Chapter 18

“Back in my world, this would be the perfect time for someone to barge in and say something that would change everything.”

Astill stared at him, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

“What the hell are you yapping about so early in the morning?”

“Oh, just a thought.”

They were at the adventurers’ guild. They weren’t there to collect information, but because of an emergency call that took the entire city by surprise. Dragons had been spotted in the north, heading straight for their city.

“To be fair, the alarm already changed everything,” Syorin said while yawning. The sun was barely up when the call was given. Kakashi scanned the crowd of adventurers. None of them looked like the guards that were hunting them, nor did they look like the scientists in the laboratory. There’s still a chance that one of them slipped in, or if they invited the dragons in the first place, but considering the strength of white dragons, those were the much more dangerous threat at the moment.

Another concern was the fact that Neila wasn’t here with them. Kakashi, Syorin, and Astill all knocked at Neila’s door when the alarm rang, but there was no response. Kakashi checked using his ability, and Neila didn’t enter the party. Neila wasn’t responding to Astill’s magic, either.

“By the way, are you sure you’re going to be here? Can you even be helpful?” Astill asked.

While girls who fight entirely using their fists are rare, they exist. Astill, meanwhile, had an arsenal of magic that didn’t have anything to do with dark magic, which meant she could fit in the crowd easily. No known person had Kakashi’s ability, however. If one of their pursuers saw him using the ability, they would immediately recognize him.

“Can you even move comfortably in that?” Syorin asked in concern. Kakashi was wearing a different disguise. This time, a red robe covered his entire body, and a hood covered his face. He had the vibe of a powerful mage, which wasn’t entirely wrong.

Astill and Syorin were also wearing disguises, both wearing a cloak that covered a large portion of their body. Both cloaks have hoods that hid a portion of their face, but the faces themselves weren't changed. It was risky, but it’s the best bet they had. They didn’t want to run away while the other adventurers fought off the dragons. It would stain their pride as dragon hunters.

“I’ll move in case it gets dangerous.”

Kakashi did assist them in taking out the White Dragon back when he first arrived.

“Don’t be a burden. If you become one, I’ll finish you off myself.”

“Okay…” Kakashi meekly nodded under the pressure of Astill’s gaze.

The guild staff briefed the adventurers on the situation. Carriages had been prepared to take them to the northern gate, where they would make their stand. They were divided into different parties based on their role. Astill would be standing among the mages at the back, while Syorin would be in the front, ready to handle any dragon that comes close.

Kakashi wasn’t a registered member of the guild, nor did he have any particular skill. Since he was willing to help, he was assigned to potion duty. He would run around carrying potions to anyone who was hurt. Hopefully, his help would lighten the burden of the healers.

The second everyone went into position, Kakashi began his work. He took baskets full of potions and offered them to the frontline team. Some accepted the potions, putting them into their pockets. Some wore magical clothes that didn’t have pockets, so they rejected him.

He noticed one of them giving him a sharp glare when he offered the potion. She didn’t take it. He didn’t recognize her face, nor did her cold purple eyes feel familiar, but there’s a chance she’s one of their pursuers. After being harshly rejected, Kakashi quickly retreated, making a mental note to definitely pay attention to her later.

“Yo, Kakashi, thanks for the potion, but I think I’ll pass,” Syorin said when he arrived at her post. Her red cloak covered most of her clothes, but if he remembered correctly, her battle clothes didn’t have any pockets.

“It’s alright, make sure to call me if you need healing.”

“Of course. Stay safe out there.”

Kakashi continued handing out potions. Just then, a horn sounded, its loud sound spreading throughout the cloudy skies. In the distance, a large group of white approached the city. Everyone was given support potions prior to the battle. They took the caps off and drank them, throwing the empty bottles onto the ground.

“Everyone, attack!” Came a commanding voice.

“Yeah!” The adventurers let out their war cry. The frontline fighters ran toward the dragons, while behind them, the mages and archers fired their spells. AoE spells exploded in front of the dragons, acting like flak, while the more accurate arrows zipped past them, stabbing the dragons in their heads. Some managed to hit their eyes, causing them to roar in pain, while the others bounced off the dragons’ hard heads.

The front group dove down, heading straight for the frontline adventurers. They opened their mouths, engulfing entire formations in flames. Kakashi looked at where Syorin was. She wasn’t visible from where he stood. He could only hope for her safety.

Red dragons appeared from behind the walls, five of them flying straight toward the white dragons. The mage and archers stopped momentarily to let them fly past before continuing their suppressive fire. They aimed their attacks at the dragons that parted from the main group, guarding the flank of the adventurers in front.

A large battle ensued.

“Hiyaah!” From a distance, Kakashi noticed a figure flying through the sky. Despite the cloak covering most of her body, her movements weren't impeded in the slightest. With her bare hand, she punched a white dragon straight into the ground. A cloud of dust rose up from where that dragon landed.

She jumped away, and a group of adventurers crowded the dragon, trying their best to take it out.

Kakashi returned his attention to the task at hand. He switched to mana potions, running toward the formation of mages and letting them drink. The other staff assisted him with spreading the potions around. Once everyone recharged, he grabbed health potions and ran to the front lines. Some of the adventurers had been knocked out. He took them to the side and forced them to drink the potions.

“Thanks, Man.” One of the adventurers patted his shoulder. The potion helped heal the wound in his stomach. “I’ll rest for a bit. Don’t worry about me.”

“Alright, don’t force yourself.” Kakashi quickly dashed back to the battlefield. His body wasn’t trained in lifting weights, so he struggled to pull the adventurers to the side. He tried his best, rescuing as many people as possible while dodging all the dragon attacks.

A different volley of attacks came from behind the distracted dragons. The ambush team had arrived at their position, supporting the adventurers through sneak attacks.

This meant Kakashi needed to dodge more attacks, making his already difficult job even more difficult.

“Kakashi, are you alright!?” Syorin came to check up on him.

“I’m… fine, just a bit exhausted.”

“Don’t force yourself,” Syorin said before heading straight back to battle. Kakashi wanted to help, but using his ability wouldn’t just put a target on him; it’s also useless. White dragons are large, and he couldn’t fit more than one of them in the twenty-by-twenty-meter space. Besides, he could only command five people, not ideal against such powerful beasts.

“Everyone, fall back to the second line!” the on-field commander shouted. The dragons began pushing them, and they needed to regroup. Kakashi assisted some of the adventurers back, while the vanguards tried to slow down the dragons’ progress as much as they could.

“Kid, give him to me!” One of the retreating adventurers shouted after seeing Kakashi struggle. Kakashi offloaded the injured adventurer to him and quickly ran to look for more people.

“Akh!”

That was when he heard Syorin’s scream. Syorin was sent flying, straight into a tree.

“Syorin!” Kakashi ran to her side. He forced her to drink a potion.

“I’m alright, don’t worry about me…” She smiled weakly, but the blood on her cloak made it obvious that she wasn’t alright.

“Damnit!”

A dragon saw them and rushed to their position. It closed the distance with frightening speed. A red dragon tried to intercept it, but it was too late. The white dragon flew past.

Kakashi reached into his pocket and pushed the button.