Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 13 - Chapter 5

The Great Summoning

Saturday, May 22nd

Kiriha and the others were a poor match against the robots, but they were perfect for Koutarou. They’d been lacking in pure attack power, which was what Signaltin specialized in. Moreover, while the robots were fast and had excellent cooperation, they didn’t have any weapons that could break through Koutarou’s defenses. It was impossible for them to break through the dual shield of a distortion field and magic barrier combo. The robots had been designed as all-purpose machines, and they were wielding mass-produced weapons. Compared to Koutarou who was only using items that had specifically been made or tailored for him, the robots stood no chance. While they reminded him of her, the robots were nothing like Maya. It was accurate to say that the robots were now in the same position that Kiriha and the others had been just moments ago. If Koutarou had been on their side from the outset, Kiriha and the others might have won with ease. It was kind of like a game of rock-paper-scissors born from their individual abilities.

“And that’s five!”

Koutarou swung Signaltin and cut through another robot without the slightest bit of resistance. If his opponent had been human, he would have held back, but not now. There was no problem with pouring his everything into his attacks against machines. Moreover, he was furious right now. And just as Koutarou locked on to the sixth robot...

“As expected, the Motor Knights alone are no match for you.”

He heard a familiar voice coming from behind the remaining ten robots. A steel giant at least five meters tall then appeared behind them.

“You’re finally here, Elexis.”

“You remembered me. I’m happy, Koutarou-kun.”

The giant’s head slid up a little, while the armor on its chest slid down. On the other side of the moving steel armor was a young man that Koutarou remembered quite distinctly. He was Ruth’s former fiancé, and the CEO of DKI, Elexis Borannam. As if facing a friend, Elexis greeted Koutarou with a graceful and refined smile.

“I’m not happy... Looks like you’ve been doing as you please, Elexis.”

Koutarou glared sharply at Elexis. There was no way that Koutarou could remain calm when facing the man who was the reason his friends had been hurt. To him, those girls were like the sun. They lit up his everyday. And here they lay, collapsed and injured on the ground. It was as if Elexis had stolen the light from the world, and Koutarou couldn’t forgive him for that.

“It’s not like I wanted to. Hurting women is so distasteful... However, alas, it was necessary to defeat you.”

“Me?”

“That’s right. You are the biggest obstacle in the way of taking down Empress Elfaria and Princess Theiamillis. I can’t fulfill my objective if I don’t defeat you first.”

Elexis creating those robots and sending them up against the girls had all been done to defeat Koutarou. After their last encounter, Elexis considered Koutarou his top priority. If Elexis and the military tried to attack the empress and princess, Koutarou would undoubtedly get in the way. That meant defeating Koutarou first would lower the risk. That was Elexis’s take on the situation.

“And you live by the good old code of chivalry. While I believe that spirit of yours is worthy of respect, in terms of fighting you, going after that is quite effective. It’ll be hard for you to win while protecting all of your friends.”

“So that’s your plan...”

He was up against Elexis and the ten robots by his side. Meanwhile, the remaining coup d’etat soldiers that had been lying in wait now advanced forward while avoiding Koutarou. Their targets were the collapsed girls with the intention of hamstringing Koutarou. Koutarou would need to defeat Elexis and the robots while keeping the soldiers from getting to his fallen friends. Elexis had launched a large-scale attack on the girls of room 106 in order to create exactly this kind of scenario to his advantage. The reason Elexis had deployed a force larger than what Kiriha had foreseen was because he was after Koutarou, not Theia or Elfaria. And since Koutarou was his target, he didn’t care too much about leaving evidence behind. Once he had eliminated Koutarou, he could take his time handling the empress and princess in a more tactful way.

“Now, let’s begin, Koutarou-kun. You don’t have much time left.”

“...Even after two thousand years, you’re still my most troublesome opponent, Dextro...”

Koutarou strengthened his grip on Signaltin and pointed it at the steel giant Elexis was in.

The battle progressed in Elexis’s favor thanks to his new giant.

“Tch, that thing is tough!”

“Of course. I made this explicitly to fight you, after all.”

Despite the fight having only just started, Koutarou’s armor had already taken a lot of damage. Koutarou was stuck on the defensive and under constant, fierce attack. Because he was wearing his armor, he was stronger than the last time he’d fought Elexis, but still found himself at a disadvantage. That was just how strong Elexis was.

“And these robots move completely different from before!”

“It took a lot of time for me to get them just right.”

The steel giant Elexis was using was a new model that had been overhauled using the data Elexis got from his last fight with Koutarou. On top of that and the general upgrades, the giant—named Warlord—had one more unique feature to it. It could fight in cooperation with the Motor Knights.

Modern battles in Forthorthe were largely a matter of breaking through an opponent’s barrier. In their last fight, Elexis had effectively launched a surprise attack on Koutarou, so he hadn’t used much in the way of defenses. However, knowing that there would be a battle beforehand, Koutarou would definitely have a barrier this time. That’s why Elexis had tried to come up with a way to overcome it ahead of time.

He’d had the idea of using a synchronized attack. While single attacks wouldn’t breach Koutarou’s defenses, a simultaneous attack just might. If several attacks hit at the exact same time, it would be difficult to maintain a barrier. However, a combined attack like that was impossible for humans. That’s why he’d created the Motor Knights.

The Motor Knights could cooperate with one another on an extremely sophisticated level, but their true power was only unleashed when they were with Warlord. The high-end strategy support computer that Warlord had installed calculated the proper timing for each attack, and sent instructions to the Motor Knights accordingly. With that, the Motor Knights attacked in perfect synch with Warlord. Because Warlord’s attacks were already dangerous on their own, the synchronized barrages were especially deadly. And because the Motor Knights changed their weapons constantly on Warlord’s command, their attacks were various and hard to predict. It was especially problematic for Koutarou, who was fighting on his own.

Truth be told, Warlord itself hadn’t gotten much stronger. On its own, it wouldn’t stand a chance against Koutarou. And the same was true for the Motor Knights. However, even if they were insufficient as individual units, their odds were greatly improved when they all worked together. On top of that, Elexis had devised a strategy to hold Koutarou’s power back, and turned the victory condition into something simpler.

“All for one and one for all. Don’t you think that’s a fitting strategy for a knight’s opponent?”

Elexis’s voice was projected from the speakers installed on Warlord’s head. In contrast to his calm tone, his attacks were fierce. With a loud boom, the large-caliber beam shotgun that Warlord was holding in its left hand flashed. The fired beams spread out over a wide area and assaulted Koutarou.

“Tch!”

Koutarou tried to dodge, but it was difficult avoiding a blast from a beam shotgun designed to cover a wide area. On top of that, with the Motor Knights getting in the way of his evasive maneuvers, Koutarou wasn’t able to fully avoid the attack even with the help of his armor.

“Distortion field load increased. Alert message: Due to continuous damage, the distortion field will exceed tolerable levels within a minute. Continuous combat is dangerous. Immediate withdrawal is advised.”

“I know! But I can’t fall back, so do something!”

“As you wish, my lord.”

Having been hit by the shotgun, Koutarou’s armor was practically screaming. Damage reports just kept coming in, and it issued one ominous forecast after another. Koutarou’s roaring had shut it up, but he felt the same way the AI did.

Warlord had been made specifically to fight against Koutarou. In order to hit a fast-moving target like him, it came equipped with lasers that moved at the speed of light, shotguns that covered a wide area, guided missiles, and more. Since they were weapons that prioritized accuracy, Warlord had less power than comparable mobile weapons of the same class. But it still had more than enough firepower to handle Koutarou, who was only a fraction of its size. Moreover, the Motor Knights would support Warlord, and launched synchronized attacks when needed.

Koutarou had fought against countless enemies that were strong on their own. He had also fought against groups of weak opponents. However, that was his first time fighting against a group of strong opponents. They were hard for him to handle, and though he’d shut up his screaming AI, he felt like screaming himself. He also had more to worry about than just the enemy in front of him. Overwhelmed by it all, he started to panic a little.

At this rate, everyone will... What should I do?!

Koutarou moved around while evading attacks, and focused on his left hand to create a fireball using Kiriha’s gauntlet. The ball of flame went flying towards the encroaching coup d’etat soldiers. In the middle of dodging, however, Koutarou hadn’t had the time to take proper aim. As a result, the explosion caused by the fireball didn’t have the effect he’d hoped for, and wasn’t enough to stop the soldiers. Though lightly burned, they continued advancing to where the girls lay collapsed.

“Damn! Okay, one more time!”

In a fluster, Koutarou tried to attack the soldiers once more. But it wouldn’t be that easy.

“I’m your opponent here.”

Warlord’s laser cut through the ground in front of Koutarou, leaving a large crack behind it. Sensing danger, Koutarou jumped over it and activated his posture control thrusters.

“Don’t get in the way, Elexis!”

“I’m afraid I have to!”

The thrusters spewed out propellant and forcibly changed the direction of Koutarou’s body. Next, he activated the emergency boosters on his legs and flew towards Warlord.

“I can’t waste time here! I’m going to finish this right now!”

The soldiers were getting close to the girls. If they fell into enemy hands, Koutarou would have no choice but to give up. That’s why he had to finish the battle. And fast.

“Focus the barriers on the front! Booster output to maximum!”

“As you wish, my lord.”

Koutarou charged forward with all of his might and Signaltin at the ready. He looked like a meteor with a long, blue tail behind it.

Koutarou-kun, even if you do have ridiculous power, you’re only human...

Despite Koutarou charging towards him with a terrific speed, Elexis was feeling relieved. Everything had proceeded as he had planned. Elexis had constantly been thinking about what he could do to keep Koutarou from using the full extent of his powers. And in the end, he’d come up with the idea of using Koutarou’s humanity against him.

He tore away Koutarou’s composure by hurting his friends, put a time limit on the battle to put pressure on him, and had the soldiers approach the girls to divide his attention. As a result, Koutarou was in a hurry to end the battle, and wouldn’t be able to fight to his best advantage.

Because he was rushing, Koutarou had to forcibly attack without waiting for an opening from Elexis. He was also fighting carelessly, leaving his opponents with plenty of openings to attack. His movements also became simple and predictable, since he always took the shortest route possible.

With all that, Elexis saw no fear of being defeated. He simply calmly fired the grenade launcher attached to the bottom of the beam shotgun. The grenade flew low and heavy, straight towards Koutarou.

“One of those won’t stop me!”

Koutarou continued his charging, paying no mind the grenade. If it was only one, then even it broke through his barrier, his armor should be able to withstand it. Thinking like that, Koutarou was prepared to meet it head-on.

“The normal you probably would have dodged it...”

The grenade fired was slow and unguided. Koutarou should have realized the significance behind that, considering that Warlord was equipped specifically to deal with him. But he was so focused on hurrying that thought never occurred to him.

The grenade exploded before reaching Koutarou. No, more accurately, it wasn’t an explosion. Rather, something inside was deployed.

“This is...?! Oh crap!”

The grenade didn’t contain explosives, but a net woven using special fibers. Since Koutarou had his barrier deployed, the net spread across the surface of it evenly and completely wrapped around him. Completely entangled, Koutarou lost his balance and fell to the ground.

“Guh!”

The heavy impact upon hitting the ground knocked the wind out of him. The next moment, a coordinated beam barrage from the Motor Knights assaulted him. And because of the net, Koutarou was unable to move. All of the beams struck him.

The impact and heat kicked up dirt and rocks all around Koutarou. And as a result, he was temporarily hidden from view.

“How’d it go...?”

Elexis strained his eyes and stared at where Koutarou had been without letting his guard down. He also used the sensors to track Koutarou’s movements. He’d lost in their previous fight because he had let his guard down in a similar situation, and he wasn’t about to make the same mistake again.

“...Did it work?”

As the wind scattered the dust and debris, Elexis could see Koutarou lying in a small crater created by the attack. According to the sensors, it wasn’t a hologram, but the real deal. That was when Elexis was finally able to relax. He had bested Koutarou.

Would I have still won if Koutarou-kun was the kind of man that only thought about himself? I’m glad he’s a very humane Earthling...

Having overcome the most dangerous part of the mission, Elexis felt deeply relieved. In terms of individual strength, he was nowhere near Koutarou’s level. That’s why, if Koutarou had chosen to abandon the girls, he might have been the one lying collapsed instead. That was a risk with his plan, but Elexis had placed his faith in Koutarou and chosen to put the plan into action. Though it sounded bizarre, Elexis was rewarded for his belief.

“H-Hngh...”

That was when the collapsed Koutarou’s hand twitched slightly.

“He’s still alive after all that?!”

When he saw it on the monitor, Elexis couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He quickly opened up the hatch to the pilot’s seat and confirmed it with his own eyes. There was no mistaking it.

“How could that be...?”

The Motor Knights had all scored direct hits with their beams. Koutarou’s barrier had overheated in an instant and the ten beams should have burned him to a crisp. In fact, the net that had entangled Koutarou had been incinerated without a trace. But Koutarou himself had survived, and more surprising yet, he was trying to get up. Elexis couldn’t believe it.

“I-I can’t lose... N-Not when everyone is in danger...”

Signaltin had protected Koutarou. Sensing that his life was in danger, it unleashed its mana to save him. As a result, Signaltin’s glow had weakened considerably. It was less than a third as bright as it normally was. Both it and Koutarou were exhausted.

“Rrgh... Raaaaah!”

Koutarou mustered what strength he had left. Using Signaltin to support himself, he stood up.

I have to protect everyone, no matter what!

He couldn’t stay down. He couldn’t give up those girls. He wanted to save them, even if it came at the cost of his own life. That strong emotion was what got Koutarou back on his feet.

“E-Elexis... I’ll be taking everyone back...”

After standing up, Koutarou glared at Elexis. His whole body was hurting, but the fire in his eyes was burning strong. It was so fierce that Elexis nearly recoiled upon seeing it.

“...Splendid, Koutarou-kun. Truly splendid. I wish that I had a friend like you. But your wish won’t be fulfilled, I’m afraid. You’ve lost.”

Controlling Warlord, Elexis pointed the sword in its right hand at Koutarou’s throat. Yet even as he did, Koutarou couldn’t do anything. Standing up was all he’d been able to manage.

“Not yet... Not...”

“If you can’t accept it, then look behind you.”

His sword still at Koutarou’s throat, Elexis pointed behind Koutarou with his free left hand.

“Your precious friends are already under our control. There’s no longer any need to fight. Drop your weapon. That’s the best for everyone.”

Koutarou looked behind him as he was told. There, he saw the coup d’etat soldiers around the area where the girls from room 106 lay collapsed. They had closed in while Koutarou was on the ground.

“Everyone... I didn’t make it...”

Koutarou felt a strong sense of despair come over him as he looked at his fallen friends. One of coup d’etat soldiers approached the girls. He looked at each of their faces until he reached Sanae.

“...! ...!”

It was too far away for Koutarou to hear, but the soldier was cursing at Sanae. He grabbed her unconscious body by the hair, lifted her up, and kicked her. Her thin, delicate body fell to the ground like a ragdoll. The soldier remembered being attacked by Sanae before, and was retaliating now that he had the chance.

“Sanae!”

And the violence didn’t end there. The other soldiers wanted their revenge too, and began attacking the other unconscious girls.

“Elexis, stop them right now! What could they possibly have against those girls?!”

Koutarou immediately turned back to Elexis and desperately pleaded with him to put an end to this. Elexis was the one in charge, so he should have the authority and responsibility to stop them.

“What a painful sight. Of course I’ll stop them. But... Before that, I want you to tell me something. Where are the empress and princess?”

The soldiers’ violence wasn’t something Elexis had planned, but he used the opportunity to interrogate Koutarou.

“There’s no way I’d tell you that!”

“Then choose, Koutarou-kun. The earthlings you’re so close with, or the troublemaking aliens. You don’t even need to think about it, do you?”

“To hell with that!”

Elexis was practically demanding that Koutarou hand over Elfaria and Theia for the safety of his friends. However, both options were essentially the same to Koutarou. If he handed over Theia and the others, Sanae and the others might be saved, but then Theia would be in danger. Either way, his friends were in trouble. That’s why Koutarou couldn’t choose. Aliens or Earthlings... That kind of thing didn’t matter anymore. They were all equally important to him.

“Theia’s not a troublemaker! I won’t sell her out to the likes of you!”

“That’s too bad. Then I guess you’re just going to have to sit there and watch your friends get beaten up.”

Punching, kicking, stomping... One soldier even pulled out a knife. Their violence was gradually escalated, and was about to go beyond what could be considered revenge. It might just be an act to threaten Koutarou, but it was hard to watch.

“You...”

A fierce rage and the frustration of not being able to do anything made Koutarou grind his teeth so hard that it seemed like he might crush his own molars.

“...What do you take people’s lives for?”

Something deep inside Koutarou’s mind was screaming. Every time the girls were hurt, he felt like something inside of him was being torn apart and broken.

“I have always asked myself that question. That’s why I decided to end Her Majesty Elfaria’s reign.”

“And to that end, you’re willing to use other people’s lives as your pawns? Trample them with weapons?!”

“Without that much resolve, you can’t change the world! This world isn’t kind enough to change without some kind of sacrifice!”

Elexis sounded agitated. This was something painful for him as well. There were things he had to do that he didn’t want to, people he had to hurt that he didn’t want to, in order to save the world. If he didn’t, nothing would ever change. It was a dilemma that Elexis had been wrestling with for several years. In the end, he’d steeled himself to go for it and change the world. But it wasn’t that he felt no guilt for what he had to do.

Koutarou silently watched the change that came over Elexis. His excitement from before seemed like a lie now. But now that he touched upon Elexis’s resolution, Koutarou had regained his calm.

“I never thought I’d do it in the middle of a battle...” Koutarou muttered with his eyes closed.

“What are you talking about?”

Noticing the change in atmosphere, Elexis suspiciously watched Koutarou’s face. The soldiers noticed the same thing and stopped harming the girls in order to pay attention to Koutarou.

“...He said we were friends. That’s why I didn’t want to get him involved in our troubles. I was planning on doing it once all this was over and everything was peaceful...”

Koutarou clenched his right hand. But it wasn’t out of anger. He was currently feeling very sorry, and was mortified over his own powerlessness.

“...I wanted to go sightseeing, have some delicious food, have fun with everyone else, and make some great memories...”

“Just what are you talking about, Koutarou-kun?!”

Elexis was perplexed by what Koutarou was saying, but he could sense something strange and powerful in the tone of his voice. It put him on edge.

“...Nothing at all. I was just talking about how foolish we were. Fools that can’t stop a fight that has continued for over two thousand years...”

Koutarou raised his head and looked straight at Elexis.

Light had returned to Koutarou’s eyes. It was a strong light supported by a strong belief. And there was power in his words. He no longer felt panic or timidity. No, Koutarou was himself again. And ready to fight.

“Elexis, you said that you can’t change the world without sacrifice, didn’t you?”

Koutarou had made up his mind. At this rate, the girls might die. And to change that, Koutarou accepted his own powerlessness and foolishness, and decided to save the girls using any method he could. He wouldn’t regret the sacrifices he’d have to make. Even if that meant involving a precious friend in his fight. Just like Theia had made up her mind when she returned to Koutarou and the others.

“That’s right! That’s what reality is like!”

“Then... have you resolved yourself, Elexis?”

Koutarou’s sharp glance pierced right through Elexis. He was asking if Elexis had the same level of determination he did.

“What are you talking about?!”

Feeling pressure from Koutarou, Elexis did his best to suppress his unease, and replied with a loud voice to hide it.

“That you yourself might become a sacrifice. Or are you an exception when it comes to sacrifices to change the world?”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but stop this useless resistance! You can’t change anything!”

Koutarou was trying to do something Elexis couldn’t understand. In order to quiet his growing anxiety, Elexis raised his voice even more. He was reaching the point where he could no longer hide how shaken he was.

“You’re absolutely correct. I’m not the one that’s going to change it. I don’t have that kind of power.”

All of Koutarou’s power was borrowed. All the power he had on his own was his skill with a sword. Everything else was something he’d gotten from someone else. It always had been, and it always would be. And what he was trying to do now wasn’t through his own power either. But Koutarou would no longer hesitate, even if it meant having to rely on the power of others and humble himself. As long as it could save those precious to him, he would do it.

“Prepare yourself, Elexis. Nobody will be able to stop this one!”

Koutarou raised his right hand and clenched it tightly. As he did, the back of his hand began to glow. The light formed a geometrical pattern. Since Koutarou’s hand was covered by a gauntlet, the pattern looked like it was being carved into the armor.

“By the pledge of old, for the reunion once promised! Answer my summon and appear!”

Koutarou spoke in the ritual language of Ancient Forthorthe. For each word he spoke, the glow on his hand grew brighter and brighter. It shed on his surroundings, and began to make the air itself tremble.

“What is this?! A spacequake?! What is about to appear?!”

Elexis couldn’t understand the situation he was in and looked around frantically in a panic. His subordinates were equally dumbfounded, and stood stock still, frightened by the light and the trembling air.

The only one who understood what was coming was Koutarou, who continued his chant unfazed.

“Pass through endless time and immeasurable distance and appear, old king!”

“Stop it, Koutarou-kun! Don’t you care what happens to your friends?!”

“You’re too late!”

Koutarou ignored Elexis’s demands and flashed a frightening smile before shouting out the last verse of his chant.

“Shake the light and appear! Great champion of purgatory, Fire Dragon Emperor Alunayaaa!”

The light then grew big and blinding. It filled the area so that nobody could see anything. It was as if they’d all been thrown into a world of pure white.

“...Rest easy, friend. This is no foolish act. In fact, I feel honored that you called on me in your time of need,” said a deep and full voice like the rumbling of the earth.

As it spoke, the light that had covered everything began to gather into a single point. That point was behind Koutarou, off in the direction where the girls lay collapsed. Hearing the voice, Koutarou looked around.

“You came!”

His expression eased up a little with a mixture of relief and nostalgia as he looked for the owner of the voice. They had a very unique appearance and should have been easy to find, but Koutarou didn’t see them anywhere. He was puzzled by that, but the deep voice rang out again.

“You finally called for me, Blue Knight.”

The voice was much closer than Koutarou had imagined. As he turned to look in its direction, he saw one of the collapsed girls trying to get back up.

“L-Landlord-san?!”

It was the landlord of Corona House, Kasagi Shizuka. She slowly stood up, put her hands on her hips, and smiled calmly.

“It has been a while. I am glad to see you well.”

The voice Koutarou was looking for was coming from Shizuka’s mouth. And the smile on her face was different than usual. It was a powerful and composed smile fitting of a king.

“Landlord-san?! Why is Landlord-san...?!”

Koutarou was confused. He had summoned a friend he met in a different world two thousand years ago, not Shizuka. But his voice was unmistakably coming from Shizuka, and something about her felt completely different than normal.

“Could it be...?!”

Koutarou had a thought and poured spiritual energy into his eyes. As he did, he understood the situation Shizuka was in.

So that’s how it is! Alunaya-dono is inside of Landlord-san!

It was Shizuka’s body, but there was another soul overlapping hers. Koutarou could see its overwhelming amount of spiritual energy. And Shizuka’s eyes were shining red. That glow was something that Koutarou had seen before.

“You! Don’t move!”

“Stop your useless resistance!”

However, the soldiers had no idea what was going on. They had been wrapped in a powerful light, and feared what would come after it. But in the end, nothing had happened. As that anticlimactic scene ended, a lone girl had gotten up from the ground. That was all they knew. And not knowing any better, they moved to stop Shizuka.

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on me, scum! Only my friends are permitted to do so!”

Shizuka’s expression flashed anger, and she roared at the soldiers.

“Uwah!”

“What?!”

Despite her not doing anything else, the soldiers that had touched Shizuka were sent flying.

He blew them away with just his spirit... He’s the real deal!

Seeing that, Koutarou was convinced that a powerful existence was inside of Shizuka.

“Burn it into your memories! My name is Alunaya! I am the king of the proud race of dragons and the lord of flame! Don’t you forget it, even after you’ve left this life!”

It was the legendary dragon that had answered Koutarou’s summons, the Fire Dragon Emperor Alunaya.

The moment Shizuka spoke the legendary dragon’s name, she was wreathed in crimson flames. But the fire didn’t hurt her. Instead, it covered the surface of her body as if to protect her. After a few seconds, the flames dissipated, and Shizuka’s appearance had greatly changed. She had transformed into something halfway between a dragon and a human.

She had a horn on her head, and her eyes and hair had turned red. Sharp fangs fitting for a beast peeked out from behind her lips. Her arms and legs were covered in crimson scales like a plated set of armor. On her back sprouted dragon-like wings, and a long tail stretched out from the back of her waist. She looked like a child born between a dragon and human.

“Blue Knight, leave this to me! While my power is limited in this form, I won’t lose to normal humans!”

“I’ll leave it to you!”

“Here I was wondering what it would be, but it’s just a mutant? How desperate can you be, Koutarou-kun?! Just taking on the characteristics of other creatures won’t make humans that much stronger!”

Elexis had been surprised at first, but he’d regained his composure now. He didn’t think Shizuka’s transformation was much of a threat. Though she might have been biologically strengthened, she was still a living being. She wouldn’t stand up to Forthorthian weaponry. She might put up a fight now that she was a little stronger, but she’d be no match for the soldiers.

“I think so too. In this small form, I can only use a fraction of my power.”

In that moment, Shizuka opened her mouth and spewed fire. No, it was too hot and fast to call fire. It was more apt to say she’d fired a plasma beam cannon. The white-hot ray cut through the air with ease.

“Impossible!”

Small fighter drones were smashed into pieces and tumbled to the earth in front of the shocked Elexis. Those small fighters were automated, unmanned weapons designed to support the soldiers. Comparing them to technology available on Earth, they would be like light assault vehicles. Though they were small, they weren’t weak by any means. Yet they had been destroyed in a single attack. And it wasn’t just one of them, either. The majority of the fighters had been shot down by that one attack.

“So I really couldn’t shoot them all down...”

Shizuka wasn’t pleased with this result, and regrettably shrugged her shoulders. However, the side that had suffered the attack was speechless. That one blow was all it took to communicate to the soldiers that the girl standing in front of them was something completely out of the ordinary.

“Uwah! Aaahhhhh!”

“Don’t come over here!”

The soldiers who had seen Shizuka’s power up close all fell into a tumultuous panic. They reacted in all kinds of ways. Some ran away, others blankly fell down on the spot, and some fired their guns at random. But one thing was sure across the board. Their teamwork had completely collapsed.

“Hmph. The quality of soldiers sure has dropped these past two thousand years. Alaia-dono’s soldiers would have come at me... They’re so reliant on their technology that they’ve lost their willpower.”

Shizuka moved forward, feeling somewhat dumbfounded by the soldiers’ behavior. She had a regal presence as she walked along, and the ground crumbled beneath each step.

“Lidith and Fauna, even Caris who parted with them is here... And I suppose the one I am dwelling in would be Mary... I also feel other nostalgic presences... I see, then I guess it was only inevitable for me to appear here as well!”

Shizuka had moved forward to protect the other girls. If she didn’t, there was a chance they might get caught up in the soldiers’ confused attacks.

“I’ll make you pay for harming my friends!”

“A monster!”

Realizing how strong Shizuka was and what state his subordinates were in, Elexis hurriedly closed up Warlord’s hatch. If Shizuka was left be, the soldiers would be annihilated. So Warlord and the Motor Knights would need to defeat her right away.

“Change coordination mode! Switch to anti-infantry― No, anti-mobile weapon!”

“Understood. Changing coordination mode. Proceeding with anti-mobile weapon strategy. Tactics optimization: changing to weapon preset F.”

Once back inside Warlord, Elexis spat out orders to the AI. Only a short amount of time had passed, but Elexis started to panic as he watched Shizuka attack the soldiers. He had to keep them from being annihilated. To him, they were precious companions who shared the same goal.

“Let’s go, Warlord!”

“I’m your opponent here, Elexis.”

But as Elexis was about to head towards the soldiers, Koutarou stepped in front of him.

“Get out of the way, Koutarou-kun! I don’t have the time to deal with you!”

“That’s too bad... That’s what you told me earlier.”

While somehow managing to support his staggering body, Koutarou leveled Signaltin at Warlord. Though he was severely weakened, there was still fire in his eyes.

“What can you even do now?! Are you still going to fight in that state?! Stop this nonsense and get out of the way!”

“Come on now. That’s not how this goes, Elexis.”

Koutarou conjured what willpower he had to smile at Elexis. He couldn’t let him go since his target was obviously Shizuka. But Shizuka was strong. Rather than fighting directly against her, he would likely use the collapsed girls as hostages. And it was because he knew that that Koutarou desperately struggled to stay conscious and stand in Elexis’s way.

“Weren’t you prepared to make sacrifices for your goal? Forget about your subordinates and fight me. You were after information on Theia and Elfaria, as well my life, weren’t you?”

“So our companions’ lives are at stake for both of us...”

Realizing Koutarou’s intention and what he’d resolved himself to do, Elexis changed his mind. Koutarou would never step down in this situation, so he would have to defeat him first.

“Very well. Let’s finish this, Koutarou-kun.”

“Don’t think things will go the same as before.”

Koutarou and Elexis both readied their weapons. Thanks to summoning Alunaya, the battle was now proceeding in the direction Koutarou desired. But he was still prepared to die. He knew that with his armor so badly damaged he wouldn’t be able to stall Elexis for long.

“I have to at least buy enough time for Alunaya-dono to clean up on his end... Everyone, lend me your strength...”

Koutarou muttered to himself in a quiet voice as he tightened his grip around Signaltin. Now was the time to use all the power at his disposal. There was no need for it to be his own. Even a borrowed power would be fine. He didn’t care anymore. As long as he could protect what he needed to, Koutarou would use any power he could.

And as if answering his request, he heard a girl’s voice.

“I would prefer it if you came to me first.”

That voice hadn’t reached his ears, but his mind directly. It was being transmitted through the power of the sword in his hands.

“Your Majesty?!”

When he heard that voice, the first image that popped into Koutarou’s mind was a silver-haired girl he once knew. She’d said those exact words to him once. However, he quickly realized it couldn’t be her. There was no way that silver-haired girl would be here, but he could think of someone else who might be.

“Sakuraba-senpai?”

“Heehee, you already found me out. I thought that was a pretty good act, too...”

The voice belonged to Harumi. She also had the power to control Signaltin. That’s why she called out to him the way the girl in his memories had.

“Why are you here? What about Empress Elfaria?”

Koutarou closed his mouth and sent his thoughts to Harumi the same way. He didn’t want Elexis to hear the rest of this conversation.

“If Signaltin’s powers grow weaker, I will know, no matter where I am. That’s why I had Her Majesty hide and came here.”

After avoiding the unmanned scouts, Harumi and Elfaria stayed hidden in the mountain cottage. They believed it would be safer to stay in a place that had already been searched then to carelessly move around. Of course, she didn’t forget to use a spell to hide them anyway, just in case.

But then Harumi sensed Signaltin’s powers weakening. It was a sign that Koutarou and the others were in an incredibly dangerous situation. So Harumi left Elfaria behind in the cottage and made her way to Koutarou.

“How reckless...”

“Either way, I can’t protect Her Majesty on my own. I had to do this.”

There was a high risk in leaving Elfaria on her own, but it was unrealistic to think that Harumi would be able to protect Elfaria by herself in the first place. Harumi knew it was unrealistic to think they could escape from the enemies that had defeated Koutarou and the others. They’d likely never make it to the safety of Theia or Clan’s ship. That’s why she had decided to lower the chance of that happening by coming to help Koutarou. And Elfaria had agreed.

“And besides, you’re planning to fight in that wounded state, aren’t you, Satomi-kun? Then I should be allowed to fight with my own body as well.”

“Sakuraba-senpai...”

“Satomi-kun, we will fight together. I will always stay at your side and protect you.”

That was a declaration of Harumi’s love as much as anything else.

“The Silver Princess couldn’t do it because of her position, but I am just a normal girl, so... I will stay with you until the very end.”

Harumi felt like she was very blessed. While the Silver Princess loved the Blue Knight, she had to give up on her feelings for the sake of the country. But Harumi was different. She was just a normal girl born to a normal family. She had the right to decide what to do with her own life. And now she had the power to protect the person she loved, just like the Silver Princess. Having experienced the Silver Princess’s life like it was her own during the play, Harumi couldn’t think of her as a stranger. That’s why she wanted to fulfill the Silver Princess’s wish. If Harumi, who shared the same feelings as the Silver Princess, could live with Koutarou, then she believed the Silver Princess would feel like her own feelings had been requited.

That’s why Harumi had decided to fight, not just for herself or for the Silver Princess, but to fulfill both of their desires.

“I understand. Please lend me your strength, Sakuraba-senpai. It’s quite pathetic, but I can’t beat Elexis on my own.”

“I’m here for you!”

Harumi released all of the feelings that had built up inside of her and answered Koutarou without hesitation. She didn’t know if those feelings had reached Koutarou or not, but he’d said that he needed her. That alone was enough to satisfy her.

Silver Princess... Please, lend me your emotions! So that I can forever protect the man we both feel for!

Harumi clasped her hands together in front of her chest and called out to Signaltin’s powers. Harumi carried both her feelings and Alaia’s. The power awakened by both girls’ hearts greatly exceeded the power of them separately, and the sword glowed brightly once more.

“Did you finish your prayers, Koutarou-kun?”

“I have no need to pray. I have someone who will do that for me.”

Just as Koutarou and Elexis were about to start their fight, Signaltin began glowing brighter. The light that had been dim until just now was shining once more. It was almost as bright as when Alunaya was summoned.

“What are you planning?! I won’t let you have your way!”

Sensing danger as the sword started glowing, Elexis squeezed the trigger without hesitation. When he did, the beam shotgun in Warlord’s left hand roared, and the ten Motor Knights fired their beam cannons. Their synchronization was perfect, and the shotgun and beam cannon assaulted Koutarou at the same time.

“Good judgement, but you’re too late, Elexis!”

Eleven beams poured down on where Koutarou was standing and left a large crater. But Koutarou was no longer there, and all Elexis’s attack had done was gouge a hole in the earth.

“You should have shot me before that prayer began!”

Koutarou rapidly closed in on Elexis. His movements were fast, and he didn’t appear to be in as much pain as he had been just a moment ago. Though not completely, Koutarou had been healed and regained his stamina when Signaltin began glowing.

“That light from before...! But even then, you can’t move faster than what that armor’s designed for!”

However, Warlord was tracking Koutarou’s movements. The laser cannon mounted on Warlord’s right shoulder repeatedly fired at him. Since lasers moved at the speed of light, it would hit Koutarou virtually the instant it was fired. Lasers weren’t something that could be dodged.

“It’s not just about moving quickly. You should be well aware of that since you’re using those things.”

However, the moment the laser hit Koutarou, he vanished like smoke. The Koutarou that Elexis had shot was an elaborate illusion created by Harumi.

The next moment, two of the Motor Knights to Warlord’s right exploded at the same time. Koutarou was standing right next to the destroyed robots. His target hadn’t been Warlord, but the Motor Knights.

“Satomi-kun, get back!”

Koutarou followed Harumi’s instructions and quickly fell back. Three nearby Motor Knights were taking aim at him.

“Gather, spirits of water! Dance, spirits of wind! Combine these two powers and appear, spirits of lightning! Oh draconic dark cloud, open your jaws and destroy! Roar of Thunder!”

But before they could attack, a blast of lightning came down from the sky and struck the three robots. Against the power of nature containing over a billion volts, the Motor Knights’ barriers didn’t stand a chance. Unable to do offer any resistance, the three robots bathed in the lightning and exploded.

“Amazing...”

If Koutarou hadn’t fallen back, he would have been caught up in that lightning as well. Harumi’s warning hadn’t been to tell Koutarou about the attacks from the Motor Knights, but about her own.

“I-I’m surprised as well...”

The results were a shock to Harumi as well. Since her opponent wasn’t human, she could attack without holding back. And the resulting spell was far more powerful than she had imagined. Harumi grew a little frightened of her own power as she looked at the charred ground and fragments of the robots scattered about. If she misused it, she might end up hurting her own allies. Harumi took a reverent moment to appreciate the terrific power she possessed.

“I went too far...”

“It was a sudden fight, so don’t worry too much about it! You’re doing great, Sakuraba-senpai!”

“Th-Thank you, Satomi-kun!”

Hearing the vigor returned to Harumi’s voice, Koutarou took a look at his next target.

You probably think that I’m just targeting your attendant robots, so I’ll give you a reminder who I’m really after!

Koutarou’s next target was the weapon that Elexis was controlling, Warlord. Since the remaining Motor Knights were on the other side of Warlord, there was no fear of a counterattack. Now was his chance to close in.

“Just who are you, Koutarou-kun?!”

Having lost five Motor Knights in the blink of an eye, Elexis was starting to panic again. He fired missiles at the approaching Koutarou and simultaneously fired off his laser to obstruct Koutarou’s path.

“I told you before, I’m just a victim!”

Koutarou swung his sword and cut through the air while Harumi, controlling Signaltin’s power, unleashed a shockwave. The shockwave destroyed the incoming missiles. The flames from the explosions hid Koutarou and greatly diminished the power of the lasers. With them weakened, his magical barrier would have no problem blocking them. Koutarou advanced without hesitation while soaking up the lasers.

“I’m just a normal high school boy!”

“I don’t think that’s all there is to you! Your power is far from normal!”

The abilities Koutarou had at his disposal were rich in variety, and all of them were on a very high level. Koutarou’s skill with the sword, the science and spiritual technology his armor was using, the spiritual energy and magic inside of him, and even the supernatural being he summoned... Koutarou was using all of those abilities in harmony. And as a result, his combat capabilities defied logic.

“My power is insignificant. It’s all borrowed from other people. I’m sure if you used it, you would be even more amazing!”

Approaching Warlord, Koutarou swiftly thrust Signaltin forward. He was aiming for the laser cannon on the right shoulder. Since he couldn’t avoid the lasers, that was his primary target.

As Signaltin crashed through Warlord’s barrier, Koutarou shot out electricity from his left hand. That electricity passed through Signaltin and into the laser cannon. With a crackling sound, the laser cannon exploded into pieces.

“That’s not a funny joke! I don’t have the ability to borrow that much power!”

Elexis suddenly swung with his left fist in an attempt to beat Koutarou down, but Koutarou swiftly kicked off of Warlord before it could reach him. As he did, the remaining five Motor Knights tracked his movements, putting him in the sights for their beam cannons.

“Gather, spirits of water! Dance, spirits of wind! Combine these two powers and appear, spirits of lightning! Like a coiled snake, like a rising tornado, show yourself! Whirl! Thunder Spiral!”

However, the fired beams never reached Koutarou. Using the magnetic field of the powerful electric current she had created, Harumi altered the direction of the beams. Thought it was just a marginal change in direction, it was enough to shift the beams away from Koutarou.

“Sakuraba-senpai, that’s amazing!”

Koutarou brandished Signaltin and attacked the Motor Knights. The powerful magnetic field was interfering with their onboard computers and, though it was just for a short while, the robots remained still until they could resolve the system errors that occurred. Harumi’s choice of spell was incredibly viable, and served to both defend and attack. Koutarou made full use of the opening Harumi had created.

There was the sound of metal slicing through metal, and all five of the remaining Motor Knights were cut into pieces. Elexis watched as the robotic parts fell to the ground, and looked up to see that Shizuka had beaten down his final soldier.

“Your true power is not something that can be seen. It allows others to entrust their powers to you. It is your very existence...” Elexis practically gasped.

It was far too brilliant of a comeback. Elexis had been one step away from total victory, yet Koutarou had turned the tables on him. Koutarou’s power far exceeded his imagination. If Koutarou had borrowed his power from others, then just how much did those people trust him? Moreover, it wasn’t just one person. Considering his strength, Koutarou must have borrowed his power from many others. Elexis couldn’t see himself gaining the help of that many people. And so he was forced to admit that his caliber didn’t compare to Koutarou’s.

“Then I will take pride in that true power. And I will never betray the trust placed in me.”

If Koutarou’s true power was as Elexis said, then it meant that Koutarou was himself, just as the girls of room 106 were each their own person. But the bond formed between the ten of them was real, and made them each all the stronger for it.

“This is our win, Elexis.”

And Koutarou took pride in that bond. He thought to himself that he would never betray it.

Koutarou wasn’t alone. He always had nine girls at his side.

“Not yet, Koutarou-kun!”

Elexis punched a red button installed in the corner of Warlord’s control panel. When he did, the control seat separated from Warlord and flew backwards from the machine. The button Elexis had pushed was an emergency eject.

“Oh no!”

“Even if I can’t defeat you, there are still ways to win against you!”

Leaving behind his men was a painful decision to Elexis. But he was forced to recognize that in the current situation, it would be next to impossible to retrieve them. And the odds of Warlord defeating Koutarou and Shizuka alone were slim to none. That’s why Elexis had no choice but to choose flee.

“I see, you’re after Theia!”

“That’s right! Fighting you directly is not the only way of fighting you!”

Elexis wasn’t escaping just to save his own skin. If he could capture Theia, who was fighting in space, then he would be able to use her for negotiations. Though it would be limited to those who survived, Elexis could use her to get his men back at a later time.

“I won’t let you get away!”

“You’re too late!”

The moment Koutarou readied to attack Elexis, the control seat he was sitting in opened a space-time hole and entered it.

“I won’t let you off that easy!”

Koutarou activated the emergency boosters on his armor and chased after Elexis. He was going to plunge into the open space-time hole too while it was still open.

“I told you that you’re too late!”

However, just before Koutarou could enter the hole, Warlord, which had been left on the surface, exploded. In that instant, the space-time hole vanished before Koutarou’s eyes. As a result, he simply passed through where the hole had been.

“Damn it! In that case...!”

Though he’d let Elexis get away, Koutarou wasn’t about to give up. He quickly activated the armor’s comms system and tried to contact Theia and Ruth, who were engaged with the enemy ships in space.

“The connection to the network has been cut. Communication is not possible.”

“What?!”

However, the AI in his armor told him loud and clear that his plan wouldn’t work.

The reason Koutarou couldn’t contact Theia and Ruth was because of Warlord exploding. It was specifically meant to jam communications.

Forthorthian spaceships usually made use of gravitational waves to communicate. It was more reliable than electromagnetic waves, but it was still susceptible to interference. Just like electromagnetic fields could be used to interfere with electromagnetic waves, gravitational field could interfere with gravitational waves. That was why Warlord’s reactor had purposely been overloaded.

“Because of this interference, not only is communication jammed, but transferring objects isn’t possible either! And certainly not live humans!”

Since communications using gravitational waves couldn’t be used now, Koutarou was using electromagnetic waves to contact Clan. Since she was further away than the moon, there was a time lag in their communication. And right now, even that slight delay was enough to irritate Koutarou.

“At this rate, Theia’s in trouble!”

Thanks to Clan, Koutarou could get a grasp of Elexis’s strategy. Like he’d said, his goal was to defeat Koutarou. Forcibly launching an attack on the surface to draw Koutarou down from space was the first stage of the plan.

The second stage was to lure Blue Knight to the far side of the moon. In order to keep them safe, there would be a high chance that either Theia or Elfaria was on the ship. Elexis was supposed to either capture or kill them. And when Elexis threatened to support his ground troops with all three of his spaceships, Theia had no choice but to reveal herself and go after them in Blue Knight. Even though she knew it was a trap, she made the solemn journey to the far side of the moon.

The third stage was that if Elexis failed to defeat Koutarou on the surface, he would have Warlord self-destruct to keep Koutarou and the others on the planet for a while. By doing that, he could buy some time and launch an attack on Blue Knight, which was currently isolated in space. The first attack had doubled as a decoy by gathering Koutarou and the others in once place and then stalling them.

And Elexis’s strategy proved effective. Koutarou and the others were unable to get to Theia and Ruth in space. Blue Knight was mostly completely automated, but even then, it was a bit too much for just Theia and Ruth to control on their own in combat. And going up against three ships, the more help, the better. But left stranded on Earth, all their friends could do was watch the footage of the battle that Clan was streaming to them from Hazy Moon. Koutarou started feeling rushed and impatient.

“Clan-san, can’t we do something with your power?”

Harumi’s silvery hair swayed in the wind as she posed that question Clan, whose hologram was being displayed by Koutarou’s armor. Harumi’s hair had taken on a silver sheen due to the influence of Signaltin’s mana. It gave her a mysterious air that charmed anyone who saw her.

“Even if I have the Cradle enter the atmosphere and pick you up, we won’t make it in time.”

Entering and exiting the atmosphere followed by a 380,000 kilometer trip to the far side of the moon was a trip that would take time, even with Forthorthe’s advanced technology.

“So we’re at a stalemate...”

Koutarou tightly clenched his fists. With his strength amplified by the armor, if he’d been holding anything in his hand, it easily would have been crushed.

“Blue Knight, I do not understand the detailed circumstances, but in short, you wish to enter the world of the stars?”

Shizuka, who had been watching over the situation until now, opened her mouth. She had her arms crossed and was staring at Koutarou’s face.

“That’s right. My friends are fighting in space, up there in the world of the stars.”

“Hmm... Behind that large satellite, huh? There certainly seems to be a commotion going on up there.”

Shizuka looked up at the moon and squinted her eyes before nodding. She wasn’t using any kind of magic, yet she could sense the distortion of space and energy colliding even from this distance.

“But it would take too much time for us to get there using any method we have.”

“I see. In that case, Blue Knight, I shall take you there right now.”

Shizuka pointed straight at the moon. She then stuck out her chest, put her hands on her hips, and revealed a confident expression. It was neither a joke nor a misunderstanding.

“You can do that?!”

“It won’t be easy, however. There is a limit even to my powers.”

The legendary dragon inside of Shizuka looked like an omnipotent being to Koutarou. But even Alunaya had his limits. In fact, he couldn’t come to Earth as himself. As expected, two thousand years and ten million light years was too great a time and distance to cross.

So instead, he’d sent just his mana and a copy of his soul to Earth. And using the crest on Koutarou’s hand as a beacon, he had been sending bits of his powers to Shizuka who was living at Corona House for over ten years. In other words, he hadn’t just suddenly appeared today. He’d been preparing for this for quite some time.

“Rising up into the world of the stars and flying to the back of that satellite will most likely drain me of all my powers. And until I recover, I won’t be able to do anything. Would you be fine even then?”

Right now, Shizuka—or rather, Alunaya—only had the power to take Koutarou into space. He wouldn’t be able to give Koutarou any support in the battle after that. That’s why Alunaya asked Koutarou if he still wanted to rush to Theia’s side.

“Of course! Please take me, Alunaya-dono!”

Of course he did. He was prepared to handle all of this on his own if he had to. He was Theia’s knight, after all.