Volume 5 Chapter 41 Horace VS Oboroas
Probably, anyone living in this world would feel like they're in a 'Dungeon Boss Room.'
A space made of strange-colored iron, shaped like a dome with a diameter of ten kilometers.
There... Horace, Nousa, Ginji, Artia, and Lucibes were teleported.
"This place is..."
'You've come, descendant of the Glasha family.'
"!"
In the center of the room, magic power began to gather. It formed the shape of a huge dragon... transforming into an entity with pitch-black scales. Its sharp gaze pierced through, and the other four, except Horace, shuddered.
"...This is a form I haven't seen around here."
Ginji muttered. When people hear 'dragon' in this world, they usually imagine a large body with arms, legs, huge wings, and a long tail.
But what stood before them looked almost like a snake.
'Is it rare in this era? It was quite common in the past.'
"In the past... you mean, before the 'Five Divine Gods Era'?"
'Exactly. Before the Five Divine Gods appeared 2,000 years ago. They were very common back then.'
"...I see."
Horace nodded.
"So... who are you?"
'You already know, don't you?'
"...Skyscraper Dragon Oboroas. The same color as when I saw that building from the outside."
'Hehe, this is my inner world, and the trial left behind by the founder of the Glasha family.'
"A trial?"
'To fully unleash the power of the magic sword Duran, that sheath is necessary. I am the guardian of that sheath──'
"Not a human, but a dragon, right?"
'...I am a guardian dragon!'
Though Nousa interrupted with unnecessary remarks, causing the atmosphere to crumble, Oboroas calmly corrected himself.
"...Nou-Nou, you don't hold back."
"There's no reason to hold back... and besides, there's no reason we were brought here. It would've been fine if only my brother had been teleported here, so this is kind of like a fee for the trouble."
'I didn't create the system, though...'
Having stopped pretending to be dignified, Oboroas's tone became very casual.
"...So, the guardian dragon thing doesn't matter much."
'How cruel...'
"So what should we do? Should we fight you and defeat you?"
'To defeat... huh.'
Oboroas thought for a moment....
'If you can, then go ahead. Even if I am defeated, I will revive again. After you place the sheath in that location, if anyone other than you touches the sheath, they will teleport here. That's just how the system works.'
"I see."
Horace nodded and pulled out the magic sword, Doran, from his Item Box.
"Then, I'll defeat you."
'Try it.'
The next moment, a breath was released from Oboroas's mouth, and Horace shot magical power with a thrust.
They collided and exploded.
'Heh, armor and flasks. You seem to have gathered powerful things, but you still don't understand much about that sword.'
"I came here to understand it, so of course I don't."
Horace leaped. He created a foothold in mid-air with magic and quickly ascended, closing the distance.
'I see, indeed.'
He released a breath from his mouth. It transformed into multiple fireballs, which pursued and attacked Horace.
"This is a real hassle."
He swung the magic sword, cutting down the fireballs one by one.
'Heh heh.'
He released another breath. This time, it took the form of a laser.
"Tch, take this!"
He swung down from above. With that alone, the air seemed to split, and the laser was cleaved in two.
'Ho, nice. You really handled that well.'
"If you can't do at least that, you can't kill a god."
'That's true.'
"By the way... is your only attack the breath from your mouth?"
'I don't have arms, legs, or wings.'
"Then how are you flying?"
'Are you really asking that while standing in mid-air, like a human?'
"Ah... my bad."
Oboroas, seemingly enjoying himself, released various breaths, while Horace dodged and deflected them.
'Well, if you want the answer, you're right. It's all about the breath. I am a base, after all, and it's assumed that I don't move. If I'm going to be a stationary turret in the form of a dragon, my methods of attack are limited.'
"I see. That's why you have so many troublesome breaths."
Horace's knowledge and experience in combat were considerable.
Having studied history, he had also developed insight into past battles, and based on that, he had many combat methods at his disposal.
From Horace's perspective, there is more to the 'troublesome breath' than meets the eye.
He has transformed his body into a golem, far surpassing the physical abilities and reflexes of an ordinary human. Considering that he has not landed a single attack while merely 'dealing with the breath,' it can be said that he is 'anomalous' in his battles.
Horace has faced numerous beings, but Oboroas's fighting style is, for now, not 'fierce.' However, what Horace can recognize and understand is uncertain. While speculating on those, he is adding tricks to his attacks.
That is precisely why Horace refers to him as 'troublesome.' In other words, Oboroas can be said to be 'playing around.'
In the first place, Horace possesses a combat armor golem called 'Deus Ex Machina' and continues to make improvements. So, it is undeniable that he has shaped his body to be 'suitable for handling golems.'
Compared to Horace's full power, the current level of his abilities is at a level he cannot even begin to gauge.
However, if one considers it a trial to obtain the 'sword sheath,' by deriving an answer to the 'question' that Oboroas poses in this battle, he should be able to understand something about the magic sword Doran.
As for Horace, with such an intention, he is fighting with only the magic sword Doran, without using Deus or the flask.
Is such a Horace 'easy to understand'?
Has he seen ancestors similar to such a Horace before?
'Hehe, good, good. Think more. Let your thoughts circulate more.'
Oboroas does not say 'give it your all.' If he wanted to say to give it your all, he would attack fiercely, not 'troublesomely.'
It is certain that Oboroas's means of combat will mainly involve breath. Whether it is troublesome or fierce, that does not change.
"...There is still something. What on earth is it?"
The magic sword Duran, when handled normally, is 'a very sturdy and sharp sword.' Laris Glasha had declared this sword to be 'indestructible,' so its sturdiness is likely at a level that defies intuition.
As a function, it can enhance the specifications of the magic sword Duran by absorbing the weapons of allies around it as 'enhancement items.'
However... it only smells like a 'vessel (hard).' What is contained within it? As for the 'contents (soft),' Horace still cannot see.
If he were to make a guess even now, using Deus or a flask in this state, whether they can win against Oboroas would not be an absolute 'no.'
He wouldn't say they can definitely win, but at least Horace would not feel any crisis or despair.
However, that is not enough.
"...Tch."
If it is not unraveled, there is 'no meaning in coming here.'
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