Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume17 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 5===

A large sand ship had arrived at the camp of the Knights of Lugia.

Not a merchant ship. Instead, this was an official military vessel equipped by the Holy Kingdom.

This was a military ship actively used for desert transport of supplies during the Ranbal War. However, most of these ships had been retired from active duty, leaving only seven ships bearing the empty name of Desert Fleet.

Bringing a cloud of dust and sand and bearing the Holy Kingdom's flag, the sand ship stopped near the camp.

On the ship was a cardinal from Des Esseintes, the supreme governing council of the Holy Kingdom, and eight members of the Sacred Spirit Knights tasked as bodyguards&mdash;

On the sand in front of the ship, Lurie Lizaldia greeted the cardinal.

"Later than expected, Millennia&mdash;"

"Fine-tuning that thing used up too much time. It turned three militarized spirits into charcoal as soon as it awakened."

Walking down the gangway was an adorable young girl dressed in vestments of pure white.

She looked thirteen or fourteen in age. Particularly striking was her glittering blonde hair, skin as pale and smooth as porcelain, and clear violet eyes. However, out of place on this adorable girl's appearance was a simple eye patch on her left eye.

This was Millennia Sanctus&mdash;Thirteenth of Des Esseintes.

Although her rank was not very high in the council's internal hierarchy, she had intimate ties to the military leadership. Even within the secretive Des Esseintes, she exuded a particularly eerie presence.

"You seem to have run into trouble of your own."

"An annoying barrier. Also, there's the Sphinx."

Lurie shrugged lightly. In terms of hierarchy, a cardinal of Des Esseintes ought to rank higher than Lurie, a guest general, but there was an air between them like that of intimate friends.
[[image:STnBD V17 BW05.jpg|thumb]]

"Dear me, shouldn't dispelling the barrier be all too easy for you?"

"It's quite a special barrier. Existing in a minor dimensional distortion between the human realm and Astral Zero, the entire Demon King's Capital has been anchored there spatially and temporally."

In the past, the burial chamber where the Demon King's spirits had been sealed had appeared underground at Areishia Spirit Academy. This barrier probably had similar properties.

It posed a challenge even for Lurie, who specialized in barrier magic.

"So I see&mdash;"

Millennia Sanctus looked across the scorching desert.

Suddenly, her rosebud-like lips bloomed with joy.

"''She'' is right there&mdash;"

"...?"

"My older sister&mdash;no, younger sister? I sense her. ''After all, she and I are cut from the same cloth''."

"Could it be that Ren Ashbell is here?"

"Unmistakable. How did they come across clues to the Tomb, I wonder?"

With her finger to her lip, Millennia smiled.

"...Looks like I get to fight that boy again."

Lurie Lizaldia showed a dark glimmer in her eyes.

"Now that is something to look forward to. Ren Ashbell the Strongest Blade Dancer versus ''the winner of the Blade Dance fifteen years ago''&mdash;If both sides were to go all out, who would win?"

"&mdash;You know the answer already."

Saying that, Lurie looked towards the ship.

"Has the Lord fully awakened? Looks like the original schedule had to be rushed."

"No, half-awakened at best."

"Will that pose a problem?"

"It is enough to crack open the barrier."

Millennia swung her staff with a chuckle, causing it to ring.

The ship's side opened. The Sacred Spirit Knights began to lower a large box using a rope.

A metallic box of pure white. The shape was reminiscent of a coffin.

Led by Luminaris, the paladins all showed nervous expressions.

At the Sacred Capital's laboratory facility, the entity sleeping in this coffin had incinerated militarized spirits into charcoal in a flash.

Millennia Sanctus gently touched the edge of the coffin.

Then she recited words of summoning used by Queens.


"La ura me aluara shin, erul ragna volcas&mdash;
ig alusiagi im, ys areisia&mdash;"


Meaning "the great tyrant, present in eternal conflagration, transcending the logic of good and evil, the executor of judgment," this was High Ancient that only very few humans understood.

In the distant past, these ''words of power'' had been lost during the era of the Spirit War&mdash;


"&mdash;Firg fomalhaut volcanicus."


The instant the incantation finished with words meaning "the incarnation of all flames on this plane"...

The coffin's lid instantly glowed red-hot and crimson flames surged forth.

The astounding heat, which felt like it would burn all the flesh from one's body, caused the surrounding knights to back away.

Next&mdash;

Out of the blazing crimson flames&mdash;''That'' made its appearance.

Namely&mdash;

A girl dressed in a vivid dress of scarlet.

Her long crimson hair reached waist length. Her eyes were like rubies with brilliant flames dwelling within them.

On her head were two curling horns.

As exquisite as artwork made of glass, there was an air of fragility to her body.

Enveloped in flames, the girl swept her gaze across the knights surrounding her with a cold inorganic expression on her face.

Then her voice  displeasure.

"Are you the ones who dare to disturb my sleep?"

Thus she spoke.
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