The dragon and I continued our desperate exchange, neither of us yielding an inch.
Because I had managed to dodge or parry every strike the dragon threw my way, I had suffered almost no external injuries. However, the cost was high. I had already refreshed my buffs ten times.
A splitting headache throbbed at its peak, and blood trickled incessantly from my nose. I knew this was proof that my body was screaming, reaching its absolute limit, but every time the blood flowed, I wiped it away roughly with my left hand and ignored the pain.
The Black Dragon, by contrast, was a mess of gouged flesh. Chunks had been carved from its abdomen and back. Its right eye was crushed, its scales were shattered across its entire body, and it bled profusely. Only two of its misty orbs remained from the original ten.
It was no exaggeration to say we were both on the verge of collapse.
Our altitude had dropped considerably, and we were now hovering only a few meters above the floor. Finally, as if its wings could no longer support its weight, the dragon plummeted to the ground. Seeing its descent, I followed suit and landed.
"Haah... haah... Finally... you're down."
To be honest, it had been a close-run thing. If it had held out in the air any longer, my chances of winning would have plummeted.
Instinct told me I only had enough strength left for a few more spells. I could no longer perform a full buff refresh—activating thirty spells simultaneously was out of the question. If I even tried, I’d collapse on the spot.
I let go of my sword's hilt. Gravity took hold, and the blade hit the ground with a high-pitched metallic clang. Ignoring it, I thrust my right hand forward.
The spot where I stood now was the exact same place where I had cast a specific spell on the ground earlier—right after I'd used Reflective Wall to bounce back those fireballs at the start of the fight.
As if responding to my will, a massive magic circle with a ten-meter radius erupted across the floor.
"...Destruction."
At my murmur, the ground at the center of the circle heaved, and a jet-black mass surged upward. When my right hand touched it, a pressure so intense it could be mistaken for a gale erupted from the mass, causing the very air to vibrate.
The obsidian lump shifted and elongated, transforming into a sinister, jet-black greatsword roughly the same height as I was.
Destruction was an evolution of Earthenware, a support magic that hardened the surrounding earth to create makeshift weapons. By combining that with Mana Convergence, I had birthed this spell.
The blade produced by Destruction held mana condensed to its absolute limit. Its sheer destructive power far exceeded that of Special-grade Magic, even without the aid of Impact. It was a "Magic Sword" in the truest sense—a blade forged of pure, concentrated mana.
Dragging the heavy sword behind me, I walked slowly toward the dragon. Perhaps intimidated by the crushing pressure radiating from the blade, the beast launched its remaining two mists in a desperate, reckless strike.
"...Reflective Wall."
I deployed a Reflective Wall directly onto the floor and stomped down on it with everything I had. This was the same barrier that had effortlessly repelled the dragon's own attacks; it didn't even flinch under my weight. Instead, the force reflected back, launching me straight into the air.
"Reflective Wall... Reflective Wall!"
I conjured more barriers in mid-air, setting them at precise angles. I twisted my body as I struck them, using the reflected force to bounce toward the space directly above the Black Dragon. I had already placed one final Reflective Wall there, parallel to the ground. When I hit it, I was catapulted into a vertical plunge.
Having just committed its mists to an attack, the dragon had no way to intercept me as I hurtled down from above.
"Weight Up!"
I increased the mass of the already-heavy Magic Sword. Relying on the physical power forced to its peak by my buffs, I spun my body, adding the momentum of a rotation as I swung the greatsword down with all my might.
It was a recreation of my very first strike of the battle—though the weapon in my hands was far more lethal. And if I was recreating my first move, there was one more thing I needed.
"Impact!"
Just before the blade made contact, I activated my specialty—the technique that had allowed me to support the Hero Party for so long.
The Magic Sword slammed into the dragon's neck. It didn't care about the beast's resistance or its thick scales; it drove the dragon's head straight into the floor. The momentum didn't stop there. The blade sheared through the neck entirely, carving a deep crater into the ground before finally coming to a halt.
The Black Dragon lay still, its head severed. It was dead.
I plunged the Magic Sword into the ground, leaning against it just to keep myself upright.
"Haah... haah... haah..."
I actually won... My head is killing me. I just want to sleep. Wait... is everyone else okay?
In the heat of the final moments, I had completely forgotten their presence. When I looked toward the members of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky, I found the air had turned frigid.
Some looked relieved that the threat was over; others looked as though they couldn't process the reality of what they’d seen. But they all shared one thing: a raw, palpable fear directed at me.
I had single-handedly slaughtered a monster that had terrified even Selma-san, the strongest member of their clan. It was only natural for them to be afraid.
I thought I’d prepared myself for these kinds of looks... but it still hurts. Wait... what did I mean by "still"? This is the first time anyone has ever looked at me like that... isn't it? Why did I just think that, as if I've been through this before?
A strange sense of dissonance washed over me, a feeling that I was overlooking something vital. But in my battered state, I didn't have the mental energy to pursue the thought.
Well, as long as they're safe, that's enough. I can't think anymore. Actually... how am I going to handle the cleanup? I don't have a shred of strength left...
As that thought crossed my mind, every Explorer in the room, myself included—along with the massive corpse of the Black Dragon—was suddenly enveloped in a pale blue light.