Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 8 Episode 4 (section)

===Part 2===
The Drag-Ride practice ground inside the Academy’s site.

It seemed that at the early half of the campus festival yesterday, this place was used to hold a simple show of Drag-Ride practice where normal visitor could enter, but right now there was no one here except Seven Dragon Paladins, the delegation of Lords, and the leaders’ representatives.

So to speak, normal visitors and students who weren’t Syvalles were forbidden to visit that place.

Four Drag-Knights were facing each other on the circular ground that was the stage of the battle.

The Seven Dragon Paladin of Heiburg Republic, Rosa, and her aide Calensia.

From the new kingdom was similarly a Seven Dragon Paladin, Lux, and his aide Celistia.

「You two are really late aren’t you? Originally I could also criticize that disrespectful attitude and obtain victory by default though, right?」

First Rosa provoked with slimy attitude and obscenely mocking smile.

But, Calensia who was following behind Rosa was composed all that time. She quietly pushed up the glasses that was her trait to fix its position.

「But by doing that, we won’t be able to fulfill the request of Listelka-sama, an imperial family of the Lords who wish to be shown our strength. In deference to that──」

「I’ll have you two accept a condition that is just slightly advantageous for us okay? This is a two versus two battle. The side that has even one of the pair unable to fight first will become the loss of the pair. And then in case the time limit ran out, it won’t be a draw but a victory of us, the representatives of Heiburg──can you two accept that I wondeeer?」

Those were the special conditions prepared to compensate for Lux and Celis’s lateness.

If thinking about the possibility that they could also lose by default, it was undoubtedly something to be thankful for if it was only a condition of time limit.

Though──that was only if it wasn’t Rosa herself who set up the trap for Lux and Celis.

「Then──can we start this now? The sun will set before long after all.」

The imperial princess of the Lords, Listelka prompted the fight to begin. Then the four touched their sword belt together.

And then, they slowly unsheathed their Sword Device.

「──Come, the winged dragon of crest, the symbol of power. Obey my sword and soar, Wyvern.」

「──Descent. The dragon of royalty who inherit the blood of ruler. Be clad in a hundred lightning and dance in heaven, Lindwurm.」

The switch on the handle was pushed and the passcode was chanted, immediately after that──particles of light condensed and formed shape.

Lux used Wyvern following the advance arrangements they had decided beforehand.

He wished to avoid using Bahamut in front of a lot of people at new kingdom where there was rumor of the Black Hero, but in this situation, and in front of the limited audiences here, using Bahamut was an available option.

In this battle for the sake of repelling danger from the new kingdom, he also had to resolve himself to use it.

But, to use the Quick Shot by applying the Divine Raiment of Bahamut, Reload on Fire, there was the necessity to see through the opponent’s attack preliminary movement before activating it.

In order to use it to the maximum effect, as expected it was better to first devote himself at defense.

For that he made the judgment to use Wyvern that had low consumption rate and the Scale Blade that Lisha made, and fougt mainly using the counterattack of Critical Hit.

On the other hand, the representative of Heiburg, Calensia was summoning EX Wyrm.

And then at the end, Rosa Granhided pulled out her Sword Device that was engraved with ominous pattern.

「──The soot of wicked artifice, deceive lurking underneath. O repentance dragon of previous existence, Gorynych.」

The air of the whole venue was strained from the Divine Drag-Ride’s summoning.

A squall whirled behind Rosa, and an odd Drag-Ride with growing blades appeared there.

「So this is the rumored, the Steel Witch’s──」

Beside Lux, Celis raised a slightly astonished voice.

Lustrous dark grey color, the armor of steel color that was a mix of black and ash color. The dreary color scheme reminded anyone watching of the original color Mythrildite that was the material of Drag-Ride.

But, there were sharp thorns jutting out from various parts, furthermore the thick armor of land battle type Drag-Ride that was embodiment of sturdiness was displaying its aggressive dignity.

「──Connect – On」

Rosa grinned fearlessly and next she quickly equipped the unfolded armor.

(……It’s huge.)

The Drag-Ride was already huge when it was summoned, but when it was worn by the pilot’s body, its volume increased further.

The huge Drag-Ride was a size bigger than the normal land battle type Drag-RideWyrm. A single attack that it unleashed might become a fatal wound in the worst case.

Lux and Celis instantly made that judgment while similarly connecting and wearing their Drag-Ride. They formed the strategy against Rosa inside their head.

「The time limit is ten minutes. If one fighter becomes unable to fight, it will become a defeat for the pair. In case the time ran out, it will become the victory of Heiburg Republic. Other than those special conditions, this battle will be held under the common rule of mock battle. Any objection?」

After Instructor Raigree who acted as the referee informed them that, each of the four fighters nodded.

Celis and Rosa glared at each other with sparks scattering between them. The signal of the battle start was declared then.

–

「──Battle, Start!」

–

At the same time with the signal, the four Drag-Knights quickly moved.

First Lux’s Wyvern and Celis’s Lindwurm flew backward as though they had arranged it beforehand. The two Drag-Knights of Heiburg drove their Drag-Knight using the wheels to close the distance.

Lux and Celis’s situational judgment had reached about the same level.

In the situation where they faced Drag-Knight who used land battle type Drag-Ride, the first thing to do was to make use of flying type’s special characteristic and grasped the air superiority.

There was also the risk of attacked from below, but because the opponent’s could be restricted to shooting and bombardment, it was obviously advantageous to take position above the opponent.

That was the ironclad rule for flying type Drag-Ride like Wyvern and the like when fighting Drag-Knight using land battle type.

The opponent charging ahead at the start of battle to prevent them from moving to the sky was also as expected in a sense.

Therefore Rosa and Calensia simultaneously aimed and fired at their opponent’s by the book action.

「──Fuh!」

「Haah!」

Rosa brandished a sickle shaped weapon with a long handle──, a ScytheDragon Horn Curved Blade and attacked Lindwurm, while Calensia aimed at Lux using medium sized Blade.

Those two took such first move after predicting that Lux and Celis would first took some distance away and flew to the sky.

「──!?」

But in a moment a strange discomfort flashed through at the back of Rosa and Calensia’s mind.

Lux and Celis who pretended to escape to the sky stopped flying midway and hovered still at midair.

They conversely aimed at the first attack of Rosa and Celnsia. The two were already finished preparing a sure kill attack.

*PAKIiI-!*

Along with the high-pitched metallic sound, fragments of weapon and armor fluttered in the air.

The Scale Blade that Lux’s Wyvern wielded smashed the Blade of Calensia’s EX Wyrm, while Celis’s Lindwurm unleashed a thrust using its special armament Lightning Lance, which pierced Gorynych’s barrier and moved toward the shoulder where its Force Core was installed.

「This is the end. ──Lightning Flash.」

*BASHIiII-!*

In a flash, the electric attack surging from the lance’s tip attacked Rosa’s Gorynych.

「Kuuh……!?」

Rosa’s expression distorted. At that moment, the girl beside her was shocked.

「This is, a weapon for the sake of destroying weapon!? The first move of flying backward following the established tactic, it was……a trap!?」

At the other side, Calensia was staring at the Blade’s fragment that was smashed by Lux’s Critical Hit and she let out an astonished voice.

The counter of Critical Hit using Scale Blade wouldn’t work without first seeing through the opponent’s attack.

But, just now both sides were each taking option that would normally be the best for the situation.

If it was just a priority movement without any particular scheme it, it would be easy to predict it.

Lux and Celis chose the option of sure kill offense and defense by predicting the opponent’s action two moves ahead without discussing with each other beforehand, and then they made it success splendidly.

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