Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 13 Episode 4 (section)

===Part 17===
「Is that it Aneue-sama!? Don’t make us even more disappointed than this yeaah!」

At above while Lux was being cornered by Yggdrasil.

A deathly battle of Hayes who was wearing Niddhogg versus Aeril with her Zahhak was continuing.

Niddhogg’s Divine Raiment, Astral Line that was emitted from the special armament Two-Bladed Sword was an ability that cut apart in wide range along with space itself.

The cut section that was created by the Divine Raiment became blocked along with space, becoming a boundary that was impossible to be interfered with.

It became a wall that blocked the opponent’s attack, at the same time it reduced the opponent’s space to move and became a way to corner them.

Furthermore, in order to prevent Hayes from attacking the Seven Dragon Paladins, Aeril couldn’t undo the Breath Whip that she had entangled around her opponent’s armored arm once more.

One of her weapons was sealed and she was forced into disadvantage.

Even though Aeril was desperately wielding a Blade with her free left hand, all her attacks were blocked due to dark red branches growing from Hayes’s armor.

「──, you are planting Yggdrasil’s seed into your armor? You won’t last long if you fight in that state you know!?」

「If you are going to make a threat than make it something more effective. Or else is that you begging to be overlooked Aneue-sama? You are really unsightly huh! It will be just my satisfaction if I die for the sake of the Lord!」

「……Uah!」

From the armor that was transformed into B-blood Nidhogg due to Yggdrasil’s parasite, a branch spear thrust out.

The Blade of Aeril that received direct attack of it was broken and furthermore the branch coiled around her and constricted.

「You yourself, do you have any leeway to split your strength with unnecessary things huh? Seems like you are using your Divine Raiment since some time ago to cover up that sham prince but, that’s naïve! Where is that bastard, where are you hiding him!?」

「Kuh, AAAAAAA……-!?」

Aeril raised an anguished scream. At the same time, below at the ruin where Hayes was looking down at, Lux’s figure appeared.

In order to protect Lux who was fighting below, Aeril used Zahhak’s Divine Raiment, the Brain Hack to erase Lux’s very existence from Hayes’s memory.

And then, just now the effect was dispelled.

「Ku-ku-ku. That’s a good look you have there? Are you at your limit alreadyy? A woman who got led astray by that worthless fake prince really is a pathetic thing huuh.」

「…………」

In respond Aril only kept grimacing in pain and didn’t say anything.

Aeril’s surrounding was already surrounded by cut sections in space that were created by Hayes’s Astral Line. She was in a situation where she couldn’t move.

「You ran out of look when you fell in love with that kind of trash. But Aneue-sama is saying that she will hand down a lenient punishment y’know. Listen to this.」

Hayes laughed and pointed the tip of her sword to Aeril who was captured by Yggdrasil’s branches and got bound hand and foot.

Then, Listelka’s voice that was broadcasted from the heaven palace showered down on the area where Hayes and Aeril were at.

『Aeril……. You are already satisfied right? I understand your feeling. The bunch inside that fortress is a different matter but, I won’t rule over them one-sidedly. That’s why won’t you stop your defiance already and return to our side?』

It was a graceful and yet warm voice.

Listelka whispered sweet words that were oozing with kindness into her little sister’s ear.

『You came into contact with the people of this world and then understood their feeling. If that’s the case, then I want to respect your stance as much as possible. Or perhaps, are you unable to believe me, your blood-related elder sister?』

Listelka’s timely help that was trying to win over Aeril at this point.

The Seven Dragon Paladins were forced into disadvantage and Aeril herself also had no place to belong remaining for her.

『What use is there in continuing to fight when no one will recognize you for it? There is still a path remaining for you as Lord. If you return to our side now, then I will be generous and promise to specially save Lux Arcadia alone.』

「…………」

Next Listelka showed the greatest concession she could make.

Hayes reflexively showed a displeased voice and a bit of silence was born.

「A path as a Lord──is it?」

Aeril let out a voice that was mixed with a sigh while her body was still constricted along with her armor.

She gave off an atmosphere that was vaguely resigned and stared at the Heaven Palace floating in the sky.

「……-」

Lux who was in the middle of battle was listening to that exchange, but he didn’t say anything.

He thought that Listelka’s invitation was a trap, but he had no way to prove that.

Just a few seconds──.

After an indecision that was equal to a few minutes within Lux’s bodily sensation, Aeril lifted her face and opened her mouth.

An absolutely desperate situation where her limbs were restrained and there was no place to escape.

On such a situation, a pardon where only her and Lux would be saved was offered, but Aeril silently shook her head.

「You’re wrong, Nee-san, Hayes. In the first place such path is mistaken.」

Aeril was staring at empty air with an expression that looked lonely and pained.

「Why did us Lord declined? Why were we betrayed and sealed by the family of traitor? You two should understand why. That was because we tried to rule the world using Key’s Supervisor’s technological strength and the Ruins’ power. Because we forcefully oppressed all the people.」

「……Hah! Just when I thought what you are going to say, what is so bad about that? A family with power and excellence controlling the other with that is only natural!」

In front of her Hayes bared a wicked look and yelled enthusiastically.

But, Aeril’s empty smile didn’t crumble.

「Yes, everything thought that it’s only natural. Because we are superior, because we are the chosen clan, anything we do to other people is fine. That arrogance ruined us. I understand. That day, before we slept for a few hundred years, I averted my eyes while noticing that.」

『……This is really troubling, Aeril. For you to lose the nobility of your soul while making friends with those lowly bunch──』

「Nee-san and Hayes yourself doesn’t understand anything. The Lord and the Ruins are already unnecessary in this era. That’s why I’ll destroy Avalon along with Sacred Eclipse, and seal all the Ruins. That is my wish.」

『Do you think you can accomplish that? I won’t allow you to say that you do not know how greedy of a creature human is you know?』

Listelka sighed in exasperation.

But, Aeril smiled widely and looked at Lux.

「Of course I know. But I am not mistaken at all. We can understand each other with the people of this world. No──」

Aeril took a deep breath and glared straight to the Heaven Palace.

「No matter what kind of hardships we have to shoulder, we have to do that. That’s why, I’ll fight!」

『…………』

Aeril declared her intention resolutely.

Listelka who saw that could be heard gasping.

『Is that so, I too still have some way to go.』

It was a gentle voice that for a moment made it sounded like she was recognizing Aeril’s opinion.

However right after that, the place was filled with dark voice that was filled with deathly dose of lethal poison.

『As the leader of the Lord, pardoning a failed existence like you is──』

「……-!?」

「Looks like that’s how it is yeah, Onee-sama. I won’t be able to hold on until the unveiling of Avalon but, die here! Farewell!」

Hayes raised her fervor and held up Niddhogg’s Two-Bladed Sword.

Zahhak’s Breath Whip that was entangled around its armored arm was already severed. Aeril’s movement was sealed from four directions by walls of cut section in space.

Aeril was in absolute danger, however she smiled with refinement.

「──I’ve been waiting you know, Hayes, for those words and attack.」

「What?」

The slash of Astral Line that possessed absolute offensive power.

Aeril should be unable to make any movement with the partition of severed space surrounding her, but she penetrated one cut section and slipped out.

Right after that──the slash that Hayes unleashed split an empty ground into two.

「……Impossible-!? How did you pass the wall of severed space!?」

The cut section of space that was created by Astral Line would automatically vanish starting from the oldest cut when the number of the cut exceeded a certain number, but it should be impossible to break through them with any other way.

It would be different if Divine Raiment neutralization effect like Philuffy’s Typhon was used, but there wasn’t any sign of anything like that occurring.

「You were careless, Hayes. I dispelled Zahhak’s Divine Raiment wasn’t because I had no more strength to spare to cover for Lux-kun. It was because I changed what memory I stole from you. I used Brain Hack to make you forget that you had used Astral Line and one of the cut sections surrounding me had vanished──」

「Wha……!」

Hayes who was told the answer also noticed.

The space at the four directions from Aeril was vertically and horizontally cut into a situation where it seemed like she was locked, but that was an illusion.

In reality Aeril wasn’t passing through a cut section.

The memory of the vanished cut section was erased from Hayes’s eyes and she didn’t notice the hole.

「It was Lux-kun who taught me this plan. While he is in the middle of battle with Yggdrasil where he cannot relax even for an instant, he still gave me guidance in order to save me.」

「……-! So what! In the first place you bastard have no more weapon remaining! You’ve got no way to win against the B-blood Nidhogg of this great mee!」

Along with her angry scream, Hayes’s head armor part shined and a powerful shockwave whirled.

「──Howling Roar!」

At that time when she was about to unleash a shockwave with maximum output, the branches of Yggdrasil that were strengthening Hayes’s armor slackened and simultaneously came untied.

「WHaa-!?」

Although the main frame of Niddhogg itself didn’t collapse, its strengthened power was drastically weakened.

Aeril who saw that swung her half destroyed Breath Whip and entangled it around Hayes and restrained her.

「You didn’t notice? After I made you forgot about the cut section in space using Brain Hack, next I erased different thing from your memory. That is──」

「GU, GYAAAAAAaaaAAAAAH……!」

Hayes whose attention was attracted turned her bloodshot eyes to below, where she caught the sight of Yggdrasil that was split almost in half while letting out a weird shriek.

「Lux-kun lured it there. When you whose memory of Yggdrasil was stolen let out your slash, it was guided to a position where it was easy to get hit.」

「Impossible-! E, even such thing……!?」

Currently Lux had no strength to defeat the revived Yggdrasil that entered rampage state.

But, it didn’t matter that it was a living thing that could strengthen itself infinitely, it would be helpless against a slash that cut its core along with the space.

Therefore──Lux formed a plan from the Divine Raiment of Aeril’s Zahhak and their position, and turned the predicament into a good chance.

「And then Hayes. Even the me right now have no strength to deal a finishing blow to you. That’s why, I’ll ask him to do it for me. After all just now I have also lend him my strength to exterminate Yggdrasil.」

「──Right. Leave it to me, Aeril.」

In front of Yggdrasil whose core was destroyed and raised a shriek of death agony, Lux put his breathing in order and took his stance.

Aeril’s Zahhak swooped down with her Breath Whip was still restraining Hayes, pulling her.

The moment Hayes came before Lux’s eyes with a momentum as though she was going to crash on the ground, Lux activated his Divine Raiment.

「──Reload on Fire」

In a timing where Hayes in her Drag-Ride and Yggdrasil were side by side, Lux’s Divine Raiment activated in the radius of ten-odd meter around him.

Due to the compression strengthening of time, the time was lengthened without end.

Amidst that time, slashes that were like heavy rain struck toward the two.

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