**Side: Ludia**
The Dragon Resonance Magic, Granbite Eruption, unleashed by Yamato and Athena after defeating the Burning Dragon served as the signal for war, finally igniting the conflict with the Demon Race.
That being said, with our leader Yamato currently in the sky, we’ve been ordered to standby at the main camp.
Of course, fierce battles are raging on the front lines, but the Demon Race still has many Dragons, and Rex-san mentioned that it’s confirmed the Divine Emperor is here. He said that deploying our entire force immediately would be a foolish strategy, and we first need to reduce their numbers.
Therefore, we, who are meant to be the main fighting force, must conserve our strength. Otherwise, we risk getting turned around mid-battle and annihilated.
“Grand Order’s Master, Lord Yamato and his wives have returned.”
“Understood. As per prior notification, Lady Athena and Miss Eos will remain in their Dragon forms while on standby.”
Ah, Yamato and the others have descended as well. Ordinarily, Athena and Eos would revert to their human forms and rest, but since there are still over ten Dragons on the enemy side, they’ve been instructed to remain in their Dragon forms for now.
However, now that both of them have evolved into Ancient Dragonians, their Dragon forms are nearing fifty meters in length, making it difficult to prepare a place for them to rest. They can’t fit into the Multi-functional Beast Carriage, nor can they be summoned since they aren’t familiars or summoned beasts. Being outdoors would prevent them from truly resting, so Rex-san was truly at a loss.
We couldn’t prepare anything this time due to the lack of time, but similar situations might occur in the future, so we should consider some solutions.
As I was pondering these matters, Athena and Eos descended. Neither of them seemed to have any significant injuries.
“We have returned.”
“Thank you for your service. Lady Athena and Miss Eos, please rest in the space over there.”
“Thank you. Athena, Eos. I’ll join you later.”
“Un, understood.”
“Then, Your Highness, Madam, please come this way.”
Leaving Athena and Eos behind, we were guided by Rex-san towards the Multi-functional Beast Carriage that served as our main base. We couldn’t exactly descend to the living room, so we’d be overseeing things from the deck.
“Artur von Scharfrichter? Is that the name of the Demon Race General?”
“I have heard of him. He is a renowned general who managed to retreat from his flagship during the previous punitive expedition without a single casualty.”
“That is correct. Lord Tolman was also wary of him, but he also felt something about him, stating that they coincidentally ended up announcing themselves to each other.”
I had never heard of him before, but Meena seemed to know. Lord Tolman was the previous Grand Order’s Master, and Meena is also an Order member, so it’s not strange that she would know. Still, managing to retreat from his ship without casualties during a punitive expedition is truly the mark of a great general.
“The previous punitive expedition, huh? Kazushi-san, Shinichi-san, and Lady Elie’l succeeded in intercepting him and destroying the Engraving Tool, didn’t they?”
“That’s what we heard, but afterwards, they were apparently inflicted with tremendous damage by a sword-like Engraving Tool that was generated. The wounds were said to be impossible to heal even with healing magic, so he might possess troublesome abilities.”
“That is indeed problematic. If it were a single-attribute sword type, it would be predictable, but even that isn’t guaranteed.”
Engraving Tools are unique and their abilities are diverse, so unexpected powers are not uncommon. Yamato’s and Mako’s Engraving Tools are similar, so I understand that point, but does that mean we can’t predict the abilities of the Divine Emperor’s Engraving Tool? Given that Lord Kazushi and the others’ wounds couldn’t be fully healed by magic, could it possess some kind of curse-like ability?
“A curse?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but it feels a bit different. I suspect it might interfere with the collection of magical power, the ‘injiko,’ thereby reducing the activation speed and power of Engraving Magic.”
“The reduced effectiveness of healing magic was also an unforeseen effect for the Divine Emperor?”
“Probably. It’s just speculation, so I don’t even know if it’s accurate.”
Obstructing the convergence of magical power—that’s an incredible ability. Although it’s speculation and not definitive, given the events of the previous punitive expedition, caution is natural. And if even that might not be enough to prevent it, shouldn’t we defeat him here at all costs?
“I understand what Ludia is saying, but we are unprepared. Let’s consider it a victory if we can just force a retreat this time.”
“Unfortunately, that’s true. The Dual Heart Fusion Technique isn’t yielding results either, and frankly, I wish we had more time.”
“Ah, the Dual Heart Fusion Technique, is that the one where Yamato and Mako fuse their Engraving Tools?”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
The Dual Heart Fusion Technique, which fuses two Engraving Tools, is considered legendary even in Yamato’s world. I’ve heard that only three pairs, six people, can actually perform it. So, it’s not strange that Yamato and the others can’t do it, and usually, that’s the case. However, they also mentioned that one intuitively knows if they can perform the Dual Heart Fusion Technique. Yamato felt that by generating the Wing Bit Liberator, he might be able to perform the Dual Heart Fusion Technique with Mako’s Spirit Hexa Dipper, and Mako also said so. But whether he can actually generate it is another matter.
“There’s no point dwelling on what we can’t do right now. Let’s focus on surviving this battle and driving the Divine Emperor out of the Philia Continent. Fortunately, we have the advantage in the early stages of the battle.”
As if drawn by Rex-san’s words, I turned my gaze towards the battlefield. Indeed, the situation was in our favor. The Ancient Hunters, in particular, seemed to be defeating their opponents immediately upon contact. It’s hard to tell precisely from this distance, but as an Ancient Dragonut myself, I can see them thanks to enhanced vision, and I assume everyone else can too.
“There seem to be many High Demons as well, but they appear to be one or two steps behind the Ancient Classes.”
“That’s how it seems. However, Brother, even though we have such an advantage, do we still not need to move from the main camp?”
“It’s still early in the battle, and neither the Dragons, the Divine Emperor, nor Artur von Scharfrichter have made their move. They are likely analyzing our strength first.”
“In other words, the demons on the front lines are merely expendable pawns?”
“Probably.”
With High Demons present, it’s hard to believe the demons fighting now are just pawns. Wouldn’t it just be a pointless reduction of our own forces?
“Normally, that would be the case, but judging by Lord Artur just now, we cannot dismiss that possibility.”
Rex-san frowned as he explained that the general, Artur von Scharfrichter, wasn’t the noble person he’d heard about, but had devolved into a demon who espoused the law of the jungle. He doesn’t believe there’s been a significant personality change, but Rex-san speculates that becoming a demon might have subtly altered his preferences and beliefs, which I thought might indeed be the case.
“We have explained to the Hunters that the vanguard is a disposable unit meant to gauge our strength. Therefore, they are not fighting with all their might.”
“I see, so that’s why we shouldn’t join the front lines either and should wait for the real threat to appear?”
Exposing our forces to a disposable unit is one thing, but revealing the full power of our strongest asset, Yamato, is out of the question. Although he was fighting in the sky earlier, he mostly provided support from above Athena, so his abilities are likely somewhat known, but they shouldn’t have figured out his upper limit.
“That’s right. Lord Artur, in particular, has likely grasped the capabilities of Yamato and Mako. While he might not have figured out their absolute limits, he understood that they weren’t going all out.”
Not just Yamato, but Mako too? Both of them had minimized their use of Engraving Magic, and they had only generated the Multi Edge and Air Spirit Engraving Tools. Could it be that their identities as Engravers have been revealed?
“I don’t know about that, but I doubt it. If they knew he possessed the same abilities as the Divine Emperor, he likely would have reacted differently.”
“It’s annoying to think of having the same abilities as the Divine Emperor, but it’s actually the case, isn’t it?”
“I believe he’s a Single Attribute Type, but the possibility of him being a Multi-Attribute Specialization Type remains, which bothers me even more.”
“Ah, it’s confirmed that the Divine Emperor is not a Dual-wielder, so a fusion type is impossible. That leaves the possibility of a Multi-Attribute Specialization Type. That’s certainly possible.”
Come to think of it, Yamato has engravings on both hands, but Mako only has one on her right. The Divine Emperor also has an engraving on only one hand, though we don’t know if it’s the right or left. This means he cannot generate a fusion-type Engraving Tool like Yamato’s, but the possibility of him generating a Multi-Attribute Specialization Type Engraving Tool like Mako’s remains. However, only a few people in Yamato’s world can generate Multi-Attribute Specialization Type Engraving Tools, so Yamato and the others assume that the Divine Emperor is likely to generate a common Single Attribute Type Engraving Tool. But until we see it with our own eyes, we cannot be certain. Underestimating him would put us in danger, so perhaps we should assume Mako can generate a Multi-Attribute Specialization Type, even though it pains me to say it.
“Regarding the Divine Emperor, I apologize, but I will have to ask Yamato to handle him. Mako, if you have the leeway, please provide support.”
“Understood.”
“Ideally, we’d like to face the Divine Emperor from the start, but there are also many Dragons.”
Since we are on this battlefield, the Divine Emperor will inevitably appear. However, the Divine Emperor is an Ancient Human and is also using Demon Crystals, making him incredibly powerful, to the point where even Ancient Classes cannot match him. Therefore, if the Divine Emperor appears, Yamato, who is the only one to have evolved into an Element Class, is designated to engage him. The reason Ancient Classes cannot suppress the demonized Divine Emperor is thought to be the existence of Engraving Tools. However, it is believed that Mako, even among the Ancient Classes, can contend with him. That’s also why there’s a plan for Mako to provide support to Yamato if she has the leeway. Of course, Mako’s priority is the Dragons rather than the Divine Emperor, so it’s uncertain if she’ll have the leeway.
“Having Mako’s support or not makes a huge difference.”
“She’s saved our lives numerous times.”
Mako’s support is always precise and incredibly helpful. She herself said she had an aptitude for it, and it’s true. Furthermore, she’s an A-Rank Healer, which means she can heal us of anything short of death.
“I appreciate you saying that, but I also think everyone fighting on the front lines is amazing. And I often feel bad because I’m often protected by Meena and others.”
“Let’s just say it’s a division of roles. That’s essentially what it is.”
“That’s right. My offensive power is insufficient, and I’m better suited for defense.”
Division of roles, huh? I’m better suited for fighting on the front lines with my fists, and so are Prim and Lady Hilde. Lady Mana coordinates with her summoned beasts and Eos. Lady Rika and my sister provide close-range support fire, Flam provides ranged support, Sir Yuri offers rear support with his contracted spirit, Lux. Lady Athena cooperates with Yamato in her Dragon form, while Aria and Mako provide magical support from the rear. Meena defends and guards with her shield. We choose the optimal combination for each battle. Well, I often team up with my sister, and Meena often teams up with Flam. Other than that, Yamato frequently partners with Prim and Athena, and also Mako. Ah, Prim and Mako have teamed up before. Meena often stays with Mako, Sir Yuri, or Aria for guarding duties, so yes, we have a division of roles. Raus and the others also have a well-balanced formation: Raus handles offense, Rebecca provides rear support fire, and Carol engages in mid-range combat. Seras and Reina still can’t keep up with the three of them, but eventually, Seras will likely focus on close-range attacks, and Reina on rear support, won’t they? With better balance, dealing with monsters becomes easier, and the importance of rear support is becoming recognized. I believe more Hunters and Orders will incorporate mages in the future. They are also participating in this war, and will likely have to face at least one Dragon, so perhaps we should try a few things if we have the opportunity.
