Yunyun's face was as pale as a sheet, her fear barely contained as she stared at the terrifying dragon before her.
Even from this distance, she could feel the heat waves from the dragon's earlier breath attack—a level of heat so extreme it was beyond imagination.
And yet...
"I can't let Sister Nero face such a terrifying foe all alone…"
Her trembling fingers gripped her staff tightly, her knuckles turning white from the strain.
She wanted to shut her eyes.
She wanted to stay frozen in place.
She wanted to run far, far away from the battlefield.
Even though she knew these thoughts were the wrong choice, she couldn't banish them from her mind.
"What would Sister Nero or Megumin do in this situation…?"
And so…
"I am Yunyun!"
She raised her staff and flicked her cloak with a dramatic flourish.
Shouting as loudly as she could, she tried to drown out the fear that gnawed at her heart.
"I am a member of the Crimson Demon Clan! The one destined to become the future chief of the clan! And…"
She paused for a moment, biting her lower lip hard enough to draw blood. Her face flushed red as she shouted again.
"I am also Sister Nero's friend! Someone who admires her dazzling, sun-like radiance!"
"That's why! I absolutely won't back down here!"
Because if I do… I won't be able to stand proudly by Sister Nero's side anymore!
Neither the golden dragon nor Nero seemed to notice the small figure standing at the edge of the battlefield.
Compared to the towering dragon and the heroic warrior fighting it, Yunyun seemed impossibly small.
Her gaze no longer wavered. Even though the dragon continued to radiate an oppressive, terrifying aura, Yunyun managed to summon her courage.
The shockwaves from the battle whipped Yunyun's cloak around her as her crimson eyes shone with a determined light.
She began chanting a spell, summoning her magical power.
Yunyun unleashed her strongest, most powerful magic.
"[Light of Saber]!"
Blades of radiant light crossed the battlefield in an instant, slicing through the golden dragon's tough scales.
The dragon, which had been gathering power for another breath attack, was startled by this unexpected strike. It turned its attention to the second ant that dared to challenge it.
Although the golden dragon was a beast, it possessed a certain level of intelligence. Realizing Nero's troublesome abilities, it decided to eliminate Yunyun first. The dragon redirected its massive form toward her, preparing to unleash its long-accumulated breath attack.
"Where do you think you're looking?!"
Of course, Nero wasn't about to let the dragon get away with that.
Like a crimson shadow, Nero shot toward the dragon's eye at lightning speed. But the dragon had anticipated her move. A torrent of fiery breath engulfed her mid-charge.
The intense heat spread across several hundred meters, scorching the land into a lifeless wasteland of blackened earth.
A moment later, a massive greatsword, its blade glowing red from the heat, spun through the air before embedding itself into the scorched ground.
The dragon paused, staring at the sword in confusion.
Then, from right in front of it, a voice rang out.
"Over here!"
Nero stood boldly before the dragon, her bright red dress slightly singed and smudged with soot.
"A pathetic attack like that—barely enough to scorch my clothes—couldn't even kill a baby!"
Her petite frame coiled like a drawn bow, Nero unleashed a thunderous punch that slammed into the dragon's forehead.
Boom!
The deafening roar of impact reverberated across the battlefield, a stunning display of raw, unbridled force.
The massive dragon, as mighty as a mountain, was sent crashing to the ground by Nero's blow. Its head was driven deep into the earth.
The ground cracked and crumbled beneath the dragon's massive weight, collapsing inward as if the earth itself were breaking apart.
Pulling back her bloodied fist, Nero swiftly retreated from the dragon's head.
Above the dragon, five crimson magic circles, brimming with terrifying magical energy, appeared in the air. Strange, indecipherable runes spun slowly within the circles.
"Damn it! Nero and Yunyun stole the spotlight again! Am I supposed to just sit here and let that happen?!"
Megumin, clutching her hat to keep it from being blown away by the wind, forced herself to stand upright despite her trembling knees.
The shame of freezing in fear earlier burned within her. Especially after seeing Yunyun summon the courage to cast magic against the dragon—Megumin couldn't stand it.
She would never admit it, but at that moment, Yunyun had looked ridiculously, absurdly cool.
"Fine! You embarrassed me that much, so I'll return the favor with an even flashier attack!"
In an instant, the sun seemed to vanish, shrouded by dark clouds. The sky grew ominously dim as the glowing red magic circles above the dragon pulsed with an eerie light.
"Black dragon's inferno! Requiem of the heavens! Hammer of glory! By the principles of all-encompassing clouds and the title of destruction incarnate, I shroud the night in crimson explosions!"
As Megumin chanted her Explosion spell—the most extravagant and unnecessarily long incantation anyone had ever heard—Nero made her way to Yunyun's side.
"S-Sister Nero…"
"Umu! It's me. Your performance just now was incredible! Truly worthy of Yunyun!"
Noticing Yunyun's slightly wobbly knees, Nero reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist for support, causing Yunyun's face to turn a deeper shade of red.
"By the way, Yunyun, have you seen that idiot Aqua anywhere?"
"Huh? Uh, sorry, Sister Nero, I haven't seen Lady Aqua…"
Where could that walking disaster have wandered off to?
Scanning the battlefield, Nero searched for any sign of Aqua.
And then…
"Wait… is there something hanging off the dragon's neck?"
From this distance, Yunyun couldn't see anything. But narrowing her eyes, Nero activated her [Clairvoyance] skill for a closer look.
She had hoped she was mistaken. But when she saw Aqua clinging to the dragon's neck, bawling her eyes out, Nero lost all composure.
"What the—?! It really is Aqua! How did she even get up there? No, wait—when did she get up there?!"
While Nero was processing this chaotic revelation, Megumin's chanting reached its climactic finale.
"In the name of the Crimson Demons, appear! Primordial destruction! Rejoice! Kingdom of annihilation! O root of power, O eternal harbinger of doom, this is my Explosion magic!"
The five overlapping magic circles above the dragon expanded dramatically.
Twirling her staff and raising it high, Megumin roared the final word of her incantation:
"[EXPLOSION—]!!"
The world was engulfed in blinding light.
A white-hot detonation swallowed everything in its vicinity, obliterating sound, sight, and all else.
A dome-shaped explosion of black and crimson fire spread outward, consuming and annihilating everything in its path with relentless force.
When the smoke cleared, all that remained was a massive crater, as if a divine being had gouged out a piece of the earth with its almighty hands.
And yet… the golden dragon still wasn't dead.
Though gravely injured, it had managed to survive Megumin's [Explosion].
"Help me up… I can keep going…"
"Don't kid yourself. You're completely drained; you don't have a speck of magic left."
Nero poked the sprawled-out Megumin with a random stick she'd picked up.
If Kazuma were here, he could've redistributed someone's magic to Megumin. But alas, Kazuma was nowhere to be found.
Megumin gritted her teeth in frustration.
The glory of being a dragon slayer was so close she could taste it. Yet now, with her magic spent, all she could do was watch helplessly.
"A dragon slayer! My dragon slayer title! Do you know how long I've dreamed of this?!"
"Look, there's always next time, okay? I'll even let you take the lead when we fight the next dragon, all right?"
After much coaxing from Nero, Megumin finally stopped sulking.
"S-Sister Nero…" Yunyun nervously glanced at the severely weakened dragon. "So… the battle isn't over yet, right?"
Dropping the stick, Nero dusted off her hands and stood tall. She turned to Yunyun with a dazzlingly confident smile.
"No. The battle is already over."
At that moment, a sacred aura filled the air.
Golden light began to gather.
Hope, victory, life, compassion…
It was as if all the world's beauty was manifesting within that golden glow.
The radiant figure of Alice emerged, overlapping with the image of a knight wielding a sacred sword.
The weapon in her hands, sharing its name with the [Sword of Promised Victory] bestowed by the Lady of the Lake, shone with the brilliance of the stars.
"[Sacred Explode—]!!"
As the battle reached its climax, Nero suddenly tilted her head, a puzzled look on her face.
"Umu… Did I forget something?"
---
...
If you're reading this, then you've wandered all the way to the end. I'm impressed. Stories are like wine—meant to be savored, not rushed. So if you took your time? Thank you.
Of course, the real thanks goes to WiseTL—the one who turned tangled words into something beautiful. I just got asked to wrap things up with a ribbon. Hopefully this counts!
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👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Go on. Be generous. They've earned it.
Until next time—read well, rest often, and maybe come visit me at the Hostess of Fertility sometime.
– Syr ✨