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With each step, the ground shook, and the mere wind pressure from the lightly fluttering wings made it feel as if my body could be sent flying. Jeongjae felt akin to the human protagonist of a monster movie, covering his face with the hem of his robe to withstand the wind.

Jenis was desperately trying not to be blown back, wrapping her body tightly with her wings while jabbing her staff into the ground. The only thing that somewhat helped in this situation was the fact that the surrounding goblins could also barely withstand the tremors of the ground and the wind pressure from the wings, circling at a distance instead of advancing closer.

But frankly speaking, Jeongjae thought he’d feel much more at ease facing the unknown monster in front of him than having to deal with a swarm of goblins alone, even if those goblins were elite soldiers granted magic by the Demon King himself.

“Let me hit it first! Stand back!”

Jeongjae spread his arms to create a massive blue magic circle. Jenis immediately sensed that Jeongjae was about to unleash a very powerful ‘Star Flash.’ The moment she confirmed that the Great Sage was stepping back, the Grand Mage fired a huge blue beam toward the black vampire dragon.

With a great roar, the beam struck the dragon squarely in the chest. As Jeongjae staggered from the rapid mana depletion and collapsed to the ground, Jenis swallowed hard and assessed the damage dealt in one shot.

Dracula looked up at the sky and let out a painful scream. It was clear he felt immense pain, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much visible damage at the spot where the beam hit.

“Oh my god. Even if it’s the Dragon Lord, if he took that Star Flash, his scales would’ve melted off!”

Realizing that his attack had been rather ineffective from Jenis’s tone, Jeongjae slammed his fist onto the ground in frustration.

“Ugh, come on! Even Ultraman can wipe out a giant monster with just one Specium Ray!”

Of course, Ultraman wouldn’t just fire such a beam at a monster the moment he saw one, and if a single beam could knock out foes on all fronts, it would never have become such a popular series.

Heroes who can take out all villains in one hit are entirely different character concepts. Jeongjae wasn’t particularly weak, but his log power wasn’t overwhelming enough to mimic those kinds of heroes.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but… Regardless of whether it’s a burn or whatnot, it definitely caused pain. If we keep injuring it little by little…”

“Do you think my mana is an unlimited resource?”

“Then what am I supposed to do? If you had a clever idea, you would have told me already!”

Though both were shouting at each other, they were just venting frustrations about their hopeless situation and were not truly at odds.

“This is maddening. It’s coming! Let’s dodge and think later!”

The two mages leaped away once more to evade the dark lightning crashing down from the sky. Jenis attempted to take to the air and spread her wings to dodge the lightning, but one stray bolt that she thought she had avoided chased her down, tearing through the vampire’s wings.

“AAAH!”

Screaming in pain as part of her body was torn away, Jenis rolled on the ground. Jeongjae, surprised, turned to her and shouted.

“Are you okay? Your wings…”

“The tips got torn off, but I’m fine! It… hurts, but I can manage…”

“But it’s completely torn off…”

“I can reattach it, right? After all, vampire wings are meant to act as shields or armor in a pinch! So don’t worry too much and just be careful not to get hit, professor!”

Jenis fiddled with the torn tips of her wings as she spoke. Her words held some truth; both vampires and succubi actively use their wings as tools for protection.

However, no matter how protective they were, a torn body is still a torn body. If she hadn’t quickly cast a pain relief spell on herself the moment her wings were shredded, Jenis would have been moaning in excruciating pain and unable to stand up properly by now.

“Tearing my wings apart in the middle of the night… just how powerful is this magic…”

In this urgent situation, she hadn’t realized it, but the combat robes of both Jenis and Jeongjae, which boasted powerful defensive magic, were becoming tattered from the backlash of the lightning.

Although they both evaded without a direct hit, just the shockwave from the black lightning was enough to leave their protective garments on the verge of destruction.

Instinctively, the two mages moved closer to each other, preparing to respond to the next attack from the enemy. Dodging wasn’t enough anymore. The power of the lightning was overwhelmingly strong, and no matter how hard they tried to evade, the tendrils of electric energy reaching out from the lightning still tormented them. If they couldn’t dodge, they had to block it, but stopping such a powerful attack was beyond the strength of either one alone.

“We’re not the kind of folks to be treated like this…”

“Especially not against that guy. I never imagined it would come to this.”

Noticing that he had subtly underestimated them, the dragon let out an even louder roar and prepared for its next attack at the two mages. Jenis pulled a cross necklace from her bosom and shouted.

“I’ll put up a barrier! Cover me!”

Without a word, Jeongjae raised his hands to the sky, following Jenis’s lead. At the moment the vampire’s attack struck the earth, a massive white cruciform magic circle appeared in the air, blocking Dracula’s black lightning.

The clash between the divine shield and the dragon’s lightning lasted for a few seconds, but Jeongjae successfully poured all his power into Jenis’s barrier, completely pushing back the lightning aimed at the shield.

For the first time today, the two of them had successfully blocked Dracula’s attack, letting out deep breaths as they bowed their heads.

“Well, that worked out, but how much longer can we hold out like this?”

“I at least wanted to celebrate a bit after our victory…”

“No, in times like this, unfounded optimism won’t help.”

Taking advantage of the brief pause, Jenis quickly scanned the red orb, as if seeking out a strategy. Jeongjae, holding onto a faint hope that the Great Sage’s staff might show some answer, asked Jenis.

“Do you see anything interesting?”

“This dragon’s attacks are incredibly powerful. Each time it strikes down, the surrounding clouds respond and hit with black lightning too.”

“That doesn’t sound too exciting for me.”

“Thankfully, I don’t think there are any injured humans since there’s no one around… but… the power is so immense that… it seems to have affected even beyond the mountain range.”

“Wow, that’s really impressive. Beyond the mountain range, huh…”

Jeongjae turned his gaze eastward, staring at the tall, uninhabited mountains. Just as Jenis had said, dark clouds were gathering in the sky, reaching over the mountain range. Jeongjae blinked in disbelief.

“That’s Eramenia.”

“Right.”

“Did you strike lightning down on the woods of Eramenia? Even black lightning laced with dark magic?”

“Looks like that’s the case?”

As Jeongjae and Jenis met each other’s eyes, they couldn’t help but snicker. Perhaps that vampire lord had unknowingly sent a request for assistance where the two mages had been.

“Do you think the elves will just sit back and watch this?”

“No, they’re already on the move. They’ve come quite close. I think they’ll appear soon.”

The sound of hoofbeats could be heard. Unlike the heavy, beastly footsteps from the goblins’ riding wolves, it was the grand sound of proper hooves pounding the earth.

The number didn’t seem too great based on the sound, but knowing whose hooves they were, the mere thought of comparing them to a few thousand goblins felt utterly ridiculous.

Jeongjae looked toward the source of the sound, filled with hope as he exclaimed, “Is that Margaret?”

“No, it’s someone much more great.”

“More great? Are you suggesting…?”

In the blink of an eye, a fairy clad in shining white armor led the charge, having dashed across the mountains. Though he wore no crown or helmet, anyone could tell from his hair that he was the king of the fairies.

Among the fairies who did not cut their hair, only he maintained a short bob that fell to his neck, the symbol of royal authority, by having cut it at the heart of the forest.

The king of Eramenia, a living witness to history since the days of old Caprice, had just burst forth from the woods atop his steed. Overjoyed by the arrival of reinforcements, Jeongjae was momentarily taken aback when he saw King Richard’s expression and instinctively stepped back.

It was clear that his first sight of the elven king’s face radiated a kind of fervor that even a fool could easily grasp.

“Hey, Jenis. You aren’t mad at me, are you?”

“That person is King Richard of Eramenia. Why would he be angry with you, professor?”

“Right? There’s no reason for him to be.”

Honestly, there was some guilt gnawing at him, but Jeongjae swore to the heavens that he hadn’t done anything strange toward Margaret yet. If anything, it was Margaret acting a bit odd.

Fortunately, the elven king seemed not to pay much mind to Jeongjae and Jenis, raising his sword high as he shouted pointedly at the great villain, Dracula.

“The stench pierces my nose. I’ve never smelled such a foul odor in my thousand years of life. You have graciously provided me with a rare experience, oh monster!”

Noticing Richard’s presence, Dracula turned to glance at the elven king, trembling in shock, seemingly flustered by his immediate surroundings. Given the sheer size of Dracula, the mere act of him stepping back sent tremors across the ground.

“Er… Elven king! But why…?”

Having puffed himself up beneath his enormous stature, Dracula now appeared flustered by the arrival of Richard and the many elven archers behind him. The goblins didn’t even dare approach the elves, totally retreating and putting away their weapons.

For a moment, Dracula seemed torn about whether to attack or not, yet he was unable to unleash the lightning he held in his mouth, clearly aware that he’d lose if he engaged.

“The lord of Eramenia has yet to declare his direct intervention in this war, yet your putrid odor has invaded my territory beyond the battlefield. May I consider this a declaration of war against me? Do you not have any complaints if I swing my sword here and strike you down?”

The dragon displayed a desperate shuffling, looking utterly confounded in place. Jenis and Jeongjae squatted down, tilting their heads in thought.

“I have a feeling we’re actually quite weak…”

“Considering we’re up against a king of fairies who can draw upon the power of the forest so close to Eramenia, we certainly can’t say we’re strong.”

“Well, bringing Rose along wouldn’t even help us here either.”

“The Crown Princess isn’t some sort of all-purpose key that can beat anyone, you know?”

“Though in most circumstances, having Rose around would usually solve the issue. Right?”

“That’s true, I guess. Oh, look, they’re starting to pull back.”

In the end, perhaps succumbing to Richard’s intimidation, the black dragon flapped its wings mightily and took to the skies, attempting to escape. It seemed King Richard had no intention of chasing down even fleeing Dracula. Jeongjae and Jenis barely managed to exhale in relief, but only for a moment, as the elven king turned toward them, approaching anew.

Even amidst the deep darkness, Richard’s armor shone bright, emitting a white light that made it feel almost like daytime.

Just the sight of that light seemed to inflict pain on the goblin horde, who, relieved of their encirclement, scattered in all directions. The elven archers accompanying the king made no effort to shoot arrows at the goblins or threaten them.

Slowly, slowly, the elven king on a white horse approached Jeongjae and Jenis. Jeongjae felt a sense of unease, filled with tension, as he readied himself to bow before the first king he had ever met.

Whatever the king had to say to him, he hoped it wouldn’t be anything too serious.

 

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