Editing City Series:Volume6c Chapter7 (section)

===Part 5===

Hazel was tossed around all over the place atop Scwharz Löwe’s shoulder. A container created from one of the RB-21’s fixed seats had been installed there, presumably a rush job by Corelle.

She braced her legs against the inside of the container to holder herself in place and faced their opponent with her hair dancing in the wind.

Her right eye was already colored red. And she was linked to Scwharz Löwe.

The enemy she saw was colored silver. It was surrounded by the waves of bluish-white Lives carried by the wind.

The silver Heavy Barrel left the empty sky and the crimson-burning land behind to rush toward them. It emitted a powerful but wavering wind from its wings.

“The Messiah’s presence here is beyond anything I predicted.”

“I can’t say I predicted getting a chance to fight a bigshot like you while just trying to escape, General Graham Karlsruhe, second in command of the Geheimnis Agency!”

Berger spoke through Scwharz Löwe’s vocal device.

The wind was on the move.

They raced through the sky, Scwharz Löwe’s sword and Heiliger’s sword clashed before Hazel’s eyes, and sparks flew.

This time, they didn’t have the equipment necessary to remake Gelegenheit for use by a Heavy Barrel.

The battle came down to pure sword skills and a rapid series of strikes had begun.

<The Messiah travels the deserted field.>

Even when they dodged and escaped, Silber Löwe would circle back in front of them soon enough. He used only the machine’s abilities, never using an Ober Emblem, yet he fought equally with the Messiah-assisted Scwharz Löwe.

“I will take the Messiah from you, divinely-named young man.”

“She isn’t just some thing to be taken!!”

Berger attacked once and Heiliger attacked thrice in return.

“!?”

<The Messiah does not fear power.>

They dodged it. She read the wind and conveyed the information to him. But the next attack was already coming.

“I will end this here and fulfill our commander’s prophecy.”

Berger did not respond.

He was too preoccupied.

Silber Löwe suddenly accelerated through the sky like it had loosed all the power it had built up.

It charged in even faster than before, never letting up on the attacks.

“!?”

Berger made an attack just before the moment of impact, but it was deflected.

Silber Löwe’s shoulder crashed into them.

They heard a voice in that moment.

“Reflex speed: approximately x180. Power pressurization: x20.”

Silber Löwe emitted white steam from its entire body and then broke through the cloud of steam.

Its shoulder dug into Schwarz Löwe’s gut, breaking both their armors, and…

“––––––!!”

Schwarz Löwe was launched backwards.

The sound of breaking metal was accompanied by a powerful impact pushing up at them from below.

“Kyah!!”

Hazel doubled over, feeling like her organs were being pushed up on, but then she realized the force had left her.

She shut her eyes for a moment and reopened them to see the night sky.

She saw the moon shining in the terribly calm heights.

“Eh?”

She was flying through the sky. She had been launched from Schwarz Löwe’s container.

Only when she felt the wind blowing up at her long hair and skirt did she realize she had begun to descend. She had entered one of the simplest of actions: a fall.

A brief cry escaped her lips, but then it felt like her lungs were out of air.

She had nothing to support herself and nothing to orient herself. Her hands only clawed at empty space while her head and shoulders felt a wall of air.

The only things nearby were the Lives of the night breeze.

She was falling.