When Renjiro (Aether) once again arrived at the Great Fall, it was already past nine in the evening.
It had taken most of the day to travel all the way down, departing from the ground-level floor of Babel Tower and descending deep into the Lower Floors.
And before all that, the guy, who began using Starfire's Flowing Light to enter his split-state form from the start, had even instructed the Traveler twins to separate and rush through logistics shops managed by major familias to purchase all sorts of consumables and items specifically to counter the twin-headed dragon.
Then, they kept busy up until now…
"Tch tch, good thing we have infinite stamina. Otherwise, just rushing all the way here would've been enough to kill us."
Renjiro (Aether), standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Lumine near the staircase linking the 24th and 25th Floors, said with a sigh.
Beside him, Lumine nodded and continued, "Just in time, Starry Abyss is giving us the maximum mana regeneration bonus. Once we descend to the 27th Floor, it'll reach a full 25.6 times amplification."
"We'll be able to maintain two Genshin summons at the same time, constantly."
Hearing that, Renjiro (Aether) lifted both hands and shrugged.
Speaking of which,
When Renjiro's main body was still at Lv.1, his total summon duration for Genshin Descent was a full hour.
If he went all-out, splitting the summon among five Genshin forms at once, they could remain manifested for 12 minutes.
Of course, with the Starry Abyss returning mana, he wouldn't collapse from magical exhaustion afterward.
But…
"As a Floor Boss, the Twin-Headed Dragon obviously can't be taken down in merely ten or so minutes."
And indeed,
In the original future timeline, when that red-eyed rabbit boy reached Lv.4, the Guild forced him to join a temporary Expedition Alliance alongside the Takemikazuchi, Miach, and Hermes Familias.
Near the end of their great expedition, the group was forced to split, and that was when half the team encountered the Amphisbaena.
Even with the broken-luck fox, Sanjouno Haruhime, boosting everyone with group-level increases, the battle still lasted nearly two hours before they finally managed to slay it.
[Twin-Headed Dragon · Amphisbaena]
According to Guild reports, this potential-Lv.5 monster possesses two special abilities: Incendiary Azure Flame and Anti-Magic Red Miasma.
Incendiary Azure Flame is similar to classic dragon breath, but isn't magic. Rather, the Amphisbaena ignites internal fuel and blasts it outward like a flamethrower.
In simple terms, it's basically a super-oversized squirt gun lizard.
Meaning, since it's purely physical combustion, Welf's anti-magic skill Will-o-Wisp cannot pre-detonate it.
Worse still, the Red Miasma it releases massively dampens magic power within the area it covers.
Combine that with its body covered in incredibly hard white scales…
"Even if we aren't sure whether elemental power will be weakened by the Red Miasma… forget it. Based on the Guild records, the best method of defeating the Twin-Headed Dragon is to beat it down up close."
"So that's exactly what we will do."
With that said, Renjiro (Aether) and Lumine began moving deeper into the 25th Floor.
Both knew the Amphisbaena, as the Dungeon's Second Floor Boss, was the only one among the Four Great Lonely Kings of the Labyrinth that actually wanders.
The others, Goliath, Udaeus, and the Floor Boss of the 49th Floor, Balor (potential Lv.7), only appear in specific locations.
For example:
Goliath at the Wall of Lament on the 17th Floor.
Udaeus at the Throne Room on the 37th Floor.
Thus,
"Last time we went on the expedition with Loki Familia, we never encountered the Twin-Headed Dragon because of this wandering trait."
"And recently, the Guild hasn't received any report of a new Amphisbaena being defeated."
Before coming here, Renjiro (Aether) had personally asked the Guild Headquarters to confirm this.
He didn't want to waste the trip.
Fortunately,
"Although the Amphisbaena wanders, its territory remains near the Great Fall, meaning between Floors 25 and 27."
"So we first check the waterfall. If we still can't find it, we jump down the falls and search layer by layer."
"No problem!"
However, normally, adventurers don't jump into the waterfall.
Because that is basically suicide.
Not only is the waterfall nearly as tall as the Burj Khalifa, even if someone survives the fall, they'd likely be torn apart by aquatic monsters below.
Even worse,
"According to the Guild, if Amphisbaena fights in the water, its potential threat level rises directly to Lv.6."
That was… very bad news for Renjiro.
So, he had already planned the strategy in advance:
Either lure the dragon onto land, or,
Freeze the entire surrounding water.
Diona should be able to manage that by burning through all of her mana.
Which brings them to now…
"25th Floor, no sign of the Twin-Headed Dragon."
As Renjiro (Aether) and Lumine arrived near the Great Fall, having slain numerous monsters along the way, they only found swarms of ambush fish.
Seeing this result, they didn't hesitate, they unfolded their Wings of Wind and leapt into the waterfall together.
Splash!
The roar of cascading water thundered around them.
Moments later,
"26th Floor… still no sign of the Twin-Headed Dragon."
"Tch"
Renjiro (Aether) clicked his tongue.
The situation was now obvious.
Even though it had wings, Amphisbaena was fundamentally a swimming monster.
Since they didn't see it on the first two layers, that could only mean,
"This current Twin-Headed Dragon is down at the bottom of the waterfall."
In other words:
"We'll have to find a way to draw that big bastard out of the water… Sigh, this is the most troublesome scenario."
Renjiro (Aether) exhaled helplessly.
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