Chapter 17: Mage IV / The Great Dragon Battle III
The sky was filled with needles of light. I was captivated by that somewhat fantastical sight.
It was a super-class spell unleashed by him—Holy Knight Yamada. If I wasn’t mistaken, he had indeed chanted, “《光時雨（レイン）》” (Light Rain). It was a magic of the same mechanism and essence as my own spell, 《焔時雨（ファイアレイン）》 (Fire Rain), and bore a matching name as a unique magic.
Just as I pondered why he was casting that spell, a sharp headache struck me. The pain was brief but intense, making it difficult to maintain my focus. I gritted my teeth and continued the incantation of the spell as instructed by Holy Knight Yamada without interruption.
At that moment, the sense of discomfort that had arisen countless times before returned once more.
───An order from Holy Knight Yamada?
Why was I following him without question? No matter how much I thought about it, my mind was filled with confusion, and I felt like I was losing my grip on reality.
The headache was the same. Suddenly, a piercing pain stabbed at my head.
I recalled that the first time I had experienced a headache was after leaving the Hero-sama’s side and confronting Holy Knight Ashley───
After unleashing 《焔時雨（ファイアレイン）》 as per Holy Knight Yamada’s orders, he praised me with a “Perfect!” At that moment, my heart was in a state that was beyond words. Even though we were in a life-or-death situation, for some reason, I couldn’t help but suppress a grin.
I no longer recognized myself. All I could do was hide my expression with my hat to prevent anyone from noticing.
○○○
The three Gero Beams unleashed by the Liquid Dragon combined into an extraordinarily powerful beam—Gero Beam Full Burst—and struck us. When it made contact with Pulmy-san’s 《煉獄の門》 (Gate of Purgatory), it spread outwards from the point of impact, yet the Liquid Dragon continued to spew forth Gero Beam Full Burst without end───At that moment───just as my fist made contact with the Liquid Dragon───”貫通拳（スティンガー）ァァッッ！！”───my full-powered strike hit the 《三つ首の液体龍（リクイドドラゴン）》 (Liquid Dragon) directly───and at that very moment, cracks began to form in the Gate of Purgatory.
Seeing the situation unfold, Orphe dashed forward.
“Leave it to me!”
She immediately ran towards the Gate of Purgatory.
“《魔喰い（デモンズイーター）》” (Demon’s Eater)
With a flourish, she wielded her Twin Swords, slicing through the remnants of the Gero Beam and completely erasing them. Just then, the Gate of Purgatory crumbled and vanished. It was a close call.
My 《貫通拳（スティンガー）》 was a lethal strike that permeated the target’s body with destructive force, causing it to collapse from within. It struck the Liquid Dragon’s hind legs, resulting in an unprecedented reaction───it began to writhe in a motion reminiscent of peristalsis, shaking violently, transforming entirely into liquid, and creating a large stain on the ground.
Voices called out from behind me.
“Ichiro-kun!! Did you do it?!” (Pul-san) “Wow, not bad!” (Orphe) “We did it!!” “This is the end!” “When I get back, I’m going to propose to her.”
Ah (white eyes). No way! This is bad!! I could already predict the future developments with the rapidly constructed flags.
Less than two minutes later, an anomaly occurred. My predictions were spot on. The stain that had soaked the ground began to vanish as if reversing time, and vapor shot up into the sky.
◇◇◇
───Angelica, can I count on you?
He asked me. For some reason, despite my own will and thoughts, I nodded in agreement without hesitation. I was doing my best to keep my tumultuous feelings hidden by saying as little as possible.
As I began the incantation under his guidance, I couldn’t help but wonder when the sense of discomfort that continued to smolder in my heart had first arisen.
Before my eyes, Holy Knight Yamada charged towards the Liquid Dragon.
The height of the three-headed dragon was equivalent to stacking four average Guild buildings on top of each other. No one had ever seen such a monstrous creature, and anyone who encountered it would surely fall into despair. That was how it should have been.
Yet───
That’s right. It was always like this.
He would stand before me without regard for himself, unafraid of getting hurt───At that moment, the familiar sharp headache seized her hand, interrupting my thoughts.
I felt as if someone was telling me to stop. But I couldn’t stop.
Since that day, I had not once looked back at my memories, but now I felt compelled to reflect on them once more.
○○○
As the gas that had risen into the sky coalesced into a sufficient volume of liquid, it poured down upon us. It was possible that the Liquid Dragon had remembered my 《貫通拳（スティンガー）》 from our encounter in the Labyrinth. That writhing motion was a tactic to escape penetration. No matter how large it was, and no matter how well it had countered, the fact that I couldn’t take it down in one blow was due to my own lack of strength. If it had been Sena or Sensei’s 《貫通拳（スティンガー）》， they would have been able to penetrate faster and stronger, leaving no room for the enemy to counter.
But,
“Pul-san, I knew this would happen.”
To reassure them, I spoke up.
“I’m still in the exploratory phase, but I’m gradually seeing a way to defeat that monster.”
“Ichiro-kun, I’ll continue to follow your lead. Please give us instructions.”
Pul-san’s statement was met with nods from Orphe as well.
“Then───”
I conveyed my thoughts and made my request. Just then, Angelica, who had immediately begun her next incantation after 《焔時雨（ファイアレイン）》, turned to me and nodded, then spoke with powerful words.
“《ナルカミィィィィッッッ！！》” (Narukami!!)
In response to her voice, a massive cumulonimbus cloud formed rapidly. The rumbling, ominous sounds reverberated through the air, enough to instill fear in human instincts, and a colossal lightning bolt flashed in an instant. Leaving the roar behind, it pierced through the three-headed monster.