The Ends of Ambition
Sunday, July 4th
The battle between Theia’s surface team and the radical faction soldiers protecting the earthquake weapon, Earth Dragon, was going back and forth.
The surface team consisted of Theia, Ruth, Shizuka, Maki, the Sun Rangers, and eighty conservative faction soldiers for a total of eighty-nine troops. That was a considerable force, but the enemy had more than twice their numbers. They had close to a hundred regular soldiers in addition to another hundred mechanical soldiers and assault vehicles. The machines took the offensive, putting the surface team in a very dangerous situation.
Fortunately, the surface team consisted of members who excelled at fighting against multiple enemies. There was of course Theia and Ruth who could fight using space battleship weaponry, but also Shizuka who could take on a great many foes in her half-dragon form. Then there was Maki, who could use her mind manipulation magic to confuse and disorient the enemy. As a result the battle was progressing evenly despite the enemy having the surface team outnumbered.
“Ruth, have you been able to pinpoint the Earth Dragon’s location?!”
Theia called out to Ruth as she targeted a large tank with her large-caliber beam cannon. That tank was an unmanned automated vehicle, and the moment it detected the energy from Theia’s beam cannon, it activated its barrier.
“Your Highness, I can’t detect the energy that the Earth Dragon should be radiating. Considering its size, that shouldn’t be possible.”
“How insolent!”
Theia repeatedly fired off beams. While the tank withstood the first shot, it didn’t hold up against the second and third. The strongest land-based weapon they had hadn’t been made taking into consideration that it might by attacked by space-age weaponry. The tank’s turret was blown off and it stopped dead in its tracks.
“I believe it’s being shielded to keep us from detecting it.”
“So they know what we’re after... Curse you, Elexis...”
In order to break free from their current situation, Theia wanted to destroy the Earth Dragon by bombarding it with Blue Knight’s main weaponry. However, a bombardment from orbit would draw a considerable amount of attention, so she wanted to finish it in a single attack. To that end, she needed the Earth Dragon’s exact location.
The unmanned fighters that Ruth was controlling had the ability to detect and analyze energy radiated from the surroundings. With them, it should be possible to locate the Earth Dragon even from outside the building considering its scale.
But when Ruth put them to work, she couldn’t detect anything from the building they thought was housing the earthquake weapon. Not even electromagnetic radiation basic electronic equipment would give off. That told her something was likely concealing whatever was going on inside, which meant they’d been prepared to handle Forthorthian technology. It was a distinct possibility if Elexis was involved.
“I also have bad news, Your Highness.”
Theia could see Ruth in the corner of her eye, manipulating her unmanned fighters to take hits for their allies. The barrier created by the swarm of fighters working together was powerful, and it repelled the bullets fired from the automated heavy machine guns.
“Did something happen to Koutarou and the others?!”
Theia’s expression froze. She wasn’t worried for her own fight, but for Koutarou and the others who were out of her reach.
“No, that’s not it. The battle underground ended in Master and the others’ victory. However, one of the enemy officers managed to escape and is headed this way. It’s someone we’ve fought before, a man called Shijima Tayuma.”
“That terrible and vile man, huh...?”
Theia frowned as she recalled Tayuma. And it wasn’t just her. None of the girls of room 106 thought well of him. He was the kind of man who had no qualms about attacking innocent civilians. Since Theia had been like that in the past as well, it felt like a rude reminder of her own foolishness.
“That’s not good. If he’s coming here after losing, he can only have one goal in mind.”
Theia also understood what he was trying to do now. He would indiscriminately use the earthquake weapon to destroy those he didn’t like. It was something she in the past might have done.
That’s right... My invasion was wrong... However, thanks to everyone else, I was able to correct myself... so I have to stop him!
Tayuma’s desires were like a specter of Theia’s past. It haunted her, so she was especially determined to put a stop to his ambitions.
“Your Highness, is something the matter?”
“There’s no time to be dawdling around. We’re forcibly breaking through.”
As Theia said that, she exchanged her weapon for a rapid-fire paralysis gun and fired at a group of nearby radical faction soldiers. Her aim was true and her bullets were headed straight for their targets. They were all easily blocked by the soldiers’ barriers, but Theia had taken that into consideration.
“Haaah!”
With the soldiers stopping in their tracks under fire, Shizuka leaped at them. She’d used the Fire Dragon Emperor’s powers to transform into her half-dragon form, and was even stronger than usual. Her sweeping kick sent flying every soldier in its path. Spiritual energy barriers were useless against her attacks.
“I would love to hurry this up, so I agree!”
Shizuka was all in favor of Theia’s plan and eagerly looked around for the next enemy to defeat. There was a time limit to her draconic powers. While she was stronger than anyone else, she ran out of fuel quick. And once she used up that power, her weight would increase while it recharged. So for her own sanity, she wanted to end the battle as quickly as possible.
“I think that’s a good idea too. It seems like reinforcements keep on coming, and there’s a limit to my magic as well.”
As a voice came through Theia’s bracelet, Maki appeared rather far up ahead. At the same time, her squad of twenty conservative faction soldiers began attacking in unison with her. Their target was the enemy squad commander in the rear, and the soldiers around him. The goal was to confuse the enemy by sneaking around them and attacking their commander from behind.
“Please charge ahead! We of the Sun Rangers will serve as your rearguard!”
The Sun Rangers held the enemy at bay with gunfire and bought time for Maki’s squad to fall back. With that, the entire surface team was on the same page.
“All right, then its decided! Ruth, I’m using the Combat Dress!”
“The Combat Dress? But it is still in its test stage...”
“If I don’t use it now, when will I?!”
“As you wish, my princess. Transferring the Combat Dress.”
As Ruth operated her bracelet, a large space-time hole appeared behind Theia. The Combat Dress they were talking about was Theia’s new weapon—a machine that covered about half of Theia’s body. Its design certainly resembled a dress, and its pure white and gold coloration only strengthened that impression.
The Combat Dress fitted itself around Theia’s body and began tightening up. Meanwhile, Theia’s bracelet began blinking as it opened communications with the dress.
“Engaging legendary weapon system series 02: Combat Dress. The dress has been put under control of your bracelet. Princess, please select your accessory.”
“Assault Red.”
“As you wish, my princess.”
A red line was added to the Combat Dress, and several weapons appeared from black holes. They attached themselves to the hard parts of the Combat Dress with connectors that had been prepared for exactly this scenario. Theia now wore a white dress with streaks of red and gold, with large cannons on her shoulders, missile launchers at her waist, a large-caliber beam rifle on her right arm, and a recoilless pile driver on her left arm. This was Theia’s new weapon, the Combat Dress.
Strictly speaking, the Combat Dress wasn’t in itself a weapon. It simply allowed Theia to fly with a flight unit on her back and served as a base for various other weapons to anchor on. Since the weapons she was using were drawn from her usual arsenal, her actual attack power hadn’t changed. But by wearing the dress, she could use multiple weapons at the same time which increased her flexibility, and she had the power of flight which increased her mobility.
Normally, with a weapon summoned, it was hard for Theia to move around with it. There were some weapons that moved on their own, but those were few in numbers, and since they moved at various speeds, it was difficult to get them to properly cooperate with her. That’s what had inspired the Combat Dress. It affixed her weaponry to her and gave her the power of flight, solving all the problems she ordinarily had with her summoned weapons. Effectively, the dress turned Theia into a small fighter plane.
Through the combined powers of gravity manipulation and thrusters, Theia lifted up off the ground. When she did, the safety devices on her weapons were deactivated. She was now like an unchained beast. A golden lion with both power and speed.
“Men, follow me!”
Quick to act, Theia charged towards the radical faction troops in front of her. Her royal crest that had been engraved into the Combat Dress stood out well, even from afar.
“Leave the big threats to me! Don’t bother with the small fries! Advance!”
“Theia-chan is as hasty as always...”
“Let’s go, Kasagi-san.”
“I’m sorry for all of the trouble.”
Shizuka, Maki, and Ruth chased after Theia. Behind them were the Sun Rangers and the conservative faction soldiers. This would begin the decisive part of their battle.
The anti-material guns that Theia was firing had enough power to pierce through the barriers of the tanks and destroy them completely. If people had been inside, it would have been terrible, but fortunately they were automated vehicles, leaving Theia to shell them without concern.
“That makes eight!”
Theia’s bombardment destroyed yet another tank. The battle was progressing rather one-sidedly now since the tanks were unable to counterattack Theia, who was freely flying through the air. They were easy targets for her.
“Your Highness, gunfire coming from two o’clock!”
“Whoops!”
However, she couldn’t let her guard down. Since the soldiers and their mechanical counterparts were using handheld firearms, they could all take proper aim at her. That said, they weren’t using anti-air weaponry, so their accuracy and power were both low. Ruth would also restrain the enemy forces with her unmanned fighters at the appropriate times in order to protect Theia.
“We’re going to keep on pushing forward!”
Theia destroyed powerful weapons one after another as she advanced. She easily stood out on the battlefield. Many of the radical faction soldiers were completely focused on her as she soared through the sky, taking out her enemies like a bird of prey.
“Everyone, take care not to split up!”
“Thank you, people from the surface.”
“Surface or underground, it doesn’t matter! Let’s just hurry on!”
“Yes!”
The conservative faction soldiers pushed forward along the path that Theia had cleared for them. The Sun Rangers brought up the rear at the back of the formation. They and the conservative faction soldiers protected each other as they continued to forge ahead. Thinking of them as an anti-invasion squad and invaders from the underground, it was a bizarre spectacle to behold. But not a single person present batted an eye. No, right now they were all teammates working together to destroy the Earth Dragon.
“Say, Aika-san...”
Shizuka glanced over the conservative faction soldiers and the Sun Rangers as she ran. She seemed to like what she saw, as a smile formed on her lips.
“When you look at them like that, don’t you get the feeling Kiriha-san’s invasion succeeded a long time ago?”
“You’re right. It certainly does feel that way...”
People from the surface and the underground had joined forces for a common goal. Neither side was attempting to rule over the other. They were respecting each other and working together as equals. This was the result of Kiriha’s long, hard-fought invasion. It hadn’t been a mistake to protect the pride of both parties.
“And that’s why we have to win this battle here.”
“You’re absolutely right, Aika-san. Justice always wins!”
Strangely enough, Shizuka spoke the same words Tayuma did, but their meanings greatly differed. And now was the time to stand up for that difference. Shizuka and Maki took such feelings to heart as they continued running. The entrance to the building was just ahead of them.
Since the Earth Dragon was inside this building, it had been built to be extra sturdy. That was also true for the main gate, which was a thick metal door blocking intruders from entering. But after the joints had been shot by beams several times each, followed up by a direct hit from the recoilless pile driver, not even the strongest of doors could endure. Before the steam exhausted from the pile driver could condense, the door fell inward.
“We’ve finally reached it...”
As expected, Theia was the first to step inside the building. She hadn’t taken a single hit yet, meaning that her Combat Dress was still as white as it had been when she summoned it.
“Ruth, how does it look?”
“I’m getting a reaction. It’s still being shielded, so all I can tell is that it’s up ahead.”
The hologram that Ruth was projecting from her bracelet showed a large circle. It represented the Earth Dragon’s estimated position, but it wasn’t all that accurate.
“So we only need to go straight forward? I like it when things are simple and easy to understand.”
“You’re right. That might be just up our alley.”
Shizuka and Maki nodded at each other. Apart from Ruth, the girls from room 106 on the surface team all preferred the straightforward. So to them, this was a welcome development.
“Devil Princess-san, we can’t afford to take our time!”
“Hurry, Devil-neechan!”
The Sun Rangers, who were serving as the rearguard for the team, took cover inside the building and held off the radical faction forces coming after them. They were chasing down Theia, and flooding towards the building by the moment.
“All right, let’s go, men! Keep up with me!”
“Theia-san is so reliable at times like this.”
“She’s always been a little forceful, but now it’s working for her in a good way.”
“Her Highness is maturing, after all.”
After being momentarily halted by the gate, the surface team got on the move again. With Theia still in the lead, they ran down the main passage. Since they would be able to get a more accurate reading on the Earth Dragon’s location the closer they got, just standing around wouldn’t help them at all.
“You’ve finally made it inside, Princess Theiamillis,” said Elexis’s voice from a speaker along the passageway
Theia didn’t stop when she heard it, but her expression grew more severe.
“What is it, Elexis?!”
“It’s a host’s duty to welcome his guests. Well, it might be a little ill-mannered to do so through a speaker, I must admit.”
“Enough with your nonsense!”
“For the time being, I have prepared some entertainment. Please enjoy yourselves.”
Elexis sounded awfully cheerful, like he was genuinely welcoming guests into his home. Maybe that really was his intention, but Theia and the others felt nothing but enmity towards him.
“We don’t have the time to play around with you. We’re in a rush.”
“Then please reach me within eight minutes.”
“What a detestable fellow... Just you wait! I’ll be over there to punch you out soon!”
Theia was getting irritated. She didn’t like Elexis’ playful attitude or the time limit he’d given them. She understood that he meant that the earthquake weapon might be ready to use soon, but she didn’t understand his motive for telling them that much. Since she refused to believe he was trying to help her, she only felt like he was making a fool of her.
“I will await your arrival.”
With that, the speaker fell silent. At almost the same time, Shizuka and her heightened senses detected a presence approaching them.
“Theia-chan, something’s coming. It’s just around that corner.”
“I’m detecting several metal and energy reactions. I believe it’s automated weaponry intended to defend the building.”
“So this is the so-called entertainment...”
Before long, Elexis’s automated weapons appeared from around the corner. It was a crowd of robots like the clay dolls and haniwas, but wearing armor. They were true marvels, the byproduct of the underground dwellers’ spiritual energy technology and Forthorthian science, all imbued with magic. They were specially made robots designed to defend critical sites.
“Not good... The magic I specialize in hardly works on robots.”
Maki frowned when she saw the robots. Her signature mind manipulation was practically useless against mindless beings. In other words, she would have to get through this without relying on her expertise. It would be a rough fight for Maki, but that wasn’t the only problem...
“Heh... Heh heh heh...”
Ruth’s low laughter echoed down the passageway. She was normally quiet and serious, and when she did laugh, it was much more of a cute giggle. That’s why no one smiled to hear her laugh now. No, that haunting sound sent shivers down their spines.
“I’ve fooound yooou...”
Before anyone realized what was happening, Ruth was holding a metallic handle in each hand. A glowing blade slowly rose out of them. They were Ruth’s treasure that she always kept on her at all times. The swords of light that her ancestor, Flairhan, had used in the legends of the Blue Knight—beam swords.
“Vice captain?”
“Not good! Ruth, keep it together!”
“I am keeping it together, Your Highness. I am well aware of the situation. Oh yes, very aware.”
“Aw jeez, I’m staying out of this.”
“I am truly grateful that Master isn’t here...”
Ruth swung her beam swords around like a tornado. Nothing caught in it would survive. That was how sharp and deadly her swordsmanship looked.
“If he were to see so many specimens of this bug, Master would certainly be captivated by them...”
Ruth stopped spinning her swords and glared at the group of robots. There was a gleam in her eyes—a light perhaps more dangerous than the beams of her swords.
“That’s why I will send you to hell together with the rest of these things before Master finds you, Hercules-chaaaaan!”
Ruth was exuding a strange aura. One of murderous obsession. And the target of said obsession was the group of automated weapons that happened to have the shape of beetles. Faced with the overwhelming pressure coming from Ruth, the robotic beetles that were supposed to have been simple, mindless automatons instinctively flinched and stepped back.
“Divine retributiooooon!”
Ruth charged in with her two beam swords. Her movements were completely different from normal. She was like a predator going in for the kill.
“There’s no helping it now, men! Support Ruth!”
Theia hurriedly offered Ruth covering fire. She couldn’t abandon her childhood friend in a dangerous situation like this.
“I don’t think she needs support, honestly...” said Shizuka with a wry smile.
Ruth had a knack for the blade thanks to her lineage. Moreover, she never missed a day of training, so her strength and stamina had risen considerably. The only thing that held her back in combat was her peaceful nature. But once Ruth spotted the beetles and lost her temper, that problem resolved itself, temporarily transforming her into a master swordsman. Right now, she could probably even best Koutarou.
Shizuka was smiling because she knew that. However, there was still the one in a million chance something could go wrong, and nobody knew what might happen with Ruth so enraged. So Shizuka chased after her with superhuman speed.
“So the vice captain is actually really strong with a blade...”
Maki felt a sense of admiration as she cast enhancing and defensive spells on her two charging allies. She had always respected Ruth as an excellent superior, but that was for her ability to gather and analyze information. But right now, seeing her swinging her two beam swords splendidly in combat, Maki reevaluated her opinion of Ruth. She wasn’t from a distinguished family of established knights for nothing.
“She’s only like that when she’s going up against beetles though.”
In contrast to Maki, Theia was dumbfounded. As her childhood friend, Theia knew better than anyone that Ruth was incredibly scary when she was angry. However, she felt like Ruth went too far when beetles were involved. That was just how much Ruth loved Koutarou, but her expression of love was a bit too extreme. Theia was normally extreme herself, but she had something of an old-fashioned outlook on romance.
“You still continue coming!”
With support from Theia and the conservative faction soldiers, Ruth destroyed the beetle robots one after another. Under the ruthless attacks from her beam swords, the robots were practically defenseless as they were dismantled. She left a path of destruction and robot parts in her wake. She was mowing them down like a real tornado now.
“...O-Oh? Why am I holding beam swords...?”
In total there had been thirty-six beetle robots blocking the passage. Ruth had destroyed them all in just over three minutes.
Thanks to Ruth’s unexpected performance, Theia and the others managed to get closer to the Earth Dragon before Elexis’s time limit expired.
“Your Highness, there’s no doubt about it. The Earth Dragon is just past this door.”
“I see. Men, you did well to come all this way! We’re almost there now!”
The results of the energy analysis indicated that the Earth Dragon was just beyond the door in front of them. As long as they destroyed it, their long day would come to an end. The end was in sight now.
“I know that it’s been rough, but we’re one final push away! We’ll destroy the Earth Dragon and return home triumphantly! Do you understand, men?!”
Without waiting for her allies’ reply, Theia user her cannons and pile driver to break down the door. Morale was high enough that there was no real need to wait for their response. She knew what they would say. Her troops were dirty and wounded, but their spirits were high knowing they were staring down the end of the battle. They all eagerly followed Theia into the room ahead.
“Welcome, Princess Theiamillis and company.”
Elexis’s bright voice greeted the team. He was sitting in front of a gigantic device as big as a building in the center of the room. That gigantic device was the Earth Dragon that Theia and the others had come to destroy.
“Elexis!”
“What a barefaced lie. This is the opposite of a welcoming.”
Upon seeing Elexis’s face, Ruth and Theia’s expression grew stern. To Ruth, Elexis was her former fiancé who had conspired with Theia’s rivals. To Theia, he was someone who had been after her, Koutarou’s, and her friends’ lives.
“How harsh.”
Elexis still wore his confident smile. However, that wasn’t because he had a means of defeating Theia and the others. He was genuinely happy to see them.
Indiscriminate destruction won’t bring about anything. I’m truly glad you came, Princess Theiamillis, Ruthkania-sama...
According to his own sense of aesthetics, Elexis found the senseless destruction of the surface and the underground undesirable. While restoration followed destruction, it wasn’t efficient to restore something that had been completely and utterly destroyed. Destruction without creation, destruction simply for the sake of destruction, was something that Elexis detested. However, since he had a contract with the radical faction to supply them with technology, he had no choice but to fulfill his obligations. He was a businessman, after all. But now Theia and the others had appeared, which was indeed a most welcome sight.
“Elexis, was it?! Where is Maya-sama?!”
Maki was feeling something different than Theia and Ruth. Coming here was a chance to see her master. That personal desire of hers served as a stronger driving force than her sense of duty, which motivated her to spit those words at Elexis.
“So you’re Maki... You’re as serious and strong-minded as she said.”
“I’m not here to play with words! Where is Maya-sama?! She’s here, isn’t she?!”
“I’m afraid she’s—”
Elexis was about to honestly answer Maki’s question. Maya had made him promise to do so when she arrived, after all. But before he could, he was interrupted by someone else’s voice.
“I’m right here, Maki.”
Maya herself appeared in the room. She had been underground previously, but had just arrived here at the remote base.
“Maya-sama?!”
When she saw her, Maki’s eyes went wide. Maya was Maki’s savior, her master that had taught her magic. She was also the previous Darkness Navy. While they were now enemies, Maya was still special to her.
“You’re hasty as always, Maki... I even told you I’d prepare a stage for us to fight.”
Maya felt the same way about Maki. While fate had turned master and apprentice against each other, Maya had no intention of denying the relationship they shared previously. The People of the Earth’s radical faction denied their history underground and abhorred the conservative faction for embracing it. And in that sense, she and Maki were much more like the conservative faction.
“Are you planning on destroying the surface and the underground, Maya-sama?!”
“I don’t really have any intentions of doing that... but my accomplice seems to, so I’ll probably end up helping out.”
“That’s right!”
Someone else had appeared in the room. It was Shijima Tayuma, the radical faction commander who had escaped from the underground with Maya.
“The surface and the underground will both be destroyed, and a new history will rise from the ruins! The People of the Earth will reclaim their homeland and lead mankind to the next stage! What a brilliant history it will become!”
Tayuma was set on using the Earth Dragon. By spreading mass destruction throughout the underground and surface, the People of the Earth would be forcibly dragged into war. Doing that would negate any meaning in the People of the Earth fighting amongst themselves. Maguz would be released, and a new order would be constructed with him in the center. The world would be as it should, with the superior ruling and the inferior obeying. A bright future supposedly awaited the People of the Earth.
Achieving that future would be justice. And Tayuma would use any method necessary to do that. The sacrifices created by the use of the Earth Dragon were but a small means to a great end.
“We won’t let you, evil invader! We Sun Rangers will stop you for the sake of the future for both the surface and the underground!”
The five Sun Rangers took a stance as Red Shine bravely decried Tayuma’s intentions. Their appearance wasn’t as awkward and uncoordinated as it had been before. Now they unmistakably looked like heroes.
“The sun will light up our future!”
“Fuhahaha! If you want a brilliant future, then just shut up and watch! Well, either way, you didn’t make it in time! The Earth Dragon is already activating! You’re too late!”
Tayuma grinned and laughed triumphantly. The time limit that Elexis had given them was almost up. Once it was finished charging, the Earth Dragon would activate and the battle would end with massive casualties on all sides.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Theiamillis-san.”
“I was running out of patience! Send it over to me right now!”
“I’m already working on it.”
However, Theia hadn’t given up yet. She was talking to Clan about something.
“What are you trying to pull, little girl?! Even if you attack now, you won’t be able to destroy the Earth Dragon before it activates!”
Small attacks wouldn’t stop the earthquake weapon. Even if everyone attacked together, it still wouldn’t be enough. Tayuma was convinced of the radical faction’s victory and sneered at Theia.
“No, we’ve won.”
“What?! What’s the point of a sad dog barking now?!”
“Your Highness, the coordinates have been input into the fire control system.”
“Fool, did you think that what you could see is all there was to my power?!”
Theia smiled. It was a predatory grin she only showed to her enemies. It wasn’t the smirk of a sad dog, but of a proud lion.
“Blue Knight, bombard the given surface coordinates! Give them a taste of your main weaponry!”
“As you wish, my princess.”
The people of the surface weren’t stupid. They would definitely notice the existence of Blue Knight if it attacked repeatedly from orbit. That’s why Theia only had one shot, and she had to make it a good one. It had to be a shot to destroy the Earth Dragon for sure. That was why Theia and the others had had to get as close as possible in order to send the most accurate location data possible to Clan, who calculated the bombardment point. And now, the steel knight floating up in space looked down its sword towards Earth.
Rather than a sound, there was just a shockwave and vibrations. Blue Knight had fired its massive beam cannon. The beam came straight down from above, piercing through the roof of the building and right through the Earth Dragon. Since the beam far surpassed the speed of sound, the air around it moved at supersonic speeds and created a shockwave. And when the beam struck, it hit the ground with great violence. It was like there was an earthquake.
“Wh-What is this?!”
Shaken by everything that was happening, Tayuma stood there aghast. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A massive pillar of light had pierced through the ceiling and the Earth Dragon. The pillar of light had only appeared for a mere moment, but the results of it were devastating. Black smoke rose from the hole that the pillar of light had torn up. Anything it touched was completely destroyed. In fact, the control computer was screaming that it had lost contact with the Earth Dragon.
“Just what is going on?! Is this really happening?!”
Tayuma staggered backwards and fell onto his butt. He couldn’t believe his own eyes. Admitting the reality before him would be the same as Tayuma admitting that the radical faction had lost. He couldn’t accept it.
“There was no explosion, and there’s no fire spreading. The results are just as Clan-sama simulated.”
“Very good. Well done, Clan.”
“This might sound strange coming from me, but... I can’t forgive someone who would attack their own people with weapons of war. I’ll gladly help as much as I can this time.”
Blue Knight’s bombardment had been meticulously calculated by Clan. Since the Earth Dragon was a weapon intended to create a massive earthquake, it stored an extraordinary amount of energy. In destroying it, Clan had to make sure not to carelessly unleash that energy and cause an explosion or worse.
After analyzing the blueprints they had found in the factory yesterday, Clan had determined where she’d need to shoot the device to destroy it without blowing it up. And once Theia and Ruth determined the Earth Dragon’s exact position, Clan did the math and forwarded the necessary data to Blue Knight. Clan’s calculations were extremely precise, resulting in the fired beam simply destroying the target without causing any secondary damage.
“How does it look, Elexis?”
“It’s no use. They’ve shot through only the mana and spiritual energy converter. With this, it doesn’t have sufficient energy to function. Even if we managed to activate it... it would be a magnitude 2 quake on the Richter scale at best.”
Elexis, who was operating the control computer, gave Maya a defeated shrug. What Blue Knight had shot was the part of the weapon that converted mana into spiritual energy—essentially the heart of the Earth Dragon. According to Elexis’s estimates, it would take at least two weeks to repair. And between now and then, the Earth Dragon was largely useless.
“N-No way, I won’t accept this kind of result!”
“Whoa!”
Tayuma pushed Elexis aside and began messing around with the computer. Elexis made room for him and shrugged once more as he looked at Maya. Maya herself smiled wryly and tilted her head. Unable to accept reality, Tayuma was desperately trying to activate the Earth Dragon. But Elexis and Maya both knew that his efforts were in vain, and the results were just as they expected.
“Damn it! Why... Why won’t it work?!”
Tayuma slammed his fist into the operating panel. The surface cracked and was rendered unusable, which wasn’t really a problem considering the Earth Dragon wasn’t operational anyway.
“Why does everyone side with them?! We’re the ones who are in the right! We’re the oppressed trying to reclaim what’s rightfully ours!”
Tayuma finally accepted that the Earth Dragon had been destroyed, but his feelings were still rampaging. He still couldn’t accept that they had lost.
“Surrender, Tayuma!”
“There will be no surrender! We are the proud People of the Earth!”
Tayuma firmly rejected Theia’s demand for surrender. He would rather choose death than defeat. He and Kiriha were polar opposites except when it came to their pride.
“Elexis, Maya! Can’t we do something?! Is this it for the radical faction?! Do we have no choice but to vanish as we’re chained to the underground?!”
This was supposed to be the beginning of a new era. The People of the Earth were supposed to return to under the sun where they would prosper for all eternity under their ruler, Maguz. They would lead all of mankind to the next stage.
Yet that future was about to be sealed away. With how things were looking now, they would either end up returning to the darkness or merging with the people on the surface and vanishing altogether. Both fates seemed like ruin to Tayuma, so he continued to struggle against the inevitable.
“There might be one way...”
“Maya?”
Elexis looked at Maya, who was suggesting an alternative to the Earth Dragon, with a skeptical expression. He hadn’t heard anything about this.
“That’s it! Please do it!”
In contrast, Tayuma looked thrilled. He was willing to grasp at straws of hope right now, regardless of what the outcome may be. Anything would be better than losing to the conservative faction.
“However, I can’t guarantee your safety. With what I’m thinking of, you might be able to win, but you won’t come out unscathed.”
“I don’t care! Losing here is the same as dying, anyway! I will gladly give my life for the glory of the People of the Earth!”
“If you’re that resolved, I’ll do it.”
Maya raised her right arm over her head. As she did, her mana began flowing out from the miniature staff built into her right arm. And using that overflowing mana as a stimulus, she called forth even more mana. It was the mana they would have used to create an earthquake with the Earth Dragon—that was just how much of it had been gathered here.
“Not good! We have to stop Maya-sama!”
As a magician, Maki knew just how terrifying that much mana was. It was clear that even just causing it to explode would do terrible damage. To prevent that, Maki transformed her staff into a sword and charged at Maya. Since she was using magic to strengthen her body, she moved as quickly as a bullet and instantly closed the distance between her and Maya. She raised her glowing red sword overhead and swung it down on Maya.
“Maya!”
However, before the sword reached Maya, Elexis stepped in front of her to cover her. He used the barrier generation device he was wearing to protect Maya.
Maki’s sword and Elexis’s barrier collided. Unable to withstand the blow, Elexis’s barrier collapsed. It had exceeded its damage tolerance and the generation device broke down. Since it wasn’t a large barrier like the ones used in armor, it was no match for Maki’s powerful attack.
“Move!”
“Whoa!”
Maki pushed Elexis aside and attacked Maya again.
“Permanent Metamorphose. Modifier: Overdrive.”
However, Maya had finished her spell before Maki could hit her. All of the mana that Maya was manipulating poured into Tayuma.
“Kyah!”
The aftereffect of the activated spell blew Maki away. That was just the extent of the power of the mana Maya was controlling. Tayuma, who was now in the center of that vast mana, didn’t know what was happening.
“M-My body is hot! Maya, what is this?!”
Enveloped in orange light, Tayuma anxiously looked around him. Since he had no knowledge of magic, he was somewhat afraid of the unknown phenomenon taking place.
“Tayuma, your body is changing into something else. Imagine what you desire. The spell will respond to it.”
“So that’s what it is! Fuhahaha, I can tell that there’s an enormous power inside of me!”
Now that he understood and accepted the situation he was in, the mana started flowing into Tayuma. His body began glowing orange as he absorbed the magic. And once he had absorbed it all, the glow became so bright that it was hard to look right at him.
“I can win! I can win with this! I have obtained the ultimate power! I have become the true supreme existence!”
What Tayuma desired was immortality, ultimate intellect, and finally, the overwhelming power to force others to obey him. Those were the three required elements for a dictator to fulfill their twisted dream of ruling forever.
Tayuma’s body grew stronger in accordance with his ambitions. The orange mana altered his body and made it larger. In the process, the armor that he was wearing broke. However, he no longer needed armor. He’d gained power that far surpassed that.
“Maya, what did you do to him?”
“I allowed him to freely use the mana that had been gathered within the Earth Dragon. Nothing more, nothing less. He’s free to do whatever he wishes with it. He will change as he himself desires.”
Elexis and Maya looked up together at Tayuma, who was in the process of transmogrifying. Even as they talked, his body was continuing to enlarge. He was already over ten meters tall. Tayuma’s desire for power didn’t know when to stop.
“I see. But Maya... Why did you feel like helping him again? I thought you didn’t like the way he did things.”
“I still don’t. But it’s not as bad if he’s willing to take the risk on himself. And besides, we’ve known each other for a long time.”
“So it’s something like your final parting gift?”
“Oh? Do I strike you as someone so considerate?”
“Yes, but I like that strange sense of courtesy you have.”
With that, the two of them turned their backs on Tayuma. They were planning on leaving the rest to him while they escaped. Any obligations they had had already been fulfilled. The rest was Tayuma’s problem. And besides, they had their own goals, so they decided to withdraw.
“I wonder how serious you are. I’m sure you’ve tricked a lot of women with that side of you— What’s this?!”
However, shortly after they started walking away, Maya sensed a strange presence behind her and hurriedly turned around. Her eyes shot wide open in surprise. For when she turned around, she saw Tayuma... but his appearance had far exceeded her expectations.
“What is it?!”
Catching on to Maya’s reaction, Elexis turned around as well. When he did, he too saw Tayuma’s strange appearance. The light from Tayuma’s body had changed at some point. It was no longer orange. Though calling light black might seem wrong, that was exactly what it looked like to Elexis. And inside of that black light, the giant Tayuma was changing from something human into something else... something like a four-legged beast.
“I don’t know what he did, but Tayuma is summoning power from a higher dimension!”
“Power from a higher dimension?”
“It must be the power of some god or devil! Or he himself might be trying to turn into one! Either way, this is dangerous! We should get away from here right now, El!”
“Okay, let’s go!”
Maya and Elexis turned their backs on Tayuma once more. They didn’t know what he was trying to become, but it was clear that they didn’t want to stick around for it.
Maya hadn’t been the only one to notice the abnormality with Tayuma. When he surpassed ten meters in height, Theia ordered her allies to retreat. The room where the Earth Dragon was kept was large, but it was still too small for them to run away from a giant. Once Tayuma began emitting a black light, she didn’t hesitate to order a retreat. He was now an unknown opponent, and his gigantic figure was only getting bigger. If they were going to fight, they would need to do so in a more open place.
“A-Aika-san, what is happening to that Tayuma person?!”
Shizuka in her half-dragon form noticed the strange phenomenon going on with Tayuma right away. She was beyond bewildered.
“It seems like Maya-sama used the mana within the Earth Dragon to transform him... But during the transformation, some other power began influencing him... like he’s turned into an unexpected monster...”
Maki was puzzled too. While the mana was vast, Maya had only used a transformation spell. The activated mana had been the correct orange color at first, but it had changed to black at some point. That should be impossible with normal magic, but Maki recognized this impossible phenomenon.
That black mana... It looks like the mana when I stole the power in room 106, but... could this be the same...?
The black power enveloping Tayuma looked familiar to Maki. Last year, when Maki attacked room 106 for the first time, she had managed to gain control of a fraction of the power gathered there. It too had been black mana.
But why is that here? No, it’s too rash to assume they’re the same... though it’s undeniable that a massive amount of mana and a twisted desire has summoned forth a similar power... Could I have been turned into a monster as well?
Back then, Maki had also come into contact with black mana, though on a smaller scale. She’d also been filled with hatred and anger. If she’d used the mana on herself rather than others, she too might have made a terrible transformation. Just thinking about it sent a chill down her spine.
“What’s wrong, Maki? You’re falling behind.”
“Theiamillis-san...”
Lost deep in thought, Maki had inadvertently slowed down. Noticing that, Theia grabbed her hand and began running together with her. Feeling the warmth from Theia’s hand, Maki let out a sigh of relief.
The current me is fine... I won’t become absorbed by that!
In the past, when Maki had come into contact with the black mana, Theia had bombarded her with Blue Knight. But now, Theia was worried about her when she was feeling anxious. She was even holding her hand. Hate beget hate the same way friendship beget friendship. Having seen the light, Maki no longer had anything to fear. She squeezed Theia’s hand back and started running faster.
Theia and the others encountered several squads of radical faction soldiers before they reached the exit of the base. However, they all knew that Maguz had lost, that the Earth Dragon had been destroyed, and that an unknown monster had appeared inside the building. Moreover, their chain of command was in disarray, so they didn’t know what to do. As such, the radical faction soldiers kept their distance from Theia and the others and let them escape. They wanted to avoid the risk of fighting against them when they didn’t understand the situation. The radicals had families too, and they weren’t eager to die for no reason. Of course, Theia and the others wanted to get away as quickly as possible as well, so they didn’t stop to attack the radicals who weren’t attacking them either.
“Phew... We finally made it outside.”
“Ah!”
“Kenichi, where’re you going?! That monster is coming!”
Once they got outside the building, Red Shine split off from the group. Blue Shine called out to him, but he didn’t come back.
“There are injured people here! Help me out!”
Red Shine had gone to help a group of injured people that couldn’t move on their own. Since it would be dangerous to leave them there, he rushed over to help them.
“But Kenichi-niichan, those are radical faction soldiers.”
“And what about it?!”
The other four Sun Rangers had hesitated because the injured soldiers belonged to the radical faction, but after Red scolded them, they soon came to his aid. A group of the conservative soldiers joined them as well.
“Sun Rangers, we’ll help too.”
“Thank you!”
The Sun Rangers and conservative faction soldiers worked together to carry the injured to safety. Fortunately, since there weren’t all that many of them, gathering them didn’t take too long. The one that stood out the most was Yellow Shine, who carried a wounded soldier over each shoulder. One of the conservative faction soldiers looked up at him in admiration.
“You Sun Rangers are a strange bunch...”
“How so?”
“To think you’d help not only us conservatives, but also these radicals...”
“Ahaha, that’s thanks to Kenicihi-kun’s influence.”
“Red-san’s?”
“Whenever we’d do something that might make the children cry, Kenichi-kun would get furious.”
“Make the children cry...? You really are heroes of justice...”
“That’s what we’re always striving to be. Now, let’s go! We can’t fall behind!”
“Right!”
With the injured in tow, they began running away again. They should have been slowed down by the extra weight, but their steps were surprisingly light.
Outside of the building was bright. While they were still in the cave, there was a large light that acted as an artificial sun, so it was even brighter than it had been inside the building. Theia and the others continued running through the brightly lit cavern, but they stopped halfway to the exit.
“Maki, how does it look?”
“He should be coming out soon. The mana is still increasing.”
“The problem is how big he’ll be when he gets out...”
They’d come to a stop because they were planning on intercepting Tayuma here. If they simply escaped, Tayuma would just follow them to the surface where he could do untold damage. That’s why the surface team had to defeat him here.
“I’ve got a reaction on the sonic sensor! Your Highness, he’s coming!”
The next moment, the front half of the building collapsed with a roaring sound. With it gone, Theia and the others could see the Earth Dragon from where they were standing. And something slowly standing up from the rubble of the collapsed building.
“How could this be...?”
“What in the world?! He’s over fifty meters tall, easy!”
Theia was at a loss for words and Shizuka screamed. Both were understandable reactions. Tayuma was now big enough to cover up the Earth Dragon he was standing in front of, giving them a clear sense of scale. Like Shizuka said, he was clearly over fifty meters tall.
“According to the observational data, he’s 55 meters tall. His weight seems to be around 3,000 tons, but because of gravitational interference, I can’t get an accurate figure.”
What had once been Tayuma was now a giant, black hound. With its sharp fangs, claws, and muscular build, he looked like a hunting dog. That alone was a surprise, but his size was the biggest shock of all. The black hound far surpassed the size of any known living creature. It looked more like a monster from a movie. Alunaya, who resided within Shizuka, was quite large himself, but the hound was about twice his size.
“What a monstrous dog... At least it seems his loyalty for Maguz was real...”
According to Maki, Tayuma had transformed into a form he’d desired. In that case, Tayuma might have chosen the form of a dog as a display of his loyalty. Theia believed that while Tayuma’s soul was stained by elitism and prejudice, his loyalty to his leader was the real deal.
“However, we can’t let him prove his loyalty! Blue Knight, bombard the surface fifteen meters south of the previous coordinates!”
Theia ordered her spaceship to bombard the black hound. Just one glance at his towering figure was enough to tell her that it had strength that defied common sense. That’s why she wanted to defeat it before it could start moving.
“Please wait, Your Highness! You can only bombard the surface of this planet so many times before people start to—”
“Now isn’t the time for that, Ruth! Believe in me!”
Nevertheless, it was a huge gamble. Repeated bombardments would indeed attract the attention of the people on Earth. Theia was of course well aware of that, but she believed they needed the firepower regardless of the risks.
“Fire, Blue Knight!”
“As you wish, my princess.”
Theia pushed Ruth’s objections aside and ordered the bombardment. Ruth didn’t try stopping her. She understood that Theia had already given her actions proper thought.
The air trembled as the second bombardment arrived. The beam punched a hole through the cave roof near the first and rained down on the black hound.
“Gaaaaaaaah!”
However, it wouldn’t go down without a fight. After roaring, a disk made from black energy appeared above it. It was a shield created with the black mana meant to stand in the way of the oncoming beam. And that was when something unexpected happened. The black shield reflected the beam like a mirror reflected light.
“It reflected it?!”
“Your Highness, the beam is headed back towards Blue Knight!”
“Impossible!”
The beam travelled back along the same straight line it had come and hit Blue Knight.
“Blue Knight automatically deployed its distortion field, so there is no damage.”
“Theiamillis-san, it seems like that dog twisted space to change the direction of the beam.”
“Jeez, what an outrageous trick...”
Theia flashed a bitter smile at Clan’s explanation. While there hadn’t been any damage to her ship, this still didn’t bode well. If Blue Knight’s main weaponry wouldn’t work, it was hard to imagine normal attacks would. That meant that Theia’s power wouldn’t be enough to defeat the black hound.
“Fuhahaha, that won’t work! I’m the strongest! I’ve obtained an invincible body and I have become one of the chosen ones!”
Tayuma had now endured an attack that destroyed the Earth Dragon in a single hit. Unable to hide the excitement over his new power that surpassed his own expectations, Tayuma continued to shout in celebration.
“I will crush you and make a new world! You powerless surface dwellers won’t be able to stop me!”
But his voice wasn’t coming from his mouth. Now in bestial dog form, his mouth and throat lost the ability to use human speech. Instead, his voice spread throughout the area via magic.
“You fool. Even with such, who would obey you when you look like that?”
Theia looked at the black hound, at Tayuma, with pity in her eyes. All throughout history, there had never been a sustained case of rule by fear. It never lasted, and Tayuma right now was nothing more than a symbol of fear. So even if he managed to take over the surface, things wouldn’t stay that way. Both Forthorthe’s and Earth’s histories predicted that.
“In obtaining such power, you’ve closed the path to rule on yourself...”
True victory was no longer an option for Tayuma. Even if he beat Theia and the others and conquered the surface, it would only be a short-term success. And Tayuma was none the wiser. Theia couldn’t help but find that pitiful. At the same time, she thought this might be for the best. People were happier remaining unaware that their dreams had been cut short.
“Maki, don’t you have any countermeasures?”
However, Theia had no intention of being dragged down with Tayuma after he had chosen to ruin his own future. She would defeat him. In order to do that, she sought Maki’s advice since it seemed like physical attacks wouldn’t work.
“I think we could either dispel the magic or break through it with spiritual energy.”
After seeing the black hound twist space with a spell, Maki thought they could either dispel the magic it was using, or attack using spiritual energy that wouldn’t be affected by it.
“Right now, I think only Kasagi-san can fight against him.”
“Huh? M-Me?!”
“More accurately, she means me. I’m going at this with all my might, Shizuka!”
Fire Dragon Emperor Alunaya far surpassed human limits when it came to both mana and spiritual energy. Right now, it seemed like the only way out of this mess was to have Alunaya go all out.
“I guess we have to... Do it, uncle!”
Shizuka steeled herself. While she would be annoyed when this was all over if Alunaya used up all of his mana, now wasn’t the time to be concerned with that. If they didn’t defeat the black hound, a far greater tragedy would befall the surface.
“I just hope that I alone will be enough...”
Alunaya activated his stored mana and enveloped Shizuka with it. Using her body as a core, he projected his own gigantic body with mana. At that stage, they switched roles—Alunaya took control of the body while Shizuka’s mind would take a backseat and give advice. And so she completed her transformation into a red dragon over twenty meters long that caused the very ground to shake when it landed.
“Looking at him like this, he sure is spectacular. This is the first time I’ve seen a land-dwelling creature that’s larger than me.”
Facing the black hound, Alunaya instinctively sighed. Alunaya was already close to the natural physical limits of land-dwelling creatures. Yet this black hound was over twice his size. It had an abnormally gigantic body forcibly created through magic. Alunaya was in awe of its unnatural existence.
“Uncle, we have to hurry.”
“You’re right. I can’t just stand here.”
Alunaya couldn’t maintain his full-on dragon form for long. He had to settle this before he ran out of mana. Alunaya took a deep breath and took one step forward towards the black hound. And just as Alunaya was about to throw himself at the monster, someone stopped him.
“Please wait, Alunaya-san.”
“Oh, Princess Clan?”
“Reinforcements—Veltlion and the others—have come.”
“Curse you, Blue Knight... You’ve left me behind again to go ride something so fun-looking...”
Passing through one of the holes in the ceiling, an airframe with very sharp angles flew into the large cave. While it might have been twenty meters or so long, it was still far too small to compete with the fifty-meter black hound. The signs and characters engraved into the airframe indicated it belonged to the People of the Earth. Indeed, it was a mobile weapon intended for air combat that the conservative faction had developed just in case.
Upon entering the cave, the surroundings suddenly got significantly brighter. Since they had been flying through the night for a while now, the sudden strong light stung Koutarou’s eyes.
“Ho! Applying the filter, ho!”
“We’ll remove it when your eyes have adjusted, ho! Don’t worry, ho!”
However, Karama and Korama who were attached to the mobile weapon’s computer lowered the brightness of the monitor, which helped Koutarou’s eyes adjust.
“So that’s Tayuma now, huh? He’s completely turned into a monster.”
“I’m sure it’s him making himself look bigger as a result of his lust for great power.”
Thanks to Clan’s detailed reports, Koutarou and Kiriha already knew what had happened inside the cave. That’s why they’d come over with the mobile weapon.
“Koutarou, it looks like Yurika has joined up with Theia and the others.”
Sanae, who was sitting in the operator’s seat, reported on Yurika’s whereabouts. Koutarou looked at the monitor near Sanae to see Yurika happily reuniting with the surface team. It was relaying footage from a camera attached to the outside of the mobile weapon.
“Good. It looks like everyone is okay,” said Harumi, flashing a smile of relief to see all her friends well.
There were a total of four humans aboard the mobile weapon. First there was Kiriha in the pilot’s seat. She was in charge of controlling the aircraft. Next was Sanae in the operator’s seat. However, she was mostly just sitting there. Karama and Korama were the ones doing all the work. Since the haniwas were directly connected to the computer, the mobile weapon didn’t actually need an operator. The remaining two on board were Koutarou and Harumi, who were sitting in spare seats. They were essentially passengers who had no part in controlling the ship. That would be left to Kiriha and her two haniwas, which was how the ship had been designed.
While one might be fooled by their cheerful personalities, the two haniwas had served the Kurano family for generations and had accumulated a huge amount of combat data. That’s why they were able to fight so effectively when given the appropriate armaments—the mobile weapon included. It was a large, heavy combat module that the haniwas had no problem operating.
This module had been given the name “Ohime” after the Goddess of Creation in the People of the Earth’s mythology. It was a sign that the conservative faction considered it their ace in the hole, their goddess of hope that would protect the dawn of tomorrow.
“But we can’t get carried away, ho! The output isn’t increasing, just as we expected, ho!”
“Our souls aren’t enough, ho! We’re a hundred years too early, ho!”
However, the mobile weapon still wasn’t fully functional. As a result, the main systems and spiritual energy generator couldn’t be used. It was currently operating on a subsystem and a standard generator, meaning it was only barely able to fly. Fighting with it was out of the question.
The reason why the main systems and spiritual energy generator wouldn’t activate was simply because there wasn’t enough spiritual energy. The spiritual energy the two haniwas provided wasn’t enough to awaken the ship. And in this state, the mobile weapon was practically useless. The only good it might serve was crashing into the enemy.
“Don’t worry. That’s why Sanae is on board.”
“Me? Why?”
With the conversation suddenly turning to her, Sanae blinked repeatedly in confusion. The haniwas, however, knew just what Kiriha meant and broke into a cheerful dance like victory was already theirs.
“Of course! As expected of Nee-san, ho! I never thought of that, ho!”
“With Sanae-chan’s maiden powers, it might awaken, ho!”
“Sanae, could you touch the magatama in front of you and transform into Kabutonga?”
“Sure... but will that do anything about the design error?”
“Please, Sanae.”
“Okay... All right, traaansfoooorm! Kabutongaaa!”
With a grand shout, Sanae’s body was wrapped in a vast amount of spiritual energy. It was so dense that a portion of it became light, causing Sanae’s body to glow. What Kiriha meant by Sanae transforming into Kabutonga wasn’t about changing her outfit or appearance, but having her enhance her physical abilities with her spiritual energy.
“It’s working! It’s coming online, ho!”
“The main systems have activated, ho!”
Sanae’s vast spiritual energy passed through the magatama and into Ohime’s systems. As it did, the lights representing each one on the panel began lighting up one after another.
“It’s working, ho! The spiritual energy generator is active!”
“Output is rising! It’s gone critical! It’s now self-sufficient, ho!”
As the spiritual energy generator began working, the airframe vibrated a little. At first it was a slow, rhythmic vibration similar to a heartbeat, but it soon quickened into something more like an alarm bell. Once the vibration reached a certain intensity, the shaking stopped altogether. The vibration control system had now kicked in and was cancelling it out.
“Output is still increasing. Thirty... forty... fifty... Switching the generator from normal power to spiritual energy, ho!”
“Ane-go!”
“Yes! Ohime, change from cruise mode to combat mode!”
“Roger, ho!”
“Leave it to us, ho!”
Ohime had two modes of operation. One was a cruise mode with limited function reserved for casual flight. The other was combat mode, which required enormous output from the spiritual energy generator.
“We’re going in, everyone! Make sure you’re strapped in!”
Kiriha switched Ohime over to combat mode and removed all restrictions. As a result, the craft’s speed rapidly increased and it glided through the air like a rollercoaster.
Having once been Tayuma, the black hound recognized the approaching craft. Tayuma knew about Ohime from information on the conservative faction he’d gotten through Maguz, which was how he knew that Kiriha was on board the moment he saw it.
“You’ve come, daughter of Kurano! You dare stand before me again?!”
The giant black hound shook his body and roared. It was a roar so loud that it rattled the entire cave. Tayuma’s voice could be heard over it, but it was being projected magically rather than through the mouth of the inhuman beast.
“As long as you would harm people, I will stand in your path as many times as it takes!”
“Harm people? You’re wrong! I am trying to lead the People of the Earth! We shall reclaim our former glory!”
“You haven’t noticed?! You’re trampling the very people that you claim to lead!”
“What?!”
The black hound looked down at his feet for the first time. Many corpses lay half-buried in the rubble of the collapsed building. They were all radical faction soldiers that had been entrusted with defending the facility.
“You aren’t leading anyone! You’re only using them as stepping stones!”
“What about it?! I am a chosen ruler! I will rule everything together with Maguz-sama! I decide who lives and who dies!”
However, the black hound—Tayuma—had no remorse about killing his own allies. After transforming into a magical beast because of his twisted wishes and gaining enormous power, he was singularly focused on achieving his desires. To Tayuma, the radical faction’s justice, his loyalty to Maguz, and his ideals of rulership were nothing more than tools to justify his actions. He would bring them up when he had to, and put them away when they got in his way. He’d become the embodiment of single-minded selfishness.
“Have you degenerated this far, Tayuma...?”
Kiriha couldn’t help being disappointed in Tayuma. Maguz was also warped, but he still felt a connection to the other radical faction members. His heart was in the wrong place, but he still had his pride as a leader. Not Tayuma. Everything he did was for himself. When confronted with a truth he didn’t like, he’d use any means necessary to brush it aside. Words had no meaning to someone like him now. There would be no changing his mind. Realizing those limitations, Kiriha decided she would defeat him instead.
“Daughter of Kurano, I decide whether you live or die too! And I say you die here!”
The black hound roared again. As it did, several black orbs appeared around its body. And when it roared a third time, the orbs flew straight at Ohime. They were energy balls created using the black mana.
“I won’t let you! This world is not your playground!”
Kiriha enacted evasive maneuvers with Ohime to avoid the incoming black orbs. Ohime moved like a rollercoaster, with the contrails behind it looking like the track.
“Come on! What’s the matter?!”
For each orb Kiriha evaded, the black hound created another with no end in sight. It was all she could do to keep evading.
“Emergency alert, ho! The spiritual energy generator is becoming unstable, ho!”
“At a time like this?!”
And things just got hairier from there. The unfinished Ohime wasn’t responding well to suddenly being forced to fly at full power. As a result, its movements became much simpler. With fluctuations in the generator, Ohime was left without the power needed to make drastic turns.
“Fuahahahaha! Dieeeee!”
And more black orbs were coming at Ohime still—twice as many as before. The black hound was trying to use this chance to completely destroy the craft and its pilot. And at the rate they were going, most of the orbs would score direct hits. The black mana had the power to reflect Blue Knight’s beam, so if that many of its orbs assaulted Ohime, it would very likely be annihilated without leaving a trace behind.
“Restarting the spiritual energy generator, ho!”
“Sanae-chan, please, ho!”
“I’ll show yooouuuu!”
Sanae, still sitting on the operator’s seat, raised her spiritual energy levels and poured a vast quantity of her energy into Ohime to wake up the generator. Once it was reactivated, Ohime began accelerating rapidly. And with the help of Sanae’s spiritual energy, it was even faster than before, leaving most of the black orbs in the dust.
“Not good, ho!”
“There’s one orb we just can’t evade, ho!”
But there were just far too many orbs to shake off all at once. One was still charging at Ohime at full speed.
“You have no need to fear.”
However, in the end, the black orb never reached the ship. An ultra high temperature flame had incinerated it before it could hit.
“It’s an ally, ho!”
“It’s dragon uncle, ho!”
The haniwas displayed the source of the flames on the monitor—a crimson dragon flapping its large wings.
“Alunaya-dono!”
“Blue Knight, I shall fight with you.”
Though he was some distance away, Alunaya’s voice came through the crest on Koutarou’s right hand. The Fire Dragon Emperor had come to assist Koutarou and the others, and in their current situation, having someone as powerful as Alunaya on their side was rather reassuring.
“Curse you! You keep getting in the way again and again...”
Tayuma couldn’t have been more irritated to see Alunaya rush to Ohime’s side. He felt certain victory slipping from his grasp, and that enraged him. This wasn’t the first time that had happened today either, which only made it all the more infuriating.
“Now it’s our turn! Open the ports to the spiritual energy cannons!
“Right away, ho! Transmitting power to the cannons! Five seconds until they’re fully charged!”
“Sanae-chan, we’re counting on you again, ho!”
“Need more energy?”
“No, not that, ho! It’s possible to guide the cannons with spiritual energy, ho!”
“I don’t really get it, but I just need to hit him, right?”
“Yes, ho!”
Being a warfare module for the haniwas, Ohime was of course armed. Its main weapons were spiritual energy cannons—two of them, to be precise. They were beam weapons that directly fired massive amounts of spiritual energy from the generator. And since the fired beam was raw spiritual energy, it should be effective against the black hound.
“Alunaya-dono, we’ll attack first! Please back us up!”
“Understood.”
Alunaya could fly quite swiftly for a living creature, but was slower than Ohime. So the highly maneuverable airframe would take the lead and Alunaya would cover for them.
“We’re charging in! Fire the cannon as we pass by!”
Typically speaking, energy attacks experienced a drop-off in power commensurate with how far they had to travel to reach their target. So Kiriha decided to make use of Ohime’s mobility to bombard the black hound at point blank.
“Sanae, please!”
“Roger that! Sparkling Sanae-chan Cannon charged up to 120 percent!”
Kiriha accelerated towards the black hound. In response, the black hound created a new wave of black orbs in an attempt to keep Ohime at bay. Standard weaponry had no effect on the black hound or its orbs, so Kiriha would need to evade all of it with her piloting skills.
No matter how much power you’ve gained, I guess your mind is still human...
After transforming into the black hound, Tayuma had obtained incredible powers and heightened senses. But still, his mind controlling all of it remained human. Kiriha read him like a book and evaded the orbs by moving around bewilderingly. With Alunaya covering her to catch the orbs she couldn’t dodge in time, Ohime closed in on the black hound without so much as getting scratched.
“Now, Sanae!”
“Eeeaaaaat thiiiiisss!”
Fire spewed from the two spiritual energy cannons. The cannons, which were directly connected to Ohime’s generator, were a force to be reckoned with. While they couldn’t be repeatedly fired, their output in terms of power was comparable to Blue Knight’s secondary weaponry.
“As if I’d let you get away with that!”
The black hound created a jet black shield to protect itself like it had from Blue Knight’s bombardment. However, that was where something unexpected happened. The two beams fired from the airframe changed trajectories like they had a will of their own and went around either side of the shield to strike the black hound directly. That was thanks to Sanae guiding them.
“Guaaaaaah!”
Suffering two direct hits from the beams, the black hound let out a loud, pained roar. There were large holes in its sides where the beams had struck, and vast amount of blood came pouring out each one. The beams were even more effective than expected.
“It’s working, ho! But this is bad, ho!”
“A new barrier has come out, ho! It’s black, but it looks like a spiritual energy field, ho!”
A black fog spread out over the black hound’s body. It was a new means of defense it had devised after being unable to stop the last attack with his shield. If the haniwas were correct, it was a kind of spiritual energy barrier, but it was pitch black unlike the yellowish field that the haniwas used. It gave off an eerie feel.
“What?!”
Blood drained from Kiriha’s face. If the black hound could protect itself against both magic and spiritual energy, there was nothing else they could do. When it came to total energy, the black hound overwhelmed them, so if two energies of the same type collided, the black hound would come out on top.
“What do you mean?! He wasn’t just strengthened by Maya’s magic?!”
“Satomi-kun, that Tayuma person has knowledge about spiritual energy devices, so I think he’s recreated them using ma— Kyaaah!”
A heavy impact shook Ohime. Kiriha hadn’t been the only one aiming for her opponent as they crossed each other’s paths. The black hound fired an orb after Ohime as it passed by.
“The spiritual energy field has collapsed! The first and second layer of armor on the starboard rear side have suffered serious damage, but it was just the primary armor, ho!”
“We barely survived, but we’re out if another one hits, ho! Be careful, ho!”
Fortunately, Ohime had survived the blow. They were lucky that Ohime had a barrier of its own and that only a single orb had hit them. But they couldn’t count on that kind of good luck again. If they were struck a second time, they would be shot down for sure.
“Sanae, please!”
“Here we go! Hyaaah!”
Kiriha turned Ohime around and fired the spiritual energy cannons at the black hound again. They were some distance off from the target now, the beams were easily dispersed when they came into contact with the new barrier.
“Karama, Korama, how does it look?!”
“Calculations are complete, ho! We were able to calculate the field’s strength from that attack, ho!”
“We’re in a pinch, ho! Even if we fire from point blank at maximum power, we can’t break through that field, ho!”
The second attack was a test to decide on how they would continue fighting, but the results were bleak. Even if they threw everything they had at the black hound, there seemed to be no hope of victory.
“Kiriha-san, what do we do?!”
“If we fight individually, we have no chance of winning. We’ll need to work together.”
“It’ll be hard...”
“I know. But we can’t let that thing up to the surface.”
Koutarou and Kiriha both understood the situation. In order to defeat the black hound, they would need to walk a very thin line... all while keeping the black hound from making it to the surface. They resolutely nodded at each other, prepared to hedge their bets on the last hand of the night.
The plan Kiriha had concocted was extremely rash. It was a gamble, and a long shot at that. Which was why, when Koutarou explained it to Theia and the others, all he got in response was bewilderment.
“Are you an idiot?”
“Would you rather I act smart and let that thing out on the surface?”
“Well, that’s fair, but...”
“We have to try something. Please help.”
“Okay. But don’t forget.”
“Forget what?”
“That there are many who would grieve your loss if you were to die.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The plan Kiriha had come up with put the four aboard Ohime at the greatest risk. That’s why Theia was worried for their safety.
“The surface team is okay. The rest is up to us.”
After finishing his talk with Theia, Koutarou stood up from his seat. He had an important job to do. As he got up to leave the cockpit, Kiriha called to him from behind him.
“I’m sorry for making you do something like this, Koutarou.”
Kiriha spoke in an apologetic tone. She couldn’t stand the idea that her plan put Koutarou in danger, but she had no choice if she wanted to protect everyone. She hated herself for creating a situation where she had to see Koutarou off.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Koutarou, on the other hand, seemed carefree. A person he treasured said she needed him, so he would do whatever she asked. He would probably make it out alive if he didn’t, but he would regret that for the rest of his life. Perhaps even more so than dying. Knowing that, he had no problems accepting the risks involved.
“Aren’t you scared? If you fail, you’ll—”
“That’s true for anyone when the time comes. But in this kind of situation, it’s bad luck to say anything negative.”
“Koutarou...”
“Besides, I’ve decided to believe...”
As Koutarou opened the hatch to the cockpit, he turned around for a moment and smiled at Kiriha. Seeing his expression, Kiriha could feel just how firm his determination was.
“Our future will be a bright one.”
That was something the girls of room 106 had told Koutarou. Treasuring someone meant believing in a future with them. Just keeping them safe and keeping your promises wasn’t enough. Nothing else mattered as much as hoping for a future together. They’d helped Koutarou see that, and now it was his turn to help Kiriha see it.
“Then I will believe as well. That our future and everyone else’s will be a brilliant one indeed.”
That’s why Kiriha saw Koutarou off with a smile. There was no way things would end here. Kiriha’s and everyone else’s happy days were only just beginning. That was what Kiriha now firmly believed.
After exiting the cockpit, Koutarou got outside onto Ohime. Using his armor’s gravity control, he walked along the outer shell of the airframe itself. His goal was Ohime’s nose. Since the craft was only twenty meters long, it didn’t take him long to reach it.
“That said, this still is reckless...”
With Koutarou walking atop of the airframe, Kiriha slowed Ohime down considerably, but it was still moving at several hundred kilometers per hour. While Koutarou wasn’t blown away thanks to his gravity controls and barrier, the nose of a jet was clearly a place no human was ever intended to be. The violent sound of wind whipping past the barrier was thunderously loud.
“It’s not like this is the first time, though.”
“That’s true.”
Koutarou was getting into position with Sanae-chan clinging to his back—they’d left Sanae-san in the cockpit. As she held on to Koutarou, Ohime made a sharp turn and the black hound came into sight. That black hound, Tayuma, currently had two barriers around it in addition to a wreath of black orbs waiting to fire at Ohime and Alunaya. Seeing his target, Koutarou extended both hands towards the black hound.
“Blue Knight, give me my swords.”
“As you wish, my lord.”
“Come, Signaltin! Saguratin!”
“Call sign confirmed. Coordinate axis fixed. Commencing transfer of Signaltin and Saguratin.”
A black hole appeared in front of Koutarou’s hands, one sword for each. From the right hole came the silvery Signaltin, and from the left the golden Saguratin.
“It is also possible to equip the Garb of the Lord.”
“Then give me that too.”
“As you wish, my lord.”
After taking a sword in each hand, another six holes appeared around Koutarou. They were transferring GoL in six parts, which flew out and automatically assembled with Koutarou’s armor.
“Master, this ship, Blue Knight, will pray for your fortune and glory in place of the nation of Forthorthe. Additionally, Princess Theiamillis and Guardian Knight Ruthkania both await your safe return from the bottom of their hearts.”
Blue Knight delivered that last message from Ruth before the communications ended.
“Thank you...”
Koutarou quietly uttered his thanks and readied his swords. He held Signaltin—in his right hand—forward, and Saguratin—in his left hand—slightly behind it. The tips of both blades were pointed towards the black hound.
“Theia, how are things looking on your end?”
With his preparations complete, Koutarou checked in with his friends.
“No problems here. We struggled with getting the timing right, but it looks like things will work out.”
“How about you, Alunaya-dono?”
“I only have to rampage, so my job is easy. Though Shizuka is crying about how much her weight will increase after this.”
“I’ll comfort her later.”
“Please do.”
With his allies ready as well, Koutarou finished up by calling Kiriha.
“Kiriha-san, the preparations are all in place.”
“I understand. We’ll be ready in just a moment too.”
Kiriha’s voice was firm. As expected, since this would determine the fate of the People of the Earth, she couldn’t hide the tension she was feeling.
“Don’t get too overeager, Kiriha-san. You’re not just too kind, but you’re also too serious.”
“You’re the only one who’d say that.”
“You can rely on others every once in a while too, you know.”
“I’ll do just that.”
Some of the tension left Kiriha’s voice. Satisfied with that, Koutarou turned his attention in the form of a glare on the massive black hound in front of him. The monster was over fifty meters tall, and nearly a hundred long. It was about five times bigger than Ohime. It was the difference in size between a parent and child. Ohime would never win in a clash of raw power, which was why Koutarou and the others had to pool their strength to stand a chance.
“Koutarou, my preparations are done now as well.”
“Then let’s get started.”
“Everyone, here we go! This will put an end to all of it!”
With her powerful declaration, Kiriha began accelerating Ohime. Her target was none other than the black hound, and she charged at it at full speed.
“So you’re coming, daughter of Kurano! I don’t know what you’re planning, but it’s all useless! I am stronger than anyone and everything! Not even the Goddess of Creation could stand against me!”
The black hound stamped one of its large feet as if to threaten Kiriha. There was still some hundred odd meters between the black hound and Ohime, but at Ohime’s current speed, it wouldn’t take long to close that distance.
“Maki-chan!”
“Yes!”
“Magic Shield! Modifier: Effective Time, Twice!”
“Greater Lightning Reflexes!”
As Kiriha charged in, two spells were cast on Koutarou—one from Yurika and one from Maki. The former increased his armor’s defenses and the latter his reflexes. Both were needed to protect him.
Mere moments later, Ohime reached the speed of sound and broke through the sound barrier. The roaring it created shook the entire cave, making the holes in the ceiling one size category larger.
“Then I shall go too.”
Taking that as his signal, Alunaya sprung into action as well. A blue light suddenly enveloped his crimson body. It was a spell he’d activated. The light grew stronger and stronger until it eventually swallowed him.
“Here I come!”
All of a sudden, the blue light vanished along with Alunaya.
“Wh-What?! Why is he here?!”
“Isn’t that obvious?! To defeat you!”
Alunaya had used a teleportation spell to magically slip inside the black hound’s barrier and force it into close-range combat.
“Your sudden appearance caught me by surprise, but that’s all there is to your power, isn’t it?!”
“Nnngh!”
However, even the powerful Alunaya was at a disadvantage. At only around half the hound’s size, it clearly had the upper hand in a fight. Alunaya would have to make up for the difference with magic, but it wouldn’t be easy.
“How foolish to think you could challenge me with such meager strength!”
With an overwhelming advantage in size and weight, the black hound had no problem knocking Alunaya back. It then distanced itself from the dragon to finish him off at range with its black orbs.
“You are the foolish one... No, that girl might just be too clever.”
“What?!”
“Tayumaaaa!”
It was there that Ohime flew past Alunaya and charged the black hound.
“It’s no use! Your attacks have no effect on me!”
The black hound sneered at Ohime’s pilot—Kiriha. His magical and spiritual energy barriers were sturdy enough to block any of the attacks she could use. He had nothing to fear even if she came right for him.
“I wouldn’t be so sure! That may have been true a few seconds ago, but not now!"
“What are you saying— What?! How?!”
The impossible was happening right in front of the black hound. The barrier should have stopped Ohime in its tracks, but the airframe was pushing right through.
“What did you do?!”
“I haven’t done anything. This is your doing, Tayuma.”
“Mine?!”
“That’s right. It’s nothing special. You lowered your own barrier to push Alunaya away.”
That was the real reason as to why Alunaya had challenged Tayuma at such close range. If Alunaya made it inside the black hound’s barrier, its first move would undoubtedly be to throw him outside of it. Even the black hound would take serious damage from a dragon’s plasma breath at point-blank range. And in order to throw Alunaya out, part of the barrier needed to be lowered for a moment. This was all part of Kiriha’s plan.
And before the barrier could completely recover, Ohime would charge in through the gap. Koutarou was standing on the nose of Ohime, wielding his two swords to help chip away at the barrier and keep it open. If the barrier had been whole and at full power, the swords wouldn’t have done much of anything. But thanks to Alunaya, the barriers had an opening—a weakness. In other words, this was a strategic victory for Kiriha.
“So that’s what you did! But don’t get cocky! I haven’t lost yet!”
The black hound ordered the black orbs floating around him to attack. Ohime had slowed down as it pushed through the barrier. Hitting it now should be easy, and one good hit alone could destroy it.
“The truest victory is not allowing your opponent to realize that they’ve lost until the bitter end.”
Little did Tayuma know he’d already fallen for Kiriha’s trap. When the black orbs were sent towards Ohime, there was a dazzling flash that blinded the black hound. It was a flash that Harumi, still aboard Ohime, had created with magic.
“Guaaah!”
Since the black hound was guiding the black orbs himself, suddenly losing its sight was a serious challenge to hitting its target. The majority of orbs flew off in random directions, with only a few remaining on a collision course with Ohime. But those, Alunaya kindly cleaned up with his flames.
“Theiamillis-san, the space distortion rate has dropped. Attacks should be able to hit now.”
“So it’s finally time for the star’s appearance.”
Theia had been waiting for this moment from the very start. While she had superior firepower, none of her attacks would work until the monster’s jet black shield was broken. And right now, the black hound’s impregnable defenses were on the verge of collapse. With a fearless smile, Theia gave an order to Ruth.
“Ruth, we’re using Blue Knight’s anti-surface missiles.”
“What about the settings, Your Highness?”
“Leave guidance to optics and gravity. The AI will be in charge of the detonation timing, and I’ll leave the other parameters to you.”
“As you wish, my princess.”
Eight space-time holes appeared around Theia, and a missile swiftly flew out of each one. The missiles themselves were bigger than Theia. They were the kind ordinarily reserved for use against bases and large weapons.
“Greater Enhance Weapon. Modifier: Multiple Targets.”
“Anti-Magic Shield! Modifier: Effective Area, Large!”
Maki and Yurika cast spells on Theia’s missiles. Maki used a spell to increase their attack power, and Yurika used one to protect them. With their magical boons, the already powerful missiles grew even stronger as they sailed right towards the black hound.
“You might think...” Seeing the missiles off as their rockets ignited, Theia folded her arms. “...that we look dangerous, having powerful weapons or the ability to use magic.”
The orbs rushed towards the missiles to shoot them down, but they were relatively small targets compared to the orbs and were shielded by the power of Yurika’s protective spell. As a result, only two of them were destroyed in the volley. The remaining six soared through the air and struck the black hound directly in the blink of an eye.
“But in reality, the most dangerous one here is Kiriha. While she has almost no power of her own, she comes up with these extraordinary ideas, one after another.”
The black hound’s barrier was weakened, but was still functioning to a degree. It successfully deflected two of the six missiles and sent them flying back at Theia and the others.
“In fact, Kiriha might be able to beat all of us with just an army of a hundred men armed with sticks.”
However, the deflected missiles changed course once more on their own. Being guided weaponry, all they had to do was rely on their systems. The monster’s jet black shield was close to invincible against beams, laser, and bullets, but missiles were a bit trickier.
“I’m glad Kiriha-sama is on our side. I’m sure it would be a nightmare to go up against her...”
After worming their way around the black shield, the missiles approached the black hound’s second layer of defenses—the spiritual energy barrier made from black fog. Fortunately, however, spiritual energy barriers tended to be quite weak against physical attacks. Getting near it, the AI ordered the missiles to detonate before actually coming into contact with the barrier.
“You could say that again. I’m sure he feels the same way right about now.”
Of the two redirected missiles, only one managed to make it back to its target successfully. As a result, five missiles exploded near the black hound. These missiles had been designed to direct all of their explosive force forward. And while they were powerful to begin with, they were even more so under the influence of magic. The explosions assaulted the black hound, each missile like a flaming javelin that pierced through the black mist and the black hound itself.
The black hound, Tayuma, couldn’t believe what had happened to him. He was supposed to have obtained power enough to give him dominion over all mankind. And indeed, he was overwhelming all of his enemies. They would be easy to destroy were he to fight them one by one. Yet Tayuma had been struck with such a devastating blow that he’d fallen to the ground. The damage was severe enough he couldn’t even create a barrier to protect himself anymore.
“It can’t be... This can’t be reality! My power is too great! I was chosen by god to be a ruler!”
Tayuma screamed out, not because of his injured body but because of his injured pride. He would rather die than not have his way now. That was why he’d sacrificed himself for power—power to fulfill his selfish desires. But now that he’d been felled, his pride was so badly damaged that he couldn’t stand it.
“This must be some kind of mistake! This can’t be happening! It’s all a mistake!”
In order to salvage his pride, Tayuma tried his best to stand. The physical pain he felt was nothing compared to the humiliation. And he’d have to beat down every last one of his enemies to redeem that. Obeying his will, the black hound staggered to its feet.
“Tayuma, you still plan on fighting?”
Kiriha, who was looking at him from her cockpit inside Ohime, knew that he was no longer in any condition to do so. Forcing himself to get up again wouldn’t change the outcome. And as a pacifist, Kiriha didn’t want to fight anymore.
“Of course I do! I’m the ruler! I will never back down! I won’t bow down to anyone! I’m a hero of the People of the Earth!”
But rationality be damned, Tayuma was hell-bent on defending his pride. Not his pride as a member of the People of the Earth, but as Shijima Tayuma.
Before, Kiriha and Daiha had refused to surrender because it might affect the outcome of the battle. They were trying to protect their people, and by not betraying their beliefs or their friends, they upheld their pride and honor as People of the Earth. But if the circumstances had been different, if there hadn’t been so much on the line, Kiriha and Daiha would have surrendered if it was the right thing to do.
But that wasn’t the case for Tayuma. He would simply rather die than accept defeat. He was like a child that would flip over a game board because he hated losing. No matter the circumstances, he would never surrender.
Indeed, in the end, Tayuma was nothing more than a petulant child. That’s why he was desperate for a way to avoid losing even now. The black hound’s eyes darted around in search of anything that might turn the tables.
“Th-That’s right! You’re here!”
What he spotted were the radical faction soldiers that had been guarding the building. Rather than joining the battle, they were watching it from a distance.
“What are you doing?! Hurry up and fight! Protect me! Kill them!”
There were still plenty of soldiers left. If they all moved on Theia and the others, the radical faction could still win.
“Aaahh, the monster turned this way!”
“He’s growling! Is he after us?!”
“We’ll be killed! Just like the second platoon!”
However, the soldiers had no intention of fighting. Quit the opposite. They fled in all directions, afraid for their lives. Not a single one remained to fight for Tayuma.
“Where are you going?! Stand and fight! Did you get scared of the enemy?!”
Tayuma didn’t understand what was going on. Just a while ago, the soldiers had moved like an extension of his own body whenever he gave them orders. The respect, loyalty, and tinge of fear they showed around him made him proud. But there was none of that now. Instead, his men were scrambling to get away from him. All Tayuma could imagine was that they couldn’t hear his voice, or that they had gotten scared of the conservative faction.
“You don’t understand, Tayuma?”
Kiriha knew just what the soldiers were so scared of. And she found it pitiful that Tayuma didn’t.
“Your soldiers... are afraid of you.”
Tayuma’s voice had indeed reached the soldiers. He had enough mana for that, certainly. But the soldiers had no idea that the disembodied voice they were hearing belonged to the monster in front of them. Since they didn’t know it was really Tayuma transformed, they ran from the giant, roaring hound. After all, it had ruthlessly trampled their allies when it broke out from the building. The idea that it was on their side never even occurred to them. They had only been observing the battle in hopes that the black hound that had killed their allies would be defeated.
“You’re lying! I am a ruler! A hero of the People of the Earth that will lead mankind together with Maguz-sama! And they fear me?!”
“If you cared even the slightest for your allies, this wouldn’t have happened. Yet you cast everything and everyone aside in pursuit of the delusion you call justice. That’s why no one will obey you.”
When Maya had given Tayuma power, he had only thought about himself. That’s why he’d gained a massive form with a frightening appearance. It was the embodiment of Tayuma’s idea of rulership—violence and fear. Of course the soldiers were terrified of it.
That’s why Kiriha believed that if Tayuma had held back a little and had shown some consideration to his allies, he might have truly become a leader for his men.
“Lies! All lies! Soldiers, stop running! Come back and fight!”
Tayuma repeatedly called for the soldiers, but his shouts turned into roars in the hound’s throat. To the people below, it sounded like a hellhound was after them. It was all they heard, and Tayuma’s real voice never reached them.
“All those who do not obey the ruler of absolute justice will be executed! You may yet be forgiven, so come back and fight!”
With the power of the black mana, Tayuma thought he’d had everything he wanted. But now, in the blink of an eye, his people were abandoning him and everything was collapsing. Tayuma had only been his ideal vision of a ruler for a few minutes. It was all too transient.
“You don’t understand even after I say this much?! Then die! All of you, die!”
Tayuma spat black flames from his mouth and attacked the fleeing radical faction soldiers. Defeat had driven him mad. Despite having the power of an ideal ruler, he couldn’t win against Kiriha. Moreover, his own men were betraying him now. He didn’t like any of it, and so blindly attacked in his proud rage.
“Kiriha-san!”
“I know!”
Koutarou’s voice came from the comms at almost the exact same time Kiriha took a sharp turn with Ohime. She was going to protect the radical faction soldiers. Though they had been her enemies just a moment ago, they were still People of the Earth.
“Karama, Korama! Remove the limiter from the spiritual energy cannons!”
“Roger, ho!”
“But they’ll break right away, ho!”
“That’s fine! I’m not alone!”
And that was the defining difference between Kiriha and Tayuma. Kiriha loved people. She knew the meaning of loving and being loved. That’s why people followed her. Theia and the others included, as well as the Sun Rangers and of course the conservative faction. They were all moving to protect the radical faction soldiers before Kiriha had even said anything. Even the radical faction soldiers who were unharmed made a mad dash to help. They also wanted to save their allies.
“Why?! Why don’t you obey me?! Why obey that girl?! Don’t be fooled! I’m the stronger one! I’m the true ruler! Swear loyalty to me!”
And it all rubbed Tayuma the wrong way. Everyone had forsaken him. Worse, they’d rejected him for someone else. But he couldn’t see that it was his actions even now that drove them away.
Surprisingly enough, spearheading things on the ground were the Sun Rangers. Being an official anti-invader squad, they had received official training, including training in rescue and first aid. Out of everyone present, they were the most skilled in that regard and took the lead in treating the injured.
“Daisaku, can you help me move this rubble? There are people under it.”
“Sure. Kotaro-kun, can you help Megu-chan in my place?”
“Hayato-niichan, can you carry this person on your own?”
“Leave it to me. I’m stronger than I look. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, I’m coming, Megumi-neechan!”
“Thanks, Kotaro-kun. Can you clean that person’s wounds?”
“Kenichi-kun, let’s go.”
“Yeah, let’s!”
Theia was in charge of corralling those who weren’t injured and protecting the Sun Rangers while they worked. Everyone who could took up arms and fired at the approaching black hound.
“Say, Theia-chan, will guns even work against someone that big?” asked Yurika.
“Save the details for later. Or would you rather we run away without doing anything and let them die?”
“I... I understand. I’ll do my best too.”
“Vice captain, are you sure we should have armed the radical soldiers too?”
“We can ponder their motives once we get through this.”
“You’re right. I’ll trust them until then too.”
Their standpoints varied. There were those who were protecting and those who were being protected. They were conservative soldiers, radical soldiers, surface dwellers, magicians, and aliens. But they all stood together. Who they were and where they’d come from didn’t matter as much as where they were right now and what they all strived to accomplish. They were working together to save as many lives as possible.
“Why does no one listen to what I say?! Don’t you understand that I, an absolute existence, stand right before you?!”
Tayuma gritted his teeth as he looked at the fleeing people. Unable to accept their betrayal, he spat black flames towards them.
“You don’t get it at all, Tayuma. You’re a good-for-nothing whining about nothing going your way.”
Ohime swooped in the way of the flames. Koutarou, who was standing on its nose, swung Signaltin and erased the black fire. Signaltin had broken down the mana making up the flames.
“Brat, this is all your doing! Everything started going wrong when you showed up! It’s all your fault! If only you weren’t here!”
“Now it’s my fault? You’re not even going to consider reflecting on your own actions?”
“I am justice! Absolute justice! I am always right!”
“There really is no saving you...”
Koutarou sharply glared at Tayuma as he readied his two swords. He wouldn’t allow Tayuma to do any more harm. He wouldn’t let him so much as lay a finger on Kiriha, or anyone else. A fierce anger surfaced inside of him as he faced Tayuma.
“You’re the one who can’t be saved! Dieee!”
Tayuma felt the same way about Koutarou, and the selfish anger inside of him turned into more black fire that he spewed from his mouth.
“Kiriha-san!”
“Here we go, Koutarou!”
The next moment, Ohime charged at Tayuma. Ohime flew at full speed as it bombarded the hound with its spiritual energy cannons. It was a continuous bombardment far faster than before thanks to the cannons’ limiters being removed. But that meant it was only a matter of time before they short-circuited. However, Koutarou made his next move before that could happen.
“Satomi-kun, attack whenever you like! I’ll match your timing!”
“Koutarou, the Love Love Sanae-chan Sword is charged to 500 percent with maximum love!”
“Blue Knight, allow me to lend you my remaining mana. I’ll send it through the crest.”
“Karama, Korama, reverse the spiritual energy generator circuit! Supply Koutarou with energy through Sanae.”
“Got it!”
“Leave it to us, ho!”
The two swords in Koutarou’s hands began glowing. One was a brilliant silver and the other a dazzling gold, but there was an unmistakable warmth to both lights. They were the complete inverse of the hound’s black flames.
“Die, die, dieee! Fall before your great ruler!”
Jealousy, hate, greed, insanity, and many more dark feelings burned in Tayuma’s eyes. The black flames that he spewed were like an outward projection of his tainted soul.
“You’re alone, no matter how great a power you’ve obtained and no matter what you think you can do with it!”
Koutarou raised both swords above his head at the same time. The silver and golden lights stretched forward and extended upwards towards the surface of the earth. After ascending for several hundred meters, they spiraled together and formed a single pillar of light. The gold and silver mixed together to shine as brightly as the sun.
“There’s no way you’d ever be a match against the hundreds of us!”
Koutarou then swung the swords down. The raised pillar of light followed the swords and fell on Tayuma. It was a true blade of light formed from the power of many. The light of dawn that would tear up the darkness.
“Lies!”
Tayuma screamed. The flames he spat out were all erased in the blink of an eye. He tried creating another barrier, but the mana he gathered for it was dispelled by the glowing light.
The power of the sword of light exceeded Koutarou and the others’ individual powers. The total energy in it far exceeded anything they had gathered. It was a power that only responded to the call of their unified, collective will. Or, as Koutarou would say, it was the light of hope born from everyone’s desperate wish to survive.
“I stand at the top of all things! I will become the supreme ruler! The name Shijima Tayuma will be carved into the annals of history!”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get your wish in that regard. History will remember you... as a bad example.”
“Uaaaaaaaah!”
The sword of light fell on Tayuma. The light itself had no attack power whatsoever, but it was ultimately effective against the black mana Tayuma was using—the very mana that had generated Tayuma’s monstrous hound form. And when the light came into contact with it, it was annihilated.
Since Tayuma’s body had been completely taken over by the black mana, when the light dispelled it, he was completely dissolved and lost his physical form altogether. However, his obsession with life and his desire for power just barely managed to keep him clinging to the world of the living.
“Hahh... Hahh... Hahh... I refuse... to die... Hahh... Hahh...”
Having lost his body and existing now only as a soul—as a ghost—Tayuma didn’t need to breathe. But his obsession with living still made him mimic the act. As such, he was breathing raggedly like he’d just managed to escape with his life.
“I won’t die... Hahh, hahh... I’ll survive a-and stage my comeback... I’ll eventually kill... Kurano’s daughter and that brat with my own hands... Hahh, hahh...”
His strong grudge, his desire to live, and his obsession with power all sustained him as a ghost. At this rate, it seemed like he would become an evil spirit and realize his desires in the afterlife.
“...”
“Hmm? Who is that... calling for me...?”
Thinking he’d heard someone talking to him, Tayuma turned around.
“There’s no one here... Oh, what’s this?”
There was no one behind him, but there was something strange. It was a small, black whirlpool floating in the air. It was only a few centimeters big at first, but it gradually grew bigger. As Tayuma confusedly peered into it, it had already grown close to a meter in size.
“What is this? I can tell it’s a whirlpool, but...”
Standing there perplexed, Tayuma thought he heard a voice again.
“...”
“What? Is this whirlpool talking? Or is someone inside it?”
“...”
“Collecting? What are you talking about?”
“...”
“A reaction to the alteration of the principle of causality? Replenishing expended energy? Don’t tell me that. That has nothing to do with me.”
“...”
“Quit messing around! I have things I have to do! I’ll kill them and— Uwaaaaah, stop! Stop it!”
The black whirlpool began spinning faster and dragged Tayuma’s spirit into it. At first he resisted, but as the whirlpool increased its speed, the strength of the force increased proportionately.
“I-I still have things to do! I’ll have to kill them and rule the underground and surface! Stop it! Uwaaah! Someone save meee!”
At last, Tayuma was dragged screaming into the whirlpool. The ever-growing whirlpool was now over ten meters across and Tayuma spun around in its vortex as he was slowly dragged towards the center.
“Nooooo, Maguz-samaaa! Daughter of Kurano! I don’t care who, someone save me! No! I still want to live!”
Tayuma desperately struggled to break free from the whirlpool, but its force was overwhelming and his efforts were in vain. He repeatedly screamed for help, but no one came to his aid. And so Tayuma slowly spiraled towards the center of the whirlpool.
“I... I don’t... want to—”
Upon reaching the center, Tayuma suddenly disappeared. He was dragged completely under—somewhere not of this world.
“...”
Once it took Tayuma, the whirlpool began shrinking. From ten meters to five, and eventually reaching only a few centimeters. And like that, the whirlpool vanished just as it had appeared. Either it shrunk to the point where it could no longer be seen, or it simply disappeared. All that was clear was that the black whirlpool had taken Tayuma.
Tayuma probably didn’t even have the time to realize what had happened to him. But that might have been for the better. Considering his strong obsession with this world, he was probably happier not knowing that he had died.
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