A brilliant flash of light shot forth, exploding the limbs, which dissipated before they reached him. Then the light left a trail as it punched a huge hole in the creature itself. Given Rochefort’s position, the attack inevitably punched through the wall behind the creature and even the hull beyond that. Beyond the hole in the mass of mana extract stared the starry sky through several intermediate walls. But the mass of mana extract immediately writhed, trying to regain its form. Rochefort’s shot had blown some of it away, but the bulk of it was still intact.
Liselotte sucked in a breath. “It’s trying to regain its form!”
Soon, the mana extract entity would be whole again.
“Now hurry up and get out of here!” Rochefort bellowed. “You don’t want me wrecking the ship, right?”
There was no way he could have heard Rochefort, but someone appeared out of nowhere to save the day—the edges of the hole that were closing up exploded yet again, and a crimson glow shot forth. Rafael burst forth in Dragon Fang’s armor. The armor looked damaged and corroded in places, but he himself seemed fine.
“Sir Rafael!”
“Are you okay?!”
The knights rushed over to Rafael.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Liselotte exclaimed.
“He’s safe!” Meltina said. The two patted their chests in relief.
“Hey.” Rochefort nodded at him. “Glad you pulled through.”
“Sir Rochefort?! Are you wielding Ripple to save me?!” Rafael’s eyes went wide as he saw the golden gun in Rochefort’s hands.
“Yeah, that’s how it ended up. Now get outta my way, I’m taking another shot.”
“W-Wait, Sir Rochefort!”
“Ha, what kind of fool waits as he’s told?” Rochefort grinned and tried to pull the trigger again, but his finger slipped, and the gun fell to the ground. At the same time, Rochefort collapsed, bringing Meltina to her knees as she barely supported him.
“Guh...ghh...?!”
“Mr. Rochefort!” several of the girls said in unison.
Ripple returned to her original form and rushed to Rochefort’s side. “A-Are you okay?!”
“Dammit. I don’t even have the strength to pull the trigger anymore. Well, I guess I’m basically a walking corpse, after all...” As Rochefort spoke, blood welled up from his mouth. “You handle the...”
Having rushed over with Ripple, Rafael said, “Understood, Sir Rochefort! I’ll handle the rest!”
“S-Sir Rafael!” some knights shouted.
“The enemy is regaining its form!”
The mass of mana extract was shifting back into humanoid form. A gigantic version of Echidna’s face was still plastered on its head. However, its overall size was far larger than the first time it had taken humanoid form because of the mana extract. When it stood, its Echidna-head struck the ceiling, breaking a hole through to what lay above. Not only that, but tentacles extended from all over its body. With those, it began to crawl outside through the holes in the hull. The ship began to creak and shudder.
The first to scream was Chancellor Riegliv, who was crouched by the hole, trembling. “E-Eeeek! Sh-She’s trying to sink the ship! S-Sir Rafael, do something! Use that hieral menace!”
“Ah! Y-Yes... Lady Ripple!” Rafael looked to her.
“W-Wait, Rafael! You’re healthy, not like Rochefort! I don’t want you to wield me if you don’t have to! We need to save as many people as we can instead!” Ripple insisted.
“No, that would mean abandoning ship!” Riegliv complained. “This ship is essential for our war against Venefic! And besides, we can’t save everyone anyway!”
Their arguments were completely opposed.
“Lady Ripple, Chancellor Riegliv’s position makes sense as well, I—!” Rafael stopped, unsure of what to say.
“No, I’m pretty sure you should listen to the hieral menace here...” Rochefort said. “After all, if your will isn’t united with hers, you’re not gonna be able to wield her power anyway...”
“But, Sir Rochefort!” Rafael protested.
While they argued, the mana-extract giant flung itself into action. Its neck stretched out, and Echidna’s face, its maw spread wide, chased the knights as if about to devour them.
“Whoa!”
“Aaaaah!”
Rafael clenched his teeth. “Ugh! I can’t just stand idly by!”
“No one’s telling you to do that... Sir Rafael Bilford, use this!” Rochefort reached to the sword at his waist, unclasped its sheath from his belt, and handed it to Rafael. It was Dragon Claw—an Artifact well beyond all others, one of a pair with Rafael’s Dragon Fang. King Carlias had bestowed it upon Rochefort when he had entered Karelian service.
“Sir Rochefort...!”
“This is your path. To reach even greater heights, without a hieral menace! Master this. You know it’s worth it.”
Dragon Fang and Dragon Claw were, excluding hieral menaces, Karelia’s strongest Artifacts. They each were imbued with the strength of a powerful dragon, and they were not merely weapons; they lent that power to their wielders. It was from Dragon Fang that the crimson armor Rafael now wore came; its manifestation was proof that the blade had lent him its strength. And what if its wielder also bore Dragon Claw in the other hand? Rochefort had given Rafael his blade for that very reason.
“Understood! I’ll give it my all!”
When Rafael had visited the knights’ academy, he’d had the opportunity to spar with Rochefort in his capacity as an instructor. At that time, when Dragon Fang and Dragon Claw had clashed, the power of each had mixed together and produced a tremendous blast. In other words, when the two were combined, a new, even greater power emerged. The potential was there; the question was whether Rafael could control it.
Rafael drew the azure Dragon Claw from its sheath.
Dragon Fang held the power of a dragon of crimson flames; Dragon Claw, the power of a dragon of azure ice.
“Lady Ripple! I’ll take the giant on! You help everyone escape!” He held both weapons at the ready.
“S-Sure! Got it! Everyone, let’s get out of here! We’ll use the remaining Flygears! Liselotte, use your Gift and wait outside! Take Meltina and Rochefort with you!”
“Y-Yes! Understood! Meltina, bring Mr. Rochefort! Chancellor Riegliv, you come as well!” Liselotte was the first to exit the ship, carrying Meltina, Rochefort, and Chancellor Riegliv. Echidna’s head swung after her in response, but Rafael intervened.
“Not happening!” Dragon Fang held the head back from its advance, but in turn his foe latched on to the crimson blade, holding it in place. Without a moment’s hesitation, large arms sprang forth and grabbed Rafael, trying to envelop him again.
“Sir Rafael!” Liselotte cried.
“Don’t look back! Get out of here, Liselotte!” As Rafael called out, an azure glow unlike his previous crimson one wrapped around him.
With that, Liselotte flew from the ship, not looking back. She was determined to follow Rafael’s orders.
Thus, she did not see the crimson and azure lights combine and well up explosively. And not only the lights swelled—Rafael did as well. The giant’s arms were torn apart from within, and yet Rafael continued to grow—and to transform.
“Gwoooooooooohnnn!”
It was only when she heard the roar of a tremendous dragon that Liselotte turned. As it bellowed, the beast’s head tore upward through the ship’s deck, springing into sight. Its scales were cleanly divided, left and right, between azure and crimson.
“Ah! Where did such a huge dragon come from?!”
“I-It’s Sir Rafael! He grew and transformed!” Meltina explained as she pointed at the dragon.
“Th-That’s Sir Rafael?!”
The dragon Liselotte saw was of a scale to rival even the ancient dragon Fufailbane. Because it had appeared from inside the flying battleship, the ship had taken even more damage and seemed to be half-destroyed. Perplexed by this, the bichromatic dragon looked around itself.
Rochefort laughed. “Who would’ve known...? I guess if you master the Artifacts blessed by dragons, you turn into a dragon yourself... But that’s definitely Sir Rafael Bilford. Look at ’im. He’s all in a tizzy about destroying the ship. Such a damn Goody Two-shoes.”
“Ha ha ha... It really does seem that way,” Liselotte agreed.
But the pause lasted only for a moment. The dragon, making up its mind, fully broke through the deck to the skies above. Its treelike rear legs tightly grasped the mana-extract giant, dragging it along.
“H-He’s taking the enemy along!” Meltina gasped.
“He must be trying to get it away from the ship!” Liselotte said.
If they could get the mana-extract giant away from the ship, it could safely land. Rafael appeared to have accomplished that admirably. What remained was defeating said foe.
The bichromatic dragon twisted around, drawing its rear legs upward toward its face. Those legs still grasped the mana-extract giant, which drew closer and closer to a maw studded with sharp fangs.
That maw opened wide.
Fwoooommm!
The dragon’s breath, a spiral of crimson flames and freezing cold, erupted forth.
Not only was it a powerful blast, its scope and scale were gigantic. In one blow it enveloped the mana-extract giant completely, burning away what it couldn’t freeze and shattering what it couldn’t burn. In no time at all, there was not a trace left.
“H-He did it! That was amazing!” Liselotte gasped.
It was as—no, maybe even more powerful than that of the ancient dragon Fufailbane. Such was its impact and potency.
“He really did! And he looks so beautiful...” Meltina had never seen anything like it.
“I-Is that Rafael?! Wow, he took that thing out in one shot!” Ripple said. She’d taken a Flygear and now joined them.
“Yes. I’m sure of it. Lahti had become able to transform into a dragon after eating large amounts of dragon meat, and I think something similar has happened with Rafael. Though there’s of course no comparison to be made in size or strength.”
Their scale as dragons differed by several orders of magnitude. Compared to the imposing majesty of Rafael, Lahti’s transformation seemed almost cute.
“W-Wow. If he can do that, maybe he doesn’t even need me.” Contrary to her phrasing, Ripple’s tone and expression were pleased.
“You seem quite a bit happier about it than your words imply, Lady Ripple,” Liselotte pointed out.
Ripple laughed. “I guess. I guess so.”
The two shared a grin.
Meanwhile, Rafael, in his bichromatic dragon form, was trying to position himself under the flying battleship. Smoke poured from the ship, which could no longer fly steadily. He was trying to support it so that it could land safely.
“Yup, there’s the Rafael we know and love. I’m glad everything’s working out. Eris would have my head if anything happened to him while she’s gone.”
“And it’s all thanks to you, Mr. Rochefort. Thank you!” Liselotte said.
“All you have to do now is wait for Miss Arles and the others, Mr. Rochefort!” Meltina said.
But Rochefort did not respond.
“Mr. Rochefort?!” The two nervously checked on him.
“A-Are you okay?!” Ripple also hurriedly turned her gaze to him.
“H-He’s unconscious!” Liselotte exclaimed. “He’s breathing, but barely...”
“At this rate, I don’t know if he’s going to make it until Miss Arles gets back...” Meltina fretted.
The heavy air pulled their gazes downward.
“Oh! Hey, I have an idea!” Ripple exclaimed, clapping her hands together. She, at least, had thought of something.
◆◇◆
“Ah! There it is! The Paladins’ ship!” Leone called out.
The group had scattered on the deck of the Flygear Port to observe their surroundings, and Leone was the first to spot the Paladins’ ship. Everyone gathered around her while Rafinha looked up at the sky in the direction Leone had been keeping watch. It was a clear blue, with only a few wispy clouds visible.
“Huh? Where? I don’t see them.”
“Rani, look down.” Inglis pointed not up at the sky but down at the surface. There, the half-destroyed flying battleship had landed. The Paladins had come out around it and were doing some kind of work. Emergency repairs on the hull, probably. Whatever the cause, something had obviously gone very wrong.
“Look at how damaged the ship is! What could have happened?! I hope Ross is okay...” Arles exclaimed, worried.
“Let’s get over there and check it out. So long as it’s within my line of sight, I can jump us over there right away.”
“Please, Inglis!”
“Of course. Rani, everyone, hold on tight.” Inglis took a knee and pressed her hand to the deck of the Flygear Port.
When ready, she fixed her gaze on the crash-landed flying battleship that was her destination.
Time for this divine feat!
The next moment, she, her friends, and their Flygear Port appeared directly above the flying battleship.
“Whoa?!”
“What the—?! A Flygear Port?!”
“I didn’t see it approaching at all. Where’d it come from?!”
The knights hard at work below them stared up, buzzing with surprise.
“All right, we need to hurry!” Inglis hoisted up Aulglora’s tail, which the Flygear Port was carrying. Much of it was covered in machinery and armor, which wouldn’t make for exactly the most appealing taste, but it wasn’t like there was any other option. Well, the mechanical ancient dragon was a more powerful dragon, so Inglis surmised the edible parts would hold more latent power. That’s why they had brought it back to heal Rochefort.
“Miss Arles, I’m jumping down. Hold on to me.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Take me too! Leone, Myce, could you please land the Flygear Port?” Rafinha asked.
Both she and Arles wrapped their arms around Inglis.
“Of course. I... I’m a little scared of the idea of just jumping off.” Leone was not very good with heights, so she seemed a bit relieved for the excuse.
“O-Okay! Be careful!” Myce said.
“Here I go!” After seeing Myce nod, Inglis leaped from the deck of the Flygear Port into the air. “Everyone below, make way! I’m going to land down there!” Inglis yelled.
“You’re already jumping! You’re going to scare me to death!” Leone shrieked.
“S-Sorry! In a hurry!”
The knights hard at work flailed about when they saw her midair.
“Whoa! Those are the girls from the knights’ academy! They’re coming our way!”
“Is that some kind of tail?! That’s absurd! Well, she took on a Prismer, so I guess this isn’t that odd...”
“She’ll make it through without a scratch. But we need to get out of the way, and fast!”
Bam!
With a loud noise and a cloud of dust, Inglis landed next to the flying battleship. “Sorry to cause such a commotion. I’m in a hurry.” Inglis curtsied to the shocked knights.
“O-Okay. I guess it’s fine...”
“Y-You really made it through that fine. What’s going on...?”
The knights were astonished more than they were impressed.
“Where’s Ross? Where is Ross Rochefort?!” Arles asked.
“We’ve got some ancient dragon meat! He needs to eat it right away!” Rafinha followed.
“Oh, then—” a knight began, only for a voice to come from behind.
“That one’s all covered with Flygear parts and stuff. You sure I can eat that?”
“Sorry, Mr. Rochefort. The mechanical dragon merged with the ancient dragon, so we took the part that seemed the most edible. It’s the only option we have!” Rafinha answered without turning around, only to then realize something important. “Wait...! Whaaat?!”
When she faced the source of that voice, she saw Rochefort there. When she’d left, he’d been so short of breath he couldn’t even get up, but there he was standing hale and healthy.
“Mr. Rochefort?!” Inglis joined in Rafinha’s shocked gasp.
“Hey. Sorry, but I’d rather skip the iron and oil as seasonings.”
“Ross!” Tears welled up in Arles’s eyes as she flew to embrace Rochefort, and he held her tight.
“Sorry I made you worry, Arles. I’m better now, so I won’t need that meat.”
“That’s fine! As long as you’re feeling better!”
“Right. Now can we stop making a scene?” Everyone’s attention was focused on their embrace, and Rochefort seemed a bit embarrassed.
Rafinha’s eyes gleamed. “It’s fine, Mr. Rochefort! I’m so happy, and I’m glad I worked so hard! Even though it was for nothing!”
“We’re not really supposed to do this in front of students, though.”
“No, no, it’s fine, we saw even more up in Alcard! It really was amazing what Lahti and Pullum were getting up to, right, Chris?”
“Stop that. You know how much it embarrassed the two of them.”
“But I wish I could have seen a bit more... Just, y’know, for future reference.”
“That’s not something you need to study! You’re still too young for that, Rani! No more thinking about it! Forget it! Right now!” Inglis wouldn’t let Rafinha do something like that. Absolutely not. She was still way, way, way, way too young.
“Aww, c’mon. Can’t you take a joke, Chris?” Rafinha stuck out her tongue.
“But Ross... I’m so glad you’re okay, but how did you recover so quickly?” Arles asked after she calmed down a little. That was a natural question to ask. Inglis and Rafinha were curious too.
“Oh, it was easy. We got some dragon meat here too. And ours is fresh.”
“Whaaaat?! H-How did a dragon just show up here? We had to search and search until we finally found ours...” Rafinha began.
“Did an ancient dragon suddenly appear here?” Inglis asked. “You recovered so quickly that it’s hard to imagine it happening without ancient dragon meat.”
“Well, yeah, going by that, it must have been at least as strong as an ancient dragon.”
“Great job beating it!” Rafinha said, before suddenly frowning. “Oh! R-Rafael didn’t have to turn Ripple into a weapon and wield her, did he?!”
Inglis stiffened. That didn’t necessarily happen, but it could have...
Just then, Rafael stepped out of the flying battleship and called out to them. “Rani! Chris! Welcome back!”
“Rafael!” the two answered in unison. Fortunately, their worries had been unfounded.
“You too, Arles! I’m glad Rochefort is feeling better now!” Ripple chimed in.
“I’m relieved you’re all safe!” Liselotte said.
“We were worried about you!” Meltina said.
The flying battleship was in a terrible state, but everyone was okay.
“Rani, Chris, you didn’t get hurt, did you?” Rafael asked with a gentle smile as he rubbed the back of his waist for some reason. This wasn’t a normal tic of his. Had he been wounded?
“What’s wrong, Rafael? Throw out your back?” Rafinha asked confusedly.
“Huh? Oh, well...”
“Call it a badge of courage, eh, Rafael?” Ripple asked.
“Ha ha ha. I guess so, Lady Ripple,” Rafael replied with a wry laugh.
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