kscans

Chapter 255 - Raid

I gripped the sword with both hands, adjusting the flow of my mana.

From my heart to my shoulders, to my arms, through the bracelet, and from the hilt to the blade. I marveled inwardly at the sword, now wreathed in fire and wind.

I glanced at the bracelet. Its exterior was covered in pitted holes and scorch marks, yet it still worked.

I was right to ask Shizuku-san.

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

The furious roar of the dragon served as the gong for the second round.

The white giant, now stained with red blood. The scales all over its body stood on end, becoming turrets that scattered spears of light in all directions.

Its targets were the adventurers gathered here. The beams shot upwards for a moment, then curved at sharp angles, raining down like a storm.

"Shii…!"

I retreated using wind to hover, moving back in an S-pattern, then sliding to the right in an arc.

As I weaved through the barrage of light, which was somewhat less dense than before, I scanned my surroundings.

Mia-san was—fine. Her chariot's wooden wheels, now fitted with ice spikes, were spinning at high speed, pulled through the air by Ukon and the others. Despite its anachronistic appearance, its performance was considerable.

And the other adventurers. As expected of the elite gathered here, not a single one was caught in the beams; they were either dodging or defending.

However, most of them could do nothing but focus on that. Amidst them, there was one man who had the leeway to protect others.

A suit of full plate armor, pitch black. Holding a tower shield large enough to conceal his frame, which was likely over two meters tall, he was covering the old man who had cut off the dragon's wing.

"Hey, brother! Can you land another big one!?"

"Don't you know? I have two arms."

"Hoo! That's super cool, samurai!"

The old man switched his chipped katana to his left hand. The armored man whistled at his words and stopped in his tracks.

Beams of light rushed in. The storm of light rained down, obscuring the figures of him and the old man behind him.

Dust flew up, the stone pavement around them was shattered, and even the hard rock beneath was gouged out.

And yet, the two's mana, far from disappearing, grew even sharper.

"Delivering a slash to the dragon!"

"This is my signature move. Savor it!"

In that instant, the armored man's mana swelled. His thick shield disassembled into pieces, forming a dome around them.

The beams, blocked by the barrier, were deflected in all directions. Beside the armored man who stood with his arms spread, releasing his mana, the old man bent his knees deeply.

He placed the spine of his katana against his back, his hawk-like eyes piercing the dragon's body.

"Secret Sword."

His body vanished. A supersonic movement that shattered the sound barrier three, four times over, one that even my [Spirit Eye] couldn't follow.

Before I knew it, the old man was above the dragon's head, his body twisted greatly. I felt the sound of every muscle in his body straining, a sound that should have been impossible to hear.

—"Kurui Kabuto!"

Space itself seemed to tear.

A single slash, so powerful it created that illusion. The blade reached its limit from the all-out attack, and the katana snapped near the hilt.

His left arm, peeking out from the hem of his white kimono, was bent in an unnatural direction, and upon closer inspection, his right leg was also discolored black and purple.

But his figure was hidden by a fountain of fresh blood that gushed out.

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

The dragon's shriek echoed, and the beams of light ceased. The Guivre, with a large wound on its head, thrashed about wildly, and the grievously injured old man was blown away by the shockwave of its roar.

As he flew like a broken doll, the armored man, who had reformed his tower shield, leaped up and caught him.

The old swordsman, perhaps unconscious, reverted to wearing just a loincloth. The white dragon glared at his back.

But being careless is a grave mistake. It's not my place to say, having nearly died from a moment of inattention myself, but looking away during a battle is suicide.

In the opposite direction from them, two figures rose into the sky.

Boys like fairies, who could be mistaken for girls. Holding hands like close brothers, they were enveloped in light and merged.

What appeared was a person with an androgynous appearance, neither male nor female. With a bewitching smile on a face of beauty that transcended gender, they wore attire reminiscent of medieval royalty.

The figure sprouted fairy-like wings on its back and, while hovering in mid-air, raised both hands to the sky.

"La—"

Singing with an inhuman voice, it was the incantation of a compressed grand magic spell.

A spell that would normally take several minutes to cast was deployed in just a few seconds.

Three massive magic circles suddenly appeared above the dragon's head. The pale blue circles rotated, and before it could counter, a torrent of pale blue light poured down.

The particles of light that hit the ground burst with a high-pitched sound, generating a white mist.

"G A… A A A…!?"

The Guivre, which had brushed away the torrent of light with a release of mana, was covered in frost.

Icicles grew from its upturned scales, and cracks appeared at the base of its claws, around its eyes, and on the wounds on its head and wings, rapidly spreading.

As if its job was done, the androgynous figure retreated, its fairy wings glowing. The Guivre, without even the luxury of paying it any mind, tried to form another barrage of beams.

But nothing came out. The scales that should have been cannons were frozen solid, their function lost.

That wasn't just ice. It was a curse. Something that could be called a fairy's spell was obstructing the flow of mana.

It would probably last a minute at most. For the mighty warriors gathered here—that was more than enough time to decide the match.

"Hmph!"

With a valiant cry, a foot clad in armor shattered the earth.

A woman with a warlike smile on her face, the only part of her not covered in plate armor, and her characteristic drill-like hair fluttering, held a lance with both hands.

Mana spiraled around the conical tip, and a beautiful woman dressed as a man standing beside her thrust both of her rapiers into the ground.

A magic circle appeared where the lance was pointed. It was, without a doubt, a 'cannon barrel.'

"Hraaaagh!!"

A war cry that seemed impossible to have come from her slender throat. At the same time, her feet tore up the stone-paved ground—and she became a meteor.

The charge, wreathed in spiraling mana, struck the Guivre's hind leg. It instantly shattered the frozen scales and gouged out the tough flesh beneath.

The mana, continuing to rotate like a drill, finally pierced even the bone, and the spreading shockwave tore off the dragon's leg.

The Guivre shrieked, supporting its massive body on its remaining three legs. Leaping toward it were a man who looked like a Spartan from an opera and a woman dressed like an Amazoness.

The two, a perfect embodiment of the phrase 'ripped with muscle,' swung their spear and axe respectively as if they were blunt weapons.

"Doooooh!"

"Seeeeeeiii!!"

A deafening roar. The shockwave caused the already ruined city to collapse further, and fissures ran through the earth.

The Guivre staggered, blood and air escaping from its mouth. A woman in a tuxedo stood, her eyes fixed on its open mouth.

"Good niiight."

With a suave pronunciation, she opened the revolver in her right hand and inserted a card from her left into the cylinder.

The card, which shouldn't have fit, transformed into a bullet and was loaded. She closed the cylinder and aimed the muzzle at the dragon's mouth.

The hammer fell without hesitation.

The high-density mana bullet pierced the flesh inside its mouth and reached its brain. A moment later, a boom. I realized it had exploded inside.

Fresh blood flowed like a waterfall. As if in sequence, the attacks of the adventurers pierced the white dragon, which was standing only by a miracle.

The 'finishing moves' of the mighty warriors gathered here. Being a motley crew, if they tried to attack simultaneously, friendly fire would be inevitable.

The reason they could unleash their techniques without pause, giving the Guivre no chance to counterattack, was likely because the master of the mana buzzing through their earrings was desperately coordinating them.

Finally, the cursed ice clinging to its scales shattered, and the white dragon's cannons rebooted. But before they could be fired, countless magical ropes, chains, and stakes bound its massive body.

"Ha-ha! The secret technique of our Head Alliance!"

"Move if you can!"

"If you can break this joint magic spell from the three of us, that is!"

The mages with bizarre hairstyles raised their voices, making one wonder who the real villains were.

But their work was flawless. The restraints extending from the hundreds of magic circles floating in the air pinned the dragon's massive body to the spot.

An overwhelming advantage. However, it was clear that if we missed this opportunity, the scales would immediately tip in the opponent's favor.

Each of them using their trump card meant they were taking a corresponding risk.

The grievously injured old swordsman was a given. The woman who had made the splendid charge had her lance broken, and she herself couldn't stand without the support of her butler-attired companion due to the recoil.

The Spartan-like man and the Amazoness-like woman both had their weapons broken and were bleeding from their dominant hands. The woman in the tuxedo had also retreated from the front lines, as that had apparently been her last shot.

None of them were in a state where simply healing their wounds would suffice. It could be inferred that they were out of mana or that their skills had some kind of restriction. Otherwise, Aira-san would have given me instructions.

Amidst the continuing onslaught, the dragon, its once-white body now stained with blood and discolored by burnt scales, roared.

"G G G Y Y Y Y Y A A A A A A A A —!!"

A shockwave enveloped the area, even generating a tornado. This shattered the magical restraints, and the surrounding warriors who had been attacking were forced to defend themselves.

A brief opening was created. In that moment, the dragon spread its wings.

The wings that should have been severed were forcefully restored with particles of light. With iridescent formulas floating on its tattered membranes, the dragon's massive body rose into the air.

If it gained distance now, the adventurers would have no chance of victory. Against them, who had exhausted all their strength, the Guivre would return to perfect condition with enough time. Even if that weren't the case, there were still monsters heading this way from the other floors.

—Therefore.

'It's your turn. Are you ready?'

"Of course."

Because we had been waiting here, ready.

We hadn't just been standing idly by, waiting for our turn. In a deliberately created gap in the encirclement, we had been desperately concealing our mana.

The direction in which the old swordsman had been carried away by the armored man. The Guivre's single eye turned toward us and widened.

But its judgment was swift. It converged its remaining mana in its mouth. An aurora blinded me.

But even without seeing, I 'saw.'

"Blanc."

As I unhesitatingly dove toward the dragon's jaw, I called out to the chariot's cargo bed behind me.

There was no reply. But the swirling vortex of mana was its answer.

"Match me."

—G O O O O O O O O A A A A A A!

A roar so loud it felt like my eardrums would burst. Along with the sound of the air burning, a white radiance enveloped the world.

The light that had once swallowed the white knight. A torrent of destruction I still couldn't block alone.

But if I wasn't alone.

"Hnnngh…!"

I squeezed it out. Everything.

I gripped the hilt with both hands and slammed the steel blade into the approaching aurora.

[Concept Interference]

An anomaly that allows one to interfere with things that cannot normally be touched. I perceived the mana contained within the breath as mass and attempted to entangle it.

But it was heavy. My entire body felt like it was about to be crushed.

Faced with a mass great enough to flip the entire city, my blade instantly cracked, and a pain unlike any I had ever felt shot through both my arms.

Blood vessels tore and regenerated, bones broke and were mended. Nerves were scorched, and though my mana circulation was disrupted, all damage was healed. And then, it was crushed again by the pressure of the breath.

In the instant that destruction and regeneration repeated, the weight of the colliding aurora halved.

My eyesight had yet to fully recover, but even so, I could feel the presence of the knight beside me.

"Ooooooooooooh!"

I twisted the one-and-a-half-handed sword. With the blade that could shatter at any moment, I tore apart the breath alongside the battle-axe swung next to me.

The aurora, split in two and entangled. In the false night sky, twin suns manifested.

In my regenerated vision, I saw the face of the dragon, deprived of its breath. Its eyes were wide, its mouth agape. But like a machine, the monster moved on to its next action.

It was a counterattack with both its forelegs. Even without its breath, its claws alone were enough to kill us.

We, who were still supporting the massive weight of mana, had no way to defend against it.

The deadly claws were unleashed.

But unfortunately for it, I was not alone.

"Hraaaaaaaaah!!"

'Grandmother.'

'I will not miss.'

The Arisugawa clan knocked the dragon's forelegs down.

The charge of the rock and ice chariot sent the left foreleg flying. As if not caring that its chassis was shattering from the impact, the suicide charge gouged out its elbow joint.

A cannonball fired from Ariadne from a great distance. It was transported here by teleportation. Without any loss of speed, it delivered the same destruction as a point-blank shot, knocking the dragon's right foreleg downward.

The Guivre's defenseless skull was directly below. The wound from the sword strike was already closing, but the skull was still slightly visible.

Aimed at that wound,

"Hraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"

The sword and battle-axe were swung down.

The unleashed brilliance shattered the dragon's skull. It blew away the cracked scales, pulverized the slightly exposed bone, and.

Ravaged the brain beyond.

As the aurora filled my vision, I did not let up.

I activated the bracelet and poured in all my remaining mana. I added it to the uncontrolled breath mana, mixed it with wind, and pushed it into the dragon's body.

Suddenly, the light vanished.

The dragon, its upper head gone, slowly fell to the ground. Due to its massive size, it appeared to be moving slowly, but it was likely falling at a considerable speed.

And yet. Before its body could prostrate itself on the earth.

The breath and my mana that had been poured into its body exploded from within.

Light leaked from the gaps between its white scales, and then it grew in intensity, eventually becoming an explosion that shattered the Guivre's body.

Pieces of the dragon scattered everywhere, but even the blood was incinerated. Like a meteor shower, the white dragon's body rained down on the ruined chalk-white city.

In the dragon's lair, now a barren wasteland with nothing left, one of the gathered adventurers—who was it that first raised their voice?

"Oh, ooooh…"

As everyone looked around, confirming the shattered body of the dragon.

"Oooooooooooooooh!"

"We did iiiiiiiit!"

A cry of triumph was raised.

Some praised each other. Some raised their fists or weapons to the sky. Some sat down in relief.

Looking down on them, I descended with Blanc to where Mia-san had already landed.

"Are you okay?"

"Somehow…"

Beside Ukon and the others, who were heavily damaged and missing parts of their bodies, Mia-san stood leaning on her staff, looking as if she were on her last breath.

She had no visible external injuries. I breathed a sigh of relief at that and turned my gaze to Blanc beside me.

The silver armor was in a terrible state. Its left arm was gone from the elbow down, and its battle-axe was riddled with cracks. Its entire body was covered in scorch marks and wounds of all sizes.

But we had done it.

"Thank you… Blanc."

At my words, the knight gave a small nod.

I nodded back and unconsciously looked around. The strength did not leave my sword-gripping fingers, and I kept my center of gravity slightly lowered.

It seemed this habit wouldn't be easy to break. I gave a wry smile at my own behavior, so out of place in this victorious atmosphere.

My helmet must have gone somewhere when I blocked the breath attack, as my field of view felt wider. All around, adventurers were making a commotion as they gazed at the dragon's remains, which were turning to salt.

'Congratulations! Congratulations, everyone! And Kyo-chan! I have good news!'

"Aira-san."

She had worked hard too. I had nothing but gratitude for her.

Still in a state of excitement, Aira-san tried to continue.

'You'll be surprised to hear this! Erina-kun is!'

But her words passed right through my ears.

In my unconsciously scanning vision, there was 'something' in the center of the area where the adventurers were gathered. It was a broken box. A big, black box.

It lay there, as if torn in half, unnoticed by anyone.

It was probably a drop item from the Guivre. Strangely… no. By magic, it was an object that had been made invisible to ordinary people.

From it, something slithered out.

A long, pointed tail crawled out.

"It's not over!"

I roared, raising my sword.

At my voice, the surrounding adventurers reflexively readied their weapons.

As if mocking them for being 'too slow,' the long tail extended and whipped out.

It was over in an instant. The mighty warriors gathered here, though exhausted and caught off guard, were still undeniably strong. And yet.

They were blown far away. Leaving behind red blood and chunks of flesh, they were sent flying an impossibly long distance, effortlessly.

The sword I had swung reflexively was shattered, and my left shoulder was deeply gouged. I couldn't even worry about the splattered blood staining Mia-san behind me.

"Wha-what—"

"Get up! Fight!"

I yelled at her, who was in confusion, and at the telepathic voice screaming about what had happened.

I threw away the broken sword and drew a newly formed blade.

I had forgotten. The Guivre was itself a 'dungeon.' It was a moving fortress, a crystal of magic that could even interfere with leylines.

And a dungeon.

'■■■■■…'

Is something that keeps a monster inside it.

A white monster emerged from the broken box.

A body covered in scales, about two meters twenty centimeters tall. Its frame was human-like, but its claws were long, and a long tail extended from behind its waist.

In its hands, it held a spear with extravagant decorations, and from its lipless mouth peeked sharp fangs.

A body like armor, colored in blue and gold. Faced with its natural stance, I swallowed hard.

A Dragonewt. That was what this being should be called, standing before us.

'■■■■…'

Its sky-blue eyes were the same as those of that mighty dragon.

Ah, I see. The Atlantis Empire must have been a collection of pretty crazy people.

The Guivre was another monster, created with this monster as its core.

Slowly. But without a single opening.

The Dragonewt pointed its spear at us.

The battle was not over yet.