Flame Red Dragon Grashum

Although Zoldat's Thunder Squad had brought ample supplies for this expedition, the expenses had been considerable as well. Including the logistics personnel, this newly formed adventurer team of over forty people was still paying off loans and could not keep this up for long.

"Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to talk about next." Zoldat's expression turned serious as he looked at Cain, who stood beside Roxy with his arms folded.

"Although this dungeon only has twenty-five floors, ever since the twenty-third floor, the magical tools used to measure mana have been unable to determine the exact amount."

Everyone present except Cain sucked in a breath.

"So the strength of this S-rank dungeon boss is unknown..."

Roxy tightened her grip slightly around her staff and looked at Cain beside her.

"Ah, I wonder whether our Sword God can handle such a challenge."

Zoldat glanced somewhat smugly at Cain, who raised an eyebrow.

Even a Sword God of the Sword God Style would need his teammates' help in this situation, right? He was really looking forward to seeing Cain's expression when he asked him for help.

But once they entered the dungeon, Zoldat's eyes widened. He felt that he had still underestimated Cain...

Zoldat had been right. The final boss of Red Dragon's Grave was powerful—extremely powerful.

It was a massive skeletal dragon named the S-rank Flame Red Dragon Grashum. It was over ten meters long, and crimson flames blazed fiercely around its bones.

But it was useless. The moment Cain drew his blade, he unleashed a Blade of Light and cleaved the ten-meter skeletal dragon in half. There was no difference at all from when he cut down ordinary monsters or Red Dragons.

"Hey, hey, are you serious?!"

Zoldat stared wide-eyed as Cain split the enormous skeletal dragon in two with a single strike. The dungeon's final guardian boss had fallen before it could even use a skill, and Zoldat's pupils trembled violently.

The gap in this world couldn't possibly be this vast...

Boom! The gigantic dragon-bone wreckage crashed into the ground. Amid a cloud of dust came a piercing, teeth-grinding shriek that dragged Zoldat back to reality. He came to his senses and looked at the scene before him, almost doubting his entire career as an adventurer.

To be honest, Zoldat had never seen a swordsman who could split something that massive in half with a katana less than two meters long. Not even one.

This was far more shocking than when Cain had slain that Red Dragon.

"As expected of the Sword God." Bruce lowered his head and gave a soft snort, smiling faintly as though he had already grown somewhat used to such scenes.

"That was so cool! Great job, Cain!"

Rina, Mia, and Fira cheered excitedly from behind.

What a prideful idiot of a disciple.

Roxy let out a breath and smiled, warmth filling her eyes. The glowing staff in her hand lowered slightly as well.

"The feel was wrong..." Cain looked at the katana Instant Void in his hand and frowned slightly as he looked toward the enormous skeleton lying on the ground.

It had not felt like he had cut through bone. It had felt more like cutting through stone...

Why?

At that moment, a red glow slowly began to shine from the eye sockets of Flame Red Dragon Grashum's massive severed head!

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

Cain frowned slightly. As he spoke, he drew his katana and fired two invisible Ranged Blades of Light.

Slash! Slash! The massive dragon skull that had begun to rise was cut into six pieces, yet red lightning flashed between them, maintaining a bizarre connection. Then the dragon's skeleton floated into the air and rapidly reassembled amid ear-piercing clattering.

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

Cain clicked his tongue. Monsters that could regenerate even after being cut to death really were troublesome for swordsmen.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! The sound of ringing blades continued as Cain's Blades of Light severed the dragon's wings and massive body once again. But soon, an eerie red light flared from the orange jewel in the skeletal dragon's chest, and it returned to normal.

Cain flashed backward.

Boom! A huge red Fireball blasted a crater nearly ten meters wide where Cain had just been standing.

The violent blast wave forced everyone to shield their faces against the scorching heat.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Cain knocked away the flying stones with his sword, then dropped to one knee and drove his blade into the ground to withstand the impact. He slid back to the front of the team. Fortunately, he had dodged quickly. Apart from his clothes being slightly scorched, he was unharmed.

Frost Strike!

Roxy's expression turned grave as the staff she gripped with both hands lit up. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Three enormous ice spikes shot forth and slammed into the Flame Red Dragon. However, magic of that strength could do little damage to Flame Red Dragon Grashum, only denting the ribs in its chest.

"Damn it. I hate to say this, but if even your slashes are ineffective, Cain, then it must possess either absolute resistance to physical attacks or an incredible regenerative ability."

"Zoldat, you mean..."

Cain looked at the grave-faced Zoldat behind him.

"Yeah, we'll have to use magic, or..."

Boom! Another massive Fireball with no charge-up came hurtling toward the terrified group below.

Blade of Light.

Cain narrowed his eyes and slashed the huge Fireball, along with the giant skeletal dragon spewing it, into two halves.

But although the Fireball had been split in half, the searing heat still engulfed everyone.

Water Wall! Roxy, who had been prepared all along, cast an intermediate water spell once more. Two enormous walls of water rose before the team, separating them from the remaining flames and heat as water vapor scattered everywhere.

The enormous skeletal dragon crashed to the ground in two halves again, but its skull soon rose slowly amid red lightning. Immediately afterward, the skeletal dragon's massive body began to regenerate and fuse back together.

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

Cain frowned slightly as he watched the skeletal dragon rapidly recover. His hand clenched around the sword hilt as he turned to Zoldat for confirmation.

"Yeah, theoretically, that should be the case. There can't be a monster in this world with both absolute physical resistance and absolute magic resistance."

"But with Roxy's mana alone, against a magical beast this huge, even draining the mana of every mage here probably won't bring it down. What is it, Cain? Do you have an idea? Why not try attacking that jewel on its chest?"

"That won't work." Cain shook his head, a trace of gravity in his eyes as he watched the skeletal dragon, which stood over ten meters tall.

"I already tried that. Even if I cut it open, it recovers immediately."

"Damn it! If that's the case, then we can only retreat..." Zoldat clicked his tongue, punched the ground hard, and spoke unwillingly.

"No, there's something I want to try..."

As Cain spoke, he turned back to look at Roxy.

Roxy, who was slightly out of breath after casting water magic, noticed Cain's gaze as well.

"What is it, Cain?"

"Teacher, please lend me your staff."

Roxy pressed her lips together, then jogged over to Cain and carefully placed her magic staff in his hand.

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

"Don't worry."

Flame Red Dragon Grashum looked down at the tiny humans on the ground and gathered another scorching Fireball in its mouth. This time, however, one of them was holding a staff and aiming that pitifully tiny thing at it.

Flame Red Dragon Grashum recognized him. He was the powerful one who had cut it into several pieces with his blade earlier. If it had fought him in its true body rather than through a mirror image, it probably would have been killed long ago.

But unfortunately, it was now in a state similar to a mirror image. Physical attacks were meaningless against it. The Dragon Jade in its chest provided the power to sustain the mirror image and rapidly repair its body.

Intruders who disturbed the sleeper! Die!

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

Boom! A massive Fireball surged from its gaping mouth and shot fiercely toward Cain at the center of the chamber.

Water Cannon!

Cain decisively used Chantless Casting. Mana poured wildly into Roxy's staff, and in an instant, a gigantic sphere of water over ten meters in diameter rapidly formed and blasted forth, crashing into the Fireball!

With a boom, the Fireball and water vapor canceled each other out, and steam filled the air.