Editing Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 9 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 2===

After evading Osiris and Yurishia, Grace who safely escaped Necropolis was flying in low-altitude above the desert. She was flying at quite a speed, but no matter how much she went, the horizon of the desert kept continuing without end.

Finally at the beyond, something swaying like a mirage could be seen. It was a gigantic structure that was half-buried in the desert. Looking from afar it was like a small mountain, but when it was approached it could be understood that it was a man made structure.

It was a tilted palace that suddenly appeared in the desert.

The flagship of the Vatlantis Empire, Oldeum had to make an emergency landing into the desert. The ship’s prow part was buried in the sand, it was tilting to the left while inclining forward.

Looking at that appearance, Grace talked to herself in complaint.

“Good grief. For Oldeum to look like that, how pathetic this is.”

The hazy figure of the flagship was gradually becoming clearer. When looked from afar, its appearance looked like a castle and its castle city below it. Even when seen from near it couldn’t really be noticed as a battleship. The moment it was recognized as a battleship by the one watching, they would be surprised by its astonishing size.

It had a gigantic body that easily surpassed two kilometers. The castle towering on the hull reached a hundred meters. Grace raised her altitude and she headed towards the highest level of that castle. After she flew inside the balcony that was opened there, she gently landed on the floor.

Suddenly, Elma and Clayda of Quartum who were facing the control panel with difficult faces raised shocked voices towards Grace who entered from the window.

“ “Grace-sama-!?” ”

Clayda whose right eye was covered by an eye-patch had her left eye opened so wide as though to represent the surprise of the right eye too. She stood up in a fluster but then she spontaneously staggered, perhaps from having forgotten that the floor was tilted.

“What’s the matter, you two? To be that flurried.”

Towards that carefree Grace, Elma was unable to say anything for a moment.

“Tha……that question should not be asked! We could not find Grace-sama’s figure, so we were really worried. Where had Grace-sama gone to?”

“Yes. Those guys’ city……Necropolis, I went to see the situation there just for a little.”

Clayda dropped her shoulders with an exasperated face towards Grace who was broad-heartedly nodding.

“What recklessness……it was just like Zel-sama said.”

“Zel? Now that you mentioned it I don’t see her. Lunorlla and Ramza are also not here?”

Elma’s white haired head was pointing up at the left and right like beast ears. Those ears twitched and she talked with a blaming tone.

“The three of them had gone searching for Grace-sama!”

Grace looked aside feeling that the angry Elma was troublesome.

“It would be better if they just waited obediently……good grief, this is really a bad timing.”

‘That’s because you were gone as you pleased!’ Clayda and also Elma murmured that inside their hearts. However Grace didn’t notice and puffed her chest proudly.

“I found out that Nee-sama isn’t in this world. We have no more business in this world.”

“What did you say!?”

“Does Grace-sama know the whereabouts of Ainess-sama!?”

Clayda asked enthusiastically.

“I’m only guessing, but it seems that Nee-sama is with the other Deus ex Machina. However, I don’t understand the concrete location of Nee-sama.”

“The other Deus ex Machina is it……however, how did Grace-sama find that out?”

“The Deus ex Machina ruling over this world, Osiris, I met her. That woman said, that Nee-sama is not in this world, and perhaps Nee-sama is being held by the other Deus ex Machina. I don’t think that she is lying.”

Grace’s casual answer shocked the two.

“There was Amaterasu’s Yurishia working under that woman. If possible I wanted to save her but……from that Osiris, I felt some kind of indescribable dreadfulness. We cannot approach that woman carelessly.”

“That’s……for someone to possess strength to the degree of Grace-sama is just……”

Elma shook her head with an expression of being unable to believe.

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“With our current battle strength, it’s dangerous to fight that woman from the front. As soon as Zel, Lunorlla and Ramza return, we will escape this world. And then we will search for the other Deus ex Machina!”

Grace proclaimed powerfully, but Clayda shrugged her shoulders apologetically.

“About that…..we are unable to escape from this world.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Since a while ago we were trying to move Oldium, but some kind of strange power is being generated, the ship cannot fly……”

Clayda touched the shining control panel floating on a Victorian-style desk. Thereupon a large window was opened in front of the three.

There Oldium that was being buried in the sand was projected.

“This is the current situation of Oldium……please take a look.”

From the bottom of Oldium toward inside the sand, red line was stretching.

“What’s this?”

“This red light is displaying the strength affecting Oldium. A strange power is coming out from the sand, it is trying to drag Oldium into the sand.”

Grace made a difficult face.

“Just what in the world this power is?”

“We don’t understand. However, we were able to confirm the source that generated this power.”

As though pulling the camera, the image was rapidly becoming smaller. Then, there was the generating source of the red light at the far beyond.

“Most likely it was the place where Grace-sama had gone just now, it was at the Necropolis, that is what we think.”

The screen was enlarging once more, it was possible to confirm that the red light was flowing out from a point in Necropolis.

“I see……so this spot is nearby the shrine of Osiris.”

Staring at that map, Elma scowled.

“Then, this too is the work of a machine god……is it?”

Grace fluttered her shining pink hair and turned on her heel.

“I don’t know. But we can only return to Necropolis.”

Grace spread the wings on her back.

“And then, we will destroy the source of this power. Let’s go, Clayda, Elma. Follow me.”

Just when Grace was about to fly out from the balcony, her legs stopped still.

“Or else, are you two going to say that this is reckless and stop me?”

Clayda and Elma reflexively faced at each other, they floated wide, daring smiles.

“Fufu, if Grace-sama take us with her from the start, then we won’t give any complaint.”

“We will be honored to accompany you.”

“Hmph. That’s exactly how the Quartum should be.”

The wings of Koros shined, Grace’s body flew out from the balcony then, like a bullet that was fired. And then after her, Clayda and Elma wearing magic armor on their bodies chased after her.

The three lights flew above the desert, heading towards Necropolis where Osiris was waiting.