Chapter 153: Gacha time?
Ethan clearly saw Magus in the sky.
The very one who ambushed him in the forest yesterday.
He had already vaguely suspected the opponent was Medea, and now that he heard her refer to herself as the "Magus from Age of the Gods," it was almost certain.
There's no mistaking it — the opponent is mama Medea!!!
But… what does Medea have to do with the Hydra???
"That… This humble one is an alchemist from the Qin Kingdom, just passing through this place temporarily. Please be generous and spare our lives~~~"
Xu Fu immediately begged the strange woman in the sky.
"BOOOOOOOOOOM————————!!"
A sudden bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting the spot where Xu Fu had just been standing.
If Himiko hadn't pulled Xu Fu away in time, that blow would've definitely ended her right there.
"Eeeeeek!!"
Xu Fu panicked and hid behind Himiko, her eyes trembling as she peeked out.
"You killed my familiar, and now you beg for forgiveness — isn't it far too late for that?"
Medea, still hovering in the sky, once again raised her staff. Over the dilapidated ship, dark clouds began to gather rapidly as more lightning bolts rained down!
"BOOM, BOOM, BOOM————————!!"
The remaining mast on the ship was struck by lightning and turned pitch black!
"T-this must be divine punishment!!!"
Xu Fu was shaking like a leaf in sheer terror.
"Whatever scheme you had, sink into the depths of the ocean!!!"
Once more, Medea raised her staff. Enormous magical power gathered within the black clouds above, and the rumble of thunder echoed ominously from within.
This is bad!!!
Ethan looked toward Medea, who was about to unleash another lightning strike.
Even if Draco had a way to counter her, the ship wouldn't survive another hit.
Damn it, are we really going to have to abandon the ship...?
"Oh sun, moon, and stars..."
Suddenly, a brilliant beam of light shot straight up into the sky from somewhere on the deck!
The dense clouds overhead halted for a moment, and the beam of light dispersed them completely!
The massive magical energy gathering in them also vanished without a trace.
Down on the deck, Himiko held up a mirror to the sky.
That radiant light had come from the mirror above her head.
"I absolutely won't let you harm anyone! Even if I have to use my 'Oracle' to fight, I will protect everyone!!!"
Himiko declared to Medea, who floated high above.
"Oh?"
Medea looked down at Himiko and the mirror in her hands.
"That mirror… intriguing."
"Shooooooooooooooooooo!!!"
Suddenly, a crimson beam of magical energy shot straight at Medea!!!
Just as it was about to hit her, a magic circle appeared and blocked the attack entirely.
"A runaway rat dares to stand before this king and talk big???"
Draco locked eyes with Medea in the sky.
"You're seriously starting to piss me off."
"If you were able to kill Hydra, I'll admit you've got some skills, brat — but that's all."
Medea pointed forward.
From the magic circle behind her, several fireballs blasted out!!!
"Shoo shoo shoooooooooooo!!!"
Draco didn't hesitate. She swung her dragon-arm skyward, blocking them all above the ship.
Then, she burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, how fun — you dare to challenge me? Even if you're a Magus from the Age of Gods, you're far too arrogant!!!"
With that, Draco threw the Holy Grail that had appeared in her hand into the air. A wave of black energy erupted from it, surging toward Medea!
Medea's figure vanished, only to reappear on the other side.
"If we've nothing more to say… then so be it."
She raised her staff and brought it down forcefully.
"Rise again and fight — my familiar!!!"
A massive bolt of lightning descended from the sky!!!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM——————————!!
But the lightning didn't strike the ship. Instead, it hit the corpse of Hydra, which had long since lost all signs of life.
Struck by lightning, Hydra's body erupted in blazing flames — even the surface of the sea caught fire!!!
"Gya gya gya——————!!!"
The chilling sound of bones clashing echoed out.
A foul, rotting stench spread across the sea of fire, and thick black smoke poured from the scales of Hydra's corpse!!!
Amidst that hellish scene, the once-dead Hydra slowly lifted its body from the flames.
Clack, clack, clack.
Now reduced to nothing but gleaming white bones, it still somehow seemed revived, beginning to move once again.
In the hollow sockets of its nine massive serpent heads, a strange red glow appeared, staring fiercely down at everyone on the ship below.
"Go now, Hydra reborn from the underworld — take your revenge!!!"
Under Medea's control, the giant skeletal Hydra lunged down to attack everyone below.
"Secret move! Himiko Punch!——————!!!"
Himiko clenched her fist and leapt forward, punching straight into one of the white skulls.
"This thing… is even harder than the rocks back in the village!!!"
Seeing her punch had no effect, Himiko unleashed a flurry of rapid blows.
Bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam————!!!
Unfeeling, the skeletal Hydra opened its huge jaws, aiming to bite down on Himiko with its razor-sharp white fangs.
"Take this move – Ancient Mirror of Celestial Reflection!!!"
A mirror appeared beside Himiko. She grabbed it with both hands and aimed it directly at the massive white serpent.
Zzzzzzzzzzz————————!!
Blazing sunlight shot out, instantly melting the bones it touched!
"We can do this!!!"
Himiko raised her mirror again, preparing to attack—
—but another skull came crashing down from above, slamming straight into her head!!!
Thrown off balance, Himiko plummeted from the sky!!!
BOOOOOOOOOOM————————!!
With a huge impact, she smashed through the deck, splintering layer after layer of wooden planks until she finally landed in the ship's cargo hold.
"Owwww, that hurts…"
Sitting up in the wreckage, Himiko rubbed her head where she landed.
Only then did she realize she had fallen into a lower deck chamber — and in front of her was a group of trembling craftsmen.
"M-milady… a-are we… going to die…?"
One of the braver craftsmen summoned his courage to ask the girl who had just crashed down from above.
"..."
Hearing the shaky question, Himiko shook her head and said:
"No, there are still people fighting up there."
Meanwhile, the white skeletons of the serpents continued to slam violently into the now-shaking ship.
The Holy Grail radiated dazzling seven-colored light to repel the ongoing assault.
"Draco, if this keeps up, the ship won't hold!!!"
Ethan quickly warned her.
And if they kept defending like this, sooner or later they'd be overwhelmed.
"Looks like… if I don't wipe out this arrogant thing, I won't be able to swallow anything else."
Draco shook her head, and in an instant, her aura changed completely.
Her bare, glistening legs began to transform into dragon form from the toes upward. Crimson scales spread up her limbs — and a long red dragon tail sprouted from her back.
"Watch closely, Master — this is the power I can still unleash in this Saint Graph form!!!"
She threw her hand forward.
"Come forth — my kin!!!"
Suddenly, seven massive whirlpools rose from the sea, revealing faint crimson shadows!!!
Draco leapt forward, stepping onto the phantoms of the dragon-headed beasts, soaring into the sky.
In an instant, the battle transformed into a high-stakes clash: the skeletal Hydra with its nine white serpent heads facing off against the seven ghostly forms of the Heptameron Beasts — Draco's Familiars — in the heart of the sea.
ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRR——————————!!!
The seven heads of the Familiar Beasts roared, charging to clash with the skeletal Hydra.
The ocean churned like it had been stirred by giant rods, tsunamis rising one after another, nearly swallowing the ship!!!
"Uwaaahhhh!!!"
Xu Fu rolled across the deck, then clung tightly to Ethan's leg when she saw him.
"Envoy! Envoy, save me!!!"
Ethan was caught between irritation and amusement.
What kind of Servant begs a civilian for protection?! You think I'm some kind of "ally of justice" who'll throw himself in front of danger for you?!
ROAAAAAAAAAAARRRR————————!!!
Although Draco's Saint Graph was still weakened, and the Familiar Beasts could only appear as phantoms, they still carried overwhelming pressure as kin of a Beast!
Blazing red light, like molten lava, spewed from their mouths, completely incinerating several of Hydra's skulls!!!
The struck bones turned to ash, raining down into the sea.
Even so, some of the serpents — feeling no pain — continued to struggle and fight back.
"Don't bother resisting, you feeble Heroic Spirit. Even if you're from the Age of Gods, you still can't withstand my power."
Standing atop the head of her Familiar Beast, her upper body now dragonized, Draco declared with pride.
"To be able to control a Familiar of this caliber… don't tell me you're…"
Realizing something was wrong, Medea's expression instantly changed.
"No way…! Why would an existence like you appear in this era?! And with such a Saint Graph on top of that?!"
"The reason's simple. Because there's something here that piqued my interest."
Draco raised her right hand, pointing it directly at Medea — who was now biting her lip.
"This play… it's time for the curtain to fall."
Medea's gaze suddenly flicked toward the violently rocking ship below. In that brief instant, she seemed to realize something.
"Oh? I see. No wonder you kept avoiding fighting near that ship… Looks like someone on board has made a contract with you, haven't they? Let me guess… that boy from yesterday?"
SWOOOOOSH——————!!!
A beam of light shot out from Draco's right hand, piercing straight toward Medea!
Medea instantly teleported, reappearing elsewhere.
"Hahaha, looks like I guessed right, didn't I?"
With a wave of her staff, the remaining head of the skeletal Hydra immediately wrapped itself tightly around the Familiar Beast.
At the same time, layers upon layers of magic circles materialized around Draco, sealing her within.
Once imprisoned by the barrier, the ghostly Familiar Beasts — which relied on Draco's mana to sustain — also began to weaken.
"With such petty tricks, you dare call yourself a Magus from the Age of Gods?"
Draco laughed scornfully.
"You don't seriously think something like this can bind me, do you?"
A torrent of red-and-black mana exploded from Draco's body, hammering away relentlessly at the barrier restraining her.
"As long as you continue operating with this Saint Graph, the barrier will still have a certain effect."
The staff in Medea's hand radiated with dazzling magical light, as if pouring everything she had into sealing Draco.
"Effect? I only need a few more minutes to break free. By then, you'll be nothing but food for me."
"Of course I know I can't seal you completely. But before that happens, that boy… will already be dead."
Medea increased the flow of mana into her staff.
"My Familiar has infinite regeneration. Cut off one head, and two will grow in its place. You didn't think there were only nine heads, did you?"
"——————?!"
Before Draco could react, whirlpools suddenly formed around the ship below!!!
Then, one after another, giant skeletal serpent heads surged up from the whirlpools and lunged at the ship!!!
"You've really pissed me off now."
Draco's face was full of fury, and her surging mana lashed out at the barrier like tidal waves.
"I'll devour you piece by piece, chew you down to the bone, not leaving a single scrap!!!"
"Fufu~… Too bad~ by the time you do, that boy… will have already died in agony."
…
The sudden appearance of the giant skeletal serpents around the ship caught Ethan and Xu Fu completely off guard.
"Damn it… an ambush?!"
"This time we're really finished!!! Envoy——!!!"
Xu Fu clung tightly to Ethan's leg, wailing in despair.
"Stop grabbing onto me! Aren't you a Servant?! Think of something!"
"I'm not a combat-type! Don't make me do the impossible!!!"
Xu Fu cried and screamed at the same time.
Just as the white serpents lunged, a figure suddenly burst up from below deck, smashing straight through the ship's floor!
"Super mega Himiko smash!!!"
She threw an enormous punch, slamming down the first serpent charging at them!
"Himiko!!!"
The girl threw two more punches, knocking away two more white serpent heads attacking from either side.
"Don't worry! I'll do my best to protect everyone! Ugh——"
But before she could finish her sentence, another head suddenly lunged up from the sea, clamping down on Himiko and dragging her underwater!
Too many enemies…
Ethan looked up and saw Draco still temporarily sealed above by Medea.
More and more Hydra heads were rising from the sea, preparing to completely surround the ship, which had long since been battered and worn down.
If he waited until Draco acted, it would already be too late.
At this point… there was only one thing left to do!!!
"System, what's my current accumulation of points?"
[Beep Beep Beep——Scanning, scan complete!]
[Current Livestream Points: 1,200,000.]
[200 more draws until the next guaranteed pull.]
[Would you like to begin gacha now?]
——————?!
He didn't expect he had accumulated this many points already?!
Originally, Ethan intended to summon a Servant through conventional means, but he instantly changed his decision.
"I'm spending one million points to unlock the Divine Spirit Servant summon limit, then using the remaining points for a full draw!!!"