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Chapter 54 – Moonlit Night, Parade of Corpses [10]
Now then, Pretty Boy-kun went and said that but what should I do……
As for me, I greatly agree with his opinion. I can’t let Alicia be exposed to danger any more than this. Besides, if it’s him, who can handle Drago Roar, I can completely leave it to him. At any rate, if he can perfectly handle Drago Roar, he’s simply “stronger” than then current me.
But, I can’t just twiddle my fingers and watch. Anyhow, I can’t “bind” the actions of these siblings. With chains, or “with words”.
Going through their own justices they possess with resolute intentions, they were that kind of strong sisters. Even the youngest child Alicia was the same as her two older sisters in that she had that kind of difficult way of life.
There’s no way that Alicia would overlook this situation. She might be exhausted and unable to move right now but, if she were to recover even just a little bit, she’d probably go into the battle. For the sake of the people of this town. That being the case, if I were asked by Alicia, I might also make way for her. ……You could easily imagine that I’d probably go soft on these sisters no matter what.
In short, before Alicia can go into the fight, I have to defeat that guy. ……The problem is the possibility that Umbra would meddle once again during the time I’ve gone to defeat the Ancient Dragon but, I’m done thinking about that time. Things will be fine this time if I just draw the Sacred Sword without any hesitation after all.
「（Alicia, you’re alright, aren’t you?）」
「（……Fufu. That’s the first thing that you say to me who was a captive princess?）」
They were words that showed signs of criticism but, in Alicia’s words, none of that could be felt and had a softness to them.
「（Sorry.）」
「（Nfufu. ……I’m sorry Yuu, since it was after a big ceremony, I let my guard down a bit too much. Next time, I won’t make such a blunder.）」
Alicia apologized for how she was captured by Umbra earlier. Even though she didn’t need to do so.
「（It isn’t your fault. Besides, Alicia, you’ve done plenty for hanging in there. No one will blame you, and I won’t let anyone do so.）」
Rather, it was my bad for being negligent in being vigilant of the surroundings.
「Agent」
「Fhunn! Fhunn~!! They, won’t, come, off~!! Hn, what do you want?」
I tossed the Magic Gun over to Bernadette, who was trying to remove the magic chains that entangled her leg while holding down her skirt with one hand.
「I’m going to take down that big thing. Lend me your strength.」
When I said that, Bernadette, still upside down, made her eyes sharp and looked at me. After that, she shot off the magic chain that was coiled around her legs and, at the moment she fell, fixed her posture and neatly landed.
「Honestly, my real motive is that I still have my doubts about you but……I’ll believe in you. Besides, it’s because, personally, I want to quickly put an end to this matter.」
Saying that, Bernadette picked up the other Magic Gun that had fallen.
「I see, that helps.」
「No problem, this is also for my friend after all.」
Returning with that, Bernadette started to check if there was anything wrong with the Magic Guns.
「Sorry but, you guys can’t go, got it?」
「っ, ……May we hear the reason?」
When I said that to the trio of Henrietta, Mana, and Eri, who seemed to want to say something, all three of them shook with a *Biku* (startle), and, as if she were a representative, Henrietta took a step forward.
「I don’t really have to tell you, do I?」
「?」
The three of them tilted their heads. After taking a glance at the three, I looked at the Ancient Dragon.
「Take care of Alicia.」
「……っ!?」
I was worried about Mana, who showed a facial expression that looked like she was surprised, but, after linking the treasured swords and turning them into the intertwined twin sword 『Carbunculus』, I peeked over at Bernadette.
「I don’t mind.」
*Gacha* (Click). Having prepared her guns, Bernadette nodded.
「Alright. ……Here we go.」
Saying that, I put strength into the tips of my toes, and kicked off the ground.
「（Take care. ……Yuu.）」
「（Yeah）」
From Alicia’s words that were directly delivered to my brain, I replied with only one word and rushed towards the Ancient Dragon.
◇
「This guy! It’s ignoring us and started moving!」
Her body wrapped up in white lightweight equipment that had a characteristic white iron gauntlet attached to her right hand, Akane shouted at the same time that she landed.
That big frame, that caused a huge tremor with every single step it took, had, just as Akane, slowly started to advance.
「You can tell just by looking at it! TSK, a big frame like a mountain. This is a tough fight in a different vector from how it was with Glakiesta.」
Wearing a white kimono with a red hakama that was another world’s miko outfit, Sakuya had, *Kachi* (Clink), sheathed her wantou into the scabbard attached to her hip and clicked her tongue.
「This direction……It’s the way to where Kaito-kun is!」
His body wrapped in a pure white robe, while holding with both hands a wooden staff that surpassed his height, Akira shouted.
「!? ……Why, youu! Stooooopppp!!」
Promptly jumping up due to Akira’s words, Akane made use of the buildings and the Ancient Dragon’s body, and ran up to the vicinity of the Ancient Dragon’s head in one stroke.
And then, together with a yell, the fist that Akane swung down that was aiming at the crown of the Ancient Dragon’s head was obstructed by the Dragon Scale that had developed, as if it was covering the Ancient Dragon, and didn’t reach him.
「I’m still, not done!!」
However, she wouldn’t give up from something of that level. Knowing that she was obstructed, as if she were going to forcibly push into it, Akane released the concentrated Maryoku that was placed on her fist.
「IM…――PACT!!」
The zero distance concentrated Maryoku bombardment that Akane specialized in 『Impact Zero』. This was a technique that boasted a high grade degree of difficulty while being a simple action of pouring an enormous amount of Maryoku into a single point while releasing it. Called things like a Magic Cannon or a Flux, it was something that was originally something that was not meant to be used in close combat.
However, due to Akane making the Maryoku focal point at her fist and the release the tip of her fist, she added this Magic Cannon, despite being an extremely short distance one, to herself as a technique usable in the middle of close combat.
It would be fine to think of this technique as the concentrated Maryoku turning into power itself. In other words, the attack of Akane, who boasted a Maryoku amount of the strongest class in regards to this world, itself had turned into something that boasted an offensive ability of the strongest class.
「Why, won’t it go through!!?」
At the spot of the flash caused by the Maryoku Akane had released, either the parts that were broken were instantly regenerated, or, just as its name goes, it overlapped each other like scales into a strengthened barrier and shuddered.
「Akane-san! I’m going to pursue it!」
「Akira!」
「In that case, I’ll fasten it down.」
Peeking over at Akira who had entered into the magic’s aria and looking at Akane, and then understanding Akira’s aim, Sakuya leaped at the Ancient Dragon from Akane’s rear while unsheathing the sheathed wantou from its scabbard like she would for a Japanese sword.
「『True Magic Clad Sword』! ……Pierce!」
Collecting the surrounding Maryoku and producing a sword blade of Maryoku, 『Magic Clad Sword』. Using that as a base, True Magic Clad Sword is a fighting method that Amagi Kaito had worked out that changes one’s own Maryoku into a blade to be put onto a wantou. Sakuya influenced that sword blade of Maryoku with her own aggregate amount of Maryoku to raise its performance to its maximum. Furthermore, it went to sharpness more than the sword blade’s length. The sword blade that had its sharpness raised to the limit went through the Dragon Scales right before they had completely finished repairing.
「――Those keys that are the seven pillars that hoist up the sky. Taking down the sky, I am one that crosses over the slope of the seven prismatic colors and travels the sky. Respond to my words, gate that connects to the heavens………―――Open! 『All Cancel』!!!」
Invoked making use of the power of the great spirit that is worthy of each of the six elements of heat, water, wind, thunder, cold, and earth and the overhead element ether, it’s the highest Hazard class, wide area annihilation magic.
Forcibly converging the conflicting powers with ether, it is a magic that fires seven beams at a vast range.
Flashes of the seven prismatic colors rained incessantly from the enormous magic formation that was summoned in the sky above the Ancient Dragon.
Among the flashes of the seven prismatic colors, six of them were repelled by the Dragon Scales and ended at the level of scraping the Dragon Scales but, one streak of light slipped through to Sakuya’s pierced sword as if it were sucked into it, and it went through the Ancient Dragon’s big frame without being defended against by the Dragon Scales.
「Did it get through?」
「It looks like it more or less received a reduction due to the barrier but, it definitely got in!」
In the middle of the Ancient Dragon’s howl that could shake the ground, Akane and Sakuya got down next to Akira. When Sakuya confirmed it while touching the handle of the blade that was affixed to her hip, Akira reassuringly nodded.
As if supporting that Akira’s confidence, the decaying flesh of the Ancient Dragon, the portion that received 『All Cancel』 that went from its head to one of its wings, slid and crumbled down.
「As expected of Akira! Nice one!」
「That, that hurts, Akane-san……」
Although his back was repeatedly getting hit, Akira delightfully made a wry smile.
「I was wondering about what we’d do at the time I was defended against by that barrier but……It looks like we can do surprisingly well just by ourselves.」
「……No, it’s still too early to be celebrating.」
Sakuya replied to Akane, who struck her fists together and smiled, while drawing her katana.
「No way……What is that……」
It wasn’t unreasonable for Akane to be surprised.
Dark red tentacles grew from the Dragon Zombie’s flesh, and those tentacles stuck onto the parts that had fallen off.
And then, the Ancient Dragon that had sewn its wounds with the tentacles, just like how a person would suture an arm that was sliced off, looked down on Akane and the others with its rotted pair of eyes.
「It’s “seen” us! Spread out!!」
The Ancient Dragon that had continued on without even looking at them up until now had stopped its legs, and dedicated its field of vision to the three of them.
In other words, it “recognized” them as an enemy.
Slowly, the Ancient Dragon raised one arm overhead.
「We would even if you didn’t say so!」
Akane jumped in a different direction from Sakuya who jumped away carrying Akira in her arms. Using body strengthening magic, Akane got even further away from where she originally was. Sakuya took a great distance as well, though in the opposite direction.
And then, a shockwave rushed the three that should have taken some distance.
「Wha!?」
「Uguh!?」
「Uwaah!!」
From the crash that were as if a missile had made an impact, the three were blown away.
「Tsk……So this, is a Dragon King, huh.」
Pushing aside the “rubble” and standing up, Sakuya, who looked at the surroundings, involuntarily gulped.
The vicinity was, changed into piles of rubble. The cause of that was the arm that the Dragon King swung down. With the impact of the swung down fist, all of the buildings in the surrounding area were smashed up. From the point of impact of the fist that the Ancient Dragon swung down, a crater that looked like it stretched out was created.
She had known that it had received a strengthening due to Drago Roar but, Sakuya did not think that it would be to this extent.
（So just by throwing a fist, it ended up like this. ……Dragon King, you are one to be feared……Hn?）
*Tsuー* (Trickle). When she touched something that had trickled from her head, her fingers were wet with blood.
It would seem that although it didn’t hurt, she was injured.
「u……, Sakuya-san……」
「Are you alright, Akira.」
The fainted Akira, who was at Sakuya’s feet, awoke and got up while holding his head.
「I am fine. ……But still, this is……」
Akira also once again looked around at the vicinity and was at a loss for words. And then, as if he had just noticed, he hastily stood up.
「What about Akane-san!?」
「She’s here.」
The one that responded to Akira’s shout that sounded like a scream was a voice that, starting with Akira, was one that the three knew very well.
*Suta* (Step). The one that landed together with a light sound in front of Akira and Sakuya was Amagi Kaito. Among the present age Heroes, he was the strongest swordsman.
In his arms, he, who wore lightweight equipment with a similar design to Akira and Akane’s, was carrying Akane.
「……You’re late, Kaito.」
「Sorry. Kept you waiting, haven’t I.」
Together with a wry smile, he got onto one knee in front of the two and carefully placed Akane, who he held in his arms, on the ground as if he were handling a jewel.
「Akane-san!」
「She’s only fainted. You can be at ease.」
When he said that to Akira who had come rushing over, Kaito stood up and looked up at the Dragon King that had been changed into a Dragon Zombie.
「Ancient Dragon King that had subdued all of creation. Even in death, that power, is worthy of admiration. …..Now, I have arrived.」
That pair of eyes, that was redder than blood and sparkled like a flame, captured the Ancient Dragon.
