Chapter 27

That anomaly was also observed in the witch's country, Procia.

"Report from the long-range observation team! A large group of dragons has been spotted in the Western Enchanted Forest!"

In Dianira's office, where she was looking out the window, reports were flying back and forth like shouts. Soldiers serving as messengers were rushing in and out.

On the desk, a map was laid out, and several amplification magic cards were prepared.

"The werewolves are also fleeing in droves! We need to request reinforcements and evacuate the people quickly!"

"Evacuate? Where are they supposed to run to...?! The White Flame Dragon King has appeared!"

"It's over... The capital is finished...!!"

Eventually, the reports were mixed with screams and despair,

"Everyone, calm down!"

Dianira's stern command brought an immediate silence to the office.

"Report calmly. Messenger, how many dragons are there?"

"A-at least fifty. They are lingering in the sky above the Enchanted Forest, and it seems that part of the forest has already turned to ashes."

Hm, Dianira looked out the window.

There, indeed, she could see it. A giant white dragon.

"That's the Dragon King, is it? I heard he was in hibernation, but I didn't expect him to come so close."

"Lady Dianira, this..."

"Yes, please issue the evacuation order, Captain of the Knights. Evacuate as many people as possible. ...Have you already requested reinforcements from the Armed City?"

"Yes, but it will take at least a day for the forces to arrive."

Hm, nodding, Dianira checked her equipment at her waist.

There, a powerful magic catalyst. The Extreme Dragon Knife she had kept without selling.

Then, taking the broom-shaped staff next to her desk, she said,

"I will... go to battle."

"Princess?!"

"At least. Even if I am useless, I must do this much."

At Dianira's words, the people in the office held their breath.

Challenging a dragon alone was a foregone conclusion. No matter how much Dianira was a great sorceress,

"Princess, with all due respect..."

"Yes, I understand, Captain of the Knights. I know I will lose and die in vain. But if I use all my magic power, I can probably stall for a minute or so."

Even so, she is a high-ranking mage.

I will show you that much, Dianira muttered.

"Princess...!"

"At times like this, I am grateful to be the second princess. I don't have to run away. I can fight."

Her legs were trembling. She was already stiff with tension.

But even so, her resolve to fight did not waver.

"I'm going, everyone. The rest is up to you. Continue the observation until the end."

"Princess!"

"Don't worry. I will buy time to protect the people, even at the cost of my life! That is my duty as a princess."

With those words, Dianira cast a teleportation spell.

A high-level magic that instantly moves the user to the target location, allowing immediate action.

With a resolve to die, she moved to the west of the Enchanted Forest.

"…!?"

And when she arrived, she saw it.

A man with immense magical power, along with tree giants, fighting the Dragon King.

●●●

With my body fortified by Wood Armor "Vajra," I looked up at the sky.

There was a white dragon with lightning in its mouth.

It was huge. About the same length as my house.

The armor "Vajra," made from the wood of a hundred apple trees, was about seven meters tall at most.

The dragon was larger.

It also had the advantage in height and position. But,

"Master! I will protect the house with my magic. Please fight to your heart's content!"

"Alright...!!"

Inside the Wood Golem. Sakura was by my side.

We were always in sync.

Ah, always, I could feel my place of peace.

"...This is my home. My place of peace."

Then,

"I can't afford to lose!!"

"Take this...!!"

A lightning breath came.

A flame that burned as quickly as light.

"...How dare you do this to my home."

The forest behind me was already burning in hectares. But,

"I won't let you burn my home any further. -- Golems!!"

I launched the golems stored in the house through the windows, spreading them in a dome to use as a shield.

The golems, made from the living wood of apple trees, which contained a lot of moisture, would normally burn. But they managed to turn into charcoal.

They were still usable as a wall.

"Still!!"

The dragon hit the golem wall with its wings.

Not just the flames. The wind from its massive body was also a powerful force.

It had the advantage of being in the air. A formidable enemy. But,

"This is, literally, my home...!!"

I had the advantage of the terrain. I couldn't afford not to use it.

Currently, there were a total of a hundred apple trees growing in the apple orchard.

I would use all of them.

"--- Reach out and catch it!"

Instantly, a hundred trees stretched out at once.

"!?"

The white dragon writhed, but it was too late.

I had a magic key, a spell with immediate effect.

"--- Golems x 100. Catch it!"

The pre-set effect was activated through the staff as a catalyst.

The tips of the trees turned into golems, each reaching out to the dragon's body.

"Ugh...!!"

The white dragon tried to roll to shake them off.

One or two might have been able to escape. But it couldn't escape from a hundred arms.

They were already entangled around its limbs, tail, and torso like vines.

"--- Caught it!"

In exchange, the staff equipped at my waist creaked and groaned.

But I wouldn't let it go.

"Annoying...!!"

The white dragon spat lightning, burning through the golem's arms.

The shattered wood golem pieces fell like volcanic bombs.

But the defense provided by the armor was perfect.

I rushed through it, heading for the roots of the trees that stretched into the sky.

"The finishing touch!"

Then I grabbed the roots of the trees growing in the apple orchard.

The weight of the bundled trees pressed heavily on my arm, thickened by the armor, but,

"What a sight..."

With the strength assisted by the armor, holding the bundled trees was easy.

That's right, the Mode "Vajra" has two features.

The Wood Armor made by compressing a hundred trees.

One is the weight from the overwhelming mass.

It's so heavy that it can sink the ground.

And the other is the magic power packed into those hundred trees.

It manifests as an overwhelming physical force.

Weight x Power. That is,

"Vajra...!!"

"...!?"

I shouldered the bundled trees,

"Fall...!!"

I pulled the bundle of trees as if it were a single tree.

The force traveled through the trees to the white dragon,

"...Gah!?"

And it knocked the white dragon into the forest.

The Dragon King, falling from the sky, slammed its back into the ground.

The impact seemed to have spread throughout its body. It spat out a breath of blood. And then,

"---"

It lay still, not moving.

Because I was in sync with Sakura, I could tell.

The magic power inside the dragon had settled. The battle seemed to be over.

"...Stay still, you troublesome dragon."

"Master's heroic figure was the best!"

Without deactivating the Wood Armor, I walked to the dragon, receiving Sakura's praise. To confirm the victory.

●●●

Dianira was crying without realizing it.

"That... Why..."

What she had seen in front of her.

The king of dragons.

An existence that a single human could never defeat.

She was moved by the fact that this reality had been overturned right before her eyes.

"--- Man of the earth's veins. I... I am captivated by your strength."

Dianira was also a witch.

She had trained to become stronger and had become a great sorceress.

She had summoned the earth's veins, a source of magic power, to enrich her country.

But her wish had only been half-fulfilled by his strength.

So, she had been a little frustrated.

...If he hadn't been there, she might have become even stronger.

She didn't know how he had obtained this power.

Perhaps it had been easy for him, something he had acquired without much effort.

So, she had envied him, thinking that if she had been in his position, she would have been the same.

But it was different.

Every time she saw his strength, every time she saw his power, her heart would burn.

There was a feeling in the center of her body, a hot and painful sensation.

His will had moved her heart.

The fact that he stood his ground against the Dragon King because he had something to protect.

The spirit that brought the king of the sky down to earth.

She thought he was cool.

Thank you always for your support. Your bookmarks and ratings are truly encouraging!