Thatsnot blood .

Shin mumbled to himself, still in a fighting stance, while looking at the blue vapor-like substance exuding from Ishkars neck .

The exploded skull vanished as if melting away .

It ended all too easily . That was the reason why Shin hadnt lowered his guard yet .

Shidens offensive power was high . With Shins stats, it was probably possible to KO even Ishkar in one blow .

And yet,even considering this, there was no challenge . It felt boring .

!? Wait, what was I thinking just now!?

Shin felt his fighting spirit boiling, as he was facing a powerful opponent . However, he felt that his last thought had come from a completely different source .

As if someone other than him was inside his mind .

. as I thought, you arent down yet .

Before the frowning Shin, several ice pillars sprouted from Ishkars neck . In the blink of an eye, the pillars fused into one and rebuilt Ishkars head .

It was not completely made of ice: the horns and eyes were a deep blue . Shin felt some sort of will behind the eyes gazing at him .

If youve revived, all I have to do is defeat you one more time .

Shin forgot what he was thinking about for the moment and kicked the water, moving toward Ishkar, the explosive propulsion letting him close in on the dragon instantly .

Ishkar, however, blocked his advance by freezing the seawater around Shin .

Shin immediately cast magic to destroy the ice . However

I cant break it? Ill just smash it then!

Magic should have been able to weaken the bindings effects, but it failed . Shin guessed it was probably because of a particular skill Ishkar possessed, so he decided to force his way out of his bonds .

Half of his body was already frozen, but he could still swing his arms and legs to break free . Maybe thanks to the effects of his resistances, only the surface of his body was frozen .

As soon as Shin broke free, Ishkars arms swung down towards him . Shin noticed, but before performing an evasive maneuver he swung Moonless around him .

While swinging Moonless, in a sweeping motion, Shin heard cracking noises from the katanas tip . The sources of the sound were Ishkars scales, which had changed color to blend in with the seawater .

It was Dead Fragment Drops, one of Ishkars attacks which had claimed the lives of many a player in the past . The scales were very difficult to see, extremely sturdy and numerous, characteristics which made them extremely troublesome to deal with . They caused the players to separate and attacked them individually .

Shin knew how sturdy the scales were, so he activated the Katana-type Martial skill Blade Breaker to destroy the scales as they headed towards him . While Shin was busy dealing with the scales, Ishkars claws bore down upon him too .

Hhngh!

Against the sharply gleaming claws, Shin chose not to defend or dodge, but to attack .

He turned his back to Ishkar and spun once in place . His right leg kicked the water and the left leg, taking advantage of centrifugal force, countered the claws with a roundhouse kick .

Barehanded-type Martial skill Rolling Wave Strike .

The kick, unleashed with a burst of white foam, released a controllable shockwave when it clashed against Ishkars claws . Focusing the impact on one point allowed Shin to crush Ishkars claws, like a raging wave .

With this difference in size, it sure isnt easy .

Shin had crushed Ishkars claws, but also because of their difference in mass, he couldnt maintain his position just by using the seawater as a foothold . He suffered no damage, but was pushed back and forced to withdraw .

That instant, a familiar voice reached his ears .

Shin!

Tch, whos getting in the way nowinthe way? No, Iwait, thats?

Every time he thought, he felt something unfamiliar creeping in his mind . He shook his head to get rid of it, and then he noticed what Tiera was riding on .

While not as large as Ishkar, it was a silhouette of much greater size than Shin or his party . Eyes concealing intellect, powerful limbs, and its greatest characteristic: nine tails .

Yuzuha, is that you?

Thanks to the contract bound with Yuzuha, Shin quickly realized that Tiera was approaching him while riding on her .

Yuzuha arrived next to Shin in the blink of an eye, stopped as if screeching to a halt, pushing Tiera out with her back, then turned towards Ishkar .

I shall hold him back .

With Yuzuhas words echoing behind her, Tiera headed towards Shin . Moving at a speed she couldnt reach by herself, Tiera opened her arms and legs wide .

She probably meant for Shin to catch her . Slightly confused, Shin opened his arms wide too .

-eh?

Just before they could touch, Tiera used her arms to change direction .

She only moved a few cemels: from a course that would have led her to embrace Shin, she changed to a head hugging course .

Shin would have never expected Tiera to change course: the surprise, added to his initial confusion, prevented him from dodging .

As a result, Shins head ended up firmly planted in Tieras chest .

Begone, evil! Be purified!

!?

Tiera shouted, still holding Shins head tightly .

Divine-type Skill Purification Verse .

When Tiera was still a Priestess of the World Tree, she used this skill to purify the surroundings before invoking the spirits . The skill removed and prevented status ailments from the user in a set radius around them; however, she was supposed to have lost it along with her Priestess job .

The aura that enveloped Shins body dissipated . After making sure that it was really gone, Tiera let go of Shin .

Ah . had I turned nasty or something?

The aura disappeared thanks to Purification Verse, and Shin felt that the unusual presence inside his mind was gone .

While fighting he would instantly forget about it: now that it was gone, Shin clearly grasped that unusual feeling and was shocked .

You had an aura around you that master and the others said they had never seen before . Your way of fighting was violent too . Dontmake us worry like that .

Tiera talked with a very serious expression . Shin thanked her honestly .

Where are Schnee and the others?

Some sort of invisible wall wont let them through . I dont know the reason, but only me, Yuzuha, and Kagerou could pass through it .

Shin looked towards Schnee and the others and found them shooting skills towards an apparently empty space . As Tiera had said, their skills stopped and disappeared abruptly after traveling to a certain point .

I dont get whats going on either, but we better wrap this up quickly . You stand back, Tiera . Yuzuha and I are going to end this now!

Tiera nodded and withdrew, while Shin again faced Ishkar . His eyes now showed a light that was not present before .

Boundary Guardian level 1000

The name displayed by Analyze was not Ishkars .

Shin recalled Ishkars mention of a power that devours even miasma . Ishkars consciousness was probably not present anymore in the monster .

The boundary guardian-turned Ishkar unleashed its lethal breath, which Yuzuha neutralized with five types of magic . Shin advanced under her massive body .

The two contenders exchanged attacks that would definitely inflict great damage if not blocked, so Shin was able to prepare to strike without Ishkar noticing .

Shin was now about 10 mels under the guardians chin . For the monster, it was a complete blind spot .

(Im going to attack too . Please keep it busy a little more)

(Understood . )

Shin was reminded of how adult-like Yuzuhas original voice sounded, while he held

Moonless with the opposite hand .

He aimed at the guardians jaws and activated a skill .

Katana and Darkness combination skill Hollow Shackles .

Shin threwMoonless, wrapped in a dark aura, with all his might . The katana turned into a pitch black flash and stabbed the monsters jaw, without being hindered by its scales, then released its effects .

!! !!!

Forced to face upwards because of Moonlesss stabbing impact, the Guardians head was wrapped tightly by black bands extending from the katana .

The black bands covered most of the monsters head, then gained even more momentum and proceeded to wrap around the Guardians entire body .

The monster tried resisting, but Shins boosted stats had also reinforced the bands binding power .

Because of this, the Guardian couldnt tear through the bands fast enough: new ones would be generated and tie it down again before it could gain any freedom . It was impossible to completely seal the monsters movements, but now the Guardian couldnt move as freely as before .

Yuzuha! Maximum firepower!

Leave it to me!

In response to Shins words, a globe of golden light formed in Yuzuhas mouth .

Shin cast a magic spell alongside her .

Globes containing magic power of each of the seven elements appeared around Shin . Red, blue, brown, green, yellow, white, black: all seven spheres were around one mel wide .

Shin then extended his right arm forward and all globes gathered in one spot . The seven globes fused together and started glowing in the same golden color as Yuzuhas .

Hepta-Elemental Composite Skill Elemental Order .

The two-mels golden sphere, capable of striking the weak point of all elements, merged with Yuzuhas breath, a unique skill named Supreme Catastrophe, and pierced the Guardians head .

Off with you!

Shin and Yuzuha kept releasing their skills, while changing their directions . The golden spheres of light moved from the monsters head to its torso, tearing through its body .

Blue vapor was released from the monsters severed torso, but that too was consumed by the golden light and disappeared .

We destroyed all we could see, but

The opponent was capable of regenerating its head . For added safety, Shin and Yuzuha cautiously studied their surroundings .

Shin!

As they were doing so, Schnee and the others approached them . The barrier that had been blocking them had disappeared apparently .

Sorry for making you worry .

No . . if you are all right, then its enough .

Relieved, Schnee put a hand on her chest .

So, what are we going to do now? Differently from outside, theres no miasma in here .

Ishkars transformation was bizarre as well . It wasnt supposed to have regenerative abilities like that .

Filma and Shibaid voiced their doubts, while looking at the space where the recently disappeared Ishkar used to be .

It turns out there was something else inside it . The name displayed was Boundary Guardian .

Never heard that name before .

All members present nodded to Schnees words . Yuzuha still in her adult form also said that she didnt know about it .

What could have happened here? It looks like I changed tooit could be tied to the reason why I was brought here .

Ishkar had mentioned a return against your will . It could mean that, had Shin not resisted, he could have returned to his original world .

It was just a possibility, so he had no intention of trying . More than that, Shin was intrigued by the word Boundary .

The real world and the game world . Maybe it was guarding the boundary between the two?

That would generate another series of questions, but being a games world, it was not too strange for such a creature to exist .

Supposing that the players dead in the other world lived here . That normally, the boundary could not be crossed without dying, but Shin had crossed over without dying

(Could it have had a reason for wanting to get rid of me?)

To go all the way of taking over Ishkars body to attack mecould maybe mean that I can be the cause of some disaster? Or maybe it was just trying to remove an extraneous object?

. I just dont understand .

Shin sighed while looking at the space Ishkar used to occupy . He pondered for a while, but in the end it was all his imagination, his delusions . He had no idea about how things could actually be .

Shin, look .

. the stopgap keeping miasma in check is gone, so its flowing out?

Shin looked in the direction Tiera pointed at and saw a black mist appearing in the previously empty space . In its center there was a sort of rectangular object .

Because of the mist only its silhouette was visible, but it was just as Shin remembered .

After defeating Ishkar, the certificate proving victory over a level 1000 monster, materials, gear, and other item cards appeared . Apparently, most of the miasma was housed by these items .

Tiera, please .

Yes, leave it to me .

Shin and the others kept the miasma from spreading, while Tiera purified the main mass . Maybe because the Guardian was gone, the miasma vanished with an ease that surprised even Tiera .

Eh? This is

Whats wrong?

Tiera looked at the stack of purified item cards . The illustration on the top card made her react, surprised .

Shin became curious and took a peek in Tieras hands . The top card of the stack had the picture of a crystal glowing in rainbow colors .

The item name was Divine Beast Crystal .

Seriously? This is the item that lets you summon a divine beast!

Eh?

Monsters called divine beasts, like Element Tails and Gruefagos, could not be tamed normally . But with the item that Tiera was now holding, the Divine Beast Crystal, they could be called temporarily as an ally unit .

Divine Beast Crystals appeared as rare drops after defeating divine beasts and allowed the summon of a monster just like the defeated one as an ally .

It was a one-time use item, but if used against boss monsters as a trump card, it was powerful enough to change the flow of battle .

Depending on the monsters they could summon, Divine Beast Crystals could have the same value as Ancient-grade equipment .

hey, if I use this, wont Ishkar be able to resurrect?

Summoned monsters usually disappear after a set timeI wonder, though . In this battle against Ishkar some unknown force interfered after all .

No one knew what could happen to this area of the sea, were Ishkar to disappear . The sea dragons resurrection would be the most favorable outcome .

Do try . If I can use my power on it, I shall lend you my aid .

Are you sure? Your power hasnt returned completely, has it?

That is of no concern . The absence of this areas master is a much more pressing matter .

Yuzuha, who did not know how long she could keep her current form, urged Shin to use the item, so he agreed to .

. come .

Tiera held the Divine Beast Crystal high and pronounced the keyword . The crystal then shattered, emanating a rainbow light .

The light gradually took shape: after five seconds, it had formed Ishkars silhouette . When the light eventually disappeared, before the group was Ishkar, looking exactly the same as when they had entered the room .

Hmm, I see .

The summoned Ishkar did nothing, simply floating in place . It was waiting for orders from its summoner .

Do you think you can do anything?

Be patient for a while .

Yuzuha then extended one of her nine tails towards Ishkar . She placed the tip of the tail on the dragons jaw, then stopped .

A few seconds later, Ishkar and Yuzuhas bodies started glowing . They continued to do so for about 10 seconds, then the light dimmed and disappeared .

This shall be enough .

Yuzuha then changed back to small fox mode . She still had nine tails though .

Im slightly tired . Hold me .

Hm? Ah, sure . Thanks .

Yuzuha floated lightly in the water and cuddled up in Shins bosom . Her small fox face looked somewhat satisfied .

It appears you have won

Just as the group relaxed a little, Ishkars voice reached their ears .

Do you remember?

That maiden used my souls crystal . Would you understand if I said back-up?

Well, I would have never expected a divine beast to say backup

Its just a fragment embedded in my memories . Now that the Ley Lines are free of contamination, my servants above should quiet down too . You have my gratitude .

Ishkar had already taken care of the Three Sea Beasts apparently . The merpeople and fishpeople were not in immediate danger anymore at least .

I wish to express my gratitude, but that fox has already taken away part of my power . I cannot do much .

Hey, Yuzuha! What tricks are you pulling, taking advantage of a situation like this?

I made it possible for him to stay here and connected him to the Ley Lines . As you know, the Ley Line was already shut where I used to be . Let me have that much .

The power that Yuzuha took from Ishkar would return over time, so Ishkar did not want to seriously find fault with her .

Well, we didnt come here looking for something anyway, and it looks like Yuzuha got closer to returning to her original form, so thatd be enough for me .

Shin looked at Schnee and the others, but they all shared the same sentiment .

Just one thing, then . Do you know anything about whatever possessed you?

HmmI remember that you were its target . That its objective was to remove you from this world . Only these two things .

For what reason?

I could not say . But it was something that even miasma cannot affect . It wiped the miasma I was holding in check as if it was mere smoke .

An existence superior to miasma . Shin had no idea what it could be, nor did Schnee and the others, who all shook their heads .

It was an utterly unknown existence . Do be on your guard .

Yes, I got it .

Shin finished talking with Ishkar . As Yuzuha had turned back too, they left the royal chambers .

Events other than their initial goal of helping the merpeople had happened, but Shin thought that, all in all, the result was positive . He could not be sure, but he felt that the power within him was not something negative either .

The party proceeded through the now miasma-free corridors .

Ishkar had resurrected, the merpeople and fishpeople avoided destruction .

Tiera and Yuzuha powered up, the partys overall power increased .

Not all results were to rejoice about, though . Something had definitely been proved in the battle against the Guardian .

Those stopped by the barrier, and those allowed in by the barrier . Their hearts were clearly divided .

Schnees heart, especially, was riddled with thousands of small ripples .

With each member holding different thoughts in their hearts, the party left the dungeon .

At the same time as Shin concluded his battle against Ishkar, one man arrived in Barbatos .

At the moment no one knew, naturally, that he would bring a great trial to Schnee