Editing Leviathan:Volume 2 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 5===

Hiiragi Yukari had said "it would be best if we don't wait until the last second before the five-day deadline is up."

As dictated by these words, it was decided that an offense would be launched ahead of the deadline against the elite dragon currently sitting in the Old Tokyo Concession.

In other words, the next day after Hal and Orihime's "date."

As always, this emergency decision was apparently influenced by the fact that ''serpents could not be gathered for reinforcements''.

"Since the dragon declared the conquest of Japan, it is only logical that they can't maintain uninvolvement... But because last time Soth was defeated by relying on New Town's 'serpents' alone, the others are taking a 'wait and see' approach. In truth, Asya and Rushalka's power is renowned all over the world. Everyone is saying that there will be a solution just by relying on them&mdash;That's what I heard."

Hal explained the situation to Orihime.

Since there was no advantage in waiting, it was pointless to delay the inevitable. Hence, Asya and Orihime quickly got ready to head to Old Tokyo.

To avoid the elite dragon's magic, no one escorted them along the way, of course.

However, Hal alone accompanied them as support personnel. Nominally, he was described as someone possessing abilities useful in this situation.

Driving a large four-wheel drive vehicle, Hal set off together with the two witches.

Recently, he had been handling certain "sundry chores" in Old Tokyo whenever he had time to spare. Thanks to that, his grasp of the geography was completely restored. Hal drove steadily for an hour or two.

Arriving at the Hibiya Park, he stopped the car. They were already very near their destination.

It was after 2pm. The weather was cloudy.

"If possible, let's try launching a surprise attack."

Before disembarking, they held a final meeting. Asya was the first to speak.

"We'll do it without getting our hopes too high. After all, the target is an elite, so whether it succeeds will depend on the enemy's personality."

"Personality? What do you mean by that?"

"In other words, a cautious dragon would deploy meticulous defensive magic, remaining on alert even while sleeping. In such a case, a surprise attack must not be undertaken no matter how impatient you are. However, if the opponent can't be bothered to take such precautions, you'll find a way as long as you prepare properly&mdash;That's what I've been told."

Since this was knowledge learned directly from his childhood friend, Hal repeated it to Orihime in a quoting tone of voice.

Meanwhile, the veteran witch Asya seemed to be worrying about other matters.

"I feel very concerned that this elite is too unguarded. I can't believe he's brazenly sleeping in a conspicuous location in the wasteland."

In the past few days, as well as before the New Town<!--新都 is what's in the text--> invasion, they had been using surveillance drones&mdash;small autonomous unmanned helicopters&mdash;and investigative magic to keep tabs on the dragon.

"Isn't he afraid of getting attacked?"

"Chances are higher that he's tempting us to attack."

"In fact, he probably doesn't care whether anyone listened to his speech at Yokohama asking Japan to surrender! There won't be a fight if the humans surrender. He probably doesn't want that."

"But we have a trump card. Isn't that right?"

Orihime finished as though summing up. Hal and Asya nodded.

Next, they were going to improvise while following a plan.

As a side note, Hal still had not told his childhood friend about yesterday's encounter with the man named Sophocles or the content of the conversation that had taken place. Hal and Orihime had decided this together. Since it would only complicate the situation further, they intended to keep quiet until the current incident was resolved...

"By the way, are you sure you want to be wearing that?" Hal asked, looking at the school uniforms of his childhood friend and Orihime.

Even though they were clearly going to fight a dragon, both girls were in school uniform.

"I heard that Japan's witches don't have any special combat uniform, so to differentiate from my casual wear, I'd like to fight in something I could consider a victory outfit."

Orihime answered nonchalantly.

"Also, a high school's formal uniform works out perfectly, so I might as well wear our school's uniform."

"I decided to follow suit after hearing what Orihime-san intended to wear."

Asya had put on her frequently worn military jacket over her uniform. As a side note, Hal was dressed totally casually in a denim jacket paired with black jeans.

As long as they were fine with it, Hal thought to himself irresponsibly then took out a pocket watch.

Hal's oft-used Clockwork Mage was a tool for generating magical power.

Due to his work as what would be called a professional treasure hunter, Hal knew a variety of magic for exploration and stealth movement. He even knew more than Asya, a Level 5 witch.

Techniques acquired through necessity-driven learning were the best after all&mdash;

"How do you conjure images in your mind when using magic? I totally don't have a clue."

"Just use your own approach. There's not much point in imitating others."

"Those who can vividly conjure detailed images, imitable by no one, are actually the type of people who become excellent magi."

Hal offered beginner advice while conjuring an image in his mind. A scene where he, Asya and Orihime were moving as shadows with their sound, appearance and physical form erased&mdash;

Then with the three of them as the target, he cast three types of magic one after another&mdash;

First was Sound Suppression, followed by Visual Interference and finally Olfactory Nullification.<!--无臭处理: Deodorizing Treatment would be closer in meaning, but that just sounds lame-->

By using these spells, Hal and company would only cause faint sound even if their bodies or carried objects made large movements, they became as inconspicuous as camouflaged insects, and even creatures with a keen sense of smell would have difficulty detecting their scent.

(Then let's go.)

Asya gestured, urging the group to set off. Due to Sound Suppression being active, even the volume of speech was dampened, so it was impossible to hear one another unless you spoke in the listener's ear.

With the Level 5 witch in the lead, Orihime and Hal followed in that order.

Hibiya Park was very close to their destination. After walking on foot along Uchibori Street for a while, the National Diet Building's staid appearance came into view. Continuing on would reach the National Diet Building's main entrance. Nearby was a highway&mdash;what was formerly the Shuto Expressway.

The trio stopped at an intersection near Sakurada Gate.

The next set of traffic lights was located at the National Diet Entrance intersection, in other words, right in front of the National Diet Building.

And lying at the Diet Building's doorstep was a dragon. Ten-odd meters in length, an entity covered in dragon scales of metallic silver.

It was Pavel Galad, the elite that had appeared at Yokohama.

With his tail against his head and wings folded, the posture was like an oval shape. With eyes completely shut, he looked like he was sleeping. To confirm, Hal invoked Heat Sensing magic.

Dragons were commonly perceived to be cold-blooded animals similar to reptiles.

It was unknown if having ''flames'' inside their bodies was the explanation, but active dragons clearly had a higher body temperature than when sleeping. Just to be safe, Hal used magic to check but could not confirm the high temperature indicating activity.

Hal nodded to the two witches in his company.

Next, it was their turn to enter the stage. Asya and Orihime suddenly tossed out their trump card.

(O ancient divine seal of purity, let the transient blue dragon manifest over our heads!")

(Akuro-Ou, come fight by my side!)

Under the effects of Sound Suppression, their voices only sounded like private whispering.

However, two glowing pentagrams appeared in the sky above in response to their calls. Turning into infinity symbols at the same time, they ultimately materialized into two leviathans.

Nine-tailed Akuro-Ou, the fox-wolf bearing white fur and glowing with red light.

And Rushalka, the faint-blue wyvern. On her forehead was a long and single horn.

Suddenly appearing, these dragonoid homunculi carried immense magical power within them. The pulsation of this magical power apparently stimulated the senses of the nearby sleeping dragon.

Pavel Galad's massive body shuddered violently then his left eyelid slowly rose.

However, Orihime and Akuro-Ou had already sprung into action.

"Akuro-Ou! Use Fire magic&mdash;pseudo-divinity. Make haste!"

Responding to her covenantee's directions, Akuro-Ou extended her nine tails in the air.

The sight was almost like a giant flower blooming in the sky. Next, a blazing fireball appeared on each tip of the nine tails and were launched to the ground all at once.

Naturally, the fire was hurtling towards the silver dragon, Pavel Galad.

Struck directly by the nine fireballs, the giant body of metallic silver began to burn intensely.

The explosive flames roared fiercely. Lying in a vortex of fire, the dragon should not have enough time to invoke his rune of Ruruk Soun to defend. However&mdash;

"Here at last. I have been waiting ages for you... Waiting for humans who challenge dragons! Has that moment finally arrived now!?"

A silhouette stood up amidst the explosive flames in front of the National Diet Building.

Lifting its long neck and spreading its wings, the silhouette had a dragon's form.

"Looks like you are in hiding. Please hurry and show yourselves. O brave warriors who dare challenge dragonkind, I shall brand your deaths deeply upon my retinas!"

Tiny pulses of magic were released together with the voice, spreading out around the explosive flames.

The three types of magic that Hal had used to hide the three of them were all dispelled.

"Over there, yes? Your courage and flames have made my blood boil with excitement. Please allow me to use this hot blood to incinerate you all!"

He looked like he had discovered Hal's group that was one block away.

The silver dragon's voice was stern and dignified, filled with masculinity and even sounded a bit refreshing.

"The elite dragon this time is a hot-blooded man... I suppose?"

"But then again, this type of description doesn't really suit a dragon."

Hal and Asya conversed, but no longer in whispers caused by Sound Suppression. Judging from the fact that the enemy could leave himself so open, it was predictable that pseudo-divinity would not work.

The enemy must have used some kind of method to defend&mdash;

"Next, it's time to see how much of an effect our trump card can make. Asya, I'm counting on you."

"Got it. Rushalka!"

Hal focused his awareness in the center of his right palm. Hence, a magic symbol surfaced there.

The Rune of the Bow, a design depicting an arrow nocked to a bow. When Hal started to think silently about entrusting this rune to Asya, the childhood friend beside him nodded instantly. Next, the Rune of the Bow also appeared on the ground beneath their feet as well as in front of Rushalka in the air.

"Attack!"

"Rushalka, Frost Breath!"

The attack that had defeated Raak Al Soth reappeared.

Conferring a massively amplified magical shot upon a vassal dragon, that was the Rune of the Bow.

Under the rune's blessing, the airborne Rushalka discharged cold air and icy breath, attempting to engulf the elite dragon target along with the explosive flames, thereby freezing them.

A storm of blue-white ice shards swirled up at the main entrance of the National Diet Building.

The explosive flames released by Akuro-Ou earlier were quickly scattered by this blizzard. The silver dragon's massive body, which he had boldly allowed the flames to burn, was once again revealed.

"Fufu... So this is the power of dragonbane? I see, it is certainly nothing simple&mdash;"

Listening to the dragon's arrogant voice, Hal's trio could not believe their eyes for a moment.

"Completely unharmed, is he...?"

"Crap. I was hoping to see how much damage the rune's attack could inflict, but..."

"Total ineffectiveness is too unexpected, right!?"

Calm and composed, standing inside the blizzard's vortex, the enemy remained completely unscathed.

Whether the cold air or the storm of ice shards, neither could cause the slightest damage to the dragon's silver scales. Pavel Galad's massive body was enveloped by a pearl-white glow.

This light was protecting the silver dragon, blocking the freezing attack from the Rune of the Bow!

"The light of indestructibility...? Meaning the trait of imperishability...?" Hal murmured blankly, vaguely understanding the magical nature of the pearly radiance.

"The dragonslaying runes are seals of imperishability. It is said that they have existed since the beginning of the universe."

Galad's whispering voice carried faint laughter.

"By deploying the rune's imperishable divinity, this body can obtain the protection of imperishable indestructibility... O successor of the dragonslaying bow, do you not know that?"

The silver dragon's eyes definitely captured Hal from afar.

Only then did Hal notice that the dragon's eyeballs were amethyst in color.

"Still, I never expected the Bow's user to actually show up."

At this point, the storm of cold air finally ceased.

However, the silver-white dragon scales remained lustrous and dazzling, without the slightest scratch on them...

"Ever since I was told that a successor was present in this island nation, I have been secretly anticipating. Perhaps there might be a chance to fight a fellow successor of dragonbane."

"You already said you're going to conquer Japan, of course I've no choice but to resist..."

Hal's murmuring was very feeble compared to Galad's shouting.

...Because he did not have any mood to enjoy a conversation. However, the dragon apparently heard him.

"Fufu. So you are challenging a dragon to protect your country? Bow's successor!"

"N-Nothing that grand. I'm just forced to take defensive action because I don't have a choice!"

Seeing that a dialogue had been established, Hal grew anxious.

Meanwhile, Pavel Galad proudly said the following.

"Since the opponent wields the power of dragonbane, I have no choice but to draw my sword. O trails of the flint star shining in the sky, trace out the secret records of Ruruk Soun!"

Galad chanted in his beautiful and highly masculine voice.

Then he extended his right hand, raising his palm high up towards the sky.

"I offer prayer to the seal in my possession, that of the Divine Sword of the Heavens. Let the dragonslaying sword come to my hand now!"

Instantly, a beautiful longsword appeared in Galad's right hand.

It was a double-edged sword with a long and thick blade. The hilt portion was very long, possible for Galad to use a two-handed grip with room to spare. Hal had seen the same weapon in the Yokohama video.

Holding the longsword, Pavel Galad rose up into the air.

"That's... the dragonslaying sword? The Rune of the Sword?"

Hal whispered in shock.

"Unlike me, he can materialize the rune&mdash;into a weapon?"

"Haruomi! You lose if you get intimidated by the enemy's weapon. At least resolve yourself to fight back and take the initiative to attack!"

Asya scolded from beside him. Experienced in battle and possessing a wild beast's instincts, she evidently realized this moment was the key to deciding the outcome.

Hal reached out with his right hand to hold his childhood friend's left hand.

At the same time, he mentally invoked the Rune of the Bow&mdash;to entrust its firepower to Asya and Rushalka.

"Rushalka, Lightning Bolt!"

The Rune of the Bow was deployed again in front of Rushalka who was on standby in the air. Immediately, the lone horn on her forehead released blue-white lightning!

Giving off the distinctive odor of ions, Rushalka's lightning devoured the gigantic silver body&mdash;

However, Pavel Galad casually swung his longsword horizontally. Just by doing that, he sliced the lightning and erased it.

He did not even use that pearly glow&mdash;imperishable protection&mdash;to defend.

"I would advise you not to underestimate me. Now that I have drawn the Sword, I can eliminate a Bow of this level without even needing to rely on protection."

From the sky, Galad looked down on the ground&mdash;Hal's location&mdash;and declared presumptuously.

The tide of the battle was already fixed by this point in time.

Seeing the light from the longsword in the silver dragon's hand, Akuro-Ou turned her face away in extreme discomfort. Speaking of which, the same had happened with Soth last time. After all, this was likewise the power of dragonbane.

Rushalka too. Her entire body was disintegrating in a gradual process of collapse&mdash;

Furthermore, though it was unclear whether unleashing the Bow twice was the reason, Rushalka seemed utterly exhausted. Glaring at Pavel Galad, her sharp gaze was also much more hollow than in the beginning.

However, the silver-white dragon said, "O user of the Bow, isn't it time for you to show your true power? No need to hold back. For the sake of racing along the Road to Kingship, I must become stronger than anyone. Only by withstanding ever fiercer strikes and slaying ever stalwart foes will I become even stronger than I am now!"

Everyone's jaw dropped in shock, whether Asya, Hal or Orihime.

"Please! For the sake of my training, strike with everything you have!"

"Even if the opponent requests that, an impossible task still remains impossible..."

The enemy in the air could not possibly have heard Orihime's murmurings.

However, perhaps smelling the subtle air between humans, Galad suddenly showed a stunned expression.

"Impossible&mdash;Did you use your full power in the earlier attacks already?"

Hal could see the color of disappointment in the dragon's eyes, gazing down on mankind from the sky.

"This... This is such a disappointment. I was expecting the imminent battle to be the first step along my path of conquest. It was only just now when I swore to absolute victory and slaughter in my heart!"

Pavel Galad was evidently very hot-blooded in personality.

"In that case, you leave me no choice. Weak enemies have ways to die as befitting weak enemies&mdash;"

Twelve runes were shining above Galad, but they did not include the Rune of the Sword.

Naturally, they were also magic symbols of Ruruk Soun. This arrangement of runes carried the dual meanings of "alchemy" and "bestowal of magical power"...

"Then I shall let my blood boil then turn the hot blood into a minion to butcher all of you. Such weak foes are not worthy of facing the dragonslaying sword that stands as the supreme blade..."

Surprisingly, Galad's voice sounded quite dismayed.

He even slumped his shoulders and showed extreme sorrow towards Hal's "state of weakness."

In the next instant, blood spilled out from his&mdash;a dragon's left arm. Surging out like from a fountain, the blood resembled mercury. The bleeding soon stopped but the great volume of blood spilled on the asphalt road began to move.

It looked like flowing slime or melted metal.

Furthermore, it was quite humongous. The plaza and road in front of the National Diet Building was covered in mercury color within the blink of an eye. Had protesters been holding a demonstration here, hundreds of people would probably drown in an instant.

"Compared to that of other dragons, ''my blood is more vigorous''. This is an attempt to turn blood into a minion using magic. Living metal born from my blood as a seedbed... Will you be able to handle it!?"

"Are you sure that's what vigorous blood means!?"

While throwing out a retort, Hal felt stunned at the same time.

In a RPG situation, this would be the arrival of a monster called "Large Living Metal Slime."

Resembling the shape, motion and super high temperature of metal melting in a furnace, this liquid metal began to move. Indeed, it was extremely hot. The mercury-like fluid was giving off astounding heat and rushing towards their location like a tsunami.

In the process, various "things" were gradually swallowed by the liquid metal.

Trees lining what used to be sidewalks, the remains of street lights, abandoned cars, etc&mdash;The majority melted away. This was only natural since the temperature was similar to a furnace's after all.

Just the hot air reaching Hal's trio was already enough to make them all covered in sweat.

Swallowed by that thing, a human would probably get annihilated without anything left, not even bones!

"Since our most powerful move didn't work, there's no point in continuing the fight."

Asya suddenly yelled.

"In that case, let's flee as hard as we can! Start retreating at full speed!"

"The Thirty-Seventh Stratagem?<!--reference to Sun Tzu's Thirty-Six Stratagems--> Roger that!"

"Orihime-san, Rushalka can't hold out much longer. Please use the method I taught you to shrink Akuro-Ou so that all of us can ride her. Not only will this make her more agile but it's also easier to hide!"

"Understood. I'm counting on you, Akuro-Ou!"

Rushalka had disappeared from the sky already.

Meanwhile, Orihime closed her eyes and began to concentrate. As a result, the motionlessly hovering Akuro-Ou gradually shrank in size. Originally large enough to rival elite dragons, her massive body now turned into a fox-wolf roughly three meters long&mdash;

Witches Level 3 or above had the ability to shrink their "serpent" to a certain extent.

The miniaturized Akuro-Ou swiftly landed on the ground and knelt down. Orihime was the first to mount her back. Hal and Asya followed suit.

As soon as everyone had mounted her back, the white nine-tailed fox-wolf began to run along the ground with her four legs.

Right in the nick of time. After Akuro-Ou began to sprint, the tsunami of liquid metal reached their former position and the surrounding roads.

Even on a highway, Akuro-Ou was soon racing comfortably at high speed.

But due to a lack of safety goggles and shock dampeners, the rider experience was pretty much awful.

Intense up and down movement. The three riders clung desperately to the white fur with both hands while clamping Akuro-Ou's body between their thighs, gritting their teeth and trying not to get thrown off.

Even so, the liquid metal was still closing in from behind while moving like a tsunami!

"Akuro-Ou, fly!"

Probably realizing it was impossible to escape on the ground, Orihime issued her command.

Instantly, Akuro-Ou floated up lightly to the sky, instantly reaching a height overlooking the roofs of five and six-story multi-tenant buildings. At the same time, the riders were spared from the awfully bumpy ride.

"In any case, first fly towards Western Tokyo. Be careful and don't drop us!"

Akuro-Ou flew west as requested. However, the chase was not over.

This time, part of the liquid metal bulged out, reaching for the sky.

It had turned a portion of its body into ''tentacles'' in an attempt to catch the flying Akuro-Ou. Also, rather than attacking just once, these tentacles launched wave after wave of attacks at Hal's group!

Orihime could not help but direct Akuro-Ou to rise higher. The fox-wolf loyally followed orders&mdash;

At this moment, Hal felt his spine suddenly shudder once.

Because he felt a gaze. Someone was staring at him.

He looked back to see the dragon hovering motionlessly above Nagatachō. Majestically, he spread his silver-white wings and stared at Hal's fleeing group. Then Hal heard his voice:

'How saddening. A rare encounter with a fellow successor of dragonbane yet you turn tail and flee instead of rising to the challenge...'

Probably delivered directly to Hal's ear using magic, Galad's voice sounded full of sorrow.

'However, since you lack power, there is no helping it. I will bring the curtain down on this farce while fantasizing about the great and formidable foe I shall encounter next time. Farewell&mdash;'

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!

The mournful howl reverberated across the Old Tokyo sky along with these parting words. Released by Pavel Galad, this atmosphere-shaking shockwave was filled with magical power.

"Orihime-san, use pseudo-divinity to defend! The impact is coming, hurry!"

As Asya finished her warning, the surrounding air instantly shook like a heat haze.

Orihime's reaction speed was undoubtedly outstanding, but still not fast enough. Akuro-Ou was blown away like a tiny airplane in a sudden storm. Sitting on her back, the trio was thrown into the air.

Despite the shockwave surrounding them, everyone seemed to be unharmed.

The activation of Akuro-Ou's pseudo-divinity had probably protected them. However, Hal, Asya, Orihime and even Akuro-Ou were all getting blown away.

And they were flying in different directions.

Separated from the group, the shocked Hal was falling in a parabolic trajectory.

The wind was roaring noisily in in his ears, striking his entire body mercilessly. Dozens of meters below, he could see the roofs of what seemed to be office buildings.

The ground was further down. However, regardless where he landed, death was certain...

Hal thought with a detached outlook.

A witch with powerful magic reserves might have a chance in surviving. However, Hal did not know any magic that would prove useful in midair. In other words, he was out of options&mdash;No wait.

While crashing to the ground, Hal remembered.

'The dragonslaying runes are seals of imperishability. By deploying the rune's imperishable divinity, this body can obtain the protection of imperishable indestructibility&mdash;'

This was what the enemy had personally taught him. In addition, Hal had learned the fact that he could not kill himself easily.

In other words... While falling, Hal imagined Galad's impervious form that he had witnessed earlier. At the same time, he thought to himself that Haruga Haruomi was supposed to achieve the same.

Hence, the Rune of the Bow manifested on his right palm while his field of vision was filled with pearly brightness&mdash;


"What kind of gag manga is this...?"

Hal surveyed his surroundings and muttered in self-deprecation.

After falling for a duration that seemed long but was actually short, Hal crashed into asphalt.

However, he was completely unharmed. For an instant, Hal experienced intense pain that felt as though his entire body was breaking apart. Right now, various parts of his body was still aching, but there were no serious injuries at all. The asphalt road surface that had taken Hal's impact was in a far sorrier state.

Roughly eight or nine meters in diameter, a crater had formed on the road.

What created this hole was not a meteor but a human body that had crashed down like a shooting star. Confronted with this absurd situation, Hal sighed before looking around him.

Based on the road signs and urban landscape, his current position was probably in the vicinity of Yotsuya in the Shinjuku.

Hal searched the inner pocket of his denim jacket where his satellite phone was kept. He took it out for a look. Luckily, it was not damaged either.

Although he wanted to confirm the location of his crash, finding out his friends' situations took priority.

Hal first phoned Hiiragi-san at Tokyo New Town and get an update on the situation in the process&mdash;The call picked up.

"Yes. Yes. Hmm, okay, I guess... Huh? Asya's fine?"

He felt all energy draining from his body. Involuntarily, Hal almost dropped the phone to the ground.

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