Honestly, I was worried about what to do when that child stopped us, Meteor complained telepathically.
Yeah, but thanks to her, the discussion went quickly, Ren countered.
Their starting point was an empty house in a lower-grade residential area in the capital. To head for negotiations at the castle, Ren's group decided to temporarily separate from the adults. Since Ren's group could communicate freely via telepathy, and the main speaker, Meteor, was the one learning Japanese, this was easier.
They had prepared disguises beforehand and immediately set out for the castle. Just as they were approaching the castle, the young girl, seemingly an apprentice shrine maiden, started making a scene about the woman being a "Dark Elf." This commotion, however, drew attention and gave Meteor's self-introduction a powerful impact.
Surrounded by guards, Ren's group was escorted into the castle. They conveyed the Dragon's imminent arrival to the attending knight, which earned them a special audience with the King. (Ren, incidentally, used her appearance-altering skill to temporarily hide her wings and tail to avoid attracting too much attention.) The fact that Meteor possessed the Dark Elf royal crest must have also been a major factor.
"A Dragon will soon attack the capital, you say?" the King questioned.
"Yes. There is no time to waste. If you wish to reduce the damage, you must act immediately," Meteor urged.
As usual, Ren gathered the gist of the conversation from the keywords and atmosphere of the foreign language. The King, a man in his forties, groaned, saying, "I find that hard to believe," but nevertheless issued instructions to his knights and court mages. In less than five minutes, the Dragon's approach was confirmed through scrying and other magic.
The King and the people of the other world, suddenly tense, moved into maximum alert. They mobilized all knights and soldiers to close the gates, issue warnings to residents, request cooperation from the temple, and prepare for the Dragon's interception.
"We thank you for the warning. Had it not been for your report, we would have faced the worst possible situation without adequate preparation," the King said.
"No need for thanks. We just wanted to make things easier for ourselves," Meteor replied.
A warning wasn't strictly necessary, as the Dragon would likely have been discovered anyway. Guards were stationed on the castle walls 24 hours a day. Since the creature was so massive, its approach would become obvious eventually. However, the time difference between getting a warning and the castle being contacted in a panic was likely 15 to 20 minutes. This seemingly small gap was actually huge.
"Easier? ...Surely you don't mean you intend to fight the Dragon yourselves?" the King asked.
"That's right. That was the primary goal from the start. The warning was merely a courtesy," Meteor admitted.
"...Nonsense."
"It's neither a lie nor a joke. Even if you do nothing, we will definitely defeat the Dragon."
Ren, catching Meteor's glance, revealed her true form as a Succubus. At the same time, Huuli de-materialized, and Shion grew large, causing a massive commotion.
"Be silent. If we had hostile intent, we wouldn't be having this leisurely discussion. If you interfere, we will kill you. That is all," Meteor threatened.
"...Hmph. Princess Meteor. What is your objective?" the King asked.
"To kill the Dragon. All we demand of you is that you and our companions waiting in the city do not interfere with us."
"Very well," the King conceded.
There was no time for further argument anyway. The King declared, "If we must eat the poison, we shall eat the plate as well," and ordered his subordinates, "Transmit orders to all knights, soldiers, and mages not to interfere with these individuals."
"Then we will go. We will do everything we can, so you should do your best to reduce casualties on your end," Meteor said.
"Understood. We thank you for your aid. ...And for the fact that there is no deception in your words," the King replied.
"You are suspicious, but that is understandable. Rest assured. Once we achieve our goal, we will quickly disappear."
Ren's group exited into the hallway. Since time was precious, they flew out a convenient window into the sky. Ren sent a magical message to the Sage, and they all met up on the roof of the empty house.
"Good work. The Dragon will arrive in ten minutes," the Sage announced, checking a winding wristwatch—an heirloom of the deceased teacher who had transferred earlier. The no-longer-needed watch was stored safely in his storage so it wouldn't be accidentally broken.
"Shall we begin?" the Sage asked.
"Yeah. Let's go, everyone." Ren affirmed.
The battle with the Dragon was finally opening its curtains.
-----------------
The group first moved to the castle wall. Kent mounted Shion, and they took up a position on a lookout post and communication pathway built atop the wall. Having received the prior orders, the soldiers saluted Ren's group and cleared the area for them.
"Oh, he's here," Kent observed.
The Dragon's figure was visible flying in from the far horizon. Its body was reddish-brown. Its size was clearly larger than Ren's high school building. The "school size" comparison was perhaps based on the early Heisei era's sense of scale due to the large number of children. This massive body was fitted with thick limbs, sharp talons, and a fearsome tail extending behind it—it defied all reason. The size and sheer presence of the creature made it more accurate to call it a Kaiju (monster) than a mere monster.
While glaring at the figure that was steadily growing larger, Kent said:
"Old man, do your thing."
"Yes."
The Sage materialized two or three dozen MP potions, spread his legs slightly, and grasped a long staff he retrieved from his storage with both hands. Ren and Huuli held the potions so they could administer them immediately.
Thump! The staff hit the floor. A magic circle unfolded instantly, further amplifying the middle-aged mage's magic.
"—Meteor Strike."
For a moment, something flashed in the sky.
Immediately following, a block of incandescent rock plummeted at high speed. It was about the size of a small doghouse. In games, much larger objects often fell, but:
"A shockwave is coming. Be careful just in case," Kent warned.
The direct hit brought a slight tremor even to Ren's location. The light and heat warmed the surrounding air, causing some soldiers to scream and discard their helmets, but protected by magic items, Ren's group was unaffected by this much.
They uncorked a potion and pressed it directly to the Sage's mouth. After drinking one potion each from Ren and Huuli, the Sage summoned another meteor.
A roar.
A translucent shield expanded greatly over the Dragon's head, intercepting the meteor. The rock, losing its force, shattered into small pieces and fell to the ground.
"As expected, only the first hit was a direct strike. He's blocking the second one with magic," Kent observed.
"Wait, he uses magic too...!?" Ren asked, surprised.
"Only defensive magic, apparently. Though, he might also be using body reinforcement, and his breath might be magic, too," Kent speculated.
"It doesn't matter. As long as we deplete his HP or MP, that's enough," the Sage stated.
The potions quickly emptied one after another. The meteors continued to be blocked. Arriving mages and clerics began to defend against the shockwaves and heat with their own spells.
"Well, shall we do our part too, May?" May's mother asked.
"Yes," May replied.
May's mother retrieved two long, tube-like objects from her storage and handed one to her daughter. More like cannons than tubes. The Golem mother and daughter secured them to each other's backs, then deployed them over their shoulders.
Stabilizing their stance on one knee, the two fired spheres from the cannons that shot straight for the Dragon.
Explosion!
"Fire Bomb, Long Barrel high-range bombardment specification."
"The cost is twice that of a normal bomb, but the power is more than doubled," May explained.
"It really is just a bomb now..." Ren muttered.
"We might as well call it a 'Petit Meteor'," Huuli suggested.
While this bombardment was also blocked by the shield after the second shot, the constant, wide-area damage should steadily deplete the Dragon's MP.
The surrounding soldiers, despite being affected by the shockwaves and explosions, were ecstatic. "Incredible!" "What power is that!" This unintentionally boosted their morale.
And then, when all the bottles held by Ren and Huuli were empty, the time was right.
"It's time. The rest is up to you," the Sage declared.
He dismissed the magic circle, put down his staff, pulled out a new MP potion, and quickly drank it. What followed was a barrage of all his available buffing magic.
"Now, Iris, Lady Meteor."
"Yes!" Iris said.
"Indeed," Meteor confirmed.
The Elf arrows, enhanced by Wind Spirit Magic, flew far beyond their normal range and created wounds on the Dragon's scales. The Dragon roared in irritation, but perhaps due to low MP or the small damage, it didn't deploy the shield.
As it approached, the Dragon was met with the same response, even as the soldiers' arrows (including longbows and crossbows) and the mages' fireballs were added to the attack. Even when small wounds appeared from arrows and magic, they gradually healed from the edges.
Regeneration.
It was an overpowered ability, but perhaps that was why it held the title of the strongest creature in a fantasy world.
"Alright, we're going too, Ren, Huuli, Shion!" Kent shouted.
"What, already, Mr. Kent? Everyone else is still attacking!" Ren protested.
"If we get behind him, he'll shield us. Besides, it's easier to fight before he gets past the wall."
"Ugh, fine, I guess," Ren relented.
Huuli, now a spirit, merged with Kent. Using his MP, Kent floated up lightly. Since a Warrior doesn't use MP for fighting, all his MP could be devoted to flying. In a way, they might be a good match.
"Then, Shion. Us too."
"Yes!"
Ren and Shion also took to the air using their respective methods. As they moved, the Dragon rapidly grew closer. Reptilian eyes, a mouth that could easily swallow a human whole, and limbs that could break bones with a mere graze. The air vibrated with its intimidating roar.
As Ren grimaced and picked up speed, she saw a glow deep within the Dragon's wide-open mouth. Breath. It was better to stop that before it was fired. Ren and Shion simultaneously activated their magic.
"Magic Arrow!"
"Foxfire!"
Light arrows assaulted its body, and flames struck its face one after another. The Dragon, its concentration broken, extinguished the glow in its mouth. Instead, its wings flapped powerfully, creating a strong gust of wind.
"Whoa!" Ren cried out.
"Ah!?" Shion gasped.
"S-sorry, Shion," Ren apologized.
"No, it's alright! But..." Shion was blown away by the wind, colliding with Ren nearby. Fortunately, the effect of Shion's feathers meant neither of them was injured, but:
"Lord Ren, please ride on my back," Shion suggested.
"But—"
"I can stand firm even in the air. It will be difficult to approach the Dragon with your wings," Shion insisted.
"...Mmm, alright. Thank you."
Ren decided to follow the advice. She clung to Shion's back, and Shion dropped altitude, flying around to the Dragon's rear while firing Foxfire from below.
Meanwhile, Kent and Huuli, who were flying by manipulating the wind itself, seemed relatively unaffected and moved in a wide arc. Just then, a tail snapped through the air.
"Whoa, watch out! Huuli, that thing has more reach than I thought, be careful!" Kent shouted.
"We-we should be careful, too," Ren said.
"Y-yeah."
One hit could easily knock out Ren's group, let alone Kent. Taking a position behind the Dragon, Ren's group maintained a distance outside the tail's reach and continuously fired Magic Arrows and Foxfire. Kent soon caught up.
"Tch, we'll reach the wall soon. I'll cut him up quickly. You two, keep him distracted!" Kent yelled.
"Yes!" Ren replied.
Kent flew at top speed, following Ren's magic. He dodged the whip-like tail, closed in on the Dragon's back, and swung his enormous axe—a sound like metal striking metal rang out, and hard scales flew off. The blade bit into the flesh, and black, heavy-oil-like blood sprayed into the air. The Dragon screamed.
As the people on the wall retreated, the Dragon swung its arm in anger. The sturdily built castle wall crumbled like toy blocks. The debris fell into the capital, crushing parts of building roofs. There were no people visible in the city. They must have hidden inside their homes or evacuated to the temple. While being inside a house was not exactly safe against this Dragon, it was somewhat better than being out in the open.
All Ren's group could do was defeat the Dragon as quickly as possible.
"Attaboy, don't thrash around, you lizard bastard! Once I'm on top, he's ours! Huuli, you can go now!" Kent yelled.
"Are you sure? You'll be seriously hurt if you fall," Huuli worried.
"A Warrior can't worry about getting hurt! Just go!" Kent insisted.
"Okay. Then I'll do what I can, too," Huuli agreed.
The now-separated Huuli flew over to Ren in her spirit form.
"Shion-chan, I'll take Ren now," Huuli said.
"Understood. Then we will support Lord Kent," Shion replied.
As Ren merged with Huuli after a long time, her body became instantly lighter due to the Wind's blessing. This meant she wouldn't be defeated by the Dragon's flapping wings. Ren and Shion exchanged glances and communicated via telepathy, flying in separate directions and firing magic.
"Mana Bolt!"
"Foxfire!"
Magic spells impacted the Dragon one after another. The Dragon screamed and twisted its body violently. Kent skillfully clung on, swinging his axe and steadily increasing the number of wounds on the enemy's body.
Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from the city below and struck the Dragon directly. The light, which felt pure rather than hot, originated from a woman in her late twenties wearing robes that were immediately recognizable as sacred. Several shrine maidens stood nearby, ready to cast spells at any moment.
"Amazing. As expected, there are people like that in the capital," Ren observed.
"Lord Ren, something is coming from the castle as well!" Shion warned.
"Ah!"
A flash of light.
Next came a giant blade made of light. The King, standing on the castle balcony and wielding a massive greatsword, was the source of the attack, which sliced through the Dragon's deployed shield and inflicted a non-trivial wound on its neck.
The national treasure of this country. A legendary holy sword that accumulates magic power from the sunlight to form a blade of light. I never thought I would witness a strike from it with my own eyes, Meteor's voice, conveyed telepathically, held awe and reverence.
Ren, embarrassed by her gamer-brain thought that, "Well, if a King has a great sword, he's probably going to shoot a beam," focused on launching further attacks, determined not to be outdone by the formidable reinforcements.
============
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