Philiana made a suicidal attack in front of Arisugawa, who had despaired at the difference in power.
I was so scared I almost closed my eyes. If I took that hit, my arm would be torn off from my shoulder. But even so, Philiana continued to charge without slowing down. Her head lowered, she leaned forward. The sound of the two colliding echoed through the night forest.
The sheer impact of the two large figures colliding made me feel as if I was being pushed back. Philiana, who had slipped inside her opponent’s guard, kicked up the weeds at her feet and threw her with all her might. Skyla, who had leapt at her, had her feet lifted and was thrown backward. But her opponent also had weight, and Philiana’s strength wasn’t enough to make her fall.
She would regain her posture and attack again immediately, I thought. But the moment her feet touched the ground, she lost her balance and retreated as if sliding.
“Wh-what?! The ground is frozen?!”
“No! Wait!”
Then, without stopping, her massive body slid and crashed into Riana, who was standing behind her. Caught off guard, Riana couldn’t brace herself and fell to the ground with a thud.
“Ooh, i-it hurts…”
“I’m sorry! Are you okay?!”
From behind me, something else flew at an incredible speed. A gust of wind kicked up, making my hair stand on end like after a storm.
“Here it comes—Piyo Kick!!”
“N-no! From the front!”
Before Riana could finish speaking, Piyo’s flying kick exploded into Skyla’s chest. The two of them were sent flying without having time to get up. Right, what happened to Piyo? It looked like she was blown away together just now.
She was impaled in the bushes further back. It must have been her final blow, as there was no sign of her getting up. And no wonder, if she delivered that kick, the shock would come back to her as well. For her small body, the damage would be even greater. I hoped her leg bone wasn’t broken.
Suddenly, I realized I was clenching my fists. I felt my strength returning to my depleted body. My eyes met Philiana’s triumphant gaze. Her eyes were still alive. As if telling me it was my turn next. Yes, there was still something I had to do. Now it was my turn to fight.
With two companions instantly defeated, a look of panic appeared on Puuchi’s face. He hurried to finish off Cecilia. I also started running at the same time. Noticing my presence running alongside her, Puuchi dodged to the side to avoid being interfered with. Cecilia found herself trapped between enemies, unable to move.
“You’ve kept me waiting. You can’t escape now. This is the end.”
The Dragon Maid’s hands ignited with fire. The flames then swirled and attacked the frozen Cecilia. I was too scared to even practice it. This shield, made with a Repulsion Stone from the White Witch, would have to be used on the fly. Please, work somehow!
I slipped in between the approaching flames and Cecilia. Then I raised my shield in front of me. The next moment, my vision was dyed bright red. The heat wind, like it was stripping off my clothes, made me hold my breath. My eyes couldn’t open from the scattering sparks. How is it? What’s happening? I managed to open my eyes a little and saw that the flames were being repelled, as if to avoid the shield. It was as if that part was protected by some strange power.
Is this the power of the Repulsion Stone? Amazing, but the shield was too small, and the overflow of flames streamed down onto my head and feet, making it normally hot.
“What? A shield? Hmph, a futile effort. Both of you will be burnt to a crisp!”
The Dragon Maid placed her other arm on top of the first. The firepower doubled, and I instinctively shifted the shield sideways to escape the heat.
“W-w-wha! Aaaah!”
The distorted vortex of flames changed its course and struck Puuchi, who was approaching from behind. Hearing her companion’s scream, she hastily stopped the fire.
“Puuchi-san, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”
“Ugh, ugh. Heheh, I’m f-f-fine.”
Puuchi’s words were cut off. I glanced sideways and saw that Cecilia was gone. Turning back, I saw a large red wound on Puuchi’s chest. Blood dripped down from it.
“Ngh, ugh. Th-this is nothing!”
Pressing the wound on her chest, she attacked Cecilia, who was likely the one who had caused it. But her fist didn’t reach, and instead, Sharin’s dagger pierced her shoulder. She quickly pulled out her sword and delivered a kick.
“Gah, ugh, uuuugh.”
“Puuchi-san! You! I’ll definitely kill you all!!” WOOOAAAHHH!”
The Dragon Maid’s enraged roar echoed, as if she had transformed into someone else. Her hands ignited with flames, and she came towards us. Her figure was truly that of a raging dragon. My body froze at her battle cry, which sounded like a roar. Crimson, burning claws approached my eyes.
