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The way dragons manifested magic was essentially different from how human sorcerers cast spells. Human sorcerers embodied magic, gathering manna from nature to reprocess and rearrange it using the magic circles engraved on their hearts as a medium. On the contrary, dragons implemented magic directly using the manna contained in their Dragon Heart in the shape of highly purified condensation. Since dragons did not need to recite spells for a long time, they could cast various spells rapidly and continuously. As Vega shouted out initiators consecutively, tens of Magic Missiles and several Magic Cutters flew out in all directions.

A Magic Missile that hit a Knight in the neck took his life instantly. Another Knight failed to deflect a Magic Cutter spinning with a tremendous force and collapsed with his right arm severed. However, the other Knights approached the gold dragon, coping well with her magic attacks. Ten Magic Missiles were focused on Knight Commander Henry, and a Magic Cutter roared toward him. Henry hit the Magic Cutter with his Aura Blade, holding up his shield to block the Magic Missiles. A couple of Magic Missiles struck his armor, escaping his shield but failed to injure him seriously. For the past year, Henry’s armor and shield were elaborately produced for the dragon hunt by Grayhammer, a dwarven artisan, and Sirius, the owner of the Icarus Wizard Tower. Henry, who had stepped back a few steps by the shock of the Magic Missiles, rushed back toward Vega. As her series of magic attacks ended up knocking down only a couple of Knights, and the others narrowed the siege, Vega felt a sense of crisis.

Gold dragon Vega decided to return to her original body to use her Dragon Breath, the dragons’ most powerful attack.

“Polymorph.”

Turning into a large gold dragon nearly twenty meters long, Vega burst into a roar to warn her hatchling Spica of the danger. She inhaled manna to the utmost to breathe out the gold dragon’s Wind Breath. But then, Regulus, who was standing at the entrance of the gold dragon’s lair, ordered the sorcerers.

“Everyone, attack the dragon's left wing.”

The sorcerers had already recited their most confident attacking spells to prepare for the dragon’s transformation into its original body. As the gold dragon’s Wind Breath struck the Knights in the shape of thousands of wind blades, various attack magic of the sorcerers hit the dragon’s left wing. Regulus also shouted an initiator.

“Lightning Lancer.”

On the spot of the gold dragon’s left wing where the other sorcerers’ magic attacked, Regulus’ Lightning Lancers hit. Although the dragon is a creature born with a natural resistance against magic, Vega’s second roar contained her utmost pain as nineteen mages’ magic attacks were followed by twelve consecutive Lightning Lancers of a seven-circle Wizard on the same spot on her left wing. Vega realized that she would not be able to fly for a while until the wound on her wing was healed.

Eleven Knights hit by the gold dragon’s Wind Breath collapsed, bleeding through the cracks of their armor, but the remaining seventeen Knights approached the wounded dragon and persistently attacked its hind legs. Vega’s right hind leg began to bleed as Henry’s Aura Blade made a pretty deep cut on it. Furious Vega, whose retreat into the sky was prevented by Wizard Regulus, attacked him, ignoring the Knights.

“Hellfire.”

A scarlet sphere about a meter in diameter with a black dot in the middle flew at tremendous speed to Wizard Regulus, who was casting another spell. A Knight of the Black Bear Order, guarding Wizard Regulus, tried to block the gold dragon’s Hellfire, but it was impossible. The Hellfire burned Regulus’ six disciples standing next to him without a trace, as well as Wizard Regulus and two Black Bear Knights closely guarding him. Benjamin, who came to the basin belatedly after treating the wounded Knights, saw the scene and shouted to the mages urgently. Now that Wizard Regulus died, Benjamin, the senior mage, had to lead the remaining mages.

“Everybody, stop casting attack magic and cast a Magic Shield.”

After giving an order to the mages, Benjamin approached Count Henderson and spoke to him. The two were close enough to each other that Benjamin had made magic armor for Count Henderson’s two sons.

“It’s too dangerous here. Place Black Bear Knights behind the Magic Shields of the mages.”

Benjamin and his disciple Simon also cast Magic Shields. Knight Commander Arthur of the Black Bear Order stood next to Benjamin to guard him, who was chanting a spell.

The Hellfire was peak-level magic hard to implement even for the three-thousand-year-old gold dragon. Gold dragon Vega, who felt it hard to use other magic straight away, swung her tail to attack the Knights wielding swords at her hind legs. Benjamin felt a certain solemnity in the sight of the gold dragon pounding Knights without backing down while bleeding a lot from her legs and left wing. He thought the gold dragon’s movements were artistic. Having killed two Knights nearby her hind legs with her tail, Vega persistently attacked Knight Commander Henry. She wanted to get rid of him first, who was hurting her most painfully.

James Cronos stood absentmindedly for a while, witnessing the scene that Regulus, the seven-circle Wizard, was struck by the gold dragon’s Hellfire and burned to the ground. After a while, he shouted at the apprentices next to him, watching the gold dragon enter the bitter fight at close quarters with the Knights.

“Join the combat. We must subdue the dragon.”

James told Count Henderson when the twelve apprentices of the Griffin Order rushed to the gold dragon.

“Count Henderson, please order the Black Bear Order to join the battle, too.”

Hearing James’ request, Count Henderson looked at mage Benjamin and Knight Commander Arthur once and replied.

“His Majesty's order to the Black Bear Order was to protect the sorcerers from the Icarus Wizard Tower who participated in the dragon hunt. We can’t lose more mages as we have already lost the seven-circle Wizard Regulus, one of the most valuable assets of the Icarus Wizard Tower and six six-circle mages.”

James’ face turned red with anger at Count Henderson’s answer, but he could not speak bluntly to one of the Emperor’s closest aides, so he held it in, biting his lower lip. James said to Benjamin, who finished casting and spread his Magic Shield.

“Please support the Griffin Knights with magic attacks.”

Benjamin stared at James for a while and said in a low voice.

“Although I don’t know the details well since I joined this dragon hunt belatedly, from what I’ve heard from Wizard Regulus, I understand that our sorcerers’ mission was to keep the dragon from flying away. Even though the gold dragon killed Wizard Regulus, he seems to have completed his duty admirably.”

Listening to Benjamin, James spoke up.

“If you break your promise with the Duke of Cronos and don’t cooperate with us, the duke will become resentful.”

“Are you threatening the Icarus Wizard Tower? I’ll deliver what you said to Sirius, the owner of the Wizard Tower.”

When James and Benjamin argued, the fight between the gold dragon and the Griffin Knights was nearing the end. Vega, who had been attacking the Knights fiercely by swinging her tail and right wing, suffered so much damage to her hind legs that she sank to the ground. At that time, Knight Commander Henry jumped onto the dragon’s head and put his blue Aura Blade in the dragon’s left eye. Vega burst into a painful roar, clutching Henry’s torso with her right forefoot. Henry, who missed the hilt of his sword stuck in the dragon’s eye, struggled to escape the dragon’s grip but could not overcome Vega’s power. Henry’s armor bent inward, breaking his ribs, and when the broken ribs poked his lungs, the Knight Commander drooped with blood in his mouth. The gold dragon, who had poured out all her energy, put her head on the ground and closed her eyes. Henry’s sword hilt was sticking out between the gold dragon’s left eyelids. Only two Knights and five apprentices from the Griffin Order survived the fierce battle against the gold dragon. James shouted at the survivors.

“Cut off the dragon’s neck and take out its Dragon Heart. Be careful not to damage the Dragon Heart.”

The two Knights who survived the fight against the gold dragon led their wounded bodies up onto the dragon’s neck and began to remove scales. Upon confirming the gold dragon collapsed, Benjamin ordered the mages to find magic books and magic reagents in the dragon’s lair. Count Henderson ordered the Black Bear Order to find the dragon’s treasure. James, who could not transport the dragon’s body due to the unexpected casualties suffered from the Griffin Order, used his communication crystal to call up the reserve forces waiting in the village below the mountains to the dragon’s lair.

************

Spica, who was running through the cave where she had first met Id, shouted an initiator.

“Magic Light.”

Several shiny little beads appeared over Id and Spica’s heads, brightening the dark cave. The two speeded up running. They heard the third dragon roar as they proceeded about three kilometers in the cave. Spica felt the agony of Vega’s roar, and her legs shook so much that she fell to the ground. Id lifted Spica in his arms and ran faster.