Flame Red Dragon Grashum

Zoldat's Thunder Squad had brought plenty of supplies, but the expedition was costing them plenty, too. Including their support staff, they numbered more than forty. They had only just formed the adventuring team and were still paying off their loans. They couldn't keep this up for long.

"Right. That's what I was about to say." Zoldat composed himself and looked at Cain, who stood beside Roxy with his arms folded.

"This labyrinth only has twenty-five floors, but from the twenty-third floor onward, the magic tool we use to measure Magic Power couldn't get an exact reading."

Everyone present except Cain drew a sharp breath.

"So we have no idea how strong this S-rank labyrinth boss is..."

Roxy tightened her grip on her staff and looked at Cain beside her.

"Yeah. I wonder whether our Sword God can handle a challenge like this."

Zoldat shot Cain, who had raised an eyebrow, a slightly smug look.

Even a Sword God Style Sword God would need help from his teammates in a situation like this. Zoldat couldn't wait to see Cain ask him for it.

But once they entered the labyrinth, Zoldat's eyes went wide. He felt he had still underestimated Cain...

Zoldat had been right about one thing: the final boss of Red Dragon's Grave was strong. Incredibly strong.

Flame Red Dragon Grashum was an S-rank skeletal dragon more than ten meters long, with roaring red flames coiling around its bones.

But it didn't matter. Cain drew his blade and struck with a Blade of Light, slicing the enormous dragon in two. It was no different from when he cut down the lesser monsters or the Red Dragons.

"Hey, hey. Are you serious?!"

Zoldat stared wide-eyed as Cain split the huge skeletal dragon in two with a single slash. The labyrinth's final guardian had fallen before it could even use a skill. His pupils trembled.

There's no way someone can be that far beyond me...

Boom! The massive dragon bones crashed to the ground. A cloud of dust rose amid an ear-splitting scrape that set Zoldat's teeth on edge, dragging him back to reality. The sight before him made him question his entire career as an adventurer.

Honestly, Zoldat had never seen a swordsman split something that big in two with a Tachi less than two meters long. Not once.

It was far more shocking than the time Cain had cut down a Red Dragon.

"That's a Sword God for you." Bruce lowered his head with a faint chuckle and smiled. He seemed to be getting used to sights like this.

"That was so cool! Nice work, Cain!"

Rina, Mia, and Fira cheered excitedly from the back.

What a foolish apprentice to be proud of.

Roxy let out a breath and smiled, warmth in her eyes. Her grip on her glowing staff relaxed a little.

"That didn't feel right..." Cain frowned at Instant Void in his hand, then looked toward the enormous skeleton on the ground.

It hadn't felt like cutting through bone. It had felt more like cutting through stone...

Why?

Just then, a red glow slowly appeared in the eye socket of Flame Red Dragon Grashum's severed skull!

"It's not over! Everyone, get back to a safe distance!"

Cain's brow furrowed. As he spoke, he drew his Tachi and unleashed two Ranged Blades of Light too fast to follow.

Swish! Swish! The huge dragon skull, already rising into the air, split into six pieces. Red lightning flashed between them, holding them together in a strange connection. Then the dragon's skeleton floated upward and rapidly reassembled with a piercing clatter.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Bruce looked up at the skeletal dragon's restored body, the corner of his mouth twitching hard.

Cain clicked his tongue. Monsters that could recover after being cut down really were a pain for swordsmen.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! His blade sang again and again. Cain's Blades of Light severed the dragon's wings and massive body, but the orange Dragon Jade in its chest gave off an eerie red glow, and it promptly restored itself.

Cain darted back.

Boom! A huge red Fireball blasted a hole nearly ten meters wide where he had just stood.

The violent shock wave forced everyone to raise their hands against the heat.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Cain knocked aside the flying stones with his sword, then dropped to one knee and drove the blade into the ground to brace against the blast. He slid back to the front of the group. Luckily, he had dodged quickly enough. Apart from some scorched clothing, he was unharmed.

"Frost Strike!"

Roxy's expression turned grave. Her staff lit up in both hands, and swish, swish, swish! Three enormous ice spikes shot out and slammed into the Flame Red Dragon. But the spell did little damage to Flame Red Dragon Grashum, merely denting the ribs across its chest.

"Damn it. I hate to say this, but if even your slashes aren't working, Cain, it must have absolute resistance to physical attacks or the ability to recover from them."

"Zoldat, you mean..."

Cain looked back at Zoldat's grim face.

"Yeah. We have to use magic, or..."

Boom! Another huge Fireball came hurtling down without warning toward the horrified group.

Blade of Light.

Cain narrowed his eyes and cut through the massive Fireball and the fire-breathing skeletal dragon behind it in a single stroke.

But although the Fireball had been split in two, its searing heat surrounded them.

"Water Wall!" Roxy, who had been ready, cast Intermediate-class Water Magic again. Two enormous walls of water rose in front of the group, blocking the remaining flames and heat as steam sprayed everywhere.

The giant skeletal dragon crashed to the ground in two halves once more. But its skull soon began to rise, wreathed in red lightning, and the rest of its massive body started to regenerate and knit together.

"Zoldat, you said magic can kill it, right?"

Cain frowned at the rapidly recovering dragon, his hand tight on his sword hilt, and turned to Zoldat for confirmation.

"Yeah. In theory. No monster in the world has absolute resistance to both physical attacks and magic."

"But with a beast that big, Roxy's Magic Power alone won't be enough. I doubt even draining every mage here would bring it down. What is it, Cain? Have you got an idea? Or maybe try attacking that gem in its chest."

"It's no use." Cain shook his head, watching the enormous skeletal dragon ahead with a grave look in his eyes.

"I tried that earlier. It repairs itself almost as soon as I cut it open."

"Damn it! If that's how it is, we'll have to retreat..." Zoldat clicked his tongue and slammed a fist against the ground in frustration.

"No. There's something I want to try..."

Cain turned to look at Roxy.

Roxy had just finished casting Water Magic and was breathing a little hard, but she noticed his gaze.

"What is it, Cain?"

"Teacher, could you lend me your staff?"

Roxy pressed her lips together, jogged over, and carefully placed her staff in Cain's hand.

"Take good care of it. Your teacher's staff is expensive."

"I will."

Flame Red Dragon Grashum looked down at the tiny humans on the ground and gathered another blazing Fireball in its mouth. This time, one of them held a staff and was pointing the pitifully small thing at it.

Flame Red Dragon Grashum recognized him. He was the formidable one who had cut it into pieces with his sword. If Grashum had fought him in its true body instead of this mirrored form, he probably would have killed it already.

Unfortunately for him, Grashum was in a mirrorlike state now. Physical attacks meant nothing to it. The Dragon Jade in its chest supplied the power to maintain the mirror image and rapidly repair its body.

You disturbed my slumber! Die!

Red light flared in Flame Red Dragon Grashum's eye sockets!

Boom! A huge Fireball burst from its open jaws and hurtled toward Cain in the center of the chamber.

"Water Cannon!"

Cain cast with Chantless Casting. Magic Power poured wildly into Roxy's staff, and an enormous sphere of water over ten meters across formed in an instant. It blasted forward and struck the Fireball!

Boom! The fire and water canceled each other out, filling the chamber with steam.