A dragon? You’ve got to be kidding me! And what’s with the black color? A Black Dragon... no, an Evil Dragon? Is it strong? Of course it’s strong—it’s a dragon!
My thoughts were a mess. That’s just how overwhelming a dragon’s presence is. It’s common knowledge that the only ones humans can even hope to contend with are Red or Blue Dragons. And even then, those are threats that require a full party of A-Rank Adventurers fighting at their absolute limit just to scrape out a win. Even for the Evil-Dispelling Sword, a dragon was likely more than they could chew.
“Hey, hey, hey! It’s a dragon! What’s the plan, Ressel?”
“Plan? If we back down now, the Royal Capital is toast! We just have to do it!”
“I figured you’d say that... Man, I don’t suppose those A-Rank guys happened to wander back at just the right time, do they?”
“Honestly, those guys are never around when you actually need them.”
“Oh, big talk! Next time I see them, I’m telling them you said that.”
“Hey, you idiot! Don’t you dare!”
Even in a situation like this, Zephyr and Ressel were trading quips. Or perhaps, it was because of the situation. If they didn’t, they would have been paralyzed by the dragon’s sheer intimidation. They had to keep things light, if only to keep their hearts beating. The other members of the Evil-Dispelling Sword looked grim, but none of them had given up on the fight. Neither had Eina.
I glanced at the others.
Halfa was pale and trembling. Nevertheless, her gaze was fixed firmly on the Evil Dragon. She intended to fight, too. Perhaps she felt it was her duty as the Maiden. It didn’t feel quite like the usual Halfa, though. When I gently took her hand, she looked surprised for a moment, then offered a faint, shaky smile. It was a bit stiff, but a smile suited her best.
Shiroru, still in his giantized state, was barking at the Evil Dragon. Was he trying to intimidate it? The difference in their sizes was so vast that it actually looked somewhat adorable. When I leaned over to pat his head, Shiroru gave me a startled look before delivering a massive lick across my face. Since he was giantized, a single lick was a total disaster.
Lowell was calmly observing the creature. He likely knew he couldn't back down here for Spira’s sake. If we retreated, the Royal Capital’s dungeonification would be inevitable. That would put his goal of creating Spira’s medicine out of reach. Considering how little time Spira had left, he couldn’t afford to let this chance slip away.
While we prepared, the Evil Dragon continued to rise from the summoning circle, its massive form slowly heaving upward. Is there any way to break the circle?
A thought struck me. A summoning circle is just a type of magic, isn't it? In that case—
I pulled the Rune Breaker from my Storage Ring. This dagger was designed to neutralize any magic-related effects it touched. It might just be enough to shatter the circle and stop the summoning.
I didn't dare get close, so I threw the Rune Breaker with all my might. The moment it struck the magic circle inscribed on the stone floor, the patterns emitted a violent, blinding flash as if they had short-circuited. Then, the light died instantly.
Had I neutralized it?
I wasn't entirely sure, but the summoning stopped. Or rather, it was interrupted. The Evil Dragon’s gargantuan frame stopped emerging from the circle. However, the parts that had already materialized didn't disappear.
In other words, the Evil Dragon was now effectively growing out of the floor.
It looked... incredibly stupid.
The dragon seemed unable to escape its predicament, struggling desperately. Only its upper torso was above ground. Its right arm was free, but its left was completely submerged. I doubted it was literally "buried" in the stone; it was more likely that the rest of its body was trapped in another dimension. Honestly, I wished the space had just collapsed and sliced the thing in half.
“What the hell is this...?”
“Khahaha! Tort, you did it! You actually did it!”
Ressel stood there, stunned, while Zephyr roared with laughter.
“Tort...”
Lowell’s expression was... well, I couldn't quite tell. Was it "I can’t believe you just did that"? I guess I’d completely ruined the dragon’s "cool and terrifying" entrance. I understood the sentiment, but what was I supposed to do? I didn't think it would turn out like this either!
Still, it was a dragon. Even if it was just a head and one arm, it wasn't an opponent we could afford to underestimate.
“Don’t let your guard down!”
At the same time as my warning, the dragon’s roar shook the very foundations of the hall. Realizing it couldn't struggle free, it turned its pure, unadulterated rage toward us. As the beast let out a low, vibrating growl, countless ice stakes manifested in the air and shot toward us.
“Tch, get behind it!”
Dodging and parrying the flying ice, we ran full tilt toward the dragon’s rear. Because it was pinned to one spot, its mobility was severely limited. It could only move its neck and its right arm. If we could get behind it, we would have a massive advantage.
However, it wasn't going to be a one-sided slaughter. The dragon simply generated ice stakes behind itself and sent them flying. Even though we were technically in its blind spot, its accuracy was surprisingly high. Still, it seemed to have more trouble tracking us there; the number of projectiles was significantly lower than when we were in front of it. We finally had the breathing room to counterattack.
“Eat this!”
Zephyr struck first. He swung his greatsword down against the dragon’s back, targeting the left side of its torso. Scales shattered with a metallic clank, but only a few. There wasn't even a scratch on the creature’s hide.
“Damn, this thing is hard!”
“Focus your fire!”
The recoil must have been brutal, as Zephyr was grimacing. Seeing that, Ressel issued orders. The Evil-Dispelling Sword moved to target the opposite side, hoping to find a weakness in the right side of the torso. Spreading out was a smart move—it kept us from tripping over each other and forced the dragon to divide its attention.
Suddenly, a black, oily mist began to seep from the Evil Dragon’s body. The fog diffused instantly, enveloping us. The second I breathed it in, I felt the strength drain from my limbs. It was a curse, likely the same Malice-based rot brought by the Plague-Cursed Black Wolf.
“Halfa!”
“On it!”
Sensing my intent, Halfa began to sing. It was the Song of Soothing. As her voice filled the great hall, the weight on my body lifted instantly. Realizing its mist had been neutralized, the Evil Dragon let out a frustrated, guttural snarl.
“Haaah!”
Lowell’s blade finally bit deep, slicing into the dragon’s side. He had managed to aim perfectly for a gap where the scales had been loosened. Even so, the wound was shallow. Lowell’s attacks had been effortlessly butchering Lizard Soldiers, but wounding a dragon was an entirely different league of difficulty. Still, we couldn't stop. Following Lowell’s lead, I drove my Dagger of Piercing into the same spot. Thanks to his opening, the blade sank in almost to the hilt. But compared to the dragon’s massive body, the dagger’s blade was barely a needle prick.
Something felt wrong, though. Even though I was attacking from its blind spot, my Shadow Strike Skill hadn't triggered. It had to be tracking our positions through some other sense. That made a true surprise attack impossible, but staying behind it was still our best bet. At the very least, it meant we didn't have to worry about its most devastating weapon: the breath attack.
Or so I thought. I had been too careless.
Suddenly, the dragon whipped its neck around with terrifying speed, locking its eyes onto us. Deep within its yawning jaws, I saw a brilliant, freezing white light... the Ice Breath!