Chapter 639


    Thud, thud, thud...


    The feather bombardment had ended.


    Wingian flew over us and far into the distance. It would surelye back this way, attacking with different means next time.


    Its slowly rotating wings extended far to the sides, and a dark, sinister energy formed on the entirety of the wings.


    ''That pattern is...!''


    It had used the breath pattern and the dive-bombing pattern, so what remained was.


    "''Wave of Wind'' pattern!"


    The third signature attack of Wingian.


    Using its giant wings, it would continuouslyunch sweeping waves of wind across the ground, the ''Wave of Wind'' pattern.It was obvious, but this was indeed a floor attack pattern. And!


    ''This was the pattern we were targeting!''


    We had focused solely on evasion for the breath and feather bombardment, but this pattern was one we could counterattack.


    Thus, my heroes had been trained to pour in their attacks when facing this pattern.


    "Everyone, prepare to counterattack-!"


    As I waved the g to signal the offense, the eyes of the waiting heroes changed in unison.


    "Proceed as nned, as we''ve trained before! Don''t make any mistakes!"


    "Yes-!"


    From the forefront of the heroes who responded in unison, Dusk Bringar prepared to lead the attack once again.


    Sssssshhh...


    The [Lord of the High Tower] that had been deployed in the air was retracted.


    Dark red chains swirled around her body, converging into her outstretched right hand.


    The chains, connected by magic power, molded into a new form in her grasp.


    From the handle to the massive guard, and from the guard, a huge de rose...


    In the next moment, a burning ck and red chained greatsword appeared in her right hand.


    "..."


    I broke out in a cold sweat.


    No, wasn''t that supposed to be armor...? I mean, I had included barrier functions in it, but how did it transform into a greatsword...?


    Still dressed in a red sleeveless dress, with her slender arms visibly light, Dusk Bringar spun the greatsword around with ease and grinned.


    "This form is the ''Armored de''... A versatile armor indeed."


    Iughed helplessly.


    In some ways, it really was like an armor forged by the King of Flies. The chains that made up the armor moved individually, performing the shapes and functions the wearer desired.


    ''It must be because it''s Dusk Bringar that she handles it so adeptly...''


    The greater one''s magic power, the freer their control bes. Since it''s Dusk Bringar, with her dragonblood ownership and ability to materialize magic power, that she can manipte it like that.


    Anyhow, Dusk Bringar''s armor performance was impressive, but there wasn''t much time to be distracted by it.


    Wingian hadpleted its turn and was flying straight towards us.


    "Let''s finish this in one go... Everyone, let''s go!"


    "Good, I will lead! Everyone, follow closely!"


    Charge!


    Dusk Bringar ran at the front, followed quickly by the vanguard heroes who rushed forward.


    p!


    Lowering its altitude, Wingian came closer to us and paused at one point in the air, then repeatedly pped its wings mightily.


    Each time, a ckened current mixed with the wind waves roared from the tips of its wings. The sinister, enemyden wind waves continuously swept across the ground toward us.


    Charge! Charge-!


    And my heroes skillfully kicked off the ground, dodging the attack with perfect timing, and approached Wingian.


    ''We''ve gotten so practiced at dealing with this floor attack pattern that it''s getting old!''


    Meanwhile, our heroes, who were facing these wind waves without taking any damage, were rushing towards it, causing Wingian considerable consternation.


    While using this wind wave technique, Wingian couldn''t move.


    The delicacy required to control the air currents and fire them off meant that it was using all avable air currents for attack, immobilizing itself in the process.


    In gaming terms, it was caught in a ''channeling'' state during the skill''s use.


    In other words, for a brief time, it was definitely stationary-


    "Hit it hard-!"


    If our heroes could just reach it in that time, they could grab Wingian by the scruff of its neck and pull it down to the ground!


    Soon, the vanguard of my heroes had reached the ground right beneath Wingian.


    "Gasp!"


    From the rear, King Poseidon confirmed their arrival and nted his trident in the ground.


    Swoooosh!


    From the ground, a stream of water erupted, and the leading heroes were propelled upwards on it. It was a high ground attack tactic once used in the Tustivian Raid.


    "How arrogant, you vermin...!"


    As humans reached the same eye level, Wingian''s golden eyes contorted with rage.


    "Return to the height that suits you! Crawl on the ground-!"


    Wingian''s beak-like mouth gaped open, and


    Screeeeeeeech-!


    A corporeal sound wave burst forth, mming all the approaching vanguard heroes to the ground.


    It was a Dragon Roarthough Wingian''s was slightly different from other dragons.


    It had a mix of the sound wave attack simr to the Harpy Legion they had previously encountered. Perhaps it was due to being part bird, part dragon.


    "Argh!"


    "Even with earplugs, my ears hurt...!"


    The vanguard heroes who had ascended on the water stream screamed in agony as they plummeted.


    Yet, some heroes endured the dreadful screams and managed to get right up to Wingian''s snout.


    Dusk Bringar, Lucas, and Kun.


    Dusk Bringar had breached using [Lord of the High Tower] like a shield, while Lucas had Evangeline take the brunt of the sound wave, causing her to fall.


    "Uncle, half of your military achievements are mine! Got it?!"


    Lucas scoffed at the shouting Evangeline, stepped on her shield, and gathered strength to soar upwards once more.


    Evangeline screamed miserably as she fell.


    And Kun... just endured it with a monstrous resilience having broken through his limits.


    Having be one with Nightmare yer, a chosen of the tribal gods, and wearing doubleyers of equipment, Kun had be so strong that even I couldn''t fully grasp his specs.


    These three, having broken through Wingian''s Dragon Roar, flew right up to the vicious dragon''s snout.


    Dusk Bringar raised her chained greatsword with a fierce smile.


    "Indeed, its always best to grab and swing the tower...!"


    The de of the giant chained greatsword in her hand spun like a saw de, glowing with sunset-colored magic power, and then,


    Craaaaack!


    she struck Wingian''s crown.


    Almost simultaneously, Lucas, having surged upward with [Step of Persistence], glided smoothly through the air, and then


    Zzzsh!


    used [Strike of Will] to cleanly sh across one of Wingian''s eyes.


    Lastly, Kun assumed his distinctive stance in mid-air,


    "''Single-minded Torrent.''"


    and honestly mmed his ultimate skill.


    Thuuuuump!


    Kun struck precisely where Wingian had been spewing its Dragon Roar and sound wave attacks, along with clich dragon-like lines, from its beak.


    "...?!"


    Wingian staggered in mid-air, incredulous.


    The horn on Wingian''s crown, a magic gathering organ, was crushed by Dusk Bringar''s attack, while Lucas''s sword cut had scattered the divine aura of one of its eyes.


    And Kun''s attack shattered the beak, the source of the Dragon Roar and sound wave attacks.


    In an instant, three critical parts were destroyed.


    "You, insufferable vermin that even tearing apart wouldn''t satisfy...!"


    Even with its split beak, Wingian roared back. Simultaneously, the wind wave pouring from its wings ended.


    The brief respite was over. Wingian ended the wind wave pattern and surged upwards into the sky.


    "I won''t kill you easily, all of you! I''ll capture you alive! Until your flesh rots and your bones decay, I''ll gnaw at you bit by bit with my beak!"


    The one remaining eye of Wingian nearly flipped in fury. It hadn''t even been hit on the dragon''s scale, yet it was so enraged that it had already entered a berserk state.


    ''Good, it''s gone berserk.''


    Seeing things go ording to n, I felt relieved.


    Of course, the horn, the eye, and the beak were Wingian''s key destructible parts.


    But the core of its power was never really these.


    Ultimately, the source of its insane mobility and mind control was the wings, true to Wingian''s name.


    Nevertheless, the reason I had ordered the vanguard heroes to aim for ''any part'' for destruction was because of this berserk state.


    Once any part of Wingian''s body suffered damage, it would immediately be enraged and enter a berserk state.


    In a berserk state, it bes impossible to think clearly, and although all its abilities increase in power...


    ''Its defenses are lowered!''


    ccrreeeeech!


    Wingian soared to an immense height and stopped in midair. It seemed he was nning to incinerate us with an aerial breath attack now that the cooldown had ended.


    I turned to my side and spoke.


    "Well done, Violet."


    There, Violet was breathing heavily, her mind fully focused.


    Violet, drenched in sweat, turned to me, and I smiled broadly.


    "...You can deactivate the illusion now."


    "Finally...!"


    Relieved, Violet let out a long breath and deactivated the illusion she had maintained since the start of the battle.


    Ssssh...!


    In the next moment,


    "...?!"


    Wingian, preparing to unleash his breath in midair, instantly realized something.


    "What, what are you...?!"


    That someone had stealthily climbed onto his back.


    "..."


    Riding on the dragon''s back was an elf, her long green hair whipping about in the fierce wind.


    Verdandi.


    A scion of the elf royal family, a chosen of the elf god, our side''s strongest assassin, and


    Shing!


    Holder of the strongest dragon yer weapon currently possessed by the World Guardian Front, [Isagum], made from the Tustivian''s Fangs.


    ''From the start, this whole operation was designed for Verdandi.''


    I grinned.


    The vanguard heroes charging noisily, hammering Wingian''s head to draw his attention, and pushing him into a berserk state...


    All to give Verdandi, who had been hidden under Violet''s [Illusionary Realm] from the start of the battle, a chance to climb onto this dragon.


    And Verdandi seeded.


    While the vanguard heroes distracted him, she approached from behind, riding the stream of water from King Poseidon, throwing her blink dagger, and stealthily climbed onto his body.


    ***


    "It''s high."


    Gazing distantly at the surface far below, Verdandi murmured emotionlessly.


    From her downcast cold eyes, a vivid golden color flowed.


    "It will be satisfying to bring it down."


    At the same time, the dagger [Isagum] touched down on Wingian''s left wing joint.


    [Isagum] was a dagger forged from the magic core and symbol of Tustivian, a dragon specialized in breathmagic radiation.


    Naturally, the dagger inherited the same properties.


    Groooooo...!


    From the tip of the dagger, a vivid green magic current swirled and gathered.


    As if magic was being drawn into the mouth of a dragon preparing to breathe.


    "Wha...?!"


    Wingian had no time to utter anything else.


    Verdandi was not a sloppy assassin who allowed her prey to utterst words.


    ng!


    From the tip of the dagger, pure green magic shot out like a dragon''s breath, and Verdandi, holding the dagger spewing green mes with both hands, forcefully shed down.


    sh!


    In the dark sky of the Lake Kingdom, a vivid green sh was etched.


    Following its trajectory


    Whoosh!


    Wingian''s massive left wing was cleanly sliced off from the wing joint.


    "Craaaaaaaah?!"


    As the severed wing spilled copious amounts of blood and feathers, the vile dragon screamed in agony.


    --TL Notes--


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