Outpost Battle: Oni vs. Wind and Thunder ④

The wind grows fierce.

The force pressing down on me as I was slammed into the ground recoiled, and I managed to rise.

Blood trickled from the forehead.

The outcome was straightforward.

Only struck by a bullet of wind to the head.

That was all.

That single strike sent me crashing to the ground.

She tasted the power of the wind.

An invisible bullet of air.

Never thought it would be this troublesome.

Moreover, the raging wind steals my freedom, and since the air around me is constantly shifting, the signs of incoming wind projectiles are even harder to read.

Distracted by the flashy lightning strike, he failed to recognize the true nature of the wind controlled by the pteradon.

This howling expanse of wind is the hunting ground of that pteradon.

Wind spirals.

The wind was so fierce it rendered the eyes unable to open.

Breathing was even more difficult.

As if a plastic bag were pressed against the face.

No matter how high the stats, I am still a being that breathes.

If this state continues without the ability to breathe properly, suffocation is inevitable.

It is not impossible to breathe, but to perform full exertion under these conditions? That is impossible.

Sharpen the nerves.

It's coming!

A wind bullet strikes.

I barely dodged it by a hair.

But barely dodging was all I could manage.

I avoided the bullet, but could not resist the gale with my destabilized stance. The wind seized me.

This time, unlike before, it did not simply blow me away without a single countermeasure.

‘Hya-ha!’

‘Gah!?’

The leopard dragon waited beyond where I was blown.

Its claws tore into me without mercy.

I gritted my teeth, regrasped the flame blade tightly.

I aimed a counterstrike at the leopard dragon’s face—its expression seemed to carry a hint of pleasure—as I drove the blade in.

But the wind seized me again, as if pulling my body forcibly, lifting me into the air.

Then, without pause, I fell.

From above, downward.

A rushing gale slammed me into the ground.

The impact was so severe I felt as though my entire body had shattered into fragments.

Powerful.

Unable to move, unable to react—this is what it means.

Perhaps it is simply incompatible.

My greatest strength lies in close combat.

But that is not permitted.

And attacks from the magic sword cannot reach through this wind.

The magic sword is useless if I cannot touch the ground.

But beyond the mismatch in affinity, the Pteradon fights with exceptional skill.

I am merely manipulated—no countermeasures available.

Perhaps I could have defeated the Leopard Dragon alone.

But against the Pteradon, victory in one-on-one combat is uncertain.

At minimum, I cannot prevail without deploying my final card.

"Hahahaha! Finishing blow!"

The Leopard Dragon lunges toward me as I lie fallen.

...Now is not the time for hesitation.

Fury activated.

"GAAAAAAAH!"

I roar the moment Fury activates.

Power surges.

I forcibly tear through the wind's restraint and rise.

The Leopard Dragon, startled, attempts to dodge mid-air.

I drive the flame blade without mercy into its face.

"Nugh!?!"

The Leopard Dragon evades with agile acrobatics in midair.

Yet it fails to evade entirely—the rear leg is severed at the root.

Carried by momentum, the Leopard Dragon tumbles across the ground, scattering blood droplets.

I would finish it—but first, the Pteral Dragon must be eliminated.

Activate spatial mobility. Create a foothold in midair. Close the distance to the airborne Pteral Dragon.

With Rage active, I breach the hurricane-force winds in a single step—now within striking range.

“Huu! You dare challenge me in the sky!? Fine!”

The Pteral Dragon soars.

Its motion, graceful to the eye, moves at a speed beyond normal.

It leaves even the wind it controls behind.

But—

“Seriously?!”

My speed under Rage state: 99999.

Without the Rage state, that speed would have been overwhelming. But it no longer applies to me now.

Envelop the flame blade in fire.

Swing with intent to cleave the Pteradon in half.

—Tch!

The Pteradon twists aside.

Simultaneously, a gale and wind projectiles strike.

Under Rage activation, defense is at maximum.

Absorbing the wind projectiles will cause negligible damage.

Yet that does not mean no impact is felt.

The gale and wind projectiles slightly alter my aim.

Result: unable to cleave the Pteradon in two. Only its wing is torn.

—Aaah! Damn it!

The Pteradon roars.

In the next instant, lightning strikes me.

For a moment, I thought it was the Leopard Dragon. But it appears to be the Pteradon’s doing.

Could the Pteradon also cast lightning magic?

Damage was negligible.

Yet it had served as a momentary distraction.

And that single moment had been sufficient for this divine-speed dragon.

The Pteradon did not glance at me. It flew directly toward the leopard dragon lying prone on the ground.

It seized the beast by its hind legs and retreated without so much as a glance back.

I watched it go.

There was nothing else I could do.

“Guh……!”

My vision began to turn crimson.

I forced it back, immediately cutting through my rage.

“Hah… hah…”

Through training the Heretic Resistance skill, I had gained some control over the rational degradation caused by rage.

But only to a degree.

The disadvantages of the Seven Sins skills were not so easily offset.

Heretic Resistance remained active, yet did not suppress the rage.

Shiro appeared surprised, as if this outcome had been unforeseen even by themselves.

Perhaps the rage was deliberately set outside the scope of the anti-heresy immunity.

The duration for which I can remain lucid after activating wrath is extremely brief.

And if he succumbs to wrath this time, there is no guarantee he will return.

A decision had to be reached quickly.

The reason the decision was made to prioritize defeating the pteradon over finishing off the leopard dragon was this.

However, in the end, both had escaped.

Perhaps it would have been better to push beyond limits and deliver the final blow to the leopard dragon?

...No.

In either case, the fact remains that they have escaped.

For now, successfully repelled the attack.

Let it suffice.

Honestly, if one of those two had gone straight to Ariel-san while the other delayed me, things might have gone poorly.

They chose not to do that. Probably because even those dragons possess a certain pride.

They act according to their own beliefs—however flawed.

Thinking about it brings a sense of weariness. But the situation has already set in motion.

I will carry out what I can.

…For now, treating this battered body seems like the immediate priority.

Leopard Dragon: "Was that really an option!?!"

Pteranodon Dragon: "Eeeh…"