Chapter 48
"Come on, Witch-sama. Eat, eat."
"Ugh, what a waste..."
The Dragon Witch was reluctantly eating gremlins inside a huge cavern dug into the side of a breached dam. Her deputy, the chubby Zaizen Kintaro, hurried her along.
This was the Dragon Witch's preparation for battle.
Dragons have fire inside their bodies, enabling them to exhale a powerful fiery Breath. But that fire had another important function.
Digesting gremlins.
Dragons could eat gremlins, melt them into sludge with the flames inside their bodies, and circulate the melted gremlins throughout themselves to strengthen their bodies. Their Breath grew more powerful, their flying speed increased, and their physical strength rose. Everything from their agility and dynamic vision to their magic resistance was enhanced. That was why dragons were counted among the strongest types of monsters.
"The Arataki Group coming here is said to have magic stones. If we lose because we were stingy, all this will have been for nothing."
"That's right. But my treasures will decrease."
The greedy dragon hesitated to eat even a single mound of gremlins while gazing at the mountain range of gold and silver treasures carpeting her lair. She was barely eating at all.
Zaizen somehow managed to cajole the Dragon Witch.
"Witch-sama, this is an upfront investment. Eat the gremlins, crush the enemy, and obtain magic stones. You like magic stones, don't you?"
"I like them, I like them. I love them! Ugh, this is an upfront investment. An upfront investment...!"
The Dragon Witch somehow forced herself to eat the necessary amount of gremlins while repeating that to herself. The gremlins began circulating through her enormous body, and her red scales took on a faint magical glow as her presence grew more intimidating.
The pouch sparrow Zaizen carried for message delivery fainted inside his breast pocket, unable to withstand the Dragon's presence. The loyal pouch sparrow had endured its instinct to flee from the Dragon Witch once she entered battle mode, but it could not endure the pressure. How touching.
Once her preparations were complete, the Dragon Witch lumbered out of her lair. She headed toward the Saitama Prefecture border with the guards in tow, and there a witch came from Belluna Dome, the stadium whose roof had been completely destroyed.
She was a woman around forty, wearing a black kimono in a loose, disheveled style, with a horse's body from the waist down. She held a drawn sword in her right hand.
"Oh? You look familiar. Um... Kiwada?"
"Yes, it's been a while, Dragon Witch. Judging by your condition, it looks like your future sight has sent you a warning."
The half-human, half-horse witch Kiwada smiled seductively at the Dragon Witch, who was leading a long train of guards.
The Dragon Witch's gaze was fixed not on Kiwada herself, but on the magic stone clutched in her left hand.
"I've heard about your invasion plan. Leave the magic stone, your head, and all the accessories around your waist, then get lost. Your sword, too. If you do that, I'll let you go."
"You've got nerve. You're a troublesome witch. But do you really think you can beat me while I'm holding a magic stone? Take my advice and surrender. I'll put in a good word with the boss so you'll be treated well. The same goes for your entourage. You like a world ruled by violence, don't you?"
"I do. But in that world, the Blue Witch is queen. I'd be pushed to the sidelines. The world as it is now is the most comfortable for me."
"I see, I see..."
The quality of Kiwada's smile changed.
It was the smile of a savage beast licking its chops before its prey.
This was not a metaphor. The air itself trembled.
Magical power amplified by the magic stone burst from Kiwada, prickling the skin. Leaves and gravel on the ground trembled, and an unnatural whirlwind spiraled upward.
The Dragon Witch remained calm. She lowered her massive body into a forward-leaning stance, filled with magical power and murderous intent.
In the tense, breathless standoff, the guards and Zaizen backed away and whispered among themselves.
"Ah, excuse me. Can I say something?"
After a brief whispered discussion, Zaizen raised his hand and spoke shamelessly on behalf of the guards, who looked ready to bolt.
"We've changed our minds. We'll side with whoever wins. As long as they're strong enough to protect the citizens from monsters, it doesn't matter who the leader is, right?"
"What!? Zaizeeeen! You betrayed me, you bastard!? I'll remember this!"
"Ha-ha-ha, I don't dislike it! Then you weathercocks stay out of this!"
The guards threw down their weapons and fled lickety-split. Kiwada laughed at them, then held her sword low and behind her before launching an explosive charge to begin the battle.
"I learned from Rocksteel how to cut the wind."
"That stone statue will guard the grave until the end of the world."
Before Kiwada's blade could reach her, the Dragon Witch spat out a large gremlin, then took to the sky while chanting the Pebble spell.
Kiwada tried to cleave the Gargoyle—a rock figure with wings of stone formed around the gremlin—in two with a single stroke, but the astonishingly sturdy rock stopped her blade, and she could only cut halfway through its torso.
She swiftly pulled back her blade and slashed several times, but the Gargoyle blocked her with its crossed arms and kicked her instead.
Kiwada caught the kick with her front leg, was blown several meters away, landed heavily on all fours, and cursed.
"It's hard! You magic-power freak! How much magic power did you pour into it!?"
"Keep playing around down there! I'll roast you from above!"
The Dragon Witch circled overhead, laughing loudly as she blasted a powerful crimson Breath down at the ground.
A powerful golem charged Kiwada from the front, while behind her came a great tidal wave of searing flame.
Caught between them, Kiwada clicked her tongue and chanted another spell.
"I learned from the wind how to run across rainbows."
"Geh."
Kiwada's legs flashed for an instant; she seized the air and raced upward into the sky.
Kiwada looked down, wary that the Gargoyle might fly up from the ground after her, but in the crimson tidal wave, the rock figure merely waved both arms wildly toward the sky.
"What, are those rock wings just for show!?"
"You never said you could fly!"
"Of course I didn't!"
The half-human, half-horse witch chased after the panicking Dragon Witch through the sky.
The Dragon Witch beat her wings, pierced the clouds, and accelerated sharply, but Kiwada kept after her.
However, even with air-walking magic enhanced by the magic stone, the Dragon Witch was faster. Little by little, she pulled away.
The Dragon Witch had the advantage in aerial combat. Kiwada could not catch up, and she was forced to strain herself flying along acrobatic trajectories to evade the Breaths the Dragon Witch spit behind her.
Kiwada stomped hard on the clouds and charged forward, trying to close the distance, but the gap did not shrink.
Kiwada furrowed her brow, sheathed her sword, and held both hands toward the Dragon Witch.
"It can't be helped. Even at this distance, if I amplify it... I learned from rainbows how to bring down birds."
An invisible wave amplified by the magic stone was released and struck the Dragon Witch.
The Dragon Witch suddenly lost a great deal of altitude and stalled, as though something enormous had pressed down on her from above. But the glowing red scales covering her body immediately canceled out the invisible pressure, and she regained her balance.
"Geh!? Nngh—y-you weakling! I-it doesn't affect me at all!"
"You didn't fall!? You're tougher than you look! I learned from rainbows how to bring down birds."
"Gah!? B-but I told you it doesn't work—"
"I learned from rainbows how to bring down birds."
"Bwooo!!!"
After being forced down three times, the Dragon Witch crashed into Tama Lake near the place where the battle had begun, sending up a great column of water.
Paddling like a dragon instead of doggy-paddling, the Dragon Witch crawled onto the shore, spraying water from her nose. She shook her massive body to fling off the water, then backed away a few steps. When she saw Kiwada standing in front of her with her sword ready, she went pale and gulped.
"A-are you sure? If you stay there, I'll roast you."
"At this range, cutting you is faster than your Breath. You can't bite me either, can you? Of course, I won't give you a chance to chant a spell."
"Nghhh...!"
"You can't fight me at close quarters with one leg missing. Surrender."
"..."
"Say something, anything! Hmm?"
"...Something."
"Hmm? Ah, you're buying time. You're trying to have that Gargoyle attack me from behind, aren't you? Surrender within five seconds or I'll cut you down. One, two—"
"Grrrr...!"
"Three, four—"
"S-surren—"
Kiwada wore a sadistic smile that made it look as though she wanted to kill her even more, but just before she could hear the surrender, four ice spears struck her horse flank and made her stagger.
The completely unexpected ambush made her stumble, and she reflexively turned to look to the side.
There, crouched in the bushes, were the guards and Zaizen, who were supposed to have thrown down their weapons and fled.
"Get her, Witch-sama!"
"If you can't do it here, you're just a lizard!"
Hearing the guards' heckling, Kiwada hurriedly turned her eyes forward again.
There stood the Dragon Witch, her eyes glittering with desire and a vicious smile on her face, a searing flame burning deep within her great jaws.
"Great discovery! Apparently, fire burns!"
"Oh no—"
She layered flame magic over the Dragon's Breath, already strengthened by the gremlins circulating through her body.
A dazzling crimson heat ray engulfed Kiwada.
Kiwada became a black shadow writhing in the flames, and the shadow burned away to tatters in no time.
After a few seconds, the Breath ceased, leaving behind only a small mound of smoking white ash.
Kiwada had burned to death.
"Hmph! What a weakling! See? I really am strong after all! Gaa-ha-ha-ha!"
The Dragon Witch laughed loudly, lumbered over to the mound of ash, and blew it away with a snort. A magic stone radiating heat appeared beneath it.
All magic stones are meteorites. Unlike gremlins, they possess extremely high heat resistance, enough to withstand the heat of atmospheric entry. Even a dragon's flames cannot melt them.
Drooling, the Dragon Witch eagerly stowed the still-hot magic stone in her belly pouch and danced for joy. The guards and Zaizen came over to her amid a noisy hubbub.
"I thought she was a shrewd witch, but she was surprisingly stupid. To fall for such a classic plan so completely..."
"A plan? ...Oh. Zaizen, you're a capable one. I knew it. Of course I trusted you."
"Why, I'm honored. Your acting was quite convincing too, Witch-sama. You looked exactly as if you truly thought I had betrayed you."
Zaizen shook his plump belly as he laughed merrily, and the Dragon Witch followed suit with a slightly awkward laugh of her own.
The guards chatted among themselves while spitting on the witch's remains, now reduced to ash, and flipping them off.
"Idiot. As if our Witch-sama would lose to some nobody witch who was only clutching a magic stone."
"Exactly. Being strong is all she's got going for her."
"Though we would've lost without Zaizen-san's plan..."
"Well, Zaizen-san is Witch-sama's external brain. That makes this effectively Witch-sama's solo victory, right?"
"You think? Maybe it is."
It had been a narrow victory, but in terms of the outcome, it was a complete victory over a witch with a magic stone, with no casualties and not even a single injury. As the Dragon Witch basked in her triumph, Zaizen cleared his throat and made a suggestion.
"Witch-sama, shouldn't you go help the other witches? You could obtain even more magic stones."
"Hmm, I'm exhausted. Today I'm going to sleep hugging Magic Stone-chan. Then tomorrow I'll attack those pieces of trash again and recover poor Magic Stone-chan. One a day!"
"I see. In that case, leave the defense of your territory while you're away to me. Although I will surrender if a witch or wizard comes, I'll arrange things so that Witch-sama can easily take it back later."
"Handle it as you see fit. Yaaawn, I'm going to bed now. The rest is up to you."
"Good night, Witch-sama."
Zaizen bowed politely and watched the Dragon Witch lumber back into her lair.
The Dragon Witch did whatever she pleased as her instincts dictated—kidnapping people, squandering personnel, and stealing—but she was undeniably strong.
If not for the Blue Witch, she would be the strongest combatant at the witches' gathering. Even among the Transcendents, her strength stood a head above the rest.
As long as the Dragon Witch remained, her territory was safe.