Chapter 93

Without any mental preparation, I was lifted into the sky on the back of a dragon, and I nearly fainted from the immense pressure of the ascent—but then, suddenly, the monster loomed before my eyes, and I had no time to lose consciousness.

『『『Black Lightning』』』

“Parii”

A massive ‘Black Lightning’ suddenly attacked me and the dragon. The moment I blocked it with my sword, I was pushed back by an incredible force, nearly being blown away, but I managed to push back and somehow deflected the lightning.

The moment I deflected it, the lightning that fell on the distant plain created a huge crater. If I had been hit by that, my body would have exploded instantly. Moreover, if the dragon carrying me through the sky had been hit, I would have fallen helplessly from this great height.

『『『Black Lightning』』』

Therefore—absolutely, I couldn’t let the dragon be hurt.

Yet, the dragon was spiraling through the sky at a terrifying speed, charging straight towards the monster. The monster relentlessly hammered us with powerful lightning.

“Parii”

I crawled around the wide back of the dragon, swinging the ‘Black Sword’ with all my might. Using my full [Body Reinforcement], I managed to deflect the lightning just in time.

But the moment I deflected one bolt and felt a sense of relief, the monster launched its next attack. The monster was about to unleash a series of those powerful lightning strikes.

The lightning spread across the sky in an instant.

—This is bad.

The moment I thought that, it was unleashed all at once.

『『『『『『Black Lightning』』』』』』

I realized the moment it was unleashed that it was impossible to block with my strength alone. There was nothing I could do but wait to be burned. My mind went blank, and I immediately sensed my impending death.

But—

For some reason, my body moved before I could despair.

“Parii”

The lightning avoided us as if slipping past, falling to the side.

“…What…?”

I was puzzled. I seemed to have been swinging my sword, but I hadn’t done it consciously. Yet, it felt familiar. I knew that sensation.

—Rather, it was something I couldn’t forget. It was the feeling of the training with Gilbert before I left for Misra.

Gilbert’s spear was sharp. If I tried to block it after seeing it, I would never be fast enough.

So, I moved minimally, not striking with force but just touching. I didn’t need to strike hard. Just a slight touch with my sword to slightly alter the angle of the incoming spear was enough. In fact, that was all I could do—but it was enough to block his spear.

『『『『『『Black Lightning』』』』』』

The massive lightning the monster unleashed with a thunderous roar was truly terrifying. When seen head-on, it looked like the end of the world. On this unstable sky, it was even more daunting. In an instant, the black lightning covered us, threatening to burn us to a crisp. It was a terrifying sight, and the next bolt looked even larger.

But—

—Gilbert’s spear was much faster.

“Parii”

I recalled the feeling of deflecting Gilbert’s spear and deflected the monster’s lightning. The numerous bolts that had been so difficult to handle just moments ago now easily veered off, flying straight and eroding the mountains in the distance.

『『『Black Lightning』』』

“Parii”

The monster continued to unleash powerful lightning without a break. But I felt a sense of anticlimax as I deflected all the lightning. What had been so difficult just moments ago now required no effort. I could easily deflect the intense lightning, as if dealing with feathers.

I didn’t need to block them head-on; just deflecting them was enough. My body, having repeated this movement countless times, did it instinctively without any conscious thought.

—So, this was all it took.

The monster continued to unleash even more powerful lightning, but—

『『『『『『Black Lightning』』』』』』

“Parii”

I carefully observed the trajectory of each bolt and deflected every one that came flying. Occasionally, Lala would breathe a powerful flame, forcing the monster’s flames back with her wings and burning it.

—It was a truly spectacular sight. The sky was covered in scorching flames, and the ground was struck by thunder, eroding the distant mountains.

If I were hit by that lightning, it would be the end, and I was tense. But no matter how powerful the monster’s attacks were, as long as I deflected them and sent them to the distant mountains or plains, it was no big deal. I felt that I could handle as many bolts as came my way.

—Actually, looking down was much more frightening. I had been trying not to look down, but there was a limit. The dragon, being smart, seemed to be careful not to drop me, but its speed was extraordinary. Every time the dragon made a large turn in the sky, I nearly fainted.

—If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have to worry about being killed.

“But… this is endless.”

The monster was incredibly tough. Despite continuously unleashing such powerful magic, it showed no signs of fatigue. Even though Lala’s breath burned the monster, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air, it didn’t seem to be affected much.

“How can we defeat something like this?”

Is a ‘Skeleton’ this strong? Or… it doesn’t look like a skeletal monster at all. Maybe this isn’t a ‘Skeleton’?

While I was having these doubts, a familiar light appeared in the corner of my vision.

“[Divine Shield]”

A massive ‘light barrier’ that seemed to split the sky vertically appeared, slicing the monster’s flesh vertically. A large chunk of the thick flesh covering the bones was cut off and floated in the air—

“—Gwa”

Lala immediately unleashed a high-temperature ‘Breath’ and turned the floating flesh into a massive lump of charcoal.

“What is that—?”

I cautiously glanced down in the direction the light barrier had come from and saw a familiar silver-armored, golden-haired woman ascending at an incredible speed. She was creating numerous small ‘light shields’ and using them as stepping stones, forming a ‘light staircase.’

She leaped from the light staircase and landed on the dragon’s back.

“—Lord Noll, I’m sorry for being late.”

“Ines, you came.”

It was indeed Ines.

“I’m relieved. I couldn’t handle it alone.”

“—That might be true. I’m here to assist on Lord Rineburg’s orders, but I want to take some precautions. Can we fly a bit higher?”

“No, I can’t communicate with this dragon. …We need Roro.”

“…I see. Then, there’s no choice.”

Ines said this and suddenly jumped off the dragon.

—At that moment, I nearly fainted.

This is bad.

It’s very scary.

Not only the thought of falling myself, but seeing someone fall from a great height is terrifying.

—No, that’s not it.

Now isn’t the time to think about that.

While I was feeling dizzy, she was falling at an incredible speed. I had to help her immediately. But how?

“[Divine Shield]”

Ines created an incredibly large ‘light shield’ below her and landed on it as if nothing had happened.

I was relieved.

—I see.

Maybe I didn’t need to worry.

I wish she had told me it was safe for my heart.

“Is that—‘floor’?”

But I quickly forgot that feeling. When I looked down again, a surprising scene unfolded. The ‘shield’ Ines created had separated the ground from the sky, forming a massive floor that seemed to cover the entire city of Misra. It was a divine, almost glowing stage.

The monster, which had stopped moving after losing a large number of arms to Ines’s attack, allowed me and Lala to quickly approach Ines and land next to her.

“Amazing… the floor was created in an instant. You can do this?”

“I’m sorry, but I need to keep it this way for a while. I can’t let the monster’s magic fall to the ground now.”

“Yeah, this is much better for me.”

Ines said she was sorry, but… honestly, it’s a huge help. Not having to worry about falling from the sky to the ground is a big relief. If there’s one thing, I wish the floor wasn’t a bit see-through, but I can’t be too picky.

“…I see. By the way, I forgot to mention, there’s no other reinforcement. It will be just the two of us fighting that.”

“That’s enough, right? Plus, we’re not alone. Lala is here too.”

“…I see.”

Ines smiled a little.

“—It’s coming.”

The monster, which had lost balance after losing a part of its body, was about to unleash more magic. Despite losing a lot of flesh to Ines’s attack, it showed no signs of damage. The countless lost arms had regrown, and it still had plenty of flesh and seemed energetic.

“Lord Noll… can I leave the defense to you? I won’t be able to protect myself while I’m cutting away its flesh with this floor.”

“Yeah, you can leave it to me. I can handle the monster’s lightning.”

“…I see. Then, I’ll count on you.”

As Ines smiled, the monster immediately unleashed another bolt of lightning at us.

『『『『『『Black Lightning』』』』』』

But I no longer felt fear.

“Parii”

Until now, I had been anxious about handling everything alone, but now Ines was here. It might be a bit embarrassing to rely on her completely, but just her presence had almost eliminated my anxiety.

—Actually, seeing Ines, who usually has a stern expression, smile like that must mean she’s quite confident. I had been so anxious until just a moment ago. I had thought I had grown a bit, seeing Gilbert’s spear, but seeing her strength, I felt I still had a long way to go.

“[Divine Shield]”

“—Gwa”

Ines cut away the flesh, Lala burned it, and I deflected the lightning.

Our roles were quickly established. After Ines joined, the flesh covering the bones was being cut away rapidly. I was overwhelmed by the sight while deftly deflecting the countless bolts of black lightning.

The scene around us was so intense that it didn’t seem real, but my job was simple. Just deflect what came at me. When I didn’t know what to do, I was anxious, but once I knew my role, it became just a task.

And—

『『『『『『Black Lightning』』』』』』

“Parii”

—I had gotten used to this task.

With Lala and Ines’s attacks, the flesh was rapidly being cut away, and the monster was returning to its original ‘skeletal’ form.