◆ In Front of Noibranz Royal Capital – Defense Line ◆
As the Noibranz army unleashed a full-scale assault, I held Platiu tightly from behind. Though her face was hidden, I could hear her muffled sobs, and it was clear just how much she was suffering. If I couldn’t completely destroy the Machine Maiden, what was I supposed to do?
“Platiu!”
“Ah… ahhh! S-succession… z-zokkou…”
If I couldn’t even save a single child being controlled by the Machine Maiden while she was in such agony, then what did my strength even mean? True, I had ultimately saved Ikana Village with this power I had gained from the feeling of helplessness against the One-Winged Demon. But that wasn’t the end of it. I had experienced too many moments where I couldn’t help those suffering right in front of me.
What I wanted to do, no matter how much I was ridiculed, was to help those in need. It became clearer to me now than ever. If I couldn’t even save a child like this, what was the point? What was the Power of Destruction for? If I couldn’t handle this situation, then I didn’t need such power at all.
“Platiu… I’m right here.”
I pressed my hand to her forehead from behind and wrapped my other arm around her waist. To firmly prove my presence, I aimed to extinguish the flames that were being unleashed in exchange for Platiu’s suffering. Like the flames flickering in the wind, they gradually calmed down. I destroyed the fire, cooling the heat. The Machine Maiden, which had become like a searing stone, slowly began to cool.
“Ah, ah… u, u…”
“Do you feel better?”
“Ryu, a…”
She finally called my name. I could take this as a sign that Platiu was regaining consciousness. As proof, she lost her ability to fly, and we began to fall. It would be bad if we fell from this height, where we could see the townscape of the royal capital.
I released one hand from Platiu and drew Disballade from its sheath at my waist, managing to stabilize us with a Sonic Boost. The attacks from the Noibranz army showed no signs of stopping, but now that I wasn’t being tossed around by Platiu, I had regained my freedom. There was no way I would let myself get hit by those guys’ attacks.
“W-what is that?!”
“Battalion Commander Libre, the target isn’t going silent at all!”
“J-just keep attacking!”
“How annoying…”
The moment I safely landed on the ground, bolts of lightning and ice spears came flying at me. I kicked them all away, glaring at the unit led by that Battalion Commander Libre. I could feel the murderous intent from the thousands of soldiers, who seemed to groan alongside their Servants. Yet, the Noibranz soldiers didn’t flee. With a single-minded determination for their country, they faced any opponent, whether it was the Beastkin King, the Vandalsia army, or me. Their mental fortitude was no less than that of the Avangarde soldiers.
“Platiu, you can hear me, right?”
“Ryu… a…”
“That’s right, I’m glad…”
Her head slumped against my chest. I was quite anxious, but I could hear her heartbeat, so she wasn’t dead. She had merely lost consciousness. I still couldn’t relax. What should I do next—
“Ah…! That was close!”
“Are you dodging this?”
One of the Ten Destroyers, Shiny, attacked with a spinning kick. It was dangerous to protect Platiu while dodging. I managed to evade by dropping to the ground, but they didn’t give me a moment’s rest. There was no hesitation in the sharp and swift exchange of martial arts.
“Shiny! Don’t lay a hand on that child!”
“Dream on! Say that after you sleep. The reward is great, retreat is not an option!”
“Reward, work, work…!”
“Don’t forget about elegant me, Guhah!”
I thought something had rushed in at high speed, and it turned out to be Schwelm. I instinctively swatted him away, and he spun several times before rolling on the ground. His duck-like head was completely severed, gruesomely embedded in the earth.
“Schwelm…?”
It seemed the Ten Destroyers were quite shocked to see one of their own taken out in a single blow. The soldiers peered at the motionless Schwelm as if he were some unfamiliar creature. While dodging Shiny’s attack, I had indeed surprised them.
“W-wonderful!”
“Now you understand, if she wanted to, Shiny could take you out in one hit.”
Just as I was about to say more, my knees buckled. I tried to hold onto Platiu, but my vulnerability was exploited by a double-finger jab. I recognized this attack as a form of chiropractic technique, but I had never been hit by it. So why was this happening?
Now, I felt my shoulders and arms losing strength. As I wobbled, I was about to drop Platiu, and there was no way Shiny would let that slide.
“Shishitenkan!”
A thrust with the index and middle fingers pierced through my momentary unsteadiness. But that wobble was barely a moment. If this were against someone of Vandalsia’s caliber, it might have been dangerous, but my opponent was at most a few hundred levels. Shiny’s attack against a gap that lasted less than half a second was bound to be delayed by one or two beats. Yet, the fact that a gap had appeared was undeniable, and Shiny was impressive for managing to exploit it. If it had hit Platiu…
“Is it there?”
“What?”
“My setup was supposed to be perfect. No effect?”
“So what?”
“The massage I did at Avangarde hit the right spots. It was supposed to cause full-body paralysis, but it went awry.”
She said something outrageous. So this child had already attacked back then, all while smiling and saying it was work. Now I understood why she had so insistently invited me for a massage. It was all to kill me. No, that meant Kurinka too.
“Ryu-chan, I can’t… move…”
“Kurinka!”
Kurinka fell limply, losing her strength. I tried to stroke the dragon’s head, but she was completely exhausted. If it weren’t for me, she would have ended up like this. I never expected a skill like chiropractic treatment to show its effects at such a time; it was terrifying.
“I also tried the one-year-kill pressure point.”
“Even to Kurinka?!”
“Wait, wait, fighting is a no-go. I’m completely out of motivation now.”
“Huh?!”
“You know, it’s really not worth it. No matter how much reward is piled on, it doesn’t add up. So I’m not fighting anymore.”
Shiny raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. As I hesitated to trust her, the Noibranz army, which had been silent, began to stir again.
“What is that woman saying? She surrenders after just a little fighting?”
“The Ten Destroyers have really fallen. It seems they were nothing but rogues after all.”
“This is the fate of those who live without loyalty, hanging in the balance… Hey!”
The one who called out in a high-handed manner was Geog, the captain. But Shiny didn’t even turn around, just waving her hands dismissively. Perhaps feeling insulted, Geog shot flames from his foot-mounted tubes and charged at us. He aimed his twin cannons at us, intent on killing us all in one go. I couldn’t hold back any longer; he was going to feel a little pain.
“Take this!”
As he loomed over me, I jumped slightly and delivered a punch. I pierced through the void statue, delivering vibrations and impact directly to Geog’s body.
“Gahh! Ah, gah…”
The void statue began to crumble, its rubble turning to sand and disappearing. The remaining flesh-and-blood Geog staggered through the air before crashing to the ground. He lay there, twitching slightly, like a sick person.
“Enough already.”
He probably couldn’t hear me anymore. Still, I learned for the first time that the Neue would disappear when its host lost consciousness. Unlike the End, it seemed there was a way back, but I was even more curious about what kind of skill it was.
“Captain Geog…?”
The soldiers of the so-called Geog’s squadron were frozen in place, along with their Servants. As the soldiers who rushed to check on Geog observed him, I looked at the exhausted Kurinka.
“Shiny, it’s fine to surrender, but what about Kurinka?”
“I’ll return her. If anything happens, I’ll be killed, you know?”
“I’m fine, Ryu-chan.”
“Oh, is she okay?”
Kurinka lifted her head, signaling that she was alright. But just after that, as she transformed back from dragon to human, it seemed she might have exhausted herself a bit. Perhaps she had also recovered from being poked by Shiny with the Power of Regeneration.
“Ugh, I’m feeling a bit dizzy, but… what about Platiu?”
“That’s right! Yes! Please heal her!”
“You little…!”
The voice filled with anger belonged to none other than a Noibranz soldier. Even after their captain Geog was taken down, they still had the will to fight. If they hadn’t attacked again, I might have let them be without doing anything. Perhaps it was due to their sense of loyalty; I could sense a surge of determination from the soldiers who had been trembling just moments ago.
“I give up, but they won’t stop!”
“…Shiny, is it really okay to surrender when you’re being paid?”
“In cases like this, it’s all in the fine print for post-payment. It’s clearly stated in the Contract.”
“Oh, I see… The King is going to be furious.”
“Lua-chan, Platiu hasn’t woken up yet…”
Kurinka was desperately casting the Light of Regeneration on Platiu, her eyes brimming with tears. It was the first time I had seen her healing magic and regeneration fail. I placed my hand on my chest; she was still breathing, and her heart was still beating. Yet, Platiu’s eyes remained shut.
“Shall we head back for now?”
“What nonsense are you spouting! You lot, do not even think about stepping one foot out of this country! This is a decision made! Avangarde is no longer a friendly nation! Not only did you assist the Devil who caused immense damage to our land, but you even laid hands on Captain Geog…”
On the ground stood Battalion Commander Libre and his troops, while the sky was filled with the dragon riders led by Rudrett. They clearly had no intention of letting us escape.
“What kind of friendly nation spreads disease and secretly attacks everyone with Servants? You never intended to be friendly from the start, did you?”
“W-What evidence do you have! This is war! His Majesty will surely acknowledge this; we will invade Avangarde!”
“That’s right! This is all a result of your reckless actions!”
“That weak little country was never our enemy! You acted too hastily! Hahaha!”
They were all spouting their nonsense. Captain Geog, who had been standing there, had vanished without a trace. Perhaps he had been carried away.
“Are we really going to war?”
“Of course! You, the Devil’s Child who aids the Red Devil! There is no reason to let you live!”
Despite the fact that we couldn’t even lay a finger on the Red Devil, they seemed full of energy. Just moments ago, I had stopped the Red Devil and even defeated Geog. I wondered how long it would take for these people to give up.
“Platiu… It’s true that the Red Devil has taken many lives, and I believe there should be consequences for that. But isn’t this something that can’t be decided here and now?”
“You have no right to decide! Our nation has suffered damage from the Red Devil! We have an obligation to exterminate it! This is a settled matter! Any negotiations afterward are irrelevant!”
“That’s a valid point, Lua-chan…”
Indeed, Platiu had done something irreparable. She might have to face punishment or something worse. If that’s the case, then it would be our fault for trying to save her. My heart ached because we were about to do something wrong.
“If you understand, then first, hand that girl over to us.”
“I refuse…”
No matter how wrong we might be, there are still things I cannot yield.
“We can’t abandon Platiu here.”
There was no way I could abandon her.
“Are you really going to fight for just one person? Against this massive army?”
“Yes.”
For just a moment, the place fell silent. But soon, laughter erupted, so loud it seemed to reach the skies. It was crude and filthy laughter, the kind that seemed to twist one’s stomach with its absurdity.
“Apparently, the girls of Avangarde are utterly ridiculous!”
“I’ll acknowledge your strength! But do you even comprehend what it means to face this many? You must be out of your mind!”
“It seems you’ve lost your wits in front of this army! Hey! Everyone! Laugh louder! This is not enough!”
“Hahahahahaha! Fuhahahaha!”
If all the troops from the north and west gathered, it would be an overwhelming number. That’s why it didn’t matter how strong I was.
“But everyone, do not let your guard down! I don’t know what kind of magic it is, but that little girl managed to silence the Red Devil and single-handedly defeat Captain Geog!”
“Shiny! Just to confirm, you won’t do anything to assist them, will you?”
“Hmm, it depends on the reward.”
“What did you say?”
“Is there a lot of money? I might consider it for this much.”
I couldn’t tell how much “this much” really was, so I nodded ambiguously. Would she really fight if we paid her? She had avoided fighting me, yet she was willing to fight Noibranz’s troops. It was all so confusing.
“Is this enough?”
“Oh! It’s settled! Good terms, good reward!”
“Wait, it’s settled? Kurinka…”
“Yeah, we should have enough for this… I want to get Platiu to a safe place quickly, but we need to settle this situation first.”
“Is Platiu… going to be okay?”
“As long as she doesn’t die, she’ll be fine. After all, I brought Rutna back to life, right? If I concentrate this time, I should be able to do it!”
Her conviction was reassuring. Kurinka, with her arms tensed, looked adorable even surrounded by a multitude of soldiers and monsters.
“Platiu’s life is at stake. Having even one more helper isn’t a bad thing… If we run away now, these people will surely attack Avangarde. As they said, it’s also our responsibility, and if that happens, it would be a disaster.”
“Have you finished your confessions?”
Each soldier readied their weapons, and various monsters were threatening us. The scale was incomparable to Gaster’s squad. After all, the main forces of Noibranz were right here.
“There are no confessions here. I could never abandon a friend.”
A friend. As I said that, I felt as if Platiu’s lips moved while she was lying on Kurinka’s back, transformed into a dragon.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Finally, we’ve come to this point.
Facing the entire army all at once…
It’s no wonder we’re being laughed at.
But the fact that she single-handedly stopped the Red Devil means we should evaluate her true strength more.
For now, I think Lua should handle this alone, while Kurinka should move Platiu to Avangarde first.
But I have my concerns.
I know because we’re both demons; Aboro is watching.
That guy, the strongest demon, Aboro.
I think he might be stronger than the Demon King himself.
After all, I’ve never seen him in action.
Perhaps Lua and I…
For some reason, I can’t shake this feeling. Even if that’s the case, I don’t want to acknowledge it.
I’m more worried about this side than Noibranz’s forces.