Matan’s Shooter

“It wasn’t just me. Probably a huge number of users have tried it. I bet many videos will be uploaded on YTube.”

“Ah!”

At least 2 to 3 hours must have passed in real time.

The users who had experienced a commotion in Middle Earth were now likely fanning the flames of discussions in external communities.

Leeha received the crystal ball from Hyein.

Then, he quietly played it.

* * *

“Kay!”

The place where Hyein arrived by teleportation was one of the forts of the paleo in the western part of the New Continent. It was a grassland far away in the east from the shared management area of Juma City.

『Hyung! Block the space! Make both teleportation and movement impossible!』

Kijung shouted at him as he watched.

“Got it! Damn, what’s going on—”

Hyein drew a large magic circle on the ground and looked up at the sky.

Fortunately, not all dragons used spatial movement techniques simultaneously, but the problem was that their movements were sudden and relentless.

Hyein had received the alert when they started relocating collectively from Minis towards the east.

That was just a few hours ago.

No one in the Sea of Dawn, no key figures in Kraven and Minis, could hope to stall for time against the chromatic dragons.

“Block them! Slay all the dragons, my children!”

Black— Cr

From the skies, flocks of black cranes moved toward the dragons.

On the ground, under the command of the divine creature Harhei, the gorilla paleo controlled large catapults and ballistae, forming an anti-air defense network.

Beside them, the bonobo paleo tried to create a fire net by shooting guns, but it was not enough to catch the 38 dragons flying in the sky.

“We must not let them escape! Somehow—we have to catch them! Hwajung!”

“Yes, I’m ready.”

Ram Hwayeon overlooked the battlefield from a vantage point, directing the paleo and monitoring the battle’s progress.

『Kyaaaaaaaah—!』

Near the chromatic dragons heading in one direction, a silver dragon was fiercely unleashing breath attacks.

When Arzenmacht’s ice-laden breath aimed at one of the adult chromatic dragons and was about to hit, the breath simply evaporated in mid-air.

『Onyx!』

『Not a chance, Arzenmacht.』

Onyx’s technique of nullifying the breath itself was truly on the level of being called an elder among chromatic dragons. Thanks to Onyx, the adult chromatic dragon barely escaped and initiated evasive maneuvers.

However, Arzenmacht was not disappointed.

He looked down at the ground.

“〈Ab

At that moment, a violet light flashed next to Ram Hwayeon.

One of the strongest skills after the second job change was a magic that even the genius of Middle Earth, Ram Hwajung, couldn’t use while moving intensely.

Using it on the ground? The Abyssal Ice required time to hit its target. Given that it wasn’t a perfect targeting skill, there was always a risk that the target might evade it. In other words, there was the risk of wasting such a significant skill!

Ram Hwajung, who used refraction of light and ice to create illusions, would never let that happen. Moreover, there was a strategy possible thanks to having a ‘partner.’

Ram Hwajung was the leader, Arzenmacht the support!

By the time Ram Hwajung safely finished casting, Arzenmacht closed in on the enemy.

Then he activated the skill, 〈Partner: Summon〉.

“

The girl standing on Arzenmacht’s long neck let his blue hair flutter in the wind. From Ram Hwajung’s tiny hand, abyssal cold was unleashed.

──────

“Whoa!? Something’s falling!”

“Hmm, is it hail? The sizes are no joke.”

“That little rascal, what kind of skill is he using this time!? Everyone, be careful! 〈Multiple Arrows〉!”

Jin Gonggong, Tale, and Bobae had to be mindful of their movements.

Although Ram Hwajung hadn’t directed his skill towards the ground, the power of the Abyss Ice was enough to freeze all the air within its shooting path towards the target.

It gathered, grew, and fell as hailstones, capable of causing secondary damage. The pressure felt by the dragons directly exposed to the cold air drawn from the abyss was beyond imagination.

『Danger, it’s dangerous!』

A dragon flapped its wings and veered to the side.

Other chromatic dragons in the vicinity hurriedly moved to make space, but the adult and ancient-class dragons weren’t just sitting ducks.

『Block it! It must not touch us!』

『Red will handle this! Hrrrrrrr―!』

Mana gathered at the snouts of two red dragons. One ancient-class and one adult-class dragon immediately exhaled their breath.

────────

『We will assist too! 〈Ignition Fire〉!』

『〈Flame Strike〉!』

Putting out fire with water was a common sight, but extinguishing ice with fire was rare. The users on the ground were momentarily spellbound by the fierce clash of fire and ice in the air.

The hail had now transformed into a tremendous downpour, slowing even Hyein’s actions as he drew magic circles, showcasing a stunning spectacle.

“One user alone… without any significant help…”

To withstand all sorts of fire magic, including the full-strength breath attacks of two dragons, was astonishing.

The product of a top-ranked user who had completed the second job advancement, using one of the mightiest second job skills, was indeed remarkable.

『Insufficient.』

“Yes, it won’t work.”

Ram Hwajung shook his head.

Just before all the mana drained from his body, Arzenmacht transformed into a human form and teleported, holding his.

In the spot where the silver dragon had just been flying, numerous fire magics passed by.

『No! We must block it!』

“Hang in there, everyone! 〈Holy Force: Area〉!”

Following Kijung’s words, who had used the skill 〈Dinosaurization〉, the paleo clan and Bobae tried long-range attacks, but it was futile.

Even with the attack power enhancement buff from Raphaela’s holy power, the situation didn’t change.

They managed to break some of the dragons’ barriers or strip a few scales, but couldn’t inflict a fatal condition.

Under Onyx’s command, the dragons displayed perfect formation flight.

When one got injured, it moved into the formation, swapping places with a healthier dragon to recover sufficiently or defend with layered shields, minimizing damage.

No matter how exceptional the users were, their lack of numbers made the situation unavoidable.

Having Hyein present was at least a small stroke of luck in this misfortune.

“Everyone, prepare to attack!”

Once, he had broken the spatial lock of the ancient dragon Bailephus and had even troubled Kuzgunak’sh, a spatial magic genius, who now planted his staff into the magic circle.

“〈My

Zooooomng──

The thick, low sound resonated like the bell of a New Year’s Eve.

The light purple explosion from Hyein’s body grew infinitely larger.

The dome-shaped barrier, expanding much faster than the dragons’ flight speed, finally extended beyond the chromatic dragons and stopped there.

Tuuuung―!

『Screech! Is this a mana barrier? No, spatial confinement?』

The leading dragon fiddled with the suddenly appeared barrier. Onyx, flying slightly behind, furrowed his brows and shouted.

『My Space! For a human to already use spatial magic at this level! Break it with all your might!』

The elder of the chromatic dragons instantly recognized it. Upon hearing the name of the magic, the dragons understood it too.

『Hyung! Those guys―』

“It’s okay, kay. My Space is different from a regular barrier. It can’t simply be broken by someone stronger than me! Hurry, block it!”

Having exhausted all his mana, Hyein collapsed right after finishing his words.

Still in his “Dinosaurization”, Kijung led the paladins and defensive forces protecting the central part of the New Continent, charging towards the dragons.

“Huuuu…”

At that moment, they heard a loud noise.

―Oh no, there’s a space barrier― Pei Wu-nim! There’s a space barrier!

―It, it’s impossible to proceed from here, captain Karelin!

Hyein turned his head at the voices coming from behind him. Two groups hesitated in front of the barrier he had set up.

“Great Swordsman Hyein! Could you lift the barrier?”

It was Pei Wu and the Yellow Dragon he commanded.

“Are you a member of Byulcho Guild? We’re here to assist from the ‘Sacred Alliance!'”

And the other group was Karelin of Shazrashian and the giant forces he led.

Though they were a proximity attack-focused group, their long-range attacks were not entirely impossible. Moreover, the aerial mobility of Pei Wu would undoubtedly be of significant help.

Hyein didn’t lift the barrier. Instead, he shouted.

“Just come in! Everyone I’ve designated as an ally can enter! Hurry!”

This was the biggest difference from a regular barrier.

Pei Wu and Karelin made expressions of realization and jumped in first.

It was almost as though a significant portion of the forces meant to defend the Western New Continent were now gathered here.

Hyein stood up, using his staff for support.

He had to provide at least a brief explanation of the current situation to them.

“Alright, if things continue like this― it will take at least 20 minutes before ‘My Space’ is broken. In the meantime, if we can reduce even one of those Colored Dragons…”

As Hyein alternated his gaze between Pei Wu and Karelin while speaking, he noticed that their expressions had suddenly stiffened.

Both were staring at a specific point far beyond his, somewhere high in the sky.

Hyein quickly turned his head.

“Hmm…?”

The sky was darkening.

A massive storm cloud was heading towards Hyein’s “My Space.”

It was an artificial move that completely defied the direction of the wind. And all the Colored Dragons, seeing this, had stopped flapping their wings, merely staring into the distance.

“Whoa, whoa! Something’s coming―!”

“Great Swordsman Hyein’s barrier is here! No matter what, even that thing won’t get through!”

They started hearing the shouts of the users who’s already moved quite a distance away.

“Yes! Lady Raffaella’s shield― there’s also a barrier―”

────────

“Urgh―”

Hyein covered his eyes with both arms.

The suddenly emitted light was of a brightness incomparable to that of a level-up effect.

The amount of light, to the point where it could genuinely damage eyesight, continued for quite a long time. Only when the light started to dim a little did Hyein lower his arms.

“Ah…”

All he could produce was a single groan.

The more than thirty Colored Dragons visible from afar, those ‘things’ didn’t even register in Hyein’s eyes at that moment.

Outside the barrier of “My Space,” a massive snake-like creature, combining the size of several dragons, came into view.

“That is…”

Tia──

Moreover, it wasn’t a single snake wriggling.

Six bodies and six heads were tangled, moving ceaselessly.

The six-headed dragon, Tiamat, had revealed its true form.