116 Spider vs. Fire Dragon ④

The battle ends. The Fire Dragon looks down upon the magma sea it has created.

Among the figures of its subordinate creatures, there is no sign of the spider.

The subordinate creatures possess immunity to heat, but the spider does not.

Surviving a direct hit from the Fire Dragon's strongest breath was impossible.

Did you think that, you fool!

A massive poisonous droplet forms above the Fire Dragon.

The poison differs greatly from the weak toxin that enveloped my body earlier.

A potent, lethal poison—spider venom—maximizing paralysis.

The venom, believing victory assured, strikes the Fire Dragon unprepared.

The enormous mass of venom breaches the flame-wrapped defense and begins consuming its body.

Kaaaraaa—, full-force scythe attack!

A perfect strike exploiting the fleeting gap in flames, erased in an instant by venomous droplets.

Every ounce of my strength is channeled into this attack.

Specifically, a double combo: venomous attack and corrosive attack.

Corrosion tears through its hardened scales. Venom consumes its internal structure.

Even I admit it's merciless—my strongest physical attack.

The Fire Dragon screams in agony as it falls into magma.

I quickly ascend back to the ceiling, following the thread I had attached.

The Fire Dragon must have clearly seen me buried in its flames.

It is undoubtedly confused at this moment.

My survival is simple.

I never took its breath attack.

Before that, I never even fell from the ceiling to the ground.

This was made possible by the effect of Heretic Magic Level 6: Illusion Dream.

This was the trump card I had been waiting to deploy—Card One.

Illusion Dream was a magic that induced hallucinations.

I struck at the moment of distraction, when the target was frantically about to ingest poison synthesized by toxic manipulation.

Heretic Magic fails unless it exploits such moments. Otherwise, it is easily resisted by the target's innate defenses and the threshold of irritation.

To the Fire Dragon, I appeared to have descended to the ground. In reality, I remained adhered to the ceiling.

Then, the surprise assault, delivered at the moment the opponent relaxed, believing victory secured.

Even the Fire Dragon sustained massive damage before my strongest physical attack.

I considered fleeing using illusions—just for an instant.

But escaping now was not an option.

A life of perpetual evasion.

If I continued like this, I would never change from the moment I was driven from my home by that human.

Live with pride.

I cannot achieve that goal.

My Pride will never be reclaimed.

That is unacceptable.

I am the Sovereign of Pride.

As Pride itself, I must live with honor.

Therefore, I do not flee.

Even if victory seems unlikely, I will not flee unless victory is absolutely impossible.

Here, I will defeat the Dragon.

Defeat the Dragon and say goodbye to my former weak self.

Yes, defeat the hateful Dragon.

…?

Hateful?

That?

I have feared the Earth Dragon, but I have never felt such aversion before?

That?

Where is this emotion coming from?

—But that does not matter now.

Even if I have just delivered a major blow, the situation remains disadvantageous.

My HP is 1.

Enduring state active.

Gradually reduced, and now this is the result of the recoil from the previous attack.

Corrosive attack is powerful, but recoil is significant.

Yet this damage is not limited to that.

The heat from Flame Mantle, even after being extinguished by poison, still inflicted damage upon me.

MP remains.

Thus, I am not yet dead.

Yet every attack from the Fire Dragon is instant-kill level.

The Fire Dragon, though significantly damaged by my full-force strike, still retains reserves.

Additional monsters have arrived.

The situation remains disadvantageous.

I avoid the magma and finally land on the ground.

The Fire Dragon remains submerged in magma.

Other monsters are crushed by the aftereffects of the Fire Dragon's breath and the impact of its body falling shortly thereafter—no capacity to respond.

This is the opportunity.

I activate my second prepared ace, held in reserve since the battle began.

MP depletes at an immense rate.

At my current state, MP consumption equals Life consumption.

Yet even so, this magic is worth paying the cost to activate.

Is that not correct?

Magic Specialist, Unit One (..), Unit Two (..).

{Yes!}

〈Leave it to us!〉

The spell is cast using the combined strength of two individuals, their wills synchronized through level-upped parallel consciousness.

The spell that requires Unit Two to prepare continuously, Unit One to provide support, only now becoming possible to activate.

Now, open—Gate of Hell!

The surroundings darken instantly.

An immense shadow, swallowing even the light from magma, crawls upward from the ground.

It resembles the darkness of Hell, buried beneath the earth, now leaking into this world.

It swallows magma, swallows ground, swallows monsters.

The overflowing darkness consumes everything.

Abyss Magic Level 1: Gate of Hell.

The highest-tier dark magic heralding the beginning of hell.

It manifested within this world.

Darkness consumed everything, collapsed inward, and abruptly vanished into the ground.

It was as if sealed away.

As if the gates of hell had been sealed once more.

What remained was only me and the fire dragon, shattered beyond repair.

Seriously?

Can she endure even that?

However, the fire dragon's remaining HP is low.

MP and SP are nearly depleted.

The skill's power must have been converted into HP.

Otherwise, there is no explanation for enduring the Gate of Hell.

I have significantly reduced my MP from using the Gate of Hell.

In other words, that means nothing remains intact.

Both battered beyond recognition.

The outcome will be decided by the next strike.

The attack method chosen by the fire dragon was the most primitive form of assault.

That was a full-body impact.

Ah, correct.

With MP and SP effectively nonexistent, the fire dragon’s most viable attack method remains this one.

Given the fire dragon’s size and stats, this would be the most effective means of assault.

Except against me.

I am a spider.

What is a spider’s greatest weapon?

Venom? Claws? Fangs?

None of the above.

The fire dragon’s body halts.

Due to fire resistance imparted by universal silk.

Even with fire resistance, utility in this tier lasts only a moment.

That is sufficient.

The fire dragon’s movement, stripped of flame aura, can be halted for a moment.

My scythe descends upon it.

One blade was crushed in the prior strike—but I wield two.

My full-force attack splits the fire dragon’s body open.

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