kscans

Chapter 133 - Illusion Dragon Subjugation

A white dragon was climbing up the World Tree. That alone was terrifying, but when it started spouting resentful words at Hayato for some reason, he couldn't stay calm.

If Hayato got close to the edge to peer down, it would unleash a breath of misty Dragon Breath. He didn't know what was making the Illusion Dragon act this way, but it was as scary as something out of a horror movie.

"If I tell it that Esha's not my girlfriend, will it calm down?"

"What are you planning to shout? If you're going to say anything, please make it a story about how you cruelly dumped me."

"Absolutely not."

"Then let's do something about it. Ashley-sama is on his way here, and if we can delay the Illusion Dragon's arrival, we should be able to manage. Probably."

This was the fifteenth floor. In reality, one would be quite tired by the time they arrived, but this was virtual reality. No matter how much you moved, you wouldn't get tired. Ash's group could also get here without any fatigue at all.

The problem was Agres's group along the way. It was unclear how much they understood the current situation, but if Ash's group came, they would almost certainly get in the way.

Last time they seemed to have won because Ney and Rosalie were with them, but this time was uncertain. Even if they won, it was unknown how much time it would take.

Therefore, they had to delay the Illusion Dragon's arrival as much as possible. Defeating it was an option, but considering the Illusion Dragon's remaining HP and the firepower of the members here, Hayato judged that it would be difficult.

(There's also the matter of the remaining time for the Stampede. Even if we can't defeat it, we want to reduce its HP as much as possible. Can't we do something with the World Tree lumber?)

Thinking this, Hayato went to talk to the Elves.

The queen and her attendant Elves were attacking mainly with magic, but they said they would switch to bow attacks once the Illusion Dragon climbed a bit higher.

However, with such a large target, an opinion had been raised that it would be better to attack with crossbows instead of bows.

In this game, crossbows are generally more powerful than bows. The Elf Queen's bow was high-performance enough to have sufficient power, but her attendants only had ordinary bows. They asked him to furnish them with crossbows made from the World Tree.

Hayato agreed, immediately received the materials, and started making crossbows.

However, he was asked to make something else as well.

A stationary giant bow, a ballista. It was a siege weapon that fired giant spears rather than arrows. They wanted him to make them.

The queen handed him a piece of paper with instructions on how to make it. Of course, they couldn't shoot it downwards, but the plan was to fire a volley at the Illusion Dragon once it reached the fifteenth floor.

Hayato happily agreed. He was a little excited to learn a new production item.

Ballistas were special weapons that couldn't be carried. They were placed where they were made and were weapons that fired only once. However, they could rotate 360 degrees. They could attack in any direction from where they were made.

Damage was determined by Archery and Sharpshooting skill levels, so it was pointless for Hayato to use one. Esha could use it, but she didn't have the Archery skill, so her damage would be lower than the Elves'. In any case, she couldn't deal damage during a Stampede. It was a weapon for the Elves to use.

(To think there's an item, or rather a weapon, like this. Let's make it quickly.)

Suppressing his excitement, Hayato first started making crossbows. After making the crossbows and their bolts, he began manufacturing the ballistas.

It used a lot of World Tree lumber, but this time he could use it like water. Hayato began making ballistas without restraint.

When he had made about twenty, the surroundings became noisy.

Not only outside where the Illusion Dragon was climbing, but also by the descending stairs.

And then, Agres appeared from the stairs.

"There are Dwarves here too!"

Agres had arrived, but his HP was low, and the Thunder Dragon was nowhere to be seen. It was unclear if he had been left behind or defeated, but Hayato didn't think Agres could win in this state.

The Dwarves must have thought the same, as they leaped at Agres.

"Thanks for that!"

Agres used the Hand-to-Hand Combat weapon skill, Wind God Kick, on the Dwarves, dealing damage to several of them. But not only that, Agres's HP recovered to full.

Wind God Kick was a wind-attribute area-of-effect attack, but it didn't have an HP recovery effect.

(Could Agres's weapon also be a Blood Weapon, like Ash's Dragon Eater?)

Hayato didn't recognize the gloves Agres was wearing. He judged that they were probably a unique item, one of a kind in the world. And he guessed they had a performance that recovered HP upon dealing damage.

(No, more importantly, it's his Hand-to-Hand Combat skill. It's better to assume he can use Shukuchi.)

Shukuchi could be used at Hand-to-Hand Combat skill level 100. It was a technique that allowed one to instantly move in front of an opponent. It was highly likely that Agres could use it.

It wouldn't be a problem if Hayato were defeated here now, so there was a possibility that Agres would target someone else. Hayato watched Agres's movements closely, preparing to act as a one-time shield.

But that turned out to be unnecessary.

He heard the sound of footsteps running up from the bottom of the stairs.

"Agres!"

"Ash!"

As soon as Ash ran up, he slashed with his Dragon Eater.

Agres intercepted the attack with his left fist.

A high-pitched sound echoed, and both of them lost their balance. But Agres recovered a split second faster. Agres kicked Ash away, knocking him to the floor.

"You're next!"

Agres shifted his gaze to Ren, who had come up the stairs with Ash. And in an instant, he moved in front of Ren.

"Sorry, Ren!"

"Hya!"

Agres must have thought Ren's Dragon Curse and curse magic were a greater threat. He closed the distance with Shukuchi, trying to defeat Ren before Ash.

Agres pulled back his fist, entering an attack stance.

But that fist never reached Ren. A giant spear suddenly flew in and hit Agres.

"What the!"

When Hayato looked in the direction it came from, it seemed Esha had shot Agres with a ballista.

It did no damage, but Agres had lost his balance. In that time, Ash, who had gotten up, attacked Agres.

But that attack was nullified by Agres's Blade Catch.

However, that was the situation Ash had anticipated. Once Blade Catch was used, it had a cooldown before it could be used again. Ash had heard this from Relic the butler, so he had deliberately made a normal attack.

Ash pulled his sword back, then used the two-handed sword weapon skill, Hard Hit. An attack with double damage and a knockback effect. Immediately after using it, he swept at Agres with a horizontal slash of his Dragon Eater.

"See ya."

The fifteenth floor had no outer wall. Agres was sent flying by the knockback and ended up outside the World Tree. After that, he fell downwards, following gravity.

"Dammit..."

Agres still had HP, but from this height, he would surely not survive the fall damage. Even if he lived, the Stampede would be over before he could get back.

Hayato and the others breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they were safe for now.

But there was still an unresolved problem. The Illusion Dragon was climbing up the World Tree.

"Esha-san, that was a great help!"

"I am glad that Ren-sama is unharmed. Well, it was my master who made this ballista. I apologize, I've ruined one, so please make another."

"Got it. In that case, Esha, please explain the situation to Ash and Ren-chan."

With that, Hayato started making another ballista.

When he had made about thirty, the queen gave the order, "Prepare the ballistas!" The attendant Elves stopped their crossbow attacks and moved to the ballistas. The Dwarves held up their shields to protect the ballistas and the Elves.

Hayato could hear the sound of the Illusion Dragon climbing. It was probably digging its claws into the World Tree to climb. As proof, the vibrations of the World Tree were getting stronger. And he could hear a voice full of resentment.

"I'll kill all the couples!"

(Has its objective changed? And just like Ren-chan, dragons sure are quick to jump to conclusions.)

Just as Hayato thought that, the Illusion Dragon's face suddenly appeared. Since it was a long-necked dragon, its neck reached them before its hands.

"Fire!"

The Elf Queen shouted, and everyone began to attack with the ballistas.

A volley from thirty ballistas, that attack hit the Illusion Dragon's face. As expected, it wasn't enough to defeat it, but the Illusion Dragon's HP bar became critically low.

"Wh, what is this! I didn't hear anything about this!"

Ash leaped out at the surprised Illusion Dragon.

The Illusion Dragon noticed him and opened its mouth wide. The attack motion for Dragon Breath.

But Ash was one step faster.

Ash's attack, the two-handed sword weapon skill Cyclone, hit the Illusion Dragon's face. It was a wind-attribute knockback attack that sent the target flying a considerable distance.

In reality, such a thing wouldn't happen, but this was virtual reality. Even if the opponent was gigantic, a knockback would occur. The Illusion Dragon, hit by it, was knocked back not just by the neck, but its entire body.

But it wasn't enough. The Illusion Dragon's front legs left the World Tree, but it barely held on with its back legs.

But seeing that as a chance, the Elf Queen followed up with her bow. The bow weapon skill, Stinger Bomb, which caused a knockback with a blast, hit the Illusion Dragon's neck, causing a powerful explosion.

The Illusion Dragon, which had been clinging to the World Tree with its back claws, was thrown into the air by the blast. It fell backwards.

"You'll pay for this..."

And the Illusion Dragon was slammed into the ground. The fall damage must have been severe, as its HP bar was down to a sliver.

Then, the clan members and Ney's group who had been waiting on the ground rushed in. Other players also joined the attack.

And a few seconds later, the Illusion Dragon fell, disappearing into particles of light.

"The Illusion Dragon Suien Mikazuki has been successfully subjugated. Stampede participants will be awarded contribution points and a Dragon Soul fragment. I repeat..."

When the world announcement was heard, cheers from the ground reached the fifteenth floor. And the Elves and Dwarves also cheered in the same way.

We finally won. Hayato thought so and let out a big breath. Then he turned to Ash's group with a smile.

"Ash, Ren-chan, and Esha too, great work."

"Yeah, good work. We managed somehow. You stole the best part at the end, but that was a great help."

"Esha-san, thank you for before!"

"I have already received my thanks, so please don't worry about it. In any case, raising a hand to a woman is unacceptable. If you're going to do it, I wish men would just punch each other and form a friendship."

She was talking about Agres, but from an objective point of view, what Ash did was much worse. Suien the Illusion Dragon was female. Ash attacked her with all his might.

Somehow unable to agree, Hayato tried to change the subject.

"Um, all that's left is to defeat the dragon form of Agres, right? We've gathered quite a few allies, so how about we fight him next Sunday?"

For Hayato, due to his job, holidays were his busiest time, but other players, members of the Demon Summoning Research Association and the Bandit clan, were different. He thought Sunday, when they would have off from work, would be better.

"Yeah, you're right. There's only one more fragment of the treasure. With Hayato here, we won't lose. Let's defeat Agres with this momentum."

Ash looked at Hayato with a nice smile. But then, Esha interrupted.

"Before that, let's have a victory celebration. We need to build up our strength for the next battle. I request a chocolate parfait party."

"It should be a pudding party!"

The two who had been getting along so well just a moment ago were now in a battle where neither would back down.

Looks like I'll have to make a large amount of both, Hayato thought, as he immediately started planning the victory celebration.