| Author: Shizuku | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: 3317 characters |
| Translator: Nomad | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 1295 words |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
Hey, did you hear that?
What?
Natalia just said that all of us will return to Olivia together.
Before she used to always talk about sacrificing herself.
I guess it’s because they’re lovers now.
Oh.
And because of that I’ll be forever single.
And the same goes for you so why do you look so happy?
It’s what Natalia wanted.
As long as the person I love is happy, that’s enough for me.
I don’t get that.
Shouldn’t you always want to be together with the person you like?
I guess that’s not something you’d understand.
…Yeah, I still don’t like you.
I’m the first to rush forward, so the dragon’s three heads focus on me.
Activating Automaton Mode.
Inputting conditions.
Processing surroundings.
Processing countermeasures.
A set of jaws wide open close in on me. If I get caught inside, I doubt I’ll be able to break free. So I dodge the jaws at the last possible moment and shoot Black Hawk at the head.
After flying sideways, I use my black wings to propel myself upward. As the second head lunges at me, I dodge, leaving a trail of blue mana dust in my wake.
Periodically, I fire bursts from Black Hawk and White Viper, keeping the dragon’s attention fixed on me. The three heads persistently follow, but I leverage my heightened magic automaton reflexes and mobility to evade them.
Despite the dragon being composed of mana, which allows the necks to stretch indefinitely as long as Vlad III has sufficient mana, the heads remain relentless in their pursuit.
I attempt to target the dragon’s eyes with White Viper, but, as I should have anticipated from a mass of mana, it barely flinches, and the damaged parts regenerate almost instantly.
After evading another strike, I target another head, firing an incendiary round from Black Hawk into its open jaws. The explosion propels me backward while the dragon’s neck recoils from the impact.
I briefly amplify the power of Celaeno to stabilize myself in mid-air. As expected, another head attempts to bite me, but I dodge it, misjudging the attack as light begins to gather within the dragon’s throat.
“Eat this!”
I use alchemy within my magic storage to amalgamate all the rocks from the earlier cave collapse into one massive chunk. I then modify the opening to launch it with tremendous force.
The dragon’s blinding breath and the large rock collide mid-air, shattering the rock and scattering shrapnel. Some shards tear through my arms and Celaeno’s wings, causing me to lose balance and spiral downwards.
“Ack!”
I spread my wings wide and expend as much mana as possible, but it’s insufficient to arrest my fall. With my wings damaged, dodging becomes impossible as the three heads continue their relentless assault.
“This is a bit different from what we planned, but can you do it?”
As I say that, I hear an explosion from the ground. There, Akane has raised a large and sharpened mass, while Erika’s back blooms with a flower. All I’ve done so far was buy time. Both of them needed it to prepare a way to destroy the dragon’s heads.
“!”
The large, sharp rock gleams with a special red metal coating. Akane launches it at the dragon, piercing one of its necks and shattering inside.
“Shaaaaaaaa!”
Then, Erika roars loudly as the petals of the flower on her back transform into sharp blades, rotating like a massive drill. They ascend, shredding another neck.
Next, it’s my turn. I stow away Black Hawk and White Viper in my magic storage and switch them for Red Cassowary, fully loaded. I aim its oversized muzzle and pull the trigger.
A bright flash occurs, and a beam of mana clashes with the dragon’s breath. The beams meet mid-air, and a strong recoil shakes me as I strive to overpower the incoming attack. I channel all of my Sorcery Core’s output into Red Cassowary, but the dragon remains unyielding.
The enemy is entirely composed of mana, maintaining its form despite our assaults. This means Vlad III still has an ample reserve of mana.
“If this keeps going…”
I’ll run out of mana first. I curse silently, then spot Erika dashing through the forest towards the dragon’s legs. The hole leading into the collapsed cave is visible, and the dragon’s two legs reach down into it.
“Shaaaaaaaa!”
Erika widens her mouth and bites into the dragon’s leg, shaking her body to tear it off. Since the dragon is made of mana, it likely feels no pain, but losing a leg causes it to lose balance and topple. As it falls, the breath attack ceases momentarily.
That brief pause allows the beam from Red Cassowary to obliterate the enemy’s head, shooting into a straight line that vanishes into the night sky.
“Good job, Erika.”
I’ve expended all my current mana, so I fall helplessly while thanking Erika. The mana particles from Celaeno are as faint as the stars above, offering no aid in breaking my fall. Yet, I accomplished my goal.
“Akane, I’ll leave the rest to you. Good luck, Ruri.”
These are the last words I muster as I descend into the forest.
Seeing the three heads destroyed, Akane triggers an explosion beneath her, propelling herself into the air. She fires a strand of steel silk at the dragon’s middle severed neck, pulling herself closer.
Arriving, she envelops the severed neck with a ball of silk that spreads like a net, then repeats this for the other heads. She imbues all the nets with mana, forming a barrier similar to Natalia’s mana gauntlets.
This sealed the severed necks, preventing the dragon from regenerating its heads—at least, that was Natalia’s hope with her plan.
“Open a path into the four heavens, Suiten Souro.”
Ruri cast a spell, summoning a stream of water that arced diagonally into the sky. When she stepped onto it, the water supported her as if it were solid ground. This spell essentially acted as a skyward running track. However, her target was the dragon’s chest, where her beloved master, the one who had once saved her life, was trapped.
Seeing Ruri ascend, Erika realized their plan had worked and attempted to distance herself from the dragon’s legs. However, they had overlooked one detail: the dragon was also the source of the Shiki overwhelming the forest.
“Sha?!”
Shiki began to emerge from the dragon’s front legs, like bodies rising from water. They clambered up sluggishly and groaned as they approached Erika.
“Gahhh…”
Their movements were slow, yet they possessed strength far greater than humans and were impervious to pain, which compensated for their sluggishness.
“Shaaa!”
Erika deployed her acid and the claws on her tentacles to fend them off, just as she had in the forest earlier. The Shiki stood no chance against her evolved form. However, their numbers seemed almost infinite as more continued to pour out of the dragon. Moreover, Erika had just executed a powerful move, leaving her increasingly fatigued.
It was only a matter of time before the overwhelming numbers of Shiki became too much for her to handle.
“Sha… Shaa…”
As she was encircled, her movements began to slow. Under normal circumstances, she could have easily escaped, but her current condition made that impossible.
“Shaaaaaaa!”
Yet, Erika refused to yield, launching multiple seeds from her back. As they soared, they transformed into carnivorous plants that began devouring the Shiki. Their razor-sharp teeth sliced through the Shiki’s necks before leaping to the next victim.
This significantly reduced the number of Shiki, but as they fell, shadows emerged from the crowd. These were the armed Shiki of Urado Tsuebe, who retained their combat skills even in death. They had mingled with the other Shiki, waiting for an opportunity created by Erika’s distraction.
