They were the final defenders of their homeland. Just three people, one of them heavily injured, another with light wounds, and one wasn’t even a combatant. Any way one looked at it, the situation couldn’t be worse for us.

I had lost my main means of helping. Even if it was the wish of my first friend to stop him from this monstrosity, without Akari, I was useless. She was alive, but there was no way for me to force her to fight another second.

There was no hope left for us. And yet…

“Anyone knows what this thing’s weakness is?” Yamabuki was the first to ask.

“It’s a different type of monster from the disaster in Ryugashi. Sorry, but I have no clue.” Aozaki shook his head.

“Nothing mentioned in the scroll either,” Akabane shrugged. “Kid, got any idea?”

These people had no intention of giving up.

The more broken they were, the more brightly they shone. The more they had to lose, the more they struggled.

Of course. How could I ever forget it?

Bug or not, they’re still humans after all. They’re dumb, selfish, filled with malice, just like regular humans.

And just like us, they would also give their lives for the things they stood for.

I raised one of my hands and gave myself a slap as hard as I could. Since my other was busy cradling Akari, there was nothing to stop me, and so, my neck twisted in a much more painful way than I planned.

“Hey!”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you,” I scoffed at Akabane’s shout. “To be honest, I’m not sure either. But my world has something similar, and the best way to hold them is to grab onto all of its wings.”

Dragonflies were notoriously hard to catch among insects, mostly due to their blistering speed and aggressive nature. In order to catch one, the best way would indeed be to grab hold of all its four wings in your fingertips, but that method wouldn’t work with something this massive of a size, of course.

However, it didn’t mean that we couldn’t backtrack a weakness from the real-life example.

“Are you telling us to grab that thing’s wings?”

“Of course not. But it does mean that its wings would be the best points to hit. Either the root or the tip is fine, we need to bring it down first.”

“Still, easy for you to say,” shrugged Aozaki. “You do realize that none of us are flyers, right?”

“Let’s throw the kid up, he’s light enough.”

“Red!” Yamabuki shouted.

“Relax, I was kidding,” the man in question grinned.

”Got a load lightened eh?” I quipped.

“Yeah, it’s called a coping mechanism. If I don’t diss you periodically I might lose it.”

“Yeah, well, I never liked your face either.”

“Then you got any plans, genius?”

“… How good are those legs of yours? Both of you, I mean.”

I looked towards Akabane and Aozaki. The former might not have been serious about his little idea, but considering the guy he was, there was a reason for him to make that quip. Namely, in his fighting style.

Akari was the biggest proof. Her main source of damage was her scythe forearms, of course, but she had always relied on momentum to deliver quick and sharp blows. With Akabane being an Evolved Mujin based on Akari’s species, and the fact that one of his scythes were broken, he needed the momentum more than anything else.

It didn’t take long for him to catch onto my idea, either. With a dry laugh, he answered with a question of his own:

“Don’t you think you’re putting too much weight on this injured body of mine?”

“You’re the best for the task,” I shook my head, changing my gaze to Aozaki. “I don’t know how Blue fights, but from what he’s shown me, he’s more of a power type, right?”

“A technique type, actually,” Aozaki answered. “But you’re right in the sense that I can’t really help in a contest of speed, unless you’re making me one of the stepping stones for Red.”

Waiting for this answer, I nodded. “That’s exactly my plan. Red can build momentum, and Blue will be the final push for him to fly up and cut off those wings.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“But… would the two of them be able to handle it?” Yamabuki glanced at the two men with a worried expression. “Their current state is a bit…”

“That’s where you come in, right?”

“Well, yes, normally. But like I said before; my pills aren’t miracle cures, but…”

“That’s on them,” taking a deep breath, I nodded. “I don’t think we’re at the point of picking our luxuries anymore.”

“Wow, talk about cruel and calculating,” grinned Akabane at my comment.

“I learned from the best.” I retorted with a chuckle of my own.

However, the joke had also reassured me of the situation—if he was cheeky enough to poke fun at me for it, then Akabane had also realized that it was the best plan we could make.

His following words confirmed it for me. “I don’t have any issues with it. Blue?”

“My injuries are minor compared to yours,” replied Aozaki. “If you can do it, why can’t I?”

“… Okay, I respect your decisions,” sighed Yamabuki. “But I’m not standing still this time anymore. Yakushi-kun, you’ll take control of the operation. When Red and Blue cut that thing’s wings, can you tell me where its most vulnerable spot is?”

“What do you have in mind?” I asked.

“I normally don’t use it for attack, but I have my own ways. Isn’t that right, Blue?”

“Don’t point your wrist at me.”

“In any case,” Akabane placed his hand forward. “This plan needs the best coordination from us. I know that we’re still not seeing eye to eye, but this is the one operation that we cannot fail. Kid, like Yellow said, we’re putting you at the helm since you can’t help us fight anymore, so work those eyes and that brain of yours to the bone, you hear me?”

It was no friendly suggestion, but I never expected the guy to be friendly with me anyway. We would likely part after this, so there was no need to keep up with the charade anymore, and in that sense, I respected that side of him.

“Yeah, yeah. Try to keep up with my orders, then.”

“Ready?” Akabane shouted. “This is our last mission! Rangers, move out!”

“Yes, sir!”

As the words left our mouths, we immediately went into our positions. Yamabuki and I took shelter among some of the bigger trees, just enough to get out of the giant dragonfly’s check, but close enough to keep a watchful eye on the battlefield. The latter then tossed me another pill in her pouch:

“Here, Yakushi-kun,” she said. “It’s my most concentrated dosage yet. It’ll take a heavy toll on your brain, so use sparingly, okay?”

“Got it,” I nodded, gulping down one.

It was almost instant. Blood started to come out of both my nose, eye sockets, and ears. It was just like when I was stung by the Shinbachira—no, it might have been even stronger. Just one pill, and I could even hear the veins pumping from the others beside me, while my eyes felt a clear stream running through them, as if in front of me was a telescope. One blink, and I could zoom onto the creatures wings to count exactly how many lines there were on those clear weapons of mass destruction.

“Yakushi-kun, are you okay?” Yamabuki’s concerned voice dragged me back to reality.

“Yeah, I’m fine… somewhat,” I answered, but I didn’t dare to nod. My entire body was warning me—one sudden movement, and the arteries around my head would burst.

“Hang in there.”

“I’ll manage. What about the others?”

Before Yamabuki could answer, from afar, I’d already detected a faint blue light. Aozaki had already slipped right under the creature’s head, his hand raised forward and his knees bent, like a stance from an ancient Chinese martial art.

Meanwhile, Akabane stood behind us with his upper body lowered to the ground, putting all of his center of gravity into his legs. Even through the hard exoskeleton, I could see his veins popping, signaling a burst of muscular structure.

“Did those two also take your pills?” I asked.

“Of course. They’re not in a condition to function without it.”

Ignoring the implications behind those words, I continued. “Dragonflies have a near 360-degree vision. However, it’s still only ‘near’—especially with this giant body, I think that it’s least likely to see the space below its stomach, and Akari’s previous attack should be proof of that. Meaning that Red, you should only appear when you’re directly behind it, and make sure to dash in as straight of a line as possible towards Blue. Got it?”

“Giving me the hardest job I see,” grinned Akabane.

“Blue should be able to figure out my intention, but I’ll say it again to you anyway: Red, jump in a way to utilize Blue’s power as much as you can.”

“Don’t worry. That guy has his own techniques—deflecting stuff without losing momentum is his specialty.”

“Good,” I nodded. “Now, on my mark…”

I took a deep breath. A dragonfly’s vision shouldn’t be underestimated. This would likely be our only chance.

“Go!”

Akabane jumped. It was nothing like I’d ever seen before. If Midorikawa was still here, even he would be surprised at the speed that Akabane could achieve. Even with my enhanced sight and reaction, I could only make out a vague blur from him, weaving himself from tree to tree like a red string of fate. The string kept on going longer and longer, moving a great distance from where we initially stood, until it finally became just a single dot—proof that Akabane was directly opposite to us.

“Now!”

Following my signal, the man in red broke out of his hiding, rushing straight into the waiting arms of Aozaki. The latter then focused all of his might into his hands, flashing a mystical blue flame in each of them, but keeping his palm open.

“Flowing Water, Gentle Fist!” Aozaki shouted just as Akabane approached him, turning his body around to let his legs touch the former’s arm.

As soon as the two collided, Aozaki lifted his arm up in the air. A giant blue explosion of energy formed, and from within the azure flame, Akabane emerged like a bullet. The target was only one—the giant wings on the dragonfly’s back.

However, we underestimated our opponent too much.

It was true that for a dragonfly, targeting its wings was the best way to catch it. But that would only work on a regular dragonfly. For this creature—a giant Yanonpa—there was a second weapon that I had missed.

Like a dragonfly, it had a near 360-degree vision, and its neck could freely twist in turn. Unlike a dragonfly, however, its mouth was more than just for eating.

As soon as it noticed the crimson shadow flying in the air, the creature turned its neck to match Red’s position perfectly. Then, opening its mouth, the dragonfly unleashed a full-power supersonic shout, so strong that I could even see the sound waves moving without anything blocking it.

And when the attack finally stopped, Akabane fell like a puppet without strings.