DanMachi: Heroic Epic of Emiya the Great Hero

CRACK!

The blade accurately struck the monster's magic stone. The hard stone shattered instantly. Losing its support, the two-headed monster let out a shrill screech, then both heads drooped powerlessly, and the massive body collapsed with a loud thud.

Only at this moment did Chloe, who had been holding a dagger and blocking in front of Riveria, finally let out a breath and lowered her weapon.

At the same time, Riveria's magic was also ready to burst forth.

Chloe smashed the monster that had turned into an ice sculpture and took out the magic stone, "Say, just leaving the drops like this, is that really okay nya? Don't you think it's a waste nya?"

Aki explained: "There's no helping it, the horn of the Black Rhino takes up too much space. Our packs will soon be full. We can only prioritize collecting magic stones, they offer better value."

In deep-level adventures, unless it's a powerful enemy like the Monster Rex, most monsters' magic stones aren't very big. Even a powerful monster like the Black Rhino has a magic stone only the size of a pebble.

Unlike in the upper levels where monster drops are often more valuable than magic stones, on this battlefield, high-grade magic stones that take up less space are clearly more suitable as spoils of war.

There were simply too many monsters killed. Chloe could only discard the previously hard-earned drops one by one to make room for more magic stones.

She looked at the glimmering drops on the ground and couldn't help but feel a little heartache, but there was nothing she could do.

Thankfully, drops will only gradually be absorbed by the dungeon and won't trigger the formation of enhanced species.

As the distance to the target room gradually shortened, the adventurers' nerves tensed up. They moved forward carefully, holding their breath and gripping their weapons tightly.

Ais walked at the very front, eyes like torches, focused unwaveringly ahead. Her hand clutched the hilt of her sword tightly.

ROAR!

A low and wild roar came from ahead. The sound waves spread out like ripples, deafening.

"This is…?"

"Mm, this is the area where the Cadmus Spring is located," Alicia nodded.

The moment the adventurers stepped into the room, a powerful and proud dragon-type monster let out a roar that shook the heavens.

The existence standing at the top of all monsters, dragons.

Before their eyes appeared a dragon, the existence at the apex of all monsters. The pressure of a dragon-type monster rushed toward them.

This was their target, [Strong Dragon Cadmus].

It was a typical winged Western dragon, its entire body covered in black scales. Those scales carried a dull luster, as if tainted by the abyss.

Its body was massive, limbs thick and powerful, its body like a small mountain. A single horn extended from the top of its head, extremely long and sharp. Its four massive claws stomped on the ground, their tips deeply embedded in the rock, leaving visible marks.

Although it walked on four limbs, it could stand upright at any time and charge forward, flapping its powerful wings.

Behind this powerful dragon-type monster was a beautiful spring.

The azure water shimmered with a faint glow. The clear spring water looked especially transparent under the sunlight.

From the cracks in the wall, a small amount of spring water slowly flowed out. The mysterious liquid imbued with cerulean light flowed through flower-filled crevices in the hollow.

Ais stared at the strong dragon in front of her, her heartbeat rapidly accelerating. She remembered that last time she faced a strong dragon, she had impulsively charged out. Although she eventually defeated the dragon, both she and the protector Gareth were severely wounded.

This time, the moment she saw the black dragon monster, that intense emotion surged again, as if the desire to fight was burning.

However—

"Smack!"

The sword hilt suddenly struck the back of her head, causing Ais to gasp in pain.

"Ma-Master?"

"Calm down," Emiya spoke, "Alicia—"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Alicia sprang into action.

She summoned the Ice Giant, controlling the two swords in the giant's hands, and without hesitation, charged to the front to directly engage the strong dragon.

The dragon let out a roar and rushed forward. It swung its massive tail, and with just one tail swipe, nearly shattered the Ice Giant's left arm, sending shards of ice flying.

"Ais, attack!"

"Yes!"

Ais also realized that now was the best opportunity to strike.

At the same time, Riveria began chanting, though this time it wasn't offensive magic.

[—Gather now, breath of the earth—My name is Alf]

It was a support magic that enhanced both physical and magical defense. Starlike light wove into a cloak, enveloping Ais.

In truth, the most efficient tactic was still to have Ais and the others suppress the strong dragon, while Riveria blasted it with magic bombardment.

However, Loki Familia's expedition wasn't only for obtaining rich loot, more importantly, it was for gaining experience and improving the team's overall combat ability.

And the strong dragon before them was the perfect opponent.

Emiya didn't project the dragon-slaying holy sword for Ais to use precisely for this reason.

The Light Cloak also enveloped Lunoire, Chloe, and Aki.

"Raaah!", Lunoire shouted and, together with Aki, launched an assault on the strong dragon from the other side.

The gauntlets on Lunoire's hands, especially the [Hrunting Kai], seemed to give off a faint bloody glow as she punched.

"Though the strong dragon has extremely high potential, its difficulty isn't as high as one would imagine," Riveria explained, "The reason is, the strong dragon has no companions."

It was a solitary dragon, guarding, or rather monopolizing, the spring, not allowing any other monsters to step onto its territory.

Therefore, although the strong dragon's strength was comparable to the Udaeus, in terms of subjugation difficulty, the two were not on the same level.

Especially when facing a team of adventurers.

Alicia controlled the Ice Giant to withstand the strong dragon's fierce attacks. The Ice Giant raised its ice sword, using its massive body and powerful strength to protect its companions and create opportunities for offense.

Ais deftly searched for the dragon's openings. With the agility of [Storm King], her figure was like the wind. Sword light flashed, striking all over the dragon's body.

[Avenger]—this skill greatly increased Ais's attack power when fighting dragon-type monsters.

In the domain of "dragon slaying," her combat strength was equal to the peak of Lv.6.

Meanwhile, Aki focused on disrupting the dragon's movements. Her agility and dexterity allowed her to continuously move around the dragon, looking for chances to strike its limbs or tail, disrupting its balance and buying time for Ais's attacks.

Lunoire, relying on her extremely high durability, Riveria's defensive magic, and high-quality weapons, could barely withstand the dragon's attacks. When Alicia's Ice Giant was nearly shattered, she could temporarily take over.

Among everyone's attacks, the one that caused the most damage to the dragon came from Chloe's move. She seized a weak spot the dragon exposed and threw a [Anti-Magic Dagger].

The poison-coated dagger sliced through the air and accurately struck a gap in the dragon's scales, deeply embedding itself into its body.

The dragon let out a violent roar, its body shaking. The toxic stimulant made its movements erratic.

Ais's sword left new wounds on the dragon with every strike, each slash sharper and fiercer.

[Storm King] shimmered with agile magic. The blade was hidden in the wind, its trajectory invisible, but each strike pierced through the dragon's scales.

As the battle progressed, Ais had already shattered the dragon's left wing, preventing it from flying again. The scales on its left forelimb were also deeply cut by her sword, nearly severed.

Seeing the tide of battle gradually turning in the adventurers' favor, Riveria slightly turned her head to Emiya, who was charging power in the back, "Ready to fire?"

From the moment Ais and the others engaged the dragon, Emiya had not offered any ranged support.

He had switched his bow for a massive sword held in both hands, projected with magic. the [Phantasmal Greatsword: Felling of the Sky Demon Balmung]. Emiya was continuously charging.

In response to Riveria's question, Emiya slowly shook his head.

"No need," His voice was calm, "They've already won."

As black wind surged, the air current seemed to freeze for a moment. That wisp of black wind, like the scythe of death, accompanied by a dull sound, completely sliced through the already battered neck of the strong dragon.

The massive dragon body trembled for a moment, then collapsed as if all strength had been drained, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Ais's sword trembled slightly. The agile wind on [Storm King] gradually faded. She stood before the dragon's corpse, her golden hair fluttering in the breeze.

Seeing Ais unleash that flash of black wind with her final strike, Riveria's gaze sharpened slightly. But seeing the black wind only last for a moment before dissipating, her expression relaxed a little.

The girls were all breathing heavily, sweat dripping from their foreheads, faces showing fatigue and satisfaction.

Especially Alicia, maintaining the Ice Giant's summon consumed tremendous mental strength.

Seeing the strong dragon finally fall, her legs went soft and she collapsed to the ground, letting out a long sigh.

She lowered her head and looked at the [Skadi of Ice] in her hand. The magic crystal embedded in the staff's top still emitted a faint light. The icy blue luster had no cracks, which reassured her.

Emiya reversed his grip and steadily hung the projected dragon-slaying sword on his back.

Riveria looked at him, a faint smile on her lips, and softly said, "The way you smacked Ais just now was quite dashing."

After speaking, her gaze turned to the back of Ais's head. Little Ais instinctively trembled slightly.

"This expedition has gone unbelievably smoothly," Finn sighed.

Their side's battle with the strong dragon was even more one-sided, two Lv.6 adventurers, including Gareth, who could directly clash with the dragon in strength, made the fight almost a complete stomp.

Among the sturdy Dwarves, Gareth was top-tier in level, ability, and physique. As the vanguard, he was even more durable than Alicia's Ice Giant.

He stood firmly at the front lines, bravely withstanding all of the dragon's attacks.

Meanwhile, Finn, Bete, and Tiona, three first-tier adventurers, attacked with full strength, along with Lefiya, whose magic output rivaled that of a first-tier adventurer.

Facing such an unbeatable team, the strong dragon had no chance of victory.

Ultimately, it fell under the magic bombardment of the Elven girl. Although the battle was fierce, it posed almost no threat to the adventurers.

When fighting the strong dragon, Ais could be considered a high-level Lv.6 adventurer. Thus, Loki Familia effectively had four Lv.6-class combatants subjugating two Lv.6-class strong dragons.

In addition, several Lv.5 adventurers provided support and coordination. This lineup nearly guaranteed victory from the start.

"Unfortunately, there were no drops this time,"nRiveria shook her head somewhat helplessly, "If only the strong dragon's drops were as easy to obtain as the Black Rhino's horn."

Finn listened to Riveria's lament and chuckled, "This was to be expected. strong dragon drops are extremely rare, we can't expect to be lucky every time."

"So, what's next?", Finn asked, "Have you decided?"

Up to now, the expedition had gone extremely smoothly. But the real challenge still lay ahead.

The fifty-second floor was where the dungeon began to undergo a fundamental change.

Riveria nodded: "Our goal is the fifty-eighth and fifty-ninth floors. For safety, I'll use that magic."

Fourth-tier magic, absolute defense — [World Beyond the World].

———

At the camp on the fiftieth floor, Finn was conducting the final tactical arrangements, "From now on, the use of magic swords is authorized."

Finn spoke first, lifting the restriction on a key resource of this expedition, the use of magic swords.

This time, Loki Familia had brought a large number of magic swords into the dungeon, purchased ones, those borrowed from Hephaestus Familia, and some created by Emiya's projection.

Yet since entering the dungeon up to the fifty-first floor and defeating the strong dragon, they had not used a single magic sword.

Finn had imposed strict restrictions on their use, requiring adventurers to avoid using them unless in emergencies.

It wasn't because he was worried about the cost of the swords. Rather, relying on magic swords too early before reaching the deeper levels would deprive adventurers of necessary training and weaken their fighting spirit.

But now, as they entered more dangerous deep layers, this restriction was finally lifted completely.

"All Lv.4 and above, advance together," Finn continued, "Next, we'll proceed directly to the fifty-eighth floor."

Advancing directly to the fifty-eighth floor, although some were slightly doubtful of this arrangement, in the end, no one questioned Finn's decision.

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