Time flowed onward. After coordinating the auxiliary forces of the Loki and Freya Familias for the Three Great Quests planned by the Zeus and Hera Familias, the raid on the Leviathan commenced.
Naturally, Akumo—who was part of the Loki Familia in name—joined the subjugation force.
Step. Step.
"The Leviathan, huh..."
"Are you nervous?"
"I can't exactly say I'm not, Riveria."
"We are strictly support. Focus on your designated role, and that will suffice."
"Is that so?"
The conversation with Riveria was brief. The fleet continued to cut through the waves of the open sea.
"Everyone, prepare yourself!"
Rumble—!!!
Triggered by the roar of Maxim, Captain of the Zeus Familia, a gargantuan sea dragon breached the surface before the fleet.
"The... Leviathan...!"
The moment a member of the fleet froze at the sight of the maritime calamity, the sea dragon swung its tail in a silent, predatory arc, pulverizing one of the vessels instantly.
"[O omen of the end, O white snow, let the wind rise before the twilight. Closed light, frozen earth. Bluster, thrice-layered winter—My name is Alf!]"
"[Winn Fimbulvetr]!"
Crack—!!!
As Riveria's magic struck the bisected ship, the shattered hull froze instantly, creating a temporary ice-graft that kept it afloat. In that opening, Maxim and Zard charged toward the Leviathan, intercepting the dragon's momentum head-on.
Boom—!!!
"Now!! All units, attack!!!"
Crash—!!!
While the main forces of the Zeus and Hera Familias concentrated their firepower, the shockwaves threatened to tear the vanguard ships apart. Riveria and Akumo moved with surgical precision, evacuating members from the disintegrating vessels and transferring them to those still intact.
—ROAR!!!
The sea dragon was not passive. Manipulating the surrounding waters, it summoned a massive tidal wave to swallow the fleet whole.
"Evacuate! If you fall into the sea, there is no chance of survival!"
Boom—!!!!
Following Maxim's order, most members hopped across decks to escape the wave's reach. Suddenly, the skill of the Hera Familia's Captain, 'The Empress,' negated the massive wall of water, causing it to oxidize and fall as mere rain from the sky.
Shhhhhh—!!
"So that is the Empress..."
"Don't look away! Focus on the dragon!!!"
Zard barked at the stunned members and lunged at the beast once more. Damage accumulated as a brutal exchange of blows persisted. Then—
—Glowering growl!!!
"Damn it, it's targeting the ship with the wounded!!"
The Leviathan identified the vessel where the injured were congregating. It began gathering water in its maw, prepping a devastating breath attack. The Empress and Maxim tried to draw its aggro, but as the dragon unfurled its wings and ascended into the air while charging its breath, they couldn't effectively suppress it.
Fwoosh—!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Riveria was urgently distributing potions while moving the wounded. Suddenly, a massive baptism of water descended upon her. The sheer kinetic force threatened to annihilate her and the ship alike.
'Ah...'
Grab—!
"[O my experiences, O my adventures, bloom according to my will.]"
"Akumo...!?"
In a flash, Akumo grabbed Riveria and hurled her toward another vessel, clearing her from the blast radius. Consequently, Akumo was left exposed in the direct path of the breath.
"Akumo!!!!"
"Stop! It's too late!"
"No...!!"
As Riveria stared helplessly at the descending torrent of water, an incantation escaped Akumo's lips.
'I will block it. I must block it. No... I will pierce through it...!!'
"Haaah!!!"
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!
The water baptism struck the ship, shattering it into splinters. To any observer, it was a scene where no adventurer could possibly survive.
The same logic applied to Akumo. Riveria's pupils trembled as the realization of his death gripped her mind.
"Ah...."
'Akumo...!!'
Slap—!
"Snap out of it, Elf!"
Alfia, who had slapped Riveria, shouted at her. She warned that if Riveria stopped now, the casualties would only mount, making Akumo's sacrifice utterly meaningless.
"So get your head in the game, Elf!!!!"
"Urgh...!!"
However, Alfia paused, sensing an anomaly. She turned around.
—Grrrr!!!!
The massive sea dragon was still staring at the wreckage. As Alfia narrowed her eyes at the floating debris—
"He blocked it!!!!!"
"Prepare for interception!"
Akumo and several surviving adventurers were shouting from the wreckage.
The dragon, briefly surprised, dived into the water in a massive charge, the resulting wake pushing the remaining ships back violently.
Thud—!!!!!!
"A prolonged battle favors the beast! Alfia! Prepare your spell!!!"
"[The root of blessing, the curse of birth. My original sin, which claimed half my body. Without atonement, purification, or salvation. The melody of heaven resounds. For it is my sin. The trumpet of the gods, the harp of the spirits, the melody of light is the brand of the past.]"
—Fwoosh—!!!!!!
Detecting the surge of magical energy, the sea dragon breached the surface and prepared another breath aimed directly at Alfia.
Alfia clicked her tongue, about to abort the chant, but once again, an incantation flowed from Akumo's mouth.
"[O my experiences, O my adventures, bloom according to my will.]"
'I am certain this is the strongest creature I have ever seen... and at the same time, I recognize this.'
Confronting a presence far more intense than anything he had faced in his two years in Orario, Akumo felt a familiar thrill. His mind cleared, reminiscent of the time he had purged the avatar of the Black Dragon in a past life.
Finally, as he witnessed the pinnacle combat of elites like Alfia, Zard, Maxim, and the Empress, their movements were recorded into his Excelia, serving as the high-octane fuel for his hidden technique.
"Alfia!!!!!!!!! Keep chanting!!!"
Sensing Akumo's absolute conviction, Alfia continued her ultimate magic, Genos Angelus. Reacting to his shout, the sea dragon charged toward her with murderous intent.
—Krrraaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!
Crash—!!!!!
"Hold the line!!! Hold it to the last man!!!"
Maxim and Zard intercepted the dragon's charge, prepared to sacrifice themselves to tank the incoming breath.
Vrrr—!!!!
The moment the baptism of water was about to erupt from the Leviathan's mouth—
Flash—
Akumo, having leaped from the wreckage back onto Riveria's ship, began to recite a complete, uninhibited incantation.
'It wasn't enough earlier... because something was missing!'
The failure of the first magic to stop the Leviathan became immediate experience. The stinging pain from his wounds served as the tinder for a blazing, indomitable will.
"[O lush trees, O holy nature. I, having received your grace, petition now for the flash that pierces the enemy!]"
'This is still not enough...!!'
Despite his resolve, Akumo instinctively knew this level of power wouldn't land a decisive blow.
Rumble—!!!!!!
To make matters worse, the Leviathan sensed two powerful energy signatures. It fired its baptism into the sky, causing the torrent to split into multiple streams raining down upon all remaining vessels.
"All hands, defensive stance!!!!!!"
"Damn it!"
Fwoosh—!!!!
The Leviathan intended to disrupt the chants with that attack and then use its massive bulk to ram through everything. However—
What entered the sea dragon's vision was a man wielding a bow and an elf bestowing a buff upon him.
"[My name is Alf]!!"
Sssshhh—!!!!!
"[O gracious sea, let your vast blue become my wings.]"
Two pairs of crystalline blue wings materialized on Akumo's back. Riveria, watching from behind, felt an inexplicable sense of kinship with the human man.
'What is this...? Why are Akumo's ears...'
Pointed ears like an elf, beautiful long white hair—and above all, an elven aura that felt more familiar than anything else. This form was the manifestation of a soul Akumo once carried in a past life.
"[Sylphid Trident]!!!!!!!!"
In that instant, the sounds of the battlefield died. The sea dragon watched as four massive arrows, which had absorbed the dragon's own water baptism to swell in size, streaked toward it like divine spears.
CRACK-THOOM—!!!!!!!!!!
The Leviathan's wings were shredded, losing their function. The Hegemon of the Sea fell from the sky.
Waiting for the falling tyrant was a silver-gray bell ringing with world-ending power.
"[O my destiny, loved by the small world, shatter. For I loathe thee. Here is the price. I shall destroy all as proof of my sin. Wail, O holy bell tower.]"
Rumble—!!!!!!!!!!!!
"[Genos Angelus]"
**
Rejoicing in the success of the Leviathan raid and having completed the memorials for the fallen, the coalition was returning to Orario.
During a night at camp, Akumo was deep in thought while tending to the fire. Alfia approached and sat beside him.
"That magic at the end... what exactly was it?"
Alfia questioned him about the gargantuan arrows he fired. She was certain such magic had never existed within Akumo before.
"I'm not entirely sure myself..."
"You don't know? Are you saying it just manifested?"
"Watching a battle of that scale with my own eyes... my emotions just surged..."
Akumo spoke of the magic with the detachment of a third-party observer. He explained how he desperately wanted a power to overcome the dragon, and as he watched everyone fight, something kept accumulating inside him.
"While I was immersed in the fight, I found myself reciting the chant before I knew it."
"A sudden manifestation?"
"It feels... different from that."
"Different?"
'It feels like something I already knew...'
Zard joined the conversation halfway through, but they gained no further meaningful information. Nevertheless, Zard praised Akumo's contribution before standing up.
"Understood for now. You did well today. Go get some rest."
"Yes! Mr. Zard."
After Zard left, Akumo looked at Alfia.
"Do you have something to say?"
"....By any chance, have you been feeling under the weather lately? Any minor illnesses?"
"Are you joking right now?"
Akumo sensed that Alfia's aura seemed slightly weaker for some reason, but since she denied it so sharply, he didn't press further and shifted to small talk.
"What's the plan for the Leviathan's corpse?"
"The Poseidon Familia, who provided the ships, is taking the fins. The bones will apparently be used to seal a Dungeon gate nearby."
"I see... That's a shame."
"Why?"
"I wanted to try making a weapon out of it."
"Hmph, you're greedy."
"Am I?"
"If you want to do that, you'll have to learn blacksmithing first."
'Blacksmithing, huh...'
The conversation between Alfia and Akumo continued, drifting from the raid into the mundane.
"Ah! Speaking of which, how is Meteria..."
"If you say something stupid, I'll kill you right now."
"I'm just asking after her health! That's all!"
"Sigh... Every time I think about her falling for that deadbeat, my blood boils."
"Mr. Cranel's behavior isn't exactly exemplary on the surface, is it?"
"Exactly! That philanderer spends every day stuck to Zeus, doing nothing but trashy things."
"But whenever he talks to me, Mr. Cranel says Meteria is the only one for him."
"That's the smooth-talking I hate! He comes around day and night saying things like that, and Meteria just fell for it...!"
As she spoke, Alfia caught herself getting too emotional and took a breath to cool down. Akumo inwardly nodded, thinking she truly fit the reputation of the Hera Familia for being intensely possessive.
"I just felt something very unpleasant. Care to share?"
"It was nothing."
'Wait, is she a mind reader!?'
"....Now that I think about it, you shouted at me while I was preparing my spell, didn't you?"
"T-That!"
"Whatever. We're technically the same age, so I won't hold it against you."
"Whew...."
As Akumo sighed in relief, Riveria approached from a distance and joined them.
"What are you two discussing?"
"Just small talk. Feeling relieved the raid is over, though we still have two more to go, right?"
"Are you afraid?"
"No way. I can't miss the chance to meet such powerful existences!"
"You haven't changed since the day I met you."
Riveria let out a soft laugh at Akumo's nonchalance. Was it because the image she saw of him today was still lingering in her mind?
Riveria could not forget that elven figure—more powerful and mysterious than any elf she had ever known.
"Akumo."
"Yes?"
"....I have to ask, do you have any elves in your bloodline?"
'If not, what on earth was that phantom...'
"I am a human. My Falna states that clearly."
"....I see."
Riveria fell into thought at his answer, but realized it didn't ultimately matter. She offered the words she needed to say.
"Thank you. For saving me."
"Don't mention it."
Akumo responded with a bright smile. That smile brought a genuine grin back to Riveria's face.
"Regardless, since you've awakened a proper magic, I suppose I can raise the intensity of our sparring sessions."
"Are those the words of someone I just helped today?"
"Who was it that dealt the finishing blow to the dragon?"
"I kept you safe, didn't I?"
"Both of you, stop it. We leave early in the morning, so get to sleep."
Following Riveria's words, the campfire was extinguished. Akumo lay down, slowly succumbing to the pull of sleep.
"....."
Watching him, Alfia was lost in thought. Akumo's mention of 'minor illnesses' bothered her. Did he say it because he knew about her Skill? Or was he testing to see if she had grown weak?
Negative thoughts swirled, but the memory of his performance today negated them. He had dealt significant damage to the sea dragon and performed a feat unthinkable for a mere Level 5.
'He will be useful in the next raid as well.'
Alfia vowed to clear the Three Great Quests for Meteria's future before her own life ran out, and drifted into sleep....
**
—FIA!!!
—ALFIA!!!!
"Urgh...!?"
"ALFIA!!!!!!"
Waking as if from a nightmare or a faint, Alfia stared blankly at the scene before her.
—GYAAAHHHH!!!!!!!
—SAVE ME!!!!
The final monster of the Three Great Quests. Because of just one creature known as the 'One-Eyed Black Dragon,' the absolute pinnacle of Orario's might was being systematically slaughtered.