Editing Ultimate Antihero:Volume 4 Chapter 4 (section)

===Part 2===

“How surprising. For Raphael to suffer an embarrassing defeat.”

The wasteland of underworld at the deepest area of the labyrinth he reached.

Staring at the battlefield below from the sky, the <Archangel> Gabriel who hijacked James’s body murmured.

In his eyesight that was far stronger than them human, the figures of Raphael army that had become corpses collapsed on the battlefield were visible.

In addition the presence of Raphael that suddenly disappeared.

Gabriel was convinced from all the fact above.

――In a surprising development, the humans had annihilated Raphael and <Heaven Army> without the power of <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura.

“So the remark of that evil god is not wholly nonsense.”

――Don’t underestimate the human too much. That’s if you don’t want to lose face excessively.

Before they entered Eihort’s labyrinth.

He recalled the words of <The Crawling Chaos> that appeared before their eyes,

“Since it become like this, ……I too shall put my act in order.”

Gabriel who had never crossed sword for even once let go of the <Artifact – Excalibur>.

He liberated his own power as angel.

“-…………!”

The national defense army looked.

At how radiant light was overflowing from James body, and James’s silhouette that existed as shadow at the center was gradually changing shape.

Before long the light settled down and the one who was floating in the sky wasn’t James.

It wasn’t a human.

It was a body that was around two meter in a whole with luster that was like ashen silver metal.

His two hands from the elbow ahead became sharp huge blade, with white face that was without eyes, nose, and mouth.

That appearance which was like a knight clad in armor was exactly the figure strengthened by Gabriel’s power.

[[Image:Ultimate Antihero V4 179.jpg|thumb]]

That <Archangel> turned James’s body into angel by his own power,

“Here I come, children of man.”

Gabriel began to descend down slowly toward the land of the underworld.

This attack of the enemy’s main force that came too fast greatly shaken the national defense army of Tokyo life sphere.

“He, he comeee-!”

“This is a lie right, even though we still haven’t take care of our ally’s death!”

“Don’t be panicked! The enemy is alone! The anti-aircraft gun and the SAM! Aim them all at that guy alone and hit him with all we got-!”

In contrast with the national defense army that was preparing to flee, the commander Hasad gave out order with strong tone.

As if having their butt kicked by that order, the national defense army began anti-aircraft interception using the fortification facilities that were possessed by the fairies in panic.

――They did but,

All of that ended in nothing as if it was only natural.

“No, no good! The bullets and missiles are all slipping through!”

“Chih”

Hasad who held the command clicked his tongue in irritation toward that report.

(I heard it already at the strategy meeting but, so this is that <Holy Ground> thing……!)

Different with other angels, even though <Archangel>’s spirit status dropped down from possessing a person who didn’t pile up training as <Special Missionary>, because their original spirit status was extremely high they could maintain their <Holy Ground>.

It was to the degree that the spirit status of the like of human or fairy wouldn’t be able to even touch the <Archangel>.

No, if it was only in the level of touching, then it was possible if they were using the angel feather scattered around at their feet just like what Chikori did against Raphael before this.

But to break the <Holy Ground> and further to even inflict a decisive blow that could defeat Gabriel, then speaking about someone who could do that,

――There was only Sumika alone in this place.

That was why Hasad was begging at Sumika through mind transmission.

“<Grim Bullet> missy! What are we going to do now!? How should we act!?”

“Leader Hasad……-“

But Sumika couldn’t give an answer to the question thrown at her.

Just in case she had been thinking about various things for the sake of the second battle.

However Gabriel’s appearance was too fast, far surpassing her prediction.

She was unable to make any preparation at all..

The countermeasure she was thinking was already wholly unusable.

Now that it came to this, there was only one way to defeat Gabriel.

In the current situation, there was only one tactic they could take.

“……What can defeat that <Archangel>, is only my <Grim Bullet>……. So――, -“

But, Sumika was unable to say the detail further.

Why, it was because she was aware that the thing she was going to say couldn’t even be called a plan.

Yes, if they were going to defeat Gabriel, it would be through an act that was like directing her allies to a deep valley and having them throwing themselves down, filling that valley with their corpses so she could then cross over.

It was something that she really couldn’t say out loud.

That was why she couldn’t talk. She wasn’t talking. But――

“I got it! In other words number is everything here, all of us just need to attack and hold him down! Then missy is going to hit him with <Grim Bullet>! I rea―lly got it! Do you guys got it too!?”

“ “ “OOOOOoOOoOooo!!!!” “ “

Hasad guessed all Sumika’s thinking from her silence and gave that order.

To this the soldiers of national defense army returned their affirmative with a roar filled with strong will.

The voice of them made Sumika felt a pain that was like the flesh of her heart being twisted to the limit.

That was only natural.

Because the girl understood.

With this plan, innumerable humans would die.

Possibly even the important friends of Sumika.

However, ――there was no other plan she could propose in the current situation, now that Gabriel was coming down to the ground, she didn’t even have time to think.

“Forgive me……-“

Sumika only apologized to all the people in this place with a voice as if she was spitting out blood.

And, toward this,

“Don’t give us that kind of face <Grim Bullet>! After all we can still fight only because you are here!”

“That’s right. Even with that kind of plan, we can do it because we believe that if it’s you then you will surely beat that guy.”

Not a single one was saying any complaint, they cheered up Sumika, some people with loud voice, some people with mind transmission.

And then Hasad too, he even showed a daring smile in that heroic look.

“You said it weren’t you missy. That fighting to keep living, is the duty people who live.

But see. I too also think like this.

If it’s the duty of the living to fight for the sake of survival,




Fighting even if you have to throw away that really precious life for the sake of protecting, is the pride of human.”




“-……!”

“Don’t let it be for nothing. This obstinacy of us!”

The unshakeable determination filling Hasad and the others’ words.

Just what kind of tragedy they would fall into due to this tactic.

Toward their fighting spirit that didn’t fail even when they understood that, Sumika also resolved herself.

From the first place this <Archangel> was an opponent that she couldn’t do anything about by herself alone no matter what.

Even when she was battling Raphael, she worked out a multitude of plans before she finally was able to defeat him with everyone’s strength that she obtained.

Then,

“――Understand!”

Just like they who were believing in her, she too would believe in them.

There was nothing she could do except that.

To this resolve of Sumika,

“We will go too!”

“Yep-!”

Chikori and Lily who were standing beside her also started to move.

Their aim was the spot where Gabriel was coming down at. The very front line.

To the back of those two,

“Chikori-san. Lily! ……I will be counting on you two!”

Sumika sent them her yell.

Both of them accepted that with powerful smile and ran off.

And then――

“There will be the danger of friendly fire so don’t use firearm! The magicians are to transmute the angel’s feather to your <Arms> with <sorcery alchemy>! You guys that aren’t magician, wrap the feather with bandage to your bayonet and fight! It’s fine even if it’s just a few seconds! We are going to push back that flat face with all of us!”

“ “ “OOOOoOooOoOooOooooo――――――—!!!!” “ “

At the same time with Gabriel leisurely falling down on the battlefield, the soldiers of national defense army moved all at once.

They stuck the angel’s feather on their weapon, without any formation at all, they became like a tsunami and assaulted Gabriel.

The situation was one versus 150,000.

However the enemy was an <Archangel> that rivaled a <Demon King class> demon.

Against him there was nothing like numerical superiority.

In the next moment, something terrible would happen.

Even while being convinced of that,

(I won’t let this be pointless……! I’ll finish this in one attack!)

Sumika didn’t avert her eyes.

She readied <Grim Bullet> in both hands, she opened her eyes wide that she even forgot to blink to probe for the instant of the victory chance.

Looking at the action of those humans――




“How beautiful, all of you.”




Gabriel spilled voice that sounded admiring from somewhere in his face that didn’t have mouth.

“Eh?”

“Not considering your own life for the sake of other people, you stand against me stifling your terror. While knowing that you are no match at all, you don’t stop fighting betting on the slim hope. That spirit of self-sacrifice, is exactly the precious emotion that god loves.”

This praise of Gabriel wasn’t a lie.

He felt from the bottom of his heart that mankind’s action was nice.

And then exactly for that reason, the difference of sense of values between human and angel that was incompatible became clear right here.

“Therefore――I shall save all of you.”

Saying that, Gabriel walked on the ground as if he was sliding, he slipped through between the few hundred soldiers attacking him from the front with angel feather stuck on their bayonet, ――just as he passed through, the flesh of all people he crossed changed into meat slices around ten centimeter each after that.

<nowiki>“~~~~~~–!”</nowiki>

“Wha, what’s this. I cannot see anything!?”

“U-, oE”

That terrible spectacle of the thing that used to be human shaped turned into meat slices made the people that weren’t used to battlefield pressed on their mouth to endure their nausea.

But,

“Don’t be anxious. I don’t kill them.”

Those words of Gabriel made the soldiers quickly realized.

The lumps of meat that became small pieces.

Any one of them wasn’t trickling even a single drop of blood.

“Thi, this is……!”

“I only [unfasten] them with holy magic and make them sleep at the same time. The lives of all of you [virtuous human] belong to god. The souls that will be entrusted with the honor of becoming the land of god’s kingdom. I won’t uselessly soil the ground of this underworld with your blood. I won’t even torment you vainly. ……This <Archangel> Gabriel have responsibility, I shall lead all of you to the god’s kingdom.”

Saying that, this time Gabriel brandished his arm that became sword with all his strength.

At the same time strung up divinity was visibly surging out from his body.

That sight made Sumika’s spine shivered.

It was because Sumika was an outstanding magician that she perceived it.

That it was bad.




“GET DOWNNNNNNNNNNN—!!!!”




Even while getting herself down, she yelled by squeezing out all the air inside her lung.

At that moment――

Sumika felt chill in her neck.

It was like a cold steel was licking her nape, a chill that made her whole body trembling.

That was the proof that the spot where Sumika’s neck was just at before was thoroughly blown away,

Ninety percent of the national defense army’s soldiers at five hundred meter around Gabriel who didn’t made it in time to get their body down following Sumika’s yell were felled.

(Just with one attack, more than a thousand people……-!)

The sliced meats of their friends that were piled in front of their eyes.

Everyone shuddered from witnessing that.

And then in the middle of disastrous scene that Gabried made himself,

“Now. Following that willpower, possessing spirit of noble self-sacrifice, you can come challenging me. If your soul will shine because of that reason, I won’t blame that with irreverence. Show your worth to god to your heart’s content.”

Gabriel spread his two arms that became blade after announcing that largeheartedly.

It was as though he was even going to embrace the humans.

To this the humans,

“That’s unneeded assistance, looking down on us so high and mighty like that……-!”

Not faltering against the destruction that Gabriel brought, the second wave attack began.

The enemy was <Demon King class>.

Of course they were resolved of a destruction of this level.

No, he was surely already holding back considerable even with this.

The fact was, not a single one of the people cut by Gabriel had died.

They were parted by holy magic and were only sleeping.

Even the attack before this where more than a thousand people were felled, it was only something cute compared to Raphael’s <Megiddo Flame>.

Gabriel was still holding back.

He was going easy on them.

Then, right now was a chance.

The mankind persuaded themselves like that, all people other than those who could use Hero Skill of sure hit equipped close range weapon and carried out besieging attack from 360 degree of Gabriel with all their force.

No matter how many sacrifices would come out, they would overwhelm him with number and created an opening for <Grim Bullet>.

This war of attrition with first class suicide attack was carried out with that resolve.

Against this mankind’s number strike, Gabriel didn’t escape to the sky and kept standing on the ground.

Just like before he didn’t even show a motion of swinging his arm.

――Just what in the world he is planning.

The student knight Rozalind Wagner who was in the head of the second wave felt doubt for an instant.

But she immediately shook off that doubt from her thought.

It didn’t matter what the opponent was going to do.

What they should do was to suppress Gabriel even for a few seconds.

Then it was convenient if the enemy was just standing still defenselessly.

They would hold him down with this chance.

Encouraging herself like that, the instant she stepped into the range of five meter around Gabriel――

“e”

Rozalind saw the sight of her own field of vision tilting violently.

Gabriel didn’t make a single movement.

Nevertheless, the head and limbs of the leading pack at the second wave approaching Gabriel were disconnected from their body, crumbling down with a thump on the ground without flowing out a single drop of blood.

All of them lost consciousness without understanding what was done to them.

“Roze……-!?”

Anna who was running behind Rozalind peeled her eyes wide open to that sight.

Even Anna that was in the rear of the second wave didn’t understand what happened.

――Was Gabriel laying out a barrier that generated slash?

She didn’t understand.

But it was dangerous to recklessly approach.

“You ba,STAaRD!”

That was why Anna was firing rapidly with the machine guns reading in both her hands from slight distance.

The rear group of the second wave other than her was also making the same decision.

However, the bullets and magic beam they fired were all scattered like mist five meter around Gabriel as expected.

“Shitty bastard! He is laying out some other barrier than the <Holy Ground>!”

The soldiers firing clicked their tongue in this situation, but,

“Lies……”

Anna who had good eyesight certainly saw it.

The lead bullets she fired.

The instant where they approached Gabriel to gouge him.

Gabriel’s image that looked as if he was immobile blurred, at the next instant white glimmers ran on the firing lines and the bullets were cut apart into pieces, she saw that sight.

Yes. It wasn’t that Gabriel didn’t move.

The existences that entered his range were thoroughly cut apart thoroughly in every little bit one by one.

That speed was far faster than even bullet, to the level that human’s eyesight couldn’t possibly hop to catch sight of that swordsmanship.

(The dimension of the speed is too different……! This kind of guy, how are we going to――)

It was the end if she was caught.

In front of Anna who was shuddering like that, Gabriel brandished the blades at his both hands again in large movement that human’s eyesight couldn’t see, and his body rotated.

Damn it.

Without even any time to regret her own wavering like that,

“Kuh, ha”

Right after that, the blade of divinity that was released in circle shape around Gabriel once again mowed down his surrounding.

With that one attack, the second wave was mostly exterminated.

Anna too had her torso and waist decapitated.

There was no pain.

But sleepiness that was hard to resist stole the consciousness of the sacrifices.

(Sorry……, Hoshikawa-chan…………-)

And then Anna too crumbled down on the ground with her consciousness lost.

The mountain of meats that had became finely sliced pieces piled up.

That grotesque scene made the national defense army’s expression visibly convulsing.

But even so,

“Don’t falterrr-! Hold him down with number! It’s fine even if you just take a few second of his time-!”

“ “ “U, UOOOoOOOOOOO!!!!” “ “

They didn’t stop.

Didn’t pull back.

Everyone understood.

That as long as they didn’t defeat this enemy before them, they didn’t have any future even if they escaped.

However, not only they couldn’t even get closer to him within five meter, the damage kept increasing.

Looking at that terrible spectacle of her allies, Lily was convinced.

That by kept applying pressure with number like this, they couldn’t even touch Gabriel.

Then a trick was needed.

That was why Lily cooperated with a certain person in advance and went forward.

And then she activated her <Air Raid> just on the verge of the five meter sphere of Gabriel.

She drew an arch flying up and soared right above Gabriel.

From there,

(The greatest range of my <Gae Bolg> is 150 people strong with one attack! I will strike him with that one attack!)




“<Gae Bolg>–!!!!”




Consecutive 150 magic thrusts were unleashed from right above Gabriel in one attack.

Although it was merely 150 rapid attack of spear.

For Gabriel who showed how he dealt with the shooting in the scale of as much as a few thousand people, this <Gae Bolg> wasn’t really that big of threat.

It was a technique that he could easily defend.

――Lily also understood that.

That was why she didn’t aim at Gabriel.

What she thrust her spear at was the ground around Gabriel.

The plate of Tokyo life sphere’s outer layer.

The plate that was made into beehive by <Gae Bolg> lost its hardness and cause a collapse of approximately fifty centimeter with Gabriel as the center.

Below the place was a hollow for the sake of electric cable and water pipe to travel.

And then this phenomenon where he suddenly lost his foothold made Gabriel showed an opening.

The posture of that <Archangel> certainly stiffened in that instant,

“Now!”

[[Image:Ultimate Antihero V4 196.jpg|thumb]]

At that slight opening, Ichinotani Chikori that was waiting behind in order to match her timing with Lily in advance rushed toward Gabriel. And then――




“<Meteor Strike>――–!!!!”




She swung her fist that was gripping an angel’s feather.

This cooperation of Lily and Chikori splendidly caught Gabriel, this was the first attack of mankind that reached him.

Chikori’s fist that struck at Raphael definitely caught the stomach of Gabriel.

――That was all.

“No, way……-“

Chikori opened her eyes wide in despair and her voice trembled.

The response that came back at Chikori’s fist that struck the target, was a feedback like she was hitting at earth, a thick heavy feel that was difficult to sway.

Speaking of that thick and heavy feel, it was to the degree that it was Chikori’s fist that struck which got destructed.

“It’s splendid how that meager fist can be sublimed until this height. If you are against Raphael then he might flinch from that attack. Be that as it may……I am Gabriel. The person who is allowed to stand at the left of god’s throne. Although we are the same <Archangel> my spirit status is different with Raphael. A fist of that level won’t reach my soul.”

At the next instant, Gabriel who spread his wings widely once again rotated both his hands and cut down everything around him.

Lily, Chikori, and all other people altogether.

Even though their opponent was just a single person――

Even though he didn’t even plan to strike them down――

They couldn’t even properly approach him.

They couldn’t even touch him.

Just when they thought someone finally could touch him, even a strike with the whole might didn’t create any damage.

To that fact, all the survivors began to feel a pressure as if the sky was falling at them.

Sumika too was also, the same.

Because the girl was wise, she was recognizing the danger of the situation more than anyone.

――Compared to Garbiel, Raphael was something cute, it was outrageous.

Just how easy it would be if Gabriel was like Raphael, holding contempt against human, looking down at them, and wielded his strength recklessly.

If that was the case, they could also try to rub his emotion the wrong way to create an opening.

But, Gabriel was different.

Although this <Archangel> was restraining his killing power, but he wasn’t letting his guard down.

He was constantly serious, carrying out the command given to him from the god to [save the human].

In him there was not even a little bit of unnecessary idle thought existing.

Earnestly. Accurately just like a machine.

However due to that, no opening was created. No chance was created.

Man and angel. The difference in status of their existence that came from the difference in their basic ability was expressed in reality.

(……At this rate)

All of them would be defeated, without achieving anything.

Sumika felt a fierce impatience.

If the sacrifice would just increase unreasonably at this rate, shouldn’t she came out to make her move.

She became a prisoner of such thoughtlessness.

It was at such a time.

“――-!?”

The motion of Gabriel that was stepping forward toward the surviving force that was stricken with fear unnaturally pitched forward.

The reason was――

“I, got you……!”

At Gabriel’s feet.

The left foot of Gabriel, Chikori who lost everything below her torso was clinging with just her arm.

(I see! Chikori-san’s Hero Skill……!)

Sumika remembered.

The heroic spirit she was contracted with, the legend of the <Depraved Monk> Musashibou Benkei.

That hero continued to fight until none of his life remained, he finally met his end still standing.

The contractor of Musashibou Benkei reproduced that legend――<Standing Death> as a Hero Skill.

So to speak, she was able to maintain her consciousness and continued to fight as long as she wasn’t dead yet.

Due to that Hero Skill, the sleepiness due to Gabriel’s holy magic was ineffective against Chikori.

She was grappling Gabriel’s leg only with the strength of her arm.

And then,

“Now! Hold him down all of youuuu!”

“ “ “UAAaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!” “ “

Matching this action of Chikori, Hasad gave the command and the soldiers began to move all at once.

They were already not using weapon or anything.

With both hands that had angel feather bandaged on it, they were pinning down Gabriel.

Just like honeybees that were crushing to death a hornet that entered their nest.

And then while holding on to Gabriel, Hasad yelled.

“MISSY–! COME ON–!!”

Defeat this threat with <Grim Bullet>, with them altogether.

“-――――!”

Sumika didn’t hesitate after this far.

Everyone abandoned themselves in order to make this chance for her.

To be the only one hesitating after this late and then wasted the chance that Chikori and others grasped in deathly desperation, Sumika wasn’t that foolish.

She had already pulled the triggers of the two handguns which had finished loading the bullets――,

“<Grim Bu――”




“I see. So you are the one other <Evil God User> who defeated Raphael.”




Just like a frame that was suddenly thrust into a film that was in the middle of playing, before her eyes without any advance warning at all, the existence of a white flat face appeared in the range where their breath could be felt made her dumbfounded, all her thinking was frozen.

And then in that moment, the battle was decided in a shape where the result couldn’t be taken back anymore.

With a thump, the two hands of Sumika that were in the verge of shooting <Grim Bullet> fell on the ground.

Furthermore,

“Ku, a. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

――Different with everything until now, it was accompanied with intense pain and bleeding.

Gabriel informed with indifferent voice to Sumika who was moaning in agony.

“Fighting with the spirit of self-sacrifice for other people. Such an act delighted god, however begging for assistance to evil god is different. That is an act that is abominable to the extreme. ……O inexperienced <Evil God User>. The honor of becoming the land of god’s kingdom is wasted on you. You can meet your end in this spot.”

And then the angel raised his arm of blade mercilessly.

For the sake of lopping off the neck of the fool who relied on the evil god, the another <Evil God User>.

“Missy!”

“Leader-!?”

Even yelling, no one would make it in time to help.

There was no way they would make it.

Because to even follow the trajectory of that blade, was something impossible for them.

Therefore,

(I’m sorry, everyone……, Homura-san……-)

While trickling tear of her own incompetence, Sumika resolved herself of the end of her own life and shut her eyes.

But――

(Eh?)

Even after waiting, the cold sensation of blade in her nape didn’t come.

Even though Gabriel’s blade had the speed that eye couldn’t follow.

Just why in the world? When Sumika opened her eyes thinking that,

She saw crimson fluttering inside her small view. And then,

“Good grief. Isn’t this a complete rout. Pathetic.”

Her ear heard the astonished blunt remark of the girl.

Sumika knew that voice.

There was no way she would mistake that voice.

The reason was because that voice, was a hope for mankind.

Sumika lifted her eyelids in sudden realization,

“Vel, san……!”

She called her name. The name of the avatar of <Liber Legis>, standing between Sumika and Gabriel, a polyhedron barrier that was like a black diamond was blocking Gabriel’s slash.