Chapter 721

From the wreckage of the collapsed workshop, every bit of remaining metal and gunpowder was hastily gathered to create a makeshift 88mm Anti-Aircraft Cannon.

The cannonball mercilessly pierced through the lower abdomen of the Insect-Dragon, which had been torn apart by swords and arrows, severing its cracked spine and completely penetrating its body.

【Kyaaaaaaaaak!】

Nidhogg let out a scream, staggering. The fatal damage inflicted on its nearly broken body made defense or recovery impossible, as even its Magi was depleted.

Nidhogg, with its lower body limp and unmoving, twisted its upper body violently and fell like a meteor.

Onto the river of lava created by its breath.

– Pooooosh!

The massive body collided with the surface of the lava, sending red waves splashing in all directions.

“The essence of Himell’s firepower, how does the 88mm armor-piercing shell taste? Hot enough for you, you damn bug?!”

Asha, who had lost her entire fortune and was on the verge of madness, screamed like a rabid dog, detaching the smoking Anti-Aircraft Cannon from her mechanical armor’s right arm.

Her 88mm Anti-Aircraft Cannon, being a makeshift creation, couldn’t withstand even a single shot and was destroyed. The right arm of her armor, which absorbed the full recoil, was sparking and looked like it might explode at any moment.

“My golden nemesis—!”

Asha activated the Alloy Steel Rotary Saw equipped on her left arm and charged toward the Insect-Dragon struggling in the river of lava.

With all her gunpowder used up in the cannon, the rotary saw was her only remaining weapon.

“Now! Everyone, attack! Cut off its breath!”

The soldiers, momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events, snapped into action at Leopold’s commanding shout.

The soldiers on the city walls frantically fired arrows at the Insect-Dragon submerged in the lava, and the few remaining Dragon-Slaying Crossbows launched spears.

– Thud! Thwack!

Arrows and spears from all directions embedded themselves into the dragon’s upper body.

While the soldiers’ arrows barely scratched its hide, the spears from the Dragon-Slaying Crossbows pierced deep into its exposed flesh, tearing through muscle and sinew.

The Insect-Dragon gnashed its jaws and twisted its neck.

Damien, trembling uncontrollably, forced his body to move toward Nidhogg.

His arm hung limp, his greatsword dragged behind him, and his armor soaked in blood. It was questionable whether he could even lift his sword, let alone fight, but Damien staggered forward without stopping.

“One more strike… just one more…”

One more strike to its head, and it would be over.

Asha’s rotary saw, Milia’s arrows, and the Dragon-Slaying Crossbows couldn’t do it. Only the Jin’s Silver Sword he wielded could deliver the final blow.

A blade that could cut through mana, dispel Magi, and sever the power of regeneration. Only that could leave a wound on the Insect-Dragon that it could never recover from.

The problem was, Nidhogg knew this too.

【Kahrrk! Krk, Krarrararak-!】

Nidhogg, flailing in the lava, let out a desperate roar unlike any before and frantically flapped its wings.

With a final, desperate effort, the Insect-Dragon managed to escape the lava and soar into the sky.

“Where do you think you’re running—?!”

But while Nidhogg wasted time escaping the lava, its enemies had already closed the distance.

“Pay for my workshop—!”

Asha, flying low over the lava, swung her rotary saw.

“I won’t let you escape…!”

Damien, gritting his teeth, leaped forward, his Jin’s Silver Sword drawing a blue arc.

– Thwack!

The blades of Jin’s Silver Sword and Asha’s rotary saw embedded themselves into Nidhogg’s body as it attempted its final flight.

Nidhogg, flapping its wings with all its might, couldn’t block or dodge the strike. The rotating saw and the heavy silver sword tore through its flesh, scattering chunks of meat.

【Kihyaaaaaaaaaaaak!】

With a scream-like roar, the dragon’s body was sliced apart and sank into the lava.

Only its lower half.

【Kyahaaaaak…!】

“That, that thing…!”

The Insect-Dragon, now only its front legs, neck, and chest remaining, flew high into the sky, blood and organs spilling from its severed abdomen.

If it weren’t for its insect-like body, it would have died instantly, but with its lower half gone, its body was incredibly light.

Nidhogg used the insects on its severed surface to desperately block the wound and flew upward with its last strength.

“Damn it…!”

“Come down, you bug bastard—!”

Damien groaned in frustration as he collapsed, and Asha, staggering, cursed at the fleeing Insect-Dragon.

The Insect-Dragon, with its nearly dead body, was desperately fleeing. It was an infuriating situation, but there was nothing they could do.

Asha’s mechanical armor could only hover a few meters high, and Damien had no strength left.

“Look! It’s running away! We’ve won!”

“We’re saved!”

“Hail Elpinel! Hail Kal Ros! Hail His Majesty the Radiant Emperor!”

“Long live the Empire!”

Amid the soldiers’ cheers of joy at the end of the hellish battle, Asha caught the unconscious Damien as he fell toward the lava, grinding her teeth.

She vowed to hunt it down and kill it, no matter where it fled. The grudge of a dwarf who had lost her entire fortune was that deep.

======[Ha-shal-leur]======

“So… in the end, it got away?”

After hearing the full story, it seemed that the group left in the capital had fought remarkably well but ultimately failed to behead the dragon.

Though, given the circumstances, they deserved applause for how well they fought.

“Yes. Based on eyewitness reports, it’s flying northwest. Whether it’s due to the Jin’s Silver Sword’s strike or losing its skeletal structure, it seems unable to regenerate its severed lower half.”

“Northwest? That means…”

The Sky Mountain Range, Dragon Kingdom, Holy Kingdom, or Alvheim. It was heading toward one of those four. Except for the Holy Kingdom, each was a difficult place to pursue.

“…Leopold must be having a headache.”

If it headed toward the Holy Kingdom, pursuit wouldn’t be a problem, but if it flew elsewhere, it would be extremely difficult to chase and deal with.

The Sky Mountain Range? Well, if we sent only hero-level forces, we could move around without much trouble, but if it flew to another country, deploying the Empire’s forces would be highly problematic.

The Dragon Kingdom doesn’t have much hostility toward the Empire… but with dragons appearing before those who aspire to become dragons, they’d likely refuse the Empire’s help and handle it themselves.

Alvheim? Don’t even get me started.

Those fairy bastards would probably guide the Empire’s reinforcements to Nidhogg, let them fight, and then stab the survivors in the back to reap the benefits.

But we can’t just let it go.

If another country kills Nidhogg, it would be like the Empire doing all the hard work only for someone else to take the prize. The dragon’s remains, which we fought so hard to obtain, would be snatched away.

If that happens, Leopold’s stomach would turn inside out. The damage to the capital reported by the messenger was beyond catastrophic.

Four high-level magicians, freed from prison on the condition of being used like slaves, were swept away by the dragon’s breath and liberated from this world. The Empire Knights and Royal Guard stationed in the capital suffered near-total annihilation.

Only one Royal Guard, Persval, survived, so it’s no exaggeration to say the knight order was wiped out.

And that’s not all. Thousands of residents died in the collapse or couldn’t evacuate in time, and a third of the capital’s nobles were wiped out. The human losses were staggering.

The material losses were beyond description. The well-maintained underground waterways were reduced to ruins, and it’s unclear how long it will take to restore them. Half of the surface was destroyed beyond repair.

A quarter of the city melted and solidified from the dragon’s breath, another quarter collapsed into massive holes, and the rest was shattered, leaving only the foundations.

The historic Exra-shapel Cathedral lost its spire and upper sections, leaving only the first floor as a grotesque remnant. The newly built royal palace was also half-destroyed.

It would be cheaper to build a new city than to restore this one, so Leopold is seriously considering relocating the capital.

We did gain two heroes and the dragon’s lower half, but the heroes are exhausted and lying in hospital beds, and the dragon’s lower half is solidified in lava, so we can’t even touch it until we break through the lava.

Things will improve later, but for now, we’ve suffered massive losses with no immediate gains.

Add the damage report I delivered from the eastern army, and… I wouldn’t be surprised if Leopold’s body is riddled with malignant tumors.

“…So, what was the response to my report?”

“Yes. The cities that joined the Empire will temporarily elect local administrators to remain as autonomous regions, and all Imperial Army personnel, including Marquis, are to return immediately.”

“Come back first, huh… Anything else?”

“No. Discussions about the situation here will be postponed until the chaos in the capital is resolved.”

Well, with the capital in ruins, there’s no time to nitpick over Ludwig’s overreach from beyond the grave.

“Alright. Good work.”

I waved my hand holding a cigarette, dismissing the messenger, and sat quietly for a while, savoring the smoke.

…My head was a mess.