Ch.931Attrition War

Miracles and magic, power and divinity. The blade of divine slaughter that no ability could defend against, Caliburn.

Unless one’s body was transcendentally strong from birth or wearing armor sturdy enough to withstand a hero’s might, any being relying on mana or holy power for defense had no way to withstand Caliburn’s slash.

Therefore.

“GRRRRR…!”

Before the gleaming white blade, all Ismenios could do was somehow create distance and avoid the trajectory of the slashes.

Dragon scales were materials stronger than black iron, comparable to true silver, but they weren’t invincible armor that would never break.

That’s why he had to dodge.

The white greatsword swung relentlessly toward him carried enough power to shatter dragon scales and cut deep into flesh with pure physical force.

For this reason, the battle between Ismenios and Demian inevitably resembled a chase more than anything else.

– BOOM!

A series of explosions shook the air and tore through the clouds.

“KRAAAH-! Get away!”

A fierce, violent roar.

To avoid the Dragon Slayer’s shots and create distance from Demian, Ismenios glided at high speed through the capital’s airspace, firing mana explosions and shockwaves.

Shooting flames or lightning would be easily dodged or blocked. So instead, he intended to check Demian’s approach with magic that, while somewhat weaker, had greater stopping power.

“You’re the one who should back off!”

Demian utilized the inertia-defying properties of “Skywalk” to trace complex trajectories through the air as if drawing pictures, pursuing Ismenios.

He occasionally fired spears of light through gaps in the spatial distortion field or released holy light in the form of slashes to neutralize Ismenios’s magic.

A dragon trying to distance itself from a human, and a human pursuing the dragon while launching fierce attacks.

Though the roles of pursuer and pursued seemed reversed…

“Kuk…!”

It was the pursuer, not the fugitive, who felt impatient.

‘He’s just creating distance and buying time. Does he think a prolonged battle favors him?’

Demian clicked his tongue in frustration, frowning.

Ismenios kept his distance desperately while bombarding him with magic.

His apparent unwillingness to engage directly was truly troublesome for Demian.

‘…Indeed, at this rate, I’ll fall first.’

If they continued this chase until both were exhausted, he wouldn’t have even a sliver of hope left.

How could one defeat a dragon in a war of attrition? That would be difficult even for Haschal.

For Demian, who had to expend karma for everything—attack, defense, flight, and physical enhancement—it was impossible.

Of course, this was only if he had to face the dragon alone.

“—Are you waiting for our strength to run out?”

But Demian wasn’t fighting alone.

– CRACK!

With a cold sneer, three streaks of light shot up like lightning—two dragon-scale spears and Evebond’s holy spear charged with lightning.

“Surprisingly pathetic, these dragons!”

The heroic tale that moved weapons through the air, ‘Twirling of Irons.’ Nigel, who had grabbed the spear shaft and soared upward, charged toward the dragon with a bold battle cry.

“KRRRR. You weak thing, showing such arrogance beyond your station!”

Ismenios rumbled his throat in disbelief.

Her skill was clearly several levels below Caliburn’s master—in a one-on-one, she wouldn’t even be worth serious consideration.

“Melt away!”

With Ismenios’s roar came a downpour of blue flames. What looked like fifty fire spears rushed toward Nigel.

Though less powerful than the magical bombardment aimed at Demian, its force was still enough that even a hero who had crossed the wall couldn’t withstand it bare-bodied.

Nigel narrowed her eyes, staring directly at the fiery downpour, raising her concentration to the limit to identify the path and gaps between each fire spear.

“Is this all? You’re clearly underestimating me!”

She moved one spear to a position where the flames couldn’t reach, then used the spear she was holding as a stepping stone to launch herself toward the relocated spear.

– Tap.

Stretching out her arm to grab the new spear, she spun her body like a dancer, landed on it, and leaped again toward another spear.

Nigel continuously used the three spears that kept changing positions as platforms and supports for her jumps, repeatedly grabbing or kicking off the spear shafts to perform an incredibly elegant aerial evasion.

Her movements were complex and dazzling acrobatics. Her specialty of using walls and ceilings as platforms was now being displayed using spears floating in midair.

“KRRRR. Nimble like a monkey. But how about this!”

Expressing quiet admiration at the sight, Ismenios created a whirlwind of cutting wind at the tip of his foreleg and shot it toward Nigel.

Rather than targeting Nigel precisely, it was magic designed to sweep the entire area, as if to say that if she used the spears as platforms to dodge, he would simply blow away the spears too.

However.

“Support Lady Nigel!”

Holy barriers unfurled by priests on the wall blocked the whirlwind of cutting wind.

The golden barrier tore with a roaring sound. Given the huge difference in power, it couldn’t hold for long, but it was enough time for Nigel to withdraw.

“KRRRR…! That golden light, Astraea’s minions…!”

Ismenios let out an angry cry.

Though not comparable to Elpinel, the ascended beings who had established themselves as gods of humanity were also enemies of the dragon race. It was truly an irritating energy.

“Where are you looking! Your opponents are us!”

“Don’t underestimate Landenburg’s sword… no, the Épée de Ciel!”

As soon as Ismenios’s attention turned toward the wall, Demian and Nigel rushed in to launch fierce attacks.

Caliburn’s blade cut through the distortion field of mana, grazing and shattering dragon scales, while Evebond’s holy spear spewed lightning, eroding the mana field itself.

“KRAAAK! How dare you!”

Though the wounds were shallow, the very fact of being wounded was infuriating. Ismenios roared fiercely, spreading his wings wide and rotating his body to shake off the two.

“Kuk!”

“Such thrashing…!”

Demian and Nigel were flung away like flies hit by a swatter.

“It is you who underestimate me. I am Ismenios, the golden dragon who knows no defeat!”

Ismenios’s mana transformed into a vortex of flame and lightning, shooting forth to pursue the two, thundering across the sky.

“What grand self-promotion. Lord Haschal said the dragons appearing at this point would be relatively weak.”

“Perhaps he’s never fought, so he’s never lost?”

Nigel and Demian countered with mocking ridicule as they quickly regained their posture.

Evebond’s holy spear, kicked and launched by Nigel, spewed lightning like a net to neutralize the dragon’s lightning, while the white wave released by Caliburn’s blade swept away and erased the dragon’s flames.

“Not yet!”

Ismenios beat his wings vigorously to increase his gliding speed and once again fired nearly five times as many spells as before.

Not just at Demian and Nigel, but also at the knights and priests on the wall.

With resounding explosions, magic beyond Joshua’s defensive range shattered the walls, scattering human screams and blood.

The battle intensified.

Four superhumans who had crossed the wall, along with over a hundred knights and dozens of priests, launched fierce attacks against the golden dragon, suffering counterattacks and wounds in a desperate bloody battle.

After about five minutes…

“Aagh!”

Nigel, whose left leg had been engulfed in flames and melted away, screamed and retreated sharply.

A wound received in exchange for thrusting Evebond’s holy spear into the dragon’s abdomen. It was a serious injury requiring immediate retreat to the wall for urgent treatment.

Not just Nigel. A third of the knights had suffered serious injuries or died, their numbers drastically reduced, and the priest corps had also reached their limit, sitting down and bleeding from their mouths.

An extreme war of attrition against a dragon. Despite the humans’ fierce struggle, the scales of victory were gradually tipping toward Ismenios.

“KHRAAAAAA-!”

Of course, Ismenios wasn’t in a position of overwhelming advantage either.

The persistently fired Dragon Slayer arrows penetrated through gaps opened by Ophelia, causing several penetrating wounds; the belly where Nigel’s spear had been thrust had lightning seeping in, burning some muscles and internal organs…

“Not yet-!”

The once-gleaming scales had been shattered by Demian’s slashes in various places, revealing ugly flesh underneath.

With all the blood flowing down, it should now be called a red dragon rather than a golden one.