§
In the Milestia Kingdom, where magic is supreme, the position of adventurers, who are largely disconnected from magic, is not a good one. Therefore, it is natural that the more skilled the adventurer, the more they tend to flow out to other countries.
And here in Gilbadia, there are only adventurers of Rank A or below.
“…Incredible.”
Someone muttered under their breath.
The battle between Luke and the ice dragon. For those present, it was something they could scarcely believe was real. A-rank adventurers are the elite, talented upperclassmen.
But it’s not enough. To join this fight, their power is far too lacking. What’s more, only the truly chosen, the S-rank and X-rank adventurers would be adequate.
Luke’s fighting form made the onlookers feel as if they had wandered into the world of an illustrated story.
This is a battlefield. They should know to always be on alert, but most had lowered their weapons, simply staring in awe.
“Luke-kun…just how far can you—”
Abel was among them.
Incredible. There were no other words to describe it.
A longing admiration, the kind of feeling anyone would have. But Abel couldn’t bring himself to harbor that.
(—I can never become like Luke-kun.)
What he felt was the conviction that ‘I can never reach that level’.
But it wasn’t resignation. It was a resolve and determination to walk his own path.
(Right now, the gap is too wide, I can’t even fathom how far behind I am. But…someday, I want to catch up. No matter how long it takes, somehow—)
Despite the presence of a terrifying existence that evoked death just nearby, there was no panic, no words, only a profound silence.
But—
“SPLEEEEENDID!!”
///
scene transition
///
A cry of ecstatic shouts echoed.
All eyes turned to search for the source.
And they found it atop the circular rampart – it was Alfred.
He had remained steadfast, watching Luke’s battle alongside the unyielding Claude.
“…Huh? Alfred, what on earth—”
“Master!! Are you witnessing this?! This, this is the realm I could never attain!!”
“…………”
Even though Alfred had served their family for many years, Claude realized in that moment that he truly knew nothing about the man.
§
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Most magic is activated by the mage dividing their conjured magical power between [power] and [speed]. Most do this subconsciously, without even realizing it.
Through his studies at the Aslan Magic Academy, Luke had learned this fact. —But even that was something he could freely manipulate.
Just as everyone intuitively knows how to move their limbs without being taught, Luke could do the same with nearly all aspects of magic. So he found it all rather boring.
Luke had developed a new spell through the power of dark magic – [Wings of Darkness].
With each flap, it absorbs the magical power in the atmosphere, converting it all into [speed].
This grants Luke a speed far surpassing a mere flight spell. A speed that even the dragon, the king of the skies, cannot grasp.
“Darting around…Grr.”
“…………”
He evades the ice dragon’s bites, slashing its wings as he passes by.
But no matter how many times he strikes, the damage is negligible. The dragon’s endurance is truly formidable.
(I considered using [Devouring Darkness]—but)
That is Luke’s most powerful spell. A malevolent dark magic that can even consume matter, having refined the magical absorption property to the utmost. But this spell is still in development, and the toll on his body is immeasurable.
(—It would be a waste. I don’t need magic. I’ll simply cut it down. I’ve already seen through its movements. How tedious and boring. After all, it’s just a monster.)
Luke had no intention of using [Devouring Darkness].
He has perfectly made the unknown power residing in his sword his own, and will tear the ice dragon asunder. That is what he aims to accomplish.
During his training with Alfred, wielding the sword at the Aslan Magic Academy, and test-cutting at the smithy—the vague sensations he had felt until now are being honed and sharpened through his clash with the ice dragon, becoming clear.
It would be a waste to end it with magic. Luke could cut it even without this power. No, he should say he has been cutting it all along.
But now, he faces a truly formidable foe that he cannot slay.
He parries the ice dragon’s claws and fangs with his sword. He deflects its magic and breath.
Through the repeated exchanges, Luke steadily makes that power his own. And then—
“—Ah, so this is it.”
The time has come.
Luke couldn’t pinpoint the exact source of this power. But through his darkness aptitude, he has learned to wield it nonetheless.
This is akin to ‘magic that a warrior can use’. For now, that level of understanding is sufficient. He immediately shifts his focus, channeling all his concentration into his sword.
And Luke’s sword gathers light—
“—[Slash].”
Since the start of the battle, this is the deepest the ice dragon’s sturdy body has been carved.
“GWAAAAAGH!”
Kukuku… Ahahaha!! This is good, I like it!! I can still add more!!
The sensation he had grasped was now like a limb to Luke, as natural as his own body.
Greater power was concentrated in the sword.
What would normally take years of unrelenting training for an ordinary person to master, Luke easily surpassed and accomplished.
“–Double Slash–Triple Slash–“
“GyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHh!!”
What was wielded were lightning-fast consecutive strikes, two and then three.
After around two hundred years, the ice dragon writhed and struggled in pain it had never known before, crashing to the ground.
Dyed in the splashing blood, Luke laughed gleefully.
“Ahahaha!! Next! What next?! Hmm, let’s mix it up!!”
Once more, light gathered in the sword. But this time, it was clearly different from before.
The dark magical power enveloped and dyed the sword’s light black.
“–Dark Slash–“
Without even understanding how advanced a technique this was, Luke accomplished it.
The ice dragon sensed instinctively that this strike was dangerous.
But it was too late.
///
scene transition
///
“GaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
A pain incomparable to before assaulted the ice dragon. A clear sense of death that would not leave his mind.
Amid his flickering consciousness, the ice dragon saw a sight he could scarcely believe – Luke, having imbued his sword with an even greater, more ominous power.
“It was fun, but this is the end. –Dark Bl–“
“W-w-w-wait!! Please wait a moment!!”
Luke’s sword stopped just short.
The tremendous wind pressure instantly blew away the swirling dust in the area.
“…What are you doing?”
“I, I, I completely… s-s-surrender…”
With his head lowered to the ground and his limbs and tail curled up as small as possible, this was the posture of utmost reverence and submission for a dragon.
§
The ice dragon, covered in scales like sturdy armor, possessing fangs and claws that could easily cut through steel, and wings that could soar through the sky. It had various special abilities like breath attacks and command of magic.
Truly, it was considered the mightiest species in this world – the dragons.
Dragons essentially do not form packs. And they scarcely engage in raising their young.
In a year or two, they would simply cast their offspring out of the nest, or in some cases, just lay eggs and abandon them.
The ice dragon knew nothing of his parent’s face, nor did he care.
For around two hundred years since his birth, he had lived without a shred of doubt that he was the strongest. Everything in the ice dragon’s environment had proven this fact.
Going wherever the wind took him, killing anything that even slightly annoyed him, and collecting treasures that caught his fancy. That was how he had lived until now.
Eventually, there was no longer anything that could stand against him. As the mightiest of dragons, possessing the elemental magic of ice, there could be no enemies for the ice dragon.
But – a turning point arrived suddenly.
Sensing the approach of some presence, the ice dragon slowly opened his eyes. A human.
The emotions it stirred were intense disgust and irritation.
This human had disturbed his slumber. That alone was enough for the ice dragon to deem him deserving of a thousand deaths.
Just as the ice dragon was about to swiftly slay him, the sound of a flute reached his ears.
The magical tool, the ‘Domination Flute’, had been independently developed by an organization that belonged to no nation.
Zowari…
A shiver ran through the ice dragon’s body.
It was an emotion he had never experienced before, and did not wish to understand.
The dragon’s keen senses, far surpassing those of humans, detected a danger that should not be possible.
His mind was being tainted by darkness, with part of his thoughts drifting away.
The ice dragon finally realized that he was gripped by clear terror.
Now – his very mind was about to be usurped.
Impossible. It couldn’t be.
A mere human could not possibly do this to him.
“Grooooooooar!! You damn human!!”
He let out a blood-curdling roar, resisting.
But no matter how much he struggled, his consciousness was being eroded.
He had no leisure to attack with his breath or magic. All his focus had to be on resisting, or he would be subjugated in an instant.
Through long years of research and repeated improvements, the ‘Domination Flute’ had become capable of dominating even the mightiest of dragons.
“Wonderful… It’s a success! Arthur will be pleased with this!”
But the control was not complete.
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