Chapter 195

Hanna Lomia, Commander of the Third Legion, Demon Lord’s Army.

A demoness who manipulated the knights on her side into fighting each other.

She was riding a flying dragon far overhead, looking down at us and not coming down, and from the side, she seemed to be a demoness no different from Ferrum.

However, her strategy, while outrageous, was in a sense correct.

It is a tactic that minimises damage without endangering your allies.

For us, the enemy, it’s annoying and unpleasant, but it’s still a great thing that she uses such ruthless tactics without hesitation.

But, however.

“We don’t want to consume the limited number of soldiers we have, so we just procure them on the battlefield.”

The moment she said those words, I was determined to make Hanna absolutely incapable of fighting.

”Consume soldiers.”

”Procured on the battlefield.”

Hanna is a woman who sees not only us, her enemies, but also her own soldiers as expendable.

“……”

At least, that’s what I have received from her words and actions so far, I suppress the anger that is about to overflow within me and try to calmly grasp the situation above.

“It’s …… high.”

The flying dragon driven by Hanna and her subordinates was flying at a height that could not be reached by the “healing jump”, a leap using a burst of magical power.

If you look closely, you can see that Hanna is not controlling the flying dragon herself, but has her subordinates hold the reins of the dragon.

In addition, there are four elite soldiers in armour, each of whom is controlling a flying dragon and guarding Hanna.

You’ll have to be smart to get there.

“Ferrum. Cover my right arm with your magic too.”

“Alright. But Usato, how do you knock him off?”

“Jump, hit her, knock her off.”

Next, we turn our attention to the glow wolf and the demons who are waiting to attack us.

The glow wolves are likely to attack if they are distracted. …… Soldiers will be rushing in to meet them.

But even if you continue to fight off the enemies on the ground, Hanna in the sky will continue to call for reinforcements to catch me. The quickest way to get rid of her is to drop her in the sky.

“That’s not an answer! Nea, stop him!”

“That’s sweet. It’s not the first time he’s done something weird. He’s going from being a freak on the ground to being a freak in the air.”

What kind of pervert is that?

I resisted the urge to argue with Nea, who said this with empty eyes, and called out to Frana.

“Flana-san, may I borrow one of your arrows?”

“Eh, ah, yes.”

…… Okay, I think I’ve got it.

I trace my left finger from the arrowhead to the feather and absorb a black band.

The band is connected to the left wrist, and I return it to Flana while continuing to extend the band to the ground to give it more room.

“Can you hit the flying dragon above with this?”

“It’s not impossible, but …… will this work? It’s not as if they can reach you by jumping, but ……”

“I’ll figure it out. Can I leave the lower enemies to you while I deal with the upper ones?”

Flana-san looked like she was about to say something when I said that, but then she turned to me with a look of relief on her face as she stretched her cheeks.

“I understand. I’m anxious, but I believe in you as much as I do in Kazuki. Good luck.”

“Yeah……!”

“Everyone, intercept position!”

As soon as the knights behind Frana-san respond, she holds up an arrow with a band attached to it.

The glow wolves start to move accordingly, but I trust the knights to fight back, and without moving, I make changes to both feet, which are enveloped in black magic.

—I produce a pike with a barbed shaft from the sole of my foot and thrust it into the ground with great vigour.

“Phew. ……”

“Hey, wait, what are you doing? Why did you sew your foot into the ground?”

“I have a really bad feeling about this. ……”

“Well, I’ll just shoot the arrow!”

Flana shoots an arrow at the flying dragon Hanna is riding.

With the sound of the wind blowing, the black band around my feet also rises into the sky.

“Prevent it!”

“Ha!”

The arrow flew in a straight trajectory towards the flying dragon, but it was knocked out of the air by the tail of the flying dragon that Hanna was riding.

She looked at the arrow as it fell to the ground and turned a mocking smile towards us.

“Fufu, that’s not enough to make my flying dragon fall——-”

“If I can’t reach it, I’ll just pull you in!”

“What?”

After confirming that the band had wrapped around the tail of the arrow, I grabbed the band extending from my left wrist and pulled it with all my might.

Not only Hanna, but everyone on the ground is taken aback by my action.

“Usato!? You said you believed me, but what are you doing?”

“You’ll see!”

“I can’t see it, that’s why I’m asking you!”

Thanks to the stake I’ve stuck through the sole of my foot, my body is firmly fixed to the ground.

If we continue to draw them in close with our leap, we’ll be on our way. ……!

“If you can’t reach it, you can pull it down to where you can…….! This is a big brain play……!”

“I don’t think you’re using your brains ……?”

“I think you’ve got the word brain and stupid mixed up……?”

No matter what is said, the flying dragon on which Hanna rides is being steadily dragged down to the ground.

Hanna, who has lost her earlier composure, is hurriedly pointing her finger impatiently at her subordinates around her.

“Aaah, aaaaa you guys, cut this out!”

“Huh? Yes!”

“It’s too late!”

My men came to their senses and pulled out their swords to cut the belt, but it was already too late.

I gather magic power in both feet and at the same time release the stakes in the soles of my feet, and with a burst of magic power, I leap as far as I can with all my strength.

“Hmmmph!”

As it is, the recoil of pulling the belt with all my might makes me fly further up, reaching the height where Hanna is, and I meet eyes with her.

“I’ll knock you down!”

“Hiiii!”

Just as I was about to strike the soldier controlling the flying dragon with a healing flying fist from Hanna, whose face had gone pale with fear, a flying dragon ridden by a soldier escorting me came crashing down on me from the side.

“I’m not going to let her get away with it!”

“You’re too smart for that ……!　But! You are not the only one who can move freely in the air!”

I momentarily outburst magic from my leg and turn my body towards the flying dragon that is about to strike me.

I swing my right arm wide and fire a healing acceleration fist directly at the flying dragon’s brow.

“Ggge?”

“What the hell?”

The flying dragon, whose fist hit directly on the upper part of its nose, pressed its face with its wings.

Aiming for that moment, I jumped on the flying dragon’s back and struck the soldier in the lower jaw as he tried to pull out his sword, knocking him out.

This flying dragon will probably fall to the ground soon, but a demon race should be able to fall from this height.

Even so, it will probably still hurt, but I don’t have the luxury of caring about my opponent.

“……”

“Demons can fall from this height and not die! Don’t be crazy!”

“Ahh yeah, I know!”

I reply to Ferrum and turn my attention towards Hanna.

She has her escort soldiers protecting her as she deploys magic bullets in the air.

It’s not going to be easy to break through in the air, let alone on the ground,…….

“Stop moving! If you stop, I will control you!”

“””Ha!””””

“I guess we’ll have to deal with the guards first!”

Fortunately, thanks to dragging Hanna down here, the other flying dragons are at the same height!

I extend myblack belt from the flying dragon to another flying dragon nearby, and approach it as if I was being drawn towards it.

“I can’t believe you came here on your own! I’m going to burn you to a crisp!”

“Gahhh!!!”

Flames shoot out of the flying dragon’s mouth and the soldier’s palm at the same time.

At this rate, I would run into the flames with the momentum drawn to the belt, but it would be no problem if I could avoid it by outburst of magic power.

As I was about to take immediate action, the hood of my uniform suddenly moved on its own and covered my head.

With that, the visible white part of my own uniform turns black, as if eroded.

“Whoa! Ferrum!”

“What?”

If I look closely, Nea is also wrapped in a band like a minnow ……!?

“I’ll take care of the defences, just keep going!”

“I-I’m flame resistant!”

—No! There’s no time to think about it!

Now that the entire body is protected by black magic and resistance to flames has been granted, I can move to attack without the need to avoid!

Switching my consciousness to the attack, I enlarged the magical power of my right arm, which I tried to use for evasion, by a factor of two.

“Oooh ……!”

Thanks to Ferrum and Nea, I don’t feel any heat or breathlessness.

After breaking through the flames and reaching the flying dragon, I slam my enlarged right fist into the flying dragon’s chest as if scooping it up from below.

“Oraa!”

“Geez ……!?”

The impact of the fist sends the flying dragon reeling backwards and off balance, and the soldier who fired the spell falls to the ground with a cry.

Instead, I landed on the back of the flying dragon, which continues to flap its wings in agony.

“Well, that’s the second one ……, don’t get out of control ……!”

“Leave it to me.”

As I contemplated whether to harden my fists and make them more mature, Nea pulled away from my shoulders.

As soon as she made eye contact with the rampaging flying dragon in front of its face, its movements became more mature.

“It’s grown up ……. Nea, what did you do to it?”

“I just charmed it into being quiet. I can’t make it do what I say, though.”

Well, charms are powerful, but they don’t control your will.

Still, it helps to take a breath.

I take off my hood and turn my attention back to Hanna, making sure I’m back to my white with black mixed in with the black of the group uniform.

“Oops!”

I play the magic bullet that is coming towards me with my gauntlet hand.

I knew that magic bullets were coming from Hannah’s side from a while ago, but I guess I finally got hit when I stopped flying around.

“And the only thing left to do is….”

If that’s the case, then Hanna’s own fighting skills may not be that great.

The two remaining guards seem to have decided that they don’t have a good chance in a one-on-one fight, and they seem to be working in tandem to attack us.

Both appear to be riding similar flying dragons, but their weapons are different.

One is a sword-bearer, the other a spear-bearer.

“We’ll finish them off with what’s left of us!”

“Yes!”

“……! That’s nasty!”

I jumped up from the flying dragon when I saw the fire and magic flying from the two flying dragons.

“Nea, keep the restraining spell in reserve!”

“Yeah!”

I use my healing acceleration fist to evade the one that is about to bite me as I fall through the air, and grab the saddle attached to its back.

“I won’t let you!”

“Whoa!”

The soldier’s sword, wielded by another flying dragon, interferes with my attempt and I was swept off my feet.

I just barely escaped falling by attaching the belt I had extended from my wrist to the flying dragon, but against a flying dragon that can move freely in the air, the odds are against me.

Moreover, it is troublesome that they have seen my fight earlier and are positioning themselves to help each other.

“What are you going to do ,Usato? You’re in a bad spot, even for you.”

“I’ll lure him in first!”

I avoid a sword attack from another one, and as I pass by, I wrap the belt around the neck of the flying dragon and attach myself to it.

“It’s attached to me! Help me!”

One of the soldiers I saw called out in surprise to his comrades for help.

Hearing his voice, the other soldier rushes forward with his spear to save his friend.

Of course, it is not an easy strategy to make them fight each other by rushing.

“Fall down! Healing magician!”

“The important thing is the distance ……!”

While checking for a flying dragon approaching us, I cast magic power into my right arm, which is not holding the belt.

“Now!”

At the same time as the soldier thrusts his spear out from the back of the approaching flying dragon, he jumps backwards to get away from the flying dragon that is now attached to him.

The spear that was about to be thrust at me was dislodged, and the two flying dragons overlapped in position from my point of view —– aiming for that moment, I thrust out my fist while using acceleration by outbursts of magic power in mid-air.

“Healing instantaneous fist!!!”

“”Whaa!””

The fist hits the spearman’s flying dragon, causing it to tilt sideways and collide with the other flying dragon.

“Nea!”

“Yes, right now!”

A charged restraining spell flows from his fist, temporarily stopping the movement of the two flying dragons.

Even so, they can’t stop for long.

So—-

“I’m going to push you!”

This time, I use my healing jump to make a bigger leap than before.

In this state, the belt is extended from the wrists of both hands and wrapped around the writhing flying dragon, which is then accelerated by pulling it to the limit of its strength.

In addition, the magic power is released from both arms, and in the state of maximum acceleration…

“Healing Kick!”

–I hit the kick with both feet.

The blow, struck using the recoil of the belt and full acceleration, succeeded in significantly disrupting the stances of the two flying dragons.

“Usato, you’re gonna fall!”

“I know!”

While confirming that the two flying dragons are completely off balance, I immediately extend the belt to the remaining enemy —— the flying dragon on which Hanna is riding.

The flying dragon, which does not even show any signs of escaping, is stunned as it climbs up by the belt wrapped around its legs.

“It’s …… quiet.”

“There’s no sign of escape, either.”

Has she given up? No, it’s more natural to assume that she’s still running away.

I climbed up on the back of the flying dragon, wondering why it was flapping its wings without resistance.

On their backs were a helmeted soldier holding the reins with a frightened look on his face, and the robed Third Corps commander, Hanna.

When I tried to restrain her, who was backing away from me with her hood up, the soldier, surprised by this, opened her mouth, her voice trembling.

“P-please let me escape……”.

“…… Uhhh.”

“Hii!”

I haven’t said anything yet.

No, I know I’m going to scare you, but I don’t want to confuse you and cause you to crash …….

I speak to her as quietly and clearly as I can.

“Please get down to the ground. Be safe.”

“Yes, yes …….”

The flying dragon descends to the ground as she manipulates the reins in a tearful voice.

I’d rather be on the ground than in the air. …… I don’t like to be in the air because it reminds me of the time Rose threw me into Lingle Forest.

“Well, I’ve finally got you cornered.”

“……!”

As long as you are on the back of a flying dragon, there is no escape.

First of all, let’s ask Nea to cast a binding spell so that she can’t do anything.

So I thought, and when I tried to reach for her, her hair spilled out of her hood as she shivered in fright.

“Blonde hair ……?”

What’s the meaning of this? I’m pretty sure I saw her hair from a distance and it was a light purple colour.

When I quickly had her hood removed, the real face underneath was not Hanna but a face I did not recognise.

A blonde female demoness.

The demoness, who was greatly upset by the revelation of her true face and had tears in her eyes, grabbed the robe she was made to wear and tried to appeal for something in a desperate manner.

“This is forcibly forced on me,…… that’s why!”

“Forced ……?”

“What do you mean ……?”

I’m sure that this person is not Hanna.

But there is no escape in the air.

Then where would she—-?

“No way!”

As I turned to look at the soldier behind me with frustration, someone put a hand on my cheek.

The first thing I saw was a pair of eyes with a purple light in them.

Hanna, the pale purple woman whose face was as close as my nose to my eyes, was smiling with a sense of accomplishment as she threw away her helmet with her other hand.

“You’re mine now.”

With these words, the phantom system’s —– purple magic power poured into me.

Author’s Note:

What the hell is this thing? (Preemptive)

I casually put out a full-body defence version of Usato.

In that case, it looks like he wears a hood and his whole body is black.