[WN] Dragon Chain Ori : Volume 7 Chapter 25 [Re-Translation]

This is a re-translation.

Volume 7 Chapter 25

 

The battle between Nozomu and Zonne was, albeit gradually, beginning to be pushed by Nozomu.

Zonne, who was concerned about the upper limit of his power due to his elderly body. Tiamat, who was trying to raise her power without a care for Nozomu's body.

Now that their close-combat skills were evenly matched, what purely separated them was, after all, the total amount of power wielded by the user.

 

"Muu!"

 

The katana that Nozomu had driven in finally shattered Zonne's staff of light.

With his formula destroyed, Zonne leaped backward, leaving the dissipated elemental essence behind.

He then raised his right hand and deployed a multiple formula. After creating a giant sphere of light about the size of a person, he immediately made it explode.

He focused the shockwave that was generated at the same time in one direction. He released it at Nozomu and tried to blow him away.

The released shockwave, although it was a shot in the heat of the moment, had a power comparable to Tima's attack magic.

And the distance to Nozomu was several meters. A distance at which it was by no means possible to react. Naturally, it was also a timing at which evasion was impossible.

Furthermore, in time with the explosion of the sphere of light, Zonne formed an arrow of light in his left hand and, as if to hide in the shadow of the exploded sphere of light, he released it without a sound.

A two-stage attack of an area attack and a point attack.

In the first place, to win a high-speed sword fight, it's not just about reflexes. A deep intellect to predict the opponent's movements and a high thinking ability to make instantaneous judgments are also necessary.

Those who are consumed by anger often suffer defeat due to this lack of thinking ability and intellect. In that sense, the current Nozomu, who was consumed by anger, had almost no thinking ability.

 

""Ooooooooooooooooh!""

 

However, such common sense did not apply to this young man.

Perhaps Nozomu had predicted Zonne’s actions the moment he had raised his hand, as he swung up the chaotic blade he held in his hand.

In time with the trajectory of the upward-swinging katana, an extremely thin blade of ki ran through.

The released "Phantom" sliced through the shockwave that should have been invisible, and furthermore, it exploded while bisecting the arrow of light that had been approaching from behind.

 

"There's still more!"

 

However, Zonne had also anticipated this.

Suddenly, the ground at Nozomu's feet began to glow, and countless conical thorns of light thrust out.

A multiple attack that combined area and point, and furthermore, made one shift their gaze up and down. The sphere of light from before, and the arrow of light, had all been a bluff.

Incidentally, this attack by the light thorns was also only for buying time.

After concluding that the light thorns would not be able to finish off Nozomu, Zonne, in order to slam a strong counterattack, once again constructed a multiple magic circle and began to pour in all the elemental essence he had.

Even for Nozomu, if he were to cut down the light thorns to protect himself, it would take time, albeit less than half a second. If he had that little time, it was enough for Zonne. However...

 

"What the heck!?"

 

Nozomu went above Zonne's expectations. He had stepped on one of the light thorns that had been thrust up at him himself.

Along with a tearing sound, the light thorn pierced Nozomu's foot.

No, it had only pierced Nozomu's shoe.

Nozomu supported his body by clamping the light thorn with his big toe and index toe, and then leaped at Zonne.

Nozomu had also been keenly aware of the old man's abnormality. If he were to give him even a moment's time, he would be hit with a painful counterattack, which was why he had taken such an action.

Unable to even buy a little time, Zonne's eyes widened in spite of himself.

Although Nozomu’s thoughts should have been agitated, his actions were far too calm. He had already embodied the action of "applying his own logic of battle to the opponent's logic" not in the realm of thought, but in the realm of reflex.

The leaped Nozomu caught Zonne in his blade's range and swung down the katana he had raised at the old man's head.

 

"Kuh! Will I make it!?"

 

His weapon was also shattered, and he wouldn't make it in time to deploy his formula.

In the heat of the moment, Zonne concentrated as much elemental essence as he could gather in his palm and tried to block the down-swung blade.

Zonne, who was now in human form, did not have his tough scales.

If he couldn't block it, the down-swung blade would easily reap the old man's life.

But suddenly, a strong storm assaulted the two from the side.

A storm of wind fangs that blew away the white elemental essence that had scattered in the aftereffects of the battle, and was racing while gouging the ground.

Zonne, whose eyes had widened at the sudden storm that had assaulted him, also hurriedly deployed a barrier, and Nozomu also quickly drew a circle with his chaotic blade and created a ki membrane in front of him.

And the attacking storm of rending dust swallowed the two.

 

"Nohyaaaaaah! Hebu!?"

 

"!"

 

The old man was sent flying while letting out a strange scream, and Nozomu was also tossed about in the air, struggling to somehow regain his posture.

Nozomu somehow managed to use the weight of his katana to regain his posture and succeed in landing, but Zonne ended up kissing the ground with his head.

 

"Oh, old man. That was close."

 

"It really was. Man~ I'm glad I made it in time~"

 

The ones who had come out in front of the two with a feigned tone were Mars, who was shouldering a greatsword, and Feo, who was fiddling with a talisman with his fingertips.

On Mars's greatsword, the remnants of the "Ravenous Beast of Rending Dust" that he had just released at Nozomu and the others were clinging, which vividly told the story of who had released the previous storm.

 

"That's a lie! You were planning on blowing me away too from the start, weren't you!"

 

Zonne pulled his face, which was buried in the ground, out with a popping sound and began to rattle off complaints with his face bright red.

 

"Eh~. What a serious paranoia ~"

 

"That's right~. And here I was thinking of returning the favor for you saving me earlier~"

 

On the other hand, Mars and Feo were wearing expressions as if they had been offended, but they couldn't hide their grinning lips.

Or rather, they didn't seem to have any intention of hiding it from the beginning. It was probably in retaliation for being blown away by Zonne just before.

Although it was necessary to take a slightly forceful measure to intervene in the high-speed sword fight between Nozomu and Zonne, as arrows or single-shot magic would have little effect, it was a little pitiful.

 

"H-How cruel. What a way to treat a benefactor."

 

Although Zonne was kneeling on the ground while shedding tears, since he had also blown away the person he was trying to save, even if it was an emergency, the thought of him being pitiful did not really spring to mind.

 

"Good work, old man. Please step back for a while. We'll take care of the rest."

 

Irisdina quietly called out to the crestfallen Zonne and approached his side.

At the words of praise from the beautiful girl, the dirt-covered Zonne's face relaxed.

 

"Oh, young lady. Won't you comfort this pitiful old man in your soft chest?"

 

Zonne raised both his hands as if he were a toddler begging to be held and began to snuggle up to Irisdina's feet.

Combined with his dirt-covered, grinning, wrinkled face, it was creepy beyond belief.

 

"Hah... Mars-kun, pass."

 

"Get away, you lecherous dragon."

 

Irisdina let out a sigh with an exasperated look, roughly grabbed Zonne by the scruff of his neck with both her hands, and tossed him to Mars. Mars, who had caught him, then did a giant swing with momentum. He then threw him backward with all his might.

Catch and release.

With his physical ability that had been drastically increased by his magic-ki combination technique, Zonne's body was once again sent flying with great force.

 

"Fuooooooh! Ada!"

 

The obligatory face-plant.

To Zonne, who had ended up with his face buried in the ground again, Somia called out timidly.

 

"Um. Old man, are you okay?"

 

"Somia, there's no need to worry. He is a dragon. He is not an existence that would die from something of this level."

 

"Since he saved my life, I can't say anything too harsh, but I can't really sympathize with him..."

 

"U-Umm..."

 

At her sister's poor treatment of the old man who had become obsessed with unnecessary lust, and Lisa's words of having no room for sympathy, Somia couldn't help but twitch her cheeks.

Zonne, while lifting his face, which was more covered in dirt than before, raised his voice in protest.

 

"In this form, I'm no different from a human, you know?"

 

"A guy who can fight head-on with Nozomu in that state can't be categorized as a 'mere human'."

 

"In the first place, since he's a dragon, he's not a human."

 

Mars and Mimuru cut down Zonne's modest protest in a single stroke. They had branded him as an inhuman being as bluntly as possible.

In the first place, although his physical strength and maximum output were the same as a human's, the total amount of power he contained was clearly inhuman, they were not wrong.

 

"In fact, even Nozomu-kun..."

 

""Ooooooooooooooooh!""

 

Along with a roar, Nozomu blew away the surrounding cloud of dust and appeared.

Although he was still covered in wounds and bleeding from all over his body, that was purely from self-inflicted wounds. Other than that, there was no sign of him being seriously injured.

 

"See. He's not seriously injured even with Mars-kun's magic-ki combination technique, so it's a waste to worry."

 

Finally, Tom delivered the finishing blow.

Tima was fidgeting next to him, but the fact that she was not actively denying it told of her feelings.

 

"I'm starting to feel a little sorry for the brat..."

 

With a melancholic air, the old man hung his head while shedding a single tear.

And Lisa's cheeks were twitching at her former lover, who was also being branded as inhuman by his comrades.

 

"Now then, that's enough of the jokes, it's time for the real thing."

 

Mars readied his greatsword while steeling himself.

Next to him, Irisdina with her rapier, and Lisa with her boiling magic power, lined up.

 

"Yeah, as planned, I and Mars-kun will support the front line. As for you, Lisa-kun..."

 

"I'll support you who are fighting on the front line. I'll match your movements, so you can move as you like."

 

"Are you sure you'll be okay? I mean, can you really keep up with our movements? I'd rather not be shot in the back by a dazed person."

 

"As you can see, when it comes to practical skills, I'm top class in our year. I can do it more skillfully than you."

 

Although Mars had a skeptical expression at Lisa's words, in the current situation where he should use any help he could get, he couldn't be picky.

On the other hand, Shina offered the Michael she was holding in her hand to Zonne, who had stepped back for a moment.

 

"Zonne-dono, please take this."

 

"Umu? Are you sure?"

 

"Yes, it seems we can't reach his heart with our words. Therefore, we will show it with our actions."

 

Shina said so readily, borrowed a dagger from Mimuru, and grabbed a dozen or so of her own hair and cut it at once.

Her long, glossy blue hair was pulled by gravity and spread out on her hand.

 

"Is my help necessary?"

 

"No, after we suppress Nozomu-kun, please revive him. With you, who saved Lisa-san, the possibility of failure is almost nil."

 

"Rather, it would be bad if something happened. Just hurry up and get back."

 

Mars waved his hand, urging him to get back.

 

"Hmm, if you say so, I'll leave it to you. ...I'm counting on you."

 

Zonne nodded and, along with Michael, took a step away from Irisdina and the others.

 

"Lisa-kun, are you ready?"

 

"Yes, I understand what I have to do."

 

"Here he comes!"

 

""Ooooooooooooooooh!""

 

The next moment, along with an explosive acceleration, Nozomu stepped in towards Irisdina and the others.

 

"Now then, let's continue from where we left off!"

 

The one who stepped in at Nozomu first was, as expected, Mars.

Relying on his drastically increased physical ability from his magic-ki combination technique, he swung his greatsword down at the charging Nozomu.

 

""Shh!""

 

Naturally, there was no way such a large-swinging slash would work on Nozomu. He dodged the trajectory of the greatsword with a sliding motion and tried to sweep his katana as if to run past his side.

 

"Oraaaah!"

 

Mars also knew very well that a monotonous attack would not work on Nozomu.

He forcibly changed the trajectory of the down-swung greatsword with his drastically increased physical ability and connected it to a sweep.

Nozomu, who was trying to sweep at his side while running past Mars, and Mars, who was trying to blow away such a Nozomu. The two crossed blades clashed with a high-pitched sound.

At the same time, a strong impact assaulted the two.

 

"Guuh...!"

 

Mars desperately tried to regain his crumbling posture and put strength into both his legs. The Nozomu in front of him had already taken his next attack stance.

Nozomu adjusted the direction of his body, which was on the verge of being carried forward by the momentum, with an exquisite sense of balance. While skillfully dodging the impact by rotating his body, he in turn released a slash with momentum.

It was, as always, an astonishing technique.

 

"Naro!"

 

Mars also, not to be outdone, swung his greatsword back and intercepted Nozomu's slash.

 

"Deeeeeeei!"

 

""Ooooooooooooooooh!""

 

Mars and Nozomu, who were swinging the weapons they held in their hands while letting out a roar.

With each and every clash, a high-pitched clash echoed through the gray forest, and the exploded ki and magic-ki were scattered around with an impact.

The one who was pushing in that situation was, as expected, Nozomu. Unlike when they had fought before, his blade, which had been released with the power of chaos, was in an instant chipping away at the magic-ki that had been imbued in Mars's greatsword.

 

"Sei!"

 

Before Nozomu’s katana could completely chip away Mars's magic-ki, Irisdina manipulated her rapier from the side and checked him.

Nozomu took half a step back with a shuffling motion and dodged the thrust-in rapier.

Nozomu, while keeping the passing rapier in the corner of his vision, returned his blade and swung it in a diagonal slash.

Irisdina quickly returned her rapier and held it up so as to follow Nozomu's slash.

Nozomu’s katana and Irisdina's rapier clashed.

While gritting her teeth and enduring the ki blade that was unilaterally invading her own magic sword and the fierce pressure on both her arms, she dropped her hips and slipped under Nozomu's slash, circling behind him.

 

"Teeeeeeei!"

 

Irisdina, who had circled around, quickly turned her body and released a thrust like a gale.

Nozomu, who had been attacked at a speed like lightning, deflected Irisdina's thrust as he was turning around.

However, Irisdina did not stop.

Thrusting and pulling, pulling and thrusting. She repeated the simple action at a tremendous speed of dozens of times per second.

The space between the eyebrows, the solar plexus, the heart, the lower abdomen. A storm of thrusts like a squall that was released at all the vital points in his vision.

The extremely fast thrusts could by no means be seen through by an ordinary person's eyes. What could be seen was only the afterimage of her arm and the remnant of the flash of light drawn by the tip of her rapier.

 

""Shh!""

 

But Nozomu had brushed aside that rain of thrusts as if it were nothing.

The katana, which was swung softly, powerfully, and in every direction, along with a clattering metallic sound, had repelled every single drop of the rain of thrusts.

 

"Guh!"

 

""Gaaaaaaaaah!""

 

As if in return, Nozomu's counterattack was unleashed on Irisdina.

An extreme blade that approached while cutting through the futilely dancing magic light. But before that blade could cut her body, three fire bullets rushed at Nozomu.

 

"Haaaah!"

 

The one who had released the fire bullets was Lisa, who had been waiting a step behind Irisdina and Mars.

She had been observing their battle from behind, and had been waiting for the right moment to support them.

Confirming the fire bullets that had approached him, Nozomu quickly turned his body.

 

"Regain your posture now!"

 

"Sorry!"

 

As if in answer to Lisa's call, Irisdina quickly leaped backward, taking a distance of about 5 meters from Nozomu.

On the other hand, the blade that should have cut through Irisdina had cut down the three approaching fire bullets in a single stroke.

Lisa's role was to support Irisdina and Mars from the rear. Since it was already difficult for just the two of them to suppress Nozomu, that support was her role.

 

"Not yet!"

 

Lisa further concentrated on her right hand.

The magic power that had converged along with the chant was converted into fire, and a single sharp spear was formed in the air.

She grabbed the hilt of the created fire spear, drew her whole body back with all her might, and threw it at Nozomu.

 

"Teeeeeeei!"

 

Combined with the body strengthening magic she had cast beforehand, the fire spear reached a tremendous speed. While piercing through the atmosphere, it raced as if to thrust its tip.

 

""Ooooooooooooooooh!""

 

Nozomu, with no sign of being concerned about the charging fire spear, activated Flash Step. He swung his katana down at the tip of the approaching fire spear.

The fire spear that was charging at Nozomu was cleanly cut in half with a slash!.

 

"Still!"

 

As Lisa quickly held up the bisected fire spear, the two separated spears instantly expanded.

 

""!?""

 

Lisa's ability, "Nivea’s Demonic Hand," was activated.

The target of the ability, which temporarily doubled the effect of magic, was the fire spear she had just thrown.

The flame spear's magical formula, whose power was instantly doubled, shattered in the blink of an eye, as it was already on the verge of collapse after being sliced by Nozomu.

At the same time, it exploded with a roar. In front of Nozomu, it scattered its bloated power.

Furthermore, the kicked-up flame enveloped Nozomu's entire body and tried to burn his body away.

 

""Guh! Ooooooooooooooooh!""

 

However, it could not completely kill Nozomu's momentum.

He completely ignored the shockwave that was slammed into his entire body. The chaotic light that gushed out from his entire body blew away Lisa's flame that was enveloping Nozomu's body.

While breaking through the remnants of the dancing flame, he stepped in to eliminate the nuisance. In his crimson eyes, even Lisa was no longer reflected.

 

"Like I'd let you!"

 

Mars cut in between Lisa and Nozomu.

At the same time as he swept his sword, he released the magic-ki he had imbued in his greatsword. The released magic-ki and countless wind blades, while gouging the ground like a rock drill, sent Nozomu flying with great force.

Nozomu was sent flying into the air, but he lightly turned his body in the air and made a clean landing.

In that time, Irisdina had joined up with Mars and Lisa. While bracing herself so as not to show any openings, she calmed her ragged breathing.

 

"Hey, Irisdina. Are Shina and the others not ready yet?"

 

"It seems their preparations are not yet complete. Tima and Feo-kun are at their limit controlling the formula. We can't expect any more support..."

 

Zonne, who had stepped back for a moment, was keeping his eyes on Nozomu's movements from behind Tom and the others.

It was probably in case Irisdina and the others were broken through.

Mars once again returned his gaze to Nozomu.

Countless lacerations were running through his entire body, and the blood gushing from his wounds was dyeing his pure white uniform a bright red.

The five-colored elemental essence that was gushing from his body was, as always, indiscriminately releasing a sinister presence that could freeze one's heart, and in his crimson-dyed eyes, not a shred of reason could be seen, and a boiling rage was dwelling.

 

"...Single-shot techniques or magic won't work, huh."

 

"It's not as if the characteristics of his techniques have changed. Still, it's better than being pushed back in close combat like before."

 

"Still, it's a tightrope walk where we don't know when we'll fall..."

 

Up until this very moment, Mars and the others had not landed a single effective blow on Nozomu. That was because Nozomu's body had memorized every one of their techniques he had witnessed until now.

Even if they were to try to break through the opponent's defense with sheer force, Nozomu was also superior in terms of abilities. Since the concept of the techniques they used was known by the opponent, and Nozomu also had the upper hand in skill, it was difficult to break this equilibrium by simply unleashing techniques or magic.

 

"By the way..."

 

"? What?"

 

Mars glanced at Lisa, who was standing behind him.

At his somewhat meaningful gaze, Lisa tilted her head.

 

"You were pretty strong."

 

"What? What do you mean?"

 

Mars and Lisa hardly knew each other. Before, in the special comprehensive exercise held in the forest, their groups had had an encounter, but Mars had been at his limit fighting Kevin, and his impression of Lisa was quite thin.

After that, he had only the impression of her having various troubles with Nozomu, so he didn't have the image of Lisa being a powerhouse on par with Irisdina.

Of course, there was no way that Lisa, who belonged to the 3^rd-year, 1^st-class, and was an A-rank, could be weak.

In fact, she had put in a precise support between the high-speed clashing Irisdina and Nozomu, and against that Nozomu, she had succeeded in holding him off, albeit for less than half a second.

 

"No, you know? I just didn't have the image of you being strong..."

 

"I'm able to handle it somehow because I'm a step behind. If I were to be faced with such movements in front of me, I wouldn't be able to keep up, as expected."

 

Without averting her gaze from the Nozomu in front of her, Lisa stated the fact nonchalantly.

Although she possessed an ability that doubled the effect of magic, she could not fight on equal terms with Nozomu in a state where she had no weapon.

That's why she had decided to step back a little and concentrate on supporting Irisdina and Mars.

However, even if she were to concentrate on support, the speed at which the three on the front line were clashing was extraordinary.

The sight of the three shadows intermingling was like leaves intermingling in a tornado, and the echoing metallic sounds were reminiscent of thunder that echoed in the sky.

 

"To be able to support us who are moving at this speed so precisely, that's quite something..."

 

To Lisa, who was carrying out a precise support for the three who were clashing at such a speed, Mars let out a voice of sincere admiration.

Originally, Lisa was a person of the same genius type as Irisdina.

From the fact that she, who was from a remote village, had climbed to the top class of Solminati Academy, there was no reason to doubt her talent.

But Mars had felt something other than such a talent from her.

It was an aura held by someone he himself knew well. And when he saw her eyes fixed straight ahead, Mars finally understood, realizing, "Ah, that makes sense."

Those were the eyes of a person who was struggling to move forward.

A person who had been crushed and was tormented by regret, while enduring the crushing pressure, was desperately trying to crawl forward.

Those eyes were, somehow, very similar to Nozomu's, and to the black-haired girl who was standing on the opposite side.

 

"Good grief. Why is it that everyone around me is stronger than me..."

 

"Did you say something?"

 

"No, nothing..."

 

While giving a listless reply to the asking Lisa, Mars returned his gaze to the front. He was no longer concerned about what was behind him.

 

***

 

While Irisdina and the others were continuing to buy time like a tightrope walker, clashing blades with Nozomu, Shina and Tom were engrossed in their own work.

Next to Shina and the others, Tima and Feo were doing their best to maintain the deployed formula.

Magic power was continuously being poured into the formation that had been deployed from the tip of the staff that Tima had raised, and the talisman that Feo held in his hand was continuing to shine.

 

"Nuuuuuh..."

 

"Kuh..."

 

Beads of sweat were continuing to flow from the foreheads of the two, and a groan as if enduring was leaking from their bitten lips.

Tima was continuing to send magic power to Irisdina with all her might, and Feo was continuing to use his talismans to somehow stabilize the enormous magic power that was being sent.

After all, the amount of magic power being poured in was extraordinary.

An amount several times that of the magic power wielded by a first-class mage was being sent continuously. If one were to think of controlling that amount of magic power, there was no other means than to throw in a large number of talismans.

Still, the amount of magic power that could be controlled with a single talisman was not that large. And besides, they had already consumed a considerable number of talismans in the previous battle.

That state was just like desperately continuing to pile up sandbags to dam a flood.

At this rate, they would eventually reach their limit.

On the other hand, Tom was single-mindedly carving a formula into Shina's bow.

The formula he was carving was the same as the one on the special bow he had given Shina before. A formula that took in the magic power of others and enabled the use of more powerful magic.

Shina cut about a dozen of her long hairs and, while twisting them together, began to bundle them.

She intended to use her own hair as a substitute for the broken string.

Hair is surprisingly strong, and a single strand can withstand a load of about 1.5 kilograms. Furthermore, by twisting them together, the strength increases even more.

Also, magic power flows through hair well, and if enough magic power is flowed through it to strengthen it, it can be used as a bowstring without any problem.

 

"Tom, Shina, are you not done yet?"

 

"Just a little longer, I'm not done carving the formula yet..."

 

Mimuru, who was watching Tima and the others from the side, let out an irritated voice.

For now, Mimuru was on standby in the rear, thinking about what would happen if Irisdina and the others were broken through, but to be honest, she was also on edge because Tima and the others were also near their limit.

Mimuru was convinced that even if she were to face Nozomu now, it would be impossible for her to buy a satisfactory amount of time.

Originally, Mimuru was not the type to cross blades on the front line. Rather, her original style was to use her natural agile movements to strike at the opponent's back or openings.

Even if she were to fight on the front line, she would avoid standing in front of the opponent as much as possible. When she had formed a party with Shina and Tom, she had taken on the role of the vanguard due to the distribution of roles, but she had always been devoted to the role of sealing the opponent's movements by circling to their blind spots and cutting at their legs and other parts.

That's why, when she thought about when Nozomu would break through the front line, she felt a shiver run down her spine.

Whether they knew of Mimuru's anxiety or not, both Tom and Shina were calmly carrying out their own roles.

 

"Tom, I'm done here. All that's left is your side."

 

"Yeah. Leave the rest to me."

 

Eventually, Shina finished her own work and handed the finished string to Tom.

Tom temporarily placed the received string to the side and continued his work.

 

"By the way, will this really work?"

 

Mimuru, who had been seized by anxiety, couldn't help but ask Tom.

While continuing his work, Tom answered in a nonchalant tone.

 

"Probably. According to the old man, if we can drive a wedge into the connection between Nozomu-kun and Tiamat even a little, I think there's a good chance he'll return to normal."

 

"What's the proof of that?"

 

"Before, Nozomu-kun was deceived by Tiamat and turned his blade on us, right? Since then, something has been bothering me..."

 

At Tom, who cut his words as if to confirm, Mimuru couldn't help but swallow.

 

"Just what kind of power did Nozomu-kun get by defeating Tiamat..."

 

"Power, you mean that, right?"

 

Mimuru pointed at the rampaging Nozomu, but Tom quietly shook his head.

 

"That's the power that Tiamat had. What I'm talking about is the power that Nozomu-kun himself, who became a dragonslayer, obtained."

 

In past legends, there are many descriptions of past dragonslayers having obtained some kind of special ability that is unthinkable for a human.

Some of them were special things that could not be called either human or dragon, and therefore, some scholars have judged it as a "unique ability" specific to the dragonslayers.

It would not be strange for Nozomu, who had taken in that Dragon of Destruction, to also possess some kind of unique ability.

Rather, one should assume that he did.

Incidentally, Mimuru also had a unique ability called "beastification," and was a special type whose reason was not eroded, but it was difficult to obtain the physical ability of Mars and the others who had used the magic-ki combination technique.

Naturally, it was impossible to fight on equal terms with Nozomu.

Besides that, there was also a reason why she could not face Nozomu...

 

"I became convinced at the time of Lisa-san's incident. When I witnessed Nozomu-kun charge into Abyss Grief's predation barrier and return almost unscathed."

 

Predation Barrier.

 

The one that the Ken who had merged with Abyss Grief had deployed to absorb Lisa he had so desperately desired, an alien barrier that violated the spirit of the person it had taken in, devoured their soul, and assimilated them with the host.

The predation barrier at that time was something that even Jihad had judged to be dangerous.

Even though Shina managed to disperse some of the burden falling on Nozomu via the link she established, a contract put together so hastily probably couldn't have had much of an effect.

Normally, there was almost no possibility of a human returning with their sanity intact.

However, Nozomu, who had returned after destroying the barrier, although he looked tired, did not show a shred of his spirit being eroded.

 

"Probably, Nozomu-kun has already awakened some kind of unique ability... no, is it beginning to awaken? Anyway, I think there's no doubt that there's an ability that not only we but he himself also don't grasp."

 

Mimuru was tilting her head, perhaps not understanding Tom's story well, but Shina was able to accept Tom's story readily. Because she herself had an idea.

Before, when Nozomu had been bedridden, she had desperately tried to make contact with his spirit, but she had been blocked by countless chains when she had passed through the link of the contract magic, and had not been able to make contact with Nozomu's spirit.

If the chains at that time had some kind of relationship with his ability...

 

"Alright, it's done! Shina, please."

 

Tom handed the bow, on which he had finished carving the formula, to Shina. On the surface of the bow, a formula was densely carved without any gaps.

Shina took the received bow, drew its string to check its condition, and gave a small nod.

 

"Well then, Shina, please. As for you, Mimuru, as planned..."

 

"Yeah, got it. Good timing!"

 

Mimuru quickly turned her body and disappeared into the gray forest in an instant.

Shina confirmed Mimuru, who had disappeared into the depths of the forest, slowly readied her bow, and began to draw the string.

 

"Phew..."

 

She let out a small breath, let her magic power boil from her entire body, and flowed it into her readied bow.

The faintly shining blue magic element gradually began to increase its light, and at the same time, the formula carved on the bow began to shine.

When the drawn string was filled with light, furthermore, a magic element that shone in the four colors of red, green, yellow, and blue gathered on the readied bow, and began to form a single shining arrow.

 

"Uuuuh..."

 

As the arrow was being formed, Tima's expression became even more pained.

This arrow, just like the arrow that had induced the explosion of Azel's breath, was a magic arrow created by Tima's immense magic power.

And besides, unlike the previous arrow, the entire thing, including the body of the arrow, was formed by Tima's magic power.

Its power would probably be incomparable to the previous arrow.

But it was Tima, who had been sending magic power with all her might to strengthen Irisdina. Even for her, who possessed an enormous amount of magic power, she was mentally near her limit.

Still, she could not stop here.

Shina was sending Tima a cheer in her heart while controlling her inflowing magic power.

The body of the arrow was created by Tima's magic power, but it was Shina's role to give that magic power the form of an arrow.

And she had to shoot that arrow accurately at the heart of the high-speed clashing Nozomu.

It was a feat like spearing a fish in the sea while enduring a raging storm in a cutter boat.

Even for Shina, who excelled at archery as an elf, it was an almost impossible feat.

 

"Hah... Hmm..."

 

However, in her eyes as she readied her bow, not a shred of feelings like hesitation or wavering could be felt.

She straightened her back, exhaled shallowly, and held his breath.

 

"Nozomu-kun..."

 

She looked at him, who was in her line of sight.

 

"I've decided. To become your support..."

 

Shina once again confirmed her own feelings.

When she was pointed out her feelings by Lisa before, she was so embarrassed that she had writhed and had made a fool of herself in front of others, but after that, no feelings of shame had welled up.

Instead, she had felt a faint warmth in the depths of her chest. And before she knew it, she had naturally decided in her heart to support him.

She somehow thought that it was probably because she was an elf.

Elves are, for better or for worse, a pure race.

Once they have decided something, they will never yield, and they are sometimes called a stubborn race.

Although they cherish their own kind very much, due to their feelings for their own race, they sometimes come into conflict with other races.

Because they are such a race, elves are quite reclusive, and until they were driven from their homeland by the great invasion, they had almost no interaction with races other than their own.

Because they had lost their homeland in the great invasion, they had been forced to interact with other races, so the opportunities to see elves in other cities had increased.

Still, since humans and elves feel the passage of time differently, it is still extremely rare for an elf to be attracted to a human.

But once they have judged someone as one of their own, they will protect them no matter what, and especially the connection between a married couple or lovers is strong, and when their partner dies, they will mourn for decades from that sorrow. In some cases, they would even choose to die themselves to follow their partner.

Perhaps because of her nature as an elf, she had naturally come to walk behind Nozomu, as if to support him.

That's why Shina, who would go to such lengths for a human, was a strange person from an elf's point of view, and it could also be said that she had fallen for Nozomu that much.

It wasn't as if Shina wanted Nozomu to be by her side as much as Irisdina did.

That was probably because she had been able to form a bond with him that could not be formed by humans.

Shina turned her consciousness to the depths of her own chest.

Through the link connected to Nozomu, she could feel his and Tiamat's rage.

A vortex of passion that seemed as if it would burn her own heart. But that was proof that he was certainly alive.

 

"It's okay. I believe it will reach you..."

 

She closed her eyes and spoke to Nozomu as if in prayer. As expected, no voice came back from him.

There was no time for Nozomu, nor for them. The opportunity was probably only once. If they missed it, everyone present would be invited to their deaths.

Still, she had no anxiety.

Just as this contract had not been broken, even if her voice did not reach him, she could understand that they were still connected.

Finally, the magic arrow was complete. Shina opened her eyes and aimed with the will to hit her target in her heart.

In her line of sight, she was looking at the source of the evil that was deceiving the person she had sworn to support.

-----

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