Chapter 302: Wait… You Can Talk?

"ALICE!"

Mark's shout tore through the air just as the dragon crashed down on them.

The dragon's massive silhouette dropped on them like a mountain collapsing out of the sky, one of its gigantic claws shooting straight for the group.

Alice didn't hesitate, stepping forward to place herself between the creature and the others, crossing her arms over her head just as the claw came down on her.

The impact made the ground buckle beneath her feet, sinking several inches, kicking up a wave of dust that spread out in every direction.

But Alice held her ground.

Teeth clenched, muscles strained to their limit, she stopped the dragon's claw with her bare hands, bringing what should have been an unstoppable blow to a dead halt.

"Aria!" she shouted, not taking her eyes off the beast, her voice strained with effort. "Grab the Master and get away from here! Now!"

Aria didn't waste a second.

"Got it!" she answered, raising her hands to cast a spell.

[Protection Spell: Wall of Steel!]

A translucent dome of energy formed around her and Mark, wrapping them in a magical barrier.

And without any further delay, Aria grabbed Mark by the arm and took off running, putting as much distance as her legs would allow between them and the point of impact.

"Everyone, get away from here!" he ordered as he ran, calling out to the villagers who stood frozen in terror. "Take cover as far away as you can! NOW!"

The people finally snapped into action, and chaos erupted as the villagers scattered, fleeing from the beast.

With a roar of effort, Alice managed to force the claw back and shove it upward, forcing the dragon to lift it away.

But she didn't even have time to catch her breath before the creature answered immediately with a sideways slash.

Alice reacted on pure instinct, throwing a punch.

The collision sent out another shockwave that kicked up a cloud of dirt around her. And to the astonishment of everyone still watching, the dragon's claw stopped dead.

Alice, with a single punch boosted by Aria's buffs, had halted the attack of one of the most powerful creatures on the continent.

"That all you got, lizard?" she growled through gritted teeth, holding the claw in place by sheer strength.

But stopping it wasn't the same as winning.

Because every swipe and blow from the beast's massive body carried overwhelming force.

And even though she managed to block or deflect the attacks, every impact sent a jolt racing through her arms and body.

"Tsk," she clicked her tongue, taking a step back after blocking a tail swipe. "This isn't looking good."

Alice knew she was at a disadvantage, but in the middle of the exchange she managed to glance back over her shoulder and confirmed that Mark and Aria had already gotten far enough away.

Both of them were out of the dragon's reach and, at least for the moment, out of danger.

A small smile crossed Alice's face.

Up until then she'd been fighting with part of her attention on protecting them, but now she could set all that aside and focus purely on the fight.

Then her whole expression changed.

The caution vanished, replaced by fierce determination as a golden glow began spreading out from her body.

"Reinforcement Miracle: Crusader's Blessing!"

[All of the user's physical abilities increase by 30%.]

The glow intensified, wrapping around her completely. Then she raised a hand to the sky.

"Summoning Miracle: Blessed Arsenal!"

The space around Alice filled with flashes of gold light.

One after another, those flashes began taking shape, forming into weapons of light, swords, spears, halberds, and other arms materializing around her.

And within moments, a dozen of them hovered around Alice, spinning slowly, their tips all pointed at the dragon.

"Never thought I'd say this, but... thanks, Ely," she murmured to herself. "Without your help I never would've been able to master this technique."

Alice didn't wait for a response and immediately charged straight at the dragon, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.

The creature roared and thrashed its body violently to keep her from getting close, but it was no use.

She moved around it like a whirlwind, striking from every angle and dodging each counterattack while the weapons of light attacked at their own pace.

"Take that! And this!" Alice shouted between blows, adrenaline surging through her veins. "What's wrong, big guy, not so tough now, huh?!"

The dragon answered with fury, opening its jaws and unleashing a wave of fire that engulfed the ground in front of it entirely.

Alice threw herself clear at the last second, rolling across the ground as the flames passed so close the heat scorched her skin.

"Hey! Watch it with that, you almost roasted me!" she protested, springing back to her feet.

The beast lashed its tail, flattening half a dozen houses in a single sweep, and unleashed blast after blast of fire, forcing Alice to stay constantly on the move.

Mark watched the fight from a distance, worry mounting with every second.

'Right now they seem evenly matched, but… that can't last forever,' he thought, tracking Alice's every move. 'If this drags on, she'll end up losing to attrition.'

Mark frowned.

'Can she really win this on her own?'

That question wouldn't stop circling in his head.

Alice, however, didn't seem to share his doubts. After weathering another exchange of blows, she pulled back to create some distance.

The dragon, confident in its superiority, let its guard down for just a fraction of a second to line up another blast of flame.

And that tiny window was all Alice needed.

"Gotcha!"

Her enhanced legs exploded with force, launching her upward like a projectile straight at the beast's head.

"TAKE THIS!"

Her fist plowed into the creature's massive eye, and the dragon threw its head back with a deafening roar of pain that shook the earth for miles around.

Alice dropped back to the ground, a fierce grin on her face, having finally managed to land some real damage.

But then something unexpected happened.

"Damn… insolent human…"

It took Alice a moment to process it, but when she did, her eyes went wide.

The dragon had spoken.

Its words, dripping with hatred, were aimed directly at her, one of its claws now covering its wounded eye.

"You… you can talk?" Alice said, so stunned that for a moment she let her guard down.