Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Battle Between Dragon and Hero: A Foregone Conclusion (7)
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The battle between a dragon and a hero was always going to end in an obvious way.
Thump!
Tremendous mana surged up from her heart—the very source of magical power.
It flowed through Rin's circuits, racing down her arm and into her staff.
Kwaaaa─
The staff trembled faintly, as if overwhelmed by the sheer volume of mana exceeding its capacity.
But the mana didn't stop there. It surged higher still, transmitting into the blue mana stone and the light green mana stone at the staff's tip.
Ku-gu-gu-gu─!!
And was amplified.
"Huh?"
"This is..."
Everyone.
Even the dragon unleashing a barrage of spells halted its attack and turned to stare at Rin.
"N-No way... How can a human possess such mana...?"
"No, even for a hero, this is a bit much."
Dragons were said to have infinite mana.
Indeed, their dragon hearts boasted near-infinite mana regeneration.
But in truth, unlike the name, their absolute mana reserves and output weren't all that impressive.
Of course, compared to humans or other races, their total reserves were vastly superior, and their output was formidable.
However, that was only within the bounds of common sense.
A hero who had reached the pinnacle of magical talent...
Could surpass dragons in output or the finesse of their spells.
Just like Rin, right now.
"......"
Gazing at the mana stones brimming with colossal power, a spell fitting the situation flashed in her mind.
A grand-scale spell she had sealed away before, one that demanded too much mana at once and strained her circuits to the limit.
But now, she was certain she could cast it without issue.
The mana coursing through her body assured her of that.
"Power of water, frozen solid by the frigid winds, incarnation of chill and frost. With your icy grasp, assail the foe..." She began chanting the incantation.
Unlike her usual swift and concise spells, this one stretched on at great length.
The length of a chant scaled with the spell's range and power.
She could conjure massive spears with just a few short phrases.
So what manner of spell required such an extended incantation?
No one could predict the outcome.
"...and freeze the world in ice." ⟨ Ice Field ⟩
After chanting for nearly a full minute, she thrust her staff forward and cried out.
"Ice Field."
And in that instant.
Craaaack─!
The world froze over.
"W-What is this?!"
"M-My feet are frozen!"
From Scarlett's party, past Emmy and Hickle.
All the way to the beastkin soldiers fiercely clashing at Herdo Castle.
The ground everywhere froze solid, turning a pristine white.
Yet the allied forces standing upon it suffered no effects.
"Ugh...!"
"C-Cold?!"
They merely shivered from the sudden drop in temperature.
But it wasn't just the ground.
"Gaaah?! What the hell?!"
"M-My wings... My wings are frozen!!"
The vast wings of the dragons soaring through the sky froze over, turning as white as the ground below.
"Don't panic! It's just a bit of frost."
Of course, mere freezing wouldn't send the dragons plummeting to earth.
They didn't fly by flapping alone; their wings channeled a constant Fly spell.
But this was mana-infused chill.
What if it froze even the mana circuits in their wings?
"Huh?"
"M-My mana..."
What good was a constant Fly spell if the frozen circuits couldn't channel mana to the wings?
"F-Fly!"
Whoosh─!
In a panic, the dragons hastily cast Fly directly.
They instinctively knew they couldn't afford to fall.
Falling meant facing melee fighters who were currently reduced to shields blocking spells—and heroes and warriors specialized in close combat would shred their durability in droves.
Scarlett alone was glaring like she'd punch a hole through their necks the moment they hit the ground.
In short, crashing meant instant defeat for the dragons.
That's why they clung to the skies, forcibly casting Fly themselves.
But that created a problem.
They could once cast it unconsciously through their wings; now they had to consciously maintain flight.
And for a 10-meter behemoth, mana drain aside...
The mental strain would be immense.
Shrinking via Polymorph wasn't an option either.
That would dispel their dragonscale barrier, slashing their defenses.
In the end, they chose to remain massive and airborne.
Which meant...
"...Their spell attacks have weakened."
The dragons, quick to adapt with Fly, resumed their barrages—but they were noticeably weaker.
Seconds ago, the onslaught had been a torrent impossible to block.
Now, there was room to dodge.
"Good! With some breathing room, pour on the attacks! Their barriers will shatter eventually!"
"Raaah!"
Bastia's forces and the human troops could now focus on offense.
And that wasn't all.
"Tch...! You damn humans...!"
"Damn it! My body's not responding right!"
With parts of their bodies frozen, the physical toll was severe.
Balance shattered, frostbite and necrosis bringing agony.
Their already disrupted focus from Fly worsened further.
Spells missed their marks.
Defensive barriers faltered, spells slamming into flesh and chipping away at dragonscale durability.
A single spell.
It had utterly reversed the tide.
"...That mage girl is incredible."
"What a spell!"
"Ice magic! Amazing!"
The beastkin and Scarlett's party showered Rin with praise.
A grand spell blanketing kilometers in ice.
Freezing the wings of thirty dragons.
The stuff of legends, fit for an archmage from history books.
'...Rin. Rin Pacific, the one who triggered demon possession before?'
Jin glanced at her, swiftly assessing.
'Looks like another figure to watch. Upper-tier rating...'
As he thought that.
"...and pierce the bodies of our foes."
"Huh?"
Jin noticed.
She was chanting again.
'...What? No way. She's been chanting since Ice Field...?'
Three minutes had passed since Ice Field froze the ground and wings.
As the linchpin of the allied offense, her lack of follow-up had made him assume mana exhaustion from that grand spell.
He was wrong.
She had been preparing her next strike all this time.
For three whole minutes.
'W-What insane spell is she preparing...?'
A spell's detail, range, and power scaled with chant length.
This one was at least three times stronger than Ice Field.
It would guzzle far more mana, with output potent enough to burst circuits.
Yet Rin didn't hesitate.
She was certain.
With her current power, she could handle it.
Three minutes exposed to danger, but the protective barrier shielded her.
She'd collapse from exhaustion after, forced to withdraw—but that was fine.
After all...
"Shatter all my enemies." ⟨ Ice Garden ⟩
"Ice Garden."
Thoom─
As the spell activated, space itself warped from the colossal mana radiating from Rin.
"Guh...?!"
Those with weak magic resistance vomited and collapsed from the activation's shockwave alone.
"W-What?!"
"What is this... this mana...?!"
Even dragons suffered: spells disrupted, circuits scrambled.
The mere activation dealt massive damage.
But this was just the beginning.
Crackle... Crackle─
Strange sounds emanated from the ground.
And from the frozen dragon wings.
Like something cracking... or tearing.
"What the..."
The dragons instinctively sensed danger and checked their wings.
But...
Crick─ Crick!
"Agh! What is this?!"
"Gaaah! S-Something's wrong with my wings...!"
From the frost-white wings, snow-white flowers began blooming.
Not merely blooming.
Crunch─
"Guhk?! It's... burrowing in...!"
"Kyaaah! It hurts! It hurts!"
"So cold! Freezing and painful! It's stabbing my flesh!"
The tiny white flowers shattered the surrounding black dragonscale barrier, burrowed into flesh, and kept growing.
Shhh─
And that wasn't the end.
Frost spread purely white from the pierced spots.
Then...
Crack! Crackle!
New frost sprouted more white flowers.
"Uwaaaah!"
"Too painful! Freezing! So cold!!"
The white flowers spread across the dragons' bodies.
Faster and wider with each passing second.
Shattering dragonscales, stabbing flesh.
Even spilled blood froze, blooming red flowers in its place.
"Guuuuh!"
Writhing in agony, the dragons eventually plummeted—over half their bodies encased in white and red blooms.
Kwajik!
Yet...
Identical white flowers sprouted from the Ice Field-frozen ground where they fell.
Kwak! Crick!
"Gaaaaah─!"
The flowers impaled the crashed dragons.
And rapidly grew.
Precisely targeting only dragons, sparing allies.
"Guuh..."
In an instant, thirty dragons became glittering floral hills of white and red blooms.
"Hoo... It's over."
Rin, slumping from mana depletion, wiped cold sweat and sighed deeply.
The dragons' mana signatures vanished completely.
One spell had silenced thirty dragons utterly.
This was her self-devised ultimate atrocity: Ice Garden.
Ice of absolute durability spread infinitely, ultimately encasing foes in a beautiful floral finish.
A horrific yet exquisite spell.
Ice flowers grew only on frozen chill ground.
In truth, Ice Field was mere groundwork for Ice Garden—no attack intended.
"......"
"......"
All who witnessed it fell silent.
The scene was too transcendent.
'...Rin Pacific. No, Hero "Rin". Hero rating: top-tier. Equivalent to Jenny Harkur—upgrade accordingly.'
Jin reflected deeply on his underestimation of her.