Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 12 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 2===

To delay Bahamut from noticing us for as long as possible, Marduk descended from maximum altitude to stay as close to the frozen sea surface as was feasible.

A roughly ten-kilometer-wide black line was carved on the plain of ice. This was Bahamut's flight trail. While Bahamut flew, its shadow formed an unknown territory that was eating away at the Earth's surface.

Even Marduk's radar was unable to read anything from the black line.

And flying at the limit of the extending the unknown territory was the giant dragon with outspread wings.

Standing on the deck, I stared at the target within visual range that must be destroyed.

Standing next to me, Iris and Kili were also looking at the giant dragon with bated breath.

The target was still dozens of kilometers away. However, the ten-thousand-meter-long monster, flying high in the sky, was exhibiting an even stronger presence than the moon in the noon sky right now.

The scene before my eyes was like a mirage—Completely unreal. However, that thing... Bahamut was undoubtedly there.

Given Marduk's speed, we were going to engage the enemy in a few minutes.

"Looking at it in the flesh... It seems like a small island floating in the sky."

Deploying a composite barrier of heat and air on the deck, Kili whispered poignantly. Were it not for her barrier, we would not only be blown away by the strong wind but also frozen by the extremely low temperature around us.

Lisa and the others should be standing ready on starboard and port side as ordered. Since Marduk far surpassed the speed of flying by transmutation of air, we had no alternative option for flying to the battlefield.

"Its wings are not moving at all. Discharging flames from within its body... Rather than a living organism, it's more like aircraft, right?"

Staring at Bahamut afar, Iris commented. She was holding her fictional armament, Caduceus.

"It's probably using flame jets for thrust. Like you say, Iris, it's more like an airplane. But... If it really came from outside of Earth, then it's a spaceship rather than a jet plane."

While aiming Marduk's weaponry at Bahamut, I answered Iris' question.

The target was now locked. There were weapons capable of sniping from this range. However, since Major Loki was already drawing Bahamut's attention, there was no need for us to attack before it noticed us. More importantly, we needed to allow Iris' Catastrophe to hit.

Listening to us, Kili seemed to notice a problem.

"Outside of Earth—I see, that's definitely the kind of creatures the 'true dragons' are. However, if Bahamut is a creature that feeds on heat, why would it visit Earth. Logically speaking, wouldn't it go to the Sun instead?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah. In other words, its objective isn't absorbing energy...?"

Kili's observation made me tilt my head in thought but I could not figure out what else Bahamut could be aiming for. However, Iris seemed to think of something and she said to me:

"Maybe Bahamut has preferences? For example, if you give me bunch of green peppers, which I don't like, I'd rather have Mitsuki-chan's tasty sweets."

"Quality over quantity? It's not impossible."

After I commented, Kili smiled wryly and nodded.

"Fufu, that's very Iris-chan. Perhaps on this planet, there is something particularly attractive to dragons."

"Something attractive..."

These words stirred some kind of thought inside me, but an urgent voice on the communicator interrupted my thinking.

'—Engaged in battle with NIFL, Bahamut is exhibiting change. A massive amount of thermal energy is detected at its head. Currently increasing rapidly!'

The instant I looked in the direction of Marduk's course, intense light flashed through the sky.

An explosive scene occurred, almost as though the sun had risen from the north.

Orange flames scorched the far shore on the horizon with the giant dragon's black silhouette overlaid on top.

'Bahamut seems to have released a heat beam. The NIFL fleet deployed in front of Bahamut has gone missing—Most likely vaporized.'

"Tsk... Major Loki—How is the ''Naglfar''?"

'The flagship ''Naglfar'' evaded in the nick of time; it is still intact. Oh—They just contacted us. The operation will continue, just that the defense line has collapsed and it is no longer possible to halt Bahamut's advance. They will act as a diversion to confuse Bahamut.'

"Understood. Still... That firepower is quite unbelievable. This is the first time for Bahamut to execute a clear attack on its own, right?"

Watching the steam rising, I asked Jeanne.

'Indeed. The Atlantean weapons equipped on the ''Naglfar'' and the cooling projectiles used by the fleet must have been effective to some extent. Since Bahamut saw NIFL as an enemy, one could say that the operation is proceeding smoothly. We will be able to launch a heavy assault from behind with ease.'

"Yeah—But don't be careless, everyone. Tell me immediately if it shows signs of intercepting us. Iris, how much close do we need to approach for you to get into range?"

While I was issuing orders to Jeanne, I asked Iris.

"Umm... It's different from before, I no longer send out Catastrophe in a 'zap!' ...Since I'll be using dark matter to transmute from Bahamut's surroundings, distance won't matter much. Although we're still far away, I can aim as long as I can see clearly."

"Really? Then your range might be even longer than before. If that's the case, we can launch the attack first without worrying too much."

Her reply reassured me somewhat.

Iris' ability should be more restricted than before, but an advantage had arisen.

When Basilisk used Catastrophe, there was a range limit. This applied to Iris too when she fired Catastrophe directly.

But now, with the target was so gigantic and hovering in midair, it was possible to make visual confirmation from farther away and attack.

"Iris, get ready to attack. Give the signal when you feel you can attack."

"Yeah!"

Iris nodded with a tense expression then took a step forward, wielding her staff fictional armament.

"Iris-chan, don't get impatient, okay? If the first strike fails, Bahamut will surely see us as a threat and attack us. Anyway, take a deep breath and relax first."

Kili offered advice to Iris, whose entire body was tense, then patted her on the shoulder.

"Inhale... Exhale... Thanks, Kili-chan. I'm much more relaxed now."

"...Don't mention it. If you miss, we'll all be in trouble."

Kili avoided eye contact while making a harsh comment, but she frowned when her gaze met with mine.

"Yuu, do you have something to say?"

"Nope, or rather, what I wanted to say is no longer needed."

I shrugged and shook my head.

"...You're so bad."

Kili's face reddened slightly and she moved to stand a step forward. Smiling wryly, I watched the same direction as her.

After getting closer, I could see flashes of light around Bahamut intermittently. The battle continued to rage on.

Amid the tense atmosphere, we stayed wary of Bahamut while waiting for the signal.

Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds—

Bahamut's silhouette gradually became large, bringing an increasing sense of mass. We could now recognize it as a three dimensional entity.

The heat beam discharged by the giant dragon vaporized the frozen ocean surface, causing a massive explosion. A brief moment later, the shockwave arrived, shaking Marduk slightly.

When the shaking stopped, Iris finally gave the signal.

"Mononobe, from here, I'll probably—no, I'll definitely hit it!"

"Got it! Marduk, begin deceleration. Lisa, you and the others will take care of Bahamut's attacks. Spread out from the sides of the ship."

I lowered the ship speed to stabilize its flight while issuing orders to everyone else. Since Iris was now able to attack, there was no need to continue approaching. After that, all we needed to do was use Marduk's equipment and the power of the Ds to keep Iris safe.

'—Affirmative. Off we go, everyone!'

At Lisa's signal, the girls took flight from the decelerated Marduk.

There were no changes in Bahamut's movements at the moment. It continued to attack the ''Naglfar'' and NIFL's remaining forces.

"Preparations are complete, Iris. Let us exterminate Bahamut!"

"Yeah!"

Facing forward, Iris nodded firmly then raised her staff fictional armament.

"—Come, come, fragments of the Far Beyond..."

She recited the incantation that I had heard many times before. These were words spoken for focusing one's mind.

Back when she used Catastrophe directly, her incantation was a little different. But this time, she was using the words for generating dark matter, because she needed to summon dark matter to transmute into Catastrophe.

"Come, come, fragments of the Far Beyond!"

Iris repeated the same words in a forceful tone of voice. Although unseen by the naked eye, dark matter should be generating in Bahamut's surroundings.

Next, for the sake of destroying Bahamut, Iris narrowed the infinite possibility possessed by the dark matter down to a single one.

"Catastrophe—Actualize!!"

With these words, Bahamut in the distance was enveloped in red light. This was the glow of Catastrophe.

The authority of weathering, stealing time from all creation—

Although I had worried whether it was possible to weather a ten-kilometer-long giant dragon all at once, such concerns turned out to be unnecessary.

—Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

A deep roar like thunder could be heard from afar. This was probably Bahamut screaming in pain.

Inside the light, Bahamut was struggling. Completely unfazed earlier during the intense battle against NIFL, the black dragon lost balance and fell from a great height.

This was surely Catastrophe taking effect. However—

"Jeanne, any change in Bahamut's size?"

I asked through the communicator.

Indeed—I could not see any signs of Catastrophe causing any change in Bahamut's size. Minor crumbling should happen if its body had been weathered, but even though tormented by the red light, Bahamut still maintained its original form.

'Although there was a momentary decrease, there is no change currently. This is just a guess, but Bahamut probably increased its rate of metabolism, growing new skin before the outer layer was weathered away.'

"Hmm... A draw between the rate of weathering and cell division. Did it develop resistance against Catastrophe—"

Hearing Jeanne's report, I could not help but gasp, but then I heard Lisa's voice.

'No, I believe the issue does not lie with Bahamut. Please examine Catastrophe's color carefully!'

"Color?"

Troubled, I looked at the red glow surrounding Bahamut. Speaking of which, something definitely felt off. It seemed different from the Catastrophe I had previously seen until now...

'—Mm. I get it. Compared to before... it's less concentrated.'

Ren's voice through the communicator made me realize it too.

"Yeah, the red hue should be more intense."

Just as I muttered, Kili cried out from close by.

"Hey, so this means Catastrophe isn't concentrated enough—In other words, the output is lacking!? Iris-chan, if this continues, you won't be able to weather Bahamut away, you know?"

Confronted with Kili's question, Iris kept her fictional armament raised at Bahamut and replied:

"Sorry... I know that... But surrounding all of Bahamut... is already putting me at my limit—"

Iris's voice sounded pained and her arm was trembling too. She was definitely doing her best already.

"Limit? Impossible. The authority you inherited from Basilisk came into existence to defeat Bahamut. In other words, you are the only one who can defeat that thing. I will cheer for you, so show me some backbone!"

"Kili-chan cheering for me... I'm so happy, but... No matter how much harder I try, I still, dunno... Also—"

At that moment, Iris stopped talking and turned to me. I could see fear in her eyes, so I rushed over to pat her on the shoulder.

"Iris..."

Should I ask her to try harder or tell her not to strain herself? Neither was the right thing to say, so I remained silent.

"Mononobe—I..."

Just as Iris was about to continue what she was saying, Jeanne's voice interrupted.

'Bahamut is about to shoot something from its back! Quantity is twenty. Aimed at us!'

I looked up to see multiple small shadows fly through the red light and rise into the sky.

'The projectiles show readings of high energy. Probably—bombs... No, missiles! Currently approaching, accelerating, too late to take evasive action!'

—Missiles? Created from inside the body?

But now was not the time to be shocked.

Jeanne shared with me what data had been captured through radar.  Through my senses, I obtained the current coordinates of the incoming fast-moving missiles.

"I will intercept them! If I miss any, I'm counting on the rest of you, Lisa!"

'Affirmative!'

Hearing the replies from Lisa and the others, I used my mind to lock onto every projectile. At the same time, I connected the depths of my mind to one of Marduk's armaments, and spoke sharply:

"Hyperspace reversion rocket-assisted artillery, Abyss—Fire!!"

The missile pods at the back of Marduk opened up, launching multiple warheads into the sky.

The white exhaust streaked across the blue sky, leaving trails. The warheads rushed at the enemy projectiles. Abyss was a weapon for ripping holes in space and would have no problem detonating projectiles.

However, just before the warheads reached the targets, there was a cataclysmic development.

'—The projectiles have split! There are now forty of them!'

"Damn it!"

The instant I heard Jeanne's report, I detonated the Abyss warheads.

Multiple black punctures appeared in the sky, sucking in the projectiles that had split apart. Hyperspace that was not supposed to exist was crushed together with real space, destroying it along with the projectiles. However, several shadows passed through the gaps to fly at Marduk.

Covered in black scales like Bahamut's surface, the projectiles approached the battleship with flarebacks.

Just as Jeanne had said, these were definitely missiles.

"Thirty-six destroyed. Four intact—"

'If only four remain, leave them to us.'

Firill replied.

'Everyone, to stop them from exploding, use cryogens to freeze them!'

'Mm!'

Ren and the others responded to Firill's call and took individual action to intercept the incoming flying objects.

'Freeze, ice fang!'

From the starboard, Lisa took the lead by unleashing a flash of blue-white light. The others followed and released cryogens at the projectiles.

Bathed under intense cold air and extremely low-temperature matter, the projectiles were frozen, losing their flarebacks. Losing speed, the projectiles fell towards the frozen ocean surface.

But without giving us any time to catch our breath, Jeanne called out urgently again.

'Bahamut is starting to turn, apparently intending to escape Catastrophe! If Bahamut faces us squarely, there is a high probability we will be exposed to a heat beam!'

I looked in the direction the ship was advancing. Indeed, Bahamut was slowly turning.

Although Iris was trying hard, the red light had become even fainter than before. In light of that, I made decision.

"Jeanne, retreat. Lisa, you and the others return to the ship at once. We will withdraw from the battle zone with maximum speed. Also inform Major Loki—NIFL—of our decision to retreat."

'—Roger that'

Jeanne answered with frustration, but Kili did not hide her dissatisfaction.

"Are you giving up, Yuu? It's too soon to decide that Iris-chan has failed."

"We are not giving up, but simply regrouping. I believe in Iris, but right now, we need more time."

My words caused Iris' shoulder to shake. She barely squeezed out some words:

"Mononobe... Everyone... I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. Iris, you already did everything you could. You didn't fail."

After I patted her silver-haired head, Iris nodded lightly and looked down.

Given our current combat strength, we could not defeat Bahamut. Learning of this was in itself valuable intel. All we needed to do next was to figure out how to make up for what we lacked.

Standing on Marduk's deck while the ship altered its course, I stared at Bahamut afar.

Was it going to chase us? Or would it continue towards its target, the unknown territory at the Arctic?

It was anyone's guess until it happened. While urging Iris and Kili back into the ship, I continued to ponder how to defeat the giant dragon.