Leviathan:Volume 3 Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Bow and Arrow, as well as...

Part 1

'Aren't the majority of New Town's administrative departments and the city council "frozen"?'

On the car's navigation screen, Hiiragi-san was speaking somewhat casually. She was SAURU's technical consultant as well as being the female executive on the inside track to become the next Kantou branch chief.

Currently at Yokohama, she was speaking through a video call over the internet.

'The cabinet and the national assembly have convened on their behalf for a number of days already. The main agenda was how to handle this "illegal occupation of Tokyo New Town by dragonkind." Anyway, since the Minister of State on the countermeasures committee has stepped down due to a public gaffe, a new minister will be taking over today.'

"Countermeasures have been delayed for too long, I suppose."

Seated as the driver, Hal gripped the steering wheel and commented quietly.

He had borrowed a 4WD military vehicle from the JGSDF and was speeding along a new highway on the coast. Orihime was in the front passenger seat while Asya sat in the back.

'There are a number of reasons. Firstly, no elites have appeared in the East Asian region including Japan for the past fifteen years. Secondly, a somewhat stable situation has been maintained during this period, ignoring Raptor appearances. Thirdly, people have grown complacent due to these reasons... Rather, they lack a sense of crisis.'

"Unlike the major war zones of Europe and North America, people here can't deal with sudden calamities."

'That's indeed the case. By the way, have you received the aid supplies I sent over?'

"Yes. However... Eating this many mooncakes will make me overweight."

Orihime was the one who answered. On her lap was a paper bag.

An unmanned remote-controlled helicopter belonging to the JMSDF had delivered a small quantity of supplies to the Shin-Kiba reclaimed land, including a package for Hal's group from Hiiragi-san.

It was a paper bag filled with dozens of mooncakes from a famous Chinese restaurant.

"Despite their small size, each mooncake contains a large amount of sugar with abundant fat and calories..."

'That's why they're good. Portable food with high calories will definitely come in handy. I went out of my way to buy them from Chinatown, so make good use of them.'

Waving goodbye from the screen, Hiiragi-san ended the call.

Hal muttered "I see" while Orihime looked at the back seat with a nod. Asya was currently meditating with her eyes closed, apparently oblivious to the conversation just now. At the moment, she was remotely controlling her partner that had finally gone through rebirth.

"I understand now. So virtually all of them are for Asya-san."

The 4WD vehicle was racing at maximum speed along the coastal highway, passing the vicinity of Shin-Kiba then successfully crossing the Arakawa to advance towards Gasai. Since there were no other cars driving on the road, Hal could drive as fast as possible without worry.

All the Raptors in New Town had started gathering in the Edogawa ward—

After receiving this news, Hal and company were hurrying to the scene. Using remote control, his childhood friend had sent Rushalka ahead first.

"By the way, Haruga-kun... It seems that Asya-san cannot hear us."

"Yeah, that's right, because she's concentrating hard, probably tuning herself to the revived Rushalka to carefully check the situation."

"Then allow me to change the subject... It suddenly occurred to me after getting in the car, actually."

Orihime looked like she was having trouble bringing up the subject. With some embarrassment, she said, "Didn't Rushalka use a finishing move against Princess Yukikaze—that dragon king of a girl?"

"Yeah, except that she was in the form of a dragon, that's all."

"Haruga-kun, you didn't touch... Asya-san there, did you?"

"Oh right!"

"C-Could it be that it is not an essential action...? In my case, the gun was actually lying back then to accommodate your dirty thoughts, Haruga-kun—That shouldn't be the case... Right?"

"O-Of course not, Juujouji."

Although Hal had admitted to being the covert pervert, he still asserted instantly with his honor on the line.

"Let's speculate. I think Asya did a Double Cast of pseudo-divinity when firing the bow. Perhaps that's why she didn't need my assistance?"

"I-Indeed, that might be true. After all, Asya-san and I are on different levels!"

Blushing to their ears, the two of them tried to ponder the reason.

Then silently, they stared ahead at where they were going, enduring the slightly embarrassing atmosphere.

"Say... Supposing that speculation were to be correct..."

"S-Sure."

"When the time comes, will we have no choice but to do that again...? Besides, this time's enemy is very strong too."

"Better to call her a super formidable foe far surpassing the last."

"So ultimately, there's no way around it... Let us do our best just as we decided together yesterday, Haruga-kun. I-I believe it is our obligation!"

"......Yeah, s-since it's an obligation, it definitely can't be helped..."

"B-But to do that to another girl apart from me—when fighting alongside witches who are not as strong as Asya-san, I suppose I'd like to say that I don't want you to do that sort of thing? I would be very happy if you could exercise greater prudence. M-My wish is that you'll only do it to me—"

"U-Umm, Juujouji... What exactly are you trying to say...?"

Juujouji Orihime kept murmuring softly, which was quite rare for her.

However, this uncharacteristic behavior of hers, murmuring emphatically nonstop, felt inexplicably adorable, even to the point of troubling Hal. But actually, somewhere in the bottom of his heart, Hal seemed to understand wha Orihime was implying, but was it right to interpret it that way? The hesitation in his heart was making Hal unsure.

Hence, he asked timidly, causing Orihime to blush and bow her head.

"T-Take Hazumi for example. If you could restrain yourself and not do that to her, I would be very hap—"

Suddenly, Orihime jumped in fright.

"Ah... A-As her elder sister, I forbid you from doing anything sleazy to her. I was speaking out of duty just now without implying anything else."

"Oh okay."

Hal did not know if it was because she was already plunged into confusion or not, but Orihime was inexplicably speaking in polite forms.

"B-Besides, other than me, no girl could posssibly be generous enough to accept a covert pervert like you, Haruga-kun."

"Well... That's certainly true."

"I-In any case, let us do our best together!"

With many things still ambiguous, the topic of conversation reached an end by the time Hal noticed.

At this moment, a call was received through the internet on the cellphone that was connected to the nagivation screen. It was Luna Francois. Operating the navigation system, Hal started the video call.

'Preparations are complete on my side.'

Luna Francois' face was displayed on the screen. Hazumi was there too.

"We're almost done too."

'Then let us begin as previously agreed. I shall pray for all of you to receive fortune's blessings... But frankly speaking, my true specialty is praying for misfortune.'

"Your confession really doesn't make me feel touched."

Listening to the girl who was called a "demon" by her fellow witch, Hal could not help but grumble. Then he spoke to his comrade in the screen while Orihime also nodded at the same person.

"Shirasaka, I'm counting on you."

"Don't make things out to be too complicated. Just cut loose and do it."

'I-I understand, Senpai. N-Nee-sama, watch me carefully. I will do my very best.'

Shirasaka Hazumi's angelic visage was displayed on the car's navigation screen.

Anyone could see that she was extremely nervous.

"Then let us begin. Although Hazumi-san will be chiefly responsible, our first objective is to clear a path—In other words, exterminate the Raptors gathered in that airspace as quickly as possible, so as to reduce Rushalka and Akuro-Ou's burdens."

"Y-Yes... But is this really okay?"

Facing Luna Francois who could be considered the commander, Hazumi asked.

The two of them were located at Shin-Kiba's pier. In front of them was the vast Tokyo Bay. In their surroundings, roughly fifteen police officers were on standby as support.

"We're not heading to the scene with Senpai and company..."

"Don't worry, it will be fine. Biding our time as reserve forces is also an important mission. Besides, it's not every day that we have handy projectiles at our disposal. Let us fight the battle with efficiency."

"Y-Yes."

Hazumi nodded then looked east.

Reportedly, all the dragons circling around New Town had gathered towards Gasai. With determination, Hazumi called out to the air, "Respond to my summon, Minadzuki!"

A glowing pentagram appeared over the pier, then transformed into the shape of an infinity symbol before turning into a winged serpent.

It was Minadzuki, the emerald leviathan in the form of a serpentine dragon. Hazumi touched the back of her right hand. Appearing there was a pictogram reminiscent of a "tilted half moon"—

The Ruruk Soun symbol signifying the dragonslaying bow, the Rune of the Bow.

It was what Haruomi-senpai had entrusted to her before setting off.

"I want to be helpful to Senpai. And I also have to assist Nee-sama and Asya-san... So lend your strength to me!"

In a rare moment, Hazumi yelled shrilly at her partner.

Then Hazumi started controlling magic power herself. Three days ago, Hazumi had performed Enemy Detection and Spatial Awareness magic unfamiliarly, but this time, she was not controlling Minadzuki remotely.

Hence, magic control was much easier than last time.

As though looking down on a map, Hazumi scouted out the distribution of blue Raptors over the Minamikasai sky in the Edogawa ward.

Near the mouth of the old Edogawa River's mouth connected to Tokyo Bay...

Dozens of Raptors were flying back and forth in excitement, surrounding the community center located there. The precise number was—sixty-seven of them.

The battle had already started on the ground next to the community center.

As though cheering for this fight, the sixty-seven Raptors opened their mouths and howled nonstop. It was probably crazy noisy at the scene itself.

Even the Raptors were concerned about the lineup of participants in the fight—

This unusual scene was rendering Hazumi dumbstruck but she had to prioritize the completion of her own mission first.

Hazumi took a deep breath.

Raptors were normally the color of steel, but the sixty-seven Raptors gathered here were blue. According to Haruomi-senpai, this type of Raptor were imbued with imitation dragonslaying power.

They were formidable enemies that even the Shootdown Ace's partner, Glinda, must not take lightly if she were to mobilize.

Not only that, the risk of getting killed by the enemy was not low. And this type of mission had been entrusted to her. Entrusted to her whom had been conferred the power of dragonbane, the Rune of the Bow—!

"Please... Will you lend me your strength?"

Again, Hazumi touched the seal on her right hand, the Rune of the Bow.

Instantly, Minadzuki called out gracefully as though singing a victorious song of triumph.

Raaaaa raaaaa raaaaa raaaaa...

—In the past, Minadzuki's right forelimb was extraordinarily developed and equipped with sharp claws. After all, that was the so-called horn counterpart. But after her rebirth, both the left and right forelimbs became the same size while a white jewel was added to the right hand to replace the long and sharp claws.

When Minadzuki opened her emerald right palm, the jewel floated up.

The jewel transformed into a "long white tube" on its master's shoulder. From Hazumi's perspective, it looked like a rifle. Both the barrel and the stock were long. It even featured a trigger.

"Eh!?"

"My goodness, it resembles a musket greatly."

Hearing Luna Francois' quiet remark, Hazumi could not help but nod in agreement. The "gun" transformed from the jewel was simple in design and as elegant as an antique.

Indeed, an arquebus or a musket would be an apt description for this type of antiquated firearm.

Hazumi was informed by instinct that this gun was the "bow" created by Minadzuki.

Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The instant Minadzuki's voice sounded out, the musket discharged a white flash of light. This light flew east into the distance—the sky above Minamikasai.

Traversing ward boundaries, it shot from Shin-Kiba in the Kōtō ward to the river mouth of the Edogawa.

At the same time, it accurately pierced the chest of a Raptor flying in the air at the scene. What a spendid long-distance sniper shot. After shooting down one Raptor, it immediately changed direction and angle to penetrate the next Raptor in the chest. Then it flew towards the subsequent Raptor—

This white flash of light repeated this change of direction and auto-homing for nearly sixty times in total.

The white light traced out lines in the sky above the Edogawa River's mouth like a pen in a frenzied dance. It was clearly visible even from Hazumi and Luna's location at the Shin-Kiba pier, almost like a night of fireworks.

Then, the Raptors with their chest pierced—

Their entire bodies broke down and crumbled, gradually collapsing into tiny particles.

Through magically amplified vision, Hazumi witnessed this scene unerringly. This was the power of the Rune of the Bow!

Gathered in the sky over Minamikasai, the Raptors were instantly wittled down to less than ten.

"Glinda, charge in deep! Long Ride!"

Luna Francois instantly commanded, summoning Glinda to the air.

The leviathan, bearing the appearance of a lion with additional heads of a green dragon and a black goat, flew towards the battlefield. Her mission was to restrain the remaining Raptors while remotely controlled by Luna.

"Gravity Shield!"

Luna Francois yelled, producing a black magic circle behind Glinda.

Rivaling a the gigantic body of a "serpent," the large circle had a pentagram symbol incribed within it. Like a carriage drawn by a horse, it flew in pursuit of the three-headed lion. Since it was not possible to invoke pseudo-divinity while controlling a "serpent" remotely, anything to entrust had to be done now.

Regardless, the mission was accomplished for now.

"Th-Thank goodness..."

Just as Hazumi breathed a sigh of relief and was about to disengage vision amplification magic...

In a corner of her vision, a blue wyvern was rapidly descending towards the ground. Naturally, that was Rushalka, but her flying form was surging with unprecedented power.

Part 2

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Part 3

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Part 4

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