Chapter 76

"Whoa!"

Sain leaped backward to avoid the collapsing body of the 'Huge Fire Dragon.'

He narrowly escaped the collapse.

(Damn, that was close. But, I felt a good impact from that attack.)

A murmur spread among the adventurers.

"The 'Huge Fire Dragon's' body is breaking apart."

"Did we get it?"

The place where the 'Huge Fire Dragon' stood was covered in sand and dust, making it hard to see.

The adventurers held their breath, waiting for the dust to clear.

As the wind carried away the sand and dust, the 'Huge Fire Dragon' appeared, its rocky armor stripped away, revealing scales and bare skin, looking like a regular dragon (though still much larger than a typical 'Fire Dragon').

The 'Huge Fire Dragon,' now free of the heavy rocks, shivered like a dog, shaking off the sand and pebbles that clung to its body. Its scales, like those of a newly molted snake, shone beautifully.

With a reptilian eye movement, it shook its head and looked around, its previous dullness seeming like a lie.

"Archers, fall back!"

Alru quickly ordered the archers to retreat.

(The 'Huge Fire Dragon' has regained its vitality. It seems it was fighting in a half-asleep state until now.)

"Huh. So, it's finally showing its true strength. This is getting exciting..."

The 'Huge Fire Dragon' stared intently at Sain, then suddenly let out a roar.

(What!?)

Sain covered his ears from the deafening dragon's cry.

As the 'Huge Fire Dragon' stopped roaring, something began to crawl out of the volcano's crater.

"What is that!?"

It was a 'Fire Dragon.'

More and more 'Fire Dragons' emerged from the crater, piling up like bats in a cave, forming a sinister black shadow near the crater.

The members of the Grand Alliance were speechless.

(How many are there? If they all come at once...)

"Stay calm. Even if they are 'Fire Dragons,' it's unlikely that such a large group can attack all at once with those massive bodies. We can take them down one by one with fire lances."

Alru said this to calm the troops.

(No matter how many 'Fire Dragons' appear, it's not a big problem. The real issue is...)

Alru looked at Sain, who was still facing the 'Huge Fire Dragon.'

(The real issue is the 'Huge Fire Dragon.' If we're attacked by both the 'Fire Dragons' and the 'Huge Fire Dragon,' we won't stand a chance. If we misjudge the timing to retreat, it could be disastrous. Don't push yourself, Sain.)

"Huh. So, you called for reinforcements because you couldn't handle it alone, huh?"

Sain cautiously measured the distance between himself and the 'Huge Fire Dragon.'

"But, just a bunch of 'Fire Dragons' aren't enough to deal with me..."

Suddenly, the 'Huge Fire Dragon' turned its head and ran towards the rear units.

The adventurers were shocked by its agility.

"Damn."

Sain raised his 'Dragonhead Gauntlet,' but it was too late.

The 'Huge Fire Dragon' breathed fire.

"Full defense, now! Hurry!"

Alru shouted.

The 'Fire Shield' absorbed the 'Huge Fire Dragon's' fire breath, but the pressure was overwhelming, and it hit the adventurers who were bracing themselves, causing massive damage and scattering their formation.

"Ugh!"

"Argh!"

As the formation collapsed, the 'Fire Dragons' near the crater took flight.

Black shadows covered the sky, diving towards the scattered adventurers.

The 'Huge Fire Dragon' took a deep breath again, preparing to breathe fire on the Grand Alliance.

"Damn."

Sain launched his 'Dragonhead Gauntlet,' but the 'Huge Fire Dragon' lowered its head and bent its body like a bow to dodge.

(Damn, this thing is flexible despite its size.)

"If that's the case, I'll get close like before..."

Sain circled around the 'Huge Fire Dragon' to get to its side.

The 'Huge Fire Dragon' couldn't keep up with Sain's agility and lost sight of him.

"Good. I'm still better at maneuvering."

Sain slipped into the 'Huge Fire Dragon's' blind spot.

"Take this!"

Just as he was about to land a blow, the 'Huge Fire Dragon' bent its knees and flew into the air.

"What!?"

The 'Dragonhead Gauntlet' missed and flew off in the wrong direction.

As Sain stood there in shock, the 'Huge Fire Dragon' dived and landed with a thud.

The ground shook.

(What, the ground is shaking... I can't move my legs.)

The 'Huge Fire Dragon' turned its long neck and breathed a 'tsunami of fire' at Sain.

"Damn..."

Sain tried to use his 'Dragonhead Gauntlet' to counter, but realized his arm wouldn't move.

(What, it's malfunctioning!?)

"No way, come on!"

The area was engulfed in hellish flames.

"Sain's been hit!"

"Oh no, it's over."

"Run! The 'Huge Fire Dragon' is going to eat us!"

The members of the alliance guilds panicked and fled.

"Stay calm! The battle isn't over yet!"

The 'Guardians of the Magic Academy' were trying to regain control of the situation.

They restrained the panicked adventurers and calmed them down, desperately trying to reorganize the collapsing formation.

"Fall back the defense line. Stay calm. Retreat to a place where the 'Huge Fire Dragon's' fire can't reach. Those with fire lances, intercept the 'Fire Dragons'!"

(They're just a ragtag group with poor coordination. Until now, the captain's combat power has barely kept them in check, but the battle with the 'Huge Fire Dragon' has finally exposed their true nature. They're useless now. What about the captain and the vice-captain?)

A member of the 'Guardians of the Magic Academy' looked towards the 'Huge Fire Dragon.'

The area where Sain had been was still engulfed in flames.

Alru, seeing Sain consumed by the flames, ran towards him.

As a result, he was now in charge of the command.

(If the captain is defeated, not only the alliance guilds but also the 'Guardians of the Magic Academy' might collapse. Please be safe, captain!)

As the fire breath subsided and the flames began to die down, Sain's location became visible from the outside.

The adventurers strained their eyes to check on Sain's condition.

There stood a figure in charred armor, seemingly Sain.

(Is he alive?)

Everyone present wondered.

Then, the armored figure moved slightly.

"Captain!"

"You're safe..."

(Am I alive?)

Sain, despite his dazed state, looked around.

He noticed a magic circle at his feet.

(This is... 'Defense Grant' and 'Healing Magic.' A double spell for support and recovery. Someone who can cast such precise spells from outside the fire... It must be...)

When Sain turned around, there was Alru, holding his staff.

"Damn, this healing magic. It's your doing, isn't it?"

"Sain, that's enough. We're retreating. It's no longer the time to be obsessed with the S-class title. If you keep fighting, we'll have to leave you behind. Can you really take on the 'Huge Fire Dragon' and the 'Fire Dragons' alone with a malfunctioning 'Dragonhead Gauntlet'?"

"Damn..."

The 'Fire Dragons' were already attacking the Grand Alliance intermittently.

The sounds of battle cries and screams could be heard.

Staying here any longer was not an option.

Sain suddenly felt a gust of wind from above.

He quickly moved away as the 'Huge Fire Dragon' landed with a powerful thud, trying to crush him.

Sain narrowly avoided it.

"Damn it."

"Sain!"

"I know! We're retreating. Let's get out of here quickly."

As Sain turned his back on the 'Huge Fire Dragon' and fled, the adventurers of the Grand Alliance gathered and started running down the mountain.

From behind, they could hear the 'Huge Fire Dragon's' victorious roar and see it breathing fire into the sky like a victory salute.

"Damn it."

Sain looked up in frustration and had no choice but to retreat along the path he had come.

"Sain, how's your equipment?"

"...It's no good. The 'Dragonhead Gauntlet' is useless."

Sain bent and straightened his gauntlet, checking its range of motion.

His gauntlet was so damaged that it couldn't even bend the fingers properly.

"I'm sorry, but I'll leave the battle with the monsters on the way back to you."

"Hopefully, it's just the monsters."

"Look, the 'Guardians of the Magic Academy' are running back with their tails between their legs."

Jamil said, peering through a telescope, looking amused.

Through the telescope, he could see the members of the Grand Alliance running down the mountain.

"So, they couldn't defeat the 'Huge Fire Dragon' after all."

"They're all in tattered equipment, but they look heavy. They must be carrying a lot of rare metals."

"Like prey carrying jewels, they're coming this way."

"Let's go. It's hunting time. We'll make them regret all the chaos they caused in our territory."

The members of the 'White Wolves' thief guild armed themselves and began moving quietly through the forest.