Concerning [Exactly what kind of person Alfia was].
The records written by adventurers of the past were naturally unreliable. They contained many exaggerated elements, but by cross-referencing them and piecing together fragments of text, one could still restore the original truth of the matter.
Furthermore.
Ryuu had once fought against her.
During the [Great Feud] era, the Astrea Familia had engaged this, the city's strongest mage, in battle. Afterwards, every member had leveled up as a result.
As someone who had experienced it firsthand.
The Elf maiden recalled the circumstances of that time. She knew that the other party hadn't gone all out at all—it could even be said that she hadn't used even a tenth of her true strength.
According to rumors she had recently heard from Ais and the others.
Ottar, the strongest captain of the Freya Familia, had once been casually knocked out by a direct hand chop from Alfia back when he was Lv.3.
From this, it was evident.
Just how minuscule the power Alfia had used when fighting against herself, Alise, and the others back then truly was.
But even so, she had still been terrifying.
That ultra-short attack magic with a chant of merely two words, yet possessing unimaginable destructive power: [Satan Varrion];
Another ultra-short chant magic, capable of directly nullifying other magic in the surroundings, with the price being a "slight reduction in her own magic power": [Silentium Eden];
And finally, the ultimate and strongest spell, the one that had once shattered the sovereign of the seas with a single strike: [Genos Angelus].
It was said.
The primary function of the magical dress Alfia wore wasn't the magic resistance it provided, but rather to weaken her own magic power.
[Was it really necessary to go that far?]
Ryuu could not understand.
Just what kind of powerhouse would need to restrict themselves to such an extent?
Moreover.
The magic Alfia used was also extremely unique.
It was something called "Sound Magic." It was completely transparent, invisible, and even made one feel as if it were omnipresent.
There was no way to defend against it, no way to dodge it. As long as you "heard" it, you would inevitably be attacked.
[Gospel].
In Ryuu's ears, the impossibly cold sound of the woman's magical chant suddenly echoed. She couldn't help but shiver at the memory. The incomparably powerful figure of that beautiful woman with long silver-grey hair always lingered in the depths of the Elf maiden's heart, refusing to fade...
"Isagi, I might not be able to use magic."
"Yeah."
The mana lingering on the outskirts of the Dragon Palace possessed an extremely bizarre characteristic—it manifested a significant degree of "emptiness"—which meant there was absolutely nothing.
It wasn't "non-attribute," but rather "the absence of any attribute."
It was as if even the mana itself had been denied, making it simply incomprehensible.
And the direct effect was.
Whether it was himself, Lefiya, or Haruhime, their perception of "mana" had also ceased to exist, so there was no way to convert their Mind into magic.
This was still a characteristic of Alfia's magic.
As a mage.
She could make it so that others couldn't use magic. It was practically cheating to the extreme.
One had to know that under these circumstances.
His own combat skills would also be unable to be unleashed, because they were similarly acquired through the magic [Absolute Mastery].
Unbelievable.
This "Silence" effect was simply too strong!
But Teardrop Big Bro was completely unaffected. Presumably, because it was an already summoned existence, it wouldn't be negated by her magic.
Or perhaps, Teardrop Big Bro was an even more special entity.
Amidst his thoughts.
Isagi and the two girls continued to descend, simultaneously following the little jellyfish Saika up ahead.
Visible to the naked eye, this little one was devouring the mana floating in the sea in massive, greedy gulps. At the same time, her originally sparkling body gradually grew dimmer.
But she didn't grow any larger.
What was going on?!
For a moment, Isagi didn't know whether he should stop her or let little Saika continue.
However.
As she consumed it, the mana lingering around them did indeed thin out a bit. At the same time, the blockade on their own mana that he and the girls had felt—the "Silence" effect surrounding the outskirts of the Dragon Palace—also weakened slightly.
Then keep at it! Eat up, eat up, eat up!!
Their forward momentum did not halt.
Gradually.
Isagi and the girls passed through the outskirts where countless gorgeous remnants of mana floated, entering the true interior of the "Dragon Palace."
Before, he hadn't been able to see it very clearly.
Isagi had originally thought that since these were the remains of Leviathan, they might be some sort of skeleton, or decaying flesh residues or something of the sort.
But in the end, it looked like... crystal?
Those crystals, reflecting the dazzling colors of mana, sparkled in the dark deep sea, even giving off a rather blinding sensation at times.
They crisscrossed over one another.
They did somewhat resemble a skeleton, but the vast majority had been twisted and shattered—
Between the incomparably massive crystal pillars, terrifying traces of distortion could be seen everywhere, as if a pair of invisible giant hands had forcefully smashed them to a pulp.
Just looking at it felt incredibly shocking and terrifying.
At the same time.
Perhaps because they had gone deeper.
Isagi, Lefiya, and Haruhime all simultaneously felt an extremely intense sense of abnormality.
First was "Poisoning."
The most common abnormal status in the Dungeon. A considerable number of monsters, as well as some edible plants inside, possessed similar effects.
The specific symptoms naturally varied, but generally speaking, it was a feeling of discomfort beginning in the internal organs.
Liver, stomach, intestines, heart...
Next was a "Paralysis" felt simultaneously by the body and the mind.
It was as if tiny threads of electric current were coursing through them, causing everything they thought of or tried to do to be half a beat slower, or even leaving them completely motionless, halted in place.
And then.
It was the extremely rare "Dysfunctional Shock."
From time to time.
They would experience temporary blindness, deafness, an inability to speak, an inability to breathe, cardiac arrest, hallucinations, or even suddenly and briefly lose all consciousness.
This was the "special abnormal status effect" inherently carried by the magic remnants Alfia had left behind.
It was said.
The woman's skill, [Calamity Compensation], allowed her ability values to enter a state of limit release at any time. The price, however, was that upon activation, she would be inflicted with multiple, unremovable "abnormal statuses." At the same time, it would continuously lower her ability values, stamina, mind, and even her "life force."
Isagi felt a certain headache coming on.
An adventurer's skills and magic were closely tied to their own "soul," which was why they were entirely unique existences.
So just what kind of person was Alfia, to possess such heaven-defying magic and skills?
Silently.
He popped the "specially formulated small tablets" that God Baldr had given them before departure into his mouth.
This was an item crafted from the branches of the Elf race's Great Sacred Tree (and specifically the Great Sacred Tree of Alfs Royal Forest). As long as it was kept in the mouth, it could effectively reduce the influence of various abnormal statuses.
Although it couldn't provide complete immunity, it at least made them feel somewhat better.
Right now.
He and the girls had only just approached the Dragon Palace. No wonder the Academic District and the Poseidon Familia found it so difficult to approach. This place was indeed not somewhere ordinary people could venture.
The twisted crystals resembled a bizarrely shaped forest, as well as the complex chambers commonly seen in the Dungeon.
Upon reaching here, Isagi and Lefiya instead felt a certain familiar aura.
Slowly.
There was finally a place to stand beneath their feet.
Isagi walked at the very front as usual, followed by Haruhime, and then Lefiya and Teardrop Big Bro.
The party of four began to move forward. According to God Baldr's commission, apart from exploring the overall structure and condition of the Dragon Palace before them, they were to search for any "hearts" or "heads" (Magic Stones) that might still exist within its body.
A monster's body would turn to ash after death.
The fact that Leviathan's remains still existed today was precisely because the Magic Stones within its body had not yet been completely excavated.
Part of the reason was that, as the sovereign of the seas, it was unimaginably massive. The Magic Stones within its body were also different from those of other monsters, being scattered across various parts—legend had it that Leviathan possessed "seven heads" and "seven hearts," and this was not just alarmist talk.
And another reason was that Alfia had blasted it to pieces back then, causing its remains to scatter into the deep seas all over the world.
This resulted in an inability to conduct "harvesting operations" on all of its remains after the victory.
Currently, both the Poseidon Familia and the Academic District believed that as long as all the Magic Stones within Leviathan were extracted, all of its remains would turn to ash. While this might not completely solve the problem, it would at least mitigate its impact on the ocean.
Put that way, the Magic Stones of "Leviathan" were likely nothing ordinary.
Maybe he could take them back to Cecil to forge a truly top-tier weapon or piece of equipment?
Isagi thought to himself.
At the same time, he didn't forget to call out to little Saika, who was still greedily munching on the mana remnants, telling her to keep up with everyone and not wander off on her own.
Although the little one was gluttonous, she was still very obedient.
She quickly swam over with little pfft pfft sounds, staying close to him and the girls.
And so.
It was like walking into the depths of a dense jungle.
The crystals all around emitted bizarre light, dazzling the eyes to the point where one could easily lose their sense of direction completely.
But soon, Isagi noticed that Saika seemed to have sensed something.
The little one was anxiously surging forward headfirst. If he and Lefiya didn't keep up, she would pause in place, using her tentacles—which had already transformed into tiny hands—to gesture wildly in the air, seemingly urging them on.
For some reason, Isagi got the feeling that this little guy was drooling.
There was no way to hear the little jellyfish's voice while underwater, but just from looking at her, he could tell she was incredibly anxious—it was exactly how she looked when she was being gluttonous!
Could there be something up ahead that whetted her appetite even more than the mana Alfia had left behind?
Just as Isagi was thinking this.
Suddenly, they ran straight into the Boss located ahead.
[Demon King].
Feeling the characters surface from the depths of his heart, Isagi couldn't help but form a massive question mark.
What the hell?
[Spirit Shark Demon].
____
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