Editing Leviathan:Volume 3 Chapter 5 (section)

===Part 3===

With the eccentric old dragon's demise, two inheritors of dragonslaying power were reunited.

At the shore of the Kyuedogawa, Hal and Pavel Galad were finally face to face. Two witches watched them from a slight distance away.

"Conferring the ancient sovereign's appearance upon imitations, thereby allowing temporary ascension to the throne&mdash;Truly a fearsome power. This ought to be named the secret ritual of imperial election..."

"Imperial election? Oh, you mean electing an emperor? Like what those prince-electors did."

Hal understood what Galad had implied.

Prince-electors. A name given to powerful princes of the Holy Roman Empire in medieval Europe who held the exclusive privilege of electing the "king." This authority was shared between high-ranking nobles and Catholic archbishops.

"I never expected such a massive gap to arise between us in such short time."

"Well, you were heavily injured, after all."

Galad muttered, unable to conceal his disappointment, hence Hal shrugged.

What was formerly such a powerful silver dragon was now kneeling on the ground in human form, because he did not even have the strength to stand up. The silver-haired and handsome young man looked extremely disheartened in demeanor.

However, Galad shook his head and refuted Hal's words in chagrin.

"That is not what I mean. The 'secret ritual of imperial election' you have acquired is but a mere step from reaching the lofty heights of the dragon kings&mdash;That is how potent a power it is. You are now the Tyrannos closest to the throne."

"......"

That being said, Hal totally had no wish to increase his ranking on that front.

He sighed lightly and decided to change the subject. After all, there were more urgent matters to attend to.

"Let's put the long-winded discussion aside for now. Anyway, do you want to join forces with me?"

"What did you say?"

"It's fine if you want to stay in Tokyo for a brief while. We'll reach an agreement to coexist temporarily without letting the Japanese populace know. Compared to having Princess Yukikaze as a neighbor, we&mdash;no, I&mdash;would rather accept you."

"You wish... to join forces with me?"

Facing Galad's handsome but dumbfounded face, Hal nodded.

The dragon before him was an extremely dangerous monster, having killed many humans personally in the past. If one were to seek the entire nation's opinion through a referendum, opposition would most likely be overwhelming.

However, Hal currently wanted to secure "another faction" even if it meant going against public consensus.

"Please. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Besides, both of us are weak and powerless in the face of the dragon kings. Instead of killing ourselves through infighting, taking arms together is how we can come out in a win-win scenario."

"Do not be ridiculous. As a pure-blooded dragon, how could I possibly join forces with the likes of a human&mdash;"

"Oh my, what's wrong with doing it once in a while? Besides, you're currently in human form right now."

"......"

"Also, the reason why Exhos failed to find you for the past few days was thanks to hiding among humans. I heard it from the girls who were with you."

"Ugh..."

It looked like Hal had exposed what Galad hated to touch upon. His gaze turned dark and vicious.

However, it only lasted for an instant. The dragon warrior's handsome face, full of manliness, showed an impressed look as he narrowed his eyes slightly to stare at Hal.

"More than just the power of imperial selection huh...? You have changed greatly within short time."

"Too much happened, after all. If possible, I'd rather live ordinary days as an ordinary citizen."

Hal never expected he would be making private deals with a dragon like this one day&mdash;

Right now, Hal was in a situation he never would have imagined in the past. However, he wanted to avoid death and also hoped to retire at the age of forty to live the rest of his life in leisure. And in order to achieve this goal, the world needed to become more peaceful than its current state.

Both active and passive, that was the nature of Hal's motives.

"Bow user... I recall your name being Haruomi."

"Yeah. I'm honored you remember me."

"Fighting side by side... If that is the case, naturally, I must confront ''that''."

Galad glanced at the Kyuedogawa river mouth&mdash;Tokyo Bay's starting point.

He must have noticed too. A new enemy was approaching. However, the dragon betrayed Hal's expectations despite the beginning collapse of his obstinacy, rooted in his hot-blooded character, in a mere instant.

"Nevertheless, it is impossible. I have exhausted my powers in the earlier battle. I do not have any remaining strength to fight alongside you."

"Sigh, I was guessing this might be the case."

Hal sighed again, having lost count how many times he had sighed today.

Concerned about this point, He had discussed with Luna Francois beforehand to see if they could locate Pavel Galad before the Yukikaze faction did. The result of this negotiation also turned out as expected.

"I might make the same request if an opportunity arises in the future. Lend me your aid when the time comes."

"...Are you not going to kill me? Haruomi."

"The enemy's enemy could turn into a friend. I won't kill you off pointlessly."

After saying this on purpose in a casual tone of voice, Hal returned to his companions.

Since Galad could not be used, he should be shot and killed on the spot to eliminate a future threat. Hal had deliberately pretended to have overlooked this option.

"No good, I guess? Looks like I'll have to call negotiations a wrap for today."

"No helping it. It's our turn next."

"&mdash;So last time's giant turtle really is the princess' servant!"

Asya nodded after listening to Hal's report. Looking through binoculars, Orihime cried out. The Japanese girl was currently looking in Tokyo Bay's direction at the river mouth.

A "black dot" could be seen on the horizon. It was gradually approaching.

Facing Hal who was nodding in response, Asya said, "While Haruomi and Galad were talking, Luna brought news. The remaining Raptors have been completely destroyed by her Glinda."

"As expected of the Shootdown Ace from America."

"However, It seems that the JMSDF has also issued a report."

After the complete annihilation of the Raptors at Minamikasai&mdash;

Having summoned Glinda back to Shin-Kiba, the American witch had received a report. The dragon king's minion that had appeared offshore of Haneda four days prior, Genbu-Ou&mdash;that giant turtle&mdash;had apparently floated up from the sea in Tokyo Bay and was heading towards the Kyuedogawa river mouth.

The star performer was finally arriving on stage. Asya immediately announced, "We'll first have Rushalka fight as much as possible. Once she reaches her limit, entrust the queen's power to Akuro-Ou&mdash;I'm counting on you, Orihime-san."

"Yes, leave it to me!"

What Pavel Galad called the "secret ritual of imperial election" was the trump card of Hal and the others.

It did not equate to unlimited power. Only one vassal could take on Queen Form, which was why they decided to have Rushalka, whose capabilities were top-notch, to transform into the queen while relegating Akuro-Ou to support.

As for Glinda and Minadzuki, who had received the Rune of the Bow, they were in the back on standby.

Hal's magic gun also had remaining ammunition. There was probably no other city in the world with an anti-dragon lineup comparable to this.

"Unfortunately, this still won't be enough, but all we can do is try."

"Yes. Times like these could be described as having 'nothing to lose in trying,' right?"

"Even Orihime-san has learned these magic words at last..."

The three of them chatted while jogging over to the bank near the river mouth.

Genbu-Ou, the gigantic minion almost a hundred meters in length, was gradually approaching from Tokyo Bay. Its supermassive body was charging over the sea, probably two or three kilometers from the river mouth.

"Should I have Rushalka snipe with the bow first...?"

Just as Asya was murmuring to herself...

'Fufufufu. The time for a rematch has arrived so soon, Haruomi!'

Adorable laughter resounded across the night sky. It was Princess Yukikaze's announcement. She was watching Hal from somewhere up high.

'That being said, my earlier injury has yet to heal... For the time being, my minion, Genbu-Ou, shall serve as your opponent. Please do not underestimate Genbu-Ou.'

Backing up the princess' casual voice, Genbu-Ou vocalized loudly while approaching on the sea.

GOAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAATH!

'Just as you are able to entrust the dragonslaying bow to subordinates, I, Yukikaze, can also turn my servant into a dragonslaying arrow. Fufu, although nowhere as light and agile as I, Yukikaze, Genbu-Ou is still a force to be reckoned with once turned into an arrow. Let's fight fair and square, Haruomi!'

The challenge she issued was dignified as a king's yet playful and innocent like a child's.

Perhaps Princess Yukikaze was treating Hal as a "rare playmate." Even Hinokagutsuchi whispered from inside the magic gun, "Hmm. The little lady seems to like you very much."

"It really doesn't make me happy to be liked in this manner..."

The instant Hal muttered quietly, Genbu-Ou underwent a transformation over the sea.

The gigantic body, a hundred meters in length, began to emit golden light. This was the same phenomenon as witnessed offshore of Haneda previously. Genbu-Ou's glowing brawny body was closing in on the river mouth.

Several hundred meters away from landing. Asya instantly yelled, "Rushalka, equip the queen's bow! And use pseudo-divinity!"

"Akuro-Ou, you use fire magic too! And with the Rune of the Bow!"

Orihime commanded immediately as well.

Using pseudo-divinity and the Rune of the Bow simultaneously, the two girls intended to attack with a technique of assured annihilation.

However, it seemed like they were not using the "sun-shooting divine bow," right? Being their greatest trump card, but extremely costly in consumption, it was imperative to wait for the right moment before using it.

Tasked with their orders, the two "serpents" happened to be hovering overhead, biding their time to act.

Rushalka in Queen Form first summoned the crimson bow to her left hand.

Then her right hand conjured an ice arrow&mdash;from arrowhead to the fletchings, the arrow was sculpted from ice&mdash;then shot it swiftly. As soon as the arrow left the bow, almost a hundred identical ice arrows appeared behind the blue wyvern's back.

The scene of a large amount of arrows in the air was both magnificent and fearsome.

"Rushalka, Magic Missile!"

Responding to Asya's command, the remaining arrows all shot at Genbu-Ou simultaneously.

It was like heavy machine gunfire. Meanwhile, Orihime also took the opportunity to yell, "Now is the time, fire!"

Akuro-Ou summoned nine black arrowheads.

These arrowheads flew to a position above the approaching Genbu-Ou before releasing flames together. Nine beams of flame attempted to incinerate the gigantic turtle minion. At this moment, the ice arrows rained down like a sudden downpour. However, none of this worked.

Enveloped in golden light, Genbu-Ou's gigantic body remained completely unharmed.

"Last time it didn't work either when I shot my gun..."

"Well, that humongous mass itself seems to be the 'arrow'..."

Hinokagutsuchi's voice whispered privately to Hal after he gasped.

"In all likelihood, that thing should be sluggish in reaction with substantial limits on speed too. However, stopping its advance will be as much of a hassle as preventing Yukikaze from flying, brat!"

"That's why it's best not to have a frontal clash, right!?"

"Let's shift locations first! Orihime-san, counting on you!"

"Yes. Akuro-Ou, please!"

Shining with golden light, Genbu-Ou invaded the river mouth.

Genbu-Ou was only dozens of meters away from Hal's group. However, Akuro-Ou descended from the sky at this moment, then shrank her body upon landing, becoming roughly three meters long.

Orihime, Hal and Asya climbed onto the white fox-wolf's back desperately.

After all of them had mounted, Akuro-Ou immediately took a leap, using the momentum to start flying. Suddenly, Hal looked down at the ground in sudden realization.

Mutou-san and Funaki-san might still be inside the community center.

No signs of people could be seen in that area. The three microbuses parked at the bus terminus had disappeared, so presumably, they ought to have evacuated swiftly. After all, with giant monsters battling nearby, it would be only logical&mdash;

Just as Hal felt relieved, the enormous monster from the sea reached the river shore.

Instantly, the golden light surrounding Genbu-Ou's entire body exploded. It was like some kind of gigantic detonation. Asya immediately yelled, "Rushalka, deploy imperishable protection...!"

The blue wyvern flew next to Akuro-Ou and deployed a pearl-colored defensive field.

Hal also ordered the Rune of the Bow to guard himself and his companions using the same power of protection. Next, the golden light's explosion devoured the surroundings&mdash;

Two minutes later, the field of view, dyed golden by the explosion of light, gradually returned to clarity.

Looking down at the ground from Akuro-Ou's back in their aerial escape, Hal and the others could not help but fall speechless in surprise.

The whole vicinity had been cleared out to become a new stretch of empty land. The vast lawn on the riverside, roads, houses in Minamikasai, towns and neighborhoods&mdash;Everything had been swept away cleanly.

On closer examination, one could see a crater near the river mouth with a radius of two kilometers.

Furthermore, the area five or six kilometers surrounding the crater had been flattened by the light's explosion, completely destroying everything above ground.

Within this vast plain, the only moving living creature was the gigantic Genbu-Ou.

"Haruga-kun, look at that!"

Orihime pointed in the air from atop Akuro-Ou's back.

Flying there was a steel-colored Raptor. Held by its hind limb was a handsome young man, Pavel Galad in human form.

The Raptor released Galad after landing on the plain, then took flight again.

"By exhausting his last strength, he managed to summon one... Looks like that's what happened."

"But since the Raptor immediately left... I suppose Galad really doesn't have any remaining energy to sustain the summon."

Similarly, Asya and Hal nodded at each other on top of Akuro-Ou's back.

Incidentally, there was roughly a kilometer of distance between Genbu-Ou and Galad on the plain.

'Oh, what is this? Isn't it the silver dragon who had inherited the sword?'

Naturally, the voice echoing in the air was Princess Yukikaze's.

'Speaking of which, I received news that you were hiding in these lands. This is perfect. I shall take care of you while I am at it&mdash;Genbu-Ou, attack again. Do it more thoroughly this time.'

On the ground, Galad did not respond to the princess' voice.

Lying on the barren plain, he was squirming in pain. Literally as one might describe in an insult, he did not even have the strength to retort.

But judging from his personality, it was possible that his heart was shaking precisely due to the shame.

And having received the master's orders, Genbu-Ou&mdash;stood up, surprisingly. The gigantic turtle, a hundred meters long, had originally been crawling on all fours after landing.

But suddenly, Genbu-Ou stood upright on stubby hind legs.

Then glowing golden again, Genbu-Ou took flight, flying up in the sky like a rocket&mdash;towards the night sky where fleecy clouds were floating scattered. Hal gasped.

"Since that big thing is also a 'dragonslaying arrow'... Won't it take the same action as Princess Yukikaze last time?"

"&mdash;! You mean the finishing move of descending from a great height!"

Orihime had apparently pictured the same thing. Her expression was very stiff.

"If that thing crashes down, let alone a street... I fear the entire region will be wiped out, right?"

"That would be least of it. Although it's ultimately just an intuitive hunch of mine, had we failed to stop the princess' rapid descent, around 80% of New Town would've been pulverized."

Adding an even worse prediction to Hal's estimation, Asya said quietly, "In that case, we'll just have to stop it the same way."

"Asya-san will resist with a finishing move too, like earlier!" said Orihime. However, Hal's childhood friend murmured with a gloomy expression, "Frankly speaking... I'm not confident I can achieve the same outcome as last time. As Princess Yukikaze pointed out, it was probably because she had been careless. She can't possibly repeat the same mistake twice&mdash;But I'll try my best."

With a determined look, Asya said, "We are not fighting in solitude. Let's gamble on this fact."


The giant minion, Genbu-Ou, was rapidly descending from an extreme height estimated to be ten thousand meters.

Rushalka, Akuro-Ou and the three humans landed on the ground, preparing to intercept. Although Pavel Galad's human body was also quite nearby, they did not have the luxury to tend to him.

In Queen Form, Rushalka nocked an arrow of light on the crimson bow, aiming it at the sky.

Akuro-Ou returned to her normal size and waited on standby some distance away. After Hal and the witches exchanged nods with one another, Asya cried out fiercely, "Rushalka, Double Cast pseudo-divinity of the Moon! Receive the power of the moon!"

Leviathans were heaven-sent children of the moon and night.

In order to receive magical power from the brightly shining full moon in the sky, Asya commanded the invocation of divinity, thereby pouring the obtained power into the crimson bow. Then twenty-one runes of Ruruk Soun appeared behind Rushalka's back, signifying "I will fire the sun-shooting divine bow at the sky, to exterminate the sun."

Shining with golden light, Genbu-Ou was currently falling from the sky, belly exposed.

Like a meteor, hurtling straight at Hal's group from overhead!

"Now is the time&mdash;!"

At Asya's command, Rushalka drew the bow and shot.

The arrow of light released from the crimson bow flew in a straight line and was about to pierce Genbu-Ou's abdomen&mdash;However, the runes of Ruruk Soun for "shield" manifested at that moment to block the arrow of light!

Nevertheless, the sun-shooting divine bow lived up to its name as a technique of assured annihilation.

Blowing apart the fifteen-rune arrangement of "shield," it pierced Genbu-Ou magnificently.

However, this did not mean that things were over. Enveloped in blazing flame, the turtle's supermassive body began to burn intensely&mdash;

Neither exploding nor stopping, Genbu-Ou continued to fall while burning intensely.

The divine bow's firepower was not enough to destroy Genbu-Ou completely!

'I just experienced that move not too long ago! Don't think that the same attack will work twice on I, Yukikaze!'

"Well... Of course we thought of that already!"

Despite replying to the princess' echoing voice with stalwart dignity, Asya found her legs refusing to obey her.

The Double Cast for firing the sun-shooting divine bow had robbed her of stamina. However, a girl caught the exhausted senior witch in her arms. It was Orihime.

"Akuro-Ou, it's your turn next!"

The white fox-wolf answered the command with a howl.

Kuohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

In that instant, armor appeared to protect Akuro-Ou's back and flanks. Sparkling and magnificent as though made of ruby, it was a set of beautiful armor.

At the same time, Rushalka's chest armor and arms vanished as though it had been passed along&mdash;

"Use the queen's power to blow that big enemy away! We must succeed this time!"

A large-caliber cannon suddenly appeared on the armor protecting Akuro-Ou's back.

It was almost as though a tank's main cannon had been stolen and grafted onto her directly. However, the weapon was made of shining and lustrous gold. Indeed&mdash;

Orihime and Akuro-Ou had inherited the Queen Form from the heavily exhausted Asya.

Meanwhile, the gigantic Genbu-Ou continued to descend. It was now roughly a hundred meters from the ground.

Aiming at the target, Akuro-Ou fired the cannon of gold on her back.

A red flash of light exited the barrel and ascended the sky, piercing Genbu-Ou's massive abdomen.

In a addition, a white beam came flying in from the northwest. On standby at Shin-Kiba, Minadzuki had fired the dragonslaying bow again. This attack utterly tore apart Genbu-Ou's shell.

Then unleashing the final blow was&mdash;

"Rushalka, Frost Breath!"

Asya, whom Orihime was supporting, and her partner.

The breath attack of ice shards and freezing air shot from the blue wyvern's mouth towards Genbu-Ou.

Although Double Casting had almost depleted her power fully, the reborn Rushalka still had enough remaining to launch one more invocation of pseudo-divinity.

Struck by a concentrated attack from three different leviathans&mdash;

The golden light surrounding Genbu-Ou finally vanished. The giant black turtle's massive body shifted slightly in its trajectory of descent, finally falling a hundred meters away from Hal's group instead of right on top of their heads.

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

The impact's heavy rumbling resounded in all directions.

However, there was no explosion of light. Hal and his team had successfully stopped the dragonslaying arrow.

Witnessing the sight while leaning on Orihime, the master-class witch said quietly, "Looks like we took out the enemy relatively painlessly..."

"Asya!" "Asya-san!?"

Hal's childhood friend closed her eyes, falling asleep directly in exhaustion. Forcing her weakened body to launch the deathblow after a Double Cast&mdash;She had presumably reached her limit.

Tonight, Rushalka had used pseudo-divinity five times.

As a Level 5 witch, Asya could order her "serpent" to invoke divinity five times.

In other words, she had fully exhausted her power. While feeling grateful to his childhood friend, Hal inquired of the magic gun in his right hand, i.e. Hinokagutsuchi.

"Is that big thing dead?"

After crashing to the ground, Genbu-Ou's massive body had not budged an inch.

Not only that, the pitch-black body was gradually turning gray. The discolored portions immediately began to weather away, crumbling in collapse.

"Yes. After all, it suffered such a harsh blow. Due to the excessive body size, it had no other method of fighting apart from charging using momentum."

"At that kind of size, simply charging is already enough to cause extraordinary devastation..."

Despite muttering that, Hal also felt relieved. At this moment, Hinokagutsuchi whispered "Hmm?"

After putting down the sleeping Asya on the ground, Orihime asked, "What is the matter, Kagutsuchi-san?"

"Well... I stand corrected. The little lady, Yukikaze, has made an interesting move."

The magic gun's guardian spoke ominous words.

The meaning of her words immediately came clear. Genbu-Ou's massive body kept weathering away before Hal's eyes, turning into dust. Finally losing all semblance of its original form, the body collapsed completely.

However, a large serpent was hiding within the debris.

It was twenty meters or so in body length with a black surface and even featured what seemed to be a pair of bat wings on its back. No limbs.

A black serpent with wings. Hal was doubting his eyes. Somehow, he found this monster's airs quite similar to one of his absent comrades, namely, the reborn Minadzuki.

"In other words, That Genbu-Ou, or whatever it was called, was being controlled from inside."

Hinokagutsuchi commented gravely.