“Okay Elandris, this is it! We have to use everything or we will die.”


    Even though he too knew it all too well, I loudly declared. Maybe doing that would make things easier when Morrigan and the others answer my call and comes here. Due to how dungeons worked until a dungeon recovered after being conquered, gates stayed on with no monsters. This allowed one to come without having to clear if that floor had already been cleared. Even with that, I doubted Morrigan could come quickly as the dungeon terrain was hard to travel.


    Until then we had to fight against this thing. It was still bound with Elandris’s roots while he bombarded it with arrows. His arrows behaved more like cannons at this point, impacting blunt trauma to the hydra unlike his sharp and precise shots earlier. I couldn’t figure it out how he did it but they were effective. They tore scales off the creature when they hit it and clearly impacted in a greater area than their size suggested. Unfortunately, the creature regenerated lost tissue in seconds because, of course, it did. Worse, the bug-looking head spewed a purple liquid that melted off the roots binding them. Thankfully, the orca head didn’t seem to have elemental abilities as it tried to chew off the roots unsuccessfully though I wasn’t sure.


    I noticed that green head was getting ready to fire another lightning strike. I gritted my teeth, channeling mana into my hammer for a powerful strike. G?kb?rü covered my hammer with ice, increasing its weight and destructive capability. I chucked my hammer into the green head, the massive hammer spinning into the air before hitting it. Its head snapped back violently due to impact, its teeth as tall as me flying everywhere.


    “Elandris, wear these!”


    I threw Crown of Storm Beast and Thunderhoof Hide Cloak to Elandris. Both of them granted user lightning resistance and Crown had the ability to absorb lightning and turn it into mana. I couldn’t use them as my Spark already projected an armor to my body but Elandris could. I summoned Requiem for Unfinished Dreams as it was the best weapon I had. While using Nidhogg’s Reckoning Blade passed my mind, I doubted it would be effective on something born due to Nidhogg.


    The hydra was able to break free of its bindings and started to head toward us. I really wish I had my shield with me but I had to leave it when I shadow walked. Carrying something that size and weight probably makes my already not-very-reliable shadow walk impossible.


    Borrowing G?kb?rü’s Regeneration, Combat Instinct, and Abnormal Status Resistance, I charged forward. I would like to use Enhanced Senses too but not only I could only borrow 3 skills, lightning and thunder could turn my senses against me and overload my brain.


    (You resisted Dragonic Fear.)


    The moment I entered its striking range, its orca head slammed to the ground aiming to crush me. I dodged to the side while G?kb?rü created an ice spear, causing orca head to impale itself on it. I channeled mana into my sword, its Ethereal Resonance option accelerating and magnifying to a greater degree. Before it could pull its head out of my range with its long neck I slashed it, releasing the mana with Mana Burst.


    The hydra''s movements were unpredictable. I expected it to pull the orca head back to recover the gaping wound under its jaw and half of its face which was destroyed by my strike. But it didn’t. The orca head, having extricated itself from the ice spear, lunged forward in a renewed assault. I evaded its crushing strike with a nimble sidestep, relying on my instincts-or more accurately G?kb?rü’s- and guesses to just move enough to dodge. If I overshoot I wouldn’t be able to counterattack after all. Also just because I dodged didn’t mean that G?kb?rü couldn’t attack. He G?kb?rü retaliated with every attack it made by creating ice spears, impaling the orca head again and again. Seizing the opportunity, I charged forward with G?kb?rü at my side. The hydra, now in striking range, faced the combined force of our attacks. The ethereal resonance of my sword surged with mana, I executed a swift slash.


    The Mana Burst released a surge of energy, cutting through the hydra''s scales and dealing a significant blow.


    (You managed to absorb small amounts of mana.)


    Just as I was worried about my mana usage, the Mana Eater option of Monarch''s Eye Amulet came in clutch as mana refilled my body. Even though it was just a 1 percent chance and 1 percent of the hydra’s mana it was huge. The creature must have at least 3 times of my mana and I am lowballing it.


    The hydra must considered this damage too much as it pulled its orca head back. The green head which was spewing lightning to catch Elandris who was on the opposite side of me suddenly snapped its head back to me.


    “Oh, shit.”


    It narrowed its eyes and I realized that it was about to blast my ass with lightning. Summoning Stone Cold Shield would have done nothing except…


    (Stone Skin is activated. Your defense increases by 10 for 10 minutes. Your agility decreases by 5 during skill duration.)


    (Wurmblood Resonance is activated. Your defense increases by 10 for 5 minutes. Your resistance towards any kind of toxin or poison increases by 10 percent for 5 minutes.)


    I couldn’t dodge it with Shadow Melt and I didn’t want to be hit by a light-based attack during Shadow Walk. Even though I summoned my hammer I didn’t have time to swing it to the ground while infusing it with enough mana. So only other option was to face it head-on with my sword as it was already fused with my mana. With my sword overflowing with mana, I faced its lightning breath head-on. My purple mana wave clashed with the creature’s white lightning. I squinted because of the light filling my vision.


    And fuck. I really needed lightning resistance. The attack, despite being made out of pure electricity had physical force behind it. Even though I planted my feet deep I was pushed back, leaving marks on the ground. The lightning ate through my mana, shocking my forearms. It felt like thousands of venomous ants bit my arms. Whether it was because I managed to survive 3 of its attacks before or because I caused real damage to the creature, this attack felt stronger.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.But I survived. Vapor rose from my body and my skin would have burned if it wasn’t for my fire resistance. I was glad that my armor and sword were not made out of conventional metal otherwise I would have died.


    “I am still alive, you fucking amateur!”


    Green head looked at me and I could see contempt in its eyes. It was angry that I had the audacity to survive multiple lightning strikes. Vapor rose from it, just like me. Looks like its lightning attacks also took a toll on its own body.


    The creature suddenly tried to take off. Flapping of its massive wings created gusts of winds. I tried to hold on.


    “Cyclara, Mistress of Breezes please answer my call. I call upon you to give me strength to fulfill my duty as a Guardian of Forest. Respect the old pacts and bring destruction to my enemies!”


    The wind suddenly stopped before turning against the creature. Its body which was slightly off the ground fell, creating a mini earthquake. After regaining my balance I was able to see Elandris. He stood proud, unaffected by the shockwaves caused by the creature’s massive weight hitting the ground. Besides him stood a tall, green, half-translucent feminine figure. An elemental spirit, I thought to myself. I wondered why Lily never summoned his if they were this powerful.


    She glanced at me, narrowing her eyes. She was beautiful and flawless. So flawless in fact that it rubbed me wrong, awakening an uncanny effect. Also, my previous experience with wind fairy left a bitter taste in my mouth. While I didn’t know the difference between elemental spirits and fairies, I didn’t like the way she narrowed her eyes. I really hoped that Elandris had full control over it.


    This isn’t the time to think about it, however. The creature was down and Elandris’s branches were trying to tie it down. I had to damage it before it could free itself again.


    (Ferocity of Wolf King is activated. Your speed and reflexes increase by 20 percent for 3 minutes.)


    I really had to be careful with my uses of Ferocity of Wolf King as the accessory’s durability went lower and lower. But this wasn’t the time to be stingy. Running full speed on the destroyed forest, nimbly jumping and dodging fallen trees, I jumped towards the creature’s wings.


    Jumping on top of a building-sized creature struggling the free itself was something I could live without yet I constantly had to do it. I dragged my sword on its wings while G?kb?rü nailed it with ice spears as tall as me. I ran across its wings to reach its head. My goal was to reach the bug-like head. While its other heads were as destructive as it, that one had the ability to melt away Elandris’s roots with its acid. While running across a giant dragonic creature sounded cool, it was a bitch to do in practice. Even the smallest movements felt like an earthquake and the creature was trashing around to free itself.


    “This isn’t my first rodeo.”


    Muttering under my breath I jumped to avoid the orca head’s strike and landed on top of it. Its hide was smooth and if it wasn’t for my enhanced reflexes I would have fallen the moment I jumped onto it. The green head snapped to face me.


    (Your life is in mortal danger. Arrow Time activates automatically. Your perception of time speeds up for 15 seconds.)


    “You gotta be fucking kidding me.”


    I felt time slow down to a crawl. It wasn’t stopped as I felt the vibrations beneath my feet and lightning slowly form in green head’s mouth. This motherfucker was more suicidal than me! It aimed to blow both me and orca head in one go! Could I move out of the way? I tried to move my body but just like everything around it moved slowly. So that’s what it meant that only my perception will speed up. How the fuck helps me? I couldn’t move! I frantically looked for something. Hold up.


    Lightning forming created a bunch of shadows even under my feet. Thanks to my speed-up perception, I could reliably shadow walk without worrying about getting hit mind focus! I focused on the shadow beneath my feet. I melted into it just as green head released its lightning. I wanted to exit out of the shadows cast by the green head’s horns but when I tried to exit out of the shadows I realized that I couldn’t.


    “Well, fuck.”


    I had no sense of touch, smell, or sight as I was trapped in the shadows. It was weird. I was basically two dimensional and trying to understand the area I was in gave no results as nothing was here. Only darkness.


    Why?


    Did the shadow I wanted to exit through vanish due to the light source projected by the green head being gone? Well, shit. This never happened before.


    Okay, no use panicking.


    Firstly, I always used Shadow Walk to travel to places I had been before or were in my sight. The only exception was the first time I got this ability. I managed to sense Morrigan in this “shadow dimension” and exit out of her shadow. The problem was I had no idea how I did it. It was a last resort and I was half unconscious when I did it.


    I tilted my head, or at least I think I did. I wasn’t sure my body moved when I gave it order to move as I felt no sensation not even my heartbeat or the aches plaguing my body. The only things I could feel were my own thoughts and G?kb?rü who was with me. For a normal person, this kind of sensory deprivation would be maddening but I was pretty sure I went past that phase a long time ago.


    I guess this is what Amaterasu meant by being more self-aware of oneself allowed them to resist mutating or changing. The only thing I had in this dimension was my own self. If I didn’t have that I would be just like the surrounding nothing around me.


    “Fascinating but time to end this toilet break.”


    The underside of their heads must be casting shadows. I could exit out of them. I didn’t try to close my eyes as there was nothing in my vision or if I still had my vision here. I visualized the bug head best to my abilities.


    As I concentrated on your mental image of the bug head, attempting to find the shadows cast by the creature, I remained resolute. Having no distractions was both a blessing and a curse. There was nothing to impede me except my own thoughts. And they were loud, filled with doubt and hesitation. I suppressed them and I felt myself move.


    A ray of light hit my eyes and I held on to the purple and black scales to not fall.


    “Critical success.”