Editing Leviathan:Volume 6 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 4===

Seeing the final opponent's arrival, Hal motioned to Hazumi with his eyes.

Stop the conversation, it was time for the final showdown&mdash;Hazumi instantly nodded to acknowledge Hal's message.

They were standing on the device used to control King Solomon's ark.

Hazumi's partner, Minadzuki, was flying around the ark's control device on guard.

In an adorable voice, Hazumi called out to the emerald serpentine dragon leviathan.

"Minadzuki, please!"

Minadzuki flew to a spot roughly ten meters over Hal and Hazumi.

She craned her neck like a poisonous snake on a hunt, glaring at the sky afar.

The seventy-two serpent souls serving King Solomon were flying in a flock over there, roughly two or three hundred meters higher in altitude.

The serpent souls were not flying in uniform formation.

Scattered all over the place, they kept tracing out elliptical trails in the air, circling repeatedly.

The serpent souls always took this action when supporting King Solomon. Not to be outdone, Hal issued orders to his minion.

"Come over here, queen. Come to our side."

He was speaking to the Crimson Queen on alert near the wooden ship.

The red dragon king descended next to Hal and Hazumi, on the wooden ship's deck. The ship was massive with a length reaching a hundred meters, so having a dragon land on it was no problem at all.

Hinokagutsuchi swiftly disappeared, returning to inside the magic gun.

Now they were fully prepared for the incoming battle. Meanwhile, King Solomon's faction suddenly did something unprecedented.

'...Impressive as ever, the one who obtained the key to my legacy.'

A deep and authoritative male voice was heard from the sky.

It sounded like thunder. However, the vast blue sky inside King Solomon's barrier did not have a single cloud.

'...O bow user, I never expected you to be such a thorn in my side.'

"In other words, you're Solomon-senpai?"

'...Indeed.'

Even this brief answer was deep and solemn, resounding across the entire blue sky.

Although Solomon himself could not be seen, this was still quite an elaborately staged performance.

If this had been taking place in the world of Japanese animation, a super famous voice actor would most likely be hired to portray his wonderful voice. In any case, it was very deep. Hal felt that the voice acting fee would be very expensive.

"I-It's like God."

Unlike her senior who was entertaining frivolous thoughts, Hazumi expressed sincere admiration from the heart.

In contrast, Hal nodded the same as usual.

"Hmm. I think I know where this performance comes from. In the Old Testament of the Bible, there were prophets who could hear the voice of the one true God in heaven. Before the arrival of Jesus Christ, it always played out this way. There are many other versions too."

He began to explain, seeming unexpectedly laid back.

"Speaking of which, the Old Testament of the Bible recorded the story of the Jew's ancestors&mdash;the people ruled by Solomon-senpai's ancient kingdom of Israel. In terms of ethnic lineage, they are part of the Semitic peoples, although the sky gods appearing in Semitic myths are actually the origin of the 'God' in the Bible's Old Testament. Treated as a demon in the Bible, Baal was actually a sky god of the Semites but not the Jews, and the chief god in the pantheon to boot. You can actually find traces of ancient religions like this all over the Old and New Testaments of the Bible."

"Y-Yes."

Hazumi nodded but she was clearly lost.

She was probably unable to understand why Hal could be this calm. In contrast to Hazumi, the amazing voice from the sky sounded a bit delighted.

'...Tyrannos of a later era, you are speaking of things outside my knowledge, are you not? That is quite calm and composed of you.'

"I'm good, thanks. Because your background is the same as mine, Senpai... Someone halfway in between, more than human but not yet a dragon king. Compared to the likes of Hannibal, facing you is a bit easier."

Despite sounding relaxed, Hal did not lower his guard at all, of course.

This was a showdown between two people of similar power. A moment's carelessness would be taken advantage of. However, just as Hal said, he was having an easier time on a mental level.

This was thanks to the experience he had accumulated over numerous intense battles&mdash;A fact that truly did not bring him any joy now that it was brought up.

Regardless, as a bookworm diametrically opposed to warrior races, Hal was currently facing off against this voice in the sky.

"I guess your goal is that tired cliche, you're going to steal my body, right?"

'...You are correct. If a Tyrannos capable of finding my legacy were to appear, I would steal his body and dragonslaying power to allow me to rebuild my kingdom... That is my plan.'

As expected. Hal shrugged.

That being said, dismissing it as a tired cliche was probably because Hal lived in the modern age. For a human living in the pre-Christian era, King Solomon's resurrection plan was definitely a pioneering notion beyond its time.

He said, '...Be that as it may, you have been no pushover. I have been forced to take many great pains.'

"That's the way it is. Those lower than me in level won't be able to get here, but if your opponent was a dragon king instead, Senpai, you'd be the one in trouble. By the way&mdash;"

Hal changed the subject.

"I am actually a little optimistic."

'...Oh? Optimistic about what?'

"The fact that you're coming out directly and even conversing with me&mdash;Doesn't that imply that you've finally used up all your sneak attacks?"

'......'

"Cloak and daggers are pretty much my thing, but I'm starting to miss the earth, so I'd like a frontal showdown to bring this incident to a close."

'...Then keep your eyes peeled, bow user.'

King Solomon's ghost spoke to Hal in a cheerful voice.

'...This is the final ploy I have devised for the sake of defeating you. Fufufufu... O seal of purity and justice discovered from the secret annals of the sea of stars.'

"Huh!?"

"Senpai, what is that!?"

Hal and Hazumi reacted with alarm and shock.

Responding to King Solomon's summon, a brightly shining pentagram appeared in the sky. Indeed. Black flames were leaving trails in the air to trace out a giant seal.

For those knowledgeable in magic in the modern day, ''that pentagram'' would be considered a familiar symbol.

'...Heed my call and let the archdemon descend upon the world. I, King Solomon, hereby pray for the arrival of a new servant. Gods&mdash;I implore you to listen to my request!'

Before the two modern humans' eyes, the pentagram changed into a "∞" shape.

Then it transformed into the body of a gigantic magic beast. It was a dragon&mdash;identical in appearance to the Crimson Queen too.

However, the new queen and the flames shrouding her body were black, in contrast to the red dragon king.

The color of her body was akin to the "blackness" of black lotus. The surrounding flames were also pitch black. If one had to give her name, it would probably be the "False Black Queen."

"I didn't expect such a move... Now that's my Solomon-senpai."

Feeling impressed, Hal muttered to himself.

"After all, he's the originator who came up with the technique of leviathan synthesis. Also, he not only created a 'serpent' suddenly&mdash;but even copied my queen too!"

Eloim Essaim was a magic incantation only privy to those in the know.

The false queen, summoned by this sacred incantation, roared ferociously.

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!

The atmosphere shook as a result. The power was no less than the Crimson Queen's.

Sensing the flow of magic, Hal could see the serpent souls flying far above in the air currently offering magical power to serve as the false queen's energy source.

The magical power rivaled that of the Crimson Queen that was connected to Hal's heart.

'...Bow user, you are correct.'

After roaring loudly, the false queen said to Hal, 'Now that it has reached this juncture, victory will go to whichever of us proves to be superior. Let us settle this!'

King Solomon's magnificent voice came out of the black dragon's mouth.

For the sake of defeating Hal's faction in a direct confrontation, he had possessed the ancient leviathan he created himself, to face off against Hal and the queen.

"Senpai, that dragon looks really strong..."

"Yeah. But she probably can't last for too long. Didn't our queen collapse pretty quickly last time?"

Hal reassured the worried Hazumi.

That dragon was ultimately just a replica. Its specs could not possibly be higher than the real thing. However, it would probably take twenty or thirty minutes before she collapsed.

Not long but not short either. It was also possible to end the battle within this duration.

"So pitting trump cards against each other would be the wise choice huh..."

The False Black Queen began to descend from the sky above.

Naturally, she was moving towards the wooden ship where Hal and Hazumi were. Her movement did not appear fast because they were some distance away, but in terms of actual speed, she was probably moving faster than a hundred kilometers per hour.

The false queen arrived within the blink of an eye. Hal aimed his magic gun at her.

At the same time, the Crimson Queen also summoned the Bow to her hand.

It was a crimson longbow&mdash;the weapon manifested from the Rune of the Bow. However, she had yet to call forth the all important ''arrow''.

Hal issued orders, "Shirasaka, use pseudo-divinity!"

"Yes! Minadzuki, please!"

The bond of the covenant established by the rune allowed them to communicate through thoughts.

Rahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh&mdash;

Hearing Hazumi's wish, the emerald serpentine dragon cried out sonorously. Using the pseudo-divinity of Wind, she summoned thunderclouds in the sky.

Tearing through the sky, a bolt of lightning descended into the Crimson Queen's outstretched right hand.

Holding the crimson bow in her left, the Crimson Queen formed the lightning in her empty right hand into "an arrow of electricity," turning it into the queen's weapon.

The red dragon king placed the arrow onto the bow and fired.

Naturally, the target was the False Black Queen. Hal also pulled the trigger of his magic gun at the same time. In the next instant, the arrow of lightning shot by the Crimson Queen became enveloped by nine runes of Ruruk Soun.

Hal had imbued the arrow with the power of exorcism&mdash;the magical power of "purification of evil spirits."

This was the "goddess power" that Shamiram had bestowed upon the magic gun earlier.

"Counting on you!"

Imbued with the spiritual power of exorcism, the arrow flew forward to intercept the approaching false queen.

Hal watched with anticipation. After using this arrow to damage King Solomon's spirit body, he would then have the Crimson Queen swing the Twin Katana to seize victory.

Seeing the arrow arrive, the false queen&mdash;

'...O sacred shield!'

King Solomon's voice recited a defensive incantation.

In the next instant, a gigantic cross, rivaling a dragon's body in size, suddenly manifested in front of the false queen, serving as a shield to block the arrow of exorcism.

This alone would not have surprised Hal. It was a very common type of defensive magic.

However, chained to the cross was the massive body of a pteranodon.

It was Ashkelon. Not only that, but the beautiful witch from the ancient kingdom was also tied to Ashkelon's throat by a smaller chain. A beautiful captive.

Her head hanging, eyes tightly shut, she seemed unconscious.

"Shamiram-san!?"

Hal cried out in surprise.

At the same time, he subconsciously redirected the arrow.

Responding to Hal's thoughts, the arrow of exorcism deviated greatly from its trajectory. Just before striking Ashkelon and the cross, it changed direction&mdash;

It flew up into the sky.

...Had he contemplated calmly, Hal would have known.

Shamiram hoped to disappear from this world, so she did not mind getting caught in the fray of battle.

Since there was no way to rule out the possibility of her betrayal, naturally, Hal could have made the cruel choice of "piercing her together with the target."

He could have come up with a number of "smarter options."

However, Haruga Haruomi was not a member of a warrior race. None of these options was a choice he could make in desperation. More importantly, he did not want to do so. However, he paid a heavy price for it.

'...This is quite a irrevocable mistake, bow user!'

The false queen roared with King Solomon's voice.

A golden ring appeared on her pitch-black right hand. With a diameter of seven meters, it was the Rune of the Ring manifested as a weapon.

An unpleasant and dissonant noise erupted in the air next.

The golden ring emitted a sound of "nyyyaaaarrrllaaaaaathooooooottt……@@×◆□◎△＋＝*￥！"

This evil sound was targetting Hal and the Crimson Queen.

"Warghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Hal could clearly feel the excessively abnormal noise invading his brain through his ears.

His brain stem was boiling. His innards felt stirred and uncomfortable with a rising wave of nausea surging up his throat, making him want to abandon all human thought, giving himself up to relentless screaming.

However, Hal still noticed. This was a technique of assured annihilation.

Nine runes of Ruruk Soun had appeared over the false queen's head.

The arrangement signified "I play the sound of the star of aggravation to disorient sentient minds"&mdash;

Furthermore, the false queen, i.e. Solomon, did not stop attacking. Using the golden ring as a frisbee, she tossed it out to strike the Crimson Queen.

The queen's giant body was sent flying by this attack.

Combined with the physical and mental damage caused by the weird noise, the queen could not stand up again, simply lying limp on the wooden ship's deck. The same went for Hal.

Feeling his knees go weak, he sprawled on the ground.

"Ughhhhh..."

"Senpai!"

Hal could only groan.

Hazumi hastily rushed over to Hal's side but stopped halfway.

This was because the False Black Queen was descending from the sky, approaching the wooden ship. Hazumi was the only one left who could attack.

Hazumi glanced at Hal helplessly then immediately looked up.

Facing the approaching false queen squarely, she prepared to fulfill her duty, even though her adorable face was tense from worry.

Sure enough, that was the kind of girl she was.

Thinking hazily amid the chaos in his mind, Hal looked at the magic gun in his right.

Despite his current sorry state, he still had the strength to pull the trigger. Should he exhaust the remainder of his meager power to aid Hazumi...? No. Hal deliberately refrained from doing so.

Instead, he spoke in a barely audible voice.

"Can I ask you to pass a message for me...?"

The damage from the weird noise had rendered Hal barely capable of moving his lips.

However, his intent evidently reached his target. The presence of the self-styled devil and guardian vanished from inside the magic gun.