Chapter 131 Do You Have A Plan?
[God's Remains Labyrinth] 45th Floor.
At the top of the volcano where Ignitor the Imperial Flame Dragon waits.
After overcoming the difficult journey, the party members, who had finally made it this far, tried to stop Aaron, who was about to head to the top of the volcano's crater area with an air of nonchalance, saying "Let's go" without any tension.
"Wait, please hold on, Lord of Extreme Sword!!"
"What's wrong?"
Aaron Gale, the Extreme Sword, turned around with a puzzled expression.
His attitude was unsettling, and anxiety began to build up.
Does he really know what he's doing? He's about to challenge the enemy, which was defeated by the legendary party led by the Sword Saint Logan, and has also defeated numerous expert explorers.
The only party with an official record of defeating Ignitor is that legendary party.
It's true that the Labyrinth Conquest Team also defeated Ignitor and broke through the 45th floor a few months ago, but even then, Aaron didn't defeat it alone, as far as they've heard.
To challenge such an opponent alone, his carefree attitude was unsettling.
Even as they progressed through the Dragon Mountain floor, they were reminded of the absurd strength of the Extreme Sword... but still, the idea of him defeating Ignitor alone was hard to believe.
"Lord of Extreme Sword... do you really plan to challenge Ignitor alone?"
"Ah, that's right... oh, or maybe you and your members want to fight too?"
He asked just in case, and got a response.
"Not at all!!"
The members shook their heads rapidly. Of course, they didn't want to fight.
Then, they tightened their expressions and said, "I think this is something that doesn't need to be asked, but..."
"Do you have a plan?"
"A plan...?"
"A plan to defeat Ignitor alone, of course."
Aaron must have thought he had to answer seriously. He turned his body towards the captains and nodded with a "hmm".
"I don't know...there's nothing special about it."
And he gave a careless response.
"What do you mean there's nothing?! You can't be serious?! Nothing at all?!"
"Well, let's just fight and see what happens...maybe something will work out."
"Are you kidding me, Lord of Extreme Sword?!"
The captain shouted in anger.
They couldn't believe that Aaron didn't have any strategy to defeat Ignitor. That's an extremely irresponsible idea.
Think about it. They're in the super-deep layer of the labyrinth, 45th floor.
If they can't defeat Ignitor and Aaron gets killed, the captains will have to retreat back to the 41st floor by themselves and use the teleportation circle to return to the surface.
But, surrounded by the dragon species, it'll be difficult for the captain to escape unscathed. They'll have to prepare for the worst-case scenario, where everyone dies or several people get killed.
Aaron should know that too.
Imagine this: Someone who is supposed to protect their lives is thinking about doing something really reckless and dangerous, like committing suicide, right at this important moment. Can you imagine how scared the leaders must be when they see this?
"Seriously, trying to take down the Ignitor alone is just crazy! We should go back to 41st floor!"
Of course, the captain tried to convince him.
But Aaron replied, "No, it's fine. Really, it’s all good," in a carefree tone.
"Just... trust me, okay?"
He smiled to reassure them, looking completely calm and confident.
(Trust me...)
That phrase reminded the captain of a moment before they fought the Ice Elemental Treant on 40th floor.
Aaron, who was so kind and loving――Saint Aaron――had told them, "Please, trust me."
The Aaron from then and the Aaron now may have some differences in personality, but he was definitely the same person. So, after thinking this through, the captain came to a conclusion.
"――No, there's no way I can trust you!!"
"Huh?"
"You're saying that even at around 40th floors, it ultimately didn't work out, right?!!"
The captain thought about it really carefully, but they couldn't find a reason to believe it.
To the captain who is adamantly opposed, but Aaron says.
"Well, I did defeat Ignitor alone once..."
At this, the captain couldn't help but tilt his head. Did something like that really happen? At least, as far as "Dark Crow" had investigated, there was no record of such a fact.
"...When was that?"
"It was during the Stampede."
"――Ah."
The captain was finally reminded.
Come to think of it, the guy in front of him was ≪Extreme Sword≫. That nickname was originally given to someone who had defeated Ignitor, the "core" of the Stampede, alone or with a small group.
And according to Kirke's official announcement, ≪Extreme Sword≫ referred to Aaron Gale alone.
"Hmmph..."
The Ignitor that appeared on the surface was weaker compared to the one fighting in the volcano. However, ≪Extreme Sword≫ didn't just defeat Ignitor during the Stampede. He had fought against Nord, Lich or their subordinates.
If that's the case, it might not be a lie that one person could take down the Volcano Ignitor.
"...I understand. But, Lord of Extreme Sword."
The captain allowed Aaron to challenge the Ignitor. However, they made sure to give him a warning.
"If you think you can't win, please don’t push yourself too hard and retreat, okay?"
"Got it."
Nodding easily, Aaron turned back and headed toward the volcano's crater area where the Ignitor was waiting.
"I'm so anxious..."
The captain and the others could only watch him with worry in their eyes.
* * *
Just before the crater area.
I paused just one step away from the invisible boundary where the Ignitor would appear from the magma.
I stored the Black Radiance, still in its scabbard, in the Storage Ring and drew out the "Silver" to hold in my right hand.
"Well, I suppose I should take off my clothes, just in case?"
Then, I suddenly grasped the collar of my jacket with my left hand.
Depending on the situation, I might need to be completely naked. In that case, it's essential to take off my clothes beforehand so I don't damage them unnecessarily.
However... I reconsidered.
"No, I don't think I need to go that far..."
I released my grip on the collar.
Ignitor is a formidable foe. Its Dragon Scale armor is incredibly resilient, and its magical energy is scattered all over. Its attribute synchronization ability can instantly heal most wounds, and its regeneration ability is unparalleled. Each of its massive blows is a guaranteed kill, and its Flame magic is so powerful it surpasses even an advanced fire magician's magic, not to mention its enormous scale.
Plus, I can't forget about the nuisance of its flight ability. If I don't have a countermeasure, I'll lose my chance of winning as soon as it takes to the skies. Its powerful Dragon Breath will erase everything in its path.
But――
I raised my right hand, holding "Silver", and poured my aura into it.
Unlike "Black Radiance", which can quickly and precisely inject a massive amount of aura, "Silver" can't withstand my ultimate technique.
Hummm!!
A bell-like sound rang out immediately.
While "Silver" isn't a sword that can withstand my ultimate technique like "Black-White", its aura capacity is superior to "Black Radiance" due to its high-quality materials.
Furthermore...
"Now that I have Silver, I can use it and discard it if I need to."
Back when I first completed "Silver" and challenged Ignitor as part of the Labyrinth Conquest Team, I only had one, so I couldn't afford to use it and throw it away.
However, now that I think about it, the "Ice Elemental Treant's Core Wood" is relatively easy to obtain, so I have the option to use "Silver" as a disposable material. In fact, I have stored a few "Silver" in my Storage Ring as spares, just in case something happens.
On top of that, I've grown stronger since the last time I fell.
I'm confident I can take down the Ignitor of the volcano, even if I'm alone. And that's without relying on my last resort, [Chaos Strength]. In fact, I think I can handle it without even breaking a sweat. I mean, in terms of raw power, I'm far stronger than the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫.
"Well, let's give it a shot then!"
So, I took a carefree step forward, crossing the invisible boundary line.
In an instant, the ground at the edge of the volcanic crater, further ahead, began to rise as magma erupted from the earth.
From the midst of the scorching magma, Ignitor the Imperial Flame Dragon emerged――.
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