A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale

Tehmrayn’s armor, from what I remembered, wasn’t just made to protect him from attacks, but it also served as a diving suit for his deep dive trips since underwater pressure was still dangerous for even the strongest. Vitality allowed you to dive deeper before the pressure crushed you, and Wisdom helped you resist areas with high mana concentrations. Both stats helped your deep dive adventures, but biology was still more important.

You wouldn’t expect an ice dragon to live inside a volcano, or… a fire dragon living in the glaciers. Elementally and environmentally, they were unsuited for prolonged living for beings unable to adapt to the local mana concentration and temperature. The same applied for those willing to visit the deep depths, which was why diving suit armors, underwater boats, and specialized diving spells were needed if you weren’t a leviathan, adamantoise, or levianewt.

Merfolk, a general term for all beastmen with merfiend blood, and nagas, snake beastmen who have aquatic capabilities similar to the average merfiend sub-race, all had varying degrees of underwater pressure resistance. However, the general idea was that they still needed diving suits for deep dives.

Made to pressurized air and deep a sheet of water inside the suit, Tehmrayn’s armor was not only meant to ward off magic and steel with quality monster materials, strong alloys, and powerful enchantments, but it also allowed him to do battle against other Water Pantheon blessed in the deep abyss. As such, Tehmrayn trained to counter water mages, fight deep-sea monsters of various sizes, and swiftly move through the currents. His Profile was specialized, but that didn’t mean he was entirely useless on land, as shown when he fought with us in Elyonda and during the first Event Quest. He was one of the first people to gain a unique Job, and, most likely, he was able to develop it faster than I was, since I didn’t really start leveling up until Lady Hestia woke up.

I have known him since we talked when he was in Inkoran-Tazul. We spent evenings inside the Event dungeon, sitting next to our campfire with Priest Kushlek’zar, talking about the Depth Goddess and ways to improve as water mages. He wasn’t a friend, nor did I believe he saw me as anything more than an acquaintance. He probably had some respect for Lady Hestia as fellow Champions, though, as he said, he was used to killing other blessed.

In the depths, friendships could turn into rivalries in an instant. Whether through the influence of their gods “guiding” them with Divine Quests, or through clan rivalries. I guess to the people here, two former allies fighting each other to the death was quite normal.

How barbaric.

He really is—! I tried to take a step back the moment I saw his snake-like lower body unfurl, raising his body up to the ceiling, but I already knew I was too late.

Although Nagas rarely possessed a snake-like head, they were still beastmen. That meant their reptilian features and abilities were genuine, and that also meant their lunging ability was as efficient as that of a snake.

He held his trident up high for one moment, and in the next, his snake tail slithered forward and pounced at me, thrusting his polearm right at my head like a fisherman striking at a shark. [Thought Acceleration] and [High-Speed Calculation] allowed me to read his attack, and with my vastly increased Agility, I should have been able to dodge Tehmrayn’s attack… if he had only relied on his Agility.

Water burst from the carapace-like seams of his armor like a water leakage, shooting his arm forward as if he was possessed by Vifi’s red lightning. The attack struck my face, although, fortunately, my body was already moving backward. I managed to avoid the worst—being decapitated—and was only disfigured by the massive gash, blinding me in one eye in the process.

Urrrghk!

The pain coursed through my body as I bled red due to my elven body. Bone and all the gory stuff leaked out of my head, but the wound was immediately frozen over by ice, encasing my wounds in an icy state that made me look more like an ice golem than a person. At least, that was what I remembered Bethlieranha calling me when I was wounded during a spar with Vifi.

I lost Health and Mana, but what did that matter if the attack wasn’t true? Unlike somebody with flesh and blood, I bled mana, and as long as I had mana in my body, I wouldn’t fall to such an attack so easily!

I pulled out my catalyst and—

Slik! That sweeping sword tore through my thoughts as Tehmrayn’s trident ripped off my left arm, clutching my catalyst, disarming me of my only weapon.

As mentioned, Tehmrayn knew how to fight against water mages. Mages ruled widespread destruction if left unbothered, while a warrior could quickly take down a mage if they got too close. At least, if the mage had no way to protect themselves. This was how my battle with Vifi, Princess Fargryneill, and Estranor would usually end if we got serious.

I might be deemed a “demigod,” but that title still meant nothing if I couldn’t use my powers properly. My ice elementals and my friends may praise however much they wished, but none of that mattered if I couldn’t at least defend myself from Tehmrayn.

I am Aurora’s shield! And you did not kill me in time!

Tehmrayn’s next strike was aimed at my torso. This three-strike combo was proof of his ruthless efficiency, possessing the speed and power to take down any normal mage. Unfortunately for him, it was too slow for somebody who was over level 150 and had skills that allowed my body to turn into ice if needed.

[Dirge of Eternal Ice] explained its effect in a very flowery manner, but it essentially allowed me to freeze anything I touch. Even the air. Even my own blood. This unique skill was my evolved [Cryokinesis]!

As Tehmrayn stopped the momentum of his swinging trident, the blood sprayed from my cut-off arm crystallized and froze the air around. Seeing this, the Naga decided against his initial attack and attempted to whip me with his tail, but only struck the air with an ear-ringing shockwave. He almost struck the air crystals forming around my body.

Too late. Aifli eir Vintral.

Prepared when I cast [Sheer Freeze] on the second Warbringer, [Aifli eir Vintral], or “Fairy of Winter” in Common, finally managed to be cast, sprouting two sets of icy fairy wings on my back, instead of floating behind me like before. The spell used to only serve as a simple air cooler to enter volcanoes and to help Lady Hestia whenever the air around her got too hot. Now, though, it could serve a far better purpose.

Acting similar to an aura release, the spell started to freeze the entire room from the door. It essentially was an aura attack using my true ice mana, in principle. Seeing this, Tehmrayn retreated deeper into the room, stopping him from continuing his assault as he wanted.

“Your trident is quite resilient,” I said, pointing at the blood crystals forming on the weapon. I waved my left arm stump, freezing my blood into a blood-red ice arm, which I used to pick up my catalyst. “The ice mana is spreading, but slowly. Some more and it’ll turn into an actual weakness. Too brittle.”

Yet, Tehmrayn stayed silent.

Every hit Tehmrayn landed activated [Dirge of Eternal Ice]’s [Frost Body], leaving behind bits of my true ice on his weapon. It certainly wasn’t how I should be using the skill, since my Vitality was, relatively, quite subpar compared to my companions. Over 3900 was still far higher than what an average rank A adventurer should have, and mine was also further improved through the [Major Vitality Potion] I ingested prior to this battle, but it wasn’t enough against Tehmrayn and his specialized weapon.

After all, he did maim me pretty badly. I knew I was susceptible to speedy opponents since my glacial wardress still needs time to actually harden the air into air. Vifi, Princess Fargryneill, and Tehmrayn were all too fast to react properly. Just like how we fought the former during our first meeting, prediction and [Foresight] were my friends in this battle.

Hmm? I raised my brow as I saw Tehmrayn turning his head slightly to look out of the window, probably aware we wouldn’t be able to catch up to those two speedsters. My main reason to even stall was gone, and I couldn’t fulfill Princess Wendriosa’s wish any longer since her brother was out of my sight. Then again, I didn’t help de-escalate anything.

“Our reason to fight is gone,” I said as I formed my ice rapier just in case.

“No.” Sadly, Tehmrayn shook his head. “‘This did not have to end this way’ were genuine words. If you had not arrived here, this wouldn’t have to happen. I am duty-bound, sworn in the name of my patron god, to defend the allies of the one he supports. In this Event Quest, Goddess Plesia wishes for two leviathans to rise and join the ranks of the dragons. Yet neither wishes to be the second. The throwaway toy in the eyes of the gods. As such, they have placed their bets on who they want to succeed, and through us blessed, their will shall be done!”

“E-eh? S-so when you stated that you must defend… pardon, allow me to think: you mentioned a ‘Karhalantheel?’” I said, only now being able to register what he had said. He immediately attacked me after he proclaimed who he supported, after all.

“Quasdrakeen Karhalantheel. The daughter of the same Karhalantheel your mistress’s mother slew. The same ancient leviathan I was supposed to stop from breaking through his seals when we first met in Elyonda.”

“… How fickle fate can be.”

“The Laughing Shadow must be watching all of this with joy from within HIS world of shadows. The irony did not escape me, but so what? We are but mere blessed chosen by our gods, even if your reasoning to be here is most certainly due to your connection with the imperial family of Kargryx,” Tehmrayn said. “The Quest I received for Elyonda was from the Depth Goddess, while this one was directly from the God of Tridents. There is no conflict of interest, Tasianna. We have merely become enemies with you supporting your mistress’s older sister. There is no shame in serving somebody, whether they be gods or lieges!”

“So the demonkin are helping her?”

“For personal reasons and also for the money attached to being her mercenaries, yes,” Tehmrayn, surprisingly, admitted. “The reason should be obvious, considering their antagonism, I hope. And, I presume, you understand what her clan name means, right?”

“We already know about her hostility with Empress Melloxtressa.”

“Then why exchange words at this point?” He slithered around the room, looking like he was already analyzing me. He shouldn’t be able to break my [Identity Blocker], though. “‘Our enemy is Aurena’s newest Champion, but trying to harm any of the dragon imperials will only set their sight on us. Only the red dragon is aiming for us, and we wish to keep it as such. Instead, we will target her allies. Your role is to simply facilitate us and give us the time to fulfill our duty.’ Was what I read from their leader’s message.”

Leader? Wait, why is he saying ‘leader,’ instead of saying the second Warbringer’s name? Or just saying Warbringer? Who’s he exactly talking about?

Tehmrayn slammed his trident on the ground as water started forming around him in a ball. Seeing this, my lingering questions vanished from the tip of my tongue as I raised my rapier, causing multiple ice blades to form using the moisture in the air.

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They shot at Tehmrayn, growing in size until they were large enough to pierce a rank C dragon. Little needed to be said about how they devastated the building as the naga “swam” through the air using that water bubble. Although he knew water spells, he was by no means a mage, unless he managed to improve significantly over the two years since we met.

This ability to create this water bubble was done through a [Landed Swimmer] enchantment on his armor, and the [Aquakinesis] needed to manipulate it was done through a catalyst on his trident. Runes and the manatech inside his armor gave him a water propulsion system, while his personal swimming skills were quite proficient. This was the secret behind this movement style and also the building block of what his [Jewel of the Monsoon’s Torrent] Territory would be.

Being in a party with him and fighting alongside him during the first Event Quest was a true benefit, far more than that one time he sparred with Lady Hestia in Elyonda. I knew him well enough, but I wasn’t confident in my knowledge since he also has a unique Job.

Well, then the answer was simple: prevent him from ever getting close enough to hit me, and prevent his range attacks from ever hitting me.

The icy aura around me flash froze the room, forcing Tehmrayn to jump out of the building as my ice blades followed after him. Activating [Elvenize] to release my wings, I followed after him by flapping them.