The Scarlet Grand Canyon.
Fierce metallic sounds continued to echo in the mid-air of the Grand Canyon. Kuro, who poked his head out from my robe, transformed his slime-like body into several spears and tried to stab the black dragon. Since the spearheads were hardened using the “Metalization” skill only upon contact, their trajectories were unpredictable. By incorporating the characteristics of a slime, they bent like whips, coating Kuro’s body with Adamant ore, the hardest metal he possessed.
However, the black dragon’s defense was considerable. When Kuro attacked with Adamant spears, the black dragon’s scales clashed with shrill metallic sounds, scattering sparks on their surface. Although shallow gouges were made, they didn’t inflict any decisive damage. It seemed to have more troublesome armor than that rock dragon. I tried my Dark Black Sword as well, but the result was the same. It might have possessed some kind of resistance skill. In any case, these attacks seemed to be poorly matched. Kuro was slowly having his magic drained, though.
The black dragon and Azgrad weren’t just taking hits. The black dragon flapped its enormous wings and closed the distance without fear of Kuro’s thrusts. With my inability to use the “Flight” skill, it seemed they had the advantage in aerial mobility. The black giant dragon, soaring through the sky at incredible speed, was quite intimidating. However, its sense of crisis was also remarkable. It constantly guarded against the Great Wind Demon God Scythe and retreated immediately if things got even slightly dangerous.
“Goooooo!”
In the midst of the battle, Azgrad unleashed a flame resembling a dragon’s breath from his conical lance. Although it was at close range, he immediately manipulated the wind to deflect its trajectory to the side.
“Ho, you dodged this on the first try! Impressive!”
I had thought that lance had a strangely complex structure, and it turns out it was designed to emit flames from holes on its sides. However, it seemed there was still more to it. Azgrad, engaging my 4-meter Dark Black Sword head-on, was certainly something, but that lance, capable of withstanding his attacks, must also be a very high-rank weapon.
“But it’s too early to relax!”
“–!”
A powerful tail, completely covered in jet black from tip to end, emerged from the deflected flames. With a sudden, sweeping strike, we were slammed against the canyon wall. This was, of course, along with the spiral wind barrier I had deployed just before.
“Kuu… I should have practiced flying a bit more.”
I thought I had gotten reasonably used to flying, but I still couldn’t hold a candle to flying monsters. Sera or Melfina would have dodged it with ease. Yeah, this needs to be considered.
“… You managed to inflict damage on the black dragon with a mutual kill. And you took no damage from that last blow. You’re a monster beyond rumors, Kelvin.”
Azgrad muttered, looking at the bloodied tail of the black dragon.
Well, the result was all that mattered. The spiral wind barrier was gone, but we succeeded in tearing the black dragon’s tail to shreds. By the way, blunt attacks were completely ineffective due to Kuro’s “Blunt Attack Nullification” skill. Kuro, now hidden in my robe, was a combat doppelganger with his stats concentrated, and it was a trivial matter for him to become my shield instantly.
I emerged from the large horizontal opening, brushing off the dust. Looking around, the Dragon Knights from behind were nowhere to be seen, and it seemed the entire enemy unit had headed towards the summit. In the canyon’s sky, I and the enemy general Azgrad faced each other again. Our gazes clashed fiercely, and a further escalated battle was about to begin. –Or so it seemed, but telepathic messages from Sera and Melfina arrived at a timely moment.
“Kelvin, the enemies have all flown upwards, shall we pursue them?”
“No, Rion’s “Slash Mark” is laid out above. They’ll eventually return if left alone.”
“That’s problematic. Right now, Sera and I are tied for downing score…”
“Shall we help out on the ground until they return?”
“Sorry, Sera. I’m already done here.”
“Eeek.”
“The Ancient Dragon in front of the fortress has also been captured. All that’s left is Efil…”
“We’ll be done soon too. Sera-sama and Mel, please assist elsewhere— They’re coming. I’ll excuse myself for now.”
“Efil’s here too? Mel, this is terrible! There’s no one left to defeat!”
“There’s no helping it. To avoid getting in the way, I’ll wait here and observe you, acting as a lookout.”
“That’s right… Well, there’s no other way! So Kelvin, do your best!”
The telepathic communication cut off. No matter which part you looked at, it was a mundane conversation completely devoid of tension. Well, in the meantime, Kuro, who had been hiding inside my robe, finished his preparations. That black dragon was glaring at us ferociously as well, so it was about time to get back to the battle.
“…What is that?”
“What do you mean? You’ve been watching it this whole time. It’s our force.”
Saying that, I mounted Kuro, who had been given flight. Kuro increased his body volume to match the black dragon and transformed into the form of a certain creature.
“Whoa, whoa, it’s the exact same form as this black dragon! That’s stylish!”
Indeed, what he had transformed into was the form of the black dragon we were facing. While the slime body resembled a dragon, it didn’t replicate the coloration or texture, but at this size, the fine details didn’t matter. Either way, it was a threat.
“Nice! Encounters with unknown enemies excite the heart! Just like those sword-mountain-like attacks, this is my first time fighting such a strong slime! My heart is pounding, Black Dragon!”
“………”
“Hahaha! You feel the same way, don’t you!”
…What is this. Azgrad is strangely high-tension, but the black dragon has been silent this whole time. The difference is extreme. Does it understand our conversation? Does it have some kind of skill for communication like we do?
“Oh, my bad. Sorry to keep you waiting. Well then, shall we get started?”
“We have no problem. Anytime is fine.”
“Is that so? Then… Here I goooo—!”
As if resonating with Azgrad’s shout, the black dragon made a gesture to unleash a breath. The miasma overflowing from its mouth spoke volumes about its danger.
“Kuro, intercept.”
Well, it doesn’t matter if we’re playing catch-up. Kuro instantly understood my command and acted without a fraction of a second’s delay. Kuro, now in dragon form, mimicked the black dragon’s movements, concentrating magic into his open maw. The next moment, Kuro’s Super Magic Compressed Beam collided with the black dragon’s emerald green breath, and their attacks clashed in the center, resulting in a stalemate, a back and forth situation.
Parts of the compressed magic beam and the emerald green breath, scoured by the impact, flew towards the canyon walls. The compressed magic beam left unfathomably deep gouges in the walls, and the breath melted the rock walls, emitting a foul odor.
It melts through rock walls in an instant. This irritating smell, and its miasmic nature, seem to be a type of potent poison. Contact would lead to status ailments, and even before that, a threat to life itself. The breath battle ended with neither side yielding, leaving behind only the miserably scarred remnants of the Grand Canyon and a brief silence.
“…It’s not, it’s not this strong.”
Azgrad brandished his lance.
“Seriously, Tristan. He didn’t tell me about the collar’s demerits…”
What stood before him? It was a collar worn around the black dragon’s neck. Azgrad himself cut it off. I had confirmed it with Appraisal Eye when the King of Giants and Rion were fighting, and if my memory serves me correctly, that collar was meant to subdue monsters. If it were removed, the black dragon should no longer be controllable.
“…What do you intend?”
Oh, the black dragon spoke.
“This is the first time I’ve heard your voice, Black Dragon. What do I intend? I’ve removed your shackles. Your power when you fought me wasn’t this limited. Weren’t you holding back because of this collar?”
“………”
Saying that, Azgrad set the collar he’d pierced on the tip of his lance aflame and burned it away.
“This method doesn’t suit me. A Dragon Knight earns the dragon’s recognition and connects their hearts. Black Dragon, even if you include me as an enemy, let’s have a good fight. This time, I’ll subjugate you with my own power and make you my partner!”
There was a certain atmosphere suggesting it was wrong to attack.
“You’re an idiot. What are you doing, making more enemies in the middle of a battlefield? Well, but… I don’t dislike that kind of thing. I’ll introduce myself out of respect. My name is Dahak! For now, while I fight that black-robed man, I’ll cooperate with you!”
“No, you should fight me too.”
“…You.”
Yeah, that’s a perfectly valid point.
