Taming The Villainesses

Chapter 432: The One Who Halts (7)

The wyvern, its wings shot down, crashed into a distant corner of the city. Thud—a massive tremor shook the ground, followed by a roar so loud it made ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) us cover our ears.

━Gyraaaaa...!!!

The colossal howl echoed through the ruined city, like a final death cry—or perhaps the furious bellow of an ancient beast.

Elga ran over to me, demanding an answer.

“Hey! What the hell was that just now? You shot some kind of breath out of your mouth! I’ve never heard of magic like that!”

It seemed Elga had taken quite a liking to the Nymph Disintegration Beam I fired from my mouth.

The Nymph Disintegration Beam was a technique that unleashed a concentrated burst of energy straight from the mouth.

Its power ranked among the highest of the 7th-tier Grand Spells.

Though it was merely my personal theory, I was convinced that in ancient times, nymphs used to fire beams like that to drive off their enemies.

I replied,

“I’ll explain everything after this is over! That was my first time using it in real combat, so my aim was off—I didn’t manage to finish it!”

A wounded, enraged beast is dangerous. Even more so when its young are nearby—the maternal instinct only makes it more violent and deadly.

Sys of Nightmares, the wyvern, met both those conditions. Anyone could guess what sort of terrifying destruction its rage might bring.

Whuff—

The cold air that had touched my face suddenly turned scorching hot. A wave of heat surged through the ruins where the beast had fallen, and flames burst forth between the shattered buildings.

Kwoaaaaaaaah!

The creature stomped forward, spewing fire in every direction as if its rage itself had turned into a furnace. Blood poured from the wing I’d pierced—a wing now hanging limp—giving the monster a demonic, horrifying aura.

Mirna spoke.

“With its wing damaged, it won’t be flying again anytime soon! If we’re going to finish it, now’s our best shot!”

Srrng.

At her words, she drew her sword—and tension filled the air.

We were going to hunt the wyvern.

Though it was a degraded subspecies compared to the dragons of old, a wyvern was still a dragon.

Its size was that of two elephants merged together.

Its flames burned like napalm—once ignited, they didn’t go out. Its scales couldn’t be pierced by sword or spear. Its hooked talons. Its tail, which could demolish a building in a single swing.

━Hioooong...

I know—it won’t be an easy fight.

“Elga-nim, fall back for now.”

—Fairy Bubble.

I sent Elga to the rear and cast one of the 7th-tier protection spells on her.

Fairy Bubble coats the body with countless microscopic bubbles, invisible to the eye. It’s a defensive spell that renders most blades and spells completely ineffective.

Bubble bubble.

Surrounded by iridescent shimmer, Elga looked almost mesmerizing. I wanted to capture the sight in a painting—but unfortunately, we had no time for sentiment.

“Hey! It’s coming!”

Elga shouted urgently. Just as she said, the wyvern—its eyes glowing red with fury—was stomping toward us.

It looked like a ravenous crocodile, and the sight sent chills down my spine.

━Gayaaaaaaaaa!!!

Its gaping jaws opened in a roar—and it was clearly aiming at me. I had been the one to knock it from the sky with powerful magic—of course it wanted me.

“I’ll draw its attention!”

—Fairy Step!

Casting a speed-enhancing spell on myself, I dashed away from the young ladies.

Right now, I was the aggro-magnet tank. The goal was to lure the wyvern’s head and front limbs—its most dangerous parts—away from the others.

That way, the noble ladies would naturally be positioned to strike at its vulnerable back or tail.

This tactic... it reminded me of “head-turning” from old games. Strange how that knowledge resurfaces in high-stakes moments—probably my brain spinning for survival.

━Huuuuhp—

I could feel the dragon inhaling deeply. Its scaly chest swelled like a massive balloon.

Only one thing to do now.

━Hioooong—!

“Mana Shield!”

In sync with Bael’s voice within me, I conjured layer after layer of Mana Shield before me. Ten shields stacked over ten more—twenty in total.

━Kwoaaaaaaaah!

The wyvern’s breath blazed toward them.

Crack, crack...

Like glassware exposed to searing heat, the shields began to fracture and shatter.

But even the wyvern couldn’t break through all twenty 7th-tier mana shields. Eventually, the fire ceased.

━Guuaaagh—!

It opened its jaws and let out a scream. No doubt due to Mirna, who had struck its back with a talisman mid-attack.

“Chain Explosion Talisman!”

From her loose sleeves, dozens of talismans flew out and latched onto the dragon’s back. With a series of blasts—papapapang!—the wyvern shrieked in agony and thrashed wildly.

***

We kept up the offense and defense, surrounding the wyvern at the center. As we narrowly dodged its tail swipes, talons, teeth, and occasional bursts of flame—

Mirna once again threw talismans from her sleeves.

“Annihilation Talisman!”

Flap—

The talismans stuck to the wyvern’s body like scales. Soon after, flames caught on the beast’s superheated scales, triggering a chain explosion.

Kwagagagagang!

The ground itself shook from the blast. Watching from afar, Elga shouted,

“Hey! Its scales are too tough! It’s not taking much real damage! Aim for the scar on its chest—or the hole in its wing!”

Elga was right.

The wyvern’s scales were so hard that ordinary attacks either bounced off or were heavily diminished. While Mirna’s strikes seemed effective at first glance—

Shhh—

As the smoke cleared, the wyvern’s back was still smooth and unbroken.

“Tch.”

Mirna clicked her tongue.

“Hmph. If we don’t want to waste time with petty tricks, we should just flatten it.”

From beside her, Ayra stretched out her hand and chanted into the air.

—Lugh’s Lance of Light, Maximum Reinforcement, Baptism.

A ripple of light shimmered in the sky. Hundreds of lances formed at once, then rained down toward the wyvern like a torrential downpour.

Chwa-chwa-chwach—!

The lances pierced through the scales and lodged themselves into the beast’s body. Now, the wyvern—Sys of Nightmares—looked like a giant hedgehog, writhing in agony.

━Grrrrrrrr!!!

But none of the spears managed to pierce its heart. They merely shattered some scales or embedded themselves into its thick muscles.

“Seems it was a bit lacking in power.”

Ayra hummed softly. Over her shoulder, Elga looked increasingly impatient.

“Hey, you just made it even angrier! Damn it, it’s driving me crazy just standing here and watching!”

And then—

Ping! Pshhhh!

A sharp sound split the air.

It was the sound of a bowstring snapping and an arrow flying. Fired from one of the nearby rooftops—by Stella.

Swish—! Pak!

The arrow she loosed struck the wyvern’s left eye dead center.

Splaaash!

Blood spurted. The wyvern howled and stumbled violently. Anyone could tell—that was a critical hit. It might not have killed it, but blinding one eye was a massive advantage.

Landing a shot like that amid such chaos—Stella truly had remarkable aim.

The only problem was that her attack was too effective.

The wyvern, roaring in fury, turned its head and charged at the building Stella was standing on.

“Oh boy.”

Stella immediately leapt back, fleeing across the rooftops.

The wyvern, smashing through buildings like a runaway truck, barreled after her.

Stella darted between rooftops, nimble as a fairy.

But the wyvern crushed anything in its path without slowing down.

No matter how agile Stella was, it was clear that sooner or later she’d be caught.

The gap between them was steadily closing.

Elga shouted,

“At this rate, we’re all going to get wiped out! Narmee, you’ve been saving your strength the most so far—do something!”

At Elga’s quick assessment, Narmee nodded without hesitation.

“Alright.”

She dashed toward a pile of rubble, grabbed a chunk of stone, and smashed it forcefully against the ground.

Craack!

A loud cracking noise.

Kiaaak—!

A loud screech followed.

The rampaging wyvern halted in its tracks.

In its remaining eye, it must have seen Narmee—standing among the rubble, smashing the unhatched wyvern eggs one by one.

That’s right. Narmee was destroying every last egg.

Watching the scene, Elga muttered, clicking her tongue.

“Yikes... isn’t that a bit much...?”

But Narmee’s voice was firm.

“It’s kill or be killed. Eat or be eaten. No room for mercy.”

Sometimes I felt it keenly.

Despite her cheerful and lively personality, Narmee was the most ruthless and merciless when it came to battle.

“This should do it. Death mana is overflowing.”

Once she had finished smashing every egg, Narmee chuckled and bit her thumb.

Then, pressing her bloodied palm against the ground, she shouted,

“Arise.”

Rustle—rustle—

The shards of broken eggs and nearby rubble gathered and formed into a giant figure.

It stood at least four meters tall, with a thick, powerful frame. Its form reminded me of the ogres I had fought in the past.

But this wasn’t an ogre.

I knew exactly what it was.

A golem. An artificially created, man-made creature.

I’d heard that among skilled necromancers, some could command golems. Narmee had clearly reached that level.

“This is the biggest one I’ve ever made!”

Narmee shivered slightly, whether from excitement or nerves.

And then—

The massive golem charged forward, clashing with the similarly huge wyvern.

Boom!

The two giants collided, creating a shockwave so powerful it knocked loose debris from nearby buildings.

It was almost like watching a scene from a movie—so surreal that for a moment, my sense of reality slipped.

Prickle.

“Ow.”

Something stung, like a spider bite.

━Hioooong...!

You’re right, Bael.

Now’s not the time to be gaping.

While Narmee’s golem was holding the wyvern at bay, we had to land a finishing blow.

However—

If I wanted to use magic powerful enough to kill that tough wyvern, I’d have to burn my own lifespan.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to pierce through its scales and heart.

━Hioooong...

I know, Bael.

Sacrificing more of my life is reckless. Foolish.

But like Narmee said—this is a fight of life and death.

No time for calculations.

━Guuaaagh—!

The wyvern screamed.

“Alright, golem! Crush its waist!”

Narmee’s golem hugged the wyvern tightly, squeezing its body—aiming to break its spine.

If I was going to strike, it had to be now. Just as I was gathering my inner power.

“Ah—!?”

I heard Narmee cry out.

I saw the wyvern thrashing, tearing at the golem with its talons, breaking free from the grapple. Its one remaining eye locked onto me.

It might have been my imagination, but it almost seemed to mock me. Then it turned—not toward me, but toward another target.

It opened its mouth wide, fire welling up in its throat—

And turned its head sharply.

Aimed at Elga.

The wyvern, having lost its own young, was now trying to take Elga from me—Elga, who carried a child.

Elga was coated in the 7th-tier defensive spell Fairy Bubble.

Ordinary fire or attacks would be nullified.

Still—

No matter how much I knew that, my mind went completely blank in that moment.

A thousand thoughts crashed through me in an instant.

What should I do?

Cast another protective spell?

No—there’s no time.

Still—if I don’t try, I’ll regret it!

Gritting my teeth, I reached my arm out toward Elga. Praying that my magic would reach her before the wyvern’s flames did.

But... Before I could finish, the fire burst toward Elga. Faster than my magic.

“Elga—!!”