Before I knew it, I began to produce a large and deafening demonic roar, as my body began emitting a dark red glow. The armor given to me by Hidara began the process of repairing itself and my left eye began glowing a sinister red. However, compared to last time, I was actually in control of myself. With the strength of my conviction, I was able to control the power of the Taint, even if the moment was temporary. My b.l.o.o.d.y wounds began to exhibit rapid regeneration while Vargoz"s eye began to turn as red as my own. However, as my voice gradually became more demonic, it was clear that Hidara was influencing my thoughts. I had to actively suppress the thoughts of terror and destruction, which was the side effect of entering "War Mode". Meanwhile, Hedra smiled as she slowly floated toward me."Don"t you find this sad, Dungeon Master? Isn"t it sad that you have to rely on the one thing that will destroy you the most? The Taint Of Hidarus is not a weapon. It"s a virus that even Hidarus hasn"t been able to cure. You"re not the first person to wield that sword and you will not be the last. Once you cross that corruption threshold, there"s no going back to being your regular self. It will slowly corrupt your mind until you simply can"t take it anymore. You"ll end up just like that adventurer from long ago: A power-hungry, s.a.d.i.s.tic fool drunk on power", Hedra confidently stated.
"You"re wrong, Hedra! The Dungeon always comes first, even if it means sacrificing myself in the process!", I shouted.
"Ah! That face of hope! I love it so much! Such an intense face makes me all tingly inside. Even when you"re staring death in the face, you still believe in yourself despite. It"s commendable to see the intense fire in your eyes. The Hidarus Challenge was created to test your ability and worth as a Dungeon Master. Your goal is to prove to Father Hidarus that the Dungeon"s historic rise was warranted. If you somehow manage to survive the challenge, Hidarus will welcome you to Orune with open arms. If you fail...well, I don"t need to tell you what would happen, right? You already know the options available to you, Dungeon Master. It"s just a matter of deciding", Hedra stated.
While Hedra began cuddling her battleaxe, Hidara began seductively whispering into my thoughts.
"You are my Champion Of War, Jordan. Don"t listen to the s.l.u.tty Valkyrie. You are different from that adventurer long ago because you are my future lover. As long as we work together, we can do anything. At the moment, you"re the same rank as Hedra since you"re in "War Mode" so it"s just a matter of gaining a tactical advantage", Hidara whispered.
"I hope you"re ready Hedra. I"m not holding back against a woman", I confidently stated.
"Finally! I"ve been waiting so long for your head!", Hedra pa.s.sionately shouted.
As Hedra accelerated towards me, her face was as s.a.d.i.s.tic as I expected. It was very easy to be fooled by the seductive beauty of a Valkyrie and Hedra was no different. But Draconic Valkyries, while appearing attractive and pure on the outside, were s.a.d.i.s.tic and dangerous beings. In an alternate reality, we probably could"ve gone on a date as she suggested. It was very ironic that I began to have a crush on the only woman that was trying to kill me the most. Especially since Hidara and Helora already expressed interest. Luckily, I always prioritized logic over emotions so this ironic feeling wouldn"t hinder my resolve against her. As Vargoz began to turn into a more sinister wide sword, I prepared myself for the confrontation against the Draconic Valkyrie. To be frank, she was wearing a revealing outfit while being well endowed, which was made it harder to focus. I wasn"t an overly lewd person in my past life but I did appreciate the female body. As our weapons finally clashed, I decided to remark on her overly s.e.xualized outfit to throw her off.
"Well, s.h.i.t. All that talk about killing me and you can"t even evade a sword block? Are your t.i.ts weighing you down, Hedra?", I joked.
As I attempted to counter her attack, Hedra landed an intense underhanded punch toward my stomach, which felt as devastating as it looked. As I began to cough up immense amounts of blood, she performed a roundhouse kick imbued with Blue Fire, which was a stronger tier of Fire Magic. As I was sent toward the ground at breakneck speed, Hedra prepared a spell.
"I would suggest taking this seriously, Dungeon Master. Just give up already. You don"t have the skills of a Sorcerer or the capabilities of a Warrior. You are nothing but an insignificant summoner, whose only strength comes from the components he gathers. What can you possibly hope to do against me?", Hedra stated.
As Hedra continued to prepare her spell, I noticed that it had to be Draconic Magic. Dragon-like runes and markings appeared all over her right arm as she smiled at me. While I knew that the spell was powerful, it seemed that she was arrogant enough to take her time preparing it. She was essentially daring me to fight back, feeling that her victory was already secured. At first, I didn"t know what to do but Hidara began repeating what Hedra said. "I wasn"t reincarnated as a warrior or a sorcerer but as a Summoner". As I started to connect these dots, it became clear what the path to victory was. As I stood up and tightened my grip around Vargoz, I talked to Hidara.
"Hidara, what can I summon in "War Mode" that"ll give us the best chance of winning?", I asked.
"Finally asking the important questions, huh? It"s about time! You have a few choices but I would suggest summoning Dragon Slayer Druogg. Thanks to "War Mode", you have access to him earlier but we don"t have all the components to properly summon him. Thus, we"ll have to uh...rely on more extreme methods", Hidara cautiously stated.
"Are you insane, Hidara?! We can"t do that! That"s f.u.c.king suicide!", Vargoz shouted.
"What other choice do we have, Vargoz! This is the first time we"ve been with an actual summoner! As it stands, Druogg is our best bet!", Hidara argued.
"Yeah. At the expense of doing anything else! To summon Druogg at this early of a stage would require us to perform a Blood Sacrifice! We don"t even know if he can handle that yet! Even then, we don"t even know if Druogg can defeat that Valkyrie or not!", Vargoz argued.
"Bulls.h.i.t! You know d.a.m.n well that Druogg can defeat a Draconic Valkyrie! You"re just scared, Vargoz! Do you think..."--sigh--"do you think I don"t know the risks? Do you think I would intentionally sabotage my Champion Of War?! This is a calculated risk that we have to take! If we don"t do it, we risk the possibility of utter failure! Do you really want to spend another 100 years, maybe even 1000, drifting around the continent? Stuck with whoever is dumb enough to use the Taint with reckless abandon?", Hidara pa.s.sionately argued.
"I"ll do it. I"ll summon Druogg", I stated firmly.
"Woah, wait a minute. This isn"t something you can agree to without hearing the consequences...", Vargoz stated.
"I already trust you both so there"s no need to explain. If that"s our best shot then tell me how to summon him", I stated promptly.
"This is why you"re my favorite Dungeon Master! Now, first things first...".
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[5 minutes later]
"What the h.e.l.l are you doing down there? Are you going to surrender or what? The fat dwarf and the wolf have already been knocked unconscious and your other two members are barely holding their own. Are you praying or something?", Hedra said annoyed.
While Hedra was in the air awaiting my answer, I was on the ground preparing to summon Druogg. For the past 5 minutes, Hidara and Vargoz were explaining the process of summoning the unique unit. However, it was clear that Hedra"s patience was about to run out. If I was going to really do this, I had to do it now.
"d.a.m.n. This is going to hurt like h.e.l.l, isn"t it? I"m not looking forward to this but I love this Dungeon more than I love comfort. But if he"s taking half of the components we just earned, I hope he"s worth it", I said sighing.
"By using half of your components, you"ll be able to sacrifice less. However, it"ll still require 50% of your own blood since Summoner blood is magic rich. There"s a guarantee that you"ll pa.s.s out but I can transport your mind to my pocket Dimension. However, if Hedra beats Druogg, you"re pretty much dead. We only have one shot to do this so let"s hope for the best", Hidara stated.
"I"ll watch over your body to the best of my ability, Dungeon Master!", Vargoz happily stated.
As I smiled, I tightened my grip around Vargoz and pointed him towards Hedra. As Hedra flew towards the ground, I took a deep breath and started the summoning chant:
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"May Father Hidarus Bless This Summoning In The Name Of War.
Your Son Requires Your a.s.sistance In Order To Endure.
Unreasonable Circ.u.mstances Have Plagued My Lands.
Draconic Valkyrie Hedra Seeks To Take Command.
Dungeon Master Jordan Has A Decree.
To Ensure The Safety, He Will Bleed
Dragon Slayer Druogg, I Summon Thee!
For Any Cost, For Any Price!
I Shall Fly, I Shall Fight, I Shall Cast Blood Sacrifice!", I shouted pa.s.sionately.
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For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. However, as a bright red glow quickly flashed across my body, blood began to explode from everywhere I had a pulse. I tried my best to endure, as my armor became stained in my own blood. As I began to approach the 50% mark, I felt as weak as I expected. But as I looked toward the sky, I began to be hopeful. A huge, draconic magic circle began to appear in the sky above me, as Druogg seemed to accept the terms of his summoning. As I smiled, I fell on the ground, unable to support my body weight. Hedra, after recently landing 8 yards in front of me, slowly began to walk towards me and remark on the situation.
"What is this? Suicide? Desperation? Misplaced Hope? I don"t know much about Summoners but I know desperation when I see it. This shall be the end of your meteoric rise, Dungeon Master. May Hidarus Guide You In The Afterlife", Hedra said coldly.
As Hedra finally aimed the draconic explosion spell at Jordan"s head, Jordan still had final words for.
"I"m not"--cough--"I"m not sure so sure about that, Hedra", I said weakly.
"Huh? Why is that? I"m about to obliterate you and your sword in one single move. What could you possibly be grasping hope from?", Hedra asked.
"Well for one, we have a Dragon Slayer", I smiled weakly.
Immediately after Jordan pa.s.sed out, a man wearing Draconic Armor burst out of the sky at the speed of light. Before Hedra was able to react, Druogg immediately intercepted her and punched her in the face. The force of impact from the blow was so intense that the ground under Hedra had sunk while she was sent flying straight into the forest. Druogg was not impressed.
"Tch. I came here to kill a Dragon and all I have is a Draconic Valkyrie? Who"s the p.r.i.c.k who summoned me for this s.h.i.t?", Druogg said.
Druogg was the legendary Dragon Slayer Of Light, who came in rank variations from A all the way to S+. Dragon Slayer Light Magic is a powerful type of Lost Magic that allows the user to produce and control light from their body or surroundings. This Lost Magic allows Druogg to control and create light either from his own body or by gathering the light particles from the surrounding area. He was able to create or manipulate the light as he wished, allowing for a variety of uses in battle. However, while Druogg was a powerful unit, he was also one of the most disobedient. Dressed in Black and Gold draconic armor, he walked towards Jordan, who pa.s.sed out from the blood sacrifice. As he began nudging him with his sword, Vargoz spoke with the Dragon Slayer.
"Uh...Druogg. What are you doing? You"re in the middle of a battle", Vargoz asked.
"Is that you Vargoz? The Devourer Of Souls? You"re...smaller than I remember", Druogg joked.
"Yeah, no s.h.i.t sherlock. I got trapped into this b.l.o.o.d.y sword. I haven"t found a way out yet so...here I am", Vargoz stated.
"Your personality seems different though, right? You used to be a lot more brutal than this if I remembered correctly. Anyway, who"s this guy next to you? A friend of yours? Enemy? Unidentified?", Druogg asked.
Before Vargoz could explain the situation, Druogg heard a dragon roar from the forest, which immediately caught his attention. As he turned his head, he saw the Draconic Valkyrie heading straight towards him. Even from a distance, he could tell that she was fuming with rage. As the Valkyrie spoke, she began going berserk.
"Who the f.u.c.k do you think your messing with, boy?! I am a G.o.d d.a.m.n Draconic Valkyrie! Look at my beautiful face! It"s ruined! Do you want to die, you piece of s.h.i.t?! Do you want your arms and legs to be fed to your quadriplegic body? You"re going up against odds you can"t even comprehend! I was going to go easy on Jordan but you...you"re gonna die so painfully you"re gonna wish you never touched me!", Hedra shouted.
"Tch! What an annoying b.i.t.c.h! You"re not even worth the air that you"re breathing! What makes you think you"re worthy of fighting me? Did your brain go into those nice, big t.i.ts of yours? You have a better chance of riding my shaft than killing me. It"s not too late to become my woman though", Druogg proudly stated.
"I...understand now. You are a lost soul, aren"t you? You"ve been misguided by corrupt forces and you"re unsure of how to appeal to Father Hidarus. That"s fine...I"m a Valkyrie after all. I"ll save your soul...by destroying it!", Hedra smiled s.a.d.i.s.tically.
"Ew. What an ugly b.i.t.c.h. Have some light with your darkness!", Druogg shouted.
As Druogg boosted towards Hedra, Hedra began removing the restraints on her magic. As she began to glow bright orange, it was clear that she was becoming serious. As Druogg reached her, he performed a two-handed sword attack but Hedra was able to block it with her battleaxe. As they were face to face, Hedra began shooting Blue Fire from her mouth. Since Druogg"s armor was built around fighting dragons, he quickly became annoyed by her attack. As Druogg charged his right hand with light magic, he expressed his frustration.
"b.i.t.c.h! Close your mouth!", Druogg said aggressively.
As Druogg"s fist became engulfed with a blinding light, Druogg punched Hedra in the cheek, leaving her with burn marks and sending her to the ground at the speed of light. As Hedra"s bruised face began bleeding, she tried to get up from the ground. However, possessing no mercy, Druogg restricted her movement with Illuminating Whips that appeared on the ground around her. Druogg was still not impressed.
"Bad women who waste my time need to be punished severely", Druogg said sternly.
As Druogg prepared his Ordinance spell, Hedra warned him.
"Who the f.u.c.k do you think you are, you arrogant p.r.i.c.k! Even if you kill me, Hidarus will bring me back to life. Isn"t that wonderful?! No matter what you do to me, Father Hidarus never gives up on his Valkyries. I"ll just keep reincarnating over and over and over again. Hunting you relentlessly to the point where you can"t even sleep. Look here, a.s.shole. You have hereby formally incurred the wrath of the Valkyries for your transgressions. Every corner, every crevice, every building, every tree, every single person that you"ll ever meet...we"ll be watching you. And when you least expect it, when you"ve long forgotten about this moment and rest your eyes to sleep for another day...we"ll be there to kill you", Hedra stated sternly.
"I"m the Dragon Slayer Of Light, b.i.t.c.h. Have a taste for the road!", Druogg stated.
By transforming the light particles in the sky into thousands of light needles, Druogg prepared his Ordinance. With needles being imbued with a mix of cutting or explosive properties, it was clear that the move would be fatal. However, Druogg prepared an additional "present", which was his Solar Flare ability. Generally, Druogg saved this ability for when he needed to pierce the many layers of a Dragon"s armor. However, he found the Valkyrie so annoying that he didn"t want anything to be left behind. As his eyes began to glow a bright yellow, he began creating a large concentration of magical energy above his head, which resulted in a sphere of densely molded light. It was essentially overkill.
"You monster...have you no shame?", Hedra said.
"Just shut up and die already", Druogg briefly stated.
As Druogg launched his blinding ordinance, Hedra tried her best to break free but to no avail. She shouted, cursed, and insulted the Dragon Slayer before the attacks finally reached her. However, as the Solar Flare and Ordinance finally landed, an intense and blinding blast dominated the entire battlefield. At first, Druogg was preparing another attack but once the smoke cleared, he realized that nothing was left. However, Druogg was not satisfied with the situation, despite his victory.
"Tch. What a loser. I"ve faced Hidarian Valkyries stronger than that. At least I finished before the sun went down. I can already feel my power draining due to the lack of sunlight", Druogg said promptly.
Bright particles, remnants of the explosion, rained across the entire battlefield as Druogg floated down towards Vargoz. He noticed that a strange woman was holding Vargoz but she seemed to be friendly. He decided to not attack her.
"Who are you and why are you holding Vargoz?", Druogg asked.
"I"m Hidara, the Demonic spirit stored with Vargoz in this sword. I would like to properly thank you for getting rid of that Draconic Valkyrie for us. Our Dungeon Master put his entire faith in you so it"s good to see that it paid off! You have our grat.i.tude!", Hidara said happily.
"I would rather have some DP instead of grat.i.tude so whenever he wakes up, tell him he owes me 7,000 DP + interest. I"m going to hit up the brothel in D2 so I"ll see you guys later", Druogg said calmly.
As Druogg snapped his fingers, he disappeared without a trace. Hidara was hoping that he would stick around to help but Vargoz thought it was a stretch. As Hidara threw Jordan over her shoulder, she slowly walked towards the Dungeon"s entrance. Bose was on the battlefield moving the bodies into the range of [Absorb u0026 Kill]. Krotos and Helora were heavily bruised but they were still in better shape than Obsidian and Briggs. Those two pa.s.sed out from their injuries and were being carried by some of the remaining Golems. But despite the overall state of the Dungeon, all conscious members were smiling at their success. It was incredible odds but they somehow pulled off a magical victory. The Dungeon, whose meteoric rise caught the attention of Hidarus, somehow continued its historic run. Unknown to them, the Challenge was being broadcasted in D2, where a number of threats and opportunities eagerly awaited them.
However, as Orai came running towards them with tears in her eyes, she happily stated what they wanted to hear the most.
They successfully completed the Hidarus Challenge.