Vol 1 Chapter 5 (2/2)

“——Return, AmnisBlue Water Pike.”

The spear, embedded in the wall, disappeared and reappeared in Stefan’s hand.

Before the pair stood a gargantuan dragon.

It stood at least ten meters tall, and the aura which radiated from every inch of its body! This was anything but an ordinary Void Beast.

Its colossal body was covered in scales of a pure-white of ethereal beauty. It appeared to have acknowledged its prey’s desire to resist; its body shook in displeasure as it approached.

Stefan silently gripped his spear even tighter.

The focus of Stefan’s dark emotions for so long now had simply disappeared.

Bertolt’d been killed by the Snow-white Void Dragon now before him.

Although he didn’t have the luxury of a leisurely examination of the monster before him as he’d had in the lower levels, standing before it now, face-to-face, he was struck by its overwhelming presence.

“I’ll stall for time; get out of here!” Stefan yelled behind him.

A voice from behind conveyed protest.

“Please don’t make my resolve go to waste.”

This time the voice fell silent. He felt her run off into the distance. Good.

Stefan felt an immeasurable calm settle over him.

He’d hated Bertolt to the very depth of his soul. However, it seemed that that hate hadn’t been the true origin of the feelings which had held him bound for so long.

No, it was resentment. Resentment against his own powerlessness which had rendered him unable to protect those most dear to him.

It had been to free himself from that feeling that he’d fought until now.

——He thanked the s.h.i.+nki for this second chance.

Stefan strode forward, and exhaling sharply, brandished the AmnisBlue Water Pike. His intended target: the Void Dragon’s legs. He needed to halt its advance.

The spear flashed, but failed to penetrate the beast’s scales. With a clank, it bounced harmlessly off.

“ScutumHoly s.h.i.+eld, huh…”

Stefan recognized what had happened. Although he’d been able to at least give Bertolt a minor injury, but his attack just now had left no mark whatsoever. Was that because the AmnisBlue Water Pike was simply unequal to the task, or was it because he was simply lacking as its master?

The Void Dragon lowered its head, its eyes revealing its unnatural intelligence with an irreverent look.

“…You think you’ve found a new toy to play with, don’t you, monster?!” Stefan spat, taking up his weapon anew.

Just as he did so however, he found himself flung into the air.

It was only after the fact that he realized that he’d been kicked. The speed of its movements were more or less indiscernible to the naked eye.

“Guha…!”

Groaning, Stefan forced himself to his feet.

The dragon’s enormous mouth gaped wide. Within its gullet, he could see a brilliant white light begin to gather.

“…I guess this is as far as I go,” he murmured.

Franka ran – not in escape, but to seek help.

(Please, Yuuki-san – save Nii-san!)

The face that appeared in her mind then was Yuuki’s, which, though eternally lacking in motivation, was ever so reliable.

She hadn’t gone far, however, when she was forced off her feet by an enormous explosion.

Her vision turned white as she was a.s.saulted by a howling, glacial squall.

Tossed back and forth against the walls and floor by the gusting winds, she eventually came to a stop.

Franka raised her head, coughing. A loud buzz echoed in her ears and her consciousness was hazy.

——But she could still move.

Franka drew out the very last strength remaining in her body, and managed to rise to her feet.

Her vision, which had been simply a cloud of white until just now, slowly began to return.

The walls had been utterly wrecked, and the shape of the road was now completely changed.

“Breath”: the breath of a Void Dragon was an attack far surpa.s.sing anything an offensive Orison might accomplish.

“No… Nii-san…”

Simply the fallout from the attack had already been sufficient to cause damage of this scale. Then her brother, who had bore the brunt of the attack——

Franka felt her knees give way. Just as she was about to give in to the despair threatening to paralyze her body…

“…Fufufu. Like the huffing and puffing of an overgrown lizard could possibly harm a s.h.i.+nki.”

“Stop bragging; it was closer than you’d like to admit.”

As the white haze cleared, the silhouettes of two unknown figures stood between herself and the dragon.

The two were dressed in long robes – or rather, long pieces of fabric – and thus their faces went unseen and their ident.i.ties unknown. Nevertheless, from their general size, one appeared to be an adult and the other a child.

Resting atop the shoulder of the slightly larger figure was… her brother?

“Whatever. I still saved him, didn’t I? I did a pretty good job there, so don’t feel obligated to hold back on the praise.”

“I’ll save that for once this is all over, thank you very much.”

Had they perhaps blocked the attack with a defensive s.h.i.+eld?

That was impossible. It didn’t matter how skilled or talented the cleric might be, it was impossible to defend against such unearthly power. If it had truly been done… then the caster could not have been human.

No, wait—— That child… what was it she said just now? A s.h.i.+nki? No way…

“…A s.h.i.+nki… and her Duelist…”

Her childhood.

Her oft-bedridden mother had a certain habit. Lying in bed, she’d gather Franka and Stefan, whom’d often come to visit, at the foot of her bed and tell them stories.

Her brother loved the stirring tales of the Duelists’ heroics.

At first, these stories had held no draw for young Franka. She tolerated storytime only because it meant she had that much longer to spend with her beloved brother whom came only infrequently.

Gradually though, she too, came to love these enthralling accounts of derring-do.

As adventurers in the labyrinth found themselves in times of deep crisis, they would surely and inevitably appear – those heroes of old.

Ah… It’s all going to be fine now…

——That was the last thought that pa.s.sed through Franka’s mind as she faded into unconsciousness.

The two’s pulses slowly settled. She’d only fainted.

Yuuki sighed in relief. It was finally time to settle things.

“There’s no time to waste, Master; I don’t have much divine energy left. I can only stop a few more attacks.”

She lacked the energy to either bind or teleport away the Void Dragon.

For that reason, it’d been decided that she’d devote what little remained to defense. Throwing up a defensive barrier that could completely nullify their opponent’s attacks could only be done a few more times before she’d be at her limit.

“I’ll take care of it. By the way——”

Yuuki eyed the gargantuan white body standing before them.

“Can you feel that thing’s divine energy?”

“Of course. At this distance, I can even feel the pulsing of its energy.”

“Where is it concentrated the most heavily?”

“In its neck. Why do you ask?”

“The origin of its strength is also its greatest weakness. ——Alright. Let’s get started,” Yuuki called out, as he charged toward their foe. “You’ve been far too brash rampaging around this floor as you have, Snow-white Void Dragon. If you understand the need to reflect on your actions, then let me defeat you, alright?”

The Void Dragon responded with a hostile roar.

“I knew that’s what you’d say. Although I’ve definitely gotten more than a little rusty, but there happens to be a pretty fantastic weapon conveniently available. Let me borrow it for a bit——” Yuuki muttered as he twirled a pike. In his hands was gripped Stefan’s spear – the AmnisBlue Water Pike.

“Let’s begin,” Yuuki said to the spear, smiling faintly. “Hey, don’t be mad. Just lend me a little of your strength, alright? A second-stage transformation should be plenty. ——If we don’t send Whitey over there packing, then your master’s going to die without ever having attained his potential, you know?”

The pike trembled reluctantly before gradually changing its shape.

Just then, the Void Dragon rushed forward and swiped with its front leg. TheAmnisBlue Water Pike flashed and blood spurted as the dragon howled in pain; its toe had been severed.

“From this point forward, it’s not enough to simply rely on your ScutumHoly s.h.i.+eld. We’ll decide this with our full strength.”

The pike in his hand had already completely transformed. Its unadorned, inorganic appearance had since grown to twice its former size and taken on a curved, almost living form.

The celestial Dragon Fang weapons came in many shapes and sizes, though they all shared one trait: the existence of three stages of transformation. The first stage already stood beyond human ability to replicate, though it was only from the second stage on that divine energy began to envelop the weapon, granting it the ability to pierce through the ScutumHoly s.h.i.+eld. It went without saying that this raised its destructive potential immeasurably.

The Snow-white Void Dragon glared at Yuuki with hate. It had started to take things seriously.

“Now then, let the true battle begin.”

The dragon’s a.r.s.enal included its claws, its fangs, its tail, and its Breath.

The path here was wide enough for it to move freely while the scattered rubble restricted Yuuki’s movement. The setting gave the dragon the decided advantage.

That being the case, Yuuki felt no need to seek after victory. His goal was merely to gain time enough for Tina and the others to flee.

“Hey, over here!”

Yuuki dashed over to its side and unleashed a flurry of blows on its left rear leg. The Void Beast howled in anger, and counterattacked with its fangs and claws, pulling back slightly each time it did so. This repeated itself a few times; Yuuki had succeeded in drawing it back.

Drawing it away by tempting it with his own body was extremely dangerous, but it was worth it. The necessity of doing so in this battle would prove itself. After some time, he’d managed to pull it a good distance away from the wounded pair.

This should be far enough.

His plan s.h.i.+fted into its next phase: it was time to go on the offensive.

Yuuki leapt forward and stabbed the Void Dragon in the thigh. Crimson blood dyed its white scales as it shrieked in pain.

If he’d been fighting as he had been before, now would be the time for retreat. This time, however, he instead stepped in yet further.

‘The next attack depends on how it counters——’

A gigantic claw lifted into the air. Yuuki, watching the Void Dragon’s breathing, readied his weapon.

Suddenly, the dragon’s foreleg bent, and it whirled a half-revolution with terrible speed.

A ferocious tail sweep.

“——!”

He and his opponent seemed to be pulling from the same playbook: they’d both feinted and waited for the opportunity to counterattack.

Due to the suddenness of the unexpected attack, Yuuki couldn’t react in time. Would he be able to dodge it——?

The dragon’s tail slammed into an unseen wall, deflecting in another direction. Running into this unforeseen obstacle, the dragon’s entire body shook with the impact.

Yuuki seized the opportunity to kick off the ground and circle around to the other side.

“——Are you alright?!” Tina yelled.

She was far closer than the two whom had fainted, having been anxiously watching the engagement the entire time.

“You idiot! Don’t come any closer!” Yuuki screamed.

The dragon, encased in an aura of divine energy as it was, was an existence on an entirely different level from other Void Beasts. Its attacks were more than capable of hurting the s.h.i.+nki. Without the protection of the ScutumHoly s.h.i.+eld, Tina was nothing more than a frail young girl.

“Who are you calling an idiot! You should be more grateful, you stupid Master!” the s.h.i.+nki pouted angrily.

“I’m thankful! You really saved my neck there, but you still need to get the h.e.l.l away from here!”

The dragon’s gaping maw closed in on him. Yuuki vaulted backward, dodging by inches.

“Please, I’m begging you – don’t come any closer! Once… Just once… Would you pleaselet me keep you safe?!”

Before he realized he’d even spoken, the words had already left his mouth.

Words that he’d never intended to speak – the honest feelings of his heart.

“…”

Having seemingly drawn something deeper from his words, she finally closed her mouth. Before long, however, she spoke once more.

“I refuse! Don’t insult me! ——You need to understand something, Master. Tina refuses to simply watch as she’s protected. I want to fight at your side!”

The claw came at him once more. Yuuki blocked it with the pike and then raced to Tina’s side.

“I can still open a protective barrier once, no… twice. If you’re willing to leave me in charge of defense, then I’ll do so. However, if you continue to insist that ‘it’s too dangerous’ or whatever, then I’ll do whatever I want. ——Now then, your answer? Which path will lead to victory?”

Tina continued to watch him as she gasped for air.

As he met her eyes, he thought to himself that perhaps he’d been charmed by her.

“… You really are an idiot, aren’t you?”

As he absentmindedly considered Tina, her eyebrows raised as she screamed “What did you say?!”, he also took in his surroundings. The broken rubble of what had formerly been walls could well serve as a foothold.

Alright. Let’s end it.

“…Tina, when I give you the signal, I need you to throw up two defensive screens at once. Aim the first to protect me, and no matter where I may be at the time, place the second exactly one meter from its face. Can you do that for me?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’ll leave it to you, then.”

Yuuki engaged their enemy once more.

First, he’d need to select the correct location, and then alter his combat style to draw it into a dead end.

This would be just like what he’d done earlier. He’d be the bait. He’d intentionally allow himself to be forced up against wall, and then he’d maneuver the opponent into the target location. Even if he succeeded, however, this would leave him with nowhere to run——

“NOW!”

The first barrier appeared. A claw was repulsed. The Void Dragon, having a.s.sumed that this would be the attack that sealed its victory roared in anger and impatience. Yuuki ran along the wall, maintaining his distance from the beast.

To a certain degree, he was able to predict its attack patterns. In close-combat, it’d attack with its claws and fangs; at mid-range, it’d use its tail; and finally, at long-range, it’d employ its Breath. Every time it fired its Breath attack, it’d draw its head near to the ground first. This was likely because it was much harder to evade than when compared to an attack from a higher angle.

Because its attack just now had failed, it went on the offensive, unleas.h.i.+ng attack after attack without pausing to think.

The Void Dragon lowered its head and opened its mouth.

Just as planned. There was a foothold ahead. If he jumped off it and then kicked off the wall, he’d be able to reach the top of the beast’s head.

Here goes——!

Just as Yuuki was about to give Tina the order to throw up the second barrier, the dragon suddenly raised its head and flipped around.

Its Breath was now aimed at Tina and the two lying on the ground.

“——!”

Realizing its intent, Yuuki raced forward at full speed. Alas, he was already too late.

A blinding beam of white light flashed, freezing the air. Amid the cloudy haze left in its wake, he saw three figures tossed about like leaves in the wind, thrust alternately into the walls and floor.

Just as he was about to sink into the depths of despair, his feet stopped moving.

The fact that he could see them meant that Tina had noticed the dragon’s movements and thrown up a barrier in time. Had they been hit directly, there would be nothing left for him to see.

The problem was, given her dwindling supply of energy, it wouldn’t last long. What should he do?

Only one thing came to mind. As he turned to face his enemy once more, he realized – it was staring at him as well. He felt a chill run down his spine, and not from the cold.

“Aw, c.r.a.p——”

He had been its target from the very beginning.

It had long since realized that his battle on two fronts – against itself and to protect the wounded – was highly disadvantageous. If it focused its attacks on the wounded, his focus would wander off the fight in front of him.

Even as he dodged its razor-sharp fangs, that attack was followed immediately by the swiping of its talons. Though Yuuki managed to jump under them, his movement was curtailed. His back was now pressed against the cold, stone walls.

The Void Dragon watched him scornfully.

At what was now point-blank range, its maw gaped wide. He could clearly see the white light gathering deep within its gullet.

——It was far too late to even dream of avoiding it.

“Ugh…”

Franka awoke from the shock of being thrown into the floor.

For a brief moment, she thought she’d been called back to the side of the Heavenly King, but then she realized that the familiar scenery surrounding her was that of the labyrinth. It seemed she was still alive.

Ten meters ahead lay a cold corpse. As the thought crossed her mind that it might be her brother’s body, her blood ran cold. Just as quickly, however, she realized that it wasn’t her brother; no, it was Bertolt, whom had been beaten to death by the Void Dragon.

Looking ahead, she caught sight of the stranger who had saved her life.

His skill with the spear and martial ability were incredible, but what more amazing still was how he had not only engaged the Void Dragon in single combat, but had scarred it with numerous wounds. Unfortunately, he’d finally been caught at a disadvantage. Faced with an unending flurry of attacks from the dragons talons and fangs, he’d been forced into a desperate situation.

He needs my help. ——That thought brought with it the realization that she’d run out of Divine Pearls.

How could this happen?

Was there really nothing she could do? Was there not some other way——

“That guy’s waist pouch! Open it!”

From beneath a crumbling slab of rock by her side, a terribly familiar female voice called out.

‘That guy’ – was she possibly referring to Bertolt? His waist… what?

Franka struggled to rise and looked over. There was a pouch at his waist which had sprung a hole. Through the hole she could see light stones, flint, and other small tools. Actually, something else was there too——

“A Divine Pearl?”

Moreover, an extremely high-quality one; perhaps even a grade-one.

He was a warrior, so why would he be carrying something like that? She shook her head; there was no time to ponder the matter.

She tried to rush over, but her feet weren’t taking orders, and she tripped instead. Her body was completely drained.

Just as she was falling, however, a shadow flew over and grabbed the object.

“Nii-san——!”

Stefan silently tossed the Divine Pearl over to her. Catching it, she turned back to the scene of the engagement.

I have to help him! The person fighting needed her help.

Releasing the entire store of divine energy held within the Divine Pearl in one go, she shouted, “Barrier! Please keep him safe!”

He’d had several bits of good fortune.

The first was that the Divine Pearl he’d hidden on Bertolt’s person was still there.

The second was that it was Franka who’d taken hold of it, and not Tina.

The efficiency with which the s.h.i.+nki performed their miracles and with which humans performed Orisons was incomparable. However, the nature of the s.h.i.+nki’s powers necessitated that the divine energy hidden within Reliquia first be broken down and absorbed into their bodies before it could be used. Human clerics, however were different. Divine Pearls could directly utilize their divine energy as willed by the human in control.

And so, in this particular circ.u.mstance, Franka had been much faster than Tina would have been; that was to say, fast enough.

Forming in between Yuuki and the dragon, a meter away from each, the defensive barrier appeared just as the dragon’s Breath fired.

Although Franka had consumed the entirety of the Divine Pearl’s energy store, it nearly wasn’t enough to nullify a dragon’s Breath; it had simply bought a couple seconds. The barrier quickly warped, shattered, and disappeared.

——Those couple seconds had, however, been enough.

Given the immediate proximity of the blast, the Void Dragon’s breath had been blown back to encase its owner in a swirling eddy of frost. Such an attack was, of course, incapable of harming the beast.

That notwithstanding, the absolute chill it carried within it had also frozen the moisture in the air, filling the surroundings with a frosty white haze, obscuring the Void Dragon’s vision. In that brief instant, it lost sight of Yuuki.

“Over here!”

Yuuki had taken the opportunity to leap off the wall behind it, going clear over its back and onto its neck.

The dragon howled in fury and lifted its head angrily. Yuuki, following the motion, leapt into the air.

He confirmed his target, located about a quarter of the way down its five-meter long neck.

“And with this, it’s over.”

With gravity adding to the force of his thrust, he speared the AmnisBlue Water Pike straight through the targeted point with terrific precision.

The Dragon Fang Gem – the source of the Void Dragon’s power – flew out from its ma.s.sive body, clinking as it hit the floor.

“The AmnisBlue Water Pike symbolizes flowing water. It’s only right that it should cut through the snow,” Yuuki murmured as he leapt down and picked up the gem.

Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa——

The Snow-white Void Dragon’s head flailed wildly as it wailed its death cries.

Before long, its movements had ceased entirely and it crumbled to ash.

Franka and Stefan sat beside one another on the ground, staring numbly.

The mysterious personage who had just laid waste to a Void Dragon slowly turned to face them before tossing the object in his hands over. The second the spear pierced through the wall above Stefan’s head, it lost its strange, curved form and returned to normal.

“Who are you…?”

Ignoring Franka’s question, the stranger grabbed the other mysterious figure, the child, and ran off.

Just then, the rescue party arrived.

Translator notes and references

None.

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