Chapter 1056 - ........................
...They say a blacksmith reads iron, or something like that.
If the peak of an artisan is to know everything about their material and hear its voice, then a Mako (Magic Craft) user in the virtual world reads magic.
They read the mysterious power known as MP... or more accurately, the source of the price paid to manipulate that power. They can see the history of things by looking at the magic that dwells within almost everything in Arcadia.
By seeing how a thing has existed through time and the path it has taken, a skilled Mako (Magic Craft) user can roughly read its history. It's like a sixth sense that varies by individual, though they might not be able to see colors like some monsters.
In that sense, Nia, the [Milmarinus (Milmarinus)], had talent but lacked it at the same time.
"Ugh, so... ah, um! I'm going to concentrate now! Please take care of any stray attacks or anything, since Kendy-dono said he couldn't help!"
"Rest assured. Protecting one without martial skill is our duty here. We cannot strike, but we can put our bodies on the line."
"You're saying you're okay, so I'm counting on you! Please!"
Her eyes were not as good as her respected seniors, and she still couldn't see the color of magic after years of experience. ...However, nonetheless, she was special.
"[Truth Night (The One Who Sees Even the Moon)]..."
Her eyes were better than anyone else's at...
"...[Aquamarine (Queen of the Night)]!"
At seeing through, looking through, and piercing through things.
*
I was more relaxed than I expected, but also more helpless than I thought.
After a few minutes of battle, those were my simple thoughts. It was half unexpected and half exactly as I thought, but the conclusion was that we were stuck, making it negative.
What did I mean?
"Heeeeere we go!"
I was using my tenth-rank title authority, the Jaw, to wrap around my black 十文字 spear. It had lost its functions but felt the most familiar in my hand.
With that two-spear style, using another spear I picked up from the [Sage], I stood alongside the [Great Tiger].
""...Now!""
Sora and I synchronized our breaths and swung two straight swords together. Combining them with the flashes of the other three, we used a forced blunt blow to deflect the rubble Dragon's front leg.
It was the usual. It was slow but fast because of its size.
However, even if it was a mountain of rubble, hard and heavy and huge, honestly, based on my experience, it was nothing compared to a living creature of the same mass. It had no skin, muscle, flesh, or bone. Thus, it was just simple driving rather than the movement generated by a supernatural life form. The power within it was nothing but inorganic.
It pressed down on us, but there was no stretch to its power, and its behavior had no wobbles or uncertainties. That was why we could deflect it by stacking our insufficient power...
"Ashe!"
"Iris-san!"
"Give it everything!"
"...Mm!"
As the Dragon lost its balance, Ashe stepped into zero distance with perfect timing and thrust her longsword. It was the cervical joint.
...But it was no good.
She aimed for the seam of the neck. Compared to her usual self, she was a shadow of her former glory, but her sword was still incredibly sharp for her meager status. However...
It shattered easily again.
It wasn't just the obvious fact that she was striking rubble with a sword. You'd know if you faced it. You'd know if you held the sword. It wasn't a sword that would break from that, and the rubble wasn't hard enough to break it... her experience and intuition told her that.
"...We're stuck."
Ashe threw away the broken sword and used the Dragon's body to kick herself backward. She landed next to us after we had retreated from the clash.
It was always this. We had delivered counterattacks many times, but they didn't go through. Every time we hit it, the Dragon's body would flash with a faint light, and only the [Sage]'s work that we had picked up would break in a single hit.
The weapons we had swung a moment ago were already gone.
The fact that they served to deflect attacks was a blessing... but as Ashe said, we couldn't proceed. We were missing a piece of the puzzle. So, we all gave bitter smiles and tried again.
"...Should we try for the head next?"
"Yeah. It's your turn then."
"Why? Ashe can reach it too."
"Haru's job is to fly."
"I'm a ground-dweller right now, though."
"You usually act like you're an aerial dweller..."
We looked up at the wall and grabbed weapons at random.
Of course, we wouldn't give up even if we didn't understand. Giving up was too early and wasn't even in our minds. Why? That goes without saying...
"I FOUND ITTTTTT!"
About a few minutes after the start of the battle.
No one doubted that the main route we had been running would open.