Danmachi: A Mage's Journey

Chapter 292: The Greatest Evil

The dungeon abyss that overturned the common sense of the group made Lyra tremble all over.

Alise, who was carefully scanning the floor around them, nodded slowly. "That means the enemy's firepower is at least equal to that of monsters below the 50th floor, right? I'm afraid that even I, who carry the alias Scarlet Harnel, will be burned to ashes."

"Why do you look so proud, Alise?" Seeing Alise pat her chest smugly with one hand, Akira couldn't help but complain.

Lyra and the others felt their knees weaken, while Ais only looked puzzled.

Akira wondered whether it was good or bad that such lightheartedness eased the atmosphere of fear. Shaking his head, he worried over the tension.

Although the air seemed a little more relaxed, Ryuu still spoke seriously, "Enough of that. Pay attention to Riveria-sama's instructions and set up the formation."

"Understood."

Everyone agreed to focus back on the upcoming battle.

About ten minutes passed.

Boom!!!

The strongest bombardment yet erupted from far below.

"The bombardment from below!? It's so intense!"

"It's coming!"

Kaguya, who managed to keep her footing, barely got the words out before they were swallowed by another violent blast.

BOOM!

Like a waterfall flowing in reverse, blazing fire spewed upward from the floor to the ceiling.

"The whole ground is—!"

Feeling the scorching heat wave rushing toward them, Ais quickly raised her arms to shield her face. In the next instant, a barrier of cold air shot up, shielding everyone from the blast.

"Damn it! Where did this volcano come from!?"

The enormous central tree of the 18th floor was engulfed in flame, collapsing and vanishing without a trace.

"A giant hole has been dug in the middle of the floor!"

Its diameter stretched about thirty meters across.

The bombardment tore through the entire floor, the ground trembling on the verge of collapse, as if heralding the arrival of a devastating earthquake. The vertical pit carved into the dungeon was a sight so spectacular that even the hardened adventurers stood in awe.

"Not good! It's finally—!"

"Here comes the greatest evil."

Ryuu's anxious words were followed by Akira's calm declaration.

Immediately after, accompanied by scarlet flames that shook the air three times, a massive black shadow rose from the pit. And with it came the roar of the end.

"ROOOOAR!!"

The monstrous sound echoed across every corner of the floor, forcing the adventurers to cover their ears.

The colossal figure hovered in midair, dark particles falling like ash from its twisted wings.

"So this is the greatest evil summoned by the evil god?"

"It's terrifying and so hideous I almost vomited. I've never seen anything like it before."

"It looks like... a winged snake? No, a dragon!? But how can a creature that huge even fly!?"

Alicia, Kaguya, and Akira each reacted with shock, disgust, and disbelief as they took in the monstrous sight.

It had curved horns atop its head, a bloody maw, and a dragon's visage that resembled a demon's mask.

Its body, though massive, was disturbingly thin, with long, slender fore and hind legs, an unholy mix of man, serpent, and beast.

Weird and messy, that was everyone's first impression.

Though a stretch, its appearance could still be called "dragon-like." After all, before them stood a mighty dragon species, one that ruled at the very peak of monsterkind.

"As expected of a monster forged to hunt gods themselves... hideous to the core."

Akira whispered as the Greatest Evil fixed its gaze upon the adventurers.

At that moment, it's pupils contracted sharply, swallowing all vigilance around it.

The next second, the twisted black beast opened its massive jaws, unleashing a roar that tore the air apart.

"ROOOOAAAARRR!!!"

The sound shook the dungeon itself. The earth vibrated, stones rattled, and adventurers turned pale, clutching their ears in pain.

Akira scowled as its vast wings, striped in sickly purple, beat violently, churning sulfur-stinking gusts across the floor.

The monster surged upward, carving a black arc through the air. Then, its abdomen blazed with crimson light, its dragon breath was charging.

"Here it comes, be careful!"

Even as he warned the others, Akira thrust out his hand. Magic surged, and a towering ice wall erupted before them, bracing against the incoming fire.

BOOOOM!!!

The dragon breath smashed into the wall, shaking the entire chamber.

Red flames coiled like monstrous serpents, devouring the ice barrier. In the storm of white mist, shards of ice flew like glass in a hurricane.

The wall buckled, melted, and cracked, water dripping only to hiss into smoke upon the searing ground.

As the shield threatened to shatter, Riveria lifted her wand and began her chant.

"Assemble, breath of the land - my name is Alf!"

A soft emerald veil enveloped every adventurer. Riveria's magic fused with Akira's wall, repelling the flames at last.

When the inferno ceased, sparks still crackled from the dragon's jagged maw. Its hateful eyes glared down at its defiant prey.

At that moment—

From the shattered entrance, through a storm of sparks, a woman stepped into the burning 18th floor. Dressed in obsidian-black robes, she carried with her not fire, but silence, an icy stillness more suffocating than flame.

She shook her gray hair lightly, her cold gaze sweeping the battlefield. "It seems I am not late. I've arrived in time to witness a fine spectacle."

Alfia's expression was calm, untouched by the chaos. To her, this infernal scene was no different than the deep floors of the dungeon, something she had seen countless times before.

Tilting her chin ever so slightly, she fixed her eyes on Akira's group. "I hope you don't disappoint me and that the noise of humanity can be returned to silence."

Back at Akira's side, his comrades were already drenched in sweat.

Although the appearance of the Greatest Evil had caused the floor's temperature to rise sharply, that was not the only reason for the suffocating heat. The repeated bombardment of hellfire shells, tearing through rock and shattering the earth, weighed heavily on Alise and the others, pressing their nerves to the breaking point.

"Damn it! They're attacking without even distinguishing between friend and foe. At this rate, with this kind of destructive power, forget just a hole, the entire floor might collapse."

"It seems we can't afford to sit back and watch and who knows what's coming next? We have to end this quickly!"

As Gareth and Riveria kept their eyes fixed on the soaring dragon, their expressions clouded with uncertainty.

The scorching gusts swept sparks aside and bent the heat waves, and while the Greatest Evil glared down on everyone, Ais' eyes cut through it, piercing into something far deeper.

Her small hands, clutching her blade, trembled violently. The innocent, doll-like face that once carried a hint of childish purity now twisted with ferocity.

'That is...'

'That is the one!'

It was as though the very sight of this monstrous dragon overlapped with the black dragon of her past. Ordinary dragons were nothing, but the sheer magnitude of the Greatest Evil made the image of that hated enemy resurface, searing itself into her heart.

The carefully composed mask Ais wore cracked apart, baring raw hatred and murderous intent. Her vision wavered, flashing with stormlight.

Her magic surged forth—wild, uncontrollable. Her heartbeat, pounding violently against her chest, became the trigger.

She, "Tempest!"

The storm within her burst open.

"Attack!!!" Her voice split the air, maximizing every ounce of her power.

The wind exploded violently, coiling into a spiraling, blackened storm.

Golden hair whipped about in the raging gale as she became a storm given flesh, hurling herself toward the dragon.

"Ais?!"

Akira, Alise, and the others shouted in disbelief.