Chapter 431: O Dragon, O Dragon! Part 8

Author's Preface
The sole survivor having saved the world countless times—that Kirby emotional appeal instantly killed me.
The words "World of Light" simply killed me.
Seeing someone suggest that reading it backward spells "Hoshi no Kirby" caused my body to be torn into pieces and killed me.

I have to convey this emotion, so here's an early update. Also, congrats on World Trigger resuming.

『Nuguoa!』

『Insolent!』

It was done with a casualness akin to swatting away a fly that had wandered into one's field of vision while admiring a magnificent painting.
Struck by the golden tail, Noirlind lost his balance, but managed to regain his posture during the fall, avoiding being slammed directly into the ground.

『Damn you...!!』

His entire being screamed that this did not sit right with him, but Noirlind knew that continuing to charge in blindly would only result in being endlessly repelled.

If so, how could he tear that bastard away from such a trivial matter like observing bugs? The Black Dragon already held the answer.
Instead of ascending again, Noirlind dove downward to seek out his target bug (player).

『Akitsu Akane!!』

"Ah, Noirlind-san!"

『Come!』

His words were brief, but Akitsu Akane responded without raising a single objection. With light steps, the fox-masked girl leaped onto Noirlind's back, and the Black Dragon's wings caught magic power and wind to rise into the sky.

"Everyone! I'm going to step out for a bit!"

A colored dragon carrying a player and flying.
While the surrounding players watched in dumbfounded amazement as Akitsu Akane flew off riding Noirlind—who, like the Red, Green, and White dragons, should have been an subjugation target and a hostile entity—the Black Dragon fulfilled his umpteenth confrontation.

『Enough of this... hm, you...』

『Fuhahahaha! You seem sensitive to the bug who carved a wound onto your own body, Siegwurm!!』

"It's been a while! Um, I came to return the favor for scarring my face!"

『Oh, ho! Human, you ally yourself with Noirlind! No, no, it is fine! How amusing. Very well, Noirlind, I shall play with you for a bit!』

『Don't give me that bullshit!!』

The Black Dragon, carrying a human on his back, executed a daring charge against the Golden Dragon King. While Siegwurm easily evaded it, in the next instant, his gaze turned to Akitsu Akane, who was clinging to his shoulder.

『Nu... I see, that shortsword... No, it is not of his will.』

"Eh? Yes, this is the Rabituza Blade 【Cherry Blossom】! Um, prepare yourself!!"

『O human who dashed through the heavens to reach me, show me your radiance!!』

"【Hidden Blade Art 'Chainmail'】!!"

The moment Akitsu Akane struck Siegwurm's shoulder with a smack, an effect resembling chains crawling across his entire golden body spread out.
While it looked like chainmail, this magic did not protect the wearer; it bound them.

『Ho... binding me and striking. But are you prepared to die as well?』

Indeed, if the breath of black flames Noirlind was preparing to unleash hit Siegwurm, Akitsu Akane would undoubtedly be caught in the crossfire and die. And the death of a Pioneer would trigger the Law of the Dragon.
However, the fox-masked ninja delivered a single phrase with complete nonchalance, as if asking what he was talking about.

"Even if I die, I just have to climb back up here again!!"

『Die!!!』

The unleashed black breath—the Black Dragon Breath—eroded and crushed its enemies.
Filled entirely with the intent to absolutely kill, the stream of black flames, blacker even than the night sky, surged toward Siegwurm.

『Ku, kukukuku... Kuhahahaha!!』

Perhaps it was due to some other factor, it was hard to say. But at the very least, one thing was certain: the myriad of "Divine Annihilations" boasted by the Golden Dragon King were not limited solely to Notorious.

『Excellent! Truly excellent! Then I shall show you!! My "Shining Dragon King" (Tupac Amaru)!!』

In the next instant, complex and bizarre patterns of light raced across Siegwurm's outspread dragon wings.
Then, his entire golden body began to shine as if becoming a light source itself...

『Nuuuuoa!!!』

"Ueh!?"

『What!?』

In the next instant, the effect binding Siegwurm's even more radiantly glowing frame was shattered into pieces, and his thrust-out fist completely "smashed" the black flames Noirlind had unleashed in a single blow.

『Impossible!!』

『Know that when my Dragon Body shines, the embodiment of mana in its entirety is shattered!!』

"Wa, wa, waah!?"

Once a battle has been established, blanking out in the middle of it is synonymous with asking, "Please punch me once."
The radiant Gold closed the distance to the pitch-black, and before Noirlind could even move, Siegwurm's fist slammed into the side of his face.

『Very well, those who have shown a glimpse of heroes! Then what will you do if I do not stand in your way!! I am a mountain, I am a wall, I am a gate... Humans, step over me and advance toward the future!!』

Goooo, the sky trembled at the resounding declaration that seemed capable of blowing away the atmosphere itself.
Leaking damage effects from the corner of his mouth, Noirlind barely managed to correct his broken posture for the umpteenth time, and Akitsu Akane landed on his back.

"Noirlind-san! Are you okay!?"

『Gunuu... to smash my breath, how absurd...』

"Earlier, he said something like Tea-Pack Flower Circle? I'm sure there's a secret to that blinding light!?"

『Insolent... eei, if you fall off, I will not pick you up!!』

Unlike the situation up until now where he only focused on interception, the Black Dragon flapped his wings against Siegwurm's aggressive assault, which was clearly aimed at finishing off Noirlind and his rider.

『Kuh... out of my way!!』

『Ogoa!?』

『Step aside!』

『Ngii!?』

Dreadhowl, who had been flying half-assedly, was knocked away by Noirlind and subsequently swatted down by Siegwurm, but Akitsu Akane, clinging to the back of the fleeing dragon, had no time to worry about that.

"E-Even for me, horseback riding experience issssss!!?"

It was like clinging to a roller coaster using nothing but her own muscle strength, caught in a chain of centrifugal force that felt as if her body was being grabbed and pulled from every direction. Even Akitsu Akane couldn't help but scream.

"...Huh?"

In the midst of the biological aerial dogfight, Akitsu Akane suddenly noticed something.

"That castle..."

Did it just move?

"Emi-Liii! I managed to get it looking presentable!"

"Are there any functions we can't use?"

"The counter-type systems broke when the castle keep was half-destroyed. As for the rest, I managed to patch them up well enough using the spares I made just in case, but..."

"So it's a no-guard slugfest, then."

Bring it on, Emi-Lia smiled. She had never wished for a flawless victory to begin with. If it collapsed, she just had to rebuild it. Yes, using Noirlind's materials as well.

"Man, but still, who would've thought a Furniture Maker and a Carpenter would be useful in a situation like this."

"Setting you aside, in my case, it's less about the Carpenter and more about the owner..."

The job "Furniture Maker." Because its reason for existence was too incomprehensible, it had largely been left uninvestigated as mere flavor text. However, by utilizing it alongside "Carpenter"—which shared a similar reputation—it presented a single answer.

The highest-tier Carpenter job: "Master Builder."

The highest-tier Furniture Maker job: "Feng Shui Master."

These two jobs, which could be called "Construction Production Classes" that created placeable objects exhibiting various effects, combined with Skull Azuchi—built by the hands of countless players—resulted in what could only be called a Mysterious Statue that granted blessings to all Pioneers simply by existing.
A base not for pioneering, but for protecting what came "after" the pioneering. In other words, the true nature of a castle.

"Hostile Target: 'Red Dragon Dreadhowl.' Buff Target: 'All Players and NPCs'... Activation Effect: 'Fire Resistance'...!"

"Phew! So cool!"

"Activate! Skull Azuchi!!"

Constructed from a massive amount of Dragon Bones (Resources), Skull Azuchi shone in the night of the frontline base.

Author's Afterword
"Shining Dragon King" (Tupac Amaru)
An empowered state activated by utilizing two of his horns.
The Dragon King's energy radiating from his entire body nullifies all magic.
Since he currently has five horns, unless you snap off four of them, all magic will be nullified!

Highest-Tier Job: "Master Builder"
Can be acquired by a player holding the advanced job "Carpenter" who completes a building of a certain scale as the "Representative" of the project. Emi-Lia fulfilled this condition the moment Skull Azuchi was completed.
I feel like I've explained somewhere before that this job lets you do For*nite-esque things, but its true essence is fully unleashed when working alongside a "Feng Shui Master."

Highest-Tier Job: "Feng Shui Master"
Can be acquired by a player who has reached a certain level of evaluation as a "Furniture Maker" and designs the interior of a building that meets specific size requirements, following the route: "Furniture Maker" -> "Interior Master" -> "Feng Shui Master."
A building created by a player holding the "Carpenter" job or higher is essentially a giant magic caster that treats its resource points like MP.
And the "Feng Shui Master" is the one who can determine the "activatable effects"—the various abilities that a building with massive material resources can execute.
Since things change based on furniture quality and placement, it's basically the NaviCust from Mega Man Battle Network 6.

Prepare for the coming calamity, Pioneers, for a castle exists not for invasion, but for protection.