Interlude 8
Part 1
---In the skies of [Underwood], 3000 meters up.
Sparks flew with the violent clash of metals while a pair of wings continued to weave a quick pattern in the air.
The battle between Leticia and the Gryphon was still playing out in the air. The Gryphon being the Lord of the Skies but the enemy was one that possessed Divinity. Possessing more than just the upper hand in agility, Leticia also possessed the Gift to create a countless number of weapons that could be fired repeatedly from the Dragon’s shadow. Izayoi had been knocking away the spears with his trident all this time but he could see that it would be an uphill task to land on the Citadel judging by the current situation.
Gry temporarily descended and pulled away but did not take his eyes off Leticia as he stared at the figure with growing frustration at the current predicament.
“Damn it! What the hell is that guy?! There’s completely no flaw in the defense for me to make a landing!”
“Yeah. Although that thing doesn’t chase us when we draw away from the Citadel and maintain our distance, it actually makes the situation trickier. The specialized guard is much tougher than I thought.”
They had tried nearing and backing away, soaring from left to right to try to bait the guard away but it would seem that the shadow of Leticia wasn’t one to jump for the bait. Izayoi had actually planned to just leap into the Citadel and get things settled in the straightforward fashion, but he had decided to leave off that thought after considering the high risks.
“I’m really at my wits end. Is this what they call exhausting all options?”
“Oi! This isn’t the time to be joking man, you stupid lad!”
Gry chided in reply while Izayoi shrugged his shoulders at that. But it was true that the battle this time was one that really gave him much headaches.
In addition to it being his first aerial battle riding on another’s back, he was also wielding a weapon that he was unaccustomed to. Hence his predicament was still within the confines of being understandable.
In his world, though he had experience with using a gun out of mercy, swords or even weapons of the pole-arm varieties were totally new to him. And for Izayoi who had always welcomed the challenge which he went to fight with just his fists alone, the aerial battle of today would really be a bad disadvantage for him since the very beginning.
“……As long as we can successfully land on the Citadel, we can solve the problem but for now, we can only continue to spar with her. So I’ll apologize in advance for I’ll need to trouble you to make preparations for a long drawn out battle.”
Izayoi raised his trident and swept it back in a swing while Gry gave a grunt in response.
They were both reviewing their next strategy when a brilliant light from below halted their train of thoughts.
The light was so intense that it illuminated the far end of the skies for miles around.
Gry’s face immediately became ashen.
“That’s ……[The Ray of Balor]……?”
“……Are you sure about that?”
“Mhm…Yeah. That’s the same ray that I’ve witnessed ten years ago. Could it be that the enemy has used [The Death Eye of Balor] already…?”
Gry was so shaken by shock that he did not even bother to hide it. For he who had witnessed the events of that day would surely understand the full meaning behind the fear of [The Ray of Balor] that brought death to all that it touched.
All trace of amusement had also been wiped off Izayoi’s face as he loosened his hold on the reins while declaring:
“……Looks like we will be leaving it here.”
“What do you suggest? Are we going to support the rest on the ground?”
“No, you are free to go there alone for I will just try my luck at jumping to the Citadel.”
Izayoi stood up on the saddle and started to judge the distance between him and the Ancient Vampire Citadel.
And that caused Gry to be alarmed.
“No, Wait! Didn’t you say that the risk was too great and decided to abandon that idea earlier?”
“Yep. It’s much easier to target a person jumping in mid-air and there’s no certainty that no other defensive measures have been placed around the Ancient Citadel ……but since there’s no other method currently, I just have to give up the thought of landing with my body unhurt.”
“That’s why I said to give it some time right---?”
“It’s precisely because we do not have that luxury anymore that I made this decision. Since the enemy have already used [The Death Eye of Balor], it would mean that they plan to finish things up in the cease-fire period. And that would just mean more danger for Kasukabe and the others who are in the Citadel.”
Gry couldn’t help but to draw a sharp intake of breath upon hearing that for the possibility was indeed quite high.
“That’s why I’ve decided to sneak into the Citadel of the enemy to meet up with Kasukabe and the others and confirm their safety. And after telling them the conditions to clear the game, I will take a somersault back to land as that will be for the best arrangement.”
“But if you are injured, wouldn’t all our efforts just now go to waste?!”
“Nope, it’s fine. As long as I have my limbs attached, it won’t be a problem. With a good sleep and sufficient nourishment, I will be as good as new.”
Izayoi laughed loudly as he lowered his stance in preparation for a jump.
“……as for those guys down there, I’ll be leaving them to you. Though Ochibi-sama might say ‘Leave it to me’, but he’s still a small lad who hasn’t matured fully. So before I get back, please help me to look after them.” Added Izayoi in a serious tone as his muscles had already wound up for the leap.
“…Uu…”
Hearing those words, Gry finally understood that Izayoi already had it in his mind all along.
This guy had intended right from the start ……to solve everything on his own.
Rescuing the comrades who have been imprisoned above, solving the difficult mystery of the Game’s riddle, defeating the main culprits of the enemy and last but not least, to defeat the Demon Lord.
To accomplish all these alone. If it were words that came from another’s mouth, it might have been taken as a joke that would invite mockery……but for this guy, it might just be possible.
And precisely due to the ray of hope that could be seen from this guy---Gry steeled his resolve.
“……I won’t agree to that request.”
“What? Why?”
“Didn’t that lad tell you to leave it to him? And if you had agreed to leave it to him only to send him support later, that can be seen as a kind of betrayal to the resolve of your comrade.”
“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant---”
“The same goes for me. I’ve already told you that I’d become your legs and wings in this battle didn’t I? So, if we start talking about throwing everything into the gamble---then let’s start it with mine!”
A fearsome cry marked the end of Gry’s words as he proudly lifted his eagle head and shuddered as he summoned whirlwinds from the atmosphere while lunging towards the direction of the Citadel.
Izayoi who stood on the saddle had frantically grabbed the reins and tightened his grip on the trident as he shouted against the winds:
“Oi…..What are you……!”
“Here it comes, Izayoi! Get ready!”
The strong limbs of the gryphon bounded across the air as it sped on with all its might.
Leticia’s shadow was expressionless as usual as it took its place to welcome them with its strikingly golden hair and jacket dancing in the wind.
The [Dragon’s Remnant Shadow] seemed to pelt its relentless attacks like an intense rain as they shot towards Gryphon from all directions. This time, the number and intensity of the attacks were much different from the previous ones. In this sort of situation, even Izayoi was starting to doubt his ability to block all the attacks that would mean the difference between life and death for them both. And it was in that kind of situation that the Gryphon continued to press on towards the Citadel with only the goal in mind.
“WUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!”[44]
It was now just a hundred meters away from the Citadel. And in terms of a Gryphon’s speed, that would be translated into a distance that would be covered within a blink of an eye. Even so, each and every attack and block with the Trident seemed to feel much longer and Izayoi did not have time to talk as he solely focused on his task---Smacking away the attacks that seemed to grow into a torrent of black long and sharp raindrops.
The barrage of fierce attacks continued to fire from the front but Gry did not pause in his steps.
The both of them galloped to the point where they could almost touch the drop off cliff face that marked the edge of the Citadel--- Suddenly, Gry’s wings were bitten off by the shadow.
“Gaargh…..!”
“GRY!”
The dark shadow spears had morphed into sharp fangs bit and chewed at Gry’s wings.
Instantly, a spray of blood dyed his lion back a bright shade of red and a sharp burning pain seemed to pierce to the roots of the wings. Although suffering such a shameful wound---the loss of the Eagle wings that symbolized the Gryphon’s pride, Gry continued to press on in the air.
Gripping the wind with his front talons, he propelled Izayoi and himself forward with a kick of his hind legs.
Falling into a tumble, they crash landed into the Outer wall of the Citadel where Izayoi immediately got up to carry Gry on his back while smashing through the tightly closed door with his foot to take cover inside the walls.
“You idiot……Didn’t I say it from the start? What’s most important is to have our body intact!”
“…Don’t… Don’t mind it… The hope that are carried by my…my wings are incomparable to that of your hands and legs. I think it should be clear who here is more likely to be able to save [Underwood].”
For [Underwood], just a pair of wings would be a good sacrifice---Gry who had beads of cold sweat beading his body continued to smile as he said those words.
Izayoi clicked his tongue in irritation as he took off his school jacket to tourniquet Gry’s wing. Having been torn at its sleeves and now torn up some more to create a makeshift bandage, it would seem that there won’t be a possibility of him wearing it ever again.
“Oh darn. That’s the only set of clothing that I have you know? How are you going to pay for that eh?” Izayoi continued to click his tongue in displeasure.
“Well, that’s really unfortunate……”
Gry breathed heavily as he forced a wry smile.
Izayoi who had finished with the bandaging looked from a crevice in the ruins to scout the situation outside and managed to catch sight of Leticia’s shadow framed in the skies.
“……she’s searching for us.”
“Is that so?......Well, I will hide while you search out Yō and the others---”
“No. There’s a change of plans…… It’s all the fault of some idiot that gave me a reason to defeat her.”
“What?” Gry asked in disbelief.
Izayoi ignored the question as he left the ruins with eyes filled with rage.
With a leap, Izayoi stood on the Outer wall of the Citadel and looked down upon the Citadel.
……is this what they term as [Glories of ancient battles becoming just another pipedream]?[45]But talking about a Citadel of the skies, shouldn’t it be a wondrous piece of ancient architecture? What’s with this bleak look that doesn’t seem to be worth a penny to look at?
Izayoi gave a dissatisfied sniff. Though he might rarely meet out such harsh judgement with his opinions, it was something that couldn’t be helped for he was thoroughly not in the mood then and had never felt worse in his life.
In the lifespan of his seventeen years, Izayoi was sure that there wasn’t anyone in his memory whom he had owed his life to and he sure didn’t owe it to Canaria either.
Never did he expect to be indebted to someone so quickly after arriving in Little Garden and one that was this big too. In a sense, it sure felt like a waste.
And so Izayoi raised the Trident, battered and badly weathered down by the many blocks that he managed to knock away with ---
“I swear that I will collect the debt with interest….. YOU FAKE COPY OF LETICIA---!”
The challenge was declared with the throw that travelled faster than the Third cosmic velocity towards the Leticia Shadow.
And the shadow that suddenly detected the imminent attack spun at the last minute and narrowly missed becoming a pinned specimen on the Trident.
However, chunks of the Outer Wall were sent closely after the first attack by Izayoi’s kicks.
And these were chunks that were much tougher than dealing with bullets for each and every brick like rubble were closing in at that high speed and individually packing a devastating blow with every impact. To which Leticia quickly expanded the cloak around her to form a shadow screen which she hid behind after making the judgement that such an attack was unavoidable. The sound of the explosions as they hit their mark echoed loudly but Leticia herself seemed to be unhurt.
That did not mean anything to Izayoi who was glad to have stolen her sight albeit momentarily. Clenching his right fist, he lunged towards Leticia.
Leticia continued to use the Shadow cloak to protect herself while materialising hundreds of shadow spears around it, some of which pointed towards Izayoi’s direction. It was clear that she believed herself to be safe as long as she attacked all that was around her.
Even so, Izayoi leaped straight for the porcupine-looking defence that would have been a flawless attack if launched at the same time.
There was no fear in his eyes for the word ‘retreat’ had never been in his mind from the start. Not caring about the black spears that came flying towards him like a heavy downpour, Izayoi continued to press on in that selfless style, which was unlike his usual self as blood flowed from his cuts, to land a strike that shattered the shadow cloak.
Gry who happened to see it from the crevice was so surprised that he gave a low growl:
“That……How can it be……?!”
Witnessing Izayoi’s chain of attacks, Gry finally understood that the words declared by the boy weren’t just a stubborn steak that didn’t want to admit defeat. The words that came from his mouth ‘As long as we can successfully land on the Citadel, we can solve the problem’ was what he had just shown. For Leticia had already been successfully suppressed by him.
Grabbing Leticia by the front of her clothes to draw her out of the protection of the broken shadow cloak, Izayoi flung her into the nearest sector of the Outer Walls. The battered Leticia twitched a little after slamming into the structures before all motion ceased from her.
Izayoi caught up and straddled the figure to pin it down while staring at it with such a ferocious gleam in his eyes that Leticia couldn’t help but widen her eyes while being stumped for words---
“Caught ya……! Times up, bye now Leticia’s fake!”
Followed by a barrage of fists.
Seeming like a person out for revenge against the previous attacks he suffered, Izayoi swung his fist down repeatedly, not even allowing the tips of her hair to escape his punches. The intense concentration followed with his focused punches would have made one worry about the stability of the Citadel in fear of it collapsing under the stress he gave to it.
Displaying the vengeful spirit of returning a received punch a hundred fold to the person, he smashed the body of Leticia with a violent and cruel flurry of attacks that would have likened him to the demonic spirit Rakshasa.
---And just a minute past the start of the battle, the shadow that had the appearance of Leticia was no more to be seen.
Standing up in the huge crater that he had created, Izayoi patted the dust off his clothes---
“……Although it might have possessed Divinity, it will only be at that sort of level if it isn’t the main body.”
“---!”
Gry was so shocked that he couldn’t close his beak. If it weren’t for his back that was throbbing with pain, he would have been utterly stupefied by the sight.
And when Izayoi returned to the ruins, Gry asked awkwardly: “……Could I have done something unnecessary?”
“Hm?”
“No, to tell the truth …I just saw what you did out there and I sure didn’t expect for you to be able to pin down the opponent that easily……”
Oh, you were referring about that… Izayoi frowned a little as he placed a hand on his hip.
“Nope. The words that I’ve said are not lies. If I were to try land on my own, it would have been a high chance for me to be knocked away to somewhere below. In fact, it might also be likely for me to lose my limbs in the process. So… Um well…how should I say it…Yeah to be honest, you were a great help. Thank you Gry.”
Izayoi rubbed at the speck of dried blood on his forehead as he thanked Gry politely.
“This is a debt that I swear to repay you. But here, let’s put more pressure on that and stop the bleeding for you shall we, before we go off to find Kasukabe and the others.”
“I got it……Ouch---”
*Lan~tern ♪* came the sound from the entrance of the ruins to which Izayoi and Gry turned to look in surprise.
What stood there in mid-air was a puppet holding a lantern hiding behind a pillar peeking at them.
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