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22
The light of the dawn shone on Leonardo.
The wilderness looked scarcely white in the flat light.
Kanami and the three of them headed for the canyon.
Chunluw and Jouha said they would warn the village of Sekek that they were in a hurry, and again, this also left without waiting for the dawn.
Leonardo sat alone in the wilds of Aorsoy with stony thoughts. Eventually the indigo dawn passed and the sun emerged from the horizon, but only today it did not seem so brilliant or warm.
The omnipresent light that illuminated the world only made everything seem more like a sham.
In this light-filled world, Leonardo continued to think.
Even now, I do not agree with Kanami's policy at all, even more so because I do not understand it. Even more so because I don't understand it. I have no idea what on earth I can gain by standing up against an army of over ten thousand.
I don't even know what we're looking at.
The earthlings are the earthlings. They're not people.
Don't you see the logic in this? They're not human. Whenever that echoing question appeared in his mind, Leonardo tried desperately to shake it off, to convince himself that he was right.
'Good.'
What?
When I turned around, I saw KR (Kayr) there. The graceful figure resembling a beautiful white horse with its limbs folded and relaxed on its belly on the earth like a giant canine creature.
'KR..... Didn't you go?
Why?
Because KR is ... an old buddy of Kanami's, right?
Yes, that's true. ...Well, there are things that bother me.
KR told him lazily, as if tasting the temperature of the atmosphere, with his eyes narrowed.
I can't agree with Kanami and the others.
You can't go along with the folly of throwing away your life for nothing, but then again, if you want to continue your journey to the east alone, you can't even divide it that far. As if to see through such hesitation in Leonardo, KR glanced at Leonardo with his intelligent eyes.
''What are you going to do? From now on,
I don't think...
As expected, Leonardo was unable to answer the questions thrown at him.
If he could have known that, he could have said something more to Coppellia.
--Fund Recovery Bot.
Coppelia said that.
What is a bot in the first place? The ancestors of Elder Tail, MMO-style online games can be traced back to the 1970's. Initially, the genre was a minor hobby due to poor communication links, computer capabilities and the price of equipment. Initially a minor hobby due to poor communication lines, computer performance and a thin user base due to the price of the equipment, the genre has grown significantly with the rise of the Internet.
In the 1990s, ambitious titles that laid the groundwork for today's MMOs were released, and through the 2000s the genre gained a large number of fans.
A unique feature of MMOs is the ability for users to interact with each other within the game world. There are many interactions that take place on a daily basis, where the owner of an item will sell or give it away to another player who wants it.
Initially, items were sold in-game for money or barter, as the developers envisioned. However, as the popularity of MMO's grew, players began to want to buy rare items and in-game currency with real-world money.
The information that MMO internal chattel could have real-world monetary value was quickly becoming the new currency of the internet.
Assets within the game had more value in the real world than many younger players had thought.
In the early 2000s, this trend became a global phenomenon when it was announced that the economic activity in popular MMOs at the time was larger than the GDP of a small real-world country when converted to real money. Although the game world is somewhat independent of the real world, it cannot be completely free as it is linked to the real world through the desires of the player.
Thus the spectacle of in-game currency and items being bought and sold for real money has become an everyday occurrence.
Of course, this practice was accused of distorting the normal gaming experience, and a small percentage of online gaming operators continued to expose it. But as long as there are those who seek it and those who want to profit from it, it's a game of cat-and-mouse, and it's impossible to prevent it completely.
Bot is a type of program invented in this historical context. It's a kind of automated artificial intelligence program that allows MMO characters to run without the player.
Of course, it can't perform complex actions like the player can, but it can perform simple, programmed actions for long periods of time. For example, a player can collect money and items in the same hunting ground for 24 hours a day, which is physically and mentally impossible for a human being to do.
While there are some players who use these bots for personal use, the majority of them are used by vendors.
Underground societies, mainly in China and Southeast Asia, use bots to earn items and currency in many MMO worlds in order to connect with the surface world. At any rate, there is no taxation or criminal investigation inside the MMO. It's a great place to raise money that's out of reach, or to convert underground money into sunshine, as
These bots have become anathema to serious MMO enthusiasts because of the destruction of hunting grounds and gaming environments.
MMO intra-MMO money recovery bots set up by a China-based money laundering group; that's what Coppelia means by the word "Coppelia.
Coppelia's somewhat mechanical response, her blindly repeated hunts, and perhaps even her unconditional obedience to Kanami, would be explained if she was a Bot.
How could that be?
She was a mechanical doll, just like the Daichijin.
'KR is the one who shouldn't go?
I don't mind.
Is that so?
'Kanami--that's what you do with it, right? If it kills her, I won't regret it. My brain is clear, you know. You are really a nuisance to me.
How could he be so reckless, that idiot?
That's not the same as being reckless.
"--?
Laid back, KR's words were always kind.
'That's ... all you're doing. It means you're taking it all in as best you can. That's the thing. That's what's important. It's sad. Kanami doesn't have the concept of gears and brakes. It's just the way it is.
I mean, you're an idiot.
I never said I wasn't stupid.
But KR seemed satisfied as he sniffed at that.
'We can win, can we?'
It'll get to the line where it's not so bad. I think that girl has more anxiety than you do. Kanami has a lot of raiding experience even with that one.
....
What did he say to you?
At that time.
Coppelia grabbed him by the wrist and confessed to Leonardo that she was a Bot. It's a very good thing that you're not going to be able to find out what's going on.
--Coppelia had cured 18 'earthlings' in that village. She blessed 49. Whether it had any effect, Coppelia didn't know. For these actions, Coppelia was thanked 319 times.
So," Coppelia did not say.
She just returned the kibisu and followed Kanami.
I know that's what happened. A lump full of spines was in Leonardo's chest. This feeling of tingling and depression. This feeling of being frustrated and accused of weighing down his chest, of being rushed.
This feeling of this beautiful wilderness of Aorsoy, lit by the flat morning light, rotting into a mass of stale textures, and Leonardo knew it.
It was the same feeling that the naive, unpretentious, selfish, cocky, unreflective little children of the village of Sechek had given him.
That itchy warmth is reversing and blowing in Leonardo's chest.
I know.
The truth is, I've always known.
What would the indomitable ninja hero Leonardo loved more than anyone else, the one who wasn't part-worker Gigue, do at a time like this? He had known that from the beginning. Because he longed to be a hero more than anyone else. It was obvious to me that he didn't need to think about it.
What would the coolest 'he' in the world do?
They won't just lift a finger in this situation.
You won't hesitate, whether the other party is a machine or a bot.
You won't blame your own cowardice on the value of the other party.
If Leonardo wanted to help, it is something worth helping. It doesn't matter if it's a human, a cat and dog or a bot.
In fact, it doesn't matter what it is.
At least one more idiot who risks his life for the sake of the AI would be a good thing. Leonardo is a hero, Giguette.
Go.
KR let out a laugh in the back of his throat as Leonardo stood up.
'What the hell. You have a problem with that? 'Hmph. You can laugh if you want. My going may not change anything, but I'm not going to sit back and let you beat me up. I have new powers too.
I'm not going to laugh. It's not Intix.
KR stood up with the body of a white horse and stretched his neck for a long time and inaugurated a single voice. The voice echoed for a long time, and the whine was soon replaced by a bird song-like voice and then a dense chant - white light filled the area.
It's getting better. Is this the end of the line? It's a big day, right?
When Leonardo opened his thin eyes again in their glow, he saw a strange man standing there.
A skinny young man with his full-length hair tied back in a bun, he looked like an elf. He wore an amused smile on his sickly white face. The distinctive feature is his equipment, a jersey underneath his tattered, but still luxurious cloak. On top of that, he carries a staff in each hand. Wands were not unusual for a wizard's equipment, but their dual-facedness was unusual.
''Could it be........KR?''
Yeah?
Was he really a man?
What did you think I was doing?
Huffing and puffing, the young man dexterously thrust his staff into the ground and turned his free arm around and stretched wide. Looking at the small, eerie sound that leaked out, it seemed that he had been bending his body small for a long time.
'How and what did you do?'
It's a Castling. It's an emergency evasion spell to swap the location of the sorcerer for the summoned creature you summoned, you see?
That's it?
I've just been transferred from Japan to this server.
Leonardo was taken aback.
He was surprised at how well the spell worked across the server, but what was rather large was the range of applications of the summoning technique.
'Alright. It's getting exciting. I'll tag along.
Why?
No. Isn't it funny?
Don't ask me a question.
Well, let me assure you. It's funny. Kanami is going to get serious. Stupid explosion. A blowing up idiot. "And Leonardo is going to get serious. And then I'm gonna let loose a lot of steam.
Oh, this guy is an idiot too, Leonardo thinks.
'You can't even use magic well while possessed. The human body is the best way to experience a live show in the flesh. Hmph.
And even then, how could it be so easy to come from the supposedly safe Yamato to a foreign land without insurance? The sandal-wearing KR is smirking.
''-- Me too,''
A huge magic circle of light spread out around that KR's protruding staff and began to rotate in three dimensions.
'I remember that mask, you know. I liked it.'
The sound of wind cutting and the resonance of the magic circle continues while I let out an embarrassed smile.
It's just that we want to show off our new powers. If our heroes are going to show off their newfound power, why shouldn't we show it off too?
The shining lines drawn in the air are intricately intertwined, the outlines coming alive through intricately woven wirework as you watch.
'Summon...?'
Awake, my red dragon. Awaken from your slumber, champion of the covenant, Garnett, and soar!
The crimson dragon was summoned, and the crimson dragon took the panicked Leonardo up in its mouth and placed him on its graceful neck. Before he knew it, KR, who was settled behind it, whistled his fingers sharply, and a moment later, the entire figure rushed up into the sky.
As if melting into the atmosphere of Aorsoy, the dragon carrying the two of them flapped its wings high and high.
◆23
However, at this point in time, not only Leonardo, but even Chun-Lu and KR, who should be familiar with the vicinity, had overlooked something.
The village of Sekek is not the only village in the vicinity of this area, and of course there are other "earthling" villages in the vicinity of the ruins.
If the villages in this other world were arranged randomly in an automated program process, as Leonardo believed, then they would have a certain evenness to them. Small independent villages, like Sekek's village, are scattered throughout this desolate Aorsoy.
At this point, the incident had already caused a lot of damage.
Like tentacles crawling out of the Ruins of Thornsgrave, the Noor troops crawled out of the ruins of the Columns and swallowed up the villages, spreading out from one periphery to another like spilled wine on a table.
There was no will to control their movements.
It was aimless, lax, irresponsible and insolent.
--You're going to be able to find out what you're looking for. I'm sure that if the 'Ash-Spotted Demon' had a leader or a commander, he or she would be unimportant to the current situation.
They don't care if they win or lose the invasion of thousands of Ash-Spotted Demons, they don't care.
They don't care how many of the Daichijins died in the process, or if they were grieving, they don't care about that.
The will behind the invasion seemed to speak eloquently of that.
''Whoa!''
That's why Elias howled.
For him, being an ancient species, it was an unforgivable evil.
Elias was an old breed, raised by the fairies.
The Old Ones are a mutation of the Earthmen, of various origins. Most are born by chance from the lineage of the Earthmen, but there are a few with a unique background.
However, whether they are born into an ordinary Dichian family or orphaned like Elias, at some point in their lives, the Old Ones will part company with the Dichians.
Their immense combat prowess makes it difficult for them to survive in the Earthmen's society. Most of the old breeds reveal their talents in their teens, and are welcomed into the old breed community before they are 20. Some come to see themselves as the old breed in happiness, but many come to that realization in sorrow and pain.
They all share a sense of resignation, a sense of isolation, that although they may have roots in the Earthmen, they are not the same species as the Daichians. This sense of isolation is probably due to the fact that they are treated as aliens, despite the fact that they are respected for their fighting abilities and their treatment in the society of the Earthlings.
As an abomination raised by the fairies, Elias was especially lonely.
Therefore, Elias would not intervene in battles between the Earthlings. The same is true for the entire ancient species. Because of their superior fighting abilities, they are not involved in any war or political struggle between the Earthmen, because of their alliance with the Earthmen. From their point of view, the Earthmen, from commoners to royalty, are all vulnerable. There is no point in being involved in such conflicts.
For them, killing the Earthmen is not evil.
It's just stupidity.
Because of their stupidity, the Daichihito are weak, short-lived, and feeble, and because of this stupidity, they fight and die among themselves. This was the general view of Elias and the other Old Ones.
To the Old Ones, the Earthmen were like foolish children to be protected. From a distance, they would love you and want to protect you, but if you got close enough, they'd treat you with caution and cold respect. That's the kind of existence I'm talking about.
Of course, there are also honorable, honorable 'earthlings' among them. There are also the Earthlings, who are innocent and righteous. Elias would be happy to help them, but there was no way in hell Elias was going to lend his support to a power struggle between the Earthmen.
They were the guardians of the Earthmen, not their own race of Earthmen.
"Yeah! Clear Water Spirit, turn your form into a thousand blades and shine! Aqua Thousand Drains!
Elias's roar became a crystal spear and blew away the "Ash-Spotted Dog Demon" that stood in his way.
But Elias's sense of smell was the first to detect the evil in this case.
It was not the struggle for survival as monsters do, nor was it predation, nor was it based on lust, as the Earthling powers sometimes do in their territorial wars - it was the first time Elias sensed a random evil.
Elias sensed the first random evil he had ever encountered: "I want to destroy," "I want to take," and then "I want to kill.
It's not that kind of familiar killing intent.
'I kill because I don't care.'
--That sickening feeling made Elias shudder.
That's why he was fighting with his abilities completely unleashed.
The curse of the fairies has made it impossible for him to finish the job, even if it is against a monster. His attacks cannot reduce his opponent's HP to zero.
However, as if to compensate for that weakness of Elias, Kanami was running on the ground.
With the smooth movements of a cat-like beast, Kanami jumped into the enemy and thrust his left and right fists out against different enemies. She connected from the Dual Fist to the Wildcat Stance and launched a series of attacks.
Kanami chose an enemy whose physical strength was drained by Elias's wide-area attack swordsmanship and attacked steadily. By nature, the martial artist (monk) is a warrior. Their role is to draw the enemy's attack to them, but Kanami has abandoned this role.
The martial artist has a wide range of abilities, and the stance of the warrior can greatly alter his or her abilities. The Iron Lino Stance, with its superior defense, and the Tiger Stance, with its superior offensive power, allow the Warrior to change tactics to suit the situation.
Kanami's choice of the Wildcat Stance was designed to strengthen the ability to move and strike in rapid succession. From a low, ground-clearing stance, Elias and Kanami would launch water kicks and two-handed fists to finish off enemies with diminished HP.
Elias and Kanami were moving forward as if they were competing with each other. Fortunately, this was a canyon. The bottom of the valley is filled with water, and the river is about ten meters wide on both sides. That's where the crowded "Ash-Spotted Demons" were rushing in one after another.
Elias and Kanami were pushing forward without thinking about the rest.
They were not far away from the two, and at times, the way they pushed forward was Coppélia's.
Coppelia is a "healing priest" (cleric).
She is a healer and has low offensive abilities. However, the Cleric is a recovering cleric that can wear heavy armor, and its defense capabilities are second only to the guardian warrior among the twelve clerics.
The sheet metal armor that Coppelia currently wears is also reminiscent of a maid's uniform. It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you can get your hands on it. Even the puffed sleeves on the shoulders are made of magically forged metal with lace decorating the backing.
Today's Coppelia, unlike the usual, was equipped with a large kite shield in each of her left and right hands. Her battle build, known as the Double Shield Style, is one of the hardest of all the Priests of Healing.
She wasn't very fast, but she used the weight of the equipment on her body to push her way through the Ash-Spotted Demon.
She used her left and right shields as a wall, protecting herself while at the same time bringing the dog-headed monster together like bread dough. The Ash-Spotted Inuoni's fate awaits him as he is compressed into a series of ranged attacks by Elias and Kanami.
The combination of the three of them was so effective that the Ash-Spotted Demon was rapidly diminishing in number. One of the reasons for this was Coppellia's participation in the front line.
Although it's hard to see clearly from Elias' eyes, it's clear that a fierce energy is emanating from Coppelia's approaching hand. Of course, that's not enough to defeat the enemy. But thanks to Coppellia's participation, it's within the realm of a normal fight (...).
But on the other hand, it also means that Coppelia, who is only a recovery position, continues to demand that she be able to stand at white army combat distance. Although Coppélia utilizes a plate mail and two shields, its basic performance and specialties are not suited to melee combat. Even if the damage could be recovered, there was a risk that the battle lines would collapse when the MP ran out.
In such a situation, Elias grew a little more impatient.
The battle situation is not bad at all.
In fact, they are advancing to the upper hand without taking much damage.
But it is established on the balance of the three of them giving their all. The proof of this is that the taut, thread-like spirit attacked Coppelia, who had shown her back to the
Kanami reacted quickly and kicked the Ash-Spotted Inuoni with the Wyvern Kick, but it still consumed a reasonable amount of MP to repair the frayed battle lines.
Gone! Go away! Get out of here! Aquastream Hurricane!
Elias remembers the day when his friends from the Old Ones disappeared.
The day his companions, the Thirteenth Order of the Whole World, collapsed. The eclipse of the moon was only for a moment, but it was also accompanied by a long sleep.
Half of his comrades have departed, and the other half will probably never wake up. The Word of Death had destroyed the Ancient Ones.
It was Kanami that had rescued him from the deep slumber of disappearance. The glow of the kanami warmed him, its light illuminated his feet, and its fingertips pointed him in the right direction.
But he was still Elias.
Elias-Hackblade. The protector of all worlds. The most powerful of the ancient species.
To save our world.
To protect the Earthmen, the Old Ones, and all of their souls.
Elias sliced through the crowd of Ash-Spotted Demons with all his might.
24.
Leonardo let out a scream in the wind that seemed to tear his ears off.
The passing air was no longer even rigid, otherwise he would not even be able to converse with KR (Keier).
'Hey!'
What is it, Leonardo?
Where are we going? We're almost to the canyon.
I'm just gonna do some reconnaissance on those remains, you know?
The red dragon's back wasn't very wide, and its body was probably more than fifteen meters long, but two-thirds of its body was gracefully clasped with a long neck and slender tail.
Its length is probably over fifteen meters, but two-thirds of it is clasped by its long, graceful neck and slender tail. Compared to the KR, which was straddling what appeared to be a stationary position, Leonardo seemed to be clinging to the neck.
But the first time Leonardo flew through the air, he was completely enchanted by the land of Aorsoy, which was passing by at high speed below him. The wilderness, the wind, the light, everything was passing by Leonardo, and he was fascinated by the speed at which it was passing.
The primal pleasure of breaking through the membrane of air with its violent pressure was there.
In just enough time, a blackened spire came into view on the horizon.
Leonardo and KR knew in an instant that it was the ruins in question, the Columnar Ruins of Toongrave.
For one thing, it was a bizarre structure that suddenly jutted out of nowhere into the wasteland, where there seemed to be nothing around it. And the other reason was because a jet-black dragon had taken off from the base of the structure and snapped it with a single swipe of its powerful tail.
''Wait a minute! Hey!
Oh, great. Is that some kind of Raid Enemy?
What are you talking about, man?
'Is it a twenty-four-man (full raid) or forty-eight-man (double raid) rank?
It was as if the scene had gone out of scale.
When KR summoned the dragon, Leonardo could win this one! But just by watching the destruction that took place far away, I found out that I was just blinded by the coolness of the crimson dragon.
Although they were the same dragon, there was a staggering difference between the black dragon in the distance and the red dragon that the two straddled. To begin with, they were different in terms of size. The distance between them makes it impossible to make an accurate comparison, but that dragon's size is two times larger than the red dragon's.
''What are we going to do with that thing?!''
Leonardo wants to show off, you know, what. The new powers of a hero.
Don't be ridiculous! It's a massive battle-ranked monster! How can two people take it down? Or is this dragon as small as Nari, but as powerful as Honda?
Gar-tan is a squire.
What do you mean?
I mean, it's cute.
No. Leonardo squeezed his eyes shut.
In the Elder Tail, there are two axes of strength of a monster. The first is level. This is the same as in the Adventurer's, and each monster has its own number.
The second is called rank, which indicates how many players a monster deserves to be in a fight.
Most monsters have a rank of "Normal".
This is the rank that makes it appropriate for a monster to be fought one-on-one with adventurers of the same level. For example, a 90-level Leonardo would be best suited to fight a normal-ranked monster of the same level.
Of course, even though they are all adventurers at the same 90th level, their strength varies depending on their equipment and skill. A normal-ranked monster is designed so that a mid-level adventurer of the same level will have no problem beating a normal-ranked monster. Experienced adventurers, such as Leonardo, have little difficulty hunting down Normal-ranked monsters several levels higher.
The next most common rank is called Party. These are divided into x2 and x4 ranks, with a maximum of x6. A party x3 means that you can fight equally well with three adventurers of the same level. These enemies are usually fought by adventurers who have formed a party in a dungeon or other setting. Even if they are of the same level, there is a difference in HP and attack power between them and normal-ranked monsters.
The raid ranks are the next highest. Raid-ranked monsters require the same level of troops as the raiders to defeat them. ×At 1 x 1, there are 24 of them (full raid). The highest rank, x4, requires ninety-six men (Legion raid).
Monsters of this rank are difficult to encounter because they are lurking in high-difficulty quests and in the depths of mega-dungeons.
On the other hand, there are ranks that are weaker than the normal ones.
It's called a "minion" rank. They are mainly found in monsters summoned by Summoner's Summoner's followers. If a Summoner could summon a normal-ranked monster of his level, he would have twice the strength of any adventurer of his level. This was not good for the balance of the game.
That's why they created the ranks known as Minions. A monster of the Minion rank is one-third as strong as a normal-ranked monster. Summoners are only two-thirds as strong as other professions of the same level, so only by summoning a squire can they balance the game's design line of Elder Tail.
The red dragon with the two of them on board was said to be of that 'Minion' rank.
''That means they're weak!
That's what he said, Gar-Tan.
Why don't you mind your own business, for heaven's sake?
While the two of them were arguing, their horsemen were flying in an arc across the skies of Aorsoy, getting closer and closer to the Columnar Ruins of Thornsgrave. And of course they were discovered by the black dragon and the two shadows riding on its back. The jet-black dragon flapped its wings and spat out a few Ash-Spotted Dogs and Demons (Nole) in its mouth to the earth. The wind pressure of its flapping wings didn't pay any attention to the dogs and demons on the ground who were fleeing, and in just one breath, it had become flesh and blood on Leonardo and the others.
''Hey!''
I'm gonna bite my tongue.
Leonardo's heavens and earth flipped upside down.
The red dragon that carried them folded its garnet-colored wings snugly and made its body like a single dagger. Its speed as it spun and rapidly approached the earth was faster than a fall, exactly like a bullet shot towards the earth.
Its speed would ultimately save them.
Thunderclap.
It was a jet-black smoke charged with lightning that blew too much through the space that Leonardo and the others had occupied a moment ago. A powerful monster classified as a dragon. Its legendary attack, the Dragon Breath, is said to be its legendary attack.
As a skilled player, Leonardo had seen this attack many times, but it was nothing more than a well-done CG on a wide LCD monitor.
Children often draw cars and airplanes with those crayons, but looking at those illustrations, you can't experience the fear of being hit by a car or having a plane crash. Leonardo understood this very well.
Thunderbolts and black smoke rushed through the space less than three meters away, and the air felt like a tightening trap and the smell of burning ions. Leonardo thought that his past gaming experience was a lie. Hey, hey, hey, hey. The air is decomposing now. He knew that the roar of thunder was the reason for it, but he didn't think he could feel it right under his nose.
OK, I'll admit it.
We may be in the game here, but I'll temporarily retract that opinion.
Those philosophical questions are going to evaporate when I get hit by that lightning.
(There's a lot I don't know about New York's Gigue! (My Gawd!)
The red dragon carrying the two men fell in a kirimori shape, but when it was close to the earth, it spread its wings out to the fullest and slammed the wind. It glided to maximum lift and used the layer of air generated on the hillside to leap into the sky again, as if catapulted into the air.
'What the hell was that?
"You're a black dragon, right?
No, I mean those two guys in the back!
Leonardo's excellent eyesight kept the two figures in his eyes as they fell in a kirimori shape. A skinny shadow like a hooded mage and a blonde girl as slender as a bisque doll.
'Seeing them in that place, it doesn't look like they're on the right side of things.
I could tell just from looking at him that he was a villain.
If I had to guess, I'd say you're behind this.
While Leonardo and KR conversed with each other in a shouting voice, many strands of electric light flew past them. The trajectory of the electric light was straight but could reach a long distance, and the gas of black smoke that clung to it could only reach a medium distance, but it seemed to have the characteristic of being expansive and difficult to avoid.
Although the Red Dragon was smaller than the Black Dragon, it was able to turn around in a smaller way, and so far it had successfully evaded with an acrobatic trajectory that didn't think about the rider from the start. However, the red dragon is still a ninety level 'minion' rank.
Even though he is 85th level and lower in rank, if he were to be attacked by a Raid-ranked black dragon, he would probably be killed by a single blow.
I'm sure that even the red dragon knows that. Or maybe KR gave the instructions in a way that Leonardo could not understand. While avoiding the thunderbolt several times, the red dragon spun around widely and took the black dragon's upper back.
The dragon's breath, which has great power and attack range, also has a drawback.
I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well. And that's because the black dragon is in flight. If you bent its long neck carelessly, it would turn around. It's not possible to attack the back of the body, even if it is held above the ground like a turret, due to its structure.
That's a good position.
You've got better acceleration.
I got your back. I want you to hit me with that breath.
I don't have any bracelets.
What?
Gar-tan doesn't have dragon's breath. You said it was a minion.
What a piece of shit you are!
The red dragon let out a chittering cry as if to refute Leonardo's abuse. Leonardo had no choice but to cling to its neck and let the sudden roar pass by.
'If you say so much, why don't you attack it?
Don't be stupid. We're in the air.
If you can do it, you can do it, I can do it.
It's old. Oops!
Leonardo shrugged his head and avoided the tentacles, which smelled like sewage.
It was not a black dragon.
The black dragon flapped its wings up and down, up and down, left and right, trying to drive the red dragon out of its own blind spot. However, the small and graceful red dragon was like a well-made trace macro, tracking it perfectly while maintaining its upper rear.
The attack was controlled by a hooded figure on the black dragon's back.
That hooded shadow stood on the dragon's back and gave one hand to Leonardo. That posture, which is insane no matter how wide the black dragon's back is, is unusually poisonous to KR. The thread sprouting from the man's fingertips is clearly aimed at Leonardo and the others with the scent of burning acid.
''Cut it off!''
I didn't need to be told by KR.
When the thread proved to be no good, tentacles that changed shape like the internal organs of a bare animal were stretched out to aim at the red dragon. The distance between the black dragon and the red dragon was ten meters. Their aim is obvious.
It's good if they can deal damage with their attacks, and even if they can't, if they don't like that tentacle's attack and get away from it, they're going to switch to the black dragon's breath attack.
''Don't be silly!''
Leonardo pulls out his Ninja Twin Flame and cuts down the tips of the tentacles. An additional effect is activated and a trail of flame is drawn, and the tentacles burn off and flow backwards.
To the right, to the left. Leonardo, straddling the dragon's neck, slashes the tentacles that are extended one after another. Fortunately, the durability of the tentacles seemed to be low. With a single sword, they flew off in a thousand pieces. However, the tentacles were apparently the pipes that carried the acid for that purpose.
White smoke rose with a sound of burning flesh on the griddle as the red dragon failed to evade the cut-off wreckage and was hit by its wings.
Leonardo felt respect for the red dragon, which didn't disrupt its position even as it stifled a low cry. The dragon's wings were similar in structure to those of bats, and were composed of a thin coating of skin. It might be able to withstand some of the acid hitting its body and neck, but if the part of the membrane is burned away, its evasion performance will be reduced. In the worst case, it would crash into the earth.
This red dragon sensed this and deliberately received acid on its neck to protect its wings.
Leonardo felt the spirit of it, and he cut away repeatedly, trying harder and harder to damage even the owner of the tentacles.
Roll, scissors, and a complex trajectory, the two dragons raced through the great skies of Aorsoy. Wielding his sword on his back, Leonardo was now one with the battle at hand, forgetting the shredded clouds and earth.
In Leonardo's vision, he could clearly see the two figures straddling the dragon's back.
The beautiful girl with a mocking smile on her face was Rasphere. An eighty-nine level
I'm not sure I've ever seen such a thing.
Inversion.
In the crossings that turned heaven and earth upside down, Leonardo cut off the looming tentacles again. Even the liquid of acid that was sprinkled around, Leonardo evaporated with the flames he thrust out.
The battlefield has shifted, and before long the land has become a valley like a narrow green road. The great river that crossed this wilderness carved the land and created a canyon. At the bottom of the canyon is a stream of water, and on either side of the river is a lush green forest.
A black dragon flies over the green treetops to swoop down on the red dragon, catching the light and getting wet.
Surprised birds of all colors took off at once from the trees, which glistened wetly in the light. The two dragons flew through the squall of birds that filled the sky like arrows.
Numerous corpses of the Ash-Spotted Demon lay on the riverbank. When Leonardo saw this, he lowered his gaze, as if he were being guided, and his gaze crossed with Coppelia, who was looking up at him miraculously, surrounded by a group of Ash-Spotted Demons.
Coppelia's clear and sunken eyes reflected the red dragon flying against the blue sky.
Something sounded in Leonardo's mind, and a momentous decision was made.
''If it weren't for those two, would you be able to separate this black dragon?''
What are you talking about?
''I'm asking if those two ostentatious people can drag this dragon to the ends of the earth if they're off the back of the black dragon!
At Leonardo's shout, KR seemed momentarily speechless.
'Leonardo,'
What?
"I just arrived here in Aorsoy.
KR cut the words into phrases and spoke out so that they came across clearly.
'So if I die, that body will be resurrected in Yamato, or the Great Temple in Japan. Win or lose--perhaps this is goodbye.
f*ck Yes!
Leonardo turned and slammed his sword-clenched fist into KR's chest behind him. A sullen KR slammed the sorcerer's slender hand into Leonardo's chest.
It was a dodged ale, a pep talk, a friendship.
It wasn't that of a New York Gigue.
It was a promise between heroes.
The violent rise and fall was repeated.
Frustrated by the red dragon, which stuck behind him and wouldn't leave him no matter how he wriggled, the black dragon tumbled through the heavens as if he were rubbing his wings against the trees of the forest or throwing himself into the sun.
Eventually, there was a momentary gap in its movement, and Leonardo bent down to save his strength on the red dragon's neck.
''KR!''
I know!
There was no time for further conversation.
He pounced on the moment when the flipping black dragon's wings hid Leonardo's figure from the deformed pair, and he leapt into the air.
''Ka-wa-ba-n-gah!''
Emulating that of the legendary hero.
From the black dragon's back, Leonardo clung to the two of them as if they were bodily harmed, and as expected, he fell to the ground while his body was burned by the acid.