"What in the world?"
"ROOOAAARR!" The flame dragon let out an enraged roar, shifting its focus onto the man.
The dragon swung its claws, but the man dodged swiftly, dashing right and left before aiming his rifle at the dragon's head. A loud bang echoed, but the dragon remained unharmed.
Itami, observing the battle, glanced at the villagers.
"Quick! The dragon is distracted! Get the convoy moving!" Itami shouted in the rough Special Region language.
The dragon slowed its attacks before spewing flames toward the man.
The man pointed his rifle at the incoming fire, causing Itami to exclaim, "That guy's going to sacrifice himself!?"
A white magic circle appeared at the tip of the rifle, releasing a powerful gust of wind that pushed the flames back toward the dragon's face.
Taking advantage, the man rushed forward, leaping unnaturally high, grabbing onto the dragon's head, and jamming his weapon into its eye before firing.
"The eye! We need to aim for the eyes!" Itami yelled, as the JSDF vehicles moved closer, firing at the dragon's remaining eye.
Half-blind and furious, the dragon thrashed its head violently, dislodging the man. Before falling, the man tossed a small orange vial into the dragon's mouth.
"Allat yeios lyeteza'hrd!" he shouted as he fell.
"BOOM!"
The vial exploded inside the dragon's mouth, causing it to cough up blood.
The man, now clinging to the dragon's belly scales, aimed his rifle at its underside. Another magic circle appeared at the tip of the gun, charging for another attack.
"Katsumoto! Use the Panzerfaust!"
From a nearby vehicle, a soldier hauled out an anti-tank rocket launcher.
The man fired his charged rifle, causing a large explosion on the dragon's belly, destroying its scales and leaving its skin exposed. The dragon seemed stunned.
"Backblast clear!"
Realizing defeat, the dragon attempted to take flight.
The LAV sped up, but it was impossible to shoot the rocket while moving. The projectile missed as the dragon evaded.
"Whoosh—KABOOM!"
The dragon stumbled back, hit by artillery from an unknown source.
"Huh?" Itami looked back and saw the man kneeling, continuing to fire his magic rifle.
"BOOM!"
A loud explosion from the sky shook the battlefield.
"..Is that an airship!?"
Hovering high above the battleground, an airship fired its cannons, each shot accompanied by a glowing magic circle.
"KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM!"
The dragon, now heavily injured and tailless, used the last of its strength to unleash a blinding burst of flames at the airship. It then fled, barely escaping as artillery shells flew past.
The villagers grasped the hands of the JSDF, thanking them for their assistance. Some JSDF members held the villagers' hands tightly, tears in their eyes.
The mysterious man, however, stood at a distance, observing. Itami couldn't discern his expression—he neither smiled nor appeared saddened.
The airship descended near the man, who climbed aboard before leaving without a word. When asked about the airship, Lelei admitted that she had never seen such magic or airships before, nor had anyone in the region. It was very strange.
