Online In Another World

Though the impact of the slam-and-toss broke through several cages and caved the back wall in partially, the minotaur grumbled, beginning to pick itself up.

Emilio expected this, using the dazed state of the beast to formulate his next attack, drawing in a focusing breath.

If I use fire, it might be able to charge straight through it and shrug it off before I can fully burn it. That hide of its is tough–it must’ve been enhanced in some capacity. I’ll take this another route, he planned.

As the minotaur returned to its feet, it howled out, scraping its hoof against the stone tile in preparation to rush.

With a flick of his staff, Emilio summoned ropes of water around the beast, tethering the other ends to the cages and pillars, binding the minotaur with dozens of these water-made bindings.

“Aquatic Bind,” was becoming one of his favorite spells in its versatility, shapeless as water.

Alright…that won’t hold long, so let’s get cooking, he planned.

Fire would only serve to vaporize the water he was using to restrain the beast, instead putting his hand against the ground as he weaved the stone itself into protrusions of spears. He sharpened them and caused them to spin rapidly, acting like piercing javelins that built up momentum.

A combination of wind and rock magic was used, using the wind to create a propelling force for the stone-forged javelins: “Terra Javelins.”

“Nnnngh!” The minotaur roared, tugging on the blue, see-through bindings as the cages began grinding against the floor.

As the restraints were beginning to thin from the orc-bull’s strength, Emilio finished giving rotation to the Terra Javelins, launching them just as the minotaur broke free and rushed straight at him with harrowing speed.

There were three in total that launched; the first collided with the minotaur’s horns, breaking the left one off but being deflected in the aftermath; the second javelin went through the beast’s shoulder, but did nothing to impede it.

–And the third…

SQUELCH.

Just before the beast could pierce its horns through the body of the young Dragonheart, it was stopped in its tracks, inches shy of collision, as the last Terra Javelin launched from the ceiling, piercing through its neck and stabbing into the ground below, locking it down.

“….Grraaagh…” The minotaur lowly growled, twitching as blood poured from its wounds.

As blood leaked from its mouth, the unsightly beast convulsed for a few moments more before becoming completely still.

Emilio watched it to make sure it was completely dead before letting out a sigh of relief, “That went much smoother than I expect–”

Interrupting him and turning his blood to ice in his veins was a bellowing roar that was distorted between multiple animals’ howls, emitting from the cage in the back.

That’s coming from…the veiled cage?…He thought.

It was still covered in a cloth, though in his battle against the failed experiments, he forgot about the presence of the so-called “Masterpiece”.

Before he could move an inch, all of the murmurs and growls of the creatures still in their cages went completely silent in the aftermath of the “Masterpiece’s” call.

Just as he let out a breath, metal bars exploded outward from the cage stationed at the very back, flinging across the chamber as the sound of a large creature stomping onto the stone was heard.

He was unable to see the beast lurking in the chamber as there were rows of cages blocking his vision, though he could hear its heavy, ragged breaths as it marched closer and closer.

What is it?…Should I make a run for it? Can I? He questioned.

For a moment, the steps disappeared, leaving the repugnant chamber silent as he held his breath. It was only when he thought the threat might’ve been false did it leap atop the cage in front of him, looming over him in its unsightly glory: the “Masterpiece”.

It had a body like that of a bipedal dragon, covered in pitch-black scales with the tail of a serpent hissing behind its back and three heads of its own like a disgusting rendition of a hydra: the left, a bear; the middle, a tiger; the right, a wolf.

What the hell is this thing?! He thought.

The amalgamation of beasts roared out, though finally prompting Emilio to react as the glow of flames shone from the three heads.

“–!”

In a quick reflex, he deployed a wall of stone in front of himself just as orange flames spewed from the mouths of the Masterpiece.

To his dismay, the heat vomited from the mouths of the grotesque chimera were elevated from normal flames, melting through the wall of stone and breaking through it.

“–!”

He was forced to cross his arms, summoning his azure scales as protective armor just as the Masterpiece’s inferno reached him.

“Nngh…”

The newly acquired ability–”Heat Resistance”–was on full display in its debut for him, enduring the bath of flames as his scales managed to combat their flesh-eating nature. Still, it didn’t completely mitigate the pain, though it was bearable as he stood his ground.

…Stand…firm! He thought.

Though as he planted himself down to withstand the onslaught of flames, the roar of the Masterpiece only condensed further; the heat amplified, concentrating from a wild, orange mass to a stream of bright-blue flames.

It’s still going…?! He thought.

At its minimum state, the resistance to heat he naturally had wasn’t enough to completely shield him from the flames, finally breaking through his guard as the roar of fire engulfed him. It wasn’t just heat; there was concussive force behind the breath, knocking him back as an explosion of flames expanded in the chamber.

“Aaagh!” He yelled out.

Sitting on his knees within a cloud of smoke, he coughed up blood that began evaporating immediatly through the heat all around and within him. The entire front of his body was burned, turning his cloak of leaves to cinders and peeling the skin from his arms and chest.

…It hurts, it hurts, he thought.

The Undying Blood’s limits seemed to become smaller and smaller, making even this quantity of wounds heal slowly, leaving him with tiny wounds even after recovering.

“…Huff…”

He understood the gravity of the situation well now; there was no way he could rely on the Undying Blood to save him, as its limits were reached.

I have to do this right. If I don’t, then–he thought.

Though his thinking was paused as the cloud of black smoke around him was blown away as he found the towering figure of the Masterpiece arriving directly in front of him, roaring out as it whipped around with its tail as a striking weapon.

“–!”

Raising his arms, he summoned his scales to protect his forearms, though the snake tail of the chimera cracked the wind before whipping against his arms with force that cracked his armor.

“Ngh!”

He was flung back, slamming against the back wall as blood slipped from his lips again, only enduring the impact somewhat due to his Dragonheart stage.

It’s strong. I need to lock it down, he thought.

As the Masterpiece roared out, beginning to approach again, Emilio stayed leaning against the wall while regaining his breath, pressing his palm against the stone as he invoked stone magecraft.

Around the chimera, a dome of reinforced rock was formed, encapsulating it and being layered multiple times.

It wasn’t just the dome; he concentrated further, filling the inside of it with water, having to focus on the unseen interior of the rock imprisonment.

More…! He thought.

Just a combination of water and rock wasn’t used, but also fire as he manifested heat around the undersides of the dome, causing the water to bubble up and boil with the chimera caught inside of it.

It was an all-out, brutal attempt to kill; whether by drowning or boiling it alive, he used this impromptu magecraft from the desperate backends of his brain: “Wizard’s Hot Pot.”

While the colossal, makeshift boiling pot was in action, he stumbled from the crater in the wall, coughing out as he regained himself, feeling multiple ribs fractured inside of him, if not broken, and his pinky finger on his right hand completely twisted around.

I’m not healing anymore…I’m sure Vandread sustained more than this before–is the Undying Blood getting weaker? He questioned.

As he posed this question to himself while catching his breath, he looked up towards the rock dome that was steaming now, though a worrisome feeling swirled in his gut as he saw embers escaping through the small cracks in its structure.

“…You’ve got to be kidding…” He mumbled.

In a quick reaction, he raised his arms just as the entire prison of boiling rock exploded, causing heated pebbles to fling in every direction, pelting him as the incredibly hot water ran over the stone tile, evaporating.

The cause of this was a massive breath of flames unleashed by the Masterpiece, roared out and overpowering the impromptu prison entirely.

Even that wasn’t enough…? Fine! He thought.

Neglecting to use his staff, he abandoned control in the moment as he summoned the draconic flames of his Dragonheart, amplifying them further by feeding it wind before a small sphere of flames above his hand became a massive orb of azure desolation.

He held it above his head, looking towards the three-headed chimera that roared out towards him, beginning to summon its own internal fire as well.

“–Let’s see if you like this, then!” Emilio shouted.