The Infant Dragon stood there, in the middle of the twelfth-floor corridor, its red scales gleaming in the diffuse light, reptilian eyes fixed on Hachiman with unmistakable hatred. The monster that had pushed him to the absolute limit the day before. But today, Hachiman didn't feel the same paralyzing panic. He felt the phantom pain in his ribs, yes, but mostly he felt the power pulsing in his Rank A stats and the overwhelming Rank S magic.
Without hesitation, he advanced, Kanshou and Bakuya ready in his hands. The dragon roared and charged, claws and fangs seeking to tear and crush. This time, Hachiman met the attack head-on.
The twin blades clashed with the claws in a shower of sparks, but now it was different. With Rank A Strength and Endurance, Hachiman wasn't repelled; he stopped the attack, the monster's force meeting solid, unwavering resistance. He spun, Rank A Agility allowing him to flow around a tail swipe that previously would have struck him squarely. Bakuya slashed the dragon's flank, opening a deeper groove than he had managed the day before. Kanshou deflected a bite, the black blade withstanding the powerful fangs.
They exchanged blows a few times, a dangerous dance of evasion and attack. Hachiman quickly confirmed what he suspected: 'I can keep up. I can fight it evenly now.' His enhanced body, protected by the growth armor and wielding the twin blades, could withstand the Level 2 monster's attacks and inflict significant damage. Victory would be a matter of time and attrition.
But Hachiman wasn't interested in a battle of attrition. The fight against the horde, the extreme power he felt protecting Aqua and Hephaestus, the status update that gave him knowledge about D-Rank Noble Phantasms... he wanted to test his new limits. Kanshou and Bakuya were his reliable tools, the only weapons of that caliber he had used so far, but he knew, he felt, he could do more.
'Time to see what this Rank S Magic and UBW knowledge are really capable of,' he thought, stepping back from the dragon for an instant.
He concentrated, accessing the newly acquired knowledge about low-level Noble Phantasms. The first that came to mind was a curiosity, an interesting flaw. "Trace On!"
Mana flowed, shaping a new form in his right hand. It wasn't Kanshou or Bakuya. It was a straight-bladed sword, simple in appearance, but emanating an unstable, almost crackling electrical energy. 'Thunder Blade,' Hachiman recalled the name and the conceptual history that came with the projection. 'A failed attempt by an ancient blacksmith to imbue lightning magic into common steel. The structure is unstable, dissolves after a single strike, but releases the stored energy.'
The Infant Dragon, perhaps confused by the change of weapon or sensing the accumulated energy, hesitated for a moment before attacking again with a swift lunge. Hachiman met the attack, not with a block, but with a precise and rapid arcing cut towards the monster. The instant the Thunder Blade touched the dragon's scales, it fulfilled its nature: the sword's physical form dissolved into particles of light, and the magical energy contained within exploded outward. An arc of pure electricity, a slash charged with the lightning attribute, struck the Infant Dragon squarely in the chest.
The monster let out a sharp, pained screech, thrown back by the force of the electrical impact. Smoke rose from its scorched scales, and it thrashed on the ground, clearly stunned and considerably damaged. 'It worked. And the cost...' Hachiman quickly assessed his mana reserve. '...was significant, but not prohibitive. Maybe one-fifteenth (1/15) of my total? I can use this a few times.' It was a powerful tool, albeit single-use per projection.
Seeing the dragon severely wounded and struggling to get up, Hachiman decided to end the fight with something more definitive. He dismissed the empty hand where the Thunder Blade had been and concentrated again. "Trace On!"
This time, the projection was more complex, requiring more focus. A long nodachi materialized in his hands. The blade was extraordinarily long, thin, and almost ghostly white, glowing softly. The hilt was wrapped in deep blue fabric. 'Monohoshi Zao,' Hachiman recognized. 'The "Laundry-Drying Pole". Sasaki Kojirou's legendary weapon.' He knew the weapon itself, though an excellent katana, wasn't the main Noble Phantasm. The true power lay in the technique it enabled, a knowledge that seemed to flow into him along with the blade's projection. 'Tsubame Gaeshi... the Swallow Reversal Cut.'
He advanced on the Infant Dragon as it tried to rise, the long nodachi held ready. He remembered the technique's description: an impossible strike that attacked from three directions simultaneously, closing all escape routes. It was a technique bordering on dimensional manipulation, a mystery of swordsmanship. Could he execute it? The knowledge was there, in his mind, in his muscles, a gift of the projection.
Taking a deep breath, he channeled his intent, his mana, his Rank A agility and dexterity. And attacked. To an outside observer, it would seem Hachiman delivered a single swift cut. But to the Infant Dragon (and to Hachiman's own heightened perception), it was something different. Three arcs of white light appeared simultaneously – one from above, one from the left, one from the right – converging on the dragon in an inescapable pattern. A prison of blades.
There was no chance of defense, no chance of evasion. The Infant Dragon let out one last guttural sound, a mixture of surprise and pain, before the three simultaneous blades struck it. The result was brutal and final. The monster's body was instantly sliced into multiple pieces, which fell to the floor in a macabre shower. The long white blade of the Monohoshi Zao remained immaculate in Hachiman's hand.
He stood for a moment, observing the dragon's remains and the red magic stone that rolled out from the debris. 'Tsubame Gaeshi... I did it.' He became aware of his own strength, of the terrifying versatility that Unlimited Blade Works provided him. He was no longer just an improvised swordsman; he had access to a legendary arsenal.
With a new level of confidence, Hachiman dismissed the Monohoshi Zao and continued his hunt through the eleventh and twelfth floors. Now, even the strongest monsters there seemed trivial. He moved with lethal efficiency, accumulating magic stones at an impressive rate, clearing entire areas. He continued until night began to fall over Orario, signaling the end of another day's work.
He ascended to the surface and headed to the Guild. The hall was busy as always. He went straight to Misha Flott's counter.
"Back, Hachiman-sama," Misha greeted, her eyes perhaps a little more curious today. "The rumors about your feats at Monsterphilia yesterday are everywhere. Defeating an Infant Dragon... it was truly impressive." It was the first time she had directly commented on the news.
"I just did what was necessary, Misha-san," Hachiman replied, placing a heavy pouch of magic stones on the counter. Most were from monsters on floors 11/12, but there was a remarkably large red stone on top – the Infant Dragon's.
Misha's eyes widened slightly upon seeing the Dragon stone and the overall quantity of high-quality spoils. She processed everything quickly. "With the Level 2 Infant Dragon stone and all these stones from floors 11 and 12... Today's total is... 600,000 Valis."
Six hundred thousand. In a single day. Hachiman almost choked. It was more than double what he had accumulated in his entire first two weeks. The jump in efficiency and the ability to defeat higher-level monsters made an astronomical difference.
"Thank you, Misha-san," he said, trying to maintain his composure as he collected the small fortune in Valis.
"Continue taking care, Hachiman-sama. With feats like these, you will attract a lot of attention," Misha advised, her voice professional but with a genuine touch of caution.
He nodded and left the Guild, his mind reeling from the power he demonstrated and the wealth he accumulated that day. He returned home, found Aqua (who probably asked about the money with shining eyes), shared a simple meal with her, perhaps recounting a heavily edited version of his day, and then retired to his room. He needed rest, and more importantly, he needed to think about what he would do next with all this power.