Chapter 470: The Assault on the Way Back

Chapter 470

470 - The Assault on the Way Back

I end up not using [Dragon Mirror] on the way back to the waterfall cavern. Having used [Flight] to hop over the cliff wall, I remain in my oneiros form all the way.

It doesn't matter if I get surrounded by fenrirs or attacked by the killer queen, my stats are now plenty to deal with them. Since it's not clear how long we have until Lilixira's attack, I'm not going to run from combat. Rather, I'll greedily aim for it.

Feeling a distant gaze on my back, I slow down to allow myself to be tailed. Glancing backwards, I spot four glowing spots floating in the mist. A fenrir.

Fenrirs are two ranks below me... Now that my level has increased, they're no match for me. Moreover, this one's level is high and the fenrirs' belligerent nature makes them reckless, so it's a convenient prey for me. The waterfall cavern is close, but I'll raise my level a little more.

I slow down. The footsteps draw close. Now that it's so near, it doesn't seem to have any intention of hiding.

I turn around. The four eyes of the ferocious black beast glint and drool drips from between gaps in its teeth.

I wonder why though? Compared to the fenrir I avoided on the way out, this one somehow seems much smaller. The size shouldn't be any different, so I guess it must just be the psychological effect of my massive advantage in stats.

Just as it's about to leap at me, it suddenly flinches backwards. I don't know if it's because of the atmosphere around me or the fenrir's intuition, but it seems to have noticed the difference in ability.

"Gi... gigi, gi..."

Black light gathers in front of the fenrir's face and forms into a ball. It's using the [Dark Sphere] magic skill. I thought for sure fenrir were the type to always try fighting in close quarters, so it's a surprise to see this one keeping its distance.

"GIOOOO!"

The fenrir fires the [Dark Sphere]. It curves through the air towards me. Without moving, I let it hit my face. The light bursts and scatters. My head budges a little from the impact.

"...gi?"

As expected, even though the fenrir has magic skills, its stats push it towards being a close-combat type. The difference in stats is so wide that its weak attack is practically useless against my defence and [Dragon Scales]. Sorry, fenrir. The likes of you can no longer pose a threat to me.

The next moment, I hear something cutting through the air behind me.

"GiaaaAaAAA!"

A second fenrir is plummeting from the sky, aiming squarely for my back. The first was a feint... This one was waiting in the fog for my attention to be distracted, then used a [High Jump] to launch a surprise attack from above. I see. It's not a bad plan. I thought they were muscle brains, but it seems even these guys can be smart when they hunt... No, I suppose it would be more unthinkable for them to not use their heads in this land where A rank monsters casually roam around.

"GuoOOOOO!"

I raise my head and roar out. A black light expands from my center. It's[Magic: 2087]powered [Gravity].

The fenrir behind me slams head-first into the ground next to me, while the one in front is forced to crouch down. I haven't got much MP to spare right now, so I might have overdone it a bit. I didn't know how much to hold back. Although I do need to proactively test my new skills, so some MP wastage is probably unavoidable...

I'll use a [Holy Sphere] on the near fenrir. There's no real need for it at this distance, but I want to try it once. It's the light attribute version of [Dark Sphere]. Thinking of it that way, it shouldn't be too hard to handle.

I point my foreleg at the fenrir's abdomen. A haze of light appears from my claws, which I direct with my consciousness to coalesce it into a sphere.

"...gi"

I release the shining ball of light in a straight line. The fenrir's abdomen bursts open in an explosion of blood, flesh, and bones as its body splits into two.

[1794 experience points have been acquired.]

[Due to the title skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 1794 experience points have been acquired.]

[The level of [Oneiros] has risen from 46 to 56.]

N-nasty... It's so overwhelming that I start to feel guilty. But, I can't stop here.

[Normal skill [Gravidon: Lv8] has been acquired.]

I had been thinking I'd get it eventually, but I got it now, huh. It's the direct attack skill of gravity magic. Of all the long-range skills I've seen, it's among the strongest.

...Next, I turn to the fenrir in front of me. There's a skill, [Hellgate], that I still haven't tried and don't know the capabilities of.

"Gi... gii..."

I watch intensely as the fenrir struggles to stand.

[Normal Skill [Hellgate]]

[A type of spatial magic. It calls out to the world of the dead to immolate the enemy with hellfire.]

[The hellfire does not affect the caster.]

[Raising the skill level will expand the scale of the effect.]

[The attack power is high, but an equivalent exchange is needed. ]

I focus on the fenrir and cast [Hellgate]. A jet black magic circle appears around it, and its surroundings are dyed black.

"Gi... gi...?"

The fenrir looks around in bewilderment. Giant, obsidian human bones form from the black glow. Five giant skeletons swing their arms down towards the fenrir.

"Gia... GiiiIIIII!"

Its dying throes echo. The black light fades. In its place, nothing remains. I can't tell if the black light incinerated even the fenrir's bones, or if it was snatched away to someplace else.

[1872 experience points have been acquired.]

[Due to the title skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 1872 experience points have been acquired.]

[The level of [Oneiros] has risen from 56 to 61.]

[Normal skill [Mirror Counter: Lv8] has been acquired.]

For a moment, I'm too shocked to even think... This isn't a skill I can use casually.

A sudden dizziness strikes me. It seems I used my MP too fast. It might be powerful, but the cost is massive. It takes a while to activate, too. It even feels awful to use.

...My newly acquired [Mirror Counter] is the anti-magic skill Lilixira was using. From what I saw of how she fought, she seemed to rely on it quite a bit. It didn't look like it was able to reflect [Ruin], but that has to be an exception. There was the difference in their magic stats, too.

I have a lot on my mind, but I'll return to the waterfall cavern for now.