Epic of Ice Dragon: Reborn As An Ice Dragon With A System

Chapter 2360: Oda Nobunaga’s Endless Castle [78]

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"Honestly, I have to say, you’re quite formidable for a pair of colorful lizards. Not only have you survived this long, but you’re also starting to piss me off."

Sarutahiko, the Kami of Roads and Pathways, seemed genuinely surprised by how fiercely Hydra and Celene fought against him. He never expected these "little lizards" to track him down, especially after he’d hidden between the layers of space itself.

This Kami had a youthful appearance—he looked like a man in his thirties, tall and pale-skinned, with long white hair that draped over his eyes. He wore flowing white robes over black pants and held a long staff of ancient wood, adorned with three rainbow-colored jewels and strings of vibrant beads.

He smiled with a handsome face, rubbing his chin as a faint glow pulsed beneath the bandages covering his eyes. Sitting cross-legged in midair, he glared at the two dragons while dozens of transparent cubes, forged from spatial energy, floated around him.

"I have to say, you’re a formidable opponent as well, Sarutahiko," Hydra replied. "I’d say defeating you on our own would be nearly impossible. Fortunately, we’re not alone."

"Yeah... I tried to separate you earlier. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now I realize that was probably my best shot. I should’ve pushed harder."

Sarutahiko admitted his miscalculation with a smile as the spatial cubes around him spun faster.

"D-Does that mean we have a chance?" Celene asked, glancing at Hydra in disbelief.

The battle had already raged for five minutes. Sarutahiko unleashed magic that should have been impossible to dodge, yet Hydra and Celene survived by exploiting the laws of magical physics—and even the quirks of the dimension itself.

Celene couldn’t have done it alone. Hydra’s incredible intellect and analytical prowess allowed him to assess threats in real time and devise dozens of potential countermeasures. But he, too, relied on Celene’s unique abilities—especially her Moon Mirrors, capable of reflecting magic.

"Do we?" Hydra mused, rubbing one of his many chins. "I’d say we have a fair chance. Maybe... three to five percent."

"Hmm~ At least you know your place. That pleases me," Sarutahiko said. "Very well, shall we resume?"

He pointed his staff forward. In an instant, the spinning spatial cubes surged toward Hydra and Celene.

"{Spatial Configuration: Eight Floor House}"

RUMBLE!

Rooms made of spatial energy assembled rapidly, closing in from above, behind, and both sides.

"Hydra!"

"I know."

Hydra smiled as his Aura surged. Phantasmal and Death Elements fused, distorting the space around him.

"It’s time to get serious. We’ve got friends depending on us. Celene, lend me your power!"

"Okay!"

Hydra’s Aura intensified. Several phantoms resembling dragons emerged around him. For a moment, Sarutahiko mistook them for his own clones—until he realized they were Celene’s Phantom Clones, each wielding a smaller, weaker mirror.

"I’ve analyzed your Soul and Aura completely. With Alchemy and Phantom Magic combined, I can do this!"

Hydra spread his hands. All eight of his faces smiled—not with arrogance, but with the confidence of deep understanding.

"{Divine Phantom Alchemy}: {Spectral Clone Synthesis}!"

FLUOSH!

Using Alchemy, Hydra synthesizes clones from people. After analyzing their Souls and Auras, he only needed a few of Celene’s scales to complete the process.

"I can’t believe you pulled that off!" Celene gasped. "H-How does that even work?!"

"A unique blend of Alchemy and Phantom Magic, my dear friend," Hydra said proudly. "By merging my phantoms with a fragment of you—like your scales—and applying a Soul Blueprint, I can create replicas. They only have about ten percent of your power, but it’s enough."

"It’s exhausting to maintain so many, but it’s worth a try. Now, one, two..."

Their magic surged in sync as the spatial walls closed in—

"THREE!"

They roared together. All twelve of Celene’s clones activated their pale Moonlight Mirror replicas, and her main mirror joined in.

RUMBLE!

The Spatial Magic was halted, then exploded outward, shattering the space and sending cracks through the dimension.

BOOOM!

"This is getting annoying," Sarutahiko muttered, watching Hydra and Celene emerge from the smoke—alive, though visibly fatigued.

"Oh well. You’re clearly getting tired, so why not rest? Maybe forever? Let’s keep it going! One, two, three—"

TRUUUM!

"Eh?"

BOOOM!

"Gaaahaa?!"

Sarutahiko gasped, blood spilling from his mouth as a powerful spatial force struck his stomach—the very same energy he had used against them.

"How...?! When?! Where did that come from?! What the hell?!"

He scanned the battlefield with his Spirit Eyes. Everything was in place—except for one thing.

A glowing, pale Moonlight Mirror hovered behind him. Constellations of starlight linked it to the others—and to Celene’s main mirror.

"That’s... clever..."

Sarutahiko narrowed his eyes at Hydra and Celene. They had planned it all in seconds—reflecting his own spatial magic through the mirrors, redirecting it behind him via a phantom mirror that had slipped through space unnoticed.

"Surprised? That was a clever little trick, right? You even admitted it!" Hydra laughed.

"I can’t believe we pulled that off! He’s wounded now!" Celene exclaimed. "Let’s finish him!"

"Wait!" Hydra stopped her. "Against someone like him, we can’t act on impulse. Stay calm. We can only win if we work together."

"...Okay," Celene nodded. "Sorry, Hydra. I’m not used to fighting alongside someone else."

"Me neither. I guess we’re not so different in that regard," Hydra said, eyes locked on Sarutahiko. "We can only strike when we counter. If we go head-on, we’ll fall into his traps. The only way to hurt him is with his own power."

"Then let’s get serious," Sarutahiko said.

A third crimson eye opened on his forehead, releasing a shockwave of Karmic Energy that amplified his power.

Suddenly—

FLAAASH!

Dozens of blue and red cubes, semi-transparent and glass-like, appeared in the air. They spun rapidly, compressing space as they rotated.

"Do you have an answer to this?!"

With a wicked grin, Sarutahiko raised his staff. The cubes unleashed their power, distorting space and siphoning matter like miniature black holes.

"{Spatial Configuration: Twelve Floor Black Hole}"

TRUUUMMM!!!

"Nnnggh?!"

"Aaaghh!"

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