While Drako was helping Lavinia, Thalia was facing Augusta.
Augusta flashed a nasty smile when she saw the teenager in front of her.
"Kakakakaka."
Thalia seemed like a normal girl right now. Her aura gave off nothing special, unlike Drako's, and she was not famous in the supernatural world as she had joined the slayers of Artemis only months before.
Even though Augusta had a relaxed, mocking attitude, however, the fire giant at her side remained ready to attack at any time.
"Child, who are you? Do you really think you can stop me?"
Thalia's eyebrow trembled slightly as she heard how arrogant Augusta was.
She slowly lowered her head, then raised it with an extremely arrogant smile.
"Old woman, who are you? I don't even have to strive to defeat an old woman at death's door. Tell me, how old are you? 80? 90? I see, you're ashamed to see that your face looks like a rotten peach, that's why you want to take Lavinia's body.
Thalia attacked Augusta directly with words. But Augusta simply let out that nasty laugh once more as she waved her hand.
"Kakakaka."
Thalia sensed danger, and rushed to play with the bracelet in her hand.
The bracelet began to transform me, growing in size and taking on a circular shape. The bronze circle surrounded Thalia's arm, protecting her in time from the purple fireball.
The fireball, which had thrown Incinerate Anthem, impacted directly on the shield.
Augusta laughed again when she saw this.
"Kakakakaka- Know your place, child."
Augusta's laughter stopped when she saw that Thalia was totally intact. The attack of the Longinus had done her no harm. s
"You..."
Augusta's eyes widened when she saw the shield in Thalia's hands. More than the shield, she recognized the image that was carved into it. She stepped back instinctively, a trace of fear running through her eyes for a moment.
Augusta quickly calmed down, and analyzed the situation better.
"The head of Medusa... that's Aegis."
The reason Augusta had felt fear had to do with the shield itself. One of its abilities was to interfere with the minds of its wearer's enemies, causing them to instinctively fear the shield.
It seemed that Augusta had guessed the identity of the shield. However, Thalia shook her head.
"This is not a real shield, but a gift from my father. The real shield was turned into a Sacred Gear, after all."
It might not be the real shield, but Augusta wasn't going to let her guard down over that. If her deductions weren't wrong, the material that had been used to create the shield was celestial bronze.
Celestial bronze, along with imperial gold, were the two most precious metals in Greek mythology. However, the celestial bronze was much better than the imperial gold.
The celestial bronze is extracted by the Cyclops from Mount Olympus. The ore is formed by tempering the metal on Mount Etna and cooling it in the river Lethe.
The metal is deadly to the creatures of the magical world, but it is useless against humans. The only exceptions to this were the semi humans (semi-gods, semi youkai's, semi devils...) and the users of Sacred Gears.
Weapons made from celestial bronze cannot harm other humans and simply pass through mortal bodies as if they were made of smoke. This is because humans are at a lower level than demigods or gods, so they are not worthy enough to be harmed by the weapon.
Celestial bronze was a very precious material for Greek mythology, and no one outside of this mythology could use it.
Augusta asked as she clenched her teeth.
"What is a Greek doing in this place?"
Thalia shrugged.
"My job was to watch that boy, but now I'm a little upset. I'm sure humiliating an old lady will brighten my day."
Augusta showed an immense reaction of rage, and began to create various magical circles.
The first attacks were easily dodged by Thalia, they posed no danger to her. However, Augusta increased the intensity of her attacks, probably outraged by the ease with which Thalia evaded her attacks. Not only did the magical circles increase in power and number, but Incinerate Anthem (The Fire Giant) began throwing huge purple fireballs.
Finally, there came a time when Thalia was going to be hit by an attack.
Once again, Thalia took a small object out of her pocket. It appeared to be a small hilt, but it began to expand until it reached its maximum length.
A long spear of heavenly bronze appeared in Thalia's hands. She cut with it horizontally, successfully cutting down the fire giant's attack.
Thalia's blue eyes shone like lightning, and sparks leapt from the spear.
Augusta's face darkened as she murmured.
"Daughter of Zeus..."
To which Thalia responded with a smile.
"It's time to finish your last dance, old lady."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Drako was helping Lavinia get rid of the curse when he heard the sound of footsteps.
He did not put himself on alert, as he had already felt the presence of this person for a few seconds.
"Big brother, Lavinia!"
Valina came out of the trees. She didn't know anything about the situation Lavinia was in, so she looked quite energetic.
But her face changed when she saw the black fog surrounding Lavinia.
"What's happened?"
Valina rushed to the side of Drako and Lavinia.
Although Drako was wrapping his arms around Lavinia's waist, he was not doing so because he had lewd intentions. With his arms surrounded by golden scales, Drako was helping Lavinia recover.
Lavinia's eyes were closed, and she didn't seem to have noticed Valina's arrival. She was too busy fighting the curse of Augusta to pay attention to what was going on outside.
"I'll be brief, Augusta is trying to take Lavinia's body for herself. Lavinia is fighting the curse, and I'm helping her."
A big explosion happened at that time.
Actually, it had been going on for a while, the result of the battle between Thalia and Augusta.
"I need you to use your Sacred Gear, Valina. Just once is enough to help Lavinia."
Valina nodded after listening to Drako, and two wings of light flew from her back.
She touched Lavinia's forehead lightly and a noise came out of the wings of light.
"Divide!!!"
In a single moment, the fog surrounding Lavinia was halved. Lavinia's face, which before seemed to be suffering a lot, visibly relaxed.
With Valina's help, Lavinia was no longer going to have problems recovering. These were the advantages of having Longinus on the same team.
Even if Augusta could take Lavinia's body, Drako had a way of dealing with that. And that way had a name and a surname.
Tobio Ikuse.
Canis Lycaon could cut through anything, including divine concepts. If so, why couldn't he cut through the soul of Augusta that resided inside Lavinia?
Drako asked Valina.
"Valina, how long can you use your Balance Breaker?"
Valina seemed to hesitate for a moment. She was probably arguing with Albion about something. She finally nodded and turned to Drako.
"10 seconds."
Drako nodded, ten seconds was enough.
"I want you to go and help Thalia face Augusta. I will support you from here. Wait for my signal to use your Balance Breaker."
"What's the signal?"
"You'll understand when you see it"
Valina nodded her head, and flew off in the direction that Thalia and Augusta were fighting.
-------------------------------------------------------
Valina was surprised when she arrived.
The area where the fight was taking place was completely destroyed.
The fire giant that used to be 3 meters tall was now over 10 meters. It seems that Augusta hadn't been fighting seriously before.
The witch was constantly creating spells, putting pressure on Thalia.
The slayer constantly dodged attacks, or protected herself from them with the shield. From time to time, she would throw lightning bolts with her spear at Augusta, forcing the witch to defend herself.
Overall, the fight was pretty evenly matched.
Suddenly, a white flash fell on the battlefield.
It was none other than Valina flapping her wings of light. She exuded a very powerful aura, more powerful than she had ever shown before.
She had not advanced directly into the fight, but had prepared herself for maximum performance.
Augusta tells Valina, who was floating in the sky.
"So you finally appeared, Hakuryuukou."
Valina says to Augusta with an extremely upset expression.
"Lavinia was very careless. If this is all your level, I was not wrong to think she was enough to face you. However, having that person on your side... must have had some negative influence on her Sacred Gear."
After hearing those words, Augusta, showing a smile full of displeasure, made use of something she should never have done.
"Va-chan, I wish you wouldn't get so upset about this. Don't you want to be the great Va-chan you always are?"
Augusta spoke with Lavinia's voice.
"What do you think? Once I take control of that girl's body, I can keep pretending to be your big sister."
That was most likely a taboo. That was a line not to be crossed.
The aura that enveloped Valina's body... was expelled at an extraordinary level. The young woman's expression had turned to anger.
"...you dare to use that voice... you dare to call me by that name... How dare you?"
Trembling, Valina screamed.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
Valina was very angry. Lavinia, one of the three people she loved most, had been the victim of a mental attack. They'd played on her emotions, and they'd practically made her collapse.
And now... and now... did this witch dare to use the nickname that only Lavinia had the right to use? Did she dare to use the voice of her dear older sister? Did she dare to suggest the possibility of supplanting her?
Unacceptable.
Valina wanted to activate her Balance Breaker already, but she still remembered what Drako had told her. She had to wait for the signal.
Luckily, it came just seconds later.
And the signal was...
"GRRRROOOOARARGRAR!"
...the roar of a dragon.
The dragon's roar filled the entire forest, even to where Mordred and the rest were waiting. It was a majestic roar, full of royalty. The same could be said of the aura it displayed, which could be divided into two types. A mixture of extremely dark, and extremely sacred, dragon aura. A perfect blend of two things that were thought impossible to combine.
Valina recognized the signal Drako had sent her.
Without a second thought, she screamed.
"Balance Breaker!!!"
"Vanishing Dragon, Balance Breaker!"
With Albion's voice resounding, Valina's body threw a dazzling white glow.
After the light faded, what was revealed was pure white armour with a pair of wings of light.
It was Valina's Balance Breaker, the Armor of the White Dragon Emperor "Divine Dividing Scale Mail".
Albion shouted in Valina's mind.
"Valina! You can only assume the shape of the armour for a short time!"
"Even ten seconds will be more than enough!"
Valina, having invoked the skill, used high speed to touch Augusta only once before taking some distance. To avoid Valina, Augusta began to expand countless magic circles.
"How terrifying! So you can use the Balance Breaker even with that little body! It's wonderful! It's amazing!"
From the countless circles of magic, she was firing magic repeatedly on a scale that was unmatched by anything she had used before.
Flames, ice, bursts, lightning, darkness, light, it was a complete burst of every attribute. Even Thalia had to temporarily protect herself from the barrage of attacks.
Valina didn't flinch at all, however, and approaching at high speed, raising the aura in which her body was wrapped to the maximum, she held her right hand forward.
"Divide Dividing!!!"
"Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide!!!"
Along with the voice pointing to the skill, which resonated several times, there was a change in the mass and scale of the many spells intended for Valina. The magical attacks decreased by half, then by half again, and again by half as they seemed to be reduced repeatedly.
In the end, the entire explosion of magical attacks had diminished in scale to the point where they were almost non-existent. Valina easily denied it with a wave of her hand. She had not been able to halve Augusta's power, but it had been possible for the magic of the Maga.
Augusta was in shock.
"Divine Dividing of the White Dragon Emperor! As far as the Balance Breaker is concerned, her power is exorbitant!"
Even in this situation, the magician's eyes glowed with greed. She wanted that Sacred Gear so she could break it down and study it quietly.
Valina gathered a tremendous aura in her hand and shot it at Augusta.
Augusta expanded a defensive-type magic circle, but...
Due to Valina's greatly increased power, who assumed that the armoured form had exceeded Augusta's expectations in both power and density, the witch immediately assumed a heavy stance.
"...For a girl to have so much power...! This is one of the two heavenly dragons...! Then this is Lucifer!"
Realizing that Augusta had fallen to her knees on the spot, Valina looked back at the fire giant behind her.
"I will deny that!"
Extending her hand, Valina unleashed an aura bombardment on the fire giant!"
Feeling this, the fire giant moved his cross and created countless fireballs of enormous power.
However, Valina dodged with agility and quickly got to where the fire giant was. She only had to touch it once.
"Half Dimension!"
Even the landscape around the fire giant was distorted. It seemed that Valina's ability could even affect space.
Valina's aura enveloped the fire giant and seemed to be reducing it. Still, the fire giant also threw up a purple aura and was able to resist it.
Valina's aura and the Fire Giant's aura were competing, and it seemed that the Fire Giant was retreating.
Could Valina in her present state defeat the Fire Giant?
No, compared to when she first transformed, Valina's aura had diminished. Based on this... it seemed like she was approaching her limit.
Valina's talent was a certainty. She had achieved Balance Breaker at such a young age. It should be noted that Lavinia, being five years older than Valina and recognized as a genius among geniuses, had not yet been able to achieve the Balance Breaker. Although Lavinia's case seemed to be more related to her state of mind than anything else.
However, Valina's talent was not packaged with her own amount of aura.
In other words, even if she could get into Balance Breaker, she was now running out of energy.
However, Valina... defended herself with her remaining aura without dissolving the transformation.
"Divide, divide! Divide! Divide! Divide Dividing!"
Like a child screaming about being lost, Valina somehow unleashed her plough to the limits of her power over the fire giant.
Valina screamed to the sky...
"If I can't stand this, even hitting that man, hitting Rizevim, will be impossible!!! Now, seeing a kind person hurt in my eyes is unacceptable!!"
She shed tears as she screamed at a frantic volume...
Valina launched what appeared to be the last of her power. A huge amount of aura was released from her tiny body.
"Therefore, DIVIDE DIVIDING!"
-It was at that moment.
A dry, grinding sound echoed throughout the area. The next thing they saw was the arm of the fire giant that had flown away. But it didn't stop there! The entire body of the fire giant was distorted both vertically and horizontally, as its size seemed to gradually decrease.
Another arm flew out, the cross collapsed, and finally even the head broke off.
Seeing the fire giant disappear, Albion shouted.
"That's it! It's done, Valina!"
The armour disappeared, and Valina returned to normal.
Her breathing was heavy and painful, but her expression showed her usual innocence.
"...Naturally. I'm Valina... the descendant of the Maou Lucifer..."
At that, Valina lost consciousness and fell to the sky.
A pair of arms caught her, she was none other than Thalia.
"You're so strong at such a young age... you impress me, and at the same time, you make me sad. What did you have to go through to acquire such a thirst for power?"
Thalia remembered her own past, and slowly shook her head.
Her mother used to beat her when she was small because she was the daughter of the god Zeus, and she even abandoned her younger brother because she believed that this would get Zeus' attention.
Thalia and Valina did not know this, but they shared certain things in common.
Footsteps were heard approaching, and Thalia turned to see Drako. He held Lavinia in his arms, and there was no longer a trace of the black mist.
The curse had been completely lifted!
Drako looked up at Augusta who seemed to have lost all hope. Her lifeless eyes stared at the ground, had she died already?
No, she was still alive. That was good, Drako could start to rise levels in this new evolution if that was the case.
Drako carefully left Lavinia on the floor, and pulled Gandiva out.
He pointed to the sky, and began to recite the chant he had already recited once.
"It's time to make a sacrifice to the goddess Artemis."
Drako created two magic arrows, and pointed them at the sky.
Not only was this a sacrifice to the goddess, but a warning to all who were watching this fight.
"With my bow and arrows, I respectfully ask for the divine protection of the sun god Apollo and the moon goddess Artemis."
Drako released the two arrows, which flew into the infinite sky. At some point, these arrows stopped.
"I offer thee this calamity."
The arrows, which were already two pseudo-Noble Phantasms, were divided into hundreds of these.
If this was a B-range Noble Phantasm with normal magic arrows, what was its true range at this time?
"Phoebus Catastrophe!"
The hundreds of arrows fell a few dozen meters away from Drako. They all fell around Augusta, making a circle with her in the centre.
----------------------------------------------
With Augusta's death, we have reached the end of this volume. What comes now are a few chapters of transition as always.
From a distance, Artemis watched everything that happened in the forest. Everything that happened within it did not escape her senses, and she could see how Drako and Thalia fought Augusta.
At her side was her loyal lieutenant, Zoë.
Thalia was the youngest of the hunters, as well as the most talented of them all. Both the goddess and the lieutenant planned to make her the successor to the latter.
That's why they kept a close eye on everything that happened in the forest since they didn't want anything to happen to Zeus' youngest daughter.
At that moment, something shone from the forest and ascended to the heavens.
"This is...!" Artemis couldn't help but raise her voice.
That's right, this was the same connection she had felt months earlier. However, as she was now much closer to this one, it felt thousand times more powerful. Artemis was naturally drawn to that connection.
Zoë was equally or even more surprised than the goddess, but not for the same reason. She, the daughter of the titan Atlas, could sense the divinity and danger of that attack. It felt like the Holy Lighting of Baraqiel paled in comparison of this attack.
As divine beings, their senses were far better than any human. They could see that what was shooting at the sky were two arrows, which then split into hundreds of these. Artemis recognized the first two arrows, as they were virtually the same as the ones Drako had created earlier.
The multiplied arrows fell, creating a great explosion. Strangely, the forest was not damaged at all. Mind you, every battle that was going on at this point came to a halt.
"Zoë, let's go."
Artemis turned around and proceeded to leave the scene.
Her commander followed her without hesitation, as she had understood what Artemis meant. Every battle in this forest had ended with that last dragon attack.
............��.....
When Drako killed Augusta, a notice came that made him tremble with excitement.
[7900 experience points have been obtained.]
[Because of the effects of Title Skill [Walking Egg]. Another 7900 experience points were obtained.]
[The level of [Nephalem Dragon King] raised from 1 to 55.]
[Title Skill [Magus Killer: Lv1] acquired.]
[Level of title skill [Magus Killer] was increased from 1 to 2.]
55 levels for killing Augusta? 15,800 experience points?
This was crazy, Drako never would have guessed he'd get such a big score.
Going up 55 levels in one fell swoop was...
There were no words to describe it.
Not only that, but Mordred and Kuroka should have gone up two or three levels as well.
Thalia was watching Drako in shock, feeling his strength rise so high in a single moment.
A message appeared in front of Drako.
[After reaching the level of Dragon King, the system received a slight update.]
This caught Drako's attention. A system update? That should be a good thing, right?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Status]
Drako
Race - Dragon King
Level - 55/125
HP - 108750/108750
MP - 112500/112500
STR - 775
END - 725
AGI - 675
MAG - 750
Dragon King: END X150 for HP, MAG X150 for MP, END X20 for HP Regen, MAG X20 for MP Regen
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was not the only thing that was shown in the state, but also each and every skill appeared with its description and effects. This was something that Drako appreciated very much.
(I'll upload a separate chapter with all the skills, descriptions and effects)
It was not the time to waste time looking at the state, so Drako picked up the unconscious Lavinia in his arms and went to Thalia, who was holding the unconscious Valina.
"Let's go, the mission is over."
Thalia nodded and followed Drako through the woods.
..............
When they left, someone appeared on the other side of the river. Everyone would recognize her the moment they saw her.
In Gothic-style clothing, Augusta's disciple, Walburga, was approaching the body of her late teacher.
Augusta's body was a mess after receiving Drako's Noble Phantasm, but Walburga didn't seem to mind. She still had that slight smile on her face.
She, without any qualms, reached Augusta insides.
What she got out of there was nothing but a purple fire.
The purple flame, Incinerate Anthem, was burning over the palm of Walburga. Moments later, it entered the girl's interior, recognizing her as her new master.
............…
At the entrance to the forest...
After the battle was over, Suzaku Himejima and Seiryuu Kushihashi watched from afar as Drako and company drove out of the area.
Suzaku says.
"Although it seems Satanael escaped, it seems the problem has been solved one way or another."
Seiryuu sighed.
"It seems the Utsusemi Agency has been sidelined by them. Those from the agency who had been tempted were also helping Oz and Satanael. Still, they've been pushed aside after involving our five houses."
"...Well, then, in terms of the heads of each house, I wonder what kind of orders they'll leave us with from now on."
Suzaku could only pray that they would not commit another foolish act and oppose Drako and company. Not only were they very strong on their own, but it seemed they had now gained the direct support of a goddess.
Seiryuu gave Suzaku some advice.
"However, Suzaku, with the Houses silent so far, I don't know what they will say to us in the future. Are you ready?... is what I should ask myself too, Huh."
As he had said, the moment Drako and that girl hunter could fight Augusta freely and without restriction was because the practitioners of the five major clans were tasked with controlling a large number of people.
Drako knew this, as she had been informed by the trees that numerous fights were going on throughout the forest between people heading towards Augusta and those who were preventing them from doing so. While it was true that all five clans were helping, Drako did not know whether to be grateful or not, as a great deal of EXP had been stolen from him.
As a result of the work of Suzaku and Seiryuu, the fight of Drako, Thalia, and Valina against Augusta had not suffered any interference.
"You explain your part. I... have no choice but to forcefully convince the head of the family against his will." Suzaku said with exasperation.
Then it was time to consider what kind of explanation to give.
"...Well, then, maybe you could tell me a reason that would make me agree."
Along with those words from a third person, they came to perceive a powerful spirit nearby. When Suzaku and Seiryuu turned to face the individual, there was a tall man in military uniform. With a look like that of a twenty-year-old, he was a handsome man with sharp eyes.
It was not a military uniform of the Self-Defense Forces, but rather a special formal attire.
Until he introduced himself, Suzaku had not felt any indication of his presence. For this man to accomplish this was in itself a magnificent feat.
"You have come. The current head of the Nakiri house, Ouryuu Nakagami Nakiri."
In fact, the man in military uniform was the head of the Five Major Clans, the person with the most authority and the current head of the Nakiri house. The person carrying the strongest Holy Beast, Ouryuu. Not only did he have the strongest Sacred Beast, but he was the most powerful carrier in the history of this Sacred Beast. He was a man who would not lose to Vasco Strada, the so called strongest human, in his prime.
"Soon, I would like to interrogate those who participated in the incident related to the Utsusemi Agency, starting with Tobio Ikuse and his leader, in the Inner Sanctuary, and I intend to propose the same to the other heads of families. I wonder if, perhaps, it will happen."
Seiryuu smiled bitterly in response to that statement.
"The Inner Sanctuary, you seem serious, Ouryuu."
Suzaku looked at him and asked a question.
"What do you plan for them?"
Ouryuu responded briefly.
"That... depends on their answers."
Ouryuu was looking in the direction of the car Mordred was driving.
............…..
While Tobio and company were fighting the remnants of the "Utsusemi Agency" and the Wizards of Oz, two people were watching from the top of a mountain a short distance away.
They were Vatican agents: David Cerro and his student Freed Sellzen.
Not participating in the recent struggle, they, having decided to watch and wait patiently, had used a telescope to observe the battle between the opposing organizations.
Augusta of the Purple Flame had been stopped with the power of Hakuryuukou along with that of a dragon and a huntress.
As he looked away from the telescope, David muttered.
"Absolute Demise, Incinerate Anthem, Divine Dividing, Canis Lykaon .... ice and flame, black and white, then those four Longinus gathered in one place, huh. Is he the God of miracles, or possibly the God of mischief? -I had understood the situation. We will withdraw now, Freed."
David told this to his student, who was taking notes behind him.
Surrounding his student, lay the atrocious figures of several corpses. They were remnants of the "Utsusemi Agency" and Wizards of Oz who had attacked David and Freed.
Having been on the lookout for church officials to show up at this place, they had "cornered" them, but instead were defeated at their own game and met a gruesome end.
David spoke to Freed, who was drawing a lightsaber from the body of a magician.
"Even if we get rid of so many heretics and witches, it shouldn't be a problem for our investigation."
With a demented smile, Freed replied.
"Boss, that means, the previous aura was from a Longinus, right? Well, if that's true, they probably won't be killed that easily."
David spoke.
"Those were things created by our God....., but because the humans they inhabit are random, if they lack mercy, they will lead to these kinds of consequences. As expected, the Longinus should be controlled by us believers."
As he smiled politely, Freed asked his teacher.
"What should we do about it if they cannot be controlled? I mean... besides smashing them up, eh?"
Freed said this as he put his hands on his head. David looked up to the sky as he pressed the cross to his chest.
"Naturally. There would be nothing left to do but condemn them."
----------------------------------------------------------
Well, I noticed that some of you had already read Percy Jackson novels. I have something to ask you.
1) You may have noticed that Zoe and Thalia shouldn't be Hunters at the same time. It's a change that I did from the original.
2) Don't spoil to the ones that haven't read the novels.
That's it.
Now, there is a new option in P@treon that consist in paying for the year instead of the month. This next to months, I'm going to keep the discount in 2 months free if you pay the year (16% discount). After that, I'm going to keep the discount in 1 month (8% discount).
If you have doubts about the novel, don't worry. This have been going for 9 months, and I'm planning to continue this at least for another year and a half more or less.
Thank for your support! @GreatSage_Master1
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