We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Northern Fortress.
“Elnea, you go on ahead without worrying about us!”
At Slaton’s words, Listea tilts her head.
“It’s frustrating, but we can’t keep up with your speed. You’re in a hurry, right? Then, go on ahead without minding us.”
“Yeah. Thank you!”
I nod to Slaton’s consideration.
This is no time to be rejoicing in reuniting with Listea and Cerise.
Sharing our joy won’t be too late after this commotion is over, right?
“Ah, and also. You can take that demon over there with you.”
In the direction Slaton points. There, Ruilala stood awkwardly.
“As expected, Elnea-kun, you’re terrible.”
“No, no, please continue to behave yourself.”
“…A demon?”
Listea, who doesn’t understand the situation, tilts her head even further.
“Ah, I’ll explain. Anyway, you should go quickly.”
“Slaton, thank you. Get along with Duranel!”
“Shut up, leave me alone!”
“That’s none of your business!”
With Slaton and Duranel’s shouts at my back, I head north and perform a spatial jump.
The scenery, which changes in fragmented moments, becomes a distant rearview in an instant.
Occasionally, I ran through the northern cityscape, defeating the undead that appeared.
A cloudy sky, looking like it could rain any moment, covers the capital city.
The Wyvern Knight Order flies between the thick gray clouds and the roofs of the low houses, continuing to attack the undead army scattered throughout the capital.
However, they are overwhelmingly outnumbered.
The vast capital city. It’s impossible for only a dozen or so Wyvern Knights to cover it all.
The defense forces of the capital city were concentrated in the north.
Usually to prepare for the arrival of wyverns. And now, against the demon race army led by the Great Evil Ogre Yarn, who is approaching from the Wyvern Hunting Ground in the north.
The Wyvern Knight Order alone cannot defend the entire capital. Of course, neither I nor Listea can provide enough force alone.
Therefore, we need defense forces in the north.
As I advance to the northern fortress using spatial jumps, an army of undead appears before me.
Dozens or more. I find the undead army moving north in a scale unprecedented so far, and ready my weapon.
The undead army passes through the residential areas like a spiderweb and emerges into an open space where the fortress can be seen.
I approach from behind, about to attack the undead army. Then, I stop my feet.
A war cry arose.
Just inside the northern fortress. In a place where plazas, dilapidated buildings, and open spaces are scattered, the kingdom’s army was waiting.
“Charge!!”
At the signal of a brave shout, the soldiers charge at the undead army.
The undead army also charges towards the kingdom’s army in front of them.
Inside the northern fortress, the battle between the kingdom’s army and the undead army begins.
Angry shouts fly, and the sound of steel clashing echoes.
I move my feet again, which had stopped, and advance onto the battlefield.
The soldiers’ rallying, the undead’s grudges mingle, and I am swallowed by a strange atmosphere I have never experienced before.
I jump into the engagement range of the Death Spirit Knights and unleash a flash of my white sword.
For the white sword, which has regained its sharpness, the knights’ armor, shields, and steel swords mean nothing.
I cleave them in two with a single stroke and deploy Spirit Tree leaves around me. Sharp leaves dance, cutting down the undead.
Multiple leaves protect the lives of soldiers who were being attacked nearby.
I swing my white sword and defeat the undead.
However, my solitary efforts amount to very little.
The surrounding undead are defeated by the power of the white sword and the Spirit Tree leaves. But in other places, the battle is close to a tragedy.
After all, the undead army is a demon race. In contrast, the kingdom’s army, though brave, is human.
The kingdom’s army, which should have charged with overwhelming force. But they are overwhelmed by the undead army and quickly fall into a disadvantage.
Furthermore, something unfortunate happens for the kingdom’s army.
The soldiers killed by the undead are now resurrected as the dead and attack.
“Retreat! Fall back to the fortress at once!”
At the captain’s order, the soldiers move towards the fortress gate and retreat. From behind them, the undead approach.
While defeating the surrounding undead, I try to move forward to provide cover, but the undead do not allow it.
While I am being held back, soldiers fall one after another.
A melee has broken out in front of the fortress, making it impossible to use large-scale Dragon Arts like the Dragon Lance.
A sense of urgency wells up.
I have to do something!
The faster I think, the faster my sword speed increases. But my feet won’t move forward.
Soldiers who were saved, crying out in screams, flee towards the depths of the fortress after passing through the fortress gate.
But behind them are soldiers who fight to prevent the undead from entering the fortress, and who lose their lives.
In the face of overwhelming demonic power, humanity is helpless.
In the Dragon Peaks, when the Dragon Race and Dragon Kin faced the demons, we overwhelmed them, and they were no match for us.
But this is the difference in power between humans and demons.
Before demons, humans are simply powerless.
The kingdom’s soldiers fall, trampled by the undead army. And the fallen soldiers become enemies of humanity, as the dead.
Gritting my teeth.
No matter how much power I gain alone, I can only protect so much.
I can only extend my hand to those within reach, within the range of my consciousness.
No matter how much I master the sharpness of my white sword, the arts of the Spirit Tree, or Dragon Arts, I cannot save those in places beyond my sight, places I cannot perceive.
I understand that it is impossible to do everything as I wish.
But, even so!!
I want to grasp as many things as I can that I want to save, want to protect, in these hands!
Therefore, I pray.
And I wish.
Let someone protect what I cannot protect alone. Please save them together with me.
Did my will reach them?
The undead, which had advanced to the fortress gate, literally soared into the sky.
They were blown away as if repelled by something, and disappeared.
Heavily armored headless knights danced like wood chips, and undead knights wielding large shields were blown away into dust along with their shields.
I stop in surprise.
The soldiers who were fighting valiantly at the fortress gate also stopped moving in astonishment.
“Well, well. To think I’d have to fight demons again at my age.”
Drawn by a voice I recognized, I cut down the surrounding undead and, without hesitation, perform a spatial jump.
Then, I leaped before an old man.
“Elnea-kun.”
An old man with white hair, wielding a beautiful silver curved sword, smiles kindly at me.
“Jiludo-san, hello!”
I smile back.
“I sensed your Dragon Energy, so I came to help.”
“Thank you!”
I shout to the soldiers looking astonished around me to retreat into the fortress. Then, Jiludo and I, together, ready our weapons.
“All soldiers, retreat to the fortress!”
I feel a voice behind me that sounds familiar.
But Jiludo and I move against the tide of retreating soldiers and advance towards the undead army.
“Hah, I’ve come to help!”
“I will assist you!”
At that moment, in front of us. That is, behind the undead army, a dragon’s roar echoed, and a fiery tornado raged.
And a phoenix, formed by flames, danced gracefully.
“It’s Listea and the others!”
“Hoh, a hero, you say.”
Listea and the others, who arrived late, attack the undead army from behind.
Jiludo and I align the tips of our swords and attack the undead from the front.
“Wow,” cheers erupt from the soldiers from inside and above the fortress.
Not at our unknown selves, but at the appearance of the heroes, the soldiers were revitalized.
“My, my. The hero is very popular.”
“Of course, she’s the kingdom’s most popular!”
Listea, bathed in the cheers of the soldiers, scatters flames. Slaton, dismounted from Duranel, also swings his greatsword.
Duranel, rather than attacking Slaton from behind, mows down approaching undead.
And, no less than Jiludo, Cerise is blowing away the undead.
The berserkers among the dead who were blown away crash against the fortress walls far in the distance. The berserkers are flattened not by the impact of the crash, but by the pressure of Cerise’s blow.
“D-dreadful…”
On this day, I realized the true terror of Cerise!
“Here, Elnea-kun. Your hands have stopped. Work diligently like the Dragon King.”
“Yes!”
I seem to have been stunned by Cerise’s terrifying blow.
I move my stopped body and cut down the undead.
While we keep the undead army occupied, the surviving soldiers evacuate into the fortress.
“Well then, now that the troublesome ones are gone. Let’s wipe out the demons.”
Jiludo rests his curved sword on his shoulder and smiles fearlessly.
A chill runs down my spine as I feel a sharp Dragon Energy welling up from deep within Jiludo.
His eyes flashing sharply, Jiludo raises his left hand, which is not holding the curved sword, high. Then, he shouts.
“Dance wildly, Dragon Lance Frenzy!”
“Those two annoying arts, Jiludo-san is the cause!!”
Before I knew it, I was shouting too.
…Come to think of it, the Twin Princesses were taught by Jiludo a long time ago.
The true users of indiscriminate Dragon Arts were actually Jiludo!
Such a shallow thought vanished the next moment.
A Dragon Lance is a Dragon Energy spear that itself resembles the form of a dragon. The mouth is a sharp blade, and the tail is the long shaft. The torso and wings serve as the guard.
Innumerable Dragon Lances created by Jiludo.
The wings of the Dragon Lances flap, flying towards the undead at terrifying speed.
The Dragon Lances that pierce the undead do not explode or disappear, but flap their wings towards the next target. Then, they cut through the air and fly.
Truly, the Dragon Lances were dancing wildly.
They pierce and annihilate the undead one after another.
Unlike the Dragon Lances of the Twin Princesses, which are fired indiscriminately in all directions. They move as if each one has its own will, annihilating the undead army in an instant.
This is the true power of Jiludo, one of the former Eight Dragon Kings, a legendary figure who fought the Rotten Dragon King about 300 years ago with the Futago no Kenkokuō, Sleigsta (Old Man), Yugra, and the Dragon Race and Dragon Kin!
I was moved and captivated.
However, Jiludo stares intently at the spot where the undead army, which should have been annihilated by the Dragon Lance Frenzy, was.
His sharp gaze has not lost its intensity.
Then, he swings down his raised left hand.
The countless Dragon Lances that were dancing wildly converge on a single point and attack.
The exploding Dragon Lances.
A violent shockwave and an explosion shake the northern fortress.
“Hah!”
Jiludo kicks off the ground.
He leaps his body towards the spot where the Dragon Lance Frenzy landed, kicking up dust.
Immediately after, a sharp metallic sound rings out from the center of the explosion.
Then, sharp Dragon Energy and immeasurable magic power released from the epicenter of the explosion instantly blow away the surrounding dust.
“Ahhh!!”
I scream, looking at the epicenter of the explosion.
Because.
The opponent Jiludo struck with the Dragon Lance Frenzy and pointed his sword at was the demon, Ruilala!
…Ah, I forgot to explain to Jiludo-san.
Or rather, there wasn’t time to explain, was there?
Yeah. I’m probably not to blame.
While making excuses, the two are locked in a sword lock.
“Good, good! To think such a person would be hiding in a human country.”
“You appear to be an unparalleled demon. But be prepared.”
Jiludo and Ruilala clash, sparks flying.
Jiludo lowers his stance and tries to throw Ruilala off. In response, Ruilala shifts her center of gravity forward.
At that moment, Jiludo, with a fluid movement, deflects Ruilala’s power and moves to the side.
Ruilala, who had shifted her center of gravity forward, loses her balance.
Jiludo’s curved sword flows smoothly.
Ruilala swings her magic sword while in her unbalanced state.
“!”
“…!”
However, their swords did not cross.
It was me who slid into the small gap between the two.
I intercept Ruilala’s magic sword with my white sword and deflect Jiludo’s curved sword with my Spirit Tree wooden sword.
“Elnea-kun?”
Jiludo looks at me with a puzzled gaze.
“I’m sorry, Jiludo-san. This demon is an ally!”
Jiludo’s eyes widen.
Then, he bursts into cheerful laughter.
“Is that so? You’ve finally brought in demons too. Wahaha.”
Jiludo laughs, stroking his chin beard.
“Ruilala, I’m sorry too. So, can you lower your sword?”
Ruilala, who had been looking at Jiludo with an intense gaze, turns her gaze to me.
After a moment of glaring.
“I can’t help it. It’s your earnest wish. I’ll retreat here. But in return, I’ll have a rematch with you?”
“Yes. I promise.”
At my words, Ruilala sheathes her magic sword.
Phew. A sigh of relief.
I never expected someone to charge at Ruilala, not from her. It was an oversight.
I’ll be more careful from now on.
Jiludo, seemingly satisfied with my words, continues to smile as he sheathes his silver curved sword.
And.
At a little distance, Listea and the others were smiling with strained faces.
“What are those two nonsensical people…?”
“A demon…. Elnea-kun knows a demon….”
“Damn it. I know that demon, but who is that old man?!”
“Impossible… Such a person exists among the Dragon Kin.”
The heroes, who are receiving cheers from the northern fortress, are astonished by the extraordinary auras of Jiludo and Ruilala.
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