Chapter 116
Chapter 116
Alter, together with Brillie Illenat, had managed to eliminate most of the burrowing beetles.
Thanks to their efforts, their allies were able to maintain the defensive line more securely, and the advance of other monsters was somewhat slowed.
However, they soon found themselves in a difficult situation as a bizarre new enemy appeared.
"Alter, what should we do about this?"
"... It seems it has been enhanced by the dragon's mana."
While keeping a close eye on the enemy, Alter froze dozens of tree vines at once.
Yet, it simply generated more vines and continued its attacks in quick succession.
Even if they destroyed the vine stems, the enemy regenerated new ones almost instantly, causing the situation to reach a stalemate.
"We shouldn't approach recklessly, should we?"
"If you get caught, the situation will only get worse."
"Should I try targeting its main body with a sword aura?"
"The speed at which it creates vines is very fast. Even if we cut some, it can restore them."
"But if this keeps up, we'll only be wasting mana. Don't we need to end this, somehow?"
"To do that, we must destroy the source of the mana."
A tree spirit, by nature, is covered in tree vines all over its body.
Essentially, these vines are a manifestation of magic, and the source of its mana continuously fuels this spell.
In other words, only by destroying the mana source can the tree spirit be eliminated.
"It keeps changing its position—how will we find it?"
"If we can lure the source to one side, can't we narrow down its location?"
"... I see what you mean. Alter, you'll attack first, right?"
"Yes. I'll leave the rest to you."
With those words, Alter unleashed even greater mana.
The mana instantly turned into cold energy and surged toward the tree spirit.
The wildly flailing vines froze solid and shattered into pieces.
'If I keep suppressing the vines and steadily push forward...'
Alter kept freezing the continuously sprouting vines one by one.
He couldn't afford to leave any element that might interfere with Brillie Illenat's chance to sever the source for good.
By encasing the tree spirit itself in cold and reducing the space in which the mana source could move, he could set things up perfectly.
'If it's Brillie, I know she'll do well.'
Alter trusted Brillie Illenat as a swordswoman.
She had always protected him and cleanly cut down any monster.
She had never made a mistake, and even when shaken, she bore her duties without complaint.
That's why, rather than worrying about her as his fiancé, he could see her as a steadfast comrade.
"Brillie!"
"I found its location."
Brillie Illenat locked her gaze on the half-frozen tree spirit, then swung her sword down with precision.
Mana surged forth from her blade, drawing a graceful curve in the air.
The curve lingered for a moment, then, in an instant, shot forth sharply.
"Wiuuuung..."
The tree spirit abruptly stilled, partly severed.
Through the tangled vines, the source of its mana was now visible.
It was distinctly marked, its form already fading.
"That was a bit troublesome."
Brillie Illenat spoke calmly as she looked around.
The tree spirit, imbued with the dragon's mana, slowly rotted away until even its shape collapsed.
The other tree spirits that followed were picked off one by one, their momentum waning.
Fortunately, this battle seemed to end in the allies' favor.
"Thanks to you, Brillie, it wrapped up quickly."
"I just had to attack. You did the tough part, Alter."
Brillie Illenat was well aware of Alter's meticulous support.
He had prevented the vines from obstructing her vision and pressured the mana source to the brink.
That was why it was easier for her to channel sword energy and erase the source.
"... It looks like the enemy senses danger now. They probably wanted to open a path beforehand, but now the dragon will have to get involved directly."
"It hasn't used its breath yet, right? Doesn't that mean we should be even more careful?"
"It won't use that carelessly. Even a dragon wouldn't want to waste such massive mana."
"Hmm... To finish it with a single blow, would we need to target the head?"
"It'd be best to go for the legs first, but its body is so tough it will take too long. And targeting the shell is out of the question."
If they first eliminate the enemy's mobility, they can ensure their allies' safety.
But Grafden the Deep's body was shielded by thick scales and a heavy shell, requiring even fiercer attacks.
Given the considerable time and mana that would be consumed, perhaps they should try for a critical spot from the start.
"We shouldn't let our guard down just because it's slow. Can't it also use magic?"
"If it's earth attribute, it might use the ground to attack: hurling rocks or causing quakes."
"Could it also use that to shield itself?"
"It's possible... but that would only slow it down further. Would it want to reduce its speed on purpose?"
Grafden the Deep was obsessed only with absorbing vital energy from the ley lines.
That was why it would likely choose to sweep away enemies before it, rather than adopt a defensive stance.
But since it needed to store up vital energy, it wouldn't casually use powerful techniques like breath.
'I need to attack the head—since it's being controlled from there...'
To be precise, a monster had invaded its head and taken complete control of Grafden the Deep.
Essentially, it was parasitizing Grafden to covertly siphon off the ley lines' vital energy.
Even if the monster died, Grafden the Deep would not return to its original state but would inevitably die on the spot.
'If the head can't be destroyed, they'll focus their defenses there, and it will be harder to deal with.'
Grafden the Deep's natural defenses were formidable, thanks to its scales and shell.
Furthermore, earth magic could make its body even more resistant.
In other words, unless they could slay it with a first strike, their side would have to bear considerable losses.
'If we barely manage to kill it, the Knight of True Flame will intervene, and again, he'll absorb the dragon's mana...'
Their top priority was subjugating Grafden the Deep, but ignoring the Knight of True Flame was not an option either.
He was only assisting the imperial army to achieve his own ends.
The Knight of True Flame himself housed immense risk, so they had to keep him in check somehow.
'If I can just finish it in one strike, that would be best, but it won't be easy. If anything goes wrong, we'll be the ones who are cornered.'
As always, Alter prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Grafden the Deep might hold out and inflict heavy losses on the imperial army, and the Knight of True Flame could easily seize the dragon's mana.
Even though Alter possessed the dragon's bloodline, he knew he couldn't perfectly overcome every crisis.
'If I have to give up on one of the two... hmm...'
* * *
The Knight of True Flame was still battling a single troll, but the fight had dragged on for quite some time.
This troll had much greater regenerative abilities than the others, and its strength was nothing to scoff at.
Moreover, the mana within it was unusual, and the Knight immediately deduced the cause.
'... It has received mana from the dragon.'
The Knight of True Flame unconsciously felt a twinge of curiosity as he raised a fierce blaze.
Although he had absorbed only imperfect dragon mana himself, this troll possessed pure mana.
It meant that he should be able to endure even if he tested his full strength against it.
'I've been waiting for an opponent like you. I can't go all out against humans, can I?'
Engulfed in burning willpower, the Knight of True Flame unleashed crimson flames.
He wanted to see just how far his power could reach.
He would have to become strong enough to kill not just the troll before him, but even the dragon.
Only then could he prove his choices were justified.
'If they are alive... then I can protect the people.'
The Knight of True Flame tried to push off onto others the responsibilities he'd abandoned.
Sword Saint, great mage, holy apostle, Sword Flower, the next great mage, and others.
Recognizing his own sins, he belatedly sought to cooperate with them.
'All I have to do is kill creatures like you. That's why I sought this power.'
He tried to drown his desire for power in his crusade against the monsters.
It may have been a pitiful rationalization, but he didn't care to dwell on right or wrong.
There was no turning back, and once he'd started, he knew he had to see it through.
'I'll grow stronger still. Even if it leads to destruction... I will not stop.'
With renewed determination, the Knight of True Flame incinerated every monster he could find.
He deliberately sought out places where monsters gathered in great numbers.
Only then could he save more soldiers, and further fuel his burning resolve.
"Kiaaa!"
"You're still standing through that...?"
The Knight of True Flame viewed the scene with a hint of admiration.
The troll empowered by dragon mana endured the searing blaze, finally managing to snuff it out.
Its entire body was scorched, but it overcame the pain with sheer regeneration.
With that kind of resilience, perhaps it was worth raising the firepower.
"You're quite promising. Care to keep going?"
"Kroarr!"
The troll brushed away the flames and charged at the Knight of True Flame.
Only then did he finally draw his sword and take up a stance.
"Let's see if you can put up even more of a fight. Don't tell me this is all you've got."
* * *
Megarexor and Ronit, after barely defeating a massive golem, took a brief moment to catch their breath.
It seemed that bearing the dragon's mana made this golem much sturdier than others.
On top of that, its core was deeply hidden, so they had to dig through thick rock by hand.
Most of the monsters that had charged the defensive line had been slain, so now, the only thing left was the dragon itself.
"Now, if we just kill that big turtle, it'll all be over."
"Should we head into battle as is? Perhaps a brief retreat would be wise."
"Getting tired already? I can still fight more."
"As the next great mage said, it's best to finish this in one stroke. To do so, we need optimal conditions."
Like Alter, Ronit sought a solid and certain victory.
He wanted to minimize casualties among the order as well as preserve the lives of the imperial troops.
Moreover, having been temporarily appointed as overall commander, he had to be extra careful in his decisions.
"Then we should wait until the two of them arrive."
"The word of victory has already come, so they'll join us soon. The issue is the Knight of True Flame..."
Ronit hesitated for a moment, then shot a discreet side glance.
The Sword Saint had already been beaten by the Knight of True Flame, without even inflicting a minor wound.
The Sword Saint's pride had surely been wounded, but inevitably, the matter would resurface.
"Let's keep it simple. Like the youngest of the ducal house said, we hunt the dragon and the Knight of True Flame together."
"Not everything goes according to plan, does it?"
"Don't worry. If I bet my life, I could at least cut off one of his arms or legs. Why don't we aim for that moment?"