Revenge of the Soul Eater Volume 3 chapter 4 part 4

 
4
 

 
A thunderous roar shakes the air.
 
My eardrums scream as an invisible whip of shock lashes against my skin.
 
The sound, like a great bell ringing before my eyes or lightning striking nearby, was the collision of Hydra’s venom and my Spirit Cannon.
 
The Spirit Cannon emerged victorious.
 
Like a sharp spear piercing a thick shield, my spirit technique penetrated the rapidly approaching mass of venom, scattering it.
 
Moreover, it continued through the air, striking the head of the Hydra that had just spewed its breath.
 
In that instant, the dragon-like face with its glowing red eyes crumpled, violently snapping backward.
 
It was as if struck by the fist of an invisible giant, the Hydra’s long neck bending like a willow branch.
 
After a beat, a roar of agony or perhaps shock from the mythical beast echoed through the air.
 
Hearing that roar, I landed on the ground and immediately brandished Soul Eater.
 
My Soul Equipment burst forth with energy, roaring. Perhaps finally sensing something, another of Hydra’s necks turned towards me, in addition to the one that had just breathed its venom.
 
Now two of the eight heads were facing me. The remaining six continued to face forward as before. It was clear I was being underestimated, but that was fine by me.
 
I’d just have to punch it hard enough to make it turn around.
 

 
My target was the head still reeling from the direct hit of my Spirit Cannon. I’d cut it off and reduce the eight heads to seven.
 
Fortunately, the newly turning head hadn’t completed its movement yet. Its motion could be described as sluggish. The Hydra seemed incapable of swift movements due to its enormous size.
 
I swung my Soul blade down towards the Hydra with a battle cry.
 
The invisible blade of spirit energy closed the distance to the Hydra in an instant, attacking its scale-covered neck.
 
And then—
 
“…Huh?”
 
I furrowed my brow. My attack had sunk into the Hydra’s neck without any resistance.
 
There was none of the hardness or toughness one would expect from dragon scales.
 
Not only that, but the Hydra’s thick neck, reminiscent of a thousand-year-old tree trunk, was cleanly severed. The Hydra’s head fell like an overripe fruit from a branch.
 
With a splash, the head fell into the sea of poison that the ground had become, sinking with a gurgling sound.
 
While this was according to plan, the lack of resistance naturally aroused my caution.
 
I could feel the influx of soul energy, so it wasn’t likely to be an illusion or mimicry. However, the amount of soul flowing in was about equivalent to one basilisk. Not insignificant, but meager for having taken down one-eighth of a mythical beast.
 
This wouldn’t be as simple as releasing Soul Eater seven more times and cutting off all the heads for a happy ending.
 
Proof of this was the Hydra’s lack of reaction to losing a head. Despite having its head severed in one blow, it showed no signs of pain or threat.
 
As I pondered this, the severed surface of the neck suddenly bulged.
 
What overflowed from the wound was a sludge-like mucus, a mixture of the venomous dragon’s blood, fat, and bodily fluids. This mucus, pulsating violently as if it were a single organism, grew thicker, longer, reaching towards the sky.
 
It was clearly regenerating.
 
“Tch—”
 
Clicking my tongue, I released another spirit technique towards the regenerating neck.
 
However, this attack was intercepted by the other head that had finally turned towards me. The Hydra’s head exploded with a sound. Blood and brain matter splattered from the diagonally split skull.
 
In that time, the first neck had completed its regeneration. And now, the same regeneration process began on the second neck.
 
So, this must be the Hydra’s special ability.
 
Easy to cut, but quick to regenerate. And each time it’s attacked, it scatters its potent venom that corrodes even its own scales, gradually cornering its enemy.
 
It was a truly troublesome defense method that made full use of its venomous nature.
 
I was currently protecting myself from the poison with a spirit barrier, so I hadn’t been affected by the venom yet. But that was also because I was attacking from a distance. I wasn’t sure if I’d remain unscathed when I got close enough to use my sword, potentially being showered with blood and flesh.
 
Now, what to do?
 
Soul energy flowed in each time I cut, so it wasn’t as if there was no damage being done. I could choose to continue releasing Soul Eater indefinitely. In my current state of synchronization with the Soul Eater, I wouldn’t run out of spirit energy even if I fought for a whole day.
 
But that seemed far too roundabout.
 
If the Hydra was recovering faster than the damage I was dealing, this fight could last not just a day, but potentially a hundred days. Moreover, the six heads still not facing me negated the effectiveness of this strategy. If this method posed a real threat to the Hydra, all eight heads would be baring their fangs at me.
 
As it stood, I was only worth the attention of two heads. That was the Hydra’s assessment of my threat level.
 
“I guess we need to try a little harder,” I muttered.
 
Receiving such a harsh evaluation, I snorted.

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If I couldn’t defeat it like this, I’d have to change my approach. I never expected to defeat a mythical beast with ranged attacks alone anyway.
 
Traditionally, there are three ways to purify the unclean: wash it away with water, bury it in the earth, or burn it with fire.
 
Considering the Hydra’s venomous nature, water and earth were best avoided. That left only fire.
 
I’d use the Illusory One Sword Style: Flame.
 
I would once again wield the flame sword that had once vanquished the Basilisk, the King of Snakes.
 
The reason I hadn’t used this technique until now was simply that it was difficult to find the right opportunity. To put it simply, it was too powerful. Using it in a town would certainly cause a fire. The same was true in Tittis Forest or Mount Skim.
 
It was a sword technique that could only be used in situations where it was acceptable to burn everything around the target.
 
And for better or worse, this was exactly such a situation. I could wield the flame sword, now even more powerful than when I faced the Basilisk, without holding back.
 
I kicked off the ground and approached the Hydra. Flame didn’t have the range of Soul Eater. To land an effective blow, I needed to get as close to the Hydra as possible.
 
And to do that, I needed to advance over the sea of venom that had spread across a wide area.
 
Unfortunately, I didn’t possess any special technique for running on water. Therefore, an attack with Flame had been impossible — until just moments ago.
 
The knowledge I gained from my battle with Goz wasn’t limited to matters concerning Soul Equipment.
 
I had learned much about handling spirit energy as well. One of these was a method of walking.
 
I had been focusing exclusively on strengthening my leg power, but Goz had been mindful not only of leg strength but also of controlling the soles of his feet. Imagine laying a stone pavement made of internal energy beneath your feet—that might help you understand.
 
No matter how much you enhance your leg strength, if the floor or ground you’re stepping on isn’t solid, you won’t achieve the desired speed. Goz—and by extension, the disciples of the Gensou Ittouryu school—overcame this by creating their own footing.
 
An experienced practitioner might even be able to run across the ocean, traversing from the mainland to Onigashima.
 
Of course, I can’t perform such a feat yet. But I can at least run across the poisonous sea temporarily and hold my ground.
 
Naturally, the Hydra reacted to my approach, but its movements were sluggish. Perhaps it was still in the process of regenerating, but regardless, an opportunity was an opportunity.
 
I raised my weapon high and slashed down with a battle cry.
 
“Gensou Ittouryu—En!” (Illusory one style sword – Flame)
 
In that instant, the torrent of flames that erupted, fueled by my internal energy, resembled a river bursting through a dam.
 
The last time I unleashed this technique, it was at level [7]. Now, it’s nearly double that. The power is incomparable.
 
Flame River.
 
The literal river of flames surged toward the Hydra, engulfing two of its heads that faced me and covering much of its massive, mountain-like body.
 
The blood that had coated the Hydra’s surface evaporated in an instant, creating a crimson steam that quickly dispersed due to the intense heat.
 
The dragon scales, struck directly by the technique, were blown away with a thunderous noise, and the hide and flesh of the mythical creature melted under the fierce flames.
 
Observing this scene, I couldn’t help but grin.
 
“So, wounds inflicted by fire can’t regenerate, huh?”
 
When I had slashed it earlier, the regeneration had begun almost immediately after the injury. But the wounds from my flame showed no signs of healing.
 

 
Before I knew it, the Hydra had stopped advancing.
 

 
All six heads, which had previously ignored me, now turned to face me. Twelve red eyes glared with hatred and rage.
 
Then, two of the six heads moved. They opened their jaws wide, baring sharp fangs as they lunged toward me.
 
I braced myself for the bite and prepared to retreat, but the Hydra’s target wasn’t me. It tore into its own body. More precisely, it bit off the base of the two heads that I had burned and rendered useless with my technique.
 
The severed heads splashed into the poisonous sea with a loud splash and sank with a gurgling sound.
 
Was this self-harm or simply eliminating useless parts? I furrowed my brow at the Hydra’s unexpected action, but the reason for its strange behavior soon became clear.
 
From the base of the severed necks, the fluid that marked the beginning of regeneration began to ooze out.
 
Wounds inflicted by fire don’t regenerate. But if you bite off the burnt parts, that limitation doesn’t apply—it seems.
 
Seeing the Hydra quickly return to having eight heads, I burst out laughing.
 
“Hahaha! That’s more like it! It wouldn’t be interesting otherwise!”
 
If simply injuring it with fire prevented regeneration and allowed me to defeat it—could that even be considered a mythical creature? Could that even be called a dragon?
 
That would be a massive disappointment.
 
I don’t intend to enjoy a struggle, but I’m not hoping for an easy win, either.
 
This is a fight against a mythical creature. I’m hoping for a battle so intense that it will push me to new heights. And after claiming victory in that battle, I want to devour the Hydra.
 
With these thoughts in mind, I faced the Hydra once again.
 
Now the Hydra had stopped its advance, and all eight heads were focused on me. In other words, the Hydra had fully recognized me as an enemy.
 
Mikazuki Sora had been recognized as an enemy by a mythical creature.
 
Preparing to unleash the next En, I could clearly feel the excitement on my face.


 


 


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