Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 11 Episode 5 (section)

===Part 2===
About the same time──outside, in the vicinity of the first fortress.

Around Garden.

Between the wasteland and the blue sky where a lot of Abyss were spreading out, a fierce fight that no one knew when it would end was unfolding.

「Shit! The number is too many! I’ll take care of this place! First we will secure an escape path!」

The commander Lisha raised her voice and gave instruction to the Triad.

The White Ridge knight order that was attracting the Abyss swarm was rallying themselves with the assistance of Zweigbergk, but in the first place they wouldn’t be able to retreat if they couldn’t break through the encirclement.

It seemed that Greifer and Coral were each facing a Drag-Knight of Dragon Marauder. They had no leeway to assist them.

「SHAAAAAAAAAH……!」

「Don’t, GET IN MY WAAAYYYYY──!」

Lisha raised a yell that sounded like a howl and bombarded a Gargoyle.

Even if they secured an escape path, there was no way they could start retreating until Lux returned back with Yoruka.

If they left the two alone smack dab in the middle of an Abyss swarm, it was obvious what would be the result of that in the end.

「Good grief, in battle, everything won’t go as expected huh!」

Because the new battle style that Lisha mastered would exhaust her completely in short time, she was unable to use it here.

A battle without Lux, Krulcifer, Celis, Philuffy, and Yoruka, was very difficult.

Lisha once more realized just how much help their existences were.

「But ──I cannot lose.」

Even while feeling despair from the Abyss that continued to appear from empty air one after another, she was unable to endure when she thought of the other girls.

She wasn’t a princess who could only get protected.

She would also lead everyone in battle, with strength and skill as a Drag-Knight.

Because that was her dignity as the princess who Lux served, her objective.

「When this battle is over safely, I’ll tell him properly! That’s why, no matter how many powerful enemies there are around me, there is no way I’ll get defeated hereeeee──!」

She suppressed the enemy movement with Suppressor’s gravity field and then sniped them with Seven Heads.

While Lisha was continuously holding back the enemy desperately by repeating that attack many times, the Triad were also fighting behind her.

「Airi, please be careful. I’m searching the enemy with radar, but it will be troublesome if unseen Abyss is targeting us.」

Airi nodded briefly at Noct’s words and hid herself behind the cover of a rock.

The intensity of the battle far surpassed the imagination, even so Noct was splitting her focus to protect Airi rather than securing an escape path.

「Good grief──someone persistent is hated you know!?」

「Yeah, exactly. Lacking in consideration and restrain is also the same!」

Tillfur and Sharis each attempted to break through with Hammer and Breath Gun in their respective hands, but things didn’t really go well.

In a situation where a large swarm was surrounding from four directions, the energy consumption was too intense even if they fought the Abyss equally.

Airi was watching that deadly battle from behind a rock while feeling the suspense inside her heart.

(The Triad, they are already near their limit in using the strengthened type general purpose Drag-Rides.)

When Noct and the others were training to use the strengthened type general purpose Drag-Rides, it was none other than Airi who was measuring their usage time limit.

Airi knew how, in order to become the strength of Lux──and also the Academy, they acted like usual on the surface, while behind the scenes they were also continuing to work hard desperately.

Airi also knew how currently, those girls were gradually exceeding the limit of their stamina.

Even if they kept at it with willpower, it wouldn’t continue for long. Their armor would be dispelled soon.

The Abyss’s encirclement could be broken through with a bit more.

But, even though it would be just one more push, they were lacking a bit of firepower.

「Noct! You don’t need to worry about me! Please go assist those two!」

「No. I cannot approve of that. I will be breaking my promise with Lux-san if Airi is exposed to danger.」

Noct was replying with a calm voice while battling an Abyss slightly to the front. But,

「We will be annihilated either way if we are unable to escape like this! If I’m only becoming a burden, I have the resolve to die!」

「-……!?」

Noct who heard that yell showed a slightly pained look.

After worrying for a few moments, Noct took a deep breath and turned the back of her EX Drake towards Airi.

「Please forgive me Airi. I made you speak that much. That’s because of our powerlessness.」

「It’s the same for me. This is because I was unreasonable and asked to come along.」

When Airi smiled softly, Noct also slipped out a chuckle.

「Yes. You’re right. Let’s get scolded together later.」

Noct murmured that while simultaneously using EX Drake’s Step. She began giving cover fire using her Cannon.

『Both of you please lure away the enemy! I will fire my remaining fire power.』

「Okkaayy!」

「Take care of it, Noct!」

Tillfur and Sharis who were battling Abyss with close range weapons in hand guessed Noct’s intention with just that sentence.

No matter how much training they accumulated, the three’s Drag-Ride aptitude value, stamina, and technique wouldn’t be a match with the members who could handle Divine Drag-Rides.

Then, in order to win a battle using a strong point that was unique to only the three of them, they strengthened their coordination along with their personal training.

「GISHAAAAH!」

A swarm of flying type hissed while attacking. The two moved in the trajectory with shape of ‘8’ and gathered them in one spot.

The moment around ten Abysses were gathered at their crossing point, Sharis and Tillfur raised their voices simultaneously.

「──Howling Roar!」

The vortex of shockwave that was filled with the power of a strengthened type general purpose Drag-Ride pressured the swarm from left and right and stopped their movement.

Right after that, Noct launched a following attack from her Cannon without even a moment longer.

「GU, GYAAAAH……!」

The atmosphere was enveloped with flame blast and the Abyss were smashed apart along with the impact.

Even so as expected several Abyss survived the attack.

The remaining Abyss were showered with swings from Hammer and Blade.

「Magnificent, everyone──」

With this an escape path was opened, and it became possible to retreat temporarily with Lisha and the others and reorganize themselves.

After that it would be only Lux and Yoruka who were inside the first fortress that they had to worry about.

The Triad unintentionally relaxed their tension after throwing all their strength. In that moment, Airi felt unease in her body.

「-……!?」

Her weight vanished and she felt like she was pulled into the air.

That moment when she floated high into the air, Airi was kidnapped by a Drag-Ride that flew with fierce speed from behind.

「──Airi-!?」

With a shocked expression Noct used Step and pursued, but she didn’t reach.

「Wait!」

Sharis flew to chase after the unfamiliar saffron colored Drag-Ride, but at that moment her EX Wyvern was hit by an invisible power that threw her to the ground.

「Uah!?」

Sharis turned a somersault with a short scream. Looking down at the three who were left behind, the masked girl left wordlessly.

「Be careful Sharis! It looks like she is using some kind of strange Divine Raiment!」

Tillfur also skated forward in the attempt of pursuit, but the figure of the kidnapper Drag-Knight vanished altogether with Airi.

At the opposite side of Lisha who was fighting hard a hundred ml behind, the three were left behind there while standing dumbfounded.