Chapter 232

Few days later, Ardis and Rona accompanied Sera to the deepest part of the Canobis Mountain Range . After flying for about six hours, they landed at a place near the edge of the forest in the mountains .

「We will have to walk from here . 」

「Eeeh――, why? 」

Rona complained at Sera who acted as the leader .

「There’s the Demon Beast King’s barrier in the sky . Since we are going to have a talk, it’s better we don’t make a bad impression by breaking it, right? 」

「……So cumbersome . 」

Rona seemed reluctant as they started walking . According to her words, it seems like the Demon Beast King has a barrier to keep out the demonic being from its resting place .

Though, it wasn’t that strong and can be intruded easily, but naturally, doing so will break the barrier . Leaving aside if it was an enemy, it’s something they shouldn’t do if they’re seeking for a talk .

「So, is this place the Demon Beast King or what is living at? 」

A stone cliff that stood straight up . There was an entrance to a large cave there, as Ardis asked .

「It’s the entrance . There’s still half a day of walking to go . Naturally, there’re demonic beings inside, so we will have to be careful . 」

Sera who was leading illuminated the area with a mana light floating in the air, as Ardis and Rona both followed behind Sera .

「It’s larger than I expected . 」

The interior of the cave illuminated by the magical light was wider than expected considering the entrance . The height and the width too, both of them seemed like they can easily encompass the entire Litte Business Association’s building in Reiten .

Ardis’s mutter reverberated in the darkness . Ardis and Rona both made lights of their own as well just in case, the three lights floated in the air as they proceeded .

「The mana is quite thin here . With this much, there shouldn’t be…… demonic beings . 」

As if responding to Rona’s words, there appeared groups of mana signatures in their range . What emerged from the darkness was demonic beings like leeches .

Their body is over seventy centimeters . Despite being a demonic being, their mana signatures were weak, it wouldn’t pose any issues for the three but, the problem was with the number .

Noise of countless wriggles echoed . With one appearing after another in the range of the magical light’s luminance, they moved together like a wave .

「Remember to not use fire . 」

「I know . 」

Ardis who frowned warned Sera .

「Then――, what about this? 」

It was Rona that moved first . With his triangular ears twitching, more than ten invisible blades formed in the air, and all of them shot out as he tapped his front paws .

The wind blades that flew through the air sliced through the leeches, cutting them into pieces . One volley killed about thirty of them, causing bodily fluids to splatter everywhere, releasing a pungent smell .

「Uheeee, so smelly―― . Al, it’s up to you now―― . 」

Rona who had a sharper sense of smell couldn’t endure it as his face cringed, before retiring early from the battle and retreating behind Ardis .

「It would’ve been all fine if you froze them in the first place . 」

After sending a cold gaze to Rona, Ardis froze the ground along with the waves of leeches .

「There’re still more . 」

While constantly applying wind and ice magic, the three advanced deeper slowly .

「It’s sickening . 」

The demonic beings like leeches that attacked without pauses weren’t threats at all . However, the number that appeared could only make Rona sigh depressingly .

「It’s not really anything much though? Other than being bothersome . 」

「How many more are there? 」

「Actually, if there’re lesser of them, it’s even more troublesome . 」

「What do you mean? 」

Just as Ardis barged into Rona and Sera’s conversation, there was a change in the leeches’ movements . The leeches that were trying to bury the three whole seemed like they were moving to avoid something .

Sensing a strong mana signature in the middle of the leeches, Ardis’s raised his guard . He pulled out the red sword from his waist and held it with both hands .

Sending a magical light towards the center of where the leeches are crawling away from, they finally caught a glimpse .

「Waa, so huge . 」

A childish description came from Rona . The first thing that filled their eyes is the color red . The hard-looking skin stacked like boards together, reminiscent of plate mails .

Its body was about eight meters . The demonic being that stood on its two thick hind legs balanced itself while swinging its powerful tail left and right .

Its smaller front legs were moving in the air seemingly trying to find something, as its upper body twisted swiftly, its sharp chin picked up of a leech that was late to escape .

The leech was captured disappeared in its mouth . Then another, and another, the leeches that couldn’t escape it were eaten .

「Hey, Al . Could that be? 」

「Yeah . Probably that Dragon Shell Beast or something . My first time seeing one though……」

It’s a gigantic reptile, with tusks growing out of both sides of its mouth and three pairs of creepily glowing red eyes . An extremely dangerous demonic being with the name of Dragon Shell Beast .

「Will it come? 」

「Well that’s――」

The Dragon Shell Beast that swallowed the fifth leech looked around for more preys but couldn’t find any, then its gaze landed on the three .

「Thought so . 」

The three pairs of red eyes were glowing creepily . It seems like it’s going to treat the three as preys .

「It’s coming! 」

With Sera’s voice, the three spread apart . On the other hand, the Dragon Shell Beast seemed like it was approaching while trying to gauge the situation .

「There! 」

Rona created wind blades like he did against the leeches . The invisible blades that were created surrounded the golden body and drew an arc, flying towards the Dragon Shell Beast .

However, the wind blades that can easily dice a Grinder into pieces had little to no effect on the Dragon Shell Beast’s armor .

After dangerous sounds reverberated, several wounds were carved onto its red outer skin .

「That’s too hard――! 」

It seems like its skin is considerably hard, as Rona’s magic only managed to deal shallow wounds .

「Then, what about this? 」

Ardis who understood the toughness of the outer skin thanks to Rona’s attack released a light-based arts . The light compressed to its limit landed a direct hit on the Dragon Shell Beast’s tail .

「……Doesn’t seem like it’s effective . 」

The light were deflected at an angle thanks to the scales on its tough skin, and hit the ground in the cave . Since it was bleeding at the spot where it hit, in a sense it was better than Rona’s wind blades but, it’s still not effective at all .

Despite an attack that can easily pierce through the usual demonic beings, the Dragon Shell Beast could stand against it with its high defense .

「It’s going your way, Al! 」

Rona warned . The Dragon Shell Beast that had been standing still till now spat out something in a straight line .

It was like a pole stretching out from its mouth . That thin pole landed in front of Ardis by two meters, shaving off the land, ―― or rather, dissected .

Something that the Dragon Shell Beast spat out cut the ground into two pieces . As if a knife cutting fruits, the thin blade assaulted Ardis .

「Tch! ]

While clicking his tongue, Ardis deployed triple-fold magic barrier . However, even his tough barrier formed cracks just as the attack impacted .

With a sound of glass shattering, the first layer broke down . The something that the Dragon Shell Beast released pushed back at Ardis .

Knowing that the second layer will be broken soon, Ardis was about to layer more, but before that can happen, a new barrier had already covered himself .

The Dragon Shell Beast’s attack was blocked, passing beside Ardis, before disappearing above his head .

「You’ll need at least five-folds if you want to defend against that, you know? 」

It seems like it was Sera’s follow up .

「My mistake . 」

Honestly acknowledging his mistake, Ardis glanced at the score on the ground by the Dragon Shell Beast’s attack . There were black-colored powder scattered around the score in the ground .

「Iron…… dust? 」

It’s probably iron shrapnels being spat out at a high speed . An iron sand breath or something .

「Should I take care of it? 」

「No, I will do it . 」

Having seen the attack once, it’s no longer a threat . Ardis pulled over ten swords from the 『Gate』, and released them towards the Dragon Shell Beast .

The flying swords that came from four directions cut at once . However, leaving aside 『Skies of Myriad Colors』, 『Springtime Mist』, or 『Moon’s Blizzard』, swords that are just made of Heavy Iron couldn’t do anything .

After all, even the three swords that had Lesha powder in it could barely do anything .

「I must slice it myself huh . 」

Seeing few Heavy Iron swords blown away by the iron sand breath, Ardis took a deep breath and charged in with the red sword . While the Dragon Shell Beast was occupied by the flying swords, Ardis dashed in .

Although it managed to notice Ardis and turned around, Ardis was already at its throat .

「With this――! 」

It’s inevitable, as Ardis drew a straight line with the red sword . Unlike the flying swords that were apart from his hands, it was the sword swung by Ardis’s strength .

On top of that, although having tough skin, as expected, the defense around its throat was thinner . The Dragon Shell Beast’s neck was cut open, and huge amount of blood spewed out .

It was the attack that decided the match . Ardis delivered two more attacks at the already deeply wounded Dragon Shell Beast .

Ardis continued to attack until the Dragon Shell Beast finally fell on the ground, before taking distance and sighing .

「It’s really a troublesome opponent . 」

「Someone that has been spectating don’t complain . 」

Retorting Rona who complained as if he was the one that did it, the three once again started moving deeper inside the cave . After a few more encounters with other demonic beings and another three kilometers walked gauged by feeling, a bright light appeared at the end of their vision .

「It seems like the exit is finally he――」

Rona who saw the sunlight from the exit hastened his pace . But just as he walked another ten steps or so, he visibly twitched, before jumping back and freezing in place .

「What happened, Rona? 」

「……」

Ardis asked seeing his strange behavior but, there wasn’t a response from Rona . Eventually, Rona didn’t reply Ardis but threw a question to Sera .

「Is that the guy? 」

「That’s right . 」

「Ugeh 」

Even though Ardis was tilting his head at their exchange, after walking about five more minutes, his question was solved .

About five hundred meters ahead, at the maximum range where Ardis’s mana detection reaches, there was an unbelievably enormous creature .

He was transported into this world for about eight years already . It was the first time he had encountered such a huge signature .

「……It was, about this huh . 」

Ardis barely managed to squeeze out his comment . He couldn’t blame Rona for being speechless .

「Well, let’s go . 」

Unlike Ardis who froze, Sera casually continued walking . Seeing that it’s meaningless even if they stood there, Ardis and Rona both advanced following the black clothing ahead in silence .

Eventually, the sunlight filled more of their vision . After thirty more minutes when they finally got through the cave, Ardis saw the open space and widened his eyes with his words missing .

「Wha――! 」

A valley hidden by the tall mountains on all side . There was an enormous creature standing there looking up . Without asking Sera, he knew what was it .

『Canobis’s Demon Beast King』

The overwhelming strength holder was staring at Ardis with a cold gaze .