kscans

Chapter 203 - White

The white dragon's roar shook the entire dungeon. A single bellow sent earth and sand flying, and the shockwave reached several kilometers away.

Scales from the monster, which was scattering destruction like an explosion, flew off on the wind it created.

The scales fell into the dust cloud covering the earth around it. But I could still pinpoint their locations through their mana signatures.

Scales that contained such powerful mana couldn't be ordinary scales.

『GYYYY!』

"You're in the way...!"

I dodged a fireball that came from the side and slashed the Wyvern's torso as I passed. Flying in a circling trajectory, dozens of heat rays were fired from the ground.

But for now, I ignored the Holophagus. The white-armored knight was already running with its shield on its back and a battle axe held in both hands.

Erina-san was surrounded by a wall of rock reinforced with ice, and outside of that, Ukon and Sakon stood guard with their shields.

That meant my job was to keep the enemies in the sky away...!

Wyverns roared as they closed in. I dodged the incoming barrage of fireballs by weaving left and right. Closing the distance via the shortest route, I thrust my sword into the face of the dragon right in front of me.

I stabbed it so deep the guard of my sword hit its scales, then twisted the hilt and kicked its face to violently pull the blade free.

Immediately after, a volley of fireballs rained down from above. Another three-unit formation, rotating as they fired.

I grabbed the limp corpse of the Wyvern with my left hand and used it as a shield. It was too heavy to throw, but if I descended, it would effectively become a wall above me.

The fireballs finished the job, turning the dragon's body to salt. I charged through it and into the enemy formation, leaping into the center of the three. Using our combined relative speed, I severed one of their wings, then immediately reversed and threw my knife, destroying the wing of another.

The last Wyvern changed its trajectory as if to flee, but I swooped down from above and stomped on its back.

『GYA!?』

By instinct, I thrust my sword into where I thought its heart would be and wrenched it sideways with all my might.

I kicked off its scale-covered back to gain altitude and surveyed the battlefield.

Using a burst of wind for acceleration, Byakuren smashed the right leg of a Holophagus and sent it toppling. Deciding a finishing blow wasn't necessary, it moved on to the next one, deftly weaving through the rain of heat rays from its six necks.

Stray heat rays and fireballs slammed into the hemispherical wall of rock and ice, but they didn't penetrate. While the damaged sections were repaired, Ukon and his partner acted as shields.

They were fine over there. My only worry was Byakuren's fuel supply.

But...—!?

A stir in the mana. While dodging an incoming fireball and heat ray, my gaze snapped to the source.

The dust cloud was clearing from the land destroyed by the white dragon's roar. There, stuck in the ground, were white scales resembling grave markers.

They were changing shape.

For a moment, they became amorphous, like slimes, then legs oozed out. As they stepped onto the ground, a waist, a torso, arms, and a head formed.

In a matter of seconds, the scales had taken on the form of armed humans.

But their bodies were startlingly white. Not just their skin. Their eyeballs and the insides of their mouths were white, too. And naturally, so was the armor they wore.

『WRAAAAAAAA!!』

Raising their spears and axes, they let out a war cry.

Those weren't human. They were monsters, clad in armor from a time even before the Middle Ages. They broke into an unbelievable sprint and charged the Holophagus.

There was no doubt. They were being moved by the will of the white dragon!

The swarmed Holophagus had their black scales shattered, flesh torn, and bones severed in an instant.

It wasn't even a contest. The wicked dragons' breath attacks were easily deflected by a tight formation of shields, allowing the soldiers to close in with ease.

Could it be that each one of those white things was equivalent to a 'B-Rank Adventurer'...?!

"You monsters!"

I desperately dodged the fireballs coming from all directions.

I flipped upside down and accelerated towards the ground. Without looking back, I barrel-rolled to evade the fireballs chasing me from the left, right, and behind. Just before hitting the ground, I pulled up with all my might.

As my heels drew two lines in the dirt, numerous explosions echoed behind me. More fireballs rained down, mixed with the falling earth and sand.

But a shot without a proper aim is nothing!

I bent my knees, coming to a sudden stop and gathering power. The next moment, I launched myself into the air.

Ignoring the fact that my vision momentarily turned red, I pushed the Flügel to its limit. With that momentum, I charged into the center of the enemy group and impaled one that came before me with my sword.

I tossed the Wyvern, which scattered with a short, dying scream, down to the ground and slashed at another.

Naturally, fireballs flew in from the surroundings, but they quickly stopped since nearly half of them were hitting their own allies.

I swung my blade at the neck of a Wyvern that bared its fangs to bite me and shattered its bones.

I then met a flanking body slam with a left uppercut to the jaw. I followed up with a spinning slash that tore its neck open as well.

I ascended rapidly, passing an individual that was swooping down from above. At that moment, I twisted my body, placing my blade in its path.

Leaving the dragon to lose a wing on its own, I climbed even higher.

Having broken through their swarm, the Wyverns' movements to reform their formations were slightly delayed.

"Hah... hah...!"

'One minute left! Just hold on somehow!'

"Un... derstood...!"

Reaching just below the ceiling, I flew horizontally along it. Fireballs from below slammed into the space I had just passed through.

But my opponents weren't fools. Prediction shots caused explosions to my left, right, and front.

I thrust my left hand into the ceiling. An incredible shock sent an unnatural sound through my elbow and shoulder. The sensation of my fingers breaking made me let out a small groan.

My eyes watering under my helmet, I activated Concept Interference with both feet as well. The sudden braking let me evade the fireballs flooding my path. Without a moment's pause, I unleashed fire and wind from my left hand.

The impact sent my body spinning into the enemy group. My vision whirled, but with my Spirit Eye, I could see!

More falling than flying, I accelerated further with a blast of wind. I indiscriminately slashed with the sword in my right hand and gouged with the claws of concentrated fire and wind on the fingertips of my left.

I shot down a dozen or so and then glided in a gentle arc. My body healed as soon as it was wounded, but my senses hadn't caught up, still stimulating the pain receptors.

Thanks to some brain-produced endorphins, I managed to stay conscious. But I was sure my face was as deathly white as those humanoid monsters striding across the ground.

That group was now scattering the Holophagus and turning their weapons on Erina-san and the others.

Byakuren charged in with its battle axe and shield, but they instantly scattered to evade. They then surrounded it, launching a continuous barrage of attacks from all sides.

Byakuren somehow managed to block with its tower shield, but the spears, axes, and swords that slipped through chipped away at its armor.

And that wasn't all. A rain of thrown spears flew not in an arc, but in a straight line from hundreds of meters away.

The pure white spearheads pierced the rock shields and walls, and in an instant, Ukon and Sakon were heavily damaged.

"No further...!"

I dove down, charging into the midst of the white soldiers.

"I won't let you!"

My blade, weighted by gravity, smashed through a white soldier, shield and all. My feet tore through the ground as I unleashed an upward diagonal slash at the one next to it.

Slightly lifted by the momentum, I controlled my body with wind and decapitated the next soldier.

In that instant, three spears flew at me. I immediately raised my left hand to block them with wind, but two more soldiers closed in from my left and right.

"Tch!"

I avoided the pincer attack by falling backward and unleashed a maximum-output blast of wind from the Flügel. Moving several meters parallel to the ground, I pushed myself back up.

These things... they're definitely not just cannon fodder...!

But their skill was undeniably cruder than the masters I'd seen in Tokyo. Their swordsmanship was about on par with mine. They weren't experts.

Perhaps judging me as a threat, the number of weapons aimed at me clearly increased.

'Twenty seconds left! Get near Erina-kun!'

"Yes!"

Erina-san and the others were on the other side of the enemy group. I'd moved too far in my attempt to draw the enemy away.

I had no choice but to break through. To escape, I had to charge.

The white soldiers massed together, pointing their shields and weapons at me. They began to run, and the distance between us closed in the blink of an eye.

『RAAAA!』

"Aaaah!"

I kept my posture low, as low as possible.

Hunched over so far I felt like I would fall forward, I ducked under a thrusting spear. I scraped the ground with the tip of my sword and swung upwards, knocking a shield into the air.

I punched the defenseless enemy in the face and sent it flying. Immediately, the sword of the soldier behind it closed in, but I deflected it by hitting the flat of the blade with my left elbow.

I brought my one-and-a-half-handed sword down, pushing back its raised shield and crushing its skull. I followed up with a knee strike, pushing forward.

Swords from my left and right thrust at me, but I ignored them. The strike to my right flank was deflected by my chestplate; the attack from the left tore into my shoulder, but I could still move.

Seeing the third soldier crushed by the second, I used the enemy's body, now turning to salt, as a springboard and leaped.

'Ten seconds!'

As I glided, I caught sight of Erina-san and the others.

The rock wall had been broken, and Mia-san was standing, leaning on her staff and breathing heavily. She was desperately creating a phalanx of rock spears to hold back the advancing white soldiers.

In that moment, precognition flared. I turned and swung my sword. I swatted away a volley of white spears with a hammer of wind and descended.

I kicked off the ground and charged a separate unit heading for Erina-san's group from the side.

"Zeryaaaaa!"

『NUOOO!?』

Clad in a maximum-output shroud of fire and wind, I flashed my blade.

Just as I cut down a dozen of them at once, several spears flew through the crimson wall of bodies.

I deflected more than half, but three got through. I twisted my neck to dodge the one aimed between my eyes; it grazed my helmet, and the impact threw off my balance.

A half-second later, a second spear smashed my helmet, and a third pierced my side.

"Guh, ahh...!"

My body on the verge of collapsing, I stomped the ground to support myself. If I fall now, I'll die!

I pulled the spear from my side and charged. I pushed forward through the slightly cleared line of sight, weaving through the next volley of thrown spears.

I decapitated a defenseless white soldier who had just thrown his weapon and, with a return stroke, bisected another's torso diagonally.

Without stopping, I kept my feet moving and threw a spear at the neck of a more distant white soldier. I then body-slammed another, and as it staggered, I unleashed a horizontal flash of my sword that tore its torso in two.

'Preparation complete! Rendezvous!'

"Ooooooh!"

I changed direction and sprinted straight for Erina-san and her group.

But there were still enemies. I forcefully cut down the white soldiers blocking my path and ran.

Using the Flügel as well, I sprinted, trying to break away by force.

『G R R R R R R R.........ッ!!』

"—!"

A distant, yet chillingly clear growl.

Even without looking, I knew the white dragon was watching me.

And I knew that mana was gathering in its enormous maw.

"Y-you've gotta be kidding me...!"

Did I accidentally hit a vital spot among the soldiers I cut down? No way. But to my horror—I had been identified as an 'enemy who has disturbed the nest'!

Feeling the blood drain even further from my already pale face, I accelerated, not caring if my leg bones broke.

This was no time to complain about pain. I had to get out of here!

"Get out of my way!"

I kicked the enemy soldiers aside, forward, always forward!

Just how many were there? The Holophagus were already wiped out; maybe every single enemy was coming for us now.

Fireballs rained from the sky. I was running through explosions, desperately moving my legs, but I still hadn't reached them.

Just a little more, just a little more and...!

The toll of pushing myself too far hit me at the worst possible moment. The endorphins must have worn off, because the pain was starting to cloud my consciousness.

My sword arm felt as heavy as lead. My tireless body was screaming.

I moved my limbs as if I were flailing. But the fierce enemy assault was preventing me from advancing. I was being pushed back.

At this rate...!

"Ukon! Sakon!"

Mia-san's voice echoed.

The two Golems, their joints emitting a growl-like mechanical whir, let go of their shields and spears and charged.

In an instant, white weapons stabbed the Golems repeatedly, but their rock arms grabbed onto the enemy.

Ukon and his partner held down three soldiers each. Without a moment to thank them, I ran through the gap they created.

Only a few more in front of me. I cut them down, punched them away, batted them aside.

But there were still enemies behind me.

My precognition warned me of a rain of thrown spears, but I couldn't react in time. I managed to shield my head with my left arm at the last second, but spears pierced my right shoulder and the back of my left knee.

"Ah..."

My body swayed. I could see the faces of Erina-san and the others desperately reaching for me, but this was...

In the corner of my vision, I saw a white sword closing in. No, I'm not going to make—

—VWOOSH!—

A battle axe, wreathed in a wind so strong it slightly lifted my body, bit into the white soldier.

Byakuren released its grip on the handle, grabbed my arm, and leaped towards Erina-san's group. The moment Mia-san's hand clasped my own, the unique sensation of teleportation washed over me.

And at almost the same time.

A white aurora pierced the spot where we had just been.

From the teleportation destination, I witnessed the white dragon unleashing a massive torrent of mana. It didn't care that its own scale soldiers and the Wyverns were there; the indiscriminate destruction gouged the earth.

As a shockwave and dust cloud erupted, gunshots echoed from the surroundings.

"You lot! Hurry, over here!"

I looked over to see three Awakened Persons, each clad in their Arcane Gear, laying down a hail of bullets on the advancing white soldiers.

Each one held a heavy machine gun in each arm, relentlessly creating a wall of lead.

Amidst the chaos, Byakuren pulled out the spears that had pierced me. I gritted my teeth against the intense pain and felt my regeneration begin.

"We're pulling out too! Open the gate at once—"

"Hey, look at that!"

One of the men, who seemed to be a SDF soldier, shouted and tossed aside his heavy machine gun.

He was pointing in the direction we had just been.

"The breath, it's coming this way!!"

"Evacuate!!"

Even without looking, I knew that the dragon was turning its head while still firing its breath. Unbelievable, was it... tracking us? Or did it know the location of the gate?

The outpost-like building was already half-destroyed. As if jolted, we started to run for it.

But.

"Tch!"

The moment the barrage of bullets stopped, a rain of spears flew in. Just before they rained down on everyone, I swept them away with a hammer of wind.

However, that delayed my own start.

"Hey!"

"Kyouta-kun!"

I heard the voice of the last remaining SDF soldier and Mia-san.

I started running toward them immediately, but a single white soldier leaped at me. Unarmed, it reached out with both hands.

"You piece of—!"

I sliced its torso in two, but the upper half alone tried to latch onto my head.

By the time I had violently shaken it off, the sweeping breath attack was right behind me.

Amidst the immense heat and shockwave, my eyes widened.

No, this is, I'm going to die—.

"Kyo-chan!"

A wire wrapped around my waist and pulled. My body was swung around, slamming into the rearguard SDF soldier and Mia-san.

As I saw them being thrown through the gate, I noticed Erina-san had planted her feet into the ground like stakes.

"Erina-san!"

I reached out my hand, but she just smiled.

To throw me, she must have crushed her own leg to get a firm footing on the ground. There was no way she could run in that state.

Her hand let go of the wire's hook. Her fingers were bent and broken from the excessive strain.

At this rate, she alone wouldn't make it back.

—I stopped right at the edge of the gate and ran back toward Erina-san.

Are you kidding me! I'm not letting you die acting all cool like that!

Can I make it?! In my mind, accelerated by my Sage's Nucleus, I watched the aurora approach as if in slow motion.

We either both die or both live. At this rate, I won't make it. We'll die together.

The conclusion was already set, but I wasn't fast enough. I scooped her up and turned, but the dragon would surely turn its head just a fraction faster.

In that moment, where a tenth of a second felt like an eternity, I saw a presence pushing my back.

"—!"

Byakuren.

The Golem, clad in its tattered knight's armor, pushed our backs as if to tackle us.

It, itself, was raising its shield toward the aurora.

There was no way it could block it. No, more importantly, I hadn't yet given it the order to 'abandon self-preservation'.

Why. Why. Why.

There was no time to ask, no leeway to find an answer.

I was sucked into the gate, tangled up with Erina-san, and I saw a white back swallowed by the light.

In the next instant, I was slammed onto a concrete floor.

Silence reigned. Everyone was staring at the white door.

No enemy pursuit would come from it. And...

The white knight would not be coming out either.