Editing Leviathan:Volume 6 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 5===

"Hu... Hwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

Red Hannibal was locked in a gray space.

Lying on the ground, he opened his mouth wide to let loose a yawn, tears welling in his eyes.

"These guys are too inconsiderate... I have napped for so long, the boredom is killing me."

Literally bored to tears. He had nothing to do at all.

From the bottom of his heart, Hannibal was thinking, ''wasn't it time for interrogation or torture?''

Also, "these guys" referred to the one who had captured Hannibal, of course.

If these guys showed themselves, Hannibal intended to complain right off the bat.

A prison consisting of absolutely tasteless gray extending to infinity was far too sloppy. Put in a little effort and make serious preparations.

However, not a single person appeared.

"Could the intention be for me to go insane and die of boredom?"

Hannibal began to ponder "hmm..."

He had survived all kinds of crises but "boredom" was the one thing he absolutely had no idea how to deal with.

He enjoyed killing time doing nothing. Napping was nice too.

However, in those cases, he had to ride the wind and float in the air with white clouds as his pillows and the blue sky as his bed.

Spending time in this gray space without nothing to do did not suit his interests.

"...In that case, it is time to say goodbye&mdash;Now then."

What was the situation outside the prison like?

Acting with caution more like a warrior than a dragon king, Hannibal wanted information.

Bold and unencumbered was more his style, but he was unable to transform into a dragon for the near term. Gathering detailed information was necessary once in a while, but&mdash;

"It might be a different kind of fun to make some rounds in this form and see how far I can get."

Struck by a sudden whim, he stuck out his tongue and licked his lower lip.

Hannibal's original plan was to wait until his magical power and stamina had recovered to the point of allowing him to transform into a dragon before taking action.

But on further thought, trying to escape while using a human body was clearly much more interesting. A challenge to see how far he could go in his current state was not a bad idea either.

He sat up.

In that instant, he sensed a familiar presence, so he spoke, "Greetings, Crimson Queen. It is wonderful to see you in good health."

"I am simply not completely dead. There is no good health to speak of."

The girl dressed in red silently appeared next to the yawning Hannibal. It was the human form belonging to the dragon king once known as the Crimson Queen.

Speaking in sarcastic tones as usual, the queen grinned.

"However, there is a bunch of fellows causing a ruckus outside."

"Oh? How enviable. Is that why this prison has been so lax in security, even allowing you to find this place so easily? In that case&mdash;"

Hannibal smiled with satisfaction.

"Queen, why have you come to see me?"

"Merely on a whim. I know that you enjoy crowds, hence if I were to inform you of the situation outside... You will surely go on a rampage of your own. Then all I need to do afterwards is take advantage of that."

"Hahahaha!"

Hearing his old acquaintance's self-centered reasons, Hannibal laughed heartily.

Hinokagutsuchi's tongue remained harsh as ever even after her death. Furthermore, her knowledge of the strongest dragon king Hannibal's personality remained impeccable.

"Well, apart from that, I am also bringing a message from the brat who inherited my bow."

The former queen revealed a malevolent expression and added.

"'A temporary alliance until we get out of here, how about it?'"

"Indeed... It is a rare festival and it would be quite boring to leave me alone here. Let me join in despite the tardy arrival."

He nodded firmly then whispered, "How is the situation outside? From what I can see, the Tyrannoi of the Bow and the Ring... are evenly matched in power, though the Ring's side holds a slight upper hand in strategy."

"That is the long and short of it. The bow brat has just been checked, but&mdash;"

The queen shrugged in the form of a young human.

"He has hidden an ace up his sleeve too. The decisive battle only begins now."


A melee battle finally unfolded in the air.

The False Black Queen and the emerald serpentine dragon Minadzuki were locked in a struggle.

However, the false queen was holding the upper hand. One could tell at a glance, because the gigantic black body remained motionless in the air, confident and composed, barely moving from her position at all.

On the other hand, Minadzuki was dashing this way and that, trying to find an opening.

As Hazumi's partner, the serpentine dragon possessed a long and slender body like a snake's. Slithering her body, she flew back and forth, searching for opportunities to bite her enemy.

Minadzuki widened her jaws and instantly flew up to the false queen. Her movements were as fast as lightning.

However, the imperishable protection surrounding the false queen defended against the attack.

In contrast, Minadzuki did not have imperishable protection on her, because Hal the provider was collapsed on the ground in a delirious state.

Ravaged by the bizarre noise, his body remained immobilized.

However, his thoughts were gradually recovering in clarity.

Hal tried to get a grasp on the situation.

Hazumi was up ahead, not too far away, watching the aerial battle with worry. She did not glance back at Hal at all.

But that was the correct thing to do. To look away and worry about others in such an emergency would be hugely problematic.

At this very moment, Shirasaka Hazumi must focus wholeheartedly on the battle.

Meanwhile, the false queen was facing off against Minadzuki.

Possessed by King Solomon, the false queen's defenses were solid as rock due to imperishable protection.

No matter how Minadzuki bit ferociously, attacking bravely with her teeth, the pearly light always deflected her effortlessly. Then the unscathed false queen would use her gigantic body of a dragon to attack the emerald serpentine dragon.

Using her five-clawed hands to attack Minadzuki, her talons ripped through her body.

Using her muscular arms to seize Minadzuki's body, she executed a bear hug. It was almost like a sumo wrestler using a ''sabaori'' move on an opponent.

Not only that, but the black dragon was also biting Minadzuki.

Minadzuki would scream with every inflicted injury.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

"I'm so sorry, Minadzuki! But please, try harder...!"

Hazumi desperately cheered for Minadzuki.

There should be one more use of pseudo-divinity, but it did not look like she was going to use it yet.

She was biding her time&mdash;No, most likely, she lacked the resolve. In the event that she used her last chance but did not succeed...

Were Asya here, she would focus her mind and heart on a single gamble.

She would commit her determination and put everything on the line. However, Hazumi was unable to make such a decision. Her inborn personality and lack of battle experience caused her to hesitate.

Sprawled on the ground, Hal watched over his protege in a crisis.

He did not have the strength to stand up, but if it was just pulling the trigger of his magic gun... No.

Hal mustered every last ounce of strength and turned his body around. He was now lying flat on his back instead of sprawling. This gave him a more expansive view.

He muttered to himself, "So the ring is still unscathed huh..."

The false queen and Minadzuki were dogfighting in the air.

Behind them, the golden ring was hovering in midair.

'nyyyaaaarrrllaaaaaathooooooottt……@@×◆□◎△＋＝*￥……nyyyaaaarrrllaaaaaathooooooottt……@@×◆□◎△＋＝*￥……'

The ring continued to emit weird noise from its technique of assured annihilation.

The volume was not as deafening as in the beginning. Instead, it was at a softer volume as though reciting a cursed incantation nonstop. Even now, this sound continued to torment Hal's body and mind.

"The Rune of the Ring... has mostly attacks for assaulting the mind or depriving the target's freedom..."

He remembered.

In ancient Europe, the ring also symbolized "restriction" and "obedience." It was a kind of curse and magical tool.

One interpretation of wedding bands and similar items as proof of restricted social status stemmed from such symbolism.

Perhaps that was the distant origin of the Rune of the Ring.

"Anyway, looks like there's no choice but to get rid of that thing..."

At that moment, a change occurred in the aerial battle.

The false queen picked up a new weapon in her hand&mdash;The gigantic cross.

It was what King Solomon had summoned earlier to use as a shield against Hal's arrow of exorcism. The gigantic pteranodon, Ashkelon, was still bound to it...

After that, the cross had remained hovering in the air.

Holding it, the false queen used a dragon's arm strength to execute a mighty swing, striking the nearby Minadzuki squarely in the head with a massive thud.

The cross was made of wood, so it immediately shattered into fragments.

Tied to the cross, her restraints now shattered, Ashkelon began to fall.

Like a baseball struck by a bat, Minadzuki's giant body flew back as well. However, even after seeing the situation, Hazumi did not cry out her partner's name first.

"Shamiram-san!"

Indeed. The beautiful witch from the ancient kingdom was still tied to Ashkelon's throat.

Thrown into the air, her delicate body fell.

Furthermore, this was a world consisting of scattered sky islands without any ground beneath. Shamiram's body kept falling like that.

Continuing to fall, the beautiful witch and Ashkelon disappeared from Hal and Hazumi's sight.

"Minadzuki! Hurry and save Shami&mdash;"

Hazumi closed her mouth mid-sentence.

She must have realized it was too late. Furthermore, to turn her back to the false queen at this time and leave the battlefield would not be possible.

Because she and Minadzuki were the only ones remaining who could still fight properly&mdash;

Meanwhile, Hal grew increasingly unsure whether to pull his magic gun's trigger or not. He could add auto-homing magic to the bullet, allowing it to track down Shamiram and Ashkelon's whereabouts.

However, in the next instant, Hal heard a whisper.

(Lord Haruga...)

"Eh? Shimiram-san, where are you now?"

He could hear but not see her. Shamiram seemed to be using magic to send her voice to his ear.

(I have fallen on an island... Or rather, crashed into one. As a result, I did not fall into the abyss of hell.)

"That's great to hear. We'll go pick you up once the battle is over."

(Oh, no need for that. You do not need to take the trouble. I will head over to converge with you two once I make myself presentable.)

"Presentable...?"

(Yes. After all, I did fall from quite a great height. My skull has cracked open and my guts have burst out of my abdomen. Little of my prided beauty remains intact and my limbs have been bent in bizarre angles. As for my right arm, everything beyond the elbow is&mdash;)

"I get the picture. I look forward to your swift return."

Despite her condition, she sounded rather cheerful and energetic.

''As expected of the dead, I guess?'' Or perhaps, he should praise Solomon's curse for the fact that Shamiram still failed to pass on despite suffering such grave injuries?

(My apologies. I only ended up like this because I was captured by the master when flying around as a diversion.)

"Please don't let it bother you. I was the one who asked you to help in the first place."

Hal himself was still immobilized but his discomfort had lessened somewhat.

As though chatting in leisure, he said, "I'm relieved now. It looks like you're in unexpectedly good health(?)... But if that's the case, couldn't you have used magic to struggle free before you got attacked?"

(Indeed that is so. My reason for not doing so is most likely identical to yours, Lord Haruga.)

Shamiram seemed to have noticed that Hal had held back.

(Lady Hazumi is a good girl as expected. Just as we have hoped&mdash;She is finally approaching the time of her awakening.)

"...For real?"

Hal looked at his protege again.

There was a pulsation of what seemed to be spiritual energy from Hazumi's petite back as a faint green glow slowly rose. Unmistakable. It was the phenomenon of magical power leaking out.

Like Hal, witches also used their hearts as their source of magical power.

Hazumi was currently drawing out magical power from her heart, beyond what her body could contain.


"Sorry... I must stop you no matter what."

Hazumi stared resolutely at the "enemy" and spoke solemnly.

She was standing on the deck near the wooden ship's prow. The target she was looking up towards from there was, of course, the False Black Queen.

Dominating the sky battlefield was the false black dragon.

This was the enemy that had caused Minadzuki suffering and sent Ashkelon and the beautiful witch Shamiram to their graves.

However, the false queen&mdash;or more precisely, King Solomon who had possessed her&mdash;did not seem to hear Hazumi's declaration. With Hazumi's words falling on deaf ears, the false queen looked down upon the world contemptuously in leisure.

The Crimson Queen and Haruomi-senpai were overpowered by the Ring, immobilized.

Her partner Minadzuki was battered all over.

She could not keep relying on others. She must depend on ''herself''.

Hazumi took a deep breath.

What a nostalgic feeling&mdash;In the past, when Tokyo New Town had her as its only witch, Hazumi always headed out to the battlefield alone.

But back then, her opponents were primarily Raptors.

As long as she had Minadzuki's power, she could not possibly lose. All she had to do was issue orders casually and her partner would take care of the rest.

After gaining comrades, she had always listened to the commands of the older witches and Haruomi-senpai.

But now it was different. The enemy was King Solomon the great sorcerer and the false queen. An enemy that she had no chance of defeating even if she mustered her full strength. But even so, she still had to confront&mdash;

"I will work my hardest, so Minadzuki, you too... Please!"

Not simply a sincere prayer, this wish was also fueled by burning determination.

Its foundation was blazing wrath and firm willpower.

This was wrath born out of seeing injury done to one's loved one and someone who had treated her with kindness. It was unshakable willpower, determined to rely on no one but herself no matter what&mdash;

Just as these emotions surged from the depths of her heart...

Extremely potent magical power exploded from Hazumi's heart, so great the quantity that it was beyond her body's capacity to contain. Turning into a faint green glow, the magical power leaked out of the body.

She was experiencing this for the first time. In that very instant, she realized.

"Oh&mdash;"

She disliked conflict and was not good at magic.

This notion had often led to her stagnation in controlling her "serpent" in battle... However, it no longer applied to her as she was now. Her firm willpower, to "do it herself" no matter what, forbade her from faltering.

Perhaps this was the reason.

The magical power filling up her entire body felt lighter and more agile than ever before. She was able to control it freely as she wished.

Next, all she needed to do was what Hinokagutsuchi had instructed, to offer sincere prayer to the partner possessing goddess power&mdash;despite being an imitation&mdash;

"To protect us... Use this power, Minadzuki."

With her hands clasped before her chest, Hazumi whispered quietly.

At that moment, the false queen happened to attack Minadzuki. Flying at Minadzuki, she was about to rip the emerald body to shreds with the sharp claws on her hands.

She had not noticed the change in Hazumi at all.

...That was why things were progressing so well. Suddenly, a whirlwind blowing from Minadzuki's entire body struck the false queen head on.

Next, nine runes of Ruruk Soun appeared over the gentle serpentine dragon's head.

They signified "purification of evil spirits"&mdash;The power of exorcism that Hal had used just now. Enveloped by the whirlwind imbued with the spiritual power of exorcism, the false queen screamed loudly.

'...Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?'

This pained shout was, of course, King Solomon's magnificent voice.
[[image:Leviathan 06 186.jpg|thumb]]

After Hazumi and Minadzuki had dealt King Solomon a devastating blow using "purification of evil spirits"...

The false queen toppled backwards. Even so, instead of crashing down, she barely continued to fly, distancing herself from Minadzuki unsteadily.

Hal was certain she was trying to escape from follow up attacks.

The ring's power still restrained him, but in that instant, Hal pulled the magic gun's trigger.

The gun's muzzle shot out thirty bullets of red light in full auto mode. Every bullet was imbued with the magic of auto-homing, each tracing out a curved trajectory in the air, heading towards the false queen&mdash;

All met their mark without fail.

'...Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?'

King Solomon screamed again. It looked like he had suffered substantial damage this time.

The false queen's giant body finally began to fall. Lying on the ground, Hal praised Hazumi from his heart after firing his magic gun.

"You're so amazing, Shirasaka... You really did it with your own strength."

In the end, what Hazumi lacked was probably the willpower "to rely on herself no matter what."

That was what Hal thought. In fact, until now, all early signs of Hazumi's awakening had mostly occurred when she took action on her own initiative.

Hence, Hal had refrained from helping out this time.

However, this was also a decision that he had made under the prior condition that he must not recklessly use up his last hope&mdash;the magic gun's thirty bullets.

Hence, he had not chosen to wait and see in the hot-blooded shounen battle manga fashion of putting faith in "Hazumi will definitely be able to do it!"

"I guess this outcome is acceptable, although it was close as hell..."

(This was also thanks to Lady Hazumi being an honest and forthright young lady. Lord Haruga, you are truly fortunate to have such a fine lady in love with you&mdash;)

"No truer words."

That part about being in love was a misunderstanding... But Hal agreed that he was lucky indeed.

At that moment, ten-odd meters away from Hal, the junior who had just accomplished a great feat suddenly cried out "Ahhh!", stunned on the spot.

Halting her fall into the depths of hell, the false queen recovered.

"Was it not enough...? Queen!"

Saying that, Hal clicked his tongue.

The Crimson Queen still could not move. Like Hal, she had suffered from the Ring's technique of assured annihilation and was lying on the wooden ship's deck. Hazumi had also used up her two counts of pseudo-divinity.

They had nothing left to oppose the false queen and Solomon.

"Hahahahaha! Do not forget my presence!"

At that moment, Hal heard dragon king Hannibal's voice for the first time in a while.

He focused his eyes and saw a well-built man flying lightly in the air. With his red coat billowing in the wind behind him, that figure undoubtedly belonged to the strongest dragon king.

"O Tyrannos of the Bow! I have accepted your invitation and gone out of my way to come here!"

In front of the flying Hannibal was the golden ring hovering in midair.

He opened his mouth wide and breathed out fire despite his human form. His target was the ring&mdash;The Rune of the Ring that was preventing Hal and the Crimson Queen from taking action.

Scorched by fire, the golden ring began to melt&mdash;Then finally, it disappeared.

Naturally, the weird noise of 'nyyyaaaarrrllaaaaaathooooooottt……' also ceased.

In the next instant, Hal was able to move freely. He stood up all at once.

"Shirasaka!"

"...Senpai!"

Hearing Hal's call, Hazumi looked back, of course, She immediately rushed to him.

Also, as soon as she arrived in front of the liberated Hal, she swiftly turned around with her back towards him.

"Senpai, please! Do what you did last time!"

"Huh? But Shirasaka, I don't think you can still use pseudo-divinity&mdash;"

It was mid-sentence when Hal noticed.

Until now, Hazumi had always been a Level 2 witch. But now, the plentiful magical power inside her had already surpassed quantities dictated by that level.

During her awakening just now, did her level as a witch advance as well?

She had probably reached Level 3. However, Hal was still hesitant despite discovering this. This posture meant that Hazumi was requesting for him to use "that method."

However, Hazumi said firmly, "If it is Senpai... If it is you, Haruomi-senpai, I am fine with it. Please use Minadzuki and my power to avenge Shamiram-san&mdash;Please!"

"Shirasaka!"

Seeing Hazumi so brave, Hal dispelled his indecision completely.

He reached out with his right hand and grasped Hazumi's breast tightly with his palm where the Rune of the Bow had appeared. Although she was still growing up, for a fourteen-year-old, this volume was more than enough&mdash;Hal felt the softness in his palm beyond a doubt.

In fact, seeing Hazumi show such rare initiative, Hal silently felt moved in his heart.

The massive amount of magical power produced in Hal's heart was completely transmitted into the girl's body without any loss.

"Nnnnnnnnnnnnnn!"

He heard Hazumi's voice of pain.

In addition, his young protege used the same voice to force out a request to her partner.

"Nnnn... Minadzuki, please&mdash;Use Hinokagutsuchi-san's bow to shoot that black dragon!"

Ra&mdash;ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Minadzuki roared loudly. The emerald serpentine dragon leviathan was holding a crystal ball in her right forelimb. From there, a gigantic bolt of white lightning shot out.

This was the technique of assured annihilation, the sun-shooting divine bow.

Unable to resist, the False Black Queen was gradually erased by the light of the deadly lightning.

Only an ambiguous black shadow remained. Realizing that was precisely King Solomon's soul, Hal commanded at the same time.

"Queen!"

The Crimson Queen flew towards the black shadow.

She was wielding a long sword in her right and a kodachi in her left, manifestations of the Rune of the Twin Katana. Slashing from left and right, the queen seemed to slice through the black shadow in a cross shape&mdash;

'...Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!'

King Solomon's screaming resounded all around. However&mdash;

Although the twin blades' power caused the black shadow to shrink all at once, it did not disappear because the queen had held back. This was so that Hal inflict upon King Solomon a move of retribution that had just occurred to him.

"Runes of Ruruk Soun!"

Responding to Hal's call, five magic symbols appeared around the black shadow.

They signified "absolute obedience." A curse of coercion. In the past, King Solomon had cast this magic on his lover and priestess&mdash;Shamiram.

After casting this spell, the Crimson Queen devoured the black shadow&mdash;Solomon's ghost.

She opened her mouth, took a bite and swallowed.

"I'm sorry... but you'll have to live under my control, just like what Shamiram-san had to endure," Hal spoke quietly.

However, Solomon did not respond. King Solomon's soul was barely alive after being struck by the twin blades, virtually devoid of strength or ability to think.

Precisely because of that, "absolute obedience" was able to take effect even though it was normally ineffective against enemies of the same level.

King Solomon and his rune had now become Hal's possessions.

The seventy-two serpent souls circling in the air far above floated down one after another and were absorbed into the red queen.

In that very instant, Hal came to inherit the great king's legacy completely.

In addition, the "seize control" spell he had used to take possession of Solomon's ark also reached completion at this time, achieving 100% control.

Now that the time was right, Hal ordered the ark to return immediately to the earth.