Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume20 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 1===

"Kyahh, w-what happened?"

Due to the sudden impact on the ship, Rinslet lost balance and fell on the floor.

"Woof?"

Fenrir ran circles around her in concern.

Having rammed into the Holy Capital, the ''Revenant'' had stopped in midair as though it were stuck.

"The ship stopped. What is going on?"

Standing on the deck, Fianna raised an eyebrow and looked behind her.

Blocked by clouds of dust, visibility was quite bad.

It was practically impossible to see what the situation was like outside the ship.

With worried expressions, the four Queens were gathered together.

"Did the drive reactor malfunction?"

Rinslet stood up and patted dust off her skirt.

"...Possibly."

Perhaps the drive reactor had sustained some kind of damage when the ship crashed through the barrier.

However, what was that impact just now?

"Iseria-sama, standing there is very dangerous."

Just then, Rinslet saw Iseria standing on the railing on the deck.

The Water Elemental Lord's avatar was staring into the clouds of dust with a serious expression on her face.

"...! This presence, could it be&mdash;"

Iseria widened her eyes, murmuring to herself.

"Hey, what the heck happened?"

Originally standing by inside the ship, Muir came up to the deck. Greyworth was with her too.

"Not sure."

"Velsaria, is the drive reactor alright?"

Greyworth took out a spirit crystal for communications.

Divine power resonance produced some static.  Soon there was a reply.

"The drive reactor is not malfunctioning, but&mdash;"

"But what?"

"Directly below the ship, there is some kind of giant entity&mdash;"

"What?"

Just as Greyworth asked...

There was a noise from the ship being squeezed. The ship was also tilting greatly.

" " " "Kyahhhhhhhhh!" " " "

"Grab the railing, everybody!"

Fianna shouted to the fearful Queens.

"Iseria-sama, over here!"

"V-Very well..."

Rinslet caught the Water Elemental Lord's arm and embraced her.

Suddenly, a large shadow with outspread wings appeared overhead.

It was a giant flying dragon, all covered with jet-black scales.

Leonora's dragon spirit, Nidhogg.

"&mdash;There seems to be something directly beneath the ship!"

Riding the dragon, Leonora warned.

Nidhogg flapped its wings hard and spun in a circle, blowing away clouds of dust.

"...! That is!?"

Leaning out from the deck, Fianna widened her eyes.

Once the dust cleared, what appeared in her view was&mdash;''a gigantic arm.''

A gigantic hand made of rock had caught the ''Revenant'' in a firm grasp.

"W-What is that thing!?"

"...Could it be a strategic-class militarized spirit!?"

Fianna held her breath.

After the Ranbal War ended, there were seven powerful militarized spirits that had been sealed away and scrapped under the terms of the continental treaty.

To think that something of that sort had been lying dormant at the Holy Capital?

However...

"No, you are mistaken&mdash;"

Iseria disagreed clearly.

"Iseria-sama?"

"That is&mdash;"

The Water Elemental Lord only finished half her sentence.

There was a noise from the ship getting flattened.

"T-The ship cannot hold!"

"...! Abandon ship!"

"Too late!"

Rinslet hastily pointed out. Putting aside Iseria who was a spirit, escaping while taking Fianna and the four Queens along would be no easy task.

Just then...

"Hold on tight, everyone!"

A voice came from above.

Claire in Einherjar armor&mdash;with wings of flame sprouted from her back&mdash;and Ellis who was riding Simorgh. There was also Kamito behind Ellis.

"Claire, Captain!"

"Your Highness, excuse me&mdash;"

Claire grabbed Rinslet and Iseria's hands and flew into the sky. Simorgh landed on the deck and used his sharp claws to pick up Fianna and the four Queens.

Meanwhile, Leonora's dragon spirit picked up Muir by her collar.

As for Greyworth, she had already chanted spirit magic for spatial travel and left the ship.

In the next instant, the deck folded and the ''Revenant'' was crushed.

With the destruction of the driver reactor's spirit crystals, there was a flash of bright light.

"...! The ''Revenant'' has been!?"

"My esteemed sister!"

Ellis cried out. However.

"&mdash;Ellis, I am fine."

Hearing that, Ellis looked back, only to see the Fortress hovering in midair.

She had evidently escaped in time.

"My esteemed sister...!"

Ellis breathed a sigh of relief.

But very soon, she switched back to a solemn expression.

"...Kamito, what is that?"

She was staring at the gigantic arm of rock, extending from the ground.

...Just the arm was already this big. Or wait, perhaps the arm was the whole body?

Simorgh circled once in the air, putting down the frightened Queens somewhere in the distance.

Claire also landed on a church to let down Rinslet and Iseria.

"Be careful, it's coming!"

Kamito shouted loudly.

Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble...!

As though the entire Holy Capital was shaking, there was an earthquake.

The ground cracked open and something slowly stood up from underground&mdash;

''A giant''.



A head like a mountain of rock. The body that was like a mountain range was covered with plants and vines.

The size was enough to rival the Holy Lord Palace at the center of the Holy Capital.

"W-What is that?"

Rinslet gasped.

The giant's presence was astounding.

"Lode Gear&mdash;"

Iseria spoke.

"What?"

The instant she heard the name whispered by the Water Elemental Lord, Claire's eyebrow jumped.

"&mdash;That's the Earth Elemental Lord."

"...! Elemental Lord!?"

The name uttered by Iseria made everyone present look at her.

"Iseria-sama, wasn't the Earth Elemental Lord turned into a Gate?"

"Yes, that was what happened to the principal body, devoured by Otherworldly Darkness. This thing is similar to me and Volcanicus, an avatar that separated with a portion of power.  However, it seems to be quite powerful."

"Unbelievable...!"

The Earth Elemental Lord's avatar. If what Iseria said was true, then in front of them was an opponent even more powerful that strategic-class militarized spirits.

"...Is there any way to communicate?"

Claire turned her eyes to Earth Queen Nia Roshka.

However, the Earth Queen shook her head in despair.

"...No, that thing no longer has any connection with me."

"True. It does not even have the slightest sanity remaining."

Iseria said sadly.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

The Earth Elemental Lord roared. The sound caused the ground to tremble and the air to shake.

"Our only choice is to defeat it, huh?"

Kamito readied his two swords.

However, Greyworth took a step forward as though to stop him.

"Greyworth?"

"Leave this to me. You lot should get going first."

The Dusk Witch drew out her demon sword and glared at the Earth Elemental Lord.

"But&mdash;"

"As soon as that Gate opens, this world will end, right?"

Following Greyworth, Leonora also walked towards the giant.

"Count me in. After all, that is the Dragon King's mortal enemy."

"Ahah, Muir's specialty is hunting big prey."

Muir also took out a spirit crystal and looked back at Kamito.

"Tiiiiime to go on a rampage!"

"Hunting big prey is my prided domain too."

Saying that, Velsaria landed her Fortress on the ground.

"Esteemed sister, I too&mdash;"

"You will go with Kazehaya Kamito."

Velsaria looked the members of Team Scarlet one after another.

"You are the ones who defeated me. Stay and work as a team."

"&mdash;Understood. I entrust the Queens to you."

There was no time to argue. Kamito swiftly nodded.

Fianna and Rinslet grabbed onto Simorgh's wings.

Claire flapped her wings of flame.

Kamito released divine power and jumped into the air.

The Earth Elemental Lord tried to block the five of them who had taken flight.

However, Greyworth's demon sword flashed, drawing its attention.

"We are your opponents, Elemental Lord&mdash;"

Greyworth smiled fearlessly.

"Now then, time to begin the hunt."

"Don't get in my way, dragon lass."

"I am no longer the same as before."

Saying that, Leonora activated Dragon Blood.