Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 178: Operation Plazma – Ulaika, the Invincible Shield.

What would you do against a dragon's blast?

This is a rarely asked question since most will not survive the attack, no matter what they try. Dragons' blasts, whether fire, ice, wind, etc., are so powerful that they have been compared to natural disasters.

I myself have experienced it firsthand.

The hydra at the heart of Zircon would often spew out an obscene number of death rays at me whenever I was in the air or below. I'm not sure if I could survive several of those coming straight at me.

Nonetheless, the danger of those blasts cannot be disputed, but so far, I can count on only one individual to confront them head-on.

''...Ridiculous.''

Ulaika, the Invincible Shield.

I understand why they gave her that nickname now. Even as I exist right at this moment, standing here and witnessing a very real scene before me, something still seems odd.

Under the blazing moon, two forces collide squarely against one another.

On one side, a colossal dragon remains perched on the ground, flaring out its wings and covering hundreds of meters. Its glossy scales, ones bearing a majestic silver color, swell and calm as if breathing. Each time that it pushes another gust of power into that cocoon of plasma, the sky gets a notch brighter.

I can't help but feel my hair standing even from this distance.

Should there be a creature so powerful in existence? Just the thought that it isn't even the strongest of its kind amazes me. Still, if there's something even more incredible...

''Prepare the spell...!''

Standing... tall before the blast, the small grandmaster steadily braces her mana shield, literally splitting the death ray that is hundreds of times bigger than herself apart. Using some sort of skills, she extends the coverage of her shield to protect her troops, and if I'm not seeing it wrong, she's even absorbing some of the energy coming her way.

Amazingly, it seems this matchup favors Ulaika.

Of course, the dragon also realizes this, seeing that it ceases to attack shortly after. Perhaps planning a different approach, it begins to flap those two wings, but—

''It ain't that easy!''

What happens next is straight out of a movie—as Chloe might say.

Almost too smoothly, an unbelievably thick concentration of energy is condensed into Ulaika's little palm, and before long, she launches that all forward... forming a beam of plasma.

Although much smaller than what the dragon can produce, it apparently holds immense power as it easily scrapes off the target's sturdy scales, burning into its flesh.

''How dare you injure this divine body?!''

Oh, divine flesh, I guess.

Still, what a sharp shriek. I was just wondering how she would deal damage to that thing, but... this is just ridiculous. I get why they call this operation 'Plazma' now.

So, there's that, yet the question I have in my mind now is whether to jump in or not. Honestly speaking, Ulaika should be able to take care of that lord dragon, and the troops following her should clear out the nearby smaller enemies soon.

But I'm itching for some action. If it's a lord dragon, I can rest assured that I won't be disappointed.

''Mhm.''

Let's go in.

Charging my blade with some mana, I start to slide my way down the snowy slope. With the elements by my side today, I feel better than ever—refreshing, should I say?

With such incredible motivation... perhaps a grand opening should suffice.

''Hah...''

Rising from the depths of my being, a source of absolute coldness surges, blowing through my veins to then reach the tips of my fingers. Soon enough, that energy is fully devoted to the Black Dawn's edges, creating a hollow glow of blue.

And finally, with a potent intent to eradicate the last traces of whatever is in front of me, that glow leans a notch toward an ashen blue.

Everything proceeded within seconds.

By the time the closest dragons to me have realized something, it is already too late. As I lightly pull the blade down, the boiling power crisply explodes into a chain of crystals flooding forward.

Like spikes, they pierce whoever is unlucky enough to stand in their path; like tsunamis, they engulf whatever is unlucky enough to be underneath them, and like flowers, they bloom so spectacularly even at night.

''What is...?!''

''This ice...''

In an instant, the whole battlefield seems to halt.

[You have defeated a Lv.46 Khruse Wind Dragon]

[You have defeated a Lv.51 Khruse Water Dragon]

[You have defeated a Lv.54 Khruse Fire Dragon]

As all eyes are suddenly on me, I spare half a glance at the windows popping up and keep walking forward. Allies and enemies alike, they all seem to have adopted either fear or caution. It makes sense, considering any living being that touches these crystals will, in the rawest way, disintegrate into nothingness.

The only one who is unaffected... yes. It has to be her.

''That's some really nice firepower!'' Ulaika excitedly exclaims, her eyes sparkling. ''Hey, I'm actually fired up now! Duet with me, masked lady!''

''Unusual word choice, but... sure.''

A 'duet,' huh... sounds nice.

Nonetheless, in response to my arrival, the lord dragon seems to have upped its cautiousness by several steps. Logically, this is where it should retreat, but maybe it has something to protect here, or... its pride is getting in the way.

No matter the reason, I'm fine with it.

''Tell me your plan to tackle that thing.'' I softly say. ''Anything without letting it run away.''

''Heheh, of course, we're not.''

''That's good.''

''...I don't have a plan, though.''

This airheaded...

Oh, wait, the dragon is trying to run again. I guess it has been waiting for the recovery until now. Unfortunately, its opponent is me.

''Stop there.''

Gathering a bit of mana again, I aim my sword at the sneaky dragon. At my command, that little mana turns into another avalanche of spells, which rain upon the opponent within just a moment. I haphazardly did it, so they're mostly just snow, but...

''O-Oh...?! What happened to it??''

''...''

As expected, the element of nothingness is still the most potent. That doesn't mean that the lord dragon is taken care of, however. Dragons are tough creatures, and this one, despite bleeding and bruising all over its body, is relatively intact.

...Intact enough to prepare another death ray coming our way.

I can easily dodge it, of course, but I'm not sure about the people behind us. This one is looking to be even bigger than the last, too, seeing just how enraged the dragon is.

But before I even notice it, Ulaika lightly trots a few steps forward, giving her silver mana shield a few good shrugs before nailing it into the ground. Her expression—composed and confident—tells me everything I need to know about the defensive measures.

So, with a smile under the mask, I decide to prepare our counterattack instead. Since the operation is named 'Plazma' anyway... I would do everyone a disservice not to make a plasma beam, right?

Ah, an ice plasma sounds nice, too.

Something like... this.

...

...Did I make it too big?

''...Hey, masked lady. Don't shoot that at my back, okay...?''

''...''

''A-Are you listening?!''