I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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Rose’s knee strike landed squarely in the Gargoyle Queen’s abdomen, and the gargoyle retaliated by delivering a powerful blow to Rose’s breastplate. The two of them grappled with each other, exchanging blows and kicks repeatedly.

From a distance, their struggle resembled a blend of wrestling and kickboxing, not quite as glamorous as the battles of wizards, and perhaps not seeming that impressive. However, considering both sides were skilled enough to hold their ground against an entire Legion, it was nothing short of a legendary confrontation.

Up close, witnessing their fight would make one feel just how intense and fierce their combat truly was. As Rose executed a flurry of kicks, fragments of diamond flew everywhere when she struck the Gargoyle Queen’s jaw, and as the Gargoyle Queen swung its wings fiercely at the Crown Princess’s face, a rare and long gash appeared on Rose’s cheek.

Wiping the blood from her face with her bare hands, Rose spat in disdain. She wasn’t accustomed to pain. It wasn’t that she lacked patience; it was simply that attacks capable of inflicting such severe pain were quite rare for her.

While the Crown Princess resumed her stance and charged at the Gargoyle Queen, a more grand and elaborate battle was unfolding right in front of them. Of course, the importance of both fights could not definitively be ranked against each other.

“Defense break failed! I will retreat!”

The yellow-robed wizard, who failed to land a binding spell on the hovering white dragon Etrias, lowered his head and stepped back.

A few wizards managed to barely connect their mana threads to the dragon’s body, but the dragon shrugged off their attacks with a light shiver.

Etrias glanced down at the ground with a bored expression, flames gathering in its mouth. As the Hero hurriedly waved his hand in the sky to signal a retreat, the gathered wizards, along with Bernard and Margaret, scattered in all directions like startled prey.

Thanks to their swift movements, once again, the breath attack failed to hit anyone and landed harmlessly on the ground. Etrias, unable to spew fire for an extended period, was clearly not the typical dragon.

If it had been a powerful dragon capable of breathing fire for more than five seconds, it could have torched the area instead of merely exhaling its flames, making it impossible to evade those attacks so easily.

Margaret, running her horse swiftly, not only evaded the enemy’s attacks but also unleashed powerful arrows into the sky.

While Bernard and Walter needed to knock the dragon down to stand a chance, Margaret was virtually the only combatant who could deal meaningful damage to a dragon hovering in the air. If Rose could draw the dragon’s attention, she could absorb most of its attacks and bring it down.

Unlike the white dragon, which had once unleashed flames far more powerful than its red counterpart, the red dragon had failed to inflict serious injuries on Rose with its breath and, in a fit of rage, descended to the ground to attack, only to fall into the traps set by the Hero and his party.

Amidst all this, Rose suffered a minor mishap when the enraged dragon bit her arm, leaving her with a bandaged injury for several days. However, in her opinion, it felt like a small price to pay for landing a punch on the red dragon’s face.

Knowing of such instances with her kin, Etrias approached the fight with caution, while Rose was too busy contending with the Gargoyle Queen.

Those remaining on the ground, except for Rose, were frail beings who could be gravely injured or die from just one hit from the dragon. Even if the white dragon specialized in defense, the flames breathed by a dragon could not be underestimated by a mere human.

“Still, if we can wear it down, we might have a chance. If we can just hold out a bit longer…”

Just as Walter adjusted his glasses and issued commands, a burst of flame struck the ground, hitting one of the wizards.

Walter quickly raised his hand to prevent his allies from rushing to the aid of the wounded wizard. If they found themselves in a chaotic scramble, they were likely to become prime targets for the dragon’s breath.

As the mist from the breath attack cleared, only the grim sight of the fallen wizard remained.

The once intact purple robe was scorched in places, no longer able to provide any defense, while the charred hands and feet hinted that his entire body was likely burned as well.

The red-robed wizard, having collapsed at a distance, used a diagnostic spell on the fallen body and shook his head.

“He’s definitely dead. Now we only have six wizards left.”

“We can’t afford to drag this out.”

Walter clicked his tongue. Now, he was cursed to remember that face for the rest of his life. As the list of fallen comrades played in his dreams daily, it was particularly disheartening for him to see more of them die.

In any case, the dragon’s battle sense turned out to be quite exceptional, and at this rate, it looked like the strength of their wizards would be depleted before the dragon tired.

Walter began to approach Margaret, who was a whirlwind, shooting arrows everywhere.

“That princess?”

“Speak. I have sharp ears.”

Margaret replied without pausing in her conversation, as if the sound of hooves didn’t bother her at all. Walter nodded and said.

“Let’s go with a hook.”

“A hook? But… well, you must have a plan. Can I leave the preparations to you?”

Margaret almost hesitated to question Walter’s strategy but nodded after deciding against it. Walter answered with less confidence than he would have liked.

“Whether I live or die, we’ll just have to rush in. But I think it will succeed, so prepare a bit in advance.”

“Stay alive. It’ll be trouble for many people if you die here.”

Margaret offered her advice in her own way. Walter took it as heartfelt counsel and quickly slipped the Holy Sword into his waist and stealthily moved toward Bernard.

No words were needed to convey instructions to Bernard. With just a light gesture, mimicking a hook, Bernard realized the Hero’s intent, showing a slightly puzzled expression but ultimately raised no objections.

As Bernard and Margaret subtly drew closer to cooperate for their operation, Walter slowly approached the area where Rose and the Gargoyle Queen were battling.

The six wizards, having received no proper orders, were waiting with their respective attack magic circles in hand, yet none attempted to launch weak magical attacks against the immovable dragon without the Hero’s signal.

If Jeongjae had been around, he might have recklessly unleashed a storm of starlight toward the dragon in the sky. He was the type to hold nothing back in attacking enemies when he had confidence in his abilities.

However, none of them were capable of breaking through the dragon’s magical defenses to inflict effective damage. Especially at such heights, Walter needed to address both the altitude issue and the defense barrier with a rather peculiar and perfectly coordinated, albeit somewhat acrobatic, maneuver.

Suddenly, Walter shouted like a bolt from the blue and charged at Rose.

“Rose! It’s a two-for-one!”

As the Gargoyle Queen, taken aback by Walter’s thunderous shout, momentarily froze, Rose grinned and grabbed the Gargoyle by the legs, flipping it upside down.

Walter continued to charge toward Rose, who was now ready to throw the Gargoyle into the sky.

As the Crown Princess hurled the diamond-clad creature into the air, Walter leaped over Rose’s arms while she was ready to toss the Gargoyle.

With strength surpassing human limits, Rose effortlessly launched Walter, who soared skyward with her assistance, rising to the same altitude as the Gargoyle Queen.

With that momentum, Walter landed on the Gargoyle Queen from above and leaped again.

This wild leap scheme worked out better than expected. The dragon, which hadn’t come to watch a circus, obviously hadn’t anticipated such an unconventional movement, and the Hero, charging upward with the Holy Sword in hand, caught the dragon unprepared.

Had the white dragon soared a bit higher, Walter’s attack would have missed. However, at just the right height, the Holy Sword swung powerfully, striking the bottom of the transparent magic barrier, shattering Etrias’s magical shield with a gleam of white light.

By breaking the barrier, the Hero fulfilled his role and began to descend like free falling. Etrias had no time to devote any interest to the descending Hero.

The Hero’s attack wasn’t merely an exertion of force to push the barrier aside; it was the result of pouring all his magical energy into completely dispelling the shield.

In other words, the dragon in mid-air found itself in a vulnerable position without any magical defenses. Looking around in a panic, Etrias searched the ground, but ultimately failed to notice Margaret preparing to launch a rather unique arrow.

Margaret and Bernard were already aiming their arrows at Etrias’s wings from the optimal angle, taking aim.

As the Hero rolled to the ground using a falling technique, Margaret’s hook arrow shot high into the sky, targeting the white dragon’s wings.

Yet this arrow was connected to a very sturdy rope, and holding the other end was none other than the hunter, Bernard.

The arrow pierced through the dragon’s wing, latching onto its wing bone. And just as Bernard yanked the rope connected to the arrow, the dragon’s balance was thrown off, and its entire body began to tilt toward the ground.

“What the hell… with such a foolish move…!”

Etrias lost its usual graceful composure and let out a painful scream. Being hit with an arrow through its wing was no pleasant experience for any dragon.

If that arrow threaded through its wing was pulling it toward the earth, the situation would only grow more dire.

Just as Etrias roared in anger and attempted to counterattack, the ground wizards unleashed various attack magics that disrupted the dragon’s focus.

Though these were average fireballs, regular lightning spells, and common water cannon incantations, they bore considerable significance against a dragon stripped of its magical barrier.

Still, Etrias struggled to maintain its position in the air, enduring the onslaught.

This was a dragon, 50 meters in length. Naturally, its weight and power were immense, making it clear that even with gravity and the aid of magical ropes, defeating the dragon with only Bernard and Margaret’s combined strength would be challenging.

At that moment, Walter and Rose exhibited near telepathic synchrony as they switched their positions like a baton pass.

Rose ceased battling the Gargoyle Queen and dashed towards the ropes, yanking them hard with both hands.

The Hero, unwavering against the Gargoyle Queen trying to prevent Rose’s escape, struck the creature with his Holy Sword in a manner reminiscent of swinging a baseball bat rather than a sword.

Walter’s crisp swing successfully pushed back the Gargoyle Queen, clearing the path for Rose to proceed. Whatever protective enchantments were in effect, Rose’s strength bore a terrifying potential beyond what any human could replicate.

In an instant, the tides turned as Etrias toppled headfirst to the ground due to the slack of the ropes. Walter, despite being exhausted from his recent stunts, skillfully continued to deflect the Gargoyle Queen’s attacks, buying time.

With a thump, the dragon’s massive body, weighing tons, crashed into the wasteland, regardless of the dust that erupted, as the wizards tried desperately to bind it with powerful binding spells to prevent it from soaring once more.

After finally rolling over from hitting the ground, the first thing Etrias did was to bite and gnaw at the ropes with its teeth. Blood flowed from the wounds caused by the piercing hook in its wing, but once the rope that was pulling at its injury snapped, the pain the dragon felt lessened significantly.

With the rope severed, the three people pulling on it stumbled and fell backward. Rose and Bernard landed on their bottoms, while Margaret barely managed to cling to the white horse, remaining on its back.

The enraged dragon shouted.

“Do you think you can fail on solid ground? Do you think you can kill me on solid ground?”

The answer was a single arrow. The arrow that grazed the area near the dragon’s eye left a long vertical cut on Etrias’s eyelid. Margaret licked her lips, bemoaning her failure to pierce the dragon’s eyeball.

“Sorry, dragon. I may have been a bit rude.”

Said the elven lord, smiling from atop her white steed.

“When I notice my enemy starting to boast with mere words, I can’t help but shoot arrows. Keep yapping, runt. You might have lived for quite some time, but honestly, you don’t look like a dragon that’s over 300 years old. Your character is just too juvenile. Completely… an infant.”

The furious Etrias parted its jaws and prepared to breathe fire. Nevertheless, thanks to the wounds on its wings and the binding spells of the wizards, they had managed to keep the dragon grounded for the time being.

However, even without a barrier on the ground, a dragon is still a dragon. It was still too early to assure victory. They first needed a clever way to overcome the dragon’s breath.