210 Foothold

The Water Dragon, one of the Four Dragons, finally took notice of the monsters swarming the sky and unleashed a Mana Cannon. A torrent of pressurized water slammed into our vanguard with enough force to level a mountain, wiping out dozens of monsters without leaving so much as a trace of them behind.

But in that same heartbeat, Tura and Lilith saw it.

They saw my shadow as I lunged out from behind the screen of monsters.

"Lilith, now!" I barked.

"Yes, sir!" she replied instantly.

"This is insane... absolutely insane..." Biado muttered, though he didn't slow down.

Tura conjured a small Unnatural in mid-air to serve as a stepping stone. She kicked off it to gain height, Lilith followed suit with enough power to nearly shatter the platform, and Biado scrambled along behind them.

At the exact moment they reached the apex of their jump, I drove my sword forward. The blade extended, biting deep into the Water Dragon's existing wound and tearing the gash wide open. The beast’s roar of agony nearly blew my eardrums out.

"Gwaaaaarrgh! You... you cowardly human!" the dragon shrieked.

I couldn't help it; I flashed the most fearless, arrogant grin I could muster, despite my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.

"Sorry," I said. "Dirty tricks are kind of my selling point."

In Noblesse, we live and die by our coordination. No matter who is on the team, we drill our roles through endless, mind-numbing repetition until they're etched into our very souls.

Higher than anyone else in the sky, Olynn was executing his part. He was already riding on the back of a flying monster, but he’d stacked his own Flight Magic on top of it to reach a ridiculous altitude.

"Thank you," Olynn whispered to his mount.

He dived off the beast’s back, plummeting through the air until he landed square on the enraged Water Dragon. He immediately initiated Subjugation. A tidal wave of complex emotions and ancient memories flooded into him—I could see him flinch from the sheer mental weight of it.

"—Guh...!"

"Y-you... what are you—?! Trying to use Subjugation on me?! Damn it, my strength is—"

Olynn didn't give the dragon a chance to finish. His right hand began to glow with a light-blue radiance that perfectly mirrored the dragon’s own mana.

"I’m going to need you to leave," Olynn said, his voice straining.

"Don't toy with me, human! You pests—"

"I see," Olynn interrupted. "Then we’ll do this by force."

He pulled his right fist back and slammed it down with everything he had. The impact was sickening. Those supposedly indestructible scales shattered and flew apart like cheap glass.

That was the signal. Tura, Lilith, and Biado unleashed their follow-up attacks simultaneously. Fire, wind, and Earth magic filled the sky. The other dragons tried to retaliate, but they were so worried about hitting each other in the chaos that their range was pathetic. We danced right through the gaps in their fire.

"Keep moving!" I screamed, my voice cracking slightly from the adrenaline. "Use the footholds!"

"““Understood!””"

Following my command, I saw Biado’s eyes go wide. He must have realized it then—that the dozens of monsters hovering at equal intervals weren’t just decoys. They were living platforms positioned specifically for us to leap between. I just hope the monsters don't hold a grudge about being used as floorboards.

I caught Biado’s voice as he let out a jagged laugh.

"Heh... Noblesse. Just what kind of insane training do these guys put themselves through?"