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The white dragon crashed to the ground without even managing a scream.
"You alright?"
Rosen glanced at Fubuki, who let out a breath of relief.
"I'm fine. That black dragon just isn't a good matchup for me—its physical defense is way too high."As an esper, if her psychic powers didn't work, she basically had nothing to deal with creatures with insane physical resistance.
If not for the fact she could at least restrict its movements a little, she would've been in real trouble.
Back in her own world, every enemy she'd ever fought was purely physical.Magic didn't even exist there.
After this fight, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe she should start learning some magic herself.
"Got it. I'll handle the rest."
Rosen shrugged.
Before Fubuki could even respond, his figure vanished from sight, disappearing with a burst of Godspeed.
She didn't even get the chance to call out to him.
"...In some ways, he's just like my sister. But... I don't actually mind it."
That odd thought bubbled up in her chest before she pulled back to support Marcille and the others.
After all, the dungeon master hadn't only summoned dragons—there were swarms of smaller wyverns as well.
Leo and the less experienced members of the group were struggling to hold their ground, barely holding out thanks to the ruins around them.
"ROOOOAR!"
The black dragon bellowed as its prey slipped away. Its roar shook the very air.
But Rosen was already hurling a spear of light straight at its chest.
BOOM!
The massive beast—its body like a moving mountain—was blasted backwards, its supposedly unbreakable scales cracking apart with a hideous grinding noise.
Without pause, Rosen spun and threw two more lances of light toward Frieren's direction.
The spiraling javelins ripped through the air, tearing apart a dragon-serpent spewing venomous mist.
Another ancient wyrm, shaped like an Eastern dragon, sensed the threat and countered with a blast of lightning from the horns atop its head.
But the lances pushed through undeterred, driving straight into its gaping maw and out the other side.
In less than ten seconds, four of the dungeon master's most powerful summons were dead.
Sissel, the labyrinth lord, stared in shock.
"W–What the hell are you?! Who are you supposed to be?!"
Rosen's overwhelming display shattered every assumption Sissel had. The sheer force he had shown in such a short span left the mad elf stunned, his crazed eyes even momentarily clearing.
How… how is he doing this…?
But no one had the answer.
And then, amidst the chaos of battle, Rosen appeared before him without a sound.
He smiled faintly at the short, dark-skinned, half-crazed elf.
"Kneel, Sissel."
Thud.
The sorcerer's body dropped to its knees before he could even touch his grimoire. The floating book clattered to the ground.
And without it, Sissel was weaker than a first-year student at the magic academy.
In the original timeline, Leo had subdued him instantly once he got in close.
But Rosen noticed something strange—the dragons hadn't vanished even though the grimoire had stopped.
In fact, a new monstrosity surged forth with the tide.
A massive wave swallowed part of the ruined city as an enormous leviathan—shaped like a whale but with rows of fangs like knives—lunged forward.
It opened its maw and swallowed Gabriel whole.
Everyone froze.
Then, cracks split across the leviathan's body, spilling blinding holy light.
From inside came Gabriel's furious, indignant voice.
"Oh come on! You think I'm some helpless kitten?!"
She burst free, halo blazing above her head, wings spread wide, a holy sword flashing in her grip as she let loose an unladylike curse.
"Gabriel's amazing too! But… Rosen still seems even more incredible."
"Hey… are you sure those people are just your friends?"
"They're taking out dragons like it's nothing!"
Even an elite, well-prepared adventuring party could easily get wiped out by a single dragon.
And Rosen had killed four in a blink.
Rosen himself barely spared them a glance, returning his focus to Sissel. His golden-threaded eyes gleamed as he asked calmly:
"As King Delgaru's only friend… don't you think you've become pitiful?"
"King Delgaru! I—yes, I'm pitiful, but all I wanted was to protect him, and protect Golden City's people! I've made the city eternal, I gave them safety—so why… why won't they understand me?!"
Centuries of obsession twisted his voice, his madness deepening even as death loomed over him.
"I only wanted Golden City's people to live in peace forever! No more famine, no more sickness, no more disasters! I drove away invaders with my monsters, I healed the wounded, cured the sick—"
Rosen said nothing, only letting the golden light in his eyes shine brighter.
And then he asked softly,
"Sissel… was it really just for Golden City's sake?"
"Of course it was—!"
He answered without hesitation, clinging to the words he had carried for over a thousand years.
But mid-sentence, something stopped him.
A memory flickered. His crazed eyes wavered, and for the first time, his face stilled.
Silence fell.
He stayed silent as his obsession unraveled, until nothing remained.
The battle was over.
In the hushed ruins of the city, Gabriel, Frieren, and the others gathered around Rosen.
They looked down at Sissel's lifeless body. Gabriel, uncharacteristically soft, felt a pang of pity.
"Back then, he was a hero to Golden City too."
"…So when did he lose himself like this?"
"May your soul find peace. May the road ahead no longer be lonely. May Heaven give you rest."
Gabriel pressed her hands together in prayer. Sissel's spirit dispersed, finally at peace.
"I have to say… you really did look like an angel just now." Frieren murmured.
"…Though only in that moment."
"What do you mean look like?! I am an angel!" Gabriel stomped her foot, puffing up indignantly.
Frieren just smiled faintly, lost in thought.
I wonder… is my master living peacefully in Heaven too?
"..."
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