“Nuooooooo!!!”
Without any fear of the dragon's breath, Horn stepped forward.
Sensing this, the Purgatory Dragon changed its target to Horn and unleashed its breath once again.
An enormous flame.
A blinding flash of light, intense enough to burn one’s eyes.
Even so…
“Oooooooooh!!!”
Horn didn’t stop.
He avoided a direct hit.
But it grazed him—just slightly.
The armor Horn wore began to char rapidly, and parts of it even started to melt.
Exposed to such force, he must have been in tremendous pain.
Yet still, he didn’t stop moving, diving into the dragon’s reach.
“Muungh!!!”
Horn grabbed the greatsword on his back and swung it in one motion.
It was a massive sword, as tall as he was.
Its power was extraordinary.
He couldn’t cut through the dragon’s tough scales, but he succeeded in smashing them.
“Take this… Eat thiiiiiis!!!”
Horn brought the greatsword down again.
He didn’t use it like a sword—he wielded it like a club, slamming the flat of the blade onto the crushed scales.
A metallic clang rang out, overlapping with the Purgatory Dragon’s scream.
And then—
BOOM!!!
Apparently, he had packed explosives into the blade, and the greatsword exploded.
Infernal flames and shockwaves.
A storm of shrapnel sprayed out at close range.
Even the mighty Purgatory Dragon couldn’t withstand it—it writhed and let out agonized groans.
It was working.
But…
“Horn, are you okay!?”
“Ugh… This is nothing.”
It was practically a self-destructive move.
Horn had taken a fair bit of damage himself, with blood flowing from various places.
“We need to treat your wounds quickly—”
“There’s no time for that.”
“B-but…”
“Now’s the time to strike. You understand, don’t you?”
“…I understand.”
Looking into Horn’s eyes, I realized persuasion was pointless.
His eyes were those of a martyr.
He had resolved to bring the dragon down—even if it meant dying with it.
There was no changing his will.
To do so would be to reject the life he’s lived… everything he’s stood for.
In that case—
“I’ll support you!”
So that Horn wouldn’t have to die with the dragon, I’d give him my full support.
I’d do what I can.
That’s all.
“Fate, let’s go together!”
“Yeah!”
Sofia stepped forward first.
With movements so fast they were almost invisible, she bewildered the Purgatory Dragon.
Even the mighty Purgatory Dragon couldn’t keep up with Sofia’s godlike speed.
It couldn’t continuously unleash its breath either, and seemed to be conserving it—flailing its limbs and tail instead.
It was as if a raging storm had gained a will of its own.
Massive rocks were shattered effortlessly, and the ground shook as though a series of earthquakes were erupting.
Even so, Sofia didn’t let up on her attacks.
In fact, she grew even faster.
Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash… Slash!!!
Each individual strike caused only minor damage, but they steadily chipped away at the Purgatory Dragon’s stamina.
And I—
“Take this!”
Although far fewer than Sofia's flurry of attacks, I too landed some blows.
I struck again at the places Sofia had already wounded.
Or I’d toss leather pouches filled with oil at its feet, trying to hinder the Purgatory Dragon’s movement.
It’s frustrating, but there’s not much I can do right now.
I’m clearly lacking in power.
But sulking about it won’t help.
I’ll do what I can do.
With everything I’ve got, I’ll use every trick I know to support Sofia and Horn.
“Guaaaaahhh!!!?”
The Purgatory Dragon let out a pained roar under the relentless assault.
It looked—perhaps just slightly—like its movements were slowing down.
Good.
If we keep attacking like this…
That line of thinking might have been my mistake—my moment of carelessness.
“Fate!?”
Sofia’s scream.
Before I realized it, the Purgatory Dragon’s tail was already swinging right at me.
Comments
Post a Comment