Editing Leviathan:Volume 7 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 4===

Night went by and the promised day agreed with Pavel Galad arrived.

It was roughly 8am. The JMSDF dispatched an escort ship to sail towards the small island that had appeared off the coast of Urayasu. Both Hal and Asya were on the ship.

Seeing Hal suppress a yawn, Asya said to him, "How much sleep did you get last night?"

"Around five hours. I'd prefer if I could sleep for triple that amount of time, but there's an important event today, after all."

"Then the opening ceremony and the event itself would have to be canceled just because you overslept."

"I'd rather cancel it if that were possible, but I naturally woke up at dawn, probably because this event gives me stomach cramps."

The two of them were walking along the deck since there was nothing to do inside the ship. Staring off into Tokyo Bay, they waited for the operation to begin.

Hal and Asya's ship was not the only one to be mobilized.

In addition, there were two other escort ships and three submarines moving through these waters. A JASDF base nearby also had helicopters and fighter jets ready to sortie as dictated by the situation.

All this was for the sake of supporting Hal's team.

Incidentally, Orihime and Hazumi were participating in the operation on a separate ship.

As the commander, Luna Francois was working alongside the two Japanese girls.

Only the childhood friends combo of Hal and Asya were together on this ship, because the two of them had to serve as the vanguard and be the first to land on the island.

This was to avoid deploying all their forces at once and getting wiped out.

Their approach was the same as yesterdays, but the trump card would only be debuting today.

The combination of Haruga Haruomi with Asya and Rushalka was unsurpassed in all aspects including combat strength, adaptability, and coordination, making them the best suited to taking on this role.

Even Luna had not raised any objections.

Hence, Hal and his silver-haired childhood friend were together right now, enjoying the sea breeze.

(So I guess last night's topic of conversation will be postponed...)

Her declaration of "I'll show you my true power."

Asya had said she would put this matter aside for now because of today's decisive battle.

From their previous meeting several hours ago till now, Asya had not broached the subject again. Thanks to that, Hal was able to chat casually with her without worrying&mdash;

Leaning against the guardrail on the edge of the deck, Hal breathed a sigh of relief.

Asya suddenly came beside him.

Their elbows and upper arms were touching, a distance that was too close.

"A-Asya!?"

"Haruomi, let the two of us seize victory today. It's a promise, okay?"

With a calm and confident expression, his childhood firned smiled at him.

Her adorability and her fairy-like beauty amplified each other, leaving a deep impression in Hal's mind, setting his heart pounding.


Fufu.

Leaning close to Haruomi, Asya nodded mentally to herself while maintaining the refreshing smile on her face.

Just as she expected, Haruomi was unsettled. Every attack from her, conducted with feigned naturalness, were striking right on target. There was no better description than "Just as planned!"

Asya was certain that the two of them, leaning close together on the escort ship's deck, definitely looked like a young and inexperienced couple to the eyes of outsiders!

Of course, they might feel that it would be unseemly for them to be acting lovey-dovey just before a crucial and decisive battle.

However, Asya had learned the bad news of "Haruga Haruomi was currently turning into a dragon" through last night's interrogation...

The trio of Orihime, Luna, and Hazumi seemed to be hiding something&mdash;

The past Asya most likely would not have noticed, but in her current state with augmented womanly powers, she had discovered the symptoms, just like how she sensed danger during battles.

Obtaining dragonslaying runes had forced her childhood friend to confront a life-threatening crisis.

Now that she knew, there was no way she would not provide assistance. Making physical contact with him unobtrusively, or touching him directly, she would repeat this again and again, so as to contribute to Haruomi's recovery!

It was also thanks to her augmented womanly powers that Asya was able to come to this decision.

(I knew it, that magic is so useful!)

Hypnosis magic had resulted in an unnatural increase of abilities like doping.

Just as Asya was overjoyed at its effects from the bottom of her heart, next to her, Haruomi suddenly spoke, "I-I'm going for a drink of water."
[[image:Leviathan 07 BW06.jpg|thumb]]

"Sure. I'll wait for you here."

Haruomi turned around and left, looking like he could not withstand the insane pounding of his heart.

He was distracted and there was a lack of calmness in his expression, tone, and movements. However, he did not look unhappy. Rather it was because he was too conscious of Asya's "girlishness."

Asya felt satisfied and fulfilled as never before.

She had been fighting dragons since childhood, but combat and victory had never brought her such a strong sense of fulfillment...

Humming happily, Asya unintentionally slipped her hand into her pocket.

She was wearing her usual military jacket, but it was time for her to buy a new one. There must be clothing more suited to her&mdash;

"Oh?"

There was a memo in her pocket.

She unfolded it and saw the words "it will be too late by the time you regret it," written in red. This bubbly handwriting was familiar to Asya. For the past few months, she had been training herself under this person's tutelage. And this handwriting was identical to what this person had wrote on whiteboards and notebooks...

Come to think of it, Asya's breakfast this morning consisted of a banana and a cup of cafe au lait.

"It'll be fine. I managed to pull through during the battle against Hannibal too. I... should be able to do it!"

As though engaging in self-suggestion, Asya voiced the words in her heart.

The ship had already arrived near the island that was to serve as a special arena. The plan was for Asya and Haruomi to land here as the vanguard to fight against Pavel Galad&mdash;

Instantly tossing matters of love to the back of her mind, Asya began to focus on combat.

This was a job she had been doing since childhood. Again, she would return to form as "Anastasya Rubashvili, Europe's strongest Shootdown Ace."

Asya had a feeling.

Seeing her in action, Haruomi would most likely become captivated by her all over again.

At that moment, a giant silver-white body flew in from the southern sky.

Pavel Galad, the elite dragon that had inherited the dragonslaying Rune of the Sword. Even though she was familiar with this mortal enemy's appearance, Asya doubted her own eyes.

"Four of them?"

Indeed. There was more than one silver-white dragon of the sword.

Four dragons, identical to him in appearance, were approaching, flying in formation like a squadron of fighter jets.


"Magic of Ruruk Soun!?"

An alarm of "Dragons sighted!" blared inside the ship.

Hearing the alarm, Hal rushed out to the deck and looked at the southern sky using the magic of Enhanced Vision. Four Pavel Galads were approaching at high speed.

There were seven magical symbols behind the four dragons.

Naturally, runes of Ruruk Soun. They signified "clones."

" " " "Hohohoho. Welcome, humans!" " " "

The four Pavel Galads spoke simultaneously.

His stylish and beautiful voice resounded all around the island serving as the duel arena.

The real one should be hidden among the four dragons. Presumably, the other three were either illusions or fake copies of Pavel Galad created using magic.

However, even through the eyes of a Tyrannos, it was impossible to tell which was the genuine article!

The intricacy of these counterfeits was praiseworthy, succeeding in confusing Hal's faction.

"Followers of my mortal rival, good work so far&mdash;But pray forgive me!"

"This is a duel between successors to dragonslaying runes!"

"There is no room for interference from you humans!"

"Please leave immediately!"

One after another, the four silver dragons declared war.

Undisguised in each of their right hands was a longsword&mdash;

The dragonslaying sword, of course. The four longswords shot out lightning from their blades, launching an indiscriminate attack in all directions, striking the sea surface and the escort ships carrying Hal and the others. Perhaps even the submarines underwater were caught in the attack.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Hal's escort ship was struck on the side by the lightning and about to be sunk&mdash;No.

"Rushalka, use imperishable protection!"

Hal heard his childhood friend issue a command.

The blue wyvern materialized in the sky over the escort ship,  giving off pearly radiance from her entire body.

This was "imperishable protection," the defensive barrier protecting dragon kings and Tyrannoi. This glow enveloped not only Rushalka but also the escort ship, blocking dragonkind's lightning in the nick of time.

As expected of Asya the Shootdown Ace, she managed to protect the ship with her swift reaction.

As for the other escort ship...

Akurou-Ou, Minadzuki, and Glinda&mdash;Three leviathans had appeared in the sky above it.

The nine-tailed fox-wolf, the emerald serpentine dragon, and the three-headed lion chimera. These three leviathans also deployed imperishable protection to defend their ship from Galad's lightning attack.

However&mdash;

There was another escort ship that had neither witches nor leviathans on board.

That ship was struck directly by the lightning and could only sink into the sea!

The human side swiftly mustered a counterattack against the four silver dragons responsible for the destruction. From close range, the ships carrying Hal and Orihime launched anti-air missiles designed for a range within thirty kilometers while firing 127mm machine guns continuously, aiming at the silver dragon and his three clones!

However, the four Pavel Galads also glowed with pearly radiance.

Imperishable protection. These barriers were difficult to breach unless using attacks on the level of assured annihilation techniques. Naturally, human attacks were thoroughly blocked, a mockery of their impotence.

"Well, not surprising..." As someone equipped with the same defenses, Hal muttered to himself.

However, he immediately went "Huh!?", doubting his vision.

"Glinda&mdash;is falling?"

Indeed. Luna Francois' partner started to crash.

The lion leviathan was supposed to be flying in the sky to intercept the four silver dragons.

Her majestic figure crashed helplessly towards the surface of Tokyo Bay, almost as though someone had ordered her to "jump into the sea."

Simply floating on the sea like a buoy, Glinda did not return to the battlefield.

She remained motionless. Incidentally, in the next instant, Akurou-Ou and Minadzuki&mdash;the partners of the Japanese witches&mdash;also fell into the sea.

Like Glinda, these two leviathans were also floating on the sea.

"What the heck is going on!?"

His companions on the other ship were apparently confronting some kind of emergency.

Just as Hal was about to check on their status using his cellphone&mdash;no, the power of the runes&mdash;he heard his childhood friend's acute voice.

"Haruomi, let me use the Rune of the Bow!"

The silver-haired beauty was running towards him.

Her face was beautiful as ever, but the vibe was completely different from just earlier. She not only looked cool but also dignified and fearless. For some reason, Hal breathed a sigh of refief.

Asya's warrior expression was the look familiar to Hal.

"No matter what, Rushalka must singlehandedly oppose those four dragons at the same time. The rune is essential!"

"Got it! Do it however you want&mdash;"

"As if I would allow you to do as you wish."

The instant Hal was responding to Asya's request, someone interrupted their exchange.

Out of the blue, a SDF officer walked up to the two of them.

The man was wearing the predominantly white uniform of the JMSDF, but for some reason, Hal could not get a clear view of his face. Something haze-like was obscuring his face.

Hal realized with sudden alarm that this was stealth magic.

"Witches... Isn't that what your ilk is called? I apologize for ambushing small fry like you, certainly a taint on the honor of dragonkind, but&mdash;Honestly, you lot are very much in my way."

This beautifully masculine voice belonged to Pavel Galad.

The SDF officer of unknown appearance extended his right hand. A symbol consisting of three "<" in a series appeared on his palm.

It was the Rune of the Sword. Pavel Galad's mark.

Aiming at the silver-haired beauty, the mysterious SDF officer fired white light from his rune&mdash;!

"Asya!"

The instant Hal came to his senses, he summoned the magic gun to his right hand.

Fire. Without hesitation, he opened fire on the SDF officer. Imperishable protection was deployed, defending his entire body, resisting Hal's attack.

However, the impact caused the SDF officer to lose aim.

The light fired by the SDF officer, meant to pierce Asya, ended up missing her, deviating to the right slightly.

"Well defended, Haruga Haruomi."

Despite failing to strike his target, the SDF officer spoke in a carefree manner.

The haze obscuring his face dissipated. A head of silver hair. Pale complexion, handsome face. Hal remembered this face, which he had seen once before&mdash;It was Pavel Galad's human form.

In the next instant...

"En garde!"

Galad in human form charged forward with a thrust of his longsword!

Hal blocked the blade using imperishable protection. Naturally, the sword was the dragonslaying sword. Instantly, the opponent's attire transformed into a summer jacket, a shirt, and pants, probably disguised using illusory magic previously.

"So the four dragons rampaging in the air&mdash;They're all fake!?"

"Smart as always. I had considered, if presented with the opportunity... I would attack your retainers in this form, to eliminate them secretly."

"!?"

"Nevertheless, as one might expect of your followers, they were all very sharp and alert. I had a feeling that it would not be easy to dispose of them even if I disguised my appearance, hence&mdash;"

Hal was in shock for a moment, but immediately stopped worrying.

He was originally afraid that the three leviathans had crashed because something had happened to the witches, but that was apparently not the case. Even now, Asya had started to sprint at full speed, distancing herself from Galad's human form.

She ran into the ship from the deck to avoid getting in Hal's way.

"Anyway, Haruomi! I'm leaving the rest to you!"

Asya never did anything reckless beyond the limits of her own abilities.

Impressive as always, the judgment of a seasoned warrior. However&mdash;Runes of Ruruk Soun suddenly appeared under her feet, signifying a "binding curse."

Asya's sprint was halted unnaturally.

The silver-haired childhood friend had been immobilized by restraining magic!

"Asya!"

Hal yelled then witnessed with his own eyes.

Soaring gallantly in the sky, Rushalka stopped flapping her wings and crashed.

After falling into Tokyo Bay, she floated helplessly on the sea surface like timber from a shipwreck. The other three leviathans were in the same state.
[[image:Leviathan 07 BW07.jpg|thumb]]

"You used the same 'binding curse' on the others too!?"

"Yes. As for you&mdash;I would like us to embark on a journey together."

Runes of Ruruk Soun were shining over the head of Galad's human form.

A total of four runes. Their arrangement signified High-Speed Flight. Hal's body immediately floated off the ground.

"Haruomi!?"

Even though her body could not move, Asya could still use her voice, apparently. Hal heard her scream in surprise.

However, Hal did not stop flying as a result, Together with Galad's human form, he rose up gradually, flying away from his childhood friend and the escort ship.

"Sure enough, transforming into a human is quite tiring."

Galad's human form began to shapeshift in front of him.

Within the blink of an eye, the handsome young man turned into a silver-white elite dragon. His height also increased all at once from 180cm or so to a body length of seventeen or eighteen meters.

"Where are you taking me!?"

"First to Tokyo, I suppose. Now that I have eliminated the hindrances around you, Haruga Haruomi, I should be able to take my time dealing with you..."

Hearing that "hindrances" were "eliminated," Hal looked downwards in shock.

Thirteen runes of Ruruk Soun had appeared on the sea surface. They were extremely large, almost the same size as the 130m-long escort ship.

The arrangement signified "Open, door to another world."

Teleportation magic. A spell for transporting objects to another location...

"I'm not letting you succeed!"

"Excuse me, but those are exactly my words to you."

Hal immediately used Dispel magic, trying to erase the teleportation spell.

Dispel failed to produce any effect. Upon closer examination, he noticed that runes of Ruruk Soun for "spell resistance" had appeared before the chest of his enemy's gigantic body, having returned to a dragon's form.

Negating magic cast at extremely close range, it was a type of defensive magic.

Breaking through this spell required pouring in magic on the level of a technique of assured annihilation or pulling the spellcaster away to create some distance&mdash;That was what his magic wand, the magic gun, told him.

But it was too late.

The leviathans floating on the sea&mdash;Rushalka, Akuro-Ou, Minadzuki, and Glinda had disappeared, sucked away by the thirteen runes of "Open, door to another world."

This was not offensive magic burying them at the bottom of the sea or annihilating them completely.

Instead, it transported them to somewhere else.

"Asya! Juujouji! Shirasaka! Luna!"

Hal kept calling out to this companions. Not only were they companions but also individuals who were connected to Hal through magical bonds, hence, he immediately noticed.

(...They're gone.)

No matter how loudly he yelled or how desperately he searched, he could not reach the girls.

Haruga Haruomi's retainers&mdash;their very existence&mdash;had vanished off the face of the Earth. Even though instinct told him that the four girls were not dead, Hal still felt that they ''did not exist'' anywhere on the Earth...

Galad's mystic spell of "Open, door to another world."

This magic's terrifying effects caused not only the leviathans but also their partners to vanish from the escort ships.

"Where did you transfer them to!?"

"...All I can tell you is none of the above. Try to search carefully after you defeat me."

Hal interrogated the dragon in front of him, but the other party remained nonchalant.

While Galad was moving Hal to Tokyo at lightning speed, Hal wanted to sigh from the bottom of his heart.

"You put that island in such a conspicuous spot simply as a diversion?"

"Yes, indeed. Anything would have sufficed. So long as it drew your attention&mdash;preventing you from realizing my intentions."

"So separating me from the witches was also part of your plan."

Were their positions reversed, Hal definitely would have done the same, Hal thought gloomily.

The first step towards cornering Haruga Haruomi required eliminating the witches who assisted him.

"Still, I never thought I'd fall into your trap..."

The obsession with victory belonging to the warrior race of dragonkind.

And the meticulous caution lacking in the warrior race of dragonkind.

Having witnessed how terrifying his old foe had become after changing his ways, Hal gulped hard. How much resistance could he put up against such a monster?

Guarded by pearly protection, his body and mind were tensing up from uncertainty and nervousness.

Once again, Hal became painfully aware that "I'm not suited to battle after all." Haruga Haruomi was a not a fighter whose will to fight would ignite under such circumstances.

Even so, he had no choice but to take the bull by the horns.

Driven by duty rather than fighting spirit, Hal yelled with reckless abandon, "Queen, I beg you! Act as my limbs and settle the fight with this guy!"

With Tokyo New Town as the stage, the second round of the duel between Tyrannoi was finally beginning.

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