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110. Final Defense Mechanism

 

—Grrrraaaarrr…!

The massive creature resembled a dragon in form. But its limbs and neck were unnaturally thick and muscular, and the sleek contours of its body moved with a fluidity reminiscent of aquatic life. Its body, clad in dark crimson scales, bore the familiar traits of dragonkind.

「It’s close to a Níðhöggr. A ‘rage-devouring dragon’ said to dwell deep underground. Probably a mutated subspecies influenced by the Dungeon.」

「That thing in its mouth… is that…」

「Yeah.  The souvenir Lord Emesmes left behind」

Clutched in its shark-like jaws was the head of the scarlet dragon. Most likely, it had picked up the head we’d left behind near the dungeon entrance. With a crunch, the enormous dragon bit down. The head, which even ancient magic couldn’t pierce, shattered like an egg.

Having swallowed the fragments, the giant dragon turned its gaze on us—ready for its next prey.

「…Now I get it. That red dragon really was just a ‘General’, and one of the weakest ones to boot.」

The red dragon that Lord Emesmes had restrained would have easily been the ‘King’ in any lower-end S-Class dungeon. For such a fearsome dragon to merely serve as a gatekeeper halfway through the dungeon…

Even though I’d understood it logically, the adventurer in me had still resisted believing it. But now, seeing the truth with my own eyes, I could finally accept it.

「It’s six—no, eight times larger than that red one. I imagine the difference in power is just as big.」

「What shall we do?」

「Size-wise, it’s a match for Angelina’s largest golem. I wouldn’t have minded seeing them slug it out, but if her prep’s running long, we’ll handle this one ourselves.」

「Understood, Master.」

As Koe-san stepped back, the enormous dragon—gazing down at us with regal calm—shifted. A faint ripple in its presence: a prelude to attack.

「—!!」

It’s coming.

I sensed it immediately—and a heartbeat later, the dragon’s jagged teeth were already inches from my face. Its gaping maw could easily swallow a house. A defensive skill flashed across my mind, but I chose offense to stop any backlash that might hit Angelina and the others behind me.

「[Asura’s Six Arms]—Activate!」

I gathered all six arms to my left side and slammed them against its massive face in a sweeping blow, redirecting the force to the right. Watching the power arc skyward, I couldn’t help but murmur:

「…Now that’s impact.」

A simple bite—it had been nothing more than that. Yet the redirected force sheared away the clouds high in the sky. Through the massive gap, the sky shone a piercing blue.

That sheer destructive power—and the range. Just one hit, and people, towns, everything would end up in its belly.

「Then we just keep that mouth shut. [Idle Shadow], activate.」

—Hrr?

I vanished from view, darting in as the dragon lost its balance. This trick would only fool it for a heartbeat—but that was more than enough time.

「[Asura’s Six Arms]—Clamp!」

I closed in and used two of my six arms to grip its upper and lower jaws. A top-tier skill like this was still a human technique—it should have been easy to break free. But the dragon couldn’t.

「See, the muscles used to close the jaw and those used to open it? Completely different.」

It had enough bite force to crush a red dragon’s skull. Not even [Asura’s Six Arms] could withstand that. But jaws that bite hard tend to have poor opening strength—there’s only so much room for muscle.

「And if you can’t open your mouth, you can’t bite. Nothing personal.」

It was a dragon, after all. Surely biting wasn’t its only weapon. But between its target vanishing and its jaw suddenly locking up, it froze—just for a fraction of a second, not even long enough for a blink.

That moment was enough. I pounded away with the remaining four arms, a barrage from both sides. The shockwaves converged on its center—no matter how tough the scales, the damage would build up.

—Ghh…!

Cracks formed on its horns. Scales chipped away. Teeth shattered and flew. With a sharp crack, its cheekbone gave out, and its head jerked backward.

「There.」

I spotted a thinner patch of scales at the center of its throat and raised my right hand. The skill I used had a slight activation delay—[Subspace Rupture]. High-ranking foes often dodged it, but not this time.

「[Subspace Rupture], activate!」

Snap! A dull sound rang out as the skill cleaved halfway through the dragon’s neck. There seemed to be some form of protection—even this space-rending skill wasn’t enough to kill it in one strike.

But it had clearly taken effect. Then all I had to do was land another one.

I began to focus—but from the ground, a voice cried out.

「Master, dodge!」

「Tch—[Space Jump], activate!」

I immediately abandoned the charge and leapt twenty paces away. I thought I’d given myself plenty of distance, but even that was just barely enough.

—Grrruuuh, KRRRAAAA!!

「The dragon… is being eaten…!?」

The massive dragon’s head was now clamped in an even larger set of jaws.

A dragon that devoured other dragons. The mighty head was being crushed—crack by crack, the bones gave way. They say there’s always a bigger fish—but this was absurdly literal.

Had I not retreated, I would’ve been inside that mouth too.

「Are you alright, Master?」

「Yeah. Thanks. I had considered the possibility… but I didn’t think it’d show up this soon.」

「What possibility?」

「That red dragon Lord Emesmes restrained—it had ‘General’-class status, but power like a ‘King’. And that other dragon, the Níðhöggr variant, was still only a ‘General’.」

There’s only one ‘King’ per dungeon. But higher-level dungeons often have multiple ‘Generals’. Naturally, the deeper in you go, the stronger they get.

All it meant was that beyond the red dragon lay a more powerful General—the giant one. I landed beside Koe-san and pointed toward the crater.

「Look. No more monsters coming up. That one was the last in line.」

「So then… what does that mean?」

「It means the ‘King’ is finally here.」

From the ground, we could just make out its form—another dragon, this one walking on two legs. Its scales were a flawless crimson, a fitting color for the dungeon’s master. It stood so tall, we couldn’t even see its face from here.

「What shall we do, Master?」

Attack? Retreat? Facing this colossal King, Koe-san posed the question.

But my answer was neither.

「We don’t need to do anything.」

「Pardon?」

「Looks like the Emesmes family’s prediction was spot on. Just look toward the city.」

「That is…?」

I turned back. During the initial eruption, a few fires had broken out—smoke was still rising from several parts of the mining town, Vita-Tama. In the residential area off to the right, something white emerged.

「Makes sense. Big enemy, big weapon. Perfectly logical.」

A golem, massive enough to rival the ‘King’ in front of us, had appeared.

It was distant, but I could hear a voice emanating from the golem. Golden chains encircled the giant figure—on closer inspection.

『That ridiculously huge workshop-looking building in the Emesmes estate’s garden… it was just a disguise. The truth is, the 42nd Head of House built it to create the ultimate golem—one that could wield the skills of every past head in a single body. But it ended up way too big to fit in a dungeon. So she left it behind, muttering ‘I really went and did it…’』

The golem rose. Its massive porcelain-white body, carved with arcane sigils, creaked to life—shimmering as it caught the sunlight breaking through the clouds.

And then, a second voice rang out—intelligent, but still tinged with youthful warmth. A voice I knew well: the red-haired alchemist.

「Engagement Golem Number Sixteen! Final Defense Mechanism, ‘The Sage Who Waited in Vain’—Activate!」