(──Warp, release.)
With Sage-san's legacy in my possession, we set off for the planet Amel once again.
We were not attacked by the Dragonia aliens this time and successfully completed the warp.
"It's amazing, isn't it? To be able to travel through such a vast universe so easily…"
"But we can't tell the difference between places, can we? Are we really moving?"
"Yeah, we can't tell the difference between places. But I think we're moving."
Ruri and Rill were right when they commented on traveling at warp speed. To be honest, I couldn't really feel like we were moving because I couldn't see that much of a change in the surroundings.
Well, I couldn't see the Earth already, so there was no doubt that we were moving, but the speed at which the spaceship was moving was so great that it felt like we were going on a short excursion like on Earth.
As I was thinking about this, Merl-san's voice sounded up.
"Everyone, we're about to arrive at the planet Amel."
(Hmph… finally, huh?)
"In a place like this where it's always dark, our sense of time gets a little out of sync. In fact, how long has it been since we left?"
(We've been using the warp function, so there shouldn't be that much of a time discrepancy from everyone's experience… It should be about ten hours, I think.)
"We can travel in less than a day…"
As Odis-san said, it was amazing that we were moving between the planets in such a way that it was like traveling abroad in an airplane.
(Oh, look at that, everyone! That is the planet Amel ── Eh?)
At the sound of Merl-san's voice, we all turned our gaze in the same direction as she did.
There was a blue planet, similar to Earth, spread out on the window of the cockpit. However, many spaceships from the Dragonia were floating in the vicinity of the planet.
(They are attacking the planet!)
The spaceships of the Dragonias were firing energy cannons at the planet one after another. The power of the cannons was so great that if this spaceship were hit by even one of them, there would be no escape.
However, the planet Amel was covered by a kind of magical barrier like the one deployed by Ruri and Rill, and it was able to withstand the attack of the Dragonias.
There were also several other spaceships… they did not belong to the Dragonias and probably belonged to Amel, as they were engaged in a fierce battle with the Dragonias' spaceships.
However, it was obvious that they were at a disadvantage because they were outnumbered.
"Hey, that's a hell of a lot of them! Don't tell me that this is only a part of them!"
(If that's the case, no matter how many of us there are, we'll never be able to defeat them.)
As Iris-san and Master Usagi stared at the Dragonias' spaceship with grim expressions, Merl-san came to her senses and shook her head.
(N-no! It seems that the Dragonias are serious about destroying the planet Amel! As proof, the huge spaceship floating over there is the Dragonias' mothership… the Dragoon!)
In the direction that Merl-san was pointing, there was a spaceship floating in the air that was so huge that it was incomparable to the spaceships of the Dragonias that we had been fighting.
The ship, which resembled a giant dragon, was fully armed with a large number of weapons.
(You can't be serious; they were trying to settle the war…! We have to hurry…!)
Merl-san quickly took control of the terminal and accelerated our spaceship as we approached the planet Amel.
The Dragonias seemed to notice us, and several spaceships came towards us.
"It looks like they're not letting us pass easily…!"
(We'll have to go out there and intercept them again!)
Following Master Usagi's lead, we immediately jumped out into space and charged at the Dragonias' spaceship.
Then, unlike in the previous battle, a large number of Dragonias came out of the spaceship.
"Are those… the clones just like the previous battle?"
It seemed that the Dragonias have excellent cloning technology, and their usual method was to create an inexhaustible supply of clone soldiers and send them into battle.
As a result, this time, we had to deal not only with the spaceship but also with the Dragonias.
"This is so annoying…! [Heavenly Saint Slash]!"
Iris-san put the power of Holy in her sword and unleashed a huge slash across the side. The slash wipes out the Dragonia aliens one after another, but once again, a large number of soldiers are deployed as replacements.
"Geez! There's no end to the number of them we can take down!"
"You can't stop them from coming out if you don't beat the main ones. Ignore those small fries and destroy the floating spaceships."
"I can't do that; that's why I'm eliminating the small fry!"
As Iris-san said, it was difficult to get close to the enemy spaceship due to many Dragonia aliens.
If we continue to poke around in the dark, we're sure to get into a crowded battle, and there's a chance we'll get swarmed and killed.
(The only saving grace is that their entire force is gathered here… Considering the fact that there is also a commander of that time in this place, I would like to conserve my strength!)
Even as he said this, Master Usagi was kicking away the Dragonia aliens one after another, making good use of his magic to move lightly through the air and attack the spaceship when he saw an opening.
Indeed, we cannot go all out here, considering if a powerful enemy like Drade joined in.
Was it a bad idea to think like that?
To my surprise, several Dragonia aliens appeared from the other ship. Unlike the other Dragonias, they were wearing solid armor and each of them had a variety of weapons.
And there was a familiar face among them.
(──Hello again, frontier warrior.)
"Drade…?"
Surprisingly, Drade, whom I had defeated on Earth, was now standing in my way as one of the new Dragonia aliens that had appeared!
That time, my attack did indeed pierce him. But the current Drade showed no traces of the wound and appeared to be completely healed.
In response to my surprise, Drade smiled ferociously.
(It was your mistake not to kill me back then. With our Dragonia technology, I can recover from a wound of that level in no time.)
It's true that right after I defeated Drade, he was retrieved by the other Dragonias and escaped.
I was surprised to see him reappear like this in perfect condition, but at the same time, it made sense. Considering the space technology that Merl-san had used until now, I guess it was nothing special.
Then, a Dragonia who seemed to be the commander of another unit made fun of Drade.
(Hey, hey, hey, you lost to such skinny bunches? You're the worst!)
(…I'll kill you now if I want to.)
(You think you can beat me after having lost to these small fries? Look at us. We'll finish them off in an instant, okay?)
Ignoring the words of the Dragonia, Drade stared straight at me.
(At that time, it was just the third squad, but now it's different. Do you really think you can fight against this many?)
"…No matter what happens, I'll fight with all my might."
(I see… Then I'll defeat you this time…!)
"Kuh?"
The distance was closed in the blink of an eye, and I was attacked by a spear. I immediately took out the [Absolute Spear] and somehow prevented the attack.
Then Drade smiled ferociously.
(I was defeated last time, but this time is different. The other commanders like me, who are here, will kill you all!)
"I won't let you do that…!"
And so, we clashed again.
＊＊＊
"Yuuya-kun!"
(──Oops, your opponent is me.)
"!?"
When Iris was about to rush towards Yuuya, a Dragonian alien dressed in equipment similar to Drade's stood before Iris.
"…I have to go to Yuuya. Out of my way."
(Hey, hey, don't be stupid, okay? If you want to go there so badly… you'll have to defeat me first!)
The Dragonia alien slashed at Iris as he responded.
Unlike Drade, this Dragonia alien wielded a sword. And it's not just a longsword. He was handling a huge sword as tall as Iris with ease.
(I'm Drad, commander of the second unit of the Dragonian planet.)
"….."
When Drad introduced himself, Iris kept her calm expression and swung her sword without opening her mouth.
"Don't you have a name too? I feel lonely. If that's the case… then let me give you a name.)
"!?"
Drad's pupils suddenly narrowed into a sharp vertical slit, and he swung the sword in his hand quickly.
The sword, which was swung with no special technique but only with the tremendous strength of his arms, engulfed even the surrounding Dragonias and cut them into small pieces with ease.
"…Aren't they with you?"
(Huh? Such disposables? Don't be ridiculous. They are just a tool to wear down the enemy. And it's bad enough that they're so close to me. If they can't be used, they should just get the hell out of my sight!)
"!"
In response to the forceful blow swung down, Iris immediately abandoned the choice of defense and jumped away from the spot.
Then, despite having a sufficient distance, a tremendous shockwave struck Iris.
"Kuh! What ridiculous power…!"
(Hey, hey! What's with the surprise? I haven't even started to take it seriously yet!)
When Iris realized that there was no way to avoid the huge sword that attacked her like a storm, she held the sword up to her eyes and slowly exhaled.
And then──.
"──[Wind Willow Slash]!"
"Ah!?"
Iris, like a willow, brushed aside the impact of the attack and inflicted one wound after another on Drad's body. Although each attack was not very powerful, the countless cuts all over his body caused Drad to frown and distance himself from Iris.
(You're not bad… Huh!?)
"….."
While Drad was enraged, Iris had a clear expression on her face.
(You bastard… I don't care what your name is. I'll just crush you right here and now!)
Drad became angrier at Iris's attitude and began to attack even more violently.
He attacked in a huge storm, cutting up the surrounding Dragonia clone soldiers with just the wind pressure of his sword. The blow was so powerful that it could easily shatter a small meteorite and this was not something that a human could approach.
But even in the face of such a Drad, Iris remained calm.
"──You are so barbaric."
(Ah!)
Iris moves forward with a calm face through the raging storm of swords. Not just swords, but even the wind pressure is easily avoided as she finally closed in on Drad's body.
(Wha!?)
"This is the end ── [Heavenly Saint Slash]!"
Iris's sword, which was swung from below, sliced through Drad from his groin all the way up to his brain and then went on to engulf other Dragonia soldiers and one of the spaceships, obliterating it.
"A sword like a wild beast is no match for a human sword. Remember that… though, it's too late to tell you this. More importantly, I have to save Yuuya-kun…!"
Iris had been looking at the place where Drad disappeared for a while, but she hurriedly headed towards Yuuya.