It's true that magical beasts... are creatures that shatter all common sense.

They are dogmatic creatures that arbitrarily discard the laws of the world.

I stared at the nine dragon heads that were tearing through the wind and shouted.

"Ketel!"

Isn't this too much?

I threw my body to the side and dodged the first charge.

Bang!

Dirt flew and the petals rose.

To think that petals are peacefully scattering while I'm fighting for my life.

It looked like life and death were crossing.

What is this irony?

Is this life?

My fantasy didn't last long.

Because the attack didn't stop.

Nine heads flew at me almost at the same time.

I didn't charge recklessly like before, but slowly drew a wide circle and dodged their attacks.

Because if I retreat from here, there's a city wall.

Also, now is strategy time.

I have to put aside the thought of attacking and focus only on dodging.

And I had to rack my brain until smoke came out.

Because cutting off the heads is not an easy task, and even if I use all my strength to cut off the heads, it's useless if they grow back.

'Think. Think.'

Ashuban. You're a guy who's good at using his head.

I dodged the dragon heads that were flying at me without a break and racked my brain.

'I can't attack the heart.'

Because the outer skin covering it is too hard and tough.

Even if I hit the same spot with moonlight several times, I can't be sure if it will reach the heart.

'First of all, it's not easy to even get close.'

What if I use up all my internal energy by hitting the heart with moonlight and the path is still not clear?

What will I do then?

All that's left is despair.

'The risk is too high.'

The moonlight angel descending on your throbbing heart plan is a pass.

Then I have to cut off all nine heads that are flying at me without a break.

But what's the use of cutting them?

If I give them a moment, they'll grow back in an instant.

'There are two ways that come to mind right now.'

One. To attack without giving them a chance to recover and cut off all nine heads as quickly as possible.

But this is a really difficult method.

Rather than being difficult, it's unlikely to be realistic.

The Heavenly Demon said in a listless voice.

[It's not that difficult.]

But that's something the Heavenly Demon can say, not me.

How can I dodge all nine terrifying dragon heads that are rushing at me faster than an arrow and cut them off one by one?

Cutting them itself is not easy.

Each head is bigger than me. Needless to say, they're hard.

If I get bitten once, I'll die instantly.

And they even breathe fire.

And you're telling me to cut down nine of those in a row?

And while enduring the onslaught of nine beasts that are attacking without a moment to breathe?

'Nonsense.'

If that were possible, I would have cut them down before I even got to the heart.

Since I was a rather objective man, I was able to quickly grasp my situation.

Then, the remaining method comes down to one.

To prevent the severed head from growing back.

'How do I prevent it from recovering?'

Even while I was busy thinking, Hydra's onslaught did not stop.

Do they have nine times the stamina because they have nine heads?

Every time Hydra's dragon head flew, cutting through the air with a terrifying sound, petals scattered.

Because the place where we were fighting was a field full of flowers.

I mingled with the scattering petals along with Hydra's nine heads for a while.

From a distance, wouldn't it look like I'm dancing with a magical beast because of these damn petals?

'Dancing with a magical beast.'

Pfft, a laugh escaped me.

Did it not like my laughter?

A dragon head breathed fire at me.

"Oops."

I immediately threw a starlight sword ki and split the flame in half.

The flame that was sent out alone was not hot enough to require a defense.

Bang!

The starlight hit the beast's head and exploded brilliantly.

Starlight poured down from the place where it had exploded.

But the beast just shook its head nervously and got angry.

It didn't seem to have taken a major blow.

'Its defense is excellent, and its regenerative ability is even better. It's fast, strong, agile, and extremely flexible...'

How am I supposed to kill a beast like this?

As I was thinking while dodging Hydra's onslaught, the Heavenly Demon suddenly muttered.

[Hmm. Can't you just burn it with fire?]

"...Fire?"

A flash of light went through my head.

"Yes, fire!"

I also had flames.

You think you're the only one with fire? I have fire too.

And it's a very blue fire, you son of a bitch.

Once it catches, it won't go out easily.

Can my cute blue flame really stop the incredible regenerative power of that reptile?

I have to try.

I jumped back and then created a strong wind from the Floating Step.

Hwoooong!

The power of the wind concentrated at the tips of my toes and a strong updraft was formed.

My hair and clothes fluttered with the petals.

I gently put the moonlight of the Crescent Moon into my sword.

Because the crescent moon is cold and sharp, like a crescent moon.

A cold moonlight bloomed on the half-sword.

The sword trembled slightly, as if its mouth was watering for the blood it was about to taste.

"Come on."

—Kyaaak!

As if it had had its neck cut once, the beast with a bloodstain on its neck stretched its neck long and flew at me.

"Hup!"

I jumped up with the updraft and dodged the beast's attack, and then I threw the Crescent Moon's sword ki downwards with an unknown shout.

"Moonlight!"

Slice!

The beast's huge head fell.

There's no time to be impressed.

I immediately withdrew the moonlight and then created the Snow Branch Blue Flame Art.

I gathered a lot of blue flames in my left palm and then threw it at the cut surface.

Fwoosh!

The flames definitely stuck.

The neck from which the head had fallen writhed violently.

—Kyak?

—Kyaaak!

It made all sorts of noises, such as hitting its other brothers...

Thump!

It finally fell spectacularly in the flower field.

The scattering petals served as a funeral.

—....

Hydra stopped moving for a moment.

It stared blankly at its fallen brother.

"One down."

I grinned and watched the Hydra who had lost its beloved brother.

"Eight left."

—KYAAAAAAK!

***

Although I had dealt with one, it was still threatening.

No, it was even more difficult because it had become very ferocious.

But after a desperate struggle, I succeeded in cutting off the second head.

I was excited.

I moved my body as if dancing, wrapped in the scattering petals.

And then, when I had dealt with the third and fourth heads...

I finally had some room to move.

I had regained the composure I had lost.

But the crisis came at that moment.

It wasn't strange, as crisis always looks for an opening.

Did it sense a crisis?

Suddenly, the remaining heads began to cooperate.

If before they were attacking randomly, now they were pressing me by planning a strategy, sharing their intentions without a word.

It's not that the dead heads came back to life, nor did their speed suddenly increase.

It was just that their attitude had changed.

Some might say that's no big deal.

But in reality, there was a very big difference.

I could no longer cut off the heads.

When I tried to cut off a head, another one would suddenly fly in from a blind spot with its mouth wide open.

Although I, who had inherited the Heavenly Demon's talent, had no blind spots and would not miss it, I had no choice but to give up the attack.

It was like that continuously.

My attacks were repeatedly in vain.

On the contrary, I was on the defensive.

The beasts' joint attack had a clear intention, and they began to read my movements.

There were even cases where they used a simple attack as a trap.

When one of them made a standard charge, I thought it was suspicious, but I tried to cut off its head, and then the other ones attacked at the same time.

'This cunning bastard.'

The fight naturally had to be long.

"Heok... heok..."

I started to get out of breath.

Because there were five of them, but I was only one.

And since they were five very large ones and I was one very small one, I had to move my body even more busily.

At that moment, two of the beasts' mouths puffed up and they suddenly breathed fire.

Fwoosh—

Since they were shooting from different directions, it was more rational to just dodge than to throw two sword ki.

Because the fight was turning into a war of attrition, I had to save my internal energy and stamina.

When I put my thoughts into action, as if they knew, the other two beasts pressed me from the left and right.

'Did you read my thoughts?'

They were getting smarter and smarter.

But who am I?

The master of cunning, the man who resembled the wind and eventually became one with the wind, Ashuban.

'Not a chance.'

I escaped the beasts' pressure, which seemed to be closing in, with a movement like the free wind.

And then, the last one was waiting for me there.

Its mouth was puffed up.

It must be fire again.

I prepared to throw a sword ki by wrapping my sword with aura in advance, and then I shot the sword ki to match the time when the beast would breathe fire.

Swish!

"...Huh?"

But no flames came out of the beast's puffed-up mouth.

Instead, some liquid covered me.

It was a liquid with a greenish tint, and as soon as I was covered in it, I figured out what it was.

Chiiik!

My clothes burned and a strong stench arose.

"Damn it."

It was an acid-type poison.

I thought it only breathed fire, but it even breathes poison?

The beast that had spewed poison at me looked at me with its mouth half-open.

It looked like it was sneering.

'...This cunning bastard.'

You hid this until now?

I was completely had.

How could I make such a mistake?

Chiiik!

My clothes were burning.

But...

"Huh?"

Seeing that it was burning my clothes at a fast rate, it was definitely a strong poison that could melt flesh.

But it didn't hurt much.

'Why?'

My skin was quite tingly, but it didn't hurt much.

It was only slightly stronger than the saliva that Linda would drool on my shoulder while sleeping.

"...Haha."

A laugh escaped me.

It seems I had been unknowingly trained in poison by Linda.

I had tasted the poison that Linda had offered me from time to time, and its effect was now showing.

—Kyak?

The beast tilted its head, as if it were strange that I was fine even after being covered in poison.

The other beasts also stopped their attacks and looked down at me.

They seemed a little flustered.

Seeing their state, I couldn't hold back my laughter.

"Hehe."

At that moment.

'Wait. I'm immune to the beast's poison?'

A thought flashed through my mind.

'With this, I can take care of the beast at once.'

The Heavenly Demon laughed.

[This will be fun.]

I looked up at the sky with my sword hanging down.

A blue sky with feathery clouds floating by.

From above, Hud was looking down at me, riding on a spirit.

The purple whip she was holding was swaying in the wind.

I sent a signal to her with my left hand.

Hud's eyes widened slightly, and I grinned.

And, Hydra's head attacked me.

***

"Damn it!"

It was right after he saw Hydra swallow Ashuban.

Boris quickly shook Hudmilla's shoulder.

"That bastard ate Ashuban!"

Hudmilla replied in a rather perplexed tone.

"Uh, uh..."

"What are you doing? Aren't you going to save him?! Are you holding that whip for show?"

Boris urged Hudmilla.

"...But."

Hudmilla had a confused expression.

The signal Ashuban had sent just before he was eaten.

It was a word that anyone who was a member of the Sherwood Mercenary Corps, who all knew sign language thanks to Schmitt, could understand.

Bringing a fist to the nose.

It means 'good'.

So, interpreting it according to the situation, it meant that Ashuban had intentionally been eaten by that thing.

Boris, who saw Hydra heading towards the city wall, shook Hudmilla's shoulder wildly.

"Hey! That thing is going to the city wall!"

The soldiers, who had been watching the battle between Ashuban and Hydra with a dazed expression from the city wall, were on alert again.

The sight of the monster heading towards the city wall, dragging its four long, severed necks, was fear itself.

As the chaos was escalating.

...Halt.

Hydra, which had been striding towards the city wall, suddenly stopped.

—Kieeeek!

—Kyaaak!

—Kuooooo!

And then it suddenly started to run wild and go crazy.

Boris said in a flustered voice.

"What, what's wrong with that thing?"

—Kiyaaaak!

Every time Hydra ran wild in the flower field, the petals scattered wildly.

Hydra, which had been running around in the flower field for a while, suddenly stopped moving.

Thump!

It fell sideways.

As Hydra's huge body fell, the petals rose and fell gently.

A sudden silence.

Only the colorful petals were falling quietly like snow.

At that moment, Hydra's body twitched.

Puhwak!

A man came out, splitting its stomach.

"...!"

Hudmilla and Boris's eyes widened.

Among the soldiers who were watching from the city wall, there were none who had their mouths closed.

The man, who was covered in blood, came out of the beast's stomach and looked up at the sky.

"Ah."

The red-eyed man caught the gently falling petals with his hand.

It seemed as if the sky was congratulating him on his victory.

The blood-soaked man smiled faintly, watching the dance of the petals.

"Hydra. It's your defeat."

(End of Chapter)