Chapter 373 - Chapter 12: Hydra (2)
The fourth stage was the frontal attack the Fire Dragon desired. However, there were two of them. The Fire Dragon would face one, and the humans would face the other.
The Fire Dragon landed on the wide downstream side, and on the upstream side where large rocks were scattered, the vanguard led by Henry-sama appeared, likely having disembarked from the bowl Eleanor-sama and the others were riding.
The pair of Hydras, whose home's water had evaporated, took a stance to meet the intrusion from two directions, one each. There was one with a slightly thicker torso. It must be the female. It had stayed in the pool until the end. In other words, the eggs must be near the pool.
The Fire Dragon had pulled out two trees and was holding them in both hands as if crossing them.
I wondered what it was going to do, and then the Hydra flew a purple liquid from its mouth.
Poison! What a malicious attack!
It brushed away the flying poison with the trees it held in its hands. Smoke rose; perhaps the poisonous liquid had hit them.
This was tough. Now, I regretted having restricted the Fire Dragon from using its flames.
"Mary. Can you make something like an ice shield? To give to the Fire Dragon. That's dangerous as it is."
"Understood. I'll try."
Even while she began the incantation, the Hydra, utilizing its number of heads, was flying poisonous liquid as if spitting. The Fire Dragon, while howling guon guon, was desperately brushing it away with the trees while retreating step by step. Perhaps due to the influence of the poison, the trees were becoming ragged. They must be cedar or something. They had dark green leaves, but they had turned brown and were falling off along with the branches. It was either rotten or eroded by the poison. It was quite dangerous.
"Glaciate!"
Ice grew around the trees with a crack, and an ice shield was completed as if connecting the two crossed trees. It was a clever thing; the vertical tree held in the left hand didn't have the part the Fire Dragon was holding frozen. In addition, I hardened it with Defend. The Fire Dragon was surprised, but it seemed to understand. It held the trees, which now had an ice shield attached, in its left hand and poised them in front of its body. The Hydra flew poisonous liquid, but the ice shield was bouncing it off beautifully. It must be because it doesn't rot or erode.
In that case...
"Mary, can't you also make an ice sword... no, a club?"
I heard that even if you cut off the heads, they grow back. It might be fine if we crush them with a club. The material... there it is! Tree branches were lying at the Fire Dragon's feet. They must have fallen from the base due to the poisonous liquid.
That one, that one, I pointed, and Mary made an ice rod. I also hardened this with Defend. The Fire Dragon also noticed and held it in its right hand. It swung it around and poised it along with the shield.
It's a bit much for a Fire Dragon to have ice weapons and armor, but this wasn't the time to be picky. We'll have it use what it can. After that, we just have to create an opening by distracting it.
The opponent had eight heads each. Those heads were looking all over, but among the Hydra's heads facing the Fire Dragon, there were some clearly looking at our bowl. It was completely exposed.
On the other hand, the Hydra facing the humans led by Henry-sama had six heads facing the six vanguards, and the remaining two were looking around. Apparently, it had lost sight of the bowl Eleanor-sama and the others were riding.
Where was the difference?
The bowl Eleanor-sama and the others were riding was support for the vanguard led by Henry-sama, and the bowl we were riding was support for the Fire Dragon. Whether the location was known or not was a big difference.
In terms of size, the medium-sized one over there was larger. As for the number of people on board, it was three on this side and three on that side now. The difference was whether the one manipulating it was advanced or ultra-high-level...
The thickness of the bowl was different... An ultra-high-level mage can make a large bowl for thirty people. They condense that into a medium or small size. That's why they can do ultra-high-speed flight. If you do that with a small bowl that normally seats six, the edge will disappear in no time.
But does the thickness make a difference?
Just then, the two heads that were looking around turned in the same direction at once.
There, a thick Holy Lance, likely Sianya's, was unleashed. However, the Hydra, which had confirmed the bowl's position beforehand, created a water wall and blocked the Holy.
After the Hydra dodged the Holy, the two heads were looking around again. The bowl had moved. And the Hydra had lost sight of its position.
"Hey Mary. Can't we put ice on the surface of this bowl to make it thicker?"
If the thickness is insufficient, we should just add to it. It's the same as when we blocked the heat of Prominence inside the crater.
"Wait a minute. If it gets heavy, we won't be able to dodge the opponent's attacks."
Beatrix complained. Come to think of it, that was true.
"But as it is now, the Hydra knows where we are. We have to do something or we can't take advantage of an opening."
The Fire Dragon was working hard to attempt an approach, but was retreating after being spat on with poisonous liquid. Since it had the cliff at its back, it couldn't use its specialty, Teleport. On top of that, six heads were participating in the attack on the Fire Dragon. It was short on moves.
"Isn't it fine even if we're found? Use Light to blind it. Mary! When the head facing this way looks away, freeze it with Glaciate."
"Okay!"
I see. There are times when it's better to be found. In that case, let's just reveal everything.
I chanted Light. However, I narrowed the output so that the strong light wouldn't face the Hydra, and then diffused it around.
The two heads facing this way created a water wall. They must have reacted to the Firefly. In other words, they sensed the activation of magic beforehand. However, unlike Holy, it had no direct offensive nature. The two heads were watching the situation, as if thinking, hm? Had we successfully deceived them?
Beatrix flew over the Fire Dragon's head.
The two heads looked this way as if tracking us. We were keeping the magic activated, but they seemed to think it was no big deal. Heh heh, success.
The remaining six were looking at the Fire Dragon.
When the bowl changed its position to be at the Hydra's side, the heads also turned in unison. They were at a right angle to the direction of the six heads.
"Now! Blind it!"
At Beatrix's signal, I put the Firefly at full power. However, I narrowed it down and illuminated only the two heads.
The two heads that took the monster-taming light from the front instantly twisted their heads to avoid the light.
"Glaciate!"
Mary reached out her right hand and unleashed the magic. One of the two heads that had looked away was covered in ice. Originally, it should have been large enough to freeze the entire body, but even though we caught it off guard, the opponent was B-rank. She must have concentrated all her magic power on one head, anticipating its high magic defense. The remaining seven heads wriggled, but they were likely flustered, as they were just trying to escape from the ice.
Beatrix moved around nimbly, turning the Light on and off while continuing to illuminate the remaining heads. The Hydra flew poisonous liquid everywhere, but perhaps it was confused, as its aim was scattered and didn't hit.
The Fire Dragon wasn't one to miss that opportunity. When it closed the distance in one go with Teleport, it suppressed the attacks from the moving heads with the shield and began to beat the Hydra's torso with the club, bokan bokan.
Beatrix moved to the opposite side of the Fire Dragon. Mary unleashed a second Glaciate with her left hand.
The Hydra, which had been desperately enduring being frozen with its magic defense, began to shake its torso, perhaps to prevent the remaining heads from being frozen.
"It's going to release magic power. Run!"
Beatrix shouted in a loud voice while moving in front of the Fire Dragon's face. She told it to retreat by pointing behind the Fire Dragon.
Whether it understood or the Fire Dragon knew what the Hydra was going to do... the Fire Dragon crouched down, poised the ice shield, and huddled behind it.
"Beatrix! Stop!"
When we tried to flee upward, Mary unusually raised her voice.
"Glaciate! Jeanne! Reinforce it with Holy Lance!"
She unleashed a third shot with her right hand. She intended to suppress it. Furthermore, she fired a fourth and fifth shot in rapid succession. She went with brute force. It was rare for Mary.
Following Mary's lead, I fired thick Holy Lances alternately with both hands in rapid succession.
I aimed for the parts that were already frozen. Since I wasn't directly aiming for the Hydra, it couldn't block it even if its magic defense was high. Using the ice as a foothold, we set about trapping the entire Hydra.
Mary further layered ice upon ice with a sixth and seventh shot.
While I was firing Holy Lances one after another so as not to be outdone, the ice that usually looked transparent became whiter and whiter. White mist rose from the surface.
The Fire Dragon hurriedly jumped back with Teleport. It's ice and fire; they don't have good compatibility, but it was quite something. It must be considerably cold.
Boom! I could hear a sound like something exploding, but Mary's ice wall was safe.
"I've sealed it!"
Mary made a fist-pump with both hands.
However, it wasn't dead yet. When I fired more Holy Lances, it slowly collapsed, perhaps having gone into hibernation.
As the finishing blow, the Fire Dragon approached and beat it mercilessly with the club. It was beating ice with ice. Gakon gakon, a sound like crushing rock could be heard.
After beating it mercilessly, it stepped back two or three paces, and pure white ice chunks were scattered about.
However, the Hydra's form couldn't be seen. Where did it go...
"Hey, could it be that that ice is the Hydra? It froze completely and shattered like ice or something."
Um, is that so? I know that frozen liquid shatters, but I don't think a living creature would freeze and shatter...
The Fire Dragon was letting out a triumphant roar. Did it really shatter?
Perhaps because it heard the Fire Dragon's roar, several heads of the Hydra that had been fighting Henry-sama and the others turned this way. Seeing them open their huge mouths and hiss shaa shaa, they seemed to be angry.
Some of that Hydra's heads were strangely short.
Below, five or six Hydra heads were lying. The dropped heads showed no sign of moving.
"Hey, could it be that if we drop the heads, the profit increases by that much?"
Beatrix muttered.
That might be so. I heard that if you cut the heads, new ones grow back. But I haven't heard that a new torso grows from the dropped head. In other words, the danger level doesn't increase.
Since the original number of heads is eight, if there are two fangs per head, that's sixteen. In other words, if we drop them ten times, it will increase by twenty fangs' worth.
No, but even if it's a monster, is it okay to do such a thing? Won't the Goddess get angry?
"Then, if we could breed Hydras, does that mean we can harvest heads as much as we want?"
Wait a minute, Mary. Isn't that a bit too much?
"But we also kill and eat cows and pigs. And even with fruit, we take the fruit from the same tree for years. It's the same."
I feel like picking fruit from a tree and harvesting Hydra heads are quite different...
If you say it's a difference in feeling, then it is... At least the opponent would dislike it. No, maybe the fruit trees are actually angry too.
"It's a joke. It spreads poison, right? Lyudmila would be angry if we bred something like that."
Beatrix was smirking.
"That's true. Everything planted in the fields would be ruined."
Mary was also laughing.
"Well, let's just defeat it slowly while watching the situation."
"Right."
I was surprised.
However, I honestly didn't know if what the two of them said was good or bad. I'll ask Serena next time.
We decided to watch... I mean, observe how Henry-sama and the others were fighting. If we reinforced them without knowing what they were doing, we might just get in the way.
We ascended slightly and took some distance from the remaining Hydra. At the very least, we had to stay further away than our allies' bowl, or we'd just be a nuisance.
The Fire Dragon was approaching the Hydra with the shield and club. On the opposite side were the six vanguards led by Henry-sama. In front of Henry-sama and the others, a Wind Barrier that looked like purple dye had been thrown at it was floating in the air. They must be using Sianya's Holy Lance as a decoy attack. Every time a thick Holy was unleashed, a dull guwan guwan sound occurred, and each time, the Hydra's heads dropped with a gakun.
"They've put out two Wind Barriers and are beating it with one of them. They've thought about it."
With a magnificent bakon sound, about five heads dropped together. At that moment, the vanguard jumped out. The heads that weren't hit by the blow spat poisonous liquid, but it was being blocked by the shield. Since the six of them were approaching as if surrounding it, the remaining heads couldn't keep track.
"Ah! They did it!"
Roberts-sama sliced off one head.
The head rolled with a boron, but no blood came from the cut. A new one popped out with a nyu. Looking closely, the heads that had been short had already returned to their original length. What kind of regeneration ability is that.
The other five let out a cheer and retreated all at once.
Wait?
"That, no matter how you think about it, they have no intention of dealing the finishing blow."
"As I thought? We think the same thing."
Apparently, they were going to harvest heads. Surely, they must intend to drag it out to the limit of their magic control.
"Alright, let's reinforce them. Mary, make an ice sword or spear. A big one for the Fire Dragon to use."
"Okay!"
"Wait a minute! No matter how you look at it..."
"It's fine. The Hydra doesn't look like it's in pain even when its heads are cut."
"That's right. It looks energetic."
Is it okay?
The bowl went beside the Fire Dragon. Mary unleashed magic on the ice club and changed the tip into an ice blade.
As I was told by the two of them, I reinforced it with three Holy Lances and Defend.
The Fire Dragon swung it around and was howling happily.
"I'll go above the Fire Dragon. Jeanne, you're the distraction. It's fine to do the same as before."
"U-Um, okay."
Well, now that it's come to this, there's no helping it. In for a penny, in for a pound. I'll give the Hydra a proper funeral service.
The finishing blow was dealt by the Fire Dragon, which stabbed the torso into three rings.
As a result of even the Fire Dragon participating in the head hunting, fifty-two heads were obtained. Since the original was eight, forty-four more heads were obtained.
Once, the Fire Dragon even sliced off all eight heads with the ice sword, and we ended up having to wait for new ones to grow. The Hydra also couldn't fight with short heads, so it stayed still against the cliff, and during that time, we each took a break as if it were a temporary truce. During that time, Mary repaired the nicks in the ice sword with Ice Cube, and I reinforced it with Holy Lance and Defend.
Thanks to being able to fight to its heart's content with the ice sword, the Fire Dragon was also satisfied. We searched the surroundings thoroughly together, found the eggs, and successfully disposed of them. It also helped with the transportation of the dead Hydra. In the end, the ice that had shattered was the shattered Hydra. It saved the trouble of slicing it into rings, and since the heads were safe, the fangs were also successfully obtained. In a sense, it might have been easier than attacking with fire. I also gave it a proper funeral service.
We broke down the dam and let the water in, then called Dune. We had to purify the poisonous marsh.
"Hmm. It looks like it'll be okay."
An unexpected reply came back.
"It's not that much of a poison anymore. Even if you leave it like this, won't it be purified naturally? What did you do?"
When I was asked in return, I explained that we did this and that, and she cackled.
"You boiled the water in the pool with Prominence? Is that why?"
I don't really understand, but apparently, that's how it is.
The Hydra was successfully subjugated. The Fire Dragon kept its promise and I was able to get the Fire Dragon Stone.
The Fire Dragon Stone was a beautiful stone with a transparent orange base and something like a red pattern enclosed inside.
Apparently, there are various patterns, but the one I got was in the shape of a beautiful dragon.
"It's a top-quality item. Isn't it rare to have the Fire Dragon pattern in it so beautifully?"
When I looked at the Fire Dragon, it was rubbing its hands together. I wonder if it has a request.
"I know! You want a weapon, right?"
When Beatrix pointed at Roberts-sama's spear, the Fire Dragon nodded un un.
"A weapon?"
When I explained to Salamander, who hadn't seen the battle, that the Fire Dragon had fought with an ice shield and club, and finally a sword, he laughed loudly.
"I wonder if humans can make a weapon suitable for this guy to use?"
He was smirking. Indeed, that's true. It's big and strong.
"It's fine. We have connections. Gwyn-dono, I think our country will be placing a large order for Finis wine, so we look forward to your cooperation."
That's right. Alex is there. The Silver Mine in the Northeastern Forest should be yielding a steady amount of mining. However, it's meaningless if the price drops, and since we haven't given it to the countries on the east coast, there's apparently a considerable amount in stock. If Alex and his brothers work hard, they'll be able to make a top-quality item.
In the end, as a result of the discussions between each country, excluding Henry-sama, Roberts-sama, and Edward-sama, the cost of producing the Fire Dragon's weapon was decided to be shared among the countries. The entire area of the outer crater of the volcano where the Fire Dragon lives and the wetland where Hydras might reappear was prohibited for human entry, with a few exceptions. And Finis decided to form a joint monster extermination unit with the Fire Dragon. Of course, the unit commander is Gwyn-sama. He also became the Fire Dragon's spear technique teacher. He would teach the spear once a month and hunt together. He had received a Salamander stone to call him out for translation at those times. The hot springs seem to be fine. With this, Gwyn-sama will be hunting with three attributes of dragons: Water Dragon, Wyvern, and Fire Dragon. If there were an Earth Dragon in Finis and he could become friends with it, it would be a complete set.
"Wow, I'm going to be busy. This is going to be tough."
Gwyn-sama, you're rejoicing too much.