Chapter 79: Flash

One hour driving. Still haven’t run into a Dragon. Headed toward the center, figured there’d be a whole swarm by now… but nope.

Something’s bugging me. It’s the terrain. Everywhere, these bluish-black patches of earth are rising up—but what’s really wild are the hills. Massive, unnatural mounds of earth, glowing weirdly.

“How much longer till we hit central London?”

I asked Anna, who’s driving. I’d shrunk my magic staff—Nyoikin Kobo—down to about twenty centimeters when we got in the car, since it was getting in the way.

“Should take two hours if nothing happens… but I don’t think it’ll be that easy.”

Exactly as she said. After a bit more driving, the “Hostile Detection” alert kicked in. A whole bunch of enemies coming our way… Damn. The minivan ahead of us stopped. So did ours.

Leo, Freyja, and the others stepped out of the car.

“We’ve gotta help out!”

Wang tried to rush out, but Carlo stopped him.

“No need. You guys stay put in the car.”

Carlo stepped out slowly, holding his staff, like he was waiting for something.

“What the hell are you talking about?! If a Dragon’s attacking, we all fight together!”

“You don’t know their strength.”

“Know what?!”

“Those two.”

From ahead, a Dragon—like a giant land-dwelling dinosaur—charged forward. From above, dozens of flying Dragons swarmed in, descending fast.

“Carlo!”

Freyja dashed from the front. Carlo raised his staff and unfurled a magic circle in front of him.

“Hey hey… summoning!”

A flying dragon emerges from within the magic circle. Smaller than the one I’d defeated before, but a vivid blue. And the most striking feature? A saddle mounted on its back.

"Thanks!"

Freyja says that, then leaps onto the dragon’s back with a flick of her hips—straight into the sky! One second it’s there, the next it’s gone—Wang’s left gaping, but Carlo? He just shrugs, like this is old news.

"Surprised? That’s Freyja’s… class skill, ‘Dragon Rider’—‘Dragoon’."

Up in the sky, the dragon Freyja rides moves sharper than a normal one. On the ground, a dinosaur-like dragon charges straight at Leo!

Carlo doesn’t flinch. Just watches.

Leo draws his sword in a smooth arc—*shink!*—and ten dragons split in half, top and bottom, instantly dead. Then, from behind, a larger dragon lunges at him!

Leo raises his blade—this time, a vertical slash! The dragon splits clean down the middle. The blade never even touches it.

That’s a magic sword… a “Wind” magic blade?

"Got it? That’s our leader. Leo Garcia, the Wind Master."

Carlo says it, eyes lifting to the sky.

"And—"

Freyja soars upward to intercept the dragon. With her right hand, she pulls her sword and raises it to the heavens! The blade flares—light erupts across the sky, countless beams materializing!

"——Luminous Meteor—‘Radious Meitia’—!!"

Countless beams strike the dragon with pinpoint precision! I’d been sloppy with it underwater, but this… this is the real power of the technique.

Six dragonflies plummet toward the ground. At the last second, Freyja dodges two more incoming ones, then slashes through both with a single, blinding flash—severing heads and torsos clean in half! The radiant blade she wields cuts through everything. A light-based magic sword…?

"Pretty cool, huh? My point-getter here!"

"Seriously impressive…"

Wang couldn't help but exclaim in awe.

"‘Flash Dragon Slayer’ Freyja Cruz. That’s what she’s called."

I’d been staring up, but now I glance down—there’s Lukas, the hunter, firing a magic arrow from his ornate, over-the-top bow! One shot. Three dragon heads obliterated.

Whether they flew or ran, it didn’t matter to him.

Alexander raised his greatsword, flames flickering along the blade. He cleaved through the two approaching dragons!

"Guess we’re not needed much, huh?"

I said that, and Wang scowled. Probably wanted to test out his new weapon. After mostly clearing the enemy, we shove the corpses aside and get back in the car.

"Carlo, you’ve known those two a long time?"

I call out from the passenger seat, to the man sitting behind me. With his long staff laid sideways, he’s basically blocking the whole backseat.

"Long? Maybe half a year… everyone here was gathered after the ‘Day of Calamity,’ so we’re all about the same age."

Carlo answers, gazing out the window.

"Time’s short, but… I think we’re closer than family now. At least, that’s how I feel."

"Wait—those dragonflies you sent out… you didn’t kill them. You tamed them alive?"

"Huh? You caught that, huh? Yeah, exactly!"

Freyja was already flying ahead, mounted on the dragon. The longer it went on, the more it became clear this wasn’t normal “taming.”

“She can… connect with certain dragons, heart to heart. That’s why she doesn’t need to “tame” them. She just makes them allies. I’m the one who tames them—just so I can summon them when I need to.”

“Whoa. I’ve never heard of a power like that.”

“Funny thing about it… it’s kind of ironic.”

“Ironic?”

“Freyja’s British. Her family was slaughtered by dragons… She should hate them more than anyone.”

“Freyja? But she’s always so cheerful.”

The Wang murmured, surprised. I hadn’t seen it that way at all.

“She chose… to use the very dragon she hates most—the one she despises the most—to defeat the dragon’s Leader.”

Callo looked up at the sky, smiling gently.

“If this British campaign succeeds… I think she’ll quit the Knights of the Sanctuary.”