gh…"
My whole body was burned and blistered. This might actually be the end.
『Significant drop in Life value detected. Use of recovery magic is strongly recommended.』
"Right, I have recovery magic! Cure Light!!"
A pale green light enveloped my body. I recovered a little and could move again, but I was still at a huge disadvantage.
However, no new derivative magic was unlocked. It seemed like that only happened when a battle was considered fully over.
I kept chanting Cure Light while dodging attacks and somehow managed to regain my footing.
―――『Battle Race Factor activated. Base combat power increased by 25%.
(3900 → 4900, fractions rounded up) = Total Combat Power 8900 → 14000』
The moment the announcement played, I felt power surging through my entire body.
"Fuuunnnnn!!!"
I poured all my strength into Lightbringer combined with Dragon Strike and pierced straight through the Sapphire Kaiser Dragon's belly. The giant dragon groaned and slowly collapsed with a massive hole in its torso.
Looks like the passive skill works even during battle.
Thanks to the 25% Total Combat Power boost, I finally had some breathing room. I created Lightbringer in both hands and went on a dual-wielding rampage against the Imperial Knight Dragons.
But each one was far stronger than the Soldier Dragons, so some of them survived a single hit. I gradually started getting pushed back by their numbers.
『Long-range attack recommended. Explode can wipe out a wide area of enemies.』
Right, I should use magic.
I used Power Stride to slip between their legs and create distance.
I lured as many of them as possible into one spot.
"Alright… EXPLODE!!!"
A literal explosive flash erupted. The power was so great that even I nearly got blown away.
"I need to be careful with this one or I'll cause more damage to myself…"
When the thick smoke finally cleared, all the Imperial Knight Dragons that had been there were gone. They had been completely vaporized by the heat of the explosion.
But then, from within the smoke, I saw one dragon still standing. Wait… was that one even there before?
『Warning. Extremely high-level hostile entity detected. Direct combat with this individual is not recommended. Displaying enemy status.』
[Emperor of the Sacred Peak LV118]
Total Combat Power 26000 (Most Evil Star)
The overwhelming pressure radiating from the dragon in front of me made my skin crawl. I didn't even need Isis's warning. This thing was on a completely different level. Its numbers were far higher than anything before. Is this the final boss?
And next to the numbers was the most dangerous label yet…
What the hell am I supposed to do!? One crisis after another! I don't remember raising any death flags! …Well, I did die once already!