Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 6 Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Part 1
—[Tablet of the Sea of Stars]. Before the sculpture of the Dragon King of the Sea of Stars.[1]
During the time of which the fire pillar was erected in the middle of the arena grounds, Izayoi and Mandra had arrived at the deepest reaches of the Corridor of Displays—A special Display Hall.
This is a restricted area that did not allow normal visitors to enter as it was the vault that kept the finest sculptures and ornaments worked by the finest of craftsmen. The sculpture of the Dragon King of the Sea of Stars that was displayed during the Birth of the Fire Dragon Festival was also said to be sculpted by the hands of Sala herself; and the green crystalline tektite was also kept securely within this hall.
“But regarding this huge piece of Moldavite[2],…… where could it have been mined from?”
“No. That wasn’t mined at all. It’s something that Onee-san created through forging in the high peaks behind the Palace using the power from the Horn of the [Dragon King of the Sea of Stars].”
“Hou? Then that means the mountain behind the Palace is an active volcano?”
“It’s already a dormant volcano now……but back to the more pressing matters. Is Sandra really in this place?”
“Hm? That’s not possible right? I’ve only wanted to use this chance to visit the restricted section of the Displays.”
“……what?” Mandra was stumped.
“Oi, Mandra.”
“Cut the crap, I still have to find the Demon Lord and Sandra. There’s no time for me to show you around.”
“Oh come on, don’t be such a spoilsport. Do you know the sculptor for this piece over here?…. The one called Koumei?”
Mandra stopped short in his path. Even though he was clearly in a fit of anger just moments ago, but upon hearing the name of ‘Koumei’, his face had immediately frozen over.
Blinking a few times in surprise, Mandra turned back to ask:
“……why are you asking me?”
“Because the sculpture is in your vault isn’t it?”
“No. I mean there should be a certain someone who should know more about Koumei-sama right?” Mandra asked while appearing astonished.
Just for an instant, Izayoi had the stumped look on his face as well, but he soon recovered upon grasping the meaning of Manra’s words.
“Could it be….No, is it really like what I thought?”
“Mah, you do know about it after all.”
“No, just think about it. We are dealing with a possibility out of an astronomical number of possibilities you know? It is something that cannot be expressed even with the extent of a number in the sixty-nine digits. Or should I say that there really is a special absurd way that exists in Little Garden to choose the summoned target to be a specific individual?”
“Of course there is.”
Mandra replied without hesitation to the question.
Izayoi was so surprised that he almost lost his grip on the sculpture held in his hands.
“……No, That’s not right. Please wait a moment, that can’t be possible can it? According to my deductions thus far, this world of Little Garden should exist within the time line where all possibilities converge. If one were to summon a specific individual, it would really be a divine technique of finding a needle in the sea.”
“Well, who cares about that?”
Mandra gave a terse reply while Izayoi’s frown grew deeper as his absolute confidence in his conjectures were shaken.
The trio of Sakamaki Izayoi, Kudou Asuka and Kasukabe Yō had been summoned through different timeframes to the same timeline. In other words, it is possible to assume that the spatial dimension of [Little Garden] is always connected to the timelines of the other worlds or is a dimension that encompasses all the other timelines.
The only reason that could explain the limited points of summoning from the intersections of possibilities is that the density of [Little Garden]’s existence was raised by the convergence of different time planes.[3]
With only a lead for this conjecture, there was no way to be certain about it and he could only leave it at the speculation stages. But recalling about all the Demon Lords who had been their opponents so far, such a reasoning wouldn’t hold true.
For example, the case of [Perseus]. They are said to be the residents who have migrated from the mythologies of Izayoi’s world and they did not really exist. But if their ancestor was someone like Izayoi and the others who have been summoned from the outside into the world of [Little Garden], that would prove that [Perseus] is from another line of possibility; and Leticia and her Vampire comrades who have originated from the future that transcends the Human race would also make up another part of the evidence.
—A world that mixes the timelines of the future, present and past as well as facts and fictions.
If one hypothesized that Little Garden is a dimension that lay upon or was connected to the various timelines, everything would seem much more reasonable.
(……But is it even possible to summon a few specific people from the endless number of possibilities?)
That’s right—To be able to summon from anywhere in the countless intersection of timelines would also mean that it is possible to summon an unlimited number of ‘Izayoi’s. At the same time, they would be summoning ‘Izayois who are not Izayoi’. The other Izayois may not possess the same interests as him and would be a completely different person from himself, having a different path in life. The other might even be a female.
The convergence of many different variations of the same person existing at the same time could very well be seen in the situation of the legend of [PIED PIPER OF HAMELN] that showed a clear distinction between the individuals. Stemming from the same reality, the same legend that exists with various factors leading to the same result as well as differing alternatives of the character who appear in the myth, embodying the unlimited possibilities—
Those were the residents who lived in this sort of world.
The ocean of possibilities that was wider than the universe.
Izayoi simply could not fathom the method that could allow a person to find a specific individual from such a vast ocean.
(Damn. It’s just like I’m almost getting it but not getting it at the same time. It would seem that I’m missing the most important factor in the equation somehow.)
At least for now, it has already greatly exceeded Izayoi’s capacity to process the information.
Unable to figure out the explanation to the mystery, Izayoi had fallen into deep thought with a serious expression on his face.
On the other hand, Mandra realized that his words had led to the situation he saw before him and he cleared his throat to add:
“……Hm. Looks like my words were flawed.”
“What?”
“To be more accurate, I should say that I know of a person who is capable of performing that method of summoning. Although it has just been a few months since you arrived in this world, I guess you would definitely have heard of the name during your time in Little Garden. The Demon Lord of the Portal of Stars and Gold—the legends of [Queen Halloween].”
Izayoi’s eyes were widened in amazement and they shone like the eyes of a child hearing of a new toy in fashion.
“[Queen Halloween]……Hah, I did hear the legends of hers. She’s one of Little Garden’s [Biggest three Problem Children] right?”
“I guess that sort of term seems to be more commonly known. But she’s definitely qualified to be a representative for Little Garden. In fact, there are countless Demon Lords who roam the world of Little Garden but the one who can be called a ‘Queen’……can only be her.”
“That really is something noteworthy. Please do give me the honors of meeting such a great person.” Izayoi gave the sculpture, which was sculpted under the name of ‘Koumei’, a light rap of his knuckle.
Although he still haven’t figure out the mystery, but he had found the key to it.
(Anyways, Kasukabe’s father must have entered and left Little Garden before. If it is really possible to summon specific individuals to Little Garden, …… it might be possible to find and rescue Lily’s mother.)
The original members of [No Name] which includes Canaria might have been thrown into the outside worlds and Lily’s mother, who is one of them, might have met the same fate.
It is said that Lily’s mother had been bestowed the Gift of Divinity from Ukanomitama[4] and if she had been thrown into the outside world, there might be a chance to trace the influences of her Divinity in the historical texts to determine the era that she currently resides.
(First things first would be to try searching for the method to observe the changes in time. Only after everything has been readied and in place, going to pay a visit to [Queen Halloween] then, would not be too late as well.)
Although he had given up on the pursuit of the answers to his questions mid-way through the conversation, but he was still able to reap an unexpected harvest of information.
It might even be a chance to summon all the members of [No Name] with just that move.
“Thank you, Mandra. Thanks to you, I seem to have found a nice plan.”
“Is that so? Well then, I also need help on my end. Hurry up and get Sandra—”
‘Back’ was a word that never made it out of his mouth as a tremor along the ground cut his words short.
The tremors were bad enough to cause the quake-resistant vault to shake and it was violent enough to cause a few artifacts on display to tip over to their sides.
Izayoi grabbed the nearest showcase to steady himself while shooting a sharp gaze towards the direction of the arena.
“……the epicenter of the quake seems to be very near.” He muttered while sliding into high alert.
The quake just now was definitely not a normal impact.
If those shockwaves were the result of the battles, it would mean that the competitors were of an unusually powerful level; and the participants for the [Duel of Creators], which is hosted in the arena beside the corridor of displays, should be Asuka and Yō.
If it were these two against such a strong competitor—-
“Sorry, I’ve a change of plans. I will be heading to the arena. After all, ochibi-sama might be at the arena too.”
“Ah, Mhm. I will be there as well after meeting up with my military police squads.”
Giving a sidelong glance to Mandra who had hurt his back from the shockwave, Izayoi sped out onto the streets.
—what an ominous foreboding.
He who had crossed between the lines of life and death many times was now feeling an unprecedented chill creeping down his back. Recognizing the threat through intuition, Izayoi charged towards the arena with his face set with a grim determination.
Part 2
— Rewinding time to a bit earlier.
At the corner of the spectator stands.
The large scale Game that is hosted annually had sent the crowd into a frenzy of cheers, but the atmosphere in this corner was a little different from its surroundings.
Upon sighting the white haired lad with golden irises, Laius’s eyes had narrowed with a tinge of nervousness creeping into his voice as he asked the question:
“You…. Have we met each other before somewhere?”
Laius continued to stare with a puzzled and surprised look on his face.
That must have been the reason for his staring at His Highness since a while ago. Just for an instant, His Highness had widened his eyes in surprise but his face immediately broke into a smile as he nodded his head.
“Well, yeah, maybe we’ve met each other before. After all, it’s possible that we have met each other during a trade with [Perseus]. Especially since my Community is focused on commerce.”
“Nn, Mhm. That does seem to jolt my memory. I recall seeing you from the corner of my eyes during one of the large scale negotiations about a trade……”
Laius had knitted his brows in deep thought as he had a look of being at the verge of remembering but yet failing to catch it tightly. Smiling bitterly, Jin decided to cut in then to stand between His Highness and Laius.
“Laius-san. ……Well, regarding that incident….”
“Ah…… what?”
Jin nonchalantly moved to position himself in front of Sandra while wiping the smile off his face in an instant.
“The incident you refer to—was it the one time that you were negotiating to buy Leticia-san?”
“!”
Because of the unexpected souring of the events, His Highness had an incredulous look of surprise on his face. The words that couldn’t have hit closer to the bull’s eye had stumped him for words and he turned to stare at Jin.
Percher who stood guard behind Jin had also found it difficult to believe her own ears as the train of thoughts in her mind suddenly came to a halt.
(Jin……when did he …)
“DO NOT MOVE!”
Kuro Usagi shouted as she stood behind His Highness.
The Spear of Indra was already held in her hand.
“Sandra-sama, please leave! Summon the military police squads over here immediately!”
“Wh…Why…?”
“This lad’s from the Demon Lord Alliance! The Community that sold Letica-sama can only be that one Community—that’s the reasoning right, Jin-bocchan?”
Jin nodded.
Seeing how readily the nod came had thrown Percher into further confusion for that would have meant that Jin managed to figure out the real identity behind His Highness without her rousing her notice.
It wasn’t clear if His Highness was also pondering over the same matter but he continued to stare at Jin with a sense of shock and surprise in his heart while blinking his eyes continuously. But he still hadn’t drop his guard to show any openings in the meantime.
This pale haired, golden iris lad was still acting casually. Even if he were to be pointed at with the Spear of Indra, he did not even take Kuro Usagi’s threat as something that should be noticed.
He stared straight at Jin while asking with a smile of curiosity and amusement:
“Jin, as a subject that I can reference to in the future, I would like to ask this. When was it that you actually realize about the organization that I belong to? I don’t get the feeling that Percher’s the one who told you about it.”
“……From the start. Percher had responded upon meeting you guys with a ‘it’s been a while’. But —WHEN could it be that you guys have met each other?”
Sandra drew a sharp intake of breath as realization struck her then.
When she had met Jin earlier that day, Jin had also said this:
“In the past two months, Percher had been together with us as a guard……”
“That’s right. In the two months that Percher had been contracted to me, she had been with me the whole time. That would mean that there’s no way for her to have acquainted herself to you guys without me knowing. If you guys really did know each other—the only possibility would have been the time that she had been called the [Black Death Demon Lord].”
“I see. You saw through the whole farce right from the start? Looks like I’ve really blundered badly…… No, I should say that Jin’s performance is too outstanding. To be honest, it really changes my opinion about you.”
“Then, you…. And Rin……?”
“Yes, that’s right. Sorry for having lied to you all these while, Sandra. We are whom you guys termed as the Demon Lord Alliance members.”
His Highness gave his usual grin at that.
It was then that Sandra finally accepted the fact that he’s truly a member of the Demon Lord Alliance.
However, in this sort of situation, Sandra wasn’t immature enough to wallow in the sorrows of a betrayal from whom she had thought of as friends.
“……! [Highborn of Little Garden]-sama. Please hold him here. I will be right back.”
“YES, leave it to me.”
Sandra painfully repressed the words that she wanted to say as she turned to leave.
Kuro Usagi raised her divine spear while giving a vigorous nod in response.
Noting that Sandra left the arena grounds, His Highness turned back his attention to focus on Jin as he asked:
“May I ask you another question?”
“……what?”
“Jin, at what stage have you figured it out? I guess you haven’t been misled by the words of mine about the [Kamikakushi]— Actually, you have already guessed the perpetrator right? The true face behind this whole [Kamikakushi] business.”
The golden irises of His Highness were filled with curiosity as he asked.
Jin returned his gaze squarely as he replied in a calm tone:
“……Mhm, yeah it’s wrong. That’s just another conjecture and another type of explanation. I fear that the one who caused the [Kamikakushi] this time is [Demon King of Confusion] who had been recorded in the annals of <Journey to the West>. This Demon lord harbors great resentment towards [Great Sage Equalling Heaven] and to speculate that he’s out to attack the sworn blood brother of [Great Sage Equalling Heaven]—Kouryuu-san, wouldn’t be too absurd. So, the real purpose of [Demon King of Confusion] —had been to target Kouryuu-san from the start.”
“……”
“According to the legends, this [Demon King of Confusion] had been kidnapping the young monkeys from the hometown of [Great Sage Equalling Heaven]. Seeming to be an Ape Ghost kidnapper…but that is not true in reality. The true identity of [Demon King of Confusion] is the reincarnation of the spiritual power representing ‘A Dissolute heart’. He’s the most chaotic of confusions and pervades the gap in the hearts of others to change their personality into ‘一事无成’—the Soul that is unable to accomplish anything. The power of this Demon can cause adults to fall into depression and cause confusion to be born into the world. At the same time, it can also reinforce the dissolute hearts of children and lead them to distance themselves from their parents. And that is the [Kamikakushi of immature children]— the real identity of Demon King of Confusion.”
—Hence this [Demon King of Confusion] had lost to [Great Sage Equalling Heaven] who had just obtained the cultivation of virtues for deityhood. This is also the proof of Sun Wukong’s abandonment of any negative connotations regarding the character of “混”[5] to become the [Great Sage Equalling Heaven].
“……Your Highness. I would say that we have spent a day with a girl who seems close to the situation that I’ve described, right?”
“Ah, you are right about that.”
His Highness did not even try to deny it as he nodded his head honestly.
Jin gritted his teeth as he suppressed his inner rage and sorrow that threatened to spill from his heart as he stated in a calm tone:
“Your Highness…… The real motive behind your actions are to make contact with [Demon King of Confusion]…… and to borrow his power to cause Sandra to be [Kamikakushi]ed!”
“Wow, this is really amazing. You are absolutely correct on all of those. I really didn’t expect you to be able to see through our act to that extent. Jin, you really make me change my opinion about you.”
The golden eyes of His Highness glinted with light as he gave a raucous laugh.
Having listened in on the conversation of the two beside her, Percher had gone pale as she reviewed the whole incident from the very beginning.
(In other words……Sandra’s slipping out of the palace wasn’t really her intention but she was actually ‘kidnapped’ from the palace as a victim for the [Kamikakushi]……)
The truth caused a cold chill to run down the length of her spine.
If Jin hadn’t met up with Sandra at the palace, she would have already been [Kamikakushi]ed by now and disappeared without a trace. If she who plays the role of the host to the Convention had disappeared, it would surely cause [Salamandra] to disband and the other Masters would find it difficult to collaborate on a united front. In fact, that very moment that they had ran into Sandra had been a miraculous act of fate.
(I didn’t expect that Jin…… could have come up with all these conjectures alone.)
Percher revised the evaluation she had about Jin at that very moment.
Jin had participated in battles before but perhaps his usual performance had been mediocre at best and seeming a little unreliable. He had then worked very hard to make up for his shortfalls to reach this point.
In order to keep up with the rest of the [No Name]s that had gathered many devilish geniuses under its wing recently, Jin Russel had given his all to accumulate his knowledge and polish his skills.
“……Your Highness. I hope that you will surrender quietly because you should know that it is a stupid thought to try resist in this sort of situation right?”
“Hng~ surrender…?”
His Highness did his best to suppress his urge to laugh as he looked around to confirm the identities of the people surrounding him.
Leader of [Perseus], Laius.
Strategist of [Will-O'-Wisp], Jack.
[Highborn of Little Garden], Kuro Usagi.
Former Demon Lord currently under the flag of [No Name], Percher.
Giving a sidelong glance at all of them, his Highness gave a teasing expression as he laughed:
“Oh well, let’s do it this way. Let’s have a trade.”
“……a trade?” Jin was so surprised that he repeated the words like a parrot mimicking human speech.
Brimming with smiles as though he had just found something good, His Highness said—
“I will let you guys off with your lives intact, so come over to join my ranks, Jin and Percher.”
“What?!”
Besides His Highness, all the rest were stumped for words.
Although it seems unbelievable, he did not seem to care about the situation that he’s in. It would even seem that compared to the divine spear of Indra pointing at him, he seemed more interested in the answer from Jin.
The ones who had their lives hanging on the balance wasn’t himself but Jin and Kuro Usagi—-that was the kind of assuredness that gave him the confidence to suggest such a trade.
Recognizing the ominous atmosphere shrouding the youth before her, Kuro Usagi started to break into cold sweat.
“Jin-bocchan, you needn’t answer. This guy is……very dangerous!”
The calm golden iris gave a leisurely glance towards Kuro Usagi. That cold look was enough to invoke a wordless threat towards Kuro Usagi.
“There’s nothing to fear. As long as Jin agrees to it, I will let your Community off. After all it’s just the Convention of Masters. For me to close an eye to this whole incident would also be fine by me. Just that this is already a big offer I’m giving for this once.”
The golden yellow irises seemed to ensnare Kuro Usagi.
Just like a frog that caught sight of a snake’s pointed stare at it, Kuro Usagi who had stiffened up instantly had—
“…… Prepare yourself—!”
Following a loud roar of thunder, Kuro Usagi had released the seal of the divine spear of Indra.
—I cannot allow this youth to exist.[6]
The blood of the War God’s Herald coursing through her very being was telling her to finish off her opponent when the opportunity presents itself. Although he might be a very important clue, but now wasn’t the time to worry about all those.
If he wasn’t finished in this strike at this very moment, everyone on the scene would be in danger of being killed!
“Okay…… The [Highborn of Little Garden] wants to fight? Well, I guess there’s no choice then.”
His Highness continued to face his back towards Kuro Usagi while spreading his arms wide in a leisurely manner.
Seeming to say ‘Bring it on, you may take the first move’, His Highness had a fearless smile on his face.
Raising the divine spear, Kuro Usagi silenced the turmoil of thoughts to focus her attention as she took a step forward.
“PIERCE IT…… [Mock History of Poetry. Indra’s Spear]—!!”[7]
A sound explosive boom of thunder resounded.
And the divine spear that carried the collective fate of victory shot towards the back of His Highness with an intense flare of lightning.
The weapon which could even strike down the Gods—the spear that would surely strike true to its intended target had released a million volts worth of lightning and charred the ground beyond recognition as it flew towards the target.
The divine spear, which is the tangible materialization of Fate itself as a form of a Gift, only needed to be thrown once to override any other possible futures to pierce through the enemy.
No matter who this white haired golden iris youth might be, he wouldn’t be able to escape from this strike!
“What, What’s happening?!”
“There’s someone fighting in the spectator stands!”
The sudden flash of lightning caused the riled up crowd of spectators to shout and scream in surprise as they jostled and scrambled to get away. Although fights breaking out weren’t a rare sight, this particular fight seemed to be of a different scale.
The Divine spear was emitting a large amount of heat and the pressure from its presence had also caused the atmosphere to suddenly expand from the heating. Thunder continued to boom as a series of explosions went off. It was no wonder that the spectators would be terrified.
—However, Kuro Usagi was much more startled than all of them.
The divine spear of Indra hadn’t been able to pierce through the back of that boy and it had been merely bounced off.
(This is……the spear being unable to pierce? What kind of —)
“I guess it is the incompatibility of the elements. Against such weapons, I’m just naturally resistant to them.”
A smile continued to hand on his face while the lightning continued to hammer away at him.
Even if the divine spear was unable to pierce through him, just the mere excess of heat emissions should have burnt him to crisp. But all those were still ineffective against this youth.
His Highness spun around lightly to face Kuro Usagi.
“I’m actually only here to observe the situation today. It’s unfortunate that things have progressed to this point, O Goddess of the Moon.”
“Jin-bocchan! Run now—!”
Kuro Usagi shouted at the top of her lungs but sadly, it was too late.
His Highness casually knocked away the spear with a fist before jumping into Kuro Usagi’s midriff to launch a strike. Kuro Usagi who was knocked off-balance still managed to twist her body aside to narrowly dodge the incoming fist.
Making a full somersault in mid-air and utilizing the centrifugal force to rotate the spear, she swung down the spear on His Highness. However, His Highness did not even bother to defend himself against the strike but merely blocked it with his neck.
(As I thought…… it must be a Gift that revolves around the concept of being ‘Impenetrable’……)
There was only one weakness for the holy Spear of Indra.
This holy spear was imbued with the fates of ‘assured victory of piercing the intended target’. Hence, it would be unable to display its full strength when used against an opponent who cannot be pierced.
(But, since we’ve figured out that aspect about him now, it would be much easier to get a grasp of his real identity later…!)
Kuro Usagi did a rapid scan of her entire memory bank.
That is because for a person to be protected by the power of such a strong concept, it can only mean that the Gift existed only through the handing down of inheritance and accomplishments till date.
By means of elimination, she quickly narrowed down the candidates who could be the true identity of the youth to just three. However, His Highness wasn’t that lenient to allow her the leisure of time to think deeper into the matter.
Grabbing the handle of the spear, His Highness continued to smile leisurely in that spine-chilling manner.
“I shall give you a second. If you do not wish to die, summon your ‘armor’.”
“Ugh, You….!”
Hearing that declaration of a killing strike with a tinge of generosity and kindness, Kuro Usagi abandoned her thoughts.
According to the original rules, the [Spear] and [Armor] is not supposed to be used simultaneously. But the next blow of the youth would be impossible to block for she had already calculated all the other risks involved. Besides, her instincts were also screaming at her that the next punch would shatter her bones and body.
Kuro Usagi drew out a yellowed ancient piece of the annals— [History of Poetry· Mahabharata's paper], to summon the Sun Armor that shone glaringly. With that, she who now wore the armor of immortality would be protected from death.
Confirming the radiance of the armor with his own eyes, His Highness channelled his strength into his other fist—
“Good bye then, I didn’t expect to have so much fun with you, O Goddess of the Moon.”
And let fly the punch. Kuro Usagi, who had been hit through the protection of the armor, was trying to steady her stance by exerting force into her legs and feet. However, the brute strength of His Highness was monstrous to the point of absurdity and it punched through the armor’s torso.
(How can this……?!)
*Kluack* The fist had sunk itself into the Sun Armor and with the absurd power from the fist of His Highness that would have shattered Mountains and Rivers—Kuro Usagi was sent flying at the speed of the Third Cosmic Velocity.
“Kuro Usagi-dono!”
Jack, who had been a silent bystander watching the events unfold, made a move to hug Kuro Usagi who was sent flying to decelerate the force.
However, the force that could break Mountains and quake the Earth was too great for the both of them to decelerate and they crashed into the spectator stands together. The spectator stands had then completely crumbled due to the impact and a loud explosion boomed across the arena. Smoke and dust billowed like a cloud from the point of collision. Shattered debris were sent flying into the air and cries of alarm and pain started to spread.
“AaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhHHhhhhh!”
The spectators scrambled out of the amphitheater, screaming and shouting as they squeezed out of the entrances so rapidly that it seemed like how smoke dissipates in the wind.
Although Kuro Usagi tried to lift her upper torso into a sitting position, the best she could do was to prop herself up a little before weakly hanging her head down limply.
“Kuro, Kuro Usagi-dono! Please stay with us!”
Jack’s pumpkin head had also been half blown off by the collision but he did not seem to care about the destroyed portion at all as he propped Kuro Usagi up to help her staunch the flow of blood. Just as he took hold of Kuro Usagi, the Sun Armor had also lost its shine to revert back to the Paper of the Ancient Annals of Poetry. Although it is said to be the Armor of Immortality, it was still limited to one use.
Having lost the armor and continuing to bleed profusely, Kuro Usagi was clearly in a critical state that was life-threatening.
(That youth……even if it’s a conflicting element, he’s still capable of putting Kuro Usagi-dono out of the fight with one strike……)
The rabbit who’s well known to be the [Highborn of Little Garden] as the Herald of Indra, Kuro Usagi— had been downed by just a punch. Even if he appeared to be just a child, his real identity couldn’t possibly be that of a Human.
This strike had been enough to cause a serious injury to the [Moon Rabbit] whose famous trait had always been that of unyielding resilience. And with the medical equipment with him at the moment, it was impossible to give a proper treatment for Kuro Usagi.
So, Jack roared at Laius who stood in a daze:
“Laius! Go to the workshop to get the medical equipment! You who can take to the skies should be able to do that quickly!”
“HA, HAH? Why me—-”
“Enough from you, go now! You Baka Deshi![8] At least listen to the orders of your master at times!”
In the face of Jack’s fierce chiding, Laius shrank away for a moment before clicking his tongue to take to the skies.
Tearing away at the rags that he wore, Jack used them as the substitutes of bandages to staunch the flow of blood.
An unconscious Kuro Usagi was writhing while moaning:
“Jin…bocchan…… Asuka-san, Yō-san……Everyone…Escape quickly……”
Though Kuro Usagi had lost her consciousness, she was still worried about her comrades.
But in this kind of situation, her sense of self-sacrifice had stirred up the feelings that ran contrary to her wishes.
On the arena grounds, Asuka and Yō who were in the midst of their new battle plan had caught sight of the injured Kuro Usagi and instantly threw aside their reason to roar in anger.
“How… How dare you do that to my—”
“To our Kuro Usagi—!”
The duo immediately changed their focus from the Game to His Highness.
Willa who originally faced them frantically rushed towards them in an attempt to stop them:
“No, Don’t……It’s not possible with just you two together!”
But the duo had not heard her cries.
The anger from Asuka and Yō was so heavy that it flowed off them in waves. But that was only to be expected.
Kuro Usagi have always been an important character in the Community and was the mood-maker who kept everyone cheerful and optimistic. It is only due to her efforts that everyone of [No Name] were able to pass their days happily as a Community.
It’s precisely because of her existence that—-The duo had found their salvation in the world of Little Garden.
“I will take the lead! I’ll be leaving the support to you, Asuka!”
“Got it! Let’s go, Deen!”
Although they were emitting an overpowering sense of rage, they were still clear enough in their minds to keep a portion of calmness to split the task with just the exchange of a glance.
Equipping the Pegasus Boots, Yō whipped up a sparkling wind as she closed in.
Whereas, Asuka summoned the Red Iron Giant from her wine red Gift card.
“—DEEEeeeEEEEN—!!!”
The Iron giant descended with a majestic roar.
Deen who had obtained the [Dragon Horn] was now emitting flames from its hollow centre and it gave an inspiring hope of dependability.
The [Dragon Horn] was fully integrated into the Sacred Rare Iron hull of Deen under the working hands of Jack and Laius. Hence, Deen was now much stronger in its freakish strength and explosive flames, with heat rolling off its entire body in waves.
In the meantime, Yō started to gather the sparkling winds under her feet to accelerate her movements. Staggering her line of advance, she got behind His Highness to launch a kick with her full strength.
Seeming to be waiting for that cue, Asuka also ordered Deen.
“Make a Pincer Attack! Deen, go forth!”
“DEEEEeeeEEEN!”
The iron arm, which possessed the ability to freely extend and contract, was wreathed in flames as it closed in on His Highness.
At the same time, Yō with her sparkling winds concentrated around her Pegasus Boots had closed in for a melee.
His Highness who was in a daze, blinked his eyes repeatedly as he looked surprised by their sudden display of trump cards. However, in the next instant, a cruel grin had spread across his lips as he took the battle on with his fists.
“Too weak and too slow!”
His Highness shouted while knocking away Deen’s metal arm with the back of his right fist and using the subsequent momentum to take a swing at Yō which she narrowly dodged by a centimetre.
Yō used that opening to increase her speed to round behind him and kick towards the exposed back.
“You Bastard!”
Yō roared as she launched her attack. Seeing how His Highness was now off-balanced due to his empty punch, Yō was very confident that he wouldn’t be able to dodge this time.
But that strike was still a miss.
“How naïve!”
His Highness who had lost balance, simply allowed himself to fall to the ground on his back and kicked towards the Pegasus Boot to knock it away. That sort of instantaneous judgement and reaction was really an amazing control over his body.
Although it was a kick directed at her scale armored boot, Yō was still sent flying into the spectator stands from the strike of His Highness. Even with the Gift of the Pegasus and Gryphon to soften the impact of the collision, a bone-numbing pain racked through her body.
“That hurts… he’s really strong…”
Using the momentum of his kick that sent Yō flying, His Highness did two complete somersaults to back away.
Asuka gritted her teeth as she ordered Deen to continue the attacks.
“Don’t stop! Continue to press him!”
“DEEEEeeeEEEN!”
The left and right arms continued to extend and retract and forced His Highness into a corner of the spectator stands. However due to the difference in speed, His Highness was easily dodging between the metal arms.
Maintaining sufficient distance between them, His Highness shook his head with a troubled look.
“What a headache…… You guys are the talent that I want on my side……but I’m not good at holding back. If you really want to fight, can you please be more serious about it?”
His Highness patted at the dirt that smeared his clothes as he said those words without intended malice to it.
Staring at the duo with his arms relaxed.
That stance could be said to be an arrogance close to egocentricity. Facing the two Humans who could be hailed at the highest pinnacle of talents, the youth had no trace of fear within him.
On the contrary, it was Asuka and Yō who were starting to understand the difference between their power levels.
Even if they continued this attack and defensive battle for the whole day, they would still be unable to defeat this white haired lad with golden irises.
The duo finally realized that they should not have any reservations then.
“……Almathea, Deen, sorry to call on you guys to reach into your real potentials…… Let’s give it our all.”
“DeN.”
{“No problem, my master.”}
The Red Iron Giant and the Silvery-white Mountain Goat responded to the determination of their master.
“The main force of a Community should never display their trump cards.”—Up till that very moment, Asuka had always been abiding by the teachings of Garol without fail.
No matter how strong Willa’s power might be, she would never reveal the trump card of hers in the [Duel of Creators]. That was the judgement she had made. But against this white haired lad with golden irises, leaving such a hand of cards would definitely cause her to lose.
Asuka drew her Gift Card and was about to release the third Gift that Jack had given to her when—-Yō calmly stopped her by the arm.
“……Asuka, there’s no need to fight any longer.”
“Eh?”
“It’s okay now…… He’s here.”
Asuka drew a sharp breath as she looked towards the West entrance of the spectator stands.
Although His Highness was also confused by her sudden change in actions, he too turned his head to look at the same direction that Asuka was gazing towards.
—Sakamaki Izayoi was standing there alone, surveying the scene with a blank look.
Translator’s notes
- ↑ [magrefnotes: okay this is irritating… can I just change it to milky way or something? Any suggestions on what sea of stars is?]
- ↑ [magref notes: Moldavite is supposed to be created when a meteorite collides into Earth and it is a type of tektite that is green in color. As seen from wiki’s explanation: Black, green, brown or gray, natural glass that are formed from terrestrial debris ejected during extraterrestrial impacts. High quality ones are of a gemstone luster, low quality ones are dull green-blackish. Impossible to be crafted on Earth, in theory but apparently possible in stories.]
- ↑ [magrefnotes: seriously, I didn’t expect to see this explanation part in this volume…. I hate explanations… very difficult to phrase it properly… since the translations from jap to ch usually screw these explanations up….and I screw it up the second time :D if you have queries about this, feel free to ask and suggest a better phrasing. ]
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukanomitama
- ↑ [magref notes: Can’t remember if I’ve said it before…“混”can mean mixed(messy mix), confusion, blending into the chaos etc… depending on the next character that it is paired up with… ]
- ↑ [magref notes: there are two types of response towards fear… The fight/ flight response. She’s on the fight response.]
- ↑ [magref notes: “模拟叙事诗•梵释枪”might not be same weapon… needs research].
- ↑ [magrefnotes: Baka Deshi should be stupid apprentice/student right?]
