Editing Hyouketsu Kyoukai no Eden:Volume 6 Final Chapter (section)

===Part 8===

……Plop.

The droplet of water that dropped off the edge of a crystal made a small splash.

“Are you dead?”

“Please don’t just kill off people like that.”

Replying like that to the Sennenshi’s disinterested murmur, Monica slowly raised her body. Despite everywhere on her body hurting from the shock of the fall, it was fortunate that her injuries were only to that extent.

……Wheeew.

Mental fortitude. Isolating the pain signals running throughout her, she concentrated on her shinryoku spell.

[Sia Sec elis arc……Is io miel]

[That day’s dream, once more……for the sake of that.]

The release precedent.

The azure light indicative of barrier type arts spread out in a sphere around her with a radius of 10 metres. It lit everything within its area up equally.

“A crystal cavern?”

Crystals stuck out from the ground underfoot and the walls to the sides. Those reflected the shinryoku’s light and glittered in seven colors.

……To think that an underground world like this was below the great salt lake.

The crystals which far exceeded her height were sticking up all over; it felt like she had been thrown into a labyrinth made of crystal.

“It’s a long-awaited invitation but I don’t have any intention of keeping it company for long.”

Placing a hand to the blinder over her eyes, Horn forcefully tore it off. Her sharp, almond eyes were revealed. [T/N: Almond here referring to shape.]

“Your blindfold?”

“I will perceive the present world with my own eyes and the future world with ‘Celestial Map Drawing‘. It puts a burden on my mind and causes dizziness so I don’t like it but……this also raises my accuracy. There’s something more important than that.”

She lightly pressed the black gun tip against a crystal.

“Don’t get too close to the crystals; we don’t know which ones a Yuugenshu is hiding behind.”

“……Wouldn’t that be within the predictions of your ‘Celestial Map Drawing‘?”

“I can’t see that far ahead into the future. If I could, I would have been able to avoid that crevice from before too. ‘Celestial Map Drawing‘ is a power specifically for sniping.”

Her eyes were tinged emerald. Emerald was the color of shinryoku arts of the territory type so that had gathered and could be seen as her real eye color.

“Protect your own life.”

“Roger.”

……Where will they come from?

The handles of the crossed rods <Rosario> she held became sweaty. It was a trap conceived by the Yuugenshu to begin with, so it should know their location and be concealing itself nearby.

Silence.

The crystal world which spread out was filled with silence to the point that it hurt the ears.

……It’s been a while since I’ve felt this silent tension.

She couldn’t even wipe the sweat that went from her brow to the tip of her nose and to her lips. If she crumbled her stance for even an instant, she would be attacked from behind. It was that kind of deja vu feeling.

“You’re too roused up.”

“……My apologies. It’s nerves.”

“I’m praising you.”

Those were unexpected words of compliment unsuited to this Sennenshi called Horn.

“A Guard who does not know the strength of the Yuugenshu can’t be that cautious. It looks like you’ve piled on battle experience with Yuugenshu, including when you were an apprentice Priestess.”

“…………”

“I jumped to a hasty conclusion. I’ll take back the words I said to you at {{furigana|Tenketsu Palace|Sophia}}. It looks like you’ll be moderately useful.”

She put her two machine pistols back in their holders and walked towards the large crystal ahead of her.

“!? Captain Horn!”

No way, she sheathed her guns?

That defenselessly. And this from the person who said not to approach the crystals unprepared!? That’s like asking to be attacked.”

“I’m telling you to attack me already.”

The instant Horn’s monologue echoed throughout the underground.

 

■ ■ ■, ■ ■ …… ■, ■ ■, …… ■, ■, ■ ■ ■ …… ■ ■

Oe/ Dia = U milve / x-recrey mihas I, xay xephnis xin sis.

 

A mysterious and heavy sound echoed through the crystal cavern.

Within the barrier of azure light, deep purple strands of light wove together into a strange pattern in the air.

“Mateki!?”

Crossing her crossed rods <Rosario>, she put together an opposing protective spell in her head.

However, the curse over her head did not fall regardless of how long she waited; it seemed to be getting sucked into the higher parts of the cave just like that.

Crick……

A dull sound came from the crystals jutting out of the ceiling. It wasn’t one, but two and three. Each of them was far taller than they were and extremely heavy.

“Jump backwards!”

Horn shouted.

At the same time, the giant crystals lined up overhead caved in. The landslide with crystals mixed in closed in from above with a violent, thunderous noise.

──It decayed the ceiling with mateki’s corrosion, huh!

“Gu……”

Dodging the dirt and sand, she deflected the crystal fragments with her crossed rods <Rosario>. Jumping to dodge the avalanche of earth and rocks that reached up to her knees, Monica jumped onto the nearby crystal──

“Nyaao……”

Shiver.

The cat-like cry came from directly behind her.

“Behind me!?”

What was before her when she turned around in a panic was a large black shadow. The mysterious beast with eight limbs upon its body which resembled a black leopard swooped down at her.

Its crimson eyes were filled with hostility.

“You’re in plain view.”

Those eyes were easily shot through with a silver bullet.

“!”

Even more silver bullets pierced the back of the beast which was turned. Continuing on, its eight legs which were planted on the ground were knocked out as a matter of course. With its balance destroyed, she aimed at its head and shot even more.

“The bullets with trajectories made with ‘Celestial Map Drawing‘ were, so to speak, unavoidable magic bullets.”

Horn’s gunfire didn’t cease.

The silver monad surface of the bullets had shinryoku carved into it and pierced the Yuugenshu’s mateki bullet by bullet, wearing it away.

“You cannot dodge my bullets no matter where you might run.”

A barrage filled its escape route and bullets broke its legs when it stopped. When it staggered, bouncing bullets pierced it from below. Even falling was not permitted. As if anticipating where it would fall ── no, it really was shooting done while seeing the future.

“……Amazing.”

Catching a glimpse of a battle which could be called one-sided, Monica even forgot to breathe in her surprise.

……I thought I knew but to think it was to this extent.

The Yuugenshu was not allowed to counterattack, much less run or even expand all its energy and fall. What made this possible was Horn’s sniping ability with her future sight granted by ‘Celestial Map Drawing‘.

……She’s holding one of those machine pistols which should require two hands in each hand and being that accurate while firing so quickly.

The physical strength required to handle those hefty guns and the lithe shoulder muscles to distribute the recoil from firing. And above all, the fearsome concentration and force of will which made it possible to do that super precise shooting.

Is there anybody with more skill than this Sennenshi in long-range combat? When she asked that question, Monica had no confidence she could reply.

……I’ll assist her. Like I can say that.

For example, Sheltis. His fighting style which challenged Yuugenshu to super close-range combat was filled with severity which dazzled onlookers’ eyes. But what about her? Being only one-sided, it could not even be called a battle and would end with that one-sidedness.

“This is the end.”

The Yuugenshu had its entire body pierced by bullets bestowed with shinryoku. The core crystal at its center was pierced by the final bullet. The mist beast fell over while crying its death agonies, having exhausted all its energy, and didn’t even twitch. Its body also grew faint and was dispersing.

“The S vector, eighth class was of this caliber, huh. This thing did that to Tessha……”

“Tessha?”

“……It’s nothing; let’s go. We’ll find and exit and escape.”

Putting back on her blinder, Horn turned around.

……

…………What?

It was then that Monica felt discomfort.

The Yuugenshu had certainly fallen and the crystal core within it had been pierced by Captain Horn’s bullet.

……But……I didn’t hear the sound of the crystal core shattering?

“No way.”

What lay before her as she hurriedly turned around was──

“Captain Horn!”

“Wha…………”

Horn turned her head only halfway over and gasped, stiffening her whole body.

“……I see. So its true body is just like mateki. If the entire body isn’t eliminated, it’ll immediately multiply and regenerate.”

The mist which should have been dispersing once again multiplied and solidified into the original beast shape.

“Nyaao……”

A cute cry ── she understood that wasn’t to have them let down their guards. That was truly a ‘coaxing voice‘. The monster which boasted overwhelming strength was sneering at the weak.

“Fine.”

The third Sennenshi once again tore off her blinder.

“I’ll keep you company until you lose the will to regenerate.”