Meanwhile, a few minutes before the dragon summoned the ancient array...

'JASMINE!'

Gray shouted inwardly.

'How the fuck do I get out of here?!'

[Uhhhh...]

'Don't "uhhh" me! Help me already!'

[Alright, alright, calm down!]

Jasmine's tone carried a teasing edge that annoyed Gray.

[If I'm right, that "barrier" you're trapped in isn't actually a barrier at all. It's a seven-colored attack formation.]

'A… formation? Like those old Array Masters used?'

[Heh, is that what they call them nowadays? Cute.]

Jasmine chuckled lightly.

[Anyway, that thing is no joke. It's an ancient killing array, one hit from it could easily vaporize your little Headmistress friend in an instant.]

'Then how the hell do I not die here?!'

[You've got two options!]

Jasmine said calmly.

[Either you tell Gloria the weakness of the formation, which I do happen to know, or you run the moment the dragon activates it.]

She gave a short, almost playful laugh.

[Though… if the dragon doesn't die first, it'll probably rampage until someone stronger comes to kill it. And between you and me, you're definitely not fast enough to escape that blast.]

'Oh, great. Thanks for the vote of confidence,' he muttered.

He lowered his threads, peeling open the cocoon of protection he'd made.

Swooosshhh!

The air trembled as the seven-colored light above began to twist and converge into a single, violent point.

"NOW DIE, WOMAN!!!"

The dragon's voice echoed loudly throughout the whole cave, and Gray knew that he couldn't hesitate anymore.

'Fucking tell me its weakness, Jasmine!' he shouted inwardly.

He grabbed a small stone off the ground and hurled it toward Gloria, who was frozen mid-step, staring wide-eyed at the gathering energy.

[Listen carefully to me!]

Jasmine warned him.

[When the beam fires, there's a split-second delay between its release and impact. If she hits the energy at that precise moment with enough force, it'll nullify the array entirely.]

'Got it!'

Gray nodded.

"[✧Swap✧]!"

In a flash of light, Gray switched positions with the stone, appearing right behind Gloria and wrapping his arms around her waist to stop himself from falling.

Well... he could use his strings, but hugging a beautiful woman was simply a better choice in his opinion.

"G-Gray?! What the hell are you doing?!" Gloria snapped back to her senses, startled by the sudden contact.

"Listen to me!" he hissed quickly, leaning close to her ear.

"I know the formation's weakness!"

Her golden eyes widened, disbelief flashing across her face.

But as he whispered the details, she looked toward the pulsing light, the sheer power gathering above them, and bit her lip.

"…Fine. I'll trust you."

Gray nodded once, then quickly swapped back to the ground below.

"Phew..."

[The Unique Ability [✧Swap✧] has reached level 3!]

'...I'll check it later!' he thought impatiently.

Above, the seven-colored energy flared violently, condensing into a massive sphere that shone like a miniature sun.

"IT'S TIME FOR YOUR DEATH, WOMAN!"

FWOOOM!

A colossal beam of energy erupted downward, tearing through the cave with a sound like the heavens splitting open.

"Meteor Slash!"

Gloria roared, her poleaxe blazing with golden light as she swung it diagonally across the air, perfectly timing the impact point Gray had told her about.

FWIP!

In an instant, the beam shattered, disintegrating into a cascade of glittering wisps that evaporated into nothing.

"..."

Silence filled the cavern.

"Thanks, Jasmine..." he uttered, letting out a deep breath of relief.

[You're welcome, dear~]

She purred teasingly in his mind, to which he ignored.

"H-HOW DID YOU I-ITS WEAKNESS?!" the dragon bellowed in disbelief, staring at the ruined array with shocked eyes.

Gloria smiled lightly.

"What can I say? I have a very dear~ student of mine!" she giggled lightly, causing the dragon's eyes to flare up with killing intent.

It instantly locked eyes with Gray's, causing him to shiver.

'...Why?! Fucking hell...' he groaned, looking at Gloria with an annoyed gaze.

"I'LL DEAL WITH YOU AFTER KILLING HER!" the dragon roared, steam rolling from its nostrils as it turned to focus on Gloria.

Strangely... her face darkened slighly as she heard the dragon's words.

"How dare you have bad intentions towards my student!"

FWOOP!

A strange golden aura poured out from her like sunlight spilling from a crack. In a heartbeat, she was above the dragon.

Her poleaxe multiplied in size in her hands and slammed down onto its skull.

BAAAM!

The dragon crashed to the ground, the impact throwing up a whirlwind of dust and broken rock.

Before it could fully recover, Gloria was moving again.

"Deity Slaying Axe!"

She brought the poleaxe down in a bright, brutal arc.

FWIP!

SPLURT!

The blade cut through scale and sinew, opening a terrible, deep gash along the dragon's side. Black blood steamed where the wound had been.

"GAAARGHHH W-WHY DO YOU KNOW THAT TECHNIQUE...!!!"

The beast howled, staggered, and the air shivered from its pain.

[Phew... that was a nice blow.]

Jasmine muttered with a small smile, oddly delighted.

'The fuck you mean?! She could have dealt with him in one single blow, but she didn't directly do it... Why?!'

[You wouldn't understand, Gray. After all, this woman should probably be the strongest person in the world you're living... maybe not, since I felt a few powerful auras, but well, someone as strong as her... should be extremely bored.]

'...Why the fuck would they be?'

[They already experienced everything one could experience, and now, finding a real opponent should be extremely hard. Which is exactly why she didn't end the fight directly... besides, that axe art is a forbidden art, which means...]

Her voice trailed off as Gloria's face had gone pale; sweat beaded at her temple. She sagged forward, the golden light fading from her skin as she fell.

[Her body must be extremely weakened after that.]

Plop!

Gray moved without thinking.

He caught her as she fell, steadying her in his arms. Her breath came shallow, and her eyes fluttered half-closed.

"...Dammit," he muttered, annoyed and a little helpless.

He shook his head before taking off his jacket and putting it on the ground, and then gently lay Gloria down.

He smoothed the fabric over her shoulders like it mattered, then scowled to himself.

"Whatever. I'll make her owe me a favor," Gray shook his head.

And then, Gray turned toward the dragon's massive corpse, pulling out two water containers that he had stored in his dimensional storage—just in case he needed them later.

"Ah… might as well give some to Gloria," he muttered with a small sigh.

Without hesitation, he crouched beside her, gently lifting her chin.

He popped open the lid and pressed the container against her vermilion lips.

"Gulp... gulp... gulp...!"

Gloria obediently swallowed every drop, her throat moving as she drank.

When she was done, Gray gave a small nod of satisfaction before taking the second container for himself.

"Haahhh… now that's refreshing." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, letting out a relieved exhale before walking toward the dragon's body.

"Since I basically saved her… she won't mind if I take a bit of its blood, right? I mean, the deal was that I'd tell her where to find it…"

The corpse still pulsed faintly with warmth, its thick, crimson blood slowly pooling beneath. Gray crouched and filled both containers with the precious liquid.

But when he looked at how much was left, his lips twitched in regret.

"So much good stuff going to waste… if only I had something bigger to store it in…"

"Here, use this."

"Ah, thanks!"

He turned and found Gloria standing there, offering a small green gourd.

Gray accepted it and began pouring the blood in.

But then… something felt off.

He froze mid-motion, his lips twitching slightly as he glanced back.

"…You're already awake?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gloria nodded calmly.

"I just needed to regulate my mana. I wasn't exactly unconscious."

"I see…" Gray scratched his neck awkwardly.

'…Wait, doesn't that mean she heard everything I said?'

Noticing his awkward expression, Gloria's lips curled faintly.

"And yes, I really do owe you one. So, if you want, you can have all of the dragon's blood."

"Really?"

His eyes immediately lit up, excitement flashing across his face. only to freeze the next second.

Squishhh~

Two soft mounds pressed lightly against his back, and her delicate, pale hands slowly reached forward to cover his.

"This gourd isn't used like that," she murmured close to his ear, her breath warm. "You tap this little button here… and then..."

SWOOOP!

The gourd instantly sucked in every last drop of blood, as if it were a miniature black hole. Within seconds, the ground was spotless.

Gray stared at it with a dumbfounded expression.

"Is this… a limitless gourd?"

"Mm. You can keep it," Gloria said, stepping past him with a faint smile. "Consider it a thank-you gift… for saving me."

Swoop!

With a wave of her hand, the dragon's enormous body shimmered, then vanished completely into her storage space.

"Alright~, let's go back now!"

"Wait a sec—"

Before Gray could finish his words, he was already being dragged back into the chamber from before.

'...This woman...'

A vein popped on his forehead.

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