The battle with the Dragon was fierce.
Perhaps frustrated that its Fire Breath was consistently blocked, the enormous flying monster eventually began to exhale compressed air instead. A Wind Breath, so to speak. Compared to the fire, the charging time was shorter, making it difficult to prevent. Iris's group, who chased after them by jumping across rooftops, and the clerics stationed in the city, blocked it as much as possible, but shooting down an invisible attack was nearly impossible. Since the city could be easily rebuilt if only moderately destroyed and if no fire started, they allowed some damage.
The Dragon aimed for the Royal Castle.
Attacks on the King's location had to be prevented at all costs. Ren's group struck its face to divert the wind's trajectory whenever it exhaled the breath. A few blasts hit the adjacent temple, but the magic barrier protected it from major damage.
The King's Blade of Light also required charging and couldn't be used repeatedly. However, a second and third shot were eventually released, creating deep wounds on the Dragon's body. Sensing its disadvantage, the Dragon began to thrash about wildly.
Its limbs and tail whipped through the air as it changed its posture mid-flight. The sheer movement of its massive body generated strong gusts of wind, demanding extreme concentration to dodge all of its attacks. Added to this was the Wind Breath. Since it wasn't aimed, it merely caused random destruction throughout the area, but there was a risk of people being crushed by debris.
"You bastard, settle down already!"
Even Kent was finding it difficult to swing his axe with the creature flailing so violently. They would eventually defeat it like this, but the damage would increase in the meantime.
If we could drop him to the ground, it might be easier to attack, Huuli suggested telepathically.
Ah, you might be right. The impact site is going to be insane, though, Ren agreed.
It was likely impossible to turn this giant monster into particles of light while it was in the air.
If that's the case... Ren shouted to Kent, who was clinging to the Dragon:
"Let's cut off its wing and make it fall!"
"Huh!? Cut it off!? Even I've got my hands full!" Kent shouted back.
"It's okay, I'll do it!" Ren insisted.
The veteran Warrior was silent for a moment, as if contemplating, then shouted, "Alright!"
"If you're going to drop it, aim for the castle courtyard! I'll try to adjust the angle!"
Once decided, things moved quickly.
Here we go, Huuli.
Yeah!
Clad in wind, Ren approached at maximum speed. She used Huuli's specialty, which could only be used in the possessed state. Adding Triple Spell and Overboost to the attack:
"Wind Slash!"
No shield was raised this time.
A giant blade of wind sliced toward the Dragon's left wing, cleanly severing it mid-way.
A roar.
The Dragon turned its head toward Ren. A shiver ran down her back as the compressed air shot out from its mouth. There was no time to dodge. She mustered all her remaining MP.
"Magic Shell!"
"Wind Blast!"
The Wind magic reduced the momentum of the breath, and the magic shield lessened the damage. Ren was thrown back several meters by the impact, like being hit by a car, but she managed to regain flight. Healing herself, she checked the situation.
"Hah! Fall a bit more over there, you lizard bastard!"
Kent, standing defiantly on the Dragon's back, brought down a massive blow, forcibly changing the Dragon's trajectory downward.
Below, the Golem mother and daughter's magic bombs slammed into the target one after another, reducing the impact of the fall and extending its air time. Iris's group's wind magic also contributed.
Wait, isn't that going too far? Huuli asked.
Ah, Ren realized.
The enormous body plunged into the castle's spacious forecourt, unable to fully shed its momentum, and crashed into the castle building. After a fierce struggle against the defensive magic, it finally stopped, having severely damaged a large section of the wall.
Well, the building didn't collapse, so it's within the acceptable range, Ren rationalized. The castle mages must have been frantic, but it was all's well that ends well.
Seeing the enemy fall, the knights and soldiers were energized, rushing forward with swords and spears. However, the Dragon was not yet defeated. Even with its wing torn off and damaged by the fall, it thrashed with its claws and fangs, trying to take as many people down with it as possible. A mere graze from its claw gouged a soldier's armor, the shock shattering bone. They were immediately dragged back by comrades to receive healing from the clerics.
Kent, who was still clinging to the Dragon's back and slamming his axe down repeatedly, was the truly abnormal one—no one should use him as a reference.
Just one more push.
Despite the hassle, the city hadn't suffered massive damage. This result against a Dragon could easily be called a great victory—if it weren't for the Sage's magical message:
This is bad. The castle might not withstand the enemy's final struggle.
The Sage's message, delivered via magic. Though he sounded like he was talking to himself, it was a plea for consultation. Ren landed and stood beside the Sage.
"What do you mean by 'final struggle'?" Ren asked.
"A Dragon that is certain of defeat will self-destruct. It pours the remaining life force into the flame energy accumulated within its body, becoming a massive bomb that will blow up the entire vicinity," the Sage explained.
"Why didn't you say that sooner!?" Ren exclaimed.
"It doesn't always self-destruct. Besides, the damage to the city is ultimately just a temporary thing. As long as we survive, that is enough."
"...Old man, honestly."
The problem was that the Dragon still had HP remaining. If they hit it with a Meteor now, it wouldn't have the energy to self-destruct, but the resulting damage would be about the same as if it had self-destructed.
"Ren. Could you please try to bring that idiot (Kent) back? If he retreats, all we have to do is lead everyone out of the blast radius," the Sage requested.
"No, having come this far, it would be a terrible anticlimax to have the city destroyed...!" Ren protested.
"But then what do you suggest?"
"If we just need to shave its HP, I have an option. It might not be enough, but it's better than nothing."
"In that case, please allow me to cooperate," Shion offered.
Shion descended, transformed into her Fox-Eared Shrine Maiden form, and held out something in both hands. At first glance, it looked like a plain stone.
"It is a Sessho-seki (Killing Stone) created with a skill."
A special item that continuously deals permanent damage to its surroundings. Due to Shion's nature, it had a holy-aligned attribute, meaning it didn't greatly affect anything other than monsters, but it wasn't something she could casually use. The fact that it was an installed item also made it difficult to use, but right now...
"If it is buried inside the Dragon's body, I believe it will exert its full effect," Shion suggested.
"I see. ...Thank you, Shion. What I want to do also requires me to get close to him once, so this works perfectly."
Ren took the stone and flew up again. The Sage smiled wryly, muttering, "Honestly, reckless," but cast supportive magic on Ren again.
Ren, you have to hurry, Huuli urged.
I know, Ren replied.
She rapidly approached the Dragon.
"Mr. Kent! Make a big wound for me!" Ren shouted.
"Huh? I don't really get it, but okay!" Kent yelled back.
He slammed a full-power blow into an already existing cut, slicing through the flesh to expose bone. Ren immediately dove into the wound, deep-planting the Sessho-seki she held, and then:
"Heal!"
The carefully adjusted healing magic regenerated the flesh, enveloping and protecting the stone.
"Hey, hey, why are you using healing magic here?" Kent asked, confused.
"It's fine, this is how it works," Ren replied.
Immediately after, the Dragon began to suffer as if poisoned. Ren had cast Heal to prevent the Sessho-seki from being pushed out by the Dragon's regeneration ability. Then, she placed both hands on the Dragon's scales.
"Forced Connection: Deadly Link. Deep Essence Suction: Deep Drain."
She activated a Succubus skill that she rarely had the opportunity to use. It was a skill that allowed a Succubus skill to be used "even at a distance" and another that performed a life-threatening level of energy drain on the target. The target needed to be weakened and required contact, and even then, it wasn't an instant HP kill. However, once activated, there was no escaping the fate of having all one's vital energy sucked out until one was dried up.
This ultimate Succubus secret technique immediately began vigorously sucking up the Dragon's abundant life force. Ren let out a breath of ecstasy as her nearly empty MP reserve was rapidly replenished.
"...Oi, oi," Kent muttered, staring blankly at the sight next to him.
"You. That expression you're making now is the very picture of an evil Succubus."
"Eh, do I look that evil?" Ren asked.
"Yeah. The men around here went crazy by the dozen. Take responsibility."
"I will not!?" Ren retorted.
Ren flew away with Kent, who was saying, "Not taking responsibility is even more wicked." The Dragon, severely weakened by the double-whammy of curses, was now thrashing about more to escape its torment than to kill. Although the ground was being torn up and the castle wall damaged by its desperate struggles, it showed no sign of exhaling breath.
"A dying Dragon can cause an explosion. Stay as far away as possible," Meteor warned.
As a precaution, Meteor warned the surrounding soldiers, and they were evacuated. Defensive magic was prepared to contain the explosion, but ultimately, it wasn't needed. While Ren used her surplus MP to heal the wounds on the ground, the Dragon weakened from exhaustion and peacefully breathed its last.
"Ah, it looks like it died," Ren reported.
"No, don't say 'it looks like it died'," Huuli (who had separated) retorted with a deadpan look.
Ren was just reporting that the Energy Drain had stopped, which earned her Huuli's glare.
"Honestly. Don't ever use that skill on us, got it?" Huuli warned.
"I won't. You guys would die if I did."
"That's why I'm telling you not to use it!"
The Dragon's massive body soon vanished. The Sessho-seki that remained was cleanly destroyed by Kent's axe.
"The evil Dragon has perished here! The victory is ours!" the King declared loudly.
The soldiers, knights, mages, and clerics present all cheered at once, and the enthusiasm soon spread throughout the entire capital.
A historic victory. I hope this battle changes the past, Meteor thought telepathically.
-----------------
The Path of the Saintess
El heard the news of the Dragon's defeat while she was treating the injured.
She shouldn't have been entrusted with healing. After all, she could barely use healing magic. But she was, because her power had suddenly awakened.
The mythological battle she had looked up at from her window. The demonic-looking woman and the enlarged, unfamiliar beast. The mysterious heroes, who were neither clearly friend nor foe, never attacked anything but the Dragon and significantly contributed to its subjugation. Without them, the damage to the capital would have been far greater.
Still, the victims weren't zero. People whom the outside clerics couldn't treat were brought into the temple, making the atmosphere even more frantic.
If only I had more power.
She wanted to help everyone. When she bit her lip out of frustration and wished for it from the bottom of her heart, a surge of sacred magic power, incomparable to anything before, flowed out of her.
"El. It seems the power of the Saintess has awakened in you," a woman's voice said.
"Lady Saintess...!?"
After the battle, once the cleanup was settled and everyone took a breather, a woman spoke to El. The beautiful cleric, who felt divine at a glance and was the temple's revered Saintess, was smiling at the mere apprentice. Though she was a kind and gentle person, she should have been exhausted from the battle with the Dragon.
"Yes. But I can only manage to heal simple injuries..." El mumbled.
Rapid growth as a cleric. It was an awakening as a Saintess. The current Saintess was also said to have had a similar experience. By that logic, El was the next Saintess, but she hadn't processed it yet. She only wanted to help people; she didn't want to become great.
The Saintess gently said, "That is good."
"You have only just awakened. The battle where you are truly needed lies ahead."
"Ahead...?" El questioned.
"Yes. ...I exchanged words with the Dragon-slaying heroes. I was told about a further disaster."
The fight wasn't over just because the Dragon was defeated. The entire continent, all of human territory, was at risk of being eliminated by the demonic forces. If that happened, the world would be enveloped in darkness and eventually be destroyed.
"We must fight. A 'war' over who survives—us or the demonic forces—is fast approaching."
"Certainly, monsters are running rampant everywhere, but still..." El hesitated.
"I didn't fully believe it either. But the sudden appearance of powerhouses like them, that is the beginning of the 'change'," the Saintess declared.
"Then, should I also join that war...?" El asked.
War was terrifying. Her healing power had increased, but could she really eliminate monsters with holy light like the Saintess?
The Saintess shook her head. "No."
"You have another path. A path that goes with those heroes."
The Saintess indicated an unexpected "path" for El.
============
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