Arthur didn’t waste time trying to understand the situation. The moment Jakō and the Water Long Serpent Dragon began moving, Arthur released [War Cry]. The roar of Arthur’s shout tore through the chamber, freezing everyone in place for a heartbeat.
Jakō’s expression changed for the briefest instant. His body instinctively tensed, and the Water Long Serpent Dragon’s head dipped slightly.
That tiny reaction was enough.
Vedas stepped forward and released [Command Authority]. Golden energy swept over Jakō. "Stop moving."
Jakō’s body stopped and his eyes widened. The effect wasn’t absolute, and both Arthur and Vedas realized immediately they were forcing an effect onto someone far stronger than themselves, so it only lasted a few seconds.
But a few seconds were enough.
Athena immediately raised Aegis. "Don’t hold anything back! Hit him now!"
Everyone reacted at once.
Arthur surged forward with Dusk already swinging toward Jakō’s exposed shoulder. Vedas moved with him, his golden spear driving toward the same opening while Kong charged directly toward the Water Long Serpent Dragon.
Sun planted his feet and fired [Point Shockwave], the compressed force tearing through the air as it raced toward Jakō.
Mithra disappeared from sight a moment later. She reappeared behind Jakō, Kusa already cutting toward his back, while Melo flooded the battlefield with illusions. Suddenly, the cavern seemed to contain dozens of Arthurs, Vedas, Kongs, and Mithras, each attacking from a different direction.
Above them, Athy spread her wings and activated [Analyze] together with [See-Through World]. Her golden eyes followed the mana flowing through Jakō’s body, searching for even the smallest irregularity.
"His right shoulder!" Athy called. "There’s a concentration of mana there!"
Athena immediately turned Aegis toward the same point. "Then hit it!"
The attacks converged.
Arthur’s Dusk struck first, followed almost immediately by Vedas’s spear. Sun’s shockwave crashed into Jakō from the side while Mithra’s blade slipped through the opening from behind. Kong’s fist slammed into the Water Long Serpent Dragon, and Athy descended from above with a concentrated strike of light.
For one brief moment, it looked as though the entire group had managed to overwhelm him.
Then the cavern disappeared beneath an explosion of stone, steam, and water.
The force sent fragments of rock scattering across the chamber. Melo’s illusions vanished inside the blast, and everyone was forced to shield their eyes from the debris.
Nobody spoke.
They waited.
Slowly, the smoke began to thin.
Jakō was still standing.
His clothes were torn in several places, and a shallow cut marked one side of his arm, but otherwise he looked almost untouched.
Sun slowly lowered Long. "...That’s it?"
Jakō glanced down at the scratch on his arm before looking back at them. There wasn’t even anger in his expression anymore. If anything, he looked disappointed. "And I thought you guys had some skills. What a pity."
Athy’s fingers tightened around her feathers. Their strongest combined attack had barely done anything.
Athena immediately tried again. Her golden eyes swept over him as See-Through World revealed the flow of mana beneath his skin. She searched for abnormalities, fluctuations, anything that might expose another opening.
Nothing.
She activated Analyze.
Still nothing.
Athena’s expression slowly hardened. "I can’t find anything."
Jakō gave a quiet chuckle. "Of course you can’t." He casually rolled his shoulder, as though the attack hadn’t been worth mentioning. "You can’t see my weak points unless I show them to you." He looked directly at her. "Shouldn’t you know at least that much if you’re planning to fight a Silver Rank Beast Tamer?"
Vedas tightened his grip around his spear. "He’s deliberately concealing his weaknesses."
"Exactly," Jakō replied.
Kong’s ears flattened as he stared at him. "I don’t like him."
Sun glanced sideways. "The dragon?"
Kong pointed directly at Jakō. "Both."
Sun nodded solemnly. "Fair."
Jakō slowly raised one hand.
The Water Long Serpent Dragon immediately reacted. Water began gathering around its enormous body, first in thin streams that slipped across the cavern floor. Those streams quickly multiplied, twisting around one another until they formed a spiraling current around Jakō.
Athena’s expression changed. "Everyone, defend!"
The water suddenly surged upward. A gigantic blue dragon emerged from the spiraling torrent, its body formed entirely from compressed water and roaring steam. It coiled around Jakō once before raising its head toward the group.
Eden instinctively moved closer to Luna. "That’s huge..."
Luna could barely answer. "I’ve never seen anything like that."
Arthur’s expression became serious. "Guardian Shield."
Golden light expanded around the group, forming a massive dome just as the water dragon lunged.
Vedas immediately drove his spear into the ground. His own golden barrier spread across Arthur’s shield, layering over it. "I’ll reinforce it."
Arthur nodded. "Good."
The dragon opened its jaws.
Then it crashed into them.
BOOOOOOM!
The entire cavern shook.
Arthur’s boots scraped backward across the stone as the force of the impact pushed against the barrier. Vedas’s spear dug deeper into the ground, holding his position while torrents of steaming water spread across the outside of the shield.
Melo immediately released her illusions. Dozens of false figures scattered around the chamber, drawing the dragon’s attention in different directions.
For a moment, it worked.
The dragon tore through one illusion, then another, then another.
Melo smiled. "It’s following them."
The dragon suddenly stopped.
Its head turned.
Melo’s smile disappeared. "Oh."
The creature ignored the remaining illusions and turned back toward the real group.
"It figured them out already!" Athy shouted.
The dragon slammed into the barrier again. Arthur felt the shield buckle beneath the impact. "It’s stronger!"
Vedas pushed more energy into his barrier. "Then hold it!"
Arthur gritted his teeth. "I’m trying!"
Just as the barrier looked ready to give way, something warm spread through Arthur’s hand.
He looked down.
The Fire Mirror was glowing.
A deep orange light pulsed across its surface, followed by a wave of golden energy that traveled from the artifact into Arthur’s arm and then spread throughout the Guardian Shield.
The entire barrier brightened.
The next impact came.
But this time, the shield didn’t buckle.
Instead, the violent magical force pouring into it began disappearing. The boiling water striking the barrier evaporated in streams of steam while the energy behind the attack was drawn toward the Fire Mirror.
The Water Long Serpent Dragon suddenly pulled its head back. Its golden eyes widened.
"It eats magic?"
Jakō’s expression finally changed. He stared at the glowing Mirror in Arthur’s hand. "Interesting..." He raised his hand again.
The dragon responded by increasing the pressure. More water slammed into the barrier. More magic vanished into the Fire Mirror.
Athena stared in disbelief. "It’s absorbing the attack."
Athy’s eyes shone as she watched the energy flow. "And it’s feeding that energy back into the barrier."
Mithra looked toward Arthur. "Can it keep doing that?"
Arthur watched the Mirror grow brighter. "I don’t know."
Another wave struck.
The barrier bent, but held.
Arthur tightened his grip. "Apparently, it doesn’t want us to die yet."
Vedas laughed. "That’s reassuring."
Arthur didn’t answer Jakō. Instead, his attention shifted toward the cavern around them. He studied the damaged walls first, then the cracks running through the floor. Steam continued leaking from beneath the stone, but now that he was paying attention, he noticed something strange about it.
The steam wasn’t spreading randomly.
It was following specific paths.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed.
Jakō noticed the change in his expression. "What are you looking at?"
Arthur still didn’t answer.
He activated Reality Sight.
The world changed. Faint lines appeared throughout the cavern, spreading across the walls and floor like cracks in a piece of glass. Some were barely visible, while others glowed with a faint yellow light.
Arthur slowly turned his head. There were weak points everywhere. But one section beneath their feet looked different.
Arthur crouched and placed his hand against the stone. The surface felt solid. Yet Reality Sight showed something moving beneath it.
He focused harder.
The layers of stone seemed to become transparent.
Arthur’s eyes widened.
Beneath them was an enormous underground channel. Boiling water was rushing through it, mixed with steam and dense mana. The pressure was building as the current was forced through narrow passages beneath the cavern.
Arthur stared for several seconds.
Then he remembered the tremors.
The geysers.
The collapsing ceiling.
The Fire Mirror being removed from its place.
Everything suddenly connected.
"The Mirror wasn’t just sealed here."
Vedas looked toward him. "What do you mean?"
Arthur slowly stood. "It was stabilizing the cavern."
Athena’s expression changed. "The mana flow?"
Arthur nodded. "The entire underground system is becoming unstable now that the Mirror is gone."
Sun looked down nervously. "And there’s a lot of water beneath us?"
Arthur looked at him. "A lot."
Sun waited. "How much?"
Arthur glanced back at the ground. "Enough."
Sun’s expression fell. "I hate when you answer like that."
Arthur couldn’t help smiling. Then his eyes moved toward one of the glowing weak points beneath them.
An idea began forming.
Arthur turned toward Jakō and lifted the Fire Mirror. Its orange glow reflected across his face. "You want the Mirror?"
Jakō’s eyes locked onto it. "Give it to me."
Arthur smiled. "Then come get it."
Jakō moved.
Arthur brought Dusk down.
BOOM!
The spear smashed into the glowing weak point beneath them. Cracks raced across the floor before the entire section collapsed.
"Arthur!" Luna cried.
Everyone dropped.
Eden cried out as the floor vanished beneath her. Arthur immediately reached out and caught her. "I’ve got you!"
The group plunged into darkness.
Arthur activated [Guardian Shield], and golden light instantly surrounded them.
Then a torrent of steaming water swallowed the barrier.
Arthur expected the shield to be pushed aside.
Instead, something strange happened.
The steaming water touched the barrier and began devouring its magic.
Arthur’s eyes widened. "The water..."
The Fire Mirror suddenly blazed. Orange-gold light spread from the artifact and flowed throughout the Guardian Shield. The barrier stabilized, while the magical energy being consumed by the water disappeared into the Mirror.
Vedas stared. "It’s absorbing the attack?"
Arthur nodded slowly. "It’s not just strengthening the barrier."
Athena’s expression changed as she understood. "The water itself is consuming magic."
Another violent surge rushed past them.
The barrier held.
Then a roar echoed from above.
The Water Long Serpent Dragon descended into the collapsed passage with Jakō standing on its head.
"You won’t escape!" Jakō shouted.
The dragon dove after them.
Arthur looked upward. "He’s coming."
Vedas thrust his spear downward, reinforcing the Guardian Shield. "Then we’d better keep moving."
Suddenly, the steaming water erupted upward. A massive column surged between them and Jakō. The dragon twisted aside, and Jakō immediately punched through the rising water with a wave of magic.
The attack vanished the moment it touched the steaming current.
The Water Long Serpent Dragon’s eyes widened. "The water devoured it!"
Another surge erupted.
Jakō was forced backward.
Arthur watched with growing interest. "So even he can’t force his way through." The Fire Mirror shone brighter in his hand. Arthur grinned. "Looks like the cavern is helping us."
The current suddenly accelerated, dragging the group deeper into the underground passage while Jakō was forced to remain behind.
The impact nearly sent everyone crashing into one another inside the barrier. There was no time to process what had just happened, only the next violent turn of the current demanding their attention.
Luna grabbed Mithra’s arm while Eden struggled to stabilize herself in the violently spinning sphere. Arthur caught Eden before she slammed into the barrier wall. "I’ve got you!"
Eden clung to his arm. "Where are we going?!"
Arthur looked through the golden barrier at the raging current carrying them deeper into the earth. "Down!"
Sun grabbed Kong as the next twist sent them sideways. "I know that part!"
Kong’s feet slid across the barrier. "I don’t."
Sun stared at him. "You’re not helping!"
Vedas drove his spear downward, golden light spreading over the barrier as he fought to keep the sphere stable. "Everyone, hold on!"
The current suddenly threw them upward before dropping them again.
Melo’s five tails wrapped around herself as she tried to maintain her balance. "This is worse than the geysers!"
Mithra pulled Luna closer. "Just keep breathing. The barrier is holding."
Luna nodded, though her face had gone pale.
Athena gripped Aegis with both hands while Athy stayed close beside her. "Athy, stay near me!"
"I’m here!"
Sun looked around wildly as another current spun them sideways. "Does anyone actually know where we’re going?!"
Everyone’s eyes turned toward Arthur.
Arthur stared into the darkness ahead. "...Not yet."
Sun closed his eyes. "Great."
Kong grabbed the back of his shirt before the next turn could throw him across the barrier. "Stop complaining."
Sun looked at him. "You’re enjoying this?"
Kong shook his head. "No." He glanced toward the violent water outside. "But complaining won’t help."
Sun sighed. "...Fair."
The current twisted again, dragging the golden sphere through a narrow passage. The walls scraped against the outside of the barrier, sending sparks of golden light across its surface. For several seconds there was nothing ahead except darkness and rushing water.
Then the passage widened.
Arthur lifted his head.
Something was different.
A faint glow was visible in the distance. At first it was so weak that he wondered if it was simply reflected mana. Then it grew brighter, and nobody inside the barrier said a word, all of them watching the same point in the darkness as it slowly took shape.
Athy’s golden eyes widened. "Arthur..."
Athena leaned forward, staring through the water. "That’s light."
Luna slowly raised her head. "There shouldn’t be light down here."
Nobody answered.
The current accelerated. The distant glow continued growing until it became a clear opening in the darkness. Arthur tightened his grip around Dusk. The Fire Mirror shone warmly in his hand. Whatever lay beyond that light, it wasn’t another section of the same dark tunnel.
They were approaching something.
Arthur’s eyes brightened. "We’re getting somewhere."
The current surged.
The golden barrier shot toward the light, carrying everyone deeper into the unknown.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter