Chapter 24

The artillery shells raining down from the military magic airship numbered in the hundreds. I think it’s quite a grand gesture to release so many shells at once, but they must have concluded that nothing else would work.

Endyanga was no longer in the same spot. He was running and dodging the shells. As a result, the hit rate was significantly reduced, and it was a situation where not a single shell hit out of ten.

(Is he not used to artillery?)

The Lev Magic Empire is a small country that has been established through the technology of magic devices. They have never been involved in a large-scale war, and although they possess military magic airships as a form of military power, they have never been deployed in actual combat.

Moreover, the cannons are designed to destroy immobile walls, not to hunt giant monsters, which is probably an unexpected use.

I went up to the roof of a building to search for Endyanga, but if he was running, I would have found him quickly. He was near the northern cliff. I thought that with Endyanga’s massive body, he could probably jump and climb the cliff. Perhaps the empire intended to drive him northward to the "Uncharted Canyon."

(…Will it go so smoothly? Before that, aren’t they overconfident about the airship’s superiority?)

The magic airships spread out to the left and right, cornering Endyanga. They had lowered their altitude compared to when I first saw them during the initial bombardment, probably because the shells weren’t hitting and they wanted to get closer.

Even with Endyanga’s massive body, they thought he couldn’t reach them from 300 meters up in the air.

"Hmm…?"

At that moment, I noticed something.

The magic that had been covering Endyanga’s body had completely disappeared. Even when he was knocked down and attacked from the ground, the magic had still been there. But now, it was gone.

Where did the magic go?

"Ah! No!"

Jumping from the ground, he wouldn’t be able to reach them. But they were mistaken—Endyanga, like other giant creatures, can use magic. I remembered that the Forest Eater used magic when the Red Gate appeared.

"Roar!"

As he roared, dark purple energy blocks in the shape of wedges appeared. One, two, three… the number eventually matched the number of airships. They adjusted their direction like rockets, with their sharp tips locking onto the airships.

The magic airships responded in various ways. Some fired back, while others tried to turn and escape.

The energy blocks were launched—piercing and exploding the airships that had stopped to fire. Some of the airships that tried to escape were grazed or missed, but they were thrown off balance by the surrounding explosions.

"Oh…"

Only two airships managed to escape unscathed, about half were completely destroyed by the explosions, and the rest crashed due to being caught in the explosions.

"Roar!!"

Endyanga roared as if to declare victory—but I saw it.

The battle wasn’t over yet.

Many soldiers were charging towards Endyanga from the ground, even as debris from the exploded airships rained down.

"—Amazing."

They must have seen the current dire situation, yet they advanced without hesitation. They weren’t fearless—fear was inevitable. But they charged forward, determined to fight here and now. This was their chance, now that Endyanga’s magic armor was gone.

"I have to go too."

I kicked off the roof and launched myself into the air. I accelerated with [Wind Magic] and ascended with [Fire Magic], jumping from roof to roof. I could use "Instant Step" for short distances, but it was still unfamiliar and consumed a lot of stamina.

A cheer echoed in my ears. Endyanga, who had just finished casting his magic, was still without his magic armor, jumping and trying to crush his opponents. A unit armed with giant crossbows appeared—apparently soldiers from the Keith Gran Federation. The arrows, which required three people to draw, were launched and pierced Endyanga’s left side, which was distracted by the ground.

"Grrooar!"

Next, a familiar pale blue—holy water-colored magic appeared, emitted by the former Holy King Grunjeed. Approaching Endyanga, who had been stopped by the arrows, he plunged a spear deep into his left front leg, which was already injured.

There was also movement on the right side. The knights of the Light Heaven Kingdom charged in unison. Leading the charge was a particularly large knight carrying an unbelievably large sword.

But by then, Endyanga was preparing to counterattack. He took a deep breath to roar, which could temporarily drive people back by overwhelming them.

"That’s—"

But it didn’t happen.

I saw a leather bag launched at Endyanga as he tried to inhale. It caught on his mouth and burst with a pop, scattering dust. Instead of a roar, Endyanga sneezed, drooling and tearing up.

"It’s Mimon!"

Only Mimon could have deployed such a chemical on the battlefield, I thought. I couldn’t see her, but she must have blended in with the Light Heaven Kingdom’s forces.

During this time, the leading giant knight charged in and, incredibly, severed Endyanga’s left front leg. A particularly loud cheer rose up.

(Amazing, amazing!)

It’s almost unheard of in history for the Keith Gran Federation, the Kurvaan Holy Kingdom, and the Light Heaven Kingdom to fight together. But they, the professionals of war, read the situation in unison and performed their best.

Even in a world where rare talents and numerous innate abilities have a significant impact, when people come together, it becomes a real force.

I want to be a part of their power too.

"Let’s go!"

The distance to Endyanga was about 500 meters. There were no more tall buildings, so I launched myself from the last roof. I flew over the heads of the Kurvaan Holy Kingdom’s Holy Knights and charged towards Endyanga.

Blind, Endyanga stomped around in frustration, his severed left front leg still raised.

"You guys! Now, press the attack!"

Grunjeed, who had lost his spear, shouted.

Then—Endyanga turned around—

"Your Majesty! Please retreat!"

"It’s the tail!!"

The Holy Knights shouted.

Endyanga turned his body and swung his tail diagonally—right at Grunjeed.

"Ah—?"

The massive tail, moving at high speed, was a deadly weapon on its own. It was impossible for Grunjeed, who had turned around without realizing it, to avoid it.

"—I won’t let you."

I slid in front of him, activating five [Fire Magic] spells with my right hand and five [Wind Magic] spells with my left, compressed to increase their destructive power.

"‘Explosive Flame Storm’!"

An improved version of the "Flame Storm" I had used before.

The magic I released collided head-on with the tail, causing a massive explosion.