Damn, I can't stay here and do nothing.
Feeling a surge of courage, I concentrated mana in my legs and jumped out of the window, I fell about 2 floors before hitting the ground. The ground cracked a bit but I didn't feel a thing. Now with a clear area and unobstructed view of the beast I started to do the only thing a iliterate in magic like me could do.
Use my weeb knowledge.
The Winged Dragon's body is falling but he is still alive and trying to stay airborne, the hero was about to be slammed from the sky to the ground when suddenly a gust of wind blew and slowed his descent while a blonde woman caught him in her arms. He's safe.
Okay, now focus.
First, I plant my feet. I get wide and low, knees bent, feet digging into the ground in a horse stance. All my energy starts coiling in my gut.
I cup my hands and bring it to my right side, right at the hip. My fingers are tight, palms up. I take a sharp breath in, and I focus everything—my anger, my resolve, my frustration—into that spot. I can feel it beginning to hum, a pressure building. Energy rushes from my core, down my arms, and pools between my palms.
"KA..ME..."
The words left my mouth before I even realized I'd said them. The energy pulsed, as if answering me a faint azure green glow started to gather in my hands, mana visible to the naked eye. It started small, just a spark at first, but the moment I focused, it swelled into a bright, swirling mass of azure light. The sound was like a low hum vibrating through my bones.
The pressure that's being emanated makes everyone around look at me, the grass is being pressed down by it, the windows rattle with their glass close to shattering, some even cracking, even the massive castle walls tremble.
Just a few seconds had gone past, but feels like minutes.
The glow sharpened, tightening into a sphere that felt warm against my skin, almost alive.
For a split second, doubt hit me. What if I lost control? What if this was too much? But the moment passed. My muscles locked into place. My body just knew what to do.
"HA..ME..."
Heat spread up my arms, and the air around me began to shake. The ground under my heels cracked. It felt like the whole world was leaning in, waiting for me to let go.
It crackles and whines, a sphere of pure azure green light growing and fighting to break free. My teeth are gritted, my whole body is shaking from the strain of holding it. The energy isn't quiet—it's screaming, this high-pitched whine, and this crazy green light is just churning between my hands, throwing off sparks. My teeth are gritted so hard I think they'll crack. The air gets thick and hot, like right before a lightning strike.
This is the point of no return. The pressure's so immense that it's either blow up or let it go. I pour every last bit of myself into my scream:
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
And I let it fly towards the dragon. I don't push my hands forward, I fire them. This torrent, this column of raw power, just erupts. The recoil is insane—it feels like it's gonna rip my shoulders out of their sockets. Everything in front of me just vanishes in the light and the noise. I hold it until I'm empty, until there's nothing left in the tank
Then it's over. The beam disappears as my arms turn into dead weight, hanging numb at my sides. I'm seeing spots, sucking in air like I just ran for my life. My hands are smoking. Ears ringing. Total exhaustion, but... I feel good... All the things that bothered me don't feel so important anymore.
I feel clean, you know? Like my soul has been cleansed.
The winged dragon? Disappeared, no signs of it. Just the tigh and wing that the hero cut before that fell somewhere in the city were left as a reminder of it's existence.
Soon, a roaring sound echoed through the area the people were cheering for the end of the battle.
'I have to… I have to see the princess…!'
Shakily, I made my way through the clamor, people opening a path after they saw what I just did and reached the courtyard inside the castle.
There, the princess was giving orders one after another to the priests and soldiers.
"Princess Anastasia!"
"Daniel!"
From her position, she probably couldn't know the exact situation of the hero. However, she saw my attack and understood that the dragon had been defeated, and so was already giving orders left and right to check for casualties and any damage caused by the beast. Although her expression remained stern, there was a slight sense of relief.
"The military was the first to move and they've begun evacuating the residents. There shouldn't be any human casualties in the area where the parts of the Winged Dragon fell."
"That's a relief… But, what about the hero?"
As I spoke, Princess Anastasia's complexion grew pale and she bit her lower lip, her eyes filled with profound helplessness, speaking volumes about her emotions.
"Muriel saved him. She must have taken him to her house..." She speaks somewhat hesitantly but then seems to regain her mood and barks orders to the priests. "Prepare the teleportation. Take me to the hero immediately."
"I want to go too!" I said, even if I was at the point of colapse I couldn't rest easy if I didn't confirm his condition.
While I was putting a brave front supporting the princess who appeared as if she might also collapse at any moment, I stood on the magic circle the priests had prepared.
"We will head there immediately as well. Princess, please remain calm…"
One of the priests looked at both the princess and me with deep concern. However, the princess remained silent, her face pale and her gaze downcast. Even after the magic circle was prepared, she remained quite shaken. I lightly embraced her.
"Princess."
"I'm sorry… I understand that I can't afford to be so weak over something like this…"
"It's okay. You'll be fine."
Regrettably, I couldn't think of anything else to say. Deep down, I knew there was no way someone could take a desperate hit from a dying dragon like that and be fine. At least he didn't hit the ground... I had to keep reassuring myself like that to keep calm.
"Preparations for the teleportation are complete. After counting to three, we will begin the teleportation to the hero's location."
"Please!"
I squeezed my eyes shut in sync with the priest's words.
I didn't fully understand how teleportation worked, but soon, I felt a strange sensation, as if the ground beneath me was warping.
"Whoa…"
However, that odd sensation only lasted for a brief moment. Startled, I opened my eyes and the sight before me had changed. I was already outside the castle in front of a big noble mansion with guards at the gates who were visibly surprised, I'd be as well if some people suddenly appeared in front of me like this.
After one of them noticed the princess, he immediately went forward and talked while bowing.
"Your Highness Anastasia, Lady Muriel is waiting for you inside with Lord Hero."
"Ugh... Okay, open the gates please."
The guards were waryly looking at me.
"He was the one who finished the dragon, he is our friend."
The iron gates then opened with a soft groan, and the guard gave me a nod that felt more like a warning than a welcome. We stepped inside, and the noise of the street behind me faded as if someone had closed a door on the whole world.
The path forward was a long way of gravel that crunched under our feet, the sound ridiculously loud in the quiet.
The place is beautiful. Not just tidy, but... striking. The lawn is this unbelievable emerald green, soft-looking, like a thick blanket rolled right up to the edge of the path. The flowerbeds aren't just rows; they're cascades of color. Deep blue irises, clusters of pink something-or-others, all mixed together but in a way that looks effortless, even though you know some gardener probably spent hours making it look just so.
There's that pond again, off to the left. The water is so clear and still it's like a mirror of the evening sky.
The house is just ahead, and it is beautiful. The walls isn't the cold grey I thought they would be. In the evening light it seems a beautiful red almost honeyed color, it's warm. It has a lot of beautiful big windows that are gleaming in the light.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden opening of the front door and the volcano of a woman that erupted of it.
"ANASTASIA!"