Adama leapt swiftly to his left, allowing a river of blue fire to pass harmlessly over the rocky island he’d been standing on. His blade flashed outward, sending two Rippling Swords shooting toward the enemy. It reacted decisively, opening one of its mouths and blasting out a wave of pink mist that evaporated the attacks. The swordsman had anticipated that, but he hadn’t been trying to damage the enemy anyway.

  The swordsman fought within a large underground chamber with a floor that was essentially a deep subterranean lake. The only solid footing was an archipelago of stone outcrops dotting the surface of that lake. He glowed grey with Emily’s buff magic, the spell’s speed boost key in supplementing his weakest stat as he raced across those islands, constantly on the move. His green combat robe billowed in the wind, a replacement for the one destroyed in the Valley of Dragons that he’d attained by hunting down another green dragon. His opponent was something of a dragon itself, though not quite the same thing.

  The Amphisbaena was a large, two-headed aquatic reptile. Most of its fat body was submerged, with only the creature’s serpentine necks waving above the water’s surface. Still, the heads towered above Adama, and their striking appearance would’ve intimidated a lesser adventurer. Its scales were shining ivory, and the back of its necks sported crystalline formations that glittered sapphire blue for one, ruby red for another. Each head had eyes of the same color, creating a clear color scheme, though they were otherwise identical. They were both draconic, almost crocodilian, with sabelike teeth visible even when their mouths were closed.

  But Adama was not most adventurers. He faced down the Monster Rex with unwavering focus, dashing around to the creature’s right while hopping from island to island. The fiend’s left head was the blue one, and it was the head that was shooting out the wave of blue fire. The fiend’s right head was the one creating the magic-melting red mist. It was also Adama’s target.

  The mist destroyed his Rippling Swords, but it also obscured the vision of the blue head, allowing Adama to leap forward while the monster was confused. His sword was suffused in a silvery glow as he closed the distance. With a leaping swing, he struck the right head on the side of its jawline, sending his body flying horizontally. Adama’s feet hit the chamber wall, and he leapt back at the monster with no hesitation. The red head leaned downward, trying to give the blue head a shot, but Adama went with it. His sword glowed brighter as he brought it down on the crown of the mist-spewing head.

  The force was great enough to send Adama catapulting into the air in a rapid sequence of flips. A river of sapphire fire passed beneath him as he did, the Amphisbaena’s eyes widening as it realized its failure. The blue head didn’t have time to react before it was struck on the peak of its skull as well. After that, Adama rose even higher into the air, but he had a plan. He conjured a Hidden Blade under the sole of his foot, leaping off it and back toward the anti-magic head. Adama struck the beast right above its eye at a diagonal angle, sending himself back at the blue head. Spinning around, he delivered a horizontal strike to the side of the monster’s jaw.

  That hit generated enough force to send him flying away out of control. Adama hastily buried his blade point-first in the wall to keep his body from crashing forcefully into it. The rock shattered into countless pieces from the force of the thrust, forcing Adama to scramble away. The silver light on his sword dimmed as he landed on an island, the swordsman forced to drop his skill. He was about to unleash more magic at the creature, but it had dived downward in fear and pain. Giving a feral grin, Adama leapt to one of the central islands, granting himself a fuller picture of the battlefield.

  Man and lizard danced for the following minutes, the Amphisbaena emerging from the water and trying to catch Adama off guard before diving back down again. It played a hit-and-run game with him, eager to prevent the swordsman from getting in close again, but Adama was relentless. He landed several more devastating blows with the Flowing Sword, constantly keeping the enemy on the back foot. Or flipper, as the case may be.

  Adama’s buff ran out eventually, and Emily was forced to come out of the woodwork to reapply it. That prompted the Amphisbaeana to attack the mage instead, but Adama defended her valiantly. Once the buff was reapplied, he continued to bleed the monster down, cracking its bones and scales with relentless ferocity. The Monster Rex was a Level 5, meaning its strength and endurance far surpassed the swordman’s. But his fire-resistant armor blunted its primary weapon, and his skill, attributes, and buffs helped make up the difference. In terms of direct combat ability, he had a clear edge.

  The creature’s endurance and toughness might have allowed it to cause problems in a battle of attrition, but it wasn’t just Adama and Emily down here. When the swordsman had worn down the beast enough to create an opening, Mikoto sensed an opportunity and cast her spell,

  “Futsunomitama!”

  The Amphisbaena was surrounded by an amethyst aura, crushing its body and bringing its heads down onto one of the islands. She was flanked by the two other girls of Take Familia, and both women unleashed spells of their own,

  “Heaven’s Bind!”

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  “Kesshonoya!”

  Asuka and Chigusa had both Leveled up after the battle against Sekhemet Familia, and they’d obtained some useful magiks. Asuka’s took the form of a long golden rope that flowed out and wrapped around the creature’s muzzle, preventing the red Amphisbaena head from opening its mouth. Chigusa had conjured an arrow of blue, crystalline magic that shot through Mikoto’s spell and easily sank into the creature’s fleshy eye. In addition to ensuring that Chigusa wouldn’t run out of ammo easily, the crystal arrows did more damage than her usual attacks. Adama also took the opportunity created by Mikoto to launch several Rippling Swords into the side of the monster’s neck, prompting a massive spurt of blue blood.

  The beast managed to free itself from Asuka’s ropes and belched out more anti-magic mist, destroying all the other spells as well. But it had barely gotten the opportunity to recover before Ouka unleashed his own gambit. He used Defensive Aggravation to draw the monster’s attention, and Adama took the second opening. Jumping up, he lodged his sword in the opening he’d created in the anti-magic head’s neck, and Hearthblade rang like a bell. The Endless Sword detonated with enormous power, decapitating the creature and provoking a scream of pain from the remaining head.

  With that, the battle was over in all but name. Adama carved up the remaining head from a distance with magic. It had lost all its defenses, so Emily joined in with a spell of her own,

  “Cornerstone!”

  The magic boulder crashed into the Monster Rex’s head, causing it to wave around drunkenly in stunned confusion. Adama then opened its throat to end the fight in a final fountain of blood.

  The Monster Rex went down to a chorus of cheers from the entire party. They looted its corpse enthusiastically, obtaining a big magic stone, an Amphisbaena Dragon Liver, and Amphisbaena Bile. With this monster slain, this party had officially conquered the Water Capital.

  That said, he wasn’t planning on having them move on just yet. He wanted to push Ouka and Mikoto to Level 3 first. Adama knew for a fact that Emily had enough high-grade excellia to Level up, but she was holding off to increase some of her stats first. But in time, perhaps within the next few months, they could move into the dungeon’s lower floors without fear.

  The party spent some time recovering before moving back to the surface. They turned in the magic stone for money, benefiting from Adama’s special arrangement with Fels in terms of the payout. With wallets full of cash, they went out to a celebratory dinner at the Benevolent Mistress. Even Adama had let his hair down, allowing himself to enjoy the company of his friends and a nice, relaxing evening. As Hestia Familia walked home after the party, he admired the bright moonlight of a full moon, watching it play across the water of a burbling fountain. It was a quiet fall night, the chill in the air enough to keep non-adventurers at home, though doing nothing to bother the Falna-enhanced warriors. The swordsman felt the breeze play with his hair and allowed himself the luxury of a contented sigh.

  However, as they neared the Familia’s home, his expression became guarded. He let the girls go inside, but didn’t follow. When they turned around questioning, he gave them a nonchalant hand gesture, saying, “Go on. Got one more thing to handle.”

  They did as he said, and Adama turned toward a nearby alley, scowling and barking out, “You got business with me, you can do it out here in the open.”

  Sure enough, a robed, hooded figure stepped out from the alleyway and into the moonlight, looking like the face of death itself. Its appearance would have terrified a normal person to death, especially considering the circumstances, but Adama just folded his arms and waited for Fels to speak. They did this in an eerie, echoing voice that seemed to beam into Adama’s mind: “We meet again, mighty swordsman. Don’t look so grim. We’re friends, right?”

  “Don’t remember getting too chummy with you.”

  “Well, if we aren’t friends, then you owe me a favor, don’t you?”

  Fels had helped destroy Sekhment Familia and recapture Hestia. Adama had heard all about it from Take Familia. They’d also provided vital information that led to the recapture of the goddess, a fact that put Adama in their debt. Or so Fels argued. Adama, meanwhile, responded, “I saved five divinities of Orario with that antidote. You scratched my back, I scratched yours. Looks to me like we’re square.”

  He had brewed enough cures to save every god or goddess who’d gotten poisoned, thereby helping out the ruler of Orario a lot. Ouranos would suffer if he lost so many of his compatriots, especially if Sekhmet Familia had gotten away with it. Their destruction was in the best interest of the mage and his master, meaning that Fels had been acting in their best interests all along. Adama didn’t owe them anything. He’d worked with them to foil the plans of a mutual enemy. Fels responded, “Perhaps. But if you wish to keep a good working relationship with me, it would be best to collaborate more in the future.”

  Adama had nothing to say to that, so he remained silent. Fels studied him, then continued, “I have completed the project that was a part of our deal. Do you wish to see it?”

  Adama nodded, and Fels produced an item seemingly from out of nowhere. The swordsman raised an eyebrow. Was that a void key that the mage had just used? He shook the thought from his mind and focused on what Fels was holding. It was a sword, sheathed in an ebony scabbard, with a gold cross guard and white birch handle. The cross guard had a four-faceted, blood-red crystal in the center, which Adama eyed as he drew the sword. The weapon whispered against the scabbard as it caught the moonlight, Stygian black blade glinting menacingly as it was revealed to the world. Had it not been reflective, Adama would’ve felt like he was holding a shard of the night itself, but closer inspection revealed something more profound. Runic symbols had been carved into the blade, which Adama couldn’t read. But as he scrutinized them, he got a sense for their function. He injected some magic into the blade, watching as the writing lit up a bright crimson, before fading as the magic ran out. Fels broke the silence, “It works perfectly. I had it tested.”

  Adama nodded. He believed it, not because he trusted the skeleton, but because he felt it to be true. He’d test it anyway, but he was satisfied with this work. Fels sensed this fact and said, “With that complete, allow me to give you a warning. Free of charge.”

  Adama turned his attention to the mage, who continued, “Beware, Ishtar Familia. Something is stirring, and I fear you could be caught up in it.”

  Adama raised an eyebrow, “You want to speak in riddles, go talk to a fortune teller. Explain yourself.”

  Fels did so, and Adama’s frown deepened. Seeing that the swordsman was now lost in thought, the mage bowed, “I’ll be off, then.”

  And with that, Fels vanished into the night.