Arc 9, Part 48: "Apex Creature"

"—Roswaal and Clind-san said they could do it. So they can, right?"

That was the decisive remark from Emilia during a strategy meeting for the "Arde-Busters," amidst the discussion of who should face the "Divine Dragon" Volcanica.

Emilia’s decision to entrust the battlefield to them without demanding a detailed explanation was not a thoughtless or reckless one; it was born of certain trust. For that, Roswaal felt both admiration and gratitude toward her. The situation being what it was, Roswaal had been half-prepared to reveal Clind’s true nature—the identity of the "Divine Dragon’s" Dragon Person—even if it meant slightly derailing his long-standing plans.

"Though, if we were to speak of that, we would also have to touch upon our contract."

Naturally, Roswaal had welcomed Clind as a servant of the Mathers family while knowing exactly whose Dragon Person he was. Of course, he hadn't done so merely because of Clind's extraordinary abilities as a steward, but because his existence was useful. He was an indispensable asset for the long-cherished wish Roswaal had to fulfill.

"Even if you were to speak of it, I doubt the attitudes of everyone would change. Advice."

Clind, knowing the circumstances, offered this suggestion to Roswaal, who was keeping them hidden. There was no reason to stubbornly deny it. In fact, Roswaal agreed with him. Even if he revealed his circumstances, the attitude of the camp—of Emilia and the others—likely wouldn't change.

Yet, the reason Roswaal could not reveal his circumstances was something that could only be described as his nature. Roswaal could not face others unless he held the upper hand. He needed to grasp the opponent's intentions, hold their weaknesses, and ideally, keep hostages. The accumulation of years where failure was not an option had molded Roswaal into a cowardly villain. That was why, even knowing that Subaru, Emilia, and the others were a group of extreme softies, Roswaal could not bring himself to reveal his true heart.

"But that doesn't mean it will be an obstacle, now dooooes it?"

What mattered was not baring everything, but fully demonstrating a value commensurate with one's abilities. In that regard, Roswaal took pride in the fact that he would not fall behind his comrades. Rather, because he felt the debt of hiding his true intentions, he felt he had to show results.

"...A debt? I, the disciple of the 'Witch'?"

While feeling such a question arise within his own heart, Roswaal shelved it. Regardless, without revealing Clind’s circumstances, Roswaal was able to face the same battlefield as him—the battle against the enemy who had stolen the Dragon Husk of the "Divine Dragon." All that remained was—

"Let us use this occasion to test it. —My refinement, intended for the killing of a 'Dragon.'"

—In that battle, there was no such thing as a preliminary skirmish.

Removing his monocle and wreathing his body in purple lightning, Clind—with two black horns sprouting from his head—cast aside the mask of the versatile majordomo he had worn for so long and became a lone Dragon Person. Immediately after taking a single step, a flash of lightning was born beneath his soles, and his initial explosive speed matched the speed of sound.

"————"

The atmosphere detonated, and with every step, the cannonball-like sound of his footfalls shook the world. Using the bursting purple lightning as acceleration, Clind headed straight for the majestic figure seated in the middle of the sky. Spreading its heroic dragon wings and silhouetted against the sun, the "Divine Dragon" Volcanica opened its maw.

『————ッ』

In an instant, the released breath became a white heat ray, catching Clind head-on. The "Dragon's" breath was a torrent of pure mana, mere power that had not been given the directionality of magic. Still, just as a single harmless drop of water becomes a flood that washes away a nation when gathered, mana that had gained overwhelming momentum easily shaved away the physical world—

"—For an opening greeting, this lacks artistry. Immature."

Clind split that city-level destruction-class white light down the middle with a downward strike of his hand. The breath was cleaved from the center, passing behind him as if avoiding a direct hit. In its place, the scorched earth was peeled away, and the shattering rock fragments became sand, which even then melted into a viscous red flow. Leaving that behind, Clind’s body leaped high into the air, closing in on the "Dragon" in the heavens.

『Tch, how cheeky!』

The roaring "Dragon" writhed its body and swung its thick, powerful tail. The tail strike, rotating while murdering the wind, caught the cornered Clind head-on—and a thunderclap resounded.

An especially strong burst of purple lightning illuminated the sky, and immediately after, it was the "Dragon's" tail that was repelled. The principle was the same as the acceleration when kicking the ground: a shockwave caused by the explosion of the wreathed purple lightning. Clind generated that shockwave beneath his feet in mid-air to use as a foothold, and by sequentially detonating lightning from his shoulders to his elbows and down to his fists, he countered the "Dragon's" tail with a punch of unbelievable power. And, terrifyingly, that purple lightning—

"Please keep me company for a while longer. Inexhaustible."

In the clear sky where the clouds had been blown away, flashes of lightning flickered repeatedly, ignoring the weather.

『OOOOOOOOOO—!!』

The "Dragon," raising its voice in anger, flapped its wings and circled. Around that "Dragon," Clind leaped about freely, accelerating every time the purple lightning burst. As before, the explosion of purple lightning generated under his soles kept Clind aloft, granting a wingless Dragon Person the right to move freely in the sky. Of course, the diligent Dragon Person did not merely enjoy his aerial stroll; he did not forget to rain fierce blows upon the "Dragon."

"————"

Evading the swung dragon claws by a hair's breadth, a strike wreathed in lightning was driven into the face of an opponent with too much of a difference in physique and reach, and there, the climax of the lightning explosion occurred. A two-stage setup of physical strike plus lightning strike; it was not just once or twice, but ten or twenty times over in the blink of an eye.

『Damn it—』

Its airspace stolen by the overlapping explosions of purple lightning, the spitting "Dragon" rose even higher. The privilege of the winged "Divine Dragon" was that it did not choose its battlefield only on the ground where the wasteland stretched as far as the eye could see, but also in the sky, three-dimensionally across three hundred and sixty degrees. However—

"—Al Duet."

—The "Divine Dragon," having gained altitude, plunged headfirst into a massive mass of water and lost its sense of up and down.

『—!?』

The "Divine Dragon," creating large bubbles in its shock, found its massive body encased in a water sphere exceeding dozens of meters, created by converging the surrounding moisture and the water currents drawn from underground into a single point. With the sound of water pressure creaking, the "Divine Dragon" imprisoned in the water cage opened its golden eyes.

"To be so excited that you forget about me is quite cold, now isn't it?"

Beneath the "Dragon," Roswaal, who had trapped the "Dragon" in the water sphere, showed a smile. Standing on the surface of the earth, which had been licked by the heatwave of the breath Clind first split and turned into a black, glowing glassy substance, Roswaal pointed at the water sphere in the sky and pressed the attack. "Duet" meant a duo; this magic did not end with just trapping the target in a water sphere. —Immediately after, the water sphere sealing the "Dragon" began to bubble and boil due to the generated scorching heat. There, another strong flash of purple lightning flickered—

"I shall proceed a bit flashily. Thunderclap."

Clind’s thrusting fist struck the water sphere while playing a melody of thunder. —In that instant, a flash ran through the entire mass of water, and purple lightning raced through the interior, scorching the "Dragon" and the water sphere itself. In the next moment, reaching the limits of heat and pressure—the water sphere detonated with a roar. Purple lightning that had lost its place to go tore through the battlefield, a storm of water vapor equivalent to an explosion blew in a radial pattern, and the water masses that survived the white heat fell from the clear sky onto the earth like rain.

"————"

The intense explosion triggered had the power to completely annihilate a small town. Even with the help of a Dragon Person, it was a destructive force that a magic user should not be permitted to exert alone; it was driven in without holding back, and even the "Dragon"—

『—Ah, damn, that cooled my head down.』

Dragon wings sliced through the white steam, and at the center of the sky that had become ground zero, the "Divine Dragon" muttered so. —Yes, a mutter. Had it suffered any significant wounds, the mutter would have been a curse. In other words, the "Dragon" in mid-air was fine. —No, it was in an uninjured state.

"...Even though I knew it, seeing it in person is quite depressing, now isn't it?"

Looking up at that uninjured survival from the ground, Roswaal closed one eye, leaving only the blue one open. Against that much firepower, the "Divine Dragon" took zero damage. It wasn't that Roswaal's magic was weak, nor that the "Dragon" had instantly devised the perfect defense. —The truth was closer to the latter, but the reality was far more despairing and overwhelmingly irrational.

"Master, please do not lose heart. Encouragement."

Beside Roswaal, Clind, who had escaped the explosion and descended, landed. While drying the water from the sphere he had been bathed in with purple lightning, Clind spoke without changing his expression or tone, but there was a slight concern born of their long association. —In that long association, he had also been told about the irrationality of the "Divine Dragon."

"—As I thought, the Dragon Scales and Dragon Halo protecting the 'Heart Core' are troublesome, now aren't they?"

Roswaal spoke these words, which were not an answer to Clind's encouragement, as proof that he had not lost his will to fight. —Dragon Scales and Dragon Halo; those were the greatest reasons why "Divine Dragon" Volcanica was called the strongest existence on earth, and the irrationality that had to be overcome.

"————"

—Where the difference lay between the "Cloud Dragon" Mezoreia, the "Evil Dragon" Valgren, and the "Divine Dragon" Volcanica; the answer lay in the Dragon Scales and Dragon Halo. Mezoreia, who was still young and in the middle of growing as a "Dragon," and Valgren, who had lost his mental balance and his future because the Dragon Person he created had died. Both of them, unable to sufficiently grow their Dragon Husks, could not forge the two types of armor possessed by the "Divine Dragon." Those were—

"The Dragon Scales that allow no physical attacks to pass, and the Dragon Halo that keeps magical attacks at bay."

"Unless those two armors are overcome, one cannot reach the Dragon's Heart Core. Reconfirmation."

Clind’s words, which evoked even a sense of despair, were the greatest obstacle in conquering the "Divine Dragon." The overwhelming physical defense of the Dragon Scales and the nonsensical magical defense of the Dragon Halo; unless those two powerful defenses were peeled away, one could not deliver an attack to the "Heart Core," the weak point. Not one or the other, but both. Unless both armors were peeled away, one could not exceed the incredible recovery power of the "Dragon," which was a mana body, and could not render it incapacitated. That was why, to defeat the "Divine Dragon," two experts were needed: one for melee combat and one for magical combat. Though—

"To think that even with that firepower, it would take no damage before the Dragon Halo is peeled away... I am impressed, now aren't I?"

"It is not called the strongest 'Dragon' on earth for nothing. Sigh."

"Wasn't that sigh a bit boastful? It was originally you, after all. You could at least secretly tell me a weakness that only you know, you know?"

"I have one. The 'Dragon Sword.' Instant Answer."

"That's completely useless..."

The "Dragon Sword" he instantly mentioned was a magic sword capable of cutting what cannot be cut. With the performance of that "Dragon Sword," one could likely attack the "Heart Core" while correctly ignoring both the Dragon Scales and the Dragon Halo. In fact, just hitting it with the "Dragon Sword" might damage the "Divine Dragon." Of course, talking about a weapon one doesn't have is merely hollow and does not improve the situation.

"For your reference, as for the Dragon Scales, the reverse scale on the neck is the target. Old Wound. Regarding the Dragon Halo... it will depend on your strenuous efforts, Master. Expectation."

"You say that quite casually to me, whose first trump card just failed, now don't you?"

"Is that so? —If it were Lady Echidna, she could have done it. Soliloquy."

"————"

As expected, their long association went both ways. To Clind, who added that with a straight face, Roswaal’s heart was firmly set ablaze, even while knowing it was exactly what Clind intended. Of course, even now, Roswaal did not harbor the conceit that he had reached his teacher's level, but—

"I can't very well have the student bring shame upon the teacher, now can I?"

The karma he had to fulfill and the long-cherished wish he desired to grant put life into Roswaal’s scarred soul, and strength into his eyes as he tackled the problem before him.

The history of magic was a repetition of trial and error, and Roswaal’s life was the same. Once one problem was solved, another immediately stood in the way, and he would continue to challenge it by searching for its solution. But because he had solved all those problems, he was here. Since losing his teacher, it had always been this way—alone.

"From the start, there has been no human with more potential than I."

Let him dare to call himself so. Roswaal was undoubtedly the strongest magic user of the modern era. There was no one with a greater possibility of breaking through the "Divine Dragon" Volcanica’s Dragon Halo than Roswaal. —No, he had cultivated even that infinitesimal possibility over these four hundred years.

In the field of magic, it was impossible for there to be a wall that Roswaal could not overcome. It must not be. That was the vow of Roswaal L. Mathers, and the thorny path he had decided to walk alone. Therefore—

"—I shall stake my entire existence on overcoming this problem."

With that single word of resolve, Roswaal once again began to draw a spell formula in the sky that would char the brain of an ordinary person, in order to achieve the unprecedented breakthrough of the Dragon Halo.

—The position of a "Dragon Person" is a truly troublesome one, Clind thought.

To begin with, a Dragon Person is merely the next-generation form of a "Dragon," and strictly speaking, is not the same entity as the original "Dragon." Despite this, they inherit many of the "Dragon's" memories, experiences, and emotions, and they harbor a mental mixture that is difficult to dismiss as being a separate existence.

Clind was no exception, and the influence of his time as Volcanica was deeply reflected in his current self. —A representative example was his strong envy for immature potential. Born as an absolute species, a "Dragon," Volcanica found the immaturity of humans—who defined their own way of being and grew toward their goals—to be dazzling and precious. That nature was carried over even now that he had become a Dragon Person, and currently, Clind respected, adored, prized, cherished, and loved beyond measure immature existences harboring great potential—young children. Frederica and others seemed to greatly misunderstand this nature of Clind’s, which was, so to speak, from his previous life. However, because Frederica had other Dragon Person circumstances she wanted to keep hidden, he had deliberately not cleared up that misunderstanding, including those around her.

"Even so, being kept away from Lady Annerose, Petra, Lady Beatrice, Meili, and Lady Emilia is a bit hurtful. Dissatisfaction."

At any rate, not just Clind, but "Dragons" and Dragon People have an inseparable connection. Since the growth of a Dragon Person causes the "Dragon" to grow, and the death of a Dragon Person kills the "Dragon's" spirit, the connection is clear—in fact, a Dragon Person can, if necessary, inhabit their own spirit within the empty Dragon Husk and even exert the original power of a "Dragon" to its fullest.

"In the Empire, it is said that Mezoreia and that Dragon Person girl did so. Interest."

Clind had been a Dragon Person for a long time, but his contact with other Dragon People was practically non-existent, and he hoped to eventually exchange words with Madelyn, who was newly born in Vollachia. The soul-inhabiting of the Dragon Husk she was said to have done was something Clind had also done in the past to return to "Divine Dragon" Volcanica several times and fulfill the observance of the covenant with the Kingdom of Lugunica.

"Though, currently, the right of control over the Dragon Husk has been stolen by some means. Foul."

Normally, for a Dragon Person to inhabit their soul within their "Dragon," they only need to touch the Dragon Husk. But for Clind, his first soul-homecoming in about forty years had failed, and the Dragon Husk was in the hands of a usurper.

"I wasn't without concern, but... Regret."

No matter how powerful the "Dragon" species was, the means to take over an empty vessel were not zero. Indeed, among the evil spirits Clind knew, there were those with the power to possess the bodies of others, and he had discussed with his comrades that such a power could even steal a Dragon Husk. —He had not met Juice, the evil spirit named so, for quite a long time.

"It is a useless thing now. Sentiment."

In any case, instances of a "Dragon" having its Dragon Husk stolen were possible, and Clind knew that to reclaim the Dragon Husk, it was necessary to strike the "Heart Core." —The problem was that the one whose Dragon Husk had been stolen was the "Divine Dragon," and the Dragon Scales and Dragon Halo stood in the way as obstacles to the "Heart Core."

"While I shall pierce the reverse scale on the Dragon Scales side, the breakthrough of the Dragon Halo must be done by Master. Concentration."

The absolute defense possessed by the "Divine Dragon," the "Heart Core" protected deep within the Dragon Scales and Dragon Halo—striking that was the victory condition of the battlefield entrusted to Clind and Roswaal. Fortunately, there was a prospect of breaking through the Dragon Scales. —The white old wound carved into the neck after a life-and-death struggle with the "Sword Saint" Reid Astrea was the only hole in the absolute defense.

"It is irritating that, through a twist of fate, that rude man's strike becomes the way forward. Anger."

That abnormal dragon-meat-eater had once asked for a tail, once asked to be fed intestines, and had even tried to gouge out the heart. What did he think a traveling companion was? And in the end, a life-and-death struggle—regardless of the circumstances of the wound, the breakthrough point for the Dragon Scales already existed. Therefore, the path to victory lay in whether Roswaal could overcome the wall of the Dragon Halo.

"Creating the time for that is my duty. Devotion."

For four hundred years, Roswaal had refined himself. That was being tested now. —While witnessing that extreme trial, Clind once again reminded himself that being a "Dragon Person" was troublesome. Because the way a life that started from an immature place like Roswaal’s burned, its dazzle, seemed to Clind to be precious, lovable, and an object to be cherished.

『――――ッッ！！』

The roar of the "Divine Dragon" that frightened the heavens, made the earth cower, and threatened the world resounded. The powerful voice propagated vibrations through heaven and earth, and the roaring sound that tore through the sky became a torrent that swallowed Clind. The sound was being torn apart, and Clind’s body was caught in it, about to be torn and burst—just before that, he dove into the large amount of mist that had been generated while wreathed in purple lightning, and the heavenly roar literally dispersed into the mist. The fine water particles created a path for the sound, greatly attenuating the catastrophic shockwave.

"—Al Trio."

Leaping over Clind, who was racing like lightning through the mist, was a three-colored radiance approaching the "Dragon." Red, blue, and green; the three types of light resonated vividly, and in an instant, the swelling light scorched the sky. —A blast and explosion on a hundred-meter scale occurred, and the ice-flame raging in the gale enveloped the "Dragon," as colors and scenes reminiscent of the end of the world repainted the clear sky of the battlefield into hell.

"Shi—!"

Into that hell, Clind, galloping through the air with flashes of lightning, threw himself. The end of the world, the sky of the battlefield turned into hell—to survive even in such a space of certain death and wield power as if to prove one's own existence was the mark of a strongman who lived through the era of the "Witch."

『—Welcome!!』

Gathering the sky that drew incoherent mixed-color patterns, the "Divine Dragon," having proved its well-being, roared loudly. Behind the "Dragon" with its wings spread, giant arms made of rock masses floated, and a total of twelve of them roared fiercely as if in a shout of welcome, their iron fists greeting Clind.

"—Seal Shackle, Second Release."

Just before colliding with those giant rock arms, the light emitted by the black horns on Clind’s head intensified by one level. Wreathed in the surging purple lightning, Clind temporarily gained protection equivalent to that of a "Dragon." Clind utilized that sturdiness for both offense and defense, resisting the "Divine Dragon's" attacks with his entire body as an indestructible weapon. A flash of thunder, the explosion of purple lightning that made the heavens scream, smashed the rock arms created by the "Dragon," realizing a slugfest between two beings with too much of a difference in physique.

"You fight without regard for appearances. I cannot think of you as a 'Dragon.' Creative Ingenuity."

『We're both past the stage of choosing a pretty way to win, aren't we? My recent trend for a villain is that someone who's properly strong also uses underhanded tricks without hesitation!』

While smashing the giant arms—one, two, three—Clind nodded "Indeed" to that answer.

Self-praise was not his hobby, but the one who could handle the Dragon Husk of "Divine Dragon" Volcanica the best and strongest was, after all, Clind. No matter how powerful the vessel, if the contents were different, its true potential could not be fully exerted. The usurper had filled that deficiency not by drawing out the true value of the Dragon Husk, but by resorting to the frequent use of small tricks that a "Dragon" would not normally do. And the range of those small tricks had reached an uncute level, cornering Clind.

『—Agh』

The "Divine Dragon," scattering a storm of twelve giant arms, dragon claws, and tail strikes, had light swirling roaringly deep in its throat. It was a torrent of fire and water being kneaded simultaneously and compressed in the "Dragon's" maw. It was not a common-sense cancellation of fire and water. Enormous heat and moisture were trapped, and having lost their place to go, they exploded in search of an exit for their power—in that instant, Clind generated a shockwave of purple lightning in front of himself and tried to move away from the "Divine Dragon's" aim by being repelled straight backward.

"—Kh!"

That was stopped by the giant rock arms extended as if to hem him in. The rock palms were closing as if to envelop him, and though he tried to blow them away with a dance of lightning explosions—

『—Blow away!』

—Immediately after, along with a roar that burst the ears, an explosion occurred as if the entire battlefield had been struck.

The heatwave that scorched everything generated and the shockwave that tore the world apart attacked Clind’s entire body, which had no place to escape, delivering an excessive heavenly punishment to the fool who challenged the "Dragon."

"……っ"

Clenching his back teeth hard, Clind deactivated the barrier of purple lightning that had covered his entire body. He had instantly excited his black horns and put up a barrier equivalent to the Dragon Halo with the maximum output of purple lightning. Even so, had he taken the attack properly, even Clind would not have escaped fatal injury. Yes, if he had taken the attack properly—

"—Al Quartet."

The one who spoke those words was Roswaal, who had chanted a great magic from behind Clind, across the giant rock arms that were being scorched and collapsing after losing their original form. Roswaal, who had risen into the sky with flight magic and joined the aerial battle between Clind and the "Divine Dragon," had neutralized that tremendous explosion with the extraordinary feat of activating four attributes simultaneously.

『Hey, hey, are you serious...』

At that fact, it was no wonder the "Divine Dragon" let out a voice of shock. The usurper's strike just now had the power of a city-annihilation class in its destructive force. To neutralize that with a human body and, moreover, to protect Clind, was a control ability that defied common sense. If even one thing had gone wrong, it might have instead amplified the "Divine Dragon's" attack, and the two of them might have been turned into charcoal together. It was truly a divine feat, like passing a thread through the eye of a needle a kilometer away. However, it could not be called a complete victory.

"...I'm beaten, now am I?"

Roswaal, who muttered so weakly, staggered and fell headlong, losing control.

"Master! Urgent Dispatch."

Kicking the air to catch up to the falling Roswaal, Clind’s eyes widened. Roswaal’s body was torn to shreds just by the aftereffects of the neutralized explosion, and his right arm, which had taken particularly heavy damage, had become a pitifully scorched and festering mass of reddish-black flesh. Though Roswaal could master all kinds of magic, healing magic was the only one he could not use. Whether he could continue fighting with this wound was far too—

『Don't think badly of me, Origin is waiting!』

"Kh—!"

The "Divine Dragon," however, did not let up its attack on Clind, who was holding the injured Roswaal. As the dragon wings winding the wind approached as a flash of light, Clind continued to escape, escape, and escape through the sky with a lightning run that detonated purple lightning. While feeling ashamed of the ignorance that allowed Roswaal to be injured, he kicked and smashed the blades of wind, took the swung dragon wings with his body, and there, a lightning explosion—he was blown backward by the impact. With that, he forcibly took distance, regained his posture—and in that instant, the "Dragon's" tail strike fell.

"——っ"

Turning the impact of the lightning explosion into rotational force, he took a direct hit from the downward strike of the "Divine Dragon's" tail. Though he avoided a fatal blow with the arm he used to protect his head, it was a force that sent him straight toward the ground. Even if he fell onto the earth like that, the momentum seemed likely to dig his own grave—

『—I'll go for the finishing blow.』

To the falling Clind and Roswaal, the "Divine Dragon," who said so, took a deep breath. In a battle where offense and defense swapped at high speed, a movement that required charging was fatal. Therefore, the full-power "Dragon's" breath, which had been a forbidden move except for the first move, was now being released. Against the destruction that could not be escaped even by using lightning runs, there was no move. —For Clind.

"—Al Quintet."

Roswaal, who had gone limp and left all the offense and defense of the battle to Clind, activated his maximum firepower, which he had been charging and charging.

—The activation of the completed spell formula manifested a massive magic circle in the heavens that bundled five lights.

Fire and water, wind and earth, plus Yang—overlapping and converging contradictory principles through a rationality that transcended human knowledge, it was an overwhelming power of destruction permitted to exist only outside of order. It collided head-on with the released "Dragon's" breath—and in an instant, sound and color were lost from the world.

"————"

The released power against power vividly tore through the very boundary between heaven and earth. Flames blew wildly, the sky froze, the wind swirled, the earth rose violently, and all of it was amplified by light; the five contradictory powers became a pillar of light, and the battlefield collapsed in a chain reaction. The area, which had been a rocky wasteland before the battle began, was filled with a dance of light and roar to the point of losing track of up and down, and everything was swallowed into a crucible of chaos.

"————"

In terms of disrupting the balance of the world, it was already a technique comparable to the numerous forbidden arts whose existence had been erased by Od Lagna. The reason this had not been destroyed as a forbidden art was simply because there was no one who could use it, even without forbidding it. The only two people who had previously realized this same great magic—no, super magic—were Echidna, the "Witch of Greed," and Myonmyon, the "First Magic User." The super magic that had set foot into the taboo was not an arrow of "destruction," but of "negation."

"Master, what a person you are... Hats Off."

Who could believe that this scene of cataclysm was proof of a single person's refinement? The path that person walked and the footprints he left; many might loathe and curse the details as deeds that go against ethics, and deny his way of being. But Clind did not deny it. He did not despise it. It might be worthy of contempt, but when witnessing something that exceeded all bounds, there was no difference between a human and a "Dragon" in the shock that came to the heart. He was simply, purely overwhelmed. By the fact that a human could accumulate this much.

—Clind loved human potential.

He never tired of wondering what those born weak, fragile, and imperfect aimed for and sought. From that perspective, Roswaal was close to being the holder of the highest score. As far as Clind knew, there was no one else who had continued to struggle, clinging to a far-off possibility as pathetically as Roswaal.

—If he had no talent, he could have given up sooner. —If he had been an existence as chosen as the "Sword Saint," he wouldn't have had to suffer like this.

What Roswaal, who was neither, had was only an obsession that defied common sense. That was why Clind had respected that way of being, affirmed his progress, and lent him his strength.

"That prayer still continues to shine light within me. —Vow."

Speaking that vow, Clind slowly laid Roswaal on the ground. The peerless magic user, who shed tears of blood and whose entire body convulsed from the extreme overuse of his gate, was on a sandy bed too desolate to reward his achievements, but for now, he would have to endure it.

—Because in the sky, the "Divine Dragon," who had been bathed in the limit of the magic user, was still uninjured and well.

—And so, reality caught up with Roswaal, whose life was like a flickering candle in the wind.

"It has been five seconds, Master. Report."

What greeted the return of his scattered consciousness was a voice that was unusually calm. However, he didn't feel like blaming Clind for that. In five seconds, the "Divine Dragon" should have been able to kill Roswaal fifty times. —Since there was talk of a "no-kill" restriction, perhaps it would be something like crushing his limbs and freezing his wounds to incapacitate him? If it were Roswaal, he would do at least that much to incapacitate someone. Clind had protected Roswaal from that damage and had perfectly fulfilled his role as the vanguard. The problem was—

"My own incompetence, huh."

The patheticness of his own self, who had interrupted the battle between the "Dragon" and the Dragon Person and easily fallen into a near-death state. It wasn't that he had taken it lightly, but he had thought he could do more.

"————"

With the struggle of Petra, who had taken the Witch Factor upon herself, the battlefield into which the "Divine Dragon" had been drawn was thoroughly prepared with Roswaal’s advance arrangements, and he should have performed roughly the highest-level magical battle of his life. A battle of this magnitude could be said to be the first since he fought the "Warlock of Melancholy" alongside Clind. Looking only at the results, it wasn't a simple matter of the "Divine Dragon" being stronger than the "Warlock of Melancholy." In any case—

"...I must... change... the victory conditions."

Even now, Clind might be fighting while believing in Roswaal’s resurgence, but he knew his own limits best. His physical strength was exhausted, his insides were a mess, and the intense consumption of mana was significantly shaving away even his life force. The numerous great magics he had prepared had not reached the point of breaking through the "Divine Dragon's" Dragon Halo. It had been impossible even with the simultaneous activation of five types of Al-class magic. If there was a possibility, it would be the simultaneous activation of six attributes of Al-class, but a magic that had no successful examples even when he was in perfect condition could not possibly succeed in his current state. The sensation of his brain boiling and the pain of the blood in his entire body flowing backward were proof that the finest gate of his clan, which Roswaal had selected over four hundred years, was on the verge of breaking.

There was no point in continuing beyond this. If what he had prepared did not work, he would lower the hurdle of the goal and accomplish at least the minimum quota. Originally, the aim of this battle was to prevent Aldebaran’s plan, and for that, it was enough if they could continue to stall the "Divine Dragon" here. Therefore, he would be smart, adapt to the situation, and devote himself to supporting Clind as he continued to resist. That was—

『Roswaal, you mustn't overdo it, but it's a veeeery important role. So, do your best!』

『Roswaal-sama, I have caused you trouble until now. Finally, I can repay my debt. Let us... help that person... Subaru-kun together!』

『Since it's something Master said he would do, please don't back down. ...I hate Master, but it's true that I think he probably won't lose to anyone.』

『Roswaal-sama, I wish you luck in battle. —And then, please, to your heart's content.』

"...Oh."

He was supposed to be smart, adapt to the situation, and devote himself to supporting Clind. But by the time he realized it, Roswaal had stood up unsteadily, cradling his terrible right arm.

"————"

It was strange. He had intended to fight not in the way of the great magic user Roswaal admired, but in the way of a more underhanded, mediocre magic user hungry for victory.

Just why had he stood up?

Could it be that he intended to say he hadn't given up? Even though what he prepared didn't work. Even though he had never once produced results beyond his actual ability.

"—What, you stood up? I was intending to take over your role, though."

Because he had been surprised by his own actions, Roswaal was able to avoid being surprised by that voice, which had been a surprise attack.

"————"

The owner of that voice slowly stepped onto the wasteland, which was as ruined as if the end of the world had been drawn upon it, and stood beside the unsteadily swaying Roswaal. However—

"I'm sorry, but I can't even spare the physical strength to tilt my head. ...You're so short that I don't know who you are, but this is no place for a child."

"Who are you calling a child! You, you truly are an irritating man...!"

Half-joking and half-serious, at Roswaal’s words, the other person let their voice grow angry with full power, and their figure, which had been out of sight, gradually rose and entered the corner of his vision. It wasn't that the other person's height had increased. They had used magic to heave up the ground, matching the height of their gaze with an impromptu footstool. It was a truly silly waste of magic, and he didn't hate it. Ignoring Roswaal’s inner thoughts, the small person with green hair in black clothes crossed their arms—

"I shall carve it into you once more so that you cannot forget who I am. —I, Ezzo Cadner 'The Grey,' shall overcome the 'Divine Dragon' ahead of you!"