Chapter 133
Old Man Ban was disassembling and oiling a gigantic gun, so large it made me question if it was even a gun.
Even inside the shaking carriage, his movements were swift and precise, not a single drop of oil spilling onto the floor.
Because I had never seen such a large gun before, I couldn't help but find it fascinating.
"It's a Dragon Hunting Anti-Material Sniper Rifle. It uses 14.5mm special armor-piercing rounds. Only something like this can even hope to penetrate a Dragon's Barrier and scales."
As if he felt my gaze, Old Man Ban chuckled and replied.
After he finished oiling, he began to assemble the firearm.
The barrel and receiver clicked together, making a metallic clanking sound.
"We'll take a position at least 300 meters away and support you, Saint, with this gun. Dragons are capable of wielding various Magic Phenomena. However, because these Magic Phenomena are so immense, the magic stone within their bodies—their Dragon Heart—alone isn't enough. So, Dragons often place an additional magic stone externally to use as a catalyst to Amplify the Magic effect."
Old Man Ban pointed to the forehead area.
"It's their horn. Usually, when they're about to Cast Magic, their horn glows. If we hit the horn with this gun at that moment, the impact will weaken the catalytic effect, either canceling the Spell Casting or reducing its power. My role can only go this far. The rest is up to you, Saint."
I nodded.
"If things go wrong, both of you should flee immediately. It's better if I'm alone; that way, it's easier to escape."
"I'm confident in my ability to escape. Don't worry too much."
After Old Man Ban assembled the last part, he pulled the Charging Handle as a test.
The Bolt Carrier Group reciprocated, making a heavy, deep sound.
After finishing the inspection, Old Man Ban leaned his head against the carriage wall and slumped down.
"Are you nervous?"
Ensuring you never encounter them. The moment you meet one, it is a being that will inevitably cause extreme damage. So, on the way to face such a being... I can't help but be nervous."
"You didn't have to come along, you know."
"Do you know how surprised everyone was when they saw you return unconscious from Demon's Peak? I can't let that happen again. It's only right for old men like us, who don't have many days left, to follow."
The carriage rattled.
Priest Mathieu, who was driving the carriage, turned his head slightly back and asked.
"I see the Three-pronged Twisted Rock. Is it right here? Or left?"
"Right. There are no Magic Beasts that way."
"Confirmed."
The carriage turned right.
For about another hour after that.
The carriage raced on without pause.
The three Bargs pulling the carriage maintained a steady speed, as if they never tired.
And during that time, we didn't encounter a single Magic Beast.
Feeling curious, I looked at Old Man Ban.
"We haven't encountered a single Magic Beast all the way here. How did you manage that?"
"High-Risk Magic Beasts cannot live within a Dragon's Territory. That's because Dragons don't allow rivals within their Territory. So, if you plan the route well, it's possible to travel without encountering Magic Beasts. That's why we hadn't met any until now."
"And now?"
"We've entered a place where there's no reason to meet them."
It wasn't just that we weren't encountering Magic Beasts.
*Amael. The presence of large creatures has completely vanished from the surrounding area.*
It was silent.
Aside from the rattling of the carriage wheels, no other sound could be heard.
I knew what this meant.
"We're getting close to the Dragon Lair."
"The Immovable Dragon Alkassas is a creature that doesn't move from its Lair. That's why there's nothing around it. No Magic Beasts. No wild animals. Nothing at all. Even insects don't inhabit the vicinity."
In the distance.
The black Entrance of a Natural Cave, located in the middle of a tall Rocky Mountain, began to appear in my sight.
The eerily silent atmosphere told me that an extraordinary being resided within.
*This is insane. The atmosphere is truly maddening. I almost want to turn off my Psychic Power.*
Kon's voice was trembling.
I gripped the Psychic Amplifier tightly.
"Let's do this. What's there to be afraid of when I have the Goddess of Life's Authority?"
*You could die at any moment. The Monster in there is definitely not an ordinary one, Amael.*
"Still, we have to do it. Kon. You'll help me, right?"
*You crazy bastard. What kind of mess have I gotten into with a truly crazy bastard like you... What else can we do but try? It's impossible to run away now anyway.*
I lightly patted the Psychic Amplifier at Kon's tearful voice.
After another 10 minutes of travel.
The carriage finally stopped.
"Please get the Immovable Dragon out of its Lair somehow. We'll set up near the carriage and begin Sniping. No matter what, don't let the Dragon get close to us."
"Of course."
"Saint."
Old Man Ban grabbed my shoulder as I was getting out of the carriage.
"Saint. Don't be fooled by the title 'Immovable Dragon.' When Alkassas gets hungry, it uses extremely powerful Illusion Magic to lure creatures from the surrounding area towards its Lair. It prefers to easily catch and devour the gathered prey near its Lair."
A deep resentment was evident in Ban's voice.
"Countless Expedition Teams that descended to Floor 6 were murdered by its trickery. It may seem lazier than anyone, but there's a reason it's called the King of the West. It's an extremely dangerous creature. You must be careful."
I nodded.
Priest Mathieu and Old Man Ban, having dismounted from the carriage, skillfully set up the Anti-Materiel Rifle and finished preparing to shoot.
I slowly began to walk into the Dragon Lair.
A cool chill emanated from inside the Cave.
Inside here.
A Dragon lives.
"Kon."
There was no need to say more.
Time Stop Armor, Body Modification, and Sensitivity 3000x enveloped my entire body.
I steadied my breath and continued to move forward.
The interior of the Natural Cave was filled with cold Blue Crystals.
As expected, the cave was filled with blue light.
A gigantic White Dragon was settled there.
The Dragon was covered in gem-like white scales that could even be described as elegant.
However, it was engaged in a savage and ferocious meal, completely unlike its elegant body.
The Dragon, which had been tearing apart and swallowing a Magic Beast raw the size of an elephant with its forelegs and teeth, eventually turned its gaze quietly towards me.
Light subtly began to seep into the gigantic blue glowing horn on its forehead.
*Karrrleek.*
Alkassas looked at me, showing signs of displeasure.
I calmly met the Dragon's gaze.
"That thing, can it speak human language?"
*No. It has no linguistic ability. Instead... I can feel it.*
Alkassas rose to its feet.
The Magic Beast meat that had fallen to the floor flopped on the ground, spilling its guts.
A heavy atmosphere suddenly pressed down around my body.
As if Kon had immediately taken some action, the pressure immediately lightened, but it was a pressure that an ordinary person wouldn't have been able to withstand and would have fainted from.
*That thing. It's poured all the magic stones in its body into its Magic Ability. Amael. Be careful. This opponent won't be easy.*
"Well, that's a shame... I was going to try to persuade it if it could understand me."
When I didn't back down, Alkassas let out a roar.
My body stiffened for a moment, but I was able to move again instantly.
*Trying to make me faint, huh!*
Even though it roared, when I didn't leave, Alkassas finally rose to its full height.
As it rose, a gruesome and horrifying sight that had been hidden beneath its gem-like body came into view.
Crushed firearms.
Shattered human bones.
At the sight of it lying atop what looked like trophies—human remains that easily numbered over a hundred—I felt anger surge within me.
"Yes. You've feasted to your heart's content until now."
I wanted to make despair cloud its arrogant yet beautiful eyes.
I didn't bother to hold back the power boiling throughout my body.
The moment I was about to move towards it with explosive momentum came.
*It's an Illusion! Amael! Be careful!...*
Kon's voice vanished instantly.
The beautiful crystal cave also disappeared.
And the next moment came.
I saw myself lying comfortably in bed, resting peacefully.
Erfa, Iomene, Almene, and Kanya were lounging around me.
It was a peaceful-looking morning.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, and the air was languid and soft.
Just as I unconsciously began to feel languid myself, I wanted to fall asleep with them.
*Amael.*
At the familiar female voice, I felt all languid sensations vanish.
It was Asmodeus.
*This is no time to sleep.*
Instantly, the image of the languid bedroom disappeared, and the Immovable Dragon, its horns glowing and looking down at me mockingly, came into my sight.
*...do it!! What? Are you unaffected?*
As Kon's interrupted words began to be heard again, I quickly shook my head, shaking off the lingering remnants of the Illusion.
"I'm fine. Asmodeus is protecting me."
*That's a relief. The Magic that thing wields is so powerful that even my Psychic Power can barely defend against it!*
"I've come to my senses. It won't happen again now."
I could still feel powerful Illusion Magic being cast at me, but it no longer had any effect.
There was no way a mere Dragon could break my mind, protected by Asmodeus.
"It won't work anymore."
I moved towards the Immovable Dragon.
The ground where I stepped instantly caved in and cracked.
Pushing off the ground with immense force, I shot towards the Immovable Dragon like a bullet.
I reached out my hand.
I just needed to touch it.
With just simple Physical Contact, that Dragon would immediately become mine.
I charged with that thought, but as Old Man Ban had said, things didn't go so easily.
*CRACK!* With a loud crash, my fist directly collided with something.
A faint blue Barrier was cast around the Immovable Dragon's body.
It was practically the first time my attack had been blocked, save for the Demon Kings who had manifested.
I was surprised, but Alkassas also seemed surprised.
Despite the blocking with its Barrier, Alkassas's gigantic body momentarily staggered from the transmitted impact.
A flicker of fear crossed its arrogant eyes.
Alkassas's horn fiercely glowed, then began to unleash powerful Magic.
*If that hits you, you'll die! Dodge!!*
At Kon's scream, I quickly performed an evasive maneuver, dodging all sorts of Magic pouring down on me.
Fire.
Lightning.
Ice.
Attacks composed of various elements were mercilessly unleashed upon me.
They were terrifyingly powerful, making me fear whether even my Healing Ability could help me recover if I took a single hit.
*The Cave is narrow!*
"I know. I was planning to leave."
Barely, after narrowly dodging all the Magic—to the point where Evasion would have been utterly impossible if not for my Reflexes amplified by Sensitivity 3000x—I exited the Cave a moment later.
With a furious roar, Alkassas finally broke its name as the Immovable Dragon and came out of its lair.
It seemed quite enraged because of me.
Just as its horn glowed fiercely, it prepared to unleash another Magic.
*BOOM!* With a heavy gunshot, Alkassas's head momentarily reeled.
From the shot that accurately hit its horn, the mana that had just been drawn from its Dragon Heart scattered absurdly.
Turning my head slightly, I saw Old Man Ban shouldering and aiming the Anti-Materiel Rifle.
And beside him, Priest Mathieu was helping him reload.
The two of them worked together seamlessly, as if they had been doing this for a long time.
I had no intention of wasting the opportunity they had created.
"Kon. There's no benefit in dragging this out, is there?"
I had to neutralize that Barrier and subdue the creature with my most powerful single strike.
"How can I break through that barrier the fastest?"
No sooner had I finished speaking than my body suddenly began to feel strange.
My heart began to beat extremely fast.
It was as if a motor had been attached to it.
Blood, circulating through my body at an incredible speed, began to heat my body terrifyingly.
Slowly.
Steam began to rise from my body.
And with that, the gauntlet part, created by my Time Stop, began to swell.
Into the shape of a gigantic fist, perfectly suited for striking a Dragon.
*Finish it within 1 minute. If you drag it out longer than that, you'll instantly faint.*
It was a weapon I liked, and a body condition I liked.
I took a deep breath.
And didn't exhale.
"Here I go."
A gunshot rang out.
Once again, Alkassas's Magic scattered.
One was aiming for that momentary opening when Alkassas, enraged, turned its gaze towards Old Man Ban.
I charged.
My gigantic Time Stop gauntlet collided with the Barrier, creating a tremendous roar.
Along with Alkassas's scream, filled with surprise and fear, a moment passed.
The Barrier began to crack.