Chapter 86

Kazama and Sakura dashed between the forest and the town at a considerable speed.

"Th-this is amazing, Master. The scenery is passing by incredibly fast."

"Yeah, I was worried if I could control it, but it turns out to be pretty manageable."

With each step, he left a mark on the ground, running as if he were flying. The impact of landing was considerable, but with the assistance of the tree armor, he could move his feet with almost no resistance.

The Veda Ten, powered by magic stones and springs, was designed for high-speed movement with a significantly increased acceleration rate. It was built to be very sturdy, so collisions with rocks or monsters were not a concern.

What was scary was whether anyone would collide with them. He was checking the surroundings while maintaining synchronization, but,

"There's no one on this plain today."

"That's right. There's not a single adventurer."

Usually, there would be more people, but today was unusually quiet. There were hardly any monsters, either.

"Well, it's good for running. Thanks to this, we can reach the town faster."

He accelerated while looking up at the sky. There was a large shadow in the shape of a dragon.

"I wanted to get there before that thing falls, so this is a relief."

"Yes."

"Then, let's keep going like this."

And he covered the distance to the town in one go.

●

In the morning light.

Hestia and Dianaea were looking up at the sky from the terrace of the Procia castle. There was a large shadow in front of them, the shadow of a dragon with scales.

"It's here...!!"

"Ugh... I didn't think it would come so quickly. We only managed to issue evacuation orders for the plain."

Hestia had attended a meeting and relayed the information, but even the emergency deployment of mages couldn't keep up.

"All knights, hurry to protect the citizens!"

"Aye!"

The knights and other mages were running around to evacuate the citizens and protect them from falling objects. There was no spare capacity to stop the giant dragon, and their power was insufficient anyway.

"---So, we have to stand our ground here."

"Yes, that's right, Lady Hestia. That's why we managed to clear the plain."

A single strategy had been decided at the meeting. In fact, there was no other option.

"...I will cast a barrier. We'll weaken its momentum and somehow shift its massive body to the plain. Is that the plan?"

"Hmm."

Hestia had memories from a hundred years ago. The Star Dragon King had fallen while half-asleep, and the method to stop it was the same.

"Dianaea, I forgot to ask, but how many barriers can you cast?"

"...If they are localized, I can cast up to twenty-five."

Being able to cast five barriers puts one in the upper echelon of humans, and twenty-five is extraordinary. It's top-class among humans, but,

"Can you try to cast forty? The fall a hundred years ago was stopped with forty barriers."

"Ugh... Forty... is impossible. But, I can try for thirty!"

Seeing her calculate and sweat, Hestia smiled slightly. The flying dragons also struggled like this, she thought. No, they were more impulsive, so it was rude to compare them, but she couldn't help but remember.

"Then, I'll take the remaining ten. After that, I'll use all my magic power to accelerate and crash into the hill to shift it."

After that, we'll try to weaken the momentum of the barriers or something to drop it on the plain.

"Are you planning to ram it?"

"Hmm, a hundred years ago, I managed to shake it by ramming it. I'll try it again."

"Hmm, even with the difference in mass, it might work. Well, all I can do is cast the strongest barriers, but I'll try to support you as well."

Saying this, Dianaea raised her staff. The reddish-brown scales of the Star Dragon King were already visible. They had to launch their attack as soon as it got closer.

"I wish I could have contacted him... "

"Lord Daichi. I forgot to tell him."

"Hmm, but it can't be helped. This time, it was my mistake, and there was no time."

Not informing him last night was also her mistake. She had to make up for her own mistakes. Thinking this, Hestia looked up.

It was about time.

"Let's go. I'll fly in five seconds, so be careful."

Hestia gathered strength in her legs. The air around her trembled.

"Ah, then I'll---deploy. Multiple Barriers: Thirty (Shield Triakonta)!"

Dianaea raised her staff beside her. Instantly, thirty walls of light lined up directly below the Star Dragon King.

"I'll cast multiple barriers too!"

In sync, Hestia also cast barriers. A total of forty walls of light supported the body of the Star Dragon King. The weight pressed heavily on the barriers.

"Ugh... It's heavy...!"

Dianaea, holding her staff, was sweating profusely. But thanks to her, the Star Dragon King's movement was halted.

"Now...!!"

In an instant, Hestia flew into the sky. She broke through the terrace and charged straight into the hill of the Star Dragon King.

"I'll push it back."

Hestia unleashed the dragon's breath. She aimed to push back the Star Dragon King with the shockwave.

"..."

There was no avoiding the backlash at such close range. The most important thing was to push it back, not the pain.

But even with all her strength,

"I can't push it...? This, ...is heavier than before!?"

The resistance on her arms was different from her memory. Hestia hadn't changed in size since a hundred years ago. Other Dragon Kings, once they reached adulthood, didn't grow any larger. So there shouldn't be any change in weight, but perhaps,

"It's gotten fat!"

After spending over a hundred years floating in the high sky, it had become plump. Looking closely, the parts where the scales had fallen off revealed flabby flesh.

"This is unexpected...!"

If she couldn't push it back, it would fall. So, Hestia punched her stomach and shouted loudly.

"If you're still conscious, wake up! ...Lamuros Aestheria!"

And the moment she called the name of the Star Dragon King,

'This magic... is it Hestia, my childhood friend...?'

A high-pitched, female dragon's voice responded. Then, the giant dragon opened its eyes.