Editing Leviathan:Volume 6 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 3===

Hal and Hazumi arrived at a new sky island and prepared for battle.

As the only leviathan available, of course Minadzuki was expected to play a pivotal role. Shrunk down in size previously, Minadzuki now returned to her original size at Hazumi's orders.

The emerald serpentine dragon craned her neck over Hal and Hazumi, staying vigilant.

The Crimson Queen was up ahead within view.

Originally used by Hal as a trump card, the dragon king body had now fallen under King Solomon's control. She flew slowly to approach the sky island where Hal and Hazumi were.

Following the queen were seventy-two blue-white ghostlights.

The flickering ghostlights in the air all had the same shape&mdash;Dragonoid forms.

"They are all 'serpents' that have lost their physical bodies... Aren't they?"

"Yeah. The spirits of leviathans&mdash;serpent souls."

Hazumi asked uneasily and Hal replied calmly.

"Speaking of which, Shirasaka, I suppose you didn't get to see it? Before Akuro-Ou received her physical body, she was also hanging around in shadow form like that."

"S-So many..."

"The story of the seventy-two demons serving King Solomon probably came from them. That being said, I totally can't tell which one is Baal and which one is Asmodeus."

Baal, Dantalion, Marchosias, Asmodeus, etc.

These were all the names of demons that had served Solomon. Many of them originally came from "pagan gods outside of the Jewish faith."

Demoting the gods of foreign peoples and countries to evil deities and monsters was an act of narrow-mindedness and intolerance.

In any case, the elite dragon clad in crimson flames was flying over, leading an army of what looked like blue-white fireballs&mdash;

Hal's lineup consisted only of himself, Hazumi and Minadzuki. It was worrying.

In addition, several hours earlier, Minadzuki had fought Shamiram and her "serpent" Ashkelon, using up one invocation of pseudo-divinity in the process.

Minadzuki's partner, Hazumi, was a Level 2 witch.

She could only order Minadzuki to use pseudo-divinity one more time today...

"Shirasaka, take care to choose your timing for using pseudo-divinity."

"Y-Yes!"

"By the way, during the fight against Hannibal, Minadzuki used healing magic at the end&mdash;Is there any way of having her use it again?"

"Sorry, I... do not know how."

She probably felt very guilty for giving a negative response.

Hazumi looked at Hal sadly with a layer of gloom on her adorable face. Her gaze seemed almost magical. Hal felt as though he was going to be sucked into that pair of large eyes.

"Since it was magic that Minadzuki used without my awareness... Also, even if I asked her to do the same thing again, the request probably won't reach her. That was what Hinokagutsuchi-san said before."

"Come to think of it&mdash;"

Hal recalled the conversation on the whale watching cruise.

Trying to exert wanton control over creatures connected to the lineage of the gods would be an act of disrespect.

Mankind's only method of approaching the gods was to offer sincere prayers.

''Well, it's probably because of that'', thought Hal. Precisely because of that, Hazumi, who was purer and more innocent than any other modern witch, was the only one who drew out "goddess power" from her partner&mdash;A very likely possibility.

"I understand. I'll just think of it as a stroke of luck if it works out smoothly. Anyway, let's focus on defense first."

"Yes!"

"Follow the enemy's movements and the rest is just improvising."

They did not have enough combat power to strike preemptively... Hal deliberately withheld this.

The crimson dragon king leading blue-white ghostlights versus the emerald serpentine dragon leviathan.

King Solomon's vassals were going to clash violently with Haruga Haruomi's vassal.

First, the serpent souls started to sing.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Hal realized suddenly in alarm. He had heard this song not too long ago.

During the intense battle against Hannibal in the New York wasteland, when Hal was facing off against the injured dragon king, the serpent souls had been singing in unison as they were doing now. After hearing that song, Hal and the others had lost consciousness...

Definitely beyond a doubt. It was a kind of psychological attack.

Its purpose then was to capture Hal, Hazumi and Hannibal in one fell swoop while they were unprepared&mdash;

"Come closer, Shirasaka!"

This time, Hal must protect the bodies and minds of himself and his protege.

He waved and Hazumi rushed to his side with a "Yes!" Hal jumped in surprise next because Hazumi hugged him tightly as though throwing herself into his embrace.

"N-No need to be that close, you know!?"

"S-Sorry! I got too excited, also&mdash;"

Holding Hal tightly, she replied, slightly troubled.

"Senpai, Nee-sama and you were doing this before... So I was wondering whether it was necessary when receiving magical power."

After replying, the fourteen-year-old Hazumi cringed in embarrassment.

She was probably embarrassed now that she became aware of her and Hal "hugging together." As a result, she was about to move away when Hal said hastily, "S-Staying in this posture is fine too. It's pretty convenient as well!"

After saying that, Hal deployed imperishable protection.

The pearly light first enveloped the hugging senior and junior then expanded to cover the entire body of Minadzuki who was in the air preparing for the incoming attack.

Last time, Hal and Hannibal had exhausted themselves to the point of being unable to deploy imperishable protection.

Whether or not his defenses hold this time&mdash;

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!

The instant the choir of the seventy-two serpent souls reached the climax, the Crimson Queen opened its jaws wide and expelled a gray shadow.

Carrying evil magical power, the "grayness" gradually swallowed Hal's group.

It swallowed Minadzuki's giant body that was facing off against the queen in the air as well as Hal and Hazumi, hugging on the ground&mdash;

But this time, imperishable protection's vaunted absolute defense blocked the attack for them. The gray shadow was rendered powerless. They neither fell asleep nor entered a dream.

However, Hal's heart had to suffer through twenty seconds worth of intense pain.

No helping it. This was the price for maintaining imperishable protection.

"So this is Solomon-senpai's killer move huh..." Hal muttered to himself.

Sacred words were glowing over the head of the stolen Crimson Queen.

Seventeen runes of Ruruk Soun were arranged to signify "You will be enthralled by the land of dreams to wander in the lost garden for eternity."

In addition, by the time Hal noticed, the golden ring had also manifested in front of the queen.

A diameter of seven meters. This was the appearance taken by the Rune of the Ring after manifesting as an instrument of magic control.

"This is a trump card that was able to take out a dragon king and us together in a one-hit knockdown. It'd be too much of a cheat unless it only worked when the opponents left themselves wide open."
[[image:Leviathan 06 095.jpg|thumb]]

In boxing terms, it would be a hard punch achieving a one-hit knockout.

However, it would be the type that was effortless to defend against because the motion was so telegraphed that one could tell from a single glance.

They would never fear that type of attack again&mdash;As much as Hal wanted to say that, he frowned. If he and Minadzuki were to collapse from exhaustion, they would not be able to defend against this trump card.

In that case, he must avoid fighting a protracted battle of attrition...

Unconcerned with Hal's worries, the Crimson Queen and Solomon's ring started to move again.

First, the seventy-two serpent souls behind the queen flew up one after another, circling around in flocks. This action did not seem very meaningful.

However, the serpent souls offered magical power to Solomon while they flew, supporting him.

Their presence alone was already helping him. With their support, the Crimson Queen reached out with her right hand to grab the golden ring.

It was the manifested Rune of the Ring. As though throwing a frisbee, the queen launched it out.

The target was Minadzuki, the emerald serpentine dragon.

"Minadzuki, please!"

Hazumi shouted from the ground.

The serpentine dragon, twenty meters in length, responded to her plea and squirmed with agility, dodging the ring the enemy had thrown.

That lightning-like speed was like a snake on a hunt.

Furthermore, Minadzuki attacked the Crimson Queen while evading. She tried to bite the red dragon king's throat.

However, her teeth were blocked by imperishable protection.

The Crimson Queen had immediately deployed the pearly barrier.

If Hal was a Tyrannos, so was King Solomon. As fellow holders of dragonslaying runes, in addition to magical power, their defensive ability was virtually equal too&mdash;

Thus, Minadzuki and the queen fought in the air.

The queen extended her crimson right arm, attacking Minadzuki's head with her five sharp claws.

Minadzuki's slender body of a serpentine dragon twisted like a whip and struck the queen's body.

However, both sides were defended by imperishable protection, thus both attacks failed to inflict damage.

Even so, they still did not give up, engaging in an intense melee battle.

For instance, the queen opened her jaws to bite Minadazuki and she bit back.

Minadzuki wrapped herself around the queen's gigantic body, constricting her. Using her dragonoid limbs as human arms and legs, the queen punched and kicked Minadzuki&mdash;

Pointblank range, completely merciless, a violent back and forth.

However, every attack proved ineffective against imperishable protection no matter what. Both sides remained unscathed. Even so, this battle was not perfectly balanced.

"Ugh...!"

"Senpai! Your chest&mdash;Is your heart hurting!?"

Hal and Hazumi had been hugging the whole time.

However, Hal suddenly fell to his knees. Hazumi frantically tried to catch and support him.

Earlier, the Crimson Queen had thrown the golden ring&mdash;

Like a fierce bird of prey with its own consciousness, it kept flying in the air, inflicting damage by crashing hard into Minadzuki while she was wrestling against the queen.

In other words, Minadzuki was facing two enemies alone.

Even with the defense from imperishable protection, attacks imbued with dragonslaying power would still transmit to Hal's heart.

Whenever the golden ring flew into Minadzuki's back, body, or back of the head, Hal would feel an impact against his heart.

He and Minadzuki had been roped into an unavoidable battle of attrition.

"It looks pretty bad..."

"Oh! Please look into the sky, can you see it!?"

Hazumi suddenly said to the groaning Hal.

He looked at the sky where she was pointing.

A winged dragon was flying at high speed. The altitude was much higher than where the queen and Minadzuki were fighting. Flying to approach them, it seemed as though she were about to traverse the battlefield&mdash;It was Ashkelon.

The pteranodon leviathan was the partner of the Shamiram the beautiful witch.

"Shamiram-san has come to aid us!"

"Looks like it, but... she's probably having a tough time, unable to get close to us."

"Huh?"

Hazumi was very surprised. Hal sighed and said, "By the way, Ashkelon is also one of Solomon-senpai's vassals. Even if she wants to fly over here and help, she can't oppose her original master."

"......"

"That's why the most she could do was watch from afar."

Hazumi looked at Hal in worry while he explained.

Then she looked up with determination and stood up. Showing strong resolve in her eyes, she looked into the air, staring intently at the Crimson Queen and the golden ring.

Their combined offensive struck Minadzuki again and again.

"If even Shamiram-san can't help you, Senpai... Then I will be the one to try!"

Hazumi declared loudly but Hal shook his head.

"Hold on, Shirasaka. By trying, what kind of method are you going to use...!?"

"I will make a request of Minadzuki to attack the queen with the most powerful magic."

"I-It'd be good if it worked, but you probably won't be able to do it alone. If only one of either Asya or Juujouji were here, perhaps it'd be worth a try&mdash;"

"H-However!"

In that instant, Minadzuki called out in a clear voice.

Rahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh&mdash;

The emerald serpentine dragon leviathan's right forelimb was holding a jewel. The jewel was glowing white with dazzling brilliance. At the same time, Hal sensed it.

Something resembling a sacred presence was currently descending from the sky.

This presence was absorbed into Hazumi beside Hal.

"Oh?"

Having remained silent all this time, Hinokagutsuchi mused from within the magic gun.

For a self-styled devil, it was definitely a rare expression of praise. Next, Hazumi herself shook as though shocked by electricity and her eyes went blank.

But she immediately regained her senses and moved in close to Hal who was kneeling on the ground.

"Senpai, please stop releasing power here."

Her tone was solemn while she stroked Hal's chest with her right hand.

It was right above the heart. The sudden instruction made Hal go "huh?" blankly.

"This little lady has received an oracle. If you do as she says, something good may happen."

Speaking from within the magic gun, Hinokagutsuchi's low voice seemed like she was snickering.

Hazumi was gazing at Haruga Haruomi with eyes of serious sincerity.

This was a suggestion she had offered without going through a normal sequence of explanations. However, Hal nodded subconsciously and followed her directions.

''Oh well, either way, it's a hopeless crisis in front of us.''

He focused his consciousness on his heart, the heartmetal that he had inherited from Hinokagutsuchi&mdash;

It was the most important organ of dragonkind. Hal ceased its functions completely. Next, the magical power provided by Hal was cut off abruptly, causing the light of protection surrounding Minadzuki to disappear without a trace.

However, the pearly glow around the Crimson Queen also vanished immediately.

"Huh!?"

Hal was greatly shocked. Before his eyes, the Crimson Queen even froze.

It remained motionless, unable to even hover in the air. The Crimson Queen began to fall. At that very instant&mdash;

Kushahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

The giant pteranodon, Ashkelon the ancient "serpent" howled loudly.

It was the partner of the witch Shamiram who had been observing the battle from afar the whole time. Ashkelon's entire body gradually became enveloped in orange flames.

Like Akuro-Ou, Ashkelon possessed the pseudo-divinity of Fire.

Rather than a fiery bird, she had turned into a flaming pteranodon, flying at the Crimson Queen at high speed. Then with her body in such a state, she collided, sending the Crimson Queen flying.

This attack caused the Crimson Queen to start crumbling.

The dragon's giant body turned into particulate matter, gradually collapsing.

In addition, the seventy-two serpent souls circling in the air also scattered and fled.

"That was so easy..."

The unexpected victory left Hal stunned on the spot, muttering to himself. Then he noticed.

The Crimson Queen belonged to Haruga Haruomi to begin with. The heartmetal it used as a source of magical power had also merged with Hal's heart.

In that case, if he were to stop providing magical power, of course the queen would be affected&mdash;

It was a very simple principle.

But in the midst of battle, it was not that easy to realize this principle. The one who had informed him of this, Hazumi, was currently watching Hal with a gentle smile.

The gentleness, innocence and adorability in her expression was making Hal's heart pound.

"&mdash;!?"

At that moment, he jumped in surprise.

The golden ring had suddenly appeared over Hazumi's head.

With a diameter of seven meters or so, it was the manifestation of the Rune of the Ring&mdash;Solomon's instrument of magic control. The instant the ring released magical power, Hal also pulled the magic gun's trigger.

Full auto fire.

This was his last resort of self-defense held in reserve until now as a precaution.

Fired upon by thirty bullets of red light, the golden ring vanished.

Unfortunately, rather than being destroyed by the attack, it had escaped. After suffering a certain degree of damage, Solomon's ring made the call to escape and vanished as a result.

However, this was after casting a curse that fell under the category of psychological attacks.

Invading Hal's brain through his ears, the curse began to rampage madly.

"Warghhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Senpai!?"

Hazumi cried out in panic.

Hal wanted to tell his adorable protege "don't worry" but was unable to voice these words. His consciousness gradually faded. His thoughts lost clarity.

Hazily, he thought to himself.

''Looks like the second round ended in a double knockout... I've got to put an end to this next time.''

Then his vision turned into total blackness.