“Everyone!!”
The members of Rainbow Sword are here. Why they’re here, that doesn’t matter right now. With the arrival of Rainbow Sword, one of the Kingdom of Claydale’s foremost Rank 5 parties, a ray of hope finally pierced through the gathering storm clouds.
“――Spirit of the Earth, bind the dragon’s movements――!”
Mira’s voice, a user of spirit magic, echoed, and the earth surged upwards, entangling the Black Dragon that had fallen to the ground.
“Feld! We’re stopping its legs!”
“Ooooh!!”
Simultaneously with Mira’s spirit magic, Dolton and Feld, both Rank 5 warriors, shot forward like cannonballs.
『GROOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!』
The Black Dragon, entangled by the earth, let out a furious roar and began to rampage, trying to tear free from its restraints.
“Taciturn Disciple (Aria)! Nero! Don’t just stand there gawking!”
“Understood, Master Serejyura.”
Hearing my master’s rebuke from behind, I, who had been momentarily stunned, steeled myself and headed towards the Black Dragon with Nero.
As I ran, my skirt swirled, and I aimed the multiple knives I’d drawn at the Black Dragon’s eyes, but they were deflected by its eyelids, which snapped shut a moment too soon.
『GAAAAAARGH!』
But Nero’s claws, aiming for that very instant, struck the Black Dragon’s face, sending its head reeling back and scattering several scale fragments.
“Uoooooooooooh!”
GAKIIIIIIIN!
『GROOOOAAAAAR!?』
The next moment, Feld, who had charged onto the battlefield, swung his greatsword, which clashed against the Black Dragon’s horn with a deafening sound. The Black Dragon, struck hard on the horn connected to its skull, staggered slightly, and I took advantage of that opening to join up with Feld.
“Aria, we’ll talk later! First, let’s deal with this thing!”
“Got it!”
Feld and I exchanged a brief glance, nodded to each other, and were about to launch another attack when the earth binding the Black Dragon made an ominous creaking sound.
DOGOOOOOOOOOOON!!
“Guoh!”
“Feld!”
The Black Dragon shattered its earthen shackles, shook off Nero who had been attacking it, and with its newfound freedom, its claws swatted away Feld, who was close by.
“――hk!”
Feld instinctively used his greatsword as a shield to block. However, Feld, having received a blow powerful enough to crack his Magic Steel greatsword, grimaced and dropped to one knee where he’d been knocked back.
“――Dark Mist――hk!”
Still, the Black Dragon’s assault didn’t end. As the Black Dragon lunged towards Feld, the Dark Mist I unleashed enveloped its head. The dragon let out a low growl, then whipped its long tail like a lash, sweeping everything before it.
“Uwoooooooooh!!”
Dolton, finally catching up, used his Mithril full plate armor and halberd as a shield, digging trenches several meters long into the earth with his boot soles as he absorbed the blow.
“Viro! Aria! Scouts, distract the Black Dragon!”
“Understood.”
“――Can’t be helped!”
Viro, who had appeared from nowhere without me even sensing his presence, slid sideways and loosed a continuous stream of arrows with fluid movements.
But for a diversion, they were too scattered. Most of the arrows he fired missed the Black Dragon. However, just as the Black Dragon itself seemed to think so and diverted its attention from the diversionary arrows, multiple arrows flying from elsewhere collided with Viro’s, changing their trajectory to rain down around the Black Dragon’s neck.
“――Sniper Shot――”
Mira, who had altered the trajectory of Viro’s arrows, unleashed a series of bow Battle Arts.
It was a sure-hit Battle Art that Mira often used. When the Black Dragon noticed and tried to deflect it with its horn, an arrow from Viro slightly diverted Mira’s arrow’s path, wounding the Black Dragon’s eyelid and drawing a small spurt of blood.
Even I couldn’t help but stare in awe at the exquisite skill displayed by these veteran adventurers, a skill not measurable by combat power alone.
“All that just to scratch its eyelid?!”
“Don’t let your guard down, Viro!”
“Crap!”
The Black Dragon targeted Viro, who was flitting about, instead of Mira. As it gathered a lightning breath in the back of its open maw, about to unleash it, Feld’s Battle Art exploded forth as he leaped in, seemingly swapping places with a grinning Viro.
“――Grand Slash――hk!”
『GAAAAAARGH!!』
The two-handed sword Battle Art, unleashed head-on, slashed across the Black Dragon’s neck.
The light of the breath vanished from the roaring Black Dragon. I saw Master Serejyura in the direction Feld had been knocked, so she must have been healing him.
『GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!』
『GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!』
Nero, seeing this as an opportunity, pounced on the Black Dragon’s back. The massive dragon began to thrash about, trying to shake him off, its bulk tearing up the ground as if stripping it away.
“Get back!”
Hearing Viro’s voice, Feld and I created some distance. However, in the path of the two rampaging figures was Jesha, who hadn’t been able to step into the fight.
“――Hh!!”
Jesha gritted his teeth and clenched his axe. Jesha didn’t want to run from the Black Dragon, the enemy of his kin. But, fixated on this, Jesha had been hit at close range by the Dragon’s Roar, which selects those who would fight, and was now frozen, having missed his chance to retreat.
“Dooryaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
However, Dolton charged in, knocking Jesha aside with a body blow, and parried the Black Dragon’s massive form instead of taking it head-on.
“Tch, Aria, heal!”
“Understood.”
Following Dolton’s instruction, I used Greater Heal on him. Simultaneously, Dolton downed a potion, practically crushing the vial in his teeth, while glaring sharply at Jesha, who had fallen on his backside.
“Brat!! If you’re a warrior, show some spirit!!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Jesha, rebuked by Dolton, who was of the same kin, sprang to his feet. Beyond them, I saw the Black Dragon, having shaken off Nero, spread its wings and prepare to take to the sky.
“――Hurricane――”
Master Serejyura unleashed a Level 4 wind magic spell to stop it. Seeing Master Serejyura, Mira, who was also trying to stop it, stared with her eyes wide as if they would fall out.
“War Oni!? Why are you here!?”
The Dark Elf Master Serejyura frowned slightly at the Wood Elf Mira, who was snarling at her as if they had some past feud.
“…You’ve put on a little weight, haven’t you?”
“What did you say!?”
“Anyway, just cooperate for now!”
“Aargh, fine! ――Spirit of Wind!!”
Master Serejyura’s and Mira’s wind magic entangled the Black Dragon as it tried to take flight. However, the Black Dragon, though its posture was greatly disrupted, did not fall. Instead, it reflected us in its blood-red eyes burning with hatred and let out a roar that seemed to reach the heavens.
《――Insolent humans! You dare bind me again――!!》
In that instant, without warning, a lightning breath erupted from the Black Dragon towards the ground.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!
With an ear-splitting roar, it blew away Nero, Feld, and the others in the vicinity, along with the very earth they stood on. Even with the earth acting as a cushion, the impact forced my comrades to their knees. But the Black Dragon’s body, which had unleashed the lightning, was also burning, scorched by its own breath.
We had been fighting the Black Dragon in close combat precisely to prevent it from using its breath. No matter how tough a dragon’s body or scales, if it unleashed its breath on a nearby enemy, it would also take damage, so the Black Dragon hadn’t been able to use it.
But now, the Black Dragon had recklessly unleashed its breath. Its rage had overcome its reason. Instead of trying to devour us with hatred, it began to focus solely on killing us, and that single blow shattered the entire state of the battle.
Charged by its own breath and taking damage, the Black Dragon nevertheless fixed its attack on Master Serejyura and Mira, who had repeatedly interfered.
“…Blaze――hk!”
Master Serejyura, as if to protect Mira who still couldn’t get up, drew her chain-like weapon and chanted her original magic, Blaze.
If she used that technique, which wreathed her body in magic and boosted her attack power, she could indeed deflect even a Rank 7 Black Dragon’s attack once.
But, it’s no good. At this rate, Master Serejyura will die.
“――Iron Rose――”
My pinkish-gold hair turned a burning ash-grey, and as particles of light erupted from my entire body, trailing like a comet, I closed a distance of dozens of meters in an instant and, like a meteor, kicked through the wing of the Black Dragon that was about to attack Master and Mira.
“GROOOOAR!?”
The Black Dragon, which had been half-floating, now truly lost its balance and crashed to the ground. However, even a full-power blow using Iron Rose hadn’t damaged the Black Dragon.
I had Nero, who had recovered, retrieve Mira, while I picked up Master and distanced myself from the Black Dragon.
“Aria!”
“…Yeah.”
I can’t defeat the Black Dragon. My weapon’s blade can’t reach its vital spots.
That’s precisely why I had to conserve 【Iron Rose】. I had to carefully choose when to use it, and I couldn’t afford to waste mana, especially to allow larger weapons like Dolton’s or Feld’s to reach its vitals.
“But if I hadn’t used it here, Master would have died.”
“Aria…”
Even if we won here, if Master died, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. So, I decided to choose a path I wouldn’t regret.
“Master, do you have any mana recovery potions? A strong one.”
“I do, but… if you use that, you won’t be able to use 【Iron Rose】, you know? You understand that, right?”
If I use Iron Rose while under the effects of a mana recovery potion, I’ll lose control of my mana and won’t even be able to move properly.
Now that my 《Mana Control》 Skill is level 5, I might be able to manage some control, but I intuitively understand that if I try to force it, my body will become immobile, just like with the ‘Primordial Combat Art’ before I learned Iron Rose.
Even if I could fight with it now, it would be meaningless unless it was a situation where I could deliver the finishing blow.
“Master… I’m going to use that.”
Master’s eyes widened at my words.
“That’s still incomplete, you know? If you can’t use it… you’ll die.”
Even though I’m Master’s disciple, I can’t use his 【Blaze】. Its significance lies in cloaking oneself in offensive magic, which was meaningless for me, who can only use Light and Dark Magic.
Still, I tried to imitate it by fighting while cloaked in 【Phantom Image】, but it wasn’t perfect.
To compensate for that, I aimed for level 5 and tried to construct an original Dark Magic. After discussing it with Master, we found out it required an enormous amount of mana and could only be used for an instant.
If we simplified the composition, the technique’s precision would drop. I’d been going through trial and error to somehow manage it, but in this battle, I saw a glimmer of hope.
The enormous mana requirement is probably because the composition needed to maintain it is far above Rank 5. But now, having seen Master’s 【Blaze】 up close, I felt that its composition closely resembled something else.
And then, upon reaching Rank 5, I finally realized the true power of the ‘Rainbow Sword’… Watching that battle, I found a single ray of hope.
“Master, tell Dolton-san and the others… I want everyone to prepare to deliver the finishing blow.”
Even if I use up all my strength here, it’s fine.
“I will stop the Black Dragon by myself.”
＊＊＊
Rising from the shattered earth, the Black Dragon, filled with rage and hatred, fixed its crimson eyes on the insignificant humans.
The cunning humans had struggled repeatedly to wound the Black Dragon. They had scratched its scales, damaged its horns, pierced the membrane of its wings, and forced it to the ground with magic. Though they had drawn a little blood with the iron claws humans possessed, when the Black Dragon got serious, a single breath attack was enough to make the humans fall to the ground.
–Insolent–
The beastly Phantasmal Beast had bared its fangs alongside the humans, but even then, it couldn’t defeat the serious Black Dragon. However, the Black Dragon, which had decided to devour all the humans, couldn’t forgive them for merely letting it kill them, for making it get serious to the point of injuring itself.
Even if it meant getting injured itself, it would eliminate them one by one. After all, the only creatures that could fight a serious Black Dragon were other dragons.
However, a single human was approaching the Black Dragon.
It was the young female individual who had attacked it several times. A moment ago, she had been cloaked in a strange light and had knocked it to the ground, but it knew that the small “black claws” she held in her hand couldn’t pierce the Black Dragon’s body.
But for an insignificant creature to knock a great dragon to the ground. That was not something to be forgiven; it was a crime punishable by a thousand deaths.
First, it would destroy this insolent female. It would rip out her entrails with its claws, crush her with its fangs, and dye those insolent eyes that dared to glare at the Black Dragon with despair. The moment the Black Dragon directed its hostility…
Her small, cherry-pink lips murmured something.
“–【Iron Rose】–“
The same light as before erupted from the female’s body, and her hair color burned like ash.
The Black Dragon thought this phenomenon was the same as the magical heat that accumulated in its body after using its breath. Just as doing the same thing again while that heat remained would prevent it from using its breath for several days, that phenomenon was likely releasing that heat to sustain its current state.
–Insolent–
The Black Dragon muttered so again in its heart. Certainly, for a human, she had increased her power to an admirable extent, but it still wasn’t enough to fight it, a Black Dragon.
That female seemed to specialize in speed, but because of that speed, she didn’t possess enough power to kill the serious Black Dragon.
–What?–
Suddenly, the female’s figure vanished. The instant she disappeared, particles of light fluttered like silver wings, and she closed in right before the Black Dragon’s eyes. Still, it wasn’t a speed its eyes couldn’t follow. The dragon’s detection abilities had also perfectly pinpointed her presence.
No matter how she tried to win with speed, an insurmountable gap existed between dragons and humans. Focusing its nerves, it chased her figure and, with a speed that made its muscles creak, swung its claws, tearing the foolish female’s body apart from the stomach.
–!?–
The claws that should have definitely torn her apart passed right through the female’s body.
It immediately swung its other claw, but that too passed through. Then, it brought down its fangs to crush her, but her figure wasn’t there; instead, the female swung her small black claws down onto the Black Dragon’s snout.
“GROOOOAR!?”
In that instant, an “intense pain” unlike anything it had ever felt assaulted the Black Dragon.
The black claws had only grazed the Black Dragon’s scales. Not even a scratch was left. But the intense pain, as if its flesh was being gouged out, a pain that made it feel death, confused the Black Dragon’s thoughts.
–This insignificant creature–!!
Channeling its confusion and intense pain into rage, the Black Dragon attacked the female individual.
But its attacks wouldn’t land. They were hitting, yet not hitting. It wasn’t some kind of Illusion; she was definitely “there,” yet all of the Black Dragon’s attacks passed through the female’s body, carving numerous “pains” into the Black Dragon’s own.
The female’s movements became faster. The increasing attacks accompanying this inflicted pain on the Black Dragon, and it noticed that the more intense her movements became, the more her figure appeared to blur.
–What is this–
Not just by sight, but even the dragon’s senses told it that the blurring figures were not afterimages, but all “real images.”
–What is this? What is this thing—
The Black Dragon was confused. It existed, yet it didn’t exist. Its rage was overwhelmed by this entity that cloaked itself in numerous real forms like a comet, like afterimages, and endlessly inflicted only pain. For the first time since its existence, the Black Dragon felt “fear.”
When it felt fear, its vision clouded. The Black Dragon, thinking only of eliminating the presence before it, was about to unleash a lightning breath, not even caring if it engulfed itself, when–
“GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!”
As the female, cloaked in numerous real images and possessing cold eyes, leaped in, her “black claws” were thrust deeply into the dragon’s eye that reflected her form.
【Aria (Alicia)】【Race: Human♀】【Rank ５】
【Mana Value: 115/370】20 Up【Stamina Value: 118/290】10 Up
【Strength: 11 (24)】【Endurance: 10 (22)】【Agility: 18 (38)】【Dexterity: 9 (10)】
【Dagger Technique Lv.5】【Martial Arts Lv.5】【Throwing Lv.5】1 Up
【Archery Lv.2】【Defense Lv.4】【Thread Manipulation Lv.5】
【Light Magic Lv.5】1 Up【Dark Magic Lv.5】1 Up【Non-Attribute Magic Lv.5】
【Utility Magic x6】【Mana Control Lv.5】【Intimidation Lv.5】
【Stealth Lv.4】【Night Vision Lv.2】【Detection Lv.5】
【Poison Resistance Lv.3】【Abnormal Status Resistance Lv.4】
【Simple Appraisal】
【Total Combat Power: 2203 (During Special Physical Enhancement: 4181)】
【Battle Art: Iron Rose /Limit 115 Seconds】
【Illusion Magic: World Rejection (Real Breaker)】
Aria finally shows her true worth.
Next time, the conclusion of the Black Dragon battle!
P.S.: There was an error in the name of a Battle Art; the Dagger Technique “Dancing Ripper” will be changed to “Dancing Riper.” Therefore, I will be doing some minor revisions.