Koukaku no Regios Vol 21 Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Grendan That Night

The place she dropped down upon was in front of the doors of Grendan's Royal Palace.

Most of the palace had been destroyed by the commotion last time, but now those scars could no longer be seen anymore. In the dark night, various guard units were waiting by the brand-new doors.

The guards were called the Rivanes Military Family, composed of the children of those who possessed the blood of the Grendan Three Royal Families. The palace guards and bodyguards of the Queen were all of this family.

Because of this, the guards standing in front of the door were all royalty to some degree. If someone not from Grendan heard this, many of them would feel that this was very strange.

Actually, though they were somewhat related to the royal families, they were only seen as normal Military Artists.

Because of this, other than the guards in front of the door and the two in a slightly elevated position, there were four more guards in total.

To the door guards, her appearance was sudden.

They were able to notice that this appearance was an abnormal situation. They were Military Artists, so if there was someone who could hide past their vision and appear in front of the door in a moment, then that person must be a Military Artist on the level of a Heaven's Blade.

Moreover, the one in front of them wasn't a Heaven's Blade successor.

"Who's there!?"

One of the guards asked.

The electric light made her body s.h.i.+ne orange.

The figure who had appeared was a girl not yet twenty.

But, this much was insufficient to make them drop their guard, the door guards were clear on this.

"Who is it!?"

The girl didn't make a sound, and the door guards once again questioned her. The two guards who had been relatively distant also gathered. Before long, the guards patrolling other areas of the palace would also gather.

Alarm bells sounded in the minds of the guards, and the guard who had just asked the question also knew that he should wait for other guards to gather.

However, the opponent had no reason to wait it out with them.

"......Please move aside."

"What?"

"I want to complete my mission with the least amount of harm done. So please move aside."

"What kind of joke......"

Hearing the girl's words, the guards made angry shouts. They were already clear that the girl in front of them had some quite dastardly goal. The head guards quietly motioned to their companions, and a guard positioned farther back pressed the emergency alarm b.u.t.ton.

With this, the others like the Heaven's Blade successors in the palace would definitely come quickly.

"I have no choice."

The girl spoke as if completely understanding the actions of the other side. This made the guards even more tense.

It might have been over before they realized.

"What......?"

The guards felt the abnormality surrounding them.

The orange light s.h.i.+ning on the girl became slightly blurred.

"d.a.m.n, prepare yourselves!"

It was an instinctive yell, but it was already too late.

No, it should be said that starting from the moment the girl had appeared, Military Artists of the guards' level already had no means of fighting back.

The thing that seemed blurry...... was a portion of her body that had grown out, made of tiny objects called nanomachines. Countless nanomachines that were invisible to the eye spread out under the girl's command, and then gathered together...... forming a new shape.

The entire process was finished in a moment to the eyes of the guards.

"What!?"

The guards who had originally acted to suppress the girl were sent flying.

However, the girl wasn't the one who had moved.

Rather, it was the two arms that had appeared to her left and right.

"Ah!"

The guards who realized this fact didn't have any response other than surprise.

Until just now, there hadn't been anything to the left or right of the girl.

There shouldn't be anyone in this place, but people now stood there.

A girl who wore fighting clothes like a Military Artist, except slightly looser, stood there.

It made one feel as if it were that girl, grown up slightly.

The reason they only felt this was because the upper half of the girl's face had been covered with a colored sheet, and the lower face couldn't be seen too clearly.

Even more incredibly, one girl had appeared on either side of the maiden.

"What...... is this......"

Because of their surprise, the guards didn't even speak, the scene before them even making them forget that they were in a battle situation.

The girls who had appeared weren't only those two.

Rather, they formed a large group.

To the left and right of the girl as well as behind her, other girls appeared in a formation.

Their number exceeded a hundred.

The group of girls moved, knocking down the guards who were too surprised to speak.

Without even looking at the guards who had been felled in an instant, the girl pa.s.sed through the doorway alone.

The girl's name was Lævateinn.

She, who had lived in Zuellni claiming to be Vati Len until recently, had suddenly appeared in Grendan with the ident.i.ty of Lævateinn in order to complete her mission.

Her target was the palace in front of her, its underground.

"Please guard the outside, don't let anyone trespa.s.s."

At Lævateinn's words, the other girls - her copies - wordlessly indicated comprehension.

Though it was only a moment, Lævateinn turned her head to look at her copies, but she already knew that they had already begun moving to complete their mission. There wasn't a single one left to receive Lævateinn's gaze.

Turning her gaze back, Lævateinn advanced.

Lævateinn who wasn't a Military Artist couldn't see the light of Kei that had covered the entire palace, that strongly s.h.i.+ning light.

The light broke through the clouds, burning the sky, but to Lævateinn, this wasn't any threat to her mission.

To Lævateinn, this was her target in order to complete her goal and for which she existed.

◇

The ones on duty that night were Reverse and Cauntia.

Reverse who had been dozing in the room given to the Heaven's Blades on duty suddenly opened his eyes. His Kei vein was also suddenly ignited. As he quickly left the sofa that he had been sleeping on, he quickly grabbed his Dite.

"Tia!"

"I know, Rever."

Cauntia replied while standing up from the sofa, her expression serious. While stroking her thigh where Reverse's touch still lingered, she chased behind him, running out of the palace.

The alarm that the guards pressed was after this.

At that time, the two of them jumped out of the nearest window, running to the entrance through the shortest distance.

That girl ignored the fallen guards and pa.s.sed straight through the entrance.

"Restoration!"

A shout.

At the same time, not only his hands, but his whole body was illuminated.

The Dite responded to Reverse's activation keywords, and the changing Dite began forming into fighting gear covering his entire body.

When he landed before Lævateinn, Reverse's entire body was already covered with armor.

"Please wait."

It seemed like a chunk of metal falling from the sky...... Even if she was facing Reverse like this, Lævateinn didn't waver.

Though he felt a bit apprehensive, still, Reverse didn't know how to judge Lævateinn, who was a single girl however he looked.

"......No one unrelated is allowed to enter past this point."

Though it was a bland sentence, it was a warning that Reverse had worked hard to think up.

"If you put it like that, I have an even more ancient relations.h.i.+p, compared to you."

"Huh?"

The unexpected response made Reverse not know what to do for a moment.

"Please move aside. This way I can complete my goal without forcing you into a painful situation."

"What......"

Reverse stopped thinking before Lævateinn's words confused him even more.

(Though I don't know what she's talking about......)

She had a human form in front of him, but he couldn't feel Kei. Then she wasn't a Military Artist? But, Reverse was very clear about this kind of oppressive feeling.

"......I definitely won't let you pa.s.s."

This girl was very dangerous.

Even if his brain couldn't comprehend, his body still told him.

He had to get rid of the girl in front of him.

The time when he had still been indulgently sleeping on Cauntia's lap just now was already gone. He stood in front of the menace covered by the stiff armor, as if he were enduring his own timidity.

In battle, the first feeling that would appear in Reverse's heart was fear. The fear that his body felt towards battle, the fear that he felt towards filth monsters, the fear of being wounded, the fear of letting others be wounded. Pure terror and guilt at the results produced from his Military Artist actions - that was the kind of person Reverse was.

However, those feelings were the source of his strength. It was a saying that ‘one must overcome himself’. Reverse could be said to be the perfect interpretation of this saying.

Reverse, who had overcome the fear in his heart, had nothing else to be scared of when he stood on the battlefield.

The fear he had originally felt due to the girl was already gone.

However, this definitely didn't mean that he had relaxed his guard.

Underestimating the enemy was the result formed due to being overconfident in one's power. But this kind of thinking wouldn't exist in Reverse who had always fought with his timid heart.

"......Then I have no choice."

Compared to Reverse whose entire body was covered with armor and resembled a block of metal, Lævateinn wore some kind of student uniform that he had never seen before.

Fighting power didn't have any simple relation to clothing, and even if they didn't have the Queen as an example, everyone was still well aware of this. But the form of the girl in front of him and the oppressive feeling from her body were too different.

Pus.h.i.+ng down the confusion in his heart. Reverse focused his concentration on the hand that Lævateinn raised.

Fury dropped from the sky.

A blade sliced through the wind.

It was Cauntia.

His lover descended from the sky.

"It's you! You people hindering us!"

As she said this, she brandished the weapon in her hand.

Her Dite had become a glaive, waving back and forth. The decorations on the blade stretched out, becoming light.

Destructive Kei was condensed, becoming a flas.h.i.+ng blade a.s.saulting Lævateinn.

The feeling was oppressive as if trying to cut the entire city into two, but Reverse wasn't panicked.

Cauntia was also very clear that the she definitely couldn't hold back with the strike before her.

Though it was only a moment, they felt as if this moment was extraordinarily drawn out.

Reverse didn't move from his location, only watching Lævateinn's movement.

The girl raised her head to look at the light that Cauntia had released, and opened her hand towards that light.

Was she preparing to endure that strike, or was this perhaps a means of counterattack?

Cauntia's attack wasn't that weak, Reverse naturally thought.

That light had been condensed, and the length was about the same as Reverse's height. Cauntia had purposefully controlled it because she had considered him being there.

The light that seemed as if it wanted to cut everything apart simply charged towards Lævateinn, and then......

Collided with the hand that the girl had raised.

The light swelled, and the destructive aftermath pushed Reverse back.

After the ground beneath his feet furrowed slightly, Reverse's body stopped.

His gaze was filled with dazzling light.

"Wha-!"

Though it was only a moment, it had been intense. He focused on something other than his vision in order to keep from losing track of Lævateinn.

In the end, the girl still stood in the same position as before.

She hadn't dodged?

No......

"Still alive?"

Because he couldn't feel the girl's Kei, he had to rely on other methods to confirm. His vision was still a bit blurry even now, and his ears were filled with the sounds of explosions.

Even if one wanted to feel the flow of the wind, the surrounding airflow was still in a chaotic state because of that attack.

But that was only the situation for normal Military Artists.

Even if it were an intense battle, Heaven's Blade successors could read all aspects of information at the same time.

Of course, Reverse was the same.

He realized that the figure standing in the midst of his blurry vision wasn't a distortion caused by the heatwave.

In the sounds of the explosions, his ears picked up a hard-to-understand sound like flowing sand.

His sense of touch felt the movement of the air, letting him know that in the center of the explosion there was something stopping the air from flowing in the correct direction.

She still lived.

"Tia!"

When he reached this conclusion, it was a moment after the attack had exploded.

Reverse leaped, arriving in a moment next to Cauntia who had dropped by the side because of the recoil of her technique. He took up a stance, using a s.h.i.+eld that could cover his entire body to engage the things incoming.

Internal Kei variation - Kongoukei.

The iron will that could deflect any kind of object had been revealed.

Incoming.

He didn't know whether his body would be cut in two. He no longer knew how long it had been since he had this feeling...... Reverse realized that his concentration had disappeared for a moment.

"Rever!"

Cauntia called out from behind him.

"Tia, use all your strength."

Saying these short words already took all of his efforts.

"She isn't an opponent that can be defeated so easily."

It had been extremely th.o.r.n.y last time too, when the monster had attacked.

However, that time had only felt dangerous. On the other hand, the feeling this time slowly became anxiety due to fear and being unable to parry.

The returning feeling that had reappeared because of this girl made Reverse's back break out into a sweat.

"Understood!"

Cauntia replied. At that moment, the Kei behind him swelled up, pouring into an attack that seemed as if it could cut everything apart.

What was next? What was the enemy doing?

What was the girl doing?

Reverse's jump should have already scattered the dust in Lævateinn's surroundings.

However, there was something flowing around the girl.

Something similar to sand, or perhaps tiny particles even smaller than sand, were currently gathering around the girl.

The hand that Cauntia's attack had collided with was no longer there, and the portion all the way up to the arm had disappeared.

However, there wasn't a drop of blood leaking out, as if there hadn't been an arm there from the start. There were no splatters of blood at all.

"How......"

Reverse swallowed his words.

What was going on? There was no time for him to think about that.

However, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

But there really wasn't any time for him to continue thinking.

"Rever!"

"Nn!"

Reverse responded to Cauntia's shout.

The roaring, violent Kei bursting behind his back was condensed, collected into Cauntia's blade.

Reverse also refined the Kei inside his body, leading it into the form that he desired.

The great blade was swung.

The condensed external Kei was released in a flash.

Up to this, it was the same as before.

But what came afterwards was different.

The moment after the released Kei pa.s.sed over Reverse's head, its shape changed.

The flash that had been scattered out suddenly became a point rus.h.i.+ng towards Lævateinn.

Composite Kei art - Rending Diamond Mark.

Using the deflective abilities of Kongoukei, he further condensed Cauntia's external Kei.

The external Kei that had been compressed into a small sphere seemed as if it were being toyed around with by the wind, flying towards Lævateinn with an unstable trajectory.

As expected, the single-armed girl still didn't choose to evade it.

The girl only quietly raised her remaining arm towards the compressed Kei.

(What's going on!?)

Reverse shouted out in his heart, but he currently didn't have the leisure to go check it out.

He set his s.h.i.+eld, once again spreading out Kongoukei.

He hadn't clearly seen the form of the attack just now. He was also rather concerned about the numerous abnormal dust-like things. Why didn't she bleed? Why was there a strange flow in the air?

Also, also......

There were too many things he couldn't understand.

Reverse was never negligent during battle. However, the battle this time required his attention more than any other battle before. Thinking of this, Reverse unfolded his power in front of him, spreading it out in front of Lævateinn.

It hit.

An explosion occurred.

The Kei bullet exploded the moment it came in contact with Lævateinn's hand, and light and dust swelled up in an instant, blurring out vision. The shock that could originally shake the entire city was annulled by Kongoukei.

Reverse had spread out Kongoukei with all his power, in order to wait for this moment.

Yes, he was waiting.

He didn't understand a single thing about Lævateinn. About why she had come here, or what she wanted to do next.

Or what she had done just now.

There were many other things he was concerned about.

What had Lævateinn done when she received Cauntia's first attacks?

Other people might not have noticed this, but Reverse had absolute confidence in this.

The technique of his beloved Cauntia, that explosion, that destructive power, couldn't only produce that much of an injury.

Because of this, he had used all of his power to spread Kongoukei.

There would definitely be some exchange after this.

This was all Reverse was able to do in order to protect Cauntia.

And his expectations were realized.

He had guessed correctly.

There was an abnormal flow in the airflow produced by the explosion. It wasn't scattering outwards, but it was as if it were being sucked inside.

"It's the same as before."

The moment Reverse was muttering this......

Incoming.

A dramatic impact.

"Urgh......!!"

His Kei was battered, and his body shook. The a.s.sault jarred his entire body and his consciousness. Reverse strongly clenched his teeth, withstanding the a.s.sault. The reflective ability of Kongoukei wasn't any use. Moreover, this wasn't the time to focus on counterattacking.

However, he couldn't cower at this.

Behind him was the woman he loved the most in this world, Cauntia.

He definitely couldn't shrink back......

"Re......Ver......."

From behind him came a voice that made him despair.

"........................Eh?"

The back of his head, his neck, had been touched by something, and it wasn't Cauntia's hands.

It was a warm, liquid feeling.

His astonishment made his entire body shake, and Reverse slowly turned around.

The air around him swirled intensely. The only place that maintained normalcy was the circle affected by Reverse's Kongoukei.

That was also where Cauntia behind him was.

And it was because of this, that the liquid dripped on Reverse's body.

It was Cauntia's blood.

"Tia?"

Greeting Reverse's eyes was blood endlessly flowing from Cauntia's body like water spraying from a burst pipe.

"Sor......ry......"

An inconceivable apology drilled into his ears.

Cauntia who had lost her strength slumped on his back.

As if to support her body, Reverse moved. In that moment, he had already completely forgotten to maintain Kongoukei.

And because of this, he was able to perceive everything.

Even if he wanted to turn his body around, his left arm wasn't able to move like he wanted to, he finally realized.

"Eh?"

When he looked carefully, his left arm was already gone.

Actually, Reverse's own blood had been mixed in with the blood spraying out that he had seen behind him.

"Eh?"

It was inconceivable. However, this was reality.

Reverse's Kongoukei had been broken.

It had been completely destroyed.

"......I see."

That moment, Reverse understood the situation in front of him.

The second attack that Reverse had received.

It was Cauntia's attack.

No wonder he had felt it strange. Even if Cauntia's technique had been deflected, the damage to Lævateinn's surroundings had been too small. It would be too unlike Cauntia for her to have considered that Reverse was there and held back.

Though he didn't know what had happened in the middle, the reality wouldn't change.

Cauntia's Kei technique had been sent back.

Both times were like this. The composite Kei art of Reverse and Cauntia had been completely reflected.

Because of this, things had become like this.

It had only penetrated Reverse's Kongoukei because it had been the combined technique of the two of them.

"Sorry......"

After Cauntia repeated the same word, she fell from Reverse's body.

The sound of breaking bones came from her strengthless, falling body. Hearing the noise from inside her body, Reverse searched for something in his blood-red vision. His body already didn't feel any pain, and in his hazy consciousness, he could only urge on his body, looking for the target he yearned for.

It was by his side.

"......Tia."

Cauntia didn't make the slightest response to his voice. Cauntia who had always reprimanded himself for being slow now lay silently by his side.

Cauntia's hand reached out, as if to echo her most instinctive desire.

Reaching out to Reverse.

They lay there silently, both reaching out, their strength weakened to a drop, but they still reached out to their desires.

When he gripped Cauntia's hand, a hard-to-describe feeling of tranquility came over Reverse. As his strength decreased with each breath, the scene dyed red with blood before him became more and more blurry.

As his vision was disappearing, Reverse's angled gaze caught Lævateinn who was scattering some sort of particles.

Though he no longer had any judgment ability, when he noticed the feet of some person appearing in front of him, Reverse raised his head.

Standing before him was Lævateinn, gazing at him.

Even in the tense situation just now, Reverse had always felt that she had a sort of indisposed att.i.tude. But he hadn't been in time to ask, and he hadn't been able to defend against everything. Now he could only look at her. Regardless of whether it was fear of enemies or the courage he needed to overcome these fears, they were already all unnecessary. Everything had returned to nothing. All he needed to do now was grasp that hand, and everything else was meaningless.

As his vision almost disappeared, Reverse didn't know why Lævateinn still looked at him like that.

However, he had a feeling that made Reverse feel that Lævateinn was currently looking at his and Cauntia's hands that were clasped together.

"You......"

A weak voice.

The answer appeared in his mind in a moment, but he no longer had the strength to form words. His momentarily clear-headed thinking once again slowly became muddled.

His vision became even blurrier than before, so much that he couldn't even make out her figure anymore.

As everything became unbearably hazy, Reverse protected the feeling of grasping that hand until the end.

◇

(R, Reverse-sama and Cauntia-sama have been defeated.)

The voice that came brought an unconcealed tremble.

"Hmph."

That was a natural thing.

Alsheyra who was moving out of her room in the palace listened to the trembling voice ot Elsmau with a natural att.i.tude.

"What about the others?"

(They have already taken action before contacting me.)

"Good, then tell them to take action in order. Ah, right, though I've only seen that guy fight from the side so far, if he wants to take action himself, then let him."

(Yes...... then what about Your Majesty?)

"I already know the goal of the one in opposing us, so I'll go make the final defensive line. Or should I get rid of everyone else and go become the frontline?"

(No, no, that's not the best choice.)

"Really...... has the evacuation of the city's residents been carried out smoothly?"

(Yes, In order to keep the commotion from spreading, we are currently leading the citizens to shelters smoothly.)

"Right, right, are there any other people there?"

(Military Artists other than the Heaven's Blades have stopped them. No, it would be more correct to say that we've been pinned down by them.)

"Is that so. Though I don't want to be too wordy, what really is going on? Ah, whatever. Tell the Heaven's Blades to ignore them, and charge straight to the palace for the enemy's original body."

(Understood, Your Majesty.)

"Ah, I fear that we'll be in a pinch for a while."

As soon as the conversation ended, Alsheyra spoke to herself. Elsmau might have also listened, but she didn't respond with anything.

Alsheyra didn't really care about her not responding.

Compared to that...... she gazed to the side.

As if it were chasing after her, there was a figure walking behind her with a slightly slower speed.

It was Leerin.

"How is it? Can you keep up?"

"Of course."

Leerin nodded her head with a persevering expression, and looking at her would really make one feel a sort of stabbing pain in the heart. Alsheyra's expression distorted for a moment, but it was only a moment, and in the next second her expression changed back.

By now, she couldn't tell Leerin to go back. that would only be an insult to her determination.

More relevantly, her strength was necessary.

"......Really..."

"Nn?"

"It's nothing."

Alsheyra used a strong smile to mask the words that she had almost let slip out.

She felt that this was another helpless thing.

She had always thought so.

It had been for all of this, for this day, that there was Alsheyra Almonise.

That there was the Almonise Family.

That there were the Three Royal Families of Grendan.

The Heaven's Blade successors as well, the Lance Sh.e.l.led City as well......

They were all prepared for this day.

Alsheyra had been born for the coming of this day.

That was how it had originally been.

But actually, what was it?

Actually, the ultimate trump card hadn't fallen into her hands, it had crossed over her palms, and the purified blood had chosen an extremely mediocre girl.

If there was truly such a thing as fate, how much of a tease was it, or perhaps why did it like to pester people this much.

This fate was a kind of misfortune for the girl, and to Alsheyra it was a kind of insult.

"......It feels like I've been wearing the wrong shoes the whole time." [1]

"Eh?"

She unconsciously spoke the words that she originally hadn't wanted to say.

However, in this situation, even if she let some words slip, Alsheyra didn't show a particularly regretful expression, and she still showed a smile like that past.

"......Ah."

Leerin felt it.

"Well......"

"It's alright, you haven't done anything wrong. If we want to talk about who made a mistake, it should be that fiancee without any patience." [2]

But even with this, even if it were truly the case, it was still the situation of bad luck befalling one's own children. [3]

It refused to gather at Alsheyra.

It refused to gather at the person who wanted to end everything.

Even if she thought about these questions time and again, it wouldn't have any effect on reality, and she couldn't find any ways that were enough to affect the current reality.

"Because I wasn't able to become a mother, really."

"......Nn."

Watching Leerin nodding her head as a response, Alsheyra manipulated the lift machine that they had arrived at, lowering them down to the ground.

The s.p.a.ce that she saw underneath the lift was in darkness. A tense feeling had already been spread all over that black s.p.a.ce. This darkness certainly also knew already, knew that the time destined to come was already close by.

The lift continued lowering.

Carrying Alsheyra and Leerin, it went to her side.

◇

Kalvan was a person who couldn't stand it when he wasn't clear on what had happened and how things were currently turning out.

He had noticed an abnormality and taken action before receiving Elsmau's report, and while he was moving he had heard her report.

But even with this it couldn't be said that he understood everything about the current situation.

The Queen hadn't explained anything regarding the core of the situation.

To one who had always lived in Grendan, though he could speculate a part of it, it was still only a speculation.

And even if he asked the Queen, the Queen's reply would only be 'the continuation of last time' or such an ambiguous explanation. He was very clear that the Queen had always been that kind of person.

Even so, he still couldn't help but ponder the situation.

But, it was also reality that as a Heaven's Blade successor, he was an extraordinary Military Artist at the same time.

To face the situation, what he had to do was decide by his own judgment.

Complying with directions, he ignored the battles of the monsters unfolding in the palace surroundings, and as he entered the inner palace, Kalvan saw it.

A man and woman overlapping each other.

"Reverse and Cauntia?"

The blood-red liquid covering the ground let him know that this wasn't a joke. Kalvan's expression became completely serious, and he watched the area behind them.

A few steps behind Reverse and Cauntia, she was there.

"You did this, huh!"

Though it was the appearance of a girl, Kalvan wouldn't be fooled by such a simple thing. The girl seemed to be preparing to begin moving once again, and then Kalvan had dropped in front of her.

"......Please move aside."

"You're the one that should move aside."

As he replied in a low voice, he took up his restored Dite.

Golden Kei surrounded Kalvan's entire body.

External Kei variant - Armed Sword.

An armor composed of countless swords formed from Golden Kei covered Kalvan's entire body.

The momentum made the air in the surroundings into a gale, blowing towards the girl's body.

At that time, a different presence dropped behind Kalvan's body.

"Kalvan!"

The owner of the voice was Kanaris.

"Don't come over here!"

Kanaris immediately restored her Heaven's Blade after dropping down and wanted to team up with Kalvan, but Kalvan stopped her.

"Go meet up with the others and prepare an attack with them."

"But......"

"Go, you must have seen it as well."

Kalvan only needed to look at the overlapping bodies of the two people behind the girl's back and in the center of his vision, and everything was already understood without having to be said.

"Um......"

"Go."

"Alright......"

Leaving this word, Kanaris once again leaped.

What had she been thinking of saying at the end? The moment he thought of this, Kalvan's expression changed.

It became a smile.

Had she wanted to tell him to make sure to take revenge for the two of them?

"Now I, Kalvan, will be the sacrifice."

His imposing Kei hadn't weakened at all, and this also showed that his heart didn't have the slightest haze.

Losing before a battle was impossible.

"Though I've always frowned at them, whatever I say, everyone is also a Heaven's Blade successor as I am, and it is up to me to avenge them."

His Armed Sword spread out, and golden Kei extended out of the Heaven's Blade, endlessly spreading its territory. As if a kind of viscous liquid, but with a speed that wasn't like a normal liquid. It was spread all over its surroundings in a moment, covering the girl, covering Lævateinn, entirely.

"Disappear before us!"

He yelled.

Brandis.h.i.+ng his Heaven's Blade.

It was as if the surrounding golden Kei listened to his orders.

The golden Kei that had spread out a.s.saulted Lævateinn all at once. The originally liquid substance became hard in a moment, changing into a group of blades or spears flying towards the girl.

There weren't any places to escape to. Kalvan wouldn't leave that kind of gap.

But Lævateinn seemed as if she didn't understand what was happening to her, simply standing in place.

The group of blades pierced Lævateinn.

Though they pierced her, this didn't mean that it had completely finished her.

If it were the kind of opponent who could be won against like this, then the two of them wouldn't have died.

"Hah!"

Kalvan had already taken the opportunity to advance to the next stage of Kei refinement.

The golden Kei became a sphere with Lævateinn as the center, as if to capture prey.

External-type Kei variant - Illusory b.e.s.t.i.a.l Edge

Inside the sphere, the countless blades that had originally pierced Lævateinn's body once again began moving. The golden Kei that filled the surroundings produced pressure at the same time. Moreover, this pressure also produced heat, and along with the destructive energy that Kei already had, the heat increased further.

Cutting, crus.h.i.+ng, and burning.

Three attacks a.s.saulted Lævateinn.

As if the golden Kei was a monster feeding on its prey.

Even filth monsters that possessed extraordinarily strong regenerative capabilities would be ruined beyond recognition by this merciless Kei technique - that was Kalvan's Illusory b.e.s.t.i.a.l Edge.

However......

"Tch!"

Kalvan didn't have the feeling of scoring a hit, so he could only click his tongue, and the Illusory b.e.s.t.i.a.l Edge once again became a new Armed Sword to cover him again.

Nothing could be seen inside the thick Kei of the Illusory b.e.s.t.i.a.l Edge.

It didn't feel like a hit. He had captured the enemy, released his Kei technique, and up until the blades began dancing he had been able to feel a definite contact. For the most part, he was able to feel the resistance of the prey through the Kei.

But currently there were no such feelings.

He wouldn't make rash judgments, that was who Kalvan was. He could capture whatever small changes happened inside his Kei technique, so because of this he wouldn't make any rash judgments.

The change in the feeling made him feel that at some point, his prey had suddenly been switched out.

Changing from a solid to something like flowing sand, that kind of incomprehensible situation had appeared inside the sphere.

(Did she escape?)

Had the girl escaped from Illusory b.e.s.t.i.a.l Edge through some method that Kalvan hadn't noticed?

If that were the case, then even continuing to maintain Illusory b.e.s.t.i.a.l Edge was a waste of effort......

Kalvan shut his eyes.

He didn't prepare to release Illusory b.e.s.t.i.a.l Edge.

Rather, with his sword on his shoulder, he stood while waiting for the changes that would come next.

The sounds of battle from outside of the palace were continuously becoming intense, and the Kei that raged in all directions like a storm wasn't something of a normal Military Artist.

(Lintence?)

Kalvan obtained that answer from the nature of the Kei.

Though the Heaven's Blade successors should have already entered the palace because of their orders, Lintence had ignored them?

He shouldn't be the kind of person who would forget about the original to fight with small fry.

Then had something caught his attention?

He didn't have any time to let Elsmau explain. Kalvan once again focused his concentration, removing thoughts about unnecessary information from his mind.

The feeling that Illusory b.e.s.t.i.a.l Edge transmitted definitely had some secret.

If he didn't unravel that secret......

"Hmm......"

With regards to time, he had only closed his eyes for a moment, but because of the speed of his senses, he felt that it had been quite a long time.

Kalvan opened his eyes.

"That's how it was!"

After shouting, he swung the sword on his shoulder.

The Armed Sword converged, becoming a huge sword.

External-type Kei variant - Golden Yaksha.

The swing would cut Illusory b.e.s.t.i.a.l Edge into two in a flash, and Kalvan's strike would cut into the thing that he had seen through.

That was how it should have been.

"What!!"

He felt an unexpected feeling that wasn't the Kei technique.

There was something suppressing Kalvan's body.

His arms, feet, torso, there was something grabbing on to him, stopping him.

Looking closely, it was a hand, an arm.

It seemed from the exterior to be the arm of a young girl, but there were countless of these arms as if they grew out like weeds, continuously appearing from somewhere unknown, and then tightly grabbing Kalvan.

"Did I misstep!?"

He couldn't help from yell out.

No......

He couldn't have gotten it wrong.

That thing was such an organism.

He couldn't let himself be tricked by her outward appearance. He hadn't felt a bit of Kei from her, but she had killed two Heaven's Blade successors, and she who had escaped from Kalvan's Illusory b.e.s.t.i.a.l Edge with some unknown methods definitely wasn't the being that her exterior suggested.

Then, Kalvan's understanding was correct, as expected.

The countless arms changed further. As if responding to the movements of Kalvan who was attempting to break free, the arms began becoming hard one after another.

Kalvan became as if he were trapped inside a great piece of stone.

"d.a.m.n......"

Even his strength couldn't break this stone.

And the next change began in a moment.

Kalvan felt the presence above his head.

He raised his head to look, and there were countless gun-shaped objects. All of the barrels were aimed at Kalvan.

"s.h.i.+t......"

If he continued maintaining Illusory b.e.s.t.i.a.l Edge, never mind breaking the stone around his body, he wouldn't even be able to clear away the guns above his head. Kalvan released his Kei technique, letting Kei flow for the purpose of defense.

The Kei produced a large explosion.

In the light of the explosion, when Kalvan escaped his manacles, and at the same time cleared away the ma.s.s of guns, he saw it.

A figure, coming closer to himself.

It had come from the direction of the released Illusory b.e.s.t.i.a.l Edge.

"In that case!"

Kalvan shouted this out during the explosion. While flowing Kei through his sword, he swung at the girl who approached him.

There were no weapons in the girl's hands, but her slim fingers were filled with the presence of death.

The cut and the girl's hand clashed and grazed each other, sending off sparks, the attacks of both sides filled with killing intent.

Kalvan's sword cut into Lævateinn's arm.

Lævateinn's hand pierced Kalvan's throat.

"Ugh......"

After a short groan, Kalvan fell down.

◇

Kalvan had been defeated.

Before she had been informed of this fact by Elsmau, Kanaris had already felt this from the flow of the air.

Kanaris was now inside one of the pa.s.sageways of the palace.

Behind here were the lifts that Alsheyra and Leerin had just used.

It was a pa.s.sageway leading underground.

Though there were still other methods to go underground, since Lævateinn had already appeared, she only wanted to use this road.

Kanaris had the premonition that Lævateinn would destroy the palace, and then continue to here.

Kanaris' expression was extremely grave.

If it were the past, she would definitely have felt that that group was messing around and become furious because of it, but she currently wasn't that way. [4]

Three had already been defeated.

This definitely wasn't a situation to joke around.

Those inside the palace had already succeeded in taking refuge. Other Military Artists were currently outside the palace dealing with the mysterious group of troublemakers.

It was up to the Heaven's Blades to deal with Lævateinn's original body.

It wasn't that she had received detailed commands from the Queen, but rather by the time she noticed, she was already doing this.

Because this was all she could do in the current situation.

Kanaris looked behind her.

The Heaven's Blade successors had already gathered.

Savaris, Troyatte, Ruimei, Barmelin, even Haia who hadn't even been a Heaven's Blade for long, along with one more person.

"Claribel-sama?"

Kanaris couldn't understand her appearance.

"Ahahaha, it's been a long time."

She who had run away from home to Zuellni, why had she appeared here?

"Though there was some cause in the middle that I'm not clear about, the battle here will become quite dangerous after this, so please deal with the enemies outside first......"

"Ahahaha...... actually, that's true."

Claribel showed a reluctant smile, holding her Dite out to show Kanaris.

Kanaris also had a similar thing to this Dite whose unrestored form was adorned with various patterns.

"A Heaven's Blade......"

"Nn, I don't know what's going on, but it's already like this anyway."

The last remaining Heaven's Blade should have been something of the dead Tigris.

The grandfather's item had been succeeded by the granddaughter. Nothing of the sort had happened in the records before. Moreover, the Queen wasn't the kind of person to care about interpersonal relations.h.i.+ps like that.

Then, the Queen had to have approved her power to make this kind of decision.

There wasn't any time right now to think about why she who should have been in Zuellni had ignored the distance between cities and suddenly appeared here.

Even if she thought, the fact that she was here wouldn't change.

"I understand."

Kanaris said this as she straightened herself back up.

"What about Lintence-sama?"

Troyatte was the one who asked this.

"He's distracted outside."

Savaris had answered him. His voice had become hoa.r.s.e since the time he had almost died from having his throat cut open. He could have gotten it completely treated, but Savaris had intentionally selected this kind of voice.

"Ah, judging from that guy's style, he might already be somewhere around here."

"That's true, if even we have arrived, then there's no way he hasn't."

"Then, what should we do? Do we use our full power to defend here?"

Ruimei also showed a laughable expression beside the two of them. He also felt that he wanted to fight individually if possible.

Of course, all of the people here probably thought that way.

"Reverse, Cauntia, and Kalvan have already been defeated before us. There's no meaning in attacking one by one."

Kanaris replied.

"What about battle strategy?"

"Leave it to me to decide."

She replied to Barmelin.

"Actually, it's already too late now to think about battle plans."

There was only one enemy.

But the fighting methods of the enemy weren't clear.

"In the situation where we don't have any information on the enemy, formulating a battle plan is impossible."

"In terms of teamwork, none of us can win against those two people who got wiped out."

Savaris said this. Naturally, the two people he was talking about were Reverse and Cauntia.

"This time might be quite the crisis."

Troyatte understated.

"Her Majesty said that there's no concern regardless of what you destroy."

"Is there anything now that she would care about if it got destroyed?"

Ruimei grumbled at Kanaris' words.

"......You guys only have those complaints because you're all too stubborn~"

An unfamiliar voice suddenly entered everyone's ears.

Though it was an unfamiliar voice, it definitely didn't belong to an outsider. Everyone instantly understood who had spoken.

It was Haia who was a bit further back.

"What did you say, kid?"

Ruimei glared at him, but Haia didn't care.

"I just wanted to say that because you guys always fought individually, you can't even fight together anymore~"

"That's true."

Haia's accurate a.n.a.lysis made Savaris laugh while making his reply.

"However, youngster. What about it? Could it be that we should start learning how to fight together now? We don't have the time for that now, though."

"I'm here. Regardless of what you say I was the leader of the Mercenary Gang, and I've fought strong enemies as many times as you all, and commanded an overwhelming number of group battles~"

"I see."

Savaris was also the person who agreed with him.

Kanaris had also thought this in her heart.

Because Heaven's Blade successors had such overwhelming strength, they all couldn't help but become loners in the end. Though there were times when they would fight together as two or three people, this would only happen during extremely infrequent situations, and in the end they still relied on their individual strength to complete missions.

As long as a single Heaven's Blade successor was there, most enemies could all be dealt with.

Because of this, Heaven's Blade successors weren't suited to group combat.

The battle last time was the same. In the end the Heaven's Blades had all fought supervising their own districts. That kind of method couldn't be called group combat.

At least the group combat that would be required for this battle wasn't the same.

So, one would think that Haia's proposal wasn't bad.

"Who would listen to the commands of a kid like you?"

Ruimei said this in a bad mood. Though she hadn't made any comments, Barmel also showed a disagreeing expression. The slightly contemptuous att.i.tude on Savaris and Troyatte's faces also hadn't changed.

The situation was bad, they didn't have enough faith in Haia. Since the Heaven's Blade had been conferred to him, he hadn't even had an opportunity to display his own power. Also, even if he had the commanding ability and the corresponding performance, the people here wouldn't trust him unless they had seen it with their own eyes.

In other words, they weren't satisfied to entrust their lives to this unfamiliar person.

Claribel didn't even have the opportunity to speak because the presence of everyone else was too intense.

(This is bad)

The current situation was really bad, Kanaris thought.

She understood this very well.

However, they didn't have any time to improve the situation.

Because they could already hear the footsteps of that person.

◇

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Haia quickly grabbed the unrestored Heaven's Blade.

His palm was full of sweat.

He felt tense.

"......Hahh."

How long had this tense feeling been for? Thinking about this, he couldn't help but show a smile.

But, the faces of the Military Artists gathered in the surroundings who were even stronger than himself were also filled with tension.

It was impossible for Haia not to feel tense.

"Ah, maybe I'm too cowardly?"

Haia was a Heaven's Blade successor, so in other words, he was in the same position as the others standing around him.

He had no reason to fear them, nor did he have a reason to worry about what they thought.

Because of this, he had just spoken.

"Ah, this situation isn't so easy to get used to~"

The Heaven's Blade successors were Military Artists with various extraordinary fighting powers...... The atmosphere that could be felt from their bodies couldn't even be compared with others. When he had fought Layfon, the extremely abnormal compet.i.tive feeling he had managed to offset that atmosphere, but currently it was different.

More importantly, there were so many Heaven's Blades here.

Seeing the people surrounding him, each one made him feel safe, and it was only Claribel who stood there whom he felt a bit sorry for.

Because she also wore the same expression as Haia, but with even more embarra.s.sment.

(It seems you've given an unwanted opinion.)

A sound floated quietly by his ears.

Just a sound.

Looking carefully, there was a Psychokinesis flake floating next to him.

It was Elsmau.

"Because I felt this was the best method at the time~"

Actually, this part wasn't a lie.

If this were an enemy that the Heaven's Blade successors who possessed extraordinary fighting power couldn't defeat alone, then the group combat that they were unfamiliar with, particularly fighting together, would become the key to victory or defeat.

Of course, this was also a result that things would have to go smoothly for.

"And you, what do you think?"

In order to coordinate with the other party, Haia lowered his voice.

(Eh?)

"My proposal."

(That...... I personally think it's worth a try.)

"Is that so~"

(But, I think that you won't be able to gain the agreement of the others quickly.)

"Why~?"

(Because you still don't have the trust of everyone.)

"It's really because of that~"

Haia understood this himself, and being told this by the third person, he was even more convinced.

After all, he still hadn't had any opportunity to display his power since he had become a Heaven's Blade.

Originally, he had thought that the opportunity for everyone to see his power had finally arrived, but he had quickly run into such a th.o.r.n.y situation.

Perhaps this battle was the one that Karian had spoken about before, the last battle betting on the fate of this world.

"That guy...... what is he doing~?"

(What?)

"It's nothing."

Karian was currently somewhere, and even thinking about it wouldn't make any results appear.

Regardless of whether the things he had done had bloomed or not, the current situation would be the same.

A battle had appeared in front of Haia and the others, and at this moment he couldn't expect others to come and do anything for him.

"Well, first I'll go work hard to be able to obtain their trust~"

The sound of footsteps didn't stop.

After entering the empty palace, it came straight for this place without a single pause.

The sound of footsteps was very orderly, without a trace of impatience.

As if waiting for this side to take stances.

The eyes of Military Artists could already make out the figure of the invader. Though they felt surprised at the exterior of a girl, they were even more surprised when they saw her familiar clothing.

That uniform made Haia think of something, making his mood become a bit poor.

"Zuellni's uniform."

That was the uniform that the female students of Zuellni wore.

Even at this kind of time, something that made him think of 'that guy' had appeared. Haia had never even thought of this, so he felt vexed.

However, since she had left from Zuellni, then that meant the current crisis had nothing to do with Zuellni. Even if it was related, there wasn't any time to resolve that puzzle.

"It'll be enough to do what we can."

What they should do now was fight with the girl in front of them.

Then......

"I'm already used to playing that kind of nasty role."

Haia had done many things as a mercenary.

In order to win, sometimes it was necessary to obtain the trust of those around him in a short time, and he knew such methods.

(Please be careful of your safety.)

"I know!"

Responding to the Psychokinesist who now called herself Elsmau, Haia charged at the girl, accompanied by the light of restoration.

Internal-type Kei variant - Whirl Kei Current.

This was Whirl Kei that Haia had improved himself, sending him in front of the girl in an instant.

"You!"

Ruimei made an angry roar.

"It's clearly you that were slow~"

Haia said this behind him as he grasped the Heaven's Blade that had just been restored and charged forth.

Psyharden Technique - Flame Cut.

The rapid sword wrapped with flame cut out, heading diagonally up towards Lævateinn.

"Ugh!"

Haia who had originally planned to turn the blade downwards and overlap the flame for the next strike suddenly changed his battle plan, retreating in the blink of an eye.

He hadn't felt contact at all.

The sensation that Flame Cut brought seemed as if he were cutting through air.

Fearing that it was an afterimage or a body copy technique, Haia quickly scanned the surroundings with his eyes open, but it didn't seem that way.

"So it's like that, no wonder three people have already been defeated."

Large drops of sweat appeared on Haia's forehead.

With only one strike, he understood Lævateinn's huge strength.

"Please retreat, I only want to visit a certain place."

"I can't respond to your expectations~"

Lævateinn who had received the strike just now seemed as if nothing had happened. Accepting that fact, Haia wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Don't say that, play with me for a bit longer~"

"......Then I have no choice."

Though Haia didn't understand, at that time, Lævateinn took action for the first time.

A sword appeared instantly in the girl's hands that had originally hung down forcelessly, and it seemed as if it had grown out of the girl's hand.

"If you will all stop me anyway......"

"Uwah!"

Her intent had already been conveyed.

Haia yelped, holding his blade out in front of him to block.

A blow pushed back his entire body.

When he realized that Lævateinn who wore a cold expression had appeared in a place very close to him, it was already after this.

"Then I will rely on force to eliminate you."

"......Just try it!"

Haia yelled, shoving away the blow that had pushed him back.

He released a Kei technique.

Psyharden Technique - Gravel Ring

The Kei technique originally randomly shot out external Kei bullets to suppress the surroundings, and after his modifications, now only shot out in front of him, bathing Lævateinn in a rain of Kei bullets.

But by that time Lævateinn's figure had already disappeared.

Appearing behind him.

"Tch!"

Going with his instincts and experience, Haia flattened his body, and something in the shape of a sword flew over his head with killing intent and wind.

Combined Internal and External Kei variant - Ryuusenkei.

His body became a tornado, blowing back Lævateinn behind him.

Haia stopped spinning, pursued the girl flying in the air.

Ryuusenkei variant - Wind Scythe.

The Ryuusenkei that had appeared earlier was collected into Haia's blade, and then once again released. The spiraling blades of wind that had been compressed to their limits would definitely gouge Lævateinn's flesh severely.

But, that destiny was easily eliminated.

The spiraling wind touched Lævateinn.

However, the blades of wind weren't able to tear the girl's body.

The girl flew around.

"Impossible!"

Seeing that scene, Haia couldn't help but make an incredulous sound.

The girl was as if she were being pulled by something, whirling around the spiral, and then being cast away.

It wasn't like a human, but rather like something light and floaty being blown around. Haia could only feel stunned speechless towards this kind of physical phenomenon.

But, he couldn't just stay speechless like this.

Lævateinn who had been sent flying out hit the ceiling, and instantly prepared to jump back down from an upside-down posture.

In other words, she was trying to jump back towards Haia.

Haia who had recovered from his amazement had sufficient time to adjust his striking posture.

He was ready to face the next strike.

However, the observers weren't ready to continue as they were.

The figure of Lævateinn who had taken a jumping posture had already disappeared.

Of course, this didn't mean that she had moved, but rather was because a giant figure had swept away the entire place where she had been.

The sound appeared after that.

The destruction also came after that.

A giant piece of metal obliterated the girl's body, destroying the ceiling and flying outwards.

It was Ruimei's Heaven's Blade, an iron ball.

"You're rambling me to death."

Ruimei ignored the rubble that fell down along with the sound of the explosion, pulling back the chain of the iron ball. The other side of the chain was connected to the giant iron ball. It had a speed completely inconsistent with its ma.s.s, and also possessed a frightening destructive power. The iron ball had quietly returned to his feet.

"It should be enough to destroy her completely, right?"

Just as Ruimei had finished speaking......

A big red pillar appeared next to him, piercing through hole that the iron ball had created and continuing to extend.

It was a crimson blaze.

"Though you're right, it's probably better not to care too much about order right now."

The one who had released the flame was Troyatte.

"You mean you won't get a turn."

"I'm taking precautions because I'm afraid that you'll be too ashamed when you're defeated. It's only insurance."

"Ha."

Hearing Troyatte's silver tongue, Ruimei made an irritated face.

"Ah~ ......Really~"

Haia's sigh made the two of them shut their mouths.

"......Speaking of which, the two of you, isn't Her Majesty's private quarters above here?"

Savaris said this.

"Ha, you're still thinking about what kind of places will be destroyed in this kind of battle!"

"Her Majesty said that it doesn't matter regardless of what gets destroyed."

To restrain Ruimei, Kanaris began explaining solemnly.

"Though she did say so, even in this kind of occasion, Her Majesty's room should also be excluded, this kind of situation is very common."

"......If some of Her Majesty's personal items fall down, that won't be funny."

Hearing Savaris' explanation, Kanaris' face became ashen.

"If some diaries she wrote fell down, I fear that our doomsday would definitely come."

"That kind of thing is really scary in various ways."

Savaris couldn't help but laugh at Troyatte's thoughts.

"Then...... it's probably better if we don't concern ourselves too much."

Seeing the att.i.tude of her elders, Claribel warily raised her hand and spoke.

"Of course, we're not going to care, former apprentice."

"Eh? Former apprentice?"

Claribel opened her eyes wide at Troyatte's reply.

"There's no longer a master-apprentice relations.h.i.+p between us who are both Heaven's Blades now~"

"Ah, yes."

"That's how it is. Of course, we can't relax our guard."

"Really?"

"Do you doubt me?"

"You're right."

"Ah, nothing can be done about that."

Seeing Troyatte who was laughing this leisurely, Claribel expressed her incomprehension.

Haia who hadn't partic.i.p.ated in the conversation could not understand either.

"We haven't relaxed our guard. The reason it seems like we've relaxed is because......"

There were new movements behind the back of Troyatte who said this.

Neither Claribel nor Haia had missed those movements.

Savaris stood there, putting his thumb and middle fingers together, appearing as if he were going to snap his fingers.

Right after he suddenly put strength into them, a moment later a sound came from his fingers.

"Because everyone has decided what comes next."

The snap overlapped with the voice of Troyatte.

Afterwards.

The remainder of the ceiling exploded.

A heavy and intense shock shook the entire palace.

In the midst of their shaking vision, Lævateinn's figure had suddenly appeared from some unknown area.

"I already pretty much understand."

Savaris said this.

"Your tricks."

This time it was Sav