With a flap of black cloth, Wridra appeared beneath the clear skies. Her face was completely devoid of expression, though she was seething on the inside. Kalina had been waiting nearby, and her monitor blinked before speaking.
“Master, I now understand what you had meant earlier. Such an arrogant man is unworthy of being your husband.”
Kalina’s voice was unusually emotional. Still, Wridra was too upset to reply and shoved her arm into the shadowy pocket that appeared midair and pulled out an extremely heavy cylinder. As she held it, there was a thud, and a crack ran through the rock she stood upon.
“Hmph, he has not changed one bit. Prepare for battle, Kalina. I will knock some sense into that complacent fool,” said Wridra as she laid her gun down.
There was no need for anger in this fight. Wridra would need to be calm and collected to find the perfect opportunity to strike. She flipped her long black hair and proclaimed, “Conversion: remove Dragon Core Breaker Resistance and Instant Death Resistance. Set Dragon Eyes and Optical Flow.”
Conversion rendered her immobile for approximately one minute. Since she would be left vulnerable during this time, she had to be careful about when to use it.
In the meantime, Wridra collected her thoughts on the Prominence Dragon. She sat atop the rocky mountain and looked across the horizon to a point about fifty kilometers away, where her opponent should still be standing. Even a dragon should not be able to notice where she had gone right away.
The Prominence Dragon was a master of chaos and destruction. He was intelligent to boot, so outwitting him would prove difficult. Fortunately, she knew several of his skills from their previous encounter. The ones she knew of were:
Blackout, which inflicts mental damage to an opponent within view until they’re driven mad.
Divine Haze, allowing him to modify his own existence.
Platinum Breath, a beam of total destruction.
Death Sentence, which sends an organism into a chain reaction of destruction.
Wither, which limitlessly shrinks matter and is capable of destroying atoms.
These were all top-tier, devastatingly powerful skills. Entering Lavos’s skill range or touching his dragon breath would mean instant death. Even if she landed a hit by some miracle, his defensive skills would protect him from any damage. His life force was so robust that he could live for a week even if decapitated, and his sadistic nature made him a nightmare to fight against. Any of his opponents would realize they were nothing but food and drive themselves mad. These traits comprised the terrible Prominence Dragon. Wridra quietly laughed, thinking that Kitase would be the only one happy to see him.
As for Wridra, her specialties were quite unusual: spatial control, Magic Tool creation, accuracy improvement, and sharpening her dragon instincts. None of these categories related to destruction.
She had removed her resistances earlier, such as Dragon Core Breaker, because Lavos had shown an interest in taking it, and she suspected he wouldn’t choose Instant Death as an attack method against her. He would prefer to make her suffer.
“Target detected. Sending you the coordinates, Master,” said Kalina.
“Hmph. It appears he has no intention of hiding. Let’s see how he likes this one.”
Wridra tightened her leather gloves and lifted the Magigun with one hand. The giant rifle, three meters in length, had been designed with her strength in mind. It was far heavier than it appeared, so it could withstand its own incredible firepower.
The Arkdragon lay on the ground, unconcerned about getting dirty, and readied the weapon. Her dress-shaped armor transformed, impaling the ground to provide stability. She drew the bolt and loaded a bullet filled with condensed magic. It loaded into the chamber and glowed purple as if thrilled to see battle.
A bell-like chime accompanied the appearance of several layers of lenses over Wridra’s left eye. The purple phosphorescence also appeared here, then rotated around the target to adjust the aim. Only she could see the Prominence Dragon armoring up in the distance.
She set her sights, let out three breaths, then quietly squeezed the trigger.
BOOOOOOM!
A crack ran across the slope of the rock face, and the summit crumpled from the impact. The sheer amount of mass that had been discharged made the world monochrome for a moment.
The bullet full of demon matter was about as big as a relay baton. It accelerated over multiple stages and corrected its trajectory according to Wridra’s orders, speeding directly toward the target. The mountain on the horizon was approximately fifty kilometers away. A regular sniper rifle would not reach such distance, but nothing was impossible for the Arkdragon.
“Landing in five, four, three...” Kalina counted down calmly, and the dragon observed.
Wridra saw the Prominence Dragon turn toward her, and for a brief moment, she saw his limbs come into view.
The rocky mountain seemed to have been vertically hit as a light shone straight toward the summit, bringing destruction fifty kilometers away. The ground rumbled after a delay, and Wridra quickly rose before even checking the aftermath.
“He is onto us. We must move,” said Wridra.
“He noticed from that far away? It seems he isn’t considered a legendary dragon for nothing. His destruction will be a worthwhile endeavor.”
Wridra chuckled in agreement, then they both stepped into a shadowy gate, leaving their spot before the sound of impact even reached them.
After some time, the Prominence Dragon awakened. He rose from the mountain ridge, emerging as the legendary dragon.
The sky roared.
§
The ground rumbled, displacing sand from the cave ceiling and causing it to trickle down to the ground.
Long ago, the Neko tribe had dug out the rocky mountains to excavate Magic Stones. Judging by the sheer number of fine markings left by their metal tools, it appeared to have been quite the undertaking.
But humans clad in leather armor had claimed the area, and they could no longer find them. They had to crouch through the narrow cave, revealing the clear blue skies through one of the peepholes. Their surroundings were pitch-black due to the backlight, casting shadows on the crouching humans’ faces.
The rumbling, indicating the approaching Gedovar army, had been going on for some time. They were simply moving toward this land, which made them even more ominous.
A soldier reached toward his chest, revealing what appeared to be a pendant connected to a delicate chain. It was an inexpensive, simple trinket made by carving a piece of wood with a knife. Yet the man held it close, then reverently kissed it as if it were a noble’s hand.
Someone skilled had made the pendant in their spare time, as it was no exquisite work of art. It had a warmth to it, and the carving of a beautiful girl almost seemed like she was smiling at him with her sky-blue eyes.
The pendant had become quite a hot topic some time ago, and the good-natured man who had carved it made some for everyone on request. He had refused any payment, claiming it would be rude to the second-floor master, and they had all been carrying them under their shirts.
This man had been holding on to it since and realized its proper usage: providing peace of mind. The peephole revealed a horde of monsters that kicked up dust like a sandstorm, making that terrible sound as they drew closer. There had to be more than ten thousand of them.
Their movement continued to create the tremors, and their attack hadn’t even begun yet. Displaced sand fell upon the man’s leather armor. He had known sand since the moment he was born, and even the blood of his ancestors had likely become a part of it.
Strangely, the man felt grateful. Grateful that his fear was vanishing as a fighting spirit replaced it. He gripped the pendant tightly, then pressed it against his forehead as if receiving a blessing from a goddess.
“We, the people of the desert, will not fear the fearsome. We will stand against the undefeatable and protect the splendor of the oasis.”
The others around him also uttered the ancient words, and silence fell over the cave again. Just as everyone had prepared to face their deaths, a visitor arrived. He looked around his quiet surroundings and let out a sigh of disappointment.
“Well, aren’t you a bunch of downers. Did I walk into a funeral or something?”
The speaker was an old man with a slight slouch, though his physique and attitude were unlike a normal man of his age. Several men jumped to their feet when they realized who it was.
“Captain Gaston!”
Surprise and joy covered their faces as they greeted their master and noted that the members of Team Ruby had reunited at last.
Gaston chuckled as his men gathered one after another, then said, “Hmph, I did you all a favor, but here you all are. Why the hell would you request to be appointed to the front lines?”
“Could say the same to you, captain. We thought you joined the labyrinth raid,” said a man, smiling as they bumped fists. He was the vice captain and someone with a sharp mind and combat skills, who was now full of vigor in stark contrast to just a few minutes earlier.
“Heh, well, things were obviously more dire over here,” said Gaston, grinning. “Hey, ya bastards! You’re not going to hell without me!”
“Ha ha, they say Team Ruby doesn’t die even if you stab us in the head. We must’ve gotten our toughness from you, but we wish we didn’t. When will we finally get to die?!”
The two men bared their teeth with devilish grins and laughed out loud while the others around them stared blankly.
Team Ruby was a different breed because it was persistent, stubborn, and grossly combative. Each member was powerful and brawny, even repelling Shirley on the second floor several times. They received the nickname “barracudas” because they raced each other to get at the enemy first, which showed how abnormal they were.
Once they finished laughing, the vice captain sat down beside the peephole with the old man. He put his pendant away, then said, “So, Captain Gaston, how was the third floor of the ancient labyrinth? Was it so fun that it was worth leaving us?”