「Good attack! Then try this on for size!」
Inglis activated her Ether Armor and prepared her sword. As long as she avoided striking the main body and only used it to deflect attacks, using Ether was not an issue.
Inglis's hand absorbed the Ether, which then flowed into the blade of her dragonscale sword. As a result, she was able to swiftly cut down the rainbow-colored feathers that were flying towards her.
A metallic clang rang out as several rainbow-colored feathers vanished, but Inglis could only take out seven or eight with each swing of her sword. Considering the total number of feathers, it was only a minor victory, as an overwhelming number of them were still rapidly approaching.
「HAAAaaaah!」
Inglis rapidly drew her sword, expertly slicing through the rainbow-colored feathers that were inching closer and closer to her body. It was a battle between the density of projectiles and the speed of her sword.
Inglis swung her sword with such incredible speed that it produced a thunderous roar. This caused an invisible barrier to form, shielding her from the incessant barrage of prismatic feathers that were approaching her from all directions.
Despite Inglis's impressive swordplay, it was not quite enough to entirely deflect the Prisma's attack. A handful of rainbow-colored feathers managed to slip through the wall of sword slashes and made their way towards Inglis.
「……!」
Inglis felt a sudden pang in her thigh, prompting her to glance down at the source. She noticed a small tear in her skin, from which blood was now oozing out.While the wound itself wasn't too severe, it was troubling that it had managed to penetrate Inglis' Ether Armor defense. Inglis' body was typically tougher than any armor, even the scales of a lower-level dragon, especially when enveloped in a wave of Ether.
「Fufufu… Getting hit in a bad spot and I’ll kiss this life goodbye, I see…!」
But, that’s precisely the true beauty of it all! It was these high-stakes situations that truly ignited her passion. The thrill of the fight propelled her to new heights and pushed her to reach her full potential.
As Inglis reveled in the excitement of battle, it became increasingly clear that the prismatic feathers were slipping through her defenses. Her right arm had been wounded, her uniform around the waist had been torn, and her chest was becoming more and more exposed with each passing moment.
There was no doubt that she was slowly being overwhelmed.
「How about this! Dragon Roar!」
Inglis decided to pour more of her power into the fight, and as she did so, something unusual appeared beside her. It wasn't the usual translucent white dragon's tail that she summoned.
What appeared beside Inglis was still white and translucent, but it had taken on the form of the dragonscale sword and Inglis' two hands gripping it tightly.
「Good!」
The reason for the unusual appearance was that Inglis had become incredibly familiar with this power. This was a testament to her growth in mastering the Dragon Roar technique.
The dragon's tail was a part of Vufailbane's body. This meant that, up until now, Inglis had merely been borrowing power from the Dragon God Vufialbane.
The sword, just like the dragon's tail, was made of Vufailbane's scales, which allowed Inglis to match the Dragon Roar with the shape of the sword more easily. However, the fact that the power had taken on the form of Inglis' arms gripping the sword was a clear indication of her growth and mastery of the technique.
Inglis had not fallen behind in her training of the Dragon Roar technique either. In fact, her recent fight with Rochefort on her way to this battle might have played a significant role in her growth and improvement.
During her flashy attack in the fight with Rochefort, Inglis felt like she had finally gotten the hang of using Dragon Roar.
During her journey to Arlman aboard the Star Princess unit, Inglis managed to use Dragon Roar to produce a part of her body during her practice sessions.
She successfully created a replica of her arm and discovered that it was fully functional, with the same speed and precision as her real arm.
「I’ve taken a liking to this outfit, see!」
That's why she couldn't afford to get injured again. She wanted to take it home and admire herself in front of the mirror from time to time!
The Dragon Roar-generated sword and arms sliced through the prismatic feathers with ease. With additional arms at her disposal, the feathers could no longer penetrate her dual sword strikes. Inglis swiftly demolished every feather in her path.
The Prisma, however, understood it as well and responded with another attack.
Leaping towards the ceiling of the cage of light, the Prisma was engulfed in rainbow-colored light, resembling a giant bullet of light. Seeing that Inglis had successfully fended off its previous attack, it seemed intent on crushing Inglis once and for all.
This attack was bound to be devastating, a move the Prisma would use to try and end Inglis' life. The extent of the damage it could cause was beyond Inglis' imagination, and she knew she couldn't face it head-on.
The Prisma transformed into a giant bullet of rainbow-colored light and rapidly descended towards Inglis.
「So fast!」
The Prisma descended towards Inglis at a terrifying speed despite its enormous body. However, it was not fast enough to evade Inglis' sight.
Inglis could maneuver her way through the barrage of prismatic feathers and dodge the Prisma's attack by weaving through the gaps with her agile movements. The cage of light provided her with a multi-dimensional space, allowing for complex movements. If she utilized the cage's features to the fullest, it was certainly achievable.
「I will wait until just the right time, and then…!」
Inglis' plan, however, was thwarted the next moment as the cage of light began to shrink.
It shrank rapidly, leaving her with increasingly less space to maneuver in. Eventually, there was barely enough room for the Prisma alone. There was now literally no way for her to dodge!
「Fufufu… How marvelous! I should have guessed!」
Inglis found herself in a hopeless situation as her escape route was now cut off. With the cage of light shrinking rapidly, she had no way to avoid Prisma's attack, and there was nothing she could do to stop it from further reducing the space. She was truly cornered.
Inglis had only one option left – to strike and kill Prisma before she was killed.
Inglis had yet to witness the full extent of Prisma's power. She had yet to fulfill the first part of her plan, which was to confront her enemy's strongest form.
And yet, Inglis understood that she had to make the winning move, or she would be defeated. This was the reality of the situation. This was the Prisma in all its perfection.
Inglis found herself in the midst of a perfect duel, one whose outcome she could not predict. However, she realized that she would never know the outcome unless she fought with all her might. And that was the beauty of it! She could no longer run or stall, she had to defeat the Prisma once and for all!
「Then I’ll do it!」
With a fierce shine, Inglis poured the entirety of her Ether into the blade of her dragonscale sword. The weapon was capable of withstanding and channeling her full power.
The bluish-white light continued to intensify, expanding with each passing moment. Its radiance was now on par with that of the Prisma.
「Not enough! More!」
Stop cowering. Embrace it! As Inglis poured more of her Ether into the blade, it grew even brighter, stronger, and more intense.
「GOOOO!」
With a large stride, Inglis swung her dragonscale sword with all her might and released all the Ether that had been condensed within it.
The resulting mass of Ether took on the shape of the sword's trajectory and scattered about the prismatic feathers in its path, hurtling towards the Prisma in a straight line.
The ethereal sword slash collided with the body of the Prisma, creating a powerful impact in midair that resulted in an explosion of light and sound.
It was a fierce struggle, but Inglis saw it as an opportunity!
With a swift kick to the ground, Inglis surged forward, propelled by a surge of determination. As if guided by fate, the prismatic feathers were also swept away by the wind, revealing an open field ahead. Nothing stood in Inglis' way now!
Without hesitation, Inglis slipped into the point of collision between the Ether and Prisma. She concentrated all her energy on compressing her Dragon Roar as much as possible, knowing that its range would be limited. Nonetheless, the distance was well within her grasp.
「——!」
The Prisma, glowing in all its brilliance, seemed to have caught onto Inglis. but…
「Too late! HYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!」
—Roaring Ether Cross!
Inglis unleashed her Dragon Roar, which took the form of a sword as she swooped it down, diving straight into the clash of powers!
An immense explosion followed by a blinding flash erupted with overwhelming brilliance, akin to the brief appearance of a sun in the night sky.
The Ether sword slash, amplified by the force of the Dragon Roar, unleashed its devastating power, multiplying several-fold and engulfing the Prisma in its all-consuming might.
KYOOOOOooo!
Simultaneously, a fading scream echoed from the Prisma, as if it was dissipating into oblivion.
The force of the explosion was so immense that it sent Inglis hurtling through the air, her body propelled into the distance. The destruction caused by the Roaring Ether Cross had shattered the light cage, allowing her to pass through unhindered and be blown a considerable distance away. However, this unexpected turn of events gave her a chance to regain her bearings as she soared through the air. Eventually, she landed on the ground, sliding with a cloud of dust before coming to a stop.
「—I guess I was a bit too close!」
As a result of the explosion, Inglis was hit by a shockwave that caused her already-tattered clothing to tear even more. She cursed under her breath.
Although Inglis had been able to manipulate the Dragon Roar to take on the shape of her body, she realized that this form had a much shorter reach compared to when it had taken on the form of Vufailbane's tail.
While Inglis acknowledged that her power had improved, she knew there was still room for innovation when it came to extending her reach. She understood that techniques and skills were constantly evolving, and she was determined to push herself to new limits once again.
「In our next fight—」
Inglis started to speak to the Prisma, but her words trailed off as she realized the extent of the damage.
「Forgive me. Judging by your current state, there won't be a next time, will there?」
The upper half of the Prisma had been completely obliterated, leaving only the motionless lower half of its body on the ground.