Arifureta Vol 6 Chapter 8 (1/2)

Chapter 8 : Black Dragon Subjugation?

The dragon’s length was at least seven meters. With its whole body covered in jet-black scales, there were five sharp claws on each of its long forelegs. Big wings grew from its back which were slightly s.h.i.+ning as they were clad with magic power. Every time it flapped the wings an unbelievable gust of wind appeared, even after taking the size of it’s wings into account. However, its most impressive feature was its golden eyes that floated in the night like moons. Its eyes that closed vertically like a reptile’s, were dangerously narrowed as they released beautiful light.

The golden eyes were glaring at Hajime and the others from the air. A low groan was leaked from the Black Dragon’s throat. Its overwhelming power couldn’t be compared to the Hyveria he saw at the bottom of Raisen Grand Canyon’s ravine. Although Hyverias themselves were generally recognized as troublesome, high level demonic beasts, when compared to the Black Dragon before them, it was as if they were small birds. Its majestic appearance made it suited as the king of the sky.

Just like a frog being stared at by a snake, Aiko and the others stiffened. Will was especially pale faced and gatagata, trembled as if he would collapse at any moment. Inside his mind, he might be having flashback from when he was attacked.

Hajime had already seen the claw marks from the Black Dragon’s attack that created branches off the river. He thought it must be a very strong demonic beast, but feeling the magic power and pressure from the Black Dragon in front of his eyes, he revised that it was three times of what he had imagine. Remembering the demonic beasts in the Abyss, it was not as strong as the Hydra, but he could feel that it had the same power as cla.s.s of demonic beasts from 90th floor.

The Black Dragon confirmed Will’s appearance and girori, sharpened its glare. Following that, in front of the stiffened humans, it slowly lifted its head and concentrated its magic inside the opened jaws where sharp fangs lined up.

KYUuWAaAAA!!

A mysterious timbre began to dye the sunset and reverberated throughout the mountains. Inside Hajime’s mind, he remembered the Breath attack that erased the adventurers on the river.

“Kh! Evacuate!”

Having issued the warning, Hajime immediately leaped away from his location to evacuate. Yue and s.h.i.+a followed after him. However, some people were unable to react to his warning, no, in this case it could be said most of them.

Aiko, the students, and even Will were stiffened and didn’t move from their spots. Aiko and the students’ bodies were unable to keep up with such a sudden event, while Will was bound by fear that made him unable to even avert his gaze.

“Tch!!”

“Hajime!”

“Hajime-san!”

Hajime issued an order to Yue and s.h.i.+a using “Telepathy,” then he suddenly returned to his previous location using “Ground Shrinker” and stood between Aiko’s party and the dragon. Normally, he’d just leave. He didn’t feel bad about abandoning Aiko, rather, he didn’t understand why she came here to search for Will who miraculously survived. But, his “job” was to bring him back if he was alive. That’s why Hajime couldn’t abandon him.

Hajime took out a two meters, coffin-like, large s.h.i.+eld from the “Treasure Box” into the empty s.p.a.ce, he thrust his left arm and linked it to the s.h.i.+eld. As he poured his magic power, on the lower part of the s.h.i.+eld gashun!, a stake appeared. Following that, it mightily pierced the ground.

Immediately, a straight, black, laser-like Breath fired from the dragon. The Breath didn’t let out any sound and immediately reached Hajime’s large s.h.i.+eld. The impact accompanied by a tremendous roar and the heatwave released melted the ground around the large s.h.i.+eld.

“Guu! Ooooo!!”

Hajime let out a roar filled with spirit as he resisted the Breath’s pressure. Before one was aware, Hajime’s body and the large s.h.i.+eld let out bright red light. It came from Hajime’s “Vajra.” However, the Breath seemed to carry greater power, so after he resisted it for a while, his defense was penetrated as the large s.h.i.+eld received a direct hit.

Even so, the large s.h.i.+eld still endured the Breath. Power that penetrated Hajime’s “Vajra” and heat gradually melted its surface, and it’d fall apart at any time, but Hajime used “Trans.m.u.tation” to restore it. He wouldn’t let any more breakthrough than this.

The stake that penetrated the ground to fix his location was defeated by the pressure, as he gradually pushed back. Hajime trans.m.u.ted his soles into spikes, and once again, Hajime used Vajra to resist the Breath. The large s.h.i.+eld was connected to his outstretched left arm, and he also affixed his right arm to it.

The large s.h.i.+eld Hajime took out was using Taur ore as its main material while Star ore was placed in-between and the exterior was coated with Azanthium. Because Hajime was a Trans.m.u.tation Master, even with an attack that exceed Azanthium’s durability, it’s possible to restore it if it could endure even for a few seconds. Even if that was penetrated, the Star ore in the second layer had a nature to strengthened if supplied with magic power, and Hajime’s magic power wouldn’t allow anymore penetration.

That’s why, the Breath that could exceed Azanthium wouldn’t be able to destroy the large s.h.i.+eld. However, it couldn’t be said that power wouldn’t be able to blown the large s.h.i.+eld’s user away. In fact, Hajime who possessed inhuman power was gradually pushed back. On the ground were the gouged out marks from the large s.h.i.+eld’s stake that pierced it and Hajime’s feet.

If this keep up, Hajime who equipped with large s.h.i.+eld and “Vajra,” along with his inhuman endurance wouldn’t receive considerable damage. But if Hajime lost the s.h.i.+eld, Aiko and the others would fall prey to the breath, and disappear from this world without even leaving a speck of dust behind.

When Hajime became somewhat impatient, an unexpectedly soft feeling was transmitted to his back. As he stole a glance over his shoulder, somehow, Aiko had jumped towards his back and supported him desperately. Apparently, while Hajime was resisting the Breath, she regained her senses and jumped to support Hajime who was gradually being pushed back. Having seen that, the students and Will also jumped to support Hajime, in panic.

The Breath continued even now. The surrounding water in the river was evaporated by the heatwave, the soil and stones on the riverbank were blown away by the impact and in awful state. From the time he received the direct hit from the Breath, a little time had pa.s.sed. Hajime felt it had happen for an eternity, but actually no longer than ten seconds had pa.s.sed. While he grit his teeth and thought about it, finally, he heard the long-awaited voice.

“”Cursed Sky”.”

At the moment the magic’s name was announced, a black, swirling orb of four meters in diameter appeared above the Black Dragon. The deep darkness that could suck in anyone who saw it, immediately fell and crushed the Black Dragon into the ground.

“GuuRUaAAA!?”

A roar came as the Black Dragon sprawled on the ground, and its Breath was interrupted when it raised a scream from the impact. However, the swirling orb, as if saying that’s not enough, didn’t disappear and exerted extreme pressure on the Black Dragon, sinking it into the ground.

“Cursed Sky”

It was Yue’s Gravity magic. By creating a swirling gravity ball, it crushed its target using supergravity that was proportional to the amount of consumed magic power. It was a convenient magic that could change its direction using the gravitational force.

The Gravity magic didn’t consume much magic power if targeted towards the caster itself. However, if the gravity ball was used to attack things, s.p.a.ce, and other people, just like what happened just now, it consumed huge amount of magic power and Yue at the least need ten seconds to prepare it. Because Yue herself still hadn’t completely master this magic, the invocation time and magic consumption could still become much more efficient by training.

The sky king was crucified on the ground, it painfully braced its limbs to somehow escape from the pressuring attack. But, immediately following that were the rabbit ears that came fluttering from the sky and s.h.i.+a was shouting, “Stop~!”, as she fell together with Doryukken. Holding the sledgehammer which was further accelerated by outburst, she used the high-stance aimed at the Black Dragon’s head.

DOoGAaAAA!!!

The impact was incomparable to any impact that had happened before. At the moment of impact, the ground burst and flew radially, accompanied by a thundering sound, it created a crater that looked like a result of a bombing. That was thanks to Doryukken’s remodelling by Hajime. Gravity magic was granted to the compressed Azhantium that was the main material. However, it was not the one that “neutralized” like the ones in the unmanned reconnaissance planes, but the opposite where the ore could “increase its weight.” The weight increased according to the amount of magic power supplied. The current Doryukken was just like *****ton Hammer!, just like the one inside the manga.

Furthermore, those who received the ultra-heavy blow wouldn’t be able to escape from serious damage. That’s right, if it was directly hit….

“Guruaaa!!”

Together with the Black Dragon’s roar, a flame bullet approached Yue at tremendous speed from inside the dust that scattered by Doryukken. Yue immediately did an emergency evasion by “falling” to the right. However, the gravity ball magic was canceled instead.

The dust was cleared up as the after-effect of the previous flame bullet, and there was the Black Dragon who managed to evade Doryukken which sunk to the ground by a paper-thin margin. At the moment of impact, it seemed to somehow evade using the peculiar strength of a dragon. Having its restraints removed, the Black Dragon did one rotation in high-speed as if trying to dispel its grudge and its large ma.s.s of a tail hit s.h.i.+a who was just pulling out Doryukken.

“Agh!!”

By a hair’s breadth, s.h.i.+a used Doryukken as a s.h.i.+eld and jumped back to kill the impact, because she was greatly blown away at the same time, she disappeared into the trees.

The Black Dragon used the momentum from the rotation and recovered its posture, and its golden eyes were glaring at Hajime… … not, just pa.s.sed towards Will behind him. Hajime immediately put the large s.h.i.+eld back into “Treasure Box,” then pulled out Donner-Schlag and fired them. Many roars resounded, accompanied by flashes that cut through the sky and attacked the Black Dragon. Without being able to evade, the Black Dragon received direct hits from the storm of destruction, blown away from its spot, and thrown into the river with a tremor, creating a magnificent sprays.

Because Hajime thought it’d be bad for Will to be in its line of fire, he charged at the Black Dragon. Using gunspin in mid-air to reload Donner-Schlag in his hands, he repeatedly fired in succession just like before. However, the Black Dragon got up accompanied with roar that scattered the river’s water, somehow, it ignored Hajime and fired a flame bullet that was aimed at Will.

“Kh!”

Because it aimed at Willl, Hajime dared to approach it and tried to attack furiously to gain its attention. But, the Black Dragon acted as if it didn’t even care if Hajime was there, continue to target Will.

“Yue!”

“Nh “Wave Castle”.”

“Hih!”, was the miserable scream that came from the cowering Will, and in front of him was high-density wall of water. The flame bullet was obstructed by the rampart-like wall of water created by Yue and disappeared. And, at that time, the students finally regained their senses from this raging development and began to chant their magic. They were trying to support the party. Quickly, fire bullets and wind blades rushed towards the Black Dragon as they created archs.

However….

“GOoAAA!!”

The impact from the dragon’s roar dispersed the attacks. Moreover, having heard the tremendous roar and stared by the golden eyes, Will let out similar “Hih,” scream as he backed away and fell on his b.u.t.t, reaching the female students’ spot.

Hajime, who completely judged her to be outside of the combat a.s.sets, shouted at Aiko to escape. Aiko was hesitating. Hajime was also Aiko’s student after all, so to left him in front of this powerful demonic beast made her hesitate as a teacher.

At that time, the Black Dragon began to flap its wings and flew into the sky while blowing the surroundings river water away. In addition, it rapidly shot flame bullets at Will.

Although Hajime had fired the railguns in quick succession, he couldn’t get its attention at all. The Black Dragon’s scales, similar to scorpion-like thing that boasted its hardness in the past, was only slightly scratched even after receiving direct hits from the railguns.

The Black Dragon stubbornly targeted Will. It was as if it was being manipulated by something. It faithfully obeyed the order like a robot. It kept trying to kill Will even after being restrained by gravity before, it seemed to think nothing of those who tried to obstruct it.