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

===Part 4===
「Aruji, sama……?」

When he opened his eyes, he could see the worn out Yoruka peering onto Lux’s face.

At the side, the silver haired girl that he had just seen inside the dream──no, something humanoid which really resembled that girl was standing there.

It was looking down on Lux while sporting a gentle smile that looked angelic.

The drop that was shining in seven colors spilling from its fingertip was trickling down to the wound on Lux’s chest.

「This is, Sacred Eclipse? Is it……? No, rather than that my──?」

Here Lux finally noticed how he should have died already.

The deep fissure that was carved on his chest had vanished when he became aware of it.

「What happened? This is──」

Yoruka also noticed Sacred Eclipse and murmured with an astonished expression, but Lux didn’t understand anything.

At that time, Singlen who was standing arrogantly at some distance away suddenly let out his voice.

「Ha—ha—ha. This is interesting! I see, so it’s a jackpot at this first and last time! This miniscule chance of the surface side of Sacred Eclipse performing revival, just like with me at that time!」

Singlen’s crimson eye socket shined while his body under the armor suit was dyed black and he yelled.

「……!?」

Lux and Yoruka became alert against that laughing voice that sounded like he was possessed, but Singlen only pressed on his face and continued to laugh.

「I was misjudging this guy. It was my eyes that were cloudy. What is necessary so one can be called a hero isn’t physical strength or even ingenuity. It’s the heaven’s decree at the critical moment when it counts! You accomplished the last miracle without intending it──or perhaps it’s because of that foolish choice of trying to save everyone. In that case even without me using you, you will surely deliver your fang at the throat of that guy!」

Singlen spread his arms towards the sky and laughed loudly without suppressing down his mad excitement.

Right after that, the black pattern of devil transformation receded from his body. He returned to his usual form that was no different from a human.

Lux and Yoruka were taken aback, even so their hands moved towards their Sword Devices, it was then.

──*DOooOOON!*

A howl that sounded like rumbling ground thundered from above, the whole hangar shook fiercely.

「I see──now I have no more need to tame you to kill that guy. It’s pointless even if I stay here. I’ll lose my remaining pieces if I don’t quickly assist them. I’ve broken that nasty lethal weapon too. I don’t have anything to do here anymore.」

「Wait, you’re going to run away after going this far?」

Singlen said that and turned around, but Lux called out to his back.

But, Singlen only turned around his head and returned back his usual dark eye glint.

「What did you plan to make me do!? Who do you want to kill!?」

Hearing the question that the agitated Lux spat out, Singlen’s mouth warped into an arc.

「There is no time to have that talk here. Until you recover your memory──look forward to it in anticipation. In exchange I’ll teach you something good. That Sacred Eclipse which revived you, it will inverse to 『reverse side』 soon. Defeat it now that you are resurrected.」

「──!?」

Lux was shocked and looked at the Sacred Eclipse, then the shape of the beautiful silver haired girl transformed.

It looked injured as though its whole body was carved, its skin was carbonized as though flame had burned it, and its eyeballs rotted and fell.

And then, its mouth formed a wide grin that was like a crescent moon.

At the same time it unleashed a bottomless malicious killing intent towards mankind.

The last and greatest Ragnarok──the one that would guide the world to destruction was slowly starting to change.

「I’ll be waiting, Chore Prince──no, Black Hero. You will understand the meaning of my words someday. Including how this world won’t change at all unless I accomplish what I have to do.」

Singlen only said that and rode the wave that Leviathan’s Divine Raiment created. He withdrew from the underground Drag-Ride hangar.

Yoruka who was crouching in a dying state and Lux whose wound was healed were left behind.

And then, there was also the Sacred Eclipse that was carrying out an ominous transformation slowly.

Yoruka was watching that with only her blue right eye while her body wasn’t stirring at the slightest.

With that, even Lux understood that she already didn’t have even a scrap of strength to resist.

「──Why, Aruji-sama came for the likes of me?」

She didn’t try to look at Lux.

Yoruka merely muttered with a low voice as though she was talking to herself.

「Why did you secretly try to defeat Singlen? Surely someone at your level should have understood what would happen to you.」

「…………」

Lux picked up his Sword Device that fell on the ground and silently sent his thought.

Perhaps thanks to the Elixir that was poured on him, not just his wound, even his stamina was recovered.

He summoned Bahamut once more. He might be able to fight against this Sacred Eclipse.

「Perhaps, I’m the same like that. Knowing that Yoruka is braving through danger in order to protect me, I was unable to leave you alone.」

When Lux showed such powerless smile, Yoruka quietly shook her head.

「Aruji-sama──really doesn’t have eyes for evaluating people.」

Yoruka formed a resigned smile and objected like that to Lux.

「Putting your hand into fire in order to pick up a tool like me…… there is a limit even in making a stupid plan. Just for the sake of this kind of broken doll, that doesn’t have any emotion or anything」

Yoruka sighed with a serious face seemingly exasperated.

Lux couldn’t read her emotion.

Even so──what he should say as her master was decided.

「That’s not true. I remembered about the time when Philuffy came back to life. At that time, Sacred Eclipse granted my wish.」

That scene that flowed into him along with Elixir──the actions of that girl who looked the same as Sacred Eclipse, he still didn’t understand what was the meaning of that.

However, there was just one thing that he was convinced about.

Just like how his wish once saved Philuffy, Sacred Eclipse also responded to Yoruka’s hidden wish and saved Lux.

「Thanks to Yoruka’s wish, I was saved. That’s why, something like you being a tool without emotion, isn’t true.」

「…………」

Lux’s smile looked persuasive.

Even so Yoruka’s eyes wouldn’t meet Lux.

She kept crouching beside Lux with a fleeting expression while listening to that.

Her broken fingers kept tightly grasping her Sword Device.

「That’s right isn’t it.」

She replied like that with a voice that was filled with emptiness.

「I am not a faithful tool or anything. I cannot even control a single emotion of mine. I’m just a poor excuse of a human. Just like what my father told me once, I am a failure that is not human.」

Yoruka muttered indifferently without even a self-torturing feeling mixed within her voice.

Even so Lux called to her.

「After the fight against Gigas, I was happy that Yoruka came for me. The Old Empire was destroyed completely without me being able to save anyone, but with that it felt like I was able to save it just for a bit.」

「…………」

Yoruka’s face didn’t change even after hearing those words.

But, her shoulder shook just slightly.

「Yoruka. I’m not asking you who are a tool to become human. However, I don’t want to use and throw away the human you like a disposable tool. Just like how you didn’t let go of your katana, I need you, in order for me to keep being myself──」

「I am, Aruji-sama’s……katana?」

[[File:SaijakuBahamut v11 08.jpg|thumb|right]]

Yoruka was half dumbfounded hearing those words. She stared at the Sword Device of Yato no Kami.

In order for her to become her little brother’s servant, in order for her to persist in her contract, she didn’t let go of this katana until the very end.

Even though she was unable to understand a human’s emotions, if it was a feeling about needing something then she could understand it.

In order for Lux to carry out his own belief, he saved Yoruka when she was his opponent, like that──

「Besides, calling yourself a failure isn’t right. Humans, all of them are imperfect creatures. Anyone, no matter who, will all make mistakes and hesitate. Even me, Lisha-sama, and also everyone else. That’s why──it’s fine for you to stay beside me.」

Saying that, Lux held out his hand towards Yoruka.

Yoruka hesitated for a moment, then she put her hand on that hand.

「──As you wish, Aruji-sama.」

The time between the two stopped for a few moments.

He could feel the warmth of Yoruka’s blood as though it was showing her feeling for the first time.

*DOoOON!*

But, right after that the underground Drag-Ride hangar shook intensely.

Because of the fierce battle that happened here, the first fortress itself was starting to crumble.

The Sacred Eclipse that was already losing its human shape was also a concern, but first they should escape from here.

「Yoruka! We are getting out!」

Lux summoned Bahamut once more and quickly put it on as armor.

(──I can do this.)

Although the scar on his chest was remaining slightly, he could move perfectly.

It was slightly baffling why Lux didn’t go through devil transformation like other people after getting Elixir poured on him, but there was no time to ponder it.

He carried Yoruka in his arms and escaped while avoiding the avalanche of rubble.

Lisha and the others said that they temporarily retreated to link up with the New Kingdom army at the second fortress but──

「──Lux-kun! Be careful!」

The moment Lux escaped to the sky near the Garden, Coral’s voice came to him.

The Gargoyle and Chimera that attacked from left and right were killed instantly by Lisha and Greifer respectively.

「Lisha-sama and Coral!? And even Greifer!? Why──」

「It’s troublesome, but this is also a duty of an allied country yeah. More importantly……」

Greifer suddenly gazed at the front of Garden with sharp eyes.

Over there was the figure of a girl in dress whose eyes were covered with shadow──the main body of Sacred Eclipse. A swarm of more than a hundred Abyss was swirling around it.

「It’s that thing! As expected that thing is calling the Abyss here! No matter how many we defeat, the Abyss keep appearing one after another. If we don’t destroy that Sacred Eclipse at least, even if we return to Cross Field like this──」

Lisha was glaring at the sky with her crimson eyes while breathing hard.

It seemed that Singlen’s right hand man, Zweigberk was already leading the White Ridge knight order of the Blackend Kingdom to retreat.

In exchange it seemed the Drag-Knights of the New Kingdom military were coming as reinforcements, but they might get annihilated right away if they came to this battle situation.

「But it’s strange yeah? Where did those damned Dragon Marauder lot vanish to? Drakkhen also ran away, the mysterious masked girl who Coral saw is also gone.」

Greifer grumbled with an annoyed tone.

Right behind him, there were the figures of the Triad whose armors were dispelled because they had already surpassed their limit.

「Yes. My deepest apologies. I detected their presence broadly until the middle, but their signal cut off somehow in the sky. Also Lux-san, even Airi got kidnapped──」

「……-!?」

That report caused Lux’s complexion to change and he stopped breathing.

Seeing Noct’s figure that was gasping for air, it must be something that was outside her power.

Coral who was similarly anxious called to Lux who couldn’t say anything.

「I’m sorry Lux-kun. If only I didn’t let that masked Drag-Knight get away──」

「Right now that doesn’t matter!」

Lisha lifted up her sword resolutely in response to the dejected Coral.

「There isn’t any time to feel frustrated about the enemy’s trap that we didn’t notice! No matter what Dragon Marauder’s objective is, if they kidnapped the little sister, then they should contact us later for negotiating hostage!」

Lisha raised her voice to rouse up everyone there.

If Lux and the others were swallowed by fear and despair here, the battle line would break.

If that happened, they wouldn’t be able to save Airi either way.

「Thank you very much, Lisha-sama.」

Lux recovered his calm hearing her voice and said his thanks briefly. He then stared forward.

Certainly, if the enemy planned to kill Airi, they could easily do so.

For them to kidnap her meant that they had intentions to make use of her for something.

「Even so, how are we going to fight this time? This situation is completely jumbled up. I don’t get what the hell is going on.」

Greifer spoke casually while glaring at the Garden and the first fortress.

Certainly this time the motives of various forces were all mixed up.

Lux took a deep breath and quickly sorted out the situation in his mind.

Queen Raffi of the New Kingdom requested Lux and Lisha to bury the Grand Force inside Garden so that they wouldn’t be suspected of secretly keeping it.

But, Singlen who saw through that made his White Ridge knight order to hide inside Garden beforehand, laying a trap to catch Lux red handed.

Singlen’s aim of grasping Lux’s weakness to add him under his command ended in vain, but Dragon Marauder that was similarly hiding inside the Ruin snatched away the Grand Force and then they called a lot of Abyss.

The three division commanders of Dragon Marauder were all present, and then the Drag-Knight who was employing and cooperating with them──the masked girl also appeared and battled Coral.

Outside the Garden, Yoruka who was convinced of Singlen’s scheme resolved herself to assassinate him and infiltrated the first fortress, but she failed.

When Lux came to save Yoruka, Sacred Eclipse appeared and then they escaped. But then a swarm of Abyss in a number that was incomparable to before appeared around the Sacred Eclipse.

After that, Zweigbergk led away the White Ridge knight order and retreated. In this situation, Lux and the others similarly had to escape from here.

But, if they didn’t defeat Sacred Eclipse that showed up once more, they also couldn’t go back to Cross Field like this.

Lisha turned around while breathing roughly from exhaustion and raised her voice.

「Either way, we have to defeat that monster at any cost. Can you fight, Lux!?」

「──Yes.」

In a situation where once again more than a hundred strong Abyss swarmed between the wasteland and the blue sky, Lux nodded.

Right after that, the girl in dress standing far ahead──the Sacred Eclipse formed a wide grin on its mouth and came attacking with its flesh body.

The Triad who had become unable to operate their Drag-Rides anymore went into standby at the rear.

The enemy presence was near, but they were applying first aid treatment to the wounded Yoruka during this time.

The remaining combat force, Lux, Lisha, Greifer, and Coral engaged the Sacred Eclipse.

「Hah! You look like a spoiled young lady, but you’re quite the tomboy huh.」

Sacred Eclipse flew towards them as though running on the air. In response Greifer wearing Cuelebre intercepted it and unleashed a slash in spiraling trajectory with his Tail Blade.

Using the blade of many joints, it was a powerful attack with a trajectory that was difficult to read.

Sacred Eclipse held its hand for defense, but the blade slipped through and suddenly split its head from the top into two.

「──!?」

Lux and Lisha opened their eyes widely seeing that brilliant performance.

But, beside them, Coral gasped in surprise.

「Greifer! Don’t let your guard down!」

「……!?」

「Ahaha, Greifer is really terrible.」

The Sacred Eclipse healed its wound while simultaneously changing its shape instantly. It created the shape of a different girl.

A girl wearing a dress with ornamenta that looked like piled up flower petals, with a golden tiara put on her brownish blonde hair.

It was a girl that Lux once saw when he took the Class promotion exam in the Vanheim Principality, Greifer’s master, princess Milmiette. Sacred Eclipse transformed into her appearance.

Even if someone understood it in their mind that it was a fake, but if their important someone was right in front of their eyes, they would instinctively refuse to attack.

It might be a lag of an instant that was less than a second, but the moment Greifer’s hand stopped, countless fleshy colored branches stabbed out from the whole body of Sacred Eclipse.

「──Photon Dive!」

The ability of invincibility of Cuelebre’s Divine Raiment barely activated in time, repelling those countless branches.

「Wait Greifer! The enemy is right in the middle of those Abyss!」

Behind the Sacred Eclipse that was sent flying, the gathered Abyss that numbered nearly a hundred were standing by.

If Greifer threw himself into there, he would be safe for a few seconds, but after that there was a high possibility that he would be showered with concentrated fire.

But, Greifer didn’t back down even knowing the danger.

「Certainly that’s true. But, if this monster is aiming for that then it’s a really poor move yeah. Doesn’t it know that reckless challenges are my hobby?」

In order to destroy the core of Sacred Eclipse here, Greifer closed in further and swung his Blade.

He cut apart the branches that were hard like steel and let out consecutive attacks in order to stab his blade into that heart.

「You are really cruel aren’t you Greifer? Have you forgotten your gratitude to me?」

Sacred Eclipse tried to shake up Greifer once more with Milmiette’s appearance, but this time Greifer didn’t falter.

He replied shortly while dealing an attack of his Blade at the same time.

「Sorry, but the princess already knows that I’m a rude guy. Too bad.」

「…………」

He cut off its two arms and then he was going to deal the finishing strike, but at that moment several hundred branches stretched out in high speed from the Sacred Eclipse’s back.

They instantly stabbed into the Abysses that were hovering in the sky, and immediately after the stabbed Abysses dried up and crumbled.

「Get away Greifer! Sacred Eclipse is absorbing the Abysses’ life force!」

Almost at the same time with Coral’s scream, a portion of the branches attacked Greifer.

Because the invincibility of Photon Dive had just ended at that timing, Greifer shielded himself with his Blade, but the branches twisted and struck his side.

「Gu, a……!」

Fortunately because Coral was nearby, he deftly caught him.

But, Greifer’s barrier was pierced through and his armor smashed. He vomited out blood.

「That bastard……! Copying the movement of my Tail Blade──」

Glancing at Greifer who was gritting his teeth, Lisha started at Sacred Eclipse with a dubious expression.

「This is weird Lux, isn’t that Sacred Eclipse similar? With the Ragnarok that we fought previously──with Yggdrasil?」

「Yes. I also think so.」

Lux shuddered inside his heart.

Sacred Eclipse that they fought previously in the Campus Festival had the ability of tentacles and unlimited regeneration.

That was to say, it resembled the ability of the first Ragnarok that Lux and the others fought──Poseidon.

From here it became a rough guess but, perhaps Sacred Eclipse was tracing the abilities of the Ragnarok that they had defeated until now.

「Then, those Abyss that are only flying around Sacred Eclipse, could they be the meal for it?」

「If it’s a Ragnarok in the same type like Yggdrasil, the possibility is high. If I remember right, its trait should be strengthening and evolution. Each time it is defeated, it will acquire resistance and restore itself. In order to secure the energy for that, there is a possibility that it will not give any order to the Abyss around purposefully.」

Tillfur and Sharis were making such conjecture in the back while catching their breaths.

The same like the Yggdrasil that Hayes once manipulated, it was made to eat several hundred Abysse beforehand and secured energy source for its evolution.

「Yes. How it dealt with Greifer-san’s sword too, if it is inheriting Yggdrasil’s trait, it will be strengthened if we deal half-baked attacks to it here.」

Furthermore this time they had fewer battle force than that time.

And then, the three division commanders of Dragon Marauder were also hiding somewhere, and their employer was also lurking around.

「Then, there is no other choice but to shower it with simultaneous attacks. Even if we retreat from here while fighting, there is no way we can lead that thing back with us.」

It seemed everyone felt the same, everyone there consented at the same time.

Lux too, although he had his stamina and injury recovered, but he couldn’t use Over Limit.

Previously, he used counterattack of Critical Hit to reflect back the attack power of Yggdrasil after it was strengthened to the limit, defeating it. But it was unclear whether the same method would work this time.

The method of making the opponent’s strength evolve until the very limit also carried the risk of total annihilation for their side if they made the slightest mistake──it even might become the trigger of world destruction by creating an enemy that no one could defeat.

「──Yosh, then this time let’s go with the safe plan. What’s important is to defeat the surrounding Abysses first to make that Sacred Eclipse diet, it will be fine like that.」

If they destroyed the energy source of Sacred Eclipse, it wouldn’t be able to evolve.

In other words, the strategy was to crush the swarm of several hundred Abyss in the surroundings, and then they would deal the finishing blow to Sacred Eclipse for the last.

「Even so, that damned vice-captain-sama. Even though he acted self-importantly, he is gone at the crucial time.」

「It’s useless to even mind about that Greifer. More importantly, it looks like you don’t have a broken bone but, can you still move?」

Coral stepped forward to take the role of attracting the enemy. Greifer scratched his head with a disagreeable expression at Coral’s question.

「Honor student-sama is rough at working someone else as usual. Even though there are nothing but some defenseless bunches gasping for breath behind, there is no way I can slack off ain’t it」

He spoke coarsely, but as expected he was good at taking care of someone else.

「Nicely said! Then, we are starting the strategy! Both of you, follow my command!」

Lisha spoke encouragingly and gave simple instructions through Dragon Voice.

While the decisive battle was going to start under an overwhelmingly disadvantagous situation, at the side──Yoruka who was receiving first-aid treatment from Noct and the others lifted up her upper body.

「Wai-!? What are you doing Yoruka-chi!? It’s dangerous for you to move, your wounds will open again.」

「Yes. As expected I also cannot overlook this as a friend. Please think about the feelings of your master Lux-san.」

Tillfur and Noct who were dressed in pilot suit tried to stop Yoruka in panic, but Yoruka didn’t listen to them.

But, the reason why she was moving was different from before.

「It’s alright. I won’t do something so reckless that will bring me death. More importantly Noct-san, can I ask you to repair my Yato no Kami? It’s greatly damaged but, its Force Core is safe so──」

Although she had her usual bewitching smile on her face, however her eyes informed them of the strong will inside her.

「I have no intention to rush into that swarm. I only want──one more chance to activate my Divine Raiment and special armament. In order to become Aruji-sama’s strength, in a different way from before.」

「…………」

Yoruka’s atmosphere was somewhat different from before, causing the three to hold their breaths.

The Triad also had no more spare strength to even protect themselves, but seeing Yoruka’s eyes, Sharis resolved herself.

「Tillfur, we’re going to put on the strengthened type Drag-Rides once more. We will transfer all our remaining strength to Noct’s EX Drake. Let’s repair Yato no Kami as much as possible with that.」

「Wait a second!? If we do that, we won’t even have any strength left to walk away from here──」

「Either way we won’t be able to assist Lux-kun and the others anyway, so it’s pointless to keep any spare strength like that! Thinking about the matter of Airi getting kidnapped, it should be something trivial for us to at least be reckless here.」

「────」

Although there were many extenuating circumstances, it was a fact that Airi was taken away right under their noses.

Thinking how Lux was standing on the front line and fought in their place even then, then certainly there was no way they could just stay still here.

「It’s alright, even if you three don’t force yourselves.」

Yoruka who was wrapped in bandages gasped with feeble breathing.

「This is only my selfishness. I am only unable to bear it, to keep laying down like this without being able to be of any use as Aruji-sama’s servant.」

That was Yoruka’s true feeling.

Lux was considering herself not as tool, but as a person who was irreplaceable for the sake of accomplishing his ideal.

Then, there was no way she could just stay still like this like a meaningless tool.

In order to realize Lux’s ideal, as the sword of the Black Hero who brought salvation, she had to fight until the very end.

「──What, if it’s like that, then it’s the same for us.」

Tillfur suddenly showed a smile and put on her EX Wyrm once more.

She approached beside Noct who was similarly putting on her EX Drake and linked a cord to it and started transferring her remaining energy.

「Yeah. Even we hate it to be in a battle where we are only getting protected by him even though we introduced ourselves as Syvalles, that’s why we trained really hard.」

Sharis also stood up wobblingly while connecting the cord of her EX Wyvern with her best effort.

Noct who received the slight remaining energy from the two began to repair Yato no Kami while gasping for breath.

She performed temporary repairs that was focused on the Force Core, fixing only a bit of armor and the firing muzzle for the special armament.

Yoruka’s aim for making her choice to wish which part to repair.

She wouldn’t simply dedicate her strength to Lux, for the first time she was trying to cooperate with him.

She was relying on everyone’s strength, and on top of that she noticed that she would be doing something reckless.

「If that’s the case, then we are the same.」

Noct’s face was completely haggard, even so she made a faint smile.

Yoruka stayed still on that spot, looking fixedly on Lux’s back in order to squeeze out her last remaining strength.