Episode 4 – Love And Duel
Part 1
「…………」
Lux entered a certain treatment device in the Shelter facility to recover his stamina.
Although he had rested for two hours, he would still be far from being perfectly rested even with the additional twenty minutes of recovery.
Lisha too was most likely recovering her energy through two hours of rest.
When they fought once more, would Lux be able to win?
No one entered inside the room.
He felt a great feeling of isolation that he had never felt before just from that.
(I have to fight……. And yet, why am I hesitating now?)
He closed his eyes and thought, but the answer wouldn’t appear.
He didn’t even notice that the danger was already closing in on the surface of the Shelter.
Part 2
「──As expected, it became like this.」
Beside the treatment room where Lux was resting.
On the screen inside a large room that was also the entrance of the teleportation device to the surface, Krulcifer and the others were watching the situation outside.
「Survivors of Azure Division. I know that you all are hiding inside there. Get out of that facility right now and release Aeril. Tell this to my little sister, Alma Atismata too!」
On the surface was Lizsharte and masked Drag-Knights that were the remaining Automatas waiting beside her.
Lisha herself was still under the bindings of the world revision.
She was thinking that the Automatas obeying her at her side were also just Drag-Knights of the New Kingdom army.
「I’ll give you three minutes. If you don’t get out during that time, I’ll fire at that facility with Seven Heads. It’ll be the same even if you give no answer. Prepare yourself.」
The scenery above the ground where the Shelter was hidden.
The screen on the silver wall which projected that image was watched by the people who gathered there.
Celis, Philuffy, Rosa, Soffice, and then Airi and the Triad still hadn’t recovered from their exhaustion.
It was because the treatment device and energy were mostly focused for Lux’s recovery.
While everyone was bewildered in this cornered situation, Krulcifer was the first one who stood up from the sofa.
「Mel, Greifer. You two still have spare energy right? I’ll give you two the spotlight of saving this world.」
Krulcifer in her pilot suit brushed up her long blue hair and announced that.
「I’ll make that princess wake up. I want to leave the remaining two Automatas to you two.」
「You’re saying something exaggerated like giving spotlight, but you’re just pushing troublesome work on to other people.」
「Good grief, this lady really works people hard.」
Although, because Mel and Greyfer had also faced Nier and Dawla of the Four Great Nobles as their opponent each, they also had some exhaustion remaining in them.
And so, although it wasn’t wrong that they were the right choice for going out to fight among the lineup here, it would become a hard battle for them.
「Is it okay, Krulcifer? I know that you too have become strong but」
The senior Celis said that to her.
「The Princess, she looks strong. Perhaps, compared to before this is the most──」
Even Philuffy who wasn’t saying anything until now said that about the heat filling up Lisha’s body.
「I know. I understand just how powerful of an enemy she is, more than anyone here.」
Lisha still hadn’t been freed from the bindings of the world revision even after receiving Baptism and fighting Lux directly wasn’t just because of coincidence.
「She is sympathizing and loving her step mother Queen Raffi. That’s why she can’t realize. And then she is getting stronger due to that strength of will.」
In order to protect the New Kingdom── to protect her step mother who tasted the same suffering like her and still stood up.
The fighting spirit dwelling inside that body was blazing.
When someone was deceived, when they didn’t notice falsehood, what clouded their eyes the most was because they didn’t want to believe.
Lux was turning into an enemy, Raffi had become a monster, she didn’t want to believe such things.
That was why── Lisha was still unable to escape from the world of dreams.
「Lux-kun tried to end this without her noticing anything. However, that is no good.」
「No good you say, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that Onii-chan’s way of thinking is mistaken?」
Mel who had heard about the plan for this case from the meeting before this asked Krulcifer.
She heard how inside this world where the world revision was carried out and people were unable to realize the truth, Lux tried to defeat Raffi and Fugil without being known by anyone.
「Yes, that’s right.」
Krulcifer answered right away without a shred of hesitation.
Greifer normally didn’t harbor any interest towards things like complicated circumstances, but he tilted his head in puzzlement at this reaction.
「Ain’t that strange? I get it that his way is reckless but, either way that prince got no other way right? Then──」
「No, it’s mistaken. The mistaken one is none other than Lux-kun himself. It’s due to an important factor that even he himself doesn’t realize. That’s why──I have to carry this out, as his substitute.」
Waking up Lisha in the middle of a fight, by the means of a fight.
With that resolve in her chest, Krulcifer stepped onto the teleportation device.
Part 3
「One more minute. I’ll start attacking if you don’t surrender.」
At the surface, Lisha was waiting for the main members of Azure Division to appear while wearing Tiamat.
After fighting Lux, Lisha also used up her strength and fainted, but when she woke up, the repair of her Drag-Ride was finished by the Automata Arhsalia who was ordered by Raffi.
She was told that the repair was done using the Ruin’s facility, but she didn’t realize that the facility in question was the Center of Avalon.
No, the current Lisha was unable to perceive the current situation correctly.
Due to the perception manipulation by Uroboros, there was the supplemented effect Lisha could accept any fact that was inconvenient for Raffi.
「Your highness, there is no more time dearimasu. Firing now will be──」
The masked girl Drag-Knight who was dispatched by Raffi as her guard urged Lisha from the side.
Lisha didn’t even notice anything unnatural about their setting as Divine Drag-Ride users that Raffi inherited from Prime Minister Nulph.
「That’s right you knoow……」
Similarly a girl with mechanical cat ears also urged similarly from the opposite side.
「I said that but, with Aeril as hostage, I can’t do anything rough. It’s also the same with my little sister Alma. Even if give a warning shot──or attack for real, I can only do it by digging through the outer wall using a drill.」
The moment Lisha answered the two’s questions resolutely, particles of light whirled on the ground below them.
「I’m relieved. You still have your own mind. Looks like you aren’t brainwashed by a Ragnarok.」
「──Krulcifer. Why are you there?」
The blue haired girl wearing the Divine Drag-Ride Fafnir quietly brushed up her front hair and smiled.
「You can at least think of the reason with your own head right? If you’re a princess of a country then──」
「……This isn’t the time for stupid conversation right!?」
Lisha raised her eyebrows at the cool reply of the girl and replied.
「You’re right. This isn’t the time for that. This world will head to destruction soon. If we don’t defeat Sacred Eclipse before it starts moving, then all of us will be killed.」
「What are you saying!? What are you──」
Lisha who was irritated by Krulcifer’s puzzling words pulled out the Sword Device on her waist angrily.
At the same time, Krulcifer aimed the sniper rifle of her Fafnir and pointed the muzzle to Lisha.
「The current you won’t understand even if I tell you using your words. That’s why let’s fight.」
*Bam-!* She pulled the trigger with minimum preparatory movement.
The bullet of Freezing Cannon was fired from the ground to air. It drew a straight blue trajectory, but it was deflected by a crimson Divine Drag-Ride that leaped in front of Lisha.
「──Don’t get in the way, dearimasu. You traitor of the New Kingdom.」
The Automata with mechanical ears that looked like dog ears growing from her head, Ney Louches howled that.
Flame burst up from the armor of the Divine Drag-Ride Salamander that she was wearing. She glared at Krulcifer with a sharp killing intent.
She was acquainted with this girl who was the Gear Leader of Ymir Theocracy’s Hall, but there wasn’t any trace of that time in her right now.
Her personality must have been completely rewritten by the memory data stored in Avalon.
But, now wasn’t the time to immerse herself in such sentimentality.
The two remaining Automata existed as terrifying threats.
「Mel, Greifer, I’ll count on you two just as planned. I’ll have my hands full to defeat her so──」
「Haah. I’ll count this as a favor owed.」
「Well, those two are troublesome opponents in their own right yeah. Those puppets──」
Mel and Greifer who went out stepped forward along with the Divine Drag-Ride in response.
The Gear Leader of Dungeon, Lu Calia also stepped forward with a serious face and weapon in hand.
「Do you think you can defeat me Krulcifer? You who are a traitor to the New Kingdom!」
「I’ll defeat you. For the sake of Lux-kun too──」
Lisha and Krulcifer.
The two’s gazes intersected and they moved.
On the other side Mel and Greyfer also confronted the Automatas Ney Louches and Lu Calia. The duel of three versus three broke out.
Part 4
「So it’s finally, started……」
At the facility hidden underground Avalon, Shelter, Celis spoke while watching the screen that was projected on the silver wall.
The surface’s scene.
In order to hold back Lisha who perceived the Azure Division as an enemy, Krulcifer and the Seven Dragon Paladins had to fight. This situation and the fact that she couldn’t join the battle pained her heart.
「This is pathetic. I who am a senior in Syvalles can only watch like this is──」
Celis said that and looked down with a cloudy expression.
「Don’t feel down because of that Celis-san. Just being able to break through the binding of Uroboros is already amazing.」
The silver haired girl Aeril consoled her.
Celis’s exhaustion was especially great because of the mental pollution of the Ragnarok Iblis that she received from Raffi who fused with Sacred Eclipse.
The treatment device of Shelter was also yielded to Lux, so she was mostly relying only on her natural recovery.
「Yeep yeep. The likes of us is still half in doubt even now you know? We are only believing because everyone is saying so and everyone is believing it.」
「No. When you’re the one speaking, it makes me become unnecessarily anxious so please stop it Tillfur.」
「Yeah. Most likely that, the effect of Uroboros is getting thinner right now but……」
Tillfur, Noct, and Sharis said their opinion in turn.
At the previous time──the world revision of the third parade ended incompletely due to the obstruction of Lux and the others, so in the battle of this Ancient Forest most people were able to see the false scenes created by the perception manipulation and how the truth was messed up.
The Triad, half of the Seven Dragon Paladins, and also Lisha must be the same.
Exactly because of that Lisha was unable to believe it even now after she had seen Lux.
The members remaining here were thinking that should be the case.
But.
「……This is just perhaps but, I got the feeling that she has noticed. The princess. But, I think she is pretending to not notice.」
Philuffy who was watching the screen on the silver wall muttered that with an absentminded expressionless face.
She was also the same like Celis, after battling Lux she recovered her mind and now she was in the middle of recuperation.
「She has realized? What is it……that she has realized?」
Airi spontaneously threw a question at what Philuffy said.
The binding on Lisha’s perception isn’t dispelled.
Exactly because of that she wasn’t accepting that Lux was the real one. That was the thought of Airi and the others.
「Surely, Lu-chan is also the same. That’s why──I think it’s necessary. For them to look at the truth.」
Philuffy did nothing but stare at the battle on the surface through the screen while saying that.
Part 5
「I don’t have any business with youu. Please die alreadyy.」
The Automata with mechanical cat ears, Lu Calia was charging at Greifer wearing an unknown Divine Drag-Ride.
In respons the blond haired young man replied without even hiding his displeased expression.
「The mood is ruined yeah. I have to face some bunch with screwy look, wearing cat ears or dog ears like this!」
「Could it be, you like this kind of thing?」
Right beside him Mel who was also facing an Automata made fun of him. The young man spat out with an exasperated expression.
「I agree with these guys’ words yeah. I’m only facing them because I’ve got to.」
The flying type Divine Drag-Ride Cuelebre that Greifer was wearing possessed both hard armor and mobility.
What was piloted by Lu Caria who was facing him was a Drag-Ride decorated with mechanical feathers that he had never seen before.
Greifer naturally didn’t have any way to learn about the true color of the Divine Raiment and special armament of the Automata, but he charged right from the front and slashed with his special armament, the snake sword Tail Blade.
「You’re suddenly coming so forcefully isn’t itt」
「No matter how much you think it won’t start if you don’t test it, that’s my policy.」
Unlike a normal slash that drew a straight arc, the Tail Blade had several joints in the Blade that divided it into several parts. It was able to bend like a whip.
Therefore it aimed at the shoulder of enemy Divine Drag-Ride with spiraling trajectory, but──
*GIIN!* The tip shifted and hit the edge of the Blade that the enemy readied.
It was rare for the first attack to hit the opponent, so if that was all then it wasn’t a big deal.
But, the Hungry Wolf Greifer who was a veteran of many battles instantly detected that abnormality and put up his guard.
「……What is this? Was it the Divine Raiment of your Divine Drag-Ride just now?」
「That’s rightt. It’s the power of my Quetzalcoatl.」
「Hah!」
Greifer smiled wryly at Lu Calia’s reply.
「An enemy is honestly answering when I’m asking her secret. I really got underestimated here.」
「It’s unreasonable to get hated like this even though I answered your questioon.」
「Greifer, this isn’t the time to play around.」
Mel who was fighting Ney Louches nearby grumbled.
But, Greifer himself sensed it more than anyone that this wasn’t an opponent who he could face carelessly.
The opponent before his eyes was more abnormal than any enemy he had fought until now. She possessed a terrifying power──
「I’ll see through it with my own strength, the true identity of that Divine Raiment of yours!」
*Vun*, energy was put into the back wings of Cuelebre and he assaulted Quetzalcoatl once more.
In response Lu Calia drew out her Sword Device and sent her thought into it silently. Then a Blade that was the same as the middle sized Blade in her right armored arm was summoned into her left hand too.
「You purposefully summoned an additional one but it’s just a normal Blade? I really can’t get a read on you. What the hell are you planning?」
「Weell, you will get it bit by bit. Also, this Blade is just a normal Blade you knoow? Don’t worry.」
「Even that impudent talk of yours is going to stop here.」
Greifer was irritated by the expression and tone of Lu Calia who was playing stupid. He closed in on her instantly and attacked.
The consecutive attacks of Tail Blade that drew spiraling trajectory struck with a momentum like raging waves.
「Waa. You’re strong aren’t youu?」
「You can still screw around even with this huh?」
The slashing Tail Blade entangled around the medium sized Blade of Lu Calia. It was pulled and knocked away from her armored arm.
He then further entangled the other sword so she lost both her weapons, then he slashed at Quetzalcoatl.
「Drop dead, you damn doll who participated in world destruction!」
「I don’t wannaa」
Greifer aimed at the torso of Quetzalcoatl that Lu Calia wore with a full powered attack.
The barrier should be torn apart with the Automata’s stomach severed, but the blade shifted slightly and struck the Blade that the enemy readied.
「……!?」
The two Blades that Greifer knocked down were below him.
In other words, Quetzalcoatl had summoned two more weapons into its hands once more.
(This fellow, how many damn weapons does she have registered? Or is she creating them?)
A normal Drag-Ride had q limited number of weapons that it could summon additionally.
That was because considerable energy was required to teleport equipment that was placed in a faraway place.
「It’s Quetzalcoatl’s special armament you knoow. It’s called Palette but── it can summon the weapon that has been registered beforehand until 100 timees.」
──*Dozu-!*
「Gu, a……!」
At the same time as that slow reply, the tip of the Blade that was held by Quetzalcoatl’s armored arm was stabbed into the armor of Greifer’s Cuelebre.
He immediately strengthened his barrier and managed to reduce the damage to his flesh body, but the shock of the impact stopped his movement for a moment.
「That’s whyy, it’s pointless even if you take away my weapon you knoow」
In addition, the other Blade was swung down straight from above. Greifer was hit fully by that attack too.
Because it was also hitting the barrier he wasn’t wounded fatally, but his shoulder was struck and the power output of his Drag-Ride decreased.
Mel who was seeing that from slightly behind immediately raised her voice.
「Wai-, what are you doing there Greifer! No matter how reckless you are because you’re tough, if you get hit directly like that──」
「Shut up! Focus on your own fight!」
Greifer cursed while feeling shocked in his heart.
(I know something like that already! I tried to dodge this damn fellow’s attacks just now in a hair breadth’s difference. And yet they still hit!)
In addition, the attack that Greifer launched was missing just barely from the point he aimed.
But, he didn’t understand how the enemy was──how Lu Calia was achieving that.
She didn’t show any sign at all that she was predicting his movement.
The strange mystery that Lu Calia and Quetzalcoatl brought.
He would have no chance of victory if he didn’t see through it.
.
「It’s just like what that pointy head said dearimasu. It’s important to have a wide field of vision but, not being able to focus on the enemy in front of you is a sign of a third rate.」
「It’s not like I’m underestimating you. It just mean I have that much of composure.」
At the adjacent airspace more than 10 ml away from Greifer’s battlefield, the Automats Ley Nouches and Mel Gizalut exchanged words while holding each other back.
「Then, I’ll make you realize dearimasu. That all of you aren’t a match against us when we’re serious.」
The four legged crimson Divine Drag-Ride, Salamander that was being used by Ney Louches had been explained just now by she herself.
Just like Mel predicted from the ornamental coating that looked like blazing flames, the Divine Raiment seemed to control flames.
The Pike weapon the opponent was holding created oil and spurted it out from the tip. By coating the opponent’s frame directly with that, it would create flame that couldn’t be extinguished easily. It was a terrifying thing.
If the oil was exposed to high heat it would induce overheating and the Drag-Ride’s power output would also go down, but even more than that the flesh and blood human inside wouldn’t be able to endure.
If she was hit by the attack fully in succession, she would die in the blink of an eye.
Mel who instinctually sensed that decided to take on Ney Louches.
The convertible Divine Drag-Ride Ddraig Gweiber that Mel wore had a Divine Raiment, Dual Shift. It could freely control temperature.
Even attacks using flames could be neutralized.
What she found incomprehensible was how the enemies easily allowed them to establish the situation of two versus two that should be disadvantageous for them.
(The enemy are Automatas. They should have grasped the data of the Divine Drag-Rides we’re using. And yet, why──)
Mel was on her guard like that at the corner of her mind.
Were they confident that they would be able to overturn some disadvantage?
No, five Automata were already done in, so it was impossible for them to be that haughty.
(The answer won’t come out even if I think about it right now……then──)
She only needed to prioritize cornering the enemy until she finished collecting information.
At present Mel and Greifer were fighting without getting away too far from there. Rather than for supporting each other, it was to not let the enemy attack the underground Shelter where everyone was on standby.
No matter what happened, one of them could possibly head for the Shelter’s protection.
「I don’t know what you’re scheming but, it’s naïve if you think you can win against us with strength of that level.」
Mel flew with the convertible Divine Drag-Ride Ddraig Gweiber’s flight form and drew near Salamander in a straight line.
She twisted her body to dodge the flame Pike that immediately struck at her. Then she struck using the Halberd in her hand toward the opponent’s side.
*Gakii!*
「 ──!」
But, the trajectory shifted slightly and her Halberd was blocked by the Pike’s handle.
「That’s a clumsy attack dearimasu. Though it can’t be helped when you’re still a kid.」
Ney didn’t overlook the instant of stiffening due to Mel’s attack missing and used the long handle of her spear like a fist to mow down Ddraig Gweiber’s torso instead.
At the same time due to the oil showering Ddraig Gweiber, its armor was about to burst into flame, but that flame instantly vanished.
The armor’s surrounding was turned into super low temperature using Dual Shift’s temperature manipulation, stopping the combustion.
「I see, your use of Divine Raiment is perfect dearimasu. I’ve a better opinion of you now. But──what about this? Flame Nova!」
The armor of Salamander that Ney Louches wore emitted the light of Divine Raiment. Right after that, *gou*, intense flame rose up from the surroundings.
The area of the Ancient Forest that hid Shelter underground was enveloped in flame in the blink of an eye.
「You──what have you done!」
Ney Louches unleashed fire on the forest without even batting an eyelid. Mel frowned at her.
Lisha and Krulcifer were at some distance away so they didn’t get dragged in, but the range was too wide.
The flame would rapidly spread if it was left alone. If they were careless then the whole forest would be enveloped in flames.
Was the opponent meaning to say that even the Drag-Knights of the New Kingdom army who were hiding nearby didn’t matter?
(Me thinking that the enemy might still show composure──was naïve. The Automata are intending to wrest away victory in this battle no matter what.)
The comrades remaining in the facility below──the Shelter were all powerful people, but almost all of them weren’t in a state that could wear a Drag-Ride.
If the enemy turned the whole area into a sea of flame and killed them, then their victory would be assured just from that.
「──Kuh, Dual Shift!」
In response Mel also immediately attempted to extinguish the fire below by decreasing the temperature.
As though she had been waiting for that moment, Salamander closed the distance with a jump. She attacked Mel and Ddraig Gweiber.
「Ku……aa-!」
The thrusts of spear clad in flame that was unleashed in quick succession.
Mel skillfully moved her Halberd and swiped away those attacks, even so she couldn’t block half of the attacks and her armor was shaved.
Oil was splashed on her. The flame scorching the surface of her armor couldn’t be extinguished right away.
「Sharpened concentration is required in using a Divine Raiment dearimasu. That is even truer when using it on wide range. Will you be able to protect your comrades while fighting me dearimasu?」
「For that…… you aimed at the Shelter below? That’s really a cowardly method you’re using isn’t it?」
Mel who finally extinguished the flames dotting her armor glared at Ney.
「Cowardly is the complaints of fool who cannot break through their present situation dearimasu. Though it can’t be helped for a kid to be like that.」
「──Hah, now you’re talking.」
Mel laughed off the provocation, but here she noticed how terrifyingly disadvantageous the position she was put into.
The flame below should have been extinguished just now, but Salamander torched the forest once more and it was beginning to spread.
(So this girl intentionally paired with me who has Ddraig Gweiber was for this.)
Mel was able to extinguish Salamander’s flame using the temperature manipulation of the Divine Raiment Dual Shift.
But, if she executed temperature manipulation that instantly extinguished burning flames in a wide range several times, her stamina would be greatly exhausted.
She was a genius Drag-Knight without match in the Ymir Theocracy, but Mel was still a thirteen year old girl. Her stamina was undependable no matter what.
However, if the heat of the flame reached until the Shelter underground, then she would be forced to extinguish the flame.
In contrast, Ney Louches who piloted Salamander was only scattering specially made oil and later the trees of the forest would spread the flame further automatically.
At the very least, she was able to spread flames with effort that was overwhelmingly smaller than Mel.
(If this become a drawn-out battle, my stamina will be inevitably reduced and I’ll lose! Then──I can only deal with the enemy before that!)
Mel instantly grasped the battle situation and accelerated Ddraig Gweiber.
The special armament that exhaled combustible vapor and ignited it to burn a wide area, Aerial Buster was unusable.
With the surrounding area in flame already, the refined gas would explode right away the moment it was produced.
Furthermore the enemy was fighting near the Shelter, so Ground Buster that destroyed the ground from inside also couldn’t be fired.
Almost all of Mel’s advantages was taken away the moment the opponent was using Salamander.
「Naturally, you will try to fight me using normal fighting only dearimasu.」
Mel flew in a straight line and drew near with her Halberd raised up, in response Ney Louches leaped with an arcing trajectory to run away.
If she slipped between the trees of the burning forest, she couldn’t be targeted so easily from the sky.
The moment Mel saw that Ney was moving to buy time, she predicted the enemy’s escape route and activated her Divine Raiment.
「──Dual Shift! Crumble down from overheating!」
She provided high temperature with the opponent’s Divine Drag-Ride as the target.
It was a temperature manipulation attack by the method of causing overheating to induce power down on the enemy Drag-Ride, but Ney Louches and Salamander didn’t even twitch.
「Looks like you have resistance to heat just as expected. That Drag-Ride is──」
「Naturally dearimasu. A fire lizard that got done in by its own flame cannot even become a joke. This Drag-Ride has a special armament, Red Proof dearimasu.」
Like that Ney informed the name of the special armament of heat isolation that was applied on Salamander’s shell.
In addition, the other special armament the Pike attacked at Mel.
「Heat Zone!」
Mel and Ddraig Gweiber tried to strike with their Halberd while swooping down. In respond Ney and Salamander thrust up from the ground using their Pike.
The spear’s tip emitted flame that acted as blinder. It aimed to thrust through Mel’s human face.
「How uncouth to try to burn a woman’s face like this」
But Mel dodged it so that it only slightly grazed the armor on her head, and without stopping she landed on the ground.
Without delay she used the recoil of the landing impact and charged forward. Her Halberd’s attack landed on Ney.
「Uguh!? Since when, it became……land battle type dearimasu!?」
The attack that was done while she was swooping down was a feint from the start. The attack after she transformed into land battle type was the main attack.
Convertible Divine Drag-Ride Ddraig Gweiber was rare even throughout the world. It could freely switch between land or midair battle skillfully.
The flight form before she approached near was advantageous for holding the enemy in check, but it was far stronger in close range when the strategy had been carried out like this.
「It’s a big mistake if you think that I’m solely relying on my Divine Raiment and special armaments you know?」
Despite being the youngest Seven Dragon Paladin, she was called the prodigy Drag-Knight.
As though to show it off, Mel surpassed Ney with her fighting skill.
Salamander tried to escape using its four legs to leap away, in response Mel skated with her Drag-Ride’s wheels and quickly approached.
That piloting technique that easily cleared the unfavorable area deep inside the forest with snow piling up on the ground made Ney opened her eyes wide in shock.
「In this terrain, in this environment, you can pilot the Drag-Ride to that degree dearimasu?」
「There is no way me who came from the Ymir Theocracy will falter just from this much snow isn’t it?」
The special equipment type Divine Drag-Ride Salamander couldn’t stop the power of a land battle type.
Even when she used camouflage to escape, there was no time for that.
Each time she blocked the Halberd’s attack, Salamander’s armor and mobile frame creaked and she was getting cornered.
Even when she tried to escape by leaping into the flames, Mel extinguished the flame around her in that instant using her Divine Raiment of temperature manipulation and pursued.
The decision Mel made that brought this into a decisive battle of brief duration was correct.
Except one thing.
The Automata they faced. Ney Louches and Lu Calia’s plan, if it was included──
(I’m stronger than her. And yet──why? I can’t defeat her! It’s just one more step!)
Mel rushed to bring down Ney with all her strength, but she was feeling something was out of place.
Ney Louches was also desperately enduring Mel’s fierce attack, but that wasn’t the reason why she couldn’t defeat her.
Every single one of the Halberd attacks Mel swung missed the target.
(Is my attack swinging too hastily because of my impatience? No, such thing is──)
Impossible. That was Mel’s judgment.
Furthermore Ney sometimes was also giving support to the other Automata──Lu Calia by sending flame attacks.
She didn’t want to be thought of as holding back Greifer.
However, the stamina of Mel who was covering up for Greifer due to her obstinacy suddenly reached the limit.
「A, aa……」
The power output of her Drag-Ride decreased sharply and she became unable to pursue Ney and Salamander who were fighting while retreating.
Ney who was wearing a half destroyed Divine Drag-Ride sent a relieved expression at Mel.
「It’s finally bearing fruit dearimasu. Our plan that is──」
「Haa, haa……」
Mel’s breathing was roughening.
Inside the forest that was enveloped in flame since some time ago.
Mel did her best to not inhale the smoke and fire sparks, but she didn’t imagine that she would end up lacking oxygen.
Due to the great amount of flame, the air in the surroundings was thinning. There the compensation of her going into offense that was thoroughly burdening her body became an exhaustion of stamina that attacked her.
Mel herself didn’t know about the gas called carbon dioxide, but a pilot of Drag-Ride would at least know that the air in high places was thin.
She was sensing that the same phenomenon was happening to her.
(I can’t, win anymore……. At the very least, Krulcifer. If you manage to do something about Lizsharte──)
Mel sensed that the chance of her defeat was increasing and lifted her face from the ground.
Her gaze that was filled with a faint hope was taken away by the intense battle that was developing in the sky above.
Part 6
「I’ll allow you to surrender if you do it now, Krulcifer. Even if you’re going mad, I have no leeway to go easy on you after all.」
「I’m relieved hearing that. I was thinking that I want to try fighting you seriously once one day.」
Greifer and Lu Calia.
Mel and Ney Louches .
They were fighting near the Shelter. At the same time.
Lisha who was the main force of the New Kingdom and Krulcifer who was the only remaining fighting strength on Lux’s side were confronting each other.
They both had been strengthened by Baptism and they were also in perfect condition.
And then through the repeated mock battles between fellow Syvalles members, they also fully knew about each other’s hands.
Exactly because of that their true worth was questioned.
How had they polished themselves until now, and what kind of path they would walk from here on.
「Here I come, princess.」
「Come, Krulcifer! I’ll open your eyes!」
Right after they exchanged those words of duel, they both started to move.
The Divine Drag-Ride Tiamat that Lisha was piloting and Fafnir that Krulcifer was piloting.
Both specialized in long range attacks and mobility, but their disposition was completely different.
*Tan-!*
First Krulcifer pulled the trigger of Freezing Cannon and fired the preemptive sniping shot.
The freezing bullet that was fired from the special armament sniper rifle would seal the opponent’s movement with certainty if it hit even once.
In response Lisha blocked it using one of her Legions as a shield, at the same time she aimed at Krulcifer using the remaining eleven projectile weapons.
「Wise Blood!」
Krulcifer wasted no time to sense Lisha’s aim using the Divine Raiment of future prediction.
She made full use of Fafnir’s mobility and avoided with large movement so that the opponent’s aim couldn’t narrow into her.
「You suddenly rely on foresight without even trying to predict each other?」
「I’m amazed you can say that while using this kind of attack. You yourself──aren’t serious.」
Krulcifer smiled wryly at Lisha’s provocation while responding back.
From the future prediction she saw Lisha driving lethal consecutive attacks on her.
In the shadow of a Legion, Lisha also fired a pursuing Legion in a position that the opponent couldn’t see. It was her technique Hide Shot.
The instant Fafnir’s automatic shields, Auto Shield blocked it, Lisha would make a gravity field using her Divine Raiment Suppressor and crucify Krulcifer instantly.
And then using her main cannon Seven Heads, she would destroy her armor from above the guard.
That was Lisha’s sure kill combo, but if Krulcifer was fixated with sniping and stopped moving then she would instantly be defeated.
She affirmed that fact once more and strengthened her vigilance.
Fafnir was a powerful frame, but it had to be said that it had no firepower to decide the battle in an instant.
It had to accurately sniped the Force Core, or go through the process of sealing the opponent’s movement using freezing bullet before dealing the finishing blow.
(But, the princess is also familiar with long range attackx. She has the eyes that can see through her opponent’s sniping.)
The possibility of her reading the habit of Krulcifer’s sniping that went through the fastest and shortest route was especially high.
Of course if she dodged with simple movement, Krulcifer could snipe at Lisha’s landing point using her Divine Raiment’s prediction.
Therefore continuing to move in an illogical route that didn’t reflect her own thought was the method to dodge Fafnir’s sniping. Lisha knew that.
Krulcifer had also prepared the method to destroy that countermeasure.
In order to accurately measure the opponent’s movement, she could just make the opponent to have no leeway.
When she became unable to do anything except choosing the best movement, the reading of Wise Blood would be completely accurate and the scenario to reach the finish would be written.
(In other words, it’s essential to steal the opponent’s weapon first even if it takes time.)
Krulcifer concluded so and sniped continuously using a mix of normal bullets and freezing bullet even knowing that it would be dodged.
On the other hand it would be troublesome to dodge all of Lisha’s Legions that were approaching her in pursuit, but she also had an idea about how to deal with that.
「──Freezing Cannon.」
The Legion that was fired to aim at Krulcifer was frozen using freezing bullet and fell down.
She dodged the remaining attacks by flying in the air to dodge and repeated the same thing.
Of course, she didn’t let her guard down against Seven Heads and Suppressor.
Two, three, four.
When she was shot down a third of the twelve projectile weapons just as planned, Krulcifer sighed in relieve.
But, right after that,
「The usual tactic huh, there isn’t any art in it, Krulcifer!」
「-……!?」
Lisha yelled, at the same time she deployed her Divine Raiment the gravity field in a wide range.
The whole area of sky where Lisha and Krulcifer were flying around was covered with purple light.
(My goodness, for the Suppressor to be applied in this wide range……, but──)
She was shocked but also relieved inside at the same time.
(This choice is a blunder that comes from impatience. Even if she is going full strength, if it’s spread this widely then the gravity burden should also be small.)
And then most importantly, Lisha’s stamina should be rapidly exhausted.
Even if she was using this field for null gravity, it wouldn’t be hard to deal with it if it was only for dodging.
If she was able to focus on dodging here until the end, Krulcifer would be greatly closer to victory.
The instant she thought that and felt convinced of her victory, she was caught by a strange discomfort.
「──!? Why, the Drag-Ride’s movement is──」
She should have piloted Fafnir to ascend with the gravity field’s influence included in her calculation, but her altitude was lower than expected.
The remaining eight Legion rotated to surround the bewildered Krulcifer.
They obstructed her movement and created an unseen cage.
「Did you think that I have exposed all of my trump cards in my mock battles with you?」
The instant Krulcifer stopped moving after noticing the abnormality, *Dou-!* Tiamat’s main cannon Seven Heads fired.
The extremely thick beam of light approached Fafnir in a straight line. It blew Fafnir away along with the Auto Shield.
「Tsu……! AAH!」
It was too late when Krulcifer noticed the trick behind the wide range gravity magnetic field.
The special armament shield and barrier were pierced. A part of the armor was smashed.
Lisha displayed the specialty of Tiamat that concealed overwhelming destructive power.
Part 7
「What’s that!? What happened?」
「No. I don’t understand. Why was Krulcifer-san hit?」
「I get it that Legion surrounded Krulcifer missy and limited her movement. The problem is why she wasn’t able to escape. Even though it looked like she was dealing with the gravity burden of Suppressor that was laid out in a wide range──」
Seeing the fight that was projected on the screen, Tillfur, Noct, and Sharis were each raising bewildered voices.
Right below the Ancient Forest where a deathly battle of three versus three was taking place, inside Avalon’s rest facility Shelter, everyone present was watching the battle with held breath.
The fighting strength of their side should be sufficient, but when the lid was opened, all three of their fighters were placed at a disadvantage.
Even among those three, the exchange of tactics of the fight they were watching right now was especially strange.
「I also don’t get it at all. Why did Krulcifer-san of all people make a blunder in her control of Drag-Ride──」
Airi was also muttering that in confusion.
The gravity burden in a wide range by the Divine Raiment Suppressor.
Krulcifer who was flying inside it mistook her movement destination and she got surrounded by Legions.
That she got hit by the main cannon──Seven Heads was simply the result of that.
But, in the first place the gravity burden by Suppressor just now didn’t look like it was any threat whatsoever when it was watched from the side.
That was why they were puzzled at Krulcifer who was unable to deal with the slight change in gravity.
「Don’t tell me, there is some kind of breakdown in her Drag-Ride──」
Aeril’s uneasy guess was only natural.
That was just how much they trusted in the skill of the girl called Krulcifer.
「No, Aeril. You don’t know because you haven’t stayed in the academy for long but── Most likely that was a trap from Lisha.」
「……!?」
Celis who was boasted as the Academy’s Strongest considered the happenings on the other side of the screen.
Hearing that, the Seven Dragon Paladin Rosa beside her lifted her face.
「Trap? That blonde girl…… Princess Lisha only looked like she was creating a weak gravity field using her Divine Raiment in a wide range thouugh?」
Even if she laid out a trap, she shouldn’t have any other weapon.
Of course Lisha also had Over Unit but, right now it still hadn’t been summoned.
「Yes, that’s why, she only has one Suppressor. But if you watch carefully, there was an unnatural phenomenon at that time.」
「Unnatural, phenomenon?」
Soffice parroted those words in question. Then Philuffy who was staying quiet until now──or rather she was basically taciturn so she wouldn’t really say anything──opened her mouth.
「The movement of, tree’s leaves. The momentum of the snow falling from the tree due to the gravity burden was different depending on the spot.」
「──!?」
The words that Philuffy spoke of caused everyone to show shocked expression wordlessly.
Celis was the only one nodding with a serious expression.
「That’s right. Most likely Lisha created a gravity field in a wide range while differentiating the strength of the field in each spot. It’s like the marble pattern. I haven’t grasped it accurately, even so it’s a big threat to someone who is trying to move normally.」
Especially for a sniper like Krulcifer who paid importance to the sense of distance, frame’s angle, recoil, and so on more than usual, the gravity burden was differing depending on the spot would be even more troublesome than imagined.
And it would be even truer for her who was using precision and delicate movements as her strong point.
After all she would have to change her reaction in response to the gravity burden each time she moved.
「The effect will weaken if the Divine Raiment is used in a wide range. That common sense is instead used to unexpectedly disturb Krulcifer-san’s movement slightly and for nothing else, is that what you’re saying?」
Celis nodded at Airi’s thought.
The proof of that was the difference of the gravity burden that could be sighted using the surrounding trees as comparison.
The speed of the leaf’s fluttering, the falling speed of the snow.
Seeing that Celis and Philuffy guessed what happened.
(How astonishing……. They saw through Lisha-sama’s trap just from that)
Airi was someone who only started to walk the path as a Drag-Knight. But exactly because of that she understood how amazing they were.
But, although the puzzle was solved, it would be difficult to take countermeasures against it.
And then, the fact that Krulcifer and the others were put in a great disadvantage hadn’t changed.
Part 8
Fugil who got out of the Center of Avalon saw a past phantom inside the snowing forest.
「Ogoh, goaah……. Guogaaa……!」
It wasn’t human.
No, it was a monster who wasn’t even worthy to be classified as living thing anymore.
The monster that devoured and absorbed the negative thoughts of humans, Raffi who fused with Sacred Eclipse had her whole body dyed black and transformed into a strange shape.
Her killing intent that bloated up to the extreme sought for even more energy and she was starting to run rampant.
「There is movement outside the Ancient Forest. Is it the soldiers of the Four Great Nobles?」
「Looks like it. Should we head to remove them? If Sacred Eclipse isn’t given fodder like this, then it will head to absorb even them.」
The Automata Arshalia asked in response to Fugil’s question.
Two hours after the battle in the Ancient Forest was halted.
Sacred Eclipse that lost its target of predation reacted to the only battle that was occurring in this forest which was the battle of Lisha and the others. It was going to head there.
There might be one more possibility. The several Drag-Knights that were standing guard over the Ancient Forest might ask for reinforcements from the New Kingdom using their own judgment.
Raffi ordered the private soldiers of the Four Great Nobles to stand guard over this battle, but it was outside their assumption that the battle would be prolonged by this much.
Therefore, the perception binding by the world revision was also starting to come apart.
If a lot of Drag-Knights came from outside the forest as reconnaissance, the rampaging Raffi would devour them and then destroy the New Kingdom itself in the end.
If that happened, there would be no way to stop Sacred Eclipse until it destroyed itself.
「I don’t mind, that is also fate. After Sacred Eclipse starts running it won’t stop until it reaches the end point. If that happens that only means the history this time is ending with that.」
「…………」
Fugil answered like that. The Automata stared at him emotionlessly.
To give the order for Sacred Eclipse to stop, energy had to be focused on Avalon temporarily.
But it would take the time of nearly half a day in order to do that.
It was because multiple Automata had been made to operate in full power for the sake of this battle.
It was also a similar case with the required energy for Uroboros’s world revision.
「Li……sha, my, dau」
Sacred Eclipse dragged itself searching for something.
It moved towards Lizsharte, the step daughter that she was fixated on when she was a human.
If she wasn’t stopped, the hell that would occur after this wouldn’t end quickly.
Except if the one in a ten thousand chance of Lux and the others defeating the present Sacred Eclipse actually happened.
「Is this your limit, Lux? Are you going to end here──」
Fugil threw his question towards empty air. There was no one to answer him.
The blizzard was gradually strengthening.
Part 9
「Surrender Krulcifer. It’s pointless to fight more than this.」
Lisha who was hovering in the air warned Krulcifer on the ground.
Fafnir that was hit directly by Seven Heads was half destroyed. Now it could only display less than half of its normal performance.
Lisha too couldn’t use Over Unit because it was in the middle of repair, but her trump card from Baptism was also still remaining.
「There is no way I’ll lose against you……. Against you who doesn’t even notice what you’re doing……」
「What are you saying? Just what are you saying?」
Lisha tilted her head at Krulcifer’s gasping words.
「You don’t notice? No, you should have noticed it. If it’s you who has received Baptism and fought against Lux-kun, you should be able to remember. That the world you’re seeing right now is actually false.」
「…………」
Lisha’s expression didn’t change even after hearing Krulcifer’s words.
She was only showing her face that was resolved to accomplish her mission.
「That’s pointless, Krulcifer. Uroboros’s binding won’t be broken with just that much……」
Mel said that while handling the Pike of Salamander that was worn by Ney Louches.
「Even we are still half in disbelief. It’s pointless addressing someone who doesn’t even notice.」
Similarly Greifer was also speaking bluntly while fighting Lu Calia.
If the perception binding could be dispelled just by talking for a bit, then Lux would done so right from the start.
But, right now, Krulcifer was convinced.
「……False you say?」
Lisha who was hovering in the sky wearing Tiamat heard Krulcifer’s voice and frowned slightly.
「Yes, that’s right. You just don’t want to believe it. That your step mother Queen Raffi is the source of all evil. Also, how she is possessed by Sacred Eclipse, how her heart is used, and also how she assassinated the important people getting in her way behind the scenes of that parade──」
「Don’t speak nonsense! I won’t let you off if you insult Haha-ue even more than that!」
Lisha drew out her Sword Device and took a fighting stance while deploying her Legion once more.
「Insult? No, not saying this is nothing more than insulting you. Princess Lisha. I recognized you as someone worthy to compete against and as a friend. Towards you──」
Hearing that, Lisha’s whole body was starting to shake.
Lisha herself didn’t understand what Krulcifer was speaking about or what was going on.
But, it seemed Lisha’s body was unconsciously reacting towards the story that was nothing more than a bunch of nonsense for the current Lisha.
「For you, her majesty Queen Raffi is the same like you. That’s why you want to save her, you want to share her pain and become stronger. That’s why the truth that is happening right now is hard to believe for you. I know that it’s a harsh fate. But──」
「……Shut up!」
Eight Legions attacked to cut off Krulcifer’s words.
In response Krulcifer ascended along with Fafnir and quickly pulled the sniper rifle’s trigger.
「It should be a wall that you have to overcome no matter what if you’re going to introduce yourself as a princess!」
「Tsu……!」
Sniping while flying at high speed.
However, Lisha also naturally defended by strengthening Tiamat’s barrier.
But── the normal bullet didn’t hit Lisha and only grazed before flying to behind her.
(It’s missing? Did she mistake her control?)
The next instant after Lisha thought that.
*Dou-!*
「Wha-……!?」
A sharp impact pierced the back wings of Tiamat.
Until now she couldn’t see clearly because it was hidden by the shade of the tree below but, when she noticed, the face and skin of Krulcifer who was looking up at her had geometrical patterns.
──Full Connect.
A fused state with a Drag-Ride that could only be used by a Key’s Supervisor.
By fusing a part of a Drag-Ride and flesh body through nanomachines, it realized even more precise and faster piloting.
The last remaining Auto Shield that wasn’t blown away by Seven Heads was positioned behind Lisha without anyone noticing.
「So that’s, how it is……!」
If Krulcifer herself rapidly ascended while readying her sniper rifle, Lisha who was facing her would inevitably have her gaze guided towards her way.
She made her let her guard down towards her back and intentionally missed her shot so it was reflected by the shield, sniping the back that had a thin barrier.
「But, do you get it Krulcifer! The meaning of doing Full Connect with Fafnir that is in that state!」
The flaw of Full Connect wasn’t just the great exhaustion mentally. Because the Drag-Knight was connected directly to the armor, the feedback of damage was far heavier than normal.
To say nothing of how the current Fafnir couldn’t even produce a barrier satisfactorily, and its protective armor was also half destroyed.
In other words, even some light damage would become great and she wouldn’t be able to avoid fatal damage if she was hit by a strong attack.
「I’m resolved for that. If I can’t win against you without doing this then──」
「Why? Why are you putting yourself at risk until that much! You who came from the Ymir Theocracy!」
Lisha who was wearing Tiamat that had its back wings shot and its mobility lowered sent out Legions once more towards Krulcifer.
In response Krulcifer also dodged them while firing repeatedly with Freezing Cannon. She was reducing the remaining Legions one by one.
Thanks to Full Connect, even the half destroyed Fafnir could accurately read their trajectory and shoot them down.
But──the limit was approaching in the blink of an eye.
White breath was leaking out from Krulcifer’s lips due to extreme exhaustion.
「This isn’t for your sake or the New Kingdom’s sake. You should understand if it’s you. If it’s you who has the same feelings as me!」
Her stamina already crossed over the limit.
The remaining time she could wear Fafnir with Full Connect was also only left slightly.
Do or die.
With that resolve, Krulcifer made her last bet.
In order to release Lisha from the perception binding.
Part 10
「Hah, that woman……she is like always. Even though she normally acts cool, she is passionate at this kind of time ain’t she.」
Seeing Krulcifer exerting her remaining strength, Greifer who was fighting nearby grinned.
He remembered the time when he fought her one on one in the capital of the New Kingdom in the past.
「Looks like you like to make idle talk don’t youu? Even though you aren’t a match against me at all.」
The Automata with mechanical cat ears, Lu Calia made a provocation, but he couldn’t object at all.
He couldn’t deal against Quetzalcoatl that she was wearing at all.
(This fellow is also really troublesome in her own way. Even after fighting this long, I still can’t grasp what her Divine Raiment did even though she should be using it all this time.)
Even when he attacked or defended, he was unable to guess even a portion of the enemy’s ability.
He felt like he was fighting a ghost.
Of course Greifer wasn’t just fixated solely on exposing the opponent’s Divine Raiment.
But, even when he tried to win by brute force, all his attacks were made to miss without exception.
No──rather than he was made to miss, calling it 『he missed』 would be the correct expression.
And then, the closer the distance he fought the enemy, the more striking that fact became.
(I don’t get it. What’s more, that other damn Automata fighting Mel is also butting in, so it becomes even harder to understand this fellow’s secret.)
Ney Louches that was also fighting near the Shelter would fire Salamander’s flame and gave back up at every important juncture.
But, in the end it was only light attacks.
The support fire wasn’t to the degree that could be called as the two of them fighting together.
However, because the forest was burned even the oxygen im the surroundings was thinned down. Even Greifer was indirectly getting cornered.
「Please stop resisting alreadyy. All of you originally shouldn’t have any reason to fight isn’t iit. That was why master also left all of you alive.」
「Even if you think there ain’t any reason, but I have a reason!」
Greifer slashed with Tail Blade while spitting out those words.
But, the sword tip shifted slightly from his aim and hit the elbow part of the armored arm.
(As I thought. My attack is missing……. Why!?)
The reason his attack was dodged wasn’t due to anything like trajectory control by something like a force field or the likes that were created by a Drag-Ride.
Because if that was the case, then the opponent should be trying to deal with all his attacks.
He still didn’t understand the basis of the enemy’s strength.
But, these Automata already knew about this side’s abilities.
Not just the ability of the Divine Drag-Ride they were wearing, but also the dispositions of the users Mel and Greifer.
『──Hey, young lady. Can you hear? Are you alright? The flame your opponent send here is getting in my way y’know.』
『…………』
Here, Greifer for the first time sent contact using Dragon Voice to talk to Mel who was fighting at a distance within his sight.
But, Mel didn’t show any reaction.
『Oi, can you hear me pipsqueak. Are you dead already?』
『You’re annoying, you cock head! Who’re you calling pipsqueak huh! I’ll punch you flying.』
『What, you’re still high spirited huh. Then, reply to me when I call you young lady.』
『Who’re you calling young lady. Are you insinuating something? Besides when did you say anything like that? I didn’t hear it.』
『──?』
Both sides didn’t lose focus on their respective battle even while sending frivolous lines to each other.
Greifer tried talking to Mel because he realized the limit of fighting alone.
──No, rather than saying that he realized, he was feeling a strange discomfort.
(Why can’t we win. I have a hunch that the secret to that is in the cooperation of these two Automata.)
For Greifer who had persisted with the fighting style of a lone wolf until now, it was a method that he didn’t really desire but, from fighting together with Lux and the other Seven Dragon Paladins, doing joint battles wasn’t something that was outside of his capability.
The strong people who were close to him changed him.
And then just now by an accident.
His Dragon Voice communication that didn’t reach Mel brought a single hint to Greifer.
『Oi Mel. It’s unusual for you to have this much trouble. Did something happen?』
『Don’t make…… useless talk. I’m running out of breath because the air here is thin……』
『Other than that, your attacks also keep missing ain’t it? What’s more it happened at every important point. That’s why you can’t defeat your opponent.』
『……Be quiet. This time I’ll hit without fail, watch me.』
Mel replied like that with a brave front, perhaps she was getting impatient due to her depleting stamina.
But, hearing the story from Mel who was in the same position as him, a certain theory was created inside Greyfer.
『Aa, as I thought it’s the same with you huh. Let me ask you a bit, how many percent of your attack that missed?』
『I don’t want to say……』
『This is something important. From your tone a lot of your attacks missed huh. ……I see, so that’s the trick……』
『What are you saying?』
『No, I have a request to you. Just once is fine. Try attacking the cat eared Automata fighting me.』
『Haa, haa……. You’re only asking unreasonable things, it feels like I’m going to die over here you know?』
Mel was completely running out of breath. She was under the fierce attacks of Ney Louches’s Salamander.
Her situation was worsening each second without her being able to find any way to breakthrough even now.
『We’ll lose anyway if we don’t do anything. You want to return the favor to that Krulcifer right?』
『I get it……already!』
Mel nodded and put her last strength into both her hands that were controlling Ddraig Gweiber.
And then the moment her distance with Greifer became short, she activated her Divine Raiment.
「Dual Shift!」
「──Her aim isn’t me! Lu Calia, be careful dearimasu! Your Drag-Ride’s Force Core is targeted.」
Ney Louches who was facing Mel immediately yelled that out.
「……-!」
The Divine Raiment’s energy that surged from the armor attacked Lu Calia who was fighting in the sky wearing Quetzalcoatl.
Using temperature manipulation the surrounding of the Force Core was made to have high temperature. Mel’s aim was to lower the power output using overheating, but for some reason it didn’t hit even though she unleashed the attack with a perfect timing.
「──- as I thought. How!? Even though I’m tired I was focused when I did that attack!」
Mel whose attack missed even though it was launched from behind Lu Calia yelled.
「No, it’s good that it didn’t hit. Because of that my attack hit.」
But in that moment, the Tail Blade that Greyfer swung from in front of Lu Calia drew an arc and stabbed the back wings of Quetzalcoatl that she was wearing.
「Hoow?」
The back wings that contained thruster device were destroyed and Quetzalcoatl descended sharply.
「How dare you wound our pride. It was that kind of trick since the beginning. Your Divine raiment randomly throws a Drag-Ride’s control out of whack isn’t it?」
「…………」
Lu Calia didn’t reply to Greifer’s remark.
But, it was right on the mark. In exchange, Mel asked from nearby.
「What do you mean by the Drag-Ride’s movement becoming random? Is it……something like malfunction?」
「Something close I think, but that ain’t correct. They aimed at when we controlled the Drag-Ride using body control operation and mind control operation, and then they shifted it bit by bit on the whole. That’s why the more accurate our aim is, the more they can dodge an attack to their vital spot.」
In order to move a Drag-Ride, the pilot used their body part like finger or foot to operate a lever or switch. The machine response at that time, the number value inside the system got subtly put out of order.
The Divine Raiment put the Drag-Ride within its range under that influence.
That was the power of Quetzalcoatl’s Switch Loader.
The Divine Raiment was also used on Mel too so the truth wasn’t discovered. It also became a back up for Ney Louches’s battle.
The two Automata pretended to attack the Shelter below and fought near each other was because of their objective to fight together secretly from the start.
「Then how did your attack just now hit──」
「That’s why, I intentionally attacked to miss while I told you to normally aim at the vital spot.」
Greifer answered Mel’s question cheerfully.
Lu Calia wouldn’t use Divine Raiment Switch Loader if the attack wouldn’t hit her anyway from the start.
However, it wouldn’t be possible to bring her down if he didn’t aim to deal a hard blow.
Therefore he told Mel to attack and aimed at the timing when Lu Calia used her Divine Raiment.
「I seee. If it’s like this then certainly we won’t be able to win without going full power. It’s a miscalculatioon.」
After Greifer landed his attack on Quetzalcoatl’s shoulder, he continued by entangling Tail Blade around her and tore her apart.
The power output of Quetzalcoatl that got hit on its Force Core decreased drastically and it started to free fall.
「Buuut, even if you defeat me, there is still the other one you knoow」
「I know, that’s why you made it so the battle is in this form isn’t it?」
In order to break through Lu Calia’s defense, Mel showed a big opening to Ney.
「So Lu Calia is defeated……! Then I’ll defeat this girl right away and make the battle one on one dearimasu!」
Although one of them was defeated, Greifer and Mel already had no stamina remaining.
Ney aimed at the gap of Mel’s armor from behind and thrust her pike to kill.
In that instant, Greifer quickly passed from Mel’s front to her back and stood in the way of Ney.
「……!?」
The tip of Heat Zone that focused the energy into one point possessed the power to deal a sure kill attack against any kind of Drag-Ride.
For a moment Ney Louches wondered if Greyfer planned to die in Mel’s place, but a light covered the armor he wore and the flame spear’s thrust was easily repelled.
「──This is, Photon Dive!?」
The Divine Raiment of invincibility that deflected all enemy attacks.
Of course it was a known ability for Ney Louches.
But, because Grefer had never showed it even once in this battle until now, her vigilance was unconsciously slackening without her noticing.
「I deliberately kept it in reserve yeah, just for this chance!」
「……But, that’s all. It’s possible to deal with!」
Her vigilance became thin but, if it was the opponent’s Divine Raiment then it was always there at the corner of her mind.
It became impossible to defeat Mel here, but she was already at her last leg.
「More importantly, you should be careful too dearimasu. Your stamina is already at the limit after all──」
「…………」
Greifer fell silent at what Ney pointed out.
That was certainly a fact.
Ney Louches and Lu Calia. The two of them entered this battle with invisible teamwork.
Lu Calia used Quetzalcoatl’s Divine Raiment Switch Loader and blocked the attack of the opponents including Mel by randomizing their Drag-Ride’s controls at every important timing. Ney Louches burned the nearby trees with Salamander’s flame and decreased the surrounding oxygen to shave the opponents’ stamina, including Greifer’s.
They showed at the surface that their teamwork was minimal while in reality their tactic was to fight as a team.
Besides, Greifer already didn’t have the stamina to finish her off.
If she focused on defense like this until the invincibility of Photon Dive ran out she would win── Ney was convinced of that.
「HAAAAH!」
It was unknown whether Greifer knew it or not but, he launched a fierce attack using Tail Blade.
In response Ney also squeezed out her last strength and swept away the attack using Heat Zone.
(Excluding Arshalia-sama, I’m the last one of the seven Automata dearimasu……. I cannot lose here in order to show our loyalty!)
The attack of Greifer that aimed precisely at the Drag-Ride’s vital spot was also terrific.
He persistently swung at her from the side, but Ney also didn’t lose.
Although the Heat Zone of her Pike was breaking down, she completely held off the attack.
「I win! Photon Dive is also going to run out in a few seconds dearimasu! With this if I go to assist Princess Lisha later──」
She would accomplish the dearest wish of her current master Raffi.
And also the feeling of her master Arshalia that was entrusted to Sacred Eclipse.
It should be like that but.
「You can’t see your surroundings eh, as expected from a doll. Do you think you’re the only one who can work together secretly?」
「──!?」
The words of Greifer who focused on attacking and cornering her to a certain direction until now made Ney show a confused expression.
「Is protecting that monster really the loyalty of you guys? Is that the wish of your master? You won’t be able to see anything if you’re bent on just that yeah. After all I also have experienced something like that.」
「What are you, wasting your breath about dearimasu? With your Cuelebre, there is no more way to defeat me──」
「The form of a master-servant relationship and the form of teamwork ain’t just one y’know? There is a master-servant relationship that that is done strictly, and there is also teamwork where one side lends their strength without letting the other notice. You guys are just turning a blind eye to it.」
「──!?」
Greifer said that and brandished his Tail Blade once more.
Because the invincibility from Photon Dive was still continuing, Ney reflexively took a defensive stance with her Pike.
But, the slash of Greifer’s Tail Blade that drew a spiraling arc didn’t hit Ney and Salamander, but the pile of snow behind them.
*Gakin!* A high pitched metallic sound resounded from behind.
Right after that, a great explosive impact burst from the center of the sound.
.
──*DOGUUUN!*
.
「……A, gua. Aaa……!」
The destructive energy that was generated from behind pierced Salamander’s armor and pulverized the wearer Ney’s body.
The upper body that was broken into two lied on the snow with her face facing up.
「What……. Happened just now dearimasu? Just what……!」
She was barely able to comprehend that it wasn’t an attack that Greifer himself unleashed.
His only weakness was his inability to display an instantaneous and overwhelming attack power.
Besides, the explosion just now was an attack that couldn’t possibly be done using the equipment and Divine Raiment that he had.
The Divine Raiment of invincibility finally vanished from the armor of Greifer who was looking down on Ney.
「I said it right? We also planned to work together. The explosive that was created by that pipsqueak’s special armament was set up in the ground here.」
「……!」
Ney too immediately noticed after the trick’s secret was exposed like that.
The bullet created by Mel’s Ddraig Gweiber──Ground Buster was hidden under the snow a slight distance away from the Shelter.
The special armament of Ddraig Gweiber was indiscriminate but displayed amazing power in a wide range. Its compatibility was good with the Photon Dive of Greifer’s Cuelebre.
Even if in a situation where he got dragged into the attack, he could endure it using invincibility and deal damage to enemy one-sidedly.
However, if there was a hint of such tactic in the work, the Automata would naturally be on their guard against it.
「So……the two of you, also……secretly, work with each other……. Due to that Black Hero’s guidance.」
Ney Louches whose function was about to stop formed her words haltingly.
In response Greifer shook his head slightly and replied.
「It’s not like it’s all thanks to Lux alone. No, that guy himself is also succeeding the vice captain──Singlen’s will. All of us received someone else’s influence and became stronger. You guys are acting with unshakable will and faith but──. You have completely forgotten about what you obtained from your encounters with the fellows in this era. That’s the cause of your defeat.」
「Forget, ting. Is it, dearimasu……. My, memory……」
Light was gradually vanishing from the eyes of Ney Louches who only had her upper body now.
Due to Raffi who connected with the Center of Avalon, the past memory was poured into Automata. Ney and the other Automata lost the memories of the time they spent with Lux and others.
But, she remembered a little bit.
That girl called Krulcifer was also helped by Lux and crawled up from the abyss of despair.
「Even when lost, and defeated, they don’t forget, and stand up. Is that the true, strength, of humans dearimasu……. Krulcifer-sama, please, stay safe.」
At the snowing grey sky, the dancing figure of the Key’s Supervisor girl who talked to her in the Ymir Theocracy in the past was reflected on her eyes.
The sublime figure of the master who she trusted was there.
Part 11
「Haa, haa……haah!」
A deathly battle was unfolding in the sky above the snowing Ancient Forest.
Krulcifer whose Drag-Ride was half destroyed was making full use of future prediction and formed methods of attack and defense with a single sniper rifle.
She wrung out her remaining strength and held Lisha back with Sharp Shooting.
On the other hand Lisha also used Suppressor and Legion to corner Krulcifer and decide the battle.
When Krulcifer dodged the gravity field, she struck with Legion and saved her armor.
At the same time she paid great attention to the counterattack from her and dodged.
Because she couldn’t completely dodge the sniping using future prediction, she focused on not getting hit by fatal damage and continued a battle that was at the very limit.
The two Automata──Ney Louches and Lu Calia were defeated by Greifer and Mel.
However, the two Seven Dragon Paladins who won just barely were wounded all over.
They were unable to even wear their armor anymore. The communication from Airi’s Drake told her that they evacuated to Shelter.
And then──now.
Krulcifer who was partially fused with Fafnir using Full Connect was in the middle of a deathly battle with Lisha.
If she didn’t defeat Lisha here and made her return to her senses, it would be the defeat of all of them at Lux’s side.
(But, this is already the limit huh……. Full Connect won’t hold for even one more minute.)
Lisha was activating the power of Baptism that was burning the energy she stockpiled.
The power of Baptism that Krulcifer obtained was in order for her to fuse with a Drag-Ride with even more effectiveness, but she already received too much damage to display that ability.
Most of all, she was pushed back by the hidden strength of Lisha who resolved to protect Raffi and the New Kingdom.
.
Everyone along with Greifer and Mel who evacuated into the Shelter were watching the progress of the battle in suspense.
No matter how anyone looked at it, it was clear that the probability of Krulcifer losing was greater.
And then, Lux who was recovering in the adjacent treatment room was also watching that battle, but for some reason his fighting spirit wouldn’t well up.
Even though he had to protect Krulcifer, protect everyone.
Even though he understood it logically, his body wouldn’t move.
(Why? Even though the situation is like this, I──)
He racked his brain inside the dark room, but the answer wouldn’t come out.
「Lu-chan. I’m coming in.」
But, the girl with the deepest relationship with Lux entered inside the room.
「…………」
‘It’s unusual.’
Lux thought.
Because Lux thought that Philuffy wasn’t the type of person who would scold Lux even at this kind of time.
(Wait, just what am I saying……. A man who doesn’t fully understand even about himself right now is──)
Lux was staying inside the treatment mechanical pod wearing his pilot suit. He was staying quiet.
The silver wall in front of his eyes was projecting the fight between Lisha and Krulcifer but, he couldn’t move.
「Thank you, for before. You saved me.」
「…………」
Philuffy sported a small smile on her mouth and said that with her usual tone that was at her own pace.
She didn’t come to send out Lux to fight.
But, even so Lux couldn’t say anything back.
「Lisha-sama. She is still fighting. Surely she is desperate, in order to protect what’s important to her.」
「……Phi-chan. I──」
The weakness that was born inside him.
For some reason he couldn’t use the power of Baptism that he should have obtained and he was unable to stop Lisha. When he tried to say that, his thought came to a stop.
There was no way Lux challenged the New Kingdom with such a weak and naïve thinking.
He led Alma and Aeril, Airi, and then the Seven Dragon Paladins and now even everyone of the New Kingdom and got into a battle like this.
And then, right now he also heard that Raffi too was going to start rampaging as Sacred Eclipse.
In that sense, Lux’s decision to try defeating Raffi without anyone knowing wasn’t wrong.
Lux would take the blame by himself and then it would become peace.
That was the best choice.
In fact it was going well.
And yet──why was he unable to stop Lisha?
Was he feeling hesitation to discard her feelings and break her parent-daughter relationship with Queen Raffi?
.
『It’s pointless you know, Lux. Someone who doesn’t have the resolve to make use of 『evil』 with their own will, someone who cannot sacrifice anyone, it will be meaningless for them no matter how much strength they have. You are, the weakest.』
.
In that case──as expected it was just like Fugil said.
No matter how strong and skilled he became, he didn’t have the caliber to use that.
He had no qualification.
As expected he was, the weakest Drag-Knight.
.
「It’s impossible, for me……. Something like saving the country, with my own strength. In the end, I couldn’t even, use that power.」
Exactly because she was the childhood friend who he trusted more than anyone.
Lux expressed his true feelings to her who knew of Lux’s weakness.
Seeing his figure──Philuffy wasn’t angry.
She wasn’t sad.
She also showed no sign of exasperation or disappointment.
She just got closer beside Lux who was inside the mechanical pod and stared.
To the fight on the surface that was projected on the silver wall.
To Krulcifer who was mustering a desperate effort to talk to Lisha.
And then, she whispered.
「The reason Lu-chan couldn’t fight. Why you couldn’t get serious when facing the princess, somehow, I understand.」
「……That’s, because I’m weak.」
Because he couldn’t control his heart and unleashed the power of Baptism.
Lux’s words came from that thought. But Philuffy denied it.
「That’s not it, Lu-chan.」
Philuffy made a small smile on her lips and whispered beside him.
「That’s because you don’t notice. Your true feeling. That’s why, if you don’t face it.」
「That, what do you mean──」
「You’ll understand, if you look.」
Lured by Philuffy, Lux also stared at the screen on the silver wall.
The figure of Krulcifer mustering her remaining strength to bet on the last attack was projected there.
Part 12
「──Wise Blood – Accel」
Fafnir that was partially fused with Krulcifer emitted dazzling light of Divine Raiment.
At the same time, future prediction that showed the way to her victory was projected on Krulcifer’s own eyes.
But, Lisha wasn’t perturbed even seeing the Divine raiment of certain kill.
「It won’t even become a bluff in that situation! I know all your hands! ──Suppressor!」
Lisha pulled out her Sword Device and yelled. At the same time she also activated Tiamat’s Divine Raiment.
The same as before, random gravity field was formed in the surrounding area by Suppressor to throw Krulcifer’s calculation out of order.
(I knew you would come like that……!)
Wise Blood Accel that could be used in Full Connect mode was a powerful Divine Raiment without equal, but it wasn’t like it altered fate.
It wasn’t a future prediction that depended on the opponent’s action, it only read the pattern to victory with her possible action included with very high precision.
Therefore, if the opponent was strong and Krulcifer had no spare strength, the attack options were limited.
Occassionaly it also wouldn’t be able to deduce the future that led to victory.
Because of that Lisha judged that it wasn’t a threat in this situation.
She would move to decide the battle at last in order to not give time for the Drag-Knights inside the Shelter to recover.
(I’m in overwhelming disadvantage. On the contrary she can already see the flow to victory.)
But because of that there was an opening.
She was already unable to make use of Fafnir’s spec to display speed that even the eye couldn’t follow.
Even Sharp Shooting was lacking in power to finish off Tiamat.
Even so, there was a chance of victory.
Krulcifer weaved through the wave of gravity field while dodging Legion’s attack and flew around Lisha.
The random gravity field that even Lisha herself couldn’t fully grasp was analyzed by Wise Blood Accel and deduced the route to clear it.
「──Lux-kun, I wonder if you’re listening. I wonder if you’re cheering me on? I swear I’ll stop her. I swear I’ll return that girl to her real self without fail. I swear I’ll free her from her false perception!」
「My real self? The strange one here is all of you! Why do you betray the New Kingdom!? Why are you targeting Haha-ue!?」
「You’re, a weak person aren’t you? I can’t entrust Lux-kun to someone like that.」
「──!? Enough with the nonsense!」
Krulcifer circled around with Lisha at the center. She repelled Legion with her sniping while aiming at Lisha.
But Lisha too was moving with small and quick movements. She was escaping from the sniping line that Fafnir’s sniper rifle was aiming at.
It was a long range sniping battle where she poured all her remaining strength into it.
She understood that she wouldn’t be able to keep it up for a minute.
She dodged the attacks of Tiamat, Legion that approached from above, below, left, and right while seeing through the wide range gravity force from Suppressor using Wise Blood while attacking.
But, she couldn’t dodge everything.
With the performance of a half destroyed Fafnir, she was being pushed back by Lisha’s Tiamat even with her using Full Connect.
Bit by bit, her remaining barrier and armor were shaved, and the feedback from it made the damage burdening her heavier.
Even when she was placed in such a predicament, Krulcifer didn’t stop talking to Lisha.
On the other hand Lisha was seized with the frustration of not being able to decide the battle even with the advantage she had built and by a strange uneasiness.
The binding of perception revision.
The sight that was different from the reality that Lisha wished for was creating an out of place feeling.
In a corner of her mind, another Lisha was asking herself.
.
『Your step mother is──a monster.』
──Wrong.
『She despaired from the terror that her sin of selling out her own brother would be exposed. She summoned Sacred Eclipse to her and got possessed. She changed into a monster. And then she dirtied her hands with sin and schemed to rule this country.』
──Wrong.
『There is no more way to save mother. She can’t be saved by you or anyone else. You can only kill her before she starts rampaging.』
──Wrong.
『Everyone wishes for that. You should fulfill your duty as a princess! You have no ally at all. There won’t be anyone who saves you and your step mother. Even your knight is your enemy!』
.
「──Wrong!」
Lisha lifted up her Sword Device as though to shake off her own voice that she was starting to hear inside her head.
She dispelled the Suppressor that was covering a wide area and this time she focused the energy into the main cannon Seven Heads.
「──!? That’s!」
Krulcifer who was fighting to the utmost limit until now held her breath seeing Lisha’s stance.
The gravity sphere of Suppressor that she used when defeating Hayes in the past.
It would suck the person who touched it and compressed them inside. It was Lisha’s greatest sure kill technique.
Krulcifer sensed it the moment Wise Blood that she was using consecutively ran out of time.
There was no chance to defeat Lisha except in this moment.
(If I fail, I will die for sure this time. ──Even so, I can only do it!)
Krulcifer suppressed her exhaustion and pain and flew towards Lisha.
She charged for the last offense and defense.
Part 13
「Krulcifer-san, that’s reckless……!」
Lux got out of the pod. He dragged his heavy body and grabbed his Sword Device.
The repair of Bahamut so it could activate at minimum had been finished.
But, for some reason Philuffy at his side stopped his hand.
「Phi-chan!? Why are you stopping me? If I don’t go quickly, Krulcifer-san will! Right now I’m the only one who can wear a Drag-Ride!」
「That Sword Device, it doesn’t react. Your feeling still hasn’t caught up. That’s why, don’t move.」
The silent Philuffy unusually talked with more word count to persuade Lux.
Just as she said, the Drag-Ride didn’t react even when he pushed the switch on the handle.
(Even though my stamina should have recovered, why──)
This meant that he was unable to carry out the mind control operation.
Not only was he unable to release the power that he obtained from Baptism, he was unable to even summon his Drag-Ride?
Just what in the world was going on with his body?
「Lu-chan, you don’t want to fight. That’s why, the Drag-Ride won’t move. Not noticing that feeling is no good. Not for anyone else, but for none other than Lu-chan yourself.」
「──!?」
Lux gasped hearing Philuffy’s words.
「That’s why, be honest. If you don’t convey your feeling, it’s no good.」
Powerful light was residing in the eyes of his childhood friend.
「My, feeling……. In regards to this battle──」
Why did he become unable to fight? Right now, what did he need to do first?
Lux stared at the battle that was projected on the silver wall while grasping his Sword Device tightly.
Part 14
「──Weak you say!? This me!?」
「Yes, you’re weak. You’re only averting your eyes from reality……. You avert your eyes from your step mother her majesty Queen Raffi and escape into a dream even now.」
Lisha hovered in the air. She swung her Sword Device and moved the Legion with high speed like a storm.
On the other hand Krulcifer focused only on dodging and shot down the projectile weapons one by one.
「Who are you calling running away!? I’ll never abandon Haha-ue!」
「Wrong. No matter how painful it is, you should look straight at reality. If you don’t do that, you won’t be able to walk forward! This world is going to end!」
Krulcifer was gradually closing in.
She used her last remaining Auto Shield for reflection shot while landing a normal bullet on Tiamat’s arm.
「Tsu……!?」
With a jerk the center of gravity of the frame tilted. Lisha’s attention was slightly diverted to correct her balance.
Krulcifer mustered her remaining strength and activated Wise Blood.
Right after that, Krulcifer aimed at Lisha and sniped her using future prediction──or that should be the case.
「Wha-……!」
She should be aiming at the back wings of Tiamat using the Auto Shield that she placed behind Lisha and Tiamat in order to reflect the bullet but, that bullet veered off course.
When she observed the gravity sphere that was unleashed from the muzzle of Seven Heads was bending the scenery that Krulcifer was seeing.
It twisted even the surrounding space and made Krulcifer’s attack missed.
「──! I, won’t abandon Haha-ue! Leave, Krulcifer!」
Lisha yelled while shedding tears.
If the gravity sphere that was fired to below continued as it was then it would also graze Shelter that was underground and destroyed it.
But Krulcifer didn’t dodge the gravity sphere and spread open both her hands to stand in the way.
In order to soften the impact to Shelter even for just a bit, she stood in the way along with her barrier that was only barely remaining.
「Well done. This is your win──. Just for this time only.」
「Krulcifer……!?」
Lisha who was the one firing the sure kill bombardment opened wide in shock.
The purple gravity sphere was falling slowly. The moment there was only several seconds left until it hit──
.
The surrounding was enveloped in illusion as though time had stopped.
.
「──Reload on Fire!」
.
No.
Time didn’t stop.
The surrounding was just enveloped in a very slow flow of time that was dozens of times slower than normal.
Lisha and Tiamat hovered in the sky above Shelter.
And then, only the gravity sphere fired from Tiamat was stopping.
「──This is!?」
Lisha saw it inside the world where even thought was halted.
The figure that she perceived as someone similar to Lux until now was clearly visible right now.
──The Black Hero.
The hero who indirectly saved Lisha seven years ago, and the young man who she trusted the most.
Lux Arcadia, appeared in front of her.
「I’m sorry that I made you worry, Krulcifer-san.」
「……I’m not worried or anything. I knew you will come for me.」
Krulcifer who reached her limit from the exhaustion of using Full Connect continuously and lost her armor was held in the arms of Lux midair.
Without pause he quickly flew to the side and got away from the attraction of the gravity sphere.
「Did you see me coming using Fafnir’s future prediction Divine Raiment?」
「No.」
Krulcifer smiled with an ephemeral expression at Lux’s question.
「I believed, that if it’s you then you will surely come.」
「…………」
When Lux returned a serious gaze to her, Krulcifer ran out of strength.
Her eyes were slowly closing and her body turned limp. During that time her mouth formed words weakly.
「So you have noticed……your feeling. Then, convey it to her. If it’s you──you can do it.」
「──Yes.」
Krulcifer too had recovered her lost memory of the three days of parade.
In that case, she should have also remembered how she and Lux became lovers.
She knew why Lux was suffering.
She fought in order to make him notice it.
「……Thank you, Krulcifer-san.」
Right after Lux nodded back, the gravity sphere that was super decelerated by Reload on Fire fastened instead with a speed that was dozens of times faster.
Everyone had evacuated from Shelter earlier but. Suppressor’s gravity sphere fell like a meteor and destroyed the facility apart.
「……-! What, power!」
Airi who evacuated from Shelter yelled in shock from some distance away.
Lisha who was burning her energy using the power of Baptism was still preserving her stamina.
「Nii-san──be careful! Lisha-sama right now is……」
「Yeah, I understand.」
Lux landed on the ground for a moment and handed the exhausted Krulcifer to Airi.
And then, Lux flew in a straight line toward Lisha who was hovering in the sky with the Seven Heads aimed at him.
At present Lisha was the greatest enemy.
Lux accepted that fact and he was convinced of victory even then.
The new power of Baptism that he obtained from surgery in coffin. He focused his mind in order to display it.
Part 15
(──Why? Why is Lux here? Why is that guy, standing in my way!?)
The consciousness of Lisha who was aiming for Azure Division’s annihilation was falling into a dark abyss.
She already understood that it was Lux in front of her.
But, her heart didn’t accept that.
(I promised with Haha-ue, and with Lux. That we will protect the New Kingdom……!)
They swore that.
And yet, when she noticed, everyone was turning into her enemy.
They were aiming to destroy the New Kingdom, to defeat Queen Raffi.
Even the members of Syvalles who should be her allies, even the Seven Dragon Paladins──
(I won’t, abandon Haha-ue……absolutely not!)
Seven years ago, her small self was powerless.
It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was because of fate that she was captured by the Old Empire’s army and her father abandoned her.
She didn’t have anyone to rely on.
There wasn’t anyone who saved her.
Raffi who was in the same environment as Lisha confessed her sin to her.
In the past, she was deceived by Waybra, a spy that was sent by the Old Empire. In order to protect him, she told him the location of her big brother Count Atismata.
She was the criminal who betrayed her brother and killed the great hero who established the revolution.
She was tormented by that sin and felt scared. Even so she fought until now in order to protect the New Kingdom.
(I too, I too am the same……!)
As the proof of her betrayal to her father, the brand of the Old Empire was pressed on her stomach.
The suffering of having no choice but to choose that path in order to survive, the suffering of being toyed by fate and having no choice but to live as royalty, Lisha understood it better than anyone.
(If I abandon her, Haha-ue──what will become of her? There is no one. There isn’t anyone who will support her! That’s why!)
The white breath she exhaled smoldered like smoke.
Her body was hot like it was burning.
The ability she obtained from Baptism.
With the power to burn the energy she stockpiled all at once, the current Lisha was maintaining her state of full power.
Lisha controlled Tiamat fully to express everything, all her passion and will.
She unleashed her strength toward the 『enemy』 approaching her.
「I won’t lose! I will, protect the New Kingdom Haha-ue created!」
The remaining eight Legion that became even more damaged from the fight against Krulcifer attacked the flying Lux.
「……!?」
But, the moment Lux immediately tried to guard with his great sword, those projectile weapons veered away by itself and scattered.
「……That, don’t tell me!?」
「Yes. It intentionally, missed.」
Celis and Philuffy who were standing below watched the fight in the sky and muttered.
No matter how powerful someone was, if the first move was taken away and they were attacked then they would raise their guard.
If the attacker tried to land a hit, there was a possibility that the attack would be hit back instead using the sword.
If it was Lisha who could use advanced techniques like Hide Shot, then she should know this fact even better.
Thus, Legion was sent out only to make Lux’s movement stiffened for an instant.
In order to buy time until Lisha fired the bombardment of gravity sphere once more.
「──Don’t stop!」
「Onii-chan, hurry!」
Greifer and Mel guessed Lisha’s tactic and yelled.
Their voices pushed Lux’s back. He ascended towards Lisha.
If the gravity sphere was fired in extremely close range, even if he decelerated the time he would still get dragged close and crushed by that super dense force field.
Having said that, he had no choice of avoiding this situation.
The eight Legion that missed Lux just now were already approaching from behind Bahamut to surround him.
「So from the start, they were fired so Lux-kun won’t get away……!」
Sharis who was looking up at the two’s fight from the ground murmured in admiration.
The attack disordered and stopped Lux’s movement, at the same time the intention of making it harder for the opponent to dodge the next attack was also included in it.
「Yes. Lisha-sama is also seriously trying to defeat Lux-san──」
The quiet Noct saw the situation and let those words slipped out. Tillfur beside her was also shaking in anxiety.
「Will the two of them, really get out of this safely? This──!」
The Triad was still under the binding of Uroboros’s world revision.
They only sided with Azure Division while being half in doubt due to the persuasion of a lot of their comrades.
Exactly because of that their anxiousness was also great.
「Eat this! You damn destroyer of the New Kingdom’s peace!」
Lisha who caught Lux in her firing range fixed the aim of Seven Heads.
In addition Legions were attacking from behind Lux’s Bahamut with each of them coming from a different direction.
It was already impossible to simply dodge all the attacks even if Reload on Fire was activated.
『──Lisha-sama. Please listen.』
But──in that, instant.
In that cornered situation, Lux sent a message to Lisha using Dragon Voice.
『I, have to apologize to you.』
The time that was even less than several seconds felt like an eternity for some reason for the both of them.
「……-!? You want to apologize now, don’t screw around! What‘re you saying after you try to push the New Kingdom into chaos!?」
Lisha used anger to paint over her heart that was shaken by Lux’s familiar voice.
She denied logic with emotion.
There was no way that this man in front of her was really Lux.
Because if in the worst case that he was actually Lux.
Because if the young man who she trusted was trying to defeat her mother.
Then the ideal that Lisha wished for, would never come to pass.
The path of protecting the New Kingdom with Lux, and Raffi, and then her, the three of them together, would be gone completely──
『I was, scared. Since when I started this battle. I kept thinking, what would happen if Lisha-sama learns the truth. If I tell you the path that I should walk, how will you think of me then. It was scary, it was really hopelessly scary.』
「──!?」
Lux said those words while sweeping away all eight Legion approaching him from behind with a single stroke of his great sword.
Seeing that outrageous skill that was done without even turning around or glancing back, Lisha and also everyone watching the fight from below opened their eyes wide in shock.
That wasn’t the Lux that Lisha knew until now.
He used the special armament Linker Pulse to control the trajectory of Legion approaching from behind and dragged them to one place, at the same time he unleashed a slash with Quick Draw.
「You……what in the world?」
If it was the Lux from before, while he was using his secret technique, his concentration would be partially taken by it and he couldn’t use it at the same time with other special armament.
But, Lux right now was using tuning. He inputted the control of Linker Pulse beforehand and made it get carried out.
Because of that, even while he was concentrating with the control of Quick Draw, he was able to use Linker Pulse at the same time.
But, is a calculation that complicated something that can be done……? In just an instant like that.
That was Lux’s strength that Lisha didn’t know until now.
「The truth is, I was scared all this time. Telling you the truth that her majesty Queen Raffi is possessed by Sacred Eclipse, was scary.」
Lux who closed the distance didn’t speak through Dragon Voice anymore but with his own voice.
The Baptism that was applied to Lux’s body was the strengthening of his thinking speed and concentration.
His greatest strong point, making use of his discernment to read the opponent’s movement and chose the best method to attack.
He gave order to Bahamut by inputting orders through tuning beforehand while pouring even more focus to execute his secret technique.
With this, it became possible for him to use his secret technique, and perhaps his special armament too at the same time.
He couldn’t use it for a long period of time just like the other girls but──
Although he wasn’t at the same level as Fugil, but he was approaching the territory of Singlen who was at full power.
「Tsu……!? Shut up! Are you trying to trick me!? You aren’t Lux at──!」
Even so Lisha denied the reality.
She opposed the voice trying to trick her and mustered her remaining strength.
「──HAAAAAAAH……!」
She liberated the energy of the Divine Raiment that was focused on Seven Heads and fired the huge gravity sphere towards Lux.
But, at the same time.
No, even more slightly earlier than that, Lux released his Divine Raiment that had its power output strengthened with tuning.
「──Reload on Fire」
「Wha-!?」
Lisha’s sure kill technique──the gravity sphere that was fired from Seven heads. The only way to be saved from it once it had been fired was only by dodging.
In other words at close range it was provided with the capability of offense and defense in one package, but Lux accelerated further and flew toward the center of the gravity sphere.
And then, just like that he passed through the force field of dreadful gravity attraction.
「────」
*Zuga-!*
Right after Lisha grasped the situation and gasped, Lux stabbed the shoulder of Tiamat with the tip of his great sword.
Lisha reflexively twisted her body and dodged direct hit. But without pause he flew while pushing her back.
「That, what in the world──」
「How, did Lux-san pass through that force field of super gravity?」
Airi and Noct who were watching the fight from below murmured in a daze.
Rosa and Soffice beside them grasped the situation and answered their question.
「In that instant, he activated Reload on Fire you knoow……. With the first half of the compression strengthening, he sharply decreased the surrounding gravity until a mere fraction, and then he slipped through the gravity sphere in that opening.」
Lux’s strengthening of his thinking speed made it possible for him to execute control that surpassed human intellect that couldn’t be imitated by other Drag-Knights.
「And then, in that situation, it’s already Lux’s win.」
Celis who was looking up at the fight added.
Tiamat was a Divine Drag-Ride that was specialized for long range battle.
When the battle was brought into close quarter combat when the fighters stuck close to each other, it was placed in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position.
And when the opponent was Lux, then it was all the more true.
But,
「──No, not yet. Do you……, forget, Celis-senpai? The hidden strength of that girl.」
「……!?」
Krulcifer who woke up without anyone noticing pointed out. Celis gasped at that.
In the next moment, Lux and Lisha were falling toward the snowy ground with a speed that the eye couldn’t follow while still sticking close to each other.
*DOON!*
A tremendous impact shook the ground. Lux and Lisha with their Divine Drag-Rides glued to each other were inside a powerful gravity field.
「That……don’t tell me!」
Airi who saw that muttered with a shiver.
The self-destruct technique that Lisha also showed in the past in the mock battle against Celis.
In a state where she was glued with the opponent’s Drag-Ride, she activated Suppressor to affect the opponent along with herself.
「──This is bad! At this rate the two of them will die!」
Aeril who sensed the abnormality yelled in grief, but everyone there was wounded all over. There wasn’t anyone that had recovered to be able to wear a Drag-Ride.
Even if there was someone who could, everyone realized that they wouldn’t make it in time before the fight was settled.
「Uh……. Guu……!」
The purple gravity field mowed down the surrounding trees and made the ground to sink.
Lisha who kept firing gravity sphere that was filled with Tiamat’s full strength shouldn’t be able to return right away to a state where she could use her Divine Raiment.
It would be the same even if she used the energy burning ability from her Baptism.
However, Lisha’s tenacity towards the New Kingdom made this last attack possible.
The gravity field in this glued state could only exert a slight gravity burden, but she made use of Reload on Fire’s effect instead and executed this most powerful attack.
So to speak, this was the compression strengthening that Lux used to slip through the first gravity sphere.
The first five seconds had passed, and now the latter five seconds were in the work.
Because the effect of gravity was amplified by dozens of times, even the effect of Suppressor that was mostly nonexistence became dozens of times greater.
Both sides were putting up barrier and took defensive stance, even so they couldn’t endure it.
The armor and frame of the Drag-Rides were creaking and distorting.
「Lisha……, sama」
「I won’t lose! I swore to Haha-ue, and my knight……!」
Lisha continued using her Divine Raiment with a pained expression that looked like she would break out crying even now.
If Lux kept holding on like this, then she would surely continue using it until she died.
(Aa──)
In the corner of his mind, Lux once again thought of what he understood.
He, didn’t want to see Lisha sad.
Lux found hope from she who conquered her harsh and painful past, didn’t lose against the heavy burden of a princess, and tried to live strongly looking forward.
Unlike Lux who despaired and who was a prince that ended up destroying the Old Empire, if it was Lisha then she would surely lead the New Kingdom correctly.
「I was──happy. Being able to stay at your side, being able to aim at a new noble path by working under you who would accept me……」
「What are, you saying……. I won’t──get tricked. I won’t be swayed by the sweet words of the likes of you!」
Inside the powerful gravity field, in a situation where two Drag-Rides were wrestling, Lisha opposed even Lux’s words.
「That was why, I avoided you. I was scared to thrust reality in front of you. I was scared to make you suffer, to get hated by you.」
Even so, Lux didn’t stop whispering.
The reason he couldn’t display his full strength until now, it lay in the fact that Krulcifer made him notice.
No matter how much he stifled his heart using the correct logic, he couldn’t trick his true feelings.
That was why, he couldn’t display his strength from Baptism.
It was none other than Lux who was scared to tell Lisha the truth and ran away.
「But, I have to say it. Your step mother, is possessed by Sacred Eclipse. She was taken over completely. If her majesty isn’t defeated, this world will perish.」
「Such, thing……. There’s no way that’s true! Protecting Haha-ue, that’s what I──!」
She strengthened the gravity field’s power using Suppressor to oppose Lux’s persuasion.
The amplification effect of Reload on Fire’s latter half was already running out.
But, Lisha herself poured all her energy into the Divine Raiment and didn’t let Lux get away.
She continued activating her ability with the resolve of dying herself at this rate.
*Creak creak* Not just the armor, even the bones of their flesh body that was protected by their respective Drag-Ride were creaking.
「Nii-san! Please get away! At this rate──!」
The voice of Airi who saw that sight reached them.
It would be possible if Reload on Fire was activated once more and the influence of the gravity was lightened, but Lux didn’t run away.
「Please fight together with me, Lisha-sama. It’ll be no good if you aren’t with me. I finally realized that.」
「────」
In exchange of running away from the gravity field that was also hurting the girl herself, Lux reached out with his own hands and hugged Lisha’s head.
He lightened the gravity field with Bahamut’s barrier to protect her from pain.
「Because you were there for me, because you were watching me, I could fight. I could be strong. That’s why, please fight as the princess of the New Kingdom. From here on, no matter how painful it is, I will support you at your side forever, I will become your strength, that’s why──」
「……-!?」
Lux’s voice was transmitted to Lisha’s heart.
Lux knew that until now his strength was something born from his involvement with the girls.
Even if he severed his connection with them, he believed that he would be able to fight alone.
──But, the truth was different.
It was because Lisha and the others were there for him, that he was able to fight and be strong.
He obtained bonds with those girls who needed him.
He was also encouraged by his Drag-Ride that was remade by Lisha with much effort.
Compared to when he was in solitude as a prince of the Old Empire, now he was able to obtain a lot of important comrades.
Because of that he was able to become far, far stronger.
.
(──I was weak, because I couldn’t recognize my own weakness. Because I didn’t have the courage to confide with them my true feelings, the courage to ask them to understand me.)
.
That was why, he had to convey it.
Of Lux’s own feeling, and wish toward Lisha.
「I, am……」
The power of Suppressor that Lisha unleashed to crush herself together too as though to punish herself, it was softened by the man in front of her who was her enemy who became her shield.
The feeling of guilt of being unable to save her step mother.
That pain, this man was trying to share it, to understand it, to protect her from it even if just for a bit.
(This guy……. Is he, not an enemy? Why, why is he doing something like this──)
A doubt was born inside Lisha.
He should be an enemy that tried to destroy the New Kingdom and defeat her stepmother, but then why was he trying to protect Lisha’s heart?
The binding of perception by Uroboros, the chain restraining her heart was breaking.
The mist covering her heart was clearing up. She perceived the young man in front of her.
The young man kept embracing Lisha’s body. He endured the agony from the gravity field while smiling kindly to reassure the girl.
.
「──Lisha-sama. I love you.」
.
And then Lux conveyed the feeling from the bottom of his heart to her.
*Kiin*, at that moment.
Something burst inside Lisha’s chest and her eyes were opened.
「Lu, x……?」
Lisha knew.
About this young man who was always protecting her.
About the young man who knew about her sad past and continued to save her by staking his life.
「──Lux-!」
The binding of perception vanished, at the same time the gravity field of Suppressor disappeared.
At the same time, the armor of Tiamat that Lisha was wearing was dispelled. Then Lux fell down on that spot too.
Lisha crouched and lifted up the falling Lux.
The tears moistening her crimson eyes trickled along her cheek and fell on the snow.
Lisha noticed that what she had seen until now was something different.
The kind queen who was protecting her wasn’t there. She was already changed into a monster who devoured and absorbed human malice and hatred.
There was already nothing that could be done to save her except defeating her who had become the strongest humanoid Ragnarok.
「I……. Swore it. That I will protect the New Kingdom, together with Haha-ue……」
「I, know. But──」
「You don’t need, to say it. I know. At this rate, the New Kingdom will perish. What Haha-ue tried to protect desperately even while suffering will──」
Lux gently embraced Lisha’s shaking shoulders.
His body was exhausted and hurt from the damage caused by the gravity pressure, even so Lux lent Lisha his chest in order to accept Lisha’s sadness.
「I, as a princess, as that person’s daughter, I have to stop her. I know, that……」
「────」
*Gyut*, Lux put strength into his arms that were embracing the sobbing Lisha.
He knew that he wouldn’t be able to heal the pain of her wound no matter what he said.
Even so, he hugged her in order to tell her that there was someone shouldering the same pain beside her.
With the commander of the New Kingdom army Lisha awakened to the truth, the war between the Azure Division and the New Kingdom army came to an actual end in this place.
Part 16
*GOOooOOO*, the groan of a strange creature was echoing through the grey sky.
Raffi who was devouring and absorbing energy had completely lost herself.
Sacred Eclipse that unified the will of the people, their minds made a single conclusion.
Direct this world to destruction and reset everything.
That was the conclusion that was reached by humans about human society.
In order to negate the conclusion that fellow humans were plundering from their fellow humans with authority and violence, Sacred Eclipse started moving in order to take away power from humans.
Fugil who was watching over that activation slowly got to his feet.
「With this──Raffi lost her qualification as a vessel of king.」
The last remaining Automata Arshalia murmured emotionlessly.
「No, not yet. That person’s will, her ego hasn’t completely fallen apart.」
Fugil muttered while looking at Raffi with her young girl appearance scattering muddy black miasma.
As though to prove his words, a mysterious smile formed on Raffi’s expression.
「──Lux Arcadia. So you defeated my daughter. Then, I shall take her back. In this land where the king of this era will be decided, at this stage where the Center is sleeping.」
She understood the situation of Lux and the others that were several kl away from here. She was waiting for them.
In order to introduce herself as the true king, in order to connect with this Center, she wouldn’t let them go past this place.
Her mind was polluted by the emotions of the humans that she absorbed as Sacred Eclipse, even so she held on only to her last remaining awareness.
For the sake of her wish with Lisha, to guide the New Kingdom to become an ideal country.
「……I see, the battle is still not over yet.」
Fugil nodded wordlessly at the words of the Automata Arshalia.
Their promise with Raffi was already accomplished by the Automatas.
The crystal that was brought here. Grand Force had been recovered back. It was handed to Fugil and he would be sent out to set it inside the Garden in an activated state.
With that the Ruins would resonante once more, and through that the activation of Uroboros’s world revision──Endless, would become possible.
It was arranged that Fugil would carry out the world revision once more with the defeat of Lux’s side.
Raffi knew that Lux and the others would come to here where the Center was sleeping in order to stop that.
She was waiting for her daughter and her arch-enemy.
「Then let’s go. In order to return everything to the beginning, in order to ascertain the possibility that humans build.」
「Yes……. I will watch this place. Fugil, be careful.」
Arshalia saw Fugil off. Fugil used Uroboros’s special armament──Infinity that could create the form of all Drag-Rides to make Bahamut and flew in it towards Garden.
It would take around five or six hours until Fugil returned.
During that time the winner would be decided.
Would it be Lux, or would it be Queen Raffi.
In this land, it would be decided who between the people with the qualifications of King would be qualified to shoulder the next era.
Part 17
「It looks like Fugil-niisan is starting to travel to somewhere. There was a reaction in the radar.」
Airi who could finally deploy her Drake after taking a rest muttered with a conflicted expression.
Several bonfires were making crackling sounds, softening the coldness of the freezing air.
Lux and Lisha, and everyone gathered here took out the remaining beds and sheets, and preserved food, water, and other goods out of the destroyed shelter, then they took a rest and applied first aid.
「I don’t think that it’s the case but, don’t tell me he is heading to the capital? What is he planning to do?」
Tillfur spoke with a worried voice, but Aeril shook her head slightly.
「Most likely, he went to set the Grand Force in the Garden, in order to prepare for the execution of world revision by Uroboros once more. I think he isn’t going to do something to the New Kingdom itself.」
Hearing those words, all present breathed in relieve, however they showed an uneasy expression.
「But, isn’t that bad? Uroboros will rewrite our perception again right?」
Noct also nodded at what Sharis pointed out but,
「Yes. However, we have no way to stop it. It might not be the case against any other opponent, but to stop that Fugil, even if all of us are in a perfect condition──」
「…………」
The Syvalles members there, the Seven Dragon Paladins, even Lux and Lisha couldn’t say anything.
That fact described the situation frankly.
「I’m sorry. Everyone, you all got troubled because of my fault.」
「Let’s not say such things to each other anymore. I was the one at fault for this.」
Lisha who recovered the correct perception faced everyone and bowed her head, then Lux immediately gave her a follow up.
After the binding of perception by Uroboros was broken, it became possible to fight together with Lisha.
「No, I have the responsibility as a princess. I faintly suspected Haha-ue’s change, however I couldn’t realize it. I was disqualified as a princess.」
「No, such thing is──」
Lux reflexively tried to cover up for Lisha but,
「Both of you, the situation was like that before this so I’ll tolerate it but, can I ask you two to not flirt too much? A danger is approaching the world you know?」
Krulcifer who was being nursed by Mel and lying down on the ground was looking exasperated while cutting in. Lisha’s face was boiled red hearing that.
Anger and shame.
However if pushed to say, then it looked like the latter’s percentage was bigger.
「Don’t make fun of me Krulcifer! I’m seriously──」
Less than half of them were watching that atmosphere warmly, while more than half were watching with a conflicted thought.
Yoruka wasn’t in this place but, those like Krulcifer, Philuffy, and Celis got into a relationship of whispering love to each other with Lux in the middle of that looping parade.
Even the super insensitive Lux was somehow sensing that hidden pressure.
His feeling when he conveyed 『I love you』 to Lisha before this was of course not a lie but──
「Rosa……. Is this perhaps, the scene of carnage thing that I heard from rumor?」
「Can you not ask that to mee……」
The red haired girl shrugged at Soffice’s question.
「Something must have happened in the middle of that parade huh, just what was it……」
「I somehow got an idea about it though. That Onii-chan, he’s really a sinful man after all.」
Greifer was seriously not getting it. Beside him Mel was sighing in exasperation.
She was the youngest among everyone here but, it looked like she had sharp sensitivity.
Although, no one was thinking about saying anything.
Nothing would start if they didn’t survive through this battle.
Besides, if Uroboros executed the world revision again, even the memories they recalled right now would be forgotten without a trace.
「Alma too, you knew about the truth huh. I put you through trouble.」
「It’s fine. After all my wish for revenge against Aunt Raffi and Onee-sama is already gone completely. I was thinking that I absolutely won’t forgive you two for a long time though. But now I noticed once more that it’s really stupid.」
Even these two who betrayed the great hero Atismata also lived in suffering and overcame their past. Alma learned that.
And then, now that she had her existence accepted, she had no reason at all to resent her big sister Lisha.
「Lizsharte. More importantly, now that we have grasped Fugil’s movement, we have to decide our actions from here.」
The captain of Syvalles Celis coughed lightly and urged the talk to progress.
Now that Lisha had been freed from the binding of perception, they had to ask her to show them the way.
The opponent was the greatest and strongest Ragnarok, but at the same time it was also her stepmother.
「I have resolved myself. I have to stop Haha-ue without fail. As the princess of the New Kingdom, as the daughter who loves that person, I have the responsibility to do so.」
Everyone silently looked down hearing Lisha’s determination.
It was a choice that was hard to choose, but there was no other way than that.
Even Aeril who had the knowledge as a Lord and knew in detail about the Ruins and Sacred Eclipse more than anyone couldn’t tell anything to Lisha after all.
「Do we know about the Sacred Eclipse──her majesty Queen Raffi’s location?」
「I think she might be in the north of the lake where we confirmed the rule of this battle at the beginning. I have confirmed it using Radar but, that place is the point where the reactions from the Abyss were cut off.」
Airi answered Celis’s question.
Airi still couldn’t handle a Drag-Ride to act as a key combatant, but it seemed she was already fully capable to take on the role of managing information.
「The position where the Center is hidden huh, is it a coincidence……. No, perhaps she also knows. That that place is the place that will become the starting point where the switch of the world revision is pushed.」
「…………」
They thought that the ego of Raffi who rampaged and attacked both ally and enemy in the Ancient Forest was already absorbed by Sacred Eclipse and it was lost.
Even so, it felt like she was predicting the objective of Lux and the others instinctually even now.
「The problem is whether to to avoid her majesty and head to the Center first or not. What do you think about that Nii-san, Aeril-san?」
Airi suggested a choice.
In order to investigate the weak point of Uroboros that Fugil controlled, they heard a story from the memory recording of Arshalia in an Avalon’s facility called Archive.
Now that Archive was destroyed due to El Fajura’s obstruction, they could only hear about the story’s continuation at the Center.
But, in the end they still couldn’t obtain any helpful information.
There was also no positive proof that they could obtain.
Perhaps they might only invite the risk of breaking up their battle strength by getting fixated on the memory recording’s information.
Although the members in this place had taken rest, they were still far away from being in perfect condition.
Either way, in order to stop the world destruction, they had to connect with the Center’s system and give the order to stop the operation of Sacred Eclipse.
However, Raffi who was controlling the system of Avalon at present was fused completely with Sacred Eclipse itself.
In any case, the process of waiting for Raffi herself to collapse first or defeating her by themselves became necessary.
「Then, there ain’t any way except defeating the queen first ain’t it?」
「Agreed. In our current condition we’ll only get defeated if we split our forces.」
The Seven Dragon Paladins of other countries, Greifer and Mel expressed an extremely logical opinion.
However, there was hesitation inside Lux.
(I have resolved to defeat her majesty Queen Raffi. But──)
Inside Lux there wasn’t just the thought of escaping the danger before them, but also his objective ahead of it.
But, should he ask everyone to accompany him until that far?
While Lux was worrying about that.
「──Lux, you decide it. What should we do, you’re the one who grasped the circumstances of the battle this time more than anyone.」
Urged by Lisha, Lux took a deep breath.
There was no time.
If Raffi rampaged and headed to the New Kingdom, an endless slaughter would start.
And then, Lux also had to tell them his other wish──
「Everyone, will you hear me out? About my thoughts, my wish.」
Lisha, Krulcifer, Philuffy, Celis, Airi, the Triad, the people from the Academy.
Greifer, Mel, Rosa, Soffice, the cooperators from the Seven Dragon Paladins.
Alma and Aeril who worked as Azure Division members. Lux looked around at all of them and spoke.
Everyone who in the past had different objectives and way of thinking, everyone whose perception was rewritten by the world revision, they became united like this. Even just that fact was a miracle.
Lux decided to believe in that miracle.
「There isn’t any need to ask that at this point. After all everyone here believes and idolizes Lux-samaa.」
「The meaning of 『idolize』might be a little different in your case though……」
Rosa looked up at Lux with passionate and intoxicated gaze. Soffice retorted beside her.
Lux made a conflicted wry smile while talking about the last mission.
About combining the power of everyone here and saving the world.
Part 18
Inside the scenery that was starting to snow hard, a single Drag-Ride was advancing slowly through the Ancient Forest.
After confirming that this war had been settled, three people started moving.
There was one person each on both shoulders of the four legged Drag-Ride Drake. They were traveling in such way.
「Fuu……. It’s freezing as expected. Even though I’m wearing this stupidly expensive fur coat.」
「Then, please wait quietly in the hideout.」
「Sorry, I’m making you braving danger like this. I always give you trouble.」
「That’s not what I mean. It doesn’t matter what happens to me. I’m concerned about your health, Magialca-sama.」
The young man wearing a pilot suit and piloting the Drake that he equipped let out a sigh with an expression that had resignation mixed in.
Magialca learned from her subordinate’s report several hours ago that the battle had ended. She then asked her aide Lolotte that he wanted to ascertain this battle with her own eyes.
Of course, because Magialca couldn’t equip a Drag-Ride in her current state, she really just came here to watch, but with his master’s usual whimsical conduct, it went without saying that Lolotte put several times more effort than usual to stop her.
Even so, Lolotte was unable to refuse her because he was greatly in the debt to her his master.
Magialca who was greedy for money and took on the style of the strong eating the weak purchased Lolotte who was the son of parents who failed in their business and committed suicide.
However, Magialca never did anything cruel to Lolotte and only developed his strong points and granted him a purpose in life by being her secretary.
Magialca also supported several other young men with childish looks that were to her preference, but they were people who she saved from misfortune due to various circumstances. And she also didn’t force them to become hers by pushing debt of gratitude to them.
She was frank, whimsical, and selfish, but she was also bright, strong, and tough. Lolotte loved his master who was like that more than anyone, but exactly because of that he didn’t want to deliberately send her to a battlefield.
It was unknown whether Magialca knew that feeling of Lolotte but, with a suggestive smile she,
「Yoruka. You too say something to him. My ears are unbearably itchy from all the preaching.」
「Me, telling him?」
The girl in a pilot suit riding on the left shoulder of the Drake that Lolotte was piloting tilted her head with a puzzled smile.
She too also had used up her strength and collapsed until now, but when Magialca invited her before she departed, she readily consented accompanying them.
Lolotte got the feeling that asking about common sense from this girl who possessed a unique way of thinking was a mistake in itself, but he was slightly curious about her reaction.
「Let’s see. I believe that what the aide-san is saying is quite right.」
「Eh……!?」
「What?」
Yoruka’s answer that was said smoothly made both Lolotte and Magialca to open their eyes wide in surprise.
They never even imagined that she would agree with Lolotte’s argument.
Because, if it was Yoruka, they thought that she would answer she had no hesitation at all to brave any danger if it was for the sake of accomplishing her lord’s objective.
「Is this perhaps, a human heart is blooming inside of her thanks to Lux……?」
「Yes. I’m surprised……」
「Or perhaps, it’s an after-effect from her fight against an Automata before this……」
In response to Yoruka who made a proper statement, Magialca and Lolotte were nonchalantly saying horrible things but── Yoruka herself only treated their conversation as a random breeze.
「That’s right isn’t it? Deliberately heading towards danger at this kind of time is just──」
「No, that’s not what I mean.」
Yoruka lightly denied Lolotte’s agreeing remark.
「Eh, then, you mean about the part of me saying that it doesn’t matter what happens to me, but I want Magialca-sama to be safe──」
「That’s also not it.」
Yoruka kept sporting a refreshing smile while once more denying Lolotte’s statement smoothly.
And then, she gave her answer before she was asked.
「Those two answers should be one. It’s our duty to protect our lord’s safety, but granting them their wish is also our duty. It’ll be to my satisfaction if I’m used for that.」
「So this is what people mean by ‘to fall in love is to lose’. Hahaha, you’re really easy to understand.」
「…………」
Seeing Magialca agreeing with an indecent smile, Lolotte sighed in exasperation.
However, she was right.
It was just exactly like Yoruka and Magialca said.
It wasn’t because of obligation like contract. To be devoted to one’s lord was something like that.
In the first place, people tended to think of Magialca as an eccentric character from a glance, but she was a woman who liked rational decisions.
Surely she had her reason to personally come this far when she couldn’t even move properly.
That was what Lolotte thought. It was then,
「──Yoruka-san!? There is an Abyss’s response!」
「I understand.」
Lolotte saw the radar’s reaction and raised his voice.
He didn’t even need to ask Yoruka who was riding on the Drake’s left shoulder, she jumped down on the snow-covered ground and deployed her Divine Drag-Ride.
Although the battle on the whole had ended, this Ancient Forest had been turned into a battlefield.
It wouldn’t be strange for some Abyss to appear here.
However──
「……Why, is she here?」
Lolotte was speechless when he saw the shadow that appeared ahead of his gaze.
A figure wearing an extravagant dress with a part of her front hair changing into silver color.
Sacred Eclipse──Queen Raffi was there.
Part 19
On the other hand, at the campsite that was making use of the site of the destroyed Shelter, Lux was finishing their preparatory meeting.
The plan that Lux suggested was to seize the Center as expected.
He along with Aeril and Lisha would enter inside the Center and use the recording medium they obtained in the Garden to activate the artificial intelligence of Arshalia.
On top of that they would search for Uroboros’s weak point with the objective of stopping it from functioning.
「However, I can’t comprehend it. Putting aside Queen Raffi who is losing her ego, it’s unexpected that Fugil would leave this place so easily.」
Airi wearing a pilot suit muttered doubtfully while sitting opposite of Lux.
Although setting the Grand Force in the Garden was an indispensable requirement to performing the world revision, but doing it in that way certainly felt too careless.
But, Lux somehow had an idea for the reason behind that.
Not only was the Automata Arshalia staying behind, surely Fugil wanted Lux and Raffi to fight till the end.
Fugil’s objective in the end was to watch over where the path that humans chose would head to after all.
「But, it doesn’t change the fact that right now is the chance of a lifetime. Even those who have recovered somewhat so they can move their body need to take part.」
Celis too also continued the talk like that.
The main group that would head to the Center consisted of Lux, Lisha, Celis, Philuffy, and Aeril.
The remaining members would be entrusted to maintain their temporary base the Shelter with Airi taking the lead.
In addition, Soffice and Rosa, and also Alma, Airi, and the Triad had recovered until the point where they could barely handle using Drag-Rides, but they couldn’t really be counted on as fighting strength.
The members whose names weren’t mentioned would naturally be staying behind under the protection of the latter group.
Because of that the ability to detect the enemy’s approach without overlooking anything and cutting open a path would be indispensable.
「Then, we’re going. I’ll leave this place to you, Alma.」
「Yes. Be careful, Onee-sama.」
After the sisters exchanged a short conversation, Lux and the others departed towards the Center.
But, when Airi who remained behind operated her Drake and checked the radar, she spontaneously gasped in shock.
『This is…… the Abyss are appearing around us. Be careful, Nii-san──!』
『……-!?』
『What is the meaning of this? The Abyss in this area had been absorbed by the Sacred Eclipse isn’t it?』
Tension ran through the group of Lux and the others after receiving the Dragon Voice from Airi.
『No, if they were absorbed, then it should be possible for Sacred Eclipse to birth them again. Most likely the Sacred Eclipse carefully selected several Abyss with ability that suited this situation and created them, but──』
Lux hesitated hearing what Aeril pointed out.
He wondered whether it would be alright to leave the other group like this.
『Lux-chi, you go ahead! The enemy’s number isn’t many, we’ll take care of this pla──……-!』
Right after Tillfur cut in and urged him like that, she caught her breath.
『That’s, impossible!』
『──How, can this be!』
Both Sharis and Noct leaked out stiff voices.
Raffi appeared in the campsite right after Lux’s group headed to the Center.
「Don’t tell me, the main body’s clone!? It was already created?」
Alma readied her weapon in bewilderment.
In contrast the girl smiled with a fearless gaze.
Part 20
「Raffi. I don’t think it’s possible but don’t tell me, you’re──. Still maintaining your ego?」
「…………」
The main body of Raffi that was standing in front of the large tree where the Center was sleeping underground didn’t answer.
But, she was already witnessing the girl’s plan just now. How she stretched out roots made from flesh from her body and created Abyss.
She chose the tactic for getting rid of Lux’s group that was heading here with certainty and carried it out.
「I see. So this means that your battle as a king is continuing? Then, I’ll have to ascertain it with my own eyes.」
Automata Arshalia was focusing on her role to observe this battle just like Fugil ordered her to.
This was the last trap that was set up by Raffi’s remaining consciousness that was already mostly gone.
Would Lux be able to slip through it?
This was the last exchange of tactics where his qualification as king was questioned.
Part 21
Lux, Lisha, Philuffy, Celis, and Aeril, the five of them listened to the Dragon Voices that was sent by the Triad at the rear and felt shakened.
「Lux-kun. This is bad! If we don’t return quickly, Airi-chan will──. Queen Raffi came directly to our base.」
Aeril who was flying wearing Zahhak urged Lux like that in panic.
Lux too was driven with the impulse to immediately go back, but he endured that feeling with effort.
『Airi, where did that Queen Raffi come from? North or south?』
『Nii-san! Rather than asking that, give us the instruction to deal──』
Lux immediately asked that to his little sister, but Airi was losing her cool.
『That’s why, I’m asking this to deal with the situation. If she came from the north then we will turn back. If she came from the south, remember that the Drake’s radar didn’t detect her before this.』
『……!?』
Hearing Lux’s voice, Airi recovered her composure.
Several seconds later, she understood the intention of Lux who saw through Raffi’s plan.
『Nii-san. It’s alright. We──』
『Thank you. Be careful.』
They only exchanged those words, then Lux cut off the Dragon Voice communication.
「Lux, is that alright!? If we don’t head to save the little sister and the others──」
Lisha asked in panic, in response Lux nodded briefly.
「Yes. The queen who headed to the Shelter’s site is──an impostor Shadow.」
Part 22
「──So it’s something like that.」
At the campsite where the remaining members were on standby.
Sharis who wore an EX Wyvern and stood vigilant towards the surroundings spontaneously groaned hearing Airi’s instruction.
The Raffi they caught sight just now immediately retreated into the forest.
But, her reaction was still showing on the radar.
It was hard to see her with their naked eyes, but Raffi wasn’t far away from them.
However.
「An impostor……Shadow, she used an Abyss with mimicry ability, is it? I understand.」
Noct who was also wearing EX Drake also pondered Airi’s words and understood it.
Queen Raffi just now was an imposter for diversion.
「I still don’t understand it though. At present there are several Abyss attacking over here after all!」
「Me too! Just what in the world is going on!? How can you assert that Sacred Eclipse is an imposter??」
Tillfur and Alma questioned. Airi sighed in exasperation at them.
「It’s a problem with the direction where the Sacred Eclipse appeared from just now. Lux’s group headed north from here. There was no reaction of Abyss coming from the north until now.」
In Airi’s place, Soffice who wasn’t wearing a Drag-Ride and was resting spoke her answer in monotone.
「We were focusing on the Centeer. That means──if it came from the north, then there was a possibility that the radar detection until now would suddenly notify us of her existence.」
Airi also nodded at Rosa’s explanation.
「The enemy came from the south──. In other words, she came from behind us. That means she purposefully took a detour so that we wouldn’t detect her approach. She purposefully did such thing because she had a reason that she didn’t want to get found until she was right before us.」
「She want to confuse us and divide the combat force heading to the Center. Sacred Eclipse──Raffi’s tactic is something like that.」
Mel concluded like that at the end. Then from the south low grade Abyss started to appear bit by bit and advanced to here.
「But, Raffi already lost her ego right? Does she still have enough remaining intelligence to carry out such a plan?」
「Perhaps, it’s something like an instinct. Her majesty should be conscious of Lux-kun quite a lot.」
Krulcifer responded like that to Greifer’s murmur.
No voice was raised to deny that opinion.
Burying the bud of the country’s rebellious element without anyone noticing.
The resolve as a statesman that didn’t care about the method.
On this occasion, Raffi was forming her plan with her mind focused completely on Lux.
Even after her ego was taken over by Sacred Eclipse, her rational thought had been permeating into her body.
However.
「…………」
If they agreed with Krulcifer’s conjecture, anyone would be able to imagine what lied ahead of this, but no one could say it out loud.
If Raffi still had the instinct that could form such a plan, then could it be she was also preparing other plans too?
And then, perhaps she had also prepared it? The clones of Sacred Eclipse that shouldn’t be able to be created a lot.
Just now Lux declared that 『no great danger was approaching Airi’s group』.
However if in the worst case, Raffi’s following plan was attacking them, then this time the members here wouldn’t be able to avoid a certain annihilation would they?
Everyone sensed that but they stayed quiet without mentioning it.
Gradually, the shadows of the Abyss in the surroundings were approaching. They mustered their courage while feeling scared.
Part 23
Lux’s group headed to the Center in a straight line.
「…………」
Lux, Lisha, Celis, Philuffy, and Aeril too──no one was saying even a word.
They understood that the next time they encountered something, the battle against Raffi would begin.
「Haha-ue……」
A word toward Raffi naturally slipped out from Lisha and she faltered with her words.
The Sacred Eclipse was already starting to rampage.
She had to stop it. She was feeling that responsibility more than anyone else.
「Lisha-sama. I have no intention to make you shoulder this by yourself. I and also everyone are with you.」
Lux flew right beside the princess who was shivering in fear while giving her a push on the back with his words.
「……Yeah, thank you.」
Those were just some causal words but, it was a medicine that was the most calming for Lisha right now.
「Just a bit more. It’s just around 100 ml until we come out to the place where the Center is located underground!」
When Aeril told everyone that, they braced themselves.
They knew that there was the reaction of Abyss in this direction, but there wasn’t any user of special equipment Drag-Ride who could use radar in their group right now. So they couldn’t grasp the situation.
Before long they would leave the dense forest.
They could only grasp the situation the instant they could clearly their surroundings and moved into action from there.
「The forest will end soon, prepare yourself!」
Everyone nodded at Lisha’s words and strengthened their vigilance, right after that.
.
「──!?」
An abnormal sight that blew away their resolve until now leaped into their sight.
Someone soaked with blood was bending on the ground of the site of the crumbling shrine. It was Raffi.
And then, the one stabbing her with a Sword Device was Fugil Arcadia.
Everyone’s thoughts stopped for a few moments.
Was Raffi also dealt with by Fugil just like how he killed the Lord Listelka?
Should they help her?
The instant their decided action’s objective was shaken and they entered a confused state.
A rustling sound came from the bush behind them.
「──!? That’s a fake! Be careful of behind us!」
The same as the trick that Lux saw through before this, this was the Abyss called Shadow that had the ability to mimic humans.
That Abyss was created and positioned beforehand to create a copy of Fugil and Raffi themselves.
They were made to focus at the sight before them so they would be taken by surprise.
As though to prove that, a young Raffi wearing a dress appeared from behind.
She sported a faint smile and leaped with her hand lunging at Lux like a sword. Lux reflexively swung his great sword in that moment.
*Zaguu-……!*
「Wha……!?」
The humanoid Ragnarok Sacred Eclipse possessed a terrifying endurance.
Lux swung an attack filled with the strength to go through that. But the opponent’s torso was easily bisected that Lux got bewildered instead.
「To think that you will get tricked that easily. Even a figurehead queen like me has grown a lot.」
「──!?」
Wrong.
The Raffi that appeared from behind Lux and the others was the impostor Shadow.
That Fugil was also an imposter, but the Raffi that was stabbed onto the ground was the real one.
Because he noticed that his focus was concentrated to the main body of Sacred Eclipse. Because of that he fell into a trap.
Her sweet whisper invaded his brain. His consciousness was dimmed and blown away.
「This is bad……! She is, using, archdemon Iblis’s mental pollution!」
It was already too late when Aeril grasped the situation.
Raffi acted the strange situation not for tricking and taking Lux’s group by surprise, but to attract their attention.
What waited after that was the power of the Ragnarok that performed mental pollution through the five senses.
The ability of the strongest Sacred Eclipse was the control of the strength of all seven Ragnarok.
(The ego of Queen Raffi is returning. Don’t tell me──!)
「That’s right Lux.」
A sweet and kind voice, Raffi’s whisper invaded into the brain and led him astray.
Sacred Eclipse devoured humans, integrated their consciousness, and rampaged. It was progressing to a rampaging state.
But, it was Raffi’s act to make them think that she was losing even her rational thinking.
「I’ll have you return her. I can’t entrust my daughter, Lisha to you.」
A poisonous dark smile appeared on the face of the blood soaked Raffi who was standing up.
Lisha was a person who understood her, her daughter that was her reason for living.
Raffi who noticed that her daughter was taken away from her was showing hatred and anger.
Or perhaps it was the emotion called love.
「Damn, it……it’s already」
The minds of Aeril, Celis, and also Lisha were polluted. Their consciousness was getting distant.
Philuffy was the only one resisting that attack.
「How unexpected── You are the only one on guard from paying attention to me and closed your eyes beforehand. Is your ears also not listening? Is that too a power of an Abyss?」
「It already vanished, queen-sama. The Abyss inside me dissolved into my body.」
The power of body strengthening that Philuffy obtained from Baptism.
By using the power to control her own flesh body, she controlled the seed of the Ragnarok that fused with a part of her body and dissolved it.
Therefore, the current Philuffy couldn’t do Abyss transformation.
However──the strength that she possessed wasn’t lost.
「Is that so. You too were also placed in a harsh destiny. But, in the end you were someone who was saved. You aren’t like me, someone who wasn’t saved.」
「You too, were saved. You only didn’t notice and ran away.」
「…………」
Philuffy wasn’t shaken even against Raffi’s provocation and replied right away.
In order to escape from Iblis’s mental pollution, Philuffy consciously controlled her body and closed her sense of hearing and smell.
She decreased her sight until the necessary minimum and watched Raffi’s lips only to comprehend what she said.
「I thought that you would be able to understand me. The bitterness of being able to do nothing except shouldering your sin by yourself──」
The main body of Raffi that fused with Sacred Eclipse, the girl in dress was slowly walking near.
Philuffy moved her gaze to Raffi’s shadow, predicted her movement and skated.
*Gou-!*
Typhon smashed through the wall of air and skated with explosive speed.
She fired Howling Roar before she started running to hold Raffi back.
She fired Pile Anchor from both her shoulders right after that towards Raffi.
──But, in that instant, Raffi’s figure vanished from in front of her.
When Philuffy opened her eyes slightly in surprise, Raffi was circling to her back.
Not toward Philuffy’s back, but to Lux who was standing still at the rear.
Instant teleportation that leaped through space.
Using the ability of the Ragnarok, Deus ex Machina, Raffi switched from defense to offense.
「……-!?」
「It’s enviable isn’t it. A hero like him, a great man like my big brother. I──can’t become like them. I had no way of protecting this country except by transforming this body into a monster.」
Raffi made the tips of her nails glint and swung her hand like a sword. She aimed at the throat of Lux who was wearing Bahamut and swung down to lop his head off.
Right before that, Philuffy fired Pile Anchor from her elbow.
「──I see, so you plan to stop me or move Lux away? But, it’s too slow.」
「……-!」
Because Philuffy herself ran forward with all her power, when she fired her wire to behind, the distance was getting farther away as much as she moved and it wouldn’t reach.
Therefore, Raffi said that even if she got hit by Philuffy’s attack, she would prioritize killing Lux even then.
「Lu, chan……!」
At that time when Philuffy raised a sorrowful voice, Raffi’s hand was swung down.
She tried to reap Lux’s life with the body of a Ragnarok that would tear apart even mithryldite armor easily. In that instant.
*Zari……!*
Raffi’s sword hand tore apart only Bahamut’s barrier and slashed empty air.
At the very last second, the finger nails only grazed the neck and Lux dodged the attack by shifting his body.
「──Uu!」
「HAAAAAAH!」
The hollow expression vanished and Lux’s eyes snapped wide open. He twisted his Drag-Ride to half rotate while landing a horizontal slash on Raffi’s back with his great sword.
Hit by a force that would sever the average Abyss or armor, she was blown away while crashing through several trees.
「Haa, haa……! Thank you, Phi-chan!」
「I’m glad……」
Lux managed to narrowly escape death when there was only less than a second left.
Red blood tricked slowly from the skin of his scratched neck.
「U, I, am……」
「What, happened……」
「I, what in the world──」
Celis, Lisha, and then Aeril were waking up from the influence of the mind pollution.
「──I see, so the Howling Howl that looked like it was to hold me back was actually to cut off the sound from me. In order to release the other people from the mental pollution.」
Raffi who noticed the intention of Philuffy’s action spoke out from the other side of the dense trees.
In other words the trick was something like that.
Just like in the battle against Iblis, if someone received Baptism, they would be able to resist the mental pollution to some degree.
And so, Raffi made the mental pollution to succeed by taking them by surprise.
The sound, light, touch, smell that she emitted.
The important pollution component that was carried out through the five senses was severed by the sonic wave of Howling Roar.
Because of that, Lux and the others who had received Baptism were able to recover their consciousness.
(However, that was dangerous. If I was late just for an instant, I would have died……!)
He once more keenly felt the dreadfulness of a complete Sacred Eclipse.
Guessing from Listelka’s words, there was no one who was able to defeat Sacred Eclipse in this state.
But, if they didn’t defeat it, the remaining survivors from both camps in this place would also get killed.
Including Lux’s comrades too.
Then──there was no other choice than winning.
He could only exert all his strength.
「──fu」
Raffi in her young girl form smiled as though she had seen through the determination of Lux who was facing her.
「How astonishing. To believe that you can oppose me after merely dodging the ability of Iblis alone.」
A pair of wings clad in flames stretched out from Raffi’s back.
She flew sharply using only her body and fired feathers of flames like arrows.
「──That’s the flame ability of the Ragnarok Phoenix!」
Aeril muttered, at the same time flame arrows poured down like a heavy rain.
The feathers that were burning using special oil wouldn’t vanish even if they were fired into armor.
If their flesh body was stabbed then that would be a serious affair.
In addition it also became a barrier for Raffi herself. It would be extremely hard for them to switch into offense.
「Haha-ue──please stop! You are being controlled by Sacred Eclipse!」
Her stepdaughter Lisha dodged the attack while speaking to persuade Raffi.
But, Raffi was curt toward that.
She only turned her red eyes that were clouded black toward Lisha.
「Lisha, it’s you who are being tricked. By Lux Arcadia who is turning his blade toward the New Kingdom. There is no way I can entrust you to him. I’m the only one who can guide you as a princess.」
「……-!」
Lisha’s expression twisted from the words of Raffi who was completely dyed with dark thought.
While the rain of fire feathers that were pouring endlessly were obstructing almost everyone including Lux, a domain of light was expanding from a single point.
「──Divine Gate!」
The Divine Raiment of Lindwurm that Celis was wearing was deployed. She teleported instantly behind Raffi.
But, it seemed Raffi had predicted even that. Giant wings that were clad in flame blocked Celis and attacked her.
「I have also predicted that you will counterattack like that.」
Celis lunged using Lightning Lance in godspeed after seeing Raffi’s counterattacking motion.
She didn’t intercept the flame wings. She intentionally didn’t neutralize that attack by twisting her body and stabbed the tip of the assault spear into Raffi’s back.
「──Gi, AAAaAa!」
Raffi whose back was stabbed writhed in agony. The flame wings were erased.
The super reaction speed that Celis obtained from Baptism.
Raffi was hit fully by her attack, but Celis who landed the attack was receiving shock inside her heart.
(──Lightning Flash, doesn’t pierce through!)
She almost misunderstood because Raffi’s outer appearance was a human girl, but her flesh was abnormally hard. Let alone a normal Abyss, her flesh could be compared with a Ragnarok.
The feedback was like she just hit several hundred Abysses that were compressed into one.
She aimed her attack at the core, but her lance only pierced through the skin before stopping.
(But, if it’s now when she is fully hit by the electricity!)
Whether they were living organism or machine, their movement could be temporarily sealed with this attack.
Then there was no doubt that right now was a good chance.
Thinking that Celis tried to land even more lightning attacks. But in that instant──!
「Celis! Get away from Haha-ue!」
「Tsu……!?」
She noticed that the tip of Lightning Lance that stabbed Raffi was freezing.
She was covered with armor of ice using the freezing ability of the Ragnarok Fenrir the moment she was stabbed.
「How impolite for a mere daughter of the Four Great Nobles.」
With a fierce glare Raffi formed a wicked smile and struck Lindwurm’s armor by swinging her arm behind.
Just with that, Celis’s barrier was penetrated and a part of her armor was broken. She was blown away.
「Uh, ah……!」
「Celis-senpai!」
Raffi’s counterattack was something light that was done hastily, but it was filled with the power of a preposterous mass.
It wasn’t far different from the sure kill attack that was launched by other gigantic Ragnarok.
──No, her power easily surpassed that.
Lux considered saving Celis who was sent flying in the air, but Aeril beside him stopped him.
「Lux-kun! There isn’t any time to cover for her! If we fall behind against that Sacred Eclipse, we’ll be killed in turn!」
「……!」
Lux was feeling that danger on his skin even without Aeril telling him that.
Even when he aimed at the opening from Raffi attacking Celis and slashed using his great sword from her back, that attack was repelled lightly.
「Wha-!?」
A thick spherical armor of ice.
The protection wall that was created using Fenrir’s ability froze the surface of the great sword just from an instant of contact.
If his Drag-Ride touched it directly, his whole body would be frozen completely in just several seconds.
It was a power that made him feel that much threat.
「Lisha-sama, long range attack!」
「I get it!」
But, the formation of ice armor was the proof that her movement became dull.
Lisha instantly judged that and fired a bombardment with Seven Heads.
──But, Raffi’s figure was erased the moment it hit.
「First is you, Lord. Zahhak’s Divine Raiment that causes forgetfulness is troublesome after all. Before you use it──I’ll finish you off.」
「Tsu……!?」
Aeril who was approached by Raffi immediately tried to escape by leaping behind.
The Breath Whip that she had was a mid-range weapon, so it was hard for her to immediately counterattack, that was why she retreated but──
That too was within Raffi’s expectation.
「──Yggdrasil.」
Several sharp plant roots extended out like spears from the tip of Raffi’s hand towards Aeril.
Aeril couldn’t completely avoid the roots that spread out to radiating direction and she became a victim of the spears.
「Uh, gu……!?」
She twisted her flank at the last second and avoided getting pierced through, but her hands and legs were pierced.
It already became difficult for her to fight just from the intense pain.
「Aeril!」
「Lux-kun, now……!」
Aeril gasped in pain, at the same time she dispelled Zahhak’s armor.
「────」
Instantly, Lux who was in a distance attacked Raffi fiercely with a speed that the eye couldn’t follow.
「──Reload on Fire? Since when……. I see.」
It was painful that Aeril got defeated, but Lux somehow made it in time with activating his Divine Raiment.
No, in a sense it was the ideal situation.
Using Zahhak’s Divine Raiment Brain Hack that stole the designated memory information from the target, until now Raffi was made to forget that Lux was activating his Divine Raiment several seconds ago.
The current Raffi wasn’t on her guard against receiving an attack from Lux who was at a distance.
Lux didn’t let go of that opening. He accelerated and End Action was driven into her body.
──*DO-! DODODODODODO!*
The consecutive sure kill slashes that didn’t pause even for an instant were attacking with a speed that the eye couldn’t follow.
Raffi had the power of endless regeneration from the Ragnarok Poseidon.
As long as she had life force remaining, she would recover fully in just several seconds. To smash through that undying body, he could only cut her with speed and destructive power that surpassed that recovery ability.
He planned it beforehand with Aeril using Dragon Voice and chose this teamwork quickly while taking into consideration the possibility of their defeat.
「──HAAaAAAH……!」
And then, the current Lux was compressing his concentration using Baptism and it became possible to use his Divine Raiment and secret technique at the same time.
That absurdly powerful attack broke through Raffi’s unbelievably hard skin, tore her apart, and smashed her bone.
From outside it was the gruesome sight of someone carving apart a living thing with the appearance of human. Lisha almost averted her gaze from it but she somehow endured.
(I can’t avert my gaze. I have to back up Lux! I can feel the pain later!)
Lux’s consecutive slashes that attacked like a heavy rain had numbered more than several hundred just in a few seconds, but the moment it ended would soon arrive.
In the case that Sacred Eclipse’s core couldn’t be destroyed even then, she could only finish her off using the combo of Suppressor and Seven Heads.
Lisha took a stance to await for the chance.
Philuffy also skated in her Typhon behind Lux in preparation to back him up.
And then, the tip of Chaos Brand that Lux wielded finally exposed the core of Sacred Eclipse.
The super accelerated time of Reload on Fire was already passing, but Raffi was still breathing.
「……Lu, x……help」
Raffi’s flesh was torn up and her body was in tatters. Her faint voice could be heard, but Lux gritted his teeth and resolved himself.
He couldn’t be carried away by his emotion.
She was already transforming into a different existence from Raffi.
If she wasn’t defeated here, they wouldn’t be able to win the next time.
With that determination, he swung his great sword heartlessly.
He had resolved himself from a long time ago. There was no hesitation in him after this far.
Naturally, he was also keeping in mind for any kind of counterattack.
While Raffi was receiving attacks continuously like this, she should also be unable to use the attack reflection of the Ragnarok Metatron.
But,
(──And yet, what is this feeling……?)
The hands of Lux that were piloting Bahamut was receiving a strange feedback.
Even though it was through his Drag-Ride, he got the feeling that he was cutting apart a flesh body with his own hand.
The dress burst open. Raffi’s body that was torn apart under it was blackening like a Nocturnal.
The two eyes that glinted red were mocking Lux.
「In the end──you won’t save me. You will only save those who bring benefit for yourself.」
Raffi’s mouth wasn’t letting out any voice.
But, her thought resounded directly in his brain.
Even so Lux didn’t stop his hand, he should continue slashing his sword until the moment he ran out of his strength, until the core was destroyed.
「──It was splendid, Lux.」
「……-!?」
Suddenly Raffi whose whole body was dyed jet black looked at Lux and smiled.
When he noticed, the attacks of End Action were dodged and the tip of his great sword was slashing empty air.
Even though he didn’t take off his eyes from her even for an instant, how?
「You didn’t hold back even for a bit. In order to not let Lisha take the role of defeating me. And then, in order to obtain this country, you resolved yourself to defeat me who fused with Sacred Eclipse and didn’t hesitate.」
The voice of Raffi who was right near him sounded distant.
Right after that, the thin arm that she swung pierced Bahamut’s armor.
*Gogu-!*
「Gah……!?」
Lux wasn’t quick enough to dodge and Raffi’s fist hit directly.
The reinforced barrier was easily broken through like paper. Bahamut was struck down with a single attack.
「How can, this be!」
On the other hand, Aeril whose armor was dispelled and hid behind a rock roughly understood the battle situation and what happened to Lux.
What made the counterattack toward Lux which they thought as impossible to be possible was the simultaneous use of three Ragnarok abilities.
Raffi continued recovering using Poseidon’s infinite regeneration while strengthening her body bit by bit using Yggdrasil’s adaption strengthening ability.
At the end, she used Iblis’s mental pollution through sense of touch across Bahamut’s great blade that was cutting her. Originally the effect was faint toward Lux who was focused and possessed the resistance from Baptism, but if it was through dozens of slashes throughout several seconds, the number would compensate for the thin effect.
Of course, because Raffi couldn’t concentrate on that ability, it took time, but Lux certainly lost focus for a moment and created a slight opening for Raffi to dodge.
「Lux-kun, get a hold of yourself……! If you’re defeated, then──」
Aeril ran on the snowy forest ground with a desperate look towards Lux.
But, Bahamut was already dispelled from the falling Lux.
.
「──! Suppressor!」
Lisha who was awaiting for a chance instantly activated Tiamat’s Divine Raiment toward Raffi.
In the beginning she intended to follow after Lux’s attack ended, but Raffi easily walked through the gravity field while receiving pressure that would have crushed a normal person right away.
「What? Impossible!?」
Raffi whose whole body was blackened was smiling peacefully.
And then, she fixed her aim at Lisha and leaped through the gravity field.
「──AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!」
The ground that she kicked was smashed and sinking in round shape.
Even under the pressure of several fold gravity, she closed in on Lisha who was hovering in the air with great speed.
But, the instant she slipped through that gravity field, the tip of a wire that looked like a snake jaw snapped at Raffi’s back.
Philuffy who had rallied herself and lurked inside the forest moved into support.
「Pile Anchor」
Raffi was pulled to below by the overwhelming power of a land battle type Divine Drag-Ride.
The instant Lisha thought that, something absurd occurred.
The wire winch that was wrapping around Raffi in high speed got pulled up by her instead toward the sky.
*Gun-!* The frame of Typhon that boasted really heavy mass was pulled up to the air.
When the distance with Philuffy who was reeled in by the wire shortened, Raffi raised up her fist.
「──Stop, Haha-ue!」
When Lisha yelled, the attack was already finished.
「──!?」
Philuffy who was reeled up to the air with brute force was struck down to the ground with one attack.
Finally Lisha became the only one who could fight at the present.
She completely thought that Raffi would continue cornering them without mercy but, her expression suddenly turned gentle.
She talked toward Lisha as though to chide her gently.
「Lisha, I will forgive everything. About how you got tricked by Lux. Even I had experienced getting deceived by Waybra. I understand your feeling well.」
「…………」
Was her awareness of a human still remaining, or perhaps her side as a mother was appearing strongly because she was facing Lisha? It was unknown which was the case but, anyway right now Raffi who should have lost her ego was miraculously holding up a conversation.
「Haha-ue──why are you doing something like this!? Erasing people’s memories, slaughtering people in your way with no questions asked. Is that really the form of the ideal new country that you are wishing for!?」
Raffi didn’t answer Lisha’s pained yell.
She only kept smiling and expressed her own feeling.
「You swore to protect the New Kingdom together with me. You understood me who was weak, lonely, and suffered more than anyone and stayed at my side. You idolized me who couldn’t have a child of my own as your stepmother.」
A deep feeling, like the snow piling up in this Ancient Forest.
Raffi put her feeling at the end of her words and stared at Lisha.
「I was happy. I was reassured. With you becoming my daughter, my whole self was saved. Exactly because of that, I was scared that I can’t protect you. The Sacred Eclipse choosing to reside in this body must be a miracle from that.」
「Don’t tell me, Haha-ue you──」
「Yes, more than the fear of my sin exposed and I being reduced to nothing, I was more scared of losing the path where I can aim for the new ideal country together with you. That’s why, I got rid of those who opposed me. Humans are foolish and weak after all. They fear losing what they have, they fear failure, they fear risking danger, they persecute and torment others. Like that they tried to steal the New Kingdom that I aimed for. That was why──」
Her crimson eyes turned towards Lisha and Raffi continued.
「──For my sake, and also for your sake, all enemies in our way have to be destroyed. And then I will erase the people’s memory. Like that, you and I will be able to become the rulers of a beautiful, ideal, and peaceful New Kingdom. We will never feel the fear of someone taking away anything from us anymore.」
「Haha-ue……」
Lisha’s face turned darkly depressed seeing the expression of Raffi talking in exaltation.
──She was sad.
Because Lisha who was in a position that was similar with Raffi understood her feeling to a painful degree.
If, Lux didn’t appear in front of Lisha.
If, it became exposed how she turned traitor to the Old Empire.
If she was unable to overturn that fate due to her powerlessness.
She might be forced to let go of the worth of her life that she was finally able to obtain.
She might lose sight of herself after obtaining the overwhelming power like Sacred Eclipse.
「If it’s you, you must have realized already that it’s impossible to defeat me haven’t you?」
Raffi intentionally received Lux’s attacks on her body to strengthen her body to the limit using Yggdrasil’s ability.
She was already at the level that the opposition of Tiamat alone wouldn’t amount to much.
Perhaps the chance of victory was already outrageously low.
「Lisha, if you throw away your sword and surrender, if you don’t get in my way until the next world revision succeeds, I will overlook everyone in this place. You understand which is the correct decision for a princess who protects a country don’t you?」
「I──」
The more Lisha obtained the self-awareness as a princess of the New Kingdom, the more she realized the difficulty of protecting the system.
Including how the system couldn’t be maintained without compromising or handing over something sometimes.
But──
「Haha-ue, I am your ally until the end.」
Raffi took Lisha’s words as declaration of surrender and her smile deepened.
However, the attack of Legion from all directions in the next moment made her eyes snap wide open.
*Gaun-!*
The projectile weapons attacked Raffi, but the body that was strengthened by Yggdrasil wasn’t scratched or shaken at all.
But, she realized the truth that she was being opposed and shadows fell on her eyes.
「Did you mistake your control? Or else, did I mishear your words just now?」
「Both aren’t the case Haha-ue, I exchanged an oath with you! That when one of us makes a mistake, the other will notice that wrong, point it out, and stop it! I won’t──betray you! I swear I will stop you!」
Lisha activated Suppressor in full power once more and bound Raffi’s movement even if only slightly.
Seeing that, Lux recovered his strength and stood up.
「Lux-kun, it’s impossible. Don’t be reckless!」
「It’s not reckless……. If I don’t go. I have to, protect Lisha-sama──」
A despairingly dangerous situation.
And yet, just from seeing the master he served, at Lisha’s conduct, strength was welling up inside.
It was different from when he was unable to tell her the truth and fought in solitude.
Right now, there was someone who was sharing Lux’s will.
There was someone who was walking together on the same path with him.
Strength was welling up just from that.
He grasped his Sword Device once more and calmed his breathing.
He could still move.
Besides, landing that many attacks on Sacred Eclipse wasn’t pointless.
No matter how much she strengthened her body with Yggdrasil’s unlimited strengthening and also Poseidon’s unlimited regeneration, the energy contained inside that body was limited.
Together with Celis, Philuffy, Aeril, and Lisha.
The five of them combining their strength together and facing the enemy wasn’t pointless.
That was why, Lux pushed aside Aeril who was holding him in her arms and smiled.
「……I can, still fight. I can still go on, with my own will.」
Once more he compressed his concentration with the ability he obtained from Baptism, and scraped together his slightly remaining strength.
Even if he mustered the strength of his whole body and spirit, one more attack was his limit.
But, he had no hesitation in unleashing that attack.
He was convinced that if it was him right now he would be able to do it.
He summoned Bahamut once more and tightly grasped his Sword Device.
Using tuning──he tried to activate Over Limit that removed all the Drag-Ride limiters, but even his concentration right now was insufficient.
But, a small sound came from behind at that time.
.
「──Legion!」
「Are you still going to struggle pointlessly? I’m not so free that I can go along with you buying time you know?」
The Legion that Lisha fired were punched and destroyed by Raffi with her bare hand.
All attacks already wouldn’t work on Raffi who was strengthened to the extreme limit.
「Then what about this! Suppressor!」
「I’m telling you, it’s already meaningless Lisha. Your attack won’t work. Be obedient for a whi──!?」
A doubt formed on the face of Raffi who was rushing toward Lisha.
Lisha didn’t pressure her with gravity, she applied Suppressor to nullify the surrounding gravity.
In her state that was already in midair, her movement was sealed because there was nothing that she could touch.
Even so, there was no color of fear in Raffi’s face.
「Do you intend to seal me just with this?」
「No? I know that I can’t win against the current Haha-ue.」
Lisha grinned fearlessly and pointed Seven Heads’ muzzle towards Raffi.
With her stamina, this would be her last attack. She would fire it in full power.
「But, we won’t lose! I’ll leave the rest to you, Lux!」
「……Fuh, even if you do something like this──」
*Vun* Raffi’s figure vanished and instantly appeared behind Lisha.
With Raffi’s endurance, she would only get scratched even if she was hit directly, but if she was hit by the bombardment in the zero gravity area, then she would be blown far away to behind.
Not wanting that, she immediately used teleportation and escaped the influence of the zero gravity, but.
For an instant, Raffi who should have become the strongest immortal creature harbored fear due to a clear killing intent.
「──!?」
Even further behind Raff who moved behind Lisha, there was one Drag-Ride there that she didn’t notice before.
A girl assassin with glossy black hair and bottomless bewitching aura.
The girl who was heavily wounded in the battle against an Automata had returned and came until this far.
「──Kirihime, Yoruka? Since when, why?」
The girl who was the user of the special equipment type Divine Drag-Ride Yato no Kami shouldn’t be able to come until this height that was more than ten ml above ground. That was what Raffi thought.
No, strictly speaking she was able to use Yato no Kami’s internal mechanism called Karafumi to kick on the air and reached this height, but if she did that then Raffi should have detected it without fail due to the time Yoruka would need to reach this height.
「Don’t tell me──」
「Yes. It’s exactly like what you think.」
In an instant that didn’t take even one second, Raffi felt like she heard Yoruka’s words.
The Suppressor from Lisha just now was a follow up after she detected Yoruka’s movement.
If the gravity in the area was lightened to the limit, with a single leap Yato no Kami could ascend until the height where Raffi was at.
And then in order to block Raffi’s sight and hide Yoruka’s presence with a thunderous sound, Lisha poured her remaining power into her bombardment.
「──Kokugeki」
A slash of Yato no Kami attacked towards Sacred Eclipse’s core from behind.
Yoruka’s unique sure kill sword technique that was unleashed at the moment the opponent’s focus was cut off.
But, Raffi whose whole body was already hardened to the very limit wasn’t perturbed.
Even after getting hit with a perfect attack, she was guaranteed to be unharmed.
「How many times do I have to say it before you understand? No matter how many the likes of all of you gather, the power of Sacred Eclipse is──unbeatable!」
Right after she was hit, Raffi extended both her arms to left and right in counterattack.
The simultaneous attacks by Yggdrasil’s roots were directed toward Lisha and Yoruka.
「──!?」
Yggdrasils’s roots bended like whip and dealt a precise blow on the Force Cores installed inside the shoulders of the Drag-Rides they wore.
Right after that, the power output of the Divine Drag-Ride of the two decreased and they began to descend. At that time,
「──!?」
On the ground below.
From the ground of the shrine site that was thinly covered with snow, there Raffi noticed an existence fixing his aim while looking up to Raffi.
Lux Arcadia.
The young man who Raffi should have defeated and put into a state that was unable to fight just now was wearing Bahamut once more while glaring to the sky.
「Why……?」
Even though she had definitely broke his willpower, even though she had overcome even his full strength.
Even though she obtained Sacred Eclipse that would destroy the world and Fugil as her ally.
「How, how are you able to stand up? How can you still oppose me?」
There was no one to answer Raffi’s monologue.
But, in that instant when Lisha and Yoruka were starting to freefall from the air, a streak of light hit Raffi like an arrow of light.
.
「──HAAAAAAAhAAH!」
.
*ZAGUN-!* An impact pierced Raffi’s chest and the sound of the sky being cleaved came afterward.
Raffi’s body that possessed the toughness that could endure even the super accelerated Bahamut when it was using Over Limit, was easily destroyed with one attack.
「──GU, UuUU!?」
Right after that, Raffi regained her senses.
With the eyes of a Ragnarok, she was able to ascertain Lux’s action.
What the Reload on Fire that Lux activated with Over Limit compressed and strengthened until more than ten times, wasn’t time.
Although it was the same acceleration, unlike before, it was Bahamut’s thruster that was used for flying that was strengthened explosively.
Furthermore its limiter was removed by Over Limit.
Naturally, if Lux’s body wasn’t strengthened by Baptism, he wouldn’t be able to endure the burden.
Therefore, the power of this attack was in different dimension from the consecutive attacks until now that only had its time accelerated.
It wasn’t the flow of time that was accelerated, it was Lux and Bahamut themselves that were accelerated by several tens of times. With that the destructive power was increasing until many times over in proportion with the speed.
That──surpassed the endurance of Raffi who went through body strengthening using Yggdrasil’s ability.
(No way, no way such thing is……)
She couldn’t possibly think that Lux’s plan reached this far.
She also couldn’t think that he had the leeway to do this after she dealt an injury that heavy to him already.
But, the super consecutive attacks from End Action and time acceleration that he unleashed at Raffi.
If even that attack, was Lux’s scenario then──
「Aa……!」
High in the sky where Raffi was looking up to, a jet black Divine Drag-Ride was dancing.
『The Black Hero』.
Sacred Eclipse was smashed and crumbling, by the legend that destroyed the Old Empire in the past.
The thing that showed her a joyful dream when she was within the abyss of despair, the almighty miracle that could remake the world, was destroyed by human hands.
「No way, why……. Why──」
There was no one to catch her who was falling from the sky to the earth.
But, the impact of her fall was scattered by the snow. Raffi whose body was starting to break was faintly covered by the falling snow.
As though to cover the sin of her wicked human heart.
Part 24
「Tsu……!」
On the other hand, Lux who defeated Raffi with just a single super propelled slash of his great sword by transforming into a godspeed arrow like lightning also found his whole body in tatters.
The burden of the pressure and high heat from rising up and breaking through the sound barrier, the recoil from the frame that went past the Drag-Ride’s possible movement limit. The consumption of stamina.
All those recklessness became debts that came knocking to his whole body, bringing fierce damage to Lux’s body.
It was fortunate that Chaos Brand didn’t break, but he was already unable to wear his Drag-Ride.
However, a satisfied smile formed on Lux’s lips.
Sacred Eclipse──Raffi couldn’t be defeated by himself alone.
The one who allowed Lux’s Bahamut to enter Over Limit when he didn’t even have the spare strength to use tuning was the power of Spell Code from Yoruka who came running just now.
And then, Lisha worked together with Yoruka who specialized in fighting alone to lure Raffi’s attention away from him.
It was also thanks to Aeril, Celis, and Philuffy who bought time for him.
They wouldn’t be able to win if all of them weren’t present here.
Lux who had used up all his strength couldn’t even protect himself anymore.
However──
「Lux!」
「Lu-chan」
First Celis who somehow got up again caught Lux in midair, softening the impact, and then they fell again.
At the end Philuffy caught each of their Divine Drag-Rides.
「Haa……」
Aeril who saw that let out a relieved sigh and collapsed.
Right after that, Celis and Philuffy’s Drag-Rides were also dispelled.
Even though this many skilled Drag-Knights were present, not one of them had even a shred of strength remaining.
It told the story of just how fierce the deathly battle against Sacred Eclipse was.
「Thank you, very much……. Celis, senpai, Phi……chan」
「There is no need for any thanks. More importantly, rest for now.」
Celis held up Lux in her arms while muttering so. Beside her, Lisha who was similarly wasting away started walking.
She headed toward the spot where Raffi whose core was broken just now crashed to.
「Lisha……! Where are you going!?」
「I……have to ascertain it with my own eyes. As a princess, as a daughter, I have to see Haha-ue──」
「Tsu……!?」
Hearing Lisha’s words, Lux also tried to stand up to accompany her.
However, he couldn’t put strength into his feet to walk.
When he struggled, Philuffy wordlessly lent her shoulder to Lux.
「……Uh!」
「Lisha……! Get a hold of yourself!」
For a moment, Celis looked at Philuffy and Lux with a conflicted gaze, but when Lisha who was walking ahead almost fell, she hurriedly headed toward her and lent her a shoulder.
And then the four of them headed towards Raffi.
Toward the first queen of the New Kingdom that they should protect.
The woman who was a victim of the Old Empire.
Part 25
「Haha-ue, hang on! Please hang in there!」
Raffi’s eyes already couldn’t see anything.
Heat was rapidly escaping from her body that had lost her other half, the Sacred Eclipse.
She became unable to even feel that cold.
While everything was melting into the darkness, Raffi heard Lisha’s voice.
「Haha-ue!」
(Aa……)
No one would see her worth. She was used and betrayed.
She existed only to extol someone else’s glory and succeeded that person’s shadow.
Within Raffi’s tragic fate, her meeting with Lisha was her only salvation.
「So you’re, safe. I’m glad……」
Those words were the very first thing that naturally came out.
She was glad her daughter didn’t die, that she didn’t end up in misfortune.
Thanks to being separated from Sacred Eclipse and its influence on her mind, Raffi could think so from the bottom of her heart.
「But, it’s alright. I, don’t have the qualification to be called as your mother. After all I was still acting on my own will for a while even after Sacred Eclipse possessed me. Those things, were things I did by my own will……」
With her eyes closed, Raffi in her young girl form was crumbling from her foot.
「Things like qualification, doesn’t matter! I simply want to call you that! You who know my suffering and became my support!」
「……Is that, so. You’re really, kind.」
Raffi kept her eyes closed while letting out tears hearing Lisha’s sorrowful yell.
She thought that she would be unhappy forever if she didn’t stand at the side of those who rule.
However, someone was looking after her even now that she had lost all her strength. She was happy.
「If it’s you then, I can entrust everything to you……. Please be happy, with Lux, and the people who you trust……. Lisha, I love you. For becoming my daughter, I──」
「Yes……, Haha-ue.」
Lisha answered and then she looked down to hide the tears trickling on her cheeks.
Right after that, Raffi became black ashes and vanished.
bakapervert 
Come on Lisha,wake up!
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she’s gonna wake up for sure after she got beaten up
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Go wake her up, Krulcifer! (It’s actually too much for my heart to see that Krulcifer has figured out what’s the problem with Lux and even bluntly stated that his way of thinking was mistaken. I know the development will lean more on Lux x Lisha but I honestly want him to choose Krulcifer. Though it seems Krulcifer too, has resolved herself about her and his feelings.)
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That’s the spirit !!!
#KrulcilferFTW
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YEEEEEESSSS!!!!
#KrulciferFTW
CHANGE MY MIND (FIRMLY SITTING WITH ARMS CROSSED)
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I want a True Harem ending because Lux has said that he loves all of them. Also notice how during the looping parade he confessed his love to more than one girl. Celis, Krulcifer and Yoruka. Isn’t unfair to make him choose just one girl? Krulcifer is also aware of the possibility of him being in love with all of them.
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You couldn’t be any more right. Krulcifer was actually the first (or was it “only”) one to consider and fear that possibility. It may seem selfish to others that she doesn’t want that to happen, but that just shows that she really considers Lux an important person in her life. He has undeniably earned a special place in her heart and that’s all the more reason why she hopes that Lux will feel the same. (Honestly, I’ve never seen such a better love story)… True Harem Ending is a strong possibility. But consider Lisha’s current standing in the spoiled illustrations and that might not happen. Oh but, for the love of— I PRAY THAT THE AUTHOR DOESN’T LEAVE THIS OPEN ENDED! (Actually, if we were to consider Lux’s standing now, for confessing to three other people, learning of Phi’s feelings, and confessing to Lisha, it really is unfair to just say that the previous ones were mistakes. Considering that Lux might become king, I honestly think he won’t be going for polygamy because that is just like his father the previous Emperor…. so I was thinking, if choosing Lisha in the end is honestly unfair and too much of a trope, and he doesn’t go for polygamy, AND IT ISN’T OPEN ENDED HOPEFULLY, what if…. Lux were to die in the final battle? Let’s be real. We can’t deny that he might actually die if that Singlen barely wounded Fugil. AND NOT TO MENTION, SACRED ECLIPSE AND FUGIL ARE 2 DIFFERENT MATTER)
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I think Lux can be better than his father and treat his wife/wives and/or mistresses better than his father did, so I don’t think we need to worry about that. Lux is and always will be a much better person than his father.
And I’d hate an OTP ending or an open ending here. Former because he loves all of them, and latter because it feels like the author is just running away from having to choose a real conclusion to the romance side of the story. It’d suck even more if Lux died because that’d just feel like a cop out and/or the author just running away (basically the same as why I hate open endings).
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Thats best girl for yaa!!!
(ps: I cheers all the girls from volume 2 except Lisha tho I wonder why?)
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Lux will become the new king of New Kingdom I think so harem ending is possible. I also hope for that ending
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i feel like instead of lux it’s better if lisha take over from raffi. he can be her advisor or something
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Singlen, Magialka and Dist have all said that Lux possesses the caliber of a king. I honestly think he’d be a much better king than Lisha. It’s just too bad he doesn’t realize that himself and instead wants Lisha to rule the New Kingdom. Does he not remember her epic screw up in the meeting between the Lord and the representatives of each country, where Lux and Celis had to fix said screw up? She’s much more suited to piloting, fixing and modifying Drag-Rides than she is to being involved in politics. So she should just stick to Drag-Rides and leave ruling the country to Lux.
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I hope the author got the balls to defy the common trope of “first girl win shit”.
Hopefully we got a harem ending or an unorthodox one(that Aeril coming last and got a cover with Lux is still fishy for me)
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Lux loves all of them and during the looping parade he confessed his love to Krulcifer, Yoruka and Celis. I think a True Harem ending is at least very likely.
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WHAT THE ACTUAL FU—! Krulcifer why did you… why did you concede this to Lisha?! Damn it! At this rate it’s better for Lux to die defeating Fugil! SHIT! THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING! OF ALL PEOPLE, IT HAD TO BE KRULCIFER WHO HELP LUX CONFESS! DAAAAAMMMMMMNNNNNNNNN!!! (calms down 1%) okay so maybe this time, Krulcifer took it in consideration that this is also for the sake of his own happiness. But gawd! This feeling inside my chest is killing me! I really wanted him to choose Krulcifer! THERE IS STILL HOPE! I WON’T GIVE UP! MAYBE NEXT VOLUME IS FINAL FIGHT AGAINST FUGIL, MAYBE THEIR MEMORIES WILL BE RESETED AGAIN, MAYBE LUX WILL DIE DEFEATING FUGIL AND PROTECTING HIS COMRADES IN A HEARTBREAKING FAREWELL! JUST PLEASE DON’T END UP WITH THE PRINCESS! SHIT! WHOSE FEELINGS WERE ALWAYS CONVEYED TO YOU LUX?! IT WAS AND WILL ALWAYS BE KRULCIFER! YOU’RE PROBABLY MISTAKING YOU INTENSE LOYALTY AND SENSE OF DUTY AS LOVE! INFATUATED IF I MAY ADD! AND YOU, KRULCIFER! I KNOW YOU DIDN’T EASILY GIVE UP AND IT WAS ALSO HARD TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT LUX WAS SUFFERING BECAUSE HE WAS IN CONFUSION ABOUT HIS FEELINGS. BUT WHY?! SHIT SHIT SHIT! (oh! Thanks bakapervert for the translation! We appreciate all your hard work! Will rely on Lux x Krulcifer fanfics from now on *sobs*)
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Lux loves all of the girls, not just Krulcifer or Lisha. Remember this: the one most important to him is Philuffy since he always goes batshit crazy when anything happens to her; she’s the one person in the world most important to him. And he also confessed to Yoruka, Celis and Krulcifer during the looping parade, so you should know that he loves them too. Krulcifer remembers the confession he made to her, but the other two don’t because of the world revision and because the one made to Krulcifer was on the part of the loop that wasn’t repeated again.
Like I said before, I think it should be a True Harem ending because making him choose just one girl when he loves all of them would be just unfair to him.
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Thanks for the update!
So after all, Lisha had already noticed but just refused to believe it. Good that Krulcifer and Lux fixed that. Good work, you two.
Anyway, I really think it should be a True Harem ending and that Lux should become king (and not Lisha). I’m just worried about how they’re going to defeat Sacred Eclipse, the Ragnarok touted as being the strongest and even invincible. It just grows stronger and stronger each time it’s defeated. How can they completely stop that thing?
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It will be a true harem ending or Lux will die in the end his final battle,well i don’t mind it but if ending that he choose one girl as his lover instead harem, please don’t. It piss me off.
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I agree here. Especially because he loves all of them. Hopefully he’ll man up and confess to all of the girls that he loves. After that, the result would depend on their reaction and reply. I wonder if he’ll ask them all to marry him or take one wife and a bunch of mistresses.
And I think Lux can be better than his father and treat his wife/wives and/or mistresses better than his father did, so I don’t think we need to worry about that. This is also meant for you, @^0^ / Nothingmeh.
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Ugh i dont like lisha character since very beginning and she is pale in comparison to the other girl, i really wish lux chose to embrace them all, but knowing him is the weakest undefeated i fear he chose lisha the first cover girl…
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Well, he does love all of them so I think there’s still hope for a True Harem ending.
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Lets start Riot if its not Harem Ending 😤
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Agreed. True Harem ending FTW.
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of course lux confess ti lisha first but he better take care of his other harem member as well
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to*
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Yeah, I’ll be so friggin’ pissed if he doesn’t also confess to the others. It seems like the others whom he confessed to aside from Krulcifer also remember the confession, though. But he needs to tell them he’s serious and that he loves all of them. I’d hate it if he treated the other confessions as a mistake.
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And now comes the final battle of Luck and Fugil…two heroes
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Thanks for the translation! Really appreciated.
And yeah, now just have to wait until the Fugl vs. Lux fight like that Anon said. But that fight will be really hard since Ouroboros is pretty much invincible. How the heck do you beat that thing?
But that being said, I hope that they’ll get to rest first. They’ll all exhausted right now.
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My strat
1. Counter 01 using Wise Blood. Then when fugil gets out, phi move first to dispel divine raiment in case he activates RoF or Ouroboros s endless
2. Celis TP to fugil
3. Yoruka touches Ouroboros if “one cannot receive damage from others” and has it attack Fugil or phi dispel endless as i said
4. Lisha will activate gravity to stun fugil. This gives chance to Celes, or Krulcifer to stun him using lightning lance or freezing cannon. I dont see fugil can do something against (Space Eraser) Astral Line, Missing Faith and Sprayshore.
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These ideas sound good. But let’s wait and see for now what actually happens. It could be better or worse than what you said here (hopefully the former).
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Moi je trouve que la meilleur fin possible est que sa ne finit pas en harem et qu’il choississe une fille,Lisha serais bien vu l’empleur de ce chapitre
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EVERYONE: HATING LISHA
ME: ACTIVELY SUPPORTING LISHA AND THE SOLE HUMAN BEING THAT HATES KRULCIFER! AHAHAHAHA!
I LAAAB MA SELF!
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His feeling when he conveyed 『I love you』 to Lisha before this was of course not a lie but──
I WANT TO FREAKING KNOW THE CONTINUATION!!!!!!!!!!
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I’m honestly a bit annoyed with various things but I know that in the end all the paths lead to harem so it’s a little relief. So in the end was really that impossible Raffi could survive and continue to live as mother of Lisha, it’s a little sad but I couldn’t really see a future in which she live so it’s under the expectations.
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