We Live in Dragon’s Peak – Chapter 785

We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.

Nebula’s Whisper

Inside the Mud Yōma, his power was unleashed mercilessly. Dragon Energy exploded through the White Sword. The Spirit Tree Wooden Sword, not to be outdone, also released its power.

In an instant, the Yōma exploded from within. The thick mud covering the surroundings scattered in all directions. Istericia remained crouched, gazing blankly at the moonlit night sky.

“Istericia, you’re safe now, so you can relax, okay?”

Istericia snapped back to attention at my voice. Then, looking up at me again, she began to weep.

“I… I’m alive…”
“Yeah, you’re alive!”

Perhaps Istericia herself didn’t think she would be saved. Still, she held onto a sliver of hope and fought this far. I wanted to praise her to my heart’s content.

However, the threat of the Yōma was not yet over.

“Elnea-kun!”

Ruiseine’s warning rang out. I shifted my gaze from Istericia to my surroundings. And I noticed something was wrong.

“Whoa, is it going to revive!?”

The Mud Yōma I had blown away. However, the scattered mud writhed as if it had a will of its own, gathering together one by one, and gradually growing larger. Apparently, the final convergence point was where I was standing, or rather, the spot where the Yōma had originally existed.

“Here we go.”

I scooped up Istericia and the deer-breed girl. Istericia winced, perhaps due to the pain from her back injury. But she didn’t scream. Surely, she was enduring it for the sake of the deer-breed girl.

The deer-breed girl seemed quite exhausted, listing limply. However, if Istericia, who had protected her for over two days, were to scream here, she might be surprised and fall into a panic. Even now that she was rescued, Istericia was looking out for the girl.

I embraced them both and leaped high. Then, we landed beside Jab.

“Thank you, Elnea-kun.”
“No, it’s nothing. I still have a long way to go. Istericia is the one who worked hard.”

I gently set Istericia and the girl down beside Jab.

“Leave the wound treatment to me.”

Sefina, who had been at a loss for what to do without being able to physically attack, quickly rushed over.

“Ares-chan, bring the medicine.”
“Medicine, medicine.”

Ares-chan, who appeared in response to Sefina’s call, took out secret medicine from a mysterious space. Sefina scooped some of the secret medicine from the small pot and generously applied it to Istericia’s ravaged back.

“Ugh…”

Touching the wound directly, even Istericia let out a moan of pain. However, thanks to the secret medicine, the pain quickly subsided, and the wound began to heal. As Istericia’s back returned to its feminine skin, her pained sighs grew lighter.

I’ll leave Istericia’s treatment to Sefina. I looked back at the battlefield. Ruiseine and Madrine had just unleashed their magic.

Moonlight arrows struck a clump of mud the size of a bundle, which had gathered. The Yōma’s grating scream echoed. Then, as if the moisture had evaporated from the mud, it turned into sand and finally disappeared.

“As expected, it seems to be weak against magic.”
“However, Madrine, you don’t have your trump card left?”

Just as Ruiseine pointed out. The scattered mud crawled on the ground, gathering little by little, trying to return to its original place. However, their number was extraordinary. From small mud clumps the size of a fist to those the size of a bundle that had just been annihilated by moonlight arrows, countless of them writhed.

“Elnea, act with the future in mind.”
“Guh, I’m sorry.”

I was scolded by Mistral, who was blowing away the gathering mud clumps with his unsparing Dragon Arts. I admit, I acted without thinking. It was good that I swung my sword with enthusiasm while being looked at with expectation by Istericia. I never imagined that the scattered mud would reassemble and show signs of revival.

However, for us, who were now using unsparing attacks, a slow-moving Yōma with simple attacks was no formidable enemy at all. Its persistent attempts to revive, even after being kicked away, were only slightly bothersome.

“Hey, hey, Ruiseine. If it’s magic that isn’t simple, you can defeat that Yōma, right?”
“Yes, I believe we can defeat it while minimizing damage compared to Elnea-kun?”
“M-my part is fine!”

If I were to defeat this troublesome Yōma, I would probably keep unleashing lightning strikes to the rhythm of the Dragon Sword Dance until not a single grain remained!

“However, I would like a little time to prepare.”

I nodded to Ruiseine and resumed the Dragon Sword Dance I had interrupted. I merged with Ares-chan. Next, I unleashed the power of the Dragon Jewel hidden within. Dragon Energy surged like a storm from the Dragon Jewel. Without resisting the wild power, I channeled the Dragon Energy into the White Sword and the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword, spreading it around. The Dragon Energy summoned wind, carried thunderclouds, and created a storm.

“If you want to revive that badly, I’ll help you. But it’s going to be rough!”

The wind, densely infused with Dragon Energy, swirled. The violently rising wind embraced the scattered mud and began to converge. Pulled by the vortex of the storm, the mud, fragments of the Yōma, were forcibly gathered towards the center.

Was it the Yōma’s will, or was it due to my forceful actions? Blown by the swirling wind, the mud gradually overlapped and grew larger. Once it reached a certain size, the Yōma began to writhe, trying to resist the storm. But it was too late to resist now!

The Yōma hurled mud pellets at me. But they were all blocked by the storm’s wind. Instead of reaching me, they were swept up in the vortex, flown high into the air, and forced to gather again.

“Now, revive to your heart’s content. But I won’t overlook you!”
“Elnea-kun is wicked.”
“Elnea-kun is evil.”
“You’re merciless to Yōma…”

As I began to dance the Dragon Sword Dance in earnest, Yufilia and Nina, who had stopped attacking, watched me and smiled. Mistral also stood with his hands on his hips, giving a wry smile. But I’m just setting the stage for Ruiseine and the others, you know? I’m not toying with the Yōma! Now, Ruiseine, and Madrine. The main players this time are you two! While hindering the Yōma’s movements with the Storm Dragon Arts generated by the Dragon Sword Dance, I waited for the two of them to prepare.

Ruiseine and Madrine gathered by Jab while I was dancing the Dragon Sword Dance.

“Jab, please cooperate.”
“It’s time to show the power of a Miko!”

It seems that not only Ruiseine and Madrine but also Jab, combining their powers, would chant a powerful magic. Ruiseine and Madrine, taking hands with Jab, formed a circle. They closed their eyes and concentrated their consciousness. Amidst the violently swirling wind that disturbed the night, a silence seemed to descend only around the three of them.

I had seen and heard of this before. Miko can activate high-level magic that they cannot handle alone by resonating the power of multiple people. When the Demon Race attacked the capital city of Armēdo Kingdom, many Miko had activated a great magic barrier to protect the people who had taken refuge in the Great Shrine. Ruiseine, Madrine, and Jab were trying to use high-level magic by combining their powers. They matched their breaths and overlapped their consciousness.

Then, someone tentatively called out to the three who had deepened their meditation. It was Istericia, the apprentice Miko. “I am probably a failure as a Miko. But, I want to help at the end…”

Well, why is Istericia a failed Miko? Putting that aside. The three immediately responded to Istericia’s hesitant voice. They withdrew from their meditation and looked at Istericia. Then, all three of them smiled gently.

“My, my, that’s very encouraging.”
“Fufufu. Even as an apprentice, you are a splendid Miko. Therefore, please help us.”
“Istericia, you are not a failed Miko. Come, let’s defeat the evil Yōma together.”

Pulled by Jab, Istericia stood up. However, due to her previous exhaustion and the wound on her back, her body and spirit were at their limit, causing her to falter and lose her balance. Ruiseine supported her and added her to the circle.

“Is that understood, Istericia? Like the surface of water reflecting the full moon, keep your heart calm and serene.” Jab gently instructed, taking Istericia’s right hand.

“Like flowing stars, don’t resist the flow and let yourself be carried naturally.” Ruiseine held Istericia’s left hand.

“As if wishing upon the moon and stars, release your magic power. Ah, but don’t push yourself too hard?” Madrine connected her right hand with Jab’s right hand and Ruiseine’s left hand, completing the circle of four Miko.

“I… am confused.”
“Fufufu. It’s alright.”
“You can do it.”
“Istericia, believe in yourself.”

The three encouraged Istericia, who was trembling with anxiety. While doing so, the Miko closed their eyes again and deepened their meditation. We who were watching also felt the presence of the four’s consciousness synchronizing and merging. Madrine opened her lips. She recited a prayer on behalf of the four. Amidst the storm, Madrine’s calm prayer reached everyone’s ears.

“Ah. Ah…”

Istericia let out a sigh of admiration. What miracles were happening inside the four? The three continued their deep meditation, while Madrine recited the prayer. It was hard to imagine from the quiet presence of these four that the Mud Yōma was rampaging nearby, being swept up by the storm. However, a change had definitely begun to occur.

Now, the Mud Yōma was trapped by the storm. Blocked by walls of wind, it could not move as it wished, let alone counterattack. The Yōma, perhaps feeling frustration and impatience, glared with its red eyes and let out a strange cry. But as long as I continued to dance the Dragon Sword Dance, it would never escape the cage of the storm.

Around the Yōma, a mysterious phenomenon occurred. Without being affected by the intense vortex of wind I created, mist appeared around the Yōma. Strangely, the mist glowed pale blue in the night darkness. The pale blue mist gradually thickened.

And when it became so dense that the figure of the Mud Yōma, trapped deep within the storm’s cage, could only be faintly seen. A flash of light flickered. As I blinked, thinking it was my imagination, it flickered again, small and short. It was from then on.

*Pop.*
*Pop, pop.*

The single sparkle increased to two, then three. Before long, deep within the pale blue mist, countless lights flashed and disappeared, blinking intermittently.

“Whoa, it’s like twinkling stars!” Priscilla-chan, held by Alicia-chan, was captivated by the endlessly flickering lights.

“It’s the high-level magic ‘Nebula’s Whisper’!” I nodded in understanding at Alicia-chan’s words. We always accompany Ruiseine when she performs the full moon ritual. Looking up at the night sky occasionally, we saw a landscape where many stars gathered, making the night sky glow pale blue, unafraid of the full moon’s radiance. Gazing at the dense night sky, it was beautiful to see shooting stars and stars twinkling. The pale blue mist and flickering lights inside the Storm Dragon Arts were recreating the night sky landscape on the ground.

And as expected of high-level magic, the power of “Nebula’s Whisper” was immense. Concentrating my consciousness, I looked at the flickering lights deep within the pale blue mist. Then, I realized that what appeared to be the twinkling of stars was the moment the Yōma was blown into pieces and illuminated. The Yōma’s mud, shattered and enveloped in light, turned into soil without reassembling and finally vanished without a trace. With the magic “Nebula’s Whisper,” the Mud Yōma, its body gradually chipped away, grew smaller. Finally, leaving only a death cry, the Mud Yōma completely disappeared.