Editing Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 2 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 4===

Kizuna and Himekawa were standing in Guam’s city that was illuminated by moonlight.

Once it was the main street intended for tourists.

However, right now not a trace of it could be seen.

“How cruel……”

Himekawa stared at that scenery with blank amazement.

What spread in front of the two was a complete ruin.

Not a single one of the buildings lining up the two sides of the street was safe. From the information before the 2nd Another Universe Conflict that they studied yesterday, there should be shops selling high class brand products lining this place. But right now, it had been turned into a mountain of rubble.

There were also buildings that were still standing, but whichever it was, all of them were tilting and many holes were opened in them. Those might be the traces of bombardment. Surely there was also a large fire that happened here. Any buildings had the burned black traces remaining.

Even buildings that had comparatively little damage had all the doors of the shops broken, any kind of glass was scattered about everywhere. When they peeked inside the store, there were shelves collapsed without any merchandise remaining.

The shells of burned cars were scattered about all over the place on the street.

So this was……a world trampled about by magic weapons.

“What a terrible state……damn it all.”

Kizuna’s back teeth were clenched so hard that they made a sound.

“Hida-kun. Let’s try searching. Perhaps there will be something, a clue to know about the AU.”

“Perhaps……”

He was about to say that there might be survivors, but he stopped.

There shouldn’t be anyone surviving here.

The condition of this place was enough to make him think that.

Kizuna and Himekawa walked through the streets that had become ruins.

Broken glass and trash, wreckage was scattered on the ground, sound was created each time they stepped forward. The sounds echoed through this ghost city.

The pavement was broken and made it hard to walk. He guessed that it was the trace of the magic weapons’ advance. The street had caved in all over the place.

After progressing forward, there was a collapsed building blocking half the street. Circling the wreckage of the building, they stared ahead of the street.

There was no presence of living things.

“The residents and travelers in this place, where did they all go……”

Himekawa answered while paying attention to the surroundings.

“That’s so isn’t it……besides, not to mention the figures of AU people, there aren't even any traces of magic weapons here……but, looking from the state of the city, it seems to be a certainty that this place was occupied once……”

It was once occupied, but then it was immediately abandoned?

Just what in the world was going on?

After advancing for a while, there was a wall of concrete and steel frame standing tall as if growing from the ground like a giant tree. Looks like it was the result of a collapsing building.

They cut across through that obstruction with bad visibility by using the gaps between.

And then, their field of vision suddenly opened.

 

In the middle of the scenery where there were only rubble all over the eyes could see, there was a beautiful woman sitting elegantly on a Victorian-style chair.

 

“…….-!!”

In front of the beautiful woman, there was an elaborately decorated round table and afternoon tea set placed on it. Alone by herself, she was bathed in moonlight while enjoying tea.

Her age was probably around twenty years old.

With long green hair and slender body, she was a really pretty woman.

She was wearing clothes that fitted tightly on her body line, releasing attractive sex appeal.

The clothes that were decorated with deep blue and golden lines had an atmosphere like a military uniform from somewhere. However, it had a different quality where the valley of her breasts and her thighs were exposed defenselessly.

That beauty was idly staring at the sky, perhaps from not noticing Kizuna and Himekawa yet.

The purple pupils inside her narrowed eyes were shining. Just what in the world those joyful eyes were seeing? Her glossy lips were gently smiling, she looked like she was going to hum a song anytime.

She was waiting expectantly for someone to arrive. That was how her atmosphere looked like.

“Is that a survivor!?”

Himekawa called out to that woman.

Kizuna that was watching completely in fascination also returned to his senses suddenly.

Himekawa approached closer for two, three steps, then she opened her hands with a smile for reassuring the woman.

“You are safe already, so please be reassured. We have come from Megafloat Japan.”

The woman slowly faced toward Himekawa. The purple eyes were reflecting the red Heart Hybrid Gear.

“We came to investigate this place. Excuse me……are you someone who lives in this place? Or else are you a traveler?”

The glossy lips of the woman opened.

“My……my, my, my my my myy”

Wha, what?

Her state was strange for someone who was happy that help came.

The woman stood up from the chair.

She was tall, and her legs were long. She was like a foreign model that ran around barefooted, her figure was perfect. It was a miraculous molded beauty. The clothes that he thought was a skirt were terrifyingly short when she was standing up. The body suit on her nether region worn under that skirt was in plain sight.

However that woman didn’t show any shyness about her own clothing. She joined her hands and smiled in great happiness.

“You are not the one I’m waiting for……but, to be able to meet with Neros of all things. I’m really happy.”

――What?

Why, did she know Neros’ name?

Come to think of it, her clothes.

――It looked like, a pilot suit.

Himekawa spoke after realizing that.

“By any chance, are you someone from America’s Heart Hybrid Gear team? If that’s the case, then are you carrying out some kind of operation here?”

America?

No.

Green hair.

That suit.

Something was tugged inside Kizuna’s memory.

Inside his heart, something big raising tremor was approaching near.

The woman raised her voice happily.

“But this is a good omen. Like this, perhaps I can soon meet her.”

No way.

This woman was?

This woman was!?

From the amorous lips, a cheerful voice resounded.

 

“Zeel.”

 

From her body, green particles overflowed.

“This, this is-!?”

Himekawa raised a flustered voice.

The green light began to solidify. The particles of lights became armor covering that body.

Together with a conspicuously radiant light, the green radiance was dispelled.

Looking at that appearance, Kizuna unconsciously murmured.

“Heart Hybrid Gear……”

An austere armor was created as if in protection of the beauty’s slender body. Several shields were protecting her, giving the impression like a personal solid fortress, it was undoubtedly a Heart Hybrid Gear. However, its atmosphere was different somewhere compared to Kizuna and the others’ gears.

And then he recognized that silhouette.

“The one before……”

The mysterious Heart Hybrid Gear that deflected Pulverizer.

“Yo……you! Who the hell are you!?”

That woman calmly smiled still the same like before.

“I am Aldea. Kindly take care of me.”

“……!!”

She easily introduced herself.

No, but surely that was a fake name. Just which country’s instigation this――

“Which country do you belong to-? And that Heart Hybrid Gear!?”

Himekawa represented Kizuna’s doubt.

“I belong to the Vatlantis Empire.”

Va……Vatlan……tis, Empire?

Just where did such a country exist?

Most likely she was only making fools of them.

Aldea pressed her finger on her lips and tilted her head as though being troubled.

“And so, that……what you called gear, are you talking about magic armor I wonder? If that’s so, I think I had spoken it before, but this is [Zeel]. Kindly observe as you see fit.”

‘――Damn it, just how brazen can you be!’

Kizuna’s head was in chaos.

Just how much could he trust what she said?

N, no, if he thought about it calmly, then surely he couldn’t trust even a single thing about it.

But……certainly she called out the name of the Core to put on that gear.

Besides in the previous battle, this Heart Hybrid Gear……no, this magic armor repelled Aine’s Corruption Armament [Pulverizer], that was an unmistakable fact.

Kizuna fell quiet with a grim face. Cold sweat was flowing from his whole body.

Himekawa also tensed similarly like him. Her opened mouth was literally gaping open.

Aldea was wearing a gentle smile, as if to say ‘Are you okay?’

Just what was with this woman?

Even though she answered all their questions, they couldn’t understand her true identity at all.

Inside Kizuna, a feeling of anxiety was welling up.

‘――Damn it-!’

“……Then, that, Vatlantis Empire you said……just what’s with that? I never heard of it.”

“It’s a great empire, ruling over half of the world you know? How unfortunate for you to not know of it.”

“There is no way something like that exists! Just where the heck can that large empire exist!”

Aldea cheerfully smiled and pointed behind her with an elegant gesture.

The scenery behind her was like a scenery that floated on a water surface, it was shaking gently.

――An Entrance.

The point of contact that connected the world of this side with another universe. It was a puzzling wall with rectangle shape. The size was varied, the big one had height of several hundred meters. The length could even reach several kilometers. It had no thickness, it was transparent, so its existence was hard to notice. However when it was looked carefully, the scenery on the other side of the Entrance was swaying like looking through a distorted mirror or water. Right now, such thing was certainly existing behind Aldea.

“It’s on the other side you know. Isn’t that obvious. Geez, please don’t make fun of me.”

She sent the two a lovely, reproaching gaze.

This woman, was she saying that she was an AU person?

Kizuna didn’t know which was which anymore.

Was this a joke,

Was this the truth,

Was she sane,

Was she mistaken,

‘――Nee-chan.

If it was Nee-chan, what would she do in this kind of time?’

“Are your questions over already?”

“Wha……n, no! Just wait. I cannot believe what you are saying, no rather than that, I cannot understand!”

“My my, that’s unfortunate. Then, I wonder if I can ask already? What is the name of your magic armor?”

“――Sh, shut up! I won’t say!”

‘Shit-! I don’t want to be asked that, even by a self-proclaimed AU person!’

“My, how unfriendlyy……well, it’s only something without signature anyway though.”

With a dubious gaze, Himekawa faced Aldea.

“Do you have proof about your claim as an AU person? Just what in the world are you doing here? What is your objective?”

“Yes, yes, about that. To start with my first objective is…”

Aldea’s eyes shone bewitchingly.

“to take out the core from inside your body.”

――She came!?

“Himekawa, be careful!”

Kizuna put up his guard.

Himekawa withdrew her Sword and pointed its tip at Aldea.

“Fufu-♪”

All of a sudden the parts surrounding Aldea detached from her.

‘Wha-!?’

This woman, she purged(released) her Heart Hybrid Gear!?

Normally when Heart Hybrid Gear was purged, it went back into light particles. But, Zeel’s parts that detached from Aldea didn’t vanish and stayed in the air, forming a line in front of Aldea. The detached parts had a shape like a long and slender shield of reverse pentagon. Round part was installed on top of it, it was like the circular shield of ancient Rome was combined with the reverse pentagon shield of middle age knights. There were six in total, all were lining up protecting Aldea.

“You intend to shield yourself? Something like that――”

Light ran through the Blades floating at Himekawa’s back. They raised a low rumbling and flew out in a glide.

“These Blades will pierce them!”

Like a shot arrow, the Blades flew heading to Aldea.

And then, they impacted the shields lined up before Aldea.

But――,

“Eh!?”

The Blades bounced back. It was not something simple like it was merely deflected by the shield.

The instant they hit the shields, the Blades distorted. They warped flexibly like rubber, in the next instant they flew away as if being pulled to a different direction. The control was completely lost and the Blades stabbed the ground and the mountain of rubble while rotating.

“Wha……”

Himekawa’s expression tensed from being taken aback by surprise.

“My my, I wonder if the famously rumored Neros is unexpectedly not a big deal?”

Aldea smiled and reached her hand to one of the shields.

The shield shined radiantly and transformed into the shape of a spear.

[[Image:Masou Gakuen HxH V02 099.jpg|thumb]]

Aldea held that spear in her hand and smiled happily.

Something shuddering ran through Kizuna’s back.

“Himekawa, run away-!!”

Igniting their thrusters, Kizuna and Himekawa fell back behind in one breath.

Pursuing after them, Aldea kicked the ground.

She was charging at them with her spear prepared.

Kizuna and Himekawa slipped through the steel frames that were like a forest. They glided at super low altitude and circled behind the tilting big building.

Kizuna deployed Life Saver while turning back. Himekawa readied her Sword and was alert toward the opposite side.

――Where would she come from?

“Himekawa. If that woman comes, I’ll block her attack with the Life Saver. At that opening――”

The wall of the building concealing them warped.

“……-!?”

As if forming a vortex, a huge hole was opened in the building’s wall. The wall was by no means crushed, the concrete was by no means smashed. It was not a realistic spectacle, it was like an image that was digitally processed. The edge of the hole distorted, it was like the hole was forcibly widened and it was visibly rippling.

And then Aldea holding her spear was walking gracefully inside that large hole.

It was an impossible sight.

That phenomenon that Kizuna’s common sense couldn’t understand made him unable to move his body.

“Hi……Hida-kun. This is?”

Himekawa was also the same like him.

“Ufufu. It’s no good. After all nothing exists that can obstruct my path.”

Aldea spoke so happily, then she waved the spear in her hand horizontally. The spear touched the wall of the tunnel.

At that instant, the building was destroyed.

“Wha-! Whaatt!?”

It was as though the building was blown away directly horizontally, the building was collapsing in Kizuna and Himekawa’s direction.

“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Kizuna activated his Life Saver amidst the raining down rubble and escaped. However, Kizuna and Himekawa’s bodies were sent flying, they tumbled around on the ground.

“Kuh……Himekawa! Are you okay!?”

He faced the densely enshrouding dusts and yelled.

“Ye, yes. I’m alri――”

Aldea with spear in hand flew out from inside the cloud of dust.

Himekawa immediately deployed her Life Saver.

――Eh!?

The moment the tip of the spear touched the Life Saver, the Life Saver’s light shield distorted.

From the gap of the Life Sphere’s distortion, the spear touched the palm of Himekawa.

The hand jumped.

As if it was pulled by an unseen power.

“Thi, this is!?”

Aldea pulled her arm and pushed out her spear once more.

This time the spear touched Himekawa’s stomach.

An impact that she had never experienced until now pierced Himekawa’s body.

It was as if the inside of her stomach broke through to her back, a strange sensation. And then, with that point as the center the whole body was pulled. As if the direction of gravity was changed, Himekawa was blown away horizontally.

“Guh, HAAaAAA-!”

Himekawa’s body was rotating strangely while plunging into a mountain of rubble.

‘――Wha, what was that, just now.

A spear attack?

The spear itself almost had no offensive power at all.

However, this is?’

“Himekawa, are you safe!?”

Kizuna’s figure was visible at the other side of the cloud of dust.

“Ye, yes! But, please be careful. Life Sphere doesn’t work against that spear!”

“What did you say!?”

When Kizuna stood up with tottering legs, he glared at Aldea who appeared from inside the dust smoke.

Aldea smiled cheerfully and thrust her spear on the ground. And then, she moved her spear to the side like that, drawing a line below her.

‘――What is she planning to do?’

The rubble under Aldea’s feet swelled up.

“Wha……”

The ground shook.

‘――Earthquake? No……this is.’

He got a bad feeling.

The rubble under Aldea’s legs undulated. Its height was gradually increasing while advancing here.

“That looks bad……Himekawa!”

Himekawa was collapsed several tens of meters from him.

“Hida……kun.”

He rushed to the location of Himekawa that was still unable to stand up, then he dragged her body along and ran away.

“We are escaping Himekawa!”

“Bu……but”

Himekawa’s eyes were opened wide in shock.

When Kizuna looked back, a gigantic wall made tremors in the land while approaching them.

That was a tsunami made from rubble.

Concrete and steel frame, fragments of building and car wreckage, all those became one mass approaching at them.

That sight was like the whole city was vertically towering over them.

Deploying Life Saver would leave them completely swallowed.

The gigantic tsunami of rubble covered the tops of their heads, the night sky was being encroached by the darkness of the rubble.

‘――Damn it all, we cannot escape!’

Kizuna and Himekawa were enveloped in the darkness and the sound of destruction raised by the rubble.

That darkness was pierced by a single golden light.

That light gouged out the darkness, from there the face of the starry sky and moon came out.

The next moment, dazzling lights and explosions spread, then shockwaves struck their face.

“Wha, what the!?”

The golden light evaporated the rubble, blowing away the tsunami.

This was――a golden large caliber particle cannon.

Differential Frame!

“Yurishia!”

He could see golden light hovering in the sky bathed in moonlight. Golden light was leaking out from the Differential Frame on her back.

“I thought it was strange that you two didn’t come no matter how long we waited! What is all this commotion!?”

And then one more light, a blue light rushed through the night sky and landed besides Kizuna.

Lightly brushing the shining silver hair with her hand, she gazed at Aldea with her red eyes.

“I want to ask in detail about this situation and who that person is, but……well, it’s all the same if we just capture that person and make her confess.”

Aine’s boastful talk felt reassuring for some reason right now.

“My my, further two more are coming. This saves me the hassle of searching……my?”

Aldea stopped her movement. For some reason, she was staring fixedly at Aine.

“White magic armor……you, you are the child firing that absurdly destructive large cannon aren’t you?”

Aldea’s eyes shined.

“As expected, it’s a magic armor I have never seen before. Silver hair……red eyes.”

‘――Aldea’s state is strange.’

She was oddly excited looking at Aine.

“Hey, what is your name?”

“I don’t have any name to introduce to someone like you, but I’ll teach you specially. It’s Chidorigafuchi.”

Aldea touched her finger on her cheek, making a thinking gesture.

“I wonder where is your birthplace?”

“…….It’s Tokyo in Japan. The place you all stole.”

“Hmm―m.”

Aldea hummed. And then――

 

{The goddess dance. Nothingness, and death, and emperor. And then to eternity.}

 

Aldea sang something like a song.

‘――Ha?’

Kizuna was reflexively taken aback.

Himekawa and Aine were also the same like him.

Only Aldea was staring at Aine with eyes shining in anticipation.

What was that spell just now?

Or else, was that a poem or something?

By any chance, did Aine understand its meaning?

However Aine was scowling her face with all her heart.

――What’s the meaning of that?

Her expression was telling so.

Aine stepped forward and stomped.

“I don’t understand what you are running your mouth about, but calmly let us take you away. That’s right……we will prepare a party for your sake. A brawling party though.”

Aldea’s shoulders dropped in disappointment.

“My, what a lovely invitation. But, I’ll refrain myself for now.”

She smiled elegantly while heaving an exaggerated sigh.

“Aa― aa, how unfortunate. For some reason, I suddenly lost my motivation.”

Aldea gracefully raised her hand and snapped her slender and willowy fingers audibly.

Thereupon, as if affected by that sound, the Entrance at her back swayed noticeably.

“What……the?”

Something, was coming?

Was that woman, ordering something to come out from the Entrance?

Something was coming out, a body.

Inside the landscape that was like a water surface, something was gradually becoming clear.

An object that seemed to be glowing was approaching from the other side of the Entrance.

As if emerging to the surface, that thing came out.

A gigantic sphere of light with diameter around ten meters.

A spiraling pattern was continuing to move on the surface like a whirl, it vaguely resembled Jupiter.

That sphere was floating in the air, it was slowly coming here.

“That child will become your opponent. The Core can be taken even after death after all, so rest assured and die, okay?”

She said that child……was that a living thing?

Even while he was wracking his brain about the thing’s true form, the mysterious sphere was rapidly approaching near.

“Tha……that’s……”

Himekawa’s eyes were opened wide in shock.

“Himekawa, you understand what that thing is?”

“……Dra…”

Himekawa’s body was shaking, her teeth were clattering audibly.

The sphere stopped still.

They were confronting the sphere with a length of a hundred meters between the two sides.

“Dragon……”

What?

A crack entered the sphere.

Intense light was gushing out from the crack.

“Just what in the world is inside――”

The sphere burst.

“――UOWAAAA-!”

A shockwave that was like an explosion crushed the street’s pavement. And then, the cars around were blown away like paper. The walls of the buildings distorted, they were being pushed down by the pressure.

Kizuna stood in front of Himekawa and Aine and deployed a large Life Saver. The terrific shockwave was assaulting him as if trying to crush his hands.

‘Shi, shit-! What is this? A bomb!?’

Mysteriously, the fragments of the cracked sphere were floating still in the air as if time was stopped.

However, a few seconds later it was like time began to resume once more, the fragments suddenly flew.

“――!?”

The radiant clumps that was like crystal rained down on the surrounding surface.

Those fragments caused large explosions the instant they touched buildings and the ground. The main street was enveloped in crimson flame in a flash.

“Wh, what kind of power this is!”

Kizuna put strength inside his hands and supported the Life Saver that he deployed in the front.

“Himekawa, Aine, you two okay!?”

“Ye, yes. Kizuna yourself, you okay?”

He could hear Aine’s worried voice from behind.

“Yeah! You don’t need to worry about me……wait, Himekawa come on, give your reply too!”

However, there was no reply.

“Oi! You’re okay right!? Hime――”

At that time, the explosion of fragments stopped.

And then from inside the sphere, a figure of an object wrapped in a flame that looked like magma appeared.

“Wha……what’s, that?”

While dripping with flame that was like magma, a round mechanical neck elongated, and a folded up pair of shining wings opened.

“Dragre? ……No.”

Kizuna recalled a category-A magic weapon, Dragre. However, this thing was obviously different with that. No matter how he saw it, it had the appearance like a legendary dragon, however――,

It had three necks.

Under its feet, there was Aldea who was protected by her shields.

When the shields opened, she displayed a wide smile.

”How is it? I wonder if you all are pleased?”

{Kizuna! That thing looks dangerous. It’s better to withdraw from here!}

Yurishia’s warning came from the floating window.

“I totally agree. We are retreating for the moment. Withdraw.”

“As I thought……the one from that time……”

Himekawa murmured deliriously.

“Himekawa?”

“What’s wrong, Hayuru?”

However, the voices, whether it was Kizuna’s or Aine’s didn’t enter her ears.

“……The three headed, magic weapon!”

Yelling such, Himekawa flew out.

“Hime……!?”

Readying her Sword with both her hands, she rushed forward with all her speed.

“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Looking at her appearance, Aldea clapped her hands cheerfully.

“That’s the spirit. Now, kill each other cordially okayy~”

“Himekawa! Come back-!”

Blades flew out with incredible speed, attacking straightforwardly at the three headed dragon. And then, they pierced the head and the neck of the magic weapon.

She did it!?

However, the three headed dragon didn’t even twitch. The Blades ignited light particle trying to cut apart the magic weapon, but their blade couldn’t break through the armor.

Kizuna was watching over that situation with held breath.

‘――That’s impossible.’

No matter what kind of enemy it faced, the Blades would defeat it in an instant.

“HAAAAAA!”

In the opening while the Blades were attacking, Himekawa was sliding in below the three headed dragon. She thrust the Sword that she gripped with both hands to the stomach of the magic weapon. Sword’s light particles scattered sparks against the armor of the magic weapon.

‘――Himekawa’s sword, doesn’t work?’

The armor of the three headed dragon repelled all of Himekawa’s swords.

That was a shocking truth for Kizuna.

Until now, those swords had carved apart magic weapons really easily. That was an obvious truth, he had never even thought that a magic weapon that Himekawa’s sword couldn’t cut existed.

The mouth of the three headed dragon opened.

Instantly, a sharp beam of flame was fired from that mouth.

“-!!”

Opening her thruster, Himekawa escaped from the flame. Chasing after Himekawa’s movement, the flame drew a line through the street and buildings. When the flame impacted something, explosions occurred from the inside of the street and building. The impact disturbed Himekawa’s movement. There the other neck attacked with gushing flame.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

The flame blown away Himekawa.

Although she deployed Life Saver, the moment the flame impacted, it caused an explosion in the Life Saver. That shockwave threw Himekawa to a wall of a building.

‘Damn it! That magic weapon is just too dangerous!’

Kizuna rushed to Himekawa’s location.

“Oi, Himekawa! You okay!?”

“U……kuh.”

“I’m going!!”

Aine faced the three headed dragon and jumped.

“TAAAAAAAAAAA-!”

The dragon ate a flying kick that was like a missile on its flank. Shockwaves spread to the surroundings and the armor of the three headed dragon distorted.

However――,

“It doesn’t go through!?”

If it was another magic weapon, that kick would have definitely pierced through the body, yet――.

It was as though there was no damage at all on the three headed dragon, the long neck turned and directed sharp fangs at Aine.

“Chih!”

Aine kicked the armor and took distance. She twisted in the air like a gymnast, landing beside Kizuna and Himekawa.

“My my, I never thought a movement like that will come from a magic armor……I think my interest is tickled a little.”

Aldea acted as if she was watching a sport.

‘――Shit, that woman, she has a screw loose in her head!’

Kizuna cursed inside his heart.

“Kizuna, what is that magic weapon? My attack doesn’t work at all!”

Aine asked while still fixing her gaze on the magic weapon.

“All members retreat! Himekawa, can you stand!? We are pulling back!!”

But, when Himekawa stood up, she shook off Kizuna and once again she headed towards the three headed dragon.

“Wai-! Hayuru, what are you doing!”

Aine too was confused at Himekawa’s unusual action.

“UOOOOOOOO-!”

Himekawa raised a war cry and slashed at the three headed dragon.

The three headed dragon’s neck aimed at Himekawa.

She avoided the spouted off flame with a rough movement.

In the opening when the magic weapon was concentrating on attacking Himekawa, the Blades dashing in the sky surrounded the three headed dragon and aimed at the center neck.

And then the four Blades slashed all at once from four directions, pressing on the neck.

The movement of the three headed dragon stopped.

‘――Got you!’

Kicking the ground, Himekawa’s body danced.

Heading to the neck of the three headed dragon, she slashed down her Sword.

“TAAAAAAAA!”

Together with a fierce metallic sound, her Sword was bounced back.

“Youu-!”

Over and over, she raised her Sword and struck.

“Youu-! Youu-! You! YOUUUUU!”

In her desperation of swinging down her sword, Himekawa didn’t notice that a different neck was aiming at her.

Flame was compressed brightly inside its mouth, it was going to spout it out.

“Himekawa! Run away-!”

The instant Kizuna yelled, golden light impacted the head of the three headed dragon.

“Yurishia!”

{What are you doing Hayuru! That’s too reckless! Kizuna, take her away quickly and withdraw! If she moves around like that, then I cannot even guarantee any covering fire here!}

Inside the window, Yurishia’s anger was exploding.

The Differential Frame fired a large caliber beam once more. Explosions also occurred at the remaining two necks. From that impact, the heads of the magic weapon were greatly repelled.

However, the neck that received the attack first was opening its mouth again.

“Himekawa-!”

Kizuna slipped between her and the dragon.

He instantly deployed Life Saver and blocked the flame of the three headed dragon.

“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!”

Together with a fierce explosion, the Life Saver broke like glass.

Kizuna and Himekawa were blown away for tens of meters, they tumbled on the ground.

“Da, damn-“

What attack power.

The level was just too different with other magic weapon, whether in armor or weapon.

When Kizuna stood up, he took Himekawa’s arm.

“Oi! Himekawa. Can you stand? We are leaving right away!”

Himekawa shook off Kizuna’s arm in irritation.

“Release me! That thing, only that magic weapon, I’ll kill it!”

‘――Himekawa?’

A flame of madness was residing in her eyes.

The three headed dragon spread its wings largely. The wing’s surface gradually shined radiantly, it looked like it was charging in some kind of energy.

It elongated its neck facing towards Kizuna and Himekawa, then it opened its mouth. Painful metallic sound was ringing in the surroundings. Inside the body of the three headed dragon, something mechanical was beginning to operate. That sound sounded like the roar of this magic weapon.

That flame would come again. Furthermore, this time the three heads were aiming at them at the same time.

‘Damn it, no matter how low my Hybrid Count consumption rate is, there is still this thing called limit.’

The mouths of the three headed dragon were shining fiercely.

“Blade!”

With Life Saver in the front and Blades stood up behind it, the Blades served as a shield replacement. However, the Life Saver was smashed in an instant, and each time the Blade received attack it was creaking. Moreover, the Hybrid Count was noticeably shrinking down.

“At this rate-……there will be, no way left-!”

Bombardment of Differential Frame impacted the wings of the three headed dragon. The panel that was shining red visibly broke and scattered. In succession, golden flash also exploded at its flank.

The three headed dragon’s body tilted.

However, that was all. The broken wing was regenerated in the blink of an eye. The enemy was far from destroyed.

Kizuna turned to Aine and yelled.

“Aine! We are collecting Himekawa!”

Before those words even ended, Aine dashed at Himekawa’s position. She grasped the shoulder of Himekawa that was trying to go forward again.

“Hayuru, we are returning.”

“Release me! I have to, that thing, that magic weapon, I have to defeat it!”

“Himekawa!”

Kizuna grasped the opposite shoulder.

“We are pulling back. That is an order!”

“……-!!”

Himekawa gritted her teeth audibly.

“……Roger.”

“Yurishia! We are withdrawing from Guam from now. Give us covering fire!”

{Roger, leave it to me!}

While Yurishia was opening a full bombardment, the three escaped from the vicinity of the three headed dragon.

“My? Wait, what are you doing? Even though the best part is starting from here―!”

Ignoring Aldea’s voice, they fully ignited their thrusters and flew to the sky right away.

And then they headed to Ataraxia as fast as they could.

“Looks like they are not pursuing.”

Yurishia who readied her particle cannon and stayed alert to their rear was murmuring.

Kizuna also looked back and stared at the shadow of the fading island. Certainly, there was no sign of Aldea or the magic weapon chasing them.

Kizuna breathed deeply in relief. He opened the communication window.

“This is Kizuna. We are returning to Ataraxia now.”

Looking at the gently swaying sea that was bathed in moonlight, the previous mortal battle seemed like a lie.

So that, was a land under the control of AU…….

Guam city that had become ruins.

A self proclaimed person of AU who introduced herself as Aldea.

AU Heart Hybrid Gear that was called magic armor.

Vatlantis Empire that ruled over half of AU.

And then a magic weapon they saw for the first time.

Anyways, there were many things they didn’t understand.

However, talking about results, they might be able to consider this result.

They didn’t understand the opponent, but they were coming home bringing information.

Next, they just needed to wait for the analysis of Kei and the others.

――But,

Kizuna was staring at Himekawa who was flying with her head looking down.

Did something happen with that magic weapon?

No matter how long he stared, he couldn’t see inside Himekawa’s heart.

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