Chapter 216
Chapter 216
Translation: godtl
Diamond Promotion Match (3)
Deep in the Azshita Sea.
This place, where the surroundings that had once been as clear as a bright sky now felt like twilight, was avoided even by Azshita's native lifeforms.
The reason was simple.
The brutal water pressure was one thing, but—
Kwaaang!
—it was primarily due to the sea monsters armed with grotesque forms, sporting massive or jagged spikes.
However.
"Hmph. Pathetic creatures, daring to—"
Exceptions exist everywhere.
Kwa-jik!
Gga-deu-deuk.
The sea monsters were swept away helplessly.
And then—
"These damn vermin are appearing in droves today."
The towering figure effortlessly tore apart the infamous sea monsters of Azshita.
A muscular woman, standing at four meters tall, irritably flicked away the flesh clinging to her fingers.
"Fufu. Doesn't that mean our destination is getting closer?"
Though not as massive as the muscular woman—
"You should be rejoicing, in fact."
—a woman with a human upper body nearly three meters tall and the lower body of a serpent.
The Naga, an upper-level Dragonkin, wore a sinister smile.
"Originally, we would've had to wait another hundred years. But by sheer coincidence, it was designated as one of the maps for the Diamond Promotion Match, wasn't it? And just as you, the Envoy, happened to be undergoing your promotion."
To that—
"Ha! Are you trying to say your Dragonkin orchestrated this?"
The giant woman referred to as the Envoy narrowed her eyes sharply.
"Hoho! I never explicitly said that."
The Naga responded with a laugh that perfectly matched her sly smile.
However.
"Ridiculous. I knew your kind were shameless, but this is beyond expectation."
The Naga's laughter didn't last long.
"What do you mean?"
"Your Naga's revered Second Dragon Emperor, Echidna, caused the entire Dragonkin race to suffer penalties, didn't she? All the strings you'd planted in the Galaxy Arena were severed."
"......"
The ever-composed Naga's smile froze for the first time.
As if pleased by that reaction—
"Because of that, the First Dragon Emperor flew into a rage and banished Echidna to her own domain, no? Or am I wrong?"
—the giant woman smirked, her lips curling mockingly.
"You're crossing a line. Lady Echidna acknowledged her mistake and entered voluntary seclusion. She maintained the dignity befitting a Dragon Emperor."
"Kuhahah!"
The giant woman burst into laughter at the Naga's stern reply.
"Right. That's the story you're spreading to the public, huh? You people really do cling to your damn pride."
She wiped her dry eyes theatrically, as if to emphasize her point.
"Well, I suppose it's because of that 'Matriarch of the Dragonkin' title. Echidna was always overly concerned with outsiders' opinions. But—"
Her tone grew even more venomous as she continued.
"—didn't that noble figure betray my god? Actually, come to think of it, she's a repeat offender, isn't she? She even double-crossed the research we entrusted to her—"
"Enough!"
Any trace of her earlier smile was gone.
"I will not tolerate further blasphemy."
True to the rumors about her kind,
the Naga woman radiated the chilling aura of an upper-level Dragonkin, glaring fiercely at the giant woman.
Surprisingly—
"Ah, don't get so worked up. I'm not here to fight."
Despite her appearance suggesting she could throw a punch at any moment,
the giant woman spread her hands in a gesture of surrender.
Yet the Naga's cold expression didn't soften.
And for good reason.
"You were the ones who exploited our request and stabbed us in the back first, weren't you?"
Her mocking attitude aside—
"I guess I got a little heated over that. Cut me some slack~."
—her large lips were still twisted in a venomous smirk.
But the one at a disadvantage was undeniably the Naga.
Sigh...
"Very well. That's precisely why we're cooperating with you to the fullest extent now, isn't it?"
The Naga woman exhaled deeply, suppressing her rising anger.
"Let me reiterate—I descended from the upper Diamond ranks for this mission. I don't need to explain how much I had to sacrifice for that, do I?"
"Of course. Rank manipulation is on a whole different level in Diamond."
Rank demotion—
commonly referred to as "rank manipulation"—was already an action that incurred massive losses and penalties,
but the higher the rank, the exponentially greater the damage.
Especially from Diamond-rank onward, it was practically equivalent to cutting off one's own limbs.
"It's because you've shown such sincerity that we've joined hands with you again, no?"
Even setting aside the betrayal by the Second Dragon Emperor and the Naga that had occurred earlier.
From the perspective of the Giant woman, she had no choice but to acknowledge it.
"On top of that...."
Her head, which had been nodding, tilted slightly as she glanced to the side.
A group of about ten Naga, each wielding tridents.
At their center, as if under heavy guard—
A figure as tall as the Giant woman stood draped in an elegant robe.
Only the long, serpentine lower body peeking out from beneath the robe betrayed her identity as a Naga.
The Giant woman looked at her and—
"If they've even sent someone as esteemed as you, then I suppose I have no choice but to trust them, whether I like it or not."
—nodded in satisfaction.
-Shirane. Proceed.
A voice both terrifyingly beautiful and mesmerizing reverberated through the dim waters.
"Understood."
The Naga woman called Shirane immediately bowed her head toward the robed Naga.
Then—
"Then, to the Blood-red Abyss—"
Shirane's words, as she attempted to resume guiding them, abruptly cut off.
In an instant, her eyes flickered with murderous intent.
Shhhk—
Ice spears materialized in the surrounding waters in the blink of an eye.
"There you are!"
They shot forward in the direction her hand pointed.
Even underwater—
Whoooom—
A heavy, tearing sound echoed.
A massive ice spear, nearly two meters long, hurtled toward him, leaving a frozen trail in its wake.
Of course—
Crunch!
Si-mun, who had melted even the Naga's genetic essence with his Dragonoid form, shattered the ice spear effortlessly.
And yet—
'What the—?'
Si-mun's eyes widened momentarily.
The reason was simple.
'That magic packs a serious punch.'
The fist that had shattered the ice spear—
Even reinforced by his Dragonoid transformation, a dull, stinging pain radiated through it.
This was—
'This is my Dragonoid arm, and yet it still took that much impact...?'
The first time he had ever experienced something like this since obtaining his Dragonoid form.
But—
"H-how?!"
The Naga who had fired the ice spear—
Shirane's sharp eyes held even greater shock than Si-mun's.
'He should only be Platinum-rank. How did he block my magic?!'
Even if she had forcibly downgraded her rank through Rank Down, her true essence remained that of a Diamond player.
No matter how much her stats had fallen due to the penalties of Rank Down—
The insights she had gained to reach Diamond-rank still remained.
And that meant that, even with the same stat level, the way she wielded her mana was on an entirely different plane.
Such differences naturally translated directly into the power of her magic.
'And on top of that, I even used an S-rank Trait! Yet he blocked it barehanded...?!'
Without any equipment or items—just his bare hands?
Shirane wasn't the only one stunned.
=This can't be happening!
=What am I even looking at?
=He blocked ice magic with his bare hands? Underwater, no less!
=And that was a Naga's magic, wasn't it? Judging by the four arms, she must be a Diamond-tier Naga descendant...
The cross-dimensional chat.
Perhaps because they were experiencing Si-mun's broadcast for the first time—
-From their reactions, I guess that magic was pretty strong?
-Are you Bronze-rank or something? Do you not know how powerful water-attribute magic is underwater?
-For real, no wonder the other dimension folks are freaking out lol
-But why are they shocked by this? Isn't their dimension a proper Arena?
-Yeah, it is. That's why they have a separate chat.
-Then they should be higher level than us. It's kinda weird they're shocked by something as basic as blocking magic.
-Exactly. This is like the most normal thing this guy does.
-Deadass lol He hasn't even started yet.
A mere flicker of surprise—
The Earth chat took it in stride, as if it were nothing.
Of course, the shock wasn't solely about Si-mun blocking magic.
=A four-armed Naga should be Diamond-tier by default. Why is she appearing in a Diamond Promotion Match?
=Given the Giant and other Naga behind her, they might not be participants in the Arena.
=That's plausible. Azshita is the Naga's dimension, after all.
A Naga with four arms.
Questions piled up about why a Naga, who would normally be Diamond-tier, had appeared in a Diamond Promotion Match.
"Answer me! Just who the hell are— Wait."
Shirane's sharp gaze, fixed on Si-mun, suddenly filled with doubt.
"You... Are you Dragonkin?"
The same question he had heard back in the Cradle of the Spirit King, where he had obtained his Dragonoid form.
To that—
"Nope."
"No? Then what are you?"
"Who knows? Do I have any reason to tell you?"
Si-mun merely shrugged nonchalantly.
"...Fine. Let's see if you can keep that arrogance after your limbs are torn off!"
Shirane swung her four arms with a furious cry.
Judging by how each moved independently.
'Quadruple incantation. A fourfold one at that.'
The moment Si-mun recognized the quadruple casting, he immediately planted his foot.
Skreeeak.
Si-mun's form shot forward like an arrow.
Azshita.
Considering this was deep within Azshita, his speed was nothing short of staggering.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
"You shall not approach Lady Shirane!"
Over a dozen Nagas positioned behind Shirane brandished their long tridents, blocking Si-mun's path.
"Form the Claw Barrier Formation!"
The Nagas in the second row tightened their formation, interlinking their auras before thrusting forward with over a dozen aura-infused tridents.
It was one of the combat class's signature strategies—the Intercept Formation.
Then.
Kwa-ga-ga-gak!
Sparks flew as if steel were grinding against steel.
Si-mun's eyes widened slightly.
'Blocked?'
Even though these were the same fists that had pierced through a Giant's hide.
The Nagas were stopping his Dragonoid-enhanced strikes.
Si-mun gave a small nod.
'I see. The four arms were a clue. These Nagas aren't Platinum players.'
Even if this was designated as a Promotion Match.
Azshita was fundamentally the Nagas' domain.
As long as they passed the Galaxy Arena's designated "rank barrier,"
there was nothing strange about a four-armed Naga appearing in a Promotion Match.
'After all, celestials and demons showed up in the Platinum Debut Match too.'
Though, even so.
Kwa-kwang!
"Kgh—!"
"D-don't retreat!"
They had no choice but to stagger back under his renewed assault.
Then.
"Die, you bastard of unknown origin!"
A furious voice rang out, coming to the Nagas' rescue.
Tzzzzzt—!
Tsu-tsu-tsuk!
A barrage of ice descended upon Si-mun.
From sharp projectiles to massive chunks, gaseous frost, and a variety of other spells poured down.
And as Si-mun retreated, it wasn't just ice—
Chwa-ru-ruk!
A fist-shaped water-attribute spell, molded in an instant, came crashing toward him.
"Tch."
Clicking his tongue briefly, Si-mun—
Bweo-ek!
—instantly roundhouse-kicked the massive water fist away,
escaping the rapidly cascading magical onslaught.
'The Intercept Formation isn't the problem—her magic is on another level.'
Si-mun's gaze quietly fixed on Shirane,
the source of the spells soaring through the void.
'Her spells may be 6th-star level, but between the quadruple incantation and the mana density and control within them, they rival 7th-star.'
Considering that 7th-star magic was typically the domain of Diamond-rank Magic Classes,
and factoring in details like spell chaining—
'That Naga, Shirane, is undoubtedly a Diamond-tier Magic Class. And a high-tier one at that.'
On top of that.
"Don't pursue!"
"Hold your positions!"
The Nagas' home turf, the underwater environment, and over a dozen combat-class fighters holding the front line.
And now, Diamond-tier prowess on top of it all.
'This is going to take some time if I handle it normally.'
Even for Si-mun, dealing with this combination using just his Dragonoid form was more than a little troublesome.
A hint of regret flickered across his face.
'I was already burning through Dragon Power at a steady rate, so I wanted to conserve other energies and Achievement Points...'
But now that things had come to this, there was no choice.
'Guess I'll have to go all out.'
Si-mun immediately extended a finger.
One.
"Where do you think—?!"
As expected of Diamond-tier perception.
Shirane, sensing his intent, let out a furious roar and scattered mana in response.
Chwa-ra-rak!
The surrounding seawater rapidly morphed around Si-mun.
But that wasn't all.
"My Queen!"
The blue necklace draped over her scaled nape flickered.
A high-grade artifact, perhaps?
Tzzzzek.
Without any warning, Si-mun's hands froze solid in an instant.
Yet.
"Tch."
As if annoyed.
'I was trying to hold back on using the Death Eye since we're broadcasting...'
Kiiiiing—
A sharp tinnitus rang out from Si-mun's left eye as he clicked his tongue.
Then.
[The dragonkin bound to you, the Fairy Dragon, has reacted to the elements in contact with you.]
A sudden series of messages appeared.
And with them, space itself split apart.
Kkyu-ung?
A round head with two sparkling, bulbous eyes popped out.
"You—"
Before a startled Si-mun could say anything,
a colorful, dog-sized dragonkin fully emerged from the torn space.
Kkyu-u-u...!
Kkyu-ung's round pupils sharpened in an instant.
KYAAAAAAANG!!
With an earth-shaking roar unlike anything heard before—
Puh-seok.
The ice binding Si-mun and the incoming water-attribute spells shattered into nothingness.
"Th-this can't be happening!!"
Shirane's eyes widened in shock, nearly tearing from sheer disbelief.