“I’m staying to help Karen-chan… You’re staying too, right?”
When Yueri asks, Karen takes a deep breath, then nods firmly.
Her eyes burn with resolve.
“Ouga. I’ll stay here and tend to the wounded.”
“…You’re sure?”
“…Yeah. I’ve practiced healing magic all this time… and I don’t want to slow you down rescuing Mashiro.”
“You’d never—!”
“I would… Sorry, Ouga. I wanted to fight beside you… but I don’t have my father’s talent for battle.”
Karen steps forward and lightly punches my chest.
“But my soul will always be with you. So… don’t lose to that bitch.”
“…Never. I’ll end this. Then we’ll all smile at the wedding.”
“…Yeah!”
“Go, boy! You’ve got what it takes to save the world!”
Karen, Yueri, Reina, Alice—everyone’s doing what they can.
I have to repay their faith.
“Gauss—can you catch them?!”
[Don’t insult my speed!]
Gauss’s wings tear through the wind, each beat generating violent thrust.
I cling to his neck, glaring ahead at Flone’s group—
and Mashiro, limp at her feet.
“Hahh…”
I force down the magma-hot rage bubbling in my chest.
Anger’s fine. But don’t let it cloud your mind.
Heart hot. Head cold. Otherwise, this fight could be my last.
With my promise renewed, Gauss and I soar higher.
The clouds loom closer—but Flone isn’t waiting. [Thunderbolts] fire erratically, forcing us to dodge and slow down. Annoying, but effective.
Yet Gauss is no ordinary dragon. Among the dragons feared by humanity, he’s elite.
[Keep your eyes sharp, Ouga! I’ll deliver you to that wretch—this is nothing!]
“Heh. Never doubted you, Gauss!”
With a snort, Gauss weaves through the lightning storm, exploiting every gap.
Once clear, he accelerates—Flone’s back now in sight.
“Hand Mashiro back, Flone!”
“Time to learn some things can’t be done, brat.”
An aerial duel, dragon-to-dragon.
I’m at an overwhelming disadvantage because I can’t use magic.
However, I don’t want to use the “magic burial technique” as much as possible in order to avoid the attacks.
if Flone analyzes its mechanics, my trump card’s ruined.
[Magic Burial] is the trump card to defeat Flone.
I can’t reveal it carelessly.
“…Let’s test Yueri’s upgrade.”
Hence this fallback plan—
It compensates for my weakness of long-range attack
In fact, we had been discussing it earlier, but the intense magic consumption made adjustments difficult.
Even so, Yueri must have made the final adjustments for its use in that crucial moment.
The new gimmick consumes all four magic stone lines installed in the [True Dragon Slaying Fist].
“……Let’s go, Gauss!”
[Hold on tight!]
We begin to move after glaring at each other.
If I were to consider my advantage over Floné while riding on Gauss’s back, it would be the difference in communication with the magic dragon.
Since Floné has completely taken over the magic dragon’s will and must control it herself, while I can focus on attacking because Gauss makes his own judgments.
This difference in maneuverability should give us a significant lead in aerial combat.
“[Dragon Slaying Fist – Void]!”
“As if I’d let you use your trump card right from the start!”
I thrust out my fist as we pass by each other, aiming to rescue Mashiro who was on her back, but she spins around and dodges it.
“Now it’s my turn. Have you forgotten? That I was Reina’s master—[Thousand Thunder Arrows]”
“So many!?”
[Ouga, just focus on attacking!]
Lightning arrows deployed without gaps rain down upon us.
Accompanied by a brightness that nearly robs us of vision, Gauss descends straight down to lure the wide-range attack meant to ensure a hit, then makes a U-turn just in time to avoid it.
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That’s right. I should trust Gauss and continue doing what I can do.
“Gauss. I need some time to charge before the next attack. Can you manage?”
[Hmph, who do you think I am? It’s nothing!]
Gauss breathes fire in place of me who can’t use magic, keeping Floné at bay.
Meanwhile, Floné deploys another wide-area attack similar to the [Thousand Thunder Arrows].
She seems determined to make me use [Magic Burial].
“It seems you really want me to use that no matter what……! Ugh……!”
While shifting my center of gravity to avoid being thrown off by Gauss’s intense movements, I charge magical power into the [True Dragon Slaying Fist].
And as if to indicate completion of the charge, all four lines lit up.
……Kukuku, let’s begin the counterattack!
“Gauss!”
[whenever you’re ready!]
A reliable partner indeed. With a pat on his back, Gauss charges straight toward Floné.
His speed increases rapidly, reaching a point where my body would be carried away into the air if I lost focus.
Don’t close your eyelids. My internal organs feel compressed, it’s painful. I swallow down the rising nausea.
I have to endure this much to get a chance against Floné……!
“Here I go!”
And just before colliding, Gauss changes his route to pass by Floné’s magic dragon.
At that moment, I pushed off from his back, attempting to leap onto Floné’s magic dragon.
An unfamiliar floating sensation envelops me, but my gaze remains locked onto the enemy, never wavering……!
“What a foolish mind you have. Coming to throw away your life on your own……”
“Ignoring someone as vile as you would be equivalent to being dead already.”
Due to inertia, I reach slightly faster than Floné can cast her spell.
A once-in-a-lifetime chance to get Mashiro back. If I’m about to get hit by magic, I’ll play the [Magic Burial] card this time!
“Are you prepared to be punched, Floné!?”
“Don’t think I’m someone who relies solely on magic. How many more years do you think I’ve lived compared to you? The difference in experience is too great.”
Not just words, Floné easily catches my fist.
The attack didn’t fail…… or rather, this situation was exactly what I was hoping for.
I knew you would catch my right fist. Because I showed you the [Dragon Slaying Fist – Void] gimmick earlier. To prevent you from taking Mashiro who’s sleeping behind.
“I knew it. I believed you would definitely catch it.”
If there’s an overwhelming difference in experience, I have no choice but to rely on a first-encounter kill.
I created that situation.
Four magic stone lines consumed. All the accumulated magical power converges, generating intense heat within my arm.
The mass of refined and compressed magical power transforms itself into a powerful weapon.
“Dragon Slaying Fist: Light!”
And then—it was unleashed.
“Gah!?”
No matter how fast one’s reflexes are, the hand gripping it wouldn’t escape unscathed.
With a sizzling sound of flesh being seared apart, the Dragon Slaying Fist: Light pierced straight through the Dark Dragon’s back.
[DYAAAAAA!?]
Even under brainwashing, pain is still felt.
The Dragon Slaying Fist: Blade, which once sliced through Gauss’ wing, had only used a single line of power.
Meaning, this attack consumed four times the magical energy—its destructive force was monstrous.
I had predicted a high chance of success based on calculations from the Dragon Slaying Fist: Blade, but it dealt a solid blow. Thanks to landing a direct hit, the damage from Dragon Slaying Fist: Light must have been devastating.
Despite Flone riding it, the massive body was sent reeling—
And of course, so was Mashiro, who was unconscious…!
I’ve been waiting for this moment.
“Mashiro…!”
Breaking free from Flone’s grip, I dashed across the Dark Dragon’s back.
Unconscious, Mashiro offered no resistance as she was flung from the dragon’s body.
Too far—but it didn’t matter.
If I could just reach her and hold her in my arms…!
“Limit Break Gear: Change!”
This isn’t a reason to give up!
Expanding my stride, I stomped down hard and stretched my arm toward Mashiro.
Her weight settled heavily into my grasp.
Holding her tightly so she wouldn’t slip away, I turned my back downward to shield her from impact.
The next instant—BAM!—a shockwave blasted through me.
My lungs emptied, leaving me breathless, but the pain in my own body didn’t matter.
Looking down at the sleeping princess in my arms,
I confirmed her flawless skin bore no wounds—she was truly just unconscious. Only then did I finally let out a sigh of relief.
“…Perfect timing, Gauss.”
[Told you, didn’t I? Come whenever the moment’s right.]
“…Yeah, it was flawless.”
Catching my breath, I steadied myself and glared up at Flone in the sky.
Her Dark Dragon had already regained its composure, and Flone herself stood atop it, her face flushed crimson with fury.
“…You just never stop interfering, do you, Ouga Vellet?”
The damn hag was blabbering.
But now, I’d exposed Dragon Slaying Fist: Light.
Flone’s attacks would only grow fiercer—I had to stay sharp.
Saving Mashiro was the bare minimum requirement to defeat her.
From here on, I couldn’t let Mashiro be taken again—I had to bring Flone down.
And to pull that off, Mashiro needed to wake up…!?
“…What the hell is this magical energy…?”
Flone’s power was clearly surging.
She was already insane, but now she’s powering up even more? A real damn monster…!
[Careful—don’t let go of the girl!]
Gauss, sensing the danger too, accelerated to put distance between us and Flone.
But the Dark Dragon matched Gauss’ speed—no, exceeded it, chasing us from behind.
Something was off about the dragon’s movements—its tongue lolled, foam bubbling from its mouth.
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