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- Type 35 Dragon Model Magic-Enhanced Armor – Quality: Inferior. Rarity: T (Treasure)
A manned anti-dragon magical weapon manufactured by an ancient civilization.
It requires no special skills to operate. Anyone can use it with just a bit of training.
It is equipped with a wide variety of weapons and is versatile enough to withstand battles on land, sea, and air.
It has sustained severe damage due to intense battles and could break down at any moment.
But this is probably the only one still operational in the modern era.
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This was the result of another [Appraisal] of the new McFarlane. The results revealed that the mechanical dragon he commanded was called the “Type 35 Dragon Model Magic-Enhanced Armor”. It seemed to be a weapon from the same era as No. 18. If humans from that time were using such armaments, they must have reached the pinnacle of prosperity.
Even though it looked like it was going to break at any moment, we couldn’t let our guard down. Its sheer mass alone was a threat. Moreover, according to the description from my [Appraisal], it seemed to be equipped with a lot of weapons. It was reasonable to assume that some intact weapons were hidden somewhere.
Furthermore, the word “anti-dragon” implied that this weapon was specifically manufactured to fight dragons. Knowing the strength of Karl, who was also a dragon, I could easily imagine the difficulty of battling a creature of its kind.
“Fuhahahaha! Yes, I should have used it from the beginning without holding back! Now, meet your end!”
“Tch!”
McFarlane, laughing loudly, swung his left arm at Jigoro who was fighting closest to him. It was an attack meant to engulf even the False Bone Dragon he was fighting. Jigoro, ever vigilant even amidst battle, managed to dodge it by leaping to the side.
“Gyaaaaa?!”
But the False Bone Dragon couldn’t make it in time due to its huge size and slow speed. The metal claws sliced through the dragon’s bones, and the spine was completely crushed. Although the False Bone Dragon still had some health left, it was now in a near-death state. Ah, now its head got crushed. It seems to have died now. Attacking the enemy along with your own minions—it sounded like something that I would do.
Nevertheless, the weight of his strike was extraordinary. As expected of a weapon designed to contend with adult dragons. The ferocity of that enhanced armor was vividly demonstrated to us in a very tangible way. It was a successful demonstration, indeed.
“Ah?! Hey! You did it now, didn’t you?! I’ll destroy you!”
Jigoro was furious in response. It seemed he felt his prey had been stolen from him. Since they were fighting each other, I thought I should be thankful to McFarlane. However, Jigoro wasn’t one to think that way.
After stunning another False Bone Dragon with a punch, he sprinted towards McFarlane. He ran with a speed that would make a track athlete pale; this was a scene I had become accustomed to due to his enhanced status.
“Ahahahaha! Fool! Come, let me crush you!”
As Jigoro charged like an arrow, McFarlane swung his right leg while laughing mockingly. Relying on his huge size and equivalent brute strength, he aimed to crush him. However, was this not underestimating Jigoro a bit too much?
“You’re too slow, cosplay bastard!”
“What?! You’re annoyingly quick!”
Jigoro continued to run undeterred towards the approaching foot before he narrowly avoided being stepped on at the last moment. Not only that, he delivered a powerful kick, using his momentum to strike McFarlane’s left leg, the opposite of the one he had tried to stomp with.
“So hard?!”
“Hmph! This enhanced armor is the strongest weapon produced by the wisdom of us humans! Attacks from insignificant creatures like you cannot even scratch it!”
“…Nice of you to say. Brother!”
“I understand. Intermediate Soul Healing.”
Ah, it seems Jigoro is being stubborn. Now that it’s come to this, he surely won’t stop fighting until he makes McFarlane admit defeat. So, my role is to help increase his chances of winning by restoring his energy as much as possible.
“What are you babbling about! Just die already!”
After failing in his effort to crush Jigoro to death, McFarlane was unable to contain his frustration and chased him. He raised his left arm, intending to strike in the same manner he had when he crushed the spine of the False Bone Dragon.
“Hmph!”
“I-Impossible?!”
“Fumu, such incredible strength. My hand’s gone a bit numb.”
However, Genjuro leaped into the fray and did not allow the attack to proceed. With remarkable skill, he simultaneously wielded three swords and deflected McFarlane’s left arm. It was an incredible feat, especially using such slender weapons to divert the power of the enhanced armor.
“Jigoro, it’s not good to monopolize such a formidable opponent.”
“I’m not trying to hog the fight. What comes next isn’t just a fight, right?”
“That’s right. What begins now is…”
It seemed that Genjuro intervened not just to support Jigoro but because he himself wanted to join the battle. It’s easy to forget, given Jigoro’s assertiveness, but Genjuro is quite the battle junkie himself. It might be natural for him to want to engage in combat when faced with such a powerful weapon.
Genjuro with his fists cracking stood alongside Jigoro, both of them turning to face McFarlane. They surged with fighting spirit and attacked almost at the same time.
“Dismantling time!”
“Dismantling time!”
“Uuoooooo?!”
Jigoro’s punches and Genjuro’s sword strikes were unleashed with the aim to dismantle the ancient weapon. Despite having the skill to target joints and other weak points, they deliberately chose to attack the hard armor. Probably, they were irked by the suggestion that their attacks were weak. Hmm, they’re both rather childlike in different ways from me.
“This is it, the final one!”
“W-we’ve finally reached this point…!”
While Jigoro and Genjuro were playing around with McFarlane, we had finally succeeded in annihilating the remaining horde of undead. It was a tough battle, as these monsters were too strong to be merely dismissed as minions. Yet, we couldn’t afford to let our guard down because the final challenge lay ahead: three False Bone Dragons still remained.
“There are three false bone dragons left. Alright, let’s leave one to Karl. Hanna and Roja, could you take on another?”
“Of course.”
“I wonder if my experience fighting the dinosaur will come in handy?”
“Thank you. Don’t force yourselves to defeat it. Just buy us time until the rest of us, including me, can take down the last one!”
The strategy was straightforward. Karl, who seemed capable of handling one on his own, and Hanna and Roja, who could show their true worth when they fought freely, would each take on a dragon, while the rest of us would gang up on the remaining one. The best approach against strong enemies was to overwhelm them with numbers and take them down all at once. Ideally, we would defeat it as quickly as possible and then go to help those who were struggling.
“Understood! Look this way!”
“Gaa? Gaaruruaaaaaaa!!!”
Eiji was the first to make a move. He used his martial technique to aggro the False Bone Dragon that had been attacking Karl from behind. As the dragon turned towards him, it let out a furious roar and charged. Perfect, just as planned!
“Then we’ll take that one over there. It’s okay if we end up defeating it, right?”
“That sounds like a losing flag… But okay. Thunder Arrow!”
“Grrrrruu? Goaaaaaaah!”
Once they confirmed one of the dragons was heading their way, Hanna and Roja quickly moved toward the one Jigoro had left alone. This dragon, unsure of what to do since Jigoro had shifted his focus to McFarlane, seemed hesitant. As they approached, Roja cast a spell, dealing damage and drawing the dragon’s attention towards them. It seemed they had successfully redirected its target to themselves. They needed to hold on!
“Guoooh! It’s heavy! But it’s weaker than that giant scorpion!”
Eiji bravely withstood the False Bone Dragon’s claws. It seemed he had to exert his full strength to defend, but the dragon’s force was evidently less than that of the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord’s tail. Surprisingly, he managed to stay put without being blown away.
“Large bodies mean easier targets for the joints.”
“Even if we can’t slice as precisely as Grandpa, we can still aim for these!”
Thanks to Eiji’s efforts in immobilizing the False Bone Dragon, Ruby and Usaji began to slice through it. Targeting the joints of a Spartoi monster might be difficult, but with the False Bone Dragon’s massive size, it was surprisingly easy. Its sheer bulk turned out to be an unexpected weakness.
“Hey hey, over here! Try and catch up, slowpoke!”
“Gyaooooon!!!”
Sei and his familiars darted around the False Bone Dragon’s feet as they struck with the staff and cast spells. The dragon, unable to hit the agile trio, roared in frustration. This provided an opening for the other vanguards to attack and they dealt even more damage.
Eiji not only attacked but also taunted the False Bone Dragon and its attacks either missed entirely or were intercepted by him. Occasionally, it unleashed area-of-effect martial techniques, but the damage was not that great. The injuries were minor enough for them to have enough time to heal.
“Ugh, this is a tricky opponent for me~~ssu. It’s hard to identify its vital points~~ssu.”
“Isn’t the head the obvious target? You were aiming for the heads of the Spartois before, right?”
“That’s because it’s hard to target anything but the head~~ssu. If you aim at the body, the arrow might just slip through the bones without much damage~~ssu.”
“Heeh, is that so? What about using light element arrows? They don’t need a weak point, right?”
“I’m a bit low on those~~ssu… I used a bunch when the vanguard was in danger~~ssu.”
“You guys, stop chattering and focus on the attack! Star Magic Circle, Holy Ray! Go, my crows!”
“Mee~, Mee~. Star Magic Circle, Wind Blade!”
The rearguard continued to focus on long-range attacks. Shio grumbled as she released arrows, and Shiitake threw bottles filled with a mysterious liquid. Seventh Armor was attacking with [Holy Magic] while simultaneously using [Summoning Magic] to disrupt the False Bone Dragon with light element crows and lead them in a suicide attack. Wool was enhancing allies with his singing while occasionally using magic spells in between.
“Usagi-san, I’m throwing a potion! Please use it! Shishu, I’m throwing a Stone Pillar talisman! Use it as a foothold!”
“Thank you!”
“That was helpful, thanks!”
“I’m going in too!”
Iris took over the command in my stead while also providing support. She usually stays holed up in her workshop, so her combat ability wasn’t very high. However, surprisingly, she was quite adept at frontline command. Since I was occupied, I had no choice but to leave the command entirely to her.
“The healing is done. I’ll set up the traps… okay. Now, time to redo the enchantments.”
As for myself, I was supporting the battles occurring at four different locations. Jigoro and Genjuro, likely to get angry if I meddled too much, were managing on their own, but Karl and Hanna, who were forced into a difficult fight, couldn’t afford to have the healing from my [Enchantment] and [Soul Magic] interrupted.
Technically, I could provide support fire with my [Floating Skull], but I couldn’t waste precious magic power on what would only cause insignificant damage. Why, you ask? Because the battle was dragging on and my magic power was running low! Even though I sometimes used the martial techniques of [Staff Mastery] to recover, it was barely making a difference.
“Gyaaaaa?!”
“Karl?!”
In the midst of this precarious battle, I heard Karl’s scream. When I turned around in haste, I saw that Karl was bleeding from one of his four eyes! Apparently, it had been gouged out by the enemy’s claws.
Damn it! It seems I pushed him too hard. We the players were also exhausted. We needed to secure victory, and quickly!
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