Dragon Bloodline

A Katana That Doesn’t Break

When Carlos and Lulu dropped out, Serge honestly thought that it was already useless.
Even if they struggled here, there was no hope in a fight like this. Serge’s trump card hugely damaged enemies, and Ria’s katana couldn’t not kill.
But neither of them worked right now.
Though he’d also tried Longinus, the wound was to the degree of like being pricked by a needle.
Now, there was the final trump card. But if he used it, his magical power would be almost entirely exhausted. He wouldn’t be able to use acceleration if he used it.
If it’s Ria, she could manage to dodge somehow. But it would be difficult to dodge the giant’s attacks without acceleration magic. If Gig received even a single blow, even though his body was also tough, it would tragically become minced meat.
It’s safe even if you die. Seeing Carlos and Lulu disappear, from what Maal said, he didn’t doubt it.

However, he didn’t want to die.
Serge, who had memories of dying, especially thought so.
Rather than if it were an instant death, if his limbs were torn off, just how much pain would he remember?
“Nee-chan!”
We should retreat. It’s okay if it’s right now.
Though it was unfortunate for Carlos and Lulu, he had to abandon the cane and armor. If you thought about their current income, it would become a funny story later on.

Having thought that, he was just a person that didn’t have the blood of a warrior.

Maal was of the same opinion as serge. She wanted to escape now. Even if she said they’d be revived, she didn’t want to experience the moment of suffering from dying again.
But she didn’t run away. Not while Ria was still fighting.

The two warriors didn’t think of running away.
(Even if I die, Maal will lead Serge away and escape.)
Thinking that, she single-mindedly concentrated on the fight.
She wanted to kill the enemy before her. She wanted to kill. That’s all she thought about.
Rather than calling it the instincts of a warrior, it was likely the instincts of a beast. Or maybe more primal instincts.

Ria thought.
(This is a true killing of each other.)

She was continuing the previous one. The Ogre King’s fight. Though that also had a danger towards her life, the fight was stopped.
Of course, her blood was boiling. Her heart throbbed while fighting.

But this was different.

As well as with the floor fights so far, they had every chance of winning in those hard fights.

But this was different.

It couldn’t be predicted. Though they made a strategy, even it failed.
Still, single-mindedly, she wanted to kill it. Without thinking about her own life or death, she just gradually increased her killing intent.
“Eyaaah-!”
She put her all into every single technique, ability, and downward stroke of her katana.

She was able to partly cut off the giant’s toe.

And, unable to endure it, the katana shattered.

It didn’t break. With Ria’s magical power, it couldn’t withstand the impact of the slash, exploding the steel from the inside.
But because of that, one of the giant’s fingers were torn to shreds.

The giant bellowed. It raged vehemently.
The labyrinth, likely made solid for that reason, broke all around.
Due to the impact of the debris, Gig’s movements dulled. The giant’s fist crashed down there.

Gig was unlucky. He wasn’t killed instantly.
The pain from experiencing the blow continued for several seconds.

Serge’s quick-wit proved effected. He used the mithril door collected earlier as a shield.
Huddled shoulder to shoulder with Maal, they watched Gig become light and disappear.
When he stored the door once again, they decided it was best to escape. Fortunately, the exit wasn’t blocked.

Then, Serge fired off his last remaining trump card.
He picked up a labyrinth stone that had been scattered about. He looked at the giant’s figure.
It’s eye was probably its weak spot. With just one, it was definitely a weak spot. But it wouldn’t be a fatal wound.
The brain or the heart? Probably the heart. He could imagine the giant’s body could probably rage even if it didn’t have a brain.

“Nee-chan! I’m going to use my final trump card! When I use it, I’ll be out of magical power!”
He composed the magic formula in his head. Increase the magical power. Mental concentration. He himself would die if it accidentally went off.
He concentrated on the rock in his hand. He aimed for the giant’s heart.
“Explosion Teleport”
The rock in his hand disappeared.

Teleporting a solid into a solid. When he used it on a beast as a guinea pig, he sent it into its head. He thought it would simply die.
But it actually caused an explosion. Because substances overlapped each other, it gave that much of an impact.
With his whole body hit by the blast, he had to stay in bed for days. His magical power didn’t recover for a while after either.

And now, he used it again.

An explosion occurred in the giant’s chest.
It was enough for the giant to drop down. Blood splattered.
“It wasn’t enough…?”

The giant held its hand to its chest. It definitely damaged it, giving it a wound it didn’t have until now. But that was all.
Even Serge’s best magic couldn’t get through the giant. Though it brought its hand to the wound on its chest, its movements weren’t dulled.

But it did distract it slightly.
To sever the giant’s wounded finger, Ria struck with the battleaxe she took out.
It felt pain. Though it wasn’t to the point of damaging it, pain was pain.
Though it wouldn’t die even if it lost a finger, it couldn’t be called negligible.

The giant stooped. It was a movement to protect its wound. It’s weak point, the eye, was near.
Ria threw a spear. It wasn’t a spear she had multiple of. It was a spear she carefully selected in the royal capital.
But even so, it only slightly grazed the eyeball, falling to the ground after barely injuring it.

“Dammit.”
Ria cursed. Its vital points grew slightly closer. But she no longer had her reliable nodachi.
She took a sword out from her bag. A sword made of mithril. Though its hardness and sharpness was inferior, it would work if she infused it with magical power.
Though she hit the giant’s foot without holding back her magical power, it was too dull. Overall it was about the same as the katana. Though at least it didn’t explode.

Using the lightness of her body without reservation, she toyed with the giant. Though if her attacks had no effect, she would use up all of her energy and be crushed.

Putting the magical power into the sword to the limits, she swung downwards towards the giant’s finger.
Again, a single finger was severed. This sword also broke.

(When this fight is over, I’m going to choose a genuine katana.)
Ria made up her mind.

She swung a battleaxe towards the giant’s wounded hand.
It would probably inflict pain to it. But no matter how many times she did that, it wouldn’t defeat the giant.
But even so, she continued fighting. As though her only reason for living was to fight.

The acceleration magic expired and the giant’s hand struck her. Her body strongly banged against the stone wall.
But she dashed back in a single breath, attacking with the axe again. The handle bent and became impossible to use. Moreover, it stopped the attack, warding it off.

Just getting smashed is bad. She could endure.
Her muscles and bones were creaking, but she could withstand it. Pain Resistance-san, you’re doing a good job.

Losing her balance, she lurched forward. Since the acceleration had ran out.
Though she felt pain everywhere, she could move. She could still fight.
Letting out a roar, she swung down her axe instead.

It was still no good. The weapon was too weak. Deflected by its skin and muscles, the steel bent.

She was crushed.

By its palm, she was crushed. Unknowingly, her movements had dulled.
But she could still move. Body Strengthening-san, Bone Strengthening-san, Internal Strengthening-san, thank you for the good work.

Still able to move even with the ground beneath her destroyed, the giant seriously tried to crush her.
Its fist destroyed the face of the floor. Flying debris dug into Ria’s armor, tearing her clothes to shreds.

Moreover, she crashed into the wall. Her muscles were strained and creaking. She bled severely. A normal person would have died from their internal organs exploding.
But she could still move.

She used her own katana as a cane to stand up. The desire to fight didn’t vanish from her eyes.
Death? Something like that wasn’t important anymore.

The giant swung its hand, striking the wall again and again. Even her reinforced skeleton was creaking, very likely fracturing.

She regenerated. She healed. Her Gift unleashed. But it still wasn’t enough.
It still wasn’t enough to defeat this giant.

Unsteadily walking towards the small being, the giant picked her up.
“Nee-chan!”
“Ria-chan!”
Bloodied and tattered, probably seeing this tiny creature as having become useless, the giant tried to eat her.
Looking at the giant’s uneven teeth in front of her, Ria laughed.

“You fell for it, idiot.”

Her left leg was held by the giant. She severed it with her own katana.
Due to the free fall, she fell into the giant’s mouth. Before she was chewed, she invaded its insides.
The giant’s throat moves, swallowing Ria. No, swallowed.

Ria’s single leg fell to the ground. It was cut into a clean cross-section.

The giant held its chest, letting out a groan of agony.

Inside the giant’s stomach, Ria rampaged without reservations.
Using Fireball magic, she illuminated the wet and glistening organ, recklessly slashing everything deeply with her blade.
Since she didn’t have a leg, she stabbed herself into place with a weapon.
It’s over if she’s vomited up. There wouldn’t be another chance. She didn’t any endurance left.
Due to the stomach acid, her armor and clothes melted. But Ria didn’t stop moving.

Having Acid Resistance was good.

The giant was suffering.
It couldn’t even struggle, it just suffered. It tore at its own stomach. Though it would fall before long, it moved about unsightly, tearing through its own chest with its sharp claws.

Serge and Maal fearfully watched this happen.

Gradually, the giant’s movements began to slow. Convulsing before long, then completely unmoving.

She did it.

“She did it from the inside. So even giants can be defeated.”
Stunned, Serge mumbled to himself. It was unbelievable. Was she the Inch-High Samurai? He seriously thought there was no way she would go that far, to do something like cut off her own leg. [TN: Issun Boshi – “Inch-High Samurai”]

A katana stuck out from the belly of the giant that had fallen on its back.
Probably since its toughness went away when it died, she could easily cut through its muscles.
Along with the smell of its entrails, a lump of meat appeared. Wearing just her long black hair, Ria was covered with blood and acid.

She had used the katana as a substitute for a walking stick, but it wasn’t able to endure the abuse and acid, breaking.
The one-legged Ria collapsed, slipping down from the giant’s belly.
“Ria-chan!”
Maal rushed over. As for Serge, he didn’t have the strength to do so so he unsteadily wobbled towards her.

Her breathing was rough. One of her eyes had disappeared from the acid. Even so, she spoke to the two figures.

“It’s… my win.”

She then lost consciousness.