3 bar menu

ShangriLa Frontier Chapter 472 Part 1

ShangriLa Frontier Chapter 472: Dragon, Oh Dragon! PART 49 Part 1

* * *

In that exact moment, the entire battlefield calmed down as if it became frozen in place or put under some sort of a spell.

The eyes of everyone gathered around the battlefield automatically turned towards that huge mechanical whale that literally pierced the surface of the sea as it emerged from under it. The scene was so fantastical that it was almost abstract and unrealistic.

「–––––––––」

Even Siegwurm was no exception from that reaction.

Siegwurm’s eyes stopped looking for enemies whose attack he could have blocked, and as he gazed at the newly arrived element, his reptile-like eyes gradually grew bigger and bigger with astonishment and shock.

Even though it might have been blurred and mostly forgotten, the remnants of this view was still engraved in Siegwurm’s memories: a giant steel fish, gracefully raising into the sky only to then start swimming through the sea of cold stars.

What was that thing just now? Was that the genuine article? Or was it simply some sort of a trick, a vestige summoned from inside of his memories for the sole purpose of shaking him emotionally and causing his determination and resolve to waver? Siegwurm was unable to tell.

And seeing Siegwurm coming to a complete stop for just a single moment like, it was just as if someone shot a gun announcing the start of a competition. It was the moment that Akitsu Akane was waiting for all this time.

「Alright! Let’s goo!!!!!!」

At the current moment the only thing that Akitsu Akane was looking at was Siegwurm. Nothing else mattered to her anymore. Right now everyone else was looking towards the sea and the thing that appeared from within it…… but not Akitsu Akane. Her target was Siegwurm, and Siegwurm alone. Everything else was unrelated and meaningless in her eyes.

–––––– Don’t let your eyes off of Siegwurm, no matter what is going to happen.

That was the message that Sanraku sent them, even though he himself was currently not here. But even though he was not here, Akitsu Akane trusted him. She knew that Sanraku would be able to create a distraction of some sort. That he would be able to do something that will cause Siegwurm to lower his guard, even if it was to be for a single moment. That was the opening she was looking ahead for.

And besides, being on the lookout for an opportunity to strike like that was nothing new for Akitsu Akane. You could even say that for her it was like an everyday occurrence.

「Fuh!」

Right about now, her concentration was sharpened to the very limits. And that concentration was reflected in her movements and behavior. The moment when Akitsu Akane lounged forward was as if someone had just released an arrow from a bow.

Go forward. Go forward. There are people in the way all of a sudden…… Just jump and avoid them.

Find a suitable place where you can land safely, get the distance right. If there is none such place, run forward for a bit thanks to the skill “Hermes’s Boots”. Gain some needed distance…… and then land.

However, there are many more people here, so Akitsu Akane had to find her way again and again. Sometimes by jumping forward. Sometimes by dodging to the sides. But most importantly, she was still pushing forward, not stopping even for a moment!

「–––––– GET READY!」

「DRAGON’S BREATH! And then once more! “Dragon’s Breath”!!!」

Akitsu Akane opens up her mouth as instructed and takes a deep breath, at the same time getting ready to cast the appropriate skill.

In the next moment, there is a double helix of dragon flames coming out of her mouth, combining both the characteristics of Akitsu Akane’s current form and her previous, standard Dragon Breath.

That double helix of both black and gold flames shoots forward like a projectile, managing to hit Siegwurm directly to his jaw. And even though at the last possible moment Siegwurm realized what was coming to him, he was not fast enough and his head jolted backward, as if someone uppercut him with all of their might.

「GUH, MY JAW…… IS THAT WHAT IS GOING ON HERE…… NGAAH!?」

「…… Hmm, oh yeah! That’s right! Now that’s a good angle!」

「GUGOAH!?!?!?」

Although it looked like a bee’s needle being stuck right into the eyeball of the Golden Dragon King, it was not the bee’s needle. It was in fact one of the metal claws of Suzaku that appeared before Siegwurm seemingly out of nowhere. And as luck would have it, it was that claw that was changed into the Incenerator’s Blade, one being capable of cutting through anything with seeming ease.

Even though Siegwurm noticed the attack that was coming, it was already too late for him to create a barrier in time to completely block that attack. And just like that the wings of flame jumped through a slight gap in his defenses before the Golden Dragon King was able to respond to it in any sort of way.

Suzaku came crashing down from the skies above in an attack pose, its claws spread wide and its legs pushed forward, as if the machine was about to kick someone straight to the face. The thrusters in its wings were set to the maximum output possible, giving the machine an incredible amount of acceleration, making it virtually unstoppable at this moment. All that resulted in its claws being able to pierce and thrust right into the delicate tissue of Siegwurm’s eye, coming through it like a hot knife goes through butter and almost completely piercing his skull in the process.

With that, the Golden Dragon King lets out a roar filled with pain as the tremendous amount of damage effects continue to pour out from his left eye socket.

And while it was true that the Mechanical Burning Bird managed to impair Siegwurm’s vision, it was not a feat that came without a sacrifice. Because right after that Suzaku went completely limp and plummeted straight towards the ground.

* * * * * *

「AAAAAAHHHH……!? Huh? Oh, R-Rust…… Thank God that you are capable of making sharp and sudden turns like that, even at such low altitude! Otherwise it would have been really bad!」

「…… What are you talking about? It was nothing all that praiseworthy. Rather, it felt messy as all hell. Not to mention that I really thought that I might not make it in time here. But this much is the bare minimum needed to get anywhere in Nephilim Hollow, you know? Not to mention the need to constantly improve your skills.」

「Yeah, but…… The game was only just announced. We don’t even know if there will be any need for you to improve once the game finally hits the shelves.」

Mold casts a quick glance at Suzaku, whose lights were rapidly going out now, signaling that the machine was out for good this time around. At the same time he was patching Rust up, and maybe it was because of her injuries, but right now she seemed to be unusually talkative for some reason.