With a bang, A two-headed winged creature soared into the sky from the back of the Lizardman.
"No way, is it a dragon!?"
Ayaka was astonished by its true identity.
A long body with large wings. While its overall silhouette wasn't particularly massive, there was no mistaking its appearance – it was undeniably a creature from fantasy, a dragon.
The dragon flew over their heads at a leisurely pace, slower than a large eagle would.
"Ugh!"
Some of the anti-magic officials opened fire, but the dragon skillfully evaded the bullets with its large wings.
Seeing the dragon effortlessly avoiding their shots, Tsukiko couldn't help but gasp.
"It's more intelligent than a large eagle... and it looks slow, but it's faster than you'd imagine."
Ayaka also muttered irritably. On the ground, they had the Lizardman charging towards them, and in the sky, two-headed dragon.
"Hiraishin."
Tsukiko, too, launched a needle imbued with lightning towards the dragon. The needle, which had pierced even the arm of the great demon, reached the dragons, leaving the bullets behind.
At that moment when she thought it might hit, both dragon heads opened their jaws. Witnessing the dragon opening their mouths, the anti-demon officials all arrived at the same conclusion and shouted in unison. It was an attack that almost everyone knew, even if they had never actually seen it – a breath attack, a move symbolized by dragons.
"It's their breath attack!"
In an instant, the sky turned red.
The breath unleashed by the dragons obliterated the Hiraishin and engulfed the ground, swallowing Ayaka and the others.
In Asteris, there was a creature known as the "Fire-breathing Devil (Akuma)." While it was significantly smaller and more fragile than true dragons in terms of size and magical power, the mere sight of it left people speechless with fear.
This "Fire-breathing Devil" was a creature that had even burned an entire forest to ashes with a single breath, as the legends had it.
Apart from its breath attack and strong flying ability, it didn't possess any other particularly remarkable powers, but that alone had instilled fear in people. A single passing "Fire-breathing Devil" had burned an entire village overnight, infuriating the herd by kidnapping the demon's children, and the town had been engulfed in a sea of flames.
Its true name was "Karyuuruune." It was a creature that had incinerated many humans until the widespread use of arrows made of fire-resistant metal materials, known as the "Great Bow," and one that didn't rely on magic.
"Pssssssssshhhhhhh!!!"
Having inhaled the hot air, Ayaka screamed as she expelled it all.
Surrounding her, the anti-demon officials all kneeled, breathing sighs of relief. At the last moment, the members who had been on standby had activated their magic. It was a defensive barrier known as the "Amagoshi Barrier."
Steam had risen from the collision of fire and water, obscuring vision even just a meter ahead.
"I didn't expect it to end with something like that, but I never thought dragons would show up... Keep those things for fairy tales or anime.".
"There's no point in complaining. What can we do about that dragon from here? We'll need something like the princess's spear to take it down."
"Actually, before that, we need to put out this fire. Otherwise, we'll become charred meat."
"But you managed to roast them well? Isn't that retribution for massacring dragons in games?"
"That's because they didn't drop dragon orbs."
"...Surprisingly, everyone seems quite relaxed."
As Tsukiko checked if her hair was on fire by patting it, she noticed that the tips were burnt. Meanwhile, everyone continued to remain vigilant, searching for signs without letting their guard down, staring into the steam.
Among them, a middle-aged man who had immediately activated detection magic shouted.
"They're coming!"
Bursting out of the steam was a Lizardman wielding a mountain sword. The weakened barrier, which had withstood the breath attack, was easily shattered.
On the other hand, among the anti-demon officials, a petite figure carrying a golden glow leaped out early.
"Haah!"
The Kinraishou intercepted the Lizardman's mountain sword.
Tsukiko's movement didn't end there. After deflecting the sword downwards, she let it flow down like a baton, and in Tsukiko's hand, the spear rotated and transformed into a downward slash from above.
The lightning-fast strike, turned into a thunderbolt, was blocked by the Lizardman's shield, but it couldn't completely stop its momentum. The Lizardman retreated, melting the asphalt as it did so.
There, the anti-demon officials immediately unloaded their bullets.
"Tch! Won't this take them down even with this?"
As someone spat out this complaint, the Lizardman was still standing strong, despite the continuous gunfire.
If it were the previous Great Demon, it would likely have been defeated by now, but the Lizardman skillfully blocked the bullets with its shields. That was a significant reason why it couldn't be taken down. After deflecting the bullets with a swing of its mountain swords, the Lizardman leaped toward Tsukiko once more.
Tsukiko fended off the Lizardman's fierce attacks and seized the opportunity for sharp counterattacks. Perhaps the comment she had heard from Flame earlier about being "timid" had greatly offended her, as her thrusts were more intense than usual.
Ayaka looked up at the clearing sky as the steam dissipated.
Fortunately, the two-headed dragon circling overhead showed no signs of launching another attack. Ayaka speculated that perhaps it needed to charge up for each breath attack.
"Hey, can you bring 'that' over?"
Lowering her gun, Ayaka called out to a nearby junior colleague. The young man had an earnest expression on his face and widened his eyes in response.
"Um, are you really going to use that?"
"That dragon can't be taken down with guns, and Tsukiko's occupied with the Lizardman. We have no choice but to do it ourselves."
"That may be true, but... All right, I'll let others know."
The junior colleague retreated and quickly returned to Ayaka. He held a black, gleaming attache case in his hand.
"Ayaka-san, here it is."
"Thank you. Well then, I'll take care of it."
"Good luck."
Ayaka accepted the attache case and smiled, saying, "That goes for all of us." She unlocked it and carefully retrieved the contents.
"...I never thought the day would come when I'd use this."
Inside the attache case were two chains that gleamed with a metallic sheen even in the darkness.
The Kagami family, to which Ayaka belonged, was a clan of onmyoji with a history as long as the Isumi family, Tsukiko's home. They never involved themselves in politics or warfare, staying out of the limelight and freely traveling throughout Japan, battling supernatural entities. In modern times, they had produced many outstanding anti-demon officials, believing that their abilities should be used to eliminate supernatural threats and maintain peace, rather than being a dark power.
Within the Kagami family, several magical tools had been passed down through the generations.
One of them was the "Shinsen" that lay before her eyes now.
Ayaka attached two of the wristbands on the "Shinsen" to her wrists. They had the coldness characteristic of metal but felt like they melded with her skin, like living beings.
Normally, this magic tool was strictly stored by the Kagami family, and only the head of the Kagami family could authorize its use. Ayaka had not yet been recognized as the head, and that's why she had to secretly attempt to take it from the family vault. A fierce argument had erupted between her and her father, escalating into a pro-wrestling-style showdown, resulting in permission being granted under certain conditions.
"Well then, let's begin."
The young man who had brought the attache case said this and exchanged glances with the surrounding magicians. This junior colleague, along with the other magicians around him, came from families affiliated with the Kagami family as well. Therefore, they were well aware of the "Shinsen" and what kind of magic tool it was.
Simultaneously, they began to set up a magic domain around Ayaka. Ayaka, unable to master the "Shinsen" on her own, would manipulate the magic power of the "Shinsen" through multiple people using the Magic Domain.
While Ayaka and her team prepared to use the "Shinsen," the battle between the Lizardman and Tsukiko's group had reached a critical point.
The strength of the Lizardman, who were being supplied with magic power from Flame, was formidable. Still, now that Tsukiko had unleashed the restrictions on Kinraishou and received support from the magic gun, the balance of the battle was tipping in Tsukiko's favor.
However, Flame wasn't about to let that go unnoticed. Finally, the Karyuuruune, which had been soaring in the sky, made a new move.
Now, if they were hit by that breath attack again, the situation would be hopeless. Even with Tsukiko's efforts to restrain the Lizardman while dealing with Karyuuruune's breath, it would be a challenging task.
Karyuuruune's chest swelled, and its magic power surged.
In that moment, the Lizardman forcefully tried to restrain Tsukiko's Kinraishou. The anti-demon officials fired bullets, but the Lizardman showed no sign of backing down and clung to Tsukiko.
"Princess, get away from that thing quickly!"
"This guy—!"
Of course, Tsukiko's group had noticed Karyuuruune's movements. However, the Lizardman under Flame's command, who responded to those movements, acted faster than Tsukiko's group, which moved in response to them.
Tsukiko unleashed a close-range golden thunder, attempting to knock away the Lizardman, but it didn't budge.
Then, the sensation of magic power from above reached its peak. When Tsukiko raised her gaze, she saw that Karyuuruune was about to open its mouth.
Using Kinraishou without considering her own body might blow away not only the Lizardman, but also potentially involve those around her. It was a power that could be risky, and Tsukiko was about to make the decision of whether or not to release it.
However, at that moment, she realized she didn't need to make that judgment herself.
The person she trusted was right behind her.
Rumble! Magic power surged so forcefully that it felt like it made a sound. A Magic Domain, so powerful that it seemed to encompass even the magic being cast by Tsukiko's group, emerged from behind.
It wasn't a typical Magic Domain that forcefully changed the flow of water. Instead, it created a vortex-based barrier that redirected the flow of magic power from high to low, adhering to principles.
(...So, this is the Kagami family's 'Sakasa Mikumari' Formation.)
Tsukiko remembered the name of the barrier she had only heard of.
Normally, a Magic Domain referred to a type of barrier magic that created a limited, unique space by separating the inside from the outside. In other words, it wasn't a shield but a magic endowment to space itself.
And now, the Kagami family's magicians had invoked the magic, 'Sakasa Mikumari' Formation. Instead of creating an isolated space, this magic drew in the atmospheric aura and Aether from the surroundings through the Magic Domain.
The continuously flowing mysterious power could potentially create supernatural entities, as it reached a density dangerous enough to be harmful. However, because it was such an otherworldly realm, certain things could be used within it.
"Awaken, Shinsen."
From behind Tsukiko, she heard a small voice. A familiar, yet unfamiliar solemn voice belonging to Ayaka.
Immediately after, the magic power that had been swirling around like mud with a heavy weight suddenly seemed to lift. It was like the slow, dignified movement of a great serpent raising its head.
Karyuuruune was about to release its breath attack almost simultaneously.
What emerged from the ground were two massive whirlpools. Their true form was chains coiled in spirals, rising towards the sky, and torrents of water that enveloped those chains. Whether it was true or not that fantasy metal, submerged for a thousand years on the seabed, had been brought to the surface and transformed into a magical tool due to a major disaster, it didn't matter.
This was the 'Shinsen.'
Regardless of its origin, the weight and power associated with its name were undoubtedly authentic.
Ayaka, the wielder of the Shinsen, slowly moved at the center of the Magic Domain. She poured her heart and soul into the Shinsen, displaying no signs of hesitation even in the face of the approaching breath attack.
With just a little wavering or lapse in concentration, not only Ayaka but everything around her would be submerged in water in an instant.
The two Shinsen wrapped in torrents transformed into colossal serpents that could swallow even the Previous Great Demon, heading straight for the breath attack. The battle between the lesser-dragon and the serpent created an impact so intense that it felt like the world was trembling.
"Ugh!?"
Tsukiko, in response to the shockwave trying to blow her away, planted her spear into the ground and lay flat on her body. Several anti-demon officials then covered her with their bodies.
The Lizardman was blown away by the tremendous force, making the road ripple as if an earthquake had struck. Nevertheless, when they managed to lift their heads, they witnessed Shinsen, which had just shattered the breath attack, biting into Karyuuruune and crushing its slender body.
"...Incredible."
A dragon that had avoided even Hiraishin was being swallowed by the torrent as if it had no way to escape. Although Tsukiko's Kinraishou was not inferior to Shinsen in terms of its status as a magic tool, whether she could wield its power was an entirely different matter.
There was a significant difference in the output that could be handled between Kinraishou, which only Tsukiko could wield, and Shinsen, which had been operated by multiple people over many years.
Shinsen, having engulfed Karyuuruune, descended like a waterfall. Its target was undoubtedly the Lizardman, who was trying to regain his posture.
It was no longer a battle. The Lizardman, who had raised its shield, was utterly powerless against the catastrophe that Shinsen had become. One of the heads gouged out his left arm, and the moment he staggered, another head, which was now flameless, tore his body apart.
Sensing the presence of Shinsen passing by close to her, Tsukiko couldn't help but shiver. Even though it couldn't be maintained for long with several people, it was undoubtedly an extraordinary performance.
And it wasn't just the anti-demon officials present who correctly recognized the threat.
"...Is that some kind of artifact from this world?"
After losing Karyuuruune and the Lizardman, Flame, who was now nearly naked and covered in dust with blood on his cheek, asked Tsukiko's group.
Their answer came from Ayaka.
"I don't know if what you're calling an artifact is the same as this, but if you mean a relic in a general sense, it might be similar."
"I see. It seems like this world also had its rightful era."
"A rightful era? ...Well, it doesn't matter. With the way you're talking, it's almost as if you came from a different world."
As she manipulated the raging Shinsen, Ayaka, who was in a state almost resembling a runner's high, laughed.
In response, Flame merely snorted.
Flame, who had gone through a series of considerable spells, had already used up a substantial amount of his magical power. In contrast, Ayaka and her group still had Shinsen at their disposal, and Tsukiko had some power left.
It seemed like a conclusion had been reached. Any further fighting would only escalate the damage. If it was possible to avoid killing, they should.
Ayaka's words undoubtedly came from that sincere intention.
However, that's why...
"Ugh..."
Flame's body bent slightly, hidden from Ayaka's group. His artificial eye moved rapidly, where they couldn't see.
Ignorance is a sin. That was a natural belief for magicians who considered knowledge to be power and wealth.
So, Ayaka and her group, who remained oblivious to the existence of demons (mazoku), might indeed be considered great sinners.
However, for Flame at that moment, he couldn't see them as sinners.
There was only one thing dominating his mind.
—It's just too absurd.
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