Setinos Quasar and the Magic Sword users attempted to distance themselves from the Eldran supply base as much as possible. This was to prevent the beast's attack from reaching the supply base. Although the soldiers would retreat if the beast approached, they were ordered to wait to consider all possible situations.
‘It’s better to move separately, but...’
Zion advanced slowly with the Lychness Knights. Brandish, Walter, Yuter, and Barhen were moving separately to split their forces and distract Slime Dragon.
‘This might leave the king’s side a bit vulnerable.’
Hanette, Enrite, Lesia, Oz, and Seran were with Zion. All of them were Magic Sword users and capable of nullifying immortality. In contrast, Brandish’s group was composed of seasoned warriors, leaning more towards defense.
‘We could resonate with the Magic Swords, but...’
Only El Tesoykve, Exceed Rain, and Brecht had resonated before. It might occur suddenly during battle, but relying on luck wasn’t ideal. Even if resonance occurred, it wasn’t guaranteed to kill Slime Dragon.
‘Slime Dragon has fast regeneration.’
This was a characteristic of the slime-type beast. Permanent gelatin, dissolving acid, and exceptional regenerative abilities made close combat less viable. They needed to focus on long-range attacks and finish it quickly to avoid a prolonged battle.
‘We need to destroy the core...’
Slimes each possess a core that enables bodily transformation and activates their abilities. The slime prioritizes protecting its core, and destroying it would lead to its demise. However, Slime Dragon could regenerate its core unless its immortality was nullified.
‘Finding it is difficult.’
Slime Dragon’s core matched its body’s color and could move freely within. It was nearly impossible to locate visually, and even if they distinguished its mana, pinpointing it accurately was challenging. To ensure Slime Dragon's death, they needed an attack that could cover its entire body, but no one had that much mana.
‘But we still have options.’
Slimes, being semi-solid and gelatinous, had elemental weaknesses they could exploit. Fire magic could evaporate it, ice magic could freeze it, or lightning magic could disrupt it. These strategies required elemental Magic Sword users or mages.
‘The king’s side might be better off in this regard.’
The king herself possessed overwhelming strength. If not for the immortality factor, she might have eradicated the Three Demon Kings and Four Calamities long ago. Additionally, the Blue Sage, who mastered all elemental magic, and the third princess, who wielded an ice Magic Sword, provided versatile support.
‘I should scout ahead first...’
Zion felt a chilling sensation and instinctively unleashed his mana. Mana surged from beyond the forest, and he immediately recognized its source and its intent.
“Everyone, scatter!”
Zion infused Exceed Rain with darkness and swung it swiftly. Dark energy extended, cutting through the forest. If it penetrated, great; if not, he would adapt.
‘As expected.’
Sensing faint darkness, Zion dashed forward. Slime Dragon possessed less darkness than the Three Demon Kings, likely sourced from the artificial Magic Sword.
‘Exceed Rain can’t kill it, so...’
Zion headed towards Lesia while constantly monitoring Slime Dragon. Though it had been attacked, it would soon recover and counterattack. They needed to create an environment for resonance before then.
“Lesia! Can you hit it from this distance?”
“I’m not sure.”
Despite running, Lesia adjusted her stance and gripped her sword. She couldn’t be certain, but they would find out by trying. If problems arose, they would solve them as they came. For now, she focused solely on eliminating the enemy and protecting her allies.
‘…Is it here?’
Lesia’s orange eyes flashed as she enveloped herself in mana. White scales emitted mana, and grey horns sprouted. Her mana became a fusion of dragon and Demon God power, spreading pure white energy along the blade.
‘Even if I can’t kill it, I should at least cut off a limb.’
Lesia heightened her vision and swung Duran Calgonis. Through the trees, she spotted a crimson form. Considering the target’s location and movement speed, she aimed to sever at least one body part.
Lesia’s energy blast shot forward, and Slime Dragon’s breath followed. Zion instinctively knew they couldn’t avoid it and stood at the forefront. Enrite extended El Tesoykve beside him, and Hanette quickly conjured flames to shield them.
‘We have to block it.’
Zion poured darkness into Exceed Rain, meeting the crimson orb head-on. Avoidance wasn’t an option; they had to neutralize this attack for their allies. Darkness would have made it easier, but he couldn’t rely on it now.
‘I will protect them. No matter what!’
Enrite stood next to Zion, slashing El Tesoykve with all his might. He couldn’t let Zion bear this burden alone. He was also a Setinos Quasar and a fellow human. He vowed to ensure no one else was sacrificed while he lived.
Their combined will infused Exceed Rain and El Tesoykve, radiating dark blue and silver light. Darkness and light merged, gradually overpowering and distorting the crimson orb.
‘They are resonating.’
Zion quickly realized the resonance had changed. Previously, darkness and light were separate, nearing ultimate power. Now, they fused into a new, serene blue hue, erasing the crimson energy entirely. This newly born power purged only the malevolent force, leaving everything else untouched.
‘One who holds both light and darkness shall destroy evil…’
For some reason, Zion had come to embody both light and darkness, eradicating malevolent mana. The prophecy from the seven Magic Swords had manifested.
“Gaaaah!”
Slime Dragon roared in agony. A white energy blast severed one of its arms, and the wound bubbled and sizzled. Despite enduring only one attack, its inability to regenerate left it bewildered.
“Just one attack… Gaaaah!”
Slime Dragon writhed in pain but couldn’t suppress its laughter. Now it understood why the Demon God was defeated. The Three Demon Kings and Shadow Dragon perished fighting these humans.
“They are not weak. Humans are still...”
Momentarily recalling past memories, Slime Dragon stared at its decaying arm. The Demon God and dragons had underestimated humans, but humans had ultimately torn them apart. Despite using Magic Swords, humans were at a disadvantage but still prevailed due to their arrogance.
“I will not repeat the same mistake.”
Slime Dragon’s eyes widened as it spread crimson mana. It had lost an arm, but by converting its mana, it could regenerate. However, the converted mana would be permanently lost.
“Krrr... Hrrr...”
Slime Dragon endured the mana transformation. Crimson mana flowed slowly, gathering at the severed stump. As the mana condensed, a red substance surged out, forming a new arm.
“Phew... Haa...”
The red gelatin solidified and stretched into a new arm, its movements indistinguishable from before.
“I will use all my power… to kill you.”
Slime Dragon began converting more mana, twisting its body. Gelatinous masses erupted from its shoulders, forming two additional heads. Having consumed two dragons, it now had two extra heads.
“It’s over.”
Three crimson orbs formed simultaneously, tearing through the air. They continued to materialize, bombarding the area indiscriminately, aiming to obliterate the entire region regardless of where the humans were.
“There’s no escape! You will have to block until you die!”
Slime Dragon unleashed relentless bombardments, expending its mana. Even with permanent mana loss, its regeneration remained, thanks to Jaile Verza, the Magic Sword of Eternity. Despite its state, it felt no fatigue.
“With such meager power, you can’t...”
Slime Dragon detected human mana and froze. Its right leg suddenly encased in ice, followed by lightning and fire storms. Though it suffered no significant damage, its body was slowly stiffening.
“What do you plan to do with this?!”
Slime Dragon shattered the elemental attacks, ready to unleash more mana. But more spells overwhelmed it, and another white energy blast sliced through.
Despite decimating the surroundings, why were the humans still alive?
“How long will you keep running?!”
Engulfed by various spells, Slime Dragon ignored them and condensed more crimson orbs. These tactics might momentarily halt it, but they couldn’t annihilate it. This was merely stalling; the longer the battle, the more disadvantageous for the humans.
“Annoying!”
Slime Dragon sacrificed another arm to the white energy blast, then targeted the source with multiple orbs. It could fend off one attack, but not three simultaneously. Eliminating the most dangerous human first, it would then deal with the rest one by one.
“Huh? Gaaah!”
Slime Dragon screamed, caught off guard by the fragments of flame. They seemed ordinary but carried intense heat, unlike the earlier fire magic. This indicated another human joining the fray.
‘…These flames are more dangerous than the white one. I need to find and eliminate this human first.’