Magika no Kenshi to Shoukan Maou-Volume 12 Chapter 4 — Mountain of Olympus (Part 4-7)

Part 4

“I am Sienna Gattuso. The contractor of the Olympia twelve gods <Ares>. The gatekeeper of this mountain of Olympus. With all of my might, I won’t let all of you pass from here on ahead.”

At the foot of the mountain, by the entrance of the mountain where rock surfaces that became a steep slope could be peeked at more and more, that girl was lying in wait.

She was a petite girl with height around 140 centimeters. However her body was clad in armor with a dark red color that looked like blood while her two hands were holding a huge sword that might be twice her height.

From her appearance she looked like she belonged in the battle faction, but when one heard how she was the contractor of the god of fury Ares then it stood to reason.

The one confronting her was Ilyailiya and Fu Xi―― and the two hundred knights of Russia and China.

Until they reached the foot of this mountain, they had tasted so many trap magics that it made them get fed up and exhausted.

Trap magic――even when the caster wasn’t nearby, if the attack target stepped their foot on that spot it would be triggered and an attack would be invoked. It was plain but it shaved off defensive magic power with certainty.

Fu Xi’s forte was crushing the enemy in front of her eyes, but detecting magic power that was set on the ground wasn’t her strong point. It wasn’t just about sensing magic power, her physical sense was also greatly blunted because her sense of touch was stolen by [Near Death Roulette].

Even though Ilyailiya could deal with the traps, the scene of Fu Xi bearing damage was continuing.

Fu Xi’s subordinates that were rich in battle experience didn’t give any advice to Fu Xi――they weren’t allowed to do that.

Why did it become like this? Fu Xi began to think so inside her heart. Since she followed Ilyailiya’s plan and traveled together with Russia it was only her side who was continuing to be inconvenienced.

She wasn’t thinking that this was Ilyailiya’s plotting but, her irritation was piling up steadily.

But finally in front of her eyes a target that she could beat up with her all appeared.

“Only you alone? How rash.” Fu Xi raised her eyebrow.

“……There are presences of magic power here and there at the slopes. About ten people.”

Ilyailiya sensed the presences of magic power while talking.

“Even so it’s just ten people.”

“This means that they are the few elites while their main force are already planning to retreat.”

“Mu, we see, so that’s how it is. Then……we have to quickly finish this.”

“Naturally time will flow away.”

Sienna lifted up her large sword with both hands while talking.

“Your blood and sweat will flow too from there.”

“Stop prattling! ……Go!”

Fu Xi’s command caused the knights of China to head towards Sienna without even raising their voices.

At the same time with the start of the battle, arrows rained down from the top of the mountain once again.

“Abominable archers. However, now that we have approached near until here where even a gate guard is waiting that’s enough. Hmph, it’s fine if we just destroy everything including the mountain.”

“Because we had been exhausted from before this, this time Russia’s knight order will become the support.”

Ilyailiya who was aware that the arrows would come if she moved said that with zero motivation.

“You can do as you please.”

Fu Xi sent her subordinates forward while beginning to chant her spell at the rear guard. Fu Xi’s powerful attack power could be exhibited at maximum strength by standing at the rear guard.

Suddenly at that time the slope of the mountain was tinged with magic power. The weeds that the knights of China carelessly stepped on rapidly grew and became long ivies that entangled their feet. The knights fell forward.

“Trap magic again!”

Furthermore, there were trees growing tall in front of Sienna that became a wall standing in the way.

“What are you all doing! Just tear apart the ivy like that!! Destroy that wall to pieces!!”

Fu Xi yelled angrily. ……Ilyailiya noticed beforehand how magic power was set up on the ground, but she didn’t tell Fu Xi and she was only staring in a daze from behind.

Sienna invoked magic while that was happening.

“O blood howl, the avatar of strife drag out the latent power. In exchange for my rationality, erupt in my body……The Increase of BerserkerBloody Resize!”

An extremely simple magic phenomenon happened――Sienna’s body was enlarging explosively.

Her muscles inflated and her skeletal structure stretched long as though being pulled by that, rationality vanished from her eye glint. She was transforming into a five meter high being with the appearance that should be called an ogre.

The large sword her arms were holding that looked really unsuited for her before, is now looking like a short sword.

“……-GAaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

The ogre shouted, Sienna then mowed down the knights of China who were being entangled by ivy as though they were children.

“……O blue dragon who guide the divine will, cut open the path of faith under my hand. Seiryuu Engettou.”

“……O divine rare steel possessing infinite mass, hand down the attack of certain death to thousands of evil. Nyoi Kinkobou.”

At the head of the Chinese knight order, two Magika Stigmas slipped out from the ivy hell and invoked their magic with a somewhat melancholic spirit.

One was the contractor of Guan Yu, she created a large halberd in her hand and swung it.

The other one was the contractor of Son Goku, he created a freely expanding pole in his hand and swung it.

The two of them assaulted with a momentum that wasn’t stepping back at all against the huge ogre.

They rained down attack magic one after another and pulverized the wall of trees all at once.

The fierce attack of China’s knight order was assaulting the ogre.

“Plijie Zvezda.”

Ilyailiya was also reservedly attacking from afar with meteorites.

Although she was a giant but she was alone. Sienna staggered.

“Ilyailiya! You, don’t be lazy!”

Fu Xi yelled angrily in spite of the [do as you please] that she had said just now. Ilyailiya ignored that and tilted her head wondering “……When will the ambush come out?”

There was no mistake that by being a contractor of Olympus’s twelve gods, Sienna was a powerful person that was prominent in the Italian knight order, but at this rate she would be simply disposable. There was no way it would end just like this. There should be something else.

However, Fu Xi had almost finished her chanting.

“O land polluted by the surrounding barbarians, be purified under China! Descend down right here o spear of destruction at the end of everything!”

Fu Xi spiritedly lifted her right hand. Above that hand was a bright red cone floating.

The cone received Fu Xi’s colossal magic power and it enlarged in the blink of an eye.

“Four Direction Spiritual Protection of the State Crimson Bird CannonShihou Chinkoku Shuchouhou!!”

When Fu Xi swung down her right hand, the cone flew as though it was thrown away. It went past the head of the enlarged Sienna before the tip of the cone pierced into the mountain slope and dug deeper inside.

Rather than a spear it was a [missile]――after the red cone slipped deep inside the slope it exploded. The ground shook, countless cracks ran, bright red light overflowed from the fissures.

Inside the bright red light, the silhouette of the towering tall mountain was crumbling into pieces.

“Fuhaha, what mountain of Olympus! See, it’s breaking apart! It’s break……mu?”

Fu Xi’s eyes turned round. Ilyailiya’s eyes also opened slightly wide.

The mountain was crumbling due to red light. The trees became ashes in an instant, the surface was stripped down……and steel material appeared from underneath it.

Under the silhouette that was thought as a mountain, a steel fortress appeared.

No, that steel fortress was moving, it stood up.

Half of the thing that was thought as a mountain, wasn’t a mountain.

A steel titan was bending down as though snuggling close to the mountain.

It was hidden with soil and trees as camouflage above it. Right now that camouflages was all blown away and the steel titan hidden underneath was standing up right here.

Looking up at it, it was a huge iron titan that was far taller than even the Siennaogre standing in front of it.

“……Adelina Costacurta. The contractor of <Hephaestus>……is here!”

The iron titan lifted up one foot largely――stepping on the knights of China underneath.

Hephaestus. The god of flames and blacksmiths that created the weapons the gods of Greek Mythology. At a glance it looked like a giant robot, but when looking carefully that appearance came from the giant armor it wore.

Talking about Ares and Hephaestus then they were two people with deep ties even inside Olympus’s twelve gods, but on this occasion they were standing shoulder-to-shoulder for the sake of the shared objective in this Ragnarok.

From the shadow of the iron giant, the ambush troop that was hiding together with him also jumped out one after another.

They were Italian people that might be having some misunderstanding with the ninja costume they were wearing.

A beautiful girl with a staggering hairstyle that was a mix of a Mohican and a topknot yelled.

“The contractor of <Hermes> Faraone El Shaarawy arrives! ……O raging soul, guided by the sound of ancient time sink into the darkness of oblivion……Hundred Reed Pipe of SleepAlgeibontis!!”

Faraone sounded out the flute in her hand loudly. The wave of sound wasn’t spreading but flew straight to Fu Xi, piercing Fu Xi’s eardrum.

“Wha……!?” Fu Xi who had just invoked magic felt her whole body getting heavy like lead.

Her consciousness felt like it was getting farther to pure white.

The most famous legend of Hermes, it was the flute of sleep he used on the occasion of killing the giant of a hundred eyes, Argos. Fu Xi wasn’t completely asleep but for an instant her body couldn’t move. Her mind wasn’t working. She became unable to evade or Resist well.

All the Italian knights there were waiting for that moment. Their timing was perfect.

“Star of scorching heat, the single stroke of bisection resided in the blade of spilled blood! Mars Indestructible SwordMars Gladius!!”

“O rage of earth, use my body as a magazine and shoot without end! Lava Unconventional Ring CannonYavista Volcanus!!”

Sienna’s two handed sword turned red hot and swung down at Fu Xi. Countless volcano mouths was created on Adelina’s full body armor, from there lava bullets were endlessly fired rapidly like Vulcan cannons.

The ninja magicians that leaped forward following after Faraone were also combining their aim at Fu Xi altogether. Of course, the arrows from the sky were continuing to rain down.

The mountain of Olympus was――trampling underfoot the emperor Fu Xi.

“Now then, how about we retreat soon.”

Valextra and Diana finally got rid of the bow and arrows that they were continuing to fire rapidly in earnest.

From the shockwave that shook the mountain, Vera discerned that everything was going well.

“Strategy…… It really went surprisingly well just as you said hasn’t it……Loki.”

Vera talked to the devilish man standing at her side.

Loki was mingling among the Italian knight order with an innocent look while answering “Yeah”.

“Looking at Atlantis where normal animals are living here, if Regina is actually alive then……that was what I thought once again. If that girl could freely move around in Atlantis……Italia’s knight order would aim for this mountain first and foremost. If I waited at the top of this mountain then perhaps I could meet with you guys, that was what I thought. I’m really glad with these various chances……I brought Midgardsomr until this far but the rainbow eucalyptuses randomly have deep roots that Midgardsormr cannot move well underground, yet the rainbow eucalyptus is not densely packed on this mountain so I was able to climb easily. After all I thought that if you guys listened to my story, then you guys would surely join hands with me.”

Loki was convinced of his own reasoning. For Vera it was an unapprovable threat. She had no choice but to join hands with him. Because it would be dangerous if Regina who was flying around in animal form was aimed at by Loki’s group.

And then the strategy that Loki proposed certainly looked advantageous for Italia. With that strategy they gave damage to Japan and Germany and exerted tremendous damage to China. With Loki secretly joining hands with Italia, he secretly betrayed China.

“Regina-sama had resolved herself to not be picky in choosing a method for the sake of victory.”

“Kuku……she really had shed off her old self huh. If we talk about which force it is that needs to be crushed first then as expected its China after all. Kazuki and Hrotsvit are far more quick-witted compared to someone like Fu Xi, Ilyailiya too her personality is cheap like that so she is pushing the damage to Fu Xi bit by bit all the time……so obviously it became like this. What’s left is how much the brave fighting of your abandoned rear guard comrades can exhaust Fu Xi……ku-ku-ku. Ah, which reminds me.”

Loki suddenly stopped laughing from remembering something.

“Kazuki’s group……Japan’s movement, how much can you check on them?”

“Apollo’s magic power detection and Artemis’s moving body detection cannot go as far as chasing after the movement of Japan. Regina-sama in her bird form sometimes saw them from afar, she is only sharing that field of vision with Diadora, but she cannot check on them that frequently. After all there is a chance Regina-sama will be suspected doing that.”

“So, what is the situation?”

It wasn’t Vera but Diadora who answered.

“After they linked up with the German knight order they begin to walk towards somewhere. ……Come to think of it their pace is awfully sure. Hrotsvit also readily followed without complaint. Perhaps they have some kind of compass that clearly lead their action.”

“I see. ……Those guys, there is the possibility that they understand the location of Arthur. A magic that discovers the thing one is looking for……seriously, thinking carefully that kind of magic might exist in the Solomon 72 Pillars.”

“You wanted to avoid them linking up right?”

“No……there is that but……those comrades of mine that I left behind are gonna be in danger. Midgardsomr can just bring a few people so I came this far completely alone. I gotta go back quickly.”

After Loki made Midgardsomr bring him to the top of the mountain he made Midgardsomr go back and waited alone for the Italian force. He had the confidence of joining hands with Italia using his eloquence, but he was uneasy making his comrades stand by for a long time without him there.

Although there were a lot of materialized Divas there, the majority of his army was possessed magicians with completely broken minds. Regulating them was extremely difficult and it was a great burden for Midgardsomr and Fenrir whom he entrusted with house-sitting.

“……Is that really something that urgent? There won’t be any enemy for a while right?”

Vera asked as though she hadn’t grasped the point.

“In this Atlantis the one who can move as they pleased the most is Britain. That’s ‘cause Robin Hood is in the camp of those guys. That guy is the number one cheater regarding enemy search and movement inside the forest.”

“……! But then, why aren’t they joining up with Japan?”

“That’s obvious, because Arthur has something she prioritizes even more than that yeah. For Arthur what she prioritized the highest is……Lancelot and Mordred.”

That was what was decided in the myth. And talking about where Lancelot and Mordred were, they were together with the Loki Einherjar right now.

“Perhaps, they are already battling.”

Part 5

“ “It’s a one on one fight. Any interference by anybody won’t be forgiven.” ”

The voices of Arthur and Mordred matched. Arthur towards her own subordinates, while Mordred to the subordinates of Loki, they talked to their respective sides.

But the one facing Arthur wasn’t Mordred.

[Knight of the Lake] [Honor of Chivalry] [Britain History’s Ideal Knight]――Lancelot.

Arthur and Lancelot……there was no one at all between these two people. No one was allowed to be between them. When these two faced each other, everybody except these two vanished from the world.

This was a destiny that should be prioritized above all, where no one could meddle in between.

In the legends, Lancelot loved King Arthur’s queen, Guinevere. Just how could that forbidden love happen? The reason is it is unneeded for man and woman to be attracted to each other. Guinevere also responded to that. Lancelot that should of been a perfect knight deviated from his path at that time.

That it didn’t end as a mere disaster was because Mordred was there. Mordred who wished for King Arthur’s fall made use of that rift and split the Britain Kingdom apart. The reign of King Arthur who was supposed to be an ideal ruler was meeting its end due to Mordred’s rebellion.

Of course that shouldn’t be what Lancelot wished for.

The fall of King Arthur was because of the fault of Lancelot and Mordred, but Lancelot and Mordred weren’t fellow comrades. That was why Arthur asked.

“Why are you acting together with Mordred?”

“Because, as Lancelot, I must point at your mistakes.”

“King Arhtur is a perfect king. The mistake lies in Lancelot’s betrayal.”

Both of them had already straddled on top of their horses and readied their lances――it was a battle in the form of a jousting match. A duel form that was the most honorable for Britain knights.

“With you as the representative of your contracted Diva, I, King Arthur, as his advocate, I accuse you.”

Arthur pointed the tip of her spear, Rhongomyniad, to Lancelot from atop her beloved horse Dun Stallion.

“As the representative of my contracted Diva, Sir Lancelot, as his advocate, I accuse you.”

Lancelot was pointing a nameless spear at Arthur above a nameless horse.

Something chilly was flowing on Arthur’s back. This difference in weapons was exactly the difference between the two of them. The strength of King Arthur originated from illusion. Sir Lancelot’s strength came merely from struggling through real scenes of carnage earnestly. Many times Lancelot lost his weapon and his horse so he had to continuously replace them. Therefore the name of his spear wasn’t left behind. However, that was exactly the appearance of how a knight originally should be.

King Arthur wasn’t a knight or even a martial artist, until the end he was nothing more than a king.

Arthur, and most likely the Diva King Arthur too, was harboring a sense of inferiority. Therefore at the very least the contractor Arthur was devoting her time as much as possible in martial art training.

Even so……could she stand a chance against that Lancelot?

In front of Lancelot’s nameless spear, such thought was coming and going inside Arthur’s chest.

In contrast, Lancelot’s complexion was calm like the surface of a quiet lake itself.

“The illusion of King Arthur is mistaken.”

When Lancelot chanted that, the supernatural power was thinning from Arthur’s Rhongomyniad and Dun Stalion. The power of illusion these two possessed may work if the opponent was another Mythology, but it wouldn’t work against Lancelot.

……There is no problem at all. Arthur pulled herself together like that.

Both of them spurred their horses at the same time. Spur, what was meant by that originally was using the metallic wheel attached on the knight’s heel to stimulate the horse’s abdomen to give the signal, but both of them emitted magic power from their legs and sent the signal to the horse. The horses that were enveloped in magic power left a streak of light behind them like meteors.

The two who were shining with dazzling flashes clashed.

The shield of the two blocked the tip of the spear of the opponent right from the front.

The spear of the two didn’t allow the opponent to redirect the impact and pierced the shield right from the front.

Lancelot’s shield was smashed apart. In contrast Arthur’s shield Prydwen endured through the impact even though it was shaking and rattling. 𝗳𝙧𝐞𝚎w𝗲𝚋n𝚘𝙫𝑒𝘭.𝑐om

The two horses were toppled over writhingly and the two’s body tumbled down from above the horse.

They immediately stood up and summoned their swords.

“Golden serpent spout fire, thousand torches light up……the blade glistening to that radiance, sever all creation! Glorious Sword of KingExcalibur!!”

Arthur’s hand gripped the famous golden blade that was tempered by a fairy.

“Alas, Guinevere!” Lancelot yelled the name of the beloved person. “O manifestation of my chivalry, the happiness devoted to the beloved person right here……The Vow is Eternal Love and ProtectionJoyeux!!”

Even after getting through countless scenes of carnage and everything ended up broken, only this beloved sword remained in Lancelot’s hand until the end, the name was conveyed to the future. That sword was surely the eternal proof of Lancelot’s love. Joyeux was shining silver like a pure maiden.

Excalibur’s golden glint and Joyeux’s silver glint bit each other solidly.

“Even killing a friend and falling as a demon sword……o my unbroken chivalry, right here as the fang to smash the harm of the beloved……The Vow is Eternal Curse and PillageArondight!!”

In the other hand of Lancelot that was empty, a jet black blade that was enveloped in magic power that was red like blood was created, and she swung it down.

Arthur’s shield firmly blocked Lancelot’s other beloved sword.

“Joyeux of love and Arondight of curse……two sword style huh.”

“Love and curse are two sides of the same coin, Arthur.”

“Then Sir Lancelot is no different at all compared to the enchantress Morgan!”

Arthur launched a front kick at Lancelot’s torso and repelled her away.

Lancelot corrected her posture and immediately her figure vanished like a heat haze. She was thinking that the shield would become a hindrance if she slashed from the front.

‘……But don’t you dare think that this Arthur cannot follow the movements of Lancelot!’

Unerringly sensing the presence of Lancelot that was trying to circle around her with speed the eye couldn’t even follow, Arthur turned behind. She splendidly bounced back the black flash flying at her with her shield immediately.

In continuation Joyeux was attacking with twisting like a snake. Without being led astray by the skilled swordsmanship, Arthur blocked it too with Excalibur.

While sparks were scattering, the two were repelling each other’s swords. The strength they put in was also equal.

“Is this your Order!”

Lancelot was yelling while burning her own magic power and unleashed a technique that made it seemed like her limbs were exploding. Passion and technique became one in a fierce attack.

“Is this your Chivalry!”

But Arthur blocked it right from the front and repelled it.

The battle between a king and a knight was truly equal.

Mordred and the army of Loki’s subordinates were watching over that battle with impatient feelings.

Part 6

On the other hand, at the foot of the mountain.

“Hmph……taking our time like this……perhaps I put a little too much magic power. If you didn’t grow stronger half-bakedly like this then we wouldn’t need to go as far as taking your life. But as the believer of Order, throwing away your life must be your long-cherished ambition too.”

Even after they used up all their magic power both Sienna and Adelina received an attack that couldn’t be defended before they fell down. The attack of tyranny destroyed as far as their flesh body.

Fu Xi’s hand was holding Kyuuryuu Shinkatou.

Sienna and Adelina whose shoulder until stomach was cut up by that treasured sword were torn apart without even any bleeding. That was because the blade of super high temperature was solidifying the protein at the cut part.

Because of that the falling down two girls looked like dolls that seemed unreal somewhere.

“It’s inefficient being unable to adjust strength. You should think more about the consumption of your magic power.

“We are not very good at adjusting strength. ……Now then, the contractor of Hermes what-your-name. Your name is too long that I forgot it. You missed your chance to escape.”

Hermes’s contractor Faraone was letting her subordinates get away while remaining behind until the very last minute.

“Perhaps you intended to escape after holding out until the last minute, but no matter how much confidence you have in your running away, our partner is faster.”

“Partner……” Ilyailiya whispered expressionlessly.

The appearance of Faraone who was standing stock still in front of the army of China and Russia could only be thought of as her missing her timing to escape.

“If you obediently don’t resist, we will go easy and not go as far as taking your life.”

“Fufufu……” In this scene of a desperate situation, Faraone laughed.

“It helped that you didn’t go easy and killed these two. If you didn’t do that then this lowly self would have to do it by one’s self. This lowly self had made the resolve but, it’s a little painful.”

“What?”

Faraone’s both hands formed a seal like a ninja.

“Escape……unthinkable! This is still the first round you know!”

She quickly activated magic. Fu Xi and the others readied themselves to the possibility of any kind of surprise attack still remaining. However the magic power was traveling below Faraone and made a huge crest emerge on the ground.

The center of the crest was the corpses of the two.

“O life that has already rotted away, now, once again, see the dream of the transient world! I am Hermes! O friend, pass through the gate from the bottom of mud and come! Purgatory Gate OpeningPsychopomp!”

The two corpses that looked dead in every aspect were absorbing the magic power of the crest.

Something hard to believe occurred in front of their eyes. Sienna and Adelina that were supposed to be dead already were recovering their strength and rising up once again.

“……I should have said already……you won’t pass that easily……”

Losing circulation of life, with cloudy white eyes burning in tenacity, Sienna bared her fangs at Fu Xi.

“Shed more of your blood!”

“These guys……they decided to be disposable pawns from the start, and planned to do this……”

As expected, Fu Xi shook with her voice filled with agitation.

“A barrier was put up beforehand on the battlefield, because thorough preliminary preparations were needed, the first time this magic is used will be the last. The sacrament of hell reincarnation of this lowly self cannot be shown so often, so taste it to your heart’s content! Sienna, Adelina, apologies but this lowly self is retreating!!”

Hermes kicked on the air with the power of the golden sandals <Talaria> to retreat by flying. If Ilyailiya tried to chase after her, the two corpses would stand in her way.

“……This pertinent!”

This time Fu Xi’s whole face was filled to the brim with rage. The emotion of surprise had passed away……now she felt rage.

“Although it is a different Mythology, but for the likes of a retainer to become emotional until that far! The likes of two people who escaped death, you will be pulverized by our elites!! GOOO!”

The Chinese knight order regrouped their battle preparations all at once. Without any battle cry, without any expression, they were a wordless army.

……Fu Xi showed rage at the persistence of Sienna and Adelina, but Hermes felt fear at their expressionless faces when he looked back while retreating.

No, rather than calling it expressionless……they had already, lost their face.

“ “UGOoOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!” ”

Sienna and Adelina raised a terrific hoarse voice like a shriek from the bottom of hell, they attacked as though trying to give even one more attack more to the enemy before them.

“Don’t yell! Emotion is the privilege for only a ruler! Go, o <Red Nopperabou>……!!”

……Italia was also thorough in shaving off the strength of China.

Ilyailiya wasn’t getting deeply involved with the battle against the dead and pondered while staring at Fu Xi’s back.

Was Vera Garibaldi someone who could polish a strategy this elaborately she wondered. The action of this side……or more accurately Fu Xi’s action was perfectly foresighted, a tactic that made it feel like she was dancing in the palm of someone.

Wasn’t this really like a method that Loki would think of? Italia who lost their master was played around by Loki’s eloquence and made into a puppet――such hypothesis emerged in Ilyailiya’s mind.

No, the explanation wasn’t enough with just that. Sienna and Adelia were holding on and fighting exactly with the resolve of putting their lives on the line. Would they exhibit this much desperate effort for the sake of Loki’s strategy?

No. This fierce self-sacrifice wasn’t something that could be displayed for the sake of the likes of Loki.

These two……were burning their lives for the sake of a [lord] to whom they gave their absolute trust.

…………In other words, Regina Olympia Fornar was……alive?

Ilyailiya became the second person who reached the truth.

“If Regina is alive……her aim will be……?”

Part 7

Kazuki and Hrotsvit gulped their breaths while watching over that offense and defense. From looking at the state of the people surrounding the battle, they understood that it was a battle where interference was unneeded.

The duel between Arthur and the two sword style knight……it was his first time seeing her but he understood in a glance. That owner of martial prowess was exactly Lancelot’s present representative, she was undoubtedly his contractor.

King Arthur versus Sir Lancelot! Obviously he couldn’t help having his eyes and soul stolen by that sight! Although there were a great numbers of dream duels that anyone couldn’t help having in the world of Mythology, however how many of those dreams could surpass the showdown between these two!

“……Is this reality?”

Even Beatrix who rushed together with Kazuki leaked out a faint voice as though she would faint.

“Certainly this is something that one should really feel surprised about. King and knight……I don’t know what is the authority of King Arthur but, the basic spec of the two of them should have an overwhelming gap in between. Nevertheless Lancelot is fighting her equally! Most likely the moment they landed on Atlantis the two of them immediately sought each other out and have continued to fight until now.”

The battle of Atlantis began since noon, right now the sun had already begun to go down.

“It’s emotion.” Kazuki thought after looking at them.

“Lancelot is changing the explosion of her emotion into magic power to cross swords with Arthur.”

Magic power was the power of the mind. Even Kazuki had the experience where he was able to exhibit more power than he originally had when his emotions were heightened. From the magic power of Lancelot, there was the atmosphere of masterfully using well such [explosive instability].

Lancelot filled each of her swings with emotion and fought as though she was throwing her rageyell towards someone. Despite that she had no opening……the explosive power of an amateur and the finesse of a master were in complete harmony.

Why, how was she able to fight in this way? Just how much of a reason was it that made a human able to become this emotional? There was only one possible thing……there was no doubt it was love. The same like how Kazuki was loving the comrades with whom he had tied bonds with, there was no doubt that Lancelot loved King Arthur.

“It seems the weapon will decide the match doesn’t it?”

Hrotsvit talked. “Arthur’s Excalibur……and then Lancelot’s weapons, if it is following the legend then they must be Arondight and Joyeux. Any one of them is an outstanding Sacred Treasure. In contrast with that Arthur’s shield……Prydwen is an unfavorable comparison.”

Exactly at the time when Hrotsvit pointed that out, Lancelot challenged.

“HAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Lancelot swung Arondight that was remarkably large and struck Arthur’s Prydwen――with that attack, Prydwen was smashed.

Lancelot whose balance crumbled from swinging an attack with all her might, was attacked by the golden flash of Excalibur. Lancelot was slashed right from the front, both her feet braced and she withstood the shock of the smashed magic, her body didn’t even sway and her other hand counterattacked with Joyeux. Arthur let go of her broken shield and put her hand quickly on the sheath hanging at her hips. With that, she blocked Joyeux.

If it was just a mere sheath, then surely it would be impossible for it to receive the attack of Joyeux.

“Sheath of fairy <Avalon>!” Hrotsvit yelled.

“Hiding a power that is not inferior even compared to Excalibur, the sheath of Excalibur. It brought about regenerative power in the owner……the greatest factor that caused Arthur to still have far more spare energy remaining even in this equal battle must be that sheath. Even with her shield destroyed, there is still the next one. ……The battle is decided then.”

“King Arthur……” Lancelot sent her voice while Joyeux was pressing down on Avalon.

“As long as you have Excalibur and Avalon, you are a perfect king. Because of that, as long as those are present, you won’t be able to look back on yourself……”

“If I’m perfect, then what is it that needed to be looked back on.” Arthur talked back with a strong voice.

Lancelot answered with a voice that was calm like a lake. “It’s love.”

“……!” Arthur, no, the girl was surely King Arthur itself right now. Her eyes were bared open with a snap.

“Because you are a perfect king you abandoned love. There is no way I can allow that, for the sake of Guinevere!”

“The likes of an adulterer like you have no qualification to say that!!”

The ultimate adultery drama in Mythology, it could be said that it was the one between Lancelot and Queen Guinevere.

“As the perfect king you were born and raised with destiny attached on you. For the sake of protecting Britain from enemies in all directions, you who were still young searched for a backer and married Guinevere. Surely if you continued to love her from your heart then Guinevere would answer your love! Yet, you had to become a perfect king and you didn’t have that leisure. And then……humans cannot truly love a perfect being.”

“Such thing……is just an excuse to varnish over the immorality of Sir Lancelot!”

It wasn’t adultery but immorality, Arthur accused with words that rang even stronger.

“O king, on Lancelot’s chivalry, there is no way any lie or deception towards the king exists in it.”

Lancelot recklessly swung Arondight and Joyeux. Arthur put up a defensive fight with Excalibur and Avalon as though she was using a two sword style. If Arthur kept like this without showing any opening, Lancelot would collapse before long just by enduring it until the end.

“Arthur, you too abandoned being a woman for the sake of becoming the perfect King Arthur! That way of being is not correct! I wielded Joyeux because I love you. And then I curse that perfection with this Arondight!”

“There is no justice in a curse!”

“I mourn the deed I once done. However, no matter how much I mourn it, surely if I visited the same time once again I will choose to do exactly the same deed. That’s what a human is. A perfect order is not the way for humans to live. O king, while humans are watching the dream of ideal order, they are animals that love the emotion of chaos. Humans are the the most natural personification of that, haven’t you witnessed him at the island country of the orient?”

“!!” Arthur’s movements stiffened.

Kazuki felt Arthur turning her awareness this way just for an instant.

“I bet my all on this stroke of the sword!”

Aiming at that disorder of heart, Lancelot swung up Arondight powerfully.

“I’ll smash your perfection!!”

Arthur held up Avalon even while being disarrayed in emotion.

Arondight was filled with Lancelot’s everything――and severed that sheath, Avalon, into two. It was a sword stroke that was nothing but splendid.

Lancelot who had finished swinging Arondight, staggered powerlessly.

She had used up all of her spirit.

“Even so……this is my victory.”

Arthur raised Excalibur in order to end the duel.

“I’m satisfied nevertheless.”

Lancelot responded with a voice that was like a calm lake.

“I’m satisfied just by giving you a moment of agitation. The current you is not a perfect being anymore. Please continue to be human. Be human to the bitter end……Mythology……Order……rather than adoring such things, I believe that love between humans is absolutely everything……”

“That’s Celt-style’s duel!”

While rushing down the foot of the mountain, Loki yelled in a fluster while sensing the presence of a duel that was being carried out in the forest.

The perceptivity of the Diva Loki who was the materialization of a trickster could sense from afar even inside the enshrouding magic power cloud, even though it was not to the level of <Valefor>.

“In that duel, the rune of Celtic……a pledge is included in it! The winner will fulfill their pledge and obtain even more power! Don’t let them finish it!!”

If Britain’s knight order pinned down the location of Lancelot and Mordred right away with Robin Hood’s ability, it was unavoidable that this duel was carried out while Loki was away.

Loki yelled in his good luck of being able to come running there before the conclusion could be decided.

“Apollo, Artemis! Shoot all the arrows you two got! Aim at the two……no, at Arthur! If an opening is opened at Arthur, that Lancelot can still fight!!”

The Versace sisters obediently pulled the strings of their bows as though they were commanded by their own King.

The king of knights and the knight that were excellent martial artists noticed the coming arrows at the same time. However, Arthur who was swinging down Excalibur with all her strength wasn’t in a stance that could take evasion.

“King Arthur!” Lancelot who yelled that covered Arthur.

In front of Excalibur that was swung down on her, Lancelot turned around. And then she spread her arms widely, throwing her body in front of the coming arrows. The accurate arrows aiming at Arthur pierced the few remaining magic power of Lancelot who barged in between.

And then her back was further gouged by the attack of Excalibur that couldn’t be stopped anymore.

“With Avalon destroyed, and this duel cannot become your strength, that’s my only regret.”

“……Lancelot!” Arthur called her name with grief filling her voice.

Lancelot turned around at Kazuki’s direction with a stagger.

“Man of love, Hayashizaki Kazuki. This is for you.”

Lancelot who finished fighting sheathed her beloved sword Joyeux in her right hand with dignifiedly beautiful movement, she then threw that Joyeux together with the sheath at Kazuki’s direction.

“Please take care of my beloved King Arthur.”

“Wait, don’t die, Lancelot!!” Arthur yelled.

“No, I’m dying. It’s my pledge.”

Arondight separated from Lancelot’s left hand. Arondight floated in the air and flew as though it possessed its own will――it pierced through Lancelot’s heart in one go.

Kazuki witnessed the moment the pledge was handed down. The pledge certainly stole her life.

{When Arthur Basileus is defeated by the hands of another Mythology, her life will be lost by her pledge.}

Robin Hood informed Kazuki so.

{Please take care of my beloved King Arthur.}

With what kind of intention Lancelot said that to him.

The two sentences that contravened each other tore up Kazuki’s chest.

“YOU BASTARDSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!”

That Arthur raised a yell like a dragon breathing out flame.

“Fiend! You savages to whom even the word fiend is wasted on you all trash are lower than fiends!! How dare you……how dare you dirty this duel with Lancelot!! Unforgivable!! I won’t forgive this no matter how many times I stab Excalibur into the chest of you bastards!!”

Arthur straddled Dun Stallion powerfully and glared at the direction where the arrows were coming from. The direction of the mountain――at the other side of the magic power cloud it started to became visible how a knight order was being deployed. Italia’s knight order! Arthur led the knights of the round table and spurred her horse following her rage.

“We are meeting their attack.” Loki said to Vera.

“Italia’s knight order will meet Arthur from the front, we the Loki Einherjar will stab them at the back.”

King Arthur that was rushing following her violent emotion had forgotten that right beside her was Mordred and the others waiting. If they met her attack then naturally it would become a pincer attack. Vera also understood that.

“We don’t need to be ordered that by you.”

Vera who was the representative of Regina raised high one of her hands and declared.

“O powerful knights of Olympus, right now is exactly the time of the decisive battle! Although there is no King on our side, show a battle to the heavens that won’t shame us to anyone!! Even now Regina-sama is inside our hearts!”

Only at this kind of time the Italian knight order became united as one and raised a battle cry.

Loki whispered to Vera.

“……Don’t oppose the momentum of Britain’s knight order’s charge, spread out to the left and right and overturn the positioning advantage skillfully. It will make it easier for China and Russia who will come from the mountain to attack Britain.”

“……Acknowledged.” Vera nodded.

The ground under Loki’s feet bulged up and a purple haired woman showed her face from there.

“Nyoro nyoro.”

Midgardsomr was coming to meet Loki.

“Yosh, I’m going to talk with China and Russia. I’m going to make a friendly suggestion so that China will get even more exhausted. Ilyailiya will surely guess the gist of my intention. You’re gonna give the signal to Regina too yeah? Do it just as arranged ‘kay, Vera-tan.”

“……Why are you calling me over-familiarly like that.”

“Kukuku……something like a combination attack of Italia and the Loki Einherjar of all things, even Kazuki won’t be able to predict this. It’s going to be a sight, seeing what kind of face he will make yeah.”

“Hayashizaki Kazuki, what are you doing getting dazed like that!”

Kazuki who was standing still with Joyeux in hand was scolded by Hrotsvit who didn’t know of the storm inside his chest.

“Britain’s knight order is heading there driven by their rage. At this rate they will turn their back to Mordred and the other Loki Einherjar.”

Even though there was an enemy right besides them, Arthur and her group were running headlong towards a different enemy.

“I don’t know about Lancelot but Mordred’s intention was surely this from the start. We have to block them! Hurry!!”

Kazuki returned to his senses with a ‘hah’. And then he looked back at the situation and understood.

“……! Wait, I’m going to stop Arthur!! I don’t understand whats the intention of Italia pulling their bows at us and Britain, but if we don’t calm them down first……”

“Certainly it’s strange. It isn’t clear if Italia is our enemy or not, but now that it has come to this its better to let Arthur do as she pleases and charge at them! Don’t be na?ve!”

“It’s not na?ve, China and Russia are supposedly pursuing after Italia! If Britain is charging at them in rage like this and they got avoided, they will be turned into a shield!!”

“!” Hrotsvit made a face that seemed to say [Uwah, certainly it’s like that], and pondered.

“……Can Italia, who doesn’t have their King, think wisely like that……no, the movement of Italia until now is certainly suspicious……”

……There was no presence of Loki on the battlefield until now.

“By any chance is Ilyailiya and Loki related with……”

The moment Kazuki uttered that, Hrotsvit’s lips chilled.

“Those inconvenient matters are all Loki’s scheme, something like that is just…………no, it’s possible isn’t it. It’s possible. Truly……certainly, Loki is that kind of existence.”

“Anyways, we cannot leave the clash between Italia and Britain alone. I’m going there, so Germany, attack Mordred and the Loki Einherjar for us.”