Chapter 152: This is Chaldea's Business—Human Order, Butt Out!
["What the hell is this? Weren't we just on a sightseeing trip? How did this turn into a disaster movie?!"]
["So many snake?! Oh my god, where the hell did those monsters come from?!"]
["There might be fishermen on board, and they're catching everything but fish."]
["Nine serpent heads? Must be Hydra from Greek mythology, right?"]
["Look what I found! Quick, get everyone online, there's a livestream!"]
["Finally! I thought the Mage Association had taken them out for being too flashy."]
["The host's finally doing something serious! I shared this livestream with everyone in my group. The last few times it was all about farming and clam digging, got me blocked by everyone! Hold up, I'm bringing them back to watch this!"]
…
[System: 'Just a Simple Berserker' has sent 333 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: The host finally remembers what they should be streaming—everyone get in here now!]
…
The nine massive serpent heads let out furious, screeching roars.
One of the heads, the closest to the ship, took a brutal punch from Himiko square in the face, causing it to howl and spew out its long, winding tongue!
Himiko, hovering midair, immediately shot out her right leg in a powerful kick.
"Ha ya!!!"
Just before being swallowed whole, her kick landed squarely on its jaw.
"WHAM——————————!!"
The force of the blow violently knocked the serpent's head aside, staggering it before it finally sank into the swirling whirlpool below.
"All right, one down!!!"
Himiko landed back on the deck, her voice triumphant.
"Hiss hiss hiss————————!!!"
The remaining eight heads instantly locked onto Himiko and lunged straight toward the ship in unison!
"BOOM! BAM——————!!!"
The ship shook violently from the impact, trembling as if on the verge of shattering at any moment.
"Archers! Fire!!! Aaaah!!!"
A massive wave crashed over the deck, sweeping all the bowmen into the pitch-black sea—eliminating the only line of defense on the ship.
"Aaah, we're definitely going to die this time! I never should've listened to you people and come here. Even with just a few months of rations left, that's better than being eaten alive by this monster!"
Xu Fu clung desperately to the mast, soaked to the bone, screaming in panic.
"Ugh…!!!"
Ethan held tight to the front railing, struggling not to be flung overboard.
Meanwhile, Draco smiled as she watched Himiko continue to battle the remaining serpent heads.
"For a Heroic Spirit that's just a mere mortal, she's doing fairly well, woman."
Then she turned to Ethan beside her.
"Don't look at me like that — even if this ship sinks and we're devoured, I can still ensure your survival."
"But that means… the ship's gone! What use is that!!!"
Ethan shouted furiously.
Didn't I need this ship to cross the sea?! If it sinks, how am I supposed to go anywhere!!!
"Well~, if this ship is truly destroyed, then I won't be able to enjoy that worried, slightly panicked expression of yours anymore — and that would be such a waste."
Sensing the time was right, Draco decided to act, fearing she might truly have to step in to save Ethan.
She extended her right hand toward the Hydra's head ahead, and in the next instant, it became wrapped in red aura as it began to dragonify.
"You foolish, lowly snake — be cast down!"
A beam of light burst forth from her dragon-formed right hand, piercing straight through the head of the howling serpent!
"WHOOSH——————————!!"
In an instant, thick greenish-brown slime gushed from the wound where the serpent had been struck!
Three of the heads immediately lost the ability to fight.
The strange-colored blood splattered all over the sea's surface, forming a bizarre layer of greenish foam.
On deck, where the serpent's blood landed, it began corroding the wooden planks at an alarming rate—within moments, the deck was riddled with holes as if rotting away.
Faint screams of panic could be heard from the craftsmen and handmaidens in the lower quarters, while the crew in the lowest levels continued desperately trying to stop the ship from spinning out of control into the whirlpool.
"Hiss hiss hiss——————————!!"
Hydra, originally with nine heads, now had only five remaining.
Its blood-red eyes locked onto Draco standing at the ship's bow.
Suddenly, all the remaining heads lunged simultaneously toward Draco!!!
"You ugly little fiends — do you not even understand what it means to bare your fangs at me?"
A golden Holy Grail appeared in Draco's hand.
As it pulsed with mana, the Holy Grail shone with a radiant seven-colored light!!!
The serpents, hissing and screeching, all shut their eyes tight, their massive bodies reeling in disarray.
One of them accidentally slammed into the ship's main mast.
"CRACK!!"
The snapping sound rang out, and the ship jolted violently backward.
The entire vessel tipped sharply to one side—deck and sea forming a steep angle of nearly thirty degrees!
"Aaaaah————————!!!"
Xu Fu was thrown backward, sliding across the deck, nearly tumbling into the ocean!
At the last second, a figure dashed forward and grabbed her, pulling her back onto the deck just in time.
"Hard left rudder!!! Full speed!!!"
The ship's pilots below tried their best to turn the heavy oars, but they couldn't stop the vessel from tilting further.
"Drop the stone anchors now!!!"
Suddenly, dozens of wicker baskets filled with heavy stones were tossed from the opposite side of the lean.
The counterweight force yanked the ship's balance back to level!
"W-We're saved…"
Standing on the newly stabilized deck, Xu Fu clung tightly to the legs of the person in front of her.
"Don't worry, it's okay now. Everything's fine."
Himiko gently reassured her.
"Looks like you're hurt."
Xu Fu looked at Himiko's arm — in the earlier fight, she had been splashed by the serpent's poisonous blood, and it was corroding her flesh.
"Oh, it's just a scratch. A good meal will heal it right up!"
Himiko waved it off like nothing happened.
"No way, there's more fighting ahead. This injury must be treated."
With that, Xu Fu closed her eyes and focused mana into her hands, glowing with a faint blue light.
The bruised and corroded skin on Himiko's arm quickly regenerated, completely healing.
"You little… not bad at all!"
Himiko looked at her restored arm in surprise and waved it — even the pain was completely gone.
"On this journey, I haven't found the elixir of immortality yet, but I did discover quite a few healing concoctions… As long as I can help, I'm happy."
"Umu, time to deal with that giant serpent. But still…"
Himiko and Xu Fu both turned to look across the ship.
Draco was still locked in battle with Hydra.
"Hiss hiss hiss————————!!!"
Now blinded, Hydra shrieked in agony, its massive body thrashing so violently that the sea itself was stirred into chaos.
"We can't let it wreak havoc any longer! If this keeps up, even if we defeat it, the ship won't survive!!!"
Ethan gripped the railing tightly, yelling at Draco.
"If this fragile little boat sinks, it only proves the resilience of mankind amounts to nothing. If they can't overcome even this much hardship, that little alchemist has no hope of ever finding the elixir of immortality."
Draco sneered coldly.
"Besides, if there's no audience… then even the most glorious performance on stage is meaningless."
She waved her hand, and the Holy Grail shot up into the sky, hovering above Hydra before suddenly expanding massively.
"Feast well — on the Depravity overflowing from this chalice!!!"
In that instant, the Grail spewed out a deluge of dark energy, flooding downward in waves and wrapping around Hydra's massive body.
Touched by the dark mist, Hydra howled in pain, violently writhing as it tried to destroy the Grail floating above.
But the closer it got, the more the black fog corroded its flesh—within moments, all of Hydra's heads drooped lifelessly and fell into the sea.
Right then, the central and largest head of the serpent let out a thunderous roar toward Draco!!!
A moment later, it dragged its massive body straight at the ship!!!
"No, it's too late! If that hits us, we're all done for!!!"
Xu Fu scrambled in panic to find an escape, but with the endless ocean around them, and the ship caught in the heart of a maelstrom — it was a road to death!
"It's over, this is the end of my journey… I still didn't find the elixir of immortality… I'm not even tasty, someone save me!!!"
Her legs gave out, and Xu Fu collapsed, hugging her head as she crouched into an impenetrable defensive pose.
At this moment, Himiko no longer had the presence of mind to comfort Xu Fu.
She silently fixed her gaze on the colossal body storming toward them like a hurricane, her hand clenched into a fist.
She was ready to launch a counterattack at the exact moment the monster crashed into the ship.
Her eyes were unwavering, locked onto that frenzied creature.
Even knowing that, with her strength, she likely couldn't stop such a massive serpent…
She had no choice but to gamble everything!!!
"Such an unbelievably hideous thing… But I must admit, this madness makes things a bit less boring."
Standing at the bow of the swaying ship, Draco wore a smile.
Then she extended her fully dragonified right arm toward the rampaging Hydra, gathering an enormous amount of mana into her palm.
"Whoooosh——————————!!!"
A blazing red beam of concentrated magical energy shot out like an arrow!!!
The central head of Hydra took the blast head-on — yet it didn't stop charging?!
Though pierced through, the largest head was regenerating at a terrifying pace!
According to legend, the central head of the Hydra was immortal — its regenerative ability far surpassed the other heads!
Ethan gritted his teeth, staring straight ahead — that massive body was throwing everything into its charge, just about to slam into the ship.
But Draco only tightened the grip of her dragon fist with confidence.
"Sink — beneath the glorious tsunami of this king!!!"
"BOOOOOOM————————!!!"
Suddenly, massive waves erupted from the sea around the ship, engulfing Hydra's body.
The blood-dyed ocean swirled into a colossal vortex, and its fearsome suction dragged the entire serpent toward the center!
"Ssssssssss————————!!!"
No matter how wildly it thrashed, Hydra was forcefully pulled into the bloody whirlpool — bit by bit, completely submerged.
As the magical energy dissipated, the sea gradually returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
The ship, sitting on the outer edge of the red vortex, barely managed to remain afloat.
"We… we're saved???"
Xu Fu looked toward the distance in disbelief.
The monstrous serpent's body had suddenly resurfaced on the sea.
All nine heads were motionless — even the central one had fallen completely silent.
"Amazing! I've finally escaped this monster's pursuit!!!"
Xu Fu leapt with joy on the heavily damaged deck.
"Not being turned into its dessert is the best thing ever! Long live!!!"
Himiko stared in stunned silence at Draco.
She never expected that the little sister who always seemed to despise her possessed such overwhelming power.
"Ethan, Draco-chan… just who exactly are you two?"
On the livestream screen, the scene of the enormous serpent being destroyed was captured clearly.
[That was… insanely powerful!!!]
[Not quite on par with the Beast 666 battle, but still insanely strong!]
[Wait a sec, isn't that girl the Beast from before?!]
[Can someone explain what's going on? Why is the host teaming up with the Beast they were trying to kill last time?!]
[Did we skip a few episodes or what?]
[Probably made a contract or something, that's why she's tagging along.]
[Holy crap, is the host using the Beast's power now?! Didn't the doctor say Chaldea was supposed to protect the future of humanity?!]
[Counter Force: You courting death, Chaldea!!!]
...
[System: "Fan-Boy Heracles" has sent 100 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: Fighting Hydra without Heracles? What kind of amateur hour is this, host?! Learn to cater to the fans!]
[System: "Strongest Shield" has sent 300 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: Now that the boss is down, go find Mashu-chan already! I miss her!!!]
...
"Whew…"
Finally, Ethan let out a long breath of relief, releasing the railing he'd been gripping the entire time.
Hydra had been defeated — and the ship, somehow, was still usable.
"…Thanks, Draco."
If not for her, the ship likely wouldn't have survived.
"Hmm? Looks like you're misunderstanding something."
Draco stepped up beside Ethan, her tone dripping with disdain.
"I didn't act because of your pitiful little wish. If you really want to thank me, then hurry up and help my horn grow. That way, I can swallow you and that tasty little Human Order of yours in one glorious bite, ahahaha~~~"
"..."
Draco always liked saying things that left Ethan speechless.
Still, he was truly grateful she stepped in to help.
The Hydra was slain, the ship remained — this was the best possible outcome.
Next, they just needed to return to the village and repair the vessel a bit, and they could likely resume the journey, right?
Just as Ethan breathed a sigh of relief, a sharp voice filled with anger rang in his ears.
"Unbelievable… to think you could go this far."
Suddenly, a woman wielding a magic staff appeared in the sky above.
"Prepare yourselves — for the wrath of a Magus from the Age of the Gods!!!"