Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 179: Operation Plazma – A duet with the grandmaster.

As more and more power is channeled into this singular strike, I feel a sense of discontent.

On the one hand, my output power has already surpassed my expectations, but on the other, my being as a whole is being swallowed by something intangible—something so faint yet so deadly—like the void itself has manifested.

''...''

Perhaps that is why I am so calm despite living through the situation's assumed climax.

No, it is more suitable to call this 'emotionless.'

In reality, I don't feel much of anything. Every decision my body makes is cold and calculated—as if it has nothing to do with me in the first place. This kind of machine-like thinking has certainly improved my absolute fighting capabilities... yet I'm not familiar with it. Not at all.

I'm sure I was amused a few seconds back, but here I am, carefully carving a spell to blast away existence itself with an undisturbed mind.

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

Storing Ulaika's input in my brain, I briskly take steps forward, soon surpassing her. In the distance, the lord dragon's beaming charge has almost completed, threatening to release a burst that would raze everything to the ground. 

The night sky briefly glows a silvery-white color, matching the glow of my blade and the swirling air around it.

''Begone.''

Uttering a word colder than I can even imagine, I raise my arm, aiming the Black Dawn at the incoming attack. Almost at the same time, the dragon and I release our blitzes.

For a brief second, the ground shakes, and the sky cracks as if collapsing under the immense energy discharged.

And... with nothing to back it up, I somehow find myself believing that I will come out on top in this exchange. Basic reasonings tell me that I shouldn't be able to fight on par with a lord dragon, whom even a grandmaster can't deal with easily.

Yet... my stance remains firm.

''Wow...!''

''...''

Perhaps Ulaika's exclamation and the painful shriek in the distance have already confirmed it, but amidst the blinding show of light, my 'plasma' beam curtly splits the dragon's blast in two, successfully striking its target once through that array.

One second. Two seconds.

As the countless fragments gradually fade out, the sight of a colossal dragon wailing in the air with a massive chunk of its stomach scales torn off comes into view.

When even the troops on our side and the enemies on the other side turn stunned at such a graphic, I open my mouth,

''The duet.''

''...Huh?''

''You said you wanted to do it.''

The grandmaster's naive face makes a naive expression before she bursts out smiling, ''Sure! We got this, masked lady!''

Following that, she holds out her fist, and with a little delay, I decide to clunk mine with it. From then on, it is all about putting an end to the berserk lord dragon's life.

Once such a creature loses its control, one would assume that it is easier to deal with, and perhaps that is partly true. Still, when the target of interest is on a scale as giant as this dragon, no amount of carelessness is tolerated. After all, even a stray mana bullet from it can seriously hurt me.

Well, that is without someone similar to Ulaika by my side, I suppose.

As I dive into the battle, I start to notice the increasingly valuable support from a tanker. At my core, I am a magic knight, so defense plays are not my strong suit. I was getting by quite successfully by utilizing my higher-than-average AGI until now, but not having to worry about incoming attacks at all is truly a game changer.

Every time something is flying in my direction, Ulaika will pop out of nowhere and absorb it for me, making the continuous stacking of damage from me much easier to achieve. Not to mention her handy, if not too broken, offensive capabilities. Seemingly charging her plasma meter by taking hits, Ulaika can then release them with such power even I am jealous of.

''Not so fast!''

Blocking virtually every hit and contributing a significant amount of firepower... really, I couldn't ask for a more suitable companion.

Gaining confidence and enthusiasm, I quickly breeze toward the lord dragon together with the grandmaster, clearing the numerous smaller enemies on the way.

Up close, the majestic creature seems even more glamorous and overwhelming, with one of its claws alone dwarfing my whole body by a significant margin.

''Target its exposed weaknesses.''

''Agreed.''

At this point, our opponent has already lost all reasons, its eyes dimming with a void of brilliance. However, perhaps following its instinct, the lord dragon still employs several measures to protect its weak points, nominally magic barriers.

To pierce through those layers, I need to use the power of Nihility again.

''Hah...''

Steeling my stance, I take a deep breath before lunging toward the giant, a trail of ice following my blade. My robe flutters in the air, my hair is blown by the tearing wind, and even my movements feel sluggish.

The mana pressure is too dense up here.

''Here you... go!''

Right when I contemplate using the power of Nihility to pave a way forward, Ulaika's voice enters my ear. Immediately after, all of that pressure vaporizes as the grandmaster deploys a shield around me.

With that, I continue to charge up my sword, channeling mana from my beating heart to the tips of my fingers. Fusing ice with the element of nothingness, the Black Dawn soon becomes a sword that can pierce even the toughest defense.

''Tch.''

Since holding this much of that element can actually mess up my mind afterward, I decide to hasten my pace. However, the opponent is also unmistakably a lord dragon. Even in such a daze, it still detects my presence getting closer and brings up an array of magic on top of smashing its gigantic wing at me.

''Keep on going!''

Trusting Ulaika, I keep my wind-up uninterrupted.

Trusting myself, I keep fueling my sword with more power.

I can do this. I can absolutely do this.

Amidst the crisp sounds of parrying and intercepting, along the trails of destroyed magic and broken scales, I funnel the last bits of energy into my wings and soar through it all.

As if dancing in the shattered air, as if playing on the explosions' beats, the little grandmaster orbits my position in such a fascinating manner that I can't help but notice.

Perhaps this is awe—yes, like seeing those stars in the night sky.

''...''

So, in the end, it seems I'm still a bit—just a bit—a human.

I can hear the dragon's final roar.

Puncturing through the last defenses, I stab my sword into its flesh.