Matan’s Shooter

Leeha’s voice vaguely echoed, but Kidd couldn’t clearly understand it.

Did he shoot? What?

Kidd tilted his head quizzically and looked towards the rear where the swarm of vampires was gathered.

“Holy…… Shit.”

Seeing the situation, Kidd understood why Leeha had abruptly stopped speaking, astonished.

“What exactly did you shoot?”

Kidd also grasped why within Saur Land, Luger had been jumping up and down in excitement.

Kyle was undoubtedly an exceptional shooter. He understood too that there were countless undisclosed secrets about the firearms Kyle used.

“Was it because of…… this?”

Beneath the moonlight, the vampire bat swarm appeared dark.

A massive hole had pierced through their center.

In stark contrast to the polluted black surroundings, only the pure and clear night sky remained in that spot.

Something had passed through and annihilated all the bats in its vicinity.

Kidd was astonished by Luger’s new skill.

“A piercing shot……?”

However, the shock felt by those who experienced it firsthand was exponentially, if not dozens of times stronger than Kidd’s.

* * *

“Don’t you hear something?”

『Caution! 〈Protect from Normal Missiles〉!』

Before Alexander could react to the explosive sound, Bailephus had already started evasive maneuvers.

───────────────!

Though they even fortified the shield to prepare for physical defense, Bailephus overlooked one fact.

“Kaah!? The, the wind―”

『Hold on tight, Alexander!』

Hooowwwwwwwllll─────……!

It was an immensely powerful wind.

When an overwhelmingly fast object tore through the atmosphere, the ensuing shockwave was extraordinarily tremendous.

“Is there a Wind Master around?”

Alexander, even while questioning himself, somewhat sensed that it wasn’t the power of a Wind Master.

It was a shockwave with fatal destructive power, akin to compressed air being shot out.

Most importantly, his eyes took in the scene after the shockwave dissipated.

A ‘massive hole’ torn right in the middle of the clustered bats.

What if this attack had been aimed at him?

‘I couldn’t say it would be impossible to block.’

However, if caught unaware? Alexander conceded that assuring perfect defense would be difficult.

To that extent, Alexander was impressed by his allies’ attack.

“As expected of Saur Land. They said they couldn’t attack, yet their skill is―”

『No, it’s not the work of the Dinosaur Race.』

“What?”

Unlike Alexander, Bailephus already knew.

『…… That guy Luger……』

Who had carried out the attack just now.

Hearing Bailephus’ murmuring, Alexander’s eyes widened. His expression had even forgotten its usual composure.

“Luger? Impossible! No attack effects were visible, if it was his attack there should have been an explosion!?”

An assumption that there would be no skill without visible effects.

It was natural for a user to think this way.

And Alexander wasn’t wrong. Luger’s skills did indeed have graphic effects.

『That’s not it, Alexander, partner. The gap ‘there’ right now…… is merely the aftermath of his attack.』

The only problem was that the ‘massive hole’ Alexander discovered belatedly was created unrelated to any skill.

Listening to Bailephus’ dry voice, Alexander swallowed.

“……You’re saying that sound was a sonic boom? No, even if it was a sonic boom……”

The first sound Alexander heard was the vibration of the force emitting.

But could a mere shockwave possess enough destructive power to create a hole among the densely gathered bats?

How big a bullet had to have been shot? Was it the size of a house-sized rock?

‘Impossible. That would mean it just passed by with tremendous speed and destructive power.’

Alexander chuckled. He was no longer bewildered.

“Lee Jiwon, Igor, and Pei Wu were not the problem.”

『Hmm?』

Alexander grabbed his spear.

Luger’s attack made even an Ancient Dragon’s voice tremble.

Even the vampires, who had been restricting them without hesitation, were quite flustered and broke their flying formations.

Alexander had to admit that it was due to the “power of another”.

So, what was it that he had to do?

Would he merely stand by and watch the vampires, who had been challenging even when acting alongside Bailephus, become chaotic due to the “power of another”?

Alexander was not the person to do that.

“It was the Three Musketeers I had to worry about. Partner… execute it.”

What he had to do: to show stronger power.

『Alexander, you are the apex of humanity as I acknowledge… but remember, the recoil won’t be easy to handle―』

“That’s why this moment is necessary, partner.”

Hearing Alexander’s determination, Bailephus did not stop him anymore.

“To know everything about you, and for you to know everything about me.”

Light erupted from the bodies of Alexander and Bailephus, who were directly taking on the vampires.

Alexander’s second job was Dragon Knight.

A job that partners with a dragon to maintain and protect goodness along with it.

However, Alexander also knew well that becoming a dragon’s partner did not necessarily mean one had to be a Dragon Knight.

Considering mere mounting for attacks or possible coordination with a dragon, even Leeha or Ram Hwajung could achieve such things.

It was inconceivable that Alexander wasn’t aware of this.

So, what was the uniqueness that only a Dragon Knight held?

What was the particularity that only the first Dragon Knight and the first dragon partner possessed?

Alexander asked, and Bahamut provided the answer.

With the words, ‘The time has come’, the Leader of the Metal Dragons bestowed a skill.

“This is the new form for us to step―up to the next level.”

It was a skill that could only be used when the bond formed beyond the friendship accumulated through playing as comrades was fulfilled, a skill that only a true Dragon Knight and not just a dragon’s partner could use.

“〈Mash―up〉.”

────────────……!!!!

The boundary of light split into two collapsed.

The amalgamated mass of light soon took a form that was neither an Ancient Dragon nor a human.

* * *

After informing Kidd about Luger’s attack, Leeha immediately inquired of Luger.

“What’s with the railgun! Since when? Since when did you start using something like that?”

“Kah-hah-hah! Do I need to report to you on every single thing?”

Luger forced a laugh but didn’t turn his head toward Leeha.

Unlike his tone which pretended disinterest and nonchalance, he was one of the most startled individuals regarding the skill.

“Anyway, you’re definitely a crazy human! Why didn’t you use it during the Lich Dragon fight? The casting time seems quite long, was that the reason?”

“Keke, I could beat a Lich Dragon without this!”

Luger was lying.

He had only been able to use this skill for a few hours.

‘Damn it… Requires more than 3,000 mana, and uses up all mana per use if mana is 3,000 or more? The casting time isn’t even short―’

A skill that consumes all MP regardless of having 3,001 or 5,000 mana per use.

A skill that should be used only at the moment of a decisive strike, where a single shot must hit and eliminate the enemy.

Yet the casting time was long and aiming was difficult?

‘If the vampires hadn’t been clustered… I wouldn’t have hit it.’

It was merely a distance of 500 meters, yet Luger lacked confidence.

How would he handle the overwhelming recoil powerful enough to shake the entire mass of the Red Zeppelin?

“Hehe… that’s why it’s good. High risk, high return.”

“What?”

“No! Just do your job! I’m fighting like this, and Kidd is rampaging too. You should show something as well― hmm?!”

“What?”

─────────────…….

Just as Luger was preparing to mess with Leeha after finally finding a reason, a massive explosion of light occurred near the vampire swarm.

The light disappeared in an instant.

However, it didn’t fade away by spreading out but rather converged into a single point, forming a new shape, creating a bizarre kind of alienation.

When Alexander fully activated his new skill, not only were Leeha and the humans surprised, but even Ulrek and Ji-em had to show astonished expressions.

What stood there was not a human.

Nor was it a dragon.

“Is that…?”

“What is it…?”

If you enlarged Lizardia twenty times, would it look like that?

However, the soft golden glow emanating from his skin and the perfect golden ratio stretching from his horns to his wings and fingertips made any comparison to the Lizardia race impossible.

The users felt a sense of familiarity with that form.

It wasn’t simply because they suspected he was Bailephus.

It wasn’t just because he held a spear that looked about twenty times larger than what Alexander used to wield.

― Could it be Bailephus?

―… It looks that way even to Kidd? Just look at those perfect proportions, like a statue…

A being that wasn’t in dragon form nor human form.

“Is this Da Vinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’? Damn it, then now it’s neither a dragon nor a human? No, it’s a fusion of human and dragon― Damn, what am I even saying!”

Though his words were garbled, Luger’s hunter instincts picked it up.

If you drew wings according to Da Vinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’ proportions in the golden ratio, it would look similar to that being.

As Leeha listened to his words, a term flashed through his mind.

A being that combined a dragon and a human.

“… Fusion?”

“What?”

“Damn it. Fusion! Alexander and Bailephus have fused!”

Supporting Leeha and Luger’s joint speculation was an NPC. And not just any NPC, but one of a different league, nodding in admiration.

“So it is. It’s a bit different from the dragon knowledge we know.”

“Lord Ulrek… do you think so too?”

“This isn’t a phenomenon registered in Saur Land’s information records. It means that humans from the outside have achieved something even our ancestors hadn’t seen.”

“So, later― please help convince the King! I’m telling you, it won’t hurt to step out of Saur Land!”

When Ulrek showed genuine emotion, Leeha tried making a “side sales pitch”, but it wasn’t the right time.

“This isn’t the time for that, Ha Leeha! Although Alexander is restraining the majority, many of them are still approaching!”

Listening to Luger’s reprimand, Leeha cocked the bolt of the Black Bass.

There was a reason he could exchange even a single line of honest, half-joking conversation with Ulrek.

“Luger, Alexander… they are amazing humans.”

“What?”

“They may have acted instinctively, but that makes it even scarier.”

This was a game, but it wasn’t a game. If the synchronization rate was maximized, all senses could be felt exactly like in reality.

‘So, it’s only natural to be afraid.’

Therefore, it was natural for defensive instincts to come out.

In terms of slaughtering and halting the advance of the vampire bat swarm, the continuous combination of skills by Luger and Alexander was very effective and deadly.

So, how would the ‘users’ within the vampire bat swarm perceive it?

When their strategic formation fell into chaos, Leeha saw a group where the defensive line thickened the most.

From Leeha’s perspective, the bats trying to circle to the rear of the Red Zeppelin appeared to be in such a formation.

“You’re there, Chiyou? 〈Multi-Warhead Shot〉”

Bababababang―!

Leeha immediately raised Black Bass and used his skill.