Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 7 Episode 4 (section)

===Part 20===

The mercenary who was called as The Battlefield’s Instrumentalist, Drakkhen.

Lux personally experienced, why how she reached the point of being called as legendary after wandering from battlefield to battlefield.

Her ability as capable commander, her stratagem in intelligence and bargaining.

And then, the existence of Divine Drag-Ride Asp.

But, just by facing her, it was conveyed that her battle wasn’t that generous that she could survive with just those.

「I’m fired up……! It has been a long time you know, since there was a guy who reached until where I am after all my plans were used up!」

She lifted up the steel claws that stretched out sharply and unleashed a consecutive attack with intense speed.

Horizontal slash, upper thrust, downswing, slashing lines from every direction were running in the air, dazzling Lux’s eyes.

(Fast──. No, it’s getting faster!)

It wasn’t anything like an elegant sword technique following standard form. But, that irregular movement that wasn’t trapped within form became the one thing that exactly robbed Lux from an option instead.

The operation of Quick Shot, the special move that was making use of Bahamut’s Divine Raiment, Reload on Fire.

After completely predicting the opponent’s preliminary motion, the time was compressed and a strengthened consecutive slash was unleashed. The move contained strength that could instantly make the opponent unable to fight, but──.

(This attack pattern, it’s also doubling as buying for time?)

The preliminary motion of the disordered claw attack would be hard to read through in a short time.

Was she deciding to first seal Lux’s Quick Shot seeing that it would be disadvantageous for him the more time passed because he was already bleeding a lot?

(Then──)

Lux quickly put his breathing in order, pulled Bahamut’s great sword and took a stance.

But, Drakkhen who saw that shortened the tips of Asp’s claws a bit while at the same time fire burst out from the back of the four legs. She drew near with explosive momentum.

「──!」

Even while feeling surprised at the unexpected action, Lux unleashed a hidden technique of Drag-Ride control.

Quick Draw──by doing body control operation and mind control operation in harmony, it would unleash just a single attack in godspeed.

──But, when it was unleashed, the distance with Asp was too close and the sword couldn’t finish swinging to the end.

The moment it was blocked, the Drakkhen lunged with her sharp claws and pierced Bahamut’s barrier, stabbing shallowly on Lux’s shoulder.

Fresh blood spurted out and Lux’s face grimaced slightly.

「Ku……!」

The super high speed slash Quick Draw couldn’t be avoided if the target only started dodging after seeing it.

Thus, Lux got a hunch seeing Drakkhen’s reaction that saw through the sign that he would use his hidden technique.

That even though this should be their first time crossing swords, but this female mercenary had come here with countermeasure against Lux that was based on enormous preliminary investigation.

「Howling Howl!」

Lux unleashed Howling Howl and pushed Asp back from their close distance against each other.

And then he changed his hold of the great sword into a backhand grip, and took a stance of drawing it far behind.

The jet black armor started creaking and shaking.

It was the stance to unleash a super powerful attack that put Drag-Ride’s rampage to practical use──Recoil Burst.

「They guy called Black Hero is really scary eh. If you put too much burden to that body, it won’t end up prettily for you right?」

Drakkhen grinned smugly and the four legs of Asp moved.

She leaped far backward and took distance. Furthermore she took a stance of thrusting out the sharp claws on both her hands, and from there small Daggers were fired consecutively.

It wasn’t an attack that was concentrated to one spot, but a buckshot of scattered blades.

It was a countermeasure against Recoil Burst in order to prevent Lux’s approach.

But, against Drakkhen’s countermeasure that even looked like she was reflexively taking the optimum action, Lux too also reflexively carried out an action.

「──Recoil Burst.」

The accumulated super attack was unleashed in a downswing along with that short murmur.

The great sword that was swung from outside the range cut apart the snowfield right under without pause.

「……-!?」

The ground surface was blown up by the impact as though it was exploded, driving away the rain of blades.

At the same time at that moment when the field of vision was blocked the bursting up snow and soil, Lux twisted his body and flew.

The Recoil Burst became protection against the buckshot as well as smoke screen at the same time.

Drakkhen who was taken by surprise gazed at wonderment. Right after that Bahamut’s slash was unleashed from the blind spot.

But, Drakkhen leaped at the last moment and evaded it.

Because it was a Divine Drag-Ride of special equipment type, she could detect the movement of Drag-Ride using Radar.

If she didn’t have that, the attack just now would decide it.

But, Lux too also wasn’t finished just with his move getting defended against.

He stepped into the range of the opponent who was unbalanced and attempted to connect to the next slash, but at that instant this time Drakkhen’s Asp released Howling Howl from its head part.

「──I won’t let you.」

The air whirled and Lux was blown away by the howl. The battle situation was back to square one once again.

Drakkhen had predicted that if she blocked against the slash normally, Lux would be able to connect it into the third hidden technique, End Action.

*Huff huff*, Lux who was unleashing his full strength despite his wound was breathing hard.

Drakkhen who saw that also took a slight breather.

Drakkhen had anticipated Bahamut that Lux possessed, and the technique Quick Shot from the Divine Raiment Reload on Fire.

Furthermore she also executed countermeasure against the three hidden techniques of Drag-Ride control. But Lux counterattacked after seeing through that.

Several tactics had crossed in the span of few moments, the surrounding atmosphere was tinged with heat.

「The countermeasures that I piled up in preparation against you didn’t end up useless in the end──yet, even then they are still slightly insufficient I guess. Looks like it’s not an exaggeration that you destroyed 1200 Drag-Knights of the old empire.」

Lux didn’t respond to Drakkhen’s talkativeness.

He merely took a stance with his great sword quietly and adjusted his breathing by exhaling out white breath.

「However the more I fight you the more I don’t get it. Why are you working under a country until that far?」

「What does that mean?」

「Simple. If you have that much skill and strength, you can get better position. If you desire it, then you will be promised with wealth and authority as much as you want. And yet why──, are you swearing loyalty to such country?」

The collar of criminal that was fixed on Lux’s neck.

Lux lightly touched that object that was carved with the crest of new kingdom.

「This is──the proof of admonition that I wish myself. I failed to change the old empire, this is my responsibility as an imperial family.」

「Haha! That’s a gullible mind you’ve got there. To intend to fight for someone else’s sake when you understand that you’re disposable──then!」

Drakkhen pulled back the armored arm with sharp claw growing from it, and took stance.

And then, she sharpened her killing intent to the utmost limit and faced Lux in front of her.

「I’ll stop from inviting you to be my subordinate. Stay as a foolish child, clinging on sweet dream……, I’ll end your fight right now, right here!」

But at the same time, Lux too also wasn’t stirred at the slightest. He directed a cold gaze toward Drakkhen.

「──Tuning, on.」

The moment he muttered that, countless images of light that displayed Drag-Ride’s information emerged around Bahamut.

Drakkhen who saw that kicked on the ground, and leaped.

「It doesn’t matter even if it’s a reckless ideal. For the sake of my and those girls’ wish, I’m──going to win!」

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