Chapter 577: Xudra
At that moment, a massive serpentine body slowly rose from the lake, its scales woven with countless dark golden patterns, dazzling beneath the sunlight...
"Hydra!"
Weiss’s terrified shout shattered the silence. Even Leon, upon realizing this was a true Hydra, couldn’t help but be stunned—his expression grew somber and heavy.
This beast possessed nine distinct magical powers at once, and its innate spells could only be described as terrifying. In ancient times, Hydras lived alongside gods and demons in Northend. Now, they are nearly extinct—only a few remain...
But make no mistake—every Hydra still alive is a terrifying force, at least at the Sky Rank. In the golden age of magic, there was one Hydra named Xudra, hailed as one of the Four Emperors of Magical Beasts!
In truth, Hydras almost never show themselves in Northend anymore...
That Hydra—Xudra—was one of them. Leon was certain that in this era, Xudra had reached the peak of Sky Rank, though almost no one knew of Xudra’s existence.
It’s no exaggeration—Xudra is one of the strongest beings of the age, no longer just a magical beast, but one of Northend’s rulers.
It wasn't until the Age of Arcane Peak that the name Xudra began to surface—at that time, Xudra became one of the Four Emperors of Magical Beasts.
During the Age of Arcane Peak, magical civilization flourished to such an extent that the survival of magical beasts was threatened. The Four Beast Emperors, the strongest among them, represented all magical beasts in a negotiation with humanity—a negotiation that would redefine their living space. Afterward, although magical beasts continued to suffer under human oppression, at least they gained a measure of territory in which to survive.
Right now, Leon was genuinely shocked; he hadn't expected to encounter a true Hydra. Yet, in his memory, there were only eight Hydras left in this era, each residing in different corners of the Northend World, and every one of them was Sky Rank.
The Hydra before them radiated a terrifying aura, but it was still far from reaching Sky Rank. Clearly, this Hydra was not one of those eight.
Then, Leon recalled a crucial piece of information he'd seen in a desolate, decaying library: it was said that during the age of ancient gods and demons, every Hydra had nine identical heads. But when the Five-Colored Dragons and pureblood elves ruled Northend, the Hydras' numbers plummeted and mutations began. Their nine heads gradually changed...
Each of the Hydra's nine heads represents a different magical resonance. After the mutations, Hydras began to specialize in a particular magic—whichever head corresponded to that magic would grow larger and more dominant...
Clearly, the Hydra before them had nine identical heads—a trait unique to ancient Hydras. This meant its nine magical powers remained perfectly balanced, unable to specialize in any one school of magic...
Did this mean that the plane they were in was still trapped in the ancient era...?
That was... unsettling.
"Roooar..."
Suddenly, all nine massive heads of the Hydra let out a deafening roar in unison. The stench of its breath flooded the air, and its gaping maws revealed fangs that gleamed with a chilling light beneath the sun. Nine distinctly different magical forces surged toward the group.
Most of the group turned pale with fright, scrambling to dodge by any means they could. At that moment, several Flame Burst spells, trailing long tails of fire, struck one of the Hydra’s heads dead-on. There was a muffled boom, but all it left were a few marks—no real damage at all.
Yet those Flame Bursts made the Hydra shriek in agony. Its lantern-sized eyes locked onto Leon with pure hatred...
The nine heads then dove at Leon with astonishing speed. But just then, a low dragon’s roar echoed above—the Frost Dragon, Reina, hovered overhead, unleashing a torrent of frost spells that hammered the Hydra’s heads. At the same time, her presence drew the Hydra’s attention; its nine heads, each brewing a different magic, launched a ferocious assault on Reina.
Boom...
The earth-shattering noise echoed without end.
In just half a minute of fierce combat, Reina had already fallen behind; facing the Hydra’s relentless assault, she was struggling, and had even suffered a minor wound from one of its innate spells...
At that moment, a silver figure streaked through the sky—Leon’s Sky Rank golem, wielding the Doombringer Staff. Its power was terrifying, and waves of concentrated spell rays hammered down, easing some of Reina’s burden. Even so, the golem and Reina together still struggled against the Hydra, barely able to inflict any real harm...
Not far away in the sky, Antus and Red Watson stared in shock. Both had witnessed the power of the Frost Dragon and the Sky Rank golem—especially before entering the spatial rift, when they had seen a devastating battle that wiped out hundreds of Flame Serpents in three minutes...
But now, even with the Frost Dragon and the Sky Rank golem working together, they were completely outmatched by the Hydra...
Just how terrifying was this Hydra’s strength?
If it could dominate the fight like this, its power must be at least mid-level thirty-eight or higher—maybe far beyond that!
That was truly terrifying...
The battle had reached a stalemate. The Frost Dragon and the Sky Rank golem’s attacks grew more intense, and the Hydra roared again and again. Though they still couldn’t truly injure it, at least they could hold their ground.
"Roooar..."
Suddenly, the Hydra unleashed a low, menacing roar. At the same time, one of its heads began to glow with dazzling white light, spewing mist and radiating a chill that cut straight to the bone...
Everyone present felt a chill creep down their spines, as if disaster was about to descend.
"Eternal Frost..."
Even Leon’s heart skipped a beat; perhaps only he truly understood how dire the danger was. Through the readings of his mana array, he could clearly see the energy fluctuations in the glowing head—chaotic and unstable. That realization hit him: the Hydra was about to sacrifice a head to unleash Eternal Frost.
For everyone in the group—including Leon himself—it would be a disaster...
There was absolutely no exaggeration in that...
Eternal Frost—a spell so devastating, the Hydra must sacrifice a head to cast it. Its power could only be described as terrifying...
If the Hydra succeeded, there was no doubt that everyone—including Leon—would be frozen solid, unable to escape. Unless someone possessed power on the level of Sage Joey...
There was a legendary battle, widely discussed in history—at the dawn of the Age of Arcane Peak, five Sky Rank powerhouses tried to capture a Hydra for research. Their target was the weakest Hydra in Northend, not even a high-level Sky Rank.
The five Sky Rank powerhouses were brimming with confidence, convinced the capture would be easy...
And, in fact, it was.
When the battle began, the Hydra was immediately overwhelmed—battered and severely wounded by the combined assault of the five Sky Rank mages. But at the critical moment, the Hydra detonated one of its heads and unleashed Eternal Frost, freezing everything within thousands of meters. All five Sky Rank mages were caught off guard...
And then...
There was nothing after that...
So now, Leon realized he had to stop the Hydra no matter what.
In a flash of fire and lightning, Leon burst into his Fire Elemental form, hesitating not at all. Five consecutive Flame Flashes carried him hundreds of meters in an instant. Then, a rapid incantation spilled from his lips as two alchemical mana cores within him surged wildly...
Then...
A bizarre scene unfolded—the Hydra roared, its massive body writhing as if it had lost all support, plummeting rapidly. With a thunderous crash, it vanished beneath the lake, leaving not a trace behind.
"It's gone..."
The sudden change left everyone stunned—even Falton and Seth Watson, who had kept their distance, now looked grimly at the lake.
"What is that...?"
A frigid aura swept over them, and everyone turned their eyes to the lake in shock, their voices little more than dreamlike murmurs. That icy chill came straight from the water. The once-dark lake was now a field of silver-white; frost had formed everywhere, and within seconds, thousands of meters around were frozen, cold vapor still rising...
From the Hydra's disappearance to now, less than ten seconds had passed—yet so much had changed.
A heavy fog of confusion settled over everyone’s heart.
"That must have been the Hydra’s innate spell—Eternal Frost. If it hadn’t fallen into the lake, we’d all be frozen right now. Terrifying..." The Watson Family’s Seventh Rank Sword Saint stared blankly at the lake, suddenly crying out. Red Watson beside him was equally pale.
Reina, having returned to human form, wore a face as cold as ice—now marked with deep anxiety. "Where is he? How did he vanish? This..."
"You mean Lord Merlin...?" The Dragonblood Orc, wooden-faced, glanced at Reina, then pointed at the frozen lake below. "I saw Lord Merlin fall in with that monster just now..."