The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War - Chapter 485

“……?”

Why did it stop? Each of its razor-sharp claws looked like a giant greatsword, glinting sharply in the sunlight. She wanted it to swing those claws down at her with all its might. She welcomed it.

But even after one beat… two beats… the Mecha Dragon God didn’t move. The Dragon God Owlgloria clearly intended to attack, but it looked like the consciousness of the mecha dragon was holding that back, locked in an internal struggle.

“Hang in there! Just a little more!”

Inglis called out to the Mecha Dragon God.

“Yes! The mecha dragon is trying to calm the Dragon God’s fury…! Please, stay strong!”

“That’s right…! Hang in there, our mecha dragon!”

“Mr. Mecha dragon! Answer Mais’ voice!”

“Yes, please… Do your best…!”

What Inglis truly wanted was for the Mecha Dragon God to be overtaken by the furious will of the undead Dragon God Owlgloria and attack her with full force—but…

Pure-hearted Arles had interpreted things in a completely different way.

Words are tricky things. There was no way for her to deny them outright, so she simply kept watching the situation unfold. And what the Mecha Dragon God responded to… was Inglis’ cheer.

*GRAAAAAHH!!*

The massive arm finally came swinging down from overhead.

“YES!”

“ “ “ “ “YES?!” ” ” ” ”

Amid the confused voices, Inglis caught the giant arm of the Mecha Dragon God head-on. Its raw power was even greater than before—tremendous and exhilarating.

The shock of the impact was too much for the ground beneath her, which crumbled and caved in at her feet, forming a circular crater.

“Fufufu… I see now. So this is the power of a Mecha Dragon God, how wonderful!”

Just a single moment of carelessness, and she might’ve been crushed completely. But that’s exactly what made it so good.

“Glis! You were clearly thinking something different from the rest of us, weren’t you!?”

“We-, well. I couldn’t just not accept its attack if it came at me, could I?”

“I mean, that’s true, but still…!”

“I understand how the mecha dragon feels too. I’ll try to stop it as best I can, so you and the others should back off for now! Then, when there’s an opening, go for its tail!”

It had become a *Mecha Dragon God* instead of reverting into a Dragon God, but there were still parts of its tail that remained organic. That flesh could still be used to treat Rochefort. They mustn’t forget to secure it.

“Got it, Inglis. Let’s do that, Rafinha!”

“Fine, but this conversation isn’t over! Don’t go getting yourself hurt, Glis!”

Even if she was fussing, her concern was clear, and that made Inglis happy.

“Yeah, I know, Rani!”

*Vvvvrrrrmmm…!*

A deep vibration rang out as the cannons built into the Mecha Dragon God’s body turned to aim at Inglis. From within the barrels, light began to gather.

All five cannons, both shoulders, both hips, and the left arm, were charging at once. The right arm couldn’t be used for firing since it was currently slammed down against her, but that only made its oppressive force even greater.

Even now, with her Ether Armor active, she wasn’t being crushed, but nor could she easily push it back. They were in a perfect deadlock. It was trying to hold her in place and then blast her at close range, a relentless and merciless attack. It meant the dragon was now fighting with everything it had.

“Excellent…!”

Inglis’ eyes sparkled, and a smile spread across her face.

“Then I’ll match you—!”

A suit of *Dragon Ice Armor* enveloped Inglis’ body. Her hands remained in the same position; raised to catch the Mecha Dragon God’s right arm as it bore down on her. *Dragon Ice Armor* and *Dragon Ice Blade* were techniques that fused mana with Dragon Roar; dragon sorcery. When she first developed them, activating them required a set series of movements.

That was necessary to properly control the flow of Dragon Roar and combine it with mana, but now that she’d had time to refine it in real battle, she could activate them with minimal motion.

It was a result of her improved Dragon Roar control. A small refinement, but in moments like this, even a small difference could mean everything.

“Haaaaah!!”

Her power, amplified by the Dragon Ice Armor, pushed the Mecha Dragon God’s arm aside. But in that very instant, all five of the Mecha Dragon God’s cannons unleashed massive beams in unison. In the blink of an eye, everything before her was swallowed in overwhelming golden light.

“……!”

“Glis!”

“Miss Inglis!”

The voices of Rafinha and Arles came from behind her. Given their positions, if she were to suddenly leap to the side or use Divine Feat to evade, they could easily get caught in the crossfire of this volley.

—That said, she had no intention of dodging to begin with!

“In that case—!”

She bent her body backward, thrust her hands behind her, and pushed off the ground into a series of backflips, repeating the motion several times to gain distance. Even so, the high-speed beams were closing in fast. It wasn’t enough to create a wide gap, but just a brief instant was all she needed.

After a few spins, Inglis landed and thrust both her palms forward. —Ether Strike!

**ZGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHH!!**

The Mecha Dragon God’s concentrated volley collided with the glowing Ether Strike, and the two forces began to clash head-on.

No—rather, it’s her Ether Strike that was slowly being pushed back.

“I see, so this is the Mecha Dragon God’s breath weapon, further amplified by mechanical enhancements…! What incredible power!”

She could feel it, this golden barrage contained an extraordinarily dense concentration of Dragon Roar, unnaturally compressed to impossible levels. That impossible density must be thanks to the mechanical augmentations.

Lately, she’d spent her days peacefully training at the Knight Academy, so this level of intensity was something she hadn’t felt in a while. She couldn’t help but smile, but at this rate, she was gradually being overwhelmed.

Just then, the Mecha Dragon God’s sixth cannon, the one on its right arm, began to glow as well, adding even more pressure to the assault. For now, she had successfully stopped the initial barrage, buying Rafinha and Arles enough time to evacuate. Inglis could also escape now if she wanted to, but she wouldn’t.

“Not done yet!”

She wanted to clash head-on!

Inglis kicked off the ground and charged straight into the point where their powers collided. She altered the wavelength of her Ether to one that would repel the Ether Strike she had fired earlier. Then, in that state, she struck the Ether Strike from behind with all her might.

It was an application of Ether Reflector. Not to redirect the projectile’s path, but to reinforce it from behind and push it forward with added force. With that momentum, the Ether Strike began to shove back the Mecha Dragon God’s golden beams, cleaving through them.

Inglis steadily closed the distance toward the Mecha Dragon God. If she could drive the Ether Strike into a direct hit, great. If not, she could adjust the wavelength of her Ether Armor mid-strike, detonate it on impact, and turn it into Ether Break.

“So, what will you do now!?”

Whether it heard her words or not, the Mecha Dragon God didn’t stay silent.

**KISHAaaaaaaaah!!**

With a roar, it opened its massive jaws wide, and deep within its mouth, another cannon barrel was revealed.

“Oh…!”

It had another cannon hidden inside. If it fired that too, the sensation would be even more powerful…and more fun.

Inglis eagerly braced herself in anticipation, but the Mecha Dragon God never fired. Instead, it ceased all cannon fire and soared high into the sky.

“Mm…!?”

Of course, she had no obligation to follow it, but being denied the power struggle at its peak left her a little disappointed. She’d been enjoying herself, and the Mecha Dragon God should still have energy to spare.