136. Alicia's Bizarre Adventure (2)
Yet even with Alicia's bungled incantation, Bahamut responded in kind, manifesting his majestic form upon the soil of England. Alicia felt a crushing exhaustion from the immense mana drain, but a smile tugged at her lips nonetheless. It was a sight potent enough to send shivers through every soul present.
The awe-inspiring grandeur of the Dragon God, summoned in all his solemn splendor, was more than sufficient to silence the Royal Guard's doubts.
"That's..."
"The real deal...?"
Of course, before arriving, they'd been informed that the famed Dragon God Bahamut had contracted with the Queen. But the "proof" had been nothing more than a video of another Dragon Priestess summoning him—nothing demonstrating that Alicia herself could do it, and scant guarantees to back it up.
Some in the Guard had grumbled inwardly about the Queen's reckless expedition. Others, disillusioned by what they saw as bluffing, had pondered defecting to the Protector's faction once this was over.
But what was this spectacle?
"It's—it's coming this way!"
"I-is this okay?!"
From the Guard's perspective, as Alicia chanted her spell, a massive meteor plummeted from the sky toward her position. Its blistering descent wreathed it in flames hot enough to fool anyone into thinking she'd summoned a meteor strike instead of a god... until the "meteor" unfurled vast wings, screeching to a halt. Just before slamming into the ground, it banked sharply, avoiding impact.
Even so, it landed with a thunderous boom on two legs, shaking the earth like an earthquake. The "meteor"—no, the colossal dragon—stood in unmistakable, imposing glory before the Guard.
Yes, they could believe it now. The young Queen they served was truly a Dragon Priestess contracted with a sacred dragon!
"Ah... Aah..."
"Incredible."
"A real dragon...?"
The Guard who'd followed this far was swept up in an indescribable emotion—one even they struggled to name or comprehend. Tears welled up; hearts swelled with strange fervor, as if some unrequited devotion had finally been answered. Whatever it was, Alicia's name was seared into their souls, overflowing.
And it was Bahamut's role to fully claim the Royal Guard's loyalty for her.
"By our contract, I transcend space to appear before thee, my contractor, Alicia Elizabeth Diana."
With unabashed pomp, Bahamut proclaimed her full royal name, elevating her prestige before all. Only then did realization dawn: their Queen had summoned this mighty Dragon God. Every gaze snapped to her.
Ugh, so much pressure...! What do I do? What do I do? Save me, Mary!
Alicia maintained her regal poise under the intense stares, but inwardly she was in full panic. Her first real fight as an Awakener, her first Bahamut summon—it had left her utterly drained, a stroke of luck that she'd blacked out before witnessing his descent.
Had she any strength left, she'd have gawked alongside the Guard, shattering her dignity and diluting this moment's impact. As it was, she recovered just enough mana to regain her wits: Bahamut loomed before her, the Guard watched expectantly. Desperate, she mentally beseeched her loyal maid for rescue.
Wrong! Mary's useless right now!
Even trusty Mary was entranced by Bahamut's advent. She knew of it beforehand, yet tremors wracked her body. Tears streamed down her face as she awaited the words of the Queen contracted to this great god, utterly convinced.
Fine, no choice but to wing it!
With no aid forthcoming, despair might have claimed her—but Alicia charged ahead. She'd already proven herself as Queen amid the apocalypse's chaos, earning no trust from the elite yet holding the realm steady with poise beyond her years. In short... she knew how to bluff with leader-like gravitas.
"Behold! I bear the Dragon God's blessing! This sovereign before us is proof thereof! If you dare not incur his wrath, lower your weapons now! This is my royal command!"
With bold, heroic flair, she blustered her dual titles—Dragon Priestess and Queen of England—demanding they drop their arms. She straightened rigidly for dignity, bellowing at full volume, though to outsiders it looked like frantic shouting.
"Yes, Your Majesty!!"
Bahamut's presence amplified her own, erasing doubts. The Guard obeyed instantly, discarding weapons without question. No hesitation, no obligation imposed—just faithful service to their Queen henceforth.
"Hear me well, brave and loyal Royal Guard who've followed thus far! I embarked on this expedition to show you this sight unequivocally!"
Alicia swept her arms dramatically, gesturing at the scene, her low, deliberate tone commanding them to etch it in memory. Her face grave, eyes closed as if gathering solemn power, she held every eye.
"I need say little—nay, there is no need for many words. If your eyes do not deceive, you behold the valiant Dragon God before you! I declare it boldly: I am a Dragon Priestess contracted with him!"
With theatrical flourish, she roared for them to witness the evidence—no need for elaboration. No logic, no exaggeration; just the plain fact of her contract. But facts needed no embellishment here. The Dragon God's towering might was the proof, the hyperbole incarnate.
"Empowered by this great god, I am reborn! Thus I vow: England shall suffer apocalypse no more. No need to avert eyes from tragedy, nor shed sorrowful tears! For I shall save this land!"
The Guard's swirling emotions crystallized into reverence. Awe, inspiration—their long-devoted loyalty finally rewarded, spines tingling with heat. Temptations had abounded; comrades had fallen to them, forsaking honor and oath. Should they serve this child-Queen or save themselves? Torments aplenty.
But today, those ended.
"Lord in heaven, watch over our path! Dragon God, bless my road!"
"""God Save the Queen!!"""
At last, their fealty repaid. As she invoked divine protection, they echoed her plea.
"Then, per our contract, smite my foes."
Seizing the moment, Alicia asserted her sway over Bahamut without pause.
"Very well."
Bahamut gravely nodded, eyeing the giant. His foe—a colossal stag beetle, two heads shorter but still a behemoth Bahamut couldn't ignore. It explained why the Protector hadn't slain it; now wary of this even larger intruder, the beetle held back.
"If it won't come, I'll go first."
Bahamut advanced leisurely, then leaped earth-shakingly, slashing talons into the beetle's back. A massive boom—it buckled beneath him, but shook violently, its brute strength flinging him off.
Bahamut winged skyward effortlessly, unleashing scorching fire magic on its carapace as he ascended.
"Like something out of a comic or movie!"
"Yes... an epic clash."
A monster showdown worthy of spectacle. Sensing doom if passive, the beetle rampaged. Bahamut, wary of collateral ruin, dove back to earth for a contest of strength.
Its horns targeted his chest; he seized them in both claws, shoving back. Each clash birthed shockwaves matching their scale, environment shattering around them.
"Impressively strong. Time for Strength Enchantment."
"...!"
Grinning at the pressure, Bahamut buffed himself. The spell—that could elevate mortals or Awakeners to superhuman heights—swelled his muscles, gradually overpowering the beetle. Its horns, once lethal, now harmless; futile struggles ensued.
"How did the Protector survive that?"
Yet the beetle wasn't negligible—merely mismatched. It relied on bulk alone, against Bahamut's superior size plus versatile magic. Frontal assault would've crushed the Protector flat.
Alicia posed the question to Mary.
"To that stag beetle, the Protector was an ant, it seems."
"Fair enough. Even watching makes my head hurt."
Bahamut's presence reduced it to pathos; a smaller human like the Protector posed no threat. Like asking if one ant could harm a man—most would scoff. To the beetle, that's what he was.
Alicia nodded at Mary's analogy, spectating the kaiju brawl.
Stronger than me, even. Monsters like this exist... and worse.
Bahamut acknowledged its power. But...
"Wall of Fire."
"Kieeeek!?"
Pinning its horns to immobilize, Bahamut ringed them in flames. Immune himself, he roasted the beetle alive amid searing agony. Sensing death, it thrashed wildly.
"Will of the Sword."
To quell it, Bahamut summoned massive blades from thin air, impaling each leg to the ground. Motion sealed.
"Can't move properly now."
With horns neutralized, he smashed a straight punch into its head. Shackling swords shattered; the beetle reeled, collapsing in agony.
This drags on, it'll wreck everything.
Eying the devastation, Bahamut opted for swift resolution.
"Quick finish it is."
"Kiek!?"
Grabbing its legs, he whirled into a Giant Swing. Thunderous gale and quake erupted; amid screams...
"And done!"
Perfectly overhead, he unleashed Dragon's Breath. It pierced clouds in a perfect circle; the beetle vaporized to ash.
"Whoa... am I alive?"
"Quite. I readied a barrier for my contractor, but no need."
"You went way too wild!"
Alicia, confirming survival post-finale, chided her rampaging god.
"No helping it. Matched my weight class—can't fight dainty."
True enough.
"But no one'll miss that display!"
"I-in-deed!"
This bout cemented Alicia's prestige irrefutably—a chance to humiliate even the Protector.
"Your Majesty, declare boldly before the Guard snaps out of it."
"R-right!"
They were perfect witnesses; imprint her dignity for favorable testimony.
Alicia hesitated briefly toward the dazed, reverent Guard.
"Did you see? This is the Dragon God's might! And I, Alicia, am his contractor! Thus, this realm enjoys his aegis and protection!"
Channeling legendary queens from tales, she proclaimed England under draconic safeguard. Dragons might symbolize evil in Western lore, but so what? Stories were stories; if it benefited the nation, humans remade symbols overnight.
Alicia was ready to swap the royal lion for a dragon on the crest itself, etching the god's glory into the Guard.
"Great and holy dragon, Bahamut. Remember this Dragon God's name with us—eternally."
"""Raaaaagh!!"""
No Guard disobeyed.