Monsters, as a rule, grow stronger the farther north one goes, with increasingly powerful species appearing as you advance. The demon race, which falls into that same category, is no exception. It was in Aureole—said to be the land where the dead sleep—that the Demon King built the Demon King's Castle and forged the vast power known as the Demon King's Army. On this continent, the farther north one travels, the more sharply the threat of monsters dwelling beyond human understanding rises.
Even among monsters, those called dragons—apex predators of the food chain—are no exception.
In the central nations there are the Crimson Mirror Dragons; in the northern nations, poison extreme dragons lurking in places like the Zaom Marshlands; and in the northern highlands dwell the Imperial Prison Dragons, said to be the strongest of all dragonkind. There are even confirmed regions where dragon species on par with the Crimson Mirror Dragons—though each individual falls short of an Imperial Prison Dragon—move and act in packs.
——And precisely because of that, this situation was one Rinie had never anticipated.
(…Why does a dragon of this class exist in the southern nations?)
What's more, she could clearly sense magical power stronger than that of a standard Crimson Mirror Dragon. Judging by its presence alone, it was a fearsome creature that rivaled—or even surpassed—the superior dragon species of the northern highlands.
…An offshoot? Don't be ridiculous. Could dragonkind truly possess the ecology and reproductive power to give birth to an offshoot like this?
"…This might be bad."
Even as she kept the power of imitation hidden at her fingertips, Rinie couldn't bring out a weapon capable of opposing that dragon, hindered by the fact that she was in public.
But if things continued like this, she wouldn't be able to protect Ange behind her either.
"■■■■■■■■■!!!!!"
The blue Crimson Mirror Dragon let out a roar.
Since no natural enemy of his existed in the southern nations, there was no doubt that he alone stood at the apex of the local food chain. Perhaps aware of that fact himself, the blue dragon proclaimed his majesty to the humans below with his thunderous roar.
The scales of a Crimson Mirror Dragon repel half-hearted magic with ease. That blue dragon, an offshoot, would surely be no different. If there were anyone capable of wounding such a creature, it would have to be a master warrior—one of the very strongest, capable of delivering a blow like Eisen's.
——Nearby human guards who could deal with this… of course, there were none.
Discarding that hope she hadn't expected in the first place, Rinie looked up once more at the colossal dragon that had descended into the city.
——So, what to do?
The simplest solution would be to take Ange and abandon the city immediately. But if only Rinie and Ange—both possessing immense magical power—were to slip away from this crowd, there was no telling how that dragon might react.
Especially now, unlike in her days as an Executor, Rinie's magical control was far from perfect. Moving within the dragon's magic detection in that state would inevitably make her stand out. And if that happened, Ange would be the one caught in the crossfire.
…Which meant—
——She would have to somehow drive these people and Ange far away, and then defeat the dragon while no one was watching.
The problem was how to accomplish that.
As if sensing Rinie's dilemma, Ange had already begun to act.
"Everyone, please stay calm and evacuate!! I'll protect you from the dragon's threat with magic, so please try to move together as much as possible!!"
Holding aloft her holy scripture, Ange called out to the surrounding residents.
Thanks to that, the people seemed to regain some measure of calm.
"Ange-chan? …Right, you're a priest, aren't you?" "Can we count on you, Ange-chan?"
With her nun's habit and the scripture held high, Ange's profession as a priest was immediately obvious. Unlike Rinie, whose dual role as mage and warrior was harder to grasp, Ange had an appearance that naturally inspired trust among the populace.
In that case, Rinie decided, she would rely on her as well—and stepped forward.
"Ange, I'll leave the surroundings to you."
"W-wait, Lady Rinie!?"
While the crowd's attention focused on Ange, Rinie leapt away from the spot and sprinted up onto the rooftops.
At once, she felt it on her skin—the blue dragon's gaze shifting from Ange and the others to herself.
——Ah, so I really am the greatest threat. In a way, that's a relief.
Part of it was surely her clumsy magic control making her conspicuous, but even so, the blue dragon before her had judged Rinie—standing in its way—to be more dangerous than the prey below. That alone greatly reduced the risk of Ange being dragged into the fight.
"■■■■■■■――――!!!"
The great dragon roared again.
In the next instant, it twisted its body and swung its tail sideways—a tail as thick as a giant tree, yet as supple as a whip.
Rinie herself wasn't within the tail's reach, but the buildings caught in it shattered into rubble that came crashing toward her and the others.
"Tch—Imitation Trace, start on… 'Medrojiubalt, the blade that turns attacks into a whirlwind.'"
The blade she imitated with magic resembled an eastern sword wielded by a certain demon she had once seen on the battlefield of the Demon King's Army.
As she swept it sideways, a whirlwind erupted, deflecting the trajectory of the rubble flying toward her.
"—!"
No sooner had she diverted the debris than Rinie, without even a moment to relax her shoulders, looked down below.
There she saw Ange, deploying a magical barrier to shield the residents from the falling rubble.
Judging that a physical defense spell wouldn't suffice, Ange had chosen a barrier born of divine magic—proof of her skill as a priest.
Reassured of Ange's safety, Rinie relaxed for just an instant—only for the blue dragon to pour even more force into its tail swing, hurling additional rubble at her.
Having already read the dragon's next move from the flow of magic within its body, Rinie leapt, using the oncoming debris as footholds.
As the dragon recognized Rinie emerging through the rain of rubble, it immediately swung its right arm down, bringing its massive, murderous claws crashing toward her.
Jumping from piece to piece, Rinie shifted her body sideways in midair to evade the strike, then landed atop the back of the dragon's hand. She cast a body-enhancement spell on herself and, at a speed that left even the wind behind, sprinted up the dragon's body.
"Imitation Sword, transformation shift… 'Dahha's Sacred Blade.'"
She broke down the "blade that turns attacks into a whirlwind" in her hand into magical power, then re-imitated it to create the treasured sword Rinie most frequently relied upon.
Pouring magic into its blade, she thrust it with all her strength into the surface of the blue dragon's body.
The result was that the blade failed to bite into the dragon's hide by even a single millimeter.
"■■■■■■...?"
The dragon's eyes turned toward Rinie.
Those eyes seemed to sneer at her as if to say, So what of it?
(Normally, the scales of a standard Crimson Mirror Dragon should be easy to pierce… but these are far harder than the original species.)
The raw sharpness and power of "Dahha's Sacred Blade" far surpassed even the "Whirling Strike Great Axe," which Rinie favored next, unless combined with rotational force amplification or Eisen's warrior techniques. When infused with magic and swung, unleashing a slash powerful enough to shake the earth would have been trivial.
And yet even this sacred blade could not cut in by a single millimeter.
—Not even Dark Dragons or Poison Prison Dragons are this hard. Could it be…?
This strike had been meant merely to test the hardness of the scales, but Rinie regretted that she might have stepped too easily into the dragon's reach.
The dragon swung its arm again, and Rinie's body—standing atop its hide—was flung far away. Still, riding the wind, she calmly regained her posture in midair.
She landed on an elevated platform that looked ready to collapse at any moment from the earlier impacts of debris.
At that instant, Rinie saw something unbelievable.
"■■■■■■―――!!"
As the dragon roared, countless magic circles began to rise from every inch of its massive body. Each magic circle was enormous—large enough to swallow an entire house with ease.
"Wha—"
Rinie's eyes widened involuntarily.
The glowing formulas engraved into those magic circles were unmistakable.
Before she could fully grasp their nature, the light erupted outward from the dragon's massive body in all directions.
Blazing flashes scorched and cleaved through the city.
Nor were they content to travel in a single direction—changing course, the flashes chased after Rinie herself.
"A human-killing spell—Zoltraak!?"
Rinie's expression faltered, if only slightly, as she reached that conclusion.
It was utterly unbelievable.
That a monster specialized in magic—no, a dragon standing at the very pinnacle of such beings—would deliberately use human magic.
And not only that, but wield it with enough precision to control it after firing and make it pursue its target.
"…Don't tell me… it learned it? From humans…?"
Though unleashed through a dragon's magic—far surpassing human versions in both power and accuracy—the spell's structure was unquestionably identical to the human killing magic Zoltraak.
It must have learned it.
By witnessing the Zoltraak spells humans hurled about during the wars raging across the southern nations.
The sight of the dragon toying with human magic instead of unleashing its own refined sorcery reminded Rinie uncomfortably of Solitaire, drawing a slight frown from her.
Granted, Rinie herself was hardly innocent, having long concealed her magic and arsenal to catch even her own kind off guard.
"…I see. Being on the receiving end of it really is irritating."
Landing on the ground, Rinie twisted her body as she evaded the thick Zoltraak beams flying about. She slipped through the narrow gaps between overlapping flashes, finding fleeting survival paths in fractions of a second and continuing to evade.
At last, sliding low with her back nearly brushing the ground, she passed beneath the final flash. In her left hand was her imitated, well-used western bow—
"Imitation Trace, start on… 'Skin-Flaying Panther Sword, Katzbalger.'"
In her right hand appeared a short sword with a blade about four to five centimeters wide, shallow grooves running along it, and an ornately decorated hilt. It was a human-made sacred sword once stored in the treasury of a dungeon that had served as a base for a unit Rinie belonged to back when she was part of the Demon King's Army.
True to its name, it was a magic sword specialized in flaying the hides of prey—and Rinie set it to her bow.
The moment she drew the string, the sword twisted and narrowed, reshaping itself into an ideal arrow form. Twisted to its limit and transformed into something indistinguishable from an arrow, the sword-arrow was loosed straight at the blue dragon's scales.
Then a second shot, and a third.
In less than a second, Rinie landed more than a dozen identical sword-arrows into the dragon's scales.
"■■■■■■!"
Just as with Dahha's Sacred Blade, not a single scratch appeared on the scales.
No matter how specialized it was for flaying, Katzbalger was several ranks lower as a sacred sword; it was only natural that it couldn't damage the dragon.
…And yet, despite that lack of tangible effect, the blue dragon's reaction differed from before.
Its eyes narrowed, distorted with clear irritation.
(More resistance than with Dahha's blade, at least… but if even a flaying-specialized sacred sword can't leave a mark…)
—At this point, it might be faster to forget special effects altogether and simply shatter it with overwhelming physical force.
The moment she reached that conclusion, unexpected covering fire came flying in from another direction.
"────Goddess's Three Spears!!"
With a powerful cry, three beams of light were released.
Each traced a different trajectory before converging on a single point, striking the blue dragon's scales together.
Smoke billowed. An explosion followed.
Yet even that failed to leave a scratch on the dragon's hide.
"So even the 'Goddess's Three Spears' I finally mastered won't work…!"
Uttering those frustrated words, a very familiar figure landed beside Rinie.
Surprised by the unexpected support, Rinie rose and turned toward her.
"Ange—why…?"
"I'm sorry for being late. The evacuation of the townspeople is mostly complete. I'll fight alongside you too, Lady Rinie.
And… you'll need someone to handle recovery if anything happens to you, won't you?"
With a gentle sideways glance and a soft smile, Ange spoke. Rinie let out a quiet sigh and once more looked up at the blue dragon.
Unfazed by the Goddess's Three Spears, its wary gaze remained fixed squarely on Rinie.
"…Even my Three Spears won't work. Lady Rinie, do you have any plan?"
"…I do."
Exhaling slowly, Rinie answered Ange's urgent question.
"To damage that thing, we need enough power to pierce its hardened scales. You can't do that, Ange. And honestly, most of the sacred swords I can imitate probably can't either.
That dragon surpasses the standard species in the central nations, and even the many dragons of the northern highlands. Considering its learning ability, its hardness—overall, it probably rivals even an Imperial Dragon."
Imperial Dragon—the strongest dragon species of the northern highlands. Just hearing the name made Ange shiver. Even among Hero Himmel's legendary exploits, it was the first name that came up as a foe of unparalleled might.
"…Then how do we—"
"…If human sacred swords won't work, there's only one thing left. I'll have to use that. It's my trump card among my normal firepower."
"…Can that sword pierce the dragon's scales?"
"No. At best, it'll strip them off. I want you to follow up on the exposed areas. Beneath the scales, your magic will work just fine. If we peel off enough, I'll join in the follow-up too."
"…Understood. Let's do that."
As soon as their strategy meeting ended, Rinie and Ange split to either side and leapt away.
—In the end, this is still a plan Lady Rinie could manage alone, isn't it…
Though her expression dimmed slightly, Ange steeled herself to help as much as she could. Tracking Rinie's position via magic detection, she prepared to unleash Goddess's Three Spears at any moment.
Though newly mastered, Ange's spell—trained with Rinie, who could wield the same magic despite being a demon—had already been refined to a level of precision rivaling the best priests alive.
Rinie herself had assured her that the spell would work if it struck beneath the scales. And so, all that remained was to trust Rinie.
"Imitation Trace, start on."
Gathering black magic in her right hand once more, Rinie visualized its structure.
A sword that would unleash unparalleled power when used as an arrow.
No special effects, no curses—its entire design devoted solely to raw destructive force.
She held that blueprint firmly in her mind.
Soon, the black magic took shape, manifesting as a single sword in her grasp.
"Divine Technique Shatterblade—Revoltzwei."
It was a magic sword forged from unearthly material, wielded by the demon general Revolte, known as "Divine Technique," a towering being with a serpentine lower body and four arms who currently terrorized the northern highlands. The general wielded four of these blades at once, one in each arm, all created by his own magic.
The version imitated by Rinie was scaled down from the original—designed for its owner's massive frame—to a size she could wield with a slender one-handed grip. To distinguish it from the original, she named it Revoltzwei, after its original master.
The sword's effect was simple and clear.
Sometimes as light as a feather. Sometimes as heavy as a massive boulder.
A magic sword capable of freely altering its own weight.
Named after a legendary blade said to have shattered mountains in mythic times, it lived up to its title with both ease of use and overwhelming power.
And when fired from Rinie's modified bow—what would happen then?
"────Go."
Drawing the bow, Rinie released the hilt of the Divine Technique Shatterblade Revoltzwei, twisted to its limit into arrow form.
Rendered feather-light, the sword-arrow was loosed from a string woven of powerful threads crafted by demons—so fast that even a dragon's dynamic vision could no longer perceive it.
And at the instant it struck the scales, the arrow transformed—retaining all its velocity while becoming as heavy as a colossal rock.
"■■■■■■■■■ッッッッ!!!?"
For a moment, the blue dragon likely had no idea what had just happened.
The arrow that came flying at a speed too fast to be seen shattered the scales at the point of impact the instant it struck.
As the scales were stripped from the arm where it landed, the dragon's massive body reeled backward.
At the end of the blue dragon's frantic gaze stood a hunter aiming a bow at it with eyes as cold as ice.
Her right hand was already drawing the same arrow again, ready to release a second shot.
"I'll strip them all off."
Then came the second shot—then the third, the fourth.
A Revolte sword whose weight could be freely altered, a modified bow refined through repeated trial and error, and Wahrheit's archery techniques.
The operational method born from combining these elements could, in some cases, be said to be far more effective than the original.
With every impact, the surrounding scales shattered outward from the point of contact.
"■■■ッ!■■ッ!!■■■■■ッーーーー!!!!!???"
A sound like enormous ceramic vessels cracking apart echoed through the area, and each time its scales were broken, the blue dragon screamed and staggered backward.
From beneath the peeled scales, grotesque strands of exposed flesh were revealed one after another.
…For a moment, Ange could only stare at the sight in stunned silence—but she quickly shook her head, knowing she couldn't afford to be mesmerized.
Taking flight, she poured magic power into the holy scripture she carried close to her chest.
The dragon still paid no attention to Ange, its focus completely fixed on Rinie, who continued to shatter its scales.
Ange did not miss the dragon's desperate attempt to unleash a massive Zoltraak.
"Don't… look away!!"
Once more, the "Goddess's Three Spears" were released from the holy book.
The three beams of light converged on the exposed sinews where the scales had been torn away.
An explosion—smoke billowing upward.
"■■■■■■■ッ!!!!???"
An even greater scream echoed through the air—far more anguished than when its scales had been shattered.
"It went through…!!!"
Ange cried out in joy without thinking.
Attacks that had done nothing just moments ago were finally dealing damage.
As if responding to that joy, Rinie's assault intensified.
One arrow, then two, then three—each formed by twisting the replicated divine technique, "Revoltswei, the Shattering Sword of God," into the shape of arrows and firing them.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the dragon would be completely stripped bare.
Ange wasted no time, firing the Goddess's Three Spears again and again, driving the lances of light into the increasingly exposed flesh.
"Then, I'll do this too."
Perhaps judging that it was enough, Rinie leapt into the air and released her spell as well—just like Ange.
"Pseudo–Goddess's Three Spears."
Fired simultaneously with Ange's spell, it streaked toward an exposed mass of muscle on the dragon's back.
Together with Ange's attack, six lances of light struck the same point at once.
"■■■■■■■■■■■■ッッッッッッ!!!!!"
Without a doubt, the loudest scream yet resounded throughout the city.
Unable to remain standing, the blue dragon staggered wildly, thrashing its entire body in agony.
Thinking the battle decided, Ange returned to Rinie's side.
"Is it… over?"
"…No. But it wouldn't be strange for it to retreat soon."
Dragons were intelligent creatures.
If they judged the situation unfavorable, retreating was not unreasonable.
Having realized that its formidable scales were no longer effective and having suffered serious injuries, withdrawing would have been the prudent choice.
"──────"
Suddenly sensing a surge of magical power, Rinie frowned.
…And then—
In an instant, she pulled Ange toward her and retreated from the spot at full speed.
"…Huh?"
Ignoring Ange's stunned voice, Rinie looked back at where they had been moments earlier.
The path traced by the passing light—everything along it had been gouged away entirely.
All that remained was scorched, carved earth and the distortion of air trembling from intense heat.
"No way… something like this…"
(So Zoltraak really was just a warm-up, huh.)
Cursing inwardly, Rinie looked up at the blue dragon once more.
The eyes of the Crimson Mirror Dragon subspecies—now standing again after staggering—were twisted with rage.
How dare you make a fool of me.
From here on, there will be no mercy.
That was what they said.
The cornered beast had finally acknowledged the two of them as true enemies.
The beam just fired was the dragon's true method of attack.
While the normal Crimson Mirror Dragon spat flaming orbs as a breath attack, this subspecies instead unleashed a heat ray capable of melting even the earth itself.
"…Ange."
"Lady Rinie."
"What we need to do doesn't change. Our attacks are working. Just a little more—hang in there."
Gently patting Ange's trembling shoulder, Rinie spoke words of encouragement in her own way.
Feeling that warmth, Ange steadied herself slightly, rose to her feet, and looked up at the dragon.
"The scales are mostly gone now. All that's left is to keep hitting it."
"…Yes."
Forcing her shaking body onward, Ange raised her holy book once more.
The two of them spread out again, flying around the dragon as they prepared another assault.
The dragon, in turn, began gathering magical power in its open mouth, readying the same beam attack as before.
And then—
Ange realized something.
The dragon's gaze wasn't fixed on them.
Following its line of sight, she saw—
People.
Men and women, young and old alike—those who had failed to escape—huddled together in terror beside collapsed rubble.
"No!!"
Realizing this, Ange cried out and positioned herself directly in the path of the dragon's beam.
Pouring every last drop of magic she had into it, she simultaneously deployed a divine barrier and defensive magic, instantly erecting the strongest defense she could manage.
The beam fired from the dragon's mouth rushed toward her.
If she dodged, it would strike the people behind her.
Knowing that, Ange did not move a single step—and was blown away along with her deployed barrier.
"────"
Rinie stared in stunned silence.
For several moments, her mind couldn't comprehend what had happened.
As if time itself had stopped, that single instant was burned into her vision.
Then reality returned.
"Ange!!"
With panic etched across her face, Rinie kicked off the ground and sprinted toward where Ange had been blasted.
Passing straight beneath the dragon's body, she charged at full speed into the rising smoke.
And there she saw—
Ange lying on the ground, bleeding, with the terrified residents still huddled behind her.
"Ange!"
Rinie hurriedly lifted Ange into her arms.
Her entire body was covered in dust and blood, her left arm scorched black.
"…Hah… hah… Lady Rinie…"
Even so—Ange was alive.
In that split second, realizing she couldn't fully block the dragon's attack, she had shifted tactics—adjusting the angle of her barrier to deflect rather than withstand it—barely avoiding a fatal blow.
Even so, her breathing was ragged and strained.
"…Ange."
Relief at her survival lasted only a moment before a crushing pain seized Rinie's chest, as though a snake were coiling around her heart.
"…Hah… hah… Lady Rinie, run… away…"
Ange's exhausted gaze turned past Rinie, toward the dragon behind her.
Rinie followed her gaze—and saw the dragon gathering far more magical power in its mouth than before.
"…What a truly awful creature. It knew you'd come running to me… so it held back on purpose. At this rate… you and I will both be wiped out…"
—What should I do?
Rinie thought.
—What's the right choice?
Leaving Ange behind and fleeing would be easy.
But if she did that… what would she feel afterward? She couldn't even imagine it.
She knew the answer.
She knew what she should do.
But doing so might expose her own abnormal nature to the frightened civilians behind them.
That was something she desperately wanted to avoid.
But abandoning Ange was absolutely out of the question.
…What to do?
"…Ange."
"Yes, Lady Rinie?"
"Just for show is fine. Can you put up one more defensive barrier?"
"…? Yes… if it's really just for show…"
Then it would work.
Keeping herself calm, Rinie reached a conclusion.
"Stand in front of me. Focus on defense. I'll handle the attack."
"…You will, Lady Rinie?"
"Yes. So just hang on a little longer."
Rinie knew she was placing yet another burden on Ange.
The truth was, ignoring appearances and dealing with everything herself would be the fastest solution.
Even so, the part of her that was Rinie the Executor told her that was unacceptable.
A compromised, conflicted conclusion.
But if it meant protecting Ange—
Then it wasn't wrong.
Trusting Rinie's words, Ange once again began chanting with the holy book in hand.
Fortunately, the dragon was still charging its magic. There was time—at least for now.
She thought so—
And then her body trembled.
"I am the bone of my sword."
Rinie's voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."
A chant spoken not to the world, but inward—
From a slender girl came a cold, inorganic voice that seemed to shake the air, audible only to Ange.
(…What language is that…?)
Ange couldn't understand its meaning.
She couldn't even tell what language it was.
"I have created over a thousand blades."
And yet—why did her chest ache so tightly?
Why did she feel such unbearable regret and sorrow?
"Unfaced to darkness."
The chant shifted—no longer borrowed from that man, but becoming something that belonged to her.
"Nor faced to light…"
As the chant ended and Ange's defensive barrier deployed—
She saw it.
Ahead of her barrier, a green light of magical power appeared.
(Is that… light… leaves…?)
Leaves of light—transparent like phantoms, formed entirely of luminous magical energy.
Looking closely, they seemed to possess a glossy, almost mirror-like texture.
Tracing faint spirals, they overlapped from the outside inward, forming a massive, shield-like shape.
"—'Roar Chaos: Leaf Mirror of the Retributive Magic Flower.'"
With the release of its true name, the enormous emerald shield of light appeared—
Scattering the dragon's incoming beam in all directions.
And that light was reflected straight back—
Striking the dragon itself.