"Tort!"
Was that Halfa’s voice? I didn’t have time to check. The Evil Dragon’s breath was already upon us. I threw my arms up to shield my face and squeezed my eyes shut. Taking a dragon’s breath head-on was a death sentence for someone like me.
Is this where it ends?
Contrary to my grim expectations, the biting cold I anticipated never came—only a faint chill reached my skin. I risked a glance and gasped. Thick, lush greenery had burst through the dungeon floor, forming a living wall that held the dragon’s freezing breath at bay.
Just what on earth was happening?
While I stood there bewildered, Lowell let out a pained cry.
"Spira! That's enough, stop! If you keep this up, you'll...!"
"I can't...! Because... I'm a member of this party too! I can... protect everyone...!"
Spira, who should have been invisible, had reappeared. Her face was contorted in a mask of agony as she held her hands toward the beast. She was the one who had created this. The vegetation blocked the breath, but parts of it were already withering and dying under the intense cold. Only the frantic growth of new vines kept the wall from collapsing.
Spira had never shown this kind of power before. If she possessed such a thing, it should have been more than enough to protect herself. The fact that she had kept it hidden until now suggested a terrible price. Judging by Lowell’s reaction, using this ability was likely shaving away her very lifespan. That was why he hadn't let her use it.
Yet, here and now, Spira had chosen to throw it all away.
To protect us...!
The blast of breath finally ceased. Simultaneously, the Vegetation Barrier shriveled into dust as Spira’s strength hit its limit.
"Spira!"
Lowell caught her as she collapsed. He called her name over and over, but she remained motionless, having lost consciousness. Her breathing was a ragged, labored wheeze. It was a terrifying sound—clearly not normal.
"Lowell! How is she?"
When I asked, Lowell simply shook his head, his face crumbling as if he were about to burst into tears.
...There was almost no time left.
In that case, I had to finish Spira’s medicine immediately. Fortunately, the remaining ingredients were right in front of me. If I delivered the finishing blow—with my Luck Value—I was certain I could obtain the dragon materials we needed.
The dragon showed no sign of preparing a second blast; perhaps it couldn't fire them in quick succession. This was our chance. The Evil-Dispelling Sword was already on the offensive, drawing the beast's aggro. I couldn't let this opening go to waste.
I activated Shadow Hiding to vanish, then crept toward the dragon’s back while chanting the incantation for Shredding Storm. I’d practiced this spell for mincing meat, giving me precise control over its power. This time, I deliberately lowered its lethality and aimed it so the wind would catch me.
In an instant, I was launched into the air. Even with the power suppressed, the winds left shallow lacerations on my skin, but I didn't care. My concentration wavered and the spell dissipated, but that was fine. I twisted my body in mid-air and managed a successful landing—right on top of the Evil Dragon's head.
Unfortunately, the impact broke my Shadow Hiding, so I had to recast it immediately. Sensing something on its head, the dragon shook itself irritably. I clung to its horn for dear life, refusing to be thrown. Below me, the Evil-Dispelling Sword and Zephyr continued their assault. Dazzling bolts of lightning—likely Shiroru’s doing—seared the dragon’s hide.
With the others hounding it, the dragon was forced to focus its attention downward. I held my breath and waited. Slowly but surely, the beast's awareness of my presence began to fade.
Once I was sure it had forgotten I was there, I made my move. I lunged forward and drove the Dagger of Piercing deep into the dragon’s right eye!
The dragon let out a deafening, agonized roar, thrashing its head violently. I gripped the hilt of the embedded dagger, using it as an anchor to keep from being flung away. Once it settled for a split second, I drew a spare blade and plunged it into the left eye.
The dragon let out a high-pitched, piercing shriek. This time, it was a cry of pure pain. It was clearly weakening, but its draconic vitality was still immense. It continued to rampage, but it was the desperate thrashing of a dying beast.
"We can do this!" someone shouted—likely Zephyr. I was too busy hanging on to answer.
"Don't let your guard down! Another breath is coming!" Ressel warned.
Despite being blinded, the dragon seemed to have a rough idea of where Zephyr and the others were. It angled its head toward them, throat glowing as it prepared to fire. We couldn't rely on Spira’s barrier a second time. If they took that breath head-on, no human could survive it.
However, I wasn't worried.
The Mage Group had predicted this. They unleashed their prepared spells directly into the dragon’s open maw. The explosions inside its mouth sent a shockwave through the creature, nearly blowing me off my perch. I lost my grip on the dagger, but I managed to seize the horn again.
The Evil Dragon was still alive, but it was struggling now. As expected, internal attacks were devastating—a classic strategy for taking down giants.
"I'm finishing this!"
"Hey, wait!"
I ignored Ressel’s shout and dove straight into the dragon’s mouth. This was the only way to be sure.
I scrambled past the rows of jagged fangs and reached the back of its throat. Fortunately, my Storage Ring was packed with weapons. The gear we’d found in the ruins for Shiroru was still sitting there, un-sold. I pulled them out one by one—swords, spears, daggers—and drove them into the soft tissue of its throat. The dragon thrashed, but I didn't stop. I had to keep the pressure on. If it tried to fire its breath now, I was dead, so I didn't give it a second of peace.
My world became a blur of motion as the dragon twisted and turned. Finally, its momentum began to fail. I was about to drive yet another blade home when a bone-chilling scream echoed through the hall. My right hand sliced through empty air as the dragon’s body began to shimmer and fade.
I had done it. The dragon was defeated.
I didn't have a moment to savor the victory before the vanishing body dropped me. I managed to roll into a landing, the various weapons I’d used clattering onto the floor around me.
"How’s Spira!?"
I sprinted over to Lowell. She was still breathing, but it was so faint I could barely hear it. We were out of time.
I scanned the area where the dragon had stood. Amidst the pile of discarded weapons, I saw it: blue scales and dragon meat. I double-checked with my Appraisal Loupe just to be certain. They were Blue Dragon Scales and Blue Dragon Meat. Other items had dropped too—bones and various materials—but I didn't care about those. I snatched up the Rune Breaker and the Dagger of Piercing, shoving them into my Storage Ring.
"I’m taking the meat and scales. Spira needs them," I told Ressel bluntly.
He looked at the dying girl and nodded solemnly. "I don't know what's happening, but she clearly doesn't have much time. Go ahead. Do you have a plan?"
"I have the ingredients now. If I can just get her to the apothecary..."
"I see. Then take this." Ressel handed me a Return Crystal.
With this, we could bypass the long trek back through the sewer. "Thank you! Take whatever items are left on the floor. And take this, too!"
I pulled a heavy bag of coins from my Storage Ring and shoved it into Ressel’s hands. It was compensation for the loot and the crystal—it held several platinum coins, which should have been more than enough.
I didn't wait for a response. I had to get Spira to Pearl immediately.
Halfa, Shiroru, Lowell, and Spira gathered around me. I activated the Return Crystal. As the light enveloped us, I thought I heard Ressel shouting something, but I couldn't afford to listen. I would hear him out some other time.