Chapter 134
It was an incredibly solid barrier.
The enormous, swollen, fist-shaped Time Stop Gauntlet.
A body of Super Strength, modified by immense authority, that far surpassed human limits, was overloading in real-time, and I could feel it.
Yet, even as I hammered at the barrier with all my might, while using such a body, it only cracked.
It was at this moment I understood why previous Expedition Teams had always tried to avoid Dragon Lairs rather than fight Dragons directly.
*Amael! Hurry!!*
I swung my fists like a madman.
Even without Con's warning, I could feel it.
I was pushing myself too hard.
From the start, I had gained a level of power that no human should wield, an authority not meant for mortals.
That very authority was gnawing away at my body.
My body was breaking down.
This wasn't the kind of ailment that could be cured by Body Modification.
A chilling fear suddenly gripped me.
*I would live with an incurable, untreatable condition for the rest of my life.*
*Why, though?*
*Why do I have to go this far?*
*It's terrifying.*
*I didn't want to do it.*
Just as the fear threatened to drain the strength from my body.
What spurred me on again was the countless Hunters and Golden Company Members in the Expedition Team.
And beyond that, the faces of my Girlfriends and the many people waiting for me in the Empire.
*They'll die.*
*If I fall, they'll be ruined.*
That fear seemed greater than the fear of my own body breaking down.
“Just! Break, you damn thing!!”
The strength that had momentarily faltered in my punches returned.
The pounding sound was almost like artillery shells exploding.
The faint cracks began to spread rapidly.
Just a little more now.
Just a few more hits and then.......
*Amael! Above you!*
Alcasas wouldn't just stand by and watch.
A massive foreleg descended towards me.
I had to dodge quickly, and Alcasas's foreleg plunged into the ground where I had been, as if it were tofu.
There was no arrogance left in Alcasas's eyes.
As if afraid, it began to defend the cracked part of the barrier with its foreleg.
Meanwhile
Air began to be sucked into its mouth.
*It's a Breath! If you fall, you'll get hit! Get under its body!*
At Con's timely advice, I quickly began to close the distance with Alcasas again.
Alcasas tried to crush me by slamming its other foreleg into the ground, but I wasn't slow enough to be hit by that attack.
Once I was right beneath Alcasas's body, even it couldn't fire a Breath at itself, so it canceled the Breath and began a Barrage with Magic.
No.
More precisely, it *tried* to barrage.
“Mathieu!!”
“Reloading!!”
With a *bang* of a gunshot, Alcasas's horn was struck.
The shot, of course, couldn't penetrate the barrier.
However, the power of a 14.5mm special armor-piercing round was not something to be scoffed at.
Alcasas's horn shook slightly, scattering the mana supplied from the Dragon Part, and the Magic either misfired or flew off in a strange direction.
Fury flared in Alcasas's eyes.
It began to gather its breath once more.
This time, its target wasn't me, who was practically at point-blank range, but Priest Mathieu and Old Man Ban, who were sniping from afar.
This time, I wouldn't just stand by and watch.
I ran towards the cracked barrier.
One foreleg was protecting it, but that didn't matter.
I grabbed the foreleg, still covered by the barrier, and threw it with all my strength.
Alcasas's massive body swayed for a moment, and its foreleg was moved aside.
I seized the opportunity and lunged towards the broken part of the barrier.
“Please! Hurry up!!”
My punches tore into the barrier about four times in an instant.
No matter how solid the barrier, it couldn't withstand the Super Strength of my current body.
With a *CRACK* and a *CRUNCH*, finally.
The barrier shattered.
I hastily tried to dive into the shattered barrier.
Alcasas, losing its balance, rolled its body and lay down completely.
The shattered part of the barrier was now facing the Floor, making it inaccessible.
Malice swirled in Alcasas's eyes.
It opened its mouth.
And began to unleash its breath at me, who was right beneath its body.
*Amael, you son of a bitch!!........*
Point-Blank Shot.
And it was a Point-Blank Shot with an incredibly wide range.
I moved my body desperately.
To escape the Breath's range, I climbed onto Alcasas's body, which was lying on the Floor.
But even so, it was too late.
“Gah!”
I heard the ground, suddenly exposed to extreme cold, crackling and splitting.
Having hastily climbed onto Alcasas's body, I couldn't move much further and collapsed, spitting blood.
*My lungs hurt.*
*It's agonizingly painful.*
*It seems I inhaled the extreme cold.*
Con's scream echoed in my mind as I violently coughed up blood.
*Damn it! I'll heal you! Just a moment!!*
My painful breathing began to ease.
But it seemed that last hit was a critical blow.
My body, already on the verge of collapse from the authority's overload, refused to obey my commands.
*[Skill: Body Modification has been forcibly canceled.]*
*[Skill: Sensitivity 3000x has been forcibly canceled.]*
As the skills were canceled, I felt the surging power drain from my entire body.
*It hurts.*
*I can feel that I shouldn't use any more authority.*
But I couldn't just lie there.
“Con. Heal my body and cast Body Modification again.”
*What? Hey. Your body's so messed up it can't even handle simple treatment anymore! No more than this!*
“If I stay like this, I'll die anyway! Hurry up and do it! Now!”
Alcasas turned its head, fixing its gaze on me, as I lay sprawled on its body.
Con seemed to realize this was no time for arguments.
*You son of a bitch........Fuck! Seriously!!*
Con tried to use my ability once more.
But.
*[Warning.]*
*[Authority usage limit reached.]*
*[Further use of authority may result in the collapse of your physical body.]*
I couldn't use my authority.
Alcasas lifted its foreleg, a sneer in its eyes.
*It could fall at any moment.*
And it was obvious that if I took Alcasas's foreleg hit in my current state, without Body Modification, I would die instantly.
“Asmodeus. Please!!”
At my words, the Woman's voice echoed in my mind.
*You will die! Your body will be destroyed! You have already used an amount of authority that no Human can withstand!*
“I'll die if I do nothing! That's an order! Let me use my authority!”
For a moment, I heard the clanking sound of Brilliant White Chains rattling.
*[Attempting to use Skill: Body Modification........]*
*You fucking Amael!!*
The foreleg descended towards my head.
*I still need time.*
*Just a little more.*
*There is just a brief moment until Body Modification can activate.*
*Please.*
*Don't tell me it ends like this.*
“You goddamn lizard bastard! Look at me!!!”
Suddenly, with a flash and a bang, Alcasas's descending foreleg staggered and shook.
I turned my gaze to see Old Man Ban, who had rushed right in front of Alcasas, pulling something from his pocket and throwing it at the Dragon.
Seeing the bright light and loud explosion, he seemed to have thrown a flashbang.
Alcasas's gaze snapped back to Old Man Ban.
Mana gathered on the enraged creature's forehead.
From afar, Priest Mathieu's Sniper Bullet once again disrupted the Spell Casting.
Old Man Ban pulled out the Auto Shotgun his Grandson, John, had made for him and began firing at Alcasas's face.
He frantically hammered at the weakened face barrier, which had already been hit multiple times by 10-gauge Slug Rounds and Sniper Bullets.
“You damn lizard! Over here!! Look at me!!”
A monstrous roar erupted from Alcasas's mouth.
*Con told me.*
*If you hear that sound, you won't be able to move properly.*
“Guh!! Ugh!”
Old Man Ban's body also froze.
He desperately rolled his eyes and twitched, seemingly trying to move his frozen body again, but it was no use.
Alcasas lifted the hand they had been about to swing at me.
I was completely incapacitated, and Old Man Ban was also frozen.
Priest Mathieu, who was still firing from afar, didn't seem to be perceived as a threat at all.
So Alcasas seemed to think it had won.
It stopped trying to cover the shattered part of the barrier while awkwardly lying diagonally on the floor.
After turning its body into an upright position, it let out a furious roar and swung its foreleg at Old Man Ban.
*No, you son of a bitch!.........It's done!!*
The foreleg descended.
My body moved.
Transcendental Super Strength and power surged forth once again.
I moved my body.
The foreleg descended.
Old Man Ban let out a detached, hollow laugh in his final moment.
“Ban!!”
Priest Mathieu's scream was heard.
It was a fleeting moment.
Almost simultaneously with my diving into the shattered part of the barrier.
Alcasas's foreleg slammed into the floor.
With a thunderous roar, fragments of rock scattered as if exploding.
***
“Ban!! Ponemkin! Please!!”
Priest Mathieu threw aside the Anti-Materiel Rifle he had been firing and frantically stood up.
He picked up the Bolt-Action Rifle he had cast aside and anxiously stared towards Alcasas, where dust was rising thickly.
*If the Saint and Ban had failed, his own life would have been forfeit anyway.*
*Even if he drove the carriage at full speed now, he'd still be within Alcasas's Breath range.*
“Ban, please. Ponemkin, please.”
Mathieu, anxiously waiting for the dust to settle, realized that an eerie silence had enveloped the surroundings, and his expression gradually brightened.
*There was only one reason Alcasas would be silent.*
He started running.
He hastily began to run towards Alcasas.
And a moment later, it happened.
“Saint!!”
As he expected, the Saint appeared, having plunged inside the shattered barrier and now touching Alcasas's body.
Alcasas's eyes were hazy.
They were blank, as if under hypnosis.
The Saint, with his hand still on Alcasas's body, gave a command.
“Take your hand off and stay still.”
Alcasas's hand, which had fallen to the floor, slowly rose.
The Saint stumbled away from Alcasas.
“Saint! Are you alright!!”
“Mr. Ban......”
At the Saint's words, Priest Mathieu quickly turned his gaze.
He looked towards where Alcasas's foreleg had fallen.
“Cough. Ah, damn it.........that hurts like hell.”
Old Man Ban was still alive.
The problem was that his condition was utterly horrific.
His right arm and right leg were completely blown off.
His abdomen was ripped open, intestines spilling out.
It was a miracle he was even alive.
As soon as the Saint confirmed his state, he forced himself to stand.
“Please bring Mr. Ban here.”
Priest Mathieu didn't even answer.
He ran like mad to Ban and helped his friend, who was sprawled in a mess, to his feet.
“The Saint turned Alcasas's foreleg at the last moment. *Cough*.........Thanks to that, I lived. Haha.”
“Don't talk! Please!”
He hastily tore off his clothes to wrap around his friend's exposed intestines then dragged him quickly to the Saint.
“Saint! He's still alive!! Ban, please!!”
The Saint slowly placed his hand on Ban's head.
And with that.
“Ugh......Ughhh!!”
Ban let out a grotesque scream.
His ruptured abdomen instantly sealed, and his crushed limbs regrew.
It was a miraculous sight, even as they watched it with their own eyes.
In an instant, Ban returned to his original form.
He stood up, a bewildered expression on his face.
“Thank you, Saint. Thanks to you, I lived......”
Ban's words were cut short.
“Cough!”
The Saint's body convulsed.
He slumped to the floor, shivering as if struck by a sudden chill.
“Saint!”
The two men rushed forward, but there was nothing they could do.
“It's Divine Ability.”
“Divine Ability?”
“It's a common symptom for someone exposed to a level of divine power that a human body can't handle. This is the Great Labyrinth, after all. To wield Divine Magic with the same effect here, you need several times more divine power than outside. That's probably why this symptom appeared.”
“What should we do, then?”
“There's nothing to do but leave him be. He can't use any more authority.”
Priest Mathieu tried to pick up the Saint.
The Saint stopped Priest Mathieu.
“Mr. Ban, I have a favor to ask.”
The Saint slowly took out the Psychic Amplifier hanging from his Necklace.
And handed it to Old Man Ban.
“I've cast Hypnosis so you can control Alcasas with Con's Psychic Power. If you use Con, you can control Alcasas.”
Ban carefully took the Psychic Amplifier.
The Saint gave Ban a wry smile.
“You said you were a descendant of a Hero, didn't you? Prove it. Take Alcasas and.......save the Expedition Team. Hurry......”
The Saint, who had been speaking with a tremor, reached his limit and simply fainted.
Priest Mathieu quickly caught the Saint and carried him on his back.
“Ban.”
Mathieu and Old Man Ban exchanged glances.
“The Saint's body is in no condition. He absolutely cannot ride a Dragon. I'll put him in the carriage and nurse him until he regains consciousness. We're near the Lair, so there shouldn't be any Magic Beasts.”
Ban looked at Mathieu silently for a moment, then slowly put on the Necklace the Saint had given him.
“Stay alive, Mathieu.”
“Protect the Expedition Team. Definitely. I'll be fine.”
That was the last of it.
Priest Mathieu immediately ran to the carriage with the Saint on his back, while Ban, wearing the Necklace, looked up at Alcasas.
*You said your name was Ban, right? If you give the command, I'll control Alcasas with Psychic Power.*
Ban quietly nodded his head at the words echoing in his mind.
“Alcasas!! Carry me!”
At his words, the Immovable Dragon slowly lowered its foreleg.
Ban easily climbed onto Alcasas's back using its foreleg.
He gripped its scales tightly there.
*Don't worry about being blown away by the wind! I'll hold you with Telekinesis!*
At Con's words, Ban nodded and gave a command.
“Fly, Alcasas.”
At his command, the Immovable Dragon's massive wings spread wide.
Alcasas roared and took flight.
And then, it began to fly at incredible speed towards the Expedition Team.
It was the moment the first Hunter to ride a Dragon was born.