62 Chapter 62: Rescue mission

"Your highness!"

"You're safe!"

"We're coming!"

The party of mercenaries and one hero ran ahead the moment they spotted the princess. She was slumped against a rocky perch, placed deep inside the dragon's nest. There were a bunch of eggs next to her, yet to hatch, but fortunately there was no sign of any other dragons. Meanwhile, I hung back inside Matsukaze, my katana out and ready in case we were attacked again.

It was clear that the dragon had abducted the princess to feed its offspring. According to the books I had read in the Library of Eden, humans with the blood of royalty made for dragon delicacies. In other words, a princess would be more delicious than a regular human…for dragons, anyway. I didn't know how they could tell us apart, but dragons were highly intelligent, sentient beings, so I guess they had their ways of identification.

Not to mention, the royalty was always so eye-catching and stood out from most people with their luxurious clothing, accessories and transports. I guess you didn't need to be a human to know that the rich-looking one was a cut above the poorer-looking ones.

"Well, let's head back."

Nagano breathed a sigh of relief as we freed the princess. She was still wobbling about, so Alicia and Sophia took her arms on each side. Alan had offered to help, but Alicia was fiercely against that, obviously worried that the princess might fall for him.

"How…?"

The princess was muttering, dazed.

"We came here by airship. It's a little damaged now, but we'll return to Ragalon the moment the crew complete emergency repairs. From there, we'll stay in the city for a couple of days before returning to Havia City once the airship is fully repaired."

"Ah…"

That wasn't what the princess was asking about, but she was too confused to pursue her original question further. She limped between Alicia and Sophia while Alan and I scouted ahead for any threats. I was still inside Matsukaze, the huge mecha towering over the humans and scanning the space ahead with his sensors.

"Be careful…the dragon…"

"Don't worry, your highness," Nagano assured her. "We've defeated the dragon."

"…which dragon?"

The princess sounded surprised, but we were even more surprised by her question.

"Wait, what? What do you mean which dragon?"

"The crimson dragon? Or the larger one?"

"...it wasn't just the crimson dragon?"

Alan and the others looked horrified. As for me, I noticed a colossal shadow being casted upon us, turning day temporarily into night.

"Hmm?"

It wasn't just me. Nagano had noticed the sudden, ominous darkness that had befallen us, and she slowly stopped to turn around.

A second dragon was looming over the mountain, three times bigger than the crimson dragon we had just defeated. It was almost as large as a freaking hill, several times bigger than any building in all of Restia.

"There! The larger dragon!"

The princess was panicking and squirming between Alicia and Sophia. Silly girl…stop struggling. Even if you ran away, where could you escape to? We were the only hope you had of getting out of this place alive.

"No way!"

"Impossible!"

While Alicia and the others were rooted in disbelief and fear, I shook my head inside the cockpit of Matsukaze.

"Oh…so there was another dragon, huh? It doesn't seem to want to let us leave with the princess. I guess we've to kill this one as well."

"You make it sound so easy," Alan muttered wryly. However, Nagano didn't share my confidence. She had turned incredibly pale.

"Th…that is?"

"Eh?"

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I turned my head to stare at the holographic image of Nagano in my head's up display. What is it, girl? Stop acting so dramatic and get to the point already!

"No…it can't be!"

Perspiration was dripping down Nagano's face as she stared at the dragon, her complexion ashen and shaken.

"But if something like that is here, then it all makes sense."

"Can you stop making cryptic statements and tell us what the hell is going on?!" I snapped impatiently. That had to be a limit to being dramatic.

Alan and the rest were too shocked to be paying any attention to our conversation. Then again, I was inside a big mecha, so I was probably safer than all the others. It also meant that the bulk of the battle would fall to me, so I readied my katana.

"The wyverns we encounted on the way here, plus the crimson dragon…it's all connected…"

"Nagano-san? Hello? Can you start explaining already?! I don't see any connection!?"

"What's wrong, puny humans?"

The dragon boomed.

"It…it spoke!?"

Alan and the others were taken aback by the sudden outburst. I rolled my eyes, now remembering what I had read in the preparation for this mission. If I wasn't mistaken…

"That's an ancient dragon," I explained to Alan and friends. "Ancient dragons are known to be intelligent enough to speak human languages. I don't remember reading any connection to wyverns or crimson dragons, though…but ancient dragons are far more intelligent than those two species. And far more powerful too."

"Eh?! Then what do we do?!"

"We either negotiate or we fight."

I pivoted my mecha so that I would be facing the ancient dragon directly, and then bent Matsukaze's legs a little to imitate a deferential posture.

"Excuse me, oh Ancient Dragon-sama…"

Before I could finished my respectful greeting, the ancient dragon rudely interrupted me with a tremendous roar that sent sonic booms across the valley, scattering rocks and blowing the puny humans off their feet. Even Nagano was forced to shield herself with her hands, and Alan slammed his shield down to protect himself and the three girls behind him.

"AHHH?!"

"Ugh!"

"Ah!"

After the rude roar, the ancient dragon glared at us, but I met its gaze levelly from inside Matsukaze, who hadn't budged a millimeter despite the ferocious sonic attack. Rising to my feet, I slammed my katana against the ground in an aggressive display.

"Guess you're just a huge lizard in the end," I sneered. "Rudely interrupting people when they're talking. How uncivilized."

The dragon snapped at me, its massive jaws trying to close around my mecha, but I managed to stop them from closing around me with a sword block. However, the gigantic fangs dug in deeply, causing sparks to fly and denting the metal dangerously.

"Warning." Matsukaze's voice was maddeningly calm despite the flashing red lights in my cockpit. "Critical damage. Advise: eject."

"Hell, no!" I glanced at the health meter, which was still blue. It didn't seem like Matsukaze had entered a doomed state yet. My cockpit shuddered violently as the dragon struck my mecha and knocked it over. The damned thing was bigger than my titan, its head almost as big as Matsukaze's frame. As such, just a single swipe from its tail sent Matsukaze skidding backward despite another sword block. I was forced to phase dash before it could rend my mecha apart with its claws.

"That was close!"

Matsukaze materialized back in reality, a seemingly safe distance from the ancient dragon. It was such a close shave, and Matsukaze had suffered critical damage from both attacks. Apparently the ancient dragon was very offended by my remarks.

Hey, but it was its fault for provoking me first – being incredibly rude and arrogant, and assault us with a sonic attack.

Trying to bite me right away? But Matsukaze and I won't die right away.

The ancient dragon tried to bite me again, forcing me to turbo boost away. The back thrusters lit up and Matsukaze sped forward, barely avoiding getting chomped upon by the larger dragon. As I accelerated forward, I spun around and swung my katana, unleashing an azure arc wave that struck my assailant squarely in the face.

"Gaaaah!"

The dragon roared as it reeled back, stunned. Emboldened by my success, I unleashed a second arc wave to keep it off its feet before boosting forward to slash the stunned ancient dragon with my katana. Blood spurted across the ground in a volcanic spray and azure mana exploded, sending shockwaves rippling across the valley.

"Whoa!?"

Nagano and the rest were buffeted by the shockwaves, but I couldn't afford to care about them. I had to focus on defeating the formidable enemy right in front of me.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

I zoomed in on the bleeding wound, dismayed by what I saw. Despite the long line of blood, the armored scales had stopped my katana from penetrating deeper. I had only managed to deal a superficial wound.

"Even after that frontal attack, it only took a little scratch?!"

"What?!"

On the other hand, the ancient dragon was shocked, but for completely different reasons.

"You actually managed to put a scratch on me?"

I didn't reply. Instead, I boosted forward and slashed it again, my katana carving another series of wounds. The dragon swiped at me with its claws, but I floored the accelerator and escaped into the quantum dimension for a few seconds before materializing in reality. Spinning around, I slashed its hind leg, drawing more blood, but was forced to dodge its tail.

Stumbling backward, I unleashed another two arc waves, forcing the ancient dragon back as electromagnetic energy crackled around it.

"Indeed, you're quite something for a human."

The dragon glared at me, fuming in both literal and figurative ways. Perspiration dripped down its scorched face as it struggled to digest what was going on. I merely smiled inside my cockpit.

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Tanaka-kun…"

A familiar voice caught my attention. Nagano was waving at me from outside my mecha. I glanced at the holographic display and noted that the rest of the group had the princess.

Good. That was why I brought them along in the first place.

"Nagano-san, can you and the others escort the princess to safety? Bring her back to the airship and get out of here."

"But…" Alicia protested. I glared at her even though she couldn't possibly see my glowering expression from outside my cockpit.

"What is our primary objective?"

"…to rescue the princess."

"Then what are you dawdling about for!? Rescue the princess, for God's sake!"

"Tanaka-san is right," Alan spoke up as he gently nudged Alicia forward while supporting the princess, who was between him and Sophia. "We'll only get in the way if we stay here. We have to go."

"But…"

"Alan is correct," Sophia said softly. "There's nothing we can do to help."

I kept one eye on the ancient dragon while making sure my party members were escorting the princess to safety. Before she left, however, Nagano turned to me.

"What about you, Tanaka-kun? What are you doing?"

"My best," I replied shortly before unleashing an arc wave at the approaching ancient dragon to discourage it from closing the distance.

"Bastard!"

The ancient dragon roared in fury. Despite the temporary stun, it was still as lively and aggressive as ever.

Gritting my teeth, I dashed forward and slashed it again. My meter was slowly building up and I could activate my Sword Core soon. When I did that, it would be checkmate.

The ancient dragon seemed to sense my thoughts, for it chuckled.

"You seem to be waiting for your trump card or something similar," the ancient dragon scoffed. "Ha ha…but save it. You'll never be able to defeat me."

"We'll see about that!"

We continued to engage in a furious melee, where I continually used my superior speed and agility to outmaneuver the ancient dragon while slowly chipping away at its health. The ancient dragon was powerful, but its attacks were useless if they didn't hit me.

Unfortunately, I was getting tired and I wasn't a genius pilot who could avoid all attacks. I took a couple more hits that shaved off huge blue bars from Matsukaze's health meter. It seemed that he only had one-tenth of his health left.

This didn't look good…

"Sword Core online."

"DO IT!"

I yelled and flipped the switch. Immediately, Matsukaze's sword and melee attacks were enhanced exponentially. I dashed forward at a much faster speed, slashing and drawing more splashes of blood. The ancient dragon roared and thrashed about, trying to keep me at bay not just with powerful melee attacks but also flames. My sword block now reduced 75% of the full damage instead of merely 50%, but it was more than enough to take off the last blue bar of the health meter.

"Critical damage. Advise: eject."

"Oh, shut it!"

Even as I snapped at the AI, I could see the health bar descend into doomed state, were it became a yellow bar with black stripes. At this rate, my titan would be terminated. However, I was dealing more damage to the dragon than I had been earlier, my katana gouging huge chunks of flesh and much deeper injuries.

"You…!"

The ancient dragon howled and lashed out with its tail. Unable to evade, I blocked it with my sword and the yellow and black bar suddenly shortened drastically. Desperate, I fired off a couple of arc waves in succession, keeping it at bay. Roaring, the ancient dragon lunged forward to execute my titan, right at the same moment the meter for my Sword Core expired.

"Sword Core offline."

"Oh, shit…!"

I had no choice. I reached for the hatch under my seat and yanked it. Immediately, I was ejected out of my cockpit, soaring high up into the air before my titan automatically self-destructed. The small explosion knocked over the approaching ancient dragon, engulfing it in flames. A parachute billowed out from my chair as I slowly descended back toward the earth.

*

Far away, Nagano and the band of mercenaries watched the ferocious fight. While I was distracting the ancient dragon, Nagano and the others had made their escape. That was exactly what I wanted, especially since they had the damned princess with them. Our primary objective was to rescue the princess, not to slay the dragon.

"Are we far enough from them?" Alan asked anxiously. Nagano nodded.

"Yes. Now Tanaka-kun should be able to fight with full strength without having to worry about getting us caught up in his attacks."

"Y…yes…"

The princess still looked dazed from the current circumstances, but she nodded in agreement. Anyone who could fight on par with an ancient dragon was reliable enough for her. Nagano shook her head, amazed, and stared into the distance.

"I knew Tanaka-kun received the same blessings and powers as we heroes did. No wonder Kobayashi-kun and the others fear him so much."

That last sentence was whispered under her breath, and went unheard by the rest of the party and the princess.

"So what should we do now?" Alicia demanded worriedly as she glanced at the legendary hero. "He's fighting all alone!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Nagano snapped, but it wasn't because she didn't want to help me or try to get me killed. She was still perspiring after the battle with the crimson dragon and the encounter with the ancient dragon. "Even if we get closer, the only thing we can do is drag him down. The best thing we can do right now is to watch his fight from here. Don't worry, I believe in Tanaka-kun. He will definitely win. He's a hero like us, after all."

So that's why Takeda-kun wants him as an ally. He certainly is powerful…he can help us turn the tables against Kobayashi-kun!

However, Alicia remained unconvinced.

"B…but to simply watch is…!"

"Alicia…" Alan spoke up, looking at the duel bitterly. "It's not like I want to leave Tanaka-san to his death either. But with our strength, we can't even provide support for him."

"I…I know that, but still…" Alicia stubbornly insisted. "He can die from this!"

Oh, I'm so grateful for your complete lack of faith and confidence in my abilities. Why don't you start preparing your speech for my funeral then?

"Heh."

Unlike Alicia, Nagano was laughing under her breath.

"Tanaka-kun won't die here. He's not so weak a man to get killed by something like an ancient dragon. Like I said, I believe in him."

"Something like an ancient dragon, now…"

Alan stared at Nagano, flabbergasted by her complete lack of concern, or her total confidence in me. Now that was encouraging.

I had to meet Nagano's expectations at least.

"Tanaka…"

Alicia fidgeted nervously. She and Nagano watched from the distance, but as the battle dragged on, Nagano left to take a little break, leaving Alicia to sit by herself on the cliff the little group had taken shelter on.

To be honest…I didn't give a flying fuck about her and her useless concerns. I was beginning to even wonder why I brought them along. The so-called party was completely useless. Quite frankly, I could probably solo this mission on my own. The only person who was even remotely useful was Nagano, but everyone was just dead weight.

Why were they brought along? Yeah, well…that was probably a question best reserved for the author of the original Tanaka the Wizard. Maybe he intended them to be red herrings or the "obligatory" adventurer party, but decided to make his protagonist so overpowered that he actually didn't need any allies. So what was the point of giving him allies?

Best not to think too much about this stupidity…

*

After the ejection, I landed, only to see the ancient dragon emerge from the explosion alive.

"You're one resilient dragon," I remarked, panting as I shrugged off my parachute and retrieved my staff. It would take me too long to summon another titan.

"Silence! You puny human!"

The ancient dragon was breathing just as heavily as I was, battered and hurt. And it wasn't just physically hurt. I bet its pride and ego were dealt a mortal blow too.

"I can't believe I still haven't squashed you yet!"

"Better get used to believing," I replied dryly. Pushing up my glasses, I unleashed a Doombolt, but it merely smacked off its armored scales.

"Hah! What is that? You're trying to give me an itch or something?"

With a roar, the ancient dragon lunged at me. Cursing, I pulled my staff back before swinging it, firing off a massive Shadow Lunar Fang. The black crescent-shaped arc of mana slammed into the ancient dragon and sent it toppling over, nicking its throat.

"!?"

Rolling back onto its feet, the ancient dragon sent me a murderous glare.

"You bastard…"

"We can still call a truce now and stop this meaningless fight," I declared. "I'm getting tired and I'm sure you are too."

"!"

The ancient dragon gritted its teeth furiously, almost as if I had just insulted its pride. With a bellow, it sent sonic waves hurtling throughout the valley.

"ARGGGGGGHHHH! Don't screw with me!"

Slamming one foot on the ground, it took off at such high speeds I couldn't follow its movements. Buffeted by the sonic boom, I stumbled around for a moment before I righted myself. For a single, hopeful moment, I dared to believe that I had just forced the ancient dragon to retreat.

"Phew…"

I was about to exhale in relief when I was suddenly cut off by a scream.

"AHHHHH!"

Turning around, I could only groan in dismay as the ancient dragon swooped down from the heavens. Clutched in its grip was a struggling Alicia, who was slowly being crushed to oblivion by the cackling ancient dragon.