A naked dragon person stands on the altar.
Looking only at their slender form, one might mistakenly believe they pose no threat.
However, emanating from them, cloaked in grim darkness, is a palpable sense of “danger.”
My intuition tells me—this is no time to complain about fighting a numerically superior foe.
This is an opponent that will be difficult even for all of us to overcome.
Checking the ring I’d put on beforehand, I remove it from my finger and hand it to one of my wives.
“Seraphina, take this. I’m counting on you if things get serious.”
“This ring is…! —Y-yes. Understood, Lord Douglas.”
Seraphina slipped the ring onto her finger, her grip tightening on it.
Then, she raised her staff and began chanting.
While observing this, I dashed towards the target.
Tifereth was running ahead of me.
The greatsword user, in a full sprint, was rapidly outdistancing me with her natural agility.
Meanwhile, Elen and Miina, in their maiden guardian appearances, closely followed me.
As I ran towards the enemy, I called out to them.
“Elen, Miina. As always—”
“Got it, nya. Don’t push yourself too hard, nya?”
“Douglas hates it the most when something happens to us—right?”
“That’s right. The enemy is an unfathomable being. If you feel even a hint of danger, don’t hesitate to fall back.”
““Understood!””
At that moment, another girl’s voice echoed across the battlefield.
“Even a queen, if not fully revived—【Goukyuu】!”
—Zyuun!
An arrow, enveloped in fighting spirit, blazed past us at incredible speed.
It was an attack unleashed by Biner.
A shot with the power of a cannon, capable of crushing a human head in a single blow.
The destructive arrow found its mark unerringly, heading straight for Queen Sephiroth—
“—Kuh… pathetic.”
Just as the arrow was about to strike the queen’s head, she subtly moved her head to the side.
An astonishing speed.
As a result, Biner’s arrow missed—no.
“You’re too slow—【Curving Shot】!”
“—!?!”
—Paan!
The arrow, which should have missed, unnaturally altered its trajectory and struck the queen’s temple directly.
Consequently, the arrow shattered, and the queen was wounded.
Though the thick fighting spirit protecting her seemed to have prevented significant damage, a trickle of blood flowed from the queen’s temple.
The queen’s expression distorted slightly.
It was a wry smile to think that even Biner’s cannon-like shot dealt such minor damage, but we had anticipated from the start that she would be a formidable opponent.
I, too, followed Biner’s lead and launched an attack.
“【Tomahawk】!”
Still at a distance, without breaking my stride, I hurled Lombardia towards the queen.
The holy axe spun violently like a boomerang as it flew towards her.
However, the attack was lightly dodged by the queen.
My 【Tomahawk】 lacked Biner’s trickery, and I could only passively catch the returning Lombardia.
Next, Seraphina’s magic was ready.
“Lightning of the heavens, strike mine enemy—Thunderbolt!”
—Goooooooon!
Lightning struck the floor above the queen’s head.
Strictly speaking, it belonged to summoning magic, and lightning rained down even deep within the ruins.
But—
The lightning only scorched the floor where the queen had stood moments before.
“No way…!? She dodged… Thunderbolt…!?
Seraphina’s voice was filled with disbelief.
The queen herself, it seemed, had evaded the lightning, moving slightly to the side.
Thunderbolt, a lightning spell, was said to be the most difficult to evade among offensive magic used by mages.
Yet, the queen had dodged it with a cool expression.
Not only was she tough, but incredibly fast.
But then, the fastest swordsman among us charged in.
“Hah! If it’s speed you want—【Limit Break】!”
Tifereth’s fighting spirit surged from her entire body, increasing her speed further.
The black-haired swordsman lunged like an arrow, thrusting her greatsword with momentum.
“—【Dragon Flame Slash】!”
Tifereth’s greatsword became wreathed in flames.
A trump card attack from Tifereth, empowered by the effects of two skills.
Even the queen, unable to fully dodge, tried to intercept the attack by crossing her claws.
—Gyiin!
An ear-splitting clash of metal rang out as Tifereth’s greatsword and the queen’s claws wrestled.
Unable to absorb the impact, the queen was sent flying backward.
The queen’s body collided with the back wall with a roar, cracking the marble.
The entire ruin trembled, and fine grains of sand began to fall from the ceiling.
However, the queen, who had crashed into the stone wall, showed little sign of being affected and calmly landed on her feet.
“Tch…! Such hard claws and a tough body.”
Tifereth poised her greatsword again in front of the altar.
While it seemed we had the momentum, the fact that Tifereth couldn’t inflict significant damage despite using her ultimate skill highlighted the queen’s strength.
In any case, her evasion and defense were extraordinary.
Furthermore, the wounds she sustained were already showing signs of healing, thanks to her regenerative abilities.
And then—
“My kin entertain me greatly. However, the blood flowing in your bodies cannot defy my command—【Bow Down】.”
A shiver ran down my spine.
The pressure of the queen’s words spread throughout the hall.
““Wha…!?””
Tifereth and Biner cried out in surprise almost simultaneously.
The two dragon people collapsed to their knees on the spot, prostrating themselves towards the queen.
“Wh-why…!? My body… is moving on its own…”
“What kind of power is this…!?”
They rubbed their faces against the stone floor, trembling.
They seemed to be trying to move their bodies, but were unable to.
“Master! What are you doing at a time like this!”
“Biner too, nya! —Douglas, is some strange power at play!?”
“Yeah, I suspect so.”
However, Biner and I, Elen, Miina, and Seraphina seemed largely unaffected.
Given her mention of blood, it was possible that the effect was limited to those with dragon blood flowing through them.
But Tifereth and Biner were the two strongest individuals among our forces, besides myself.
Being rendered helpless was a significant blow.
What’s more, if she could move their bodies against their will with a single command, it was possible she could even force them to attack us.
If that were the case, it would be dire—
…No, wait.
Controlling others with a single command?
Which “command” holds more power?
Perhaps I should test it.
I infused my will into my words and spoke.
“Tifereth, Biner! You are ‘my slaves’! You are forbidden from being controlled by anyone else!”
At that, the golden collars around Tifereth and Biner’s necks began to glow—
—Bacchin!
With a snapping sound, the two dragon people flinched.
“Oh… oh? My body is moving again.”
“Haa, haa… Thank you, Douglas-san! You saved us!”
Tifereth and Biner seemed to have regained their freedom.
Good, it pays to try things.
“What…? You broke my kin’s blood curse…? —Human, who are you?”
The queen’s gaze shifted towards me.
Finally decided to pay attention to me, huh.
But by then, I had closed the distance and was now within striking range of the queen.
I continued to charge towards her, raising the Holy Axe Lombardia.
“I’m just a passing, axe-wielding old adventurer—【God Speed】【Pressure】【Holy Smash】!”
“—!?”
The attack, imbued with powerful holy light, struck home, preventing the queen from even defending with her claws.
