Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 6

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These are the novel illustrations that were included in Masou Gakuen HxH Volume 6

Cover
Page 23
Page 73
Page 85
Page 101
Page 133
Page 183
Page 195
Pages 202 & 203
Page 301
Page 309
Page 318

Prologue

Part 1

After Aine took into her hand the proof of emperor that was a golden tiara, she put it on her head.

The girl who stared back at her from the mirror, had her body attired with outfit that was only allowed to the emperor.

Rather than calling it clothing, it was accessories. Accessories made from silver, gold, and jewelry were attached on her body in place of clothes, and she wore a thin transparent fabric like a robe. All the accessories were strictly measured for Aine’s personal use, created to tightly match her smooth curve line. That sense of unity was to the degree that could make one think that most of the accessories were body paint instead. And then, the thinly slender ornaments were very little in size, that even the parts which mustn’t be shown to other people couldn’t be hidden enough.

The excessively high exposure rate made Aine feel a strong shame, at the same time it emphasized Aine’s beauty so very much.

This outfit was really similar with the outfit worn by Aine’s little sister who acted as the agent of Vatlantis emperor while Aine was gone. If one had to say what was the difference, it was that Aine’s outfit was even more luxurious than Grace’s. The outfit itself strongly emphasized that Aine was exactly the only absolute, that she was an existence which was even higher than Grace, that was how one who saw her would be made to think.

Aine sighed deeply.

At one of the corners of her room which could easily be more than a hundred tatami, Aine was just alone there, she was facing the mirror. The girl inside the mirror was in contrast with the luxurious and resplendent outfit she wore, her expression was darkly down.

‘――Is this, the true me?’

She asked herself inside her heart to make sure of it.

Vatlantis’s emperor, Ainess Synclavia.

There was no mistake that was who the person inside the mirror was. When her body moved, the emperor inside the mirror also made the same move. Correct, she was the emperor of Vatlantis. She was by no means Chidorigafuchi Aine of Amaterasu.

However, just what was this uncomfortableness holding still inside herself.

Her memory had returned, her lineage and past had become clear. There was no ground to feel doubt of the fact that she was in Atlantis. Despite so, her current self felt like a lie somewhere.

Aine took into her hand a newly presented golden necklace and wrapped it around her neck before fastening it behind her. Originally this was a work for her attendant, but she wanted to be alone a little and forced her attendant and guard to withdraw. It was likely that around this time they were waiting in an orderly line in front of the room.

Aine sighed one more time and lifted her heavy waist.

When she opened the door that was the size matching this room, she came out to a corridor with an even higher ceiling. The height was around two floors and its width was easily more than five meters, even a car could easily be driven through here. Just as she imagined, at that unduly wide corridor, the attendants and guard knights were lining up in a row. From the row of fifty people in total, there were several people a step in front of them, Zelsione, and then two of the Quartum, the long blue haired Lunora and the red haired Ramza.

And then in front of them was her lovable little sister, Grace waiting for her.

“Nee-sama, truly you look beautiful. This morning too, your beauty looks radiant.”

Grace lowered her head reverently, then other people also followed her action.

“Enough with the flattery already. And, stop that way of talking like you are a stranger.”

When she raised her head, Grace talked back with a serious face.

“Putting aside the time when it was the two of us alone, I cannot take that kind of attitude in front of everyone. Nee-sama too will soon ascend to the genuine public duty of the emperor, therefore this is all the more important. The difference between Nee-sama and me has to be displayed clearly.”

Aine thought that her little sister had really come far.

“And then Nee-sama, Kizuna’s subjugation party has been organized. Zel, has the preparation for the audience finished?”

Grace questioned Zelsione behind her without looking back.

“Yes. They are waiting for Ainess-sama’s arrival at the landing place outside the castle wall. Please look at it from the balcony.”

Aine began to walk the corridor that was adorned by silence, followed by Grace, Zelsione, and then Lunora and Ramza, continued by the party of the guards, they were forming a single neat line.

There was a stair when they turned on the corner. That was the stair that directly connected to the balcony exclusive for the emperor, that balcony could command the view of the battleship landing place adjacent to the royal palace. The landing place was extensive like an airfield, so it was obviously enough to gather the subjugation party there.

Aine was suddenly driven by an impulse of wishing to ignore that stair and passed it through. She clenched her fist tightly and descended the stair, getting down and stood on a wide balcony.

“This is……there is really so many gathered there……”

Aine’s words were caught in her throat looking at the force gathered there. Gigantic battleships and aircraft carriers were lined-up in tight rows, filling the landing place fully. What seemed to be the leaders of each unit, knights wearing magic armor were standing at the end of the ship that appeared to be the flagship with their swords raised.

And then behind them, was a force of magic armors that lined up neatly. There were several hundred in total, no perhaps it was in thousands. A number that even made her depressed to count was lining up. Aine wondered if the majority of Vatlantis’s combat strength might be invested into this. Aine even felt timid at the excessively large scale of the subjugation party.

“Even if you don’t make it so large like this, even though I alone will be enough for this……”

Zelsione shook her head as if to say ‘good grief’.

“Please don’t jest. There is no way we can let Ainess-sama go alone. In a certain meaning, this is one battle that is the most important against Lemuria. Defeat is not allowed, most of all we cannot allow any tarnish on Ainess-sama’s war record. Of course, this me and Lunora and Ramza will also accompany you.”

Aine talked in admonishment at Zelsione with her eyebrows knitted.

“No. If even you, Lunora, and Ramza are added to the subjugation party, Zeltis will become short of hand right? I want the three of you to protect this Zeltis and Grace.”

“Nee-sama doesn’t need to worry if it’s about me. Originally, I want to kill the demon king Kizuna with this hand myself. Of course it will be after granting him the greatest pain imaginable.”

“Grace……then, this is not like what I said just now but, please think of this as the command of the emperor. What will you do then if that’s what I want?”

Grace’s face instantly tightened.

“……Then it cannot be helped. As Nee-sama wills it.”

“I’m sorry Grace. Just like you are worrying about me, I too am worrying about you. I’m not saying this to be mean. I want you to understand that.”

“I understand. The affection of Nee-sama makes this Grace really too happy that it feels like I can ascend to heaven.”

Laughter came from Zelsione and the attendants.

Aine also smiled and stared outside once more.

The large army spreading fully in her sight.

Whether she wanted it or not, the inside of her heart became melancholic.

‘――Kizuna, what are you doing right now?’

Part 2

“Aa……noo”

The state was where people couldn’t quite move their bodies inside the fully crowded train. Inside such a train, a girl was desperately fighting the hand that was crawling, aiming for her body.

“Yaaa……ha”

However her resistance was in vain, the hand of the man mercilessly crawled around the girl’s body.

The girl wearing the uniform of Ataraxia looked like a middle school student with her petite body. When compared with the man standing behind her, the difference in their body build was like an adult and child. The cheeky eyes under the short cut black hair were putting up a bluff as hard as they could. However, the moment the man’s hand touched the unripe body, they immediately crumbled completely into an anxious expression.

“Don’t……my voice will come out. If anybody notices, my life will be over……”

When the train shook, the body mass of the other passengers would weigh on. Slipping amidst that confusion, an unknown hand was clinging tightly on her ass while caressing around.

At that moment, shuddering shivers ran around inside the body starting from the ass.

“Even though I don’t like it……haah……”

“……Hey, Ger-san”

“……Can you please don’t call me Ger-san! Even though I finally got in the mood, now it’s ruined! Just why can you not do that, boss Kizuna!”

When the girl turned around calmly, it made him want to die from too much shame. Gertrude Veardo of Masters was looking up at Kizuna resentfully.

There were three lines of underground train in Ataraxia. The north-south line that passed through vertically at the center, the east-west line that traveled horizontally, and also the loop line that made a lap at the outer circumference. Right now, Kizuna and Gertrude were riding the loop line. The time period was the rush hour in the evening, where inside the train was reaching 200% of passenger rate. While the train was in that fully crowded state, the two of them were talking without minding the surrounding passengers.

“Gertrude, you have something like a wish of being molested?”

“I don’t want that done to me. In the first place, I have never encountered a molester……but that’s just mean, it’s like being told that I don’t have any charm as a woman, it feels irritating somehow. Well, and so I just thought, how about experiencing it for once with this kind of chance.”

“As I thought, you want to get molested then?”

“There is no way I want that done to me!”

‘Should I call her complicated, but she is troublesome anyway’, Kizuna thought that but he didn’t say it.

“Well, it’s that. We have reserved this car with trouble like this, let’s do our best to make the Heart Hybrid a success.”

The other cars were boarded by passengers normally, the train would also stop at the station. However only the car where Kizuna and Gertrude were at wouldn’t have the door opened, the coming and going from the other cars were also disabled. This car was reserved by Nayuta Lab for the whole day by Reiri’s instruction.

“I guess so……even so, what’s with these extras? They look strangely real that it feels scary.”

The passengers that happened to board in this car so crowdedly didn’t react at all to Kizuna and Gertrude’s conversation. Gertrude felt spooked looking around at the faces of those people. Male wearing a suit that seemed to be an office worker, female researcher wearing a doctor’s robe, also students of Ataraxia, and so on, there were all kinds of gender and age here.

“They are mainly used at practical test of weapons, experiment dummies. It seems that those weapons will be used on these things for real to test what kind of effect they will have on the human body. According to Shikina-san’s story, it seems that these dummies were upgraded for the experiment this time.”

“Well, if it’s these guy then even if their body got damaged or even exploded by gun, they will not even bat an eyelid.”

“That’s how it is. Their weight and physical ability basically aren’t different with humans. Also, it seems that depending on the program they can act as any kind of human you know?”

“Certainly, they are exactly just like humans……but, if that’s the case then isn’t it faster to just use the Love Room?”

Gertrude looked up at the dummy that was likely set as a salary man in his thirties and scowled her face.

“Aah……about that, recently I used the Love Room too much and it seems the effect is lowered for me because I got used to it.”

“Got used……you say?”

“Yeah. In short, somewhere in my head, I get the awareness that it’s not reality. Even in combat simulation, if you don’t go at it like a real combat then there will be no result coming out right? That’s why it seems that the feeling of nervousness and tension needed for the Heart Hybrid is diluted for me.”

Gertrude glared at Kizuna with a fixed stare.

“In other words, boss Kizuna has repeated this kind of thing so much, to the level that you got used to it and became unable to get excited at all, that’s it?”

“U…..st, still! It seems that previously when I used head mount display and carried out Heart Hybrid in real space, I could obtain an amazing result. So, Shikina-san changed the policy and explored for the method that doesn’t use the Love Room like this.”

Of course, there was also the good affinity with the partner before. However Kizuna was completely ignorant of the identity of that partner.

“But, if the mobs are completely a dummy then isn’t it the same? Even like this they are just fakes anyway, if I have to say whether this is realistic or not, I have to say that it’s not.”

{Then I’ll change the setting.}

The electronic papers that displayed the hanging advertisement inside the car suddenly all changed into the projection of Shikina Kei’s face and the text she typed.

“Owaa! You listened to that Shikina-san?”

{I changed the setting so that the dummy will react like a normal human. If you raise gasping voice, they will react, if they notice the molesting act, they will raise a commotion.}

Kizuna pondered with his hand on his chin.

“I see, if it’s like that then my nervousness is coming out……”

{Saying it even further, the information that this dummy perceived will be recorded in the database here. If the dummy noticed the molester play the two of you do, that information will be delivered to all the account of the research department. It will be possible to browse for the stored image and voice database.}

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOINGGGGGGGGGGG!”

Gertrude screamed with a bright red face.

{I pray for the good fight.}

The hanging advertisement returned to its original message.

“Wait a second there! This is not a joke, something like that――”

“Wa, wait, calm down Gertrude.”

The dummies were scowling and glaring at them as if to say they were bothered. Their expressions and gestures were different from each other, they were exactly like humans with their own individual personality.

“Eh? I……I’m sorry.”

Gertrude whispered in a small voice at Kizuna as if they were doing small chat.

“For some reason, the atmosphere suddenly changed, all these dummies!”

“Yeah, just as Shikina-san said, the setting was changed so they reacted more realistically. Besides from now on, the act that we will do inside this car will leave a record. Furthermore all the members of the research department can see it as they pleased……only if the dummies noticed it though.”

Gertrude’s complexion paled this time.

“God damn……what the hell with this. Bo, boss Kizuna, this method is bad. Let’s get off the train at the next station.”

“No……even if this train reaches the station the door won’t open. Besides, I guess they won’t let us get off this train until we do Climax Hybrid. Those people are serious.”

Kizuna knew about his sister’s strictness about the mission that she imposed to him and Kei’s abnormal tenacity regarding experiment. Putting aside success or failure, they surely wouldn’t tolerate them by any means until they seriously made results in this experiment.

“Besides, for the sake of the next operation, the Climax Hybrid of you and me is needed. Both of our injuries are recovered at last. We made everyone wait during that time, we cannot drag everyone down even more than this.”

“Boss……”

“What we are doing might look really stupid, but the fate of the whole human race rests upon our shoulders. We have to do this.”

Gertrude’s eyes were blazing in flame.

“…..I got it. Now that it has come to this, I’ll resolve myself too. Just come at me!”

Right at that time the stopped train was starting to move again. The car shook and the weight of the dummies leaned on the two. The dummies had similar weight with humans, so it was hard to push them back. The two who were standing nearby the entrance were now pushed on the door.

“……You okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Err……”

Gertrude’s chest and stomach were pressed on the door and she couldn’t move. But, the pressure seen lightened. When she turned back thinking it strange, Kizuna was sticking out his arm like a pole and pushed at the door with his hand. The pushing weight of the dummies was supported by Kizuna’s back, protecting Gertrude from being pushed.

“Sorry……that, Kizuna’s hii-!”

Kizuna’s right hand touched at Gertrude’s ass. To be clear, his hand was not caressing, the back of his hand was pushing as if enjoying the firmness of her ass. His hand was pushing and separating in unison with the shaking, so it was hard to judge whether this was accidental or intentional.

“U……hyaa-!”

This time Kizuna moved the back of his hand matching with the change of his posture. That gave the same stimulation to Gertrude like her ass was being brushed up. At that moment, a strange voice leaked out from her mouth.

All at once the expressions of the dummies around changed into a doubtful look, staring at the direction of the two. Kizuna whispered into Gertrude’s ear.

“Shh, quiet. If we are noticed……no, it’s troubling the others.”

“……Geez-, there is this thing called preparation of the heart you know? Stop doing it out of no……nn, -wheree……”

Gertrude criticized Kizuna with whispering voice. However during that time Kizuna’s palm rubbed Gertrude’s small ass brazenly this time.

“Uuuu~”

She bit her lips and groaned. Tears were gathering inside her reproachful gaze and she glared at Kizuna.

However Kizuna felt that her gesture was strangely cute.

The complaining gaze gave a reverse effect, making Kizuna even more proactive. He rolled the fringe of the short skirt and tried to enter his hand inside it. Gertrude who guessed his intention desperately tried to block that hand by grasping it. However her hand couldn’t move as she wished it backward like this, Kizuna toyed with her ass just as he wished.

From Kizuna’s viewpoint he couldn’t see Gertrude’s underwear. However from the sensation at his fingertips, he could at least understand that the panty was made from cotton covering a large surface. When he pulled up that panty, the mountains at the left and right of the ass became laid bare while the fabric dug strongly into her groin.

“……-!”

It made Gertrude stood on the tips of her toes. Surely she was unconsciously trying to lessen the stimulation. However, Kizuna mercilessly pulled up even stronger.

“Kuh……ah”

Painful sigh leaked out from Gertrude’s mouth. The student standing beside them separated his eyes from the smartphone he was holding and glanced at them with a doubtful gaze. Gertrude who noticed that pressed her mouth in panic. And then her face turned so red that it felt like a flashing sound could be heard.

“You okay?”

“Eh……ye, yes.”

Gertrude returned a cramped smile at Kizuna who asked her shamelessly.

“I’m sorry here, looks like she got a little cold.”

Kizuna faced the dummy and spoke to it. Thereupon the dummy lost its interest again and his gaze returned back to his smartphone. Judging that there was no more irregular reaction, it returned back to its normal programming. With this the information shouldn’t be transmitted to the research department that was on the other side of the dummy.

“Geez……boss, you get carried away too much.”

“What are you saying? The real thing will start from now on.”

Kizuna separated his hand that pushed at the door and caressed around Gertrude’s breast.

“Wai……!?”

Gertrude’s breast was exceedingly flat, the undulation was even more inferior than Sylvia.

“Just now, you were thinking that I have no breasts or something like that didn’t you……”

“…..Please don’t throw me something like a choice, whether to take honesty or kindness.”

Gertrude floated a self-depreciating smile.

“Well, because practically I have none anyway. It’s flat, it’s a plain, it’s really just a precipice. For boss who is used to rubbing and squashing the breasts of Yurishia-senpai who is like a Holstein, something like mine is not even funny to be touched!”

“Never mind that, calm down I said! ……Ah, I’m sorry, everyone. Ahahaha.”

Perhaps she had a complex that she had no breast, but Gertrude didn’t even care of gathering the attention of the surroundings and howled, making Kizuna have cold sweat.

“Besides, you are still at the age that doesn’t even need to worry about your breast size. You are concealing an unknown possibility……wait, right now is not the time to mind about something like that. What we should be focused at is……”

Kizuna searched for the tip of Gertrude breast from above the uniform, then he pinched strongly with his fingertips.

“Hii……-!”

Gertrude’s body jumped twitchingly.

“Wha, what are you do-……I told you boss, there is no breast or anything to touch there, please let go already. If you want, you might as well touch other pla――”

“Listen to me, what is important right now is not the size of the breast. It’s whether you feel it or not. If you feels good having your breast touched, then there is worth in touching it. But, if you feel nothing but discomfort, I won’t touch it.”

“Boss……”

“Besides, the sensation in my fingertips is just the secondary factor to decide whether I have fun touching or not. I’m happy if I can make Gertrude feel it with my hand. If you can feel good by my touch, then I’ll have fun touching your breast.”

Gertrude’s eyes moistly wavered. And then, inside those eyes faint light particles were beginning to swim.

“……If I have to confess……it’s actually, feeling absurdly good. That’s why……au!”

Kizuna’s palm drew a circle and lovingly caressed Gertrude’s breast.

“Hii……uh, ku”

Gertrude suppressed her voice and withstood the pleasure.

The sensation that his fingertips and palm felt was meager. But Gertrude’s body was reacting terrifyingly sensitively from the slight movement of Kizuna’s finger.

“Perhaps it’s small, but the sensitivity is amazingly good. To feel it so easily like this…….even though your body is childish, but it’s actually a really lewd body.”

The voice whispering in her ear made something shuddering traveled through Gertrude’s spine.

“I, I’m not……lewd or anything.”

“Then, how about I try touching directly?”

Kizuna’s hand opened the front of her uniform and tried to strip her off, at that time――,

“Thi-! This is bad-!”

Gertrude reflexively raised a sharp voice. Fortunately that voice was drowned by the sound of the train entering the platform. The outside of the window suddenly turned bright and the speed of the train dropped.

“The station……but, this car is reserved so the door won’t open, the common passenger won’t enter here.”

“But, I’ll get seen! It’s visible from the door! Right now is no good!”

Certainly there were a great number of passengers waiting at the station platform. Especially with how this station was nearby the school so there were a lot of students going home. Other than them there were also office workers and research staffs and so on which were moving due to their work. All of them were welcoming the train with a face that seemed to express ‘finally it’s here’.

“Certainly it’s completely visible from the glass of the door. So do your best to make a normal face okay?”

“Eh? That, what does it mean.……”

Gertrude’s face stiffened from a bad premonition and she looked back. However before she could see Kizuna’s face, a pleasure in a different dimension from anything until now pierced through her body.

“Hiii!”

The same time she shrieked, the doors of the other cars opened and the passengers began to get down. The announcer of the platform rang out.

The intense pleasure Gertrude felt from her crotch made her sight seemed dizzy. Kizuna’s right hand embraced the slender body that hadn’t growth yet and slipped into inside the skirt from the front. And then he was caressing at the most essential place from above the panty. Furthermore, his left hand grasped her butt and softly rubbed.

‘――The, the front and behind at the same time, of all things……this is just too intense, boss!’

Unable to even say it from her mouth, her mouth opened while desperately inhaling oxygen. Her face was hot and her head was also completely blank. The stimulation she felt at her lower body was shaving off her thought circuit.

Kizuna’s right hand unreservedly got into between her opened legs and sent her stimulus with his fingertips pressed tight. The stimulation of small vibrations was like an electric shock that numbed her legs.

“A……mm……haa……”

Even while being assaulted by the pleasure that might make her unconsciously forgot herself, Gertrude was desperately suppressing her voice.

“Hey, are you okay? We are going to get discovered you know?”

“He? I’m holding back my voice properly……”

“That’s true but, that face of yours is pretty obvious you know?”

“What are you say…..”

She suddenly noticed her face which was reflected on the glass.

It was a face of an intoxicated woman. Her cheeks were blushing red and her half-closed blank eyes were filled with obscene light. Her slovenly opened mouth was letting out drool, and the pleasure that was given to her body was expressed on her expression.

She received a shock from herself who was making that kind of face. And then it felt like her heart almost stopped from the fact that there were people who were looking at that face from the other side of the door.

“……-!!”

Gertrude reflexively looked down.

‘――I, I was seen?’

“Don’t worry. They are just thinking that you are merely imagining something that causes you to make that kind of slovenly face. Rather than that, it’ll make them suspicious that you suddenly look down like that you know? Raise your face and then look normal.”

Gertrude timidly raised her face.

The people lining in the platform noticed that this car was reserved and they were moving to other cars. Right now the people who were getting down were only walking towards the exit and there was also no one who sent their gaze at the two of them. Even so, if their state was too strange then they would surely get noticed.

“Nkuu-!”

Her knees almost dropped with a jerk. She thrust her hand on the door and somehow held on.

But, she would somehow endure this if it was just this much, just when she was about to think that, Kizuna’s attack became even more severe. The fingers that stimulated the front became only one, tracing along the trench and then dug in deeply.

“! ……mm……ku”

She once again bore in mind to make a normal face. However, in contrary to that her lower body was rapidly heating up. Ignoring her own will, her body was arbitrarily beginning to demand for pleasure.

At that time the bell that signaled the departure rang out at the platform.

“Ahau! Mmm, haaan!”

Slipping into that sound, the pleasure that broke through her endurance became a coquettish voice that flew out from her mouth.

In order to stop the overflowing pleasure, she pressed on her mouth with both hands in panic. She tightly closed her eyes and desperately stifled her voice. Enduring it so much made her body tremble in convulsions.

As if to corner Gertrude even more, Kizuna’s finger persistently tortured the valley where her honey was welling up.

Gertrude’s consciousness was getting far away. At that instant, shining yellow particles were created from her body. Her eyes that were blotted with tears reflected the light particles dancing around inside the car.

“Yosh, the Heart Hybrid is a success. Only one more left to go now.”

She couldn’t enter strength into her waist and legs anymore. It was absolutely impossible to do more than this. That was what Gertrude thought.

Even herself felt the honey flowing down through her legs. By any chance, there might be a puddle created below her feet.

“Do your best okay?”

The whispering voice in her ear reverberated towards under her stomach.

“Bosss……”

A pleading voice that made even herself feel disgust came out.

Honestly speaking, she already didn’t care of whatever he was going to do to her. It was fine even if the surrounding dummies noticed and the guys of the research department watched. In exchange, she wanted to be taught of what lied beyond this pleasure. She was unable to suppress the excitement of such feeling.

Kizuna’s finger inserted inside her underwear. And then the place that created the honey which was overflowing from inside her, the door that was still closed tightly started to open.

“-!”

Her voice disappeared into the noise of the train, but she had the feeling that she could hear the sound of Kizuna’s finger stirring her important place.

The train exited the platform and ran in the underground. She pressed her body on the door and stared at the light of electronic display streaming outside. The curtain of colorful light streaming inside the darkness was beautiful, she felt like she was going somewhere to a different world.

At that time, Kizuna pushed his way through to an unexplored part of herself.

A sensation that she had never experienced yet before assaulted her whole body.

She guessed that most likely it was pleasure. However that pleasure far surpassed the range her mind permitted, it was like her consciousness was led away to a new world.

Inside her dimming consciousness, yellow and pink lights filled her sight. The boisterous dance of the two colors of light particles was even more beautiful than any kind of scene she had seen until now. While staring at the dance of light absorbedly, her consciousness was getting far away as if being washed away by the stream of a river.

‘――Aah, this is Climax Hybrid.’

That was what she thought right before her consciousness cut off.

Chapter 1 – Powerful Enemy Reunion

Part 1

“Kei, could you confirm the result of Kizuna and Gertrude’s Climax Hybrid?”

Inside the Nayuta Lab’s central control room, Hida Reiri was staring at the monitor floating in the air. After the Climax Hybrid inside the fully packed train succeeded, the ability experiment of Kizuna’s Eros and Gertrude’s Sigura was carried out at Nayuta Lab’s experiment facility. Just now all the experiment list had been completed and currently that data was being analyzed.

{We obtained the result that is almost exactly as we hypothesized. The destructive power of Sigura’s particle cannon has increased by 50%. Each of Eros’s specs are also upped to be equal with Sigura. The creation of the particle cannon by Eros also succeeded. The destructive power of that creation is also equal with Sigura.}

“I see. If that’s the case we can feel relieved for now then.”

In contrast with her words, Reiri looked unsatisfied somewhere.

‘――If it’s about the Core aptitude and the compatibility with Kizuna, then this me is……!!’

{What’s wrong Reiri?}

“No……I think that compared to the Climax Hybrid with the girls of Amaterasu, there is a large gap of spec here.”

{That cannot be helped. Compared to Ros-series, the Core’s specs are different in the first place.}

“If I had the Core of Ros-series installed in me……what would happen?”

Kei made slightly shocked eyes and stared hard at Reiri.

“……It’s just a jest. Forget it.”

Reiri averted her eyes and stared at the Core storage case that looked like a safe which was left alone at the corner of the room. It was the case where Taros’s Core was once stored. Taros’s Core was installed inside Sylvia’s body and now the inside of the case was empty.

There was no more reserve Cores in Ataraxia. Their only lifeline was just Kizuna and Gertrude. Right now what they needed to do was to win with just these two Heart Hybrid Gears. They had to focus at just that. She understood that. Even so she unconsciously thought of this.

‘――Even though if we just had more Cores, I also can fight.’

At that time, the door of the central control room opened, Kizuna and Gertrude had returned from the experiment room.

“Nee-chan, Shikina-san. What is the experiment result?”

The two of them entered the room still in their pilot suits, they looked around the floating windows floating in the air looking for the one that might display their data.

Kei typed on her keyboard in order to display her text at the window they looked up at.

{We obtained the result that was roughly as we hypothesized. With this we can carry out the next operation.}

Kizuna unconsciously clenched his fist.

“I see……with this I can go there one more time!”

‘――To the AU.’

“Just wait, everyone……also, Aine.”

Gertrude looked up at Kizuna who was like that anxiously.

“But boss. No matter how you look at it, isn’t it too reckless to come to blows with them with just the two of us? No, it’s not like I got cold feet after all this though.”

“I told you not to worry. We are not going to sell a fight right to their faces. This operation is properly thought out.”

Kizuna smiled to Gertrude. When she looked at that smile, her anxiety mysteriously vanished, it made Gertrude surprised about herself who was like that.

“It seems……recently, boss has changed, haven’t you?”

“Hm? No, I don’t think that I’ve changed anywhere.”

Somehow, the atmosphere Kizuna had when she first met him was different compared to now.

After he returned from the AU, especially after going through the battle with Clayda and Elma of the Quartum, the air clad on his body was different. It felt like he was extremely reliable, or he was worth to be relied on.

There was no basis to it.

It was just, that was how it felt like. For that reason, she didn’t feel like resisting even in the Climax Hybrid. Rather, she even felt happy. Though she couldn’t say this out loud by any means.

“……Somehow, I got a little angry. Don’t get carried away okay.”

“? What’s the matter? You are odd since just now.”

“Boss is the odd one here. After this we are going to AU with the objective of recovering Masters and Amaterasu. No matter what, we won’t be able to avoid fighting.”

Faster than Kizuna could answer, Reiri interjected into the talk.

“Eventually it will become like that. But, first there is the need to know the enemy.”

Reiri brushed her hair and flicked the touch panel of the console. Thereupon, the landscape of Zeltis, the imperial capital of Vatlantis that Eros recordered automatically was projected.

“Even if we rush into the Entrance of London, we also want to grasp what happens at the other side. The information that we currently have acquired all came from the observation of Kizuna when he became a prisoner. At the very least we need to get the general map of Zeltis and the place where Amaterasu and Masters are being held. In other words the next mission is to sneak from the Entrance and scout the enemy’s capital.”

{According to Kizuna’s information, the members of Amaterasu and Masters seem to be locked in the prison of the castle. However with Kizuna’s escape, there is also the possibility that their imprisonment location was changed. Other than the deciding of that information, the route from the Entrance until the rescue location, the place where the enemy security is strict, and reversely the place where security is lax. We need to obtain the information for our infiltration path and withdrawal path.}

Kizuna didn’t have any objections about that operation. But there were still factors he was uneasy about.

“It’s fine to do scouting mission, but what should I do? There are no men in the AU. If I walk inside the city, I’ll get found out as the enemy instantly. A countermeasure regarding that is needed.”

{No problem.}

Kei’s letters were displayed in an extremely strong assertion. He got the feeling that the font size was double from the usual.

“Eh? Aah, do you have some kind of idea?”

This time it was Reiri who answered with a somewhat fidgety look.

“Yo, you can say that……regarding this matter, you don’t need to worry. Though it will take a little time.”

“What’s the matter? Is this just my feeling……you two seem to be having fun.”

“Don’t say such stupid things. There is no such thing.”

Reiri averted her face.

‘――That’s absolutely a lie.’

Reiri’s face broke into a grin and she wasn’t composed at all. Just what in the world was she scheming about……?

“Then, I have one more thing I’m uneasy about. It’s the lack of combat power. Gertrude has recovered and it’s possible to do Climax Hybrid with her, even so the level is different compared to a Ros-series. If an enemy at the level of Quartum appeared again, we might not be able to repel them like before. Besides……”

Kizuna’s look became grim.

“If Aine really becomes our enemy and appears here……in front of Zeros’s [Code Breaker], no matter how powerful a weapon is, it will be meaningless.”

“Certainly that’s true. Especially regarding Aine, currently we have no method to deal with her. The only method we can take is to avoid having direct confrontation with her as much as possible. We can do only that.”

The photo of the situation at London which was taken by unmanned drone was displayed at the monitor. There, the figures of people leading a life that was the same like before the Another Universe Conflict was projected.

{Similar with Tokyo, the whole of London is becoming a magic power plant. The only difference with Tokyo is that there is no deployment of large force like a fleet or anything here. In exchange there are a great number of magic weapons. Also a lot of the magic weapons deployed are the powerless small type magic weapons.}

“There is nothing to fear from us anymore, that’s what they are saying huh.”

Reiri murmured in annoyance.

{It’s easy to reach London. However if you go there, the magic weapons will soon notice. Thereupon their large number is troublesome. With the current Kizuna and Gertrude, the two of you will not be defeated by something like magic weapons, but it’s also difficult to scatter them in one go. And if reinforcements appear from the Entrance during that time, it will become hard to deal with them. The problem is how to send Kizuna and Gertrude to the Entrance without the enemy noticing.}

Kizuna raised his hand as if he was struck by an idea.

“There is a little something I want to consult……there is promising reinforcements for us, I’m wondering how about borrowing those guys’ strength? Though it’s necessary for the research department to make a little effort so that we can have them fight with us together.”

{Reinforcements? Who do you mean?}

“I too only got to know them just now. Right, Gertrude?”

Even though the talk was suddenly directed at her, Gertrude completely didn’t understand what Kizuna was talking about.

“Haa? ……What are you planning to do? Boss Kizuna is……”

Part 2

London was welcoming a gentle day of Autumn.

The people were leading their usual life. In London that was also a sight-seeing city, many tourists were visiting even today, the people visited famous places like London Tower, Buckingham Palace, and so on which were well known in the world, raising cheers with sparkling eyes. They did that today, and yesterday too, and then from now on forever.

The magic power plant constructed in London was something that reflected the experiment result in Tokyo. In Tokyo the plant made use of Yamanote line, creating a physical barrier, but here in London that was unnecessary. An unseen barrier was surrounding the whole London area, restraining the hearts of the people. They could leave if they wanted. But the people under the brainwashing had the very concept of leaving this city stolen from them.

And then magic weapons were lining around the city, obstructing infiltration to London.

The tourists visiting by chance couldn’t go home to their country for a second time, also there was no new tourists coming into this city.

But, today was different.

New visitors were trying to enter into the prison without cage.

The city outside the magic power plant was destroyed, there were only ruins continuing without end. It was a wasteland with bricks and concrete mixed with rebar that had become pieces scattered everywhere. Amidst that, magic weapons [Albatrosses] were standing. The ruins and the green hill area far ahead of it, and then the cloudy sky that continued for far away. The Albatrosses that were like gigantic statues without a single movement were directing their bayonets to the sky for a long while.

There was an object drawing a parabola from the sky beyond with tail of flame dragging behind it flying at them. It was a rocket or possibly a missile. The Albatrosses protecting the magic power plant of London from outside enemies judged like that.

They readied their bayonets and sniped at the soaring object.

Together with dazzling flashes and intense blast sounds, bullets were fired from the bayonets.

The bullets hit the flying object and caused a large explosion. Black smoke was rising and three large fragments separated, falling into London city.

――Shot down. Albatrosses who judged so overlooked the falling fragments. The capsule-shaped fragment was spewing out black smoke while passing above the Albatrosses and falling at the park in front of Buckingham Palace. But that fragment spurted out fierce flames from its four corners right before crashing.

That capsule, the middle range ballistic missile style replenishment room, the Love Room was performing posture control with its reverse thrust and landed levelly.

“Boss! We landed safely!”

“Yosh, operation start! Gertrude!”

“Roger! Now, let’s go flashily!”

The hatch of the Love Room opened, from the inside black and pink colored armor, and gun metallic and yellow armor rushed out. The two armors cut through the park with speed equal of short range sprinter and came out to a large street.

“How is it Gertrude?”

“There is no problem. It’s going well! At this rate we can go at full speed until the Entrance!”

The Entrance was at the other side of London Tower and Tower Bridge. With their current speed they could arrive in enough time.

But, the Albatrosses that noticed the abnormality were chasing from the sky. However the human sized infiltrators were running in the middle of the city. With the Albatross’s weapon, the surrounding city and the humans that were the energy source of the magic power plant would also get blown away together if they used their weapon here.

In exchange of the Albatrosses that couldn’t get the targets, the small type magic weapons [Brigands] were rushing inside the city. Their height was around two meters and among the magic weapons their combat ability was inferior, so to speak they were existences like infantry. However, for public order maintenance and combat versus humans, there was a way to use their size. In order to catch the intruders, those Brigands were running at the street where many brand shops were lining up.

“They caught up!”

“Yeah, it’s inside the range of prediction!”

The two intruders crossed an alley and came out at a main street of Trafalgar Square. What was left to reach until Tower Bridge was mostly just to run at a straight line.

They further accelerated to raise their running pace――at that instant, suddenly a figure of a Brigand appeared from the road corner. It headed to the intruders and struck its steel arm like a counter. That stout arm directly hit the throat of the intruder, the body that was hit rotated like a circling movement. The body was thrown largely to the air and then crashed on the ground head first.

The Brigand’s attack and the falling impact tore off the head.

The head was rolling on the ground. It hit the curbstone of the street and the head stopped moving. The Brigand was slowly approaching and picked up the head.

It was not a human head.

The Brigand stared alternately at the collapsed body and the head with wonderment. Anyway they had cleaned up the intruders with this. And so they returned to their normal duties. The moment they decided so, another different intruder rushed through from beside.

The new intruder turned on the corner and this time the intruder headed to a different direction from the previous intrude, running towards the direction of the Great Britain Museum. When it tried to pursue, another different intruder arrived, this time it was running away to the direction of the Big Ben.

The Brigands inside the city began to move about in confusion. Right now inside London ten-odd intruders were rushing about everywhere.

“All of you extra dummies, go berserk! The magic weapons are also falling into chaos nicely now, boss!”

The true identity of the intruders was the experiment dummies which were used for the practical experiment of weapons in Ataraxia.

They were the extras which were used at Kizuna and Gertrude’s Climax Hybrid.

“Yosh! We too are also going!”

The water surface of Thames River suddenly swelled up, the figure of a bizarre existence that didn’t suit the flowing river of the metropolis showed its appearance. It split the river surface, and half of a ship’s long hull that had black luster was rising.

――A submarine.

The small submarine that launched from Ataraxia went upstream the river and arrived until here. The dummies were sent using Love Room was for the sake of diversion to confuse the magic weapons.

That operation succeeded, now the Entrance was already right before their eyes.

Manifested at the other side of the Tower Bridge, its length and width even reached several kilometers, it had the shape of a rectangle with dim luminescence. That was the point of contact with AU, an Entrance.

The submarine slipped through under the Tower Bridge and the hatch at its deck opened, Kizuna and Gertrude showed their appearance from inside.

“There is only a little under two hundred meter until the Entrance! Here we go, Eros!”

Kizuna who stood at the deck was wrapped in pink radiance. Light particles converged and clung on Kizuna’s body, it increased in density and crystallized into armor with black luster. The black armor with beautiful luster was circulated with pink luminescence of magic power. It was the manifestation of Kizuna’s Heart Hybrid Gear [Eros].

“Roger! Sigura!”

Gertrude also called the name of her Core and equipped the Heart Hybrid Gear [Sigura]. Headset that looked like cat ears. Gun metallic armor with yellow light streaming on it, particle cannons were dangling down at her left and right thighs. Then there was the unit at the back that was like small wings, and a generator equipped at her waist with shape like a tube that was set horizontally.

The two Heart Hybrid Gears that were standing in front of the London’s Entrance emitted light particles from their thrusters and flew up from the deck of the submarines. The two gears that had been applied with Climax Hybrid accelerated with instantaneous force that was far higher than normal and rushed into the Entrance in one go.

And then their figures vanished from earth.

{Kizuna, Gertrude, the existences of the two are terminated. It seems that they are succeeding in breaking into the Entrance.}

At the sea several kilometers distanced from London, Ataraxia gave up tracking the two.

Reading Kei’s report, Reiri crossed her arms.

“What’s left is only to wait believing in those two……”

The destination of Reiri’s gaze was the screen where the image of London’s Entrance was projected.

Kizuna and Gertrude were currently moving right inside there. Inside the Entrance was a huge tunnel. Inside the tunnel were lights in various shapes and colors coming and going. The lights seemed to be some kind of energy that was coming and going between earth and AU. Those lights rushed about inside the tunnel, sometimes they changed shape into various geometrical patterns or three dimensional objects in the middle of flight.

It was a very beautiful, unrealistic, and mysterious corridor.

Before long, a strong light from the beyond was approaching.

――The exit.

“S……so this is, the AU.”

The two who came out from the Entrance hid their bodies at a rocky cliff of a wasteland. Gertrude was looking around restlessly at the surroundings with deep interest from the shadow of the rock.

“It’s comparatively cold here……London is also in autumn, so it feels similar.”

“I guess. When I came here before too, it also felt like this. Perhaps the seasons don’t really differ.”

“Bo-, boss. What’s with that sky!?”

When he looked up, there was a crack at the slightly cloudy sky. That was a very bizarre sight. The sky was cracked, just like a crack that entered a wall. Jet black darkness peeked out from the gap of that crack.

“So this is the aforementioned cataclysm huh. There is no point worrying about that right now. Rather than that……”

Kizuna stared hard at the black castle wall ahead of the wasteland. The gigantic wall that had the height of around three hundred meters was continuing endlessly. The imperial capital Zeltis was inside that.

“I heard the story but, that’s really a big wall isn’t it……”

“Yeah, first we need to somehow get in――”

At that time, huge battleships were passing through above Kizuna and Gertrude one after another. The battleships were scrambling forward, their figures vanishing into the Entrance where the two of them just came out from.

“It seems, they heard about the commotion in London and set out, haven’t they?”

“Yeah. In exchange the defense here is getting thinner. It’s a huge success.”

Looking at Kizuna who burst out into a broad smile, Gertrude informed him with a severe expression.

“But, from now on the greatest obstacle is waiting for us ahead.”

“Yeah……seems so.”

Gertrude lowered down the backpack she shouldered and took out a tube and a bottle from inside.

“Perhaps this will leave a scar that cannot disappear from boss’s life forever.”

Gertrude faced Kizuna with a serious gaze. Those eyes gleamed glaringly.

“Have you resolved yourself, boss?”

Kizuna’s throat gulped audibly.

“……Yeah. Since this operation was decided, my resolve had been made. Give me all you’ve got!”

Part 3

The three layers of castle wall protecting Zeltis. The outermost wall was left open.

At that gate, a large number of people carrying large baggage were passing through.

“Refugees, advance slowly! Running or rushing is strictly prohibited! It’s safe already, so there is no need to panic!”

The guards standing at both side of the gate were raising their voices. It was unclear whether their voices were heard or not. The people with tired faces dragging their feet were processing forward through the tunnel dug in the castle wall.

A lot of baggage was piled up on luggage carrier which was pulled by people joining strength. There were people crowding together in confined carriers of a ragged vehicle. Each of their birthplaces and status were different. However what was the same was their haggard faces and dirty appearances, and then their reason that they had to abandon their home town.

The cataclysm caused by the malfunction of Genesis.

Earthquake and drought, desertification and tsunami, and so forth, various cataclysms caused these people to lose their living place and they crossed the wasteland to arrive here.

It was an emergency situation, making it impossible to check the background of every single refugee who arrived in large number. Outside the castle wall, the people who arrived looking for help were making a refugee camp, and while they waited for the deliberation whether they could enter inside or not, they followed the course where the cases of people passing their limits of exhaustion were dying keep increasing. The emperor of Vatlantis Empire, Ainess Synclavia grieved for this situation and opened the outermost third castle wall for them.

“Boss, in the end we can enter inside the castle wall easier than expected.”

Gertrude who was wearing a mantel with hood attached couldn’t be distinguished from the people of Zeltis. She lightly wore the hood, hiding her face to the degree that was not frankly suspicious. The short mantel that reached until her waist to hide her body on the other hand, the exposure rate under her face was conversely high. With a top that was like a band wrapped around her flat chest and low-rise hot pants. These clothes were created in Ataraxia before the start of the operation. This appearance would inevitably become conspicuous if they were at earth, but from the research of the image Kizuna brought home from AU about their fashion, they understood that clothing with abnormally high exposure rate was preferred here. The researcher tallied the virtually recorded clothes, selected the most innocuous design, and created the clothes for use in infiltration.

“It seems so. It’s fortunate that we can slip between the refugees……however, the world over here is also really chaotic huh……”

What Aine said, that Vatlantis was on the verge of danger, it seemed that it was true. Furthermore the situation was quiet dire.

Kizuna recalled the appearance of the people walking beside him when he passed through the castle gate. Ragged clothes with thin body from hunger and exhaustion. Amidst them there was also a girl around the age younger than an elementary school student, her hand pulled by a person that seemed to be her mother. It seemed that she had cried miserably. Traces of tears were distinctively remaining on her dirty face. But right now, even her emotion to cry had already gone, not even tears were coming out from the girl’s blank eyes.

Thanks to this chaos Kizuna and Gertrude succeeded in infiltrating the capital Zeltis. However, along with the nervousness of infiltrating, a disconsolate feeling ruled inside his heart. Although this was an enemy country, witnessing the appearances of their citizens suffering this much made him unable to feel good. The reality of AU that Aine told him made a dark shadow fall in his heart together with the feeling that it was all real.

“…….Nevertheless, this is…”

Gertrude stared fixedly at Kizuna and grinned widely.

“What’s with you, grinning like that.”

“No―, even if I say so myself but I really did a satisfying job. As I thought the raw material itself has also already been good from the beginning.”

There was nothing but females in AU. That was why, it was impossible for Kizuna to infiltrate and investigate by himself. When they considered this operation, this was the point Kizuna felt anxious about the very first.

However, until this current situation where they had slipped through the castle wall and walking inside Zeltis, there was no one that suspected Kizuna.

The reason was――,

“Reallyy~ Boss is really cute you know? That I even feel offended looking at it.”

“……Shut up. Don’t mention about this matter more than this.”

The tall beautiful woman walking beside Gertrude replied. Her long black hair and sharp look were making impressions. She was wearing a mantel in the style of the AU similar with Gertrude, although the exposure rate of her body was not high, the line of her body was firmly drawn due to the jumpsuit she wore.

“It will be bad to be suspected because we are talking carelessly.”

Beautiful pink lips. However, the voice that came out from there was Kizuna’s voice.

“Wai-, boss! This is bad!”

Gertrude took out a spray in panic from under her mantel and sprayed it at the girl’s face.

“Geho-, oi, don’t spray me so suddenly like that!”

The throat that inhaled the spray once more let out a cute girl’s voice.

“Haa……the voice is properly female now. Boss yourself, pay attention at yourself. No one will care of the conversation of someone they passed through, but that voice is bad news.”

“Ku……I got it already.”

Kizuna whose voice was changed into a different person started to walk side by side with Gertrude once more.

Thanks to Gertrude’s make-up and the body adjusting suit that Ataraxia’s research department developed, Kizuna was splendidly tailored into a female.

In a nutshell, he was cross dressing. He was a girl. No, he was a boy girl.

Kizuna sighed deeply.

“……This kind of appearance, must absolutely not get shown to the members of Amaterasu.”

Gertrude easily replied towards that troubled murmur.

“Is that so? I think they will be happy though.”

“I don’t understand that feeling. Why do you think so?”

“No, because, the commander at boss’s place, your onee-san also got delighted didn’t she?”

A deep crease formed on Kizuna’s forehead.

Before the operation started, a rehearsal was carried out at Ataraxia. At that time he put on make-up for the first time and covered his head with a long hair wig. And then the liquid for changing voice cord was sprayed in his throat and they confirmed that his voice was changed into a female. Furthermore, the disguise suit that the research department developed for spying activity was also retailored for Kizuna’s personal use. The tight places like waist were tightened, and the places where it should swell like hips and breast were filled with silicon jelly inside.

When everything was over, what was reflected inside the mirror was not himself, but a beautiful girl that anyone would accept if she was called as Reiri’s little sister.

The splendid disguise using the latest equipment made even Kizuna himself surprised.

And then it was the first time he saw his sister and Kei to be that delighted.

“Both of them even brought out cameras excitedly and held out a little photography exhibition that time. Well, even I took boss’s photos that I think I can publish a photo album with all those photos……with this I won’t get troubled with spending money for a while.”

“Wait a second. Didn’t you just say something I cannot overlook just now?”

“Really―, your face is really similar isn’t it? If boss is lined up with the commander, you two will look completely like sisters.”

“Oi.”

“Look, the commemorative photo is also like this.”

Gertrude showed a glance of her information terminal in the shape of a smartphone from the corner of her mantel. A photo with Reiri and the cross dressing Kizuna in it was fully set as the wallpaper.

“Erase it right now!”

Dodging Kizuna’s extending hand smoothly, Gertrude stored back her smartphone inside her mantel.

“Now now, let’s quickly finish our work. First is to create a map, and then we confirm the place of the target.”

Saying that, she began to walk briskly as if she was going inside a city she knew well already.

“Shit……just remember this. This guy and that guy, all of them are really”

While his clenched fist was shaking, Kizuna chased behind Gertrude.

“First we should go look at the castle.”

Kizuna looked up at the gigantic pillar and the castle that was under it. The castle was supposed to be considerably big, but the hugeness of the pillar made it look in contrast small.

Both of them were walking at the main street with the Genesis as the landmark. This was the street that Kizuna passed inside the prisoner transport when he was first taken away to the AU. Right now there was no human crowd and welcoming decorations, so he could understand well the situation of the city. Clothing shop and restaurant, general store that looked like a supermarket, greengrocer that displayed vegetables he had never seen before, fish dealer lining up fishes with strange shape, and so forth, the view of shops lining up in a row was truly magnificent. There were a lot of commodities he was not familiar with, but the atmosphere of the shopping district wasn’t that different with earth.

Of course, with how many of the things sold here were things he didn’t understand, like items that seemed to be suspicious sorcery tools, shops that sold swords and shields, all those made him feel the difference with the earth.

If there was an aspect of living here that was close to earth, there was also a part that made him feel the large difference. The same thing could be said about this very city of Zeltis itself about that.

The townscape resembled Europe, but because the whole city was created from black material, with the streets and walls streamed by colorful lights, the impression was greatly different with Europe.

“If I remember right, there should be a castle gate if we follow this path straight. And there will be the castle after we passed two gates like that.”

Kizuna recalled the path when he was taken away here.

“This kind of city will still continue ahead of here?”

“No. The nearer we get to the castle, the city will feel even more polished and luxurious. Perhaps, there is a difference in livelihood level or status here.”

After walking for a while, they came to see the second castle wall. However, that castle gate was different with the third castle gate located at the outermost, the gate was firmly closed and they couldn’t easily enter inside.

“The number of guard is……perhaps there are around a hundred from a glance.

“There are three people wearing the imperial guard uniform. Those guys should be able to equip magic armor……how troublesome.”

When they got nearer, there were magic weapons [Blue Head] and [Albatross] lining up along the castle wall, around thirty of them.

Kizuna and Gertrude observed the situation of the checking station built in front of the castle gate from a distance. The front of the castle gate was enclosed by fence and there was only one place of entry. Around that place, the guards’ eyes were sharp as if to say that they wouldn’t let a single bug get through. However, it seemed by showing something like a card to the guard someone could enter into the fence of the checking station. Since the two of them started observing, more than ten groups already entered inside the fence. And then the groups passing went until before the castle gate and were standing by there. There, several dozens of citizens, and several dozens of platform trucks for transporting luggage, and cars were lining up.

Before long the gate slowly opened. It only opened a little gap so that a vehicle could pass through, the people and vehicles standing by were entering through that gap.

“This place looks tough doesn’t it……”

“Are those vehicles transporting goods……it will be great if we could slip into it.”

Gertrude turned back at the main street of the shopping district. Several vehicles were parking in front of the stores.

“But, we don’t know which vehicle will pass through the gate.”

“Yeah, it’s impossible to quickly pass through that gate. Besides, perhaps there will be other ways to enter or other entrances. First let’s try investigating the outer city a little more.”

“Roger. So, which way are we going?”

“…….There is a place I want to go a little.”

Kizuna returned through the path they came from and turned at a large intersection. Then they went up a street that was a little steep like a hill.

“If I remember right I think it’s around here……oh, looks like I’m right.”

At both sides of the street, there were a lot of food stands where it seemed customers could eat while standing and souvenir shops.

“Just what are we looking for here boss?”

“The Colosseum.”

There was the huge Colosseum at the end of the hill. The place where Kizuna fought Gravel.

“I say, it’s quite bustling here.”

Around the Colosseum was a park which was taking considerable space, but in there people were crowding fully that there was little space left.

“Perhaps, today there is a match here. Because of that……”

‘――Don’t tell me,’

Kizuna’s heart was beating like an alarm bell. His pace naturally became faster.

Weaving through the crowd, he advanced to the entrance gate of the Colosseum.

Posters were pasted on the wall near the entrance. Using some kind of mechanism, light particles clung on the wall, moving by itself to draw the image.

‘――That’s the match card.’

His bad premonition was swelling uncontrollably. He couldn’t look straight at the poster and his gaze dropped on the ground, he kept looking down while advancing to the wall. He then lifted his head while praying.

“……Ah”

He couldn’t read the letter, but all the fighters had their photos attached in the projection. There were no faces of Amaterasu and Masters put on the poster.

“I’m glad……they were not made to fight.”

“Boss, don’t suddenly disappear on me like that! What am I going to do if I lose sight of you!”

Gertrude also finally arrived after swimming through the sea of people, she found Kizuna and then looked up at the poster herself.

“Aah……so it’s about this.”

Gertrude also guessed the reason Kizuna’s face changed.

“Well, it can be that they only don’t have matches for today though.”

‘They already fought and died, such thing…….there is no way that happened! Don’t think about stupid things!’

Shaking off his unpleasant thinking, Kizuna shook his head.

“――So, what will we do after this?”

“Let’s see……let’s progress as it is and try going to the other side of the city to observe there.”

“Roger.”

Kizuna looked up at the poster one more time. Amidst the faces projected there, there was only one face he knew about.

A beautiful girl with long blue hair. However that face had a large scar.

If he remembered correctly, that girl was one of the Quartum, the girl called Lunora. Two of the Quartum, Clayda and Elma were already defeated. Only two remained. This Lunora, and the red haired Ramza.

Clayda and Elma were strong. Most likely he also couldn’t face this girl with an ordinary method. He didn’t understand, why this girl who had a high position even in the imperial guard was making an entry in a match at the Colosseum. However, he guessed that she appeared here surely because she had considerable confidence.

“What’s the matter boss?”

“No, nothing……let’s go.”

Perhaps he would fight her too eventually. While thinking about that, Kizuna lined up with Gertrude and left behind the Colosseum.

After they descended the hill from where they came from, and went to the opposite direction, there they met a city with another different atmosphere.

“What’s, this?”

Gigantic fissure ran in the middle of the city.

“Is this a ground fissure? No matter how I look, I don’t think that it’s originally a part of here.”

‘Is this also the influence of the cataclysm occurring in Vatlantis?’

Kizuna was pondering that, but he had no way to confirm it. Looking from afar at the fissure that was surrounded by fence forbidding entry, he then headed to the direction of the business district.

Compared to the area from before, there were a lot of small shops here with complicated alleys. A nice smell was drifting from the street corner. When he looked around tempted by that smell, there was a small shop that was like a stand.

“Uwa, what is this?”

It looked like they were selling meat roasted whole and scraped off like kebab, but there were six legs at that lump of meat hung down from the ceiling by its large tail.

“It seems to be a living thing characteristic of this world. The appearance is like that but……the smell entices the appetite.”

Its surface was roasted crispy and meat juice overflowed from the inside while raising flame. It was cut already so they didn’t understand its original shape, because of that they weren’t really bothered about it. They were assaulted by the impulse to eat, but unfortunately they didn’t have anything like this world’s currency. Kizuna pressed on his noisy stomach and passed the stand.

However even ahead of that there were still many food stands continuing ahead. Next to that stand was a stand selling boiled cooking, this food was also cooked with peculiar spices, it was giving off unbearable aroma.

“This is the city of the common folk……I think.”

When he was a prisoner, he couldn’t really look around the city. That was why there were only few things he could see and hear. If the fact that there were only females here was removed, it felt like he was having a trip at a foreign country.

“Boss. For some reason there is a great crowd there see.”

At the direction Gertrude pointed was a gathering of a large number of people. It seemed to be a plaza place at the city center, but it was really packed full with people.

“Yeah……what is the commotion there?”

Their interest was tickled, but the onlookers were surrounding that place in many layers, so the two didn’t understand what was happening inside there. What they could hear was only ‘kyaa kyaa’ cheers. Before long, a loud voice that seemed to use a megaphone resounded.

“From now on the shooting of [Vatlantis city strolling] will begin―! Please stay quiet.”

The content really shaved off their nervousness.

“It seems like a recording of Vatlantis’s TV show isn’t it?”

“It’s really similar with our world like this……then those crowding people are the curious onlookers of the celebrity acting here, maybe they are even something like groupies here.”

“A star of this world is it, what kind of mug they have? Let’s take a little peek.”

Gertrude hopped around *pyon pyon* trying to sneak a look at the other side of the crowd, but it was completely pointless. What she could see were only the heads of the spectators, although she tried to peek aiming from the gap, the waving hand of the spectators obstructed her and she couldn’t see anything.

“Gertrude, let’s go soon.”

Kizuna unnaturally moved only his eyes at another direction. Gertrude peeked at that direction during a natural movement. At a spot a little distanced from the crowd, there was a knight wearing imperial guard uniform standing on top of a three storey building. Looking carefully, there were several imperial guards placed among the crowd.

“I say……there must be really important people here like this.”

“It’s futile to stay for long here. Let’s leave inconspicuously. Slip along the stream of people naturally.”

Kizuna and Gertrude pretended to enter a nearby store and then entered into an alley, they slipped into a crowd and left that place.

Right after the two left, the preparation of shooting at the plaza began. So that the camera could project the situation of the city nicely, the gathering gallery was made to move. When the crowd stepped aside, the filming location’s state became bright.

At the center were the number one idols of Vatlantis Empire, it was not an exaggeration to say that right now this idol group was the national star.

“Then, we are starting the main event! Start!”

Voices of three girls came out with matched rhythm.

“ “ “Amaterasu strolling the city of Vatlantis~!” ” ”

Amaterasu who was in the height of popularity was playing the role of presenter in an information variety show.

Himekawa, Yurishia, and Sylvia matched their voices to call the show title. The spectators who heard the voices of the three in live raised their cheers in great delight and roared applause that split the air. Every time, they visited the cities of Vatlantis and the surrounding countries and introduced the locality while delivering various information about Vatlantis and Lemuria to the viewer, this was a popular show.

Himekawa who stood at the center of the three began to talk with the signal of the director.

“Previously we were delivering from the country of snow and ice Baldein but……”

“It was really cold there desuu~”

Perhaps the sensation of the cold was revived in her, Sylvia hugged her body while trembling.

“This time it feels like we have returned to our home ground after a long time aren’t we? Yes, today we are delivering this show from here, the imperial capital Zeltis as you see★”

Yurishia faced the camera and winked one of her eyes.

“Where are we going today desu?”

Himekawa faced the direction of the camera and answered with a firm tone.

“First is from Tisura Market in front of us right now. This market has ancient and honorable origin since the long past, there are a lot of delicious things here.”

“Recently you see, many natural disasters due to Genesis made this place receive damage, however this place is still going strong! Even the shops that sunk from the fissure are doing business energetically with their temporary stores. In any case, if you viewers think that ‘that shop is gone already eh~’, then you are greatly mistakennn”

Himekawa smiled at Yurishia who was full of playfulness.

“Besides, there are many cases of the people who recently came to Zeltis from outside opening their shops, so you can also eat a lot of food that is overflowing with the sensation of foreign country here.”

“Even outside Zeltis there are a lot of desertification and ground crumbling, so there are also a lot of people evacuating. The shops that those people opened, as expected it must have authentic taste. Just walking around this market while eating will make you feel a little like in a travel. Well, as for us right now we are exactly in the middle of a trip in an alternate world though aren’t we?”

The gallery surrounding them gave off laughing voices.

Sylvia took a step forward and raised her hand while facing the camera.

“For the sake of supporting those people too, I want you honorable viewers to also show up here by any means desu.”

Himekawa looked around the surrounding with a twirl.

“Well then, first which shop should we start going to?”

“I guess, it’s a little hard to choose but……ah! How about that one I wonder?”

Yurishia pointed at a lump of meat that was like a lizard with six feet hung by its large tail from the ceiling. It was roasted whole and scraped off by sword to eat, a hearty cooking.

“Uwaa~ it has nice smell desu!”

“Then, should we go?”

And then the camera circled to chase the three heading at the store. The director staring at that situation from a slightly distanced location narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. And then she began to talk to the female that seemed like a carrier woman standing beside her, the producer in charge of Amaterasu, Marisu.

“Geez― really nice aren’t they, Amaterasu. Recently it feels like they are increasingly getting in the mood see―”

Marisu also grinned cheerfully from those words.

“Thank you very much. The three of them are getting in the mood after all―”

“Who can imagine that idols who came from Lemuria will become this famous. Well, the way of living of those girls are also dramatic. When looking at those girls, it makes even me want to go to Lemuria. That magic power plant is fine, but I wonder if they will hasten the colonial policy there soon enough.”

“It really is as you say.”

After that the shooting was progressing without problem and it was over three hours later. There were the tidying up of the equipment and various kind of work for the staff, but Amaterasu and Marisu had to immediately move to the next scene without delay.

The limousine that was exclusive for Amaterasu’s use was specially made and prepared by the publicity department of Vatlantis Empire. The shape of its front half imitated dragon head and upper body while the rear half was for the passenger room. The car frame that was created in magic weapon quality was sturdy and could protect the passenger even in the small chance they were attacked by terrorists.

“Haa― I’m tireddd~ uuuuu”

Lying down on the fluffy seat, Yurishia raised a groaning voice as if spewing out her stress.

The seat were placed U-shaped and Yurishia was lying down at the farthest behind seat. At her left side was Himekawa sitting at the seat installed at the side of the car. She drank a glass of water with a single gulp and sighed in relief.

“For some reason, especially recently the work feels like it increased though……”

“Unyuu……Sylvia ate too much, and feels really sleepy desu.”

At the opposite side of Himekawa was Sylvia who was sitting looking like she was really sleepy, her body was beginning to stagger left and right like a pendulum.

On the other hand, Marisu was full of vigor. When she came around to the back seat from the assistant driver seat, she sat next to Sylvia.

“It’s fine to sleep you know―. I’ll wake you up when we arrived!”

“Sorry, desu……desu”

Marisu pulled Sylvia’s body to herself. Sylvia’s body collapsed feebly following the pull and she began to breath like a sleeper on Marisu’s lap.

“So……where to next I wonderr?”

Yurishia who kept lying down let out a fed up voice.

“Err― let’s see, next is Holzon Hospital at Zeltis’s outskirt. It’s a visit to the hospital specialized for military personnel.”

Yurishia’s complexion changed.

“That’s……isn’t that quite strange? Because, they are the opponents we fought right?”

Hearing those words, Himekawa also knitted her eyebrows from the realization.

“Certainly……people resenting us…….”

Marisu waved her hand with a smile.

“No no, of course we will avoid the patients that participated in the battle against Lemuria. It will mainly be the patients that came from the civil war and war with the surrounding countries……the injured soldiers from the war with Izgard and Baldein.”

The car finally came out the street and traversed the wasteland. Himekawa and Yurishia were shocked that inside the castle wall there were areas other than the city. According to Marisu’s story, it seemed that previously this area was a ranch area and grasslands.

Before long they came to see Holzon Hospital from afar. Similar with Zeltis, it was a black splendorous building. The hospital’s size was near the scale of a university hospital on earth, but above all the fact that the hospital was colored black made Yurishia and Himekawa feel discomfort.

The sleeping Sylvia woke up and the three got down the car while still harboring anxiety. Marisu said that just now, but as expected wouldn’t there be many people that held antipathy to them. They were anxious about that matter.

But, the hospital staff that welcomed them, and then the patients welcoming attitude quickly blew away that anxiety. The instant they entered the hospital lobby, shockingly there was welcoming paper crackers raining down at them. It was not really paper but light fragments made from magic power, the fragments sparkled and melted when touching the body before vanishing.

What surprised them next were the welcoming words pasted on the wall. Those words were also written by sorcery, but what made them surprised was that they were written in Japanese and English.

“How is it? The patients were the ones preparing those words handmade you know?”

A nurse asked with a cheerful voice.

Yurishia shrugged her shoulders and murmured awkwardly.

“I say…….I’m beaten. I give up already.”

They quickly mingled with the patients, greeting them at the lobby and after that, for the sake of the patients that couldn’t wake up from the bed they made a round at each hospital ward.

Even the injured people lying down on the bed had their eyes sparkling when they saw the figures of the three.

“Even now I cannot believe that the three of you really came visiting here. It’s like a dream……excuse me, can I ask you for an autograph……”

A patient with both legs injured lying down on the bed timidly presented a transparent board from under the blanket. It was like the square cardboard for autographs on earth.

Himekawa answered with a smile.

“Yes, that’s fine. For whom I’m signing this? Or else do you want the other two signing this too?”

“I, I’m the fan of Hayuru-chan! Please Hayuru-chan sign it!”

“Eh? M, me?”

Himekawa got slightly flustered, but she still signed the board wholeheartedly.

At that time, there was a little commotion from the corridor. The nurse guiding them around made a dubious look and stared at the direction of the door.

“I’ll go look for a little.”

The nurse left from that place and opened the door to peek at the situation outside. At that moment, a small shadow slipped under the flank of the nurse and rushed into the room.

“Ah! Hey, wait!”

Shaking off the restrain of the nurse, the one who finally came before the Amaterasu was a petite girl. Her height was around the same like Sylvia. Looking from the patient gown she was wearing, she seemed to be a hospitalized patient. Her forehead was sweating, perhaps from running or arguing with the nurse outside, her breath was also ragged.

The nurse trying to pin her down from behind was stopped by the raised hand of Yurishia. Yurishia smiled at the sudden intruder.

“Do you have any business with us?”

The girl didn’t answer Yurishia’s question. In exchange, she faced Sylvia with tormented eyes.

――Sylvia opened her eyes wide at that girl’s appearance.

“Yo……you are……”

The girl opened her mouth resolutely.

“Sa, say-, you are Sylvia-san of Amaterasu……aren’t you?”

“……-!”

Sylvia’s lips trembled. However, no word came out from that little mouth. Her purple eyes shook from surprise.

She had seen the girl who came before her eyes before.

Petite body. Rolled twintails. Large eyes and cute face.

However, why was she here she wondered.

Noticing how odd Sylvia’s state was, Yurishia called to her worriedly.

“What’s the matter Sylvia?”

Himekawa also tilted her head.

“This child, I feel like I have seen her somewhere……by any chance, is she Sylvia-chan’s acquaintance?”

――Acquaintance.

Could that way of saying it be used?

Even though once they had the relationship of scrambling for each other’s life.

The girl’s name was Ragrus.

At the occasion of the Tokyo recapture operation, she was the opponent she acted a mortal combat with.

Ragrus controlled a gigantic magic armor Demon, she was a member of the imperial guard. In a fight where life was staked with Sylvia’s Taros, Ragrus wrung out all her magic power and released her trump card [Inferno]. And then, Sylvia had thought that Ragrus might have lost her life due to that.

Right after that, Sylvia and the others became prisoners and were taken into this Vatlantis, so she didn’t know of what happened with Tokyo since then. Naturally, she also had no way to know about the life and death of Ragrus.

But the one in front of her eyes was undoubtedly Ragrus of that time. And then she was sending Sylvia a heated gaze. That gaze fastened the beat of Sylvia’s heart and then made her heart beat fiercely. It felt like even now her heart was going to leap out.

Ragrus squeezed out a trembling voice.

“E, err, I, no, no matter what, wanted to……meet you.”

“-……!!”

Fear was born inside Sylvia’s heart. The inside of her chest was cold like a refrigerator, and cold sweat flowed on her back.

What would she do to her Sylvia wondered. Did she want revenge, to kill her? Had what she did to the opponent in front of her was really that much she wondered.

Tears blurred Ragrus’s eyes and she announced with a loud voice where she seemed to muster her courage.

“I’m-, a big fan of Sylvia!”

For an instant, the inside of Sylvia’s head was pure white.

“……Eh?”

Ragrus looked down with a bright red face. And then while the fingers of both her hands fumbled at each other, she began to talk with a small voice.

“That, it seems that I was discovered at Lemuria but……I don’t remember anything. I don’t understand anything at all about before I came to this hospital.”

Sylvia gulped.

‘――That’s, because of Sylvia’s fault…….’

“The captain of the imperial guard visited and said that I was a member of the imperial guard, that really made me surprised. But, I don’t understand……what should I do from now on……my, magic power is gone, and I cannot do anything……”

The last part was said with voice that seemed to vanish into thin air. And then she stayed quiet for a while without saying anything.

Sylvia didn’t understand, what kind of reply that she should say to her.

An apology? Maybe sympathy? Or else explanation?

Looking at the figure of the first enemy she encountered and defeated, Sylvia felt like she was bound hand and foot and became unable to move.

Ragrus glanced up with a sad face and stared at Sylvia. Thereupon, her gaze was rapidly changing into an entranced gaze.

“Bu……but, at that kind of time……I saw Amaterasu on TV.”

Ragrus put together the fingers of both her hand and slowly closed her eyes.

“The debut live, it was really amazing……it looked like the world of dreams. Sylvia-chan looked like an angel, it was like the self that I lost in Lemuria, was discovered back by Sylvia-chan……I know that there is no such thing but, that’s how I felt. I felt really inspired then.”

Ragrus spoke dreamily. It was as if the memory was vividly scorched into her mind, where she replayed it inside her head many times over. At that time Ragrus’s expression looked really happy.

“That’s why, when I heard that Sylvia-chan is coming to this hospital, it felt like my heart was going to stop.”

Ragrus opened her eyes while letting out a giggle.

Those pure eyes constricted Sylvia’s heart. The pain that squeezed the inside of her chest caused an indescribable emotion to trickle down.

“I was told that I cannot meet you, but I want to convey my feeling no matter what……because I was saved by Sylvia-chan. That’s why――”

At that time, tears spilled out from Sylvia’s eyes.

“E……eh!? E, err, Sylvia-chan?”

“I’m sorry……desu.”

Large beads of tear were overflowing one after another without stopping. Sylvia looked down while covering her face with both her hands. From her lips that was trying to endure, a sobbing leaked out. Himekawa rushed to her in panic and embraced Sylvia’s shoulders.

“Wa, wait Sylvia-chan!? What’s the matter?”

However the one who panicked the most was Ragrus. She was restlessly looking around with a bright red face.

“That, I, something……th, that, what to do……I’m sorry! I did something, to Sylvia-chan……aa, really I’m……sorry! Anyway I’m sorry-”

Sylvia shook her head towards Ragrus who was flustered a lot and apologized earnestly.

“That’s not it desu. You didn’t do anything bad desu. I’m sorry…….desu.”

Marisu quickly cut in front of Sylvia.

“I’m sorry. Err, Ragrus-chan right? It looks like Sylvia-chan is not feeling too well. We are happy that you went through trouble to come greeting Sylvia-chan but, today seems like……see?”

“Bu, but……I, being hated by Sylvia-chan is……I don’t understand, what is this about……I, what should I……”

Ragrus was in a really panicked state.

Yurishia immediately embraced Ragrus’s trembling body.

“It’s okay. You are not actually hated or anything by Sylvia-chan. I guarantee that! Rather Sylvia is really happy right now. She is deeply moved by you.”

“Bu, but……”

Caressing the head of Ragrus who seemed to be still anxious, Himekawa also cheered her up.

“It’s true. This me too guarantees it. That’s why, can you please forgive Sylvia for today?”

“That’s! Obviously. No, this is not about forgiving or not forgiving!”

“Is that so, thank you.”

Smiling at Ragrus who replied firmly, Himekawa and Yurishia separated their bodies. After promising that they would come again, the two of them embraced Sylvia from both sides and exited the hospital room.

After Marisu informed the director about the photo session suspension and the cut of the event, she led Amaterasu and exited the hospital. And then after they got in the car parking at the front gate, they left behind Holzon hospital. The car was running on the street of the wasteland heading towards the center of Zeltis.

In the middle of the way, they were able to hear the particulars of the story from Sylvia who had recovered her calm.

Yurishia crossed her arms and nodded largely.

“――I see now. So she is the pilot of that large magic armor at that time of Tokyo recapture operation. I had never met her face to face, so I didn’t notice.”

Himekawa too was in a state that couldn’t hide her surprise.

“I had a chance to come in contact with her for just a little at Okinawa but……she is really like a different person now, that I couldn’t immediately recognize her. Sylvia-chan, are you okay?”

“I’m fine desu. I’m sorry to make all of you worried desu.”

Sylvia smiled powerlessly.

“……But, all this time until now, Sylvia and the others always thought that we are the victims desu.”

Sylvia stared at the hospital that was getting distant from the rear window.

“But, that’s wrong desu. Sylvia is also a perpetrator desu. Surely Sylvia…….made Ragrus-san’s life into a wreck desu.”

Yurishia and also Himekawa couldn’t reply to those words. The heavy air inside the car, felt like it wouldn’t allow anyone saying any careless words.

“But, the one who can decide that is not Sylvia-chan.”

At first, they didn’t understand whose voice it was. Sylvia looked for the owner of the voice and her gaze reflexively roamed around.

“Marisu……san?”

She talked not with her usual light tone. It was sharp and serious words. And then her expression also didn’t have any trace of joking around. It was a serious and firm expression that made people feel her unshakeable thought. It was like something constructed from many experiences coated in layers.

Sylvia, Yurishia, and Himekawa were taken aback by the state of Marisu that they had never seen until now. Yurishia barely managed to ask with a stiff smile.

“Err……you are Marisu, right? What’s wrong, so suddenly. Geez, did you eat something wrong?”

“Yurishia, right now we are having a serious talk.”

Yurishia shrank down like a puppy that was scolded from the severe gaze.

“……Sorry.”

Marisu once again stared straight at Sylvia.

“Are you listening? Sylvia-chan. That is a part of war, unrelated to personal good and evil or grudge……it’s only natural that it cannot be so easily distinguished like that. I think it cannot be helped that you hold guilt. But, if someone sees you crying from sadness and regret like that, have you wondered how Ragrus that you met just now will think?”

“That’s……”

“Surely Ragrus will feel sad. After all that child received encouragement from the smiling face that you displayed on the stage.”

“……”

“What you currently can do is not to apologize at that girl’s past, but to work hard for the sake of the smiling face of the current her, isn’t that right?”

Perhaps that was only an idealist talk.

But, she couldn’t deny such thing.

After all idealist talk, was a beautiful and magnificent thing.

She honestly thought so.

Marisu’s words easily slipped into the heart of the three.

“Hm? ……”

Himekawa’s eyebrows knitted tightly.

“Marisu-san. You mean to say, that we need to work even more?”

“……”

The three gathered dubious stares at Marisu. Marisu whistled unnaturally and averted her gaze.

“My― did you interpret what I was saying like that? Stop that, that’s just your persecution complex―.”

Yurishia couldn’t hold it and burst out into laughter.

“Aahh―, geez! I’m already honestly in admiration here! Give me back my admiration-!”

Himekawa also burst into laughter following Yurishia.

“Really, Marisu-san really has no oversight.”

Sylvia also wiped her tears while raising laughter.

“Really true desu.”

Sylvia looked back at the hospital one more time. The building of the hospital already disappeared behind the hill and she couldn’t see it anymore.

“But, the thing that Marisu-san said……I also think that it’s true desu……Sylvia, wants to make everyone smile desu…….both Lemuria and also Vatlantis.”

Part 4

The night at Zeltis was fantastical. The black townscape looked like night since the afternoon, but when it actually became night, it brought about one more change in the atmosphere.

The city that melted into the darkness of night was lighted up by the light of magic power that was streaming into the city itself. The magic power streaming throughout the city changed the streets and buildings into artworks of light. Rather than calling it light of neon, it gave off the atmosphere like a modern art.

The magic power flowing like water when seen at night became a level more beautiful in its clarity. The flow of magic power delicately changed its path, its thickness, it was like a living thing that elegantly twisted its body. Marvel and vitality could be felt from the thing the flow of beautiful light passed through. It even felt like this world was a single living thing with the tide of magic power as the blood circulating inside its body. That radiance wouldn’t make one tired of it no matter how long one looked at it.

“Boss, this soup is delicious you know?”

Kizuna who was charmed by the beauty of the city was suddenly pulled back into reality.

What Gertrude was eating was a soup that looked like pot-au-feu in a glance. Vegetables he didn’t really know and meat of something he didn’t understand were put a lot into it as ingredients. She scooped the unknown meat with her spoon and brought it into her mouth without hesitation.

“Nn― it’s delicious like beef. The taste of the soup is also permeating into it, and when bitten the meat juice spreading together with the soup inside the mouth feels really good.”

Kizuna also took the bowl made from something like plastic material put in front of him. A lot of meat and vegetables were put in it, certainly it looked very nutritious. He brought into his mouth the leaf that looked like cabbage or lettuce in a glance.

The taste was like carrot.

“…….I don’t want to admit it but, it’s delicious.”

“A large tent was put up at a plaza. It was a long rectangle shape with the frontage of twenty meters and depth that was nearly a hundred meters, it was more like a temporary warehouse rather than a tent. Under that tent there were simple tables and chairs lined up, opening a simple dining hall. In general there were around two or three hundred people here. Slipping into the hustle and bustle, Kizuna and Gertrude were having a meal. Around them was noisy so he thought there would be no problem, but so that their talk wouldn’t be heard by other visitors, he picked an empty spot and sat there.

They had continuously walked around investigating the city of Zeltis, but after walking for the whole day, as expected they were getting tired. Besides, the surroundings were also rapidly getting dark. The sky was cracked, but even so when time passed the sun would set into the shadow of the city. The weather had been cold since the afternoon, but when it became night the air got even colder. Furthermore their stomachs were getting hungry. However they didn’t have any currency of Vatlantis. For the time being they had emergency rations, even though it was few in number, but they wanted to save them for the time of an emergency.

After thinking what they should do, they heard about the emergency food distribution for free. It seemed that this was a measure for the sake of the people who lost their homes and evacuated due to the disasters that happened because of the cataclysm.

“Unexpectedly their social welfare is carried out properly.”

“Isn’t that right? Though I got the image that these people were more bloodthirsty and would say, ‘people that cannot eat just die’, like that.”

Inside the tent was a large number of people eating soup and something that seemed to be bread. There was a large screen around 100 inches inside the tent, everyone was eating while watching that screen and chatting lightly with each other. What was broadcasted seemed to be a Vatlantis telecast.

For Kizuna and Gertrude, they curiously watched the news program of the AU.

“It’s the same with the free food, but I’m also thankful about the television. We can get the information about the world here huh. What kind of livelihood the citizens of AU lead, what is their way of thinking, we can understand those well with this.”

“Boss……that girl, isn’t that the girl whose photo came out at the Colosseum?”

Gertrude looked at Kizuna’s direction while pointing her soup at another direction. Just when Kizuna looked at that direction without moving his face, a group of imperial guard entered into the tent.

And then among them, there was an existence that was conspicuously attracting attention.

Long blue hair and white skin. Her attire that was only putting on the imperial guard uniform like a coat on top of her underwear figure made him doubt if she was actually just getting outside in the middle of changing clothes. However the said person looked like she was not concerned at all with her appearance, she was glaring at the inside of the tent with a cold expression like a doll.

A beautiful face that looked artificial. The deep scar carved on that face was painful to look at no matter how many times he saw it.

The girl was one of the Quartum, Lunora. A swordsman that was called as the god of death of the Colosseum.

“What we saw at the Colosseum before was her competition card right? Didn’t she have a match there?”

“Besides, that girl is supposed to have quite a high position even in the imperial guard. Why is she in a place like this refugee camp……”

The people inside the tent were also beginning to notice the imperial guard Lunora. The bustling and joyful air was suddenly changing into bewilderment and stir.

“Oi, isn’t that Lunora-sama?” “Re, really, that’s Lunora-sama!” “Why is she in this kind of place?” “But, she is the real thing no matter how you look at it.” “Why is the god of death of the Colosseum……”

The girl called as the god of death who looked beautiful even with her scar opened her mouth.

“Ladies.”

All of a sudden the surrounding became deathly silent. The gazes and interests of the people who happened to be present inside the tent were gathered at Lunora.

“Eh……e, err……you ladies……that……”

Lunora shrank her shoulders and her gaze dropped to the floor. In her incoherent state, no one understood what she wanted to talk about. She was completely like a child that got stage fright from being suddenly pulled out in front of a large crowd.

‘――What? The aura of her appearance is really different with her image that is titled as the god of death.’

Lunora’s face also became red, she seemed to be frantically troubled of something. The people were patiently waiting for her word. As expected, when tears were starting to appear in Lunora’s eyes, even Kizuna became wanting to cheer her to do her best.

At that time, a red haired girl approached quietly from the side and embraced Lunora’s shoulder.

“Aah― okay, okay, really, this is because our god of death is a very shy person after all.”

“Ra, Ramza……”

Lunora’s face became bright in a flash. However, she soon pouted her mouth in displeasure.

“Wha-, su, such thing is not true at all. E, even I――”

Not minding such Lunora, Ramza clapped her hands and pulled the attention of the people.

“Okay, o―kay, then, this unworthy Ramza will speak as the proxy of this god of death Lunora about what she wants to say, so everyone listen well okay―. The people here were all chased out from the places where you used to live in and came here to rely on the benevolence of the emperor of our Vatlantis Empire, isn’t that true?”

The people inside the tent were staring fixedly at Ramza with anticipating faces that were a mix of anxiety and expectation about what would happen from now on.

“By the way, today Ramza was doing matches at the Colosseum, I wonder if everyone knows?”

Ramza took a pose of putting her hand at her ear as if she was really waiting for a reply, the people faced such Ramza and timidly raised their voices.

“Ye, yes we know.” “I went there to watch the match.” “Err……me too.” Before long the voices overlapped in succession and the place became noisy.

Ramza nodded in satisfaction and showed a smile that was like the sun.

“Yep yep. The matches of Lunora this day were against a ferocious beast captured at Izgard, the newest model of magic weapon, and then the hero of Baldein, Alexis, a three series of battles! And then―, the result of the match was―”

Ramza thrust both her fists up.

“Complete victory!”

The people in the tent also thrust up their hands and raised cheers.

“The goods and monetary awards that Lunora obtained from today’s victory, she wishes to share those to all of you who are not blessed, that was what she suggested! For such a kind god of death, everyone, applause―”

A grand applause surged out.

With that voice as the signal, alcohol casks and plates filled with foods were brought in from outside the tent one after another. Happy voices ‘ooo-‘ from the people present could be heard.

“Thank you very much! Lunora-sama” “Our gratitude! Lunora-sama!” Words of thanks were poured at the Lunora who was hanging her head down with a bright red face.

Inside the tent, cheers were erupting. Fists were raised and all present called Lunora’s name.

Kizuna and Gertrude were also swallowed inside that wild enthusiasm whether they wanted it or not. Pretending to be excited, they also clenched their fists and waved them around.

“She is really popular.”

“Yes, she is like a popular sport star when all’s said and done.”

Lunora who finally raised her face was slightly bursting in a smile.

“Everyone……thank you.”

Ramza waved around her arm and raised a loud voice.

“Now― for tonight, drink, eat, sing, have fun all you want―!”

Inside the tent was overflowing with cheerful liveliness. The people rushed to the food and alcohol and expressed words of gratitude to Lunora unanimously.

“Let’s slip in this commotion and withdraw.”

Kizuna whispered and Gertrude also nodded.

“Right. It’s futile to stay for longer than this.”

Kizuna and Gertrude quietly stood up from their seats and headed to the exit.

At that time, a loud cheer was raised inside the tent. Lured by that voice, Kizuna calmly turned around. The people were all staring at the screen while raising cheers. Kizuna too sent his gaze to that screen.

“Wha-!?”

He stopped still, unable to move.

Kizuna whose expression froze and kept standing still made the people around him staring with dubious look.

Gertrude pulled the sleeve of the pale faced Kizuna and whispered with small voice at his ear.

“Wai-! Boss, what are you doing standing out like that-! Just what is――”

While pulling Kizuna who stood upright, Gertrude also sent her gaze to what Kizuna was staring at.

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!?”

A scream burst out from Gertrude’s mouth.

It was reasonable.

At that screen, something that was beyond these two’s imagination was projected.

{Everyone―! Good evening― Amaterasu de――su-!}

Himekawa, Yurishia, and Sylvia wearing showy and flashy clothes were waving their hands with smiling faces. And then, the five person group standing beside them also let out their voices in unison.

{Good evening―! This is Masters!}

Scarlet, Sharon, Clementine, Henrietta, and Leila were likewise wearing sparkling clothes on their bodies while taking a pose with smiling faces.

It was completely like the live broadcast of idols. No, this was nothing else but an idol’s live concert.

“Thi, this is……”

‘――Just, what in the world?’

The brain of the two became panicked.

They couldn’t understand at all just what was going on.

“What’s the matter, you two?”

When they returned to their senses because someone talked to them, there was a girl with bright red hair standing right nearby them.

‘――Ramza!?’

Kizuna was sweating coldly for an instant.

“Ah, no. Nothing――”

Hearing his own voice, Kizuna shut his mouth in panic.

‘――My voice is going back to normal!?

Shit-! What bad timing this is.’

Kizuna clicked his tongue inside his mind.

Gertrude who was still bewildered from shock tried to answer somehow in Kizuna’s place.

“E, eer, this is. She is just feeling a little unwell see, so she was going to breath a little of the outside air for now you know.”

“Hm―m, that’s how it is. But rather than getting out, it feels more like she is getting dumbfounded there though?”

“Eh!? A, about that seee……no, she was looking at something unfamiliar and got taken aback……”

Gertrude was sweating buckets while answering incoherently.

“Hm? You don’t know about Amaterasu and Masters? Just which countryside were you coming from?”

“Ye, yes……ahaha, that’s how it is. It’s really far out in the sticks……the, these people, are they really that famous?”

“Yeah of course……wait really, just where did you come from?”

“Tha……that is, it’s embarrassing to say it, see.”

Ramza’s look became grim.

“O, oi. What’s the matter?”

Lunora came along and called with a worried face. Ramza’s face softened and she turned back,

“Eh? Nope, there is a little――”

It was dangerous to get involved more than this. Kizuna who thought that exchanged looks with Gertrude.

“――Er, the, then, please excuse us.”

After Gertrude declared that in fluster, she turned her back on the spot. Kizuna also followed behind her and he slowly walked towards the exit.

He felt a gaze on his back.

Most likely he was suspected. But it was no good to run. He pretended to be a normal AU person who was nervous because he was just coming from the countryside.

He was too nervous that he even forgot how to walk that his movement completely became awkward. If, he was suddenly assaulted, at that time there was no other choice than to fight back. With his nerve stretched tight, he walked while being cautious of the presence behind. He could hear familiar voices from the screen behind. This voice was Himekawa.

{Right now, this world is being exposed against a great danger. And that is also the same with Lemuria.}

Next was Yurishia’s voice.

{We have to overcome this danger with everyone.}

And then Sylvia’s cute voice.

{The thing needed in order to do that, that is the people’s――}

And then the voices of the three were in unison.

{KizunaBond.}^[1]

At that time,

At that word,

Kizuna couldn’t stop himself from turning back reflexively.

At the large screen largely projected, were the figures of his missed comrades.

And then, there was a figure standing in front of them.

The eyes of the girl with flaming red hair were shining glaringly.

“Is that so……you are, Kizuna……Hida Kizuna aren’t you?”

Lunora also put herself on guard and extended her hands at the two swords hanging on her waist. Her mouth was pursed tightly and her eyes were also half-closed sharply. Her embarrassed state from just now was completely gone.

The imperial guards accompanying the two of them also had their countenance changed all at once.

“Lemuria’s demon king!?” “That’s impossible! Why is he in this kind of place-!?”

Fear was spreading among the citizens hearing their voices in the blink of an eye. Inside the tent became noisy, the people escaping while raising fearful screaming, and the imperial guards trying to capture Kizuna, between the two sides, the situation became a pandemonium inside.

“We are retreating! Gertrude!”

“Agreed!”

Both of them jumped over a table and got outside with a roll. Keeping their momentum they rushed through the street and sprinted inside the city. When they looked back, they could see the figures of the imperial guard in pursuit while raising loud voices.

“Like this, the infiltration and investigation are impossible already!”

“Yes! Now that it has come to this, let’s go flashily boss!”

Kizuna grinned broadly.

“Yeah, here we go-, Eros!!”

And then Gertrude also responded with a bold smile.

“Sigura!”

The bodies of the two instantly equipped their Heart Hybrid Gears. A giant body descended down on their path just a little after that. It was a knight with grown wings, an [Albatross].

“An Albatross!”

“Just leave it to me!”

Gertrude drew out her pistols from the holsters on her thighs and pulled the triggers at the same time. It was Gertrude’s quick draw. There was no way it wouldn’t hit the gigantic frame of the magic weapon.

The bullets fired from Gertrude’s particle cannon really easily pierced the armor of the magic weapon, opening wind holes at its torso and head.

The giant body that collapsed violently exploded before it could crush the building of the city, its figure changed into beads of light and vanished. From the other side of the street corner, this time a human sized magic weapon [Brigand] was running here. Several dozen appeared from all over the alley and attacked aiming at Kizuna and Gertrude.

“Boss, it’s a group this time!”

Kizuna opened his arms and particles of light gathered responding to his will. When the radiance burst open, guns were manifested inside his hands. Similar with what Gertrude was using, they were particle cannons.

“Take care of half!”

He aimed at the rushing Brigands and pulled the triggers. The bullet of light flying from the gun nuzzle opened a large hole at a Brigand’s chest and blew away the body that was nearly two meters high. The body rotated in the air and crashed on a wall, then it crumbled down as it was on the ground before disintegrating into fragments of light.

Kizuna and Gertrude were shooting through the crowding enemies one after another with the two pistols at both their hands.

The Brigands came charging as if crawling on the ground, many jumped down from atop a building, there were those that were running to attack from the front. The two intercepted the Brigands, the nozzles of the guns at both their hands were shining incessantly.

In a little under fifteen seconds, 180 shots of bullets were fired from the guns of the two and the same number of Brigands became fragments of light and scattered to the wind.

“Newcomers! Ger-san!”

“Don’t call me Ger-san, I told you that already-!”

Imperial guards wearing magic armor were coming in pursuit. Most likely they were different in strength than the magic weapons. Gertrude faced the imperial guards and rapidly fired her guns.

“GUAA!”

An imperial guard member received a bullet on her chest and collapsed after her armor broke apart.

“It works!?”

Gertrude’s gun didn’t work at Clayda in the previous battle. But, this time it worked. There was the factor that Clayda’s magic armor was specially powerful, but above all the Climax Hybrid that they had done had done wonders. Gertrude’s gun itself was obviously powered up.

“Boss, this thing can do it!”

Shooting down the approaching imperial guards one after another, they were unable to even approach Kizuna and were crushed. The imperial guards with a gun as their weapon came out to the front and it became a gunfight, but the Life Saver of Eros was solid, the attacks didn’t reach Kizuna and Gertrude. Conversely the bullets of Kizuna and Gertrude destroyed the Life Savers of the imperial guards like a joke and inflicted damage on the magic armors.

“Yosh-, at this rate we will suppress the enemies and get over the wa――”

The line of the imperial guards parted and a figure rushed forward.

‘――Lunora!?’

Lunora whose blue hair fluttered with magic armor put on her body was running like an arrow. That magic armor seemed to be created matching Lunora’s body line, a thin armor. With white and black coloring, its design gave the impression like a uniform of a school somewhere. And then it looked like there were folded wings on her back, a large unit in the shape of / \. There were several spare swords stored there, where the tips of the swords were peeking out. It even looked like wings with feathers of swords.

“Kuh!”

Kizuna aimed at that figure and rapidly fired the guns at both his hands. Lunora’s both hands were holding swords and came straight at them without dodging. They were short swords around 50 centimeters long. Those swords were swung with a speed that the eye couldn’t follow. A total of six bullets were fired from the two guns in one second, but all of them were cut down.

It was the same thing that Clayda did. Furthermore, different than Clayda’s Selene, Lunora was a two sword style user. She looked like she could defend with even more leeway for her safety.

The distance was closed in the blink of an eye.

“Chi-!”

Kizuna lowered his guns and ignited his thrusters seemingly to draw back.

Lunora moved both her hands to her back and accelerated.

However Kizuna was not moving behind, he went forward all of a sudden.

“!?”

He stabbed at the opening of the instant she thought he was running, Kizuna charged forward as if to make his counter.

The more the distance closed would just make it harder for a sword to strike. Kizuna shifted his direction a little from Lunora’s route and plunged forward.

He pulled his triggers at the distance where Lunora’s swords were at the distance that barely couldn’t reach him.

The flying out particle bullets were cut apart by Lunora without any change of expression. However behind Kizuna, Gertrude was performing covering fire. Gertrude’s bullets grazed Lunora’s blue hair.

“――”

Lunora fully opened her thrusters, she changed direction as if she bumped into an unseen wall and bounced back. She pursued after Kizuna with her back still turned.

“What-!?”

Lunora rotated her body in the air and slashed at Kizuna. Gertrude’s support fire was still firing even during that time. However she received the bullets skillfully with her sword while slashing at Kizuna.

“Chih!”

Kizuna blocked the sword with the gun in his hand. Thereupon without the slightest resistance, the gun barrel was bisected like paper. And then the impact of the slash attacked Kizuna’s body.

“GUAAAA-!”

The sensation felt like a shockwave that passed through the Heart Hybrid Gear and directly cut at his body. He somehow stopped his consciousness from leaving him. Unable to maintain his posture, he fell down and rolled on the stone paving street. He tried to support his body with his arm but just like that he crashed into a stand that sold vegetables.

“Iyahhou! I’ll give the finishing blow―!”

A red haired girl descended down from the sky.

‘――Ramza!’

A bikini armor. It was patterned like flame with a unit of small wings growing on her back. And then what her both hands were swinging was a huge tomahawk.

That tomahawk was wrapped in flame. With bizarre vividness, it emitted ominous radiance. The instant he saw that light, Kizuna’s instinct informed him of danger. A tremble drove through his back.

“I don’t know what’s that, but that looks dangerous-!”

He couldn’t dodge if he stood up. He kept lying down while opening fully his thrusters. The Heart Hybrid Gear scarped the stone paving while scattering sparks. He slid like that and got away.

Within a hairbreadth, Ramza’s Tomahawk struck the ground.

Fierce light and heat scorched the surrounding. With Ramza as the center, flame was whirling and melted away the stone paving.

“Aa―, you aren’t allowed to evade there!”

Flame was produced from the surrounding of the standing up Ramza and spilled over. The flame was moving around like a living thing and twisted like a long slender body of a dragon, coiling around Ramza.

Ramza turned the stall into dust with the flames she created, the flame was spreading from neighbor to neighbor. Even the stores that faced the street caught fire from the excessive heat and went up in flames one after another.

Kizuna jumped to his feet and took distance. Right at that time, Gertrude slipped into his side.

“Boss, are you okay!?”

“Yeah. As expected these guys are formidable…….can we get away?”

The flame coiling around Ramza was increasing even more in power.

“Now, here I go! Lemuria’s Demon King!”

There Lunora was running at him with nimble movement. However Lunora didn’t pay attention to Kizuna and Gertrude and stabbed her sword at Ramza’s throat.

“The one who is no good is you! Are you planning to burn Zeltis to the ground!!”

The sharp blade clung right on Ramza’s soft skin. If it was moved for one more millimeter, blood would spurt out, it was a serious threat.

“I, it’s o―kay I told you. Even I, can properly……”

However Lunora glared at her with a sharp gaze. Even now her arm looked like it would be swung anytime to scratch Ramza’s throat.

“Got it, I got it already. Really you……isn’t that really cruel to stick a sword at your friend’s throat?”

“Who are you calling a friend.”

Averting her gaze from the sulking Ramza, Lunora directed her sword at Kizuna.

“Unable to stop someone who is going to massacre a large number of people, just how can one call herself as a frie――”

After saying until that far, her face went red and she closed her mouth.

Ramza floated a really wide smile of satisfaction and crossed her arms.

“Fufu~n♪ Then, I’ll leave it to you. Oh friend Luno―ra-chan.”

“That’s why, who is……ah?”

Lunora looked up at the sky and opened her eyes wide.

A blimp showed its appearance from the shadow of a building. Its shape was like a blimp with wings growing, a vehicle that was moving using magic machine. It floated above the building barely in low altitude, it felt like it was glaring this way.

“Boss……looks like there’s still a newcomer coming.”

That blimp was decorated luxuriously with golden and silver ornament, looking like something that was ridden by a really important person.

The hatch at its side opened and the figure of a person appeared from inside.

At that instant, Kizuna’s heart felt like it would stop.

“Aine……”

Without any doubt, it was the face of Chidorigafuchi Aine. But, her appearance had completely changed into that of the emperor of AU. Her naked flesh was adorned with silver and gold ornaments in order to emphasize the beauty of Aine’s body to the maximum.

Without getting shy of her appearance, she was glaring at Kizuna and Gertrude with majestic attitude.

“Just what in the world this commotion is?”

With Lunora as the first, the members of the imperial guard got shocked by the sudden entrance of Vatlantis’s emperor.

“A, Ainess-sama! Why is your highness, in this kind of place……”

Aine jumped down from the blimp and landed on the ground softly. And then she glared at the imperial guard threateningly.

“Rather than that, answer my question.”

The backs of the imperial guards straightened and cold sweat traced their cheeks. Ramza acted as their proxy and answered the question.

“Yes, we were in pursuit of the intruder from Lemuria.”

Lunora glanced at Kizuna.

“The intruder is the demon king of Lemuria……Hida Kizuna.”

Aine slowly turned towards Kizuna.

“Kizuna……”

The red eyes staring at Kizuna looked as if they were filled with yearning, happiness, and possibly sadness, various thoughts were whirling inside.

“……Aine.”

Even with her outfit changed, Aine’s appearance didn’t change. Same like before, she looked beautiful and lovely. If he had to say what had changed, the tips of her silver hair were changing color to pink, forming a gradation of color at her hair.

There was Aine in a distance where he could embrace her if he rushed to her.

Even though he had wanted to meet her all this time, his voice didn’t come out.

‘――Just what should I convey to Aine?

Should I apologize to Aine for rejecting her before this, should I resent her for imprisoning and then throwing me to a death match, or should I blame her for taking prisoner our comrades?’

Even though he was teeming with emotions and thoughts, he couldn’t form them into words well.

And then, they were at a distance that their hands could reach if they reached out, but it felt really far away.

Lunora once again readied her sword.

“Ainess-sama, while I think this will dirty your highness’s eyes, but I will cut down this intruder right now. Can I beg you to please wait for a while?”

The other imperial guards also drew out their swords and surrounded Kizuna. The ring was gradually getting smaller and Lunora who stood in front of him advanced to the inside of the circle.

“Wait!”

Aine’s sharp yell resounded. As if they were frozen, the imperial guard members stopped their movement.

“Lemuria’s demon king, Kizuna, will be defeated by this me……Ainess Synclavia.”

When Aine faced Kizuna and moved forward, the imperial guards broke the encirclement and quickly emptied a path.

“Zeros!”

Aine’s body equipped Zeros.

Was the emperor herself really going to fight here? Such question was asked by the imperial guards in half-doubt, half-convinced. They couldn’t go against the emperor. However, if in the worst chance that something happened to Ainess-sama’s body――if they easily let the emperor get hurt while they were nearby, just how great a sin that was……when they imagined the death penalty that would be waiting for them if that happened, they felt their hair stand on ends.

The members of the imperial guard strengthened their cautiousness to Kizuna even more than when they were the ones actually fighting in a certain meaning.

‘――Even if this is the order from Ainess-sama……to let Ainess-sama fight herself is…….’

Just when Lunora was going to grasp her swords again, the hilt of the sword vanished from her hand.

“E……-!?”

Lunora didn’t understand what happened. In order to confirm that there was nothing inside her hand, she closed and opened her hand several times.

‘――This is……Code Breaker!?’

At Aine’s back, a ring created from Zeros’s parts was built. The light produced from it drew a pattern and a magic circle floated up.

At the next moment, Lunora’s magic armor was disintegrated into letters and formulas of light, vanishing as if it was melting into thin air. It was not just Lunora. With Aine as the center, the magic armors of the imperial guards were vanishing in succession.

“Kizuna……I won’t let anyone else, no matter who, interfere.”

Happiness spread on Kizuna’s face, as if a light was lit up.

“Aine! I too――”

“You……will be dealt with by this me, that has been decided.”

“-……!?”

He received a shock as if his head was suddenly struck.

‘――Dealt, with? She means, killing, me……is that what she said?’

Kizuna closed his jaw and clenched his fist tightly.

Aine with a magic circle at her back was directing at him sorrowful eyes fixedly.

‘――Is that, how it is?’

“Aine!! Are you serious!?”

Particle guns were manifested once again at Kizuna’s opened hands.

“It’s pointless how many weapons you create. After all, everything will be erased by me.”

Aine’s magic circle became a step larger. It raised a low sound and slowly rotated. At the same time with that, the same magic circle was spreading from under Aine’s feet. The circle rapidly increased in diameter and the magic armors of the imperial guard members standing on top of that were deconstructed.

“What are we going to do boss! If that thing got us, even our Heart Hybrid Gears will vanish-!”

“Kizuna……just be obedient.”

The influence radius of Zeros’s Code Breaker was magnifying.

“Do you really have to do this, Aine!”

Kizuna pointed his gun muzzle at Aine.

“Kizuna-!”

Aine kicked the ground.

The next instant, Kizuna’s field of vision became pure white.

‘――What!?’

Between Kizuna and Aine, an intense light burst out.

At the next moment, a shockwave blew away the bodies of the two, blast smoke and flames spouted out. A pillar of light flying from the sky pierced the ground, fierce explosions were occurring in succession.

The blown away Kizuna crashed onto a wall. Gertrude who was standing right beside him was also similarly blown away.

“Bo, boss, just what is going on here……”

Gertrude groaned with painful voice. Kizuna also endured his pain and propped his hand on the wall to stand up.

“I don’t know……shit-, what’s that just now!?”

The one who didn’t understand what was going on also included Aine. Her body that floated in the air landed with a superb posture control. And then she looked up at the sky in order to confirm the enemy who bombarded them.

“Just, who is……?”

There was a silhouette at the direction where the light came from. That person was holding a huge gunsword in her hand.

Looking at that figure, the imperial guards also raised their nervous voices.

“Tha, that’s!?” “Impossible! Why, is she in this kind of place!”

Kizuna was also familiar with that figure. It was an opponent that once acted a mortal combat with Kizuna for the second time.

That was the hero of the frontier. She flew the banner of revolution against the Vatlantis Empire, the general of Izgard.

“Gravel!”

Kizuna called her name with an excited voice.

Gravel smiled broadly and directed the Corruption Armament [Sword Gatling] in her hand at the imperial guards.

“Gravel of Izgard, is giving her assistance due to righteousness!”

The Sword Gatling spouted fire. The large caliber particle cannon that possessed severe destructive power even in one shot was attacking the imperial guard in rapid-fire. Huge fire pillars were raised one after another, the ground where the imperial guards were standing was also dug up. Just a single Corruption Armament made Zeltis fall into a pandemonium.

Gravel dived down using that chance and landed nearby Kizuna.

“So you are still alive, Kizuna.”

Her speech was blunt, but her tone seemed happy somehow.

“Gravel, why are you……”

“What a fine thing to say asking me why. I have come rushing to this kind of predicament with great pain you know.”

“Wait, both of you. Save the talk for later. It will be troublesome if we get caught by the Code Breaker.”

Cutting off the conversation of the two was a beauty with pretty green hair descending down.

“Aldea!”

“A fast ship is waiting in the sky right now. It can easily shake off the likes of the empire’s battleship, so let’s quickly escape.”

At the same time when Aldea was finished talking, a gale blew off. A wind was whirling and blew away the blast smoke.

At the other side of the cleared smoke was the figure of Aine with her fist thrust forward.

“Kizuna-!”

Aine kicked on the ground. In exchange of the collapse of the stone paving, Aine’s body shot out towards Kizuna.

Aldea immediately cut apart the ground under her feet with the spear in her hand. At that moment a remarkable distance was opened between them and Aine.

“This is!”

Aine opened her eyes wide towards the irrational phenomenon.

Even though she was supposedly approaching them, their figures got distanced far away instantly.

Aine’s brain revived her memory when she fought Aldea at Guam. Aldea’s magic armor [Zeel] possessed six shields, each shield had the ability to distort the space. The spear Aldea held was a shield that had its shape changed. By warping the space between Aine and Kizuna just now, their physical distance was widened further.

“――Kuh, this kind of thing. With Code Breaker!”

Zeros’s magic circle emitted strong light.

“Right now! Fly, Kizuna!”

Obeying Gravel’s voice, all four of them fully opened their thrusters. Gravel, Aldea, Gertrude, and then Kizuna soared to the sky. Under their feet, the magic circle of Zeros was rapidly expanding its diameter. Looking at that, Kizuna urged all of them to be careful.

“If we get swallowed by that, that’s the end for us!”

However Gravel didn’t show any panic.

“Don’t worry. Rather than that, pay attention to the front! Don’t get late to get on board!”

“What? What are you talk――”

The cloud above the sky parted and a slender high speed ship appeared.

It was as if it had waited for the timing when they flew, it headed straight towards Kizuna and the others.

“UWAAAA! WE ARE GOING TO CRASHHHHH-!”

Exactly as Gertrude’s screamed, that high speed ship was aiming at Kizuna and group without hesitation in a collision route. The four of them endured the impact of the collision and somehow clung at the deck.

“Yosh! Fly-. If we get caught by that magic circle, that’s going to be the end of our road! Fly until your magic engine burned off!”

It seemed that the high speed ship had already entered a retreating readiness and was in the middle of rapid acceleration. It passed through the castle wall and in the blink of an eye put a distance from the city of Zeltis.

“You really saved us there, Gravel! Nevertheless, what a rough welcome!”

“Hmph, if you got any complaints then I’ll leave you here! We too were coming here to Zeltis for recognizance. But thanks to the commotion you guys raised it all came to nothing.”

“So that’s how it is……sorry.”

“N, no, it’s not so big you’ve to apologize. There were circumstances, and abandoning you will just make my sleep uncomfortable after all. That, it’s not like we don’t know each other.”

“What are you saying, geez. After all you just rushed out the moment you knew that Kizuna was here.”

“Wha……Aldea!”

“Hmph.”

Aldea made a huffy face and yelled with a clear transparent voice.

“Accelerate even more! Please fly until the magic engine raises sound!!”

Reacting to Aldea’s voice, the high speed ship whipped its large engine that didn’t match its size. Large amount of magic power particles and propulsive force were surging out while it was flying to the other side of the horizon in the blink of an eye.

While at Zeltis, the magic circle of Code Breaker that lost its target was rotating around Aine’s body. And then Aine was looking up fixedly, at the sky where Kizuna had disappeared.

“Kizuna……”

Chapter 2 – Holiday of Izgard

Part 1

Grace’s voice reverberated in the imperial castle of Zeltis.

“Nee-sama, just what in the world happened!?”

Aine who failed to catch Kizuna collapsed on her bed as soon as she returned to her room. It was right after that when Grace rushed into the room.

Aine kept lying on the bed and answered without a single movement of her body.

“…….What do you mean?”

“The commotion just now at the castle city! What else is there!”

In contrast with the dreadful menacing attitude of Grace, Aine was completely listless.

“There is really nothing to it. I let my prey get away……that’s all there is to it.”

Grace pursed her lips in dissatisfaction and her face went bright red in fury. Zelsione showed her face from behind Grace.

“However in the report, due to Ainess-sama’s Code Breaker, the imperial guards were disarmed at that time……about this, just what is the meaning of doing such?”

“That was because they tried to turn their hands towards my prey.”

Grace half-closed her eyes towards that cold attitude of her sister. She made a sadistic smile on her lips.

“I greatly admire Nee-sama’s spirit, but when looking at just the result, isn’t it really deplorable? Zelsione, prepare some knights that will be a little more useful for Nee-sama.”

“Understood. I will strengthen the subjugation unit we organized the other day.”

“As soon as you finish dealing with that, send Nee-sama’s army to Izgard. Punish Kizuna and Gravel who dare to point their blades to our Vatlantis Empire and put Izgard under Vatlantis’s rule once more.”

Snapping up from her listlessness, Aine raised her body.

“Don’t decide that by yourself!”

At that time, there was the sound of knocking on the door, Ramza of the Quartum showed her figure with her disheveled red hair.

“What’s the matter Ramza? We are in the middle of an important talk right now. I told you not to enter right?”

“Bu, but, the Genesis is looking grave right now!”

“You are saying that now after all that!?”

Grace’s intimidation made Ramza tremble.

“Tha, that is……”

Ramza who looked like she was going to cry made Zelsione felt that something was unusual and she rushed to the window. She opened the window and exited to the balcony, there she looked up to the sky.

“That is-!?”

The pitch black pillar towering high to the sky, Genesis was tilting. The pillar that had stood straight all this time, was tilting diagonally. Furthermore, a large crack that had never happened until now entered its surface, its outer wall was crumbling down into pieces.

Aine and Grace that went out to the balcony also gulped their breath at that situation.

“That……the pillar is breaking down?”

The torn off fragments were falling to the city of Zeltis. Even if it was called a fragment, but it was something with length that reached even several dozen meters. The fragments crushed the roads and buildings and made the city fall into pandemonium.

“Teros!”

Zelsione put on her magic armor and opened several floating windows.

“Emergency situation! Destroy the falling fragments! Notify all personnel to march out!”

“Roger!”

Panicked replies were coming back in succession from the other side of the windows.

“We are going too!”

“Ye, yes-! [Bael]!”

Following after the flying away Zelsione, Ramza also put on her magic armor [Bael] in panic. And then she flew towards Genesis.

Looking at their figures, Grace leaked out an empty voice.

“It becomes, more and more……”

“Hey, Grace. Is there no method to stop this break down?”

Grace fell quiet with a face as if she was biting a bitter bug. And then she lifted her right leg and stepped loudly on the floor.

“Just what is Nayuta doing!”

Grace gripped the table on the balcony and overturned it with all her strength. The glasses and bottles put on it were flipped up and fell to the floor where they were smashed.

“It’s a mistake to leave this to her! She is a person from Lemuria after all, I’m foolish to hold any expectation towards her. Right now, her life is――”

“Did your highness call for me?”

A calm voice that was really out of place reached the inside of the room.

“……You-!”

At the center of Aine’s room, Nayuta who was wearing a white coat that resembled a doctor’s robe was standing.

“Since when were you here?”

Without minding Grace’s gaze that felt like it could kill, Nayuta answered with a smile.

“I arrived here just now. I just finished the collection of data for the damage report of all Vatlantis’s regions, so I came to hand over the written report.”

Nayuta took the sheaf of documents that she carried at her side and waved them flutteringly. And then with a glance she took a look at the tilting Genesis.

“Although, it seems that I have to immediately update the report now.”

Saying that, she smiled sweetly. That composed attitude rubbed Grace’s nerve the wrong way.

“Nayuta! What happened with the recovery of Genesis that I entrusted to you? There is already no time to postpone it even for a second now!”

“Yes. We are coping with that by expanding the magic power plant, but even that seems to have a limit.”

“Then what are you going to do!? Depending on your reply, I’ll hand down a judgment to you in this place!”

Nayuta stared at Grace who lost her temper with a troubled look. She was like a mother who was in front of a child that was throwing a tantrum.

“Right now I’m in the middle of investigating a new method. Before long, I think I will be able to obtain the correct way to use Genesis, and also the method to recover it.”

“What-!?”

Grace made a shocked expression, but she soon scowled her face suspiciously.

“Who is the person that brought up such story to you?”

“There is no one. It is Genesis itself who is teaching me.”

Grace’s expression was dyed in rage once more.

“You, how dare you ridicule me!”

Aine knitted her eyebrows.

“I don’t understand the meaning of what you two are talking about. Just what are you possibly scheming?”

After shrugging her shoulders, Nayuta answered as if it was obvious.

“The inscriptions carved on Genesis, I am deciphering it.”

“What did you say!? Those are the letters of an ancient civilization. There is no one that can read that anywhere!”

However Nayuta was calmly smiling. From the beginning Grace didn’t believe Nayuta’s words, but Aine was different.

‘――If it’s this person, she might really do it.’

“Are you really……is such a thing possible?”

“Yes. However, it will take some time from now, there is a need to increase the amount of magic power even more. I want to receive the permission to augment the magic power plant in Lemuria.”

――Augment the magic power plant.

Hearing those words, Aine felt like her chest was gouged out.

In the end, she was continuing to do inhumane things to everyone of the earth. Just because their side was in a pinch, because the other party wasn’t listening to what they were saying, they forced the other party to yield by force to listen to what they were saying. Like this, it was only natural for Kizuna to be angry.

But, Grace answered instantly with a face wondering just what was Nayuta talking about after this late.

“I don’t mind. Do as you like.”

Nayuta lowered her head with a sweet smile.

“Thank you very much. It won’t take that long until the deciphering is finished. I am sure that your highnesses are afflicted with worry, but please wait for a little while.”

There was still something left that Grace and Aine weren’t fully satisfied about. However after they finished listening to the story, there was nothing that could be done except leaving it to Nayuta, they were made to think like that. Even while harboring a large anxiety, Aine and Grace could only stare at the back of the leaving Nayuta while staying quiet.

When Nayuta exited the room, the shadow of a pillar rose to the surface as if being torn off from the wall. The black figure appeared in a slow motion and approached Nayuta as if to nestle close to her.

“Nayuta-sama.”

“My, Valdy. You came along with me? You really are a worrywart.”

Nayuta who began to walk along the corridor was accompanied by Valdy like a shadow.

“Everyone is growing tired of waiting……the damage of the pillar is becoming large, and Nayuta-sama who is trying to stop that……cannot stop it, perhaps Nayuta-sama will be blamed conversely.”

“So you worry about me then. Thank you.”

“That……is Nayuta-sama really, can read those letters?”

In order to reassure Valdy who was asking anxiously, Nayuta answered brightly.

“Fufufu, I think there is no problem of that. How about you stop making such a face?”

Nayuta narrowed her eyes towards Valdy who looked down embarrassedly.

After the two of them exited the castle, they headed towards Nayuta’s research facility that was located at the base of Genesis. The tilting pillar was causing fissures on the ground and pulled up protrusions, but miraculously a corner of the research facility was safe.

Nayuta looked up at the pillar which was towering to the heavens and whispered to herself with a voice that even Valdy couldn’t hear.

“The deciphering, is over already though.”

Part 2

The inside of the room was ruled by nervousness. All present held their breaths and concentrated their minds to a single paper. The leader of Masters, Scarlet Fairchild gulped audibly and reached her hand to that paper.

When Scarlet’s fingers pinched at the edge of the paper, Henrietta raised her voice as if screaming.

“You, you are going to see it!?”

Surprised by that voice, Scarlet reflexively distanced her fingers back.

“I, it can’t be helped isn’t it! After all this is prepared so we can see!”

“Bu, but……I’m still, my heart’s preparation……”

After combing down her upped platinum blond hair and fixed the position of her glasses, Henrietta was still in a state that was really not calm.

Beside her, Leila was staring at her arm watch since a while ago.

“It has been five minutes since this staring game to that paper scrap began. How about I demand a compensation for the mental agony that is caused by this tense atmosphere? About a hundred dollars for each minute.”

“Just who is it that has any responsibility to compensate you huh!?”

Even after coming to AU, Leila was still a money-monger. Scarlet reflexively made her retort.

Clementine whose orange hair was braided was walking around the room with an irritated state.

“How long are we going to be like this. Geez, let’s see it quickly! Either way the result has come out already. We can only pray to god now.”

The remaining one person, Sharon who had grey hair wasn’t wearing her usual goth-loli clothes, she was wearing her stage outfit. She didn’t really say anything and only watched fixedly at the situation’s development.

“I, I got it already. Fine then, I’m going to look!”

Scarlet restrained her hard beating heart and slowly flipped the paper.

“……-!?”

All members leaned their bodies forward and got their faces close to that paper.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAA-!”

“DAMN ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!”

“Aa―nn, how unfortunateeeee-“

“EEEEEE-, it’s like we are fined!”

“……disappointed.”

Scarlet was trembling fiercely while grasping that paper of [new song ranking’s quick announcement].

“Second place……Masters is in second place, and then the first place is……”

Henrietta put her hands on her cheeks and sighed deeply.

“This week too it’s Amaterasu again……”

“Shhit―, those girls are immovable from the first place.”

The place was Vatlantis Empire’s theater that was in the imperial capital Zeltis. The Masters right now were in their exclusive waiting room inside that building. At that room, the tally of the weekly popularity ranking was reported to them. For the recent while, Amaterasu and Masters consecutively hogged the first and second rank. No, more correctly Amaterasu was at the top while Masters was at the second place. Of course, there were also the local artists and idols of Vatlantis, but these two groups which came from Lemuria were boasting an overwhelming strength.

“How―ever! I cannot accept being the second place forever like this. To keep eating Yurishia’s trailing dust even as an idol……at this rate I’m going to be called as the world’s number two girl!”

“But……what to do?”

Sharon asked with a voice without any modulation.

“There is no other choice! Strategy meeting. Conveniently, tonight we will have a joint live with Amaterasu! We are going to make everybody realize, our true power right there!”

Scarlet thrust up her fist and everyone else followed her while raising warcries “OOO―!”

“Anyway, what do we do so we can win against them, all of you give me nice, good, and cool ideas!”

“More country-style, like cowgirl! Also gunfight!”

“Let’s buy the media with bribe!”

“Goth-loli costumes. Also the dress code for the audience is also goth-loli.”

“Double our trainings and lessons……”

“You girls, are you all idiots!?”

Scarlet snapped.

“Eee!? Even my idea too!?”

Henrietta who gave out a serious idea let out a voice that almost sobbed.

“……All of you, what are you doing?”

Yurishia was peeking in from the opening of the door with knitted eyebrows.

“Aa―! This eternal first place!”

“Scarlet, is that a praise? Or are you speaking ill of me?”

“Both!”

Yurishia pressed her hand on her forehead as if having a headache.

“So, what are you all clamoring about. I can hear you until the next room you know?”

In this Vatlantis Empire theater, the waiting rooms of Amaterasu and Masters were neighboring each other. Because they were together the top idols so they were using the best floor, also considering about the possibility of them escaping they were put close to each other to make it easy to monitor them, such intention was also there.

“We are in a meeting of how to win against Amaterasu right now!”

“What a really exciting meeting you all have……but, doesn’t something like rankings not matter at all?”

“Even if the three of you are fine, we are not fine at all with that-!”

“I don’t know about saying this myself but……all of you, why are you doing idol activity? What are you thinking……I don’t think that you are thinking though.”

“Even you Yurishia are doing this aren’t you. Even if we also do this idol business, it’s not strange right?”

“I don’t particularly mind but, Scarlet and all of you look as if you all are seriously doing this idol business. I have the feeling that you all are completely losing sight of our objective right now.”

Scarlet was making a face of someone who didn’t understand what Yurishia meant.

“Of course we are seriously being idols you know? Because our objective is to become the top idol, so it’s not like we are losing sight of anything though.”

Yurishia’s opened mouth couldn’t close again.

“……Err……everyone also fine with that?”

Yurishia was looking around at the faces of the Masters worriedly.

“That is……”

All members hesitated to talk. There was no reply from anyone.

“Wait, you all! Answer that it’s fine here-!”

Scarlet yelled angrily while swinging up and down both her hands. Yurishia put her hands at Scarlet shoulders in a ‘good grief’ state.

“See here, we are prisoners you know? The original objective that you lost sight of is――”

“But, there is nothing else that we can do so it can’t be helped isn’t it? If we don’t do this idol business, we are only going to get locked up at that prison right? Like that there will be no one that will be happy isn’t it?”

Scarlet answered with a nonchalant face.

“This idol business, we are enjoying it, the common people of Vatlantis are also having fun right? Even if we get locked inside the prison, there is no one that will be happy, but if we sing and dance, there are many people that we can give happiness to. Then, isn’t that way better?”

“Scarlet……”

Yurishia was taken aback. Henrietta also couldn’t close her gaping wide mouth, but she suddenly smiled and spoke in understanding.

“Certainly that is so. We are fighting the enemy, but that is a fight against Vatlantis’s army, we are by no means fighting the people of Vatlantis.”

At once, a congenial atmosphere was born. Yurishia sighed and smiled helplessly.

“Well, that’s really like you Scarlet. Whether it’s you yourself, and also the current Masters.”

Scarlet sniffed her nose and puffed her chest proudly.

“Obviously-! After all I’m the leader of Masters!”

“I guess. It’s exactly as you say.”

Yurishia smiled in relief and then left the room. And then right before the door closed she turned back and said.

“But, I don’t have the intention to hand over the seat of the first rank. Bye bye, forever second-san♥”

“Wha-……!!”

The faces of Masters stiffened in astonishment. And then Yurishia winked snappily and closed the door.

Right after that, a scream thundered inside the waiting room of Masters.

Part 3

When Kizuna woke up, he didn’t understand where he was.

“This place?”

White ceiling and white wall, a rattan chair and wooden table were put inside the room, cool wind of morning was swaying from the left open window, swayed by the wind, the lace curtain elegantly fluttered.

After Kizuna raised his body from the comfortable white bed, he put his feet on the floor and stood up. The wooden floor felt pleasantly cool. There was a mirror on the wall, reflecting his waking up figure.

A sleeping wear was provided here. Its shape was similar with Japan’s jinbei or samue. The clothes were like house clothes or sleeping clothes worn at relaxation time.^[2]

“Right……here is Gravel’s country, Izgards’s capital city. If I remember right, it’s Aljiento……I think.”

When he opened the curtain that was fluttering from the wind, dazzling light poured into the room.

“Uwa……”

Beautiful sea was spreading outside the window. The blue color with depth in it was really pretty, it was a sea that made one feel its pureness. Waves were drawing white line, washing onto the sandy beach quietly. Even the fading blue sky and the pure white clouds floating in it had not a single stain. The light of strong sun was exposing everything clear without hiding anything. There was no secret or opposite side here. Only nature as it was and its beauty existed here. The scenery was such that it made him feel like that.

As if invited by that scenery, Kizuna came out to the balcony. There his field of vision widened and he could see well the situation of a coastal city. Trees that really resembled palm trees were growing on the beach. The palm trees on earth were tall trees, but the trees growing on this beach were giant trees that might even reach a hundred meters. Under the trees other short trees but with wide spreading branches were creating cool shadow underneath. Colorful flowers that were like pendant lamp were dangling from those trees. It was clearly a plant that didn’t exist on earth.

The chirping of small birds could be heard, something was flying towards the railing of the balcony.

“Wh, what the? This thing is……”

It was something spherical and chubby with feathers growing from it. On the round body there were eyes in the shape of perfect circle and a meager beak attached.

“Is this……a bird?”

The round body slanted, it was a cute gesture as if it was tilting its head. Kizuna unconsciously extended his hand trying to pet it, but that living thing flew away suddenly and escaped from Kizuna’s hand. And then it went distant from the beach, flying over the green trees. Ahead there was stone paving path following the coastlands. Town started from that path, and buildings with white walls and orange roofs that resembled a resort town from the southern islands facing the Mediterranean Sea were lining up. The image of the town was 180 degrees reversed from Vatlantis’s Zeltis, a bright and gentle atmosphere that suited the coastlands.

A knocking sound came from behind Kizuna.

“Oh……you woke up already.”

The door opened and Gravel entered.

“Aah, good morning. Gra……”

She was not in her usual military uniform, but wearing a holter neck one piece. Her shoulder and back, together with the valley of her breasts were largely opened, tanned legs were peeking out from the loosely spreading skirt fringe. A southern flower was put on her hair, engendering about a gorgeous feminine atmosphere.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s just, this is the first time I’m seeing Gravel in that kind of appearance, so I’m a little startled.”

“Eh, is……is it, strange?”

Kizuna waved his hand in a fluster at Gravel whose face clouded in anxiety.

“No, it really suites you. You look girlish, it’s cute.”

“Cu-……!? Wha, what are you saying right since the morning.”

Gravel looked aside as if to hide her blushing face.

“S, so, how do you feel?”

“I slept well, I feel refreshed now. This is thanks to Gravel, thank you.”

Gravel showed a delighted smile hearing his answer.

“Yes……that’s great then.”

Gravel pointed her thumb at the door’s direction in fluster.

“A breakfast is prepared. Let’s eat together.”

“My bad, to make you prepare everything like this.”

Kizuna followed behind Gravel and left the room. They came out to a corridor with large windows and went out to a garden. Green lawn with tall trees lining up at the other side, blue sea was peeking out between the gaps of the trees. Now that he was walking in the middle of the scenery that he watched from the balcony, in the shade of the trees, there was a building with only a roof that was like a gazebo.

“Ah! Boss Kizuna. Good mor――”

Gertrude was waving her hand from inside the gazebo. However the instant she saw Gravel who was walking beside him, her waving stopped still. And then with a look that even now she would snap out, she glared at Gravel. It felt like he could hear buzzing voices ‘gururu’.

“Oi, Gertrude. We had talked about this last night but, right now……”

Kizuna spoke as if to chide her.

“I understand already. Right now is not the time for keeping resentment. It’s just, I understand this logically, but just logic cannot really make me come to an end with that.”

Previously Gravel had once attacked Ataraxia. At that time Gertrude battled Gravel and bore serious injuries. Due to that, she had the past where she was forced to stay for long in hospital and live in a wheelchair. It was not unreasonable for her to harbor a grudge towards Gravel.

“Well, with the assistance she gave yesterday, I’m not saying that the debt is paid even but, I guess I’ve been paid back for at least a little.”

Gertrude averted her face with a ‘hmph’ and sunk her body on the sofa.

Gravel made a troubled face and honestly lowered her head.

“Forgive me, Gertrude. From now on I’ll endeavor to repay all my debts as much as possible.”

Gertrude stared hard at Gravel who lowered her face with a startled face. It felt like she was just getting pushed down all of a sudden.

“We, well……that’s fine if that’s the case then.”

She once again turned her face away in embarrassment.

Kizuna for the moment sighed in relief that the matter was settled and greeted the green-haired beautiful woman who sat facing Gertrude.

“Good morning Aldea.”

“Mm.”

Aldea only gave him a brief glance before facing the sea with a languid stare. Aldea was also wearing similar clothes with Gravel. He didn’t understand if it was the national dress here, or else the resort fashion, but the clothes really suited the two of them.

And then Gertrude too who was wearing jinbei-style clothes similar with him, he felt that it bizarrely suited her.

Gravel and also Kizuna entered under the roof and sat at the table.

Even if he called this a gazebo, but the build was splendid. Plant relief was applied on a large pillar, the fabric dangling down from the roof was also smooth and pretty like silk. A table was put at the middle, the surface of the sofa surrounding it was soft, and yet it superbly supported their body weight when they sat with comfortable feeling. There was also the refreshing wind blowing inside, making him feel like he would fall asleep if he let his guard down.

Before long, a waitress brought their breakfast.

The appearance of the breakfast was completely like earth’s breakfast, with bread and scramble eggs, then bacon and vegetables. However, when he tried a bite of it, he understood that the ingredients were different. The inside of the bread gave the impression of closely packed stuffing, while the sweetness of the egg was strong. He didn’t understand if the taste came from the ingredients or the flavoring, but the bacon and the vegetables were also giving off a particular aroma.

“The taste is different but, it’s tasty.”

“It really is. Somehow, I can get used to the taste of the world over here.”

Aldea stared at the two of them in amazement.

“What high adaptability you two have. As for me, I cannot get used to the taste of Lemuria and brought my own cook there.”

After putting down all the food in the blink of an eye, beverage that looked like coffee but with mint fragrance was brought out. Gravel’s mouth drank it enjoyably.

“I don’t hate Lemuria’s cooking. Even when I was stationed at Okinawa, I was enjoying the local cuisine.”

Gravel’s words made Aldea show an obviously unpleasant face.

Kizuna recalled the sea of Okinawa.

“Okinawa huh……certainly, this place seems quite like Okinawa.”

When he said that, a dinosaur jumped like a dolphin from between the waves.

“Wha-!?”

He didn’t know if that was really a dinosaur. However its appearance that was huge like a whale, long neck, limbs that looked like fins, were all exactly like the sea reptilian plesiosaur.

“Aah, that animal is called preshia, it’s a docile animal whose staple food is the algae. It unexpectedly takes kindly to humans and sometimes it even approaches if you play at the sea.”

“As expected from another world……it cannot be made light of.”

“Now that you mentioned it, there is no animal that is like preshia at Okinawa huh……”

Gravel had a distant look that stared at the sea far away.

“I want to visit there again……the first time I met Kizuna was also when I was stationed at Okinawa.”

Aldea sullenly glared at Gravel who had a dreamy face. However the person in question wasn’t concerned at all and spoke to Kizuna.

“Kizuna……does Izgard suite you?”

“Yeah, it’s really a good place. I’ve never seen a sea this beautiful, I want to try swimming here.”

Gravel floated an enthusiastic smile like a blooming flower.

“I, I see. Then how about trying to swim? This is a rare chance after all, let’s swim together.”

Being showed a smile that bright, it made him completely unable to refuse. Kizuna nodded and stood up. Aldea who was making a sullen face and Gertrude who was smiling ambiguously also followed out of the gazebo and headed to the beach.

It was a beautiful beach. There was not a single trash in the sea and at the beach. Kizuna was barefooted, but the sensation of his feet sinking into the sand was actually pleasant. Regardless of the strong sunlight, the temperature of the sand wasn’t really hot, it felt like the sand was gently massaging his feet.

“Nevertheless, there is no one else here other than us.”

Even until he came until the brink of the breaking wave, he couldn’t see any human presence.

“That’s how it is. This place is Gravel’s private beach.”

“So you are a celebrity! As I thought I cannot forgive you! You are an enemy!”

Gertrude was as always burning with hostility towards rich people. She raised a growling voice like a dog, but Kizuna dared to ignore it.

“What, that’s not really a big deal. Rather than that let’s swim……ah”

As if noticing for the first time, Gravel became lost.

“There is no swimsuit……”

He thought that she might have prepared something, but looks like there was no such thing.

“Hmm, isn’t it fine even without that?”

Aldea put her hand behind her neck. Her breast was lifted up as if stretched and her smooth side that became exposed was dazzling. She untied the knot of her clothes and her liberated breasts obeyed gravity, it tumbled out and jiggled like jelly.

“Uwaa, oi!”

As if to mock the flustered Kizuna, Aldea untied the knot on her waist. The dumbfounded Gravel returned to her senses with a ‘hah’.

“Wa, wait Aldea.”

When Gravel let out a restraining voice, Aldea was already lightly taking off the fabric wrapping her lower body. Long and slender legs extended out from the greatly jutting out hips. Under the blazing down brilliant sunlight, the glossy white naked body was exposed without sparing anything behind.

“Whaaat, Gravel? Our relationship is not something where there is anything to hide after this far isn’t that right?”

Aldea showed not even the tiniest bit of shame while wriggling her waist.

“I, idiot. Kizuna is also here.”

Kizuna couldn’t take away his eyes from Aldea’s naked body which he saw for the first time. It had perfect proportions and smooth white skin. Slender neck from her smallish head, gorgeous shoulders, and then the soft curve that suddenly changed into chest that was filled to the brim with large fruit. From there was a tight curve that continued into a voluminous ass that was largely swelling. The radiance of sparkling sea that could be peeked out from between the gap of the thighs and the similarly green colored hair was beautiful.

When he thought that this was something of the opponent in which he acted a mortal combat with, he mysteriously felt deeply moved.

Looking at Kizuna who was staring fixedly, Gravel puffed out her cheeks.

“What’s with you, is Aldea’s nakedness that great?”

“Eh!? Ah, no……that’s not how it is.”

Gravel stared fixedly at Kizuna, and then she glared at Aldea next. Aldea giggled ‘fufu’ and took a pose.

“See? Gravel. Kizuna doesn’t really think of you as particularly special. He became completely entranced by my body. That’s why, Gravel too only to this me――”

“Understood. Then I too will undress.”

“Hee?”

Kizuna and Aldea were startled and stared at Gravel. While watching over the two, Gravel untied the knot of her clothes.

The tanned breasts which possessed pink summits appeared under the sunlight with a jiggle.

“I haven’t shown everything to Kizuna yet but……it’s like something that has been seen already, also we have already done various things……”

While whispering grumblingly as if to persuade herself, Gravel dropped down the remaining fabric on her waist decisively.

“If it’s Kizuna……it’s fine if you look.”

The tanned skin that had glossiness became all exposed.

That body had a different charm than Aldea’s, stealing Kizuna’s eyes. The body was well trained, even while the tight body was drawing a feminine and beautiful curve, well trained muscles were hidden under them.

The large breasts was pointing up primly, the tips became bigger than usual, proclaiming its existence.

And then, the most important part of Gravel looked smooth without any dirtiness, it was really lovely. He knew the sensation of touching that place with his fingertips, but this was the first time he saw it. That place was undecorated without anything hiding it, it really suited Gravel well. It was truly a magnificent body.

“Bu, but, if you stare until that thoroughly……”

Her cheeks reddened and Gravel hung her head down shyly. However, she didn’t try to hide her body.

“But……I don’t want to lose to Aldea.”

“Why, did it become like this! What I wanted to say is not that!”

Aldea scratched off her face.

“Aa― geez, just why is this turning into a competition for Kizuna!”

Aldea forcefully cut in between Gravel and Kizuna before she grasped Gravel’s hand and pulled her to the sea.

“O, oi Aldea.”

“We came to play at the sea! Let’s enter quickly-!”

The bottoms of the two who were running to the sea were juggling up and down. The white and light brown naked bodies leaped at the edge of the breaking wave. Kizuna scratched his head and spoke to Gertrude.

“Hey, what are you going to――whaa-!?”

Gertrude was also stark naked.

“My battle preparation is finished from long ago already!”

She raised her thumb firmly and stuck out her tongue.

For some reason, there was no sex appeal at all. Gertrude who was standing imposingly while putting her hands on her hips was actually charming like a simple kid.

“Yosh-, then how about the two of us also go there!”

He ran comparatively seriously to the beach. But Gertrude’s feet were surprisingly fast, she had put distance in the blink of an eye. She arrived at the water’s edge a step ahead, twirled to turn at Kizuna and extended one of her hands.

“Wait a second! Is boss planning to enter the sea in that kind of appearance?”

Certainly Kizuna was still wearing his room clothes.

“Wha……you, don’t tell me”

“That’s right! Boss too needs to be like this! In your birthday suit!”

“What did you say―!”

“Yes, certainly. With only us being naked while you still wear your clothes, how can that be fair?”

“Isn’t that rightt, you have scrutinized us to that extent. Don’t tell me, I don’t want to do it……you won’t say that right?”

“Ku……I, I got it already.”

Receiving an all out attack from the three, Kizuna took off his upper wear and threw it on the beach. And then he put his hands on his pant too and slowly lowered it down. Perhaps it was only his feeling but, the eyes of the female camp who was staring fixedly at him looked flaringly bright.

‘――Eei, to hell with it’

After he pulled it down with all his strength, he threw it on the beach like his upper wear.

“The, then. I’m going to the sea.”

“Ye, yeah……”

Gravel’s reply was absentminded. The faces of the three were red while staring fixedly at Kizuna’s groin. It was like a mysterious power was making them unable to tear off their eyes.

“That is……that shape……that’s, as I thought……”

After murmuring with a voice that was feverishly delirious, Gravel unconsciously reached out her hand and touched softly at her own nether region.

Aldea wetted her lips with her tongue together with a heated breath.

“Aa……what’s this, mysterious feeling……when I looked, for some reason my body cannot calm down……but, what should I do?”

Gertrude also smiled shyly with a red face.

“It, it’s a little different, with what I learned from class isn’t it?”

Listening to all their impressions was just too embarrassing. Kizuna jumped into the sea and splashed water towards the female camp.

“Uwaa! What are you doing Kizuna?”

Gravel who returned to her senses after being dashed by water complained while avoiding the water with her hand.

“Is the hero of Izgard going to give up from this kind of attack? You aren’t really a big deal then.”

“Hohou……interesting, I’ll accept that challenge!”

Making a warlike smile, Gravel scooped up water with both her hands and splashed it to Kizuna. Each time her tanned breasts were shaking like jelly.

“Buwah! Ku……now you’ve done it-“

“Fuhahaha, obviously. Just who do you think I……hyan-!”

Gertrude threw water with all she had from the side.

“The resentment from the heavy injury, I’ll clear them right here!”

“Mu, it’s just my wish if you want a rematch! Toaa!”

She raised a pitch with both hands and fiercely sprayed water.

“Yo, you’ve done it now!”

Water spray burst up and shined sparklingly from receiving the light of the sun. The water splash mercilessly sprayed Gertrude’s face and water drips slid down her flat chest.

Kizuna’s water splash made Gravel’s face dripping wet, the water trickled down from her neck to her chest, and then continuing to fall down from her hairless groin. Aldea’s white breast shook while she splashed water at Kizuna.

Kizuna wasted no time to shot back. Kizuna’s water spray rained down on Aldea’s white skin. The water flowed down to her breasts and drips were flying from the tips of the largely shaking breasts.

“Kyaa!”

Having her feet slipped on the sand inside the sea, Aldea almost fell over. Kizuna immediately extended his hand to Aldea.

“Oops……you okay?”

“A……”

Aldea’s pose became one where she was now hugging at Kizuna’s chest. The solid flat chest that was different with hers was conveyed on her cheek and her palms. When she felt the palms of Kizuna that were circled on her waist, she felt numbing heat from her tailbone going through her body. And then she felt it from being hugged, the organ on Kizuna which she didn’t have. When she was pushed against by that organ, her head was strangely turning blank and she almost went weak in her knees.

“What’s the matter? Did you twist your leg?”

Kizuna worriedly peered onto Aldea’s face. In her violet eyes, sparkling shining magic power was swimming in there.

“This is……Heart Hybrid’s”

When Kizuna whispered that, Aldea returned to her senses and pushed Kizuna away.

“Uwaa!”

Kizuna was overturned and fell into the sea. Looking at his figure, Gertrude pointed with her index finger and laughed, Gravel was also smiling delightedly. However Aldea found the sweet and murky painful feeling, and the throbbing born inside her chest to be too much for her, it was the best she could do to make a twitching smile.

After playing for a while, the four returned to the gazebo and wiped their bodies. After catching their breaths with a nicely cooled fruit juice, they entrusted their bodies on the comfortable sofa.

“Aah, I’m tired……but, it was fun.”

Kizuna’s murmur made Gravel smile.

“That’s right, though we cut loose a little too much there.”

“But, this is a good sea. I came to like it.”

“I see. But Izgard is not only sea. There are various fun places in the city too.”

Gravel’s voice got excited as if getting struck by an idea.

“Right, I’ll guide you to the city after this. You will find more to enjoy there.”

Aldea sighed in astonishment and stabbed Gravel with a fixed stare.

“Gravel. I know you are happy, but don’t get too high spirited. After all right now you are the leader of this country.”

“Eh? Is Gravel the king of the country or something?”

Gravel made a wry smile, denying it to be impossible.

“I’m just a warmonger. As the emergency measures under the war time, I’m entrusted with the chain of command temporarily, that’s all. Even so, there is also royalty in Izgard, but until the end they are just the symbol of the country and don’t hold authority. They don’t even participate in the government. This country in essence is a democratic nation.”

“War huh. The opponent is……not us, right?”

Gravel’s voice changed into a serious one.

“The greatest threat for us right now, is not Vatlantis Empire, much less all of you from Lemuria.”

“Then what in the world is your opponent?”

“Genesis. Due to its breaking down, this world is ending.”

Aldea toyed with a long and narrow metal piece put on the table and a floating window was created on the table. It seemed the metal piece was something like a remote control.

“Please look at this. You can understand what kind of situation this world is in right now.”

An image of lushly green grassland was projected in the window. Gently-sloping hill was dotted with trees spreading their branches, livestock with long fur like a sheep were walking around without care.

“What a pastoral scenery……where did this image come from?”

“It’s located north from here, a land called Harsia. However this is from three years ago. The current condition of this beautiful grassland is like this now.”

Aldea tapped the metal piece and changed the image. The scenery reflected there made Kizuna reflexively asked.

“Is this……really the same place?”

“Yes. That is the current Harsia now.”

What was projected in the floating window was a desert as far as the eye could see. Yellow sands were blown by the wind, drawing patterns like waves. He couldn’t make connection of this image with the scenic grassland reflected just now no matter how.

Gravel whispered with a pained look.

“Not just this. Several other grasslands, forests, and arable lands are changing into desert.”

The window projected out images in succession, every single one showed a region that he couldn’t imagine humans could live in.

“Due to a change in the planet’s crust, a phenomenon of the breaking down of land is occurring. It generated gigantic fissures, because of that there are also towns that were terminated.”

An image taken from air was projecting out a city created on a vast plain. It was not a huge city like Zeltis, but it was surrounded by ramparts, inside the ramparts a capital was built. But, what was strange was the large trenches running on the land, the rampart city was cleaved into two halves. Thin fissures were spreading with the trench as the center, the whole city was on top of the ground that even now looked like it would collapse, the city was in the situation where it was barely hanging on. If the balance was broken even for a little, the whole city would surely crumble down into the darkness.

“This is…….it’s awful.”

“This kind of phenomenon is happening not only in Izgard, it’s happening in this whole Atlantis.”

“Atlantis?”

Kizuna thought that he mistakenly heard, but he asked for the peace of his mind.

“Do you mean Vatlantis?”

“Aah……Kizuna isn’t supposed to know this, but what is called Atlantis is the name of this continent that has been told down since the ancient times. In addition, the whole of this world is also called with that name.”

Even on earth, there was a legend that once a continent called Atlantis existed. Was this a coincidence?

Kizuna who suddenly got deep in thought made Gravel show a dubious face.

“What’s the matter?”

“No……in other words, these natural disasters are because of Genesis’s fault you say?”

“Yes, that’s right. That pillar is supporting this world. Saying it in reverse, if that pillar is gone, this world will be the same like a house that lost its pillar. It will crush down and everything will end.”

‘I see……so the danger in Vatlantis that Aine talked about, is about this.’

“That pillar is holding not only the fate of Vatlantis, but the fate of this whole world. The current Vatlantis Empire, is not worthy to be entrusted with this world, with the lives of us all.”

“And so, it’s war……then.”

Gravel nodded heavily.

“Compared to before too, Vatlantis Empire is declining in strength. We are sending envoy to Baldein at the north with the intention of proposing an alliance. Just recently they should have tied a treaty with Vatlantis, but I am hearing news that it was due to one sided invasion by Vatlantis. If we can make them change sides when the time comes, perhaps we can also shorten the difference in battle strength between them and us.”

Indeed. If the time to fight came, they could suddenly press a sword right at the enemy’s throat out of nowhere with that.

“Also one more thing……Kizuna, I want Lemuria to fight together with us.”

“Wha-!?”

‘――Us? Making an alliance with an AU country?’

It was something he never even considered.

“Even if I said that they are weakening, Valtantis is mighty. I know that Lemuria’s battle strength is far inferior compared to us. But, Kizuna. The strength of you and your comrades are equal or even higher than us. We know because we have crossed swords several times already.”

Gravel faced Kizuna straight with a sincere gaze.

“That’s why I want to make a request to you. Fight together with us.”

“However……”

“Especially Grace and Ainess, the magic armors of the emperor sisters are strong.”

Kizuna’s heart jumped inside his chest.

“Those irrational abilities that Koros and Zeros possess. The only one who can oppose them, is just Kizuna.”

“Me……no, my Heart Hybrid Gear, it’s not irrational like them.”

Kizuna made a cramped smile.

“Rather than calling it irrational――it’s miraculous.”

Gravel’s face was serious. She was not ridiculing or joking.

“Kizuna, your miracle, share it to us. For the sake of saving this whole Atlantis.”

――For the sake of saving everything.

Kizuna could hear Aine’s voice inside his ear.

{I want your help. With that……everyone can be saved. That’s why}

The conversation he had with Aine when he was imprisoned at Vatlantis’s prison was resurrected in his brain.

Kizuna clenched his fist so tightly, that blood might even ooze out.

‘――I got it already. Leave it to me.’

“This is not something I can decide myself, I’ll return once to the other side and try to explain there. Even if for example it doesn’t go well……I alone will fight together with you.”

Those words let the string of nervousness inside Gravel slacken. Her soft expression was not the face of a general who was leading the army of a country, but merely a girl’s face. She was fondly locking eyes with Kizuna.

“Kizuna. If you are here……then I”

“Oka―y, with that the talk is settled, now it’s enemy observation.”

Aldea cut in between the gazes of the two.

The image of the floating window switched and the figure of a host talking inside a studio was reflected. It had the atmosphere like a news program on television.

Gravel cleared her throat and asked Aldea.

“What news program is this?”

“This is broadcasting from Vatlantis. We went until near Zeltis with pains. In order to obtain enemy’s information, I put a relay device there. It captures dispatched magic power waves and sends it here, it’s really an excellent item. It was buried in the ground, so I guess it won’t be so easily discovered.”

‘I see’, Kizuna nodded.

“Putting aside military information, this might become an information source for Vatlantis’s internal situation.”

Aldea scoffed as if to make fun of him.

“Don’t tell me that you think this is receiving recreation broadcast aimed at the common citizens? After all its main purpose is to intercept the magic power wave between Vatlantis’s magic weapons and magic armors.”

“So it can do something like that too. That’s a really important information source then.”

Looking at the delighted Kizuna, Aldea embarrassedly averted her face.

“I, it’s great if you understand……”

At that time, it was as if the volume suddenly went louder and a loud cheer could be heard. It seemed the screen was projecting a pitch dark theater. Inside the falling light, lights were swaying sparklingly like stars. Inside the screen, the voice of the announcer could be heard.

{Well then, next will be the corner that everyone is waiting for. The Amaterasu today.}

“……-!?”

Kizuna reflexively stood up.

{Today in Vatlantis Empire theater, Amaterasu and Masters’s joint live was taking place, the gathered several tens of thousands of fans were passing a time that was like a dream.}

Himekawa, Yurishia, and Sylvia. Then Scarlet and the other Masters. They were singing while bustling around on the stage, dancing.

With a cramped smile, Gertrude was writhing and groaning ‘uoo―’.

“Noo―……it’s re-ally hard watching this one more time. It feels like flaunting off family shame somehow.”

It was shocking watching this at first, but he was gradually getting used to it and Kizuna too was getting a strange feeling, like getting embarrassed about his own personal affair.

However, Gravel was staring at the screen with a serious face.

“Perhaps they are like your acquaintances huh. But, right now those girls are Vatlantis’s idols you know? It’s not an exaggeration to even say that they are the national stars.”

“Just what in the world happened, that it turned out like this……”

Gertrude hugged her head as if to say that she couldn’t bear to watch.

“Yeah. Just what the heck are they thinking, those guys?”

But he couldn’t imagine that it was something they did by their own initiatives. Perhaps they were threatened, or possibly there was some kind of dealing, there was undoubtedly circumstances that forced them.

Stacked up over the stream of the live, the voice of the announcer came.

{And then today, truly, a special shocking guest appeared!}

A white figure appeared from the wing of the stage.

“……Aine!”

The one projected in the screen was Aine wearing a white dress. She was holding a flower bouquet in her hand and went in front of Amaterasu and Masters.

He could see that the audience gathering in the venue was clearly in an uproar.

{Everyone of Amaterasu is arranged to head to Lemuria in order to express their sympathy for the magic power plant’s expansion. Also, their activity as the goodwill ambassadors to convey the magnificence of entering under the affiliation of Vatlantis Empire toward the people of Lemuria will be finally starting, it really heighten the expectations.}

One more announcer gave a supplemental explanation in succession.

{So the visit of Ainess-sama this time, is including the encouragement for this matter isn’t it―}

{That’s right. Amaterasu and Masters have their origin from Lemuria, they were also the school friends of Ainess-sama when her highness was living in Lemuria, so surely they have an especially deep feeling.}

When Aine arrived at the center of the stage, the three people of Amaterasu welcomed her with smiling faces. Aine also presented the bouquet with a smile and Yurishia accepted it with a happy face. The lips of the two were moving and it could be seen that they were talking of something.

{Surely they are renewing old friendship aren’t they.}

{What a heartwarming scene this is. It looks like the support for Amaterasu and Ainess-sama is increasingly getting higher.}

At this time, all the audience in the venue were getting excited from this surprise.

Everyone knew about the relationship between the emperor and Amaterasu. That was why this was dramatic, emotionally moving, it invited the tears of the audience. Applause and cheers were thundering, to the level that they couldn’t even hear well the voice of the person next to them.

When Aine showed up after the introduction of the MC, Yurishia and others were shocked that they almost jumped on the spot.

“Eeh!? Aine?”

“Wawa, it’s startling desu!”

“Aine-san-! How unfair! If only we knew about this, we would prepare a proper reception!”

In reality, Yurishia and the others had heard about the situation beforehand, that the emperor would come as a special guest. However they showed a reaction as if they didn’t know anything about this.

Amidst the light flower storm made from magic power, Aine was walking towards her former comrades. Yurishia secretly switched off her mike.

Aine displayed a happy smiling face of meeting her old friends, Yurishia who was welcoming her was also spreading both her hands and fully expressed happiness on her body. And then they embraced each other as if to make sure of their friendship.

Yurishia kept smiling while whispering in Aine’s ear.

“Aine, just what are you planning to do?”

Aine replied also with a smile.

“There is no other way. I have to fulfill my duty as the emperor.”

“An emperor is really a great position isn’t it? Well, we too will do as we want to do. But, I’ll kill you if you are a hindrance you know.”

Both of them separated their bodies. They took each other hands with smiles and talked delightedly.

“Don’t act as you please. Though I don’t know what the current all of you can possibly do.”

“Don’t make light of us. If this is a national polling, then we have the confidence to give a good fight against the emperor-sama. The current us have most of Vatlantis’s people as ally you know? Just pray to the utmost that we won’t pull the carpet from underneath your feet.”

Yurishia declared with a smile that wasn’t clouded at all. Himekawa and Sylvia who were listening from the side were in tenterhooks.

“Yes. I’ll be careful then.”

Aine the turned at the direction of the audience and went towards the mike that was put in the center. The cheers arising from the audience seats were rapidly quieting down, changing into silence that awaited the words of the emperor.

After taking a deep breath, Aine began to talk towards the audience.

“Today, I feel happy of being able to come meeting old friends. We once met in Lemuria, carrying the same objective together, fighting together, and then even though our means is different right now, but it is my great joy to work together for the sake of settling Lemuria under the jurisdiction of Vatlantis.”

Voices of admiration and applause burst out from the audience seats.

“However, the obstacles are not little. The biggest threat even among them, that I think even all of you the people of the empire fear. That is――”

Aine’s eyes closed. Behind her eyelids, various memories were coming and going.

“The demon king of Lemuria Hida Kizuna. He who frequently crushed our magic knights, is the only threat for us. However, there is no more need to fear. The reason is”

She opened her eyes as if to shake off various feelings. Her red eyes were shining determinedly.

“Because this Ainess Synclavia, will defeat the demon king of Lemuria with this hand.”

Those words made the whole venue hold their breath. And then at the next instant, the theater was wrapped in the vortex of wild enthusiasm.

“Therefore, there is no need for other people no matter who to interfere. Hereafter, I forbid anyone other than me to turn their hand to Kizuna. The demon king of Lemuria is”

Aine grasped the mike and yelled.

“My prey!”

The people united their voices and called Aine’s name. Trampling sounds of footsteps shook the floor, ringing as if to split those calls.

Even inside the city of Zeltis, the people who were watching the broadcast were beginning to make a commotion from the excitement.

Aine faced the venue and camera and waved her hand.

Her face was smiling.

But.

Her gaze was somehow sad.

{Woww, the sudden declaration of demon king extermination from the emperor! How shocking that iss}

The screen switched and projected a fleet gathering nearby the castle.

{It seems that the preparation for the demon king Kizuna is steadily progressing. Currently, there is information that he is in hiding at the area of Izgard. This will become a large scale expedition of Ainess-sama.}

Aldea manipulated the metal piece and closed the floating window.

No one said anything.

Kizuna who watched from start to end was desperate to put his feelings in order. The wave sound and sea breeze coming from the sea were gently caressing Kizuna’s body as if to heal his heart.

Aldea glared in irritation at Kizuna who was staying quiet. She sighed exaggeratedly and threw her chest out while leaning her back on the sofa.

“And so what are you going to do, demon king of Lemuria? Aine coming here, also means that a large army of Vatlantis is closing in you know? If they come with all their strength, then we will be helpless.”

However Gravel grinned broadly.

“No, rather, this is a chance.”

“Eh?”

Aldea tilted her head in puzzlement.

Kizuna also reflexively looked at Gravel’s face. As if waiting for his gaze, Gravel stared hard at Kizuna.

“What do you mean Gravel?”

Gravel shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

“For Izgard, there is no will of resistance towards Vatlantis. Let’s receive Vatlantis army happily and cooperate with them.”

Aldea leaned her body forward.

“Wait! That’s――”

Closing one of her eyes, Gravel smiled in mischief.

“But, Izgard’s army is arbitrarily running wild and is impossible to control. After all, the general who is entrusted with all the authority due to the state of emergency is going mad. For Izgard, they cannot do anything. The time Vatlantis army arrived, will be after the Izgard army headed to Lemuria――how about it?”

Kizuna spontaneously hit his knee.

“I see! We can just go to earth from an Entrance for once and then travel in the world at the other side. If we do that, we can link up with Ataraxia without clashing with the Vatlantis army!”

Gravel nodded and continued her words.

“Around that time, the majority of Vatlantis army will arrive at Izgard.”

Kizuna yelled with an excited look.

“If we charge into London’s Entrance, we will arrive at those guys’ base, right over the imperial capital of Zeltis!”

Gravel returned a daring smile.

“We are going to subdue the capital in one go, suppress the castle and gain control of Genesis!”

Both of them stood up.

“Yeah, no other way than that.”

Besides with that method, they could finish this without fighting against Zeros’s Code Breaker which they didn’t have a countermeasure for.

Gravel gave the order with a dignified voice.

“Prepare for sortie immediately! Aldea, give the command to the whole army. We are going to Lemuria!”

Chapter 3 – Alliance

Part 1

Izgard’s fleet which consisted of a total of thirty ships arranged their preparation in under one day and traveled to earth from the Entrance which was located a few hundred kilometers inland from the capital Argento.

Kizuna and Gertrude boarded the flagship together with Aldea and Gravel. The flagship was the largest battleship of Izgard’s fleet, the whole length even reached two kilometers. This battleship with its majestic appearance which was like a fortress or a castle that was flying as it was wouldn’t be outdone even against Vatlantis’s large battleship.

Kizuna was inside the bridge of that flagship. It was not to the level of Vatlantis, but this ship’s interior was also more like a splendid high class residence rather than a military ship. From the window of that bridge, Kizuna was watching outside in order to confirm just where was the gateway of the Entrance.

“This place is……Taiwan?”

Large land could be seen under their eyes. A large city was spreading on a vast level ground. On the other side of a modern city which he could see, around it was old townscape that looked sooty and packed crowdedly as if the buildings were compressed tightly. At the center of that ground, high building that looked knotty like bamboo was extending to the sky. Gertrude talked to Kizuna while pointing at that building.

“Certainly I recognize that building. This place is Taipei.”

“Since the nearby of the city called Gringam is connected to Okinawa……the distance is generally matched……is that true I wonder?”

“Well―, I don’t really know that.”

At first they considered coming to the earth side through Gringam, but because it was nearby the border of Vatlantis, they took a safer plan.

Kizuna discovered that the city underneath them also had a magic circle floating on it.

“So this city also has magic power plant in operation huh?”

With only a single prominently high building as the center, a gigantic magic circle was drawn at the city of Taipei.

Gravel left her captain seat and came until Kizuna’s side, she then stared outside the window alongside him.

“It seems that the engineer from Vatlantis came here before and established it. We were only approved to pass through the Entrance but……what do you want to do?”

She was asking him whether to destroy that magic power plant or not.

“No……let’s hurry ahead for now. Maybe Vatlantis army is also departing to Izgard already.”

Gravel nodded and gave out instruction to hurriedly leave this place.

“At any rate let’s move until Lemuria’s moving fortress. Kizuna, do you know the direction?”

Kizuna operated his information terminal that was his student handbook and calculated the distance and position from his current location until Ataraxia. He then conveyed that information to the soldier who worked as the navigation officer in the bridge.

“What’s left is……the aforementioned problem huh.”

By traveling at the earth side, what became the biggest problem was the lack of energy, that was to say the replenishment of magic power for the use of the fleet.

Moving in the side of the AtlantisAU where Vatlantis and Izgard were located only consumed little amount of magic power. However the consumption of magic power at Lemuriaearth side was surprisingly quick for magic weapon and battleship. The fleet and magic weapon of the AU couldn’t really take distance from the Entrance because there was the risk of using up their magic power and getting annihilated.

In the AU there was no material needed as the raw material for building magic weapon, but in exchange it used up a vast amount of magic power. Due to the magic power exhaustion that was becoming problem even under the best circumstances, they couldn’t treat the battleships and magic weapons which was a lump of precious magic power as disposable.

The key point of this operation was how were they going to travel at the earth side. Vatlantis also knew that it was impossible. For that reason, they were supposed to let their guard down thinking that this kind of strategy was impossible.

“However, we have the [The Man Who Breaks Through the LimitLimit Breaker] here. Something like common sense won’t work on him!”

With those words of Gertrude as a push on the back, for the time being they already had a plan laid out.

“However……are we really going to do it?”

Compared to the hesitating Kizuna, Gravel’s will was solid.

“Of course. To defeat that mighty Vatlantis Empire, and those monstrous magic armors Koros and Zeros, there is no other way but to bring about a miracle.”

The light of the eyes staring at Kizuna was not merely determination. It was not only resolve, it was not even just trust. She asked Kizuna with even more various feelings that became a complete harmony.

“……Kizuna. You said it at the Colosseum didn’t you? It’s impossible to cause a miracle alone, but if it’s the two of I and you then we can cause a miracle, that was what you said.”

“Yeah. I said that didn’t I……that was why we could escape that Colosseum. Thanks to that, we can be here like this right now.”

“Then, bring it once more. The miracle. In order to save Izgard……no, to save the whole of Vatlantis!”

At the same time that it was the wish of Gravel, it was also the wish of the whole of Atlantis. It was supposed to be the wish of Aine too. Kizuna hardened his resolve.

“That’s doable. If all of us combine our powers then we can do it……for sure!”

Kizuna held out his hand to Gravel.

“Let’s go, we will start the first step.”

Gravel extended her hand but, she retracted her hand after recalling something.

“Sorry. Go first and wait for me. I’m――after doing my preparation, I’ll immediately meet you.”

Kizuna was puzzled, but he obediently acknowledged it and exited the bridge.

He headed to the designated place following the advance arrangements they decided before the departure. It was a very large ship, so it would take thirty minutes to walk from the one end to the other end. The place Kizuna currently was heading towards was almost at the center of the ship. The bridge was built a little towards the back, so it would take him around ten minutes until he arrived.

He descended from the bridge and walked in the passage for a while. There was a door that blocked his way, when Kizuna held out his hand it automatically opened. It was thanks to when he boarded this ship, Gravel registered Kizuna’s life sign in this ship. When the door opened, wind fluttered Kizuna’s hair all of a sudden. However, considering that the ship was sailing in the altitude of a few thousands meters, the wind was weaker than he thought it would be.

That place was the deck of the flagship. Spacious flat ground was continuing straight towards the bow of the ship. A huge cannon turret was build ahead, making him reconfirm that this ship was a battleship. At the center of the vast deck, a single female was sitting alone.

“My, Kizuna. What happened with Gravel?”

A round table with tea set put on it and two chairs. Sitting on one of the chairs, Aldea was drinking black tea. Looking at her figure that was elegantly drinking tea on the deck of a battleship made him recall the first time they met at Guam, and when he went to take back Himekawa, who became a hostage, from Aldea.

“She has preparation to do, so she told me to go first.”

“I see.”

Aldea put her teacup on the saucer and elegantly crossed her legs. From the joint of her legs, it felt like her underwear could be peeked. Inside the darkness, he felt like he caught a glimpse of something green. Kizuna unconsciously imagined if the color of her underwear matched the color of her hair.

It was a sexy clothes that was like a china dress which showed her body line as it was. A slit was deeply cut up at the front, causing her crossed legs to be exposed as if jumping out from it. Even though the exposure area was little, but it gave a really obscene impression.

“Don’t keep standing, how about you take a seat?”

“Thank you. I’ll take your offer then.”

When he sat on the chair, Aldea’s sexy outfit entered his eyes whether he wanted it or not. Kizuna consciously averted his gaze and gazed at the sea of clouds spreading at the other side of the deck. The atmospheric temperature was warm and the humidity was also low. The wind that was moderately caressing his hair also felt pleasant.

“The wind is weaker than I thought. Besides it’s also warm.”

“That’s because the Life Saver of the battleship’s magic machine is surrounding this space. It also simultaneously regulates the temperature and humidity to be pleasant.”

‘I see’, Kizuna came to an understanding that this was because of the AU’s technology.

“If not because of that, doing something like that in this kind of place is plain impossible.”

Where Aldea’s fingertip pointed, there was a bed.

The white bed that was isolatedly put on the spacious deck gave off nothing but an out of place feeling.

“Hey, Aldea. We are going to carry out the magic power supply for the fleet after this right? Is the equipment and preparation fine? From what I see there is nothing but that bed though.”

“Just that is enough already.”

Aldea wasn’t well satisfied but, she was drinking her tea composedly.

‘If she said that, then let’s leave it to her.’ Kizuna thought so and looked up to the blue sky. The air conditioning that the magic machine adjusted was actually pleasant, that unconsciously he was dozing off. Before he realized Kizuna was napping.

Suddenly, a voice called from behind.

“Master. Will you drink tea?”

Before he realized it, a maid was standing behind him.

“Eh? Aah, please.”

Why was a maid in this kind of place? Kizuna closely gazed at the figure while thinking of such a question.

The clothes were obviously earth outfit. A maid clothes with black as the base wearing a white apron. Moreover, it was a cute design in the style of maid café, with frill and garter skillfully used. And then regardless of its exposure rate that wasn’t that high, the essential place was defenseless. With its design that strangely emphasized the breast, only in that place where the fabric was little, displaying the valley of the breast purposefully. The length of the gently spreading skirt was also extremely short, the panty would undoubtedly be visible if she moved even for just a little. Stockings attached with garter belt was wrapping the legs, however it also made her look obscene instead.

It was a really cute design, but at the same time obscene vulgarity was intentionally contained within it. It was a costume that was made in order to cause the person seeing it to harbor lewd imagination.

That cute and obscene attire really suited the tanned skin.

“――Wait, eeeeee!? Tha, that’s you Gravel!?”

With the area around her eyes dyed red from shyness, Gravel murmured discontentedly.

“……You are too slow in your recognizing.”

“No, because you are in that kind of appearance……besides, the atmosphere is different than usual……”

Gravel’s face was clouded with anxiety.

“I, is it strange?”

“No……it’s really cute.”

In the first place her face was well-featured, but now she was several levels more feminine and looked like a beautiful woman.

“Aah……I’m glad.”

Gravel who was floating a happy smile was cute like a lady. He couldn’t imagine her like this at all from her gallant and strict appearance at the bridge.

With a mean look, Aldea talked to Gravel.

“How nice is it, that Kizuna is pleased with that appearance. So it’s worth it to put that makeup filled with your fighting spirit isn’t it?”

“I, idiot-! Don’t say that-“

“It suites you but……what is the meaning of this?”

Gravel toyed with her hair while answering embarrassedly.

“This is……ju, just like what we arranged previously. I and you will……that, use He, Heart Hybrid to……supply this fleet with magic power.”

Certainly that was what they talked about. However――,

“That’s true but, what’s with that appearance?”

Gravel pinched the fringe of her skirt while fidgeting around without any calmness.

“I heard that, in Lemuria this kind of clothes is terribly popular. Especially for the living thing called man, they will discover a great joy by being serviced by a maid. That’s why……”

Kizuna stood up and put his hands on Gravel’s shoulders. Her shoulders jumped in surprise.

“I don’t know from who you heard that but, that depends on the person’s individual interest. It doesn’t mean that all men like it without exception.”

“Is, is that how it is? ……Even though I thought, that I can finally make Kizuna happy……”

Gravel’s shoulders dropped in dejection and murmured in a sad expression. When he looked at Gravel’s disheartened state, he came to feel pity for some reason. At the same time, when he thought that she was trying her best for his sake, something warm was filling the inside of Kizuna’s heart.

“By the way, I really like that maid uniform just so you know.”

“Eh!?”

Gravel displayed a radiant smile for an instant, but she cleared her throat ‘kohon’ and pretended that there was nothing.

“Do, don’t get a misunderstanding okay? This is for the sake of making the Heart Hybrid a success……that’s all. I’m, not at aAAAAAHNN-!”

Kizuna’s hand was sliding down from Gravel’s shoulder to her arm. Even just that much caressing made Gravel raised a coquettish voice from her mouth.

“You feel it easily as usual……what a lewd body.”

“You, you’re wrong, this is because of Vatlantis’s fault――HAUunn!”

He traced the valley of the breasts that became bared and rubbed up the emphasized breasts as if lifting it up.

“Ku……the one who is lewd, is actually you Kizuna. This kind of……aaann”

Gravel’s cheeks were dyed red, gasping voice was continuously leaking out from her half-opened mouth. A switch was turned inside Gravel’s body in the blink of an eye, becoming a state of preparation OK.

“Let’s go over there.”

Kizuna embraced Gravel’s shoulder and led her to the direction of the bed. Gravel was staring at the bed with feverish eyes and nodded deeply.

Aldea who was shown such a situation couldn’t suppress down the surging out anguished emotion inside herself. She was irritated, regarding Gravel, and also regarding Kizuna. She was irritated at Kizuna who was beguiling Gravel, and she was also irritated at Gravel who was directing favor to anyone who was not her. If Gravel was going to be taken away, then she should just ensnare Kizuna herself. If she did that, then Gravel wouldn’t be able to become Kizuna’s.

The moment she thought that, her chest throbbed. Of course this throb was regarding the face that she could monopolize Gravel herself. That should be it. Yet despite so, when she imagined getting close with Kizuna, the inside of her body was getting hot. This kept happening since they were playing at the sea of Argento before this.

‘――Really, what’s with this. Geez!’

But the most irritating thing was how the two of them forgot about her existence. She couldn’t think anything else that was more irritating than that.

Both of them sat on the bed and groped about at each others’ bodies. Kizuna’s hand was gently rubbing the drooping breast of Gravel, and Gravel was caressing from Kizuna’s thigh until the base of his leg with enraptured face.

Aldea put her teacup loudly and stood up from her chair.

“Well then, let’s move to the main event any time now.”

Aldea began to take off her dress with a smile that was pregnant with fury. Just like a fruit that had its skin peeled, her white naked body was getting exposed. She wasn’t wearing underwear underneath her dress, so her appearance became just like when she was just born in the blink of an eye. After exposing her beautiful naked body without sparing anything, Aldea called out the name of her Core.

“Zeel.”

Green armor was put on the skin that was like white snow. It was Aldea’s magic armor which possessed six shields, [Zeel].

She changed the shape of one of the six shields into a spear. Aldea held that spear, and then she was moving towards the bed.

Kizuna was shocked at Aldea’s figure which was stark naked while equipping her magic armor.

“Eh? O-, oi, Aldea. What are you planning to do!?”

Aldea was wearing a smile that was vaguely containing fury. Furthermore her hand was holding a spear. That was Zeel’s characteristic weapon, which was able to distort space and tore apart matter.

“Wa, wait. What’s the matter?”

Gravel was also looking up at Aldea with a panicked voice.

Aldea sighed. Her feeling was like a wife who stepped her foot on the scene where an extramarital affair was happening.

“Hah!”

She swung her spear and cut apart the space around the bed. Thereupon, a rift entered the space where there was nothing. A situation like a photo that was cut was happening in real life, it was a really bizarre sight.

A floating window opened at Zeel’s surrounding.

“It’s fine―, please send it to here.”

Aldea who was facing that window gave out an instruction. Thereupon some kind of bizarre object appeared from the space rift. Kizuna spontaneously yelled from the thing’s weirdness.

“Uwaa! What!?”

It was an object that was long like a snake, wriggling its body around.

The thickness was around three centimeters until six centimeters, the color was off-white, or possibly it had a light pink color, the surface was slimy wet with liquid.

“Uu……what weirdness……o, oi Aldea. Just what in the world, is this?”

Even Gravel was wincing.

“What, you asked? These are the cables for relaying the magic power you know? If these cables are not here, the magic power cannot be sent to all the other ships right?”

Kizuna understood now the reason why they couldn’t prepare anything other than a bed.

“Just when I thought that there is nothing prepared for the magic power supply’s device……and this is how it goes.”

“Yes. As expected it will be really difficult to connect all the ships physically. Cutting the space like this and pulling the cables for relaying the magic power to each ship are easier.”

Indeed, it was just as she said.

The cables for relaying magic power were soft but firm, they had flexible make. But, it was like they had their own will, its wriggling and meandering appearance was honestly disgusting.

Gravel asked timidly with a pale face.

“Don’t tell me……Aldea, these cables……”

Aldea answered with a wide grin.

“Exactly. You carry out the Heart Hybrid, with these cables clinging close to your body. They will entangle Gravel’s body, rub on you as if licking you around, and they will suck the magic power you generate without leaving a drop behind. The magic power will go through these cables and supply the fleet!”

Gravel made a reluctant face with all she had.

“Aldea! I’ve never heard of anything like this!”

“Yes, I didn’t tell you after all. But, this is the most effective way you know. I’m not particularly doing this in order for harassing you at all.”

Aldea who answered nonchalantly made Gravel’s words get stuck in her throat.

“Ho, however……this is, a little”

The bundle of the wriggling and meandering cables made something shuddering shake her spine. It was a sight that made her felt some kind of physiological discomfort and terror.

“I understand how Gravel dislikes this, Even I, this is……”

Aldea clapped her hands lightly.

“No can do, I forgot something.”

She was going back to the table while swaying her ass. She picked up something and returned to the two while swaying her breasts. Once again this naked body inside a magic armor was amazing. Kizuna thought so.

“Here, Kizuna. Wear this.”

Aldea put something like a pin at Kizuna’s hair.

“This is?”

“The controller. If you wear this, you can freely control the cable just by thinking it. It will be difficult to wrap the cable by yourself right? Besides, the cables will come apart when you are doing the Heart Hybrid. That’s why, use this.”

“Will they really, move just like I imagined?”

Kizuna was half believing, half doubting. But mysteriously, from the moment he wore the pin, he was able to feel the cable as if they were his own hands and feet.

‘――First, just this one.’

A cable hanging down from the rift in front of him twitched. And then it was slowly lifting up like a snake raising its neck.

“It’s true. It’s moving just like I thought.”

This time he tried to move the other cables too at the same time. Thereupon several dozen cables were beginning to move simultaneously. They were slowly swaying left and right like waving his hands. And when he imagined it, whether it was making each one do different motions, or making them undulating like wave or even movements that looked like massed calisthenics, he could do all of that. It was possible to freely manipulate the cables. It was like his own hands were increased to several dozen hands, a mysterious sensation.

“Gravel, sorry. It makes me looking forward to it a little.”

The several dozen cables aimed at Gravel all at once.

“Waa, idiot, don’t aim them at me! Don’t get closer!”

Gravel’s face turned pale and she backed off on the bed.

“Don’t think bad of me okay? This is also for the Heart Hybrid!”

“Lie! You are absolutely enjoying it! KYAAAAAAA”

With agile movement, the cables entangled on Gravel’s four limbs. At that moment, a new impulse drove through Kizuna’s sense.

“UOO!?”

‘――This is……the sensation of Gravel’s body is conveyed through the cables!?’

He could feel her damp sweaty skin, her tight but elastic abundant body, as if his hand was directly touching her.

“Wha, what’s wrong? Kizuna.”

Even while being relieved because the cables suddenly stopped moving, Gravel asked worriedly.

“I can understand the touching sensation too from these cables. That’s why right now, it’s like my hands are holding down Gravel……it feels like that. The feeling isn’t different at all than when I touched your skin directly.

“Kizuna feels like……you are touching me directly?”

When she was told that, her feeling became like everything was Kizuna’s own hands directly caressing her lovingly. Gravel’s sensitivity instantly raised up drastically.

“Fuh……kuuh”

The slimy cables were creeping close. Gravel’s spine was feeling shivering goosebumps. However, opposite of disgust, pleasure was driving through her when the cables touched her skin.

“A……noo……”

Several cables were crowding. They were caressing her body at the same time. It was an act that couldn’t possibly be done by human’s hand. Mere cables were caressing around Gravel’s body skillfully.

“Ah, don’t”

The cables groped around for her chest protrusions and entered inside her clothes, they then bared her tanned breast as if digging it up. The thin cables entangled her breast squeezingly and one more cable was poking around at the pin tip.

“Fuaaaaaaan-! Ah, there, don’ttt, the, the tips of my breast iss-haaaaan”

Unable to endure the pleasure, Gravel struggled in her effort of trying to escape. However her four limbs were firmly restrained, the cables were wrapping around her as if to grasp her breast. No matter how much she struggled, it was impossible to escape the pleasure.

“Ah, au, aan! Haah!”

Gravel let out an anguished gasping voice and drool flowed out from the corner of her glossy lips. Her thoroughly enchanted face was heightening Kizuna’s excitement. He moved even more cables skillfully, flipped the skirt with a lot frill on it and exposed her panty.

“……yaa”

Gravel put her strength in trying to close her thighs. However the liquid that was like lubricant oil that the cables secreted made the cables slipperily slide between the gaps of the thighs. Kizuna sensed the sensation of Gravel’s underwear through that cable. The interior part of her nether region was moistly wet. He wanted to make it overflow even more, the cable reflected his will at once and began to wriggle fiercely.

“NOOOOooOOO, mm”

The cable was getting in and out between Gravel’s crotch, scrapping up the area slimily. Having severe stimulation given to her most sensitive part repeatedly, Gravel’s lower body felt like it was constantly flowed with electric current, her body was jumping twitchingly. Gravel herself was already unable to control her body or anything. The pleasure that was being sent to her forcefully caused a spring to surge up drippingly from inside her body.

“Gravel……that’s a very cute panty.”

“Ah……tha, that……aann, kuu”

“But, it’s already got thoroughly drenched. It looks like you had just peed there.”

Gravel’s cheeks reddened in a flash and she tried to make an excuse.

“Wha-……I, I, am not peeing or any……thi-haaaa, yaa”

“I know. That’s the proof that Gravel is feeling indecent right?”

“……-! ……!!”

Gravel pursed her lips with a bright red face.

“You feel cold now that it is this wet don’t you? You must not catch a cold so let me take it off.”

The cable was invading inside the panty.

“Ah, wa, wait”

Multiple cables were splendidly cooperating and they were lowering Gravel’s panty. Her body lifted up and her panty was lowered down, the positions of her legs were changed to make it easier to take it off. Ten cables accomplished their respective duty and laid bare Gravel’s lower body with their teamwork.

“Uu……to be this, ukyaa!”

Gravel’s hairless hill that became laid bare was rubbed by the cables.

“Kizuna……”

Tears were surfacing in Gravel’s eyes. Feeling that her situation was strange, Kizuna talked to her in panic.

“Hm? What is it?”

“Hicc, Kizuna too……come. Only with the cable like this, no wayy……”

Gravel pleaded while looking like she was going to cry.

“I, I got it. I’m sorry.”

He stroked her silky blonde hair, feverish sigh leaked out from Gravel’s mouth. Kizuna also took off his clothes and exposed his bare skin. He was only in his underwear and kneeled beside Gravel. He gripped as if to harvest the ripe large breast that was drooping down and rubbed as if to make it ripened even further.

“Hii……a, aa……I’m happy”

Just from that, Gravel was letting out sweet voice from her enchanted face.

“Ah, nnaa……haa, a, I too……will give, a service……”

Gravel whispered so with feeble voice. Kizuna let go one of Gravel’s hand. Thereupon Gravel unhesitatingly extended that hand to Kizuna’s crotch.

“An……this is, amazing”

An obscene maid was staring at the bulging with enraptured gaze, then she began to caress with her supple fingers. She attentively crawled her fingers in order to find out the shape of the thing under the fabric.

“Ku……Gravel’s fingers, feels really good.”

Seemingly happy from those words, Gravel put her hand on Kizuna’s pant without any notice and pulled it down without hesitation.

“Wa! Oi-“

Looking at Kizuna’s thing that became exposed, Gravel narrowed her eyes intoxicatedly.

“Lovely……”

Her fingers softly grasped it, then they began to move up and down. The liquid of the cable was clinging on Gravel’s hand, fulfilling the role as a lubricant. Her slippery palm raised viscous sound while creating pleasure. That pleasure made Kizuna focused his consciousness into that one point. The cables were losing their strength at once and fell on the deck.

‘――Kuh, this is bad. I’ve got to pull my senses firmly!’

He moved the cables once more and wrapped them around Gravel’s body. And then matching them with both his hands, they continued to grant pleasure on Gravel’s body.

“Nnaa, haaa, aau……a, amazing, this is……”

Even while being carried away by pleasure, Gravel was continuing to stroke the thing of Kizuna inside her hand. She was staring fixedly at that with dazed eyes and slowly brought her lips near.

Kizuna’s most sensitive organ felt severe sliminess and heat.

“Gra……Gravel.”

“Ahll fhis fhime……Hi, whanfed ho fho……mm, mm”

Gravel kept holding the thing inside her mouth while basking in deep emotion. Even the honey overflowing from the tip felt really delicious. She thought that she wanted to keep sucking this forever.

At that moment, beads of orange light were starting to come out from Gravel’s body.

‘――The Heart Hybrid!’

It came faster than he thought, Kizuna winded around all the cables on Gravel’s body.

“Mmmmm, mhmmuuuuu”

While still sucking on Kizuna’s thing, Gravel moaned in pleasure. Due to the several dozen cables, everywhere of her whole body felt like being pressed by pleasure.

The cables were caressing around every nook and cranny of the body. Her back, flanks, and her abdomen were stroked around, while her ass was thoroughly rubbed as if being grasped roughly. The cables winding around her legs were moving trailingly like snakes, creating ticklish pleasure on her whole legs. Cables were scrapping between her crotch, causing Gravel’s honey to gush out drippingly from that valley.

And then her breast was roughly massaged by Kizuna’s own hands over and over.

Kizuna and Gravel wrung out pleasure by severely attacking each other.

Their conflict finally arrived at the climax――,

“Nnuuuuuuhnnnnnnnnn, nkuh, nn…….mmh……nn”

The pleasure of the two of them exploded.

Gravel sounded her throat and gulped down delightedly.

The lights overflowing from the bodies of the two went along the cables and vanished into the space rift.

Separating her mouth from Kizuna, Gravel was breathing roughly as if she was just finishing a long range marathon.

“So it’s……a success. However――”

Kizuna was sensing the amount of magic power flowing through the cable from the pin-shaped controller that was fixed on his head.

Certainly they succeeded but, to move a fleet this large…….

“Nn……haa, aaan……fu”

They could hear an anguished voice. That voice didn’t come from Gravel.

“……Aldea?”

The important weapons that were the six shields were thrown out disorderly while Aldea was sitting down on the deck. Aldea whose shields were unfastened was groping her exposed breast with one hand while the other hand had slipped between her crotch and was now moving in there.

Noticing Kizuna’s gaze, she kept moving her hand while facing him with an anguished face that looked pleading.

“U……haa……I, I……”

Her appearance was lovable, but also pitiful, and even looked cute.

“Aldea, come over here.”

Kizuna extended the cable and wrapped it around Aldea’s body, then he lifted her up floating in the air.

“Eh……kya, wait”

Aldea’s body was carried until the bed and then she was laid down side by side with Gravel.

“It seems, that a normal Heart Hybrid is not enough to move a fleet this large. That’s why Aldea, I want to borrow your strength.”

However Aldea turned away her face sulkily.

“……Me? But, what can I do?”

Kizuna spoke with a voice that let her feel his strong will.

“Connective Hybrid.”

Gravel whose breathing had calmed down raised her upper body.

“That’s……what, kind of method is that?”

“It’s carrying out Climax Hybrid with two people at the same time. The energy created from the synergy is far more powerful if compared to the energy created when doing it one by one. But, there is a condition for this.”

Kizuna was staring alternately at Gravel and Aldea.

“It has to be with someone who is tied with Gravel by a solid relationship of trust. That’s why Aldea, only you can do this.”

Kizuna grasped Aldea’s shoulder and looked into her eyes fixedly. Aldea’s cheeks were faintly colored pink. She moved her head vertically, however she suddenly faced to the side.

“What’s with you……just get along well completely together with the two of you. Even though you two neglected me all along.”

In order to soothe Aldea that was sulking like a child, Gravel hugged her.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to particularly ignore you.”

And then Kizuna caressed Aldea’s head from the opposite direction.

“Our bad for making you feel lonely. But, right now is exactly the time I want to make the best use of Aldea and Gravel’s connection. Won’t you cooperate with us?”

Aldea rubbed her teary eyes and answered with the area around her eyes turned red.

“I hate it to get left out anymore you know? But to be able to be the strength together……makes me really happy.”

“Thank you Aldea.”

Kizuna imaged the movements of the cables and raised up the cables coiling around the bed all at once. With agile movements, the cables surrounded the two and winded around their bodies, the two naked bodies of light brown and white were lifted to the air. Aldea raised a flustered voice.

“Hyaa! Bu, but, maybe this is a little disgusting. It’s slimy……”

On the other hand, in a complete opposite of her first reaction, Gravel was making an enraptured expression.

“However, Kizuna is feeling my body through these cables……ah, aan”

The cables were sliding on the surface of the two’s bodies writhingly.

“Hyaah……mm……but, this feeling……uaaahaaann, by this kind, of cables……but, ya, aahaun!”

Aldea who already had became sensitive from her masturbation also entrusted her body to the cables soon. The cables whose tips were attached with magic power absorbing gate were sticking to the breasts’ pink protrusions. Different cables were wrapping at the surroundings, sucking at the tips while the whole breasts were squeezed.

“Aah, I, I’m sucked! Ahn, yah, don’tt”

The cables were wriggling meanderingly like living things, crawling around the bodies of the two. Not only their breasts, in order to look for all the erogenous zones of their bodies, the cables were caressing, fondling, and sucking throughout their bodies.

A cable also wedged itself at Gravel’s tanned ass.

“Tha, that place is……dirt-, aaah, uaahn, nooooo”

The cable stimulated the hole of her ass while another cable spread the valley at the front and stuck there.

“Hii……! Do-, don’t, both at the same time is, something like this……feels too muchhhhh-“

Gravel’s body bent backwards while raising a voice that resembled a scream. That body was trembling twitchingly.

The bodies of the two who had become powerless were supported by the cables and made to get glued close in the air as if the two of them were embracing each other. Breast and breast were pressed and their shapes distorted as if being crushed.

“Ah……Gravel……?”

Aldea stared at the face of her beloved partner that appeared right in front of her vacant eyes. It was a face melting in pleasure that she had never seen until now, gasping sweetly and painfully.

“Alde……aann!”

The bodies of the two which were restrained by cables were moved to rub at each other in the air. The sticky liquid excreted from the cables made the sliding went well, the bodies of the two slid at each other smoothly. The tips of their breasts touched each other and the sensitive pointed ends were sending stimulation at each other. The pink colored protuberances became even further pointed as if to look for stronger pleasure, standing up tightly.

“Hiuu, a, Aldea, don’t……do that. The, the tip of the breast is……”

“That’s……aahn! Gravel, is hard so that’s impossible here. When it stands up like that……and rubbed on me, ah, haaaah!”

Aldea’s body trembled in convulsion.

“This is, Kizuna’s fault……”

Gravel threw a pleading gaze at Kizuna.

The bodies of the two were thoroughly drenched with the cables’ viscous liquid, shining glossily with gleams. Furthermore, from the inner part of their fidgeting thighs that rubbed at each other, different liquid that didn’t come from the cable was trickling down.

“Eh? Kyaaann”

Aldea whose crotch was forcefully opened by the cables raised an embarrassed scream.

“Wa……wait, Kizuna. Yaaaahh!”

When Gravel’s legs were spread, both of their cheeks were blushing even more from the shame.

Even so it was an amazing sight. Their crotches were forcibly open by cables, two beautiful flowers were blooming in the air. The flowers blooming in white flower bed and clay ground, the two different flowers had their own respective inclination, clad in drippings like flowers that were damp with morning dew, honey was trickling down from the flowers that were trembling shiveringly.

“Thi, this kind of pose……is embarrassing.”

Aldea criticized Kizuna with a voice that contained joy somewhere in it.

“If it’s Kizuna, then it’s fine even if it is seen but……this posture……it’s embarrassing……”

Sensing a feverish gaze, Gravel felt like Kizuna was peering in until the depth of her body. But, the shuddering sensation welling up from the inside of her body was not only shame, delight was obviously mixed in too.

“Both of you, are really beautiful.”

Kizuna’s words of praise made their chest tightened so much that it felt like they could hear the sound *kyun*. And then honey was overflowing from inside the flowers. Kizuna brought the two whose legs were still spread near and joined the two petals to glue at each other.

“Aah, yaaaan, Gra, Gravel’s there is-! A, it feels goodd-”

Aldea moved her hips by her own and rubbed her important place at the similar place of Gravel.

“Hii! Haaah! Aaaaahn, A-, Aldeaaa!”

Viscous sounds resounded, the two petals were rubbing each other. The small buds inside those were swelling up largely and granted even more pleasure to the two.

“Aah, if you do it like that, I’ll become strang――mmuh! Mmmmm”

A cable entered into Gravel’s mouth that was greatly opened gaspingly. Gravel’s expression that was knitted in anguish was inflammatory, fanning the excitement of Kizuna and Aldea even further.

Kizuna also presented a cable in front of Aldea. She was staring at it with feverish eyes for a while, but before long her tongue extended and touched the surface of the cable that was wrapped in viscous liquid.

“Haaa……a……mm, nnnn”

Seemingly getting excited while licking with wet sounds *pecha pecha*, Aldea then also opened her mouth wide and suddenly held the cable inside her mouth.

“Nnuu! Nnnnnnn!”

“Kuhn! Nuuuuuuu-!”

The movements of the two pressing their hips at each other stopped, their waists were trembling in small shivers. When the cables were leaving, drools were trickling down from their slovenly opened mouths.

Having the erogenous zones throughout their bodies stimulated, the two were going to drown inside the wave of pleasure. Kizuna laid down on the bed and moved the bodies of the two above him.

“This time it will be with us three……let’s make this a success.”

“ “……Yes” ”

Surmising Kizuna’s intention, the two of them smiled happily. And then their eyes turned moist towards the organ that didn’t exist in their bodies, towering tall in front of their eyes.

Kizuna’s thing muscled in between the two’s crotches that were still joined, as if screwing into there.

“AAAAaAh! A-amazingg, wha, what’s this-, this is-, completely different with cableee”

Aldea threw her hair into disarray and gasped in pleasure.

“FUaAAaNN! Ki-, Kizuna’s, this is-, as I thoughttt, I, I’m turning strange”

Gravel too raised a happy voice and bent her body backwards.

Kizuna also lovingly caressed at the most important places of the two, there was no way he didn’t feel good. If he let his guard down, he would rush into the climax in the blink of an eye.

Looking at Kizuna’s expression, the inside of their chests turned hot.

‘――Kizuna is also, feeling it from us.’

Thinking that, they put strength into the movements of their hips. Gravel and Aldea stared at each other and felt each others’ will inside those eyes. They nodded a little and pressed their bodies even harder, strengthening the stimulation towards Kizuna.

“Uu! Bo, both of you……kuh”

Hearing the voice of Kizuna which sounded like he was feeling good made them get excessively encouraged. However, at the same time it was a double edged blade that also brought severe stimulation to themselves. They knocked their hips while fighting pleasure that was making them lose their sanity. Gravel and Aldea grasped Kizuna’s thing with their petals and rubbed on it. Each time they fiercely moved up and down, Kizuna’s thing was going in and out from between the crotches of the two, pleasure attacked inside their head like a flow of electric current. And then――,

“――!!”

“Hiuu…..!?”

“!? Hauu……ah……”

The limit of the three simultaneously came.

“HAAAAaAHAaAAAAN!”

“NOOOooOOOOOOO!”

At the same time when Kizuna’s life energy spurted out, bewitching screams burst out from Gravel and Aldea’s throats. Kizuna’s energy rained down on the bodies of the two, and then dazzling radiance of three colors were overflowing from the three bodies.

That radiance went through the cables wrapping around the bodies of the three, spreading towards the whole fleet. Kizuna that was swallowed by the vortex of pleasure let go of the cables’ control and felt exhausted on the bed. Gravel and Aldea also collapsed on his body.

Kizuna embraced the bodies of the two and caressed their heads. Thereupon the two acted spoiled by rubbing their faces on Kizuna’s chest.

Kizuna confirmed the magic power amount they just supplied and frowned.

“We were able to supply quiet a good deal but, as expected with a fleet this large……it now needs, just a little bit more but……Gravel and Aldea, are you two still okay?”

Gravel looked up at Kizuna and gently smiled.

“Of course Kizuna. This time won’t you……let us, do it? That……only being on the side receiving pleasure is, inexcusable or something……is it no good?”

Kizuna smiled in answer to Gravel who was timidly suggesting while breathing out sweetly, he then distanced the cables from the two’s breasts and hands. Both of them looked at each other and then sandwiched Kizuna’s thing by pressing their breasts against each other. At the right was Gravel and the left was Aldea. His thing was pressed on by the two sets of soft mass.

That was a magnificent sensation. Being healed by the spongy objects, it felt like his lower body was melting.

The subtle difference of the left and right was the proof that he was receiving this from the two of them. It even made him become anxious, if a luxury like this was really allowed.

“Hey, Gravel. Can we properly……do this?”

“Yeah……it’s going to be fine, maybe. Move up and down like this……”

The breasts of the two rubbed up Kizuna’s thing. Each time the movement became stronger and the breasts squashed even tighter, becoming even more unbearable.

Light particles began to swim sparklingly inside the eyes of the three.

“Next is……the technique I learned just before this. There is a way to deal the finishing blow at Kizuna.”

“Eh? Ah, that thing from before……”

Smiling proudly, Gravel distanced her breast from Kizuna’s thing.

“It’s like this.”

Gravel opened her mouth widely. While letting out feverish breath and wet tongue, she put Kizuna’s thing inside her mouth. Kizuna was once again exposed towards indescribable heat and pleasure.

He looked down at his lower body. When he actually witnessed by himself how he was given pleasure, he was once again shocked by how unreal the sight looked.

The opponent that once enacted a fight of life and death against him, the strong and sublime hero that was leading a country, was sucking on his thing with an enraptured face.

“He, hey. Gravel? I too……”

Aldea was demanding with the area around her eyes dyed red.

Gravel separated her mouth with a slurping sound. Aldea then brought her face near as if she had waited for that. After gulping audibly with her throat, she swallowed at Kizuna’s thing with all her might.

The thing that was just sucked by Gravel, was next sucked by her. Furthermore it was the thing of Kizuna. When she thought that, a pleasure that made her waist shiver ran through her.

Kizuna was also attacked by a pleasure that made him to writhe around. Even though both were similarly using their mouth, this time’s sensation was also different compared to Gravel. The warmth and softness inside the mouth, the movement of the tongue, everything was completely different.

This was Aldea’s first time, nevertheless she welcomed Kizuna’s thing until the depth of her throat. It was certainly suffocating, but she was feeling a joy that exceeded the pain.

When Aldea separated her mouth, she fiercely took a deep breath.

“Heey…….Gravel……this time, wi……with the two of us, aann!”

He was not only keep getting done in, Kizuna also made the two soak in pleasure in order to resist. Opposite of the two’s upper bodies that became free, the cables were torturing the lower bodies of the two intensively. The cables were entangling the lower bodies like living things and persistently continued to attack their erogenous zones. The cables wedging themselves into their nether regions were pressing on the small buds with their slimy bodies while sliding on.

“Hii……yaaaaaaahaamm!”

“Kuh……fuaaaaanaaaaa-!”

The honey overflowing from the two might even make a puddle on the bed. Both of them collapsed on Kizuna and endured the pleasure that was making them unable to move their bodies, they desperately extended their tongues at Kizuna’s thing that was in front of their eyes. When their tongues touched the towering thing clingingly, they then licked up from both sides. And then they sucked from both sides and the thing was wrapped by two mouths.

“Mm, hah, chuu……uaaaann……chuu”

“Haah, churuu……chu……nnaah! Aaaah”

Before long the three were nearing their limit. It suddenly drove up from the inside of their bodies. It was impossible to stop or even endure it.

Climbing to the peak in one go, pleasure, and then light of magic power caused a large explosion.

“yaAAAAaaAAAnn, HAHAuAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!”

“HAuAAaNNNNNNaYAAAAUUUNNNhAAaaaAAAAAA!”

Greavel and Aldea’s screams were overlapping.

Light of magic power was overflowing from the bodies of the three. Magic power in amount that was incomparable with before was streaming towards all the ships.

Kizuna laid down with rough breathing.

“Manipulating……the cables……is really, tiring――n?”

The pleasure of his lower body was continuing.

“Eh……?”

Gravel and Aldea were continuing to lick Kizuna’s thing. When they were licking up the overflowing liquid with their tongues, they were crawling their tongues thoroughly as if scrambling for it in competition.

“Both of you, the Connective Hybrid was a success. That’s why, you don’t need……”

Seemingly unable to listen to Kizuna’s words, both of them were continuing to lick without paying attention.

“Gravel? Aldea!”

Aldea who finally lifted up her face was smiling with a lascivious look.

“Fufu……what are you saying? Until we reach London, we will need to resupply for three more times you know? There is no time for rest or anything else.”

‘Eh’, Kizuna flowed out cold sweat.

“Ho, however surely Gravel is also at her limit……for the time being let’s”

Around Gravel’s eyes were faintly dyed red, she displayed a bewitching smile.

“No, I’m fine……rather if the magic power is lacking, the fleet might fall down. Tha, that’s right, I think it’s better, to keep doing this the whole time until we arrive…….what do you think?”

She whispered with a sweet voice coaxingly to Kizuna with moist eyes.

Kizuna was convinced that his own energy would be drying up.

Part 2

The energy supply succeeded due to the Connective Hybrid and the Izgard army safely arrived at the coastal waters of Britain. When they attempted to link up with Ataraxia, naturally they were mistaken as an enemy fleet, and almost received an attack. However Kizuna and Gertrude went ahead and somehow managed to avoid a grave incident.

And then Reiri went to meet Kizuna in amazement.

“Good grief. This time you return here with an enemy fleet……your return is really shocking each time.”

At Nayuta Lab’s experiment field, a small high speed ship was landing. Kizuna and Gertrude, then Gravel and Aldea finally arrived at Ataraxia from Izgard’s flagship.

“Nee-chan. I’ll introduce you, This is――”

“I know. Gravel and Aldea huh. We are indebted to you two at Guam and Okinawa.”

“So you are Kizuna’s sister, Reiri huh. I hear that you are the commander of this fortress.”

Sparks scattered between the two.

Reiri asked without averting her gaze from Gravel.

“So Kizuna. What is your intention of returning here together with this bunch?”

“To fight Vatlantis decently, we have no other way than to join hands with Gravel and the others. Let’s fight together.”

“……Sure, okay, you think I’m going to say that?”

“I don’t think so. But, there is no other way than this. Listen to our story first.”

“Just what in the world can be trusted from this bunch?”

Reiri’s words were piercing. But, the things Kizuna had seen and experienced until now were different than her. This reaction was only natural.

“Their world, the whole of Atlantis is on the brink of danger. They are also being cornered. If you will hear Gravel’s story, Nee-chan will understand that Izgard is in need of us.”

Gravel took a step forward and lowered her head suddenly.

“Listen to my story. Like this.”

“!? ……-”

Reiri faltered from that attitude. In front of her face, Kei’s window was floating up.

{Reiri. We should hear the detailed story. It won’t be too late to decide after that.}

She couldn’t bluntly refuse now when not only Kizuna, but that Kei also recommended this. Reiri nodded with a reluctant face.

“……Chih. Very well. But, it will be only those two that step their feet on Ataraxia, if you two show just the littlest bit of a suspicious act, we will regard it as a hostile act at that time.”

Gravel lifted her face and smiled in relief from the bottom of her heart.

“I don’t mind. My gratitude for giving me the chance to talk……thank you, Onee-san.”

“Wha-……!?”

Reiri stiffened with a twitching face.

“I don’t remember giving you permission to call me Onee-san!!”

Reiri said that over her shoulder and went to enter the research building by herself.

“Kizuna. Reiri is your big sister right? Why is she mad?”

Kizuna scratched his head with a troubled look.

“Aa―, about that see……well, don’t mind it.”

――And then the next day. Ataraxia and Izgard tied an alliance.

There was also doubting voices that questioned whether it was really fine to trust Gravel who had attacked Ataraxia once before, but realistically there was no other way to overturn their dilemma, that was also the truth.

To be able to make use of Izgard’s fleet that was even more powerful rather than gathering the whole army of Ataraxia, no, the whole earth, this was actually a charming proposal.

And then above all, was Kizuna’s zealous persuasion showing his strong support for Gravel. And then, the effect of Gravel’s constant earnest attitude in the middle of their dialogue which made her judged as someone that was worthy to be trusted was big. And finally, although they were truly hostile from the difference of standpoint, but if they became ally there was nobody else that could be a more reliable partner, such evaluation was established.

After the dialogue was over, Gravel and Aldea returned to their ship for the moment. On the other hand, Ataraxia was scrutinizing the new fact about the AU that they had never known until now.

The data that had been obtained until now were projected one after another on the wall and air of the central control room.

{From the result of matching the information that Kizuna and Gertrude brought home this time, and the information offered by Gravel and Aldea, we can understand that the cause of everything came from Genesis, the pillar that supports the AU. Due to the lack of magic power, this pillar is causing a malfunction. If we do something about this somehow, almost all of our problems will be resolved.}

Reiri questioned Kei’s information with a look that couldn’t accept it.

“That should be something that even the AU came to understand. Aren’t they taking any kind of measures?”

{Vatlantis Empire, Izgard, Baldein, and so on included, no matter where they are searching in the whole Atlantis, they couldn’t discover the technology for Genesis’s maintenance. Far from that, it is even unclear how it was made.}

Kizuna crossed his arms and stared at the capital of Vatlantis, Zeltis which was projected at a floating window. There, a gigantic pillar that extended towards the sky was projected.

“That pillar, and the Core of Heart Hybrid Gear too, seems to be completely OOPArts. We know the way of using them but, it looks like it’s unclear who was the one creating them and how.”

“Can we do something about that pillar somehow with our technology?”

{I don’t know. But, there was a point that bothered me.}

“What’s that?”

{The case where Kizuna performed Climax Hybrid with Gravel. When I asked, this time they were doing it for the sake of supplying the fleet.}

“Aah, certainly we did that but……what’s the matter with that?”

{Certainly magic armor has commonness with Heart Hybrid Gear and Core, so we thought that it was possible for the two to Hybrid. However supplying energy to things like battleships or magic weapons……that is to say for it to be possible to even give supply of magic power, most likely this could also be used for Genesis’s energy.}

Hitting his hand, Kizuna yelled happily.

“That’s it! It will be fine if Eros become something like a power generator. If we generate magic power and then supply Genesis with that!”

{But, the story is not that simple. The pillar is not simply lacking in fuel, we can imagine that its state is progressing towards breakdown. Is it caused by the Genesis forcibly operating in the state where there is no magic power, or is it because it is continuing to be used even though no maintenance is conducted on it, we don’t know what caused this. However, it should require some kind of repair.}

“Besides, we don’t even know how much magic power we need to provide. If it is something in the level of a pillar that is supporting the world, perhaps it will need magic power in really great amounts that is even larger than what is needed to move a fleet. And like that, are you planning to live by continuously doing Heart Hybrid with those girls for your whole life?”

“Gu, that is……”

Unable to talk back, Kizuna fell quiet.

{Also there is one more disturbing factor.}

“……There is still more?”

{About how the one carrying the countermeasure for Genesis, is Professor Nayuta.}

Kizuna and Reiri held their breath.

“Certainly, that only brings nothing but a bad premonition.”

Reiri spat out.

Even if they try to guess, no one was able to imagine what Nayuta was thinking.

{At any rate let’s go to the other side, nothing can be said unless we try to look at the actual scene ourselves. However, there is the possibility that if Professor Nayuta was advancing her investigation, she might have already discovered some kind of countermeasure. In reality, Professor Hakase is making Genesis operate by the supply of magic power obtained from magic power plant. If that’s the case then naturally she should have also thought about the relation between Heart Hybrid and the pillar.}

Reiri made a complex face and asked Kei.

“This is just a hypothetical story but, let’s say we cannot prevent the breakdown of the other world. In that case, will there be any influence to our world? For example, if we seal all of the Entrances, won’t there be no effect to this world?”

“Nee-chan! That’s――”

In order to stop Kizuna’s objection, Kei’s window manifested in front of his face.

{I cannot say for sure. But, I want you to see this.}

Kei typed the keyboard with a speed that the eye couldn’t catch.

Two graphs were displayed on the screen.

{The right is displaying the time and number of the cataclysms happening at the other world Atlantis. The left is the time period when collision with the other world occurred, and the transition of the Entrance’s manifestation.}

The two graphs were really similar.

{I cannot deny that there is some kind of relation here. This graphs made us imagine that the magic power shortage happening in Atlantis, is causing the collision with the other world.}

“Then, it won’t influence us……we cannot, really assert that.”

{At the worst case, at the same time with the breakdown of Atlantis, a complete collision between the two worlds will happen, and it’s possible that our world will be terminated altogether.}

Reiri sighed and shook her head.

“Good grief……Kizuna, rest for today. You are tired right?”

“But, Nee-chan and Shikina-san?”

“Starting tomorrow we will coordinate with the Izgard army for real. Looks like we are going to work out the concrete plan of the campaign. Tonight we are going to prepare the draft. Your job is to rest your body.”

“I got it……ah”

“What’s the matter?”

After hesitating a little, Kizuna said out one more thing he was worried about.

“I think that this time we will be able to have a direct showdown nicely but……if in the worst case, it becomes a fight with Aine……in front of Zeros’s [Code Breaker], whether its Izgard’s fleet, or magic armor, even Heart Hybrid Gear will be useless. There is a limit even if we avoid fighting right? If Aine appears in front of us……at that time, what are we going to do?”

However, the answer for that question, there was no one that had it.

Part 3

Kizuna came out from the building of the central control room.

The outside had completely become dark. The air was clear, starry sky was spreading above as if they were going to rain down. In exchange of that, the temperature was also going down and his skin felt cold. It would be winter soon at Britain too. There was a lot of time they were sailing near the equator of the Pacific Ocean, so when they neared the coastal area of Britain, all the students and personnel of Ataraxia were trembling.

He thought to traverse the experiment field and return to the dormitory. He could quickly return if he picked a commuter somewhere, but he felt like walking for some reason.

Ahead of the experiment field was pitch black sea of night. The starry sky ended at the horizon as if it was cut off there.

London was certainly ahead of there.

And then ahead of the Entrace was the capital Zeltis. In the end they couldn’t find the whereabouts of Himekawa and the others, but due to their activity as idols, it was impossible to pin down their location.

Even so it was fortunate that they could avoid having a direct confrontation with Aine.

‘――Kizuna.’

“-……Aine-!?”

He looked around him in panic. He felt like he had just heard Aine’s voice calling him.

“Seems like……it’s just my imagination.”

To persuade himself, he said that out loud purposefully. And then he stared fixedly at the darkness where London should be at one more time.

Mysteriously, he had the feeling that Aine was waiting ahead there.

‘But, Aine said she will kill me.

Surely when we meet next we will be fighting each other to kill.’

He shook his head to chase off such thinking, and started to walk once more.

“……Hm?”

Ahead of his path, was a hangar where lighting leaked out. Moreover, there was some kind of commotion.

‘――Did something happen?’

He approached the door of the hangar and quietly peeked inside.

“ARGHHHHH! What alliance with the AU! These weapons can fight equally with the enemy! Give back all of my hard work until now! Just what’s with this mountain of AU’s fleet and magic weaponnnnnnnn!”

It was Kurumizawa Momo of the research department.

Which reminded him, this place was the hangar that Kei took him previously. Inside the huge hangar where even the maintenance of a large transport plane could be carried out, even a simple prefabricated house that was used for the office and sleeping place of the maintenance staff was built there. Inside it Momo was rampaging while looking at the image of the Izgard army. Things like juice cans and food packages were scattered everywhere, documents were also spread on the floor carelessly.

“What are you getting noisy for, Kurumizawa.”

“Ah, Hida-kun! HIDA-KUUUUUUNNN-!”

“Uwaa! Don’t hug me so suddenly-, wait, don’t wipe your nose on me-!”

While flowing out tears and snot, she rubbed her head repeatedly at Kizuna.

“This is cruel! Like this, there is no more turn for me! I’m unemployed in the academy now!”

“Aah……I understand what you want to say but, it’s not like you really became completely useless right?”

Momo lifted her head in a flash.

“Then, there will be a turn for my created weapon at the next operation?”

“Aa―……no, I wonder?”

“SEEEEEE, JUST AS I THOUGHTTTT! UEEEEEEEEEEN”

Momo was trickling out tears like a waterfall once more. Kizuna was quietly looking up at the ceiling with a troubled look.

“Even if for example you didn’t get a turn, that’s because we made a powerful comrade, isn’t this a happy thing?”

Momo howled as if snapping at him.

“It’s not a happy thing! Even though I was finally able to lighten the weight and implemented the power up with great pain! At this rate it won’t even getting evaluated and get discarded to the trash can!”

She grasped a pet bottle and began to gulp it down in one breath.

“Puhaa―! Really, just who― can do this anymore, really―!”

“So you are binge eating and drowning in sake……not, this is just juice. You look nicely drunk huh.”

Kizuna made a wry smile.

Momo violently grasped Kizuna’s arm and dragged him outside the office, they were walking inside the hangar.

“O, oi. Where are you taking me?”

“Look at this!”

At a corner near the wall, weapons were lined in a row. From handgun until large missiles, all were lining up together.

“Heee……this is really a spectacle.”

He wondered just how many there were, the weapons were filling up the huge hangar from one end until the other end.

From rifle that was using orthodox gunpowder, until large cannon, rapid fire cannon, railgun, from small things until large things, the variety was really plenty. And then the missiles too, from things that a person can carry walking around, until missiles with a diameter of two, three meters were also lined up.

“Here! Just look at this.”

Momo was clinging on a large railgun with length of more than five meters while rubbing her cheek on it.

“Aah, if I remember right, it’s Warusaa-kun right?”

“It’s Rugaa-chan! It’s rugaaa from railgun!!”

She was raising a growling voice ‘garuru’ while rattling around her arms and legs. However it was as if she had immediately forgotten her bad mood, she energetically hugged at the nearby rifle. It was a railgun in the style of anti-material rifle with length that reached two meters.

“I remember that one! Yuujirou-kun right!”

The instant he said that full of confidence, his head was struck.

“This is Toshirou-kun!”

“I don’t know that, that’s the first time I heard it!”

“I improved it exactly as Hida-kun requested, so it went through a name change!”

“There is no way I know that!”

Sighing out, he looked down on the rough rifle. And then he ruminated on the sentence Momo just said.

“……What? The improved version, is finished already?”

“I did it―, but, it won’t be― useful anymore though, right―”

She wasn’t drinking but, did she actually have alcohol, or drug, Momo showed a powerless smile while sinking down on the floor.

Kizuna lifted the rifle.

“Indeed it’s lighter……and the carrying method is also……I see, a part to link it with the Gear is attached and it can be fixed on the back. The bullet also became a small size and the number that can be loaded also increased.”

“But― its power is powered up even more you know― ahaha.”

“Isn’t this amazing. With this……hm?”

His eyes caught something piled up at the corner of the warehouse. That thing was in a shape that drew a line with other weapons, it was obviously out of place compared to the surrounding weapons. Engine was installed on a boorish frame and became one with electrical components and so on. Judging it from a glance, he couldn’t think of it as anything but scraps.

But, it was a scrap he remembered seeing before.

“Aah―, that? That’s also in the trash can already. In the first place there is no Core, there is just no leeway to even use that kind of thing right―”

“I see……there is, this.”

Inside Kizuna, something was quietly burning up.

“Hey, Kurumizawa.”

“Mm― whaaat?”

“I want to request a work from you. ASAP.”

Chapter 4 – Clash

Part 1

The wasteland of rubble spreading around London. Magic weapon Albatrosses were standing there. Since the intruders they intercepted the other day after so long, they were continuing to spend their days just standing still once more.

However, this time visitors were coming not so long after the last time.

The sensor of Albatross detected enemy presence, thirty ships of Izgard’s fleet. Starting with the two thousand meter battleship which was the flagship, there were thousand meter class and five hundred meter class installed with powerful firepower, also high speed ships with fast movement were consolidating the flanks.

Currently, it was not an opponent that the magic weapon force surrounding London could do something about somehow. However, for the Albatrosses, difference of battle strength or anything wasn’t a problem. They would be vigilant if something not registered as an ally appeared, and if they were attacked they would return fire. That was the instincts programmed into theses magic weapons.

The bombing of Izgard impacted below the Albatrosses and explosion occurred. Magic power circulated in the whole body of the Albatrosses and they opened their wings together with activation sound. Curtain of sand dust rolled up from the mountain of rubble and the Albatrosses flew up. They readied their bayonets and aimed at the opponent bombarding them.

It was just like the time when the war between earth and AU was beginning.

“Albatrosses are coming! Five of them, behind them are twenty units.”

Operator’s report was resounding inside the flagship Gravel boarded. The bridge was like a lobby of a high class hotel, but it became noisy everywhere. Several operators and ten-odd leaders of every section were gathering. Every leader was moving around busily and gave out instruction for their respective post. And then Gravel was standing at the center, listening to the report.

“Yosh, launch the advance party just as planned. Aldea, Gertrude, I’ll leave this to you two.”

{Roger.}

{Leave it to us.}

Aldea and Gertrude took off from Izgard’s flagship, behind them the magic weapon force of Izgard was continuing after them, heading toward the Albatrosses. Looking at the soaring twenty five units, Aldea licked her lips.

“Fufufu, it has been a long time for an all-out battle like this……fuh, fufufufu.”

Readying her spear with both hands, she leaked out a chuckle that contained madness.

“This woman……she is really a dangerous fellow……”

Gertrude was taking a distance from Aldea with a cramped face.

“Fufuu, Gertrude-san. My bad but, I’ll take that prey.”

After saying that Aldea raised the output of her thrusters and flew out to the front of the Albatrosses in one go. She left behind the magic weapon force that originally was launched to fight as the vanguard.

“Wai! You are going too far ahead!”

In order to back Aldea, Gertrude drew out the two pistols hanging on her thighs. However Aldea was already tearing apart Albatrosses with her spear.

“Uwa! Just what’s that thing!?”

Gertrude spontaneously raised her face from looking at the cut apart Albatross that was warped into a bizarre shape. The Albatross’s body was warping with the track of the cut as the center, the armor and the mechanism inside were twisted up. And then in the next instant, a large explosion occurred. The twenty five Albatrosses were turning into fragments of light one after another.

“Come to think of it I had seen the data before……you have an ability that warps space or something.”

She recalled when they escaped from Zeltis, Aldea used that spear and escaped from Aine.

“If you keep being absentminded, I will really take them all you know?”

That smiling face was like a child when playing with a friend.

“Wai-! Just what’s with that woman. She looks really lively compared to all the time before this!”

The magic weapons deployed for surrounding London sensed the abnormality and were gathering here.

“Ahahahaha, they come, they come! One after another! Aah, I feel it.”

Aldea was lying in wait at the sky for the attacking Albatrosses, she was raising a bloodbath from every single one.

“This woman, it’s pointless no matter what I’m saying……”

Gertrude left this place to Aldea and slipped through the side of the Albatross. She hurriedly lowered her altitude and landed in the city of London. Around her was classical townscape in Victorian-style. She couldn’t see the figures of the people that were the energy source of the magic power plant. It seems that they were staying inside the houses and stores.

She didn’t understand whether it was because of the magic power plant’s timetable, or because it was the emergency behavior for when external enemy came attacking. But, it didn’t change that this was convenient.

“Magic power’s charge is OK……the bullets are enough. Then……”

Sound that was like earthquake was approaching. From the other side of the Victorian street, human-shaped magic weapons were advancing on in forces. It was the human sized magic weapon, Brigand.

The head of the Brigand running at the front row was popped off. It received Gertrude’s bullet and collapsed backwards. Another Brigand running from behind stepped on its collapsed comrade, where the remains were crushed under the feet by even more Brigands running from behind.

“This is now the battle for revenge of the sacrificed dummies for the previous diversionary tactics. Prepare yourself!”

Gertrude’s two pistols spouted fire. The advancing several hundred Brigands were shot through like jokes. Their heads and chest were shot out, the Brigands that had wind holes opened were blown away from the impact of being shot, their figures changing into fragments of light while rolling on the ground, turning into pieces.

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!”

The pistols in the two hands were continuing to shot bullets of light without any time to rest. Gertrude kicked a wall and jumped, then flew into the center where the enemies were crowding in. And then she rotated her body for 360 degree while rapid firing the guns. The Brigands were being taken care of like sweeping trash.

Gertrude’s surrounding suddenly turned dark, a large shadow was spreading underneath her.

“! So it comes.”

From the Entrance that was towering high at the other side of the Tower Bridge, the figure of Vatlantis’s battleship made appearance.

“This is Gertrude. Enemy’s battleship has come out from the Entrance-!”

Aldea who was defeating magic weapons at the sky received contact from Gravel.

{Aldea, retreat immediately.}

“Ee―, even though it’s the good part after this……”

Even while complaining, Aldea reluctantly withdrew from the battlefield.

Ataraxia was approaching Britain until a distance where they barely avoided being stranded and observed the fleet and magic weapons that made an appearance one after another from the Entrance.

In front of Reiri who was staring at the situation from the central control room, a communication from Gravel at the flagship entered.

{Reiri, how is the preparation of your side?}

“No worry. Rather than that quickly empty the path. You are going to sink together like this.”

Reiri pressed the switch on the console and the monitor projected Kizuna who was wearing Eros. Cables were connected throughout his body and he was settled inside a cramped place that was like a spaceship’s cockpit.

“Kizuna, can you do it?”

{Aah, no problem, I can start anytime! The order please!}

A giant screen was displaying the battleships of Vatlantis that appeared from the Entrance from bird-eye view. Reiri concentrated her nerves and stared at the screen where the battle situation kept changing moment by moment.

Her lips suddenly moved.

“Now! Fire, Kizuna!”

{Ouu!}

Magic power was flowed into the shooting device that was already filled until near full already as the last push. The magic power that was converted into electricity pulled the trigger of Ataraxia’s largest and strongest weapon.

“GOOOOOOOOOO-!”

Together with Kizuna’s yelling voice, vast amount of particles created at the deepest part of Ataraxia drove through inside the particle accelerator.

Fierce impact, and then radiance to the degree that one couldn’t look straight at it exploded, the super large particle cannon fired from the front side of Ataraxia.

The shockwave gouged out the sea surface while flying ahead. The radiance that was like the thunder of god instantly traversed above the city that had been turned into a mountain of rubble and reached London.

When the fleet of Vatlantis noticed that light, it was only after the light particles were already swallowing them. Several dozen magic weapons were instantly evaporated, the battleships had their armor torn off and explosions occurred inside. While secondary explosions were happening in succession, the battleships of Vatlantis were sinking down one after another.

Kizuna took a guts pose.

“Yosh-! We did it!”

The cannon had been powered up even more compared to the time they repelled Elma previously. Even the enemy’s fleet should be inflicted with considerable damage.

{Three enemy battleships and one aircraft carrier were shot down. About roughly one hundred and twenty magic weapons were crushed.}

Kei’s message flowed into his information terminal. Cheers were immediately raised inside Ataraxia.

“Hida-kun! You did it!”

Momo came as if leaping in to the firing cockpit.

“Aah, that was an amazing power!”

The firing cockpit where Kizuna was sitting at had an atmosphere like an airplane or spaceship simulator. There was a seat and trigger that looked like a joystick, and around it was surrounded by a lot of gauges and switches. Cables for transmitting magic power from Kizuna to Ataraxia were crammed into that cramped space. That was Ataraxia’s main cannon’s emplacement exclusive for Kizuna.

In the enormous underground tunnel created inside Ataraxia. Kizuna and the others were now in its deepest part. There was the particle generator device there, and the straight line tunnel became the particle accelerator. Inside it, several hundreds of the research department’s staff were moving around for the preparation of the next firing.

“We are going for one more shot. Is the preparation fine?”

“Wait a second! The confirmation is not over yet, so stand by there like that.”

Momo faced the nearby staff and yelled.

“Hurry with the checking of every part! Is the cooling device in full operation? The fifth sub breaks easily right? Go confirm it quickly!”

It was a facility that was this large. Personnel that reached hundreds were invested here to operate the weapon. Moreover, this was the newest experimental technology, not a technology that had been established definitely. On top of the immense preparation just for one shot, unforeseen matters often happened. Although the firing succeeded, it didn’t guarantee that the next shot could be fired without problem.

{Reiri, the movement of Vatlantis army changed. Can the second shot fire yet?}

Gravel’s communication also entered Kizuna’s floating window.

{It will take five more minutes. Can your side hold out?}

Gravel made a sober face at Reiri’s answer.

{The enemy is rushing in with battleships and aircraft carriers, so the tactic changed by sending magic weapons separately. They are not a threat but their number is a lot. The enemy that gets through can possibly head your way.}

Kizuna took off the cables from his body and got down from the firing cockpit.

“Nee-chan, I’m going out.”

{Wait, you stay there. It will be useless if you are not there when the firing preparations are finished.}

“But……”

{The magic weapons we are borrowing from Izgard are protecting Ataraxia. Don’t worry.}

Reiri said that and cut the transmission.

The monitor of Nayuta Lab projected the figures of magic weapons standing on top of Ataraxia’s defensive building. If compared to Vatlantis’s magic weapons, then the frame’s shape was like Albatross. But strangely the design was different, it gave the impression that it wasn’t as refined compared to Vatlantis’s magic weapons, it had the image like a model of several generations beforehand.

While looking at its appearance, a self-depreciating smile floated on Reiri’s face.

“Nevertheless……I never, to think that a day will come when magic weapons are protecting this Ataraxia.”

She tapped the console and gave out instructions with a dignified voice.

“From C-area to E-area, spread the barrage! They are coming!”

Exactly as Gravel predicted, the Albatrosses that broke through Izgard’s defensive line were approaching Ataraxia. Ataraxia’s defensive system aimed at the magic weapons and repeated firing. However, other than the gigantic particle cannon that was Ataraxia’s main cannon, the other weapons couldn’t raise that much accomplishment.

Looking at that, Reiri immediately gave out instruction.

“Magic weapon unit, go-!”

Izgard’s magic weapons flew up to intercept the enemy, they clashed with the Albatrosses at the sky. Even Izgard’s magic weapon that looked like old models put up a fight without pulling back a single step.

“Certainly it seems that it has inferior performance……but right now they can give us cover somehow with numbers.”

The assistance that was more reliable than she thought made Reiri patted down her chest.

It was also the same for Kizuna who was at the firing device of the main cannon.

Kizuna was in suspense staring at the monitor while still sitting inside the firing cockpit, but the magic weapons of Izgard was gradually looking reliable.

‘――That’s the spirit. Do your best there!’

Beside Kizuna who was cheering inside his heart, the window of Nayuta Lab was opening. Reiri and Kei’s talk could be heard from there.

{Kei, how many of the enemy’s magic weapons have reached Ataraxia?}

Kei displayed the map of enemy and ally forces at the monitor in answer. The lights that signified the enemies were moving around the circle that represented Ataraxia.

“Roughly twenty, thirty machines. But, on top of their many numbers their speed is also fast. Whether we can capture all the enemies or not is……}

{I see. The frame of magic weapon is big, but in the off chance that magic armor slips among them, we might overlook it.}

Kizuna also glared at the forces map, he felt anxiety of the situation worsening. Certainly the situation had mostly become a melee fight. With this surely it was difficult to accurately grasp the battle situation. While thinking of such thing, he suddenly felt a gaze and raised his head.

In front of Kizuna’s eyes, there was a girl that was sticking out like a sore thumb.

Even with the magic armor she was wearing, the painful-looking scars on her half-naked body were visible. It was like she forgot to put on her skirt, the panty at her lower body was laid bare. And then the twin swords she held at both her hands.

Kizuna’s thought petrified for an instant due to the unexpected existence.

“So you are hiding……in this kind of hole, Lemuria’s demon king.”

‘――Lunora!?’

Lunora prepared her swords and charged at him.

‘――Fast!’

The firing cockpit was bisected into two. He immediately deployed Life Saver, but protecting his body was the best he could do. Kizuna’s body that was thrown away from the cockpit fell on the floor.

“Kuh……this is bad!”

‘――If we fight here, the main cannon will become unusable. This thing is the important means to capture the AU.’

The fragments of the cockpit scattered everywhere, he recovered his stance while rolling. He fully opened his thrusters and charged at Lunora.

“Fuh!”

Heading to Lunora who was readying her swords at the front to make her counter, Kizuna manifested three layers of Life Saver.

“What!?”

“UOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Using the Life Saver as a wall, he crashed into Lunora.

“Shit-! Something like this!”

She stabbed her twin swords, but as expected, even Lunora couldn’t easily break this wall.

‘――I’ll push her out in one go like this! I want more output!’

Parts were created from Kizuna’s back, thruster parts that looked like they were assembled by unseen hands appeared. Thanks to doing Connective Hybrid with Gravel and Aldea, his thrusters were also carrying considerably powerful propulsive force. Kizuna wrung out his whole output and dashed inside the particle accelerator in a straight line.

Lunora couldn’t move her body from the excessive acceleration G-force and got pushed out until the outside of Ataraxia.

“Yosh-!”

Kizuna pushed away his Life Saver in order to throw away Lunora’s body. Lunora held her ground in the air and glared at Kizuna with an expression of rage.

“You……!”

Kizuna hid his nervousness with a smile and declared to Lunora.

“It’s not polite to enter someone’s home as you please yeah!”

Beside Kizuna’s face, Reiri’s floating window opened.

{Kizuna! What happened?}

“Lunora appeared inside the accelerator! I’m in the middle of battle right now!”

{What!? Oi, the situation――}

Without any time to even answer Reiri, Lunora came slashing at him.

“UOO!”

The two sword attack unleashed from her both hands was trying to carve apart Kizuna with a terrific speed. The combination of the left and right swords were splendid, he could only just barely evade.

“Chih!”

He somehow took distance from Lunora.

“As expected……evading them is――guh!”

A gash entered Eros’s armor. And then blood spurted out from Kizuna’s forehead.

‘――I couldn’t evade……is it? It was just barely, even though I planned to dodge them all.’

Kizuna wiped with his hand the blood flowing from his forehead without taking off his eyes from the opponent.

Lunora lightly threw her two swords up and renewed her hold. And then she was peeking for an opening in order to bring Kizuna down for sure this time.

“Your movement……slow. You look unmoving. If you stay in the Colosseum like that……most likely you will die in a week.”

Kizuna felt a shudder against the two sword style girl in front of his eyes.

“One week huh……about how long you’ve survived in the Colosseum?”

Perhaps she recalled her past of fierce fighting. Or else, perhaps her fear of strangers didn’t change even against the opponent she was having a death match with. Lunora’s expression stiffened for a moment.

“……Five years.”

However Lunora didn’t look that much different in age with Kizuna. She said five years ago, that meant when she was around the age of an elementary student.

“Since you were that young……just why, were you made to do something like killing each other huh?”

“I wasn’t made to do it.”

Lunora displayed a smile on her lips.

“I don’t even have anywhere else to go……”

“Lunora, you――”

“Hey― Lunora! I’m also coming here!”

A carefree voice cut in.

“Ramza, so you finally arrived.”

Lunora spoke briskly like a different person.

From the sky, red hair with small red wings, a magic armor that was like a bikini armor appeared.

‘――Quartum’s Ramza!’

Kizuna clicked his tongue to the condition that further worsened.

Ramza’s strength was of unknown quantity and he didn’t understand the scope of her power. But, this girl was also one of the Quartum. There was no doubt that she was formidable. Also, in the previous battle, she was stopped from fighting by Lunora. There was high possibility that she was hiding some kind of terrifying ability.

‘――Shit-, I wanted you to at least keep this girl at bay you know, Gravel’

“I got a little held up. It’s really hard doing it while holding back you know―. Buttt……”

She looked down at Ataraxia below her with eyes that shined in expectation.

“If it’s there, it’s fine even if I get serious right?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind. But don’t force yourself. I beg you, don’t act rashly.”

“Whoohoo!”

Ramza held her tomahawk in her hand and descended to Ataraxia.

‘This is bad!’ just when his attention was taken by Ramza, the two swords were approaching before his eyes.

“GUAAAAAAAAAaah!”

Lunora’s swords smashed into Eros’s armor, Kizuna’s body that lost his posture control was falling down to Ataraxia. Kizuna dropped down on top of a car parked in a parking lot. The impact crushed the roof of the car and broke apart the glass into pieces. Kizuna’s breathing stopped for a moment from being struck.

“Gah! ……kuh”

Chasing behind Kizuna, Lunora also gently landed down on the parking lot.

“To look another way……like this, far from a week, you won’t even survive three days.”

Kizuna somehow rotated his body while coughing violently and dropped from the car to the ground. Right after that, the car he was just on at was bisected into two. The shockwave bisecting the car carved a crack at the ground and rushed right beside Kizuna. Kizuna’s cheek was cut by that shockwave, and blood flowed.

At the other side of the car that now became scrap, Lunora with a sword in both her hands dangling down was standing. Right when she was going to ready her swords again, Ramza’s carefree voice resounded.

“Hey― Lunora. Is it fine around here?”

Ramza was waving her hand at the intersection a little ahead from the parking lot.

Lunora answered without even turning back.

“Yeah, dig down to the underground from there.”

“Yo―sh, I’m doing it―!”

Ramza’s red hair was emitting light like a real flame. The surrounding trees were set on fire and blazed up, causing squall to roll up. Hot wind suddenly struck Kizuna’s face.

“Wha, what? That’s”

“That’s……Ramza’s power.”

The heat Ramza emitted distorted the armor panel of Ataraxia and began to gouge out a large hole in the ground. The lifeline pipes and cables sleeping underneath blazed, they melted and vanished.

If she released this much heat, Ramza herself shouldn’t end up safe. However looking at Ramza’s face that seemed like in a pleasant feeling, Kizuna was dumbfounded.

“Ye―p, as I thought letting out my full power feels good~. The break becomes ineffective if it runs wild though. Well I’m in good condition now, it’s going to be alright.”

She was stretching refreshingly while whispering such thing.

“Uu……shit, I cannot get near!”

He wanted to go stop her, but he couldn’t get near the really high temperature. Far from that, just by being nearby made him unable to breath. Like this, it was understandable why Lunora stopped Ramza at Zeltis.

Kizuna distanced himself for the moment. He was flying away from the intersection where Ramza was.

“This is Kizuna! Ramza is emitting high temperature trying to open a hole in Ataraxia! At this rate not only the main cannon, even Ataraxia will get destroyed!”

{What did you say? Certainly, abnormality in Ataraxia’s facility is――}

Reiri’s communication was cut off. And then an explosion occurred at the spot where Ramza was. Black smoke was rising up to the sky.

Kizuna clicked his tongue.

The cables and wireless system running inside Ataraxia seemed to be dead.

Perhaps with that high temperature, Ataraxia’s system was being destroyed from the inside.

‘――What to do to remove that girl?’

This time Lunora was hot on his heels, not even giving him any leeway to think of a countermeasure.

“Lemuria’s demon king, prepare yourself!”

Lunora was faster in speed. At this rate he would be overtaken.

“I cannot win in speed and sword fighting! Then, this!”

Kizuna spread his hands and light particles were converging between them, the light was crystallizing into the shape of a large sword and a huge sword appeared from inside, and then gun with cylinder and several cannon barrels lining up in circle shape, those two parts combined into a Sword Gatling.

“I’ll match you with firepower!”

The Sword Gatling groaned. Without any gap at all, bullets were streaming out like a waterfall. Each time a bullet impacted, a flame pillar rose up and explosion burst out. While he was repeating bombardment in pursuit of Lunora who was moving agilely, his sight was completely stolen by blast smoke.

‘――Damn it. I cannot see any……!?’

Something cold ran shudderingly on his back. That was the instinct of living things. Without turning back, he swung out his Sword Gatling using his spinal reflex.

Sharp metallic sound resounded from inside the smoke, sparks scattered. The smoke was blown away from the wind pressure, there Lunora was blocking the Sword Gatling with her right arm.

‘Gulp’, Kizuna’s throat sounded.

The heavy class Sword Gatling was defended with one hand. Lunora still had one more sword. If he was cut by the remaining sword, he would be killed. Even now that sword was going to slash at him. However, she kept her posture without moving.

Both of their nervous gazes clashed with each other.

‘――What’s wrong? Why doesn’t she attack?’

He thought doubtfully, Kizuna stared hard at Lunora’s face, wondering if he could read her thought from her expression.

At that time, a little hesitation was created inside Lunora.

‘――Ainess-sama, said not to lay a hand at the demon king Kizuna……however, I received instruction from Grace-sama and Zelsione-sama, don’t let a chance to kill go away if it comes.’

However, there was no way Kizuna could understand what was inside her mind. If she wasn’t going to attack, then it was a chance to talk. Kizuna decided that and spoke to Lunora with all his might.

“Oy, you fought at the Colosseum because you didn’t have any place to go, that’s what you said but……didn’t you have, anything like a home or a family?”

Lunora put strength into the fingers holding the sword. She was feeling like a stranger was stepping inside her room with muddy shoes. Just why she had to teach the feeling hidden inside her heart to this kind of guy?

‘――As I thought, I should prioritize Zelsione-sama’s order.’

The emotion of fury drove her to kill the opponent before her eyes. However, when she thought that this person was someone that would soon die by her hands, her feeling changed. After all this was a person that would die soon, it didn’t matter what she told him. Perhaps he would be more at ease if she talked. Such whim made her talk about her past.

“I had them, but they died. I also lost my home. For I who had nothing to depend on, I lived as a beggar.”

Kizuna was shocked that Lunora answered him honestly. He never thought that she would actually answer him.

“There was nothing that I could really wear, there wasn’t even things I could eat……but when I peeked at other people’s home, warm room, and delicious looking meals existed in excess. Even though we lived in the same world, even though right beside them there was a human that was freezing, almost dying from hunger……I was, unable to suppress my wonder about that.”

Lunora didn’t particularly show emotion and spun her words apathetically.

“At such time, the organizer of the Colosseum called out to me who was sleeping on the side of the street. It was because she needed someone to play the role of the killed one as an attraction. My first opponent, was a fat rich person with the hobby of killing children.”

“That kind of match……no, it cannot even be called a match.”

“As expected it was impossible for it to be a championship match. But, for an opening performance or filler match……there are outrageous content as many as they like. Especially in the past. And so, I was given a single shabby knife. And then I was told. [This is a death match. You can receive money if you kill your opponent. But you die if you lose].”

That was also the content that was told to Kizuna. However it was too cruel of a story for such a thing to be thrust onto a child with that kind of circumstances. Kizuna felt rage, but Lunora’s reaction was different.

“I thought, is there really such a dream-like job. I didn’t value my life, so even if I lose I won’t lose anything. Yet despite so, I can receive prize money if I win. I doubted that such a one-sidedly convenient story really existed. But it was true.”

Lunora narrowed her eyes, seemingly feeling a little nostalgic.

“The rich person wore armor while holding a large sword, everyone was thinking that I would get killed. However I, immediately understood how to kill my opponent. Avoid the sword’s large swing, use the momentum to approach near and stab the heart. It was a simple work. After killing the rich person, I got the prize money. It was the first money I obtained from working.”

“Is that so……”

She had walked such a gruesome life until now.

Kizuna once more ruminated, on the fact of Lunora’s survival of many death matches at the Colosseum, until she became called as a death god.

“After that I was picked by Zelsione-sama, and I distanced myself from the Colosseum. Zelsione-sama saved me…….Ramza is also the same.”

“That girl also originated from the Colosseum?”

“That girl was in a facility……she was a child that was supposed to be culled.”

Kizuna couldn’t reply towards that unexpected answer.

“Because of that special ability of Ramza, she was abandoned by her parents, avoided by everyone. She was unable to control her ability and even burned to the ground the facility she was held in. And then at the time when she was finally going to be disposed……the one who picked up Ramza, was also Zelsione-sama.”

“Was that how it happened……”

Inside Kizuna’s memory, there was the figure of Zelsione who liked to sadistically torment her enemy. However, it seemed that it was not everything of her.

“I’m feeling gratitude to Zelsione-sama who is valuing me. However, I don’t know any other way except killing my enemy and obtaining compensation.”

Kizuna stared fixedly at the face of Lunora who was talking indifferently.

“The food for your living, the feeling of your gratitude, repaying the favor you got, and even the charity, so you make up all of those with the blood of other people.”

Lunora’s face clouded as if she came to herself. Her face when she was being talkative was completely hidden and she returned to her usual attitude that was anxious to strangers.

“I talked too much……but it was towards someone who will die soon, so that’s fine.”

After she nodded in satisfaction, she smiled broadly to Kizuna.

“I’m glad you told me your story. But, it just gave me even more reason to not die.”

Lunora slightly knitted her eyebrows.

“……Why?”

“After hearing such an important story, there is no way I can die taking that story to my grave alone right? I’m even going to make a gathering to make you happy Lunora with everyone.”

“Wha……”

Lunora’s face became bright red. And then she immediately swung her sword. The rough attack that was unlike Lunora bisected the Sword Gatling. The rugged barrels were very easily split into two and fell to the ground.

However the careless attack that was not like her couldn’t wound Kizuna.

“You, you plan to tell people?”

“Yeah. Also, I’ve got to defeat you no matter what. In order to let you know that there is no need to die even in defeat. And then, in order to make you understand that you can live even without fighting!”

The moment he said that, he ignited his thrusters and took distance from Lunora.

“I, I won’t let you escape!”

Lunora immediately chased behind Kizuna.

In the little time before he was overtaken, he had to think of his next move.

‘――Now that the Sword Gatling isn’t working against her, what to do? What I can use is the effect from the Connective Hybrid with Gravel and Aldea. If that’s the case…….’

The memory when he fought the two of them came to the surface like a revolving lantern.

Kizuna turned at a corner and did a spin turn, stopping in place. And then he fully operated Eros’s Core and circulated magic power through his whole body.

“Here I go, just like when I defeated Gravel! Bring here the fire power to the degree that won’t even leave any place to escape for Lunora!”

Gunsword was being created at Kizuna’s back. At first it was one, and then two, and then in the blink of an eye the number was increasing to an amount that fully covered his behind.

Lunora who was turning corner chasing behind Kizuna, doubted her eyes. There was a wall of gunsword towering behind Kizuna.

‘This is bad――’, when she thought that she was already exposed to a barrage that was like a storm.

“Kuh! So this is the rumored power of the demon king!”

She knew how he made the ability of the magic knight he turned into his subordinate into his own. However, it was implausible that he could freely increase the weapon like this.

But, with this she could only believe it.

Nevertheless, even with this much power displayed to her, Lunora’s heart didn’t feel any impatience or despair. Regardless of the desperate situation, Lunora’s mind was cool, she calmly analyzed the situation. It was something that came from her experience in the Colosseum. Right now, this place was Lunora’s Colosseum.

‘――It’s fine, I can evade.’

Certainly the bombardment was fierce. However there was a fixed pattern of the bullets’ position, if she calmly dealt with it, she could evade or escape.

And then, at the same time she could also kill.

The eyesight of Lunora who had survived through the Colosseum saw through the route to evade the bullets while reaching Kizuna. Lunora took that route with all her might.

Amidst the barrage that was like a rain, she weaved through the gaps that were barely there with razor sharp movement, heading towards Kizuna. She evaded the bombardment with posture control in the measurement of millimeters, to the right, to the left, and then lowered her head, to the right. She approached Kizuna in a flash.

Kizuna’s face distorted in nervousness from not expecting it.

Lunora readied the swords in both her hands. At that time, she decided the combination to carve apart Kizuna.

Kizuna was also holding sword in his hand, but she didn’t fear it. In his right hand was gunsword, in his left hand was a spear. Both weapons couldn’t follow her speed.

Kizuna raised up his gunsword.

But, her charge was faster.

As a threat, Kizuna directed the spear at his left hand to Lunora. But she was too fast and it hit empty air. He seemed to aim at her leg, the spear’s tip gouged the ground.

His movement stopped from the spear, he seemed to plan to slash his gunsword, but it wasn’t effective at all.

Lunora leaped into Kizuna’s bosom.

He was completely late at swinging his gunsword. Far from that, the gunsword was still held aloft above.

Lunora’s two swords struck in four slashes within an instant.

Was how it was supposed to be.

The certain death four consecutive attacks cut empty air.

‘――Wha,’

Kizuna’s body became far for an instant.

‘――Why?’

The spear at Kizuna’s left hand was strangely jumping, it was then pulled out.

The ground scraped by that spear, was far.

At that time, she realized the true identity of the spear at Kizuna’s hand.

‘That is, Aldea’s,

――Space distorting, spear.’

Lunora’s body was pierced by a terrific impact.

“UOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!”

The gunsword pulverized Lunora’s magic armor [Seles]. Lunora’s body was blown away like a fired bullet, she was thrown into a building wall. The great momentum destroyed the building wall as it was and she broke through the other side while rolling.

That impact also inflicted severe damage at Lunora’s flesh. Lunora’s body that lost strength was rolling on the street like a doll rolling over. Her head was strangely calm while she was rolling.

‘Aa……I lost.

The barrage before. It didn’t have gaps. All was prepared beforehand. I who let my blood rush to my head and rush the match got wholly caught into that trap.

Also, not only Gravel, he could even make the ability of Aldea as his own at the same time.

I see, this is defeat.

This is, the power of Lemuria’s demon king――.’

Collapsing on the ground, Lunora lost consciousness.

Kizuna arrived beside her.

“Oi……you’re alive?”

Lunora didn’t reply. However she was breathing.

“I want to do first aid but……right now――”

“You’re safe!? Kizuna!”

At that time, Gravel and Aldea came down from the sky. Kizuna answered with a smile at the worried two.

“Gravel and Aldea yourself, are you guys safe?”

“Sorry, Zeltis’s garrison that appeared from the Entrance is a lot more than imagined. Because of that it took time――”

Stopping Gravel that was trying to explain the reason, Kizuna pointed at the direction where flame was rising up.

“Rather than that, I want you to do something about that somehow.”

The flame was whirling with amazing speed, turning into a globe that was shining crimson. The fierce flame and heat were melting Ataraxia’s armor, right now more than half of that figure was sinking into the ground.

Aldea was trickling down cold sweat with a cramped face.

“I don’t really want to get near that there. Just what is that?”

“That is……”

Just when Kizuna was going to talk, the flame sphere suddenly raised a flame pillar.

“-!?”

Vibtartion that shook the whole Ataraxia attacked Kizuna and the others. Flames were spouting out from the drainage of the street nearby.

“Damn it! That Ramza. She is doing as she pleases!”

“Ramza you say?”

Gravel asked in surprise.

“Yeah, in the center of that flame Ramza is――”

Flame wall was approaching in front of Kizuna who was pointing at the flame sphere.

“UOOO!?”

“KYAAA!”

“Fly!! Both of you!”

Gravel’s yell made Kizuna and Aldea fully opened their thrusters. The three flying to the sky avoided the tsunami of flame by a hairbreadth.

“Wha……what is, thattt?”

Looking from the sky, they now understood that flame tsunami was spreading to the whole of Ataraxia from Ramza’s fire globe. The diameter of the hole made by the fire globe was extending several times over and muddy flame that looked like magma was gushing forth. Surely the flame was also spreading underground. The gutter, manhole, the entrance of the underground train, and so on, flames was spurting up from the mouths that were connected to the underground.

“Shit-! That Ramza, she is getting carried away.”

Gravel asked the cursing Kizuna.

“That’s Ramza’s doing?”

“Yeah. Ramza is in the center of that. She is generating high temperature flame from her body.”

With the flame sphere as the center, cracks were running through the street. When the pavement jumped up as if exploding, steam was blowing out fiercely from inside.

“The enemy’s aim is to make Ataraxia’s main cannon powerless. But, this is not in that level. Far from the main cannon, Ataraxia itself will be melted.”

Perhaps the wiring and lifelines under Ataraxia had died, the electronic billboards displayed throughout the city shutdown all at once. The flame flowing out from the sphere blazing bright red was like water bursting out from a broken dam and invaded the town area of Ataraxia, the flame was rapidly spreading.

“Shit-! Anyway let’s try getting near. We cannot leave her alone more than this!”

“Eee―, even though it’s this hot already here, it’s insane to get near that.”

Aldea accompanied the two even while complaining. When they reached right above the globe, the heat of the flame rising from below was more than they imagined.

While sweating, Gravel murmured unable to make sense of it.

“Indeed I have heard about Ramza’s special ability. But, no matter how this is……what do you think Aldea? Have you participated in a mission together with Ramza before?”

Aldea was fanning her face with her hand while answering in fed-up.

“Let’s see. Previously, I have seen Ramza in real battle, but it didn’t get so big until this scale, this is a little……abnormal isn’t it?”

Like a sun that spouted up its prominence, flame was sometimes spouting up from the sphere. And then while the hole was increasing in diameter, the sphere was sinking into Ataraxia.

Kizuna wiped his trickling sweat.

“By any chance, did something happen to Ramza?”

He desperately thought how to resolve this, but he didn’t get any idea at all. However, suddenly something he wanted to test came to mind.

‘――If that girl is also wearing magic armor, then can I open communications with her?’

Kizuna opened a floating window and searched for communication partner around the coordinates of Ramza’s position.

“It’s not a solution but, perhaps I can persuade her. At the very least even if it’s just a clue……”

Suddenly a girl with red hair was projected in the window. That girl was surprised exaggeratedly and raised her voice.

{UWAA! That startled me―. Just when I thought who was it, I never thought that it’s from the demon king of Lemuria.}

Ramza’s way of talking was the same like when she was talking with Lunora, a bright carefree voice.

“Ramza! Just what are you planning to do!”

{Hm? It’s making this fortress powerless you know. Especially that tough particle cannon I think.}

As expected that was it. Kizuna nodded.

“At this rate, you won’t seal not only the main cannon, but this Ataraxia will sink. If that happens, a great number of lives will be lost because of your power. Can we avoid at least that somehow?”

According to Lunora’s story, in the past, disaster was brought about to people with this power as the cause. If, she had a regret about that, then possibly――,

{Hm―m……if I can, I want to do that but see……}

Ramza knitted her eyebrows looking troubled and smiled.

“Then do that! Please!”

{Ahaha, actually I too didn’t intend to make it until this showy though……}

“This isn’t something to laugh about! Then quickly――”

{Actually it is completely running wild……it’s unstoppable already.}

“Wha……”

‘――What the hell!?’

Kizuna’s mouth kept opened and he couldn’t make out a word.

{When my condition is bad, there were times when I couldn’t stop the flame. But, this is the first time it’s this bad. For some reason, it feels like I’m imprisoned inside my own flame……}

“Something, is there no way to stop this!?”

Ramza scratched her head. Sweat was trickling down her forehead, it looked like Ramza herself was feeling hot.

{It will stop if I release my magic armor but……the magic armor also doesn’t listen to what I say……I wonder if the Core itself had gotten strange from the heat? And so, my bad, but quickly evacuate the place or something. Indeed, I don’t like to kill people pointlessly.}

Ramza’s attitude that seemed to have given up already made Kizuna feel an uncomfortable feeling.

“And, when is this rampage going to end?”

{I don’t know. But, I think it’s going to stop if I die.}

What?

{Seems like, it’s getting hot that even I myself is going to get burned. At this rate will I die burning, or will I die from using up my magic power……that’s why, you can just leave me here alone.}

The communication cut off after she said that.

‘――Shit-! Running wild she said? However, it will stop if Ramza died?’

{Kizuna! Can you hear!?}

Suddenly the line with Nayuta Lab came back. However it was only voice while the image was noise.

“Nee-chan! Just now I directly heard the story from Ramza but――uoo!?”

Even looking down from the sky, he could understand that Ataraxia below him was greatly shaking. Sound of the ground rumbling was reverberating, and then that sound was rapidly getting louder.

“Don’t tell me, this is!”

Enormous explosive sound that sounded confined could be heard, shaking Ataraxia fiercely one more time. And then enormous flame spouted out from the flank.

“That’s……the area around the main cannon’s firing hole……don’t tell me……”

{It’s exactly as you imagined. Just now, the firing system of the main cannon was destroyed. With this we cannot fire the particle cannon anymore. But, Ramza’s temperature is further increasing, the damage is spreading. A few more minutes and it is going to break through Ataraxia’s bottom. We cannot even close the dividing wall anymore, the evacuation won’t make it in time too.}

“Ku……”

{Aldea, this is your turn.}

“Me? Just what are you going to make me do?”

Aldea tilted her head with a cautious voice.

{The Labyrinth Cube that imprisoned Himekawa. Use that and remove Ramza.}

Aldea lifted the corner of her mouth.

“Fufu, I see. If I lock her up, she will self-destruct by her own heat isn’t it? Well, the problem is can the Labyrinth Cube endure Ramza’s heat or not, however……there is worth in trying it.”

{Deal with Ramza no matter what! I’ll leave it to you!}

Kizuna couldn’t move when the floating window closed. He understood that they had to act quickly. However, Ramza’s history that he heard from Lunora flashed through his head.

“What’s the matter? We are going now Kizuna.”

Aldea called to Kizuna who kept floating in a daze.

“Aah, I get it.”

Aldea faced the hole the fire globe made and descended down. She was feeling as if she was descending down into the caldera of a volcano.

“U……it’s really hot here. But, if I don’t get nearer, the Labyrinth Cube cannot be linked.”

“Let’s descend a little bit more. We are plunging into the hole.”

Aldea made a dissatisfied face towards Gravel who easily said that.

“You say that easily but, we are going to get burned just by getting near you know?”

“It’s fine, just do your best. I’ll praise you later.”

“Geez―……absolutely okay?”

Aldea entered inside the hole while trying to hold her breath. After her Gravel and Kizuna followed.

The rim of the hole was shining red like magma, it was melting like gooey. And then, on their path was an object like the flame of a smelting furnace solidified round whirling. Approaching near the fire globe that was squirming like a living thing, their body temperature was becoming high, they felt the temperature increasing each time they approached for ten more centimeters. Sweat trickled from their whole body and their heads were becoming hazy.

“Geez, this is the limit!”

Aldea talked as if crying while sweating like a waterfall.

It was fifty meters from the target. If they were without their magic armor, they would have been burnt to death a long time ago. Aldea finally stopped and disassembled the six shields protecting her body.

Kizuna faced Aldea’s back and asked.

“Can you do it from this distance, Aldea?”

“I’ll do it somehow. Go-, Labyrinth Cube!”

Armor tor3 off from Aldea’s body, the cross parts changed shape. All six crosses were flying towards the ball of flame.

Aldea concentrated her mind and controlled the crosses. Sweat that was like a globe flowed down into the valley of her breasts. The cross parts configured their surfaces and created a cube. It was impossible for the thing locked inside this cube to escape. Using the power of the magic armor Zeel, it created a perfect prison by warping the space, and because it was impossible to escape, the heat energy was also locked inside the Labyrinth Cube. They would remove Ramza from Ataraxia, at the same time Ramza herself would be defeated by her own energy, it was a tactic that killed two birds with one stone.

The cross parts sunk into the flame and their figures vanished. Kizuna became anxious, if the parts melted or not. He wanted to ask the situation, but Aldea was concentrating so there was no way he could call her. Not only the heat, impatience was also gradually scorching the inside of his chest.

“I caught her!”

Suddenly Aldea yelled with a satisfied voice.

The flame globe burning below them instantly changed into a cube.

“You did it! You did really well, Aldea!”

Gravel too clenched her fist like a guts pose.

“I’m bringing it up now!”

The moment she said that, Aldea was rising through the side. The flaming cube was following her as if being pulled. Kizuna and Gravel escaped to the outside in panic. And then like that they flew through the sky in one go. At the sky where cool wind was blowing, the rectangle box of flame was floating.

“A success, huh.”

Kizuna murmured while staring at the Labyrinth Cube floating five hundred meters in the sky.

The flame was perfectly isolated, so it wasn’t hot even if he approached near. But, the cross parts composing the Labyrinth Cube were melting at the surface.

Kizuna sent a communication at Ramza inside the Labyrinth Cube. However there was no reply. But, the flame was burning meant that she was still alive.

‘――Is it really okay, to burn her to death just like this?’

He could hear Lunora’s voice inside his head once more.

{Because of that special ability of Ramza, she was abandoned by her parents, avoided by everyone. She was unable to control her ability and even burned to the ground the facility she was held in. And then, at the time when she was finally going to be disposed……the one who picked up Ramza, was also Zelsione-sama.}

“Zelsione huh……”

‘――She is quite someone.’

“A pervert though.”

Kizuna made a thin smile at his lips and then spoke to Aldea.

“……Can you release the Labyrinth Cube for me?”

Aldea tilted her head a little in puzzlement, unable to understand her ally.

“Why?”

“I’ll save Ramza.”

“Haa!? What are you saying? Even though we finally locked her up, all that hardship is going to come to nothing!”

Gravel also made a grim face.

“Besides there is no way to save her. Just how in the world are you going to rescue Ramza?”

“Ramza said before that the flame will stop if her magic armor is released. That’s why, I’ll drag out Ramza from the flame globe and rip off that girl’s magic armor by force!”

Gravel spoke to Kizuna who declared that angrily to make sure.

“Kizuna. I won’t say that it’s bad to show mercy. But, there is the risk that we will be exposed to danger once more. Do you understand that?”

“Yeah. That’s why, I’ll do it alone.”

Similar with when he defeated Lunora, Kizuna created a gunsword in his right hand, and a spear in his left hand.

Aldea sighed in amazement.

“Hey, Gravel? Looks like it pointless to say anything anymore to him.”

However Gravel crossed her arms in a state that couldn’t accept what was going on and pursed her lips in bad mood. Kizuna didn’t notice that displeasure of Gravel, he lightly swung up the weapons in his hands as if to measure the weight and fixed his grip.

“So that you won’t get swallowed, run away right after you dismantle the cube. Also, Gravel.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry but, if I fail then Ramza……could you make it easy for Ramza?”

“I refuse.”

“Eh”, Kizuna leaked out such a voice.

“No, ‘leave it to me’……isn’t that what you should say in that kind of scene?”

Gravel decisively said to Kizuna who was smiling wryly.

“You, hereafter you have to bring about a miracle in an even more difficult reality. Just something this much, should be naturally doable for you.”

His comrade in arms grinned broadly.

“Take care of this quickly.”

Kizuna didn’t answer with words, he put strength into the sword and spear he gripped in his hands and flew towards the Labyrinth Cube.

“Now Aldea!”

The Labyrinth Cube detached not even an instant after Kizuna’s voice. The parts were flicked off and the vortex of flame locked inside was spreading.

“HAA!”

Towards the flame assaulting him with explosive momentum, Kizuna swung his spear. The spear that distorted space cut open the flame. Ahead of the wrenched open space, the figure of the girl at the center of the flame was exposed.

‘――There!’

Kizuna threw away the spear and deployed Life Saver that covered his body surface. And then he flew into the chasm of the flame. The heat was terrific. His body burned, it was like he would be burned to death. Perhaps his whole body was getting burn damage. But he didn’t confirm it.

His only problem is whether his body could move or not. Anything other than that was trivial.

He lifted up his gunsword and slashed at Ramza. The more he approached near, the flame was raging even more severely. If he flew in without distorting the space, then he would surely get evaporated instantly. Fierce hot wind was blowing on his face.

“DEYAAAA!”

He swung the gunsword and smashed Ramza’s armor. Putting too much power would mangle Ramza’s body altogether. Cracks entered the armor and the surface parts broke.

The distorted space began to close.

‘――Whattt!?’

Kizuna’s body was licked by scorching hot flame.

“DAMN ITTTTTTTT!”

He also threw his gunsword and directly grasped Ramza’s armor and put the strength of his whole body. He broke the armor and tore it off. He tore off the arm part, broke the leg armor and ripped it off. He threw away the large part on her back, then he put his hand into the gap between the skin and the armor protecting her abundant chest.

“THIS BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAARD-!”

What his palm felt, was not heat but pain. And then the pain broke the limit and he felt nothing. The flame was slowly roasting his body. His throat was thirsty. His tongue became dry and the liquid of his eyeballs was evaporating.

“QUICKLY……STRIP OFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-!!”

The chest armor broke apart, and Ramza’s abundant breasts flew out bouncingly.

At that moment, the scorching fire globe burst open like an explosion. The flame flying to all directions dispersed and the flame and heat vanished like a lie.

After that, only the cool wind of the sky was blowing. That scorching flame was just like an illusion or dream. The only thing that told him it had happened for real, was the sweat flowing down his face and the prickling pain on his skin. And then the figure of Ramza inside his arms without a single string covering her.

“Kizuna! You okay?”

Gravel and Aldea came to him in a panic.

“I’m not really……fine here.”

“What! Where, show it to me!”

Kizuna powerlessly smiled at the flustered Gravel.

“My throat is thirsty.”

“That’s-……eh?”

Gravel was staring at Kizuna for a while with a befuddled face. Before long she showed a wry smile and peered at Kizuna’s face.

“Seems like the burn is not that bad……your life also doesn’t seem to be affected.”

“Yeah, just like Gravel told me.”

“I guess. But……no matter what kind of circumstance it is, the opponent is Vatlantis’s imperial guard. Even if you left her to die, no one will blame you.”

Kizuna stared at Ramza who was sleeping like a child inside his arms.

“Maybe……but”

Kizuna smiled a little shyly.

“I got the feeling that the future me will blame me.”

Gravel nodded with closed eyes.

“Then, it can’t be helped huh.”

“But you know……it sounds good that you say you are saving her but, looking at what you did from a broad point of view, you were forcibly stripping off a girl naked with brute force……wasn’t that what happened there?”

Aldea bantered with a mean smile.

“I, idiot. There is this thing called way of speaking.”

From both sides, Gravel and Aldea supported Kizuna who was still holding Ramza and they landed on Ataraxia.

“First get a doctor to look at you, and then rest for a while. It’s rash to return to the battlefront immediately in that condition. Leave this place to us for a while. Okay?”

Gravel admonished Kizuna.

“I really want to do that……but, we are marching into Zeltis after this right, there is no free time for rest or――”

Suddenly a floating window opened in front of Kizuna’s face.

{Bo-, boss! This is really bad!}

Gertrude was projected close-up while talking with force that spit almost flew from her mouth.

{Right now we are attacking until London but, the, they came out! They came here now-!}

“Came out you say, what is it?”

{Isn’t that obvious! It’s that!}

The viewpoint of the window was rotated 180 degree.

The Entrance was reflected. There was still quite a distance. Above the Tower Bridge building that was the representative of London, was a huge rectangle towering to the sky.

“Just what are coming out……”

The image in the monitor zoomed up at the Entrance. The resolution became a little rough but he could confirm a figure of a person floating.

Aldea who was peering into the screen knitted her eyebrows.

“A person, rather, a magic armor?”

Gravel also made a doubtful face and stared at the floating window.

“However, there is only that single one. Just what is it planning?”

Cold sweat trickled down Kizuna’s cheek.

His heartbeat was beginning to throb loudly.

The magic weapons of Izgard were attacking at that silhouette. The magic weapons that looked like a brusque armored knight was swinging down their swords. But, faster than that sword could swing, the figure of the magic weapon became letters and formulas of light and flew away.

‘――Code Breaker!?’

The figure projected at the coarse image was glaring this way.

There was no way he could mistake that face.

Pink hair, red eyes. The figure of white magic armor with magic circle shining blue on the back.

“Aine!!”

Kizuna faced Gravel with a pale face.

“Gravel! Withdraw the whole army!”

However Gravel too only kept her eyes opened wide and continued to stare at that image.

“Impossible……why is Zeros here?”

Kizuna grasped the shoulder of the half dumbfounded Gravel and shook her to be awake.

“Quickly withdraw from the front line! In front of Code Breaker, magic armor and battleships are useless. If we don’t hurry, the important battle force will be annihilated!”

Gravel who returned to her senses gave out instruction to retreat from the front line in panic. Thereupon the fleet retreated while opening to the left and right to evade Aine. And then at the center, a direct path to advance straight until Ataraxia was opened. At the empty sky, Aine was slowly advancing forward while still in her standing straight posture.

Her eyes that were wrapped in grief was staring at her former home.

“Kizuna……”

While the fleet was retreating, Kizuna and the others returned to Nayuta Lab in order to the situation and countermeasure.

At the wall, the image of Aine heading towards Ataraxia was largely projected.

{There is still time before she arrives with her current speed. However, we have no way to stop her.}

Kei’s text covered the monitor. Reiri clicked her tongue while asking.

“The defense system? Can we possibly repel her?”

{The cruise mechanism is completely dead due to Ramza’s attack. The defense system is the same. The remaining reserve generator can do nothing but operate just this lab.}

Gravel murmured in frustration.

“Certainly the fleet of Vatlantis should have headed to Izgard just as planned. Yet despite so, why is Zeros here……”

Aldea also nodded with a difficult face.

“Really. This Aine, does she have some kind of special ability too I wonder?”

Kizuna was staring fixedly at the figure of Aine in the monitor while staying quiet.

‘――It’s my fault.’

At that night, Kizuna felt like he heard Aine’s voice and he replied.

That itself, was really nothing at all. He also understood that it was only his imagination. When he was replying, he was only speaking to himself.

However for the current Kizuna, it was inevitable for him to think that it was Aine who was calling for him. It was just his subjective impression, so he couldn’t speak about it. But, for some reason he felt apologetic to everyone.

Reiri looked up at the monitor in decision.

“We are abandoning Ataraxia.”

“Eh!?”

Kizuna doubted his ears.

“Throwing away Ataraxia you say?”

“In the first place if we march into the AU, Ataraxia will be just a useless object. After its great activity of being the herald of this time’s embarking, it’s fate will be only to standby here. Then, it’s not really a great change to abandon it here. Therefore, all students and personnel are to evacuate to Izgard’s flagship in haste.”

It was a shocking decision based from Reiri’s judgment.

“Forgive me for saying things as I pleased, but there is no other way. Can you allow this, Gravel?”

Gravel immediately nodded.

“Very well. We can do nothing but that right now.”

Reiri faced to Kei and gave out instruction.

“Immediately gather the leaders of each department. Because the information system is unusable, relay the evacuation order to all members by mouth. If they don’t make it in time, then I don’t mind even if they are using helicopter or boat. For the moment, after they distance themselves from Ataraxia, we will request Izgard’s ship to recover them.”

At that time, Momo rushed into the central control room.

“Ah, Hida-kun! I just finished the arrangement of your request!”

She showed a V-sign proudly while being out of breath. Kizuna raised a bright voice in an unexpected joy.

“Is that so! Nice timing. Thanks, Kurumizawa!”

Reiri crossed her arms with a face that couldn’t understand what they were talking about.

“It’s the preparation to fight Aine.”

“What!? No……anyway right now we are retreating. You to prepare for that.”

“Everyone go retreat. I will intercept Aine at Ataraxia.”

“Kizuna!”

Reiri yelled angrily with an impatient voice.

Gravel was also shaking her head in a bewildered state.

“That’s reckless. Haven’t you said it yourself Kizuna? In front of Code Breaker, battleship and magic armors are useless. Even my Zoros and your Eros will only vanish. There is no method to deal with that.”

However Kizuna smiled daringly.

“――There is.”

Gravel opened her eyes wide in surprise.

“It’s just, it’s impossible with only me. I had help from the guys of the research department and the combat department.”

Momo responded with a guts pose as if to say to leave it to her.

“Something like that is no problem at all! I already called out to everyone!”

“I don’t know whether I can win or not. But, there is a way. That’s why, I want to bet on that! And then……”

Kizuna stared fixedly at his own clenched fist.

“I’ll take back Aine for sure!”

Part 2

Aine stepped on the ground of Ataraxia after a long time.

However, the scenery was too tragic for her to soak in deep emotion. There was almost no undamaged building, a lot of them were turned into mountains of rubble. Here and there were small flames and smoke rising up, showing that they couldn’t even extinguish the fire. A large hole like a crater at the center was opened, steep cracks and ground depression occurred around it, the buildings were mowed down.

There was no sign of people, there was no shadow of the stylish and ordered townscape anywhere. Not even electricity was working, all the digital signage displays everywhere were off, it felt like the light of Ataraxia’s life itself had been extinguished. What was here was the wreckage of the former Ataraxia. It was an enormous corpse, exactly a ruin.

While she was walking, she saw the magic weapons of Vatlantis and Izgard collapsed down, turned into wreckage. It was the vestige of a battle between fellow magic weapons. But for the remains to not vanish yet, it seemed to mean that although its operation was halted, it hadn’t completely died yet.

When Aine put a little more strength to her fingertip, instantly the magic weapon was disassembled into the formula of the blueprint. Shining letters, numerical formula, such things were dancing in the air and vanished.

Like a tree that withered and the leafs scattered, the gigantic remains of the magic weapon was changing into beads of light and vanishing away. Only then she noticed for the first time that behind it there was a person. Aine called the name of that person who gradually showed his figure.

“Kizuna……”

The one who Aine was looking for was standing there without wearing his Heart Hybrid Gear, only his pilot suit.

“Who ever thought that you will appear in London……even though we thought that we had outwitted Aine. That was shocking.”

Hida Kizuna was talking normally, just like when Aine was a member of Amaterasu.

“Yes, I headed to Izgard until the middle of the way. But……somehow it felt like Kizuna called me and I went back alone to Zeltis. Even though I understood that it was just my imagination……but”

Aine showed an empty smile.

“By any chance, I grew unwilling to fight you, and wanted to run away, perhaps that’s why I heard that kind of hallucination. That, it became something like this……perhaps fate just cannot be opposed.”

The magic circle at Aine’s back was increasing in radiance, the rotating speed was increasing.

“Kizuna, there is no longer a way for you to fight. Surrender quietly.”

Kizuna made a surprised face and responded.

“Surrender? You came to kill me right?”

“Ye, yes……right. That’s how it is.”

“Or else, are you planning to take me back, and give me the death penalty at the other side?”

Aine clenched her teeth hard.

“No……if I do that, surely you will be killed in a gruesome way. I cannot endure, something like that……that’s why, I’ll rather, with this hand, so that you won’t suffer……I will”

Aine stared reproachfully at both her palms.

“Is that so……”

“For Kizuna, I look like a demon or a devil isn’t it? But――”

Kizuna shook his head and cut off Aine’s words.

“No, I don’t think of you like that. I’m grateful that you are thinking about me until that much.”

“Eh……?”

Aine faltered towards Kizuna’s unexpected reaction.

“What are you blurting out? Are you seeing hallucinations or something after getting cornered this far?”

However Kizuna was showing a calm smile. When she saw that expression, Aine became anxious. She wondered just why Kizuna was being this calm, acting so confidently. Even though far from winning against her, he didn’t even have any method to fight.

“But see, there is no way I’m getting killed. There are still things I’ve got to do.”

“Things to do?”

Kizuna spoke full of confidence.

“I’ll go to Vatlantis, and resolve the problem of Genesis. And then, the AU and this world too, I’ll save both worlds at the same time.”

Hearing that really big talk, Aine’s opened mouth couldn’t close.

“What’s the matter? Has your head become strange because the situation is just too hopeless I wonder?”

“No. I’m sane. Even you Aine, you think it’s better if something like that can actually happen right?”

Aine clenched her fist tightly.

“There is no way such thing is possible.”

“There should be some kind of way. Just think about it carefully. My Eros can create magic power using Heart Hybrid right? I got the feeling that there is some kind of hint there. Besides Genesis is not something that was made naturally right? There was a human that created it for sure. If there was a human creating that, then there should be a way to repair it.”

Aine brushed off the air as if to erase a grating noise.

“We won’t be this troubled if we understod that! Or else what? Does Kizuna know about that way? Even Professor Nayuta still doesn’t know about it.”

“It’s possible! No, I’ll show you that I can do it. That’s why cooperate with us!”

“No way. That will only make the chaos worse! Are you saying that not just the disaster of Genesis, you are also going to cause war damage with Lemuria to the people?”

“That’s why I don’t want to attack with brute force. Please, Aine!”

However Aine glared at Kizuna with upturned eyes and face that was going to cry. Kizuna made a deep sigh.

“……As expected, it seems that in order to do that, first I have to defeat you.”

“How are you going to defeat this me? Something like a way to fight me, you have none at all Kizuna!”

“I have! It’s my reserve method see!”

Aine glared at Kizuna with a dubious face.

“Just what in the world, that way of yours――”

“Equip!”

The moment he yelled that, a metal frame appeared on Kizuna’s back. The frame brushed aside rubble, flying out from the ground and embraced at Kizuna, equipping on his body. And then on top of it a rugged armor was stacked up.

“Tha, that is……?”

It was an existence that was completely different from the Heart Hybrid Gear or magic armor that Aine knew. It was a complete armor of machine. Rugged armor on a metal frame. Electronic equipment and battery at the inside. Large fuel tank jutting out from the frame, in addition motor and jet engine and so on were installed on it.

The shape that prioritized function didn’t feel polished at all like Heart Hybrid Gear. The large fuselage that seemed to want to say that it was completely impossible from the start to consolidate it into a smaller size, was a size or two sizes bigger than Kizuna’s body. Kizuna’s arms were surrounded by thick steel arm that was a size longer. The mechanical leg part that was like a rough steel frame for the sake of supporting its mass of several hundred kilos was covering Kizuna’s leg.

Kizuna lightly lifted up the railgun in anti-material rifle model at the mechanical arm that was extended from his arm, and pointed the gun muzzle at Aine.

“Here I go, Aine!”

“Wha……Code Breaker!”

The magic circle behind her increased in radiance. The magic circle of Code Breaker was spreading underneath Aine, that light swallowed Kizuna.

But there was no change even for a little bit at Kizuna and the armor worn on his body.

“My bad Aine. You see, Code Breaker against this thing…”

Kizuna made a daring smile and fired up the motors and engines that drove each part.

“Won’t work at all!”

The tough leg part stepped on the ground, the steel arm readied the large railgun.

“Such thing!?”

The armor couldn’t be disassembled into formula. The event that overturned her common sense made Aine fall into chaos. Kizuna pulled the trigger and a bullet with a speed several times the speed of sound flew out.

“Kuh!”

Aine kicked the ground and evaded the bullet. It was a movement characteristic of Zeros who boasted of the fastest speed. Aine once more stared fixedly at the thing Kizuna equipped.

“That Heart Hybrid Gear……no, wrong. That thing, don’t tell me……”

She had seen it before in Ataraxia. Aine recalled the true identity of that thing.

“Yeah, exactly. This thing, is a Technical Gear. It doesn’t use magic power at all, an armor that is created with 100% earth technology!!”

It was a training hardware that the students of Ataraxia’s combat department used to practice. Before being installed with Taros’s Core, even Sylvia was doing practice with this. While it was only natural, but its performance was greatly inferior compared to the real Heart Hybrid Gear, it didn’t even compare if talking about its combat ability.

“Are you……making fun of me?”

“Why do you say that? This thing is something the creator really has confidence――”

“Don’t fool around with me! Just what use that kind of training tool has huh! There is no way that kind of thing will work against this Zeros right!?”

One more rifle slide up from behind the Technical Gear and came out to the front. Kizuna took it in one hand and aimed it at Aine.

“I guess that’s true thinking about it normally. It won’t even reach under the feet of Zeros. But you see……this thing can fight. It won’t vanish even against Code Breaker. If that’s the case, then I can only do this right?”

Kizuna pulled the trigger. Bullet assaulted Aine together with a fierce explosive sound. When the ground burst out as if exploding, Aine was running towards Kizuna while evading the bullet.

Sensing that movement, the Technical Gear’s jet engine spewed out fire. Violent smoke was rolling up while the heavy large body was flung up to the sky. However Zeros pursued Kizuna in one jump.

“If I cannot use Code Breaker, then I only need to normally punch it!”

Zeros’s punch was received by the armor of the left arm. With that one punch, the arm frame bent and the armor snapped off. However Kizuna didn’t falter and fired the railgun at Aine whose movement stopped. Aine struck down the bullet with her fist and took large distance by the ignition of her thruster.

Kizuna confirmed the movement of the bent arm and smiled boldly after he confirmed that it could still move.

“Certainly this thing is a training unit created with existing technology. Even the weapon is fundamentally just a conventional thing. However it’s better to not underestimate it too much. The fellows at the research department developed it until this point with their passion, tenacity, and by staking their life. This is somewhat different with your run-of-the-mill tool!”

“Bring it on!”

Aine attacked once more. In order to maintain distance, Kizuna raised the output of his jet engine. However he couldn’t really make a detailed movement. He could do broad movement, but it was impossible for him to have fine posture control in the air.

‘――It can only be a land war if I want to open a path of survival!’

He dropped down the jet engine’s output and landed after a natural drop. Togther with a fierce ground shaking, his leg caved into the ground. However the shock absorber of the leg part absorbed most of the impact.

He pulled out his leg and while he was trying to begin moving, Aine caught up. Zeros’s speed was in a different dimension than the Technical Gear. By the time he tried to guard by raising his arm, Aine’s fist had been unleashed. Vortex of air current was created around the fist due to the severe speed. Together with an impact as if he had been hit by a car, the right arm of the Technical Gear that was guarding was blown away.

“Shit!”

Similar like before, he aimed the railgun when Aine’s movement stopped. However before the aim could be fixed, the gun barrel was conversely caught.

‘――Damn it.’

“I don’t have the mood to keep giving service of getting caught by that so many times here.”

Aine stole the railgun from Kizuna’s hand by tearing it off and threw it away with all her strength.

“Looks like you don’t have another weapon. With this you are bare handed.”

Aine opened her legs, put her hand on her waist and glared at Kizuna.

“Aine, have you forgotten already?”

Kizuna thrust down his left arm as if to strike the ground.

“Forget you say……just what”

Technical Gear’s right arm rotated a certain handle on the ground. Thereupon, the ground opened up and a metal box flew out.

“――That’s”

Her forgotten memory was resurrected. That was the facility she used before she met Kizuna, before she obtained the Corruption Armament yet.

“The firearm replenishing system……for magic weapon interception.”

Kizuna had assault rifle type railgun in his right hand, and then his left hand was taking out anti material rifle type railgun [Toshirou], he aimed it at Aine and fired.

“Kuh!”

Aine immediately put a Life Saver. Fierce storm of gunfire blew away the rubble surface, flame and smoke rolled up which was stealing the field of vision.

‘――I never, for the defensive system that I once used myself to be used on me.’

Railgun was firing rapidly and raised a groan like thunder.

The enemy she fought at that time. Right now she had become that very enemy itself, once again she was feeling as if she was cursed at. Aine whose blood rose to her head reflexively jumped out to the right. She escaped from the smoke that the gunfire raised and cleared her vision.

“Wha-……!?”

Ahead of the smoke curtain she escaped, the Technical Gear was standing in her way. It was as if Aine’s movement had been read, the Technical Gear was waiting with its fist pulled back.

“DEYAAAAAAAAA-!”

It was an accurate attack. The steel fist that was accelerated by motor and hydraulics struck at Aine’s body.

“……Kuuh!”

Aine’s body lightly flew in the air. She was thrown into a half-destroyed building while rotating and sunk into concrete.

‘――I did it.’

Kizuna himself doubted his eyes.

The Technical Gear blew away the strongest Heart Hybrid Gear Zeros.

‘――I can do this!’

“AINEEEEEE-!”

He made the tire at his leg part do high speed rotation. Sparks scattered from its friction with the street. Powerful motor and the jet engine at his back accelerated the Technical Gear’s large body in one go, he dashed towards Aine.

‘――Decide it with the next attack!’

Kizuna brandished his left arm. He was heading towards Aine that was caught in a wall with fierce speed. He shot out the steel fist with a superb timing.

“Ga……-!?”

A sound of a huge metal lump crashing resounded. Kizuna’s body that was fixed in the frame became thrown out to the front. The frame dug into his body, causing his muscle and bone to scream. It was an impact like a car crashing into a wall.

He was assaulted by a light brain concussion, Kizuna’s gaze was going in circles. He resisted his circling sight and stared at the end where his fist struck.

Aine’s right hand lightly blocked the Technical Gear’s fist.

“As I thought……it won’t, be that easy.”

Kizuna grumbled with a wry smile.

Ignoring Kizuna’s frivolous talk, Aine’s red eyes shined coldly.

“Only with this level, just how are you going to try to save Vatlantis? There is nothing that Kizuna can do at all.”

Kizuna also appealed with a serious expression.

“Certainly just me alone, might not be able to do anything. But, Nee-chan, Shikina-san, everyone of the research department, they are all here! Even for us, there must be something we can actually do!”

“There is already Professor Nayuta.”

“……!!”

Kizuna’s throat was blocked from that name.

“How can Shikina-san and the students of the research department do something that is impossible for Professor Nayuta huh.”

“That Professor Nayuta! Kaa-san is the one that cannot be trusted the most isn’t she!”

Kizuna spontaneously howled. As if to oppose that, Aine also let out a rough voice.

“There is no other way! There is no one else that can be relied! Besides Professor Nayuta said that she is deciphering the letters of Genesis’s relief. It will be deciphered soon already! If that happens, she said that she should be able to find the method to save us! That’s why!”

Aine’s finger crushed the fist of the Technical Gear. The actuator that controlled the finger’s movement was pulverized, the broken piston flew out like bones, and oil spurted out in place of blood.

“URYAAAAAA-!”

The tire of the leg part rotated, the Technical Gear hurriedly began to spin turn at that spot. And then he tipped up the toes and struck towards Aine. The heaviest part of the Technical Gear that was the leg part launched a kick that was added with the rotation energy.

However, Aine kicked up her leg with a cool face. The large metal leg was met by Zeros’s slim leg.

“Ku……-!?”

The leg part of the Technical Gear was scattered apart into pieces. The internal motors and cables, the parts of hydraulics system and so on, all danced in the air. Zeros’s causal attack really easily smashed the kick with the Technical Gear’s whole strength.

“Not yet!”

Kizuna unfastened the lock of the frame and fell off from the Technical Gear. And then he desperately escaped with a fierce dash. Ahead of him was a mountain of rubbles with height of five meters, Kizuna begun to climb that mountain.

Aine was staring at that action with a loathsome feeling.

“That’s really unsightly, Kizuna.”

She didn’t even run. Aine was walking to chase behind Kizuna who was climbing the mountain of rubble. When Kizuna reached the summit of the mountain of rubble, he moved aside the fragment of plank that was in the highest place. And then his body slid down underneath it.

‘――Kizuna?’

Aine felt discomfort toward Kizuna where only his neck was visible from the mountain of rubble. When she felt that, the mountain of rubble crumbled down. Intense sounds and smoke were raised, the rubble was raining down on Aine.

“Aine! This thing is not a Heart Hybrid Gear. Even if it got broken, if it’s just replaced, then I can fight no matter how many times!”

The rubbles flipped up and a large Technical Gear showed its appearance. This one was larger more than two sizes compared to the previous fuselage. Its total height was nearly five meters. Both its arms and legs were also large, the railgun equipped at that arm was also extraordinarily large.

“I’ll depend on you, Rugaa-chan! Blow her away!!”

It was the large railgun Kurumizawa Momo of the research department developed, with barrel that was longer than five meters, the named [Rugaa-chan] spouted fire.

Thundering explosive sound and electricity that was like thunder were fired. With destructive power that was like a bomb with every single shot, it gave rise to a storm of flame and shockwave. Its power also destroyed Ataraxia, the spot where Aine was standing , its ground and also pavement, and even the armor panels underneath were turned over, skyrocketing high to the sky.

“What about this!? Aine!”

Even while yelling that, Kizuna was dripping cold sweat inside his heart.

This thing was created from scraping up together any parts of Technical Gears available, just a large machine for bluffing. It was mostly only taking on the role as an unmoving platform for the railgun.

‘――I know already, that she is not a lukewarm opponent that could be dealt with somehow with something like this.’

The instant he thought that, Aine flew out from inside the blast smoke. She changed her posture in the air and hit the Technical Gear with a flying kick. The body that was reinforced solidly easily exploded.

“Chih! At least one attack!”

The large Technical Gear’s thick arm was going to swing down. However, the movement was too slow. Aine easily evaded that arm. Aine swung from above to the arm that hit empty air and struck the ground with a sword hand. The Technical Gear’s arm was broken into two. With a returning strike of the same arm, the hand that equipped the railgun was broken.

“Stop giving useless resistance.”

“Chih!’

Kizuna pulled the lever at his waist.

In an instant the frame disassembled and Kizuna’s body was launched to the sky.

“Kizuna-!?”

Kizuna’s body was flown to the other side of a building that was separated a few hundred meter from there thanks to the small jet engine equipped on his back.

Aine distorted her mouth in frustration.

“What’s this……after making that kind of boast, you are now planning to run?”

Aine started up a floating window and attempted to search for Kizuna’s location. However, there was no reaction of Kizuna who was not wearing his Heart Hybrid Gear.

Aine clicked her tongue and dashed towards the direction where Kizuna vanished.

“Ah! Hida-kun, this way this way!”

Momo was waving her hand to signal Kizuna.

Making his jet engine to ignite in reverse, Kizuna descended down from the air. The moment he landed, he threw away the backup on his back and headed to the trailer of the research department. A Technical Gear was loaded inside that platform. And then around it, several dozen students of the research department were busily moving around, they were doing the preparation for the Technical Gear’s sortie.

“Has the preparation been finished!?”

Momo raised a thumbs up and showed him a smile.

“Yes, you can go out anytime!”

Kizuna immediately boarded the platform, matched the frame with his body and locked it. A student of the research department took off the preparation cable connected to it and rotated his arm.

The Technical Gear had been charged with electricity and the warming up was also finished. Kizuna raised the output, he proped his body up with the arm and sat upright.

Its shape was the same with the first fuselage, but this one had light movement, its output also felt bigger. A missile pod was on his shoulder, and railguns on both his arms. Jet engine with higher output was on his back together with reserve railguns loaded there, and then it was shouldering a straight single-edged sword without curve.

“Hida-kun! That thing is constructed by gathering all the best parts! Just know if that thing gets broken, that’s the end!”

Kizuna waved his hand in understanding towards Momo who was yelling with her hands on her mouth.

“Never mind that, escape quickly! Aine is coming here!”

Leaving those words behind, Kizuna rotated the tire of the leg part and dashed away.

When he turned at the corner of a collapsed building, there was Aine ahead of the path.

“Aine!”

He fired the missiles from his shoulder. The missiles were flying towards Aine while drawing behind smoke and flames. Together with an impact, orange fire pillar was rising up. Weaving through the blast flames, Aine dashed towards Kizuna.

Kizuna was continuing the missile attack while firing his railguns. He was firing while predicting Aine’s movement, but Zeros’s shocking mobility enabled Aine to dodge all the bullets with defensive body movement.

“KIZUNAAAAAA!”

Getting through the barrage in the blink of an eye, Aine leaped up. She rotated her body and struck with a fierce spinning back kick. Zeros’s kick pierced at the two arms that wasted no time to guard.

“GUUOu!”

The frame of the arm warped, the body of the Technical Gear was kicked up with a power that floated it in the air. The impact mercilessly attacked the body of Kizuna that was riding in it. The Technical Gear wasnt like Heart Hybrid Gear, it didn’t give protection to the pilot’s body. The received impact reached the pilot directly.

Fracture entered Kizuna’s rib and the bones in his whole body creaked. However the leg part somehow held the ground even while letting sparks flew.

“!?”

The arm of the Technical Gear that was trying to aim the gun for counter attack was caught by Aine.

‘――Thrown away!?’

Just when he thought that, his body was flying in the air. And then he crashed on the road that was littered with rubble. He was rolling like a dice on top of the rubble.

“Ka……gehoh”

When the rolling stopped, Kizuna spitted out blood from his mouth.

“Shi, shit……!”

Without even time to wipe the blood, he ran the program to check the function in panic. He tried to stand up, but the arm of the Technical Gear wasn’t moving.

The check program showed error and froze in the middle.

“What the hell! Damn it-“

He hit at the console at the waist and roughly cut the power. Wasting no time, he turned on the system one more time and rebooted the system.

At that time, an explosion occurred beside his face. Fragments of concrete flew at his face and created a gash.

“Guh! ……A, Aine?”

What caused the explosion was Aine’s foot. She stepped beside Kizuna’s face and treaded through the pavement.

“Just why, are you resisting like that. Even though……I want to give you an easy death. Like this, aren’t I just tormenting Kizuna.”

She was looking down at Kizuna with a face that was going to cry even now.

“Not really……something this much is not really a big deal.”

Kizuna spitted out a spit mixed with blood.

“Yeah the injury is painful here. But, even Aine is bearing injury too. We are the same here.”

“What are you saying? I’m not getting hurt or anything at all. For the attack of a toy like that to give me damage or anything……that’s impossible.”

Aine said sorrowfully.

“Not your body. Your heart.”

Getting puzzled, Aine stared fixedly at Kizuna’s eyes.

“Even though you were looking for help, I couldn’t respond to that. And then I hurt you, and you got distressed. Compared to that, just this much is nothing at all. This is only like the interest that I haven’t paid.”

“Wha……are you an idiot!?”

Aine yelled angrily in fluster.

“Right now Kizuna, is going to get killed you know? By this me, do you understand that?”

“Yeah……that’s how far you are going, trying to protect this me.”

“……-!”

“It seems at Vatlantis, I’m quite hated there after all. There are guys there wanting to execute me there with gruesome ways right?”

“…….That’s right.”

Aine couldn’t meet Kizuna’s eyes and her gaze was wandering around.

“Trying to kill a comrade with that hand, there is no way it’s not painful. So that I won’t taste that hellish pain, Aine is trying to protect me even by shouldering that much bitterness.”

“Something like that……you are just thinking too much. I’m, just……”

“Thank you, for thinking about me until that much.”

Tears were gathering in Aine’s eyes and she shook her head.

“No matter what the reason, it doesn’t change that I’m trying to kill you. I’m――”

“I too want to become a man that doesn’t lose to you. Even if I died, I want to become someone that can throw out my chest and say, that I’ve done everything that I can in order to protect my comrades.”

“Stop it already!”

At that time the electronic sound that informed that the rebooting had finished chimed.

“Yosh-!”

He released the remaining missiles from the super close range.

“!?”

The attack that took her by surprise also made Aine jump back. Wasting no time, Kizuna ignited the jet engine on his back and flew up while scraping the ground. And then he pulled out the reserve railgun attached on his back to the front.

“I won’t stop! No matter what you say, I want to save your country!”

Kizuna aimed the railgun at Aine and shot all over.

After he kept pressing the trigger, the bullet ran out in a flash. He immediately took out the cartridge and tried to put in the reserve cartridge. He put his eye on the reserve cartridge, at that slight time, Aine was rushing at him with a fierce speed.

‘――I won’t make it.’

“Shit-!”

Giving up reloading, he put back the railgun on his back, And then he rotated the tire at the leg part and hardened his arm guard while backing off. However Aine’s fist mercilessly struck from above that. Impacts that were going to do something to his eardrum and semicircular canal were attacking without pause.

“Even though I don’t want to kill Kizuna with this hand! Why of all things, you are taking along everyone here!”

“I told you, it’s in order to save Atlantis!”

Tears scattered from Aine’s eyes.

“Are you stupid!? If we don’t discover the method to fix Genesis, at this rate Atlantis will be ruined!”

There was already no form or anything in the punch she hit with, Aine was merely leaving it to her emotions to punch her left and right fists.

“But, even if the whole of Atlantis is terminated, it’s irrelevant to everyone of Lemuria, to earth. That’s why isn’t it fine with this magic power plant or whatever! Because it’s safe if they become energy source of magic power! Even Hayuru and the others, will soon start the provincial tour in Lemuria. If they do that you can just find an opening to let them escape. Even though I’m thinking that, just why are you purposefully trying to lead everyone of Ataraxia to Vatlantis!?”

Kizuna felt anger gushing out from inside his heart.

“Stupid idiot! What are you doing giving up huh!”

He ignited his jet engine and jumped. In the air he changed the rotation direction of the leg part’s tire to advance forward. At the same time with his landing, he filled the distance with Aine in one go.

“That’s your country right! That’s your people right!!”

And then he deployed the railgun at the back to the front.

“That’s why I want to cry!”

Before the Technical Gear grasped the railgun, Aine’s two fists struck the barrel. The installed unit was torn off and the left and right railguns were blown away.

However the arms of the Technical Gear didn’t try to grip the railguns. The two arms that were circled to the back gripped not the railguns but a different weapon.

‘――The railgun was bait!?’

He aimed a large bladed tool to Aine and swung down.

Created from special steel material that the research department developed, the blade had the length of one meter, the width of the blade was ten centimeters, it was a blade exclusive for the Technical Gear.

The weapon that was certainly brutal while being primitive attacked Aine.

However, Aine evaded that attack with paper-thin difference.

She leaped at the opening where he hit empty air and her fist struck. Just when she thought that, the sword once again traveled under her nose.

The wrist of the Technical Gear rotated, the arm was bending to a bizarre direction. The Technical Gear was continuing to swing the sword with motions that were impossible for a human. Aine was perplexed against the swordsmanship she had never experienced before, she could only evade without stepping in.

Kizuna yelled while chasing after Aine.

“I’m not going to give up! I’ll show you that I’ll save the people of earth and also Vatlantis!”

“Why! Don’t you hate the AU!?”

“I went to AU and understood! The people living there are the same like us. There are people holding various circumstances. Perhaps they even have, a reason why they have to fight no matter what.”

The motor of the Technical Gear’s arm went over the limit and emitted high heat. Burning smell stabbed Kizuna’s nose. Kizuna yelled while dripping with sweat like a waterfall.

“I! Am not fighting to defeat the enemy, to kill the enemy, to trample them underfoot, so I can boast my victory! I’m fighting to make the fight end! I don’t care what method that is for that sake! Even if for example, I’ve got to sing and dance and entertain the enemy!”

The thruster at Aine’s foot emitted light particles. Her foot leaped up and met the sword. The sword made from special steel material snapped, it rotated in the air and stabbed on the ground.

From Aine’s heel that was extended straight, sword of light was growing. Light particles were sharply ejected from the heel thruster, creating a bladed tool that was like a knife.

The Technical Gear separated from Aine, it spin turned after running for a while and then stopped. He threw away the snapped sword.

“That time I was captured in the prison, you said it. Help Vatlantis. That you want the two worlds to walk together.”

Aine yelled as if to vomit out the inside of her heart.

“That’s right! Why, didn’t you answer me at that time!?”

Tears endlessly spilled out from Aine’s eyes.

“Sorry……”

Kizuna rose his looking down face. He stared straight at Aine.

“But, I don’t want to keep missing you.”

He didn’t avert his eye at any cost. He absolutely couldn’t run away. The reason was――,

“We, can always do over anytime. The problem is, how to survive from this time right now.”

“Kizuna……”

Aine smiled.

That smile looked nostalgic, sad, and painful.

“Oh well……then Kizuna. Show me how you defeat me.”

Light of magic power was circulating in Zeros’s whole body with high speed. The magic circled deployed from the ring at her back increased in radiance.

“But, I’m also going in full strength.”

“Just what I wish for.”

Both of them stared at each other.

Ataraxia that had become a ruin was quiet.

The wind kindly fluttered the hair of the two.

It felt like they could hear each other’s breathing and heartbeat.

Smoked rose from under Aine’s feet.

The leg part of Technical Gear scattered sparks.

Instanly, the two entered the range of certain death.

Aine’s fist at Kizuna’s heart.

And then Kizuna,

For the first time in this fight, he determined his sight at the true aim.

“GOOOOOOOO-!”

The right arm of the Technical Gear thrust out with fierce speed. However, the timing was too fast. The arm extended until the distance where it didn’t reach Aine.

At that moment, the blasting bolt built into the elbow ruptured. The impact of that explosion, and the jet fuel for a little under a second built inside the arm shot out the fist like a rocket.

“-!?”

As expected even Aine was taken by surprise. However――,

The fist of the Technical Gear passed over Aine’s shoulder.

The tactic wasn’t bad.

However, the accuracy was too bad.

This move that was relying too much on chance greatly got Aine’s body out of place.

Aine filled her fist with despair, and struck out at Kizuna.

Kizuna didn’t avert his eye and was staring straight at Aine.

What he was staring at was ahead of Aine.

The fist of the Technical Gear that Kizuna’s eyes were staring at,

――Just as he aimed, struck the magic circle of the Code Breaker.

“Wha……-!?”

Aine comprehended what happened from the dull metallic sound resounding behind her.

The Technical Gear’s fist that was shot out using explosives and jet engine caved into the ring of Zeros floating on Aine’s back.

The ring creaked, crack entered, and fractured.

And then at that moment, the magic circle of Code Breaker vanished.

“Eros!!”

In an instant Kizuna’s body was equipped with a jet black Heart Hybrid Gear. Right after that, the fist filled with Aine’s whole strength struck Kizuna. That shockwave tore off the frame where Kizuna’s body was fixed inside the Technical Gear with brute strength. The Technical Gear separated from Kizuna’s body and got blown away as scattered parts.

But, Kizuna who equipped Eros endured through that impact. Aine’s fist caved into his breast armor. Eros’s armor broke and her fist sunk in, but Aine’s fist didn’t pierce Kizuna’s heart.

Aine’s expression froze into shock with her fist still sunk into Kizuna’s chest.

“No way……”

Even though her chance of losing was nonexistent. There was no way she could lose, this was supposed to be a hopeless fight, yet.

Yet despite so, this man called Hida Kizuna was,

“This is my win.”

Aine felt like she was bewitched by something not of this world.

Kizuna spread his hands, those hands were turning towards Aine.

Was he going to thrust his fist like that, maybe mowing her down with sword hand, it didn’t matter. Now that she was in this defenseless situation, she couldn’t resist. No, even the will to resist, was gone already.

If she thought about it, this was a life that was once saved by Kizuna.

That was why if it was stolen by Kizuna, that was fine.

Kizuna’s two hands attacked Aine from both sides. Aine resolved herself and shut her eyes.

But, what she felt next, was the sensation of arms gently wrapping her body.

“Eh……?”

Kizuna gently embraced Aine’s body.

“Even Zeros that boasts as the fastest, cannot do anything if it got completely caught.”

When she opened her eyes, Kizuna’s smiling face was right there.

Aine’s dumbfounded eyes were trembling, still unable to gaze on the reality.

“……Kizuna. So from the beginning, you didn’t have any intention to defeat me, with Technical Gear didn’t you……The ring that generated the magic circle. That was your only aim……”

Aine murmured with a weak voice. Hearing that voice, Kizuna warped his face and smiled.

“Isn’t that obvious? There is no way a Technical Gear can win against you.”

Aine’s lips, abruptly slackened.

“You completely tricked me.”

Aine moaned in utter amazement.

“Going as far as bringing out Technical Gear……betting your life……why, did you go that far?”

“……I forgot to say but, other than saving Atlantis, there is one more thing I’ve got to do. If it is for that sake, I’m going to use any kind of method.”

“There is still something?”

“That’s……”

Kizuna’s cheeks slightly reddened.

“Aine, it’s taking you back.

As if unable to understand the meaning of those words, Aine stiffened for a while. And then, her cheeks were reddening little by little, in the end even her ears became red.

Kizuna made a smile on his lips, however with a serious gaze he spoke to Aine.

“This is my win. Aine.”

Aine whose cheeks reddened partly closed her eyes and smiled.

It was a smiling face that was liberated from all pressure, a simply happy smile.

“Fufu-, yes. This is my……loss, yes.”

That smile was beautiful, and yet it was endowed with innocent cuteness, It was a smile with purity, as if she had been reborn exactly right now.

That smile captured Kizuna’s heart and pulled him closer.

“……Aine.”

Kizuna’s face approached. Until now, had she ever looked at Kizuna’s face at this close? Her cheeks blushed, her eyes were willfully getting wet. The beating of her chest was embarrassingly getting louder that the other one might be able to listen. But she didn’t want to separate her eyes. Kizuna’s mouth that called her name. Even during the fight, he had kept calling at her all the time. She couldn’t separate her eyes from those lips.

“Kizuna……”

Kizuna was also unable to separate his eyes from Aine’s face. The red eyes that weren’t filled with sadness, but filled to the brim with light of happiness and hope were beautiful like a jewel. And then, the lips that called his name was wetly glistening pink. When his name was called by those soft lips, he became unable to separate his eyes as if he was put under a spell, it felt like his heart was going to melt.

They pulled each other closer, and their lips were getting closer, it was unclear which side was doing it.

And then――,

Both of them, kissed for the first time.

The softness the lips felt, a lovely sensation.

Through the Heart Hybrid and Climax Hybrid until now, they had done various acts. However, this sensation of kiss, was something that by no means could be obtained from any other.

The love of the partner was conveyed from the lips. The feeling of how much the other one was cherishing, valuing them was naturally flowing in. The hearts of the two were being filled with something warm.

The bottom of their hearts were filled, it felt like power was welling up.

If there is this person, they can do anything.

Such bravery was welling up.

Shining tears trickled down from Aine’s eyes.

‘――I love you.’

At that instant, intense light of magic power that was far brighter than everything until now, was emitted from the bodies of the two.

Part 3

Below Genesis, there was the research lab of Nayuta.

There was nobody getting near the Genesis that had begun tilting. The trace of repeated protrusion and ground depression carved on the ground was painful to look at. However it was only the research lab of Nayuta that miraculously escaped the damage.

In that research lab which no one should have approached, there was a visitor. Wearing the uniform of the imperial guard, that character with showy and luxurious outfit entered the research lab without any notification, the person began to investigate the documents and machineries inside.

“This is……!?”

While the person was reading through the documents on the desk, the person’s expression changed into shock.

“That woman……just what is she scheming about?”

A shadow was rising up from the corner of the room swayingly. The existence that was just a shadow without corporeal body was approaching the intruder.

“!!”

Steel claw assaulted from inside the shadow.

Sharp metal sound and sparks scattered.

The sword the intruder held blocked the steel claw. The intruder attacked back with her returning blade.

The shadow jumped away until the corner of the room and the arm once more thrust out sharply. That arm vanished starting from the elbow ahead. The vanished arm part was manifested at the chest of the intruder who was separated a few meters ahead.

It was an ability that cleared over space and directly attacked the flesh of the opponent. Using that power, the steel claw should have stabbed the chest of the intruder.

However the claw stopped at the chest of the intruder.

The hand of the intruder wasn’t holding sword but a whip before anyone realized. And then the end of the whip was binding the body of the shadow.

The eyes of the intruder shined. Magic circle was floating inside that light.

“Stop this and show your true shape, Valdy.”

The moment those words were said, the shadow disappeared. And then Valdy who slipped into darkness showed her figure.

“Zelsione……sama.”

The intruder, Zelsione who was wearing a silver colored magic armor pulled Valdy closer with a composed smile.

“Valdy, what is Nayuta doing here?”

“Wha, what is she doing……of, of course……the way to save Vatlantis……”

“However, looking from the document there, I cannot think that that’s really the case. It even makes me think that she has another objective for something different.”

Valdy opened her eyes wide, as if she was surprised from the bottom of her heart.

“Su, such thing……should, not be. I’ve never, read the document or anything though.”

Zelsione glared at Valdy with an astonished face.

“That damn Nayuta. It’s like the way she is grasping human heart is equal to me……listen well, Valdy. As far as I can see from what is here, Nayuta is――”

“My, so there is a guest coming.”

A bright voice was audible from the corridor. The voice that sounded highly clear and transparent was obviously coming from a child. A *pata pata* sound like someone wearing a large slipper was approaching near, the owner of the voice showed her figure at the door.

Zelsione made a doubtful face.

“……You, who are you?”

Valdy also opened her eyes wide. Rather than calling it a surprised face, she was making a pale face. Her trembling eyes were staring at the person entering the room.

It was a small girl.

Her age looked around seven years old. She had long black hair, with long white robes dragging trailingly behind her.

“So your greeting is by asking who I am then, Zelsione-sama. Even though I finally solved all the puzzle of Genesis with great trouble.”

Zelsione’s cheek was trickling in cold sweat.

“……Don’t tell me, you are……Nayuta?”

The girl tilted her small head and smiled widely.

“Yes, of course.”

That smile was like an angel.

However for Zelsione, it made her felt like darkness and chaos were lurking behind that smile. Zelsione exposed her vigilance and asked the girl who introduced herself as Nayuta.

“You bastard……what’s with that appearance?”

“Yes. I finished the deciphering of the relief’s letter, so I performed an experiment but……”

The Nayuta in the appearance of a young girl answered with a smile without worry.

“I became a god.”

Afterword

This is Kuji Masamune! What do you think about the sixth volume of [Masou Gakuen HxH]? You haven’t read it? Then that’s also good! There will be no particular problem even if you are reading this afterword first before reading the story! I want you to read thinking this as the author’s talk without spoiler!

This sixth volume has the most passionate content among all the Masou Gakuen until now. There is also hot scene in temperature meaning, but as expected the center of attention is surely the confrontation of Kizuna and Aine. The nullification of Heart Hybrid Gear due to Code Breaker, in a certain meaning Aine’s Zeros is possessing an unrivaled ability, Kizuna is using all the strength he has to oppose against that. What is called as Kizuna’s strength is not just direct weapon. Intelligence and bravery, and then the power of his comrades. All of such things are Kizuna’s power.

Which reminds me, the first volume can also be said to be a story of Kizuna VS Aine in a certain meaning isn’t it? If this volume is thought as their rematch after going around and around, that’s also deeply emotional isn’t it? Even at the first volume’s first and last the two of them have grown and changed. And then, even in the first and sixth volume, I think they also accomplished a large change again.

Kizuna and also Aine are not completed people. They lost, worry, commit several mistakes, even so they are advancing forward without giving up. I earnestly wish everyone to watch over the growth of them who are like that from now on too.

And, I’m happy that the other people surrounding them also receive attention. Gravel who decorated the front cover this time (finally Kizuna’s evil hand has reached even the enemy character!) and Aldea are also characters that I have deep emotional attachment too. However this time they really meet with an outrageous experience don’t they! Especially in the erotic direction, lol

And then the MVP this time, as expected is Gertrude! The moment she made her entrance at the third volume she retired from injury. And then she is a character with bad luck after going through two volumes continuously making her entrance as an injured person! Finally, she comes into the light of day! (cry)

No, I’m not laughing here. I’m deeply moved.

In addition the AU tour is decisively acted, Amaterasu and Masters idol activity is even more polished……what will happen to these people from now on? Even I am also in suspense. No, seriously.

The one who is holding the key from now on is undoubtedly Nayuta. What is she thinking, what is she doing. Earth and also AU, the fate of everything is influenced based on that. And then. Regarding the feeling of Aine’s little sister Grace, where will she head? Will the secrets of the AU also going to be rapidly revealed at the next volume seven? Is my thinking.

Yes! Speaking of volume seven, about the [edition that is attached with a Drama CD] that I wrote at the afterword last time, it will be realized at the seventh volume! I’m the one writing the script this time too, actually the editing is also finished. Regarding the content……this time too naturally I recommend wearing headphones……let’s just say that! And then the theme that is really like Masou Gakuen HxH which I recommend to listen to using headphones, is done in the Drama CD this time. Look forward to it without fail!

Well then for the thanks. Hisasi-san is the best! And then the mecha designer Kurogin-san. The editor in charge from Sneaker editing department O-san. And then, all of you readers that are always, always supporting me. Really, thank you very much!

Next time, the seventh volume of Masou Gakuen HxH. Stay tuned!

Ah, right right.

The planning for [Masou Gakuen HxH]’s anime is in progress.

Grace: Doing that kind of thing to my Nee-sama! Lemuria’s demon king, unforgivab……

Aine: I, I’m not really minding anything about it though.

Grace: Now that it has come to this, I will personally go to fight!

References

↑ Bond, in Japan is read as ‘kizuna’. Though Kizuna’s own name actually doesn’t mean bond. Kizuna’s name is written with kanji of kizu(wound) and na(none)
↑ Samue is informal summer clothes for men (short jacket and trousers), while jinbei is a monk’s non-spiritual clothes.

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[1] Bond, in Japan is read as ‘kizuna’. Though Kizuna’s own name actually doesn’t mean bond. Kizuna’s name is written with kanji of kizu(wound) and na(none)

[2] Samue is informal summer clothes for men (short jacket and trousers), while jinbei is a monk’s non-spiritual clothes.

[1]

[2]

Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 6

Prologue

Part 1

Part 2

Chapter 1 – Powerful Enemy Reunion

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Chapter 2 – Holiday of Izgard

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Chapter 3 – Alliance

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Chapter 4 – Clash

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Afterword

References

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