At Duchess Arlet's location.
Duchess Arlet and her knights were seen attempting to attack the three enormous ice dragons. The knights attempted to attack the dragons with their weapons, but their attacks had no effect on their bodies. Then, the knights attempted to attack the dragons with magic. They launched all kinds of magic, both ordinary and elemental, at the dragons. However, the attacks remained ineffective. Even fire magic, which should have melted ice, failed to melt the ice enveloping their bodies.
After the knights attacked the three dragons, this time the dragons attacked them with their claws, tails, bodies, and ice blasts from their mouths. The knights immediately dodged the attack. They managed to avoid the attack, but not all of them did, as three knights were struck. One knight was struck by a claw attack from one of the dragons, instantly dying, his body mutilated. Another knight was struck by the tail of one of the dragons, sending him flying and crashing into a nearby block of sharp ice. The knight was instantly killed by the ice. Then, another knight was struck by an ice blast from one of the dragons. The ice blast instantly froze him. After the dragon's body froze, it struck him with its tail, shattering his frozen body into pieces.
Several knights looked shocked upon seeing the three dead knights.
"Three more knights have died,"
"Yes, and there will definitely be more. Maybe we'll be the next to die," the so said.
Several knights looked frightened and anxious after seeing the three knights die. Seeing the fear and anxiety of the knights, the remaining knights tried to calm and encourage them.
"All of you, stay focused. I know you're anxious and scared because we're facing a dangerous creature. You're anxious and scared because you're afraid of dying, right? But if you don't stay calm and focused, it will be dangerous for you because you could actually die. So, if you don't want to die, I ask you to stay calm and focused," said one of the knights.
"That's right. Honestly, you're not the only one anxious and afraid of dying; we all are too. But we're still trying to stay calm and focused. If we don't stay calm and focused, we'll embarrass ourselves and Miss Duchess. Can't you see right now? Miss Duchess is trying to fight those three dragons alone," said another knight.
After the knight said that, the other knights turned to the three dragons. His words were true; Duchess Arlet was currently fighting three enormous ice dragons alone. Duchess Arlet continued to attack the three dragons with her rapier while simultaneously dodging their attacks.
The knights who witnessed this seemed amazed by Duchess Arlet's actions.
"You saw that, right? Aren't you ashamed to see Miss Duchess fighting those three Dragons alone? She's our leader, and yet she dared to fight those three Dragons alone without any fear or anxiety of death, while we, her knights, who should be protecting her, are instead afraid and anxious about death. Shouldn't you—no, shouldn't we be ashamed of ourselves?" the knight said.
Several knights who had previously looked anxious and afraid began to fall silent. As they fell silent, their faces and expressions slowly began to return to normal. They no longer looked anxious and afraid.
"Therefore, all of you, stay focused and calm. If you are not focused and calm, you might actually die from the attacks of the three Dragons. In addition, I also remind you, our duty as knights in this expedition is to protect Miss Duchess. Now, some of us will go to help Miss Duchess in fighting the three Dragons. However, if you do not want to help, we will not have a problem with it. If you want to leave this place, we also have no problem with it. The most important thing is that you stay focused and calm so that you do not die," said the knight.
After the knight said that, the previously anxious and fearful knights began to approach the one who had spoken.
"I was indeed anxious and afraid before, but this time, that anxiety and fear have disappeared, and I have been enlightened by your words. I will not remain silent or leave this place; I will also help. I cannot stand idly by when I see Miss Duchess alone facing those three Dragons. I will help her, because if I don't, I will be ashamed of myself," said one of the knights who had previously looked anxious and fearful.
"Me too,"
"I will also help," said the other knights who had previously looked anxious and fearful.
They all seemed to be in unison as they said this. This meant they would all help Duchess Arlet.
"You guys... Okay, then, let's prepare to attack those three Dragons," said the knight.
"Yes!!!," said the other knights.
The knights immediately prepared themselves, holding their weapons.
"Let's attack!!" said the knight.
The knights immediately moved toward the three ice dragons Duchess Arlet was facing. Afterward, the knights immediately attacked the three dragons with their weapons and magic. Duchess Arlet looked slightly surprised to see her knights come to her aid. Duchess Arlet then approached one of the knights who had joined the attack.
"I thought you wouldn't join in the attack anymore because I saw you were anxious and afraid after seeing your dead comrades," said Duchess Arlet.
"We were indeed anxious and afraid before, Miss. But this time, we have decided to put that anxiety and fear aside. We will help you, miss," said the knight.
"I see. Then let's defeat that three dragons, but before that, there's something I want to tell you all," said Duchess Arlet.
After that, Duchess Arlet took a deep breath. Then, Duchess Arlet began to speak in a very loud voice.
"Everyone, listen to me. When I fought those three Dragons alone, I realized that they weren't real Dragons. They were artificial Dragons made of ice magic, just like the Dragons we fought before. However, the ice covering their bodies is stronger than the previous Dragons. Therefore, ordinary attacks will not work on them. Therefore, I ask that you attack them with your full strength."
"You don't need to worry if you're exhausted after using your full power. After defeating them, I've decided to call off this expedition. There's no way we can continue this expedition after learning that several of our companions have died. Therefore, we will call off this expedition after defeating them and return to San Lucia City. Therefore, let's finish this battle so we can return to San Lucia City as soon as possible," said Duchess Arlet in a loud voice.
The knights present could hear Duchess Arlet's words clearly. They all immediately responded to her words.
"Yes, Miss Duchess!!" the knights said.
After that, the knights immediately moved and attacked the three Dragons with their full strength. The knights did not hesitate to launch powerful physical and magical attacks at the three Dragons. The knights' attacks began to take their toll.
After being continuously attacked by the knights, the three Dragons began to prepare to launch an attack. But Duchess Arlet swiftly dashed toward the three Dragons and attacked them all at once.
~San Lucia Art: Freezing Air Great Slash~
Duchess Arlet launched a powerful slashing attack. The slash hit all three Dragons at once, sending them flying several meters back. Furthermore, the slash froze the three Dragons, but this didn't affect them at all because their bodies were already covered in ice. After knock down the three dragons, Duchess Arlet immediately addressed her knights.
"Half of you attack the dragon on the right, while I'll take care of the two dragons on the left and center. The other half, please assist me in fighting the two dragons," said Duchess Arlet.
"Yes, miss," the knight said.
Duchess Arlet and the knights then began to move to attack their respective target dragons. The three previously knocked-down dragons appeared to have risen again and prepared to attack Duchess Arlet and the knights who were advancing toward them. Then, the three dragons launched attacks at Duchess Arlet and the knights, but they easily dodged the attacks.
After successfully dodging the attacks, Duchess Arlet immediately attacked one of the dragons with her rapier and ice magic. Duchess Arlet continued to attack the dragon while dodging its attacks. Then, after a long period of continuous attacks, Duchess Arlet prepared to strike it with a finishing blow.
~San Lucia Ar-~
But before Duchess Arlet could launch her final attack, she was suddenly attacked by another dragon. The dragon struck Duchess Arlet with its tail, sending her flying. Duchess Arlet was thrown far enough that she slammed into several trees, rocks, and chunks of ice nearby.
"Miss Duchess!!!!!" shouted one of the knights after seeing Miss Duchess knocked away.
Then the knight said something to the other knights.
"Why was Miss Duchess attacked by another dragon? Didn't you try to make things difficult for that dragon?" asked the knight.
"We tried to make things difficult for that dragon, but it was very strong. We couldn't stop it when it moved towards the dragon Duchess Arlet was fighting. That's why Duchess Arlet was attacked by it," said the other knight.
After that, the two of them looked at the two dragons. The two dragons were currently occupied by the knights who continued to attack them. Some of the knights were already injured. Despite this, they didn't stop attacking the two dragons. After looking at the two, they both looked elsewhere. They saw that the knights fighting an ice dragon had managed to corner it. Nevertheless, the knights continued to attack it, hoping to defeat it.
"It looks like they're about to defeat that dragon. Therefore, we must assist the knights who are currently occupying the other two ice dragons. We can't let those two dragons help the one that's about to be defeated," said the knight.
"Okay, but what about Miss Duchess? Wouldn't it be better if we check on her first?" asked another knight.
"No, we should prioritize defeating those three ice dragons first. Miss Duchess would surely say the same. Therefore, let's attack those two dragons," said the knight.
"Okay," said the other knights.
After that, they immediately moved toward the two dragons and assisted the other knight in attacking them. They continued attacking the dragons while dodging their attacks. Some of them managed to dodge the attacks completely, but the rest failed to do so. However, those who failed to dodge the attacks survived because the attacks only caused extensive bodily injuries. Despite their injuries, they continued to attack the dragons relentlessly.
Then, a few moments later, as the knights continued to attack the two dragons, the two dragons simultaneously prepared to unleash a blast of ice from their mouths. The blast would be aimed at the knight attacking them. The knights, who saw this, were shocked and immediately prepared to dodge. However, it seemed they were too late, as the two dragons were already preparing to unleash their blasts of ice.
However, before the two dragons could prepare to unleash their blasts, Duchess Arlet suddenly arrived and attacked the two dragons with her rapier and six rapier surrounding her.
~San Lucia Art Secret Technique: Ice Dragon Slayer's Seven Slashes~
Duchess Arlet attacked one of the two dragons with her technique. Duchess Arlet's attack instantly shattered one of the ice dragons. Meanwhile, the other dragon was immediately sent flying by the impact. The knights who witnessed this were both impressed and shocked. However, just as they were impressed, Duchess Arlet immediately spoke to them.
"All of you, help me attract the other dragon's attention because I need to prepare an attack to finish it off," said Duchess Arlet.
"Yes, Miss Duchess," said the knight.
The knights immediately rushed towards the knocked-down dragon and attacked it to attract its attention. Meanwhile, Duchess Arlet continued to jump high into the air.
The knocked-down dragon began to rise and attack the knights who were attacking it. Most of the knights managed to avoid the attack, but the rest were hit and injured. Despite this, they all continued to attack the Dragon to attract its attention, as Duchess Arlet had requested.
Meanwhile, after leaping high into the sky, Duchess Arlet was seen preparing to launch an attack.
~O giant sword made of ice, appear and grant me your power~
~Ice Magic: Create Magic Weapon: Giant Ice Sword of Ymir~
Duchess Arlet then raised her right hand upward. A massive ice sword appeared above her right hand. After the giant ice sword appeared, Duchess Arlet quickly swung it downward. The giant ice sword immediately shot down toward the Ice Dragon the knights were fighting. Meanwhile, the Ice Dragon below was seen preparing to launch an ice blast, but before it could launch its ice blast, the giant ice sword created by Duchess Arlet pierced its body, piercing the snow beneath it.
*BOOMMMMMM
A loud crash was heard as the giant ice sword struck the snow.
*ROOOOAAAAAAARRRRRR
The ice dragon, pierced by the giant ice sword, immediately let out a loud roar. Despite its body being pierced, it seemed the ice dragon wasn't defeated, as it continued to move and even let out a roar. The roar caused the surrounding area to vibrate. Several knights were seen being thrown quite far back, unable to withstand the roar.
Then, as the dragon continued to roar, Duchess Arlet suddenly descended from above and stabbed the ice dragon in the head with her rapier.
~Glacier Shockwave~
After Duchess Arlet stabbed the dragon's head and launched an attack, the ice dragon's head was instantly shattered into pieces. A large gust of wind emerged after the ice dragon's head shattered into pieces. The ice dragon was finally defeated.
-To be continued