「Magic beasts on the surface...? Hey, Ozwell! What is the meaning of this!?」
Witnessing the surreal sight of a massive swarm of dragons emerging from a rift in the sky, the 《Hero》 raised his voice in a sharp interrogation of the man in red.
「It is exactly as it looks, Your Highness. We are going to overrun this land with this legion of dragons!」
The man in red threw his arms wide, his voice brimming with triumph.
High above, the summoned dragons looked down at us with eerie silence, like tamed predators. They were clearly awaiting their master’s command.
(A controlled swarm of magic beasts, huh? This is going to be a headache.)
「Don't give me that! If you do this, innocent civilians will be slaughtered! I won't allow it!」The 《Hero》 condemned him, his voice thick with rage.
It was a bit rich coming from the man who had led the invasion, but it was true that even though the battle had started before my arrival in Rugau, no civilians had been harmed yet. While the property damage was extensive, the only human casualties so far were the territorial soldiers and the explorers from the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky who had engaged them.
He had apparently drawn a line, refusing to target non-combatants.
「How naive. That is a mere sacrifice for the cause. Compared to my objective, it is a triviality.」
The man in red was prepared to cross even that final line. I decided then that I didn't need to show this man any mercy.
「Now, dragons! To begin—annihilate Rugau!」
At the man's command, the dragons poised in the air began to move as one, surging toward the town like a coordinated army.
「Stop! My subordinates in Rugau are also—」
「Oh, they’re in the way, so I’ll be erasing them as well. Here is the script: 'His Highness and the Imperial Guard were assassinated by the explorers of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky. I arrived too late to save them, but by utilizing my magic beast summoning, I avenged the prince and his men while laying Rugau to waste.' That is the scenario. Therefore, Your Highness, I’m afraid you must die as well. Thank you for your service.」
「What... are... ugh... gah!」
As the man in red laid out his shoddy plot, the 《Hero》 suddenly dropped to his knees in agony, eventually vomiting a spray of blood.
「This is the result of Your Highness failing to meet our expectations. A pity, truly. But worry not; the Empire you hold so dear will continue to prosper under our guidance. You can die in peace.」
「Ozwell... McCloud...! So it was you... who poisoned... my father’s mind...! What... are you... plotting!」The 《Hero》 gasped, forcing the words out through the blood.
「...My, you’re persistent. That was supposed to be a lethal dose of poison. Does an Atavism really refuse to die even from that? Well, thank you for providing me with such valuable data at the end. Your Highness, your role is finished. Now—」
Muttering to himself, the man in red drew a small blade and approached the 《Hero》 to deliver the final blow. However, before the lethal edge could reach the prince’s throat, a series of thunderous explosions rocked the sky.
They were caused by my Heavenly Flash and the multiple [Explodes] from the robed woman.
While the man in red was occupied with the 《Hero》 after giving his orders to the dragons, I spoke to the robed woman in a voice too low for the others to hear.
「Hey, robed woman.」
「I told you, my name is Shion—」
「Lend me a hand. I assume you don’t want this place falling to the Empire either?」
Borrowing her strength was the last thing I wanted to do, but if I wasted time arguing, this territory would be overrun. No matter how much weaker these dragons might be compared to the ones in the Great Labyrinth, their sheer numbers were overwhelming. There was a limit to what I could handle alone.
It galled me to admit it, but based on our fight six months ago, I knew she was the most capable Mage I had ever encountered. In our current situation, she was the best candidate for large-scale annihilation magic. I had to set aside my personal feelings and play the best hand available.
The fact that she had appeared exactly when my duel with the 《Hero》 ended made me suspect she had intended to help me from the start. That meant my defeat—and the fall of this territory—was likely disadvantageous to her. Given that Amunzaas and the Cyclamen Cult were at odds, it was reasonable to assume our interests were aligned, even if it was just wishful thinking on my part.
「...I never expected such a proposal to come from Orun.」She whispered, her face blank with genuine shock. Then, her eyes began to shimmer, and her expression shifted as if she were desperately trying to suppress a smile.
「We don't have time. Are you in or out? Answer me.」
「—Yes, I’ll help...!」
「Then it’s a temporary truce. I’ll hold the head of the formation. You—」
「Annihilate the center, right?」
She understood my plan before I could even finish the sentence.
「Yeah. I’m counting on you.」
「Leave it to me. I’ll watch your back, Orun, so go as wild as you want!」
I couldn't explain why, but even though she was an enemy who had harmed my disciples, I felt a strange sense of reliability from her. A flicker of joy even tried to well up inside me.
(I’m only using her out of necessity. Don’t get it twisted. This woman is an enemy.)
I hammered that thought into my mind while using [Gravity Manipulation] to negate the weight on my body. Then, leveraging the physical boost from [Culmination], I kicked off the ground and surged into the sky, positioning myself to block the dragons' path.
The sight of so many dragons bearing down on me was certainly an intimidating spectacle. I readied my magic sword.
「—Heavenly Flash...!」
「【Explode Chain】...!」
My Heavenly Flash, reinforced with [Impact], tore through the lead dragon and generated a massive shockwave of mana. That shockwave rippled outward, dealing merciless death to the front ranks. Simultaneously, a massive detonation from the robed woman’s [Explode] bloomed in the center of the formation, triggering a chain reaction of secondary blasts that tore through the swarm.
Normally, magic beasts vanish into black mist and leave behind a magic stone. These dragons turned to mist, but no stones remained.
(It would have been better if they left stones, but I’ll take the fact that there aren't any corpses to deal with.)
「Orun, let’s go!」
I had just delivered the first blow and was beginning to construct my next spell when she called out to me.
(No way. Does she already know what I’m planning next?)
It was as if we were perfectly in sync. I’d only met this woman twice, and the first time was as enemies. Usually, I’d say it was impossible for someone to read my mind like that. And yet, for some reason, I found myself thinking that if it was Shion, she might actually understand.
I hesitated for a fraction of a second before deciding to trust her just this once. If she missed the mark, I’d just treat her as a tool from then on.
As if she could read my mind perfectly, she cast her magic before I could even tell her what I needed.
「【Space Leap】!」
The world flickered, and my vision shifted. Suddenly, I was right in front of the man in red. She had teleported me directly above the kneeling 《Hero》.
(She really does know what I’m thinking.)
I was stunned by the precision, but I immediately forced my mind back to the task. I slammed a kick into the face of the man in red, who had been staring up at the explosions in the sky with his guard down. I followed through, sending him tumbling dozens of meters away.
If this man truly possessed [Self-Healing], killing him wouldn't be simple. My priority was keeping him out of the dragon fight. I’d show him hell later; for now, he could just stay put—under a mountain of rock.
「【Meteor】!」
I channeled mana into the formula I’d been preparing since the moment I teleported. A massive boulder materialized in the sky, crushing several dragons as it plummeted toward the man in red, who was currently clutching his face on the ground.
The moment the boulder struck the earth with a deafening roar, a barrage of thunder spears shot up from the robed woman’s position into the swarm above. That, too, was exactly what I had envisioned.
I had to accept it: this woman understood my tactics. It was a relief, honestly, though it worried me to think about facing her as an enemy again later. But for now, I had to focus on the present.
I didn't know if the man in red was dead, but at the very least, he couldn't give orders. Without him, these dragons were no longer a disciplined army—they were just monsters. And hunting monsters was an explorer's specialty. As long as I managed the hate correctly, we could do this.
To that end...
「《Hero》, I need you on your feet. You brought this mess to our doorstep; now you’re going to help clean it up. Take some responsibility.」
I spoke to the man kneeling at my feet as I cast [Exheal] on him.
「...I would like nothing more, but... this poison was designed by Ozwell specifically to kill me. Recovery magic... won't work. I am finished. ...Forgive me. I had my doubts about this invasion, but... for the sake of the Empire, I...」
The 《Hero》 began a deathbed confession. I knew he wasn't the one who had ordered the invasion; that was the work of the Empire’s high command. Even for a 《Hero》, resisting that kind of pressure was nearly impossible. If someone else had led the charge, the civilian casualties would likely have been catastrophic. In a way, I was glad it had been him.
But that didn't mean I was ready to forgive him.
「Why are you giving up so easily? Aren't you supposed to be a 《Hero》?」
The robed woman, who had been holding the dragons' attention since I teleported, spoke as she approached while effortlessly parrying their attacks.
「—The 《White Demon》...!? Why are you here...?」
「Does it matter? I’m currently being targeted by an entire swarm. Could you hurry up and pull some hate?」
「Robed woman, recovery magic doesn't work on him. We'll have to handle this ourselves. Now get away from me; don't draw their fire toward us.」
「...Orun, aren't you being a little too cold to me?」
I had also hoped the 《Hero》 could act as our Defender, but if he couldn't be healed, he was useless in a fight. To make matters worse, with the three of us grouped together, the dragons' fire began to concentrate on our position. A deluge of fireballs and mana bullets rained down, blotting out the sky.
「Tch. 【Fifth Form: Mont Fün—」
「There is no need.」
Just as I was about to shift my sword into a shield, the 《Hero》’s voice rang out—strong and commanding, as if his weakness from moments ago had been an illusion. All the incoming attacks were suddenly deflected by an invisible, dome-shaped force field.
「《White Demon》, you have my gratitude. I am in your debt. I must return to the Empire immediately, but first, I shall join the hunt. Consider this my atonement. I will not allow any more damage to this land!」
The 《Hero》 stood up slowly, his presence revitalized.
「How? You were dying of poison...」
「That’s my ability: [Time Rewind]. I simply wound his body back to the state it was in before he was poisoned.」
「【Time Rewind】...? What a ridiculous power.」The words slipped out before I could stop them. An ability that could turn back time? Should that even exist?
Then again, if she could truly redo everything, we wouldn't be in this mess. It likely had massive risks or limitations on how far back she could go. Still, the fact that she could rewind a person’s physical state so easily was terrifying.
「It’s nothing compared to yours, Orun. Now then, since the party is all here, shall we begin the hunt?」The robed woman shouted, glaring up at the sky.
「To face so many dragons at once... my heart is pounding!」The 《Hero》 added, a look of pure, innocent excitement on his face.
(I never would have dreamed I’d be fighting alongside these two. Life really is unpredictable.)
I let out a mental sigh, feeling a strange sense of irony. Then, I sharpened my focus.
「Fine. I’ll cooperate with you for now. But don't forget—once this is over, you both have debts to settle with me.」
Now—let the dragon hunt begin!