The great calamities are also called "calamities beyond calamities," and each of them has its own unique ability, a power that is beyond the norm.
For example, the "Emptiness Gluttonous Dragon" that I fought in Surier had the unique ability of [Spatial Manipulation], and its power that transcends the laws of physics had caused me a great deal of pain.
It could suddenly warp to another location, become translucent to avoid attacks, or even constrict space itself to impede our movements.
Incidentally, Leticia is a reincarnation of the "Brilliant and Arrogant Dragon," which is also a great calamity.
But that aside──
The enemy is one calamity and two great calamities. The situation is quite critical.
It is too hard to have two great calamities appear at the same time, not to mention another calamity as well.
As Leticia had guessed, Zogral may have gathered all the pieces it could move in order to eliminate the future threat that is me.
I didn't have time to think long and hard about what I'm going to do. I opened my [Item Box] and equipped my battle gear.
Armored Bear Armor, Fenrir Coat, and Bastard Gauntlets.
I wrapped my body with the equipment that had been with me through all the fierce battles up to this day, equipment that should be called my partner.
And this time, in addition, I took out an item that I had created with [Creation] before noon.
It was the Three Emperor Dragons' Bracelet.
When I put it on my right wrist, the"Successor of the Three Emperors EX"was activated.
At this moment, I am a magic user who can control the three attributes of fire, ice, and wind at will.
"Kou-sama."
Leticia suddenly called out to me.
"Look at that."
She pointed to a spot some distance away from us.
A small magic circle was floating on the floor of the rooftop. Iris was transferred to the rooftop.
"Kou, we have a problem! …Or rather, by the looks of it, you know the enemy is approaching."
"Yeah. Because the sky is like this, Leticia has been looking into it."
From what she said just now, Iris seemsed aware of the situation.
According to her, the God of War also sensed the presence of a calamity or great calamity and sent Iris to the surface to deal with the situation.
"The power succession to Lily is going well. But it still seems to take some time."
"I understand. For now, the three of us will have to deal with it."
As I said that, I took out some Flying Potion from my [Item Box]. I gave Iris and Leticia some as well to drink.
"There are a lot of enemies this time. We need to be flexible, so please take a drink of it."
"Thank you. I'll take it."
"Fufufu, I haven't flown since my previous life."
The three of us opened the package at about the same time and raised the water bag in a toasting gesture. We didn't have any prior agreement, but it seems we were all thinking the same thing.
We chuckled at each other and drank the Flying Potion.
The wind swirled around my feet. My body floated softly.
Iris was able to stabilize her posture immediately, probably because she had drunk the Flying Potion before.
How about Leticia?
"I've got the hang of it. It's like this."
As expected of a dragon in her previous life (?), she was able to get the hang of it without too much difficulty.
This seems to be alright.
"First, we need to gain altitude and get a clear view. Follow me."
I told them, and we flew up at once.
The sky was still tinged with an ominous dark red.
When I reached an altitude at which I could see the entire city, I stopped moving. I looked around in a clockwise direction.
To the north and west are mountains and forests, to the east are plains, and to the south is the sea.
To the north and south, respectively, floated translucent soap bubble-like spheres.
They looked like that at first when the Gluttonous Dragon appeared before, didn't they?
"Are those two the great calamity?"
"Yes, probably."
Leticia caught up with me a few seconds later and lined up on my right. Iris came on the other side, to my left.
"Is the one to the east a normal calamity?"
"I suppose so."
I turned my gaze to the plain to the east. There was a large yellowish sphere floating in the sky above it.
"Kou, what should we do?"
"First, let's reduce the number of enemies."
I took out two Grams from my [Item Box] and held them in my left and right hands.
The left hand was the original, and the right hand was the copy created with the [Item Duplication]. In order to distinguish between the two, I will refer to them as "Gram Origin" and "Gram Imitate."
While pouring magic power into each sword, I continued speaking.
"Leticia and I will strike the one in the east. Iris, you can cover me from here with your"Absolute Freeze EX". If a major calamity comes after the royal capital──"
"I should protect it with the barrier, right?"
"Yes, please."
"Leave it to me."
Iris nodded and raised her right arm in a small gesture. I raised my right arm in the same way, and we lightly bumped into each other.
Our feelings were connected.
I was sure of that.
No more words were needed. Iris would do well.
"Leticia, let's go."
"Fufufu. Even at a time like this, you still show it."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't mind me. I am like a wall or a floor."
As usual, I don't understand the meaning of her words, but… it doesn't matter.
Let's focus on what's in front of us now.
I maneuvered the wind to accelerate and then turned to the east. Just then, I heard a pounding.
──Ba-dump, ba-dump.
The yellow ochre sphere floating on the plain began to tremble. It seemed to be close to its resurrection.
Of course, I am not going to wait too long for it to emerge from its egg.
"Leticia. Can you shoot it with [Falling Star]?"
"I finished preparing it during our conversation earlier. I'm ready whenever needed."
Leticia raised her right hand high in the air as she answered. A chain of light shot out from her wrist and was sucked into the magic circle that appeared in the sky.
"Okay, please do it."
"Very well. ──Come from the heavens, [Falling Star]."
Leticia's right arm swung down. The chain of light is pulled, and a meteorite falls from beyond the magic circle.
The frictional heat with the atmosphere caused the surface to burn red.
The meteorite, maintaining its furious speed, slammed into the yellow ochre-colored sphere.
A roar burst out, and the gusty wind blew.
The impact shattered both the meteorite and the sphere, and a haze of dust and smoke filled the air in the vicinity.
Of course, I don't think this was enough to defeat it.
Activating [Auto Mapping], a map of the surrounding area was drawn in a pale blue window, and a red light spot indicating the presence of the calamity was visible.
Relying on the window display to adjust my direction instead of my vision, which was blocked by the dust, I swung my two swords in a crosswise motion.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
I simultaneously activated the"God of War Slash S+" from both sides.
A torrent of light was released in the form of an X, blowing away the dust nearby. Beyond it, the figure of a dragon with yellow ochre scales appeared and was instantly engulfed by the torrent of light.
"Guuooooooooooooo!"
A cry of anguish echoed from beyond the blinding brilliance. After the light passed, I saw a dragon crashing down with both wings missing.
I poured magic power into the swords in both hands and once again activated [Appraisal] while preparing for the"God of War Slash S+".
Yellow Dragon of Earthquake: A dragon of calamity that appears only once every 4,000 years. Swimming through the ground, it drags all life and civilization into the ground.
The three calamities that have appeared so far──the Black Dragon, the White Dragon, and the Green Dragon──are the equivalent of the attributes of fire, ice, and wind in RPGs.
The yellow dragon, the fourth calamity, has powers related to the earth, as one would expect.
However, the fact that it swims on the ground is troublesome.
I don't know if this is possible with its wings missing, but I want to finish it off as soon as possible, especially since Lily is in the process of inheriting the power of the God of War in the basement of King's Landing.
I cannot let it interfere with the process.
"Leticia, give it a follow-up attack!"
"I've already started! Please rest assured!"
There was no falsehood in her words. A second giant meteorite began falling from the magic circle that had spread across the sky.
The destination was, of course, the Yellow Dragon.
Although we would have liked to push through at once, the enemy was not that naive.
Suddenly, a large number of black shadows were coming in from the south. It was a group of small dragons about one meter long.
One after another, the dragons attached themselves to the meteorite, and their entire bodies emitted light.
Each explosion was not large, but the number of explosions was extraordinary.
One hundred, two hundred, three hundred──no, it's over several thousand.
The self-destructive tactics of the smaller dragons shattered the meteorite in less than three seconds.
In unexpected situations, information is the most important thing. I immediately activated [Appraisal] on the small dragons.
The Inexhaustible Lust Dragon: A great calamity dragon that flew in from the "outside" of this world. It is the natural enemy of all life. Its only active means of attack is to self-destruct by letting its magical power run wild. It is a group that shares a single consciousness, and although its intelligence is low, as long as even a single dragon remains, its numbers will increase indefinitely through division.
Infinitely multiplying? If the description is correct, it is a very nasty enemy.
And in fact, the remaining lust dragons that had not taken the self-destructive tactic were beginning to split up, their bodies trembling.
"…What's going on?"
Leticia came up next to me and asked me a question. I briefly told her the contents of the [Appraisal].
The red spot of light on the south side of the royal capital has vanished.
That must have been the Lust Dragon.
"I think we should split up here."
Leticia immediately suggested.
"I'll go and stop the Lust Dragon. May I borrow your Bastard Gauntlet, Kou-sama?"
"Do you know how to use it?"
"I have the [Domination] skill."
I see.
One of Leticia's unique abilities, [Domination], by infusing the arrogant dragon's factor, can manipulate any living or inanimate object as desired.
Depending on how it is used, it can also be used as an alternative to [Dexterity].
The Bastard Gauntlet was made from Black Spider and White Scorpion, and in addition to shooting out spider silk, it could also release lightning bolts to attack a wide area.
Since the flying lust dragon was like a swarming group, the best way would be to deal with it using the Bastard Gauntlet.
I handed the Bastard Gauntlet to Leticia and headed toward the Yellow Dragon, lowering my altitude.
The Yellow Dragon had already hit the ground and was lying limp from the damage. It did not move even a twitch.
Was it dead?
No, it was not.
If it had been defeated, the corpse would have been stored in my [Item Box] by [Automatic Collection].
"So it's just pretending to be dead?"
That's a very clever thing to do.
I swung down the Gram Imitate in my right hand and activated"God of War Slash S+".
A silver light was emitted from the great sword and was about to engulf the Yellow Dragon.
At that moment.
"Gah!"
The Yellow Dragon opened its eyes.
Immediately after, the ground around it seemed to ripple like water, and the huge body sank into it.
As written in the description of the [Appraisal], it must have activated the power to swim in the ground.
The Yellow Dragon gave up on fighting me and headed in the direction of the royal capital, digging its way through the ground.
"Sorry, but that's something I predicted."
I activated"Divine Speed Blessing EX".
In an instant, I overtook the Yellow Dragon and moved ahead in the direction of its movement.
I returned the Gram Imitate in my right hand to the [Item Box] and took out Hikino's chair instead.
"──[Break Smash]."
It is a skill that adds further granted effects to a weapon created by [Creation] and forcibly raises its performance.
The added effect to Hikino's chair is called"Fierce Earthquake Strike EX".
By slamming it into the ground, it causes a violent vibration, causing surrounding enemies to fall into a stupor.
This would be very effective against Yellow Dragons in the ground.
"Seeryaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
I threw the Gram Origin in my left hand high into the air, grabbed Hikino's chair with both hands, and slammed it to the ground with all my might.
The chair shatters at the cost of the [Break Smash] and disappears as particles of light.
However, the force of the impact was considerable.
The earth shook violently, and the surrounding ground shattered and caved in around the spot where it was struck.
The Yellow Dragon was greatly knocked away by the impact and was thrown into the air.
"Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
A scream echoed through the air.
As expected of such a calamity, the dragon did not seem to have fainted, but it seemed to have sustained considerable damage.
Just at that moment, a flash of blue light was released from the direction of the royal capital.
The light hit the Yellow Dragon directly, quickly turning its entire body into ice.
It was probably Fimbul's"Absolute Freeze EX".
Iris, who remained in the royal capital, was apparently providing covering fire from the rear.
Nice timing.
I caught the Gram Origin that had just fallen in front of me and re-gripped it with both hands.
"──I'm going to finish you off!"
I swung down my sword. A silver slash was released, slicing the Yellow Dragon in half.
One down.
The carcass was immediately stored in my [Item Box] by [Automatic Collection].
I would have liked to take a breather here, but alas, it was impossible.
The translucent sphere floating above the steep mountains to the north of the royal capital burst open, and the second great calamity appeared.
"GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
It was a huge bipedal dragon. Its entire body was red-hot and ablaze.
Flames leaked out incessantly from between its scales.
It looked as if a flaming hell had been forced into the shape of a dragon.
It had no wings on its back but instead had protruding organs extending from both shoulders.
In terms of size, it was the largest of all the opponents I had fought so far. It was not only one hundred meters tall but probably reached two hundred meters in length.
I guessed from its appearance that it was the Rage Dragon.
I activated [Appraisal].
Radiant Rage Dragon: A great calamity dragon that flew in from "outside" of this world. It is the natural enemy of all life. Zogral created it in the form of a dragon using the concept of "hell" in a certain world as material.
Using the concept as material…?
To be honest, I don't understand a bit what it means. However, the figure surrounded by the flames of the Rage Dragon left an impression that it would make sense if it were called "Hell in the shape of a dragon."
"GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The Rage Dragon let out a majestic cry and began its march toward the royal capital.
Every time it stepped…! Thump..! A loud earth tremor rang out, and a cloud of dust billowed up.
And that's not all.
The protrusions on both shoulders bent and pointed their tips toward the royal capital.
"…..!"
I gasped.
An unpleasant sensation ran up and down my spine.
This was no time to be in a daze.
I quickly manipulated the wind and headed toward the Rage Dragon. Of course, I didn't forget to pour magic power into the Gram Origin.
Immediately after, the protrusions on both shoulders of the Rage Dragon glowed red, and flaming projectiles were shot out from the tip of the protrusions at a furious rate.
The size of the flaming projectiles probably exceeded 10 meters in diameter. It could no longer be described as a small meteorite.
Like machine guns, they shot at the royal capital one after another at an alarming rate.
The city would normally have been a sea of fire, and many people would have been burned to death. However, just before the flaming bullets reached the city, a wall of silver light covered the city.
Iris must have activated the"True Dragon God Barrier EX".
Thanks to the barrier, the flaming bullets were completely blocked, and the damage to the royal capital was reduced to zero.
I am so glad that I left her in the rear.
I want to praise myself for making this decision just before the battle began.
In the meantime, the"God of War Slash S+"was fully charged.
"──Let's go."
I readied the Gram Origin with both hands and swung it down with all my might.
The torrent of light emitted from the silver blade swallowed the entire left arm of the Rage Dragon and obliterated it.
The body of the dragon, which had lost one arm, tilted.
That's unexpected.
It may be because I myself have grown up. But the enemy is a great calamity. I never thought that a single blow could do so much damage.
…Hmm?
"GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The Rage Dragon roared.
It was not a scream of pain. It sounded like a scream to rouse itself.
At the same time, something unexpected happened.
Flames erupted from the severed surface taking the form of its left arm, and then the surface was enveloped in scales, regenerating itself in a matter of seconds.
Not only that.
The left arm, from the elbow to the tip, was transformed into a sword-like shape.
"Is it imitating Gram?"
I was thinking about it and was about to start the next charge of the"God of War Slash S+".
Just then, the Rage Dragon's gaze turned toward me.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The sword extending from its left arm takes on a silvery sheen.
…No way.
My hunch was correct.
The Rage Dragon swung its left arm down.
A slash of light was released with brilliance like a supernova explosion.
"Kuh…!"
I quickly activated"Divine Speed Blessing EX"and avoided the slash of the Rage Dragon.
Just barely.
At worst, if I had been even a few tenths of a second late in my judgment, I might have been obliterated by that light.
Soon after, the inorganic voice of [Full Assist] echoed in my mind.
Analysis has been completed on the unique ability of the Rage Dragon.
It is speculated to be [Full Retaliation].
What in the world is that kind of ability?
Information flows in to answer my question.
The current [Full Assist] is still in safe mode, but it seems that the necessary functions are still alive and well.
As for the effect of [Full Retaliation], it seems that the Rage Dragon can learn the attacks it receives and reproduce them in an amplified form.
"In an amplified form?"
In my case,"God of War Slash S+"took time to fully charge. It was impossible to attack at full power continuously.
But it seems that the Rage Dragon, which has the power to "amplify and reproduce," has overcome this disadvantage──
"GUOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Oh no!
The Rage Dragon had already moved on to its next attack.
It was about to swing down the blade of its left arm──but the movement stopped midway.
What happened?
Immediately after, Leticia's voice was heard from overhead.
"Kou-sama, a little help here, please!"
She comes toward me, being chased by a horde of Lust Dragons.
…I see.
The reason the Rage Dragon stopped its attack was probably because the Lust Dragon came into its line of fire.
To be honest, it was a big help.
I am grateful to Leticia.
The Rage Dragon seemed to have given up its attack on me and resumed concentrated fire on the royal capital with flaming bullets.
There was Iris's"True Dragon God Barrier EX"over there. It should hold out for a while yet.
"…I trust you. Iris."
I really want to fly to the royal capital right away, but now is not the time to let my emotions get the better of me.
I maneuvered the wind to gain altitude and lined up right next to Leticia, who was fleeing from a swarm of Lust Dragons.
"Leticia, are you okay?"
"Yes, don't worry. It seems that Kou-sama has defeated the Yellow Dragon. As expected of you."
"Thanks to you for attracting the Lust Dragons. Thank you."
"It was for my sweet little brother's sake. It's not a big deal. …Oh."
Leticia holds her tongue as if in a panic.
I don't actually know yet if I'm the reincarnation of the Greedy Dragon. It is possible that only the power was possessed, just like the [Creation].
Leticia seems to understand this, and she usually treats me as an equal fellow without showing any sisterly attitude.
The reason why the word 'brother' is mentioned now is probably because we are in the middle of a battle, and it is an emergency situation where we are being chased by the Lust Dragons.
Whenever people lose their composure, unexpected words are likely to come out.
"Ahem. ──Let's reduce the number of enemies, shall we?"
Leticia coughed as if to hide her embarrassment, then glanced back and pointed her right hand at the crowd of Lust Dragons.
In her arm is the Bastard Gauntlet that I lent her.
"Here we go."
At the same time as she spoke, one of the granted effects,"Black Spider's Thread EX", was activated.
Countless threads are released from the gauntlet on her right arm.
The threads spread out in the air like a spider's web, entangling the Lust Dragons that were chasing after us from behind.
Immediately, an explosion erupts.
Of course,"Black Spider Thread EX"has no such effect.
The dragons trapped by the threads all self-destructed at once. This was probably so that they would not interfere with the following group.
TIt was a personnel tactic without any means, made possible by the fact that they are beings that can multiply infinitely.
"…That's too nasty."
"But I have found a way to defeat it."
Leticia said this and held up her left arm.
In her hand, she holds an object that is wrapped around by spider silk.
Hmm?
This is the Lust Dragon, isn't it?
When I asked her what was going on, Leticia told me that she had set out to capture the enemy as soon as she started working separately from me.
Stopping them with Bastard Gauntlet's"Black Spider Thread EX", she immediately activated [Domination].
The first one seems to have self-destructed before the [Domination] was finished, but it seems to have succeeded in capturing the second one.
"Now, using this individual as a foothold, I am interfering with the collective consciousness of the Lust Dragons themselves."
The Lust Dragons were a group that shared a single consciousness, and if I were to use a game analogy, I would say that they are an army controlled by a single player.
"But it would take a long time to use [Domination] on a calamity, and even more so if I were to do so while running around. That's why──"
"You mean you need my help?"
"Yes. I'll be counting on you."
I nodded at Leticia's words.
"Of course. What do you want me to do?"
* * *
The Lust Dragons are a swarm that share a single consciousness.
That is why they are able to use desperate personnel tactics, but on the other hand, since a single consciousness is responsible for controlling the herd, it is difficult for them to form separate units or perform multiple actions at the same time.
"Therefore, I would like you to do your utmost to reduce the number of these dragons. If you do so, the enemy will give priority to proliferation and will neglect the opposition to my [Domination]."
"What if resistance to [Domination] takes precedence?"
"At that time, Kou-sama will defeat them in the usual way. In other words──"
Leticia said with a wry smile.
"When the two of us are together, it's as if victory has been decided."
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
I swung down Gram Origin with my left hand. The silver slash swallowed hundreds of Lust Dragons and obliterated them.
However, that was only about 10% of the total number of the herd, and the loss was quickly made up by multiplication.
"There's no end in sight."
"But the resistance to [Domination] is weakening. We've made about 50 percent progress, and we need to do more."
Leticia told me as we flew around side by side.
"Kou-sama, please continue to apply pressure."
"Yes, I'll take care of it."
I looked at the group of Lust Dragons that were chasing us from behind. They were numerous, but the durability of each one was not that high.
If this is the case, then rather than"God of War Slash S+", which takes a long time to charge, it is better to use a less powerful but more versatile means of attack.
For example, magic.
I held up my right hand toward the crowd of Lust Dragons.
On my wrist was the Three Emperor Dragons Bracelet.
One of the granted effects is"Magic Creation EX"──combining the three attributes of fire, ice, and wind, it is possible to create a completely new magic.
"──Okay."
The image was ready.
Immediately, the [Full Assist] was activated, and the image was converted into reality through magic.
It took about two seconds to complete.
All that remained was to give the magic a name. The simpler, the better in this case.
I shouted.
"Twin Storm!"
With these words, twin storms erupt. One is covered in flames, the other in ice and snow.
The two storms spin around in a spiral, slicing, burning, and freezing the Lust Dragons.
"That's just what I'd expect from you!"
Leticia shouted in admiration.
"The resistance to [Domination] has weakened dramatically. …I think they are confused by the difference in temperature between fire and ice."
That's a happy miscalculation.
The entire troop of Lust Dragons shared a single consciousness, but because of this, it is probably unable to handle the current situation where each individual was in a disjointed state of being burned or frozen.
…Oops.
Apparently, there was one more miscalculation.
In a good way, of course.
My magic power is over 100,000 MP, and the natural recovery rate is one percent per second.
On the other hand, the MP required to maintain Twin Storm is 950 per second.
The amount of natural recovery is higher, albeit by a smaller margin.
Considering that the average magician's MP is 100, this is extravagant, but I wondered if I could make good use of the extra magical power.
When I mentioned this to Leticia, she responded with this suggestion.
"Please lend me your excess magic power. I'll increase the output of [Domination] and win the battle in one fell swoop."
"I understand. Use it well."
Leticia extended her right hand to me.
I put the Gram Origin in my left hand into my [Item Box] and took her hand.
I tried to pour magic power to Leticia in the same way that I charged the"God of War Slash S+".
It was at that time.
"…..!"
Throb.
With a creaking sensation in the back of my brain, my vision blacked out.