At almost the same time... “Graaaah!” Nelfic and Galdorba both howled!
I’d used a spell that would encase a target in magical ice, then shatter that ice. It easily had enough power to break a brass demon-level opponent. Granted, the last time I’d used it was to take care of a weird fish!
Krik! Nelfic’s body audibly froze over. When it did... two layers of white circle surrounded her!
That light again!
My magical ice burst into thousands of frosty flakes. The trapped opponent shattered along with it... or that was the idea. However, after the ice dispersed in pieces, Nelfic remained standing there, completely unharmed!
Aha... The circles were a defensive spell that Nelfic and Galdorba had cast simultaneously, probably the same one that had mitigated my last Dragon Slave. The reason Nelfic had hesitated for a moment when she’d realized I was casting a spell just now was probably because she was unsure if she should press her attack or pause to defend.
“Damn you all!” she howled. “You killed Regenell!”
“If you aren’t prepared for the consequences, don’t go picking fights!” I clapped back.
Nelfic readied herself to meet the charging Gourry and Ran. And then... a tremble ran through her body.
“Nelfic?!” Galdorba cried from nearby.
Unable to comprehend what had just happened, Nelfic, pinned to the ground, let out a small and bloody cough.
“Such acrobatics are best left to the young people, in my opinion...” Captain Morgan said, removing the Blast Sword he’d used to impale Nelfic.
The whole thing was pretty simple once you knew the trick. We’d used the fact that the dragons were on guard for Gourry against them. Gourry had traded swords with Captain Morgan, and while we kept the dragons distracted, Captain Morgan had climbed to the roof of the nearby house and leaped down to deal the fatal blow. I’d originally thought he might say no, but perhaps realizing there was no other choice under the circumstances, he’d agreed to the plan. Normal swords and normal skills couldn’t pierce Nelfic’s hide, but the Blast Sword, whose sharpness increased in proportion to the magic around it, certainly could!
Time to keep up this momentum and finish off Galdorba!
I began my next chant! Captain Morgan swapped swords back with Gourry as the enemy moved toward him.
“Foolish humaaan!” Galdorba took in a deep breath, and—Crackapoppoppoppop!—he unleashed his lightning breath.
Perhaps expecting this, Captain Morgan unceremoniously threw his sword, drawing the lightning to it.
Gourry closed in from the left, Ran from the right. But Galdorba didn’t back down. Why? Because I came charging in from the front a second later! I was the one he wanted, so if I charged in as bait, he’d have to consider whether he wanted to retreat or take his chances.
Galdorba roared, summoning up a tornado.
“Geh!” The powerful wind became a wall that kept Gourry at bay.
Ran, however, pressed her charge! The wind around her was canceling out Galdorba’s tornado—and she rode its flow to close the distance!
Crackle! Light flashed in Galdorba’s open mouth!
Thunder breath?! He was aiming at me! Maybe it wasn’t as powerful when he conjured it so quickly, but it was still lightning, and I was still flesh and blood.
That moment felt like an eternity. I could see the ball of lightning in Galdorba’s maw grow and grow and...
“Hup!” Ran said casually, and suddenly, raining into my vision were countless small... arrowheads?!
The metal projectiles sailed through the air, sucked in by the electricity, straight for Galdorba! At some point, Ran had collected the fallen arrowheads from the ground, and she’d now tossed them.
Whether the electricity was hurting him as well, or if he was just shocked by the gesture, Galdorba stopped in place for a moment... And that’s when I dove in! He sliced at me with his claws to intercept my charge, but I’d already finished casting my spell. I pressed both my palms to his chest, and just as his claws struck out at me...
“Blast Wave!”
Crash! A blow that could even pierce a castle wall pulverized the silver weredragon.
“Well done, all,” Captain Morgan said with the manner of our superior officer as he walked over to the scene.
“You weren’t bad yourself,” I replied. “I mean, we weren’t counting on you that much, but you did a good job. I was worried you’d get too scared to jump down when it mattered.”
“I certainly was scared. I haven’t jumped down from a roof since I was a child,” he replied with an easy smile.
It occurred to me, perhaps too late to matter... was this dude better than I’d given him credit for? Thinking back, during the whole “Dark Lord of the North” hunt, I had thought it odd that the kingdom sent some guy from the local guard. But if he was one of the most skilled fighters in the country, that would explain it. It also explained why his request to bring two wanderers like us in on the fight had been so readily granted.
Still, if my hunch was right... I should’ve put him to better use and spared myself the risky headlong charge straight into danger.
Whether he’d guessed what I was thinking or not, he turned a playful gaze my way. “I’m surprised that you trusted me that much, though. I could’ve just run off with that magical sword of yours. Or taken the chance to strike you unawares, carrying out my orders and getting on the good side of Neosfeed at the same time.”
“You wouldn’t,” I said, waving my hand dismissively. “I mean, you saved us before, right?” If he’d wanted us dead, he could’ve just kept the door locked when Nelfic was breathing fire at us.
“True,” he said, looking over the wrecked cityscape. “On an emotional level, I couldn’t simply let these hooligans remain at large...”
Wpsh! Suddenly, I heard the sound of beating wings. We looked around in confusion and saw Nelfic gone from where she’d been lying. Using her draconic magic to accelerate, she flew away unsteadily.
“She survived?!” I had to admit, girl had good instincts. If she’d tried to take a potshot at us, I would’ve picked up on her hostile intent and realized she was still alive.
“So their vital areas are different from those of a human...” Morgan whispered, watching the flapping pair of wings disappear into the distance. Given her speed, there was no way we’d catch up.
So she got away... I felt like this could spell trouble for us in the future.