Chapter 25: Nahash ①

“Looks like we have no choice but to fight.”

Ichinose, who had been running alongside me, said quietly. Her voice carried a note of resolve.

“Yes, it would seem so.”

I nodded as I ran. My heartbeat quickened.

“Everyone!”

I raised my voice toward the three running ahead.

“We can’t escape like this—let’s fight!”

For an instant, the three slowed ever so slightly. When they looked back, their eyes held hesitation. But gradually, that hesitation transformed into determination.

Good.

I steeled myself and stomped hard on the ground, killing my momentum as I stopped running. I slammed on the brakes and spun my body around in one swift motion.

I focused my mana on the ground before me and began my incantation.

“Earth, surge forth and conquer my enemies—Adelantado!”

The ground beneath my feet trembled and began to resonate in response to my mana. Immediately after, countless sharp stone stakes erupted from the ground, engulfing Nahash and forming a barricade that sealed the passage.

“Elena! Use support magic on everyone while you have the chance!”

Elena reacted instantly to my command. She raised her staff and chanted forcefully.

“Second Tier—Dominus Purge! Dominus Impulse!”

Light released from the tip of Elena’s staff enveloped all of us. In that moment, my body felt lighter, and I could feel power surging through every fiber. Our speed and strength visibly increased.

The next instant, Nahash appeared, smashing through the wall of stakes as if sweeping them aside.

“Kishaaaaaaa…!”

Nahash’s long tail whipped like a lash and struck the passage wall, making a violent sound. A direct hit from that strike would mean serious injury at best.

After raising its head in what seemed like intimidation, Nahash opened its mouth wide and spat out four streams of venom. The liquid flew toward us in arcing trajectories.

“Carnelia, take half of them!”

“Got it, leave it to me!”

Carnelia responded immediately, swiftly drawing the gun from her back and channeling mana into the barrel.

“First Tier—Rapid Axel!”

“Water, gather and pierce—Aqua Shot!”

I chanted simultaneously, releasing the water mana I’d concentrated at my sword’s tip.

My Aqua Shot pierced the two streams of venom on the left, while Carnelia’s bullets accurately shot down the two on the right.

Water and venom collided and canceled each other out with an explosive sound.

Immediately after, Nahash’s massive body writhed as it lunged at us. Its movements were impossibly fast for such a huge creature.

Like a snake hunting prey, it coiled its entire body like a spring and charged at us all at once. A ramming attack leveraging that massive frame would easily send us flying.

“Crest of protection, manifest now—Protect!”

With my incantation, a transparent shield appeared before us. Nahash showed no hesitation before the barrier and charged ferociously onward.

“Ngh…!”

The shield shattered with a violent sound, and I barely managed to dodge the attack by pulling Elena’s hand. The momentum sent me tumbling spectacularly, and I slammed hard against the ground. The other members each twisted their bodies and seemed to have narrowly evaded the fierce assault as well.

Carnelia, who had recovered her stance first, quickly aimed her gun and cast a spell.

“First Tier—Alchemic Bullet!”

Bullets infused with magical power shot from the muzzle as glowing masses.

Five or six bullets struck Nahash’s massive body like they were being sucked in, and upon impact, explosions chained together, shaking the entire dungeon.

However, when the smoke cleared, Nahash appeared mostly unaffected, with only a few scales slightly singed.

“N-no way…!? That barely did anything…”

At that moment, Ichinose murmured quietly.

“First Tier—Phantom Shadow Play.”

The next instant, the shadow spreading at Ichinose’s feet began to ripple. Her body slipped into the shadow as if slowly sinking into water.

Then the shadow at Nahash’s feet swelled slightly. The next moment, Ichinose materialized behind Nahash.

“Second Tier—Black Shadow Demon Blade.”

She continued her incantation. Her blue blade turned an ominous black, and she swung it in a horizontal slash. In an instant, with a sound like air being torn apart, a jet-black slash was released.

The slash extended while swallowing light, sharp and heavy, colliding in a straight line. A piercing sound rang against Nahash’s hard hide. A metallic clang echoed out, and black blood spurted vigorously from the wound.

“Kishaaaaaa!”

Nahash let out an ear-splitting shriek, and its massive body rampaged freely through the dungeon’s narrow passage.

“Tch… It’s tough.”

Ichinose muttered with furrowed brows. Her blade had cut deep into Nahash’s body. However, the wound was far from fatal and couldn’t be called a decisive blow.

Elena quickly chanted a healing spell.

“Second Tier—Agape Perikelis.”

Light released from Elena’s staff gently enveloped the four of us. I felt warm mana permeating my body, which had been exhausted from depleted stamina and the pressure emanating from Nahash.

“At this rate, we’re getting nowhere…”

As I muttered that, Nahash stopped moving, glaring at Ichinose with sharp eyes. It was clearly wary of her, the one who had wounded it. Tension hung thick between the two.

Without taking her eyes off Nahash for even a second, Ichinose stood perfectly still and spoke quietly.

“…You guys run. You’re just dead weight.”

Her voice was cold and dismissive. But I understood. She was trying to protect us by becoming a decoy. Because I understood that, I couldn’t bear it.

“We absolutely cannot do that!”

I found myself raising my voice. My body moved forward on its own, and I glared back at her as if looking up at her back.

“…Just go! Hurry!”

Her sharp voice jumped with urgency, tinged with desperation.

I’m the leader of this party! A leader abandoning their comrades and fleeing—that’s something that must never happen as a human being!

But at this rate, casualties were inevitable. To break through this situation, we needed some kind of decisive strike.

…If I use that spell…!

What flashed through my mind was a description from a grimoire I’d seen in Father’s study before. “Connect Resonance”—a high-level spell that normally required ten casters, a spell that concentrated multiple people’s mana into a single point and released it. I had learned it as a trump card for emergencies.

“I have a plan!”

Everyone’s gazes turned to me at once.

“What are you planning?”

Carnelia asked with a worried look.

“There’s no time to explain! But I guarantee we can defeat Nahash!”

I looked at everyone with serious eyes and declared.

“I need just a little time. Ichinose, I need you to be the decoy!”

Ichinose looked at me sharply for a moment, but quickly nodded.

“…Got it. And—don’t call me ‘Ichinose-san.’ Just ‘Ichinose’ is fine.”

Saying that, she readied her sword again and slashed toward Nahash.