Whatever magic Alice wielded, its power was always tied to her mana.
The more mana she poured into a spell, the stronger it became. This held true not just for defensive and offensive magic, but even for the gravity magic Lefiya was now constructing.
Lefiya's own mana reserves couldn't compare to Alice's.
But right now, there were over a hundred mages present.
And back in Orario, many more mages hadn't even made it to the scene. If you combined the mana of everyone, it would far surpass what Alice possessed.
And that wasn't all.
Over the past few days, Finn had become acutely aware of just how mana-hungry Alice's gravity magic circle was.
So, when they came, he had people bring a massive stock of mana crystals.
The Black Dragon could fly, making the gravity magic circle the best—or rather, the only effective—method they currently had to pin it down.
"Lefiya!"
Finn shouted.
"Yes!" Lefiya responded loudly, her voice firm.
Gripping her staff tightly, she took a deep, steadying breath, her eyes fixed nervously on the Black Dragon circling overhead. "Everyone!" she called out with determination. "Activate the magic circle! Maximum mana output!"
"YES!!!"
At Lefiya's command, the mages on the scene snapped to attention. Under her previous direction, they had developed a certain level of tacit agreement.
The gravity magic circle was incredibly complex, difficult for even Lefiya to fully comprehend.
Right now, she could only replicate it from memory; understanding the function of every single magical circuit was beyond her.
Lefiya had no idea about the specifics.
All she could do now was recreate the magic circle exactly as she remembered it.
The mages following her commands knew the structure they were building was profoundly intricate, but its ultimate purpose remained a mystery to them.
However, their current task wasn't to understand the circle's function, but to follow orders and maintain it flawlessly.
A faint blue glow began to emanate from the circle, signaling that the gravity magic had begun its activation.
The Black Dragon, for its part, remained motionless in the air.
Seeing the magic circle activate, Finn began his address.
"Everyone! What we face now is one of the world's Three Great Quests, the One-Eyed Black Dragon. We don't know why it has appeared so suddenly."
"But the reason for its appearance doesn't matter to us."
"It is an enemy, plain and simple. Since it's here, we will hunt it down! That is all!"
"I won't stand here and tell you we must defeat this Dragon to protect the city behind us."
"We are adventurers! Hunting monsters is our job! Chasing wealth and fame is in our blood!"
"What does the Black Dragon represent?"
"It represents riches! It represents glory!"
Finn's words brought knowing looks to the faces of the adventurers who had, moments before, been mentally preparing to defend their city.
The lowest Level among those present was 3.
An adventurer of that caliber could be the captain of a mid-tier Familia. These were all seasoned veterans, battle-hardened and pragmatic.
Sure, dreams still existed in the hearts of these old hands, but reality was equally important to them.
Unlike novice adventurers who might be stirred by words like 'dreams' or 'justice,' the 'benefits' Finn spoke of now were far more effective in stoking the fighting spirit of this crowd.
"The Black Dragon is powerful. I doubt we'll bring it down easily. But any monster can be slain eventually. In the past, the Zeus and Hera Familias managed to clear the other two Great Quests."
"Now, gathered here are all of Orario's top combatants. We absolutely can complete this third and final quest."
"So, my friends! Let us stake our lives and give our all, for the sake of renown!"
"After all, we can't very well let this Dragon destroy our city, now can we?"
Finn's tone was almost casual.
Hearing his words, the crowd erupted with shouts.
"Finn! What kind of crap are you spouting!"
"Going on about fame and money, but you just had to sneak in that emotional plea at the end, didn't you? Can't you help yourself?"
"Really, we were already prepared to give it our all, to fight hard for the kids back home. But you putting it like that makes it impossible to slack off!"
"Yeah, exactly! That Black Dragon is insanely strong. Let's be honest, we're probably just cannon fodder here. The main assault will have to come from you Level 6s, Finn."
They were all regular adventurers, though reaching Level 3 meant each of them was a considerable talent in their own right. One had to remember, in Orario, seventy percent of adventurers never even managed to advance to Level 2.
The Dragon's immense power had been made perfectly clear during Alice's earlier battle.
None of them believed their own magic could compare to what Alice had unleashed.
So, facing the Black Dragon, becoming cannon fodder seemed like an inevitable fate.
Gradually, the group's morale began to dip.
It was then that Finn calmly stated, "Loki told me she's arranged for Goddess Freya to use her mirror—the one that can view any location—to broadcast our battle against the Black Dragon live across the entire city of Orario."
"By now, barring any mishaps, all of your faces are already being watched by your own gods and Familia members back home."
A dead silence fell over the scene following Finn's words.
"...We can't let the brats back in Orario look down on us, can we?"
"Damn right! I just gave my rookie a stern talking-to. If he sees me slacking off now, I'll never hear the end of it!"
"Dammit! I've always played the tough guy in front of my Goddess."
"Me too. If the gods are watching, there's no way we can lose face now!"
"Exactly! So what if it's the Black Dragon! Miss Alice managed to hurt it that badly. With all of us here, we can definitely take this thing down!"
"HELL YEAH!"
Morale skyrocketed instantly, becoming even more focused and united than before.
A faint smile touched Finn's lips.
"The mage corps have prepared a gravity magic circle. Within its area of effect, gravity will increase exponentially. Even the Black Dragon won't be able to escape its pull once caught; it will be pinned firmly to the ground."
"That way, its troublesome flight capability is completely neutralized."
"And so!"
"All units, attention!!"
"You're all veteran adventurers. Be aware of your own situation."
"Melee fighters, with us to the front to face the Dragon head-on! Ranged attackers, focus your fire on its wings! Mage corps, maintain the magic circle! Support and healing units, have your recovery magic ready for the frontline fighters!"
"Now then! Let us launch our assault against the impossible!"
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