"Can this even be called fighting?"
Daphne, who had never encountered such a scene in the Dungeon before, stared blankly into the distance at her captain, Ron, who was currently injuring himself.
Her mouth hung open, yet she had no idea what to complain about.
And the most bizarre thing of all… was the calm reaction of fellow familia member Yamato Mikoto, as if Ron's behavior was, in her eyes, something utterly ordinary.
"Um…"
"You'll get used to it."
Seemingly guessing what Daphne was thinking, the black-haired girl suddenly felt a sense of veteran pride. She kept her tone as flat as possible, because the peculiarities Ron possessed… were not limited to his insane fighting style.
Rather, it was that method of revival—something Mikoto still couldn't make sense of even now. As if preparing her mentally in advance, she added casually, "Because there's something even more absurd."
"?!"
What did she mean, something even more absurd?
But Mikoto gave her no chance to press further. After a brief explanation, she sheathed her katana and fixed her gaze intently on the ancient dragon.
Even a greatsword couldn't break through its defenses.
Forcing Ron to resort to a life-for-damage exchange like this, she quickly realized that in this battle, she could only assist through magic.
She murmured softly: "I respectfully speak to you, my War God that can break through any thing, lead me from the precious heaven. Give my petty body divine power of your grand body. Rescue them light of purification, sword of crushing evil. Sweep sword of suppression, sacred sword of conquest. It arrives here now by my order. Descend from heaven, rule the earth - shinbu tousei."
As the chant concluded, magic power gathered continuously between Mikoto's hands. A deep violet glow shone brilliantly as she expanded the spell's area to cover the dragon ahead.
In an instant, a massive purple sword formed from magic lightly touched the ground, and a hexagram pattern spread across the surface, directly enveloping Lansseax.
The already overwhelming effect of the spell
became even more exaggerated after her adventurer level rose to Lv.3. The ancient dragon, whose movements had been extremely swift, now found even the motion of its claws gradually slowing.
Beneath the enormous creature, the ground began to fracture visibly, forming spiderweb-like cracks.
"…"
Compared to the War Game some time ago, Daphne had thought she had gained a basic understanding of her companions' strength—but now, it seemed she had been completely wrong.
So… this was the true strength of the Hestia Familia?
She didn't want to just stand by and do nothing in this battle—at the very least, she wanted to contribute to the team. But the gap in strength made it impossible for her to intervene at all.
After all, her close friend Cassandra… at least possessed healing magic and could act as support.
But what about herself?
Daphne looked toward the distance ahead.
Ron had already pulled the two short swords out of his abdomen. Perhaps due to absorbing blood, those weapons now emitted a sinister crimson glow.
Then, like a cannonball, he shot forward toward the ancient dragon, launching a fierce assault.
Compared to his initial probing against the Floor Boss, once he truly committed to battle, the speed Ron unleashed was terrifying.
Even under Mikoto's gravity magic, Futsunomitama, his speed showed no sign of decreasing. Instead, the pain stimulating his body caused his adrenaline to surge, keeping his mind in a state of extreme focus.
'Even if it's just scratching you…'
'I'll still scrape you to death, little by little!'
That was Ron's current mindset.
Given the ever-increasing difficulty of this Soulslike Dungeon, encountering a normal Floor Boss and defeating it step by step to earn a great feat… was completely impossible for him now.
Everything was hell difficulty.
Just within the connected layer of the "First Deathline," encountering an ancient dragon like Lansseax—he didn't even dare imagine how difficult future exploration would become.
So he had to cherish every opportunity to earn a great feat!
Most importantly, after raising the "Tarnished" template to Lv.3, the enhancement it brought was access to equipment that simply shouldn't exist in the DanMachi world:
A Sacred Seal.
An indispensable item for casting incantations.
'If I can obtain the incantation Ash of War from the ancient dragon Lansseax, I can't even imagine how much it would boost my strength…'
With that thought, Ron stepped directly into the gravity field of Futsunomitama. The most immediate sensation was that his internal organs were being compressed and shifted under the pressure.
Even his bones began to creak under the influence of the magic.
Crack.
But you're right.
What Souls players are best at—is adapting to the environment!
The mountain-like body of the ancient dragon Lansseax was likewise subjected to the pressure of the gravity field, even restricting its ability to fly.
An epic-level debuff.
A dragon that couldn't fly was the perfect target.
Gradually adapting to the discomfort of the high-gravity environment, Ron gritted his teeth and decisively charged toward the distant Floor Boss, whose movements had slowed.
He didn't rely on technique.
Instead, he entrusted his combat method entirely to the abnormal bleed effect granted by Combat Art: Seppuku.
Shhk—
With each swing of his blade, only fleeting flashes of sword light could be seen, but the damage inflicted on the monster was real—sharp edges slicing through the dragon's scales.
Thanks to the mobility he had gained after adapting, Ron's attack frequency was extremely high. Each strike left small wounds on Lansseax's body—none fatal in the short term.
But the bleed effect attached to his attacks effectively suppressed the dragon's powerful regenerative ability. As countless wounds were torn open by the short swords, blood began to gush out continuously.
Bit by bit—given enough time, even ants could gnaw an elephant to death!
Not to mention, with two uses of Revival, Ron had a massive margin for error and had no fear of death at all.
"ROAR!!"
As Lansseax roared, the accumulating pain turned its crimson eyes into pure fury at being provoked by what it saw as an insect. Enduring the gravity magic,
the ancient dragon slowly rose.
The red lightning that had once flickered along its spine suddenly became restrained. Raising its sharp claw high, it began to guide the energy—the lightning that had previously dissipated now gradually gathered into its claw. The once chaotic red arcs stabilized, ultimately forming a sharp weapon—a lightning-and-fire sword.
A violently oppressive aura
instantly filled the arena. It had abandoned any intention of tormenting the adventurers—it only wanted to tear them all apart.
A deafening roar surged with immense power. Yet just as Lansseax prepared to strike again, Ron made no attempt to evade.
Instead, he stepped onto the Floor Boss's body, relying purely on his raw stats to ignore the effects of Futsunomitama's gravity magic, launching a rapid assault toward the dragon's relatively vulnerable abdomen.
But before Ron could savor the battle—what followed immediately was the crimson lightning greatsword, condensed in Lansseax's claw, being hurled directly toward him.
And—a fully covering barrage of deathly lightning strikes, unleashed through the shattered ground!
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