Ilulu? That name sounds vaguely familiar...
But heading for the refugees?
Watching the red figure soar overhead, streaking toward the back mountains, Theresa paid no more mind to the giant lizard pinned beneath her.
She yanked the Oath of Judah from the ground.
"Judah, Hunting Mode!"
As her command rang out, the massive golden cross, larger than her entire body, rapidly shrank until it was roughly her own size.
In return, its area of effect expanded dramatically, capable of pursuing and restraining targets over a hundred kilometers away.
This wasn't Judah's limit, but it was more than enough for the current situation.
Normally, Hunting Mode required the target's Honkai energy signature for precise tracking, but Theresa didn't need to locate her target right now—she just needed to bind it.
Slender chains shot from the cross in every direction, streaking into the sky after the red dragon at incredible speed.
The dragon, however, had been keeping an eye on the situation below.
Seeing the chains fly toward her, she immediately spat out a fireball far larger and more intense than the previous dragon's, scattering the pursuing chains.
By the time the chains regrouped, the distance between them had grown even greater.
So it really was just for tracking and disruption. Relying on it for the full restraining power of its normal mode was too much of a stretch, wasn't it?
Realizing this, Theresa gritted her teeth, abandoned Hunting Mode, and instead tossed Judah into the air, then stepped onto it.
The cross, which should have crashed to the ground, floated steadily, catching the girl who landed upon it.
"After her!"
Judah had countless applications—flying on a sword... or rather, flying on Judah was one of them.
While it couldn't achieve high-altitude flight, its speed skimming the ground was astonishing. The only real concern was whether the user could withstand the resistance from such velocity.
But... that wasn't a problem for Theresa. Even the shockwave from breaking the sound barrier wouldn't make her uncomfortable.
The dragon in the sky, of course, noticed the pursuit from below.
She very much wanted to turn and face it head-on, to demonstrate the pride of a dragon, but the fresh memory of her father's miserable state held her back.
Yet... attacking humans... If she did it here, she might truly kill them all.
In the city, with all its buildings and obstacles, these lowly creatures always found ways to survive. In the forest, it was completely different.
...No, this was the perfect opportunity to prove herself a proper evil dragon. She had to kill the humans!
"That... that's!?"
How fast could humans run? Even fleeing for their lives, in such a short time they'd only managed to cover a couple of miles.
It was only thanks to the trees and rugged terrain of the back mountains that they could hide their forms.
But even hidden in the shadows, the sight of the dragon flying overhead filled their hearts with dread.
"C-Could it be that Lady Theresa has already..."
"Don't talk nonsense! The Bishop is definitely fine! And that dragon is clearly different from the previous one!"
With their Valkyrie-enhanced vision, they could distinguish the differences between the two dragons—both in size and in the shape of their horns.
The others, though they couldn't see clearly themselves, immediately agreed.
But...
"Two... dragons? Has the Lord truly forsaken us?"
"What have we done to disappoint the Lord?"
Even those who firmly believed Theresa was the Lord's emissary, sent to save them, couldn't imagine her facing two dragons alone.
In their eyes, dragons were little different from gods. Theresa dealing with one was plausible, but two... unless the Lord Himself descended, it was unimaginable.
Theresa herself was feeling conflicted.
Thanks to the recently activated Hunting Mode, she could sense the townsfolk hadn't gotten far.
The dragon might not be able to sense them, but with her eyesight, spotting the humans below wouldn't be hard. Even if she couldn't see them all, a casual sweep would do.
Yet, she hadn't immediately attacked with fireballs. This finally allowed Theresa to match her with the character from her memories.
After a moment's thought, Theresa decided to regroup with the residents first.
"Bishop Theresa!"
Seeing the cross fly in and the white-haired girl jump down, Tifa let out a heavy sigh of relief.
She didn't know how the Bishop had escaped danger, but having their pillar of strength return eased her mind.
It wasn't just her. The sight of Theresa lifted a weight off everyone's shoulders.
"Bishop Theresa, what's the situation over there?"
Lainer hurried over as well. Though concerned for the girl's safety, he was more worried about their current predicament. If caught between two dragons, he didn't think they could hold out.
Theresa might manage, but the ordinary folk wouldn't.
"The other dragon has been dealt with. It's lost its combat capability. If a fight breaks out now, I can't guarantee everyone's safety. We need to move elsewhere immediately."
Theresa stated her conclusion plainly.
Even the uneducated commoners could understand her meaning: if a fight happened, she'd be fine, but the others would likely perish. Moreover, she'd have to divert energy to protect them.
But... to have dealt with a dragon so quickly... Why couldn't she handle this one just as easily?
"You must have expended a great deal of divine power in that fierce battle. Please, rest for a moment."
The priest said.
Oh, right. Of course. How could a human possibly repel an evil dragon—a creature even gods considered a mortal enemy—so effortlessly? She must have paid a tremendous price.
The foolish commoners nodded inwardly.
Lainer and the Valkyries, however, stared at Theresa, dumbfounded.
Dealt with... rendered it incapable of fighting? That mountain-leveling dragon?
Not just Lainer, who wasn't part of Schicksal—even the Schicksal Valkyries couldn't fathom how it was done.
That was a monster far more powerful than any Magical Girl. Bishop Theresa had defeated it? Even if it cost her, the achievement was terrifying.
Theresa didn't correct the priest. The process might differ, but the result was the same.
If that dragon hadn't been foolish enough to land and fight her on the ground, dealing with it would have been truly troublesome. Without proper anti-air capabilities, it would have been a stalemate, neither able to do much to the other.
"I still have the strength to keep moving. But I'm not familiar with the terrain here. Planning the next steps for evacuation is up to you locals."
Theresa looked at the priest.
Even though Ilulu showed no intention of attacking them now, who knew if that would last? From what she remembered, that silly dragon wasn't the brightest. What if she suddenly went berserk?
Best to get these ordinary people to safety quickly. Then, even if a fight broke out, she'd have nothing holding her back.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.