The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat - Volume 5 - Chapter 20

Chapter 20 | The Assassin Tears Off the Enemy’s Armor

I’d used Fahr Stones filled with water mana to submerge the sunken town under a lake, and unable to handle the assault of water, the earth dragon leaped out of the hole.

“I hate water, I hate water, hate, hate, haaaaaate! You will pay, pay, pay!”

Being pursued by a mountainous figure like this earth dragon was nothing if not terrifying. But I wasn’t going to look away.

Assassins never neglected even the most trivial pieces of information. They understood that data meant everything for ensuring success and survival.

I used the enhanced vision of my Tuatha Dé eyes to observe it very carefully.

I knew it.

The wounds from Cannon Volley had already healed. However, the earth dragon didn’t look identical to before the attack. When I broke through its reddish-brown shell, its inner flesh had swollen to close up the wounds, but the shell did not re-form.

I could still see the enlarged pink tissue closing the injuries. We gave it all that time, but it still hadn’t fully mended. More and more, it was apparent that the massive caterpillar beast was not a demon.

“The water must have agitated its wounds.”

“Hate, hate, hate, hate!”

Flooding the crater had worked precisely because the earth dragon was injured. If it hadn’t been, it likely would have kept its tentacles within its mouth and curled up so the water would be repelled by its shell. It wouldn’t have been bothered by the attack at all.

However, my Cannon Volley blasted off too much of its shell. That enabled a large amount of water to soak through its wounds into its interior, wash away its mucus, and cause great pain. This wasn’t my intent when using it, but the Cannon Volley ended up not being a waste.

The enraged earth dragon was closing in. Its eight malice-filled eyes were trained only on me. That was a good sign.

It had been at ease during my first encounter with it, so much so that it had been playing with me. It was extremely difficult to predict the next move of an opponent in that state of mind.

Now that it was furious and set on killing me, it would be much easier to deal with. Anger narrowed one’s vision, and intent to kill limited one’s choices.

As the earth dragon charged, it extended its spear-like tentacles to block off all paths of escape. Using normal evasion methods, dodging would have been impossible.

“Let’s play,” I said.

I threw a Fahr Stone. This one was filled with 70 percent wind and 30 percent water. Instead of another waterfall, it unleashed a storm containing heavy rain and an explosive gale.

The earth dragon was flying with unimaginable speed for its gigantic frame, but it was only jumping, meaning it was working against gravity. As a result, the gale visibly slowed it. That wasn’t all—water was seeping into its innards, washing out the mucus of its tentacles, and dulling its movement.

“I’m wet, I’m wet, I’m weeeet. Nooooooo, he’s escaping!”

I was swimming through the wind, a feat possible because I was using my body to manipulate air resistance. I’d created the storm myself, so I knew the changes in the breeze. I used that to accelerate and dodge the earth dragon and its attacks, then slip under it.

The storm cleared, and then I activated four more Fahr Stones.

“Take this!”

The final Fahr Stones were filled with 70 percent wind and 30 percent fire, a ratio specialized for explosive power. They formed a directional burst that sent the giant earth dragon soaring.

I normally mixed in earth mana to maximize destruction but had left it out this time. This was best if all I wanted to do was knock the target away.

Naturally, using a weapon that powerful in midair sent me rocketing toward the ground. I released all of my wind armor to slow myself down as much as possible, but I was still certain to die instantly if I hit the ground.

I knew that this would happen, so I’d come up with a plan beforehand. I put on a mask to protect my eyes, ears, and mouth, adjusted my posture in midair, and covered my body with mana. I then landed in the water, sending up a big splash.

I’d submerged the town primarily in order to pester the earth dragon; however, I’d also done it to use the water as a cushion.

The impact from hitting the water was still enormous, and despite using mana to defend myself and wearing my special assassin’s clothes made for shock resistance, I broke several bones.

I ended up tumbling all the way to the bottom of the crater, but I didn’t suffer any major injuries. I kicked off the floor and rose to the surface.

“…Well, I’m still alive.”

I looked to the sky as I trod on the surface and took off my mask.

My skin was tingling from the dissolved mucus in the water. It was still harmful even after being diluted to this degree.

I saw fifteen shining Fahr Stones fly toward the earth dragon, which had been launched high into the sky. The little rocks traced odd trajectories as Tarte’s wind guided them into place so that the force of their rupturing would be directed inward. They were already ready to burst.

As soon as the Fahr Stones all reached their target coordinates, they exploded.

“Way to go, Dia. That was perfect positioning and timing.”

Once again, I covered myself in mana for defense and dove underwater. The blast had come from fifteen Fahr Stones; even deep in the hole, I was in danger of being killed.

The Fahr Stones also contained earth mana, scattering countless deadly iron scraps.

The boom and shock of the detonation reached all the way to the bottom of the water. The surface of the liquid evaporated, and the entire lake grew warm. Bits of iron rained down, sending up columns of water.

That’s what happens when you trigger fifteen explosions, each containing the mana of three hundred mages, at once. Absurd.

I gasped as I came up for air.

Straining my eyes, I searched for the earth dragon. It seemed that the enormous explosions had caused it to vanish without a trace.

If I was right, and it was indeed not a demon, it wouldn’t regenerate, leaving only the true demon. Anything less than a demon wouldn’t have survived.

I watched intently. If the earth dragon came back, we’d have no choice but to run.

I poured mana into my Tuatha Dé eyes to make sure I overlooked nothing and also used a wind probing spell.

Something began to happen. It looked like I was watching a bad movie in reverse. Scorched pieces of flesh appeared in the air and gathered together in the shape of a human figure, the burns disappearing in the process.

When the regeneration was finished, a humanoid creature with shining white skin hung in the air. Its appearance was strange, for it possessed no unevenness or orifices. This made it look like a mannequin.

“It’s gone? It’s gooooooone! My armor, my armor! WAAAAAAAAAH!”

The demon’s scream sounded more like crying than an angry shout. I had thought it sounded like a young boy, and it looked like I was right.

He was clearly mentally immature. Whiplike appendages extended from his alabaster skin and wrapped around a wall. Then he pulled himself to the ground with them. He was likely thinking of fleeing.

The demon’s protective armor was gone. I could now kill him. I felt significantly less mana and miasma coming from his body than I had from Liogel.

“Time for my main profession.”

Not letting the slightest chance go to waste, I prepared to assassinate the demon. I also made sure I was ready to support Tarte and Dia if they needed it.

The demon had been totally safe inside his invincible armor, but we’d leveled the playing field. He’d had his fun slaughtering this town, but I would show him what it was like to truly fight to the death.