Chapter 26

The key to party battles is the Defender.

They attract the enemy's attacks, allowing other party members to focus on their roles.

Currently, the Black Dragon seems to have only me in its sights.

At this point, the Defender's job is more than half done.

Ideally, I should be able to block the enemy's attacks, but doing so would divert resources from my offensive capabilities, so that's not an option.

Therefore, I have no choice but to be evasive.

I need to draw the enemy's attacks to me and dodge them all. That way, I can allocate resources to my attacks and even aim for a counterattack.

Even though I told Caroline it was impossible, I find myself having to mimic that style...

Next, the most important role in a party battle is the Supporter.

They have the role of healing injured allies and providing buffs as the situation demands.

Luna, the other Supporter in the Hero's party, has a unique approach based on her abilities, which makes it impossible to replicate.

However, her movements are generally similar to a healer, so I'll exclude her for now.

If my attacks don't land, there's no need for healing.

The Enchanter's abilities are so ingrained in me that I can do them almost unconsciously, so there's no problem.

Finally, the star of the party is the Attacker.

No explanation needed here; they have the role of attacking and defeating the enemy.

In the Hero's party, there's Oliver, the frontline Attacker, and Anneli, the rear Attacker.

Both are excellent Attackers capable of unleashing high-damage attacks in rapid succession.

Regarding Oliver's role, my current abilities surpass what I had when I defeated the Black Dragon before, so there's no issue.

As for Anneli's role, I can't cast spells as quickly as she can.

However, by combining original magic, I can still launch multiple high-damage spells, making it possible to replicate her role.

(Alright! I can do this!)

Having finished the mental simulation in an instant, I activate [Fire Bullet] again, using the explosion to obscure the Black Dragon's vision as I close in.

Using [Mana Convergence] to create a foothold, I add vertical movement to my previous horizontal and lateral movements.

I continue to move at high speed around the Black Dragon in three dimensions, slashing at it with my sword as I pass by.

This time, I don't activate [Instant Ability Super Boost].

The Black Dragon, along with the Moya, attacks in various forms, but I dodge all of them.

I slash at the Black Dragon dozens of times, but it doesn't seem to be a decisive blow.

—But I knew that from the start.

Slashing the Black Dragon was just a side effect.

I was flying around it for another purpose.

I land on the Black Dragon's right side while facing away from it.

Seizing the opportunity, the Black Dragon transforms the Moya into long, spear-like shapes and launches several of them at me.

"You tend to attack when it's relatively easy to hit, but I've seen that many times before!"

I dodge all of them with minimal movement.

"Next is my turn!"

As I announce this to the Black Dragon, I channel mana.

Over forty magic arrays appear, enveloping the Black Dragon.

This is why I was flying around it just now.

Each time I changed direction in mid-air, I set up the casting patterns for offensive spells.

With the mana flowing into all of these patterns, the spells activate.

Spells of various attributes—fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, and ice—are launched from all around the Black Dragon, enveloping it in smoke with a loud explosion.

The Black Dragon's silhouette, visible through the smoke, flaps its wings lightly and then spreads them forcefully.

The strong wind generated by this clears the smoke away.

I can sense the Black Dragon's displeased gaze directed at me.

It seems the attack didn't deal any damage.

I smirk and say,

"Think the spells are weak because there are so many? That's right. I can't use advanced spells. Besides, these were all basic spells to save energy. But can you afford to be complacent?"

As I say this to the Black Dragon, the magic arrays reappear around it.

However, I'm not channeling mana this time.

This is due to my original spell, [Amplification Chain].

[Amplification Chain] is a placement-type spell used in conjunction with [Mana Convergence].

When an offensive spell passes through the placed area, it copies the spell.

It then automatically draws mana from the surroundings, amplifies the spell's power, and launches the same offensive spell.

Spells with significantly higher power than before attack the Black Dragon.

This time, it seems to have taken damage, as the Black Dragon lets out a sound close to a scream.

While [Amplification Chain] is attacking the Black Dragon, I use [Mana Convergence] to gather mana from the surroundings into my blade.

A pitch-black aura, darker than the Black Dragon's Moya, envelops the blade.

(No matter how many times I see it, it looks like something a villain would use... I wish mine was a light golden color like Oliver's.)

Oliver's converged mana emits a warm, sun-like light.

In contrast, mine is a cold, dark void symbolizing a night without light.

Despite having the same effect, the appearance is completely opposite.

When the [Amplification Chain] attacks stop, the Black Dragon blows away the surrounding smoke again.

The Black Dragon that appears is more injured than before, clearly showing the damage it has taken.

The Black Dragon emits a killing intent far greater than before, but it remains calm.

It seems to be more cautious of the mana gathering on my blade.

"You still seem to have some room. Then, here comes the third wave without a break!"

The magic arrays appear for the third time, launching attacks with even greater power than the second wave.

Even though they are weak basic spells, their power has been amplified multiple times.

The power is likely just slightly below that of a top-tier spell.

The Black Dragon's scream echoes throughout the boss floor.

When the attacks stop, I ready my sword, enveloped in a pitch-black aura.

The Black Dragon doesn't blow away the smoke as it did before.

The smoke gradually clears, revealing the Black Dragon's silhouette.

Aiming for the Black Dragon's wings, I release a pitch-black slash.

"Heaven Flash...!"

The pitch-black slash flies straight toward the Black Dragon's wing.

Just before impact, I activate [Instant Ability Super Boost] to obliterate the wing.

—Or so I thought.

The Black Dragon blocks my slash with its tail.

Naturally, the tail is obliterated by the mana dispersion, but the power is significantly lower than expected.

[Instant Ability Super Boost] can only increase power for a fraction of a second.

The mana dispersion occurred before the expected point, causing the attack to end before I could activate [Instant Ability Super Boost].

(How did it know I was aiming for the wings!?)

The slash should have been invisible in the smoke.

If it couldn't see the slash, it couldn't have reacted to block it.

It wouldn't have been able to make that move unless it knew I was aiming for the wings.

(This is the first time this individual has seen Heaven Flash. Why...?)

In the moment of my confusion, the Black Dragon flaps its wings and moves to the upper air.

The boss area is dome-shaped, so there is a ceiling.

The Black Dragon hovers about fifty meters above, looking down at me.

"...Damn, I couldn't prevent it from flying."

If I had obliterated the wings, it wouldn't have been able to fly that high.

Fighting in the air is much more difficult.

While [Mana Convergence] allows me to engage in aerial combat to some extent, ground combat is much easier.

I want to avoid fighting on the enemy's terms, but if I stay on the ground, I'll be hit by fireballs and Moya attacks from above.

Just as I was about to ascend, I sensed the flow of mana, indicating that the members of the Silver Hare of the Night Sky were about to cast spells.

Ordinary people can't sense mana, but thanks to my [Mana Convergence] ability, I can detect it to some extent.

(Please don't overdo the attacks and draw too much hate, or accidentally hit me...)

I was thinking this when I realized it was Selma who was about to cast a spell.

(I know from the previous joint operation that Selma doesn't have any effective offensive spells against the Black Dragon. So, it must be a support spell for me!)

My current abilities are already beyond what Selma's support spells can offer.

Furthermore, [Stacking] is a very unstable state, like walking on thin ice.

If a third party's support spell were to be added, it would definitely collapse.

This gap would be fatal in this battle.

Reaching this conclusion instantly, I take action.

To interfere with Selma's spell, I use an advanced form of [Mana Convergence] to disrupt the mana around her, preventing mana flow.

Selma is having trouble casting her spell.

"I don't need support spells! It throws off my senses! Focus on protecting yourselves!!"

As I shout at the members of the Silver Hare of the Night Sky, fireballs from the Black Dragon rain down from above.

I immediately move to avoid them.

Using [Mana Convergence] to create a foothold, I move randomly in all directions to avoid being targeted.

Each time I change direction, I set up two basic spells and [Amplification Chain] as before.

Half of them activate immediately, while the other half wait for mana flow to activate.

While launching various offensive spells, I ascend to the Black Dragon's position fifty meters above.

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