Chapter 537: The Conclusion and a Catchphrase

Tauro stood between Alpha Dragon and Aeris, raising the shield he had taken from Magic Storage and **Pella-mimicked – Tauro Kai.

While he did, Aeris cast multiple powerful enhancement spells on Tauro.

On top of that, she chanted a barrier spell that enveloped the entire area.

“—Now there’s no escape!”

Aeris did this to ensure that, in the unlikely event these two dragons—both having lost their sanity—tried to flee, no one else would come to harm.

“It’s fine. I won’t let them get away,”

Tauro replied, nodding in response to Aeris’s voice from behind him.

“GRRRROOOO!”

Alpha Dragon roared loudly, as if instinctively sensing that Tauro and the others were formidable enemies.

The roar was infused with magical power.

Normally, such a roar alone would make most opponents freeze in terror, unable to move.

But to Tauro and the others, it was like a passing breeze.

Well—aside from the fact that it was painfully loud on the eardrums.

“Tauro, it’s annoying. I’m going to shut it up,”

Aeris said, gripping her black ebony staff as if she were about to rush in and strike it.

“Hey! I’m the one who’s supposed to do that, okay?”

Just as Tauro tried to distract her and restrain her movement—

Alpha Dragon seized the opening and swung its vicious right claw, lunging at Tauro.

“—You fell for the trap!”

Tauro had deliberately shown an opening to lure Alpha Dragon, which was fighting on pure instinct and showing no weaknesses.

　it’s also why Aeris had moved

Tauro used his shield to deflect Alpha Dragon’s attack to the left, throwing it off balance, and seizing the opportunity, he thrust *Tauro Kai* into what should have been the dragon’s weak point—the reverse scale beneath its chin.

But sparks flew, and the blade was repelled.

“It’s weak spot is hard?!”

Tauro blinked in surprise.

I thought it was common knowledge that their weak point was their reverse scale.

“Tauro! It’s using magic to harden its neck—its weak point. Be careful!”

Aeris warned him after sensing the flow of Alpha Dragon’s mana.

“…I see. So it won’t let us win that easily.”

Once again aiming for a counter, Tauro raised his shield and assumed a stance, waiting for Alpha Dragon’s next attack.

But, having learned from before, Alpha Dragon stayed wary, avoiding reckless attacks as it slowly sidestepped, glaring at Tauro.

“…For something that’s supposedly lost its reason, it’s pretty cautious,”

Tauro muttered.

As if reacting to his words, Alpha Dragon drew in a deep breath.

“Tauro, it’s coming!”

At the same time Aeris called out, she activated her magic at just the right moment.

She must have anticipated what would happen next.

Tauro charged forward same time as the dragon drew its breath.

This is an action that is based on trust between the two in each other’s next move.

Their coordination was flawless.

Before Tauro could close the distance, Alpha Dragon unleashed *Flame Breath* at him.

Tauro didn’t block it. Sword still raised, he pressed forward—

And in the next instant, he vanished.

*Spatial Transfer*? No, that’s not it. Tauro had leapt into the air above using the “Teleportation” skill he had stolen from the fallen hero Alexa.

He held the Pella-*Tauro Kai*,  pointed straight down at Alpha Dragon beneath him, and fell.

Alpha Dragon, still breathing fire, noticed Tauro from above, but it was too late to react.

By then, Tauro had already driven his blade into the dragon’s back.

“GYAA!”

The blade pierced all the way to Alpha Dragon’s heart. At that moment, Pella briefly mimicked the sword tip into a sea-urchin-like shape, increasing the damage.

Even the mighty Alpha Dragon couldn’t withstand that—it died instantly.

Meanwhile, Ragune, Ankh, and Zion were overwhelming the Gamma Dragon with a well-balanced formation: Ankh’s devastating strikes with his great magic sword, Ragune’s impenetrable defense, and Zion’s support magic enhancing them both.

Just like Alpha Dragon, the Gamma Dragon hardened its scales and reinforced its neck, its weak point, with magic to withstand their attacks. but Zion went on the offensive with her *Twin Demon Gauntlets*, delivering a powerful right-handed strike of light-attribute energy that reverberated internally, followed by a left-handed dark-attribute attack that inflicted random status ailments, successfully inflicting a strong paralysis.

With its movements slowed down by the paralysis, Ankh used wind magic to leap high into the air, raised his great demon sword, and dropped towards Gamma Dragon.

Coincidentally, it was the same finishing move Tauro had used.

But compared to Tauro’s Pella- *Tauro Kai*, the power was weaker, and the blade didn’t sink as deeply.

“I’ll leave the rest to you!” Ankh shouted as he pulled out the shallowly embedded sword and retreated. At that moment, Ragune—who had jumped even higher—came crashing down from above with her magic spear.

This was the true attack style of a dragon knight: a massive aerial leap followed by a plunging strike.

Furthermore, Ragune’s magic spear is of earth attribute, and once it pierced, it violently tore the wound open, much like Pella’s mimicry.

The Gamma Dragon was impaled through the back by Ragune’s prized spear, and just like Alpha Dragon, his heart was ripped to shreds by the tip of the spear, killing him.

“So… even in death, they don’t turn back into humans,”

Tauro murmured after confirming the deaths of both Alpha and Gamma Dragons.

“They were willing to give up their humanity just to try to kill us,”

Aeris sighed, placing a hand on Tauro’s back.

“…Whew. That settles it—the fake ‘Black-Gold Wings’ are taken care of. We even caught the fake leader. But hey… there wasn’t a fake me, was there? Hah… guess I’m forgettable.”

“…My goodness. With this we were able to defeat the fake members of the Black-Gold Wings. We also caught the fake leader. But my fake wasn’t there… Damn, he’s so faint.”

Ankh commented as if the matter was settled, but then he said something odd.

However, everyone ignores it.

“There was a fake Tauro, but no fake me either… Hah… kill me,”

Ragune muttered bitterly, apparently disappointed at how low the Northern Empire must have thought of her.

“I was kind of hoping to see who would play me, too, but there wasn’t one. …Damn it… I’ll live,”

Zion said sadly.

“Well, that can’t be helped. Just preparing someone to play Tauro must’ve been hard enough… I really thought there’d be one for me, since I’m a veteran and all… but nope. …Damn it… while I’m still alive, I want to—(get married…!)…”

Aeris tried to cheer Ragune and Zion up while venting her own complaint, but her final words were too quiet for Tauro to hear clearly.

“Huh? While you’re alive… you want to—be possessed?”

Tauro asked back, thinking, *Did Aeris pick up a weird catchphrase too?!*

“Ah, no! That’s not it! That was just a wish!”

Aeris had been suppressing the phrase she’d clung to as motivation while enduring the harsh training in the *Dragon’s den*, keeping it from becoming a habit—but she’d let her guard down and it slipped out.

“So… being possessed is your wish?”

Tauro tilted his head, question marks filling his mind.

“Of course not! You misheard!”

“Then what did you say?”

“That’s a secret. It’s not the right time yet…”

Aeris refused, her face turning bright red.

“?”

Tauro gave up on pursuing the matter any further, as Aeris seemed adamant that she would not say anything