“Shiro, Kuro, watch how its mana moves!”
“Myah!”
“Okieee.”
Another sweeping tail strike came toward us, but we dodged that too. The beast was clearly stronger, but its flow of mana was much more obvious. I guess it’s easier to dodge now? Actually, no, the increased speed cancels that out.
But the real problem wasn’t its attack power; it was its defense. Our spells weren’t doing anything. Before, it would at least flinch, but now the black mana had essentially become an impenetrable barrier. Magic that couldn’t even catch its attention was just a waste of mana.
So we had no choice but to force out even stronger advanced magic. I’d used Shadowflame Annihilation Circle because it seemed easiest to control, but the desert dragon had high fire resistance. If I wanted a sure kill, I should’ve used an attribute it was weak against, even if it was more difficult.
For example, Blade of the Sea King would’ve—
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream.
“Gaaaa?!”
What was that? That red flash...
A red light had shot in from somewhere and struck the desert dragon’s right foreleg, piercing the black mana and cracking its scales—a terrifyingly strong attack.
“Sorry I’m late!”
It was Godlord, finally on the move again. Miraculously, it seemed the dragon’s attacks had missed him—it was almost annoying to see him so perky.
He donned quite the smug look. Was he waiting for a dramatic moment to jump in? I know he helped us, but I’m kinda pissed.
“So you can finally move again,” I said.
I couldn’t help the tinge of spite in my voice.
The delinquent scratched his head apologetically.
“My bad.”
W-Wow, since when did you get so tame? What happened to the cocky delinquent I know? Did you have some rotten food or something?
But he did give an excuse.
“It’s not like I was wussin’ out, all right? I mean it! I just couldn’t move all of a sudden!”
That’s called wussing out!
Still, the excuse was so typical of him that it felt reassuring.
“Damn dragon must’ve pulled a dirty move! I finally started moving again when it turned black!”
“Oh, that might be true.”
“I’m sure of it! Probably some paralysis attack that only works on cheaters!”
Well, he doesn’t seem scared anymore, so I’ll just settle with that excuse.
Machina could move again too, and she was healing Shiro and Kuro.
“Now it’s my turn!” said Godlord before letting out a heroic shout.
What the—? There’s some kind of black mist rising from his body. He’s wrapped in red mana, but it’s like there’s a bit of black mixed in. It’s similar to the black mana the desert dragon and Ares used...but it’s not the same. Is it because there’s red mixed in? It’s not like he’s lost his mind and started going berserk, though.
“Take this!”
“Gaaah!”
Godlord charged in and punched the dragon in the face, sending its massive body flying sideways. It was an impressive display of brute force, lifting the dragon’s huge body like that. The scales on its snout shattered and caved in. What’s more, his attack had pierced the dragon’s black mana again. His mana must’ve been able to cancel out and nullify the dragon’s.
Godlord laughed triumphantly. “You big ol’ lizard! Now it’s my turn!”
He stepped in farther.
He moved so fast he almost vanished, then launched a huge uppercut, striking the dragon’s jaw with a thunderous boom. This time, the dragon flew straight up. The effect of his First Punch should’ve worn off, but the power didn’t seem reduced at all. He must not have been fighting all out during our journey.
I can’t believe he was hiding such insane attack power! It’s way stronger than the First Punch he showed off in the golem fight!
Godlord continued his relentless assault, punctuating each strike with a yell. He darted left and right at blinding speed while throwing punches. It wasn’t elegant enough to call footwork, but it had the raw force of street fighting.
He could even fire red mana with his punches: a red flash that pierced the desert dragon’s scales. That must have been the attack that had struck the dragon’s foreleg earlier. Attacks bathed in red rained down all over the desert dragon’s massive body.
H-He was this strong...?
Each hit probably had the power of an intermediate spell. It wasn’t enough to kill in one blow, but with that many strikes, the total damage would have been enormous. At this rate, he might’ve defeated the dragon before I even needed to use an advanced spell.
But isn’t Godlord’s black mana getting thicker?
At first, it was just a little black mixed into the red, but now it looked more marbled, the mana emitting an ominous aura as it wavered around him.
“Bwa ha ha! I’ve got this power surging inside me! I don’t even know what’s going on!”
He seemed confused by his own power. At first, he tilted his head, suspicious, but he accepted his newfound power almost immediately. With a vicious expression, he unleashed even more brutal attacks, yelling and screaming.
Each time Godlord punched the desert dragon, the black portion of his mana increased. And the more the blackness grew, the more ferocious he became.
Is this...okay? It totally looks like he’s about to be swallowed by the black mana...
“Weak! Pathetically weak!” he said, cackling with glee.
Godlord’s mana was no longer half red and half black—it was almost entirely black, with only faint red lines running through it.
What’s gonna happen if it turns completely black? He’s not gonna come after—
“Shut up! What the hell are you saying?!”
Huh? What was that?
“Like hell I’m doing that!”
Is he arguing with someone?
“You’re supposed to protect kids! Get lost, asshole!”
As he yelled, even louder than before, his mana changed drastically. The black color suddenly diminished, and the red returned.
“Heh. You see that?”
The sinister expression vanished—not really. He always looked like that. But the sense of evil around him had definitely faded. That black mana really was something you didn’t want to get involved in.
“Time to finish this!” Godlord screamed, going in for an attack.
“Gaaaaggghhh!”
His fist, wrapped in red mana stronger than ever before, smashed the desert dragon’s torso. With a death cry that sounded almost human, the beast violently convulsed. Its torso tore like paper, organs bursting out and blood staining the floor crimson.
And a few seconds later, the massive desert dragon became nothing more than a lifeless corpse.
“Hell yeah! Victory’s mine!”
“Myah!”
“Wuffu!”
Shiro’s and Kuro’s triumphant cries echoed through the room, following Godlord’s shout.
Did we...really win? Then our curse should—
“All those unexpected twists had me pretty worried, but it all worked out in the end, so no harm done.”
“Huh—?”
A...woman’s voice?
“Still, I don’t need you anymore. Get outta my sight, you damn delinquent.”