Editing Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 6 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 4===

The night at Zeltis was fantastical. The black townscape looked like night since the afternoon, but when it actually became night, it brought about one more change in the atmosphere.

The city that melted into the darkness of night was lighted up by the light of magic power that was streaming into the city itself. The magic power streaming throughout the city changed the streets and buildings into artworks of light. Rather than calling it light of neon, it gave off the atmosphere like a modern art.

The magic power flowing like water when seen at night became a level more beautiful in its clarity. The flow of magic power delicately changed its path, its thickness, it was like a living thing that elegantly twisted its body. Marvel and vitality could be felt from the thing the flow of beautiful light passed through. It even felt like this world was a single living thing with the tide of magic power as the blood circulating inside its body. That radiance wouldn’t make one tired of it no matter how long one looked at it.

“Boss, this soup is delicious you know?”

Kizuna who was charmed by the beauty of the city was suddenly pulled back into reality.

What Gertrude was eating was a soup that looked like pot-au-feu in a glance. Vegetables he didn’t really know and meat of something he didn’t understand were put a lot into it as ingredients. She scooped the unknown meat with her spoon and brought it into her mouth without hesitation.

“Nn― it’s delicious like beef. The taste of the soup is also permeating into it, and when bitten the meat juice spreading together with the soup inside the mouth feels really good.”

Kizuna also took the bowl made from something like plastic material put in front of him. A lot of meat and vegetables were put in it, certainly it looked very nutritious. He brought into his mouth the leaf that looked like cabbage or lettuce in a glance.

The taste was like carrot.

“…….I don’t want to admit it but, it’s delicious.”

“A large tent was put up at a plaza. It was a long rectangle shape with the frontage of twenty meters and depth that was nearly a hundred meters, it was more like a temporary warehouse rather than a tent. Under that tent there were simple tables and chairs lined up, opening a simple dining hall. In general there were around two or three hundred people here. Slipping into the hustle and bustle, Kizuna and Gertrude were having a meal. Around them was noisy so he thought there would be no problem, but so that their talk wouldn’t be heard by other visitors, he picked an empty spot and sat there.

They had continuously walked around investigating the city of Zeltis, but after walking for the whole day, as expected they were getting tired. Besides, the surroundings were also rapidly getting dark. The sky was cracked, but even so when time passed the sun would set into the shadow of the city. The weather had been cold since the afternoon, but when it became night the air got even colder. Furthermore their stomachs were getting hungry. However they didn’t have any currency of Vatlantis. For the time being they had emergency rations, even though it was few in number, but they wanted to save them for the time of an emergency.

After thinking what they should do, they heard about the emergency food distribution for free. It seemed that this was a measure for the sake of the people who lost their homes and evacuated due to the disasters that happened because of the cataclysm.

“Unexpectedly their social welfare is carried out properly.”

“Isn’t that right? Though I got the image that these people were more bloodthirsty and would say, ‘people that cannot eat just die’, like that.”

Inside the tent was a large number of people eating soup and something that seemed to be bread. There was a large screen around 100 inches inside the tent, everyone was eating while watching that screen and chatting lightly with each other. What was broadcasted seemed to be a Vatlantis telecast.

For Kizuna and Gertrude, they curiously watched the news program of the AU.

“It’s the same with the free food, but I’m also thankful about the television. We can get the information about the world here huh. What kind of livelihood the citizens of AU lead, what is their way of thinking, we can understand those well with this.”

“Boss……that girl, isn’t that the girl whose photo came out at the Colosseum?”

Gertrude looked at Kizuna’s direction while pointing her soup at another direction. Just when Kizuna looked at that direction without moving his face, a group of imperial guard entered into the tent.

And then among them, there was an existence that was conspicuously attracting attention.

Long blue hair and white skin. Her attire that was only putting on the imperial guard uniform like a coat on top of her underwear figure made him doubt if she was actually just getting outside in the middle of changing clothes. However the said person looked like she was not concerned at all with her appearance, she was glaring at the inside of the tent with a cold expression like a doll.

A beautiful face that looked artificial. The deep scar carved on that face was painful to look at no matter how many times he saw it.

The girl was one of the Quartum, Lunora. A swordsman that was called as the god of death of the Colosseum.

“What we saw at the Colosseum before was her competition card right? Didn’t she have a match there?”

“Besides, that girl is supposed to have quite a high position even in the imperial guard. Why is she in a place like this refugee camp……”

The people inside the tent were also beginning to notice the imperial guard Lunora. The bustling and joyful air was suddenly changing into bewilderment and stir.

“Oi, isn’t that Lunora-sama?” “Re, really, that’s Lunora-sama!” “Why is she in this kind of place?” “But, she is the real thing no matter how you look at it.” “Why is the god of death of the Colosseum……”

The girl called as the god of death who looked beautiful even with her scar opened her mouth.

“Ladies.”

All of a sudden the surrounding became deathly silent. The gazes and interests of the people who happened to be present inside the tent were gathered at Lunora.

“Eh……e, err……you ladies……that……”

Lunora shrank her shoulders and her gaze dropped to the floor. In her incoherent state, no one understood what she wanted to talk about. She was completely like a child that got stage fright from being suddenly pulled out in front of a large crowd.

‘――What? The aura of her appearance is really different with her image that is titled as the god of death.’

Lunora’s face also became red, she seemed to be frantically troubled of something. The people were patiently waiting for her word. As expected, when tears were starting to appear in Lunora’s eyes, even Kizuna became wanting to cheer her to do her best.

At that time, a red haired girl approached quietly from the side and embraced Lunora’s shoulder.

“Aah― okay, okay, really, this is because our god of death is a very shy person after all.”

“Ra, Ramza……”

Lunora’s face became bright in a flash. However, she soon pouted her mouth in displeasure.

“Wha-, su, such thing is not true at all. E, even I――”

Not minding such Lunora, Ramza clapped her hands and pulled the attention of the people.

“Okay, o―kay, then, this unworthy Ramza will speak as the proxy of this god of death Lunora about what she wants to say, so everyone listen well okay―. The people here were all chased out from the places where you used to live in and came here to rely on the benevolence of the emperor of our Vatlantis Empire, isn’t that true?”

The people inside the tent were staring fixedly at Ramza with anticipating faces that were a mix of anxiety and expectation about what would happen from now on.

“By the way, today Ramza was doing matches at the Colosseum, I wonder if everyone knows?”

Ramza took a pose of putting her hand at her ear as if she was really waiting for a reply, the people faced such Ramza and timidly raised their voices.

[[Image:Masou Gakuen HxH V06 BW 04.jpg|thumb]]

“Ye, yes we know.” “I went there to watch the match.” “Err……me too.” Before long the voices overlapped in succession and the place became noisy.

Ramza nodded in satisfaction and showed a smile that was like the sun.

“Yep yep. The matches of Lunora this day were against a ferocious beast captured at Izgard, the newest model of magic weapon, and then the hero of Baldein, Alexis, a three series of battles! And then―, the result of the match was―”

Ramza thrust both her fists up.

“Complete victory!”

The people in the tent also thrust up their hands and raised cheers.

“The goods and monetary awards that Lunora obtained from today’s victory, she wishes to share those to all of you who are not blessed, that was what she suggested! For such a kind god of death, everyone, applause―”

A grand applause surged out.

With that voice as the signal, alcohol casks and plates filled with foods were brought in from outside the tent one after another. Happy voices ‘ooo-‘ from the people present could be heard.

“Thank you very much! Lunora-sama” “Our gratitude! Lunora-sama!” Words of thanks were poured at the Lunora who was hanging her head down with a bright red face.

Inside the tent, cheers were erupting. Fists were raised and all present called Lunora’s name.

Kizuna and Gertrude were also swallowed inside that wild enthusiasm whether they wanted it or not. Pretending to be excited, they also clenched their fists and waved them around.

“She is really popular.”

“Yes, she is like a popular sport star when all’s said and done.”

Lunora who finally raised her face was slightly bursting in a smile.

“Everyone……thank you.”

Ramza waved around her arm and raised a loud voice.

“Now― for tonight, drink, eat, sing, have fun all you want―!”

Inside the tent was overflowing with cheerful liveliness. The people rushed to the food and alcohol and expressed words of gratitude to Lunora unanimously.

“Let’s slip in this commotion and withdraw.”

Kizuna whispered and Gertrude also nodded.

“Right. It’s futile to stay for longer than this.”

Kizuna and Gertrude quietly stood up from their seats and headed to the exit.

At that time, a loud cheer was raised inside the tent. Lured by that voice, Kizuna calmly turned around. The people were all staring at the screen while raising cheers. Kizuna too sent his gaze to that screen.

“Wha-!?”

He stopped still, unable to move.

Kizuna whose expression froze and kept standing still made the people around him staring with dubious look.

Gertrude pulled the sleeve of the pale faced Kizuna and whispered with small voice at his ear.

“Wai-! Boss, what are you doing standing out like that-! Just what is――”

While pulling Kizuna who stood upright, Gertrude also sent her gaze to what Kizuna was staring at.

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!?”

A scream burst out from Gertrude’s mouth.

It was reasonable.

At that screen, something that was beyond these two’s imagination was projected.

{Everyone―! Good evening― Amaterasu de――su-!}

Himekawa, Yurishia, and Sylvia wearing showy and flashy clothes were waving their hands with smiling faces. And then, the five person group standing beside them also let out their voices in unison.

{Good evening―! This is Masters!}

Scarlet, Sharon, Clementine, Henrietta, and Leila were likewise wearing sparkling clothes on their bodies while taking a pose with smiling faces.

It was completely like the live broadcast of idols. No, this was nothing else but an idol’s live concert.

“Thi, this is……”

‘――Just, what in the world?’

The brain of the two became panicked.

They couldn’t understand at all just what was going on.

“What’s the matter, you two?”

When they returned to their senses because someone talked to them, there was a girl with bright red hair standing right nearby them.

‘――Ramza!?’

Kizuna was sweating coldly for an instant.

“Ah, no. Nothing――”

Hearing his own voice, Kizuna shut his mouth in panic.

‘――My voice is going back to normal!?

Shit-! What bad timing this is.’

Kizuna clicked his tongue inside his mind.

Gertrude who was still bewildered from shock tried to answer somehow in Kizuna’s place.

“E, eer, this is. She is just feeling a little unwell see, so she was going to breath a little of the outside air for now you know.”

“Hm―m, that’s how it is. But rather than getting out, it feels more like she is getting dumbfounded there though?”

“Eh!? A, about that seee……no, she was looking at something unfamiliar and got taken aback……”

Gertrude was sweating buckets while answering incoherently.

“Hm? You don’t know about Amaterasu and Masters? Just which countryside were you coming from?”

“Ye, yes……ahaha, that’s how it is. It’s really far out in the sticks……the, these people, are they really that famous?”

“Yeah of course……wait really, just where did you come from?”

“Tha……that is, it’s embarrassing to say it, see.”

Ramza’s look became grim.

“O, oi. What’s the matter?”

Lunora came along and called with a worried face. Ramza’s face softened and she turned back,

“Eh? Nope, there is a little――”

It was dangerous to get involved more than this. Kizuna who thought that exchanged looks with Gertrude.

“――Er, the, then, please excuse us.”

After Gertrude declared that in fluster, she turned her back on the spot. Kizuna also followed behind her and he slowly walked towards the exit.

He felt a gaze on his back.

Most likely he was suspected. But it was no good to run. He pretended to be a normal AU person who was nervous because he was just coming from the countryside.

He was too nervous that he even forgot how to walk that his movement completely became awkward. If, he was suddenly assaulted, at that time there was no other choice than to fight back. With his nerve stretched tight, he walked while being cautious of the presence behind. He could hear familiar voices from the screen behind. This voice was Himekawa.

{Right now, this world is being exposed against a great danger. And that is also the same with Lemuria.}

Next was Yurishia’s voice.

{We have to overcome this danger with everyone.}

And then Sylvia’s cute voice.

{The thing needed in order to do that, that is the people’s――}

And then the voices of the three were in unison.

{{{furigana|Bond|Kizuna}}.}<ref>Bond, in Japan is read as ‘kizuna’. Though Kizuna’s own name actually doesn’t mean bond. Kizuna’s name is written with kanji of kizu(wound) and na(none)</ref>

At that time,

At that word,

Kizuna couldn’t stop himself from turning back reflexively.

At the large screen largely projected, were the figures of his missed comrades.

And then, there was a figure standing in front of them.

The eyes of the girl with flaming red hair were shining glaringly.

“Is that so……you are, Kizuna……Hida Kizuna aren’t you?”

Lunora also put herself on guard and extended her hands at the two swords hanging on her waist. Her mouth was pursed tightly and her eyes were also half-closed sharply. Her embarrassed state from just now was completely gone.

The imperial guards accompanying the two of them also had their countenance changed all at once.

“Lemuria’s demon king!?” “That’s impossible! Why is he in this kind of place-!?”

Fear was spreading among the citizens hearing their voices in the blink of an eye. Inside the tent became noisy, the people escaping while raising fearful screaming, and the imperial guards trying to capture Kizuna, between the two sides, the situation became a pandemonium inside.

“We are retreating! Gertrude!”

“Agreed!”

Both of them jumped over a table and got outside with a roll. Keeping their momentum they rushed through the street and sprinted inside the city. When they looked back, they could see the figures of the imperial guard in pursuit while raising loud voices.

“Like this, the infiltration and investigation are impossible already!”

“Yes! Now that it has come to this, let’s go flashily boss!”

Kizuna grinned broadly.

“Yeah, here we go-, Eros!!”

And then Gertrude also responded with a bold smile.

“Sigura!”

The bodies of the two instantly equipped their Heart Hybrid Gears. A giant body descended down on their path just a little after that. It was a knight with grown wings, an [Albatross].

“An Albatross!”

“Just leave it to me!”

Gertrude drew out her pistols from the holsters on her thighs and pulled the triggers at the same time. It was Gertrude’s quick draw. There was no way it wouldn’t hit the gigantic frame of the magic weapon.

The bullets fired from Gertrude’s particle cannon really easily pierced the armor of the magic weapon, opening wind holes at its torso and head.

The giant body that collapsed violently exploded before it could crush the building of the city, its figure changed into beads of light and vanished. From the other side of the street corner, this time a human sized magic weapon [Brigand] was running here. Several dozen appeared from all over the alley and attacked aiming at Kizuna and Gertrude.

“Boss, it’s a group this time!”

Kizuna opened his arms and particles of light gathered responding to his will. When the radiance burst open, guns were manifested inside his hands. Similar with what Gertrude was using, they were particle cannons.

“Take care of half!”

He aimed at the rushing Brigands and pulled the triggers. The bullet of light flying from the gun nuzzle opened a large hole at a Brigand’s chest and blew away the body that was nearly two meters high. The body rotated in the air and crashed on a wall, then it crumbled down as it was on the ground before disintegrating into fragments of light.

Kizuna and Gertrude were shooting through the crowding enemies one after another with the two pistols at both their hands.

The Brigands came charging as if crawling on the ground, many jumped down from atop a building, there were those that were running to attack from the front. The two intercepted the Brigands, the nozzles of the guns at both their hands were shining incessantly.

In a little under fifteen seconds, 180 shots of bullets were fired from the guns of the two and the same number of Brigands became fragments of light and scattered to the wind.

“Newcomers! Ger-san!”

“Don’t call me Ger-san, I told you that already-!”

Imperial guards wearing magic armor were coming in pursuit. Most likely they were different in strength than the magic weapons. Gertrude faced the imperial guards and rapidly fired her guns.

“GUAA!”

An imperial guard member received a bullet on her chest and collapsed after her armor broke apart.

“It works!?”

Gertrude’s gun didn’t work at Clayda in the previous battle. But, this time it worked. There was the factor that Clayda’s magic armor was specially powerful, but above all the Climax Hybrid that they had done had done wonders. Gertrude’s gun itself was obviously powered up.

“Boss, this thing can do it!”

Shooting down the approaching imperial guards one after another, they were unable to even approach Kizuna and were crushed. The imperial guards with a gun as their weapon came out to the front and it became a gunfight, but the Life Saver of Eros was solid, the attacks didn’t reach Kizuna and Gertrude. Conversely the bullets of Kizuna and Gertrude destroyed the Life Savers of the imperial guards like a joke and inflicted damage on the magic armors.

“Yosh-, at this rate we will suppress the enemies and get over the wa――”

The line of the imperial guards parted and a figure rushed forward.

‘――Lunora!?’

Lunora whose blue hair fluttered with magic armor put on her body was running like an arrow. That magic armor seemed to be created matching Lunora’s body line, a thin armor. With white and black coloring, its design gave the impression like a uniform of a school somewhere. And then it looked like there were folded wings on her back, a large unit in the shape of / \. There were several spare swords stored there, where the tips of the swords were peeking out. It even looked like wings with feathers of swords.

“Kuh!”

Kizuna aimed at that figure and rapidly fired the guns at both his hands. Lunora’s both hands were holding swords and came straight at them without dodging. They were short swords around 50 centimeters long. Those swords were swung with a speed that the eye couldn’t follow. A total of six bullets were fired from the two guns in one second, but all of them were cut down.

It was the same thing that Clayda did. Furthermore, different than Clayda’s Selene, Lunora was a two sword style user. She looked like she could defend with even more leeway for her safety.

The distance was closed in the blink of an eye.

“Chi-!”

Kizuna lowered his guns and ignited his thrusters seemingly to draw back.

Lunora moved both her hands to her back and accelerated.

However Kizuna was not moving behind, he went forward all of a sudden.

“!?”

He stabbed at the opening of the instant she thought he was running, Kizuna charged forward as if to make his counter.

The more the distance closed would just make it harder for a sword to strike. Kizuna shifted his direction a little from Lunora’s route and plunged forward.

He pulled his triggers at the distance where Lunora’s swords were at the distance that barely couldn’t reach him.

The flying out particle bullets were cut apart by Lunora without any change of expression. However behind Kizuna, Gertrude was performing covering fire. Gertrude’s bullets grazed Lunora’s blue hair.

“――”

Lunora fully opened her thrusters, she changed direction as if she bumped into an unseen wall and bounced back. She pursued after Kizuna with her back still turned.

“What-!?”

Lunora rotated her body in the air and slashed at Kizuna. Gertrude’s support fire was still firing even during that time. However she received the bullets skillfully with her sword while slashing at Kizuna.

“Chih!”

Kizuna blocked the sword with the gun in his hand. Thereupon without the slightest resistance, the gun barrel was bisected like paper. And then the impact of the slash attacked Kizuna’s body.

“GUAAAA-!”

The sensation felt like a shockwave that passed through the Heart Hybrid Gear and directly cut at his body. He somehow stopped his consciousness from leaving him. Unable to maintain his posture, he fell down and rolled on the stone paving street. He tried to support his body with his arm but just like that he crashed into a stand that sold vegetables.

“Iyahhou! I’ll give the finishing blow―!”

A red haired girl descended down from the sky.

‘――Ramza!’

A bikini armor. It was patterned like flame with a unit of small wings growing on her back. And then what her both hands were swinging was a huge tomahawk.

That tomahawk was wrapped in flame. With bizarre vividness, it emitted ominous radiance. The instant he saw that light, Kizuna’s instinct informed him of danger. A tremble drove through his back.

“I don’t know what’s that, but that looks dangerous-!”

He couldn’t dodge if he stood up. He kept lying down while opening fully his thrusters. The Heart Hybrid Gear scarped the stone paving while scattering sparks. He slid like that and got away.

Within a hairbreadth, Ramza’s Tomahawk struck the ground.

Fierce light and heat scorched the surrounding. With Ramza as the center, flame was whirling and melted away the stone paving.

“Aa―, you aren’t allowed to evade there!”

Flame was produced from the surrounding of the standing up Ramza and spilled over. The flame was moving around like a living thing and twisted like a long slender body of a dragon, coiling around Ramza.

Ramza turned the stall into dust with the flames she created, the flame was spreading from neighbor to neighbor. Even the stores that faced the street caught fire from the excessive heat and went up in flames one after another.

Kizuna jumped to his feet and took distance. Right at that time, Gertrude slipped into his side.

“Boss, are you okay!?”

“Yeah. As expected these guys are formidable…….can we get away?”

The flame coiling around Ramza was increasing even more in power.

“Now, here I go! Lemuria’s Demon King!”

There Lunora was running at him with nimble movement. However Lunora didn’t pay attention to Kizuna and Gertrude and stabbed her sword at Ramza’s throat.

“The one who is no good is you! Are you planning to burn Zeltis to the ground!!”

The sharp blade clung right on Ramza’s soft skin. If it was moved for one more millimeter, blood would spurt out, it was a serious threat.

“I, it’s o―kay I told you. Even I, can properly……”

However Lunora glared at her with a sharp gaze. Even now her arm looked like it would be swung anytime to scratch Ramza’s throat.

“Got it, I got it already. Really you……isn’t that really cruel to stick a sword at your friend’s throat?”

“Who are you calling a friend.”

Averting her gaze from the sulking Ramza, Lunora directed her sword at Kizuna.

“Unable to stop someone who is going to massacre a large number of people, just how can one call herself as a frie――”

After saying until that far, her face went red and she closed her mouth.

Ramza floated a really wide smile of satisfaction and crossed her arms.

“Fufu~n♪ Then, I’ll leave it to you. Oh friend Luno―ra-chan.”

[[Image:Masou Gakuen HxH V06 BW 05.jpg|thumb]]

“That’s why, who is……ah?”

Lunora looked up at the sky and opened her eyes wide.

A blimp showed its appearance from the shadow of a building. Its shape was like a blimp with wings growing, a vehicle that was moving using magic machine. It floated above the building barely in low altitude, it felt like it was glaring this way.

“Boss……looks like there’s still a newcomer coming.”

That blimp was decorated luxuriously with golden and silver ornament, looking like something that was ridden by a really important person.

The hatch at its side opened and the figure of a person appeared from inside.

At that instant, Kizuna’s heart felt like it would stop.

“Aine……”

Without any doubt, it was the face of Chidorigafuchi Aine. But, her appearance had completely changed into that of the emperor of AU. Her naked flesh was adorned with silver and gold ornaments in order to emphasize the beauty of Aine’s body to the maximum.

Without getting shy of her appearance, she was glaring at Kizuna and Gertrude with majestic attitude.

“Just what in the world this commotion is?”

With Lunora as the first, the members of the imperial guard got shocked by the sudden entrance of Vatlantis’s emperor.

“A, Ainess-sama! Why is your highness, in this kind of place……”

Aine jumped down from the blimp and landed on the ground softly. And then she glared at the imperial guard threateningly.

“Rather than that, answer my question.”

The backs of the imperial guards straightened and cold sweat traced their cheeks. Ramza acted as their proxy and answered the question.

“Yes, we were in pursuit of the intruder from Lemuria.”

Lunora glanced at Kizuna.

“The intruder is the demon king of Lemuria……Hida Kizuna.”

Aine slowly turned towards Kizuna.

“Kizuna……”

The red eyes staring at Kizuna looked as if they were filled with yearning, happiness, and possibly sadness, various thoughts were whirling inside.

“……Aine.”

Even with her outfit changed, Aine’s appearance didn’t change. Same like before, she looked beautiful and lovely. If he had to say what had changed, the tips of her silver hair were changing color to pink, forming a gradation of color at her hair.

There was Aine in a distance where he could embrace her if he rushed to her.

Even though he had wanted to meet her all this time, his voice didn’t come out.

‘――Just what should I convey to Aine?

Should I apologize to Aine for rejecting her before this, should I resent her for imprisoning and then throwing me to a death match, or should I blame her for taking prisoner our comrades?’

Even though he was teeming with emotions and thoughts, he couldn’t form them into words well.

And then, they were at a distance that their hands could reach if they reached out, but it felt really far away.

Lunora once again readied her sword.

“Ainess-sama, while I think this will dirty your highness’s eyes, but I will cut down this intruder right now. Can I beg you to please wait for a while?”

The other imperial guards also drew out their swords and surrounded Kizuna. The ring was gradually getting smaller and Lunora who stood in front of him advanced to the inside of the circle.

“Wait!”

Aine’s sharp yell resounded. As if they were frozen, the imperial guard members stopped their movement.

“Lemuria’s demon king, Kizuna, will be defeated by this me……Ainess Synclavia.”

When Aine faced Kizuna and moved forward, the imperial guards broke the encirclement and quickly emptied a path.

“Zeros!”

Aine’s body equipped Zeros.

Was the emperor herself really going to fight here? Such question was asked by the imperial guards in half-doubt, half-convinced. They couldn’t go against the emperor. However, if in the worst chance that something happened to Ainess-sama’s body――if they easily let the emperor get hurt while they were nearby, just how great a sin that was……when they imagined the death penalty that would be waiting for them if that happened, they felt their hair stand on ends.

The members of the imperial guard strengthened their cautiousness to Kizuna even more than when they were the ones actually fighting in a certain meaning.

‘――Even if this is the order from Ainess-sama……to let Ainess-sama fight herself is…….’

Just when Lunora was going to grasp her swords again, the hilt of the sword vanished from her hand.

“E……-!?”

Lunora didn’t understand what happened. In order to confirm that there was nothing inside her hand, she closed and opened her hand several times.

‘――This is……Code Breaker!?’

At Aine’s back, a ring created from Zeros’s parts was built. The light produced from it drew a pattern and a magic circle floated up.

At the next moment, Lunora’s magic armor was disintegrated into letters and formulas of light, vanishing as if it was melting into thin air. It was not just Lunora. With Aine as the center, the magic armors of the imperial guards were vanishing in succession.

“Kizuna……I won’t let anyone else, no matter who, interfere.”

Happiness spread on Kizuna’s face, as if a light was lit up.

“Aine! I too――”

“You……will be dealt with by this me, that has been decided.”

“-……!?”

He received a shock as if his head was suddenly struck.

‘――Dealt, with? She means, killing, me……is that what she said?’

Kizuna closed his jaw and clenched his fist tightly.

Aine with a magic circle at her back was directing at him sorrowful eyes fixedly.

‘――Is that, how it is?’

“Aine!! Are you serious!?”

Particle guns were manifested once again at Kizuna’s opened hands.

“It’s pointless how many weapons you create. After all, everything will be erased by me.”

Aine’s magic circle became a step larger. It raised a low sound and slowly rotated. At the same time with that, the same magic circle was spreading from under Aine’s feet. The circle rapidly increased in diameter and the magic armors of the imperial guard members standing on top of that were deconstructed.

“What are we going to do boss! If that thing got us, even our Heart Hybrid Gears will vanish-!”

“Kizuna……just be obedient.”

The influence radius of Zeros’s Code Breaker was magnifying.

“Do you really have to do this, Aine!”

Kizuna pointed his gun muzzle at Aine.

“Kizuna-!”

Aine kicked the ground.

The next instant, Kizuna’s field of vision became pure white.

‘――What!?’

Between Kizuna and Aine, an intense light burst out.

At the next moment, a shockwave blew away the bodies of the two, blast smoke and flames spouted out. A pillar of light flying from the sky pierced the ground, fierce explosions were occurring in succession.

The blown away Kizuna crashed onto a wall. Gertrude who was standing right beside him was also similarly blown away.

“Bo, boss, just what is going on here……”

Gertrude groaned with painful voice. Kizuna also endured his pain and propped his hand on the wall to stand up.

“I don’t know……shit-, what’s that just now!?”

The one who didn’t understand what was going on also included Aine. Her body that floated in the air landed with a superb posture control. And then she looked up at the sky in order to confirm the enemy who bombarded them.

“Just, who is……?”

There was a silhouette at the direction where the light came from. That person was holding a huge gunsword in her hand.

Looking at that figure, the imperial guards also raised their nervous voices.

“Tha, that’s!?” “Impossible! Why, is she in this kind of place!”

Kizuna was also familiar with that figure. It was an opponent that once acted a mortal combat with Kizuna for the second time.

That was the hero of the frontier. She flew the banner of revolution against the Vatlantis Empire, the general of Izgard.

“Gravel!”

Kizuna called her name with an excited voice.

Gravel smiled broadly and directed the Corruption Armament [Sword Gatling] in her hand at the imperial guards.

“Gravel of Izgard, is giving her assistance due to righteousness!”

The Sword Gatling spouted fire. The large caliber particle cannon that possessed severe destructive power even in one shot was attacking the imperial guard in rapid-fire. Huge fire pillars were raised one after another, the ground where the imperial guards were standing was also dug up. Just a single Corruption Armament made Zeltis fall into a pandemonium.

Gravel dived down using that chance and landed nearby Kizuna.

“So you are still alive, Kizuna.”

Her speech was blunt, but her tone seemed happy somehow.

“Gravel, why are you……”

“What a fine thing to say asking me why. I have come rushing to this kind of predicament with great pain you know.”

“Wait, both of you. Save the talk for later. It will be troublesome if we get caught by the Code Breaker.”

Cutting off the conversation of the two was a beauty with pretty green hair descending down.

“Aldea!”

“A fast ship is waiting in the sky right now. It can easily shake off the likes of the empire’s battleship, so let’s quickly escape.”

At the same time when Aldea was finished talking, a gale blew off. A wind was whirling and blew away the blast smoke.

At the other side of the cleared smoke was the figure of Aine with her fist thrust forward.

“Kizuna-!”

Aine kicked on the ground. In exchange of the collapse of the stone paving, Aine’s body shot out towards Kizuna.

Aldea immediately cut apart the ground under her feet with the spear in her hand. At that moment a remarkable distance was opened between them and Aine.

“This is!”

Aine opened her eyes wide towards the irrational phenomenon.

Even though she was supposedly approaching them, their figures got distanced far away instantly.

Aine’s brain revived her memory when she fought Aldea at Guam. Aldea’s magic armor [Zeel] possessed six shields, each shield had the ability to distort the space. The spear Aldea held was a shield that had its shape changed. By warping the space between Aine and Kizuna just now, their physical distance was widened further.

“――Kuh, this kind of thing. With Code Breaker!”

Zeros’s magic circle emitted strong light.

“Right now! Fly, Kizuna!”

Obeying Gravel’s voice, all four of them fully opened their thrusters. Gravel, Aldea, Gertrude, and then Kizuna soared to the sky. Under their feet, the magic circle of Zeros was rapidly expanding its diameter. Looking at that, Kizuna urged all of them to be careful.

“If we get swallowed by that, that’s the end for us!”

However Gravel didn’t show any panic.

“Don’t worry. Rather than that, pay attention to the front! Don’t get late to get on board!”

“What? What are you talk――”

The cloud above the sky parted and a slender high speed ship appeared.

It was as if it had waited for the timing when they flew, it headed straight towards Kizuna and the others.

“UWAAAA! WE ARE GOING TO CRASHHHHH-!”

Exactly as Gertrude’s screamed, that high speed ship was aiming at Kizuna and group without hesitation in a collision route. The four of them endured the impact of the collision and somehow clung at the deck.

“Yosh! Fly-. If we get caught by that magic circle, that’s going to be the end of our road! Fly until your magic engine burned off!”

It seemed that the high speed ship had already entered a retreating readiness and was in the middle of rapid acceleration. It passed through the castle wall and in the blink of an eye put a distance from the city of Zeltis.

“You really saved us there, Gravel! Nevertheless, what a rough welcome!”

“Hmph, if you got any complaints then I’ll leave you here! We too were coming here to Zeltis for recognizance. But thanks to the commotion you guys raised it all came to nothing.”

“So that’s how it is……sorry.”

“N, no, it’s not so big you’ve to apologize. There were circumstances, and abandoning you will just make my sleep uncomfortable after all. That, it’s not like we don’t know each other.”

“What are you saying, geez. After all you just rushed out the moment you knew that Kizuna was here.”

“Wha……Aldea!”

“Hmph.”

Aldea made a huffy face and yelled with a clear transparent voice.

“Accelerate even more! Please fly until the magic engine raises sound!!”

Reacting to Aldea’s voice, the high speed ship whipped its large engine that didn’t match its size. Large amount of magic power particles and propulsive force were surging out while it was flying to the other side of the horizon in the blink of an eye.

While at Zeltis, the magic circle of Code Breaker that lost its target was rotating around Aine’s body. And then Aine was looking up fixedly, at the sky where Kizuna had disappeared.

“Kizuna……”

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