NBAA Vol. 4 Chapter 5 Part 3
When Kagemaru and Kirau were fighting, something was happening on the ground.
“Roaaarrrr…!?”
“Boy-o!?”
The Rotten Dragon that was chasing Reito let out a shriek.
Kirau looked away from Kagemaru for a second.
He took his chance to stab her with the bewitched sword.
“Puncture!!”
“Ngh!?” Kagemaru aimed for her heart, but Kirau put out her right hand to block his sword instantaneously.
It was thrust deep into her right arm. The sword’s blade started glowing.
“Take this!! Muramasa!!”
“Ahhh!?”
The bewitched blade Muramasa was plunged into her body and was absorbing all her magical energy due to the sword’s ability.
Kirau’s right arm gradually began to look like a mummy. She put her wand on her right shoulder and then used a kind of wind magic.
“Slash!!”
“What!?”
A wind blade cut off her right arm.
Freed from his bewitched sword, she kicked him in the stomach.
“Die!!”
“Nn!?”
She had higher physical abilities than humans and was able to kick Kagemaru away, whom also dropped the bewitched sword. She watched it fall and then grabbed her amputated right arm before putting some distance between them.
Reito and the Rotten Dragon were expanding their game of cat and mouse.
“Rooooarrrr…!!”
“Ullr, run at full speed!!”
“Woof!!”
Looking back at the fast-approaching Rotten Dragon, he tried using magic.
“Flame Bullet!!”
He launched the biggest flame magic attack he could muster. It hit the Rotten Dragon square in the face.”
“Wooff…!?”
“It’s no good.”
Although it had flinched for a moment, there was not a scratch to be seen on its face.
Airis communicated with him.
『Magical attacks will have a weak effect at the moment. The rotten dragon is using the magic of the creatures it has eaten. Its body is emanating a dark aura. It’s a kind of cursed armor that usually only necromancers can use.』
『Like barrier stones?』
『They both use magic for defense is a point in common. However, barrier stones don’t work on physical attacks. Conversely, the cursed armor works well on magical attacks, but not physical ones.』
Reito followed Airis’s advice. She inferred Kirau caught word about his holy sword and had procured the armor as a counter-strategy.
『How can I blast through it?』
『If enough time passes, it should go away on its own. Or you can chip away at it with magic.』
『I just gotta wait…』
Finishing communications, Reito jumped off of Ullr’s back. When he landed, he used a wind blast to kill the fall and used his “break fall” skill.
Ullr glanced at Reito before breaking into a sprint.
“Don’t stop, Ullr!!”
“Woof!!” Ullr ran off with a bark.
Reito put his hands on the ground and used both “Magical Reinforcement” and “Earth Block.”
“Watch your legs!!”
“Roaar!?” The ground around the Rotten Dragon’s feet sank in.
“Let’s see if I can kill some time!!”
“Raaaaaa…!!”
Reito pulled out his Extermination Blade and used “Shrink Ground” to approach the Rotten Dragon.
“Full-Body Reinforcement — Gravity Blade… Magical Reinforcement!!” Crimson magic coiled up the blade. His physical abilities had increased. He copied Kagemaru and used Wind Pressure to leap.
“Woaah!!”
“Raa!?”
He leaped twenty meters in the air and swung his sword for the dragon’s head.
“Helmet Smasher!!”
“Raaaaa…!?”
The moment the broadsword hit the dragon’s head, it shrieked. The blade had pierced the cursed armor and stabbed it in the forehead. The dragon’s body was rotting, so it was easier to pierce than a regular dragon.
Reito used the sword’s handle as a stepping stone and leaped again. “Iceclad Sword.”
“Eat this!?”
The force built up in the Extermination Blade hadn’t disappeared yet. So, he figured a physical attack should be able to get through.
“Spin Strike!!”
“Graah!?”
He blasted through the armor with his ice blade, stabbing the dragon’s left eye.
He let go of the broadsword and used “Ice Block” to create a disk in the sky to softly glide to the ground.
“Next… Take this!!”
He drew the longsword in his pocket and generated golden energy around it.
The Rotten Dragon’s right eye opened wide at the electric current.
“Raaaaa…!!”
The rotten dragon shook its tail to hit Reito.
Reito sliced down on the tail.
“You little… Ahhhh!!”
“Raaaa…!?”
The lightning surged and was released at once, conducting through the broadsword into the Rotten Dragon’s flesh.
“Raaaaa…!?” The Rotten Dragon’s roar rang out. Black smoke was rising from every pore in its body.
“Grooooohh!!” Reito grasped the sword and sent more magic energy into its body.
A crack formed in his sword, and it gradually began to burst. He kept conducting electricity into the dragon, and it started falling apart.
“Raaaaaa…!!”
His rotten skin started to melt, and its muscles and innards melted away. The sulfuric acid-like blood built up in the Rotten Dragon’s body began to steam, and its body fell apart.
“Grrng…!!” The Rotten’s Dragon body had melted away entirely.
The next moment, Reito’s sword burst into pieces.
“Wah!?”
The ice disk under his feet also melted away.
“Woof!!” Ullr came to a stop before he hit the ground.
Reito looked at his sword, which was no more than a handle.
“Oh, man… It’s broken. It was so expensive.”
Ullr whimpered.
He threw away the handle and fixed his posture. He looked at the skeletal remains of the Rotten Dragon.
“But, we’re not finished.”
Ullr growled.
Reito was in a cold sweat because he felt a cold presence nearby. Ullr also groaned.
“RAAAA!!” The bone pile of the Rotten Dragon roared.
“Just die, you bastard!!”
“Woof!!”
“Rooooaaarr!!” The skeletal remains of the rotten dragon flapped its wings.
Reito noticed the cursed armor had mostly melted away. He should be able to use a magical attack on it.
“Oh, oh no… My magic…”
“Rooar!!” The Rotten Dragon extended its right arm and swept it toward the ground. It hit the ground with an incredible force for a pile of bones.
“Woof!!” Ullr immediately jumped to avoid the attack, but as he came back down to earth, the Rotten Dragon snapped its jaws at him.
“Graah!!”
Ullr whimpered, but managed to dodge the bite.
The Rotten Dragon began generating its crushed armor again. It was also more agile than before because it was only bones. It went after Reito.
“Raaaa!!”
“Shit… How did it just power up!?”
『Run Away!! This was part of the plan, anyway.』
“I know!! Ullr!!”
“Woof!!”
Reito had Ullr run toward the city in response to Airis’s message.
Kagemaru and Kirau were fighting in the skies. Kagemaru was zipping around the skies withstanding his enemy’s attacks.
“How dare you hurt my Rotten Dragon… Please die!!”
“That wasn’t me!?”
Kirau was rapid-firing ballistic magic. Her power hadn’t diminished despite losing one of her arms. She was able to read Kagemaru’s movements before he took them.
Kagemaru barely managed to avoid the attacks, but he lost physical stamina by using “Mail Carrier” so many times. His speed of movement was significantly slower.
At that time, Kirau aimed for Reito.
“You too!! Die!! Dark Flame!!”
“Oh no!? Move, Ullr!!”
“Woof!?”
A mixture of dark and pyromagic came out of Kirau’s wand.
Ullr managed to dodge the attack. The black flames spread quickly on the ground.
Ullr was running to escape the flames, but the Rotten Dragon was approaching rapidly.
“Raaaaa…!!”
“Shit… Let’s go, Ullr!!”
“WOOF…!!”
Ullr ran faster at his master’s encouragement. He was heading for the city.
They were carrying out their strategy.
◆◆◆