With the image of Adamas being an extension of my own arm and body, I poured as much magic into it as I could. With a roar, I focused all my magic into a single point and brought the sword down on Emergias’s guard. The blade bit deep into the haft of his spear before slicing right through. As the blade grazed his face and holy fire scorched his skin, Emergias screamed in agony.
The demon woman at his side shouted for him, trying to jump into the fray, but a loud footstep resounded from behind us. I knew it. She was right on time.
From the depths of the room, a Swordmaster dashed forward at breakneck speed. She had taken a reprieve deeper in the fortress to replenish her magic using magic stones, and had now returned. With godlike speed, Barbara’s rapier sought out Emergias, leaving a trail of vapor in the air behind it as it soared.
“Like hell!” the demon woman shouted, tossing aside her spear which had been rendered useless by my Taboo. Then she lunged forward, reaching for Barbara with her bare hands. Even as the dragon scales on Barbara’s skin tore her hands apart, the demon used the Swordmaster’s otherworldly speed against her, throwing her off course as she fell.
“No way!” Barbara exclaimed as she flew, hurtling through the door of the fortress and outside. Never mind a spear wielding demon, that kind of martial prowess would have been incredible for a Fistmaster.
But that miracle would only work once. Though she had successfully thrown Barbara off course, the Swordmaster’s rapier had still riddled her body with holes.
“Young...master...retreat...!”
Emergias held the woman in his arms as blood spewed from her mouth. Her advice was sound, and her loyalty was laudable. But neither of them were making it out of here alive. I would kill them both right here!
“Dragons! Use your breath! It doesn’t matter if we get caught in it!” Emergias shouted, his Transmission carrying with clear desperation. He had brought only green dragons with them. Since their breath attack was wind magic like what the Izanis soldier wielded, he had full confidence he could withstand their attack.
But there was no response. Emergias’s eyes went wide. He finally noticed. His Transmission hadn’t reached anyone. Instead, the only response he received were the cries of dying dragons. Turning to look, he saw them falling from the sky.
†††
After unleashing her breath attack, Layla quickly shifted into human form, ran to a window in the chamber to slip outside, and returned to her dragon form.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
But as soon as she leaped into the air, she was swarmed by the green dragons Emergias and his subordinates had rode in on.
“Please let me through. My master is in danger,” Layla pleaded, hovering in place. But the green dragons circling around her just laughed, eyeing her up like starving predators closing in on their next meal.
“No, I don’t think we will.”
“We won’t get involved in a battle between demons...”
“But when it comes to you, we’ll do whatever we want.”
There was a distinct vulgarness to the tone of the green dragons’ metallic rasping.
“Is that so?” Layla lowered her head. But then she glared back at the dragons as a flash of light came to her eyes. “Then I’ll take the same liberty with you. Please help me.” A beguiling light shone from her eyes.
“Dammit! Don’t look in her eyes!” one of the green dragons shouted, but it was too late.
Layla’s Charm ensnared some of the others, causing them to lash out at their comrades in a frenzy.
“Stop it, you idiots!”
“Get a hold of yourselves! Gaaaaah!”
“Using white dragon magic?! How?!”
The green dragons that still had their wits struggled to free their allies from the spell. They knew Layla had learned to fly while in Zilbagias’s care, but she hadn’t been taught a thing about dragon magic. Her learning magic unique to white dragons should have been impossible.
But of course, Layla didn’t answer. She simply took a deep breath.
“Damn you!” The green dragon opened his mouth in turn, but not before Layla unleashed a breath attack with all her might. Such a display swept away the green dragon’s wind breath like dust, reducing its owner to a smoldering husk as they fell to the ground.
“Don’t look down on us!”
“It’s only one of her and—!”
Though two had been lost to Layla’s Charm while her breath had taken another by surprise, four green dragons were still standing. It would be hard to overcome those kinds of numbers. On top of that, these were green dragons, masters of the wind. They were the uncontested elites of aerial combat. No matter how renowned Layla’s bloodline was, handling a fight like this on her own would be an insurmountable feat.
But of course, that assumed she was alone.
The atmosphere around them stretched taut. Space warped, and the dragon lunging toward Layla suddenly spiraled off course, its head separated from its body.
“What?!” The others had no idea what had happened.
While they were stunned, a silver clad figure jumped off Layla’s back.
“I never thought I’d be hunting dragons!” Hessel shouted, swinging his massive greatsword. Linebreaker’s effectiveness extended to various beings and domains—including dragons and in midair.
With a roar, he delivered a spinning slash, bringing down a barrage of Linebreakers. The ferocious torrent sliced the wings of one dragon and through the body of another that was ensnared with one of its Charmed allies. Of course, with no wings of his own, Hessel would simply fall to the ground, but Layla deftly swooped in to catch him.
The green dragons had assumed Layla would be a powerless little girl all by her lonesome who could do no more than fly. By the time they realized their error, only one green dragon remained. With a pathetic shriek, the last survivor attempted to flee.
“I am afraid I have explicit instructions,” Layla murmured as the last dragon turned tail. “None of you are allowed to escape.”
And so she took a deep breath. With all her fury as a dragon, she unleashed another blast from her mouth, as if venting every morsel of frustration she held from the vile way they had looked at her earlier. The beam of pure white light roasted the final green dragon in midair. With the skin burned off its wings, it plummeted to the ground with a scream. A heavy thud resounded as bone and flesh smashed to pieces upon hitting the ground.
As dragons of wind, green dragons flew with incredible speed.
“But compared to light, you may as well be standing still,” Layla spat. The line got a cheer from Hessel on her back, suddenly filling her with embarrassment.
“W-We need to go help Alex!” she stuttered, quickly moving to finish off the dragons that had fallen to the ground.
†††
Ow...
Deep in the fortress’s storage room, Liliana lay bleary on the floor. The room looked like a tornado had run through it; things scattered everywhere. Liliana herself was covered in blood. When Emergias had launched his initial attack, blades of wind scoured about the fortress. Claire was fine since she was in spiritual form. But with only ordinary clothes on, Liliana had been defenseless and torn to pieces. She had no way to defend herself against magical attacks. After all, she was just a dog.