kscans

Chapter 254 - Once More

'—Can you hear me, members of the Invisible Ninjas.'

"Yeah. Loud and clear, along with that name I never agreed to."

I answered the voice from my earring as I walked, my sword resting on my shoulder.

'Report your status. Are you unharmed?'

"The twelve fused monsters have been defeated. Our golems are damaged, but we're all in one piece."

'Excellent. So, is it possible to take a break?'

"Impossible."

Our eyes had been locked the whole time.

The dragon's sky-blue eyes and ours remained fixed on each other.

'Then, can you retreat?'

"That's impossible too."

It wasn't hard to imagine a fierce onslaught raining down the moment we showed our backs. Whatever attack it was, it would be difficult to dodge.

And above all, I had no desire to be scattered throughout the dungeon again.

'Understood. In that case, hold on. I will absolutely send reinforcements.'

"Roger."

'Don't any of you die. If you die, I'll cry and puke on your gravestones.'

I couldn't help but laugh. That was just like her, pathetic to the end.

"You're really saying that in this situation?"

"Kyo-chan, you said you didn't agree to the name just now, but what do you mean by that?"

"You too?"

"Uh, um… What underwear is my sister wearing today!"

"Later, please."

"Yes."

What a bunch… For people about to challenge a dragon, these beautiful women were quite the letdown.

But, this was just like us.

"We're coming back alive, so please don't defile anyone's grave."

'I'll hold you to that. I pray for your fortune in battle.'

"Right."

"You got it!"

"Yes!"

As if in response to our voices.

—G A A A A A A A A A A !!

An otherworldly roar shook the dungeon.

The pure white dragon's maw opened, and an immense amount of mana converged there. The density was so great that space itself seemed to warp. This was the second time I had witnessed this sight, one that could be mistaken for the end of the world.

"Erina-san."

"On it!"

The 'golden rings' she scattered landed perfectly in the path ahead of us.

The moment my booted foot stepped on one, the ring was absorbed into the sole.

Golden Boots of Holophagus—Modified.

A memento from the multi-headed dragons the white dragon had incinerated, modified by Shizuku-san.

They were still single-use, only for this battle. On top of that, creating one required destroying several pairs of the original golden boots.

But even so, this magical tool was a masterpiece worthy of a battle against a dragon.

A white aurora was unleashed. The aftershock alone carbonized the white cityscape, causing it to crumble.

The scenery, which could have been called a work of art, was reduced to a scorched wasteland, and dust rose up to the false night sky.

But that single flash of destruction never found its target.

Golden ripples spread through the air.

With Flügel fluttering, I kicked off the wind using [Concept Interference] and sprinted. I ran across the heavens as I flew, passing by the breath attack that had carved a massive line through the city.

Thanks to the golden boots, my feet felt lighter than ever. Golden light spread across the sky I kicked off, accelerating me with each step.

The Guivre turned its tower-like neck and swung the beam of heat at me horizontally. But it was too slow.

To keep it from focusing its aim, I moved in a spiral around the aurora. Leaving even sound behind, I closed in on the white dragon.

"Hello there."

I'm sure my voice didn't reach it. And even if it did, we speak different languages.

But 'greetings' are important.

Amidst the roar of the sonic boom and the sound of the breath scorching the air, I raised my sword.

Before my eyes was a pupil as blue as the sky.

"It's been a while."

I slammed the blade into the dragon's eyeball with all my might.

G Y Y Y Y Y A A A A A A A A A —!?

The shriek, echoing at point-blank range, made me realize my eardrums had burst. I used Flügel to forcefully endure the shockwave that threatened to blow me away.

The Guivre thrashed its neck as if in agony. I gritted my teeth, held onto the hilt, and poured mana into it.

The blade and my bracelet glowed red-hot. I mixed wind and fire with [Concept Interference], transforming them into a single cutting edge. The blue eyeball boiled, searing nerves as I increased the output, trying to reach even the brain.

But it was too big. This damn lizard was definitely bigger than the last time we met.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

I swung the sword sideways and 'rode' the shockwave to disengage. As I created significant distance, a red line of fire and blood danced in the air.

Between the after-effects of the breath attack and the white limbs thrashing in pain, the surrounding buildings were in a terrible state. It was a good outcome if a few frames and walls remained. A radius of about 100 meters had been turned into a mountain of rubble.

"G U U U U U U U U…!"

The one-eyed dragon glared at me. The sheer force of the mana it exuded became a curse, attempting to invade my body.

I brushed it off as the pure white wings spread.

That simple motion generated a gale, and the massive body, which must have been fifty… no, eighty meters long, floated into the air.

From there, it all happened in an instant. Completely ignoring the laws of physics, the dragon's massive body closed the distance to me with a single flap of its wings.

"Tch!"

I rapidly dodged to the left using Flügel and my leg strength. The massive foreleg passed through the spot where I had just been.

Caught in the sonic boom generated by its claws, I kept my gaze fixed on the dragon's massive body.

"G R U A A A A…!"

Its remaining right eye swiveled and locked onto me. In that instant, its scales began to glow fiercely.

It wasn't summoning Sachs. Its entire body of scales was a collection of staves and cannons. Beams of light were fired all at once.

I retreated at full power, evading the pursuing barrage of light by moving upward. But the beams bent at a sharp angle.

As they came at me from almost directly below, I dodged in a spiral, incorporating barrel rolls.

There are too many, and they're too fast. Shaking them off will be tough…!

I flew up to just below the ceiling and slowed for a moment. As I flew so close that my helmet scraped the ceiling, the beams finally stopped their pursuit, riddling the dungeon with countless holes.

But as if to say it was still its turn, the dragon roared and laid down another barrage. As I desperately dodged it, I caught sight of something approaching me from the corner of my vision.

Immediately after, two streaks of light, like meteors, pierced the white giant.

"G U O O O O!?"

"I didn't come here"

A single 'chariot' emerged from the city, still swirling with dust.

"unprepared either!"

A war chariot constructed of wood, rock, and ice, large enough for five people to ride. Pulling it were Ukon and Sakon, their lower halves transformed into horses like centaurs.

The two golems had changed their weapons from shields and pitchforks, and were now holding massive bows as tall as themselves.

Mia-san, riding the chariot, held the reins in her left hand and her staff in her right as she entered the heavens.

The stone-tipped arrows nocked by Ukon and the others were coated in ice particles and fired. They flew with the speed and shockwave of missiles, piercing the white scales.

And yet.

"G A A A A A A A A!!"

The Guivre roared without shedding a single drop of blood. As if annoyed, it fired dozens of beams at her, and the chariot changed course to take evasive action.

An ice wall blocked the beams that couldn't be dodged, and it continued to race through the sky unharmed. I, too, continued to dodge the additional beams while watching her out of the corner of my eye.

I knew it already, but this wasn't an opponent to be faced with just three people and three machines. The difference in number of attacks and sheer size was too great.

My opening greeting wouldn't work a second time. In fact, the wound I had so thoroughly cauterized was already beginning to regenerate. In another ten minutes, it might regain its sight.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and focused solely on evasion. There was no opening to attack.

While scattering beams like a porcupine, the white dragon closed in on me. Its giant body, which made my sense of scale go haywire, flew at high speed.

Even now, as I left sound itself behind, I couldn't shake it. It raised its arm-like foreleg and brought its claws down on me.

A tremendous roar echoed behind me, and a shockwave and shower of pebbles assaulted me. And they were still hitting my back.

I didn't need to look back to know. That damn lizard was flying with its forelegs embedded in the ceiling!

It was chasing me to crush me, easily destroying the labyrinth that should have been harder than steel.

I took a meandering path, but the Guivre stuck right behind me. It was faster. Since I was losing in every aspect but maneuverability, I couldn't shake it in this situation.

In that case…!

"Nngh…!"

I folded my legs, rapidly decelerating as I flipped upside down. I kicked off the ceiling and dove.

The swinging foreleg. Its claws passed right by my feet, and the resulting gale threw me off balance.

As I spun in a nosedive, I kept my Spirit Eye active amidst the rapidly changing scenery.

The Guivre, diving in pursuit of me. Mia-san's chariot, flying above it while dodging beams.

And two figures leaping from the chariot.

"Yeeeeeehaaaaaaaaw!!"

That cheerful voice, so out of place here, must have been a trick of my ears. She might have actually said it, but I couldn't hear it over the sound of the wind.

Her golden twintails fluttered as she held a large cannon with both hands. Behind her, the silver knight, Blanc, descended.

Blanc swung its battle-axe in a wide arc and brought it down on the soles of Erina-san's feet without any signal.

In response, as if she had expected it, she bent her knees to absorb the impact. With an astonishingly smooth motion, she caught the back of the axe head with her geta and accelerated.

Erina-san, pursuing the Guivre that was pursuing me. We were just moments from the ground. Just before impact, I released flames from the [Bracelet of the Flame Horse] to change my trajectory sideways.

Taking that as an opportunity, the white dragon raised its foreleg, and right on its back, the muzzle of a cannon was aimed.

Black Hell Cannon.

In that instant, a roar loud enough to be heard even amidst the raging winds thundered.

"G Y A A A A A A A!?"

Having been in the process of swinging its foreleg, the Guivre lost its balance. The white dragon crashed headfirst into the ground, causing destruction akin to a meteor impact.

As debris and shockwaves scattered, I tracked Erina-san's position by her mana. I flew in a straight line, relying on sheer power, and extended my left hand to her.

"Erina-san!"

"Kyo-chan!"

Holding the cannon with her left hand and under her arm, Erina-san took my hand with her right. The [Black Hell Cannon] made her quite heavy, but I could fly like this.

In the corner of my vision, Blanc was retrieved by Mia-san's chariot, and it was gaining altitude again.

I, too, ascended with Erina-san dangling below me and looked down at the spot where the Guivre had fallen.

"Did we get it!?"

"You know the answer to that, don't you?"

"Yup!"

With a cheerful reply, Erina-san shifted the cannon onto her shoulder and pulled a lever near the grip with one hand. The barrel rotated, making the third shot ready to fire.

One shot on the fused monster earlier. That was the second. The next one would be the last.

With the interval until Cerberus's appearance, we had only been able to prepare two of these cannons. This was our trump card. We couldn't afford to miss.

I circled, looking down at the rising dust. A follow-up attack was impossible; getting any closer would just get us countered.

As I was thinking that, a prediction from my Spirit Eye flashed in my mind.

"Evasive maneuvers!"

"Whaaa!?"

Erina-san, swung around, let out a cry of surprise.

Dozens of beams pierced the spot where I had just been. With the distinctive sound of searing air, the lances of light pierced the ceiling and the city.

Dozens more beams flew toward Mia-san, chasing her chariot. It was difficult to go to her aid, and just as difficult for her to help me.

"Kuh…!"

"Kyo-chan, drop me on the building at 10 o'clock!"

"Roger!"

My center of gravity thrown off, I flew in the direction Erina-san indicated.

Amidst the city destroyed by the battle so far, there was a relatively intact skyscraper. I descended slightly and dropped her onto its roof.

Despite holding the massive cannon, Erina-san landed on the roof in a roll and started running as if nothing had happened.

That building, too, was shot through by a beam. I sensed from the movement of her mana that she was unharmed, and before I could even breathe a sigh of relief, I leaned my body to the right to dodge an approaching spear of light.

White light pierced through the edge of the golden ripples spreading in the air. Beams grazed my shoulder, my head, my side. These compressed, high-density mana attacks would gouge out any part of me they hit directly.

Each time I parried a shot I couldn't dodge with my sword and gauntlet, my [Arcane Gear] was chipped away. A beam that grazed the side of my head blew off my helmet and even scraped away a piece of my skull.

My vision wavered with intense pain. I continued to dodge on instinct alone, and from the strangely wide field of view, I realized my helmet had once again been shattered.

There would be no next time. This time, I would die. My [Sage's Nucleus] might keep me alive even if a part of my brain was scraped away, but if I was engulfed by a torrent of light and turned to dust, there would be no regeneration.

Amidst the intensifying beams, I caught a glimpse of the Guivre.

Unscathed.

After crashing into the ground at that speed with that massive body, there wasn't a single visible wound.

No. From the sensation when I crushed its eyeball at the start, its scales must have been somewhat damaged right after the crash. They had just regenerated long ago.

You monster, have some respect for common sense…!

I barrel-rolled and slid diagonally downward, then performed a triangle jump. Next, I ascended in a spiral.

The G-force was immense, but I couldn't afford to care.

As I was on the defensive, I sensed a source of mana running through the dust toward the white dragon. It was Erina-san.

Somehow, I have to keep its attention focused upwards…!

Just as I thought that and prepared to make a feint.

—THUMP…!!

The white dragon pushed its massive body up, standing on its hind legs alone. It gripped the ground with its sharp claws and leaned its upper body slightly forward.

My precognition told me what would happen next, and I screamed with all my might.

"The tail!!"

"G U O O O O O O O O !!"

With an exceptionally loud roar, the white giant spun around.

Its long, thick tail scraped away the ground entirely. The tail, as large as the distance from its head to the base of its hind legs, swept away the surrounding buildings along with the dust dancing in the air.

It had wiped everything out. Sensing the presence of an enemy approaching, it had cleared everything at its feet.

As the wind pressure and debris flew up to the ceiling, my throat tightened at what had just happened.

"Erina-san!!"

The sound of the wind drowned out even my own scream. Ignoring it, I flew in a high-speed arc, searching for her.

The cannon. Find the cannon's mana. She should be there…!?

I spotted the [Black Hell Cannon], two of its three barrels snapped off, through a gap in the dust. It was stuck unceremoniously in a pile of rubble; it was definitely the one she had been holding.

Don't tell me, she's underneath…!

Just as I thought that and began to descend, something moved in the corner of my vision.

I stopped abruptly and turned my gaze toward it to see something square flying. Was that… a kite?

I couldn't see it from my side, but I sensed a familiar mana on its other side.

"Hah…"

I couldn't help but let my guard down. I breathed a sigh of relief that she was safe.

I realized too late that it was a fatal mistake.

"Damn it—"

A pure white beam of heat pierced through the dust and loomed before me.

The beam, wider than I was tall, was impossible to dodge. Using [Concept Interference], I tried to block it with my sword.

But it was nothing more than a desperate struggle. As I was pushed back by the impact, more beams converged on the blade where the first had struck.

"Agh, guoooooh!"

Countless cracks appeared on the blade, and I could hear unnatural sounds coming from my bones, my muscles, my entire body.

In a world dyed white, I frantically released fire and wind. I swung the blade, which was breaking down from one moment to the next, forcefully down and to the right.

The vortex of light shifted its trajectory slightly, and my body was pushed upward. But I couldn't deflect it completely, and the white light swallowed my right arm.

"Agh, gaaaaaaah!?"

My arm from the elbow down was gone. Acknowledging that, I fell toward the ground.

Nearly a quarter of Flügel was also burned away, and I couldn't fly unconsciously. As my brain was dominated by intense pain, I plummeted headfirst to the ground.

And yet, whether by instinct or sheer luck.

Flames overflowed from the bracelet on the left arm I had thrust out in reflex. Breaking through the half-melted surface, the uncontrolled mana was converted into a crimson inferno and released.

I slowed down just slightly and crashed into the ground, left palm first. As I felt my bones shatter, my consciousness faded.

But, probably a few seconds later, I came to.

My body had instantaneously recovered. Not a single scratch remained, and I leaped to my feet.

But my [Arcane Gear] was still damaged. And most importantly—

"G A A A A A A A A A A !!"

The white jaw was opened to its widest.

A single eye looked down on me. Slowly rising on its spread wings, the Guivre was taking aim at me.

I couldn't dodge. I could hear Mia-san screaming something as she desperately attacked the dragon, trying to get closer to me.

But it didn't look like she would make it in time. Though her attacks wounded its scales, the Guivre ignored her completely, focusing solely on killing me, its 'enemy.'

Defense was impossible, too. If just deflecting a few beams from its scales had done this to me, I couldn't possibly handle its breath attack. Especially not unarmed.

Such thoughts raced through my mind, but my body couldn't keep up with their speed. Ah, so this is what they call a flashback, a detached thought floated in a corner of my mind.

Desperately, even if I wouldn't make it, I tried to move my legs. There was a one-in-ten-thousand chance I might be saved. Clinging to that hope, I leaped backward.

But as if to mock such a futile struggle, the aurora—

A steel-colored light flashed past.

What happened? I didn't know. But,

"G A A A A A A A !?"

With a scream, the mana that had been converging in its maw scattered, spraying in all directions like water.

And in the corner of my vision, a relatively intact building, its frame still standing. An old man landed on its roof.

He wore a loosely fitting kimono and black hakama. His long black hair was tied back in a single tail, and in his exposed right arm, he held a katana.

His physique was toned, but clearly that of an old man. The blade of his katana was cracked, and his arm was turning purple.

But his blade.

—THWUMP…!

I understood only when I saw the dragon's wing get severed a few seconds later.

The Guivre shrieked. The massive body that had been about to take flight fell to the earth, its limbs just barely preventing it from toppling over.

And then, a voice came from my earring, which had been silent until now.

'Praise me. Worship me.'

A soprano voice, speaking with great arrogance.

I sensed the presence of the speaker and turned around, though I kept my attention on the writhing Guivre.

'The thirty-odd A-Rank candidates who participated in this operation.'

Far away. Kilometers away. On the roof of a still-intact building stood a four-legged golem and an elven woman beside it.

And around the white dragon, powerful mana users were gathering one after another.

'The great genius of the century, I, Arisugawa Aira! Have led every last one of them to the deepest level!!'

Aira-san's voice echoed through my mind.

At her words, strength surged through my entire body.

Mighty warriors gathered in the ruined chalk-white city. Against them, a great dragon.

Ironically, the situation and the faces were similar to the Tokyo Incident. I gave a wry smile at that and redeployed my [Arcane Gear].

I drew a flawless sword from its scabbard and pointed the tip at the dragon.

All right, Round 2, you damn lizard.