Dragon’s Bloodline

Eh-

No one knew who that sound came from. It could have been anyone.

The tenth floor. It was an open cave with a smooth stone floor.

Pale light emanated from the stone. The area was around ten meters wide, with a staircase that lead downward in the corner.

And there was a mirror at the end of the staircase.

It seemed they could return to the ninth floor right now. Judging from their previous exploration, it wouldnt be difficult to go further back up either.

This is a resting place?

Though Ria muttered in doubt, she went along with it.

It was hard to take a break in a place like the ninth floors jungle. The enemies werent obviously visible. It probably wasnt a trap either.

Theres no signs of magical power. This is an ordinary place.

Maals words proved it.

Before the final boss, I guess were meant to get ready to go here?

Thinking about it as though playing a game, Serge thought that given the nature of this labyrinth, it was probably like that.

For now, lets rest.

Ria judged so. Though they had decided to advance, they originally planned to return right after, but it seemed they could sleep here.

Unfortunately, the stone floor was abnormally hard, so she was unable to dig a bath. They wiped down their equipment and bodies with water.

Laying out blankets, they laid down. The first to stand as lookouts were Maal and Ria. These two were best for the role because they were the least exhausted.

Im useless, arent I?

Maal whispered in a weak voice.

Ria hugged Maals shoulder, slowly caressing her ear.

Its not like that.

There were no lies in Rias words. If Maal werent there, the amount of time it took to explore the labyrinth would have been several times more. But, she knew that without it being said.

Alright, lets go!

After sleeping, they didnt feel mentally fatigued even though it didnt appear in a numerical value. The group stepped onto the staircase leading down.

Rather than a labyrinth, this was like a passage.

It was at most three meters wide. The ceiling was low, too. Though they thought it was a straight line at first, it bent very slightly to the left.

A spiral staircase~? It feels somewhat like DNA, doesnt it

Only Ria understood the word that Serge used. Though Ria wasnt much a person interested in science, she still sometimes watched national broadcasted programs.

Isnt that a double helix? I think this is entirely different though.

Yeah, I was just saying that. But going down a spiral staircase into the ground, its somewhat like its heading to hell. I have a bad feeling.

He was likely being talkative due to being anxious. Not that she didnt understand how he was feeling.

This labyrinth gave a feeling of being enclosed. Unlike the previous floors, it had the atmosphere of being impossible to return from.

Ah, wait a second.

Along the way, Serge stopped the group. After a moment of concentration, he checked it out using magic.

Its alright, the path behind us wasnt closed off.

There was probably a guardian in such a large place.

I wonder if its a Dragon?

Ria muttered. The group all looked reluctant.

Whats a Dragon? The strongest living creature in the world. Its stronger than most demons.

After all, two thousand years ago and again a thousand years ago, there were large floods of demons. With the help of Darkness Dragon Valis strength, mankind finally won.

Casalias founder, Leyte Anaia, became Valis wife, giving birth to the second generations king. Rias ancestor.

Well, though I said a Dragon that doesnt mean its one of the Five God Dragons.

Carlos knew of legends with knights battling dragons, so she continued.

If a Five God Dragon came out, even I would escape.

Even if Ria was entirely confident, she didnt think she could compete with a God Dragon. Its like telling a human to fight against a nuclear warhead.

Itll be fine if its an Earth Dragon though.

Yeah, theyre just big monitor lizards.

Towards Lulus question, Ria threw her chest out and answered proudly this time.

I could even beat around fifty of them now. If I have a weapon.

Though Ria said such a terrifying thing as though it were normal, compared to the Ogre King, a large monitor lizard was nothing to be afraid of.

Just one of them could overrun a standard village though.

Nee-chan, have you fought a true dragon?

Among Ria-chan the Merciless previous battles, there were none against dragons.

Nope. But it should be stronger than a Hydra.

Record has it that they can destroy huge cities.

Its because they experienced a Dragons wrath.

While talking about such things, the group arrived at the bottom.

In front of them were large metallic dual doors.

Shrewdly, he collected the masses of metal that used to be doors.

The party walked into the room.

Their vision plunged into darkness.

I cant see farther inside.

Even Maal, whose eyes were good in the dark, couldnt see.

Huge rocks are scattered around.

Serge was able to understand what was inside.

It was time for a strategy meeting then.

First of all, in case of an emergency, Maal will withdraw to defend Serge.

Thats-!

Maal raised her voice in protest.

All of the loot is kept in his storage space, so its fine even if I die.

In their battles so far, they knew their opponent. So they were able to figure out about when they should retreat.

But this time, its a Dragon.

The weapons and armor weve collected at great pains, all of it would be lost. That is why, excluding the minimum required goods, everything was given to Serge.

The magic bag normally had insufficient capacity, but it didnt have many things in it since her currency and things like that were given to him as well.

He has my things for the time being as well.

Besides currency, Ria also gave him her jewels and precious metals taken from castle, including the dagger with the seal on it.

When push comes to shove, Maal, were relying on you.

If Serge went by himself, he probably wouldnt be able to make it out of the labyrinth. But if Maal were there helping him avoid danger, they could escape.

Understood.

Lulu casted defensive magic on everyone. In addition to protection for physical and magical, she used magic that would prevent things from influencing their minds as well. That a Dragons roar could inflict panic in people was well known.

Serge used acceleration magic on everyone. Though he could use it from far away, the magical power consumed was lower when they were in contact.

Well then, lets go.

A ball of light emitted from Lulus cane,ripping apart the darkness as it traveled forward, then exploded.

At that moment, the huge room was illuminated.

Looking in, there was a huge chunk of rock.

No, not a rock, it looked more like a hill.

A giant.

With a maul in its hand, the giant stood up.

It was larger than Gigs huge figure, easily twenty times larger.

It had just one eye. Horns sprouted from his head.

A Cyclops

An existence that rivaled a dragon.

A descendant of the fallen gods.

With a savage appearance having just a loincloth and the maul, it evoked more than fear.

The giant inhaled, then bellowed.

The atmosphere was numbing.

If it werent for the defensive magic, it would have been impossible for some people to move with just that.

Aaaaaah-!

Ria also bellowed. She began to run towards the giant, nodachi in hand.

Then, the battle began.