Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 10 Episode 4 (section)

===Part 1===
「Ki, kill! One hostage is enough! Attack him with the intent to ki──guah!?」

An officer of Heiburg’s military who was managing the gathered force let out his voice. But right at that instant, a great sword cut up his shoulder.

The Force Core there that was the vital part of a Drag-Ride was smashed. The commander immediately fell to the ground.

「Wha-……!?」

The commander other than Rosa was finished off at the very beginning. The remaining troops became agitated.

Lux didn’t miss that opening and swung his great sword, instantly cutting down two Drag-Knights who were around Philuffy.

Their shoulder armor was smashed up and the Blades in their hands danced in the air.

「Fi, fire-! Stop him in his tracks using a barrage of Breath Gun!」

「No wait!? That guy’s surroundings──!?」

Around Lux who was driving Bahamut, the weapons of the defeated enemies──multiple Daggers and Blades were floating.

The moment Heiburg troops were perplexed, those weapons were fired to all directions with speed like a bullet.

「──Linker Burst」

The special armament that was loaded inside Bahamut.

Normally it was a weak ability that could only do things like forming a force field to change the trajectory of things or pulling things closer towards the user’s hands, but, Over Limit strengthened the ability until a level that boasted strength which could throw objects at high speed.

Heiburg’s troops that became the side that was suppressed with a barrage instead broke their formation. Lux charged using that opening.

「Hmmph. Over Limit eeeh……. It seems that it’s quite something but──I wondeer, how long will you be able to keep up that output?」

On the other hand, while the extermination of her subordinates was gathering speed, Rosa was forming the tactic for after this.

Rosa had also obtained the information about Over Limit itself.

It was a double-edged sword that realized the multiplication of a Drag-Ride’s output by several times by taking off the limiter that was usually restricting the output of the Drag-Ride to avoid burden to the user.

In that case, it was convenient if Lux was spending strength to defeat her subordinates.

That full power wouldn’t continue for long.

The normal option to take here was to wait until the opponent ran out of breath and his Drag-Ride got dispelled from that, but she had to implement the best plan for that to happen.

『──Informing all troops. Bring down Lux Arcadia. Don’t be scared, the guy’s strength won’t last long.』

Rosa gave her subordinates instructions once more through Dragon Voice. At the same time, she herself also deployed bait.

She used the Twelve Vice that manipulated unmanned Drag-Rides together with the illusion ability of Sin Phantom, producing unmanned drones that acted as her body doubles.

She made her doubles to assault the back of Lux who was crushing his enemies using overwhelming firepower──but, at that instant the drone was cut apart into pieces.

「……-!?」

Quick Shot──more than ten consecutive slashes using the application of time acceleration from Bahamut’s Divine Raiment.

The Drag-Ride’s four limbs, back wings, head part, and then even its Force Core, the drone was destroyed to the limit until it was impossible to regenerate using its own strength.

「So its weak point is seen through already eeh……」

Expression vanished for the first time from the face of Rosa who saw that. Faint anxiety and graveness tinged her voice.

Gorynych’s Divine Raiment, Tartaros Frame, it was an ability to disassemble Drag-Rides and rearrange them.

In other words, even if a Drag-Ride was destroyed, this Divine Raiment possessed the feature to reconstruct it to a certain degree.

But, if even the Force Core that functioned to power up the Drag-Ride was also destroyed, the Drag-Ride wouldn’t be able to receive orders and it became impossible to reconstruct and repair it in the middle of battle.

「──However, I wonder how long that strength can continue?」

But, even though she was standing at a disadvantage, Rosa was composed.

In the state of Over Limit, a Drag-Ride’s functions would be reinforced drastically in all aspects, but the backlash from that was also great.

Although the compression strengthening of Reload on Fire was also ascended until more than ten times, if Lux used it consecutively his limit would arrive soon.

No, if he used his Divine Raiment two more times, he would surely self-destruct immediately.

That prediction was correct, but mistaken.

「Ru, RUUUuUUUUNN! THERE IS NO WAY WE CAN WIN AGAINST A MONSTER LIKE THIS!」

「WE ARE GOING TO GET KILLED, RETREAT! RETREAT!」

The battle force of fifty Drag-Rides was reduced to half in less than ten-odd seconds. Even Rosa’s doubles were carved apart into pieces.

The remaining Drag-Knight troops who witnessed that result began to run away like baby spiders scattering away.

For a moment Rosa was dumbfounded, not comprehending what had happened.

But, she immediately showed a wicked expression and scolded her subordinates.

「Looks like my education is insufficient eeh. Running away in front of the enemy is a sin heavier than capital crime you know? If it’s now I’ll still be──」

「Who cares! We are going to get killed before that!」

「It’s impossible already, even you aren’t a match for him see!? I’ll escape until outside the country!」

「Wha──!?」

Even so her subordinates didn’t stop and continued to escape. Seeing that, Rosa was shaking in agitation.

Seeing the good chance, the Triad landed down on the central plaza and Sharis called out in panic.

「Lux-kun! Sorry we are late! We will take care of missy Philuffy and missy Stefa. You go defeat Lady Rosa! I’ll go take a look at missy Calensia’s situation, after that we will reinforce you!」

「Yes. Please leave this side to us.」

「Lux-chi, be careful!」

Next Noct and Tillfur quickly rushed in. Noct lifted up Philuffy while Tillfur carried Stefa. They then retreated from that place.

「──Please.」

Lux shortly replied, at the same time he skated Bahamut in the air and slashed at Rosa.

Quick Draw──the attack cut off the shoulder of the arm that was holding the Scythe and instantly destroyed the Force Core there.

If it was with the super output of Over Limit, even though it was a slash that was specialized for speed, it still could cut through the thick barrier and armor.

But, the figure of the pilot Rosa vanished at the same time when she was cut like it was only natural.

It was an unmanned drone created by Sin Phantom that worked as Rosa’s body double but──the remaining drones were eight.

Lux was reducing the number with certainty and cornering his opponent.

「──Those useless, dimwitted subordinates. It seems that the fear I gave those bunches were too lukewarm.」

「You’re mistaken, Lady Rosa.」

Lux was destroying even more of Rosa’s double that was attacking him while correcting her.

His voice was cold and monotone.

Pierced by that eye glint that consisted of only hostility that was condensed and sharpened to the extreme, Rosa’s voice shook slightly.

「I wondeer, what do you mean?」

「It’s because you are ruling over them with only fear. Humans can be made to obey easily if one uses fear──but at the same time, if just one prerequisite collapses, the strength of that authority will also crumble.」

「────That scene of destruction with your full power, you are saying you did that intentionally?」

In exchange of an answer, Lux smashed another drone that was rode by Rosa’s double once more.

Just now, Lux displayed an overwhelming difference in firepower without showing any opening that could be taken advantage of.

Even though there was still the troops’ ruler, Rosa, who was still waiting in reserve, why did Lux unleash his full power when he merely faced the subordinates and body doubles?

He intentionally made the great strength from Over Limit to be in full display before their eyes and unnerved the enemies’ fighting spirit.

Even though if all of them bought time then they might have been able to make Lux’s stamina run out, but by showing them a difference in power that was too great, the subordinates were cornered to escape.

「Yeah. And then it’s over──I won’t forgive you anymore.」

When Lux continued to cut down the sixth drones, he declared coldly.

But, Rosa who should be cornered even further grinned fearlessly.

「Is that soo? Then it can’t be helped. I’ll also stop trying to capture you alive.」

「……!?」

The veil of rain and wind that was hitting the body inside the darkness.

When it weakened for a moment, he could see Rosa’s figure that was wrapped inside a giant armor.

Over there, existed a strange shape that was completely different from until just now.

「So you made your comrades into bait and formed that.」

A giant dragon walking on two legs, with a size that might be ten times larger than a normal Drag-Ride.

That form used the real Gorynych as the base where its whole armor was strengthened.

Not to mention the chest part, the two legs, two arms, the propulsion device, all of them were increased in thickness due to the combination.

Gorynych’s special armament──the unmanned drones of the Twelve Vice should have been destroyed until a state where it was impossible to regenerate, that was why no matter how Gorynych’s main frame combined with the Twelve Vice, this size didn’t match the calculation.

In other words──.

「Thaat’s right. My Tartaros Frame can disassemble even the armor of general purpose Drag-Rides and reconstruct it into my own armor. Those useless subordinates, at the very least they should become nourishment for me, don’t you think sooo?」

Rosa who recovered her composure grinned and looked down on Lux.

She didn’t summon her subordinates here just for attacking from all directions and to exhaust Lux.

It was for her trump card where in the end she would incorporate the leftover armors and strengthen herself like this.

「Tartaros Frame – {{furigana|Devil Machia Mode|Combined God Form}}. I’ll fight and let you die a noble death fitting for a hero. Of course, after you die── you will be treated as a traitor thoough!」
Immediately after that, several wheels that came out from Gorynych’s armored legs rotated with terrific power──and accelerated.

That giant armor that had increased in volume by more than ten times kicked out to the front and charged with an explosive speed.

「U──OOOOOOH!」

Lux swung Bahamut’s Chaos Brand with full power in the stance of facing it head on.

He slashed with a counter to cut Gorynych’s fist that was like a huge rock, but when his sword hit, a shockwave with terrible impact pushed him at the same time and Lux was blown backward.

「Gu, ah……!?」

「How fooliiish. Only an idiot would put on an air like a hero.」

On the other hand, Rosa wasn’t shaken at all. She attacked further with all out bombing using the Cannons that were installed on her whole armor.

Lux dodged the storm of countless flashes that were flying around while taking distance in order to rally himself.

The power output of Gorynych that had entered Devil Machia Mode was almost equal with Over Limit.

But, Lux was one-sidedly pushed back because of the influence of the weight difference that was more than ten times over.

Especially because Gorynych was a land battle type, when they hit each other directly while stopping in place, the difference in stability between both sides was remarkable.

But, even after understanding that he was at disadvantage, there was no way Lux could relax his offense here.

Lux changed his trajectory once more and skated in the air──he swung down his great sword while putting his weight in it.

But, it was deflected without difficulty by the thick armor and multiple barriers.

Even though they were both using Drag-Rides with high power output, there was a clear difference in their reserve energy. Lux realized Rosa’s trick.

「This too──is within your calculation since the start?」

Rosa wasn’t as exhausted as Lux surely because in the middle she received support from her subordinates’ Drakes.

The special equipment type Drake could transfer one’s own energy to the other party.

In other words, right after the reinforcement came, Rosa received strength of several people portions from them.

On the other hand, Lux’s body that had been worked too hard until now was nearing its limit.

Surely he would run out of strength and his armor dispelled in less than two minutes because he couldn’t endure the burden.

If that happened, everything would be over.

Whether it was the New Kingdom after Babel was conquered, and also Philuffy who was lethally wounded, and also the Triad who came here.

「It’s unfortunate buut──it seems this is as far as you go. As I thought, good cannot triumph against evil. No matter how much you try to stand against me with the correct path, this is your limit. You don’t have both the sense and ability to dirty your hands with evil. You are just spouting the nonsense of the loser and the weak.」

Rosa continued as though making a proclamation within the strong rain hitting their body.

On the other hand Lux wielded his great sword and earnestly searched for the clue to break through this situation.

But, no matter from which direction he attacked, he couldn’t break that tough barrier and armor.

「At that time it was also raining like this I thiink. When I killed father──」

「……!?」

Rosa murmured as though talking to herself. It was unclear whether she did that because she intended to act composed, or that her emotion was highly strung.

「With the death of the Dark Marketeer Hayes, the military commander also lost his standing. It was the long-awaited chance for the Granhide family to take over the military, so I too had to work hard, riiight……」

「You, killed him?」

Lux asked with a stifled voice.

Rosa’s lips loosened in ecstasy and she talked in nostalgia.

「It was fuun. When that man who swaggered as a great noble and tried to discipline me was shedding blood in an unsightly state and then stopped breathing──. Of course, the crime was treated as the work of a thief who sneaked inside. With that I was convinced. In the end no one can notice the truth. Even if they stay alive, the likes of sheep will only get preyed on. Those who can skillfully use evil is the strongest.」

Rosa also moved into offense, as though she was drunk on her own creed.

The huge arm that pulverized the stone paving with one attack was striking towards Bahamut.

「Kuh!?」

Lux neutralized the punch with a counter, but a fierce impact exploded in reaction.

「With this strength I will start by stealing Babel and the New Kingdom. I’ll also subdue the Seven Dragon Paladins. After arriving at Avalon, I will stand on even further heights with the power there. Not just the current tiny Heiburg, I will put everything in this world under my rule!」

All the Cannon muzzles protruding out from Gorynych’s whole frame were tinged with light and they fired consecutively.

Lux barely dodged by using his Blade as a shield. He glared at Rosa.

「Like that, you intend to rule over someone with fear again? In order to do that, you intend to hurt those who stand in your way!? The same like that era of the empire that I lived in──」

Rosa only laughed even against Lux’s objection that was filled with intimidation.

「Sayonaraa, you sore loser who pretends to be a hero. Nothing can be changed with your belief. You cannot protect anything. Accept your defeat and die.」

Rosa grinned with a belittling look.

The moment Lux saw that, the inner part of Lux’s eyes was tinged with heat as though it got burned.

–

『No matter how much resolve you tried to have, you believe that 「country」 and 「people」 are something precious. That was why you could speak of a pipe dream like keeping these bunches alive and making a place of dialogue.』

–

Those were the words of Lux’s elder brother──Fugil who massacred the imperial family and the nobility, betraying Lux who was trying to save even the people of the Old Empire, as many as possible, and make a place to talk with each other.

Those words were replayed at the back of his mind, which turned into a violent emotion that burned his heart.

That’s right──there is no other choice but to do it.

(She is the same like his majesty the emperor and Hayes──an evil beyond salvation that has to be killed. I can only kill her here!)

Lux resolved his will, at the same time he deduced the best plan with his remaining stamina.

Even after he was using Over Limit, this Rosa was a formidable enemy.

But, no matter how strong of an existence it was, he was learning the way to break the opposition.

When the armor of Bahamut that was already starting to creak was distorting even more conspicuously, he moved.

「A rampage──, is it? That’s finee. I’ll scatter apart that flower petals faster than you can ruin yourself disgracefully!」

Rosa flashed a wicked smile and pulled back the fist of the Devil Machia Mode. She unleashed an attack that was like a battering ram.

Matching his timing with that, Lux also unleashed the power he stored.

「Recoil Burst-……!」

「──Wha-!?」

Body control operation and mind control operation, the command to suppress and the command to unleash.

By executing two kinds of simultaneous control operation that ran counter to each other, it suppressed the starting point of the attack and gathered strength until the limit.

One of Lux’s hidden techniques that produced destructive power more than ten times normal directly hit Gorynych’s Devil Machia Mode.

With the fist of the enemy that came into contact as the starting point, the might of his attack was transmitted in chain towards the armored arm’s wrist, elbow, and then shoulder. That armor that bundled more than ten Drag-Rides together cracked and burst open.

「Impossible, don’t tell me──!?」

Rosa’s both eyes snapped open in shock and she trembled.

The tables were turned in one move.

If there was someone who watched this battle, they would imagine the scene that would unfold next, but immediately after that──

「……Juust joking.」

The Steel Witch grinned as though everything went as she planned.

The Devil Machia Mode that should be pulverized into pieces with one attack.

But, the chain of destruction didn’t reach until the very armor of Gorynych’s main frame. It was still unharmed.

And then, the armor part that should be broken just now was getting reconstructed once more.

「You intentionally disassembled the armor ahead to disperse the impact──is that what you did?」

「You can feel proud. This Devil Machia Mode is tuned to destruct its outer shell automatically when it received a fatal impact to a certain degree. If the attack’s power is dispersed to the many armors covering it, the force that Gorynych’s main body receives will drop sharply.」

It was an attack of full power from Lux’s Over Limit and his hidden technique of Drag-Ride control.

Rosa even dealt against a special move that she should have seen for the first time and cornered Lux.

Rosa treated evil as right and she was convinced of that as the proof of ability, but she had also investigated thoroughly his strength as a Drag-Knight.

Therefore, in the exchange of tactics just now, she should be the one who came out ahead slightly──but.

「-……!? What is this? My body──cannot move!?」

「Reload on Fire──the moment you disassembled your own armor, I put the compression strengthening of time on Gorynych.」

Reload on fire compressed the phenomenon of five seconds ahead which caused the strength to decrease sharply until a fragment of the original, and then that strength was unleashed in the next five seconds.

The Divine Raiment that was strengthened by Over Limit caused the amplitude of the strengthening to be increased until more than ten times, causing the strength to swell up abnormally.

Rosa was also being vigilant against that, but she didn’t think that the Divine Raiment would be applied to hers rather than to Lux himself.

The time of Gorynych’s whole body including Rosa was decelerated. The disassembled armor didn’t return back to normal.

Lux didn’t overlook that opening when the armor was disconnected and slashed.

「──End Action」

After applying a full power Reload on Fire on Rosa and her movement stopped, Lux’s Blade struck from above her barrier. Hundreds of consecutive attacks without a single moment of pause, that came from the application of stacking up two kinds of control operations repeatedly, were driving into Gorynych’s armor.

「Hahh! No matter how many times you pile up such light slashes, you won’t be able to break my Divine Drag-Ride!」

Currently no matter how many times Gorynych was hit by Lux’s attacks, its barrier wasn’t reduced.

But, Rosa didn’t notice that she was already checkmated.

「It’s over already for you, Lady Rosa.」

Lux indifferently told the fearlessly grinning Rosa.

One of three hidden techniques, End Action was finished in just four seconds. Lux hovered in the air while breathing hard.

「Your Drag-Ride isn’t receiving damage because of Reload on Fire’s effect that sharply decreased the flow of time.」

In other words, the impact of a hundred consecutive attacks until now that was concentrated onto just a single point, all of that attack power would flood in all at once.

「……-!?」

Rosa noticed that fact and her expression distorted in despair. The effect of Reload on Fire arrived at the five seconds of the later half.

「──N, OoOoOOOOOoOOOOoOOOOOO-!」

A shriek.

Rosa was sent flying along with Gorynych backward. She vanished from Lux’s sight in a speed that the human eye couldn’t follow.

At the same time, the parts of more than ten Drag-Rides that were severed from Tartaros Frame’s control were all scattered around on her trajectory.

「Haa, haa……, guh……aaa!」

Bahamut in Over Limit state was dispelled. Lux was standing still for a while on that spot.

The muscle joints of his whole body immediately felt pained. He was feeling a fever as though his whole body was burned.

The cold rain robbed his very little remaining stamina. A temptation to just faint like this assaulted him.

「Not, yet……!」

But, Lux pulled out the Sword Device of Wyvern and used it to stab his thigh. He awakened his consciousness with pain.

Rosa’s combat potential should have been neutralized already with an almost certainty, but she mustn’t be allowed to get away from here.

He more or less calculated the direction where he sent Rosa flying. He aimed at the first place──the military practice ground beside the underground market.

He mustn’t collapse yet until he caught up and restrained her.

「U, guh……!?」

Lux coughed heavily. When his hand pressed on his mouth, blood got stuck on his palm. It made him feel an intense exhaustion.

It was a paper thin victory.

The multiple layers of piled up evil tactics that made use of every method effectively.

And it didn’t stop there, she had also accumulated diligent training that surpassed the common sense as a Drag-Knight.

It was just as rumored and similar to the other Seven Dragon Paladins, Rosa boasted a true strength that was worthy of the name of Steel Witch and wicked cunning that made it possible for her to grasp Heiburg within her palm.

If Lux didn’t use Over Limit within his muddy memory, he would be the one defeated without a doubt.

(How did I, become able to use Over Limit again? No, actually, from where did I know about the method to release Over Limit?)

If he knew the method, then why? Why did he become unable to remember it?

Lux harbored even more doubt, but he shook his head and erased the feeling.

「Right now isn’t the time……! If I don’t, defeat, Lady Rosa……cough-!」

He took deep breath many times, but his breathing wouldn’t calm down.

Also, he couldn’t even summon Wyvern right now.

「If I don’t defeat Rosa, if she gets away from here, everything── Philuffy, Stefa-san, the people of this country too, everyone will──」

When Lux was about to fall on that spot, the arm of a Drag-Ride firmly caught him.

Lux was taken aback and held his breath. In front of him, there was a familiar girl.

「You are……?」

Under the heavy rain, a girl with peculiar braided hairstyle was riding a Drag-Ride.

But, he had seen that androgynous look before.

「-……!?」

A pain ran behind Lux’s eyes sharply, his field of vision was obstructed by a sandstorm.

The obstruction vanished instantly. When his consciousness became clear, Lux realized who the boy before him was.

The one who supported the collapsing Lux while wearing an EX Wyvern was Coral.

「I’m sorry I’m late, Lux-kun. I was in communication with everyone of the Triad through Dragon Voice, they are all safe. Philuffy-san too, it looks like she is heavily injured, but I was told that her life isn’t in danger.」

「That’s, great……」

His breathing was weak and frail, even so Lux made a relieved smile.

「I received a special mission from the Vanheim Principality and came here to chase after Vine of Dragon Marauder in the underground market, but he got away. I caught them in the act, so I could send evidence to the world alliance. But right now your condition is the concern. We should also retreat for the moment.」

「Not, yet. If we don’t finish off Lady Rosa, this country will──」

「It’s better to not force yourself. You cannot use a Drag-Ride anymore. If I let you die here, I won’t have any face to meet your comrades.」

「I’m fine, that’s why we have to pursue Lady Rosa here──. If it’s just a Wyvern, I’ll be able to use it after resting for a bit more.」

「……I get it.」

Coral sighed. Even so he obeyed Lux’s instruction.

He lifted Lux with his EX Wyvern. Then he faced the enemy’s stronghold that was already crumbling.

He flew towards the military practice ground where Rosa Granhide appeared to be blown away to.