Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 460

**Side: Mako**

As the dragon carrying the container descended, I took to the sky on Eos’s back to defeat the remaining dragon.

Mana-sama is the one with the Dragon Resonance Contract with Eos, so this role shouldn’t have been mine. However, Mana-sama just gave birth to Saki-chan and isn’t participating in this war.

That’s why I ended up riding Eos. Since I don’t have a Dragon Resonance Contract, I can’t use Dragon Resonance Magic, which weakens Eos’s combat power.

Still, the reason I’m riding Eos is that I’m the only one who can accurately support Yamato-kun.

The war hasn’t officially begun, and I want to avoid revealing my hand too early, so I don’t intend to engage in aerial combat using Flying, Scaffolding, or Fly Wind.

Therefore, support from an archer or a magic-user would be optimal.

Furthermore, Athena will be the main fighter with Yamato-kun on her back, so from that perspective as well, I am the most suitable candidate.

“Mako, as we discussed.”

“I know. I’ll use Engraving Magic as little as possible, and Athena will be the main focus.”

The Divine Emperor might be here, so our presence will eventually be detected. However, I want to avoid appearing too early.

That’s why I don’t plan to use Engraving Magic. But the opponents are an O-rank Burning Dragon and several Demon Race members riding on its back. I’m not saying we can’t defeat them, but it will undoubtedly take time.

I understand the reason and the inconvenience, but it can’t be helped.

“Gah! It started breathing fire out of nowhere!”

“There’s no manners at all!”

However, while ascending, the Burning Dragon suddenly unleashed a breath attack.

“Honestly, if magic and engraving magic weren’t similar, I wouldn’t have been able to block it.”

“For us, it’s practically routine and has become a habit.”

We managed to block the Burning Dragon’s breath, which could be called Burning Breath, with Yamato-kun’s Ice Wall and my Wind Wall.

Although magic and engraving magic are similar, we are Engravers, so we are more accustomed to engraving magic than regular magic.

I’m getting used to magic, but its precision and power are a notch lower, so I’m relieved we could block it.

If it hadn’t been for that, it would have grazed Polar’s horn or, worse, hit it directly.

“It unleashed a breath attack capable of annihilating a town before the war even began. This means there’s no room for negotiation.”

“There was never any room for negotiation to begin with, but now we don’t need to hold back.”

I have no intention of holding back against the Demon Race, not even a shred.

“Here you go!”

As if returning the favor for the Burning Breath, Yamato-kun unleashed Ice Edge Javelin.

It’s a Unique Magic that Yamato-kun favors, generating Multi Edge and using Mist Solution.

It feels like it’s completely violating the restrictions on Engraving Magic, but Multi Edge is completely covered by ice magic, and Mist Solution only activates if it hits.

Many magics are similar to engraving magic, and it’s been nearly 200 years since the Divine Emperor transferred to the Gradia Continent, so he can’t make a snap judgment.

I also connected my already generated Air Spirit to the Magical Fan Ruriō, imbued it with wind and fire attribute magic, and then fired Wind Arrows and Fire Arrows to maintain a defensive stance.

Athena and Eos have also imbued their claws with Blaze Light Blade, a Unique Magic they developed together, and will likely use their breath attack if an opening appears.

“Hya!”

“Here we go!”

Athena rapidly approached and slashed at the Burning Dragon with her claws.

Eos followed with a claw strike, and as they disengaged, Yamato-kun and I provided magical support to prevent a counterattack.

The Demon Race on its back is also using magic to prevent Athena and Eos from getting close, but their magical precision seems a bit off for something that looks like a High Demon, so deflecting it isn’t too difficult.

“Hah!”

Repeating hit-and-away tactics, Athena inflicted more wounds on the Burning Dragon.

The Burning Dragon isn’t just taking a beating; it’s also lunging at Athena with its fangs and claws. However, Yamato-kun on its back defended perfectly, and with the support from me and Eos, it hasn’t sustained a single scratch yet.

“Breath attack inbound!”

Either out of frustration or perhaps something else, the Burning Dragon opened its mouth wide to unleash another breath attack.

Athena is in mid-turn, and Polar might get caught in the line of fire.

“Eos, a breath attack from us too!”

“Understood!”

I don’t know if it will be enough to neutralize it, but Eos’s Burst Storm Breath should be able to reduce its power, and I intend to support it.

A moment later, Athena’s Magma Light Breath was also released, and the three breath attacks collided in mid-air.

“Athena, Mako, Eos! Let’s push it back with all our might!”

“Got it!”

Following Yamato-kun’s command, Athena and Eos strengthened the power of their respective breath attacks.

I also floated Wind Spheres around us and unleashed Storm Light Blazer, a Unique Magic I recently devised that fires a vortex of wind and light like a beam, alongside Athena’s and Eos’s breath attacks.

Then, Yamato-kun created Gracious Bunker below the Burning Dragon and launched it upwards like a surface-to-air missile.

Seemingly caught off guard, the tip of Gracious Bunker emerged from the Burning Dragon’s back, which had been struck defenselessly, and then exploded.

The Demon Race members were caught in the explosion, and with the direct hits from Magma Light Breath, Burst Storm Breath, and Storm Light Blazer, they fell from its back. The Burning Dragon also collapsed powerlessly and fell.

“Athena, finish it off!”

“Okay!”

And towards the falling Demon Race and the Burning Dragon, Yamato-kun and Athena’s Dragon Resonance Magic, Granbite Eruption, literally bared its fangs.

Originally, Granbite Eruption also uses Nibbleheim and Yotunheim, which are A-Rank Techs. However, those were not used this time. Instead, the abundant magic power from Element Humans was used to forcefully substitute them with earth and ice attribute magic.

It consumes a lot of magic power, but it’s within the margin of error for Element Humans, so they will likely continue to use it selectively in the future.

The Demon Race and the Burning Dragon, exposed to the fangs of the earth, perished within the ground, never to be seen on the surface again.

“Did that serve as the signal for the start of the war?”

“It’s buried in the ground, so it’s a bit ambiguous, isn’t it?”

“That may be true for the Demon Race, but I’ve already retrieved the Burning Dragon’s corpse into my Inventory.”

“That’s not the point…”

It seems Yamato-kun used Telekinetic Magic to retrieve the Burning Dragon’s corpse before Granbite Eruption completely closed.

Since it’s an O-rank dragon, it can be used as material, and it’s a rare monster not found on the Philia Continent.

So, I can understand his intentions, but how did he have the composure to do that?

And about the signal for the war, I can only say it’s ambiguous, just as Athena said, since it’s completely buried in the ground.

“It appears to be serving as a signal for war. Please look.”

“Eh? Oh, you’re right.”

At Eos’s words, I looked down at the battlefield, and both armies were advancing with shouts of victory.

Moreover, from the looks of it, neither side seemed hesitant, so it seemed like they had made some arrangements during the declaration of the commander-in-chief.

“Not only is our morale high, but the Demon Race’s morale is also high. Even though their comrades were defeated.”

“Right.”

Yamato-kun and Athena seem puzzled, but I feel the same way.

The three beings we fought were Demon Race members, and the Burning Dragon is O-rank, so it should be one of their strongest assets.

Yet, there’s no sign of a decline in morale among the Demon Race. On the contrary, there’s an atmosphere as if nothing has happened.

From what I’ve glimpsed, the battle customs on the Gradia Continent seem similar, so Rex-san might know something.

“Anyway, let’s head down. Athena and Eos will have to remain in their dragon forms, but rest until the other dragons move.”

“Let’s do that. If there’s time, I’d like to hear your story.”

“Understood.”

“Affirmative.”

There’s no point in staying in the sky forever, and as Yamato-kun said, we should descend.

There are still more than ten A-rank Red Dragons, so Athena and Eos need to maintain their dragon forms. And since they faced an O-rank Burning Dragon, even though they aren’t injured, they will need a short rest.

“Rex-san… he’s at the main camp.”

“Not surprising… I guess. As the commander, staying in the rear is basic.”

If the commander gets injured, it affects morale, and if they die, it could lead to a rout.

Therefore, it’s basic for commanders to stay in the rear. However, Rex-san is an Ancient Human, so even if he were to engage on the front lines, he wouldn’t be easily injured, let alone die.

But with the enemy being the Demon Race, that possibility is not low, so I hope he avoids engaging on the front lines.

He will likely advance eventually, but the timing right after the start of the war is simply reckless.

“Mina-sama and the others are also on standby.”

“We’re in the sky, and there are many dragons. Surprise attacks by flanking are impossible due to the terrain, so they’re likely deployed to the front lines because they don’t need to worry about that.”

The battlefield, Linea Valley, is flanked by cliffs rather than mountains.

Therefore, surprise attacks using mountain roads are geographically impossible.

It would be possible if they could fly, but the Demon Race are beings who have transformed from humans and cannot fly. Furthermore, Abaricia is a country of Humans only, so the level of caution there is quite low.

Of course, there’s always the possibility they’re hiding trump cards, just like us, so they aren’t completely unguarded.

“That’s probably it. Like us, the Demon Race isn’t deploying their entire force either. I think they’re just testing the waters and seeing how things play out.”

“So, the dragons will only move later?”

“Probably. I don’t know the exact timing of when they’ll be deployed.”

“What about the Divine Emperor?”

“That’s even more uncertain.”

I see.

Dragons will likely move if the war situation turns unfavorable or if they determine they can launch a decisive attack. However, it’s uncertain whether the Divine Emperor will even make a move.

Yamato-kun and I predict that the Divine Emperor’s true identity is a terrorist who believes in the superiority of engraving magic, advocating that Engravers and creators should rule nations and the world.

Frankly, their claims are nothing short of insane and incredibly anachronistic.

Although they seem to be fewer in Yamato-kun’s era, they were quite active during my school days, and I even have experience purging several of them.

This is just speculation based on what I’ve heard, but during a previous expedition, the Divine Emperor treated Kazushi-san and his companions with disdain, and I heard that’s why he lost his engraving tool.

If the Divine Emperor truly believed in the superiority of engraving magic, their ideology would be meaningless in a world without Engravers. However, they are also said to be the creator of armed Engraving Tools, so they likely established their position in Abaricia by showcasing their power and then unified the Gradia Continent.

While their skill is impressive, I suspect the Divine Emperor only demonstrated their power and left the actual governance and troop movements entirely to their subordinates.

Therefore, I believe they will only appear towards the end.

Despite acting like a big shot, my overall assessment is that they are merely a small-fry who relies on brute force.

I suspect the reality will not differ much from my assessment.