Episode 311: To the City Center
“Hey! Yuma’s gone. To think he’d go out of his way to help the guys who kicked him out…”
Akito and Rui were inside the Ice Kingdom (Ice Kingdom). From the rooftop of a tall building, they both looked down at the city submerged in the sea.
“Even you said we should go back to the city to find a way to move around, didn’t you?”
“I couldn’t help it! We don’t have a way for all three of us to move together! Besides, you’re the only one who can’t fly, Rui!!”
“Come on. Akito might be able to fly continuously, but even if Yuma transforms into a Dragon, he’ll revert in thirty minutes, so we can’t go long distances after all.”
“We still need a vehicle. For that…”
“Yeah, we’d be in trouble if England was destroyed.”
Akito said, “That’s the idea!” and raised the Gae Bolg he was holding, pouring Magical Power into it. The giant spear crackled with Lightning and floated into the air.
Akito kicked off the ground and nimbly jumped onto the spear.
“I’m going ahead! Don’t push yourself, Rui. Your magic compatibility is bad, and your means of transportation are limited.”
“Got it. Please help the people of England.”
“Yeah, leave it to me!”
Akito stared ahead and put Magical Power into his feet. The Gae Bolg glowed intensely and flew off with explosive speed.
Rui watched Akito shrink into the distance and put his feet on the edge of the building.
“Well, I need to be useful too.”
Rui detonated the ground beneath him and jumped.
He leaped high from the impact and landed on the rooftop of another building fifty meters away. It was a close call, but he managed to succeed.
The surroundings were completely ocean. If he fell, he would be attacked by Water Monsters and lose his life.
Rui looked ahead. There was still a long way to go to reach the center of the city. He exhaled and steeled himself, then started running.
He took off from the edge of the rooftop, using the explosion to jump a great distance.
—Wait for me, Yuma, I’m coming soon!
◇◇◇
“Y-you… aren’t you Mitaka! Did you come to help us!?”
Hans spoke to the “Black Monster” in front of him. Its appearance was quite frightening, making it hard to believe it was really an ally.
The Black Monster, Yuma Mitaka, showed his ferocious fangs and turned his face towards him.
Hans gulped.
“Hans-san, the city won’t return to normal unless we defeat the Blue King. I’m going to look for him for now. Can I leave this place to you?”
“A-ah… but if the Blue Dragon attacks, I don’t know how long we can hold out…”
“It’ll be fine.”
Yuma looked up at the sky. As if drawn by him, Hans also looked up.
The Blue Dragon visible in the distance was bathed in a flash of light and fell straight down. Hans blinked, not understanding what had happened.
“That is…”
“He’s my comrade. He’s a Thunder Magic user and can also do aerial combat. He’ll defeat the Blue Dragons in this area.”
Hearing that, Hans frowned.
“Thunder Magic is one thing, but aerial combat too… what are you guys?”
“Well, a lot has happened. Anyway, be careful of the Monsters coming from the sea. You’re the only ones who can protect the people here.”
“—Leave it to us!”
It was Charlotte who answered Yuma’s words from behind.
“I will protect these people no matter what. We Seekers will combine our strength.”
“…Understood. I’m counting on you.”
Just as Yuma was about to leave, relieved, Charlotte spoke up.
“Also, I have to apologize to you.”
“Eh?”
Charlotte looked at Yuma with a sorry expression.
“The government refused your Japanese Seekers’ offer to cooperate. That’s why things have turned out like this…”
Like Charlotte, Hans also had a clouded expression. Seeing the two of them, Yuma shook his head.
“I told you before, it’s not Charlotte-san or Hans-san’s fault. Besides, even if we had cooperated, I don’t know if we could have stopped the current situation. Anyway, we have to think about the future. We have to have hope.”
“…That’s right. You’re right.”
A little light returned to Charlotte’s face. Hans also stepped forward and patted Yuma on the shoulder.
“I’m counting on you, Mitaka! If anyone can defeat the Blue King, it’s you. It’s wrong of me, a foreigner, to say this to you, a Japanese person, but…”
Hans closed his eyes, smiled faintly, and then looked at Yuma’s face.
“Save this country… save the people who are still alive.”
“…Yes!”
Yuma turned around, walked to the edge of the rooftop, and jumped into the sea.
Charlotte and Hans hurriedly looked down, and Yuma deployed something like a surfboard under his feet.
Without sinking into the sea, the board moved forward at an incredible speed, kicking up spray.
◇◇◇
Yuma looked at his feet while maintaining his balance.
“Oh! It’s my first time, but it worked out well.”
The surfboard made of Liquid Metal was completely stuck to his feet, gliding smoothly over the water.
Normally, it wouldn’t be strange for him to sink, but he was creating a strong tailwind with Wind Magic, using it on his back to generate propulsion.
As long as he had momentum, he wouldn’t sink.
Yuma was heading towards the center at a considerable speed, but he felt a slight discomfort in his body.
“What’s this? I feel like something’s wrong with my body, but… is it just my imagination?”
He looked at his hands, but there was nothing particularly different.
“Well, whatever. More importantly, the problem is the Blue King!”
He still couldn’t think of a way to defeat him. Whether he became the Red King or the Green Lord, he would adapt. But he couldn’t win with just the Black King’s power either.
As a mass of metal, the Black King was probably the worst at underwater combat.
Yuma felt a twinge of anxiety, but he further increased the speed of the board to confront the Blue King.