Kicking the ground hard, Erina ran towards the giant dragon. Her physical abilities were an order of magnitude greater than before, as she had brought together the "resource" of six special people with memories and emotions.
With her first step, her speed had easily exceeded 100km/h. Her leg strength easily allows her to run up the walls of buildings, and her fists easily allow her to crush concrete blocks.
But yes, however... "that's all there is to it."
The giant dragon swung its arm down, intercepting the approaching Erina. It was a blow that contained the power of a being hundreds of meters tall. If it hits properly, the fight would immediately end.
This is why Erina quickly changes direction, avoiding the dragon's strike. She then leaps before the impact causes the earth to quake, landing on the arm of the gigantic dragon and shooting the dragon's face with her handguns as she ran up its arm.
There was no clear damage from her little bullets, but Erina didn't overlook how there's a bit of black liquid leaking out of the giant dragon's body.
(...As I thought, it's not like it doesn't take damage. It does take damage... but the damage we deal is too small compared to its overall resources. It really isn't realistic to defeat it. Even if my attack does some damage equivalent to a single black zombie, I'd still have to fire 7 billion shots at it.)
There is, of course, a reason why Erina is running up the dragon's arm at full speed while analyzing it. In a fight against an opponent with such a size difference, it would be extremely troublesome if it takes distance away from her.
She may end up being taken down in the blink of an eye by a series of exploding fireballs. Erina's chances of grabbing a small victory are small... and if she's fighting an opponent of this size, it's easier for her to fight at an extremely close distance.
The dragon tried to crush Erina with its other arm, but Erina skillfully slowed down her speed to herself from being caught by the dragon.
(...If this dragon also acts like a biological being should move, its blind spot should be behind it... In that case, I should position myself behind its neck and around its back, gradually accumulating damage and drawing its attention to me!)
Erina's strategy isn't a mistake. Hiding in the bosom of a huge opponent is indeed a good plan, but it also makes sense to fight in a way that is troublesome for the opponent in order to draw its attention.
In fact, Erina had managed to get behind the giant dragon's neck as she had expected and was able to put bullet after bullet on the dragon as she ran through its shoulder. Even if a single bullet doesn't deal the dragon much damage, it should at least be enough to make the dragon falter if it accumulates.
Her only miscalculation though... would be her preconceptions.
[Whaa!? Kuhh...]
Erina felt a strong wind and immediately grabbed a part of the giant dragon's body to support herself. What she saw was a wall of buildings approaching at a tremendous speed.
[!?]
When Erina realized that the giant dragon was about to hit the building with herself attached to its back, she quickly leapt and landed on the ground with a roll.
Watching the building shatter into pieces and crashing down on the ground, I tried to regain my stance... but the giant dragon disappeared from her field of vision.
[Eh? Above! It jumped up...]
Quickly coming to a conclusion, Erina turned her gaze to the sky and saw that the giant dragon hadn't used its wings to fly, but had leapt with its legs and was falling towards her with its arms folded close.
Yes, she had one preconception. She was thinking that if that dragon was that huge, "it must be slow"... However, that preconception of hers was wrong.
The giant dragon is fast————- even faster than Erina.
Creating a huge crater on the ground, the giant dragon with its arm folded struck the ground, making the ground greatly quake. Pushing out of the cloud of dust, Erina somehow managed to escape out of the dragon's range but... the situation still isn't good for her.
Yes, the distance between them has become too great. If that happens, what will happen next is...
[It really started hurling fireballs... D*mn it, I can hardly see!]
As her visibility was poor due to the cloud of dust around her, huge fireballs flew towards her one after another... and the situation turned into the fight Erina wanted to avoid the most.
She managed to evade in time. However, even a single hit would be the decisive blow... and now, she doesn't have the composure to go on the offensive.
(I should at least... not let the attack reach Kaito-kun...)
For Erina, their side loses when an attack of that dragon hits Kaito... If that's the case, they still haven't lost all chance of winning.
In fact, she was thinking that if the giant dragon's attention is on her like this, it should be easier for Kaito to move.
Of course, it would take some time for Kaito to get through this fierce battle and reach the cemetery, but still... They still have some hope for winning.
However, as if to brush away such a hope, a huge arm was swung sideways, splitting the dust cloud apart.
[Since when is it behind... Kuuhhh——— This is bad!]
Too nimble, too cunning and quick for Erina to notice... The giant dragon had moved behind Erina, hiding behind the cloud of dust.
Thereupon, Erina leaped to evade the huge arm that was brandished towards her. That was the only evasive measure she had left in this situation.
However, Erina understood that it was a fatal mistake. In front of such a fast-moving giant dragon, leaping up to the air where she can't move would bring about too much of an opening.
While Erina was unable to take evasive actions in the air, a long tail whipped towards her. The approaching tail looked like a black wall, and an irresistible impact blew Erina's body away.
[Erina!?]
Kaito, who was heading towards the cemetery while looking for an opening in that battle, stopped in his tracks and shouted. From his view, Erina's body penetrated the window of a building and disappeared.
Slamming into the wall of the building, Erina dropped down to the floor... and as her body trembled, she somehow tried to get up.
[...Guhh... Uuuuu... I can't... feel my strength...]
Managing to parry some of the impact aside, Erina somehow managed to not die instantly. However, the damage done to her body is so great that her body doesn't listen to her.
Her heart isn't broken yet, and as long as Kaito is alive, hope isn't lost... However... she doesn't have the strength to open the path for Kaito anymore.
Erina still tried to somehow make her body move, but even her slightest hope was dashed... when she saw the giant dragon open its mouth towards her and had shot out a fireball towards her.
She doesn't have any power to avoid that flaming bullet. Its flames would wipe out the entire building. In a way, this was the obvious outcome of the battle. In the first place, there was too much of a difference between the two sides' strength, and the only result that could happen was that the six little lights that had challenged the darkness of the 7 billion would be blown away.
As the oncoming fireball slowly reflected in her eyes, as if the world went to a slow motion, Erina burst into tears.
[...Sorry... Kaito-kun... Sorry... I can't... do anything... unlike the real me.]
Murmuring an apology, Erina closed her tear-filled eyes. However... 1 second, 2 seconds... 10 seconds passed, but her consciousness still didn't disappear.
———–That's not true.
[...Eh?]
When Erina opened her eyes, hearing that gentle voice... she saw a girl had caught that fireball.
Bearing the same face as Erina, the girl in black coat waved her arms and deflected the subsequent fireballs, before looking back at Erina with a smile on her lips.
———–You did your best, so I was able to make it in time. I was able to interfere with this world a little bit.
[...You're... the real me?]
———–Thank you very much. However, I would still have to ask you to do your best a bit more.... Please take care of Kaito-kun.
[B- But, I don't have the strength...]
———–It's okay. I told you, didn't I? That I was able to interfere with this world a little bit...
When Erina was about to tell her that she couldn't fight off that giant dragon by herself, Kuromueina told her that it was alright with a gentle smile.
Then, as if in response to Kuromueina's words, a dazzling light lit up from within the blackened sky.
———–That's why, I've brought them here. The large amount of thoughts and wishes for Kaito-kun's return...
Light began descending from the sky. Guided by the "five larger lights", many lights are coming towards Erina's spot like meteors.
———–Receive it, the bonds Kaito-kun weaved... his gentle, yet strong wings!
With those words, Kuromueina's body also turned into light, and as if to follow her lead, the lights pouring down from the sky one after another was sucked into Erina's body.
There were many thoughts filled within those lights. Some came from the children from the same hometown as Kaito, from the people who work in the house where Kaito spent a year in, from the people who sing praises to Kaito, from the people who met Kaito and exchanged words with him, and even from the people who appreciate Kaito's deeds even though they have never directly met him... The warm and gentle feelings of wishing and praying for Kaito's safety... were definitely received by Kuromueina.
[...How warm. So these are the bonds Kaito-kun weaved... Kaito-kun's wings.]
With all the feelings and strength that have been poured into her body, Erina slowly stood up. As if the damage she had received earlier was a lie, her body was as light as a feather, and she felt an unfathomable power welling up from within her.
Wearing a rainbow-colored shimmering light, Erina turned towards the obstacle before her... the giant dragon.