Episode 120
Boom!
Following Zeke’s orders, Big Foot summoned not only the warriors of the Rock Tribe but also those from neighboring tribes.
Dozens of barbarian warriors, each as formidable as a weapon, gathered in the village.
Zeke looked at the assembled warriors and spoke to King Fist.
“King Fist, we need stone spears.”
“Why stone spears? We can just beat them down.”
“That’s a good way to get yourself killed.”
Even the stubborn and headstrong barbarian warriors needed the intervention of their chieftain, Big Foot, to be convinced.
Zeke instructed the warriors to prepare five stone spears each. These spears, sharpened to be harder and sharper than steel, were coated with oil from the marigold plant.
“Why are you putting that on?”
“It’s deadly to snakes.”
Zeke wasn’t sure if it would work on the Hydra, but he was determined to use every possible means.
Recalling his encounter at Kaishir’s sanctuary, Zeke felt confident he could handle the situation with his elemental sword. However, given the strange signs, he knew it would be foolish to let his guard down.
Leading the barbarian warriors, Zeke ventured outside the fortress. He used his dragon’s eye to sync with the map, searching for the beasts and the Hydra.
Surprisingly, Richmond proved helpful.
“Master, I sense something strange over there.”
“What exactly do you mean by ‘something strange’?”
“Uh, it’s like… a tingling? A chill down my spine.”
Zeke realized Richmond was sensing dark energy. Proud of his discovery that Richmond was a living detector, Zeke thought, ‘This will make finding the beasts easier.’
He led the barbarian troops to the location Richmond indicated. At the base of a cliff, Zeke discovered a massive cave surrounded by piled rocks.
As he examined the area, he noticed something unusual.
‘What is that?’
The creatures standing in front of the cave looked odd. They seemed more like beasts than monsters.
Zeke asked Richmond silently, ‘Have you ever seen monsters like those?’
‘No, this is my first time. They seem to be mutated, like chimeras.’
If even Richmond, an expert on monsters, had never seen them, it was likely they were monsters tainted by dark energy.
Zeke turned to King Fist behind him.
“Handle the monsters over there. I’m going inside.”
“No way. I want to hunt the Hydra too.”
“Tell that to your father.”
King Fist, looking dejected, nodded in agreement.
Zeke drew a dagger from his belt, infusing it with his will, and hurled it at the beast-like monsters.
Thud!
The dagger embedded itself in a monster’s back.
“Growl?”
Boom!
A loud explosion followed, and the monsters reacted to the sudden blast.
“Raaaargh!”
Following Zeke’s instructions, King Fist lured the monsters away.
“Richmond, keep an eye on things from outside and report any changes.”
“Understood.”
Zeke unsheathed Bahamut and ventured deeper into the cave where the Hydra awaited.
‘What’s that smell?’
The cave was filled with a stench similar to the one he encountered in the cave where he found the demons.
The deeper he went, the stronger the odor became.
Then, he heard it.
Rumble!
A massive roar echoed through the cave, shaking its very walls.
Zeke advanced cautiously, soon finding himself in a vast chamber where the Hydra lay coiled.
‘There it is.’
The Hydra’s heads, which Zeke had previously severed, had already regenerated, and it still possessed nine heads.
Concealed by his invisibility, Zeke pondered how to take it down in one strike before it noticed him.
‘I need to pierce its vital point in one go.’
When he had defeated the swamp’s master, it was only after piercing its heart that he managed to kill it.
Zeke scrutinized the Hydra’s weaknesses with his dragon’s eye.
A message appeared.
[Detected a dragon species completely corrupted by dark energy.]
‘Completely corrupted?’
Zeke recalled the swamp’s master, which had also been completely corrupted, transforming from a dragon into a beast.
Unlike before, the Hydra seemed to have undergone a similar transformation.
‘The Empire must have done something in the meantime.’
Zeke equipped Hershion and aimed Bahamut at the Hydra’s heart.
Vwoooom!
Energy gathered around Zeke’s sword.
He launched a surprise attack, targeting the Hydra’s heart with his dragon-slaying technique.
Dragon Slayer Technique: True Dragon Sword Art
Chapter 6, Verse 2
Piercing the Dragon’s Heart
A massive aura surged from Zeke’s sword, shooting straight toward the Hydra’s heart.
Rumble!
Sensing the ominous energy, the coiled Hydra moved its nine heads.
Screeeech!
The aura blade struck the Hydra’s body directly.
Boom!
The swirling aura tore the Hydra’s body apart.
‘It worked.’
His surprise attack had succeeded.
The Hydra staggered backward, a gaping hole in its body.
But then—
Crack!
A black energy surged from the Hydra’s wound, quickly healing it.
Zeke watched in disbelief.
‘That attack shouldn’t have been so easily healed.’
Screeeech!
The Hydra shrieked at Zeke, who had ambushed it.
Its nine massive heads lunged at him, spewing toxic mist.
The mist seeped through the gaps in Hershion.
[Detected Hydra’s poison.]
[Failed to neutralize the poison with the Hundred Poisons Immunity trait.]
[You have been poisoned by the Hydra’s venom.]
Zeke felt his limbs growing heavy from the poison. Unsure how long his healing factor could hold out, he realized he was in danger.
“Damn it!”
Zeke used his wind technique to swiftly escape the cave.
Rumble—
The cave shook violently as if it would collapse under the Hydra’s massive weight.
Boom!
As Zeke exited the cave, he swung his sword to collapse the entrance, buying himself some time.
But it was futile.
The Hydra’s heads pushed aside the fallen rocks and emerged.
“Screeeech!”
The nine heads continued to spew black mist.
Hershion provided some protection against the poison, but Zeke didn’t know how long it would last.
The Hydra, now fully emerged from the cave, was much larger than when he had last seen it at the Hero King’s ruins.
‘Damn, what happened in the meantime?’
Zeke quickly summoned Bucephalus.
Neigh!
Mounting Bucephalus, Zeke soared into the sky.
“Bucephalus! Thunderstrike!”
At Zeke’s command, lightning bolts erupted from Bucephalus’s horn, striking the Hydra.
Crackle!
The lightning struck the Hydra, but its wounds healed almost instantly.
The black substance coursing through the Hydra’s body seemed to be healing and regenerating it.
‘This seems different from dark energy. What is it?’
Zeke used his newly acquired skill, the Mace of Light, against the Hydra.
Boom!
The massive mace of light struck the Hydra.
Screeeech—
Unlike other attacks, the area hit by the Mace of Light didn’t heal properly.
“Whatever it is, it seems related to dark energy.”
With a clearer understanding, Zeke unleashed his soul-binding chains.
Whirr!
The chains extended infinitely, wrapping around all of the Hydra’s heads.
“Screeeech!”
The Hydra thrashed its nine heads, trying to shake off the unyielding chains.
Rumble!
The mountain seemed to tremble as the massive creature moved.
“Ugh!”
Zeke infused the chains with his strength, charging forward and striking the Hydra with the Mace of Light.
Boom!
Screeeech!
As the Hydra writhed in pain, Zeke urged Bucephalus forward, slicing off one of the Hydra’s heads with an aura blade.
Sizzle—
Black smoke rose from the wound inflicted by the aura blade.
The Hydra recoiled in agony.
Zeke circled in the air, preparing to strike again.
“You’re not getting away!”
Once more, the Mace of Light struck the Hydra.
Boom!
The Hydra trembled violently, its body suddenly bubbling.
Zeke retreated, puzzled by the Hydra’s reaction.
‘What’s happening?’
Suddenly, small beasts began to emerge from the Hydra’s body.
Screeeech!
Hundreds of bat-like creatures with wings flew toward Zeke.
“Damn it!”
Zeke maneuvered Bucephalus, unleashing a barrage of lightning at the beasts.
Crackle!
The beasts dodged the lightning and charged at Zeke in the air.
Splat!
The creatures spewed venom from their mouths.
Hershion remained unaffected, but Bucephalus took a hit from the venom, causing damage to its spirit form.
A piercing whinny echoed through the air.
Zeke stepped back, glaring at the monstrous beasts before him. While he was occupied with them, the Hydra was already beginning to heal its wounds.
“Damn it.”
Just then, a newly acquired skill flashed in Zeke’s mind.
“Shield of Light!”
As he activated the skill, a massive halo of light appeared before him, forming into a colossal shield. The beasts, unaware of the shield’s presence, charged at him, spewing venom.
Crackle—!
The creatures that lunged at the shield were engulfed in light, disintegrating into black ash. In an instant, half of the beasts were gone. Zeke extended his hand, sending the Shield of Light flying towards the remaining creatures.
Whoosh!
The enormous shield soared through the air, colliding with the beasts.
Crackle—!
As the shield burst into light, the surrounding beasts were reduced to ash, scattered by the wind.
“Wow, that crown is some artifact!”
Having dealt with the beasts, Zeke turned his attention back to the Hydra. But something strange was happening to its body.
Crack!
Massive horns began to sprout all over the Hydra’s body and heads.
Roar—!
The heads Zeke had severed were already regenerating. The Hydra, with its nine heads raised high, bared its sharp, newly grown teeth and roared at Zeke. It resembled not a dragon, but rather a colossal beast from the ancient records of the Terracan Draker.
‘Those bats that came out of its body earlier… This isn’t normal regeneration. Even if it’s completely corrupted by dark magic… What on earth did the Empire do?’
Zeke gritted his teeth, circling in the air to find the Hydra’s weak spot. Just then, he noticed something.
A low rumble emanated from the Hydra’s nine mouths as energy began to concentrate within them. Sensing danger, Zeke quickly retreated.
Simultaneously, nine streams of destructive breath erupted from the Hydra’s mouths.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, the forest vanished, cliffs crumbled, and rocks shattered. The nine heads unleashed their breath in all directions, leaving the landscape in ruins. Zeke broke into a cold sweat at the sight of the devastation.
“This is insane…”
At that moment, wings sprouted from the Hydra’s body.
Whoosh!
The Hydra flapped its wings, attempting to take to the skies. Zeke’s heart raced with urgency. If that beast moved from here to the city below, it would be reduced to ruins, and countless lives would be lost.
‘I have to stop it, no matter what.’
He could now understand, even if just a little, the mindset of the Terracan Draker during the Liberation War, facing dragons and beasts. Zeke drew chains from his arms, focusing his spirit energy into his sword.
‘There’s only one way to kill a beast showing abnormal signs in one strike.’
In his past life, Zeke had accompanied his master, the Hermit of the Forest, on hunts for such beasts. He had seen how his master dealt with them.
‘A beast showing abnormal signs is completely detached from the laws of the world. To annihilate them, you must shatter their vessel with the power of the soul.’
The single spell of spirit energy enhances the power of the physical realm with incantations. But the double spell is different. It directly manipulates the power of the soul. Even beings beyond the world’s laws cannot maintain their form if their soul is attacked.
“Alright…”
Zeke steadied his breathing.
‘With a double spell, I’ll sever the Hydra’s soul in one strike.’
Roar—!
Zeke aimed his sword at the airborne Hydra. The Heart of Bahamut throbbed fiercely, filling his core with mana.
Vroom!
Zeke infused his vibrating spirit energy with incantation magic. His lips slowly parted.
“Double Spell, Severance.”