Chapter 83: An Unexpected Boss Battle.

Chapter 83: An Unexpected Boss Battle.

[Humanization (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Shadowstalker Cadejo, Saori Segawa]

W-What is going on?! I exclaimed once I saw the state the bandit camp was in.

After killing Narube, I made my way back as fast as I could despite still having a broken arm. I admit I was counting on the Health regeneration from leveling up to heal it up for me. From my experience, it would usually fix up any minor fractures, but I guess this might be too much.

Another reason could be that once it counted as a status effect, it disqualifies from the leveling up regeneration bonus. An example would be the damaged mana paths inside Hestia's left wing that haven't healed up yet.

Well, it wasnt a huge problem considering that Hestia can heal this quite easily.

However, as I approached the bandit camp, the smell of smoke and the sight of red instantly made me think, Everywhere she goes, she leaves a fire behind I mean, nothing could express Hestia Atsuko is here better than a massive forest fireduring the night

Exasperation aside, the sight of so much fire was a bit worrisome. Not because I was still cautious of the wyverns but because Hestia shouldnt need to use this much.

Sure, she was angry at the bandit, but I dont think she would go so far as to kill them when she could easily subdue them with her earth and wind magic. Hestias current problem was that she was worried that her humanity was slipping due to her new body. Killing a human might not be the best choice to resolve this issue.

Of course, as a former teacher, I would have to advise her against doing it, but this situation wasnt easy enough for me to just decide on one single correct answer. I couldnt instill into her that killing humans was forbidden as we are monsters, so there is always the chance that we would fight a human to the death. If she were to hesitate and got hurt because of this advice, then I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

So color me surprised when I arrived at the scene and saw Hestia chanting something while she approached a robed man prostrating himself before her. The next moment, I turned my head to the side towards the voices of Tasianna and the saurians who were telling Hestia to stop, with the captured bandits lying unconscious next to them.

Huh? Mister Kushlekzar, what is going on with Lady Hestia?! I called out the leader of the Depth Serpents party.

Miss Saori! Youve come at the perfect timing; Hestia isnt listening to our calls! the lanky raptorsilian voiced out. The bandits in the camp are subdued but the young scale is not stopping her assault.

Kushlekzar retold what happened during the raid. After Akasht, the mighty sacosilian, escaped with all the prisoners, the saurians began subjugating all the bandits by capturing them with Kushlekzars water magic while Hestia had to fight against the bandits fire mage, who I recall was Macklemor.

Hestia wasn't willing to fight him and tried her best to subdue him but she underestimated how persistent he was, which was the reason why the camp was on fire. Macklemor slung fire spells over and over again, either missing Hestia and hitting the tents or hitting her but being ineffective as Hestia's barrier and resistance towards fire prevented all damage.

The saurians left them to their duel, due to their cultural belief, as they were more interested in capturing the rest of the bandits. Once they were finished, Tasianna came back from her distraction task looking troubled, as if she was being tormented by something.

While they questioned her what happened with the bandits she led away, they instantly stopped the moment Hestia cried out in pain.

The next moment, Hestias draconic body parts started to morph, as she continued growling. Her fangs and claws became even sharper and more pronounced, her scales became edgier and more vivid, while her tail started to resemble more like a jagged blade due to her protruding scales. Although she didnt have her wings out right now, I had the feeling that they too must have had an appearance change.

Looking at her right now, at first glance, she looked similar to how I've gotten used to her for nearly two months now. To me, her dragonewt form looked just like always.

While I was doing that, I also observed the massive magic circle that was floating above Hestia in the sky, following her with every step. It was the largest spell circle Ive ever seen in my life, dwarfing even Hestias [Sacred Field] which was an area-of-effect healing spell, able to grow in size according to the mana invested.

The only spell that could match it in size, albeit it still was slightly smaller, would be Hestias custom spell [Imperial Hellfire].

Its nearly readythat isnt good. I have no idea what [Imperial Hellfire] would look like but just looking at it is already sending a shiver down my spine.

Symphonie des Feuergottes!

At the same time I ended that thought, Hestia cast her spell.

Hmph! Coil around us, o, mighty serpent, Xohulotels Scaled Barrier! O, Goddess of the Depths, I ask you to perform your justice, Aqua Prison! dual casting two spells at once, a snake made out of water completely coiled around the whole raiding party, forming a scaled barrier while a water sphere covered it, creating a double-layered protective shield.

For a moment, I couldnt help but stare in wonder at the materialization of these two azure-blue spells, granting me a short glimpse of how it would seem like to be underwater in an air bubble. However, this feeling of amazement quickly died down as my instincts forced my attention towards the glowing circle of Hestias spell, menacingly floating in the sky, at the brink of activation.

Such a beautiful sightOh, from the bottom of my soul, I thank you Danterno for granting me a glimpse of your power, the robed fire mage Macklemor suddenly uttered with a wry smile, tears floating down his face like a broken dam. Forgive me, my brothers and sisters for besmirching the Talsyn nameI await my Gods absolution. Jaspermy friendplease, you must escape

Seconds felt like minutes as small beads of cold sweat formed around my forehead, soaking my bangs, as I couldnt help but shiver.

Acquisition requirement fulfilled. [Fear Resistance Lv. 1] acquired

With the sound of a rocket engine exploding, a stream of fire poured out from the magic circle onto Hestia, pounding on the ground like a cascading waterfall to then recoil back into the air. A magnificent inferno displayed itself, consuming anything in its wake as it spread itself like the water of an open sink tap.

"HESTIA!" I cried out as my heart raced to the brink of exhaustion as I saw my beloved friend being enveloped by her own spell, fearing that even she couldnt survive this blazing glory.

PRINCESS HESTIA! Tasianna shrieked from the top of her lungs, clutching her head as she tried to run out of the water barrier with a mortified expression, before being stopped by Kushlekzar.

You will waste your life the second you leave our Goddesss protective shields, Miss Tasianna. Even my barriers cannot hold on for too long, the saurian said with a frown, clutching onto Tasiannas arm without budging.

Tasianna struggled to break through despite kicking, punching, and even using spells on Kushlekzar, but the saurian stayed stoic and ignored her wails of grief, LET GO OF ME! MY PRINCESS NEEDS M-ME! I MUST SHIELD HER!

My legs froze in place, unable to move despite my deepest wish to grab Hestia out of the sea of fire. I could only watch in horror as I covered my mouth to stop myself from shouting, as I knew that Kushlekzar was right.

We might be inside his barrier, but the sheer heat transmitted through the water was great enough that it felt like a sauna in here, as the outer layer of the barrier quickly evaporated, forming a white smokescreen around us.

I could technically look through it with my [Heat Vision] but Hestias fire was in the way, making it impossible for me to pinpoint her location. This realization, however, eventually reminded me that I had [Enhanced Enemy Sense]. Using it, all my worries washed away as I was able to feel somebody inside the flames.

It has to be her; it just has to be Hestia. Its callous of me to say this but Macklemor cant possibly survive through this.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.

Once I confirmed the signal, I immediately informed Tasianna about it, calming her down enough that her shaking legs gave up on her. Thank goodness, she exclaimed as she reclaimed control of her breathing.

I began caressing her back, not only to soothe her but also myself. While I was doing that, Kushlekzar conjured up three blue magic circles, two to reinforce the barrier with [Xohulotels Scaled Barrier] and [Sapphire Membrane] and one to heal my arm with [Oceans Healing].

Unfortunately, water magic isnt as powerful when it comes to healing wounds compared to holy magic. However, it should be enough to staunch the bleeding and recover a few parts of your broken arm, he said as he continued casting spells.

[Broken Arm (Right) (Minor)] inflicted on [Young Shadowstalker Cadejo, Saori Segawa]

After seven casts of [Oceans Healing], the bones inside of my arm healed enough for me to move it. He was right when he mentioned that this spell wasnt as effective as [Major Heal]. Hestia could probably solve this problem within two casts, I believe.

Eventually, the sea of flames died down, disappearing into thin air as the saurian priests barrier survived through it all, although the white mist of evaporated water was so thick that it could serve as a smokescreen for a whole battalion of soldiers.

Dematerializing his barriers, our whole group got a clear view of what Hestias spell did. Everything, plants, tents, wood, even the very ground was scorched into ash, leaving nothing but a huge coal-black scar behind. Strangely enough, the spell was quite controlled as the pyre seemed to have left behind a circle.

Although not clean, it was unquestionable that whatever laid before the circle, the spells effective range, seemed to have survived the inferno, only showing singed patches of grass due to the extreme heat. From the look of it, the tent with all of the food supplies miraculously survived.

"Miss Saori, look over there," Tasianna pointed, leading my eyes towards the center of the spell, where the ground was in the direst state. There, I could see a young girl clad in an outfit inspired by Earth's Idol while a white cloak laid on the ground. Her hair was shining a bright crimson, almost as if they were glowing, as an aura of fire circled her like flies around a campfire.

Suddenly, a blue mist started seeped out from her body before a deafening roar erupted, KRRRRRIIIIIIIAAAAAGHHHH! as a pair of dark-red wings blew the mist away, revealing the tattoo-like markings on her wings webbing. The hardened scales covering her wings were nothing like the ones I remembered, rivaling the immense intimidation force of the ones on her tail.

The girl then turned her head towards us, baring her fangs as her wings released a dust-like substance into the air before flapping them in our direction. Hestia! I wanted to call out to my dragon friend but the red glowing eyes of hers, sharper and more primal than ever, pushed those words back down my throat.

Something is wrong! I thought.

The flames surrounding her like servants would their mistress, glowing crimson hair that looked like they could combust into fire any second now, blazing red eyes that looked at us like they would an enemy, while the dust from her wings quickly floated through the air towards us.

And they were right. Hestia wasnt casting any spells due to having no mind dedicating to use magic but that didnt mean that she wasnt a threat. Her body still was able to control fire with [Pyrokinesis] and the ones flying around her can be used offensively or defensively. We also had to be wary of Hestia's claws and tail which were practically weapons at this point, including the explosive scale-dust from her body.

Parallel mind #1 also explained that something happened to her body, causing her to gain new abilities that we should be careful of. Considering that she never really used her sparks so offensively, I guess this has to be one of them.

With another bestial roar, Hestia sharpened her tail against the grind, reheating it, before jumping up and slamming it onto Krim-Slak like a broadsword.

Graceful slithering, Slithering Serpent! Kushlekzar cast onto himself before shooting it to Krim-Slak with [Synergists Oath].

Hestias tail crashed onto his shield but instead of cutting through, she slipped off it due to a blue gel that was covering Krim-Slak's weapons and body. Sliding on the ground with that gel, the blue saurian moved behind Hestia who lost her balance from that last attack. He shouted [Molt] to remove [Slithering Serpent]s effect, before slamming the edge of his shield against her stomachs sides.

Before she was sent flying, she gnashed her teeth again, causing an explosion that caught Krim-Slak head-on. Not willing to give Hestia a moment to act again, Kushlekzar shot an [Ocean Blast], a highly condensed ball of water. It crashed against Hestias skull like a hammer, sending her right at Grazlahta who swung the blunt side of his axe at her.

It hit her head, leaving a visible bleeding bruise behind as her body crashed onto the ground.

That broke her [Draconic Barrier]?!

Before Grazlahta could follow up on his attack, Hestia rotated her body over, avoiding the saurians attack by moving on all fours and began a flurry of swings using her tail like a spear. Although he managed to redirect all the attacks with his shield, it still was intense enough that he wasnt able to defend himself from Hestias next attack.

The crimson haired girl drew her claws through the ground, releasing two sets of claws made from literal fire. Slashing into the carnosilians chest and ripping through his armor and scales, a clear cut could be seen, oozing enough blood to be considered critical for a human.

As Grazlahta was trying to distance himself to avoid another attack, Hestias body instantly attempted to take advantage of this fact, but I prevented it by casting [Shadow Tendrils] to entangle her arms. As pain began to contort her face, white flames appeared from her arm, destroying my tendrils before starting to restore her Health from all the damage that she received.

What in the-?!

The white fire, something that Ive never seen before, started enveloping her whole body. The bruises caused by Kushlekzars [Ocean Blast] and the one from Grazlahta's axe disappeared as if she just used [Major Heal] on herself. Any residue white flames simply left her body and began swirling around her like the others.

This is why this girl is so hard to fight against. She can simply take any damage and heal it back in a matter of seconds without any problems due to her high mana capacity.

Kroooooooooarrrrrghhhh! Xohulotel, laruz! a loud war cry resounded from a huge humanoid crocodile, before he threw his hammer.

Hestia simply dodged it, before baring her fangs at the one who threw that at her.

Akasht, dont kill her. Only subdue! Kushlekzar ordered him.

From here on out, Tasianna, all the saurians, and I cooperated together to capture Hestia, which was difficult to do as Hestia's swiftness was boosted by her custom spell.

Even if somebody could get close enough to attack, Hestias [Draconic Roar] would always burst out, stunning everybody close to her with an ear-destroying attack. Even Akasht, the physically strongest among us, was forced to back away from her when she did this. If Tasianna hadnt tried to shut Hestias mouth with her ice magic every time she did that, we probably would have even more trouble.

Although she was taking quite significant damage from our combined efforts, the white flames would always appear and heal her up almost like its automatic. Any damage we would take would also be healed from Kushlekzars [Ocean Healing].

The only attack that we seriously had to avoid was the purple flames that she occasionally shot out. Fortunately none of us was hit by them, but anything that was, immediately turned into a dark purple shriveled mess, that reminded me too much of Hestias poison.

As we continued this fight, Hestia eventually realized that we were quickly wearing her down. She wrapped her wings around her before releasing an unbearable heat wave from her body, sending anybody close to her flying away as the heat slowly cooked everybody alive.

From what parallel mind #1 told me, this had to be one of the two new abilities that Hestia suddenly got. The one where she would sharpen her claws and tail was [Hellblade Edge], similar to her [Spark Claws] and [Spark Fangs], while this heatwave was [Dreadflare Aura].

I admit that the name fitted this ability very well. The sheer aura around Hestia right now was so hot that coming any closer would definitely combust my fur on fire. None of us could come any closer, but Hestia could continue shooting out fire projectiles at us like it was nothing.

Enough! Does this young scale believe she can defeat me with fire? Impudent! Learn the terror of the oceans, Princess Hestia! Observe, my student! Kushlekzar shouted as he pulled out a rosary with a beautiful clear blue stone embedded into it, shining the moment he started casting spells.

[Azure Blade], [Krakens Destruction], [Torrential Rain], [Perilous Tidefall], and so many more spells were cast without stop. Strangely enough, he wasnt casting any of them, magic circles simply appeared around him as his rosary continued beaming.

I-It changed?! Will he be able to keep up?!

Symphonie des Feuergottes Movement (Adagio)

Flames burning slowly with powerful notes, increasing the casters Strength and Intelligence by half of the base amount. Mana consumption of all spells is reduced by 50%

The second stage of her custom spell activated, removing the effects of the previous one while applying the current one. Explosions of scale-dusts and huge infernos controlled with [Pyrokinesis] answered the saurian priests spells in kind.

A clash of elements, fire and water, pushed each back and forth, continuously producing steam until it was so thick that no one could see anything besides for me with my [Heat Vision].

I was doubtful that Kushlekzar could actually beat Hestia is a duel of spells, as I have seen the intensity of he power far too often when we sparred. I was so pessimistic about it that I was contemplating to pull everybody into the shadow world to escape this heat wave.

However, I was proven wrong. Kushlek'zar is an experienced water mage with years of practice and training that made him superior to Hestia as a mage, clearly to be seen as he was pushing Hestia's aura back. Water was dominating fire.

I was astounded. Never have I seen anybody be able to contest Hestia in a straight up magic duel. I know I had a very low sample size, but I was immensely confident that Hestia couldnt lose. Noentheless, I cant deny the truth that I was seeing here: Hestia was losing.

However, the problem lies with the fact that he couldnt contest her when it comes to mana consumption. Hestia wasnt even using actual spell here, as all her attacks were made from the fire surrounding her, controlled with [Pyrokinesis].

I couldnt see her status board as she was blocking everything, but I know that Kushlekzars mana was already at half.

[Hestia stop! Please, you have to stop now!] I shouted at her with [Telepathy].

[Lady Hestia, please, I beg you to stop. I-I cant bear this heat anymore,] Tasianna copied me, once she heard my thoughts.

What am I supposed to do here?! I shouted to myself, unable to think of any plans as exhaustion clouded my mind through the heatstroke.

But as I was thinking this, the aura of heat and the fire barrage suddenly stopped. Kushlek'zar halted his attack once he felt no more resistance, although, one of the spells did hit its mark. Rolling on the ground like a ragdoll, steam began leaking from Hestia's mouth as she laid on the wet ground, unwilling to stand up or move a muscle.

After lowering the temperature with Tasiannas ice magic and Kushlekzars water magic, the area was bearable enough to walk through. The moment we knew that, Tasianna and I immediately sprinted towards Hestia, bringing her body up before embracing her tightly.

Gurgh! Her body is still burning! Ouch!

OOF! Guysthats too tight, she meekly uttered.

S-Shut it, Hestia. That was not cool at all, not cool at all, I said as I tightened my grip around her, ignoring the pain.

Miss Saori is right, Lady HestiaP-Please give up your right to refuse up for today. All of this was too much for us, Tasianna agreed without letting go of Hestia, eyes closed as she was stimulated by her warm body, although, in truth it might be torturous for her.

Sorry, I muttered silently.

Dont be. Just explain everything, thats all Im asking. You already did well by coming back to us, I stated as I caressed her crimson hair, having lost their yellow glow.

Yeah, surecould I ask a favor before I do that?

Sure.

"Well, I'm really hungry. Like really, really, really, really, hungry. I think I just burned through three days' worth of calories," Hestia shyly said as a growl escaped her stomach.

Hie hie, anything you want.