We had deliberately deployed a restraining spell formula over the bottomless quagmire in the wetlands so that he would notice it.
Of course, this was a mere bluff and possessed little actual binding strength. It was only meant to briefly halt his advance. The real trap was a large-scale, three-dimensional flame-attribute restraining spell formula cast by magic tools positioned at set intervals further around the area. This was a byproduct born by chance during the experiment I had conducted with Mr. Lou to test this bizarre imitation ability of mine.
Specifically, I had squeezed my eyes shut and envisioned four individuals skilled in magic.
The first was an obstinate-looking old man wearing navy blue robes.
The second was an arrogant-looking, handsome boy with black hair.
The third was a beautiful girl with long, lustrous black hair.
The fourth was a tall boy whose long blue hair was tied behind his head.
When I crafted the items by imitating them, this utterly vicious restraining magic tool was the result. A large-scale encirclement and annihilation battle utilizing these magic tools was the core of our operation.
Right now, Kiji, Bū, Chato, and I were standing by beside the magic tools, ready to activate them the moment he stepped into the designated position.
"Will that bastard really walk right into the trap on his own?"
Swallowing hard at the giant blue dragon bearing down on us, Kiji asked from my right.
"If Cetus is the kind of dragon species you described, he will."
Cetus was the chief of the blue dragons who had ruled this land of Northground since ancient times. He was said to be immensely proud, trusting no one but himself—the very embodiment of arrogance and insolence. In particular, he looked down on everything other than the dragon species as inferior creatures. In that case, if those very monsters he deemed inferior deployed such an obvious restraining spell formula, he would undoubtedly walk right into it of his own accord. His pride simply wouldn't permit him to dodge a trap set by mere monsters. That was the opening we were exploiting.
"I can guarantee that! Cetus's sheer rottenness is common knowledge among us monsters! That bastard views even his fellow dragons as nothing more than convenient pawns!"
To my right, Bū spat those words out in disgust.
"Still, look at the size of that thing! Is Gil's trump card even going to work?"
"Chato, no matter how huge it is, at the end of the day it's just an overgrown lizard. The beast itself shouldn't pose any problem."
I was probably thinking this way because I had witnessed the battle between Mr. Lou and that pitch-black monster. Compared to them, that thing was nothing more than an oversized lizard. My magic tools had received Mr. Lou's personal stamp of approval. There was no way a giant lizard like that could withstand them.
"An overgrown lizard? That's Cetus, the ruler of Northground, you know?!"
Chato questioned me in an exasperated voice, to which I replied:
"I never said Cetus was weak. The real threat is the humanoid riding on that lizard's back."
I corrected his misunderstanding.
Truth be told, I felt no threat whatsoever from that colossal lizard. Rather, it was the humanoid creature lounging haughtily on the puppet's back that radiated the overwhelming presence of a true powerhouse. Ten to one, that was Cetus.
"A humanoid on its back?"
Bū narrowed his eyes, voicing his doubt.
"He's right! There really is someone up there!"
Chato let out a wild yelp, and Kiji nodded slightly as well.
"He's right. It's tough even for us sheep cats to spot him from here... Gil, you've got incredible eyesight, don't you?"
Since it had felt natural, I hadn't realized it, but he was still a considerable distance away. Even so, I could see him quite clearly. Had my far sight always been this sharp?
"Here he comes!"
Cyclone's sharp warning rang out, snapping my wandering thoughts back to reality.
The Great Blue Dragon rushed into view, galloping toward us and making the ground rumble beneath its weight.
Just as expected. People with foolishly inflated pride like him were easy to read. In fact, I understood his mindset like the back of my hand. I suspect it was probably because I had seen that dream about the lowest, most rotten scumbag. Honestly, seizing victory thanks to that scumbag was pure irony, but all that remained was to execute things according to plan. With this, we could send him straight to the netherworld.
(Your defeat comes from being far too overconfident in yourself!)
Fully aware that the corners of my mouth were curling into a smile, I began pouring magic power into the magic tool.