Zack desperately tried to muster his courage, gripping his sword tightly.
Once you’re taken down, you can’t get back up. That was a harsh reality he knew all too well.
“…So it was also a human who liberated me from that control. That, too, is a fact.”
At this point, many found hope in the fact that the Ice Dragon’s anger had diminished, even if just a little.
Judging from its words, it seemed quite rational. Maybe it would just fly away somewhere. Or perhaps it would even express gratitude.
Such a faint and fleeting hope – one befitting of weak, mortal beings.
“However, humans are still so unpleasant. There is no reason to keep them alive.”
An unmistakable intent to kill, directed at them with unreasonable and arrogant reasoning.
“…………!”
The morale that Luke had raised was lost in an instant, leaving only hearts trembling in fear.
Only the high-ranking adventurers and knights who had weathered many battles remained undaunted. Some realized their own impending deaths, while others still managed to steel themselves.
In the midst of this silence…
“Haha..hahaha!!”
A resounding laughter echoed. Luke strode forth before them all, captivating their gaze and making them doubt their own sanity.
Zack had already begun considering a retreat strategy – how to escape with Luke, and how many could be saved in the process.
He had determined that this was a battle they could not win, and was searching his mind for a way out.
Everyone present, including Zack, knew of Luke’s extraordinary strength that went beyond the norm of [humanity].
“Lord Luke!”
Therefore, Zack shouted.
“Listen well, all of you.”
But Luke spoke without even turning back to face them.
His back seemed immensely imposing.
“No one is to interfere. I will deal with this dragon alone.”
It was likely that only Luke was truly and purely delighting in this situation.
Sword techniques and magic that were never meant to be used against [humans] – this was a formidable opponent that would allow him to unleash them to the fullest. This was a sweet temptation for Luke, who was always constrained by the need to control his immense power.
A battle without any shackles, where his blood could boil with all-out effort.
The mere thought of it naturally curled his lips upwards.
“I will not tolerate any interference, no matter what.”
“Luke…”
Yes, Luke simply wanted to fight with all his might. Surely Abel, the protagonist, would ultimately defeat this ice dragon. So it would not matter even if Luke were to vanquish it himself.
Luke’s thought process was remarkably simple.
But to those present, the sight of him facing alone a terrifyingly powerful monster that had them all resigned to their deaths…
It was the sight of a [hero].
Truly, a hero straight out of the bard’s tales.
“Tch…you’re something else, aren’t you…”
Zack murmured inadvertently.
He had been thinking only of his own life. In this situation, it was understandable. Surely no one would blame him. But even in this dire predicament, there was someone willing to risk their life for others. This was what people called a [hero].
Not that Luke possessed any such lofty spirit.
Abel hated monsters. Even if this one was being controlled, the cruelty inherent to monsters was undeniable. Moreover, the monsters were the root cause of all that he had lost.
It was an impossible request to ask him not to hate.
Therefore, his sole focus was on how to kill this ice dragon. He harbored only the darkest of emotions.
Until he saw Luke, standing against the ice dragon for the sake of others.
(“Luke…you’re truly amazing. I’m proud to call you my friend. But if things get too dangerous, I’ll come to your aid. You’ll probably get mad at me, though.”)
“You’ll come help if things get dangerous?”
“Yeah.”
“Honestly, even if everyone here fought together, I don’t think they’d have a chance against the dragon if Luke lost. Still, you’d go help?”
“Yeah.”
“…Heh, I figured as much from you.”
Lily did not press the issue any further.
“Geez, trying to act all cool. You could’ve at least let us fight together.”
“Yeah, but that’s so like Luke.”
Unaware of the rising admiration for him, Luke activated his magic.
“[Armor of Darkness], [Wings of Darkness], [Attribute: Darkness].”
“…Hmph, dark attribute, eh? Interesting. And that spirit of self-sacrifice for others’ sake pleases me as well. What say you? If you wish, I could spare your life–“
“Silence, you scaly lizard with wings.”
“….What. did you just say?”
The ice dragon’s demeanor drastically changed.
The magic power it unleashed in its anger literally froze the surrounding area.
“Heh…did you not hear? How dare a scaly lizard with wings talk down to me? Know your place.”
“You bastard!! Don’t think I’ll die easily!!”
Luke and the ice dragon.
From either side, the battle was joined.
….
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“GRAAAAGH!!”
The ice dragon gathered horrific magical power in its throat and exhaled a freezing breath.
Even with Luke’s capabilities, a direct hit would surely be fatal.
Yet he simply watched it calmly, as if it were a mundane, everyday occurrence. And with the slightest upward tilt of his lips, he activated a spell.
“[Dark Sun].”
In less than a second between the breath being released and reaching him, Luke had accurately measured the immense magical power within it, and judged that he could easily absorb it.
From his dark right hand, a dark sun rises slowly into the sky. As if drawn to it, the ice dragon’s breath changes direction unnaturally and is swallowed by it.
“Damn it!”
The ice dragon exhales its freezing breath once more. Not towards Luke, but towards that black sun that devours everything.
However, this one is slightly different from the previous one. It’s narrower and more concentrated.
–In an instant, the dark sun is frozen. It’s the moment Luke’s magic is broken.
“…Magnificent.”
Is it due to the ocean-deep knowledge that far exceeds a human’s? Or is it his outstanding insight?
The ice dragon has grasped the weakness of dark magic. That weakness is that there is a limit to the amount of magic power that can be absorbed at once.
That’s why the ice dragon exhaled a breath with higher magical density.
“I see, the density of magic power is extremely important in magic, after all. –Heh, Lloyd is indeed excellent.”
“What are you–“
“Then, let’s try concentrating the magic power even more into the core. Denser, smaller. — [Extreme Dark Sun]”
This is bad. The ice dragon instinctively realizes it.
Even though it should be the same magic as before, no matter which of its own spells it uses, it cannot break this. It’s almost a certainty, rather than just an intuition.
And the magic power is honed too quickly. Luke has practically no lag time in casting his spells. Therefore, he has no choice but to decide immediately.
Before this dark sun sucks up the magic in the atmosphere and grows larger.
“–!”
Dragons, as a species, have terrifying physical and magical resistance. Moreover, they even possess miraculous regenerative abilities, truly surpassing humans as living beings.
The ice dragon chose to destroy the magic with its sturdy body. –Whipping its tail, sharp and flexible like a whip, it slashes through the dark sun with tremendous speed.
“GAAAAH!!”
In an instant, he feels his own magic power being rapidly drained. The ice dragon is stunned. It lost this much magic power with just the slightest contact. –Direct hits must be avoided at all costs.
“I see, the dragon’s extraordinarily high durability is as documented. It can be applied to attacks as well. To deal damage, I need either overwhelming physical attacks or overwhelming magical attacks. –Even better if I have both.”
“…!”
Luke displays a ferocious grin.
At this moment, the ice dragon finally truly understands. The being before it, though a lowly human, truly intends to kill the dragon that is itself.
The ice dragon cannot comprehend the expressions of the human Luke. But through its senses, honed to a keen edge far beyond human, it grasps it. The moment it understood, the ice dragon felt a sensation it had not experienced in a long time seeping in like a haze.
That sensation was–
(…Could it be, that I, am feeling [fear]…?)
But this fear is soon engulfed by a different emotion. A scorching rage.
For the ice dragon, the fact that it had felt fear, even for an instant, towards a mere human was unacceptable.
“You insolent human being!!!”
The ice dragon flaps its wings and accelerates.
“Haha…how delightful!! To fight to the death!!”
While surrendering to its rage, the ice dragon closes the distance, driven by the rational thought that it must not let Luke use that magic. In turn, Luke also unfurls wings created by magic to meet the ice dragon head-on.
The ice dragon’s sharp claws and fangs clash repeatedly with Luke’s sword. Between the human and the dragon, the victor in pure strength is clear as day.
Scratching, biting, sweeping with the tail. Any of those would be fatal to a human.
However–that’s only if they hit.
All of them are evaded by the narrowest of margins, repelled.
No matter how fast or heavy the ice dragon’s strikes are, none of them land properly.
When it tries to use breath attacks or magic, they are canceled out by dark magic. This stalemate clearly frustrates the ice dragon. Frustrated that a mere human is giving it trouble.
But as Luke’s sword strikes grow sharper and sharper, that emotion gradually fades away.
“…………”
From the start of the engagement, it had realized.
It forcibly covered it up with anger and looked away, but now it can no longer afford to do so.
The being known as Luke–must not be underestimated as a mere [human].
Otherwise, it will be the one to die.
The ice dragon senses this through its instinct, and acknowledges Luke as an equal.
And it decides to stake its life on this–
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