Editing Leviathan:Volume 1 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 2===

"Haruga-kun, what do you mean by that?"

"Just solving a simple arithmetic problem. Since there is the option of one person surviving, of course that's better than all three of us getting killed," explained Hal indifferently to Orihime who was glaring harshly at him.

Meanwhile, he was sitting collapsed on the magic circle he had constructed earlier for the ritual.

High in the sky, Raak Al Soth was flying while shooting flames confidently at the ground. And Rushalka was blocking them with her body.

Soth probably intended to gradually increase the flames' heat by shooting them continually.

Whenever the flames seemed like they were about to end, he would start spewing them out again the next instant.

In order to protect Asya, Hal and Orihime on the ground, Rushalka could not dodge. Although she could still endure for now, time seemed to be running out. Hal said, "Getting back to New Town on foot is tough and very dangerous... But compared to getting killed by that elite, it's probably not much of a trial. Also, it's less likely you'll be spotted compared to moving in a vehicle."

"Don't be silly. If I'm going to escape, I'm taking you with me, Haruga-kun."

The rational suggestion was rejected by an impulsive declaration.

How stupid. Although Hal was quite skinny in physique, he was no baby.

A girl as slender as Orihime could not possibly carry him on her back.

"I don't know whether you've been afflicted with a mental disorder or Taira no Masakado's curse but I'm not shameless enough to run away and leave behind someone who's like a patient. Doing that would surely weigh unbearably on my conscience, causing me to acquire a mental disorder instead."

Despite understanding that this choice would lead to her own demise, she still adhered nobly and faithfully to kindness.

Hal sighed. In fact, he had already predicted this.

Considering the Princess here, this sort of answer was very possible.

Despite the hallucinations tormenting him, Hal still turned his gaze to the sky.

Rushalka was engaged in a desperate battle against the elite dragon's Fire Breath. However, seizing the instant of interruption in the opponent's flames, she finally counterattacked.

"Rushalka!" commanded Asya.

In that instant, Rushalka exhibited great fluidity in motion.

She suddenly flew as smoothly as water flowing down in accordance to elevation.

A rapid ascent with astounding calmness.

Nevertheless, the speed was as fast as lightning. Using just an instant, Rushalka closed in and arrived in front of Soth, then she stabbed her single horn at the elite dragon's neck.

If the neck's center could be pierced, perhaps a critical wound might be inflicted.

Relying on bestial reflexes again, Soth twisted his neck to one side and avoided the horn's attack. What a shame.

Still, the desire to seek victory was amazing in refusing to miss tiny openings so as to counterattack.

Within Hal's flame-enshrouded view&mdash;

Asya's elegant face was filled with acuity and solemnity, truly awe-inspiring.

Although the young maiden was as delicate as a fairy or an antique doll, only at times like these during battle did her image rise to her most beautiful, looking like a painting.

"...If she were like this all the time, perhaps I might even fall for her..." murmured Hal in mesmerization.

If his childhood friend emerged victorious just like that, there would be no problem.

But on further thought, it was just a hope of fantasy. Hal secretly prepared himself for the worst.



"Haruomi is really in bad shape..." murmured Asya, glancing at her childhood friend collapsed on the ground. Haruomi did not possess the power to fight dragons to begin with, but he was a boy who was used to such battlefields.

The witch candidate from the client's side and her childhood friend&mdash;Neither could be allowed to die.

Committing her resolve, Asya glared at Soth.

Meanwhile, her "serpent" Rushalka had just taken the opportunity to attack Soth with her horn. Now, Rushalka had flown back to above Asya, waiting in the air to prepare for the next exchange of attacks.

Asya nodded. Using guerrilla tactics would be best for now.

It was not yet time to instigate a close-range brawl.

Biting the enemy's neck while wrestling with each other...

Such crude tactics were only applicable when the opponent revealed more openings. Right now, what she ought to do was&mdash;

"Rushalka, form an enclosure using pseudo-divinity!"

Asya threw out one of her trump cards. Namely, allowing Rushalka to use magic.

Kyuahhhhhhhhhhh!

The wyvern-shaped blue serpent cried out shrilly.

As a result, the concrete below was split open as a violent torrent of water gushed out from within.

Rushalka had summoned a pillar of water. This water pillar divided itself into two along the way. The end of each water pillar took on the shape of a snake's head, wriggling restlessly like a slithering snake's.

Simply stated, the large amount of water bursting forth had transformed into a giant ''two-headed snake''.

The two-headed snake of water extended its long necks to form a circle, surrounding Rushalka all three hundred and sixty degrees like a barrier.

With this, the continual attacks of fiery breath earlier would no longer be a problem.

The snake of water was constituted using the pseudo-divinity of water.

A water deity's power was capable of suppressing flames and sealing away evil powers. The water snake's heads were guarding on Rushalka's left and right respectively.

Leviathans were able to invoke magic rivaling that of elite dragons.

Namely, ''pseudo-divinity'', the trump cards of witches like Asya.

"Don't attack yet, Rushalka. Right now, prioritize protecting yourself and us," whispered Asya softly.

In Rushalka's current state, she was unable to muster the kind of destructive power required to suddenly charge the elite dragon and rampage all the way to the end. In that case, persisting in thorough defense was the better choice.

Let Soth attack if that was what he wanted. She was going to wait like this until the opponent grew tired and presented a opening.

Once the opportunity arrived, she would aim for that bronze-colored throat&mdash;

"Fufu, I never knew an ''imitation'' could lead its own minions!"

Looking at Rushalka and the ''two-headed snake'', Soth snickered.

"A tough fight indeed. But what a shame that you are injured. Originally, you could have amused me by using many more fancy tricks..."

He had seen through the fact that the enemy side was not at peak condition. Asya frowned.

The number of times that a "serpent" could invoke pseudo-divinity was dependent on the partner. Asya was a Level 5 witch.

This implied that she possessed the power to "order the use of divinity five times a day."

Originally, she should have chosen to use spells at an earlier opportunity.

But she only used it this late due to considerations for the burden it would impose on Rushalka.

Invoking divinity would greatly reduce the lifespan of the "serpent" whose days were already numbered. Restraint was necessary to use her partner's remaining life with effectiveness.

"This rare strength and resilience has been compromised by injury? Truly a shame and quite a mood killer. Know that this is my very first prey after coming out of hibernation!"

There were many among elite dragons who adhered rigidly to their own peculiar aesthetic sense.

Asya could not help but feel suspicious while recalling that fact. What exactly was he trying to say?

"O dim-witted Jabones, respond to the summons of the Zizou, seekers along the Road to Kingship."

Soth chanted an incantation. As a result, shooting stars suddenly appeared in the night sky.

A number of lights were descending on the earth from satellite orbits.

This was not a sudden meteor shower. Nowadays, dragonkind had built a number of colonies on satellite orbits and the moon's surface where large numbers of Raptors&mdash;lesser dragons&mdash;inhabited.

"Are you summoning minions too!?"

"Mmm-hmm. Didn't I say that my mood was killed? The winged lizards shall serve as your opponents."

Streaking across the sky, the meteors landed between Soth and Rushalka.

Roughly thirty in number, they were all dragons smaller than Rushalka. Descending from the sky were steel-colored lesser dragons, Raptor Draconis.

Indeed. Elites were able to magically summon groups of lessers, commanding them as they pleased!

Before their eyes were the non-sapient Raptors, pure beasts. Normally, they would attack Rushalka without any leadership or tactics but this time, things were different.

The Raptors surrounded Rushalka in an organized fashion, forming a net of encirclement.

Following Raak Al Soth's directions, they were taking combat action as an army.

"Then I shall excuse myself... Allow me to claim the treasure."

Leaving the battlefield to his minions, Soth slowly and calmly spread his wings.

The elite dragon's gaze was cast down onto the magic circle on the ground, the white copper mirror located at its very center&mdash;In other words, the divine artifact that had caught his eye.

Just as Asya clicked her tongue to engage the Raptor group in battle&mdash;

Haruomi suddenly took unexpected action.



Just as he had feared, numerous Raptors had flown in from the sky.

Hal sighed. It looked like he had no choice but to try out ''that'' plan. Because it was a very uncertain challenge, he really wanted to avoid using it unless necessary&mdash;

Hal strained to use his right hand, which was having trouble moving freely, to search the interior of his waist pouch.

Inside was a folding knife. Taking it out, Hal flicked out the knife edge.

&mdash;Hal had dispelled the state of paralysis and hallucination of flames before by pure vigor alone.

''In that case, let's try it again''. Hal gripped the blade hard with his left hand.

"Ow... It really hurts!"

"Hold on, Haruga-kun, what on earth are you doing!?"

Naturally, his left palm was cut open and dripping with blood.

Frightened by Hal's sudden act of self-mutilation, Orihime looked into his face with worry.

In that very instant, Hal's field of view became clear, no longer shrouded by flames. The pain had driven away the bizarre hallucination.

Orihime's pale face looked very clear and distinct. His legs... were now able to gather strength.

Hal said to the beauty who was up very close, "You seem to have forgotten this. If any accident occurs during the ritual, protecting you is part of the job we are undertaking. Not doing my job properly is unacceptable..."

"Eh?"

Hal finally stood up with difficulty. Leaving the surprised Orihime behind, he stumbled his way to the pedestal set up at the center of the magic circle and grabbed the white copper mirror on top of it.

This was the Grave Good provided by the client to be used during the covenant ritual to become the Heartmetal.

Hal proceeded to drag himself unsteadily into the driver's seat of the light motor vehicle. Turning the key in the ignition, he started the engine.

"Sorry, I'll be taking away the thing you want!"

Hal opened the car window and yelled to the sky. A taunt directed at the elite dragon.

As a result, Soth went "Hmm?" in the air, a little surprised. He never expected to hear such a declaration from Haruomi whom he acknowledged as nothing more than a monkey.

"Oh?"

Hal could feel Soth's gaze piercing him and the car.

By this point, his heart still felt inexplicably afraid. Rushalka was surrounded by over thirty Raptors. Judging from the current situation, he could not expect his childhood friend's assistance for now.

Hal made eye contact with Asya on the ground again.

The childhood friend nodded lightly. She understood Hal's intent.

However, it was nothing so amazing that one would call it intent. After all, Hal was just taking action in reckless abandon.

The current situation was almost hopeless.

By taking away the "treasure" that had caught the elite dragon's eye, it would be great if he managed to divert Soth's attention.

It would be even better if Soth sent several Raptors to chase him. It would not be much, but at least Rushalka's burden could be lessened somewhat.

Then after that, what awaited Hal was probably a tragic fate.

But at least it would be a thousand times better than getting crushed by those dragons. In addition, making a desperate struggle like this might perhaps lead to survival...

Rather than relying on magic, Hal and his childhood friend simply communicated their thoughts to each other through silent mutual understanding.

(I'm counting on you, Haruomi. But I don't intend to say a final farewell to you here!)

(The same goes for you. We must live on no matter what.)

Asya nodded as though saying "go" and blinked with determination, absolutely refusing to say goodbye, displaying a warrior's calm solemnity&mdash;

All this served to clearly express the childhood friend's thoughts.

She was probably reading Hal's inner thoughts in a similar manner.

Hence, Hal floored the car's gas pedal without giving Asya another look.

"Haruga-kun! Using yourself as bait is way too reckless!"

He could hear Orihime's voice. The Princess had apparently realized Hal's intentions.

Hal remained convinced that she was not cut out for great accomplishments as a witch. But perhaps just as she claimed, she might turn out to be unexpectedly talented in fighting. Such were the rude thoughts crossing Hal's mind.

Heeding Orihime no more, Hal drove the car to leave the scene on his own.

Departing from the university campus that had turned into an altar then a battlefield, the car sped along the sloped Hongou Street.

First, Hal drove south to the former districts of Ōtemachi and Marunouchi. He decided he would abandon the car after pulling ahead some distance, then escape into the wasteland...

Fortunately, Hal was very familiar with the geographic environment.

Although he did not visit very often, this was his hometown after all.

Hal and his father were both members of SAURU who made a living relying on magic. There were several occasions in the past when he had to hand in research reports to headquarters, thus requiring him to infiltrate the Tokyo Concession where magical power exceeded normal parameters.

Even without looking at a map, Hal could still remember major roads and shortcuts.

If things went smoothly, he ought to have ample chance to escape with his life&mdash;

"What!?"

Just as Hal was persuading himself with optimistic speculation, he jumped in fright.

Reflected in the rear-view mirror was a flying object that was closing in at a leisurely rate.

The bronze dragon was flying with confidence, his wings spread out in leisure while he chased after Hal.

Without rising in altitude, he was flying courteously above the traffic lanes.

Soth was most likely doing this to make Hal realize the fact that he was being chased. It was possible that Soth wanted to go on a hunt.

Hal had not expected Soth to come chasing after him as the leader&mdash;

If it were a single Raptor, he might have been able to use magic to escape by the skin of his teeth!

Soth was evidently serious when he declared himself weary of Rushalka and Asya. Then opening his jaws wide, he was undoubtedly planning to breathe out fire.