Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 12 Episode 6 (section)

===Part 8===
──*GIINN!*

A high pitched metallic sound resounded inside the small room.

Inside the room where one could look down to the spherical space where Lux was fighting against a Ragnarok, Soffice who received a Sword Device, pulled out the blade from its sheat.

What was hidden inside the sheath of the Wyvern that Lux had, was the Sword Device of Soffice’s Divine Drag-Ride Vritra.

「What the……?」

The mysterious person who controlled Re Plica let out her doubt with a blank voice.

In the next instant, Soffice quickly recited the passcode.

「──Born from the flame, is the abhorred god. Devour the hatred and reason and transcend, Vritra!」

Particles of light whirled in high speed in front of the girl along with the passcode, forming a turmeric colored armor that possessed slender form.

Re Plica’s body that was reflexively swinging her knife floated in the air and then she got crucified on the wall behind.

Furthermore, Vritra threw a Dagger and Wire Tail consecutively and entangled Re Plica’s body, automatically binding her.

Trajectory control──Vritra’s Divine Raiment to freely control an object’s movement subdued Re Plica in the blink of an eye.

「……How!? Why was that Sword Device there!? You shouldn’t have any time to bring it here!」

「That’s why, you are wrong.」

Airi who was freed from the choking coughed *keho-keho* while adding more words.

「From the beginning, Nii-san was carrying it by pretending it was his own Sword Device. He planned to return it to Soffice-san at the very end──to persuade her.」

「Why, did you intend to return this? Even though I might run away──」

Soffice turned towards Airi wearing her Vritra and asked.

「That’s, because it’s Nii-san. Because he believes that you aren’t a bad person. He is doing his all in order to have you trust him.」

「…………」

「If you escape, Nii-san will just challenge you to a fight to persuade you again. That’s the kind of hopeless person Nii-san is.」

Airi muttered, seeing the figure of Lux outside the broken small window, who was continuing to fight desperately even now.

Soffice too also chased after Airi’s gaze and looked down towards Lux with a blank face.

「I see.」

Lux was unable to use Over Limit because he forgot the passcode for some reason, but right now he attempted any trick he could do many times and struggled to overcome Deus ex Machina.

「……You’re going to cling to the family of traitors? You, who was tricked by the imperial family of the Old Empire that killed your little sister!」

Re Plica yelled while being tied by Wire Tail and crucified by Dagger.

But, Soffice activated the Divine raiment of Vritra. The Wire Tail moved by itself and plugged Re Plica’s mouth.

「Don’t keep talking as you please using that face and voice. I won’t run away anymore. Even if I get betrayed again, it’s fine……I won’t give up believing, in someone who wants to believe.」

「Soffice-san……」

「Thank you……young man’s little sister. Thanks to you, I can take back my wish.」

A faint smile surfaced inside Soffice’s nihilistic expression.

Right after that, Soffice held her Sword Device once more and lifted it high above while strongly sending her thought.

「──Full Connect – On.」

Right after she muttered, the armor of Vritra that was wrapping her body shined intensely.

A part of it covered her limbs, changed into minuscule mechanical particles that assimilated with her flesh.

Her body surface became similar like the surface of a Sword Device, geometrical patterns made from silver lines ran on the surface like a tattoo.

The clan of the beginning that created the Ruins and produced the Drag-Rides.

This was a form that was possible only for the Xfer who possessed the greatest aptitude value.

Soffice who was half transformed into a machine lifted up her hand, and the glass before her was smashed apart due to Vritra’s Divine Raiment.

She took a stance with a middle sized war hammer in her hand and leaped outside.

「Soffice!? That form──no, is Airi safe!?」

「The little sister is safe. Leave the rest for later. Prepare your full power attack for the Ragnarok. My Vritra’s firepower is lacking.」

「But, Deus ex Machina has teleportation! Even if I continue to move, the enemy will teleport and evade──」

「It’s fine just attack. If it’s the enemy’s teleportation, I won’t let it.」

「Eh……?」

「Don’t you, believe in me?」

Lux smiled wryly hearing Soffice’s voice that sounded somewhat sulky.

「──Got it. I’ll leave it to you, Soffice.」

After a short exchange, Lux touched Bahamut’s Sword Device.

Drag-Ride’s mind control operation and body control operation.

By giving contradictory orders of holding back and releasing at the same time, strength was gathered like a drawn bow.

The variable frame of Mythrildite creaked, and the armor began to tremble as though it was going to distort.

It was one of Drag-Ride control’s three hidden techniques, Recoil Burst.

But, against Deus ex Machina that could teleport itself and others, until now it would always escape and the attack couldn’t hit.

Even so Lux──believed in Soffice who said 「I’ll do something」.

He squeezed out his little remaining stamina, and at the timing when he was going to prepare, the Ragnarok moved.

「……-!?」

It held up its huge steel arm like a destruction hammer, and then released a thrust that the eye couldn’t follow.

Lux who was transitioning to the act of gathering strength was bewildered by the Ragnarok that began to boldly move forward and he couldn’t switch to offense.

「Perhaps it is guessing our attack, it’s coming to stop us without using its ability.」

「No, that’s not all. Be careful Nii-san! The enemy’s body is shining.」

「────」

The space in front of Lux distorted flexibly at the same time with Airi’s voice.

Lux immediately leaped backward and escaped from the danger, but a broken glass fragment from just now that was at that spot was annihilated into powder.

「It’s compressing the space to squash the target. Anyone in its range will be killed instantly no matter what kind of defensive power they have.」

「No way……!」

The Ragnarok was attacking consecutively with its huge arms while also using the special ability of compression in offense. Lux was forced into a one-sided defense.

Lux continued to escape round and round inside the spherical space, with Deus ex Machina chasing him.

It was only for dozens of seconds, but that pattern was continuing. Soffice who was measuring the timing from a slight distance away became anxious.

「This is bad. The Ragnarok is starting to predict his movement. At this rate──he will be caught.」

「Please wait, Soffice-san.」

Soffice said that and she was going to fly in assistance, but Airi stopped her with a calm voice.

「Please believe in Nii-san’s strength. That face isn’t the expression when Nii-san is being cornered.」

「……What do you mean?」

Airi who was gazing at the movement of Lux and Ragnarok from above muttered.

「Nii-san’s most excellent point is his strength to see through his opponent’s movements and predict their actions. Then his quickness in forming a plan and his courage to execute it. Nii-san isn’t just running away while doing useless things repeatedly.

「…………」

「Nii-san will surely turn to counterattack soon. At that time, please carry out your plan without fail. The trump card for the sake of defeating the Ragnarok──」