Well, that’s it for my thoughts. On to the end of the battle.

Hero Combination Attack

「H……He……o! ……HEROOOOO!!」

The Ancient Dragon raised its arm overhead. For Drago Roar, starting with Dragon Claw, there existed many kinds of attack magic. Despite that being said, for it to not be using that, it seems that it would not use any Drago Roar other than Dragonic Wrath and Dragon Scale.

However, that one attack, just as seen before, was at the level of a natural disaster. Just as its name implied, even if it had rotted, it was the king of dragons. Muscling in on the fight between humans and Mazoku, and burning those that stood in its way to nothing, it was the king of all things in nature that was said to have been defeated by the previous Hero.

「It’s not lacking as an opponent. ……Come!」

Within the category that is called Dragonslayer, boasting of being of the Legendary class, the one and only Magic Sword, 『Heaven Dragon Sword Fafnir』。

Carrying the deep crimson greatsword that looked like it was coated in blood on his shoulder, Amagi Kaito shouted while focusing on the Ancient Dragon.

Maybe responding to that, the Ancient Dragon swung its raised overhead arm down towards Kaito and the others.

An attack that changed a section of the town into ruins in an instant. In response to that, Kaito put dragon energy onto the Magic Sword, jumped up, and swung it up while cutting through the wind.

「『Haou Ryuusou Ken (Supreme Ruler Dragon Claw Sword)』!!」[1]

While being an derived application of the Magic Clad Sword, it had reached the level of being a single original sword technique. It was changed into a slashing wave due to the explosive power of Dragonic Rage.

The slashing wave that Kaito had fired collided with the arm that the Ancient Dragon swung down and, after a thunderous roar, repelled it.

「So my offensive ability is a bit higher……」

Seeing the Ancient Dragon launch a roar filled with anger from having its attack defended against, Kaito, who had gotten down to the ground, put the greatsword back and muttered.

「If it’s like this, it looks like I’ll be able to throw a Dragon Cannon at it while staving off its attacks. ……Hn?」

Kaito thought of a plan of certain victory. Close to his field of vision, a red flash was reflected. And then, that thing that traveled faster than he could turn around to it blew away the big frame of the roaring Ancient Dragon “enough that it floated up”.

「Wha!?」

That big frame of the dragon that could be mistaken for a mountain was made to float up into the air. Kaito was astonished by how such a thing had occurred before his eyes, and then vigorously turned his head behind him.

「……I believe I said that I would leave her to you, didn’t I?」

Aiming his pair of deep crimson eyes at the person he saw ahead when he turned around, Kaito questioned him while having a few irritations. However, that person came to a stop at Kaito’s side with an aloof appearance.

「If you don’t want to get those sisters involved, you don’t shield them, you finish things up before they can get involved. ……If you take too long, she’ll come, you know?」

The Darkness Executioner said that with his deep crimson twin sword in one hand.

◇

Calling back the thrown 『Carbuncles』, I stood next to Pretty Boy-kun and observed the Ancient Dragon that was slowly getting up.

Ma~n, I’m really surprised. I had seen it from far away but I hadn’t considered that it would regenerate like that. I didn’t know about it since I would bring kill things like the small fry Dragon Zombies with one hit but, when it goes that far, there’s no way of saving it any more, is there~.

Now then, there’s no chance of success if we do this normally so what should we do.

「What are you going to do if she gets possessed again!」

It was Pretty Boy-kun. Pretty Boy-kun shouted while gripping the collar of my overcoat.

「She said that she wouldn’t let that happen next time.」

「That’s, ……No matter how you think of it, that was just a show of courage! She was terribly fatigued! You should have understood at least that much!!」

I also understand what Pretty Boy-kun was wanting to say. But, that is unfortunately rejected right now. If done carelessly, Alicia is liable to participate in the battle. After all, those sisters……, Sylvia and Alicia were raised looking at their “older sister’s” back.

It’s because they were raised looking at the strong imperial princess that, despite being someone that would use plunge both legs at a monster like me to retort, would do the absurd for the sake of a stranger and that was kinder than anyone else.

「Then I’d be watching with my fingers in my mouth. If you were to tell her that you’d 『make a person with power not fight』, then you’d be getting a sermon, you know?」

When I said that to provoke him a little, Pretty Boy-kun picked up his sword with a look that could be said to be reluctant and,

「Hmph. ……Though I don’t think that you would be able to breakthrough that Dragon Scale, you know?」

came biting back with that. Hoho, you sure do know how to talk.

「You damned fool. Something like that is easy. Since all you have to do is slash at it with a sword until you breakthrough.」

「We wouldn’t be having troubles if we could do that. Even with a combination of super-offensive ability magic, it would take all of our might just to open up an air hole for an instant.」

「Conversely, if we are able to open it, it’ll be our victory. Dragons will generally die if you cut off their heads.」

「No, even things other than dragons will generally die from that. ……There should be something made to be a substitute for the “heart”. If we were to go through the Dragon Scale and destroy only that, it would finally win.」

A substitute for the heart huh, now I get it.

Which would mean,

「What about the Dragon Scale?」

「I can go through it.」

「In that case, I’ll search for it and “wrench it open”.」

「………One minute.」

「?」

「That’s the amount of time it will take for the aria of the magic meant to cut through his Dragon Scale.」

「Prepare it in forty seconds.」

「……Then I’ll need you make it a definite success.」

「”Leave it to me”」

When I responded like that, Pretty Boy-kun violently thrust his greatsword into the ground, placed his hands on its pommel, and started the aria.

「『―――――』」

It was a resounding sensation that seemed to permeate the world. And then, that would paint out the “truths” of the world.

「Now~ then. Preparations, are done.」

The dragon’s aria at my back, I started running with all my strength towards the Ancient Dragon that had gotten up.

◇

Like the wind, like lightning.

The Dragon King that became a Dragon Zombie went to intercept the black shadow that ran with a speed that could already be called godspeed. But, with its decayed and degraded abilities and unable to be a satisfactory opponent, the swung down claws and the jaws that bit at him, all of those attacks were unable to capture the black shadow.

But, the black shadow, Yashiro Yuu was also at a loss as to how to continue.

（As I thought, it’s hard!）

Although he was running around and attacking with his two twin swords for dozens of seconds, he was unable to go through the barriers that pile on top of each other to make who knows how many layers.

（Well, I guess that’s how it should be. It gave me a hard time when I was wielding the Sacred Sword after all.）

「He, rooooooooo!!!」

「Yeah, yeah, I’m right here.」

Repelling the swung down claw with a sword as if he were averting it, and passing through the gaps of the claw, Yuu got on top of the Ancient Dragon’s arm and started running.

「『――――！』」

「So it’s coming!」

In an instant, light spread out as if it had exploded, and subsequently converged with an extremely amazing force. At that point of the light’s convergence, pushing out both arms, Kaito yelled.

「『Breath』!!」[2]

Set up in a beat from the convergence of light, a flash containing an enormous amount of heat became a beam of light and was fired at the Ancient Dragon.

Breath. Following that name, it’s the greatest and strongest Drago Roar magic that dragons possess. That flash heat attack boasts a power that is isolated from the magic that humans use, and could even burn through Dragon Scales which was of the same Drago Roar magic!

「――――――ッッ!!??」

The Breath collided with the Dragon Scales, then, after a moment, the Dragon Scale was smashed up and half of the Ancient Dragon’s body was reduced to cinders. Something like dampening due to the barrier couldn’t be seen. That greatest and strongest attack that dragons possessed had gone through the Dragon Scale, which gave even Yuu a hard fight, as if it were making a hole in a wet piece of paper.

「Breath, it’s as terrible as ever……」

While waking up a former memory of that aberrant power, Yuu muttered, and then he stared at the Ancient Dragon’s figure hard enough that he could stare open a hole on it.

（This sensation, he hasn’t been taken down. I thought it might have been possible with this one attack though……）

He didn’t know if it was because pain or something was running through its dead body or if it was because it had enough anger that it overflowed but, it continued to raise a roar loud enough to shake the ground.

Things still hadn’t finished. Within the “silent” world, Yuu had felt as such, and searched for his original goal, the organ that was made to be the heart’s substitute.

And then,

（Is it that!?）

He discovered “something” that was embedded exactly in the center of the Ancient Dragon’s chest.

「Uoooooooohhhh!!!!」

Kicking the ground with enough power that the road that he stepped on had broken, Yuu jumped in a straight line towards the Ancient Dragon as if he were like a missile.

「Zeraaaahh!!」

Changing the deep crimson connected sword into a pair of swords, and taking a stance where the blades were parallel, Yuu swung through with the tips of those two swords.

*Katsun*. Together with a high-pitched sound, the twin swords pierced into the amber something before the Dragon Scales could regenerate and cut them off but, that attack ended with only driving a crack into that “something”.

「Bingo! Mana[3] is spreading out with this as the center!」

While hanging from the thrust in swords, Yuu shouted, then, strongly gripping the handles of the pair of swords, he moved them up and down as if he were opening them.

「Nuh……guh, ……Nuoooooooohhh!!!」

The barrier that piled up on top of one another like scales and raised its strength, the Dragon Scales, had opposed the swords but, Yuu forcibly tore that apart and as he did, he howled.

「Seconddddd!!!」[4]

「Take thisssss!!」

In the small gap of the barrier that Yuu wrenched open, the deep crimson greatsword that Kaito swung pierced through.

「Combustion Sword!!!」

A flash, burst open.

◇

Ancient Dragon, Dragon King Vafumunt.

Three years ago, appearing as the enemy of both mankind, who ate up every bit of the mana that filled this world, and the Mazoku, who eroded the nature that was the source of mana, it was the sacred beast of the holy precincts.

Rivaling the Hero that was the summit of mankind and the Demon Lord that was the summit of the Mazoku, the Dragon King that was the summit of nature.

That Dragon King, ironically enough, had its life dispersed from the attacks of both mankind and the Mazoku. And then, once again, while having its soul and body manipulated, it confronted the Heroes that it detested, and died.

「……So you’ve finally passed away, my old friend, Vafumunt. 」

A large frame that could be mistaken for a mountain. It was a dragon that had that large frame clad in beautiful white scales.

People called him the forefather of dragons, the Elder Dragon. It was the first dragon to be born at the same time this world was created.

At the inner most area of the holy precincts, the Garden of the Labyrinth of Time, the Elder Dragon sensed the death of his sworn friend from ancient times.

「Fafner, and now Vafumunt. ……Oh dear, the Ancient Dragons have been reduced down to only me.」

Muttering that with a voice that had become hoarse and could make one feel its age, the Elder Dragon noticed a *saku saku* (crunch, crunch) sound of grass being stepped on and looked at the direction of the sound.

「Ohh……Norn, is it you.」

「It has been a long time, Elder Dragon-dono.」

What the Elder Dragon saw was long white hair that looked as if it were transparent and a white body. And then, a little girl that possessed eyes that were a deep red like blood.

It was the 『Witch of Time』 Norn.

While walking the grass-covered plain that had verdant grass spread about it, Norn approached closer to the Elder Dragon.

「It has, Norn. How many years will it have been?」

「Since it was before the Hero appeared, it will be four years.」

Norn replied with a smile to the Elder Dragon’s question.

「I see, I see. This was just recently but, a young man that called himself a Hero had come by, you know? He had memorized the technique that Vafumunt had left behind but, you knew of this, right?」

「Indeed. His name is Kaito Amagi.」

「It would seem that he put an end to Vafumunt.」

「Yes. I am aware.」

「So you really did know. ……As expected of the 『Witch of Time』.」

The Elder Dragon laughed with a *Kutsu kutsu*

「I extend my gratitude, Norn.」

「No, we should be apologizing to you. Although it was for the sake of saving the world, we destroyed two pillars of dragons that were the symbols of nature.」

Norn approached the Elder Dragon until she was right beside him and sat on top of the grass-covered plain.

「It’s fine. Both Fafner and Vafumunt were in err. It’s because the humanity that they tried to put an end to, as well as the Mazoku, is one part of the nature that “this world” had created.」

The Elder Dragon said that, and prayed for his old friend to rest in peace.

Translator’s Notes:

[1] Original: 覇王竜爪剣. I thought that saying it in Japanese sounded cooler. It might also be translated as “Tyrannosaurus rex Claw Sword”, but I thought that sounded stupid.

[2] You know like a dragon’s breath. Written as 竜砲 (Dragon Cannon), read as Breath. The earlier instance of Dragon Cannon was not read as Breath.

[3] Written as 生命力 (vitality; life force), read as mana. I am feeling so glad that I decided not to translate Maryoku to mana like I did before.

[4] Second as in second generation.