Mistress Of The Evil Forest

C̵a̴s̵e̶ ̷1̷8̴7:̶ ̶O̶u̷t̵ o̵f̷ ̵t̶he̷ ̵c̵a̷g̴e̴ ̶–̷ Y̵g̷g̴d̴ra̶s̷i̵l̶, ̴Dr̵a̴g̴o̶n̵ o̶f̷ ̴O̴ri̷gi̵n̵

Aurora wakes up to a tiresome disturbance.

''...''

Even without anyone informing her, it is apparent what is unfolding outside the Backrooms. Surprisingly, she doesn't feel anxious or panicked in the slightest. But... it isn't as though she is completely relaxed either.

Her mood sits somewhere between, inside an ambiguous zone that hardly a soul can define.

Grabbing the mask lying nearby, Aurora gingerly exits her personal room. By this time, following her pre-arranged response plans, the rest of her forces should already be fighting against the invaders.

It's just her left.

Before leaving, she turns around and takes a last sweep at the base. The large living space where everyone usually is. The endless hallways where the unidentifiable creatures roam. The samey, moldy-looking walls. The flickering lights.

For all Aurora knows, this could be the end of her journey. Losing this fight means losing everything.

Against an opponent as formidable as Yggdrasil... she doesn't have much to show. The best bet she has is if she can stall until the other grandmasters join and help her defeat the proginator.

Stalling isn't her strong suit, but she has to do it, nonetheless.

When Aurora steps through the portal and feels the whipping wind fluttering her robe, the whole sky has turned red. Thin drapes of clouds mingle with hordes of winged dragons.

The thick, dusty air carries a hint of metal.

All across the vast expenses of Zircon, the faint screams of monsters echo. From the simplest of forms to the most abominable creations—all are surging to defend the homeland from the reptiles.

With the Tower of Horrors centering itself in this movement, the forests of assorted natures fused as a single being, swelling with power each time the ground quakes a beat.

''So that's the ancient dragon.''

''Wow~! So menacing.''

Atop the tower that pierces the sky, Aurora is joined by Minamoto no Kyomu—South Zircon's ruler and Sikare—East Zircon's ruler. Perhaps among Aurora's peers, only these two are strong enough to face the strongest foe.

The three's gazes match Yggdrasil's.

Against the blood-red background, its silhouette seems to brighten itself, painting an almost ethereal picture. Eventually, Yggdrasil lightly hops off the back of the dragon it has been riding, descending the air in slow, composed steps.

''I'll take care of that big one for now,'' Sikare softly says, sounding a bit more serious. ''You guys get the small one.''

''Alright. Take care.''

Kyomu nods as the Witch of Calamity unsheathes her numerous flasks, beaming a sly grin. Her opponent is a lord dragon, which is a challenge regardless... but also an opportunity.

She quickly dashes off.

''...''

Meanwhile, Aurora only stares at Yggdrasil.

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Na■e: ■■■■■■■■■           

■ace: ■■■ ■■■■■■                    Title: ■■■ ■■ ■■■■■■

L■ve■: 9■

H■: ■■■■/■■■■                    ■P: ■■■■/■■■■

ST■: ■.■                     I■T: ■.■

A■I: ■.■                    ■TA: ■.■

Skill: [■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■], [■■■ ■■■ ■■■■],
[■■■ ■■■■ ■■■], [■■■ ■■■■ ■■■],
[■■■ ■■■ ■■■■], [■■■ ■■■ ■■■■],...

S■a■e: ■■■■■■

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'It's no use, after all.'

She would love to know what kind of skills Yggdrasil has, but it seems even the system can't handle this being. More concerningly, its level starts with a '9.'

It is different from the information Chloe provided, meaning something has probably deviated again.

Well, that isn't surprising.

''Minamoto. Let's get ready.''

''Of course.''

Slowly, Aurora begins to take off, fueling a casual heap of mana into her slender sword. Like a ray of light in the darkness, her blade pierces with a burning, pale frostflame. Soon enough, she gains enough elevation to face her opponent at the same height.

Tension brews.

The swordsman of the void unsheathes his sword, stepping onto the fence in preparation for a head-on strike.

Yggdrasil's slender hands accumulate immense mana, its red eyes growing sharp.

Aurora's sword burns even harder with the fire of nihility.

—!

In less than a moment, all three's silhouettes blur.

Aurora swings her sword with earth-shattering power, stressing her entire body's muscles. The blade of nihility cuts through reality itself, aligning to sever the enemy's head.

''...Tch.''

Yet, even with Kyomu's joint attack, Yggdrasil remains unscathed. 

Merely a thin layer of that mysterious mana the dragon wields is enough to stop the power of nihility altogether. No, it's not that there is something that can resist such force.

Its mana is simply too potent.

In the most literal sense, it is a difference in class.

Undeterred, Aurora unleashes another gust of sword strikes, this time bringing even more firepower. The sole Black Dawn nearly overloads with bursting mana, most of which erupts into thousands of deadly ice shards upon colliding with the dragon's sturdy skin.

Those fragments of nothingness slowly chip away at the protective layer, but right when the first slash is about to slice through—

''Ugh...!''

A simple swing of an arm.

Pushed away with such an unimaginable force, Aurora's arms tremble. She instinctively knows it—tricks won't work on this enemy.

Keeping the same impassionate face, Yggdrasil calmly deflects Kyomu's ambush, its ruby-like eyes never leaving the masked woman. 

Once again, a strange tension brews in the air. Even as the clash between the other lord dragon and Sikare runs rampant, this side of the playfield seems unaffected.

[...]

As if pondering something, Yggdrasil slightly narrows its eyes.

At once, thousands of possibilities run through Aurora's head. What is it scheming? What should she do?

''...!''

But when the dragon once again bares its claws of mana, the fate of this encounter is decided. Tearing through the crimson air are simple yet fatal gouges, each carrying the weight of a moutain.

Dancing amidst the white flashes, Aurora sees Yggdrasil's burning eyes as though boiling pits of blood.

But even such accidental observations are soon substituted by incomprehensible scenes as she follows her pure instinct to evade the increasingly swift claws.

''Ugh...''

Overwhelmed.

A strange sense of helplessness takes over Aurora's body. Letting Kyomu take over for a moment, she dedicates some seconds to composing herself.

...But there's nothing to think about further. 

So, clenching her palm, Aurora onca again springs forward, channeling her mana into the Black Dawn's blade.

For a substantial period, Kyomu and she remain locked in a delicate survival clash with Yggdrasil, who seems to be playing with them to some extent.

No, there is no joy in its eyes.

Perhaps... the celestial entity in the sky does enjoy this.

''...''

As much as she wants to rip apart that ugly piece of meat, getting all worked up now doesn't solve anything. Her job is to stall, but... even her stamina is running out. In the first place, Aurora isn't used to drawn-out fights in the slightest.

'Where are they...'

Time after time, her gaze can't help but divert to the direction of the academy or the imperial palace. Enormous mana ramifications can still be felt from those locations, but there isn't a way to know if their fights are close to over.

Aurora dreads to think about just how little she has held out for.

'A little bit more...'

Just strain her nerves a bit more. When those reliable people arrive, she can take a brief rest.

Yes, a 'brief' rest, indeed.