Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 159: The Ancient White-Fanged Dragon of Unchanging Might 3

Episode 159: The Ancient White-Fanged Dragon of Unchanging Might 3

“GRAOOOO!”

“([Replicant Form], [Shape-Fixing]!)”

The “Ancient King’s” back had jagged parts resembling saw teeth. It spun them rapidly, coming at me in a rolling slash. To block that, I extended my green spear and fixed its shape just in time. By aligning the tip with the saw teeth, I managed to greatly slow down its charge. 

Taking advantage of that opening, I sidestepped and shot a bolt of lightning. As usual, it was deflected by the scales, but I felt it. 

“(Alright, even if I can’t cut it, I can still reach its〔Soul Arche〕.)”

Increasing my use of the [Unique Skill] made me realize it was possible to kill it instantly. Though, it was like trying to plow an entire field with a single hoe—an extremely difficult task. 

“(Other beasts would weaken after getting hit by my lightning, but…)”

“GYUUAAAAAAAH!”

“(You’re not that easy, huh?)”

The “Ancient King” drove its long, sharp claws into the ground, shattering the surface of the Mana Crystal-laden earth. From all directions, stone blades burst forth. Though they didn’t bypass my defense, the impact was enough to throw me off balance. 

“GYUOOOGI!”

“([Super Jump]! [Shape-Fixing]! [Block]!)”

It followed up with a simple charge and a bite, tearing up the ground as it approached. I barely dodged the fangs, then braced for defense. Even though I avoided the teeth, completely dodging the massive body was near impossible. I was hit by its claws and sent flying. 

“(Ouch… lost about 50 |Life|. For now, it seems its output is higher.)”

Shape-fixing… [The Endless Cycle of Thunderous Rebirth] is still relatively new to me, and it can’t yet match the raw power of the “Ancient King’s” fangs. This time, I avoided direct contact with the teeth, so the damage was like getting pricked by a needle. But if I’d been bitten, it would’ve been much worse. 

“(In that case, there’s only one thing to do!)”

I fired off two or three lightning strikes as I gained altitude. I couldn’t afford to be hindered by those stone blades again. The “Ancient King” immediately flew up after me, trying to bite. I dodged widely. The bite had an area-of-effect expansion, so it wasn’t something I could just shrug off.

“(Not being able to see the bite marks in midair is kinda scary.)”

Up until now, the bite marks had always been crescent-shaped in front of the “Ancient King’s” face. In the air, though, I couldn’t double-check the range, so I had to stay alert. While thinking about this, I struck its exposed back with lightning. I’d already maneuvered behind it after dodging the bite. 

Although the “Ancient King” was highly maneuverable in the air, if I could get directly behind it, I should be able to attack freely for a while. At least, that’s what I thought—until I realized it wasn’t going to be that simple.

“GARURURROOOO!”

“(Whoa, that’s badass!)”

From the “Ancient King’s” back to its tail, it had a series of plate-like bones. They were much like those of a Stegosaurus and began to glow dark purple. The next moment, countless beams were fired from them. While the dark beams didn’t ignore defense, they were fast enough that I couldn’t dodge them all, and powerful enough to throw me off balance. The |Mana| cost must’ve been high, but it was a formidable attack.

“GUOOOOH!”

“(Damn, I’m so jealous of all the tricks you have!)”

Taking advantage of the brief moment I was stunned by the dark purple beams, the “Ancient King” turned and bared its fangs at me once more.

“(Well, you’re not the only one with tricks!)”

“GAHG!?”

Suddenly, the “Ancient King” choked. It had swallowed a triangular object—one of my drones. I’d hidden it in the air using [Mimicry]. If it was going to use its body’s special traits, I’d counter in kind.

“([The Endless Cycle of Thunderous Rebirth]!)”

“GGGOOOOO!”

With the “Ancient King” distracted, I slipped out of its attack path and activated my [Unique Skill]. Lightning began to leak out from the gaps between its clenched fangs. The drone could also emit lightning. Even though I couldn’t break its ‘Unchangeable’ defense from the inside, the fact that I had physical contact made it easier to deliver a fatal blow.

“([Lightning Strike]! [Lightning Strike]! [Lightning stri──)”

“GRAAA!”

“(Ouch, you bastard!)”

The drone inside had been caught by its tongue and crushed. The “Ancient King” possessed a [Skill] that forced objects to ‘Change’ at close range. It must have used that. Thankfully, the destroyed drone was revived using my stored |Life| reserves in [Storage]. But if I let this continue, those reserves would be depleted for no reason. Hastily, I activated shape-fixing. That stopped the forced ‘Change’, but it meant I had to keep channeling power into it, leaving no room to use my fatal lightning.

Escaping from its mouth seemed unlikely, and now I only had seven drones left.

“GUOOOOOO!”

“(Oh no, you’re not flying off that easily!)”

Just as the “Ancient King” was about to beat its wings to close the distance again, four of my hidden drones struck its wings.

The drones continued to quietly disrupt the “Ancient King’s” wings, causing it to lose its flight balance—just as I had experienced earlier on the ground. The “Ancient King” thrashed around for a bit, trying to swat the drones away. But as I kept attacking it from the side, it eventually gave up and turned its focus back toward me.

It charged. But thanks to the interference, its speed had slowed slightly. This gave me some breathing room, and I managed to maintain my distance while bombarding it with lightning from the drones. However, my movement suddenly stopped after flying a short distance. I had collided with one of those invisible pillars again.

“(Tch, not this again… but maybe—)”

“GRAAAA!”

“(—Crap, [Super Jump]!)”

Kicking off the air, I leaped to the side just in time to dodge its fangs. The “Ancient King”, oblivious to the invisible pillar, passed right through it, circled around, and came at me again. The distance between us rapidly closed, but using feints and the drones, I managed to create some space once more.

“(So, those pillars don’t affect the “Ancient King” itself? They didn’t budge when they stopped me, so they’re more likely a [Skill] than a physical structure.)”

It was as if the air itself was being made ‘Unchangeable’… but the activation conditions were still a mystery. If the “Ancient King” could summon them anywhere at any time, there would have been better opportunities to use them.

“(Hmm, maybe it’s a placement-type… something that needs to be set up in advance? [Sparkle Pluto]!)”

As I continued evading the “Ancient King’s” fierce attacks, I released magic bullets in all directions. They were weak, but I’d shortened the charge time to make up for that. The |Mana| bullets scattered, each taking a slightly different trajectory, sweeping the area like a wide net. With [Lock On Aim], I tracked the bullets’ movement and noticed some of them mysteriously vanishing.

“(Aha, heading into a dense area of them, huh? Let’s change course.)”

As I dodged a claw strike, I altered my direction, heading toward a section of the battlefield that still had trees—an area we hadn’t fought in yet. Based on the results of my magic bullet scan, I knew there were no invisible pillars there.

“(If my guess about it being a placement-type is right, it makes sense that there wouldn’t be any pillars in areas the “Ancient King” hasn’t reached. Now, about the placement conditions… hmm—)”

Suddenly, the “Ancient King’s” speed surged. It kicked off the air like it had used [Aerial Jump] or something similar.

“(You’ve been hiding that move?!?)”

The drones were left behind as the distance between us shrank in the blink of an eye. Taking a direct hit from its fangs would be disastrous. In a rush, I summoned a Mana Crystal shield. There wasn’t enough time to solidify its shape, so I kicked the shield away to push myself backward. A moment later, the “Ancient King’s” fangs pierced through the shield.

I barely managed to evade its relentless pursuit, and I noticed something peculiar—the crystal shield wasn’t falling. It was hanging in midair, as if pinned to the void.

“(Wait… is that what’s happening!?)”

Looking at the fang marks left in the crystal shield, a theory clicked in my mind.

“(Could it be that it’s using ‘Unchangeable’ on the air or space itself?)”

Having seen Paula’s magic many times, the idea came to me naturally. If the “Ancient King” was leaving bite marks in the air or space and preserving them as immovable barriers, then its strange behavior made perfect sense.

“(I see, I see… If that’s possible, then maybe I can…)”

As I unraveled the mystery behind the invisible barriers, I also found a potential breakthrough… a way to turn the tide of this battle.