Chapter 187: Full Moon Night – Part 2 (5)

“………..”

Philia’s eyes widened in shock as she saw Dorothy transform into a dragon. 

It wasn’t the true form itself that startled her. After all, she had grown weary of seeing that face countless times back in Rare—there was nothing new or astonishing about it now.

What truly astonished her was the sheer audacity of Dorothy choosing to revert to her true form here, of all places. 

“Are you sure about this? Revealing your true identity here…?” 

[? Ah.] 

Only when questioned did Dorothy seem to remember, her mouth parting slightly. 

Until now, she had made far too many disgraceful scenes at this school.

At this point, even if she declared, “Ta-da! I was actually a dragon all along!”, she would likely be met with more ridicule than awe. 

Especially those students who had witnessed her chest exposure earlier—they would probably spend the rest of their lives recounting the tale like some drunken boast at gatherings. 

But. 

[So what? Do I look like I care?] 

“Huh?” 

[I said, do I care? None of that matters anymore. Just get on my back.] 

Dorothy replied indifferently, turning her body away. 

Thud. 

When hatred surpasses a certain threshold, all other emotions are effortlessly swept aside. 

Shame is no exception. Right now, Dorothy couldn’t care less about the fallout of revealing her true identity. She didn’t want to care. 

Her sole objective was to grind that bitch into dust—leaving not a single bone behind. That was the only thing that mattered. 

[Not getting on? Would you rather be dragged through the air by your foot than ride properly?] 

“…I’d rather not, thank you.” 

After a brief hesitation, Philia shook her head, dispelling her thoughts, and quickly climbed onto Dorothy’s back. 

The sensation of rough, cold metallic scales pressed against her. 

“Well, I suppose a very select few male students might prefer this form. There are people with such tastes, after all.” 

[…………You really have a talent for pinpointing the exact words that’ll piss me off, don’t you?] 

Dorothy shuddered as if disgusted, then spread her wings wide. After a sharp glare to suppress the wary demonic beasts nearby, she soared into the sky. 

Flying at dawn always felt the best.

The night’s lingering dew moistened her entire body in a pleasantly refreshing way—especially in the mild summer air, which made it even more perfect. 

Dorothy flew swiftly toward the main school building, taking extra care to ensure Philia wouldn’t fall. The rising sun dispelled the lingering darkness, bathing the world in light. 

Yet, amidst it all, one stubborn mass of blackness remained untouched. 

[…………Is that where she is?] 

Dorothy’s face twisted slightly as she muttered under her breath. 

Strictly speaking, it was just a guess—but something told her she was right.

After all, there were only a handful of people in the world capable of creating darkness so dense it seemed to tear a hole in space itself. 

She wanted to charge in right then. To grab that woman by the hair and grind her into the ground like wood under a plane. 

But she had to wait. It wasn’t time yet. 

First, she needed to hand Philia over to a priest. 

“…!!” 

At that moment, a distant shout came from the direction of the auditorium—someone had spotted Dorothy mid-flight. Some were even preparing to intercept, likely mistaking her for an enemy. 

Too lazy to explain, Dorothy instead descended like a lightning bolt, crushing three demonic beasts underfoot as she landed. She then addressed the stunned teachers with a cold command. 

[You have a priest here, right? Bring them out. Now.] 

Murmurs spread through the crowd. Hesitation lingered—should they comply? 

But soon, a young priest stepped forward. 

“…I am Ricardo, servant of Lafrey. Noble one, what brings you to our human world?” 

[Hmph.] 

Dorothy scoffed lightly, then lifted Philia from her back and placed her before the priest. Her eyes flashed as she issued a threat. 

[Heal her. Quickly. And make sure her arm is reattached by the time I return.] 

“Excuse me? Reattached—what do you—” 

[If you fail, every single one of you dies on the spot.] 

There was no lie in her words.

Dorothy had more than enough power to make good on that threat.

The headmaster’s intervention might complicate things, but if she was willing to go all out, even that wouldn’t be an insurmountable obstacle. 

If Philia died or was crippled, all thirty teachers gathered here would suffer the same fate. That was only fair. 

[So do your damn job. No isn’t an option. Work like your lives depend on it—because they do. I’m leaving.] 

“Ah, y-yes…” 

The priest, half-dazed and half-terrified, accepted Philia into his care. 

Before departing, Dorothy and Philia exchanged one last glance. In that brief silence, their eyes alone conveyed everything. 

“Don’t you dare die. If you do, I’ll send every single person here to keep you company.” 

“You’re the one who shouldn’t die, Master. If you do, I’ll publish every single recorded failure of yours for the world to see.” 

“…Why does it feel like I’m the one at a disadvantage here?” 

Dorothy narrowed her eyes. Then, with a stifled chuckle, she spread her wings and took to the skies once more. 

The preparations were done. Now, it was time for the main event—to exact vengeance upon that woman who deserved nothing less than utter annihilation. 

She now had an even greater reason not to lose. 

With that thought, Dorothy flew straight toward the black dome and landed before it. 

—BOOM! 

The impact of her landing kicked up a massive dust cloud, sending nearby humans into coughing fits as they staggered back.

By the way, upon closer look, there were quite a few familiar faces. 

The student council president, the hero’s lackey, and that annoyingly popular girl—strangely enough, they were all people whose faces I recognized from before. 

Among them, the last girl in line widened her eyes and asked, 

“Wait… No way, are you… Dorothy?” 

Seems like I’ve been caught already. That girl’s instincts were annoyingly sharp for no reason. 

Dorothy furrowed her brows and answered in a low voice, 

[So what if I am? Got a problem?] 

“No—well, I’ve got plenty of problems! Since when were you a dr—” 

[Shut it. Just answer my question. Is that bitch here or not?]

“…….” 

The three of them exchanged glances, unsure how to respond. 

They didn’t know who “that bitch” referred to.

Logically, it was probably Raizein, but there was also a chance she meant the hero. After all, the whole school knew Dorothy had some inexplicable competitive streak against Sion. 

And if it was the latter, her appearance was anything but welcome. Who knew what kind of chaos she’d bring to an already delicate situation? 

Realizing this, the three hesitated, biting their lips. 

But paradoxically, their hesitation only confirmed Dorothy’s suspicions. 

[Guess that’s a yes.] 

She muttered with conviction, then strode decisively toward the barrier. 

A startled Martin stepped in front of her. 

“Wait! I don’t know what you’re thinking, but calm down first—ugh?!” 

The prince, who had tried to stop her, was sent flying the next second by a flick of Dorothy’s tail like an annoying fly. 

Lancia screamed in shock. 

“Ah—Prince?!” 

[Shut up. Get in my way, and I’ll kill you first.] 

Her voice dripped with killing intent—a cold declaration that she wouldn’t tolerate any interference in what she was about to do. 

Having thoroughly intimidated the three into frozen silence, Dorothy stepped up to the barrier, took a deep breath, and with all her hatred, roared as she slammed her front paw down. 

[RAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!] 

BOOM!!! 

The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the area. Isabella and Sally, who had been so absorbed in their calculations that they hadn’t even noticed Dorothy’s arrival, finally jolted in surprise. 

Yet, despite the earth-shaking force of the blow—enough to collapse a mountain—the barrier remained intact. Firm and unyielding, rejecting any interference. 

Dorothy’s eyebrow twitched in irritation. 

[Oh-ho. Still standing, huh? Tougher than you look.] 

[Alright then. Let’s see who breaks first—you or me.] 

She raised her paw again, gathering even more power before smashing it down. Not just once—twice, three times, over and over in rapid succession. 

Sally, who had been working nearby, shrieked. 

“Stop! Stop it! All this shaking is making it harder to dismantle! The barrier’s structure is phase-separated anyway, so physical attacks are practically useless—wait, huh?!” 

Her angry rant was cut short as her eyes widened in shock at what happened next. 

—Crack… creak… 

It was breaking. The shadow barrier, which should have been immune to brute force, was slowly fracturing. 

Though only hairline cracks for now, they were unmistakable. The darkness splintered under Dorothy’s relentless assault, shards flying as it crumbled. 

The same barrier that even Sion, swinging his sword at full strength, couldn’t break was now helplessly collapsing under Dorothy’s barrage. 

A phenomenon that defied common sense. 

“Wh-what the—? How is this happening? Even if dragons are strong, this doesn’t make any—?!” 

Sally muttered in confusion. 

But of course, nothing happens without a reason. There were three major factors behind the barrier’s destruction. 

First, dawn had broken, and the sun had risen. This meant the barrier was now subject to the universal weakness of all shadow magic—vulnerability to light—weakening its durability. 

Second, Isabella and Sally’s six-hour-long efforts had already significantly weakened the barrier.

While still physically impenetrable at first, it had degraded to a point where overwhelming force could now breach it. 

And third, the most critical reason of all— 

Dorothy was absolutely, utterly, uncontrollably furious. 

[Hah, hah…! Fine, still not enough, huh?] 

[Then I’ll just have to hit you…] 

[HARDER.] 

Frustrated that her attacks were only causing minor cracks, Dorothy spread her wings and launched herself skyward.

In an instant, she soared to a height of about one kilometer—so high that the dome-shaped barrier looked like a tiny speck below. 

Then, spinning midair, she turned herself toward the ground— 

[ULTIMATE! METEOR (PHYSICAL EDITION)!!! DIE, YOU PIECE OF SHIIIIIIIT!!!!!] 

And with her full weight behind her, she plummeted toward the barrier like a literal comet. 

WHOOSH! 

The sheer speed set her body ablaze, friction turning her into a living meteor. The searing pain spread through every inch of her, but— 

Tch. 

As if something this trivial could stop her. Even if her entire body was engulfed in flames, a dragon’s flesh would only suffer minor scratches at worst. 

Without slowing for even a second, Dorothy accelerated to her absolute limit, hurtling toward the barrier— 

And right before impact, she swung back her front paw with all her might and roared— 

[EAT THIS, YOU FUCKKKEEEERRRR!!!!] 

BOOOOOOM!!!!!! 

An incomparably louder explosion and shockwave erupted, sweeping through the area. 

The students, who had barely managed to stay on their feet before, were now sent tumbling helplessly across the ground. 

The barrier, too, seemed unable to withstand this devastating blow—cracks spread with dry, splintering sounds until— 

—SHATTER! 

With a sound like shattering glass, it collapsed completely.