Chapter IX: Inglis, Age 15—Orders to Defend the Hieral Menace (9)
“I-Inglis?!” Ripple said, surprised.
“Looks like I made it in time,” Inglis said with a grin.
Rafinha, who’d stayed in the Flygear hovering above, gaped at the sight. “Wait, how...?! What?! It looks more like you just attacked someone on your own side so you could steal their turn!” Even she hadn’t expected Inglis to knock Silva unconscious.
“Aha ha ha. Poor Silva,” Leone said with a quiet but startled chuckle.
“Indeed,” Liselotte agreed.
“Don’t worry about it! Well done!” Ripple exclaimed.
Their principal wasn’t so pleased. “Well done?! Pleaaase don’t break my waaards!”
“Dammit, the shots will get through!” Leon barked. “Miriela, cast another ward!”
“I can’t! I need more time!”
The Prismer would wreak havoc on the city if its rays scattered—and it was just about to fire.
“Then I’ll take responsibility!” Inglis said. In no time at all, she was cloaked in the pale blue glow of Aether Shell, already close to the Prismer. “Haaaah!”
Thuddd!
Her kick, containing all her might behind it, sent out an unusually loud echo. The mountain-like body of the Prismer flew up and over the altitude of Rafinha’s Flygear. But unlike Ivel, whom she had blasted out of sight during their skirmish, the Prismer didn’t travel any great distance. In fact, even while soaring through the air, it kept its stance, staring down at Inglis. Clearly, it hadn’t suffered any serious damage. Incomplete or no, this was a Prismer, the strongest kind of magicite beast. It lived up to Inglis’s expectations.
“Whoa! She sent the Prismer flying with a kick?!” Leon remarked in surprise.
“I-I can’t believe it! Her strength is immense!” Miriela gasped.
“But it’s not over! He’s gonna shoot!” Ripple cried.
The lights flitting over the body of the Prismer hadn’t dissipated; its attack was still oncoming.
“Interesting! All right, show me what you’ve got!” Inglis beckoned to the Prismer. She couldn’t tell if it understood, but nonetheless it let loose rainbow-colored lights from all over its body.
“I-It fired!”
“Th-The city!”
“Th-This is bad!”
As her comrades raised their voices in panic, they stared at the Prismer in the sky. They had failed to notice that Inglis was gone. They only noticed something was different when a beam fired by the Prismer suddenly changed its trajectory. It should have struck the ground and torn the streets apart, but it had shot straight upward.
“Oh! The light changed directions!” Leon said.
It wasn’t just one beam, but two, then three, then more and more.
“S-Something’s moving them!” Principal Miriela exclaimed.
“It’s Inglis! Inglis is punching away its light beams!” Ripple announced.
Precisely—Inglis was moving at full speed and getting ahead of each beam, using her fists to bash away the Prismer’s attacks, deflecting them into the sky.
That was why she’d kicked the Prismer into the air. If it was above the city and shot off an attack that fired in all directions, half of those shots would fly off into the sky and be wasted. If she focused only on the remaining half, it would be possible to deal with all of them. That was Inglis’s intuition, at least.
“Disappear into the sky!” she yelled.
Rrrumble! Rrrrrrumble!
The Prismer’s beams became a rainbow fireworks display above the city before ultimately disappearing into the sky.
“Good job, Chris! That’s the stuff!” Rafinha cheered.
“She’s so fast... I didn’t even see her move!” Leone remarked.
Liselotte chuckled in amazement. “Aha ha ha... It’s so amazing. I can’t hold my laughter back... Ahh, the sky’s so beautiful.”
But Inglis’s actions weren’t as easy as they looked. Each and every one of the beams of light was heavy in a way that even Inglis could feel. She had needed to put her all into repelling them, and it was hard for her to change their course. After repelling a number of them, her hands and feet were numb.
But that numbness, that resistance... It felt good. It was proof of her foe’s strength. That meant there was value in this fight.
She breathed in calmly. “Wonderful! This means...”
I’ve found a fitting foe to try my new technique on!
Now that the Prismer had finished its attack, it continued falling downward on an easy-to-predict path. Even a Prismer couldn’t avoid gravity.
And it probably can’t avoid an attack aimed at it in the air either. This is my chance! Inglis thought.
She released Aether Shell, focusing the aether swirling around her into a single point. She was preparing an Aether Strike. The mass of pale blue aether began to swell into a gigantic bullet.
Principal Miriela called out to her at that moment. “Inglis! Do you see the green light in its abdomen? Yua’s trapped in there! Please, get her out somehow!”
“That’s Yua? Understood!” I can’t lose a valuable sparring opponent here! “Go!”
Blammmmmm!
A blast of aether raced through the sky and caught the Prismer. It crossed its arms in a defensive posture, trying to withstand the Aether Strike. It was neither vaporized in an instant like a lesser magicite beast nor deflecting her attack with an unheard-of technique like the black-masked man had done. It was taking Inglis’s power head-on—which was exactly what she had been waiting for!
“Heh heh heh heh!” Inglis’s eyes gleamed brightly. She was already crouching, preparing to strike again, but she still needed to gather aether. While she didn’t need to do this for small attacks like Aether Pierce, it was hard to fire off major attacks like Aether Strike repeatedly. A short pause was needed before the next aether technique could be used. Inglis focused as hard as she could to hasten the process.
Supportive voices rose up around her.
“W-Wow... It’s working!” Leon gasped.
“Y-Yes! Inglis hurt even the iridescent parts of its skin!” Principal Miriela said.
“This is so weird! It’s amazing, but I don’t really understand where Inglis gets her strength!” Ripple said.
“Gooooooo! Blow that thing away!” Rafinha cheered.
“You can do it! You can take that thing!” Leone called out.
“Indeed, you can triumph, Inglis!” Liselotte shouted.
But Inglis responded to their encouragement differently. “No! C’mon, Prismer! Hang in there! Endure it!”
“Whaaa?!” the others yelled in unison. They all gawked at Inglis in confusion.
As Aether Shell wrapped her body in pale blue, she became able to use her next aether technique. “All right! With this...”
She quickly leaped into the air toward the Prismer and traced the same path that her Aether Strike had taken, following behind it with immense speed. She put her all into a full-force punch, hitting her opponent as it was still blocking the Aether Strike. So much had happened in such a short span of time.
“Take thiiis!” she yelled. Her fist smashed through the Prismer’s arms and pierced its body, leaving a gaping hole.
Booooooooom!
A gigantic explosion of aether lit up the city like a supernova.
This was the new technique she’d been researching; she considered naming it Aether Breaker, perhaps. The technique required her to activate Aether Shell and deliver a blow just as an Aether Strike hit, causing a synergistic effect that raised the destructive power to an explosive level. It must have been several times more powerful than a normal Aether Strike. It was the most powerful technique she’d ever used, even including her experiences in her past life as Hero-King Inglis.
However, there was a drawback: the target had to survive long enough for her to fire an Aether Strike, and then she had to accurately time her Aether Shell-powered punch. She needed to wait a short time after firing Aether Strike in order to activate Aether Shell. However, as she became more practiced with the use of aether, her timing would become more precise.
Regardless, with this technique, Inglis Eucus’s power now surpassed that of the old Hero-King Inglis.
Her attack’s explosion had created an intense light that blinded the others. When the light faded, everyone was stunned, staring up at the empty sky.
Miriela was the first to speak. “Umm... There’s nothing there...”
“Y-Yeah... There isn’t even a trace of the Prismer. I know it wasn’t fully transformed yet, but still... Wow...” Ripple trailed off.
Rafinha cheered, “Whoa, amazing, Chris! So that’s the new technique you were talking about. It really is the most powerful ever!”
“B-But what about Yua?!” Leone asked, worried.
“She’s fine, Leone,” Principal Miriela reassured her. “The barrier covering her is still intact.”
“Really?! Then—”
“Yua’s okay?!” Rafinha interjected.
“Yes, I’m sure she is,” Principal Miriela said, relieved.
At that moment, Inglis returned, a pleasant smile on her face and an unconscious Yua in her arms. “Phew... I sure worked up a good sweat today.”
“Inglis!” Principal Miriela cheered. “Ah, thank goodness... Well done!”
“Nice, Inglis! You’re the best!” Ripple added.
“What a relief!” Leone said. “For a moment I thought she might have been caught up in Inglis’s attacks...”
“But you saved her!” Liselotte finished.
“Yeah. I pulled her out of the Prismer while piercing through it,” Inglis replied.
“Good job, Chris! This means we get to keep having our meals covered at the cafeteria!” Rafinha said, delighted.
“Is that correct, Principal Miriela?” Inglis asked.
“Yes, yes, of course!” Principal Miriela nodded.
“All right! Mission accomplished, Chris!” Inglis and Rafinha high-fived.
“My stomach’s empty after all those battles. Let’s hurry and get something to eat.”
“Yeah! Let’s!”
It was then that Inglis and Rafinha noticed one crucial detail missing. “Huh...? Where’s the cafeteria?” they asked together.
“It was blown away. Once it’s rebuilt, you’re welcome to eat your fill!” Principal Miriela answered.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!” They were screams of terror and despair deeper than that which would come from facing any foe, no matter how powerful. And by the time Inglis and Rafinha had calmed down, Leon had already disappeared.
◆◇◆
Several days later, the repairs to the knights’ academy were proceeding at a breakneck pace. Inglis and her classmates took off during a break to give their farewells at the gates. They were seeing off Ripple and Ambassador Theodore, who were returning to the battle against Venefic.
Ambassador Theodore had rushed back to the capital after Principal Miriela’s messengers, Lahti and Pullum, informed him of the situation, only for the ambassador to arrive late in the night after the battle had ended. However, his trip had not been a waste, as he had been able to pronounce with clear authority that Ripple would show no more abnormalities.
He had also negotiated with King Carlias to accept Ripple remaining as one of the kingdom’s hieral menaces. King Carlias never really had a choice, as Highland’s Papal League had refused his offerings and decided against improving their working relationship. The actions of the knights’ academy had also gone unquestioned thanks to Ambassador Theodore. He’d smoothed over everything in the aftermath of the events there.
As a result, Inglis and the others were able to focus on rebuilding the academy as they continued to train. The dorms, untouched, afforded them a place to sleep, but the destruction of the cafeteria was an extreme emergency. If it wasn’t quickly rebuilt, they wouldn’t be able to fill their stomachs. Therefore, Inglis and Rafinha made a proactive effort to help in the rebuilding.
“Thanks, everyone. Thanks to your help, I can go back to the Paladins. Thank you so much.” Ripple bowed deeply to those who had come to see her off.
“But isn’t it a bit soon for you to return to active duty? Maybe you should recover for a little while first,” Silva said with a conflicted expression.
As a hieral menace, Ripple’s body was different from a human’s, which meant Rafinha’s healing Gift wouldn’t work on her. Ripple’s wounds had to heal naturally. It was true that she had superhuman recovery, but...
“It’s fine, it’s fine! See?” Ripple thumped herself on the chest. “Ugh! Owww... That did still hurt a bit.”
Silva continued insisting, “Please don’t push yourself too hard! You should stay here a little bit longer and recuperate—”
“Nah,” Ripple interrupted. “It’s gonna take a few days to get to the border, and I’ll be all healed up by then. Plus, Lord Theodore needs an escort back to the front, right?”
“I’m terribly sorry that I couldn’t aid you. My inexperience pains me.”
As Silva stared at the ground, Rafinha comforted him. “No, that was just Chris hitting you out of nowhere to steal the show. It wasn’t your fault.”
“No, no. A holy knight wielding a transformed hieral menace should be invincible... Getting knocked out can’t be anything but the result of my own inexperience. I must assert that the fault is mine; I cannot let it reflect poorly on Ripple.”
“Nooo, it’s Chris’s fault for giving someone on her own side an elbow strike! I’m really sorry, and I apologize on her behalf. She just can’t stop herself when she sees a powerful foe.”
“No, no, no, I must take the blame.”
As Inglis watched the rather unproductive exchange, Ripple unobtrusively tugged at her sleeves.
“Inglis, Inglis...”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Did you notice? When I transformed into a weapon...” Ripple whispered, not wanting anyone else to overhear.
“Yes. That was alarming. But I understand—when thinking about why something so powerful would be granted to the surface...”
“Yeah. Agreed. Thanks for stopping it.”
“No, don’t thank me. I already had reasons to step in.” Meaning, she’d wanted to steal the Prismer from Silva so she could fight it herself.
“Ha ha ha... That’s just like you, Inglis.”
“But there’s one thing I don’t understand. When I saw the Steelblood Front’s hieral menace transform, I didn’t sense anything from Sistia like I did from you. It seemed to have no side effects at all...”
“Huhhhh?!” Ripple was so startled that she forgot she was trying to be quiet.
“What’s wrong, Chris?” Rafinha asked, turning to them.
Silva did the same. “Is anything the matter, Lady Ripple?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing, nothing at all...” Ripple said, brushing his concerns aside. “By the way, Silva, how are you doing?”
“Fine. No major problems to report.”
“I see. That’s nice. Your health always comes first! If you’re healthy, you can get stronger, and become the image of yourself that you want to be.”
“Yes! I’ll continue training, and I will become a full-fledged holy knight!”
“I bet. But don’t push yourself too hard, okay?” As she clapped a hand on Silva’s shoulder, Ripple again whispered to Inglis, “What we talked about... Don’t tell them, okay? When he really becomes a holy knight, he’ll learn.”
“Yes, understood.”
Theodore finished his conversation with Miriela and beckoned Ripple over. “Then, let’s go, Lady Ripple. I’d like to see how Wayne and the others are doing on the front lines.”
“Okay! Goodbye, everyone! When I return to the capital, I’ll come see you!”
Ripple and Ambassador Theodore made their way to the ambassadorial large Flygear.
“Everyone, I truly thank you for your actions during this crisis. With knights-to-be like you, this country’s future is sure to be bright.” Ambassador Theodore bowed his head to the retinue from the knights’ academy. “Leave the rest to me while you focus on your studies. Someday, the time will come when the burden of this country’s future rests on you. Now, if I may take my leave...”
His affectionate smile seemed to be directed at Rafinha personally, so Inglis deftly stepped in front.
“Hey, Chris. I can’t see.”
“That shouldn’t be seen by children.”
“What are you talking about? It didn’t seem obscene to me.”
“How would you know?!”
As she watched Inglis and Rafinha squabble, Ripple giggled. “See you later, everyone! Bye-bye!” As Ripple waved from the Flygear, her smile receded into the sky with the aircraft’s departure.
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