I fired the magic blade I'd taken from my spatial storage directly using the Launch Skill.
The Launch Skill consumed MP, but only a negligible amount.
Taking something out of storage used virtually no MP.
Creating magic blades required a massive amount of MP, but using them cost zero.
That meant the MP spent on this entire sequence of attacks could be instantly covered by natural regeneration.
And yet, the destructive power of a detonated magic blade was proportional to the MP spent creating it.
There was the downside of needing to craft them in advance, but the fact that they cost almost nothing to use in actual combat more than made up for it.
But none of that mattered if they couldn't land.
The high-speed magic blade was deflected by purple lightning before it could reach the leopard dragon, triggering a sympathetic detonation.
I kept firing magic blades without pause, but every single one was either shot down or dodged in the same way.
The leopard dragon was constantly wreathed in electrical discharge.
And whenever an attack came, the discharge activated automatically to intercept it.
That meant I couldn't recklessly close the distance either.
The instant I moved in, lightning surged toward me.
A frustrating ability that merged offense and defense into one.
"GRAAOH!"
On top of that, the leopard dragon itself lunged at me, baring its fangs.
I shot flames from my fire blade as a blinding measure and to slow it down.
In that opening, I pulled back to create distance.
Even so, the purple lightning came for me.
I deflected it with the thunder blade held in my opposite hand.
Since it was the same element, the thunder blade could neutralize the purple lightning.
But that was as far as it went.
I couldn't push back on my own.
Blocking was all I could manage—there was no room for counterattacks.
My magic blade launches, the fire from my fire blade—all of it was being shut down by the purple lightning.
If anything, that was the only thing keeping the leopard dragon's offense slightly in check, maintaining this fragile equilibrium.
Neither of us had taken a hit yet, but I was clearly at a disadvantage.
To make matters worse, I was worried about what the other dragon was doing.
The other pteranodon-like dragon had soared into the sky.
So high up that it was barely visible to the naked eye.
It seemed to be doing something up there, but I was too busy handling the leopard dragon to pay it any attention.
I knew leaving it unchecked was dangerous, but I had no moves to deal with it.
My hand looked full on paper, but was actually quite thin.
I relied on various magic blade abilities to compensate, but only a few were truly useful against an equal or stronger opponent: self-destructing detonation, fire, and lightning.
Close combat armed with fire and thunder blades.
And suppressive fire using a barrage of detonation blades.
Those two formed the foundation of my tactics.
Compared to White,
That was exactly why opponents of the same style but higher caliber were so tough.
Well, it wasn't entirely hopeless.
Three steps, two steps—now!
I put on an act of barely deflecting the opponent's attacks, drawing it toward a specific point.
I didn't even need to exaggerate the performance—I really was struggling—so it was convincing.
The instant the leopard dragon stepped into position, I activated the trap.
The ground beneath the leopard dragon exploded.
"GYAAH?!"
The leopard dragon's scream echoed across the battlefield.
Landmine blades.
A variant of the detonation blade that, true to its name, was buried underground to detonate the moment an enemy stepped on it.
The leopard dragon's purple lightning didn't reach all the way to its feet.
It couldn't trigger a detonation on something buried underground—and it probably hadn't even sensed the blade at all.
Coming from completely outside its awareness, even the purple lightning's automatic interception couldn't have activated.
Though honestly, even if it had, an explosion at point-blank range would have been impossible to block regardless.
The purple lightning's automatic interception was extraordinarily powerful.
It had shot down even my flames—something without a physical form. To break through, I'd probably need to hit it with an attack exceeding the lightning's output.
But that was only if the lightning was there to intercept.
If I could land a direct attack on the leopard dragon itself—the one controlling the purple lightning—past its feet, that would work.
I'd used the distraction from the magic blade volley to buy a split-second opening, and in that moment I'd planted the landmine blade in the ground.
The leopard dragon stumbled backward, dragging one leg.
Its right foreleg was wounded from stepping on the landmine blade.
I couldn't let this chance slip—I pressed the attack!
I pulled a massive load of detonation blades from my spatial storage and launched them!
Then I charged straight toward the leopard dragon myself.
"RRAAAAGH!!"
But the leopard dragon unleashed a roar louder than anything before, and blinding light erupted from its entire body.
I slammed on the brakes, ignored the searing pain in my feet, and leaped backward.
Holding the thunder blade in front of me paid off.
A numbing shockwave traveled through the blade into my arm, but considering what could have happened, that was nothing.
That was truly the embodiment of lightning.
If I'd charged straight in, I might have been charred black.
"That hurts! Aw, dammit, that actually hurts!"
The leopard dragon seethed with fury.
It spread its wings and rose into the air.
Damn. That meant landmine blades wouldn't work anymore.
But its leg was still injured.
It either lacked healing magic and HP-recovery Skills entirely, or their Skill Levels were low.
I wanted to believe that had reduced its mobility somewhat, but with it taking to the air… that was a different story.
I figured I'd gained a small lead, but there was still no room for complacency.
I kept my eyes locked on the leopard dragon without letting my guard down.
That was when I noticed the surroundings had grown darker than before.
I couldn't look away from the leopard dragon to confirm, but had the sun gone behind clouds?
It had been a perfectly clear sky with not a single cloud just moments ago.
Something told me this change was not to be ignored.
As if confirming my premonition, a single raindrop struck my face.
The rain picked up almost instantly, and within moments it was pouring.
Thunder rumbled overhead.
"Tch! It took way too damn long!"
The leopard dragon glanced upward and grumbled.
"Oh yeah?! Is that what you say after all that effort I put in?!"
A voice answered the leopard dragon.
The pteranodon-type dragon was descending from the sky.
So this rain was being conjured by that dragon!
"Your underling's supposed to work his tail off for his big brother, isn't he?!"
"Who's the underling?!"
"You, obviously!"
"Hold on—I'm bigger, so shouldn't I be the big brother?!"
"Hah!"
"He just scoffed at me!"
"Stop whining about every little thing! Man up!"
"…Yes, sir."
The leopard dragon was wounded, yet it was regaining its composure.
This rain wasn't just for show—there had to be more to it.
The situation was bad.
In the worst case, I might have no choice but to use