The first time I saw a hydra, the word "dragon zombie" popped into my mind.

　The scales covering its entire body were blackened as if it had been rotting, and the blood oozing from every part of its body was bubbling and frothing with body heat and foul poison.

　The smell of decay stings my nose through the mask of the holy cloth, even though I should still be a long way away. Crow Solas pewed bitterly.


　It must have noticed our intrusion, because one of its eight necks raised its head as if it were leaning on its sickle neck.

　Both eyes, red as a scarlet lantern, stared at you with hostility. I thought he was going to breathe out a breath, but there was no sign of it. Does it mean that they are still waiting to see what happens, or do they think they don't need to breathe?

　Whatever the case, we will only continue to observe.

　The hydra's neck is long enough to easily climb over the walls of Ishqa. It is reminiscent of a thousand year old tree. It had eight heads, which made its body look like a mountain.

　I looked down at my feet, wondering how it was supporting such a large amount of its own weight. Whether it's an animal or a monster beast, it's obvious that the bigger the body is, the more strain is placed on the legs that support it. Aiming for the legs against giant beasts is a common practice.


　However, this move was not going to work against Hydra.

　This is because the lower part of the body, where Hydra's feet are supposed to be, was buried entirely in the ground.

　-- No, the ground is a misnomer.

　The ground corroded by the hydra's poisonous air has turned into a bottomless swamp, and the hydra is moving forward as if it were swimming in the swamp.

　Even as we watch this, the corrosion of the earth due to the poison is advancing. The speed of the erosion was insignificant from the air, but once you actually stood on the ground, you realized that it was as fast as an adult running.

　This erosion speed was, in other words, the speed of the hydra's invasion.



　If it was bad, he thought the hydra would fly through the air, so in that sense, it helped.

　But being moved across the ground was also a nuisance.

　The huge poisonous swamp left behind after the hydra passed by - or should I say, this was no longer a swamp, but a sea of poison. That poisonous sea was swallowing up the surrounding trees and continuing to expand bit by bit, bit by bit.

　That's how horrible the toxin of the hydra is, but from the side, it looks as if the poisonous sea itself has a mind of its own.

　At this rate, by the time Hydra reaches Ishqa, the entire area of Titis will have been swallowed by the poisonous sea. If that happens, even if Hydra is defeated, Ishqa will no longer be a place for people to live.

　It's not just Ishka. If the poison spreads through the Kale River, the Canary Kingdom itself will be on the brink of extinction.

　That was not a very pleasant vision of the future.



'Alright, Klau Solas, that's enough.

Phew!

Go back to Ishqa. Don't even think about covering for me, okay?　I can't afford to help you, and I don't have the confidence to not get involved.

....

Reply!

Pfft!

Good.


　After such an exchange, I jumped down from Klau Solas' back to the ground.

　Normally, this would not be a height that would allow you to save yourself, but with the use of Jing Jing Jing, anything is possible. It's even more so because I already experienced the same thing once before fighting Goz and others.

　--I've been thinking about this when the eyes of Hydra, who was looking at me, glittered.

　The wide open mouth sets its sights on the falling me.

　In the next moment, a dark red breath was released from Hydra's mouth. From the color and shape, I could only guess that it was an extremely poisonous liquid.

　The water released at high pressure has a high killing power of its own. The existence of water magic that can shatter rocks and cut through metal is proof of this. The poisonous fluid released by the hydra is the same, and if you were to take a direct hit from the bellowing poisonous fluid, the water pressure would first shatter your body before the poison.

　The breath of the hydra filled my field of vision. It was as if the red walls were closing in on us, and we couldn't even run for cover. This is even more so if you are in the air.


　--That's why I decided to intercept it without running away.


　I could have sliced through it with my heart gear, but there's something I'd rather try than that.

　The knowledge of mind-armor I learned in the battle with Goz.

　My old Fu Fu Yaku said that the mind outfit is an entrance, a wooden sword that draws out more power from the same source of existence (anima) - a priming tool.

　It was unexpected for me.

　I've always thought that to be strong is to improve my level of strength. That's why I've defeated demons with my mind outfit and eaten souls from Lunamaria and Miroslav.

　I probably never thought of drawing more power out of the mind-dressing than I have now.

　Because, for me, the Soul Eater was the most powerful weapon ever.

　Once you have the most powerful weapon, all you have to do is work hard to raise your level. That would lead to my strength.

　That idea would not be a mistake.



　But I've learned that there's a realm that I can't reach with that alone.

　And once I realized that, hints were everywhere.

　The biggest hint was that day when I learned to wear the mind outfit. The reason why I, who had my arms eaten in the Lord of the Flies' nest, my legs and my face eaten, was able to live in five bodies with satisfaction.

　It is only because of the power of the soul eater, which is the same source of existence (anima).

　Restoration magic is an act of God comparable to resurrection magic. It is a miracle in the divine realm that only the Pope of the Holy Kingdom can handle.

　The same phenomenon was easily caused by the Soul Eater. The Soul Eater is an anima, a being of the same source that hides such power.


　I was grateful for that fact, but I didn't want to take that power for myself.

　I thought it was just a one-time miracle, a one-time blessing for me after I awoke in my mind suit.

　But that's not the case.

　The power has been inside me since that day until today. It hasn't refused me. It was just that I wasn't trying to hold on to it.

　In fact, as soon as I reached for it in my agonizing battle with Goz, it was so easy to grab it. You let me grab it.



　This time, you grabbed it not out of desperation, but with intent.

　I already understood how to do that.

　It's not the realm of the void that Goz talks about. I'm not able to reach such a lofty realm as I am at Level 12.

　I'm going to have to look at the ground underneath my feet, not far up in the sky. The point of origin. The beginning of everything I've reached at Level 1.



　--This is the beginning of everything I've reached at Level 1.



　Attunement. Aligning the body and mind with the same source being (anima) in order to draw the power of the same source being (anima).

　Subete Wokrau, to subdue the body to that sensation.

　If I made a mistake, the same source being (anima) could have taken my body as it was, but I didn't feel that concern, strangely enough.

　That was the only time I felt the will of the Soul Eater, but that's why I remember it so clearly.



　I had given up on living, but I remember the voice that scolded me.　

　The voice that barked at me to eat everything in heaven and earth.

　The sardonic smile that appeared against an oak tree in the unknown land of rubble.



　--We, Walera, are like each other.



　The heart is furious. The body burns. It's like a roar of wind.

　I'm going to fill my mouth with the power that's flowing out of my body.

　All I have to do is spit my power out of my mouth.

　All I had to do was spit out the power from my mouth, a rudimentary power technique.

　But the image I have now is that of a dragon's breath.

　A clash between dragon and dragon. It's a good thing that the beginning of this is a clash of breaths.

　With that thought in mind, I opened my mouth wide--


Kaaaaaaah!


　He slammed his jade gun (breath) at the approaching Hydra's breath (breath).