Chapter 157: The Fishman’s Rescue

"Watch that damn mouth of yours!" Silvia, frustrated by his incompetence, wanted to slap Delaford, but she accidentally aggravated her wound and collapsed again.

"Protective Energy doesn’t work on groups," Victoria sighed. "It looks like our journey ends here."

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!" Sera’s eyes went wide. "We might die, but it won’t be today!"

The barbarian used the last of her strength to desperately swing the Grip of the Vast Wave. "Move, dammit, move!"

"Isn’t your name related to the ’Vast Wave’?! Hurry up and make some water to douse that Fireball—quickly!"

However, the Grip of the Vast Wave was just a sword, not a wish-granting machine like the Holy Grail. It simply couldn’t do it. No matter how hard Sera tried, there were still only two kinds of water here: sweat and blood.

And neither, it seemed, was sufficient to counter a Fireball that was clearly in the realm of Magic.

Just as Luo Wei rolled the massive Fireball ever closer, with Ron and the others completely lacking any effective means to stop her, a tremendous crash echoed from the cave entrance. It was immediately followed by a deluge of river water pouring in.

The river water seemed to possess a will of its own. It actually flowed around Ron and his companions, forming a wall of water in front of them that rushed straight toward Luo Wei’s Fireball!

"TSSSSSS—"

A huge cloud of white steam rose from the collision of fire and water, making it difficult for anyone to even open their eyes. Ron could just barely see a figure with a massive fish head, holding a trident, appearing and disappearing within the mist as it strode in on the waves!

"You’re..." Ron stared, shocked and uncertain, at the sudden reinforcement. "Devon?"

"Devin Booker!" The familiar, resonant, and powerful voice answered from the mist. "My Perception detected signs of evil elements emerging here, so I came to provide support!"

The trident seemed alive in the Sorol Fishman’s hands, twisting and turning where fire and water met. Luo Wei seemed to be having some mental issues; coupled with the fact that she was already a bit mad, she was still no match for Devin Booker, even though her power was far greater than when Ron had first met her.

This Paladin had almost perfectly fused his Martial Arts, Magic, and racial talents. Whenever he brandished his weapon, Luo Wei had to face not only the blade itself but also the crashing waves that followed it, and a Holy Slash that shone with a blinding light!

"Evacuate this area at once!" Devin Booker brandished his trident. "A Teleportation Gate to an Elemental Plane has been opened here! You are all wounded and should retreat immediately!"

"Then what about you?" Ron blurted out. "You can’t hold them off by yourself, can you?"

"This is my duty! I will have no regrets, even in death!" the Sorol Fishman cried out, and the river water outside surged into the cavern as if it were boiling.

But this time, it was not Booker’s power. The water rushed straight for Ron and the others, transforming into three enormous Elemental Creatures clad in plate armor just as it was about to crash over them!

"Water Elemental Followers!" Silvia gritted her teeth and summoned several more Night Howling Hounds to hold them off. "Benefactor, we have to get out of here, now! It’s getting more and more dangerous!"

These Elemental Followers were elements called forth by Magic Summoning and bound within a suit of plate armor that had been treated with a special ritual. In this form, they forgot all memory of their past existence as free elements and now lived only to obey the commands of their creator.

’This means there must be an even more powerful being behind them! In our current state, we can’t possibly deal with it!’

"Heh heh heh heh," a string of laughter gurgled from Richthofen’s throat. "It’s useless. He’s already found you. You can’t escape. You’re all going to stay here and be buried with me!"

As if to confirm her words, just as Ron and the others struggled to their feet, several Magic Arrays with complex patterns appeared beneath them. A black and purple light instantly enveloped the entire group.

"Wait, this isn’t right—" An Array appeared beneath Richthofen’s feet as well. Before the shocked woman could even cry out, her figure vanished on the spot.

But Ron had no time to watch anyone else. The Array under his own feet flared with light, his vision went black, and he instantly lost consciousness.

...

Far away, in the ruins of Green Swamp Town deep within the Delusional Land, a Golden Dragon paused his lesson for the Black Dragon, Aiksuuri. He raised his head slightly. On a treetop, a canary with magnificent plumage flew in silently, then flew away again, leaving no trace behind.

No creature noticed its presence except for the Golden Dragon.

’So they’ve met. A happy accident, perhaps...’ the Golden Dragon murmured. ’I thought they would encounter him under better circumstances. Their odds of victory would have been higher that way.’

’Still, this might be for the best. Civilization has not yet been re-established in this land, and his delusion is far from complete. Since both sides are acting so hastily, the outcome is still anyone’s guess.’

"Teacher, what are you muttering about?" the young Black Dragon asked, looking up in confusion. "You’re speaking in riddles again."

"What riddles," the Golden Dragon said, raising a paw and flipping the young dragon onto its back. A series of Magic Runes emerged from his claws, imperceptibly branding themselves onto Aiksuuri’s belly. "You little whelp, you dare show me disrespect? As punishment, you’ll start by copying the Original Text three hundred times!"

He spread his magnificent, spectacular wings. "Behave yourself. Don’t go running around. I’ll be back in a few days to check on you!"

"But you haven’t finished the lesson..." Aiksuuri let out an aggrieved whimper. Under the shadow of the soaring Golden Dragon, it grumbled all the way back to its nest to copy the Magic Canon.

...

"Aive... Delaford..." Ron was having a nightmare. He dreamed he was back at the very beginning, right after he’d arrived in this world. He had failed to identify the herbs in the Goblin Nest and was ’welcomed’ by the goblins... right onto their dinner table.

But when he sat up, drenched in a cold sweat, he found he wasn’t in that Goblin Nest with its scarcity of food and water. He had been teleported by an unknown Array... teleported to...

Ron pulled a spoon from his pocket, bent it, and used Light Magic to illuminate his surroundings.

It was a sealed stone chamber. All six faces were solid stone walls, without any cracks, let alone any that might let in light.

He slowly got to his feet. One hand held the spoon to provide light while also touching the stone ceiling to keep from hitting his head. His other hand constantly fumbled around, searching for some kind of mechanism or any potential cracks.

Then, he heard a cold snort from below. "That’s a... unique use for Light Magic you’ve got there."