The Tyrant's Last Stand
In the dim depths of the ancient ruins, Marinne cradled Hendel's unnaturally pale body, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. She wiped away her tears and rose to her feet.
She checked his pulse and confirmed he was still breathing. With healing magic, she could save almost anyone, but once truly dead, there was no bringing them back. It was incredibly difficult, yet Marinne knew she was the only one who could save Hendel right now. Feeling the mana he had given her, she gripped her staff tightly.
The very thing that had always been her greatest weakness was now Hendel's greatest strength—his mana. She gathered at least five times her usual amount and glanced back at him.
It was a promise to Hendel and a vow to herself. Marinne dashed through the open door. The staff in her hand blazed brilliantly with mana.
Grrrrr.
The moment she passed through the first gate, a golem at least three meters tall appeared. The floor trembled with every step it took. Marinne swallowed hard and drew up her mana.
Though this was her first time manifesting sword energy, she wielded it with the skill of a knight who had trained for decades. She took a deep breath.
"Hoo."
Without hesitation, Marinne charged at the golem.
Boom!
The golem's metal arm collided with her staff, producing an explosion like a bomb going off. The clash between a tiny girl and a massive golem was so evenly matched it was hard to believe.
The tense balance of power shattered, and astonishingly, it was Marinne who seized the advantage. While the golem staggered back from her strength, she boldly drove her staff into its body.
Screeech.
Sensing danger, the golem's eyes flashed as it swung its arm wildly.
Bang!
Taking full advantage of her small size, Marinne nimbly dodged the frenzied swings. She didn't know the golem's weakness, but instinctively she felt that the core at its center was the key.
Crunch.
Her staff sliced cleanly through the golem's core.
Groooan.
Once the core was severed, the light faded from the golem's eyes and it stopped moving.
"Hoo."
This had been Marinne's first real battle, but her bloodline hadn't failed her. Instead of exhaustion, she felt her energy surging.
Rumble.
As the golem collapsed, another wall appeared. This one was also covered in dinosaur murals. Marinne instinctively sensed that the master of these ruins lay beyond it.
Rumble.
The room that opened this time felt completely different from the previous ones. In the center stood a massive throne, but the boss she had expected to be waiting was nowhere to be seen. Even so, Marinne stayed on guard, carefully watching her surroundings.
The king who once ruled the world.
If Hendel had been here—the boy who loved books—he might have understood it. Unfortunately, Marinne wasn't nearly as familiar with books as he was. Normally she would have examined the area thoroughly, but with Hendel's life on the line, she didn't hesitate. She placed her hand on the unfamiliar script.
Thud thud thud.
Just as expected, the ground began to shake the moment she touched it. Marinne kept her tension high and raised her mana.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At last, the legendary dinosaur revealed itself—a Tyrannosaurus.
Graaaah!
The T-rex licked its chops as it looked down at the tiny Marinne. Any archaeologist or biologist would have fainted at the sight. But to the still-young Marinne, the appearance of a dinosaur didn't stir much emotion. A boy obsessed with dinosaurs might have sparkled with excitement, but to her it was simply a giant monster.
Graaaah!
The king of dinosaurs raised its tiny forelimbs with a roar.
Whoosh!
A massive fireball erupted from the T-rex's mouth. It was powerful enough to make even the Imperial Knight Commander turn tail and run, but Marinne—with Hendel's life on her back—did not retreat.
She swung her staff in a dazzling, butterfly-like dance.
Slice. Slice. Slice.
The fireball, easily ten times her size, was carved into ten pieces by her elegant sword dance.
Kyaaaaah!
Enraged that such a small creature had effortlessly blocked its attack, the T-rex shifted from magic to physical assault. It charged with its massive jaws wide open, flashing its sharp teeth.
The explosive speed came from its powerful leg muscles. Marinne had intended to dodge, but her instincts told her evasion would be difficult. She planted her staff horizontally and met the charge head-on.
Boooom!
"Ugh..."
Even though she had overpowered the golem, she couldn't withstand the T-rex's charging force. She was sent flying through the air.
Deciding it had the upper hand, the T-rex stomped again to secure victory.
"Hoo."
Realizing she couldn't win with brute strength, Marinne exhaled and reset her stance.
With another roar, the T-rex charged. Marinne leaped sideways and barely avoided the rush. Dodging after seeing the charge was impossible, but if she anticipated it, she could slip away by a hair's breadth.
Graaaah!
When Marinne evaded, the T-rex slammed face-first into the wall. It screamed in fury.
The more the T-rex grew agitated, the calmer Marinne became. There was an enormous difference in size, but in the modern era, what separated the rulers of the land wasn't physical mass—it was intelligence.
Marinne gently touched the ring Hendel had given her.
Graaaah!
The T-rex charged again with even greater force. Worried she might dodge, it pushed its leg muscles to the limit and increased its speed.
Contrary to the T-rex's expectations, Marinne didn't avoid it. Thinking she had given up, the dinosaur grinned and opened its massive jaws.
The moment its sixty razor-sharp teeth were about to pierce her—
"Protective Magic."
A barrier formed around Marinne.
Crunch.
The T-rex's sharp teeth failed to pierce the barrier but created massive cracks. Startled by the spell that had appeared without any incantation, the dinosaur decided it couldn't give her any openings and tried to bite again.
But in a battle between powerhouses, even a split second made an enormous difference.
Judging this the decisive moment, Marinne poured out every last drop of her remaining mana. Her staff glowed with brilliant light.
"Hup!"
With a short shout, she hurled the staff straight into the T-rex's throat.
Throwing away her only weapon was a huge risk, but Marinne didn't hesitate.
Kaaaaah!
The T-rex thrashed on the ground in agony, the staff lodged in its throat. Marinne kept her distance as the frenzied creature swung its claws and tail wildly, having lost all reason.
Her gamble had worked, but it seemed even the former ruler of the Earth couldn't be defeated by something as simple as a staff. In a battle of attrition, the T-rex would eventually die, but thinking of Hendel, she didn't have time to wait.
Marinne clenched her small fists and charged at the T-rex. A battle to determine the true ruler of the Earth without any tools had begun.
Unable to stand properly with the staff stuck in its throat, the T-rex used its entire body as a weapon, desperately trying to drag her down to the afterlife with it.
Objectively speaking, Marinne approaching the T-rex should have been overwhelmingly advantageous for the dinosaur with its superior physical abilities. But when death draws near, living creatures instinctively fall into panic. The T-rex, which had lived its entire life as the ruler of the Earth, had never experienced the fear of death. Therefore, it panicked far more violently than any other creature would have.
In a war between supreme rulers, feeling fear meant certain defeat.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Marinne continued punching without caring about the blood splattering across her face.
Graaaah...
Tears welled up in the eyes of the once-mighty ruler of the Earth. The T-rex no longer had the strength to resist. It could only cry as it lay there motionless.
Sensing the end, Marinne threw one final punch.
Thump.
The eyes of the dinosaur that had once dominated the land closed forever. The tightly sealed wall split open.
The rescue team, who had been desperately pounding on the wall to enter the ruins, turned their gazes toward Marinne.
"My lady!"
From the Knight Commander to the Master of the Carde Magic Tower, familiar and trustworthy faces filled her vision. The tension finally drained away, and overwhelming drowsiness crashed over her.
"Over there... inside... Hendel..."
Using the last of her strength, Marinne pointed toward Hendel's location. Seeing the priests rush over in a panic, she felt relieved and lost consciousness on the spot.