Chapter 25

The dragon possesses the ability to nullify magic.

That's almost certain.

No matter how much magic power I gather and use, it would be meaningless if I just hit it directly.

However, that ability has a significant weakness.

It's the range of effect!

Such a powerful ability doesn't cover the entire area.

As evidence, it doesn't affect auxiliary magic at all.

Then!

I will channel the gathered magic power into the basic spell formula of earth magic.

Magic is omnipotent. If I wanted to, I could probably cause any natural phenomenon.

But that would be too wasteful.

That's why specific spells exist, and there are spell formulas specialized for them.

What I'm doing now is activating a spell to manipulate earth.

But it doesn't exist as a specific spell.

So I only construct the basic formula of earth magic and manipulate the magic power on the spot.

My brain almost burned out.

"Damn it! The earth and sand are coming!"

The dragon raised its front legs, of course.

It's not a direct hit, but his aim is...

"Ughhhhhh!"

"Moda! I'm counting on you!"

Moda, standing like a shield to protect me, braced himself against the surging earth and sand.

"Ughhhhhh!"

I thought he had defended against all the rocks, but he couldn't withstand the final large boulder and was thrown back, rolling over and over.

"Moda!"

"Bepp! Don't come here! I'll handle the healing! That lizard has clearly set his sights on Craft!"

The dragon, ignoring attacks from the sides, moved forward, heading straight for us.

"Damn it! Turn this way!"

"Mithril arrows! Fire mithril arrows and sword techniques!"

The adventurers on both sides attacked desperately, but the dragon ignored them.

Finally, the dragon sank its claws deep into the ground.

"Here it comes! It's a breath attack! I'll defend to the death! Moda!"

"Ughhhhhh!"

Moda, with his large shield, and Raidock and Persia, who had slipped behind him, supported Moda's body with all their might.

They also held water flasks filled with healing potions.

"Fireproofing!! Heat resistance!!"

"Earth barrier!!"

Bepp cast auxiliary magic, and Bardack cast a spell to create a small earth wall.

Immediately after, the world turned white.

The breath attack had enveloped us.

"Ughhhhhh!"

"Hold on, Moda!"

Moda thrust his shield to support the earth wall.

However, with my advanced earth magic, we barely managed to withstand the vicious breath attack.

Bardack's earth wall was quickly worn down.

But the blind spot created by the earth wall and Moda barely protected us.

The heat scorched my skin, and unbearable pain spread throughout my body, but I gritted my teeth and endured.

"Moda!"

"Craft!"

The priest Bepp, ignoring his own injuries, poured a healing potion over me.

Raidock and Persia also poured healing potions over Moda and supported his body with all their might.

We were battered and bruised.

But!

We endured! We showed that we could endure, you bastard!

There was a reason we endured.

Clearly, the power of the breath attack had decreased compared to the beginning.

Our attacks weren't in vain. Even a dragon gets tired!

The dragon finished its breath attack and hissed through its fangs.

Its expression was clearly one of intense anger.

In a fit of rage, the dragon prepared to breathe again.

But! Too late!

The lizard didn't notice. It didn't notice that its massive head was completely in the shadow.

Thud!

With a thunderous crash that shook the earth, the massive rock I had gathered with magic fell onto the dragon's head.

Gyaaaaaa!?

Caught off guard by the massive rock, even a dragon had no choice but to hit the ground.

If magic is nullified, then physical attacks will do!

"Got it!!!"

Of course, it was Persia who leaped out.

She climbed up the giant dragon's head and rushed towards the massive horn.

"Take this!!! Whirlwind Phoenix Slash! Thundering Assault Slash! One Flash, One Strike! Shadowless Combo!!!!"

She unleashed a fearsome combo of techniques without a break.

But the target was the world's strongest dragon, and the goal was its horn.

Could she destroy it with one assault!?

However, my worries were unfounded.

The dragon's horn, one of the hardest substances in the world, was beautifully shattered. No, the cut was so clean it shone like a mirror.

"What!?"

I couldn't help but exclaim.

Mithril and sharpness oil, combined with Persia's techniques, could produce such devastating power!!

"This is our chance! Everyone, unleash all your attacks! Front-liners, charge! Don't fear friendly fire!"

"Ughhhhhh!!!"

Raidock, not to be outdone by Persia, charged and unleashed all his techniques.

Bombs and arrows flew from both sides, and the front-liners charged with a desperate resolve.

Explosions occurred all over the dragon's body. Occasionally, front-liners were blown away, but as long as they weren't dead, everyone continued to unleash all their attacks.

Persia was blown away by the dragon's rampaging front leg, bouncing along the ground, spewing blood from her entire body.

"Persia!!!"

"J... Just ignore me! Finish... it off!!!"

I clenched my teeth and drank a mana potion.

For a moment, I considered holding back to maintain the earth wall, but I raised my staff, knowing this was the time to attack.

"Die! You lizard! Thunder God's Lightning Hammer!!!!"

One of the most powerful spells I possess. I unleashed a massive lightning spell.

A powerful lightning bolt, strong enough to turn the surroundings white, pierced the dragon's body from the sky.

The lightning that entered through the wounds in its body burned the dragon's internal organs.

Gyaaaaaa Goooooohhhhhh!!!!!

That scream, reaching the heavens, was truly the dragon's death cry.

Its massive body slowly tilted and fell, shaking the ground.

For a while, the adventurers couldn't move.

Then, they slowly realized.

We had won.

"Ughhhhhh!!!"

It was a roar from the soul.

In the battle against the legendary dragon, there were zero casualties.

It was a true miracle.

The victory cry echoed for a long, long time.

◆

"So, we can pick all the Ambrosia flowers, right?"

"Yeah. I've appraised them multiple times. These flowers can't grow without the dragon. They'll wither if left here."

"I see... It would have been nice if they could grow here."

"I understand why they're called legendary plants now."

"Well, there are many that weren't trampled. There should be enough for what we need."

"Probably."

"About the dragon's materials..."

"According to the contract, the skin, meat, and scales go to the Adventurer's Guild. The rest goes to Kyle."

"Understood. They're working hard to dismantle it, so please take care of the storage."

"Right. ...But can you store something this big?"

"Can you tell me something you don't know?"

"True. If it doesn't fit, we'll have to ask the adventurers to keep watch here and make multiple trips."

"Right."

The agreement with the Adventurer's Guild is to hand over the agreed-upon reward, the dragon's meat, skin, and scales.

The guild will distribute the profits or equivalent materials to the participating adventurers.

I left all the paperwork to them.

By the way, even though I, Jitaro, and Persia are not members of the Adventurer's Guild, we are still entitled to our rewards.

"Ughhhhhh!!! Amazing! Look at this!!!"

An adventurer working on the dissection shouted.

He was holding a massive magic stone, as large as a human body, high in the air.

"This... This will be a great gift for Kyle."

"Rather, won't it cause trouble?"

...Raidock. Are you setting up a flag too?

Thus, our dragon slaying was a resounding success.

The next chapter, or the one after that, will be the end of the first chapter.

...I didn't think of a chapter title. What should I do...