Editing Leviathan:Volume 5 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 3===

The time the anomaly occurred was 6:22 am on August 8, early in the morning to boot.

The Raptors descended en masse with almost a thousand of them crashing down collectively like a meteor rain&mdash;

Normally speaking, there would be a few hours of buffer time between them breaking through the atmosphere and reaching a city's airspace.

But this time, what called them to the ground was dragonkind's summoning magic.

Merely a minute or two elapsed between them penetrating the atmosphere at 6:22 and arriving in the air above Jamaica Bay at New York City. It was a record that laughed in the face of common sense and the laws of physics.

Most specialists in the field of dragons would despair when confronted by such a situation, expecting the utter destruction of Neew York City.

However, the Raptors simply circled in the air over Jamaica Bay without attacking the surface, flying back and forth across the sky.

By 7:45 am, Hal also arrived at a beach on Jamaica Bay.

Naturally, he was accompanied by Asya, Orihime and Hazumi. Accepting the request from SAURU's New York branch, they arrived on the scene to assist in handling the situation.

Overhead in the sky, a terrifying number of Raptors were flying in flocks.

However, there were no elite dragons among them.

"Where the heck is the elite that summoned them...?"

"Speaking of elites in New York City, there's definitely a dragon king living here..."

" "......" "

Asya was evidently thinking of the worst-case scenario. Hal sighed simultaneously. The possibility of an elite running over to "cause trouble" near a dragon king's territory was extremely unlikely.

"B-But thank goodness. Fortunately, they came to somewhere uninhabited."

Surveying the scenery surrounding Jamaica Bay, Hazumi commented.

Located south of New York City, Jamaica Bay was connected to the Atlantic Ocean.

However, the majority of the bay consisted of wetlands. At the same time, it was a protected natural reserve. The bay's vast wetlands were full of flourishing trees with freshwater ponds and marshland scattered within.

This protected zone's area was actually nine thousand acres, roughly three hundred square kilometers.

The area was several times that of the Old Tokyo Concession.

"It's also possible that the Raptors' summoner deliberately chose this location?"

"To avoid harming the residents of New York? In that case, there is a high chance that it's Mr. Hannibal who has announced his candidacy in the governor election..."

Hearing Hal's whisper, Orihime gasped.

The three witches from Japan had already materialized their partners. The three "serpents" were standing by on the beach of Jamaica Bay.

Europe' strongest Shootdown Ace&mdash;Blue Rushalka the wyvern.

The white nine-tailed fox-wolf, Akuro-Ou.

The unconventionally colored serpentine dragon leviathan Minadzuki lacking a horn counterpart.

Rushalka was standing upright on her hind legs like a bird on the ground whereas Akuro-Ou was lying down on the ground like a trained dog. On the other hand, Minadzuki had her slender body rolled up in a coil.

However, Hal and his team were not the only dragon specialists on this beach.

Several kilometers from their location, another team was also on standby. They were the four witches of the WotC and their partners.

All of their leviathans were quadrupedal felines dozens of meters in body length.

The lynx "Tom Cat" with dazzling silver fur. The ferocious albino tiger "Tiger Cat." The black panther "Wild Cat" whose entire body was shrouded in lightning and sparks. Then there was the feline that resembled a rotund bear, standing and walking upright on hind legs, "Bear Cat."

These four leviathans stood as the WotC's combat potential.

Ground forces were also deployed along the coastline of Jamaica Bay.

Prior to the arrival of Hal's team, the army had already transported to the scene all kinds of weapons imaginable, including M1 tanks, multiple launch rocket systems, etc.

However, the human side had yet to launch any attacks.

"That's to avoid unnecessary casualties and military spending. No point taking unknown risks."

Next to Hal, Asya explained to Orihime and Hazumi.

"Rushalka and I can clear out 90% of them within five minutes if it's just this quantity of Raptors. Akuro-Ou and Minadzuki could probably wipe out the rest. Any ones missed could be allowed to escape back to the wild. Of course, it'd be a different matter if they intend to attack settlements&mdash;"

Glaring sharply at the invading Raptors, Asya issued a bold declaration.

Over a month had gone by since her partner's revival and acquisition of Queen Form. By now, Asya had fully comprehended and mastered the powers of Rushalka who had become far stronger than she ever was.

Hence, Asya had the right to brag. Failure was impossible.

"How will the enemy mastermind make a move... That's what's crucial. Let's watch until there's movement. Please cover me depending on the situation."

Gathered at this battlefield was the army and the WotC. Orders had already been issued to them through SAURU: They were to focus on their role as support and forbidden from engaging in combat recklessly to avoid hindering Rushalka's full mobility.

In other words, Asya and Rushalka were the main stars on the human side.

As for the main role on the dragon side&mdash;He finally made a gradual appearance from the south.

South of Jamaica Bay was the Atlantic Ocean. Rising from the other side of the horizon, Red Hannibal was leading his Army of Fire, flying towards them.

Behind the dragon king were roughly three hundred "lizard-shaped flames."

The salamanders had a body length of seven meters, on the order of Raptors in size.

"Is that the Army of Fire&mdash;Hannibal's minions!?"

While summoning the magic gun in his right hand, Hal cried out.

For the past twenty years, Red Hannibal had seldom appeared on the battlefields between dragonkind and humanity, rare enough to count on one hand. However, when deemed necessary, he would appear with the Army of Fire under his command.

His minons were neither dragons, leviathans nor dragon subspecies. Instead, they were fire spirits.

Towards the beach where Hal was located, Hannibal and his great army approached at high speed.

Was he planning to converge with the Raptors here to then launch an all-out offensive? Anyone would consider this possibility, but at that moment, Hannibal emitted a thunderous roar.

"Thank you for your patience, humans! You saved me a lot of trouble by gathering here before you were summoned! My election campaign is about to begin this moment!"

"What election...? Is he really sticking to that candidate story from before?" Hal muttered quietly

Hannibal's voice was infused with magical power.

Like last time at Albany, this was to allow all citizens to hear his speech. Compared to Albany, New York City covered a much greater area, but Hannibal's magical power was probably enough to allow a dragon king's decree to reach every corner.

The thousand Raptors circling in the air started to take action again.

The flock of dragons had been flying back and forth in the air without causing trouble so far, but in the next instant, an attack impulse erupted. The thousand Raptors all flew towards their target.

Indeed, the ferocious beasts launched an attack&mdash;Their target was Hannibal's army!

"I summoned these winged lizards from the sky. Seeking to become the ruler of you all, I shall display my level of power by using them as my opponents. I wish to demonstrate a king's power through action without wasting any more breath on words!"

"&mdash;Suddenly going completely against the principles of democracy!"

The dragon king's statement was truly deserving of ridicule.

However, no sooner had Hal spoken than the battle began. No, rather than battle, it was actually no different from a massacre. One-sided slaughter.

At the forefront, Hannibal charged into the enemy ranks, leading his army of salamanders.

Confronting this conspicuous enemy commander, the Raptors roared loudly and swarmed him.

Gahhhhhhhhhhhh!

Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Most likely due to the  effects of mind control magic, the Raptors' attack impulse was amplified greatly. Otherwise, there was no way they could engage in such insubordination against a dragon king standing at the pinnacle of their race.

However, the poor Raptors were unable to touch a single hair of Hannibal's despite the best efforts from their sharp claws and teeth.

Three hundred salamanders&mdash;the Army of Fire&mdash;deployed a defensive line around the dragon king in three hundred and sixty degrees, forming a shield with their bodies.

As soon as they touched the salamanders, the Raptors immediately caught fire.

Within a brief instant, flames spread all over the Raptors touched by the salamanders, enveloping them in an intense blaze, incinerating them utterly, causing them to crash to the ground.

Everything touched by the salamanders were turned to ash within an instant. This was the magical power of the Army of Fire.

Some of the Raptors were exhaling high-temperature blue-white flames.

However, the salamanders were shrouded in even hotter flames. The Raptor's scorching breaths were completely unable to inflict any damage at all.

Finally, the thousand Raptors were literally turned into fireballs, crashing down slowly into Jamaica Bay. The one-sided massacre ended.

Seeing this tragic sight, Orihime said softly, "I-It's just like the Battle of Nagashino. Nobunaga's three-stage attack delivered a devastating defeat to Takeda's cavalry forces..."

"It's also quite similar to the First World War. Fortified in trenches, defending armies used machine guns to kill approaching infantry, hundreds, thousands at a time."

"This kind of result isn't unusual as long as the defending side holds a minimum level of firepower."

Asya and Hal started to chat about inconsequential things.

Although the trio were consciously trying to lighten the atmosphere, the tone of their voices was quite somber. Had Hannibal the intention, he could aim this immense firepower at the humans below him any time he wanted.

Meanwhile, Hazumi concentrated her gaze below on her own.

"Oh no... The fires need to be put out fast!"

Turned into fireballs, most of the Raptors were burned away during their fall without any bones remaining.

However, some of them managed to crash into ground before they had incinerated completely.

Indeed, the battlefield was in the sky over Jamaica Bay but the bay included over nine thousand acres of wetlands.

Composed mostly from swamps, forests and grassland, it was a paradise for birds and beasts.

If the burning Raptors fell on the wetlands, all the vegetation would burn up from the fire.

Seeing fires lit up all over the wetlands, the wild birds flew into the air successively to escape. Witnessing this scene, Hazumi could not help but cry out, "Please, Minadzuki! Hurry and stop those flames!"

An abstract order lacking in specifics.

"Serpents" could not be controlled skillfully without vivid mental imagery and strong force of will. This was common sense in the world of witches.

Nevertheless, Hazumi's wish was both pure and sincere. Hence, Minadzuki responded to her successfully.

Rahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh&mdash;

Coiled up on the ground until just now, Minadzuki sang with a wonderful voice and arched her neck.

Immediately, she invoked the pseudo-divinity of Wind. The serpentine dragon leviathan released her entire body's magical power and flew swiftly towards the great wetlands of Jamaica Bay.

In the next instant, the surrounding fires were all extinguished within the blink of an eye.

After that, there were still dozens of burning Raptors falling to the ground, but the flames disappeared without trace the instant they made contact.

Using pseudo-divinity, Minadzuki had succeeded in creating a barrier to seal flames away.

"I see, eliminating oxygen particles from the air..."

Hal nodded. So-called wind ultimately consisted of air currents. Minadzuki had removed from the air the oxygen particles required for combustion, thereby sealing the flames away.

"Responding to a young maiden's prayer, how unbelievably smart."

"Since Hazumi-san and Minadzuki have taken charge of protecting the environment, looks like there's nothing left for us to do... Well, let's see what ''he'' is planning to do next."

Asya stared at Hannibal in the air.

The dragon king was guarded by the salamander army. Unlike Hal, who had summoned his magic gun, Hannibal was not holding a dragonslaying weapon. To him, the previous scene was nothing more than a statement delivered as though one were humming a tune casually.

Currently, only about a hundred Raptors remained.

With 90% of them immolated, the mental state of the survivors seemed to return to normal at last.

One after another, the Raptors started to flee in the face of Hannibal's army. They flew at full speed in separate directions, trying to escape from the dragon king's presence as quickly as possible.

To hunt them down, the three hundred salamanders finally left Hannibal's side.

The fire spirits were flying haphazardly overhead, bringing the Raptor hunt to a climax. At that moment, Orihime spoke in amazement, "Look... Aren't they acting a bit strange?"

Orihime's pale finger was pointed at the leviathans on the ground.

Rather than the partners of Hal's teammates, they were the WotC's four feline leviathans.

Tom Cat, Tiger Cat, Wild Cat and Bear Cat.

The four leviathans were exuding unnatural blood lust, arching their backs like cats, baring their fangs, vocally threatening the salamanders in the air. Fierce growls were coming from their mouths.

To pacify them, their partners, the four witches, were desperately calling out to them from the side.

Slightly surprised, Asya used Magical Power Inspection magic.

"Minadzuki's Anti-Fire is not the only magic cast on the area. There is also the Stampede spell Hannibal used on the Raptors&mdash;That's the magic affecting them right now!"

"B-But why are Akuro-Ou and the others clearly fine!?"

"They're probably guarded by Haruomi's rune. However, the 'serpents' over there don't have the same protection...!" Asya answered Orihime's doubt.

Finally, the feline leviathans ignored the four witch partners' restraining orders and flew into the sky together to launch an offensive on the airborne salamanders.

The WotC team of witches were neither master-class nor protected by the power of dragonbane.

Their partners could not possibly be a match for Hannibal's minions. At this rate, they were surely going to be killed tragically.

"Stand down!"

Hal drew out magical power from his heart and instantly cast Magic Dispel.

Imbuing this spell into his magic gun's bullets, he shot four times in succession with lightning speed. The crimson bullets of light homed in autonomously, catching up to the WotC's cats.

The four bullets all struck the four feline leviathans accurately.

That being said, he only aimed for their hind legs&mdash;the paws. To avoid causing severe injuries, he had deliberately chosen targets far away from the hearts, i.e. the heartmetals.

The pain and the impact caused the cats' flying speed to drop suddenly.

"I'm leaving the rest to you all!"

"No problem. Rushalka, approach them and pull them down from the sky!"

"I'm counting on you too, Akuro-Ou. Don't let them go over there."

Responding to Hal's request, Asya and Orihime gave instructions.

Kyuahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Kuohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Standing by on the ground until just now, Rushalka and Akuro-Ou cried out loudly then ascended immediately. They easily caught up to the WotC's cats that had slowed down.

Then circling repeatedly in the air, they guided the injured cats back to the ground.

The four feline leviathans obediently followed Rushalka and Akuro-Ou. They had regained their sanity.

The bullets infused with Magic Dispel had successfully freed them from the Stampede curse.

Meanwhile, with the disturbance in the witches' ranks quelled, the aerial battle&mdash;or perhaps more aptly, a mock battle&mdash;had already been settled. The salamanders had annihilated all remaining Raptors.

"Well then, everyone in power..."

The ruler of this sky&mdash;Hannibal&mdash;announced sonorously.

"That is all. I hope that it fulfilled its role as my first speech. Although I have demonstrated merely the tip of the iceberg in regards to my power, I believe all of you are now able to understand my capacity as a powerful leader. Next, I shall set up a venue to meet and talk with the incumbent governor. I believe there are many details to discuss regarding my participation in the election!"

Having said that, Hannibal immediately withdrew.

Leading his Army of Fire, the red dragon king flew north.

In that direction was the Old Manhattan Concession. It was not only his residence but also the area where Hal and Asya were going to infiltrate next.