Akatsuki Translations

The last thing Ur wanted was to get involved with the crazies.

But, unfortunately, those crazies were his comrades and sister, and if they fell, it would be a serious problem. Reluctantly, he had to go to their aid.

And, to his further dismay, he found himself directly confronting the dragon he’d hoped to avoid. There was no escape. Ur lamented his misfortune.

“A dragon…!!” -Echelle

“Don’t move, Echelle-sama.” -Ur

Ur called out to stop Echelle, whose voice was filled with intense emotion. She looked like she wanted to say something but didn’t argue. The “promise” made earlier seemed to be working.

But still, her anxiety didn’t fade. In her eyes were the panicking, weaponless Nameless around them, including small children.

“If the area is indiscriminately attacked, it will be a disaster!” -Echelle

“I know. Now that it’s come to this, we can’t ignore it. ….Really, I’d rather not.” -Ur

Asking Diz for help wasn’t an option; they couldn’t turn their backs on the dragon and flee. Even if they reached Diz, leading the dragon to her sleeping carriage might end disastrously. They were supposed to be her guards; they couldn’t expose their client to danger.

That meant they had to fight, but what was the situation?

Leaving the frenzied Lynne and the buzzing Akane aside, the completion of her 【White King Formation】 could be the key to escaping this critical situation. So, they definitely couldn’t disturb her. Akane was screaming terribly, and Ur silently apologized in his heart. He’d buy her juice next time.

Currently, Rock, fighting on the front line, was at his limit. Cracks spread across his body, and bones lacking enough magic to replenish were falling off. Yet he still fought the dragon, keeping only the essential parts needed to wield his sword. It was incredible.

But that too would fail soon. Therefore,

“Echelle-sama, aim your rifle. Shizuku, start chanting your magic. We’re going to target it together.” -Ur

“Eh? Oh, yes… But wait, that undead soldier is close by.” -Echelle

“Right. Don’t worry about it.” -Ur

“Huh?!” -Echelle

“Fire.” -Ur

In an instant, a roar erupted from Ur’s dragonfang spear, echoed by Shizuku’s fireball, and followed by the flash of Echelle’s magic gun. All of it hit the dragon and Rock, who was fighting in close quarters with it.

『ＧＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡ！！！！』

『KAAAAAAAHHH!? 』-Rock

The dragon’s roar and Rock’s scream were heard together.

Caught completely off guard, the dragon seemed to have taken some damage but was glaring at them. Rock was charred to a crisp. Echelle looked at Ur, her face turning pale.

“Alright, let’s run.” -Ur

“The undead soldier’s a pile of ash, though!” -Echelle

“We have to draw the dragon away from Lynne and from everyone in the temporary city.” -Ur

“Are you listening!?” -Echelle

Echelle was dragged away by Ur and Shizuku, leaving the scene behind.

『ＧＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡ！！！』

Behind them, the dark-winged dragon let out a tremendous roar and took flight, hunting its prey.

　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Ur and his party were fleeing, but it wasn’t as simple as just running away blindly.

The nature and strength of the dragon were unknown, but a dragon was a dragon. Ur knew dragons all too well, having learned about them in ways he never wished for. He knew they couldn’t be defeated half-heartedly. Right now, the only one among them who might even have a slight chance of injuring the dragon was Lynne alone.

Therefore, they couldn’t stray too far from the range of her White King Formation. However, wandering aimlessly in the panicking temporary city was also dangerous. Getting too close to Lynne and causing her to be attacked was obviously out of the question. They had to think about everything and run.

“Shit, we’re gonna die, we’re gonna die, we’re gonna die, this is insane!!!” -Ur

Of course, Ur didn’t have the luxury to think about all that. The best they could do was to run around the outskirts of the city, where there were fewer people.

『ＧＹＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡ！！！』

The dragon’s roar echoed from behind them, slightly above. A clear intent to kill was directed at Ur’s back. With Rock gone, it seemed the dragon had found its next target. Shizuku and Echelle were kept at a distance from Ur. They were the rear guard. They couldn’t let the dragon target those who would provide magical and gunfire support. Inevitably, the role of receiving and returning attacks fell to Ur alone. In other words, he was expendable.

『ＧＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡ！！！』

“Ugh!!!” -Ur

The moment he realized it was coming, Ur turned around, saw the dragon, and braced himself with his crystal golem shield against its massive claws. If he took the hit head-on, he’d die. He positioned the shield at an angle, ready to deflect the blow right before it struck.

“G, ugh!!!” -Ur

The weight on his arms was incredibly heavy. It was less about deflecting and more about supporting his own body to not be blown away. But naturally, the dragon didn’t care about Ur’s situation.

『ＧＹＥＥＥＥ！！！』

“uuuoOOOO!!!” -Ur

The dragon’s three huge claws approached Ur like a guillotine. Obviously, they weren’t there to gently grab him, but to tear him apart like a piece of paper. Screaming almost like a cry, Ur kicked off the ground with all his might, rolling out of the kill zone. He heard the space behind him collapse.

Hurriedly, Ur ran, looking like a mouse escaping a cat’s clutches. It was undignified, but Ur didn’t care. It was better than dying. He filled his empty lungs with air and shouted.

“FIRE!” -Ur

Immediately after, flashes and explosions occurred from the opposite direction of Ur’s position. Shizuku and Echelle’s support hit the dragon. It didn’t seem to damage it, but it interrupted its attack on Ur, turning its massive body towards whoever dared to interfere―

“―LOOK HERE!!!” -Ur

Ur slammed his dragonfang spear into the dragon’s side, redirecting its hostility towards him. The dragon growled annoyingly, and Ur again turned his back and ran.

“This is impossible, impossible! There’s no way this can last long!!” -Ur

Ur knew from his crystal golem battle that such acrobatic tightrope tactics couldn’t last long. Unpredictable actions, unforeseen circumstances – any slight addition to these could snap the thin rope and send him tumbling.

And there were far too many such factors present here. It was bound to collapse soon.

“Lynne, please hurry…!!!” -Ur

Screaming with a sense of clutching at straws, Ur continued his precarious tightrope walk.

　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Behind Ur’s fleeing figure, Shizuku and Echelle continued providing cover fire. They dodged the panicking nameless ones, firing magic and shots, but felt no impact on the dragon.

“Uh, uuuu…” -Echelle

“Echelle-sama, it’s okay. Keep aiming like that.” -Shizuku

Shizuku encouraged Echelle’s shooting. However, Echelle’s spirits were far from lifted.

“Can we really handle this with such an approach?! We’re just running around aimlessly!” -Echelle

“Our job is to buy time until the  White King Formation is complete.” -Shizuku

“But, but…” -Echelle

“Echelle-sama.” -Shizuku

Shizuku gently placed her finger on Echelle’s lips, which were about to spill more complaints, silencing her. Then she pointed her finger towards the black dragon still pursuing Ur.

“Ready.” -Shizuku

Guided by Shizuku’s resonating voice, Echelle readied her magic gun.

“Aim.” -Shizuku

With Shizuku’s overlapping voice, the ripples in Echelle’s mind began to settle.

“Fire.” -Shizuku

She pulled the trigger. The beam of heat light hit the dragon’s head precisely. The dragon shook its head in annoyance and halted its attack on Ur.

“Wonderful, let’s continue.” -Shizuku

“Yes.” -Echelle

Unaware that her previously haughty demeanor had completely worn off, Echelle continued to pull the trigger.