Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 3 Episode 5 (section)

===Part 3===

「Well then, the campus selection battle’s mock battle of group A’s first pair, versus group B’s second pair will begin!」

The fifth match in the practice ground today was enveloped with intense enthusiasm and excitement.

Even the students of all years who had been fighting to the bitter end until this point understood that this battle would be a big turning point.

Thus, the practice ground was also filled to the brim with quiet tension.

「Forgive me, Lux-kun. Personally, I really wish to support you but──. With my position, this time I’ll side with Celis.」

Perhaps because Saniya was defeated by Lux in the individual battle, today Celis’s pair was Sharis of the Triad.

「I don’t mind you know, Sharis. Because even if you become his ally, the result won’t change at all.」

Celis muttered with her usual aloof expression.

It was similar to her usual aura that overwhelmed other people, but,

「On the outside she is an Ojou-samayoung lady that can only make this kind of face, but actually she also has a cute side. My bad, but I’ll go all out. If it’s you, well, it won’t be any problem, right?」

「Thank you very much, Sharis-senpai.」

Lux returned a nod to Sharis’s smile.

Surely Sharis was being considerate to Celis who had to shoulder the Academy’s burden.

But, at the same time she also believed that Lux would be able to smash through this adversity.

That was why, Lux thought that he couldn’t lose.

(I have to win, then expose my true identity to Celis-senpai and apologize. And then──have her allow me to accompany her in the Ragnarok’s subjugation.)

「……Please do as you like. I will just accomplish my duty.」

Celis said that as though she wasn’t bothered at all.

It seemed that the petrified Ragnarok at the open sea that was about to be released had the momentum of its fetal movement strengthening in these few days. Judging from the observation result until now, it might be resurrected within a month──or perhaps it could be faster and resurrect within few days and then it would start moving.

Thus, there was no time.

In order to prevent Celis from exterminating the Ragnarok alone, and also to bring victory in the international tournament after that.

The battle that put the fate of this country at stake was already starting.

「Well then, unsheathe each of your Sword Devices and connect with your Drag-Rides.」

Following the instruction of Raigree who was the referee, the four wore their Drag-Rides.

「You have resolved yourself haven’t you, Lux Arcadia.」

Celis wearing her Lindwurm quietly asked.

Even if her opponent was the general purpose Drag-Ride Wyvern, she intended to attack with all her strength.

Lux nodded in response and lightly took his usual stance with the large Blade that Lisha modified.

「I’m all right. Because I won’t run.」

「…………」

His gaze crossed with the girl who was the Academy’s strongest.

Just for an instant, the spectator seats fell silent like a calm lake surface, at that moment──

–

「Battle, Start!」

–

The battle began at the same time with Instructor Raigree’s voice.

Lux booted up the propulsion device of the Wyvern and swiftly flew backward.

In order to perform the defense that destroyed the enemy’s weapon──Critical Hit, he had to measure the attack timing of Celis.

Celis also similarly flew above, then while Sharis was readying her Breath Gun to lay out a barrage, it was only Philuffy in her Typhon who was showing an unexpected movement.

「Pile Anchor.」

She thrust her huge right arm and rust colored wire shot out from the upper arm.

*Doun-!*

The metal stakes that were fired out at fierce speeds like a bullet opened up vertically like a snake’s jaw and assaulted Sharis’s Wyvern.

「……Kuh!? ──Whoops, dangerous dangerous. Philuffy missy is scary huh, acting suddenly like that.」

Sharis escaped to the sky to dodge the preemptive strike that was fired almost horizontally and she sighed in relief.

By escaping to the air, although there was the difference in specs, it would make it hard for the land battle type Typhon to land its attacks. At the very least, she shouldn’t get done in one-sidedly so soon.

「Ei」

But, Philuffy muttered right after that. In that moment, *meki meki* a strange sound of destruction could be heard in the practice ground.

「Wha-……!?」

When Sharis noticed the true identity of that sound, not only her, even the students in the spectator seats were dumbfounded.

The tip of Typhon’s armament, Pile Anchor bit off the wall surface behind Sharis and grasped a huge mass of rubble.

While the wire was pulled back with a speed that wasn’t bothered by its weight, Typhon turned around in half rotation and aimed at the Lindwurm midair.

The wire that had a mass of rubble attached on its end was turned into a weapon like a giant flail, which was swung in an arc!

「…………!」

Lindwurm’s Divine Raiment──Divine Gate was already spreading its space. Celis activated instant teleportation in a flash and evaded that attack.

But,

The surprise attack was dodged. The instant Lux made that judgment, the impact sound of a heavy metal burst out.

Right after that, Lindwurm that Celis wore was sent flying at high speed to behind Philuffy and crashed on the wall.

「Celis!」

「Philuffy!」

From the sky, Sharis and Lux called out to their respective partners.

After a gap of a few seconds, Lux comprehended the offense and defense between the two.

Celis teleported to behind Philuffy. At that moment, Typhon visited a powerful kick to the back.

It was a kicking technique of a Drag-Ride that couldn’t be unleashed without possessing absolute sense of balance.

Furthermore, if the prediction that Celis was circling to her back was mistaken, the timing of the attack would be off.

A cloud of dust enveloped the surroundings of the wall surface Celis crashed onto. A commotion wrapped the spectator seats.

(Philuffy…… She is really strong!)

He had understood just from watching her fight once previously, but this time her movement was even more terrifying.

She deliberately made the Pile Anchor’s first attack to miss, made it bite off the wall surface at the back, created an improvised flail and gave a pursuing attack towards Celis. It was an amazing inventiveness.

And then, estimating that Celis would dodge and circle behind her at the same time, she visited a kick to the back that originally shouldn’t be reachable by any attack.

While the true strength and ability of the serious Philuffy caused Lux to be at lost for words,

「──Lu-chan. Be careful. Right now, I cannot move……」

「──!?」

Philuffy raised a voice that was mixed with faint agony. Right after that, Lux quickly swung his Blade.

*Giin!*, sparks burst before his eyes and intense electricity ran through Wyvern.

「Guh……!」

Even while grimacing from that pain that was transmitted to him through the Drag-Ride, Lux somehow pushed back the opponent’s attack and took some distance.

Celis who teleported in front of Lux using Divine Gate unleashed an attack using Lightning Lance.

The muscles in his whole body were paralyzed from the powerful electric shock and the control system of Wyvern was also degrading.

Most likely Philuffy also got hit by this thunderbolt in the defense and offense just now.

Even if it ended up as simultaneous strikes to one another, if the special armament, the lance could hit, the opponent’s movement could be sealed.

He had already anticipated it but, as expected it was a fairly troublesome ability.

Thinking normally, it was something at the level that nothing could be done about it.

「Honestly, it’s just a little bit unexpected.」

Celis spoke with a serious face while floating still in the air.

Lux’s Wyvern and Philuffy’s Typhon were still under the effects of the electric shock, they couldn’t move satisfactorily.

Thus, it was convenient for Celis to spare time for a conversation, but the words that they came to hear were unexpected.

「I was thinking that it would be fine to hold back a bit more than the match against those girls four days ago.」

「……!?」

Even in the match four days ago, at the battle against Lisha and Krulcifer, Celis was fighting with composure to spare.

[[File:Saijak3 233.jpg|thumb|right]]

The corners of Celis’s lips bent into an arc along with that declaration.

That smile of an absolute ruler.

Celis showed a face that she created as someone from the Four Great Nobles.

「Can I ask you to surrender first at this point?」

And then after a temporary pause, she said such thing to them.

「I don’t want to get serious and cause needless injury for more than this.」

Those words weren’t a threat, but her true feelings without any exaggeration.

Those words came exactly because she judged that she would be forced to get serious with her all with Lux and Philuffy as her opponents.

「Oi Celis, making pointless talk in the middle of a fight is──」

Sharis beside her gave a warning, but Celis didn’t avert her eyes from Lux and Philuffy below.

「I have an obligation to protect this Academy.」

She pointed and thrust the tip of the lance before the two and then the strongest girl declared,

「By any chance you might be different, but in this country there are still men who are persecuting weak women. I have to fight as those girls’ sword and shield.」

And then, Celis continued with a serious voice that was laced with faint tension.

「I will announce my judgment. I still cannot recognize an exception like you. There is no way I can ask for cooperation from a male. I will subjugate the Ragnarok alone. If you say that you cannot accept it, please continue to fight. I will teach you that I am able to do that.」

Her words were most likely genuine.

She was without a doubt a strong person, and it was also clear to see that she was really trying to protect the Academy and the students.

Perhaps it would be fine if he left it to Celis.

But──.

「I will remain in this Academy.」

Lux answered without showing any hesitation or discomposure.

Exactly because he knew Celis’s true feelings that he couldn’t possibly accept it.

Above all else, Lux also had the same feeling of wanting to protect everyone in this Academy.

「This isn’t for the sake of anyone else, but for myself. That’s why──I won’t give up.」

After Lux proclaimed that with a strong gaze, Celis took a deep breath.

She turned a gaze that was slightly tinged with hesitation towards Lux and declared.

「──Then, here I come.」