Crushing Matchup
The overwhelming destructive power surging from that colossal body, combined with the firestorm erupting as the flames coiled around it scattered in every direction. An attack that would have already swept away an enormous area transformed into a full-blown catastrophe in this environment packed with trees—the Great Forest.
Trees ripped out by the snake dragon's thrashing shot high into the sky, followed by chunks of the surrounding earth. The debris, soaring to dizzying heights, came crashing back down, every piece ablaze. Those burning remnants ignited more debris in turn, and soon a raging forest fire spread outward.
"What the fuck...!"
The snake dragon's attack, now fully ignited, didn't quite reach my position, but it was still a massive problem. The magic cannons deployed up front were shattered in an instant, along with the soldiers and mages operating them. Those magic cannons were our side's heaviest firepower—and half of it was gone in a flash.
-Shururuk!
A massive shadow erupted beside me, spilling out a swarm of elves and human soldiers from within. Someone who could wield shadow magic must have hastily teleported them to safety.
At that moment, the burning snake dragon turned its gaze toward me. Its enormous eye locked onto me clearly.
"So that's where you were."
The telepathic voice echoed in my head, and at the same time, the snake dragon lunged toward me once more with its flaming body.
-Kwa-gwang!
Ignoring every obstacle in its path, it barreled straight ahead. I activated [All-Out] and my other buffs, leaping into the air immediately. Moments later, its massive bulk swept through where I'd been standing. Nearby allies were crushed and incinerated without a trace.
Maybe messing around inside its body had really pissed it off. I'd properly pulled its aggro, it seemed.
In that instant, the prickling sensation unique to my [Instinct] skill surged from below. I thrust out my shield.
-Bang!
An absurdly huge arrow slammed into the shield. One of those giant elf arrows—and it was on fire. Extending my senses with mana detection, I spotted giants standing on the snake dragon's rear, right where it had flattened my previous spot.
And then, my vision lit up blindingly bright.
A ridiculous number of giants had loosed their arrows simultaneously.
-Puhak!
It was like the ground itself was spewing fire at me. Too many fire arrows to even count targeted me in midair. I reacted swiftly, steadying my stance in the air and unleashing Sword Charge, using the dash to veer off their trajectories.
But elf arrows don't miss. The fire arrows bent at bizarre angles, homing in on me.
"Fuck, shit!"
I pulled my largest shield from inventory, gripping it with both hands and hunching to cover as much as possible. I blocked as many as I could, but there were just too damn many—the rest pierced my body.
The moment they hit, I realized it. Their tracking wasn't some skill; it was magic. No wonder the guidance was so unnaturally precise—they'd enchanted the arrows.
Without my Great Magic Resistance and Flame Resistance skills, I'd have ended up like a fucking ashtray.
"I won't let you escape."
The snake dragon's telepathic voice rang out again. With fire arrows embedded all over me, its head came charging once more.
Unlike this freak that could twist its body freely, I had almost no mobility in midair.
-Ku-gu-gu-gung!
The snake dragon's massive head surged from the ground, not striking me right away but coiling its neck to peer down. Fuck, no way, it couldn't be...
Yanking out the fire arrows lodged in me, I shoved my shield forward—and the snake dragon slammed its head down toward me. A burning skyscraper plummeting right at me. If I stayed put, I'd smash into the ground and get pulverized under that skull.
I could see that future clear as day, but there was no way to counter it. No dash could dodge something that size. No shield could block it.
This left only a gamble. Survive just once. I summoned every item from my inventory, piling them in front of me in desperation, hoping they'd cushion the impact even a little. I activated Mana Reinforcement.
The next moment, my consciousness cut out.
When I came to, a hazy, waterlogged sensation enveloped my entire body. Somehow, I hadn't died instantly. My dimly visible HP bar had dipped below zero, looking like it was completely gone. But since I was alive, it must have a sliver left—maybe 1 or 2 points?
First things first: check my body's state. I used mana detection and sensory enhancement.
Fingers moved, shoulder kinda worked, arm too, legs sorta—wait, only the right side responded. Had my left half been blown off? But I'd have died from that.
Operating inventory from memory, I pulled a potion and smashed it roughly with my right hand.
-Jureuk.
I felt the potion splash across my face. Good—my neck wasn't snapped.
"Ugh... kuhak...!"
Slowly, sensation returned properly to my left side, and my wrecked vision cleared. I hauled myself up and chugged another potion. Once fully recovered, what I saw was—
Just the burning surroundings.
I was embedded in the center of a crater-like pit. Flames roared nearby.
This looked like a meteor impact site. Not a meteor, but a building-sized snake crashing down? Yeah, that tracks.
-Kwa-gwang! Kwa-gwang!
As I struggled to my feet, deafening explosions echoed from afar. The fight wasn't over.
I could guess why I'd survived getting crushed under its head and blacking out. While I was down, the others had pulled its aggro and kept it busy. I owed them my life.
"Kuh... ugh... fuck, move, damn it."
Whipping my ragdoll body into action, I forced my way out of the crater. I sensed presences locked in battle over there. Elenoir. And probably Mercedes too, along with that Kingdom Army legion commander.
Our top forces, minus just me. Fucking hell. I'd bragged about a perfect clear, and here I was.
Whatever else, I'd sworn to make her wish to defend this place come true perfectly. You fighting there while I'm stuck here? That's bullshit.
Right?
"Hoo... hoo..."
Something was fucked with my chest ribs—pain stabbed with every breath. My internal mana was off too. The backlash from Mana Reinforcement. My shitty body condition had amplified it.
No self-sustaining Mana Reinforcement possible, so I had to tank the backlash. Wouldn't kill me, right?
-Kurrung!
Clutching my tattered pendant from the crash, I fired up Mana Reinforcement again. Feeling [Indomitable] and [All-Out] active, I dragged my feet toward the battlefield where three were fighting.
Waiting there was the snake dragon—noticeably smaller than before, now sprouting arms and wielding a sword.
Apparently, rampaging while on fire had been the start of phase 2. Its body had shrunk from self-immolation, but in exchange, arms had absurdly sprouted, letting it grip a sword. Honestly, calling it a "snake" now felt ridiculous, but I preferred this version.
"You—already able to move?!"
Mercedes shouted, clashing against the snake dragon as it swung its flaming sword. The other two glanced my way.
"You there—with a body like that, moving will kill you! Fall back!"
Unlike the legion commander, who looked silently impressed, Elenoir went pale and yelled.
Even after declaring our breakup, she still worried about me. What a joke. She knew what kind of person I was, the crises I'd survived, how I viewed death. And how I got strongest in those moments.
"You think there's anywhere to retreat to? I told you—I'd devour this entire star!"
-Hwaruruk!
The snake dragon swung its flaming sword, unleashing a massive blaze in my direction. Trusting my resistances, I charged straight through the flames and rushed it instead. The weapon in my hand wasn't my usual sword, but a spear optimized for thrusting.
-Whoosh!
The snake dragon twisted aside, easily dodging the spear. But like always, another weapon was already in my grip. A hefty axe.
-Kwa-jik!
Closing the gap in one breath, I cleaved into its torso with the axe. Damage still landed fine. Accepting the hit, the snake dragon spewed fire from its maw this time.
I ignored it again.
-Seogeuk.
Leaping into the flames, I slashed its body with my sword. Its next pattern was the sword. Blocking the flaming blade still meant fire damage—but not to me. Never had.
This thing's flames had never dealt me serious damage from the start.
-Ka-ang!
The sword strike's weight was immense. My arms trembled involuntarily. But I'd only needed to block the physical hit.
"Wh-what? Humans... don't burn?!"
Seeing me unfazed amid the scorching flames, the snake dragon showed bewilderment for the first time. What a mood-killer—its prior nonchalance suddenly felt fake.
"You really are that prince's ancestor, huh?"
All its attacks centered on fire, shrunk size now, and its swordplay sucked like a mage's. Haha, after all the bullshit luck, hitting the jackpot in the most crucial world boss raid. Meeting your perfect counter feels dizzying, doesn't it, you fuck?
I get it. I really do.