Mission (4)
The figure that rose into the air, casting a shadow beneath it, wore a form that felt deeply familiar despite this being our first encounter.
Blue scales covering its entire body.
Sharp golden pupils slit vertically down the center.
Membrane wings of blue light beating against the empty sky.
A blue dragon that had existed only in legend had revealed itself in the present world.
"It's been a while since I've seen that form."
The massive body swimming through the heavens soon soared higher still. Every time the dragon before us moved, an overwhelming presence rolled outward through the surroundings.
A shapeshifter's Polymorph magic can transform them into any living creature they desire. Even if that creature is now extinct, it doesn't matter so long as their mana allows it. But I didn't believe the shapeshifter could maintain that form forever. Excessive transformation inevitably comes with a corresponding cost.
— Grrrr…
Crrrack.
The dragon's jaws yawned open and its chest began to swell massively. Vast energy slowly condensed at the open maw. I understood immediately what it intended to do. It was about to fire the most powerful weapon of the dragon race — Breath — straight at the barrier.
The dragon's chest continued to inflate with each passing second, then finally stopped expanding as if it had reached its limit.
"It's going to fire a Breath. Get ready."
"Yeah. I'm waiting."
Hearing Spinel's reply, I stepped back slightly from the railing.
The flow of wind around us reversed under the dragon's breath. The energy condensing at its open jaws stopped flowing — and immediately after, the dragon unleashed the breath it had been holding.
KRAAAAAASH—!
A storm of freezing cold erupted and slammed into the Magic Tower's barrier. The cold night air froze solid in the storm's wake, ice crystals scattering in every direction. It was a spectacle worthy of the title Archmage. Even the portion of the barrier struck head-on by the Breath had already ceased functioning, frozen solid.
"Try not to get hurt dodging, okay?"
With those playful words, Spinel moved the rebar. At the same time, the steel bars hovering in the sky plummeted toward the ground once more. The rebar's enormous mass. Combined with freefall from a dizzying height. Those two factors together generated a massive impact force once again.
BOOM! CRASH! THUD!
The rebar that sliced through the wind hammered the weakened barrier. Previously they had merely raised ripples — this time, the result was entirely different.
Crack. Crrrack.
Fractures spread across the barrier where the rebar had struck. The shockwaves of impact traveled through the entire structure, and some of them were severe enough to deal fatal damage.
— Grk, grrrrrr.
Having expended its entire Breath, the dragon beat its wings and withdrew. One of the falling rebars streaked toward the spot the dragon had just vacated.
KRAAANG—!
The barrier, its surface frozen solid, could not fully withstand the collision with the incoming rebar. A tremendous shattering sound rang out in every direction as one corner of the barrier completely broke apart.
"We've succeeded in breaking the barrier."
"It only broke a little — is that okay?"
"Just wait. It'll collapse completely soon."
The Magic Tower's barrier was structured to disperse impact received at any one point. Once a portion had completely collapsed, maintaining its function was impossible. As if to prove my words, the shattered barrier crumbled and scattered. Watching the remnants spray outward in every direction, radiating mana light, was like gazing at stardust illuminating the dark night.
"…So it really is."
The commander marveled at the collapsing barrier. But we only had a moment to appreciate the view. The instant the barrier surrounding the Magic Tower fell, Spinel's rebar began driving into the building itself.
CRASH! BANG!
Some smashed through windows and burrowed in. Others collapsed walls at an angle and drove straight through. Like pirate blades piercing wooden barrels, Spinel's rebar mercilessly carved up the Magic Tower. Only after driving every last bar she had into the building did Spinel dust off her hands with a look of satisfaction.
"So what are you planning to do now?"
"That's rather extreme."
"Better to be thorough about everything, right?"
I nodded at Spinel's words, then clung to the railing and surveyed the surroundings. Screams were already ringing out; the place had grown chaotic. A dragon had appeared and rebar had come raining down. It would have been stranger if it hadn't gotten noisy. With the barrier protecting the Magic Tower completely destroyed, it seemed best to commence the operation as quickly as possible.
"The shapeshifter will attempt to enter from the ground. Let's watch how things unfold from there."
"Yeah, got it."
Spinel's rebar had thoroughly torn up the Magic Tower. I didn't know how many people from the Magic Tower or Secondary Beat were inside, but the previous attack must have dealt considerable damage. At the very least, some degree of force reduction was unavoidable. Now was the time to move into open combat. Watching the dragon fall toward the ground after being struck by a rebounding rebar, I prepared our next moves in my head.
"Here's the melon shaved ice you ordered."
A famous dessert shop located in District 3. Sinel gazed at the enormous extra-large melon shaved ice sitting before her. It was a food she couldn't even dream of during her childhood living with Spinel. Even without going that far back — until recently, Sinel's wallet situation had been so poor she couldn't even contemplate snacks like this.
"…This looks delicious."
Gulp. Sinel swallowed and picked up the spoon from the tray. The moment she'd arrived, she had ordered the biggest melon shaved ice without a second thought. The extra-large serving before her was the result of that order. The clerk had repeatedly warned that one person couldn't finish it alone, but a problem like that was no real obstacle for Sinel Cloverbloom. How long had it been since she'd indulged in luxury with her own money? Sinel counted the seconds in her head, then shook her head vigorously and drove her spoon toward the shaved ice.
Thwup. The spoon plunged deep and lifted a generous scoop. The plump melon resting on the ice reflected in her ash-gray eyes.
"Nyam."
Sinel put the heaping scoop into her mouth. The ice melted smoothly, filling her mouth with sweetness. Sweet. And cool. Her eyes sparkled at the dessert harmony unfolding on her tongue.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
The silver spoon moved rapidly, excavating the mountain of ice. One bite. Then another. Sinel, diligently savoring her melon shaved ice, paused briefly as a dull ache radiated through her head.
"It's delicious."
In Sinel's opinion, her and Spinel's tastes were fairly similar. If she brought her sister here, Spinel would surely enjoy the shaved ice too. Sinel thought about Spinel for a moment, then shook her head and dismissed the idea. Come to think of it, Spinel lived a more comfortable life than she did. Maybe Spinel had already conquered every shaved ice this place had to offer. Either way, it was nothing more than an unattainable dream for now.
"I wonder if we can keep our promise."
The ideals that Spinel and Sinel pursued now were different. Even so, she firmly believed that one promise would be fulfilled. A promise shared with her only family in childhood. Even if they drifted apart for a while, that much she would never betray. After briefly recalling the past, Sinel picked up her spoon again once the pain rattling her head subsided.
"I should finish eating first, then worry about it."
Crunch, crunch. The spoon that dug into the ice moved busily. The melon shaved ice had been piled quite high at first, but even so, it couldn't fully withstand Sinel's spoon assault. Before long, only about two-thirds of the mountain-like serving remained.
Shiver.
Perhaps from eating too fast, Sinel's head went cold again. She held the spoon in her mouth and trembled for a moment. Melon shaved ice. Delicious, but a truly dangerous dessert. Once the shivering from the cold subsided, Sinel took the spoon in hand.
"…?"
But she couldn't immediately go back to her shaved ice. Beyond the shop window, smoke was rising from a distant building. Something had clearly gone wrong. Judging by the scale of the spreading dust, it didn't look ordinary.
"Looks like terrorists showed up at the Magic Tower."
"The Magic Tower got attacked?"
"Yeah! That smoke over there is the proof!"
As Sinel looked out the window, the surrounding conversation reached her ears. Magic Tower. And terrorists. Her ears pricked at a story that sounded vaguely familiar. Unfortunately, no more useful details followed. At the very least, it was clear there were criminals nearby. With an incident of that scale, there might well be a high-bounty wanted criminal at the scene.
"…Once I finish this, I should go check it out."
She might end up earning an enormous amount of credits. If that happened, buying a gift for the boss she was currently indebted to wouldn't be a bad idea. And with whatever money was left after that — what should she buy? Spinning happy fantasies in her head, Sinel scooped up a full spoonful of melon shaved ice and put it in her mouth.