It was unbelievable.
That was Sylphiala's thought when she saw that young man punch the dragon's face. It was so powerful that the dragon flew backwards, although only a few meters. Even some of its iron-like scales were cracking from the sheer power from that punch.
"…."
Her mouth stood agape.
Nova was gliding mid-air onto the ground after that display of his ridiculous amount of arm strength. He landed effortlessly and dusted off his pants after stabbing his sword in the ground.
The entire raid party silently looked as he stood in a stance whilst looking at the dragon.
The dragon, roaring at a low volume, stood up while shaking its head. It showed its teeth and growled menacingly as it stepped backwards.
This was the first time that it showed such behavior. Even against thirty plus people, it fought without caring about its safety. Yet, now it was showing behavior a warrior would show to another warrior who the former deemed worthy to face.
'Everyone must be having the same thought as me…'
Sylphiala looked around.
She was certain that everyone was thinking the same thing:
Nova was a monster.
"Miss Sylphiala, open fire once we restrain it!"
Nova called out to her when the dragon charged at him. He managed to dodge its attacks which consisted of the swinging of its tail and front legs, effortlessly.
Sylphiala, who was called so suddenly, only looked around in a fluster.
As the leader of the archer unit, she couldn't just fall into a daze like that.
Although she hated taking orders from others, especially men, she did as he said.
"Once sir Nova and the others manages to restrain the dragon, I want all of you to open fire using all your power. Lucia, did you hear me!?"
Sylphiala shouted to her party member who was a little ways away from where she was standing with her squad.
--Got it, Sylphy!
Lucia gave a thumbs-up and began chanting.
"U-Um…"
When Sylphiala was about to position herself somewhere else, she felt someone tap her shoulder.
"Lucri? What are you doing here on the battlefield? You're still an apprentice mage."
"B-But I said I would join the raid party, right?"
"…I thought you meant that you'll only observe the battle."
With a sigh, Sylphiala turned around to face Lucri who seemed out of breath. His neck and face seemed soaked from his sweat. It carried a sweet scent unlike the other sweaty men who smelled pungent.
"What is it? We don't have the luxury to speak while our comrades are fighting out there. Plus, we might have to get ready at any moment now."
"S-Sorry, I wanted to bring this to you all…" He rummaged in the bag by his side and pulled out multiple wet cloths.
"What is this? Why does it smell like herbs?"
Feeling the wet sensation, Sylphiala asked.
"Ah, it's something I made for the group. It should substitute for heals for now. I gave it to everyone I met on the way here."
"You really are…" Sylphiala didn't finish her sentence and only smiled.
"Thanks. We really needed this."
"Okay. Excuse me."
Lucri was about to head towards the grassy plain while gripping his staff.
"Hey! You can't go out there! It's too dangerous!"
Sylphiala grabbed him and pulled him back.
"B-But sir Nova is the only one fighting…"
"Huh?...Now that you mention it…"
'Why isn't Clint ordering them to charge?'
Nova was the only one engaged in battle. Even if he didn't look particularly tired, it was still unwise to leave him alone.
"Let's help Nova, guys! We can't let him have all the fun!" Crull, who snapped out of his daze shouted. He bashed the ground with his war axe and activated a martial skill.
"If I just sit back and watch then I'd disgrace myself as an adventurer! Let's go!"
""""""OHHHHH!!!""""
Hearing his cry, all the melee fighters cheered and followed him from behind.
Sylphiala noticed a bitter expression on Clint's face when she looked at him.
'Ah…'
She could tell how unhappy he was.
He had already given the plan to everyone yet now it was changing because of Nova.
Had the dragon not appeared so suddenly then they would've been able to go through with Plan A but that changed now.
'Now you know how I felt when my plan was rejected. Nova is basically taking your role.'
Sylphiala smiled wryly and addressed Lucri.
"Go to Lucia for now. Follow her lead when the time comes."
"Okay…"
Lucri nodded obediently before running off. Sylphiala watched his back before returning her gaze to the fight that was happening a mere twenty meters away from them.
It was insane how he was still holding on.
'The battle of attrition is still ongoing. If we can slow it down then we, the archer and mage squads can finish it.'
Mages had much more firepower while archers could shoot more consecutively; of course, that depended on the amount of arrows they had on hand.
The warriors could hold the dragon at bay with their bodies if their weapons didn't work. It was a dangerous but necessary method.
'I'll have to do my best.'
Sylphiala took out a golden arrow from her quiver.
This arrow's name was the [Ultimate Superdust Nuclear].
People often laughed at the ridiculous names she gives her special arrows that she, herself crafted. However, their power shouldn't be underestimated.
A clanking sound came from the arrow as its main body suddenly parted. There were multiple small magic bombs inside the large arrow.
This was her own modified arrow that packed more punch than one hundred regular enchanted arrows.
Sylphiala spends at least two months enchanting her own arrows using traditional rune magic. Unlike regular magic, she had to draw the chants directly onto the arrow using a specialized magic tool.
Once the rune ritual is complete the magic would activate.
That was why the arrow was covered in a golden light.
Rune Magic.
In "STAR FANTASY" it was also known as ancient magic or pseudo-magic. The reason it died out so many years ago was because it was too costly and took too long to enchant anything. One also had to know the rune language. Although it was very powerful and much more effective than modern enchantments techniques, it had many demerits as well.
There was also the fact that not everyone could do it. Sylphiala was only able to create her first arrow when she was 78 years old.
She started learning Rune Magic 20 years earlier.
Sylphiala mounted her bow which was now much bigger than before and placed the arrow on the string.
Once the arrow hit its target then it will explode which will activate the enchanted bombs inside. Thus, created a chain reaction.
The bombs were literally called the [Chain Super Elemental Bomb].
"Ohh! He managed to hit it again!"
"Crazy…Isn't he too strong?"
"Isn't it obvious that he'd be strong? I mean, he's a [Transcendent]. If anything, I thought he'd be stronger."
"What Imperial Ranking do you think he'd get?"
"Hmm…Maybe a 7 star Knight? I wouldn't know for sure since I'm not a warrior. Maybe my brother would know since he is a knight as well."
Sylphiala's squad had a back and forth conversation while getting ready to attack.
'They're right. Isn't he too strong? He's tanking so many hits. One guy who joined in with Crull is already down yet Nova is still fighting even though he's been fighting the longest.'
Sylphiala took a deep breath as she tracked the dragon's large body with the scope. The trembling of her bow ceased and she was ready to shoot.
On most days, she wouldn't need a scope since she was a skilled archer. However, in a fight that needed absolute precision, she couldn't afford to be prideful or unprepared.
-Its movements are getting slower.
Sylphiala suddenly heard a voice inside her head. No, it actually came from the ring around her finger.
It was a Transmission ring. It allowed people to use telepathy. Of course, it was a breakable item so it wasn't that valuable. Then again, Dead Hollows didn't have the budget to afford anything better.
The low ranking version of these rings were already expensive.
How can you tell?
-It hasn't used a second Dragon's Breath yet.
Ah.
-Do you understand why? It doesn't have the energy to conjure another one.
'That explains why it's only using its tail.'
Sylphiala was too busy thinking about the result of their actions that she didn't notice the dragon's fatigue. It may have been a top predator but that didn't mean it had infinite stamina.
Moving that big body around must hinder it some way.
'Is it my imagination or is Nova smiling?'
A shiver ran down Sylphiala's spine when she saw Nova's face for a brief second.
She expected him to also be near his limit yet it looked like he was enjoying fighting the dragon. That smirk on his face showed his enjoyment.
From the way his mouth was moving, he was probably laughing. Since there was too much noise from the sounds of battle, Sylphy wasn't quite sure.
'What was he doing again? Becoming the strongest swordsman by battling strong opponents?'
She recalled what Lucri told them when they bumped into each other at the Guild.
Although she never showed it, she was concerned over Lucri who had no party members despite searching for so long. Many underestimated him since he was so young. The truth, however, was that he was a jack of all trades.
He could almost do anything that required many people. Be it cooking, cleaning, armor repairs, sharpening of blades using magic crystals, etc…
Sylphiala was relieved that he finally managed to find someone to join his party, but she was still skeptical over Nova. That was why she watched Nova carefully since the start of the journey to the city.
'Oh no!'
While she was thinking to herself while remaining still, Sylphiala noticed the dragon's head heading for Nova. It opened up its giant maw.
Nova was still in mid-air, trying to dodge the dragon's attack.
"Nova—!"
Its jaws closed at that moment with a vibration of the battlefield.
When she thought it was over, just like the others surrounding her, the dragon's closed mouth suddenly started opening, although very slowly.
Sylphiala heard a laugh come from behind her. It was a laugh with zero emotion.
"You gotta be kidding me…"
"No fucking way…."
!!!!!
The dragon's jaw was suddenly dislocated, which caused it to roar louder than before and cause a commotion.
The adventurers fighting it were all kicked or thrown away by its violent thrashing.
Blood gushed out of its mouth as a person fell onto the ground.
He wasn't holding his sword anymore so perhaps he used it to cut the inside of the dragon's mouth.
'What the hell is this that I'm watching?'
Sylphiala thought she was seeing things. The dragon was literally running away by trying to flap its wings. However, since it was too tired, it couldn't muster up the energy to do so.
Sylphiala took that as the signal to attack.
"Everyone! Now!"
The dragon headed back the way it came, which was to the northeast of the city. That was where the hundreds of mountains were located. Even for its size, they might never find it again.
It was now the time to kill it.
Hundreds upon hundreds of spells and arrows were shot towards the dragon at once.
The one who landed the last blow was standing in the middle of the grassy plain. His face was covered in blood.
There was a crazy smile on his face. It was a smile that only the craziest of battle junkies always wore on their faces while fighting.
Sylphiala shot her enchanted arrow. All sorts of lights mixed together to display a beautiful combination of fireworks.
Powerful explosions followed soon after.
The dragon was thus slain.
**
Sylphiala reassembled her bow and looked around. The reason it was able to become large enough to shoot her special arrow was because the bow itself was also a crafted weapon she modified. Of course, she didn't do it on her own. She paid a dwarf she met on one of her journeys.
"What a mess."
Sylphiala thought out loud as she looked around.
The lord was bound to put in a complaint at the Guild once he found out about the damage to his land.
'We managed to kill the dragon that's been terrorizing his territory so it should be fine.'
Sylphiala patted everyone's shoulders after the battle concluded. She didn't forget to tell them that they did a good job even if that wasn't true for many of them.
"That was insane! We killed a dragon!"
"Yeah, yeah! I'm gonna be famous in my village once they hear this story!"
"Ah, but wasn't sir Nova the one who contributed the most? Speaking of which, where is he?"
"…Hm?" Sylphiala heard the conversation between two of her squad members and also noticed that she couldn't spot Nova.
'Where did he go?'