Matan’s Shooter

The giants who were chasing behind swung their huge mauls, axes, and maces, crushing the chimeras mercilessly as if pounding rice cakes.

Their power was truly astonishing.

As long as they didn’t get too caught up in the attack and stray from their formation, the giants displayed such a high level of skill that they felt like a single unit.

“Kill! Kill! Kill— Hey, what? Where did everyone go?”

However, even in such a situation, there were always those who lagged behind or got separated!

The giant who had been joyously swinging his twin axes suddenly realized he was alone, with no other users around.

“Kree-ee!”

“Kiyaaaa!”

Using the skill 〈Warrior’s Leap〉, he could escape once, but the battle tank had already moved quite far away.

“Ugh, fine! Damn it, come on—aaaargh?!”

The brave giant gripped his twin axes and tried to charge forward.

If not for the thirty-five tentacles that suddenly reached out to him, he might have succeeded.

The giant closed his eyes tightly, realizing that the attack hadn’t reached him.

“Uh, huh? Oh!”

It was inevitable.

Another giant had stepped in, blocking the tentacles aimed at him with their body.

“Karelin-nim!”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Huuuuup—”

The 12th ranked giant wore only tight-fitting tights.

As he flexed his muscles, which were more developed than those of a gorilla, the cluster of chimera tentacles he was holding was all torn apart.

〈Absolute Defense〉 grasps anything that comes within its range.

While mid-range attacks were possible, he could easily snap or crush tentacles connected to the main body, so Karelin did not fear the chimeras.

“Did you take the acid and poison resistance potions?”

“Of course!”

“Then get ready. We need to catch up with the front line.”

“Understood!”

The two giants ran toward the distant battle tank.

“Kree-ee-ee!”

Even then, tentacles continued to lash out, but they were nothing in the face of Karelin’s absolute defense. In the brief moment Karelin grabbed the tentacles, one of the twin axes would slice through them.

“It seems you’ve sufficiently enhanced your cutting power.”

“Heh! Of course! I’ve been waiting for days just for this event! I applied anti-slip whetstones and cutting enhancement scrolls.”

Karelin flashed a light smile.

No matter how much of a Demon King’s Fragment Ghibrid was, he couldn’t have calculated this.

“There’s a truckload of strategies against chimeras floating around on the internet! Now, it’s time for our 〈Sacred Alliance〉 to counterattack!”

Even the twin-axe giant, making such remarks, found the defense from the north and south relatively easy-going.

It was a natural thing.

The only thing they had to defend against was the chimeras.

The atmosphere was markedly different from the central New Continent, where chromatic dragons rampaged.

“Bre-Breath! Red and Black dragons are breathing fire at the same time!”

“All paladins, cast shields! Raphaela-nim!”

“Don’t worry! 〈Holy Barrier〉!”

In the central battlefield, monsters far beyond the threat of mere chimeras roamed rampantly.

* * *

Even though Raphaela’s Holy Barrier and the paladins’ shields were layered countless times, the Black Dragon’s acidic breath and the red dragon’s flame breath began to melt through them.

“They’re too strong! Judging by their size, they don’t even seem to be ancient-grade—”

“The speculations from the community were true! All the Chromatic Dragons have become stronger!”

An Ancient grade and an Adult grade melting through the shields of dozens of Paladins and the Saintess? The fact that at least two Ancients were needed confirmed that the community’s speculations were spot on.

The Chromatic Dragons had indeed grown stronger!

“The worst-case scenario from the internet’s speculations came true, and the best-case scenario missed! Those scales—the defense is insane! Even when I aimed precisely at the gaps, the arrows wouldn’t penetrate! ‘GIGANTIC ARROW’!”

Bobae repeatedly shot arrows, almost like javelins, but they couldn’t pierce through the scales of the flying Blue Dragon.

Under normal circumstances, the powerful attack would have either penetrated the scales or targeted the gaps in between to wound the flesh, but now it had no effect.

『You thought insignificant creatures like you could stand against us who serve the Queen! ‘LIGHTNING REVOLUTION’!』

The Blue Dragon swiftly circled around in mid-air and surged towards Bobae. The electrical energy forming at the tip of its open maw shot straight out.

Kijung could not run towards her.

Behind him, numerous users and NPCs were holding their ground.

To leave that spot, he would have to use ‘Dinosaurization’ to take a giant leap. But now wasn’t the time for that.

“Bo, Bobae!”

“Don’t come! I’ll stop it!”

A boy leaped in front of Bobae.

As Kijung was halted, the boy moved swiftly to stand in front of Bobae, fully exposed to the Blue Dragon’s lightning magic.

Bobae hurriedly stepped back in shock, nearly falling, and looked at the boy.

The boy, dressed in what appeared to be mage attire, faced the dragon’s skill without a shield or barrier.

“Get out of the way!”

Bobae yelled, but the boy didn’t even glance back as he stretched his left hand towards the approaching lightning magic.

Sizzle, snap, crackle!

“Ha Leeha spoke.”

Surprisingly, the Blue Dragon’s lightning magic disappeared in the boy’s palm.

“Save ‘Dinosaurization’ until Ghibrid appears.”

“Wh-who are you?”

Kijung tilted his head, staring at the boy’s face. It looked familiar yet unfamiliar. Who was he?

『Hahaha, you’ve come! Trash of Metal!』

“Metal—Ah!?”

Kijung gasped in shock, while the boy shook his head and looked at him.

“Blaugrunn! You’ve grown enormously!”

Blaugrunn, now nearly a young man, observed the Blue Dragon circling in the air. If the Blue Dragon was the representative of lightning in Chromatic Dragons, then the Bronze Dragon was the representative of lightning in Metal Dragons!

In the midst of urgency, Blaugrunn frowned momentarily at Kijung.

“Are you treating me like a child? How rude, Holy Knight! Tend to your duty facing the Chimera! Those Dragons—”

Even as Blaugrunn spoke, the Blue Dragon was rapidly charging in.

Blaugrunn gave Kijung a light shove and dashed out, jumping straight into the air.

Woooosh!

『—Leave them to us!』

As a turquoise gleam shone and Bronze Dragon appeared, countless flashes erupted behind him.

Silver, dull grey, copper, brass, and turquoise.

The arrival and transformation of the Metal Dragons, led by Blaugrunn, were visible across the entire central continent of the New Continent.

And heralding it all was, of course, the brilliant golden hue.

“Let’s go, comrade.”

『Today, we exact complete justice.』

Alexander and Bailephus appeared.

The eyes of all the Chromatic Dragons soaring in the battlefield changed.

* * *

『Finally, you emerge, those who consort with vermin!』

『This is the opportunity to achieve our long-awaited wish! Let us exterminate all Metal Dragons and unify under a single dragon!』

『The Queen is with us! With her, anything is possible!』

The Chromatic Dragons, which had been casting spells and breathing fire towards the users atop the Chimera’s head, began charging in one direction—the direction where the Metal Dragons were located.

『Foolish beings! Even if Tiamat has awakened, is it so noble to ally with the Demon King’s Fragment and lose your autonomy?』

『In the end, your demise is your own doing!』

『Our guidance shall make you atone with your lives!』

The Metal Dragons were not ones to back down.

Could this be the moment to put an end to the fateful rivalry between Metal and Color?

As the Metal and Chromatic Dragons drew closer, the users observing from the ground gained a clear understanding.

Usually, aside from the color difference, only slight variations in texture or grade could be observed among them.

But now?

‘The composition of the scales is distinctly different. Overall, the Chromatic Dragons are larger!’

Kijung, observing a metal dragon flying overhead, was certain of this.

The Chromatic Dragons clearly received some enhancement from being near Tiamat, and it was having a tremendous effect.

Thus, it was predictable what the outcome would be when the nearly equal forces of Metal and Color collided.

Kijung tried to shout, but the Metal Dragons were not fools.

“Do not slow down, partner.”

『Of course. We maintain our charge with unwavering force—』

They had enough variables to turn the situation around.

“I’ll delay them. 〈Headwind〉.”

『〈Ice Blow〉.』

These variables were their partners.

Wide-area debuff skills shot from the hands of Ram Hwajung and Arzenmacht.

Though not particularly damaging, the skills cast were strong enough to make the charging Chromatic Dragons stagger.

Their skills disrupted the enemy’s casting and weakened their charge, even momentarily. Ram Hwajung and Arzenmacht retreated from the assault formation as soon as they completed their task.

『Curses—these pests—』

The headwind for the Chromatic Dragons became a tailwind for the Metal Dragons.

A white dragon stepped forward to absorb and neutralize Ram Hwajung and Arzenmacht’s skills, but the situation was already proceeding according to the Metal Dragons’ plan.

『Let’s go.』

Bailephus narrowed his wings to minimize air resistance.

Despite starting later, he moved so fast he overtook all the other Metal Dragons, his slender, elongated body resembling a golden spear.

“〈Sacred Light〉.”

Atop Bailephus’s neck, Alexander extended his lance.

It was a ‘real lance,’ a golden spear cutting through the air and tearing through the Chromatic Dragon formation.

───────────────!

『Do you think I’ll let you, Bailephus?』

Then, a gigantic Black Dragon appeared at the forefront of the Chromatic Dragon formation.

『Onyx!』

Having materialized via teleportation, Onyx was positioned at the very front, less than 30 meters from Bailephus, grinning.

Both Bailephus and Alexander could see his smile very clearly.

On top of Onyx’s head, a small girl stood.

『Extend your greetings.』

Onyx spoke.

As the girl standing on the Black Dragon’s head began to float mid-air.

『This is our Queen.』

────────────!!!!

The light vanished.