Magic can only be countered with magic.
Against a powerful mage, the only way to win is to strike them down before they release their spell — because once the magic takes shape, all that's left to do is run.
The only thing capable of blocking a magic bombardment is Defensive Magic.
But for Isagi, there was a second option.
The answer was —
retreat into the Shadow Realm.
In Isagi's field of view, everything turned gray and colorless. Countless black particles seemed to drift through the air, formless gray mist swirling and coalescing in the distance into monstrously twisted, colossal shapes — their maws slightly parted, as if to swallow him whole.
But these things posed no threat to him.
Meanwhile, from Ais and Cecil's perspective, he had simply vanished into thin air.
The golden-haired girl's magic annihilated everything.
The death-land outside the Dragon Valley suffered destruction beyond anything in its history — as if a falling star had struck the earth once more, a colossal crater a full thousand meters wide simply appeared in this wasteland utterly devoid of any sign of life.
Residual Magic coiled and echoed within it for a long while — anyone who stepped inside might even find themselves hunted down by pure-white afterimages of knights brandishing long spears.
As for that —
Isagi simply shrugged it off afterward, emerging once more from a stretch of pitch blackness.
This was the power of his last Character Card, "Deicide Expedition" — its most basic function let him shuttle back and forth between "reality" and the "Shadow World."
And for Isagi —
the most convenient effect was simply this: he could, anytime and anywhere, slip into another world to dodge any harm about to land on him.
It was practically an invincible defensive skill.
The fight didn't continue.
They'd meant to keep going — after all, they'd only just done a preliminary test of their new weapons' capabilities, without yet using the newly gained Lv.8 power called "Wish."
But —
perhaps because of the power Ais had just unleashed, for some unknown reason, the [Dragon Valley] in the distance showed a "reaction."
"!!"
Formless dark clouds gathered, drawn toward the great whirlwind in the distance, coiling together into a colossal vortex that blanketed heaven and earth.
All around, dead silence fell.
But everyone knew — something was about to surge forth from the far end of that vortex.
"ROOAAR!!!"
The Great Dragon's roar shook heaven and earth.
Was that the "Dragon's Snore"?
Just as Isagi and Ais both struggled to make sense of it, the massive whirlwind in the distance seemed to be torn open by something, ripping out a huge gap.
Historically —
every Visiting Dragon incident had happened because the Black Dragon, on the verge of waking, produced a "Dragon's Snore" that damaged the seal, letting some creature escape from the Dragon Valley.
Isagi and Ais both saw the scenery within the Dragon Valley.
The setting sun, layered clouds, floating hills, and Great Dragons circling among them in great numbers.
And — a "human figure" already standing at the breach in the seal.
Seeing that thing —
Ais's grip on her weapon tightened.
It was the "dragon-man" from inside the Dragon Valley — the one they'd seen before in the footage recorded on Isagi's Eye Crystal.
But for some unknown reason —
the gap that had torn open sealed itself back up, never letting the dragon-man actually "escape."
Was the Dragon's Snore's power simply not enough?
Little by little, everything returned to normal, as if it had all been an illusion.
The earth gradually grew still.
This wasteland devoid of any sign of life slowly returned to its usual appearance.
Isagi and Ais both stood stunned for a moment — they'd already braced themselves for battle, only to find the thing never actually came out. It was almost —
"Forget it. Let's go back and eat."
He was hungry anyway.
Whether it counted as lunch or dinner was hard to say — probably lunch, since it was only his second meal since waking up today.
He called out to Cecil, who'd been hiding behind a jumble of rocks in the distance.
Isagi carried her on his back again, and together with Ais, they made their way back up onto the [Great Wall].
"What in the world was that, just now..."
Ais's thoughts were clearly still on the dragon-man they'd just seen.
As for that —
Isagi, on the other hand, felt at ease. It was simple enough: if it wouldn't come out, he'd just go in himself.
One of the purposes of coming to the Dragon Valley in the first place had been to send his [Soul Teardrop] in again, to scout out conditions inside.
And unlike last time —
last time, Teardrop Big Bro had been instantly killed the moment he went in.
No helping it — he'd only been Lv.7 back then. But things were different now: after reaching Lv.8 and swapping out so much new gear, surely he'd be considerably stronger going in this time?
And besides, Isagi had a new idea —
After finishing lunch, Isagi got moving right away.
With practiced ease, he handed the Eye Crystal to the Soul Teardrop to carry, then directed it to walk toward the distant Dragon Valley.
The two girls beside him crowded in close, watching together the images projected back through the Eye Crystal.
Before long —
the massive whirlwind appeared before them once again.
Isagi had the Soul Teardrop walk straight in. This time, no guardian Monsters blocked its way — it passed directly through the seal and arrived at the now-familiar [Dragon Valley].
The scene remained utterly different from outside.
Amid swirling mist and cloud, the dusky red of late summer was breathtakingly beautiful.
Massive mountains emerged faintly from the thick layers of cloud, countless Great Dragons either flying or perched among the peaks, forming a scene of exquisite beauty.
And —
just like last time —
not long after entering the Dragon Valley, the Soul Teardrop was immediately attacked.
In the distance, fiery red clouds burst into flame, hurtling forward at tremendous speed like a falling star.
"This guy again?!"
A bold, hearty voice rang out.
It seemed this dragon-man had already recognized the Soul Teardrop.
At the same time —
another pitch-black shadow took shape behind Teardrop Big Bro.
Its silver-gray claws moved terribly, terribly slowly, yet bore down relentlessly, unmistakably, straight toward the Soul Teardrop's heart.
Time seemed to freeze in that instant.
Until —
Teardrop Big Bro swiftly donned the [Dragon's Feast] armor Cecil had upgraded for him.
The Great Dragon's imposing might left the several dragon-men who'd just appeared momentarily stunned.
What followed —
was a golden lightning radiance exploding violently from the Soul Teardrop's body.
The massive Magic shockwave even drew the attention of countless Dragon-type Monsters, all turning their gazes at once and letting out roars beyond imagining.
And it was at this very moment —
harnessing the lightning-attribute Magic erupting within it, the Soul Teardrop transformed entirely into a golden bolt of serpentine lightning, shooting straight toward the depths of the Dragon Valley — leaving the several dragon-men who had just gathered there stunned all over again.
"It's fleeing?!"
A moment ago they'd assumed such a massive lightning explosion meant it was gearing up for a fight.
Instead, in the blink of an eye, it had simply vanished!
And what's more —
"Not good!!"
Someone shouted it out — no one could say who — and the dragon-men who had just gathered there rushed after the streak of lightning. But it was already far too late.
Isagi had clearly achieved his goal once again.
This time —
what he meant to do was see, once and for all, exactly what the Black Dragon really was...
____
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