109. About Battles, There’s A Way to Fight, Isn’t It?

Thanks to greedily licking the last drops of sacred wine from the bottom of the barrel, I managed to blow off two of the Hydra’s heads at once.

“Ha! Did you enjoy the special sacred wine, you damn snake?”

I shouted while dashing sideways.

I wanted to draw the snake away from Myrna, even just a little. It would make it harder for allies to launch flashy attacks when they arrive.

Running, I took out a flask-shaped potion bottle from spatial storage.

It’s that one. The kind of test tube with a large spherical bottom.

The spherical part was tightly packed with [combustion medicine] made through alchemy.

The enraged Hydra (currently six-headed, but don’t worry about it) extended its gigantic head toward me.

Apparently, it doesn’t have breath attacks like a dragon. That alone increases our chances significantly.

I threw the flask bottle at the Hydra’s head as it rushed through the trees at high speed.

My throwing skills, honed during my adventurer days, hit the mark perfectly.

At the perfect timing, the flask shattered and vanished.

Probably, I’m the only one in the wide world who can fight like this.

No magician or alchemist is trained in throwing and combat.

Furthermore, my adventurer experience moves my feet and body in front of this terrifying monster.

The flask burst, and the combustion medicine scattered.

Since the combustion medicine is powdery, it also serves as a makeshift smoke screen.

Kyuugaaaah!

I narrowly avoided the head that tried to bite me, as the Hydra lost its sight.

“That’s not the end!”

Without a moment’s delay, I threw a knife.

It was coated with oil and ignited with magic when I threw it.

The flaming knife hit the Hydra’s head. Of course, such a flimsy throwing knife wouldn’t do much damage.

But.

At the moment of impact, the combustion medicine erupted into flames.

Hyuugaaahhh!

With magic, you can adjust the power to the optimal level on the spot, and it’s easy to hit the target. To some extent, you can guide it with your gaze.

But I don’t have enough magic power left to use attack spells now.

My magic power had recovered a bit while waiting for the Hydra, but not much.

I felt a strange sense of fulfillment, as if my days as an unusable magician existed for this very moment.

“Ha… hahaha! It wasn’t in vain! My adventurer days weren’t in vain! Hahahaha!”

Despite the situation, I was so happy that I shouted and kept throwing flasks filled with combustion medicine.

After burning its head about three times, the Hydra seemed to realize the danger of what I was throwing and stopped recklessly stretching its neck.

(Good, good! Stay still like that!)

We both carefully gauged the distance between us.

Though, given the enormous size of the Hydra, it was like a mouse and an elephant staring each other down.

(What I have left in my hand is…)

I must have let my guard down; my focus shifted from the Hydra.

And the Hydra didn’t miss that.

Its enormous body.

Disappeared from my sight in an instant.

“What!?”

A column of water shot up where the Hydra had been, slightly delayed.

The water column whirled around me.

In other words.

“Behind!”

That huge body had instantly moved behind me!

Just like human swordsmanship, monsters have unique techniques.

The Hydra must have used one of those techniques.

“[Barrier of Rainbow Light――]”

A shock ran through my entire body.

I was blown away by the giant head that had charged at me.

Thanks to the defensive magic I barely managed to cast, I escaped instant death, but I was rolled at high speed across the marshland and smashed into a large tree.

“Ugh!”

This time, my body didn’t get torn apart, but I must have broken several bones.

I forcibly lifted my head.

At an incredible speed, lined-up fangs were about to engulf me.

(At least take one head with me――)

I took out the one remaining magic bomb from my pocket and clenched it.

The moment I decided to detonate it upon being swallowed.

“[Sky-Cleaving Flash Fang]!!!”

A powerful slash pierced the Hydra’s neck.

Cutting through the dense fog, the one who appeared was, of course.

“Raidoc!”

“Damn! It’s shallow!”

Raidoc stared intently at the Hydra, ignoring me.

The Hydra was gushing blood but hadn’t lost its head.

It seemed to be seriously injured, but Raidoc stood between me and the Hydra with maximum caution.

Why doesn’t he follow up on the wounded Hydra?

Why?

The reason became clear immediately.

The wound inflicted by Raidoc was healing rapidly.

“What kind of regeneration is that!?”

“Didn’t you know, Craft!? How did you cut off two heads!?”

“I set a trap! I can’t use the same trick again!”

Without exchanging joy at our reunion, we had the necessary minimum conversation.

“Solar! Stick with Craft! Keep that damn snake in check!”

“Got it!”

Solar, who must have just caught up with Raidoc, quickly slid next to me and fired rapid shots with her bow.

“You okay!? Craft!”

“Just barely…”

I gulped down a healing potion.

The pain quickly subsided, but the damage was too severe to heal completely.

As I was about to take out another one, Bepp and Barduck caught up.

“Haa! Haa! You two are too fast!”

“Pant! Pant! It’s tough… for a magician!”

The two of them, gulping stamina potions, were so out of breath. They must have pushed themselves hard to catch up.

Raidoc and Solar’s full speed was just too fast.

Moda hadn’t even come into view yet.

“Ka… God’s healing… [Rapid Healing]”

Out of breath, Bepp, bearing the priest’s emblem, cast healing magic.

The injuries that the potion hadn’t fully healed began to mend.

“Thanks, Bepp.”

“I’m glad you’re safe, Craft.”

We confirmed each other’s safety and nodded.

Then, the magician Bardoc, catching his breath, came up beside me.

“Craft, do you have any mana potions left? I’m almost out of magic.”

“Sorry, I’m out. Didn’t you get any from Eva when you met up?”

I had given all my mana potions to Eva.

“She used up her potions to buy time for Kyle-sama to escape.”

“I see. By the way, what happened to Jitaro and the Casper sisters?”

Barduck frowned.

“…They’re guarding Zaid-sama. For some reason, he’s following us.”

“What!? Isn’t he supposed to be on standby!?”

Indeed, from Raidoc’s perspective, it seemed like he was following us, but is that fool planning to come to this dangerous area!?

“Adventurers and lizardmen will join us first. Craft, do you have a plan to defeat that eight-headed beast?”

“I confirmed its tremendous regeneration. If a head is blown off in one blow, it doesn’t regenerate.”

“How did you do that?”

“I gave it a taste of magic bombs.”

“Ah, that.”

Barduck must have remembered the cave we went to together, grinning.

“But hitting it with that much power is the thing. Can Craft’s attack magic handle it?”

“No, I’m out of magic. Impossible.”

Both my magic and mana potions were depleted. Only one magic bomb remained for self-destruction.

But we still had Raidoc as our ace.

“We’ll have everyone, adventurers, lizardmen, and us, stop the Hydra’s movements and let Raidoc crush each head one by one.”

“I figured. When we tried to buy time for Lord Kyle to escape, the Hydra’s movements were incredibly swift.”

“Is that slowed down now!?”

“Yeah. Even just not moving at high speed through the marsh is much better.”

Even now, it’s apparently drunk from the sacred wine.

If it usually moved without leaving afterimages, it wouldn’t be a fair fight. Amazingly, they managed to get Kyle out.

While we were talking, the Raidoc and Solar combo kept the Hydra in check.

The Hydra seemed wary of Raidoc, growling and keeping some distance.

Raidoc scaring a giant Hydra like that, how much did he beat it up?

If it weren’t for that unfair regeneration, Raidoc would have killed it already.

“Craft!”

Raidoc called me without turning around.

“Do you have a plan!?”

“Once the allies join, we’ll overpower it without you! Once we hold its movement, Raidoc will chop off the heads one by one!”

“Can you hold it without me!?”

Raidoc’s shout was not overconfidence but a calm analysis of our combat strength.

Still, it made me feel a bit annoyed.

“…Eva and Camille are also necessary.”

It’s unclear how much magic power Eva has left, but even a little help from her would be reassuring.

Camille’s quick sword skills would also be effective in restraining the Hydra’s movements.

Marilyn should back up with Bepp.

“Alright! Until our allies arrive, we’ll focus on defense! Everyone, form up around Craft and Barduck and hold it back!”

“””Yeah!!!”””

Thus, the bell for the second round rang loudly.