The next day came, and with it the scheduled arrival of the Stampede. Early in the morning, Leon went on a reconnaissance mission and estimated the time of attack based on the speed of the Dragons. Leon then informed the defending force that they would be here in about two hours, prompting everyone to quicken up their preparations.
The Explorers hurriedly transported the Magic Stones to be used as fuel for anti-monster magic tools, and the long-ranged Attackers and the support musicians started to get into formations. The civilians, on the other hand, began to gather behind the safety of the magic barrier. They were here to watch the famous Explorers and the Dragons, as opposed to the seventy percent of the city’s population that had already evacuated to the south.
Several reporters surrounded the nobility, the Security Team, and the Explorers, and proceeded to interview each of them. This unusual Stampede was seeing quite a lot of attention from the people, so in the journalists’ views, it was the perfect story to cover.
The musicians prepared to play, checking their instruments and Potions, after which the Conductor stood before them and waved their baton, prompting the start of the prelude piece. The music, the same piece played during every Stampede, put both the Explorers and the civilians at ease.
At one point, the head of House Babenberg climbed to the top of a hill and addressed all of the defense force. This was new for Tsutomu, but the others were used to it by now; the speech served to contain some of their restlessness. Now everything was in order — the nobility’s defensive magic, the anti-monster magic tools, and all the famous Explorers.
Now a sense of calm spread through the air, as it would before any ordinary Stampede, as if the coming Dragons would not be a problem. Those who had been too nervous to move properly now loosened up, and were able to proceed with their tasks smoothly.
Meanwhile, Tsutomu walked into the Guild gathering in front of the barrier, while also staring coldly at a distant crowd of civilians that had come to see the famous Explorers. The Security Team deployed some of their members to keep those people from entering the work areas.
[What do they think they’re doing?] Tsutomu thought to himself, exasperated that the civilians were obstructing the Security Team’s operations. These people were so excited that they rushed ahead in an attempt to be up close with their favorite Explorers; if not for the Security team, they likely would have made their way through. In fact, some already had to be restrained.
The Security Team’s high alert order did not mean the civilians were forced to evacuate, so they would not be charged with any crime if they were to not follow it. As such, they had the choice to stay and watch the incoming monsters, though they would technically be responsible for themselves.
The crazed crowd was starting to accuse the Security Team of being biased and corrupt, causing more and more of the noisemakers to be restrained as well.
Amy’s fan groups were here as well, cheering and waving their self-made flags, but they were not disruptive, and as a result, did not get restrained by the Security Team. They seemed to be somewhat more organized than the other fan groups, and did not act anywhere as disruptive as they had when Amy appeared on the Monitor during her Fire Dragon battle.
“Your fans are quite well-behaved now, aren’t they?”
“They sure are — must’ve learned to be by now. See, they’ve actually been cheering me on for a long time, and they’re actually a really understanding bunch. That’s one of the many things I do appreciate about them.”
“Huh. That’s impressive.”
“Yeah, but then look at those people, way too influenced by how Explorers do things and… end up that entitled.” Amy looked somewhat sad to see the other group of people hurl out profanities as they were restrained by the Security Team. “A lot of Explorers have to deal with that kinda crowd — you know, people who jump out of nowhere and ask for handshakes, or even shake your hand without asking, or insist that they tag along with you, you know? And there’s been more of those people lately. That’s why you have to ignore them, no buts. Otherwise they’ll get a taste and keep doing it again.”
“…Oh, I see,” Eunice interjected, appearing out of nowhere and joining in on the conversation. “I should tell that to Leon the next chance I get.”
“Right. That guy should be especially careful,” Amy replied as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Eunice had just finished helping with the preparations of Golden Tune’s Tanks and Healers, and was now joining up with the Guild.
“You must be thinking about that quite a lot,” Tsutomu said to her.
“Of course I do. I mean, what other choice do I have? My reputation helps me make a living. You might not have to worry about it now, Tsutomu, but after you have your Clan and become more famous — THAT’s when you need to think about how you carry yourself.”
“Thank you for your wisdom, Miss Amy.”
“Can you not do that, please? We’ve been through this before already…”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Eunice promptly followed.
“Look what you’ve done! Now she’s copying you! Stop it!”
Amy slapped Tsutomu’s head, fed up with how he and Eunice were messing with her at this point. Tsutomu shrugged his shoulders, casually apologizing under Amy’s hostile look. Eunice tilted her head, oblivious as to why the two were reacting this way.
After the officers escorted the restrained crowd away, the commotion subsided, with the rest of the civilians beginning to calm down. Tsutomu proceeded to review the general anti-Dragon strategies with Golden Tune and the Guild.
In combat, the three-role composition was to be used as much as possible, and in situations that it was not suitable for, each individual was free to act as they saw fit. This was to maximize effectiveness while minimizing mortality rate, not forcing the use of the composition due to the defense force not having much time to practice their coordination yet.
After finishing the final confirmations with Camille and Tsutomu, the group dispersed for a while, with each person going to chat with their acquaintances. Tsutomu looked at his hands, and noticed that they were shaking slightly.
[Hey, maybe I’ll be sent back to Japan if I die!] Tsutomu thought to himself, figuring that it would help calm his mind… but it did not work. He already knew full well, deep down, that death would spell his end, period. Perhaps he would have been better off if he could fool himself with wishful thinking, but alas, he had been mentally conditioned to avert that.
While he was stuck feeling nervous for what was to come, he turned around and saw Amy practically hugging Eunice’s large, yellow fox tail.
“Wow! So soft and fluffy! You must’ve kept it so well-groomed!”
“Heh heh, I sure have! This is thanks to the Sawmill Resin, a rare resource from the Forest layers of the Dungeon…” Eunice proceeded to explain the things she did to groom herself and the types of shampoo she used, seemingly pleased by Amy’s compliments, to others’ surprise.
“Oh, I use that too. Good stuff, that’s for sure,” Camille joined in on Eunice’s commentary, holding up her long red hair.
“Y-you too, Guild Master?”
The three proceeded to have a fun, long conversation about grooming their hair and tails. Eventually the other women, including the receptionist lady, entered the room and joined in on the talk, and then Garm and his group of friends gathered around to see what all the fuss was about.
Tsutomu, seeing the whole scene play out, managed to feel somewhat relaxed.
[…I won’t let myself die here. I’m going to live, and go home to Japan.]
Tsutomu had always been pained to remember his time back in Japan, whether it was when he had risotto at the restaurant or practically every night before he went to sleep. Now that he was faced with the possibility of his own death, however, his desire to return to Japan grew even stronger.
He was not about to let himself, as well as any of the Guild members, die here. Tsutomu knew that he could not afford to make even a single mistake. Now the threat of death, which had done nothing but made him nervous before, served to increase his concentration. His concentration was so keen that Garm, who was standing next to him, hesitated to even talk to him.
“I see Leon! And the Dragons are behind him! Twelve of them!”
The Birdkin man on lookout, flying high above and looking forward with a pair of binoculars, used a megaphone-like magic tool to inform everyone of the arriving Dragons. The band instantly started performing, boosting the status ratings of all who heard their music.
The Boxers pumped their fists in anticipation, and the soldiers put on their helmets. Amy stood next to Tsutomu, hopped repeatedly to check her body condition, while Garm took a few long breaths to relieve his tension.
The civilians and journalists, upon hearing the announcement, waited impatiently to see the Dragons. Their shouts sounded as if they were cheering the Explorers on, helping to raise morale.
Eventually, Leon started coming into view, making long hops while carrying Barbara in his arms as he closed in on the barrier, and with the Dragons following right behind him. Everyone felt tension run through their faces — especially House Babenberg’s leading man and his sons as they controlled the barrier, and the attacking force as they prepared to unleash their skills.
Barbara in Leon’s arms made a provoking sound with <<Warrior Howl>>, luring the Dragons toward the barrier. The nobleman opened up a one-person-sized hole in the barrier, and as soon as Leon and Barbara slid through it, closed it down. All twelve dragons that had been chasing the two now stopped in front of the barrier, looking down at the Explorers from the sky.
One of the Fire Dragons roared, and the five others followed suit. This was a live, in-your-face roar, unfiltered by Monitor footage; the civilians who heard it were struck with an unexpected sense of fear, with some even cowered or fell to the ground. The six groups of combatants, on the other hand, were not particularly intimidated as they locked their sights on the Fire Dragons.
Once the wave of roars ended, the Fire Dragons breathed in, then unleashed streams of flame onto the barrier. The other Dragons followed suit, unleashing their breath attacks as well.
Normal and black flames mixed together, and then exploded in the streams of lightning. To top it off, the Ice Dragon also breathed freezing air onto the barrier. The intercepting teams near the wall took a few steps back, though the was no sign of even the outer part of the two-layered barrier collapsing yet.
The Fire and Black Dragons continued to attack the barrier by either tacking or breathing flames at it, but the barrier stood strong despite their efforts, shrugging off everything they threw at it. Still, the black flames, unlike normal fire, remained unextinguished; two of the nobleman’s sons focused on dealing with them, with one dislodging the burning sections of the barrier and the other quickly filling the holes in, preventing the flames from spreading.
The nobility’s variation of the defensive spell made such maneuvers possible, as opposed to the personal-use version, <<Barrier>>, which had to be disengaged in its entirety after an extended period of use. As the attacks kept coming, the nobility kept their barrier up while dealing with the black flames accordingly.
The Dragons, after trying so many attacks and failing, eventually stopped in confusion; right at that moment, the nobleman raised one hand, signaling the disengagement of the barrier and the commencement of the attack.
The Black and Gray Mages and Sorcerers readied their staves, while Spiritualists summoned up their apparitions and prepared to attack. The Archer nocked their arrows, the regular soldiers checked the alignments of their anti-monster magic tool cannons.
The nobleman took a deep breath, then shouted,
“OPEN FIRE!!”
At the same moment, the barrier in front of the interception teams disappeared. Everyone promptly cast their skills, firing off all their magic spells at once. Flame-covered cannonballs blasted off from the cannons, and magic-enchanted arrows flew at the Dragons from below.
“<<Meteor Stream>>.”
Amid everything, Alma’s magic skill stood out the most — the <<Meteor Stream>>, a spell that one could learn once their level went past seventy. Her Black Staff strengthened her powers and reduced mental energy consumption, allowing her to use the extremely powerful spell three times in a row.
Alma, having learned <<Meteor Stream>> after defeating her first Fire Dragon, and having always like <<Meteor>>-type skills, had been using it at every chance she had. Combining her habit of using such a skill and the boost from her Black Staff, she was so powerful that she had managed to defeat the Bolseyer despite her Job’s bad compatibility with it.
A shower of meteors rained down from the sky, sending one Fire Dragon after another crashing down. Attacks from other Black Mages and Sorcerers were hitting all the Dragons as well, sending more of them down to the ground.
Eventually, all the Fire Dragons were grounded. One Ice Dragon was down as well, while the two others, despite still being airborne, had sustained severe damage to its wings and torso. The Black and Lightning Dragons had avoided the <<Meteor Stream>>, but still had taken hits to their wings from other skills, and were now unable to fly so freely. Among them, the Lightning Dragon seemed to have been the least hurt.
“Time to fight! Let’s go!”
The Guild’s team began their attack at Camille’s order. Camille herself rushed to the re-engaged barrier and knocked on it, opening a hole large enough for the Explorers to exit through.
Once all the teams were out, the barrier closed up immediately. Tsutomu levitated over everyone and checked all the groups’ positions, then looked at the Black Dragons directly ahead of him.
“<<Combat Cry>>!”
Garm and the other Tanks cast their aggro-pulling skills at the Black Dragons. The other groups adjusted their distances and positions to avoid misfiring at one another, while also using <<Combat Cry>> to pull away the Dragons each of them was responsible for.
The Black Dragons, distracted by <<Combat Cry>>, screamed as they flailed their long necks. The Guild’s Explorers proceeded to split into two groups, luring away one Black Dragon each. One group consisted of a handful of elites such as Camille and Amy, while the other was a survival-focused group consisting of a large number of Tanks and Healers; the latter’s task was to distract one Black Dragon while the former focused on the other.
One of the Black Dragons, which looked more like a recolor of a Fire Dragon when seen up close, crawled toward a team of four Tanks, one of which was Garm.
Such was the opening of the Guild’s battle against the Black Dragons.
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