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1
A sea of lilies of the valley──
At a prefabricated base of the moving Human City 『La=Isah』.
“Lady Min? It’s me.”
『Sir Balmung!? U-Umm, err…what about Lady Jeanne…?』
“We joined up.”
『Really!?』
The voice of a young girl blared through the communication device. It belonged to Minstraum Schultén Bisquette, commander of the western Resist.
Despite her young age of fourteen years, she was supporting Resist together with her excellent assistants.
『T-Those are wonderful news. Everyone in the north must be delighted as well』
“Uh huh. I have one more thing to report. Just now we finished reorganizing the allied forces of the North and South. We will be going after the Mercenary King with all our troops.”
『gh! S-So you decided to go through with this after all, huh…?』
“It was you who told me that a nest of mythical beasts can be seen as the highest danger possible. As a matter of fact, we were also attacked by their swarms. I got goosebumps when experiencing their dreadful threat. I think even Archine will be hard pressed to handle them by himself.”
『…I-It is just as you say』
“I would like you, Commander Ming, to defend the radio tower to the last man. It’s possible that those beasts will become enraged from us approaching their nest. Could I have you hold out until we’re done?”
『O-Of course! We will do our best as well!』
A few seconds of silence followed. And then the wild screaming of a girl reverberated from the other side of the communication device.
『Aaaaahhh!? T-That won’t do, Sir Balmung. S-So that’s how it is…a huge number of those steel monsters have appeared in the mines of Agito. We must deal with that threat first!』
“I have already made a move in this regard.”
『…Huh?』
“Lady Jeanne brought powerful allies from the north. They will carry out a rescue mission for the humans, who failed to escape Agito in time, while we deal with the nest.”
『N-No way!』
“This is all I have to report from my side. …Well, let us both stay safe and meet soon again.”
He cut the call.
After making sure that the two men carrying the big communication device had left the room, Balmung addressed the other commander who was sitting in a corner of the room.
“It’s just as you’ve heard, Lady Jeanne.”
“……”
“Hey, Lady Jeanne, you okay? Are you with me?”
“…I’m barely conscious. But, okay…no, I’m not…”
Jeanne’s body was pitched forward while sitting on the sofa. She remained unmoving as she kept staring on the floor. Rather, she couldn’t move.
Gritting her teeth and enduring the “bad feelings” assaulting her whole body was the limit of what she could do right now. She was acting firm since she was in front of Balmung, but if she had been alone, she’d be groaning in pain around now.
“Is it the curse of that succubus!?”
“Yes…that blasted devil…she got me good…”
Recalling the face of the devil who had already left this place, Jeanne clenched her fists.
“I will cast my treasured curse on you.”
“It’s a curse allowing you to remain connected with me, no matter where I am.”
Kai went to challenge the Steel Devices and Jeanne headed out to investigate the Mythical Beasts. As such, this was a means for both sides to grasp each other’s situation at any time despite the distance of many hundred kilometers between them.
──『Pandemonium』, a succubus’s curse.
──It’s a kind of parasite which continues to leech the life force of its prey.
Prey, which had this curse cast upon it, couldn’t escape the devil’s eye. This time Jeanne allowed that curse to be cast on her deliberately, making it possible for the caster, the succubus lord, to always grasp her prey’s location.
“…ng, as I thought, it feels disgusting.”
The communication officers didn’t notice how the shadow at Jeanne’s feet had winded around like a snake. This was the proof of the curse having been applied on her.
…The succubus lord can pinpoint my location with this. In reverse, I can immediately tell if something has happened to her in case the curse comes undone all of a sudden.
“Lady Jeanne, your lips have become quite pale…”
“The depths of my body are constantly being tampered with. The nasty sensation from that makes me feel dizzy.”
The curse was buried deep inside Jeanne’s body. Thanks to a sensation as if her lung, stomach, spine, and many other internal parts were lovingly caressed by a devil’s hand, she couldn’t hold back chills and nausea assaulting her.
“Sir Balmung, you be the supreme commander. I don’t feel like I will be able to make any decent calls in this state.”
She wiped away the cold sweat dripping from her forehead.
“Hualin, how much longer until we depart?”
“One hour. Lying down and taking a nap until then would be…”
“I would only see nightmares, if I lie down now. That’s what a curse means.”
Jeanne bit down on her lips so strongly that blood came out to remain conscious. While listening to her own rough rasping…
“I accepted it because I heard about it being a convenient spell, but nothing less of a devil, I guess. They all got shitty personalities…!”
Knight of Spirit Light Jeanne looked up to the ceiling.
2
Three combat forces were heading for three different locations in the Schultz Federation.
South ── Schultz’s Resist forces led by Commander Ming.
West ── Mercenary King Archine and the units of Jeanne and Balmung, who were chasing after him.
East ── a 「Mish-mash」 of different races.
If you were to ask anyone which of those three groups stood out the most, they’d definitely point at the third group. Kai had taken along an elf, a succubus, and Rinne, making it impossible to call this any sort of normal group.
“I’m repeating myself, but the top priority in Agito will be to evacuate the residents from the town that has been occupied by the Steel devices. Cleaning up the Steel devices comes after that,” Kai said while having a staring contest with the map.
After contemplating for a moment, Kai turned around to the driver’s seat next to him.
“Yep, as I thought, it seems like it’ll be tough for me alone to handle the command. As such, your presence here is a big help, Saki, Assuran. We need any help for evacuating the residents we can get.”
“AS-I-SAID! Why do we need to be here!?”
“NOOOOOO! I don’t want to die yet. Mom, Dad, save me!”
The one being at his wit’s end in the driver’s seat was Assuran. And Saki was trembling while holding her knees, sitting at the edge of the rear seat.
“If I had known it’d be like this, going with Lady Jeanne would have been a thousand times better. Even though they’re heading out on a reconnaissance mission, we’re pretty much set to enter hostilities, no? Moreover, with the sixth race? Steel devices? What’s up with that? We’re definitely dead meat. On top of that, we have a devil with us of all things…”
“You sure worry a lot, don’t you?”
“Hyaa!?”
“Are you scared of the Steel Devices? Or me?”
A voice, sounding more like a sweet whisper, came from the seat next to Saki. The succubus lord, who wore the uniform of Resist, put her arm around Saki’s shoulder.
“It’ll be fine. I’ll dote on you so much that you’ll quickly forget all your fears.”
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Don’t curse me, don’t eat me, stay way!”
“Ahaha, you’re a funny one. I love this sort of reaction. Saki was your name, right? I think I’ll play with you a lot more thoroughly than usual.”
“My condolences, Saki.”
“Wait a sec, the hell, Assuran!? Do you plan to allow someone to be murdered just one seat away from you!?”
“I’m busy driving this car.”
The Combat Scouting Vehicle pushed its way across the mountain’s slope.
──Towards the mine.
The large guntruck had been reinforced with sturdy armor platings and the roof had an impressive, movable autocannon. If this had been a trip, the luggage space would be stuffed with materials and other goods, but currently it was completely empty. It was being kept free for the town’s residents.
“Rinne, Reiren, don’t feign ignorance. Help me out here!”
“I hate succubus lords.”
“Me too. If possible, I don’t even want to hear them talk.”
“That’s all the more reason to save me, no!? …Uuuhh, this is just too much…for no one to even try saving me…”
“Saki.”
“Kai, are you going to help me? As I expected, you alone are reliable!”
“We’re soon entering the mine area. It’d be best for you to fasten the seat belt.”
“I’ve been pinning my hope on you, and you give me that!?”
And just at that moment, the big frame of the guntruck, which has been driving up the slope, slanted drastically with a bang.
“Hey, Assuran, your driving sucks way too much.”
“It’s because of the road. Why is the road full of holes!?”
Craters were strewn all over the mountain road. Any normal care would have long ended up stuck in one of those.
“Saki, Assuran, did you guys ever see a Steel device?”
“No, not at all. We just heard reports about them from Commander Ming. Also, we’ve only been focusing on Mythical beasts…anyway, that means…”
“Yes, these are their footsteps.”
Kai suspected them to be remains of the Steel devices who had crawled up from the depths of the earth. Many footsteps continued towards Agito. At the end, after proceeding along the mountain road while following those footprints, Kai spotted a black pool of water.
“Ugh, what’s that? Kai, is that a puddle of muddy water?”
“I wonder. It’s way too black for that.”
“…Kai, that stinks.”
Rinne pointed.
Just when Kai wondered for an instant whether stinking means shady in this case, an irritating, offensive smell entered the car’s interior through the small gap at the window.
…This strong stench that seems like it makes you choke…is it oil!?
…Maybe it’s the fuel needed for moving the machines in the coal mine? But, why is it scattered on the mountain’s slope? Moreover, in a way that blocks cars from passing.
“Don’t tell me….”
A chill ran through his mind. The future, which Kai predicted, became reality a few seconds later.
『Main Bullet』
A gunshot from a Steel device echoed. But, what caused the passengers a real scare wasn’t the bullet, which grazed the gun truck, but the sparks accompanying that.
“Assuran, stop!”
“Fuck! …I won’t be in time!”
The sudden braking came too late. The huge amount of scattered oil caught fire thanks to the sparks. And the raging conflagration swallowed the road in no time. The car’s front glass was painted over in a blazing crimson and yellow.
…A trap!? The whole slope has been surrounded!
Ahead of the car, monsters in steel colors could be seen beyond the flickering flames.
“Everyone, get out of here!”
“Eh? W-Wait a s-sec, even if you say this all of a sudden──kyaaa!?”
“Ahaha, that’s a nice expression. You’re really a funny human. Since it looks like I can enjoy you for a good while longer, I’ll rescue you just this once.”
The succubus lord grabbed Saki from behind, broke through the car’s window, and flew off into the sky. Kai only saw that moment as he was busy kicking open the door.
Heading outside, where the road had turned reddish-brown, the sky was filled with spark, and then a fierce heat made breathing difficult.
“Assuran!”
“Oh shit, there’s two of them over here!”
Assuran sprinted on the other side of the gun truck while jumping left and right.
“Rei, you’re an elf, aren’t you? Do something about that huge ass thing!”
“D-Don’t hide behind me! These things don’t use any magic, making them bad enemies for me. Master, you can fire back with your gun, can’t you?”
Next followed an elven scream.
“Assuran, Reiren!?”
“Kai, we’re surrounded!”
Kai turned around, following Rinne’s warning. Heavy footsteps, accompanied by the earth trembling, could be heard from the front and back.
This means, we’re dealing with two Steel devices. If Assuran and Reiren are also dealing with two, this slop has been surrounded in four directions?
I can’t see the enemy because of all the flames. Even if we fight and defeat one or two, four are way too many!
Just one Steel device gave them a run for their money as the Devil’s Graveyard. Jeanne and Rinne had collapsed after getting shot, and Kai himself had been in danger of the same fate as well.
“Come forth, my loyal birdies.”
The voice of a devil. While easily carrying Saki by holding her hand, Hinemarill calmly floated in the air, flapping her wings.
──I will fill this world with weird voices.
The crimson sky was suddenly painted over by countless shadows.
Demonic beasts.
There exist many beasts domesticated by devils, but as far as Kai knew, only one species of mysterious bird was said to have two heads among all of them.
“…Morigans!?”
A legendary magic beast which lasted to the very end as 「Undefeatable」 during the Great War of the Five Races, as it was recorded in the official history. Kai had never expected that a high-ranking devil capable of using those as familiars would be so close to him.
“W-What are these crows!?”
“Uuooooooo, just what the hell’s going on!? It’s one thing after another!”
“Stop, Rinne, Assuran! Don’t attack them. Those things will multiply infinitely.”
An old legend about the bird existed. A sniper shot down an eerie crow with two heads because it had attacked him. But, although the bullet penetrated the bird, the feathers, which fell off that crow, turned into many crows in the next moment, assaulting the human.
“Steel devices can’t distinguish prey from just the sound or appearance, can they? They sure don’t seem to possess any organs allowing them to detect magic power,” Hinemarill commented while looking down on the four-legged steel monster from very high up in the air. “Bury them and make sure they won’t ever be able to move again.”
The crows moved. A flock of thousands crows swooped down in circles, descending upon the Steel devices like a blanket. Covering and blocking the monsters’ sight.
『Kakaa』
『Kakakakakakakakaaa』
『Kakakakakakakakakakakakakakakakaaaa』
Kai reflexively drew back from those overlapping, loud, weird caws.
…You can still hear them, even if you block your ears!? What a weird cawing!
The noise entered through his eardrums, penetrating into his head. Kai didn’t know whether those cries possessed some sort of power, contained a curse, or whether he was simply overpowered by the overly loud, ghastly cawing, but──
The voices of these beasts disturbed the mental state of anyone hearing them.
“W-What are those voices!?”
“Shut uu──────────p!!”
Reiren and Rinne, who possessed excellent hearing, couldn’t bear it any longer and fled. But that was only natural. Morigans were magic beasts the devils kept in preparation for their fight against the elves.
『ggh』
A stout, steel arm swung down.
One of the fluttering Morigans was pulverized into smithereens, just to split into countless new crows. As long as you didn’t defeat its main body, this propagation of eerie birds would continue eternally.
While the steel giant had its visual field blocked by dozens of crows──
“These things are solid, so it takes so long to deal with them. I guess I’ll simply go with a big strike to get rid of them in one swoop.”
The atmosphere crackled from electric discharges. The miasma released from the devil’s hand converged, forming a dark red scythe.
“I’ll give you ten seconds,” Hinemarill declared with a broad smile while having Saki hang down from one of her arms.
“Everyone on the ground, choose whether you crawl across the bare ground or be turned into thin slices.”
“W-What was that!? What do you mean by that!?”
“Ooone, twooo, ten. Okay, here we go.”
“What happened to the ten seconds you promised!?”
Guessing the danger from Kai’s group throwing themselves on the ground, the Steel devices fired a volley at Hinemarill.
But…
“Demonic Blade, mow them down.”
A black whirlwind blade bisected the sky itself, alongside the bullets. The large-scale tear in space, which had caused the optical illusion of the sky being sliced apart, skimmed past Kai’s head as he was lying on the ground.
He shuddered in horror.
Not a single strand of his hair was touched. And yet his body was covered by gooseflesh due to the chill of seemingly having his body gouged out by a scythe.
“…Humph, a magic spell that completely suits a devil. They can’t use their brains for anything but destruction…but…,” Reiren squeezed out with a displeased look while staring at the Steel devices which lay on the ground with their upper bodies bisected.
“Just destruction is plenty wonderful, don’t you think?”
“If anything, elves sure have a big attitude, don’t they?”
The devil girl descended to the ground amidst swirling dust.
“Hey, Saki, how was it? Were you scared? I’ll be happy if I managed to frighten you.”
“……”
“Ah, were you unable to breathe because I held you by the neck? Hey, come on, are you still alive?”
While carelessly dropping Saki, whose face was ghastly pale, the succubus lord surveyed the area. The flames were still flickering on the slope. Looking at two huge steel frames lying there, the devil clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“Unfortunately, some are missing.”
Only two of the four Steel devices had collapsed. The remaining two went underground while using the cloud of dust as a smokescreen. Considering that they had their torsos partially cleaved open, they got a terrifying vitality to be able to move after this.
But, beyond that──
“Is this a trap that they can think up readily at a moment’s notice?”
Kai scooped up some of the black liquid with a finger. They knew about oil being burnable, carried it up the mountain road, and sprinkled it all over. It was the same level of strategy the mercenaries of Resist would think of on the spot.
“…How troublesome. The Steel devices are smarter than we thought. Moreover, they’re rapidly absorbing human knowledge like this oil here.”
“Hmm? Is that important in any way?”
The devil girl pointed at a human ward which was faintly visible deeper down the slope.
“We just need to find the humans of that town and crush all the Steel devices in the area. Right now, it’s pointless to discuss whether they possess or gain knowledge.”
“The question doesn’t bug you?”
“What question?”
“If they possess intelligence, there must also be a reason why they’re staying over there.”
Human Special Ward 『Agito』. Not a single soul could be seen out in the streets through the binoculars, but it wasn’t as though everything had been turned into rubble like the capital of Urza.
“They’ve stopped at an encirclement.”
“Eh?”
“If they felt like it, it’d take them a single night to destroy such a small human ward. The town still standing despite that means the Steel devices aren’t here to eradicate the humans. What’s your take on this, Saki?”
“Huh? Even if you ask me all of a sudden…Assuran, I’m tagging you in!”
“Hey, hey, just a sec…well, isn’t that because the humans are doing their best to resist?”
“I also considered that an option, but…”
On the other hand, it’s also true that a part of me feels like something is out of order here.
“Ah──”
The succubus lord raised her voice without any warning. She was fixedly staring at the decline behind us and then announced, “A big swarm is headed this way.”
“What!?”
“Eh? Wait!? My nose isn’t picking them up at all.”
Rinne and Reiren looked around them in panic, but the devil didn’t react to that at all. Kai couldn’t see anything reminiscent of a Steel device either.
In that case, the devil means….
“…Don’t tell me.”
Just before they departed, the succubus lord had cast a curse on Jeanne. This curse would allow her to know the situation of Resist, even at a distance way beyond regular telecommunication.
“The other side!?”
“Correct. I can hear the war cries of mythical beasts through the curse crest. Moreover, there’s a ridiculous amount of cries. Also, gunshots by humans.”
“W-Wait a moment! Our Lady Jeanne is going to be fine, right?”
“She’s alive right now, isn’t she? But, a gathering of this many mythical beasts means someone poked one of their nests. Yep, impossible. I can hear a call for retreat, but there’s no way they’ll be able to get away. Those mythical beasts never forgive an enemy who once stepped into their nests.”
“…You have to be kidding.”
All blood had drained from Saki’s face. The one grabbing her hand as she staggered unsteadily before Kai could was the succubus lord.
“Yeah, right. I was just joking.”
“…Eh?”
“I had planned to stay quiet about it to the very end, but since you made me enjoy myself quite a bit, I’ll tell you.”
Hinemarill winked at Saki. That was very likely the very first whimsical playfulness of a succubus lord──a being regarded as enemy of all humans──towards a human.
“My 『Pandemonium』 is a bit special, you see. Those beasts have already fallen into its trap.
3
Turning time back by around one hour.
Old Royal Capital Rākgasa. That city, which was looking out on a magnificent primeval forest, could be counted as one of the most dangerous places in the world.
Sulfur Lake Artouz where poisonous gasses were constantly hanging over the water like a shroud; Oo-La Mountains, the stabbing death needles; Great Desert Van Tomara of the Devouring Quicksands; and Old Royal Capital Rākgasa, the Nest of the Mythical Beasts. No one could guarantee your safety if you approached one of these places, and no explorers were daring enough to take that bet either.
If a mythical beast sniffs out a human, they will chase after them at a speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour. The minimum permissible distance to stay undetected by them was 3,000 meters. It was a rule for all investigation teams to set up camp at that range while heading out deeper into the territory of the mythical beasts on very maneuverable, fast vehicles such as motorbikes or military vehicles.
Or so it should be, but──
“What does that mean!?”
Lion King Balmung’s angry yelling could be heard in front of the conspicuously large strategy headquarters of Mercenary King Archine’s camp.
“That idiot isn’t here, you say!?”
“Yes, Sir. His Excellency headed out together with his seven elite guards some time ago.”
Balmung was pressing the man in front of him──one of Archine’s subordinates──for an answer with a threatening tone, but the man didn’t show the slight agitation.
“I’d like to know the reason as well,” Jeanne stepped forward while accompanied by her guard Hualin. “You said Sir Archine headed to the old capital, right? But, as you can see yourself, the cars for scouting are still parked over here. Does he have another reason to go there?”
“It is just as you have discerned, Ma’am,” one of the subordinates answered indifferently.
What he was pointing at was the primeval forest spreading out further down the camp.
“His destination is the volcano lake situated on the other side of this forest. It seems people believe the lake was created when a god descended from the heavens in a distant era.”
“Volcano lake?”
Jeanne was hearing about this lake for the first time. She had previously confirmed its existence on the map, but she didn’t hear any suspicious rumors about that volcano lake.
“Why? Didn’t he name the nest of the mythical beasts as his objective?”
“His Excellency guesses that he can find Rath=IE’s hideout over there.”
“……gh!”
He narrowed down the whereabouts of that beastman? If that’s true, it’s the best possible news for Schultz’s Resist.
However, a shroud of doubt fell upon Jeanne’s mind, like a mist.
…Is it just his guess? Give me a damn break! There’s no way he’d go all the way there based on some vague speculation. It’s a danger zone adjacent to the nest of mythical beasts, and I doubt he’s a man who would make such an irrational decision.
‘With that said, is there another reason why he was able to locate Rath=IE’s hideout? Why couldn’t he honestly tell us?
…A hideout no one knew about so far, huh? Why did only the Mercenary King Archine learn of it? It’s definitely no simple guesswork.
Assuming it’s something similar to having a premonition which is close to conviction──
“I’m a being who gives prophecies.”
“There’s something providing Sid with prophecies in the back.”
Is this a guidance by a God of Prophecy?
Jeanne gritted her teeth in frustration over Kain not being present. If he had been present, he’d have definitely backed her intuition.
“We’ll go after him right away. Tell us the route he took,” Balmung growled with subdued anger. “Very likely he’s aiming to land a surprise attack. He might feel himself to be one of the few selected capable of cutting off Rath=IE’s head while he’s asleep, but he’s gambling way too much there. Lady Jeanne, I believe we should chase after them.”
“I don’t disagree.”
“It’s as you’ve heard. All hands, hurry up!”
Everyone present jumped into the military vehicles once more, pursuing Mercenary King Archine. Crossing through the primeval forest, they would head straight for the mountain extending deeper inside.
“…Lady Jeanne,” whispered Hualin. “Our plans were different. Originally we were scheduled to take a rest at the camp.”
“The circumstances don’t allow for that.”
They got back into the car almost right after disembarking it. Jeanne’s breathing being strained from just that doubtlessly stemmed from the succubus lord’s curse. She was fully aware that her whole body was losing its energy with every passing second.
…Besides, is it just my imagination? Has the shadow’s squirming at my feet become more intense? Maybe she cast other curses on me as well?
At this point Jeanne, who was already inflicted by a curse, had no other choice but to keep bearing it.
『All hands, follow me!』
Balmung’s vehicle plunged into the forest first. As soon as they broke through the wall-like, thick thicket, they found themselves inside a maze of large trees, interrupted by solitary rays of sunlight which managed to pierce through the leaf canopy.
『This forest adjoins the nest of the mythical beasts. Even if you encounter them, keep going without paying any attention to them. Don’t fight. They won’t be able to move about inside the forest』
Mythical beasts didn’t like forests. It was the same back when the Giant Beast Behemoth had attacked the elven forest in the past. The dense growth of large trees acted as a wall, often inhibiting its movements.
『Commander Ming, something slightly unforeseen happened』
The conversations between the commanders played back inside all vehicles at once.
『That guy’s aim wasn’t an investigation of the mythical beasts. He’s very likely heading towards the volcano lake to launch a surprise attack on Rath=IE』
『Ehh!? W-What do you mean by that…? It was supposed to be an investigation of the old capital!』
『Don’t ask me. I’ll gladly interrogate him about it after we join up, but anyway, this is just a report, informing you that we’re heading that way as well. Got it?』
『Eeeehhh!? Do you intend to fight the h-hero of those m-mythical beasts!?』
『If that should happen, I’ll run away while carrying that idiot on my shoulders』
The commander of Yulin’s Resist declared without a shred of hesitation.
『It really proved to be a blessing that we encountered him once. That beastman is a crazy monster. We won’t be able to take him down with the shells we have loaded right now. We’ll just confirm whether the volcano lake truly serves as Rath=IE’s hideout and then withdraw』
『I-In that case, I won’t object. May the fortunes of war be with you!』
『The same back to you. During our absence, the protection of our headquarters depends on yo……..hmm?』
Despite being in the middle of a call, Balmung raised a puzzled voice, apparently having sensed something.
『What the fuck is this!?』
“gh. Dazzling!?”
Strong sunlight seared through Jeanne’s eyelids.
Impossible. We’re right in the middle of the primeval forest. There’s no way for sunlight to directly shine into the forest like this.
Everyone harbored those doubts and then they were lost for words.
──The forest was gone.
All the trees in front of them had been mowed down and devoured, tragically exposing the soil with its piles of fallen leaves.
“…The smell of earth is strong. Assuming that was the doing of a mythical beast, they should still be nearby.”
Hualin opened the window and peered outside.
“Commander Balmung, I suggest you pass through this area at full speed. Since the trees are gone, it’s possible to make a beeline for it.”
『I agree. If this was done by a mythical beast, it’s gotta be an outrageous baddie』
The volcano lake was located beyond the mountain range in front of them. All vehicles stepped accelerated, and at that very moment, the visual field of Jeanne, Balmung, and all the other soldiers was toppled over.
──The roar of a beast.
The car fell over.
What made Jeanne understand that was the ghastly pale sky visible through the window instead of the horizon. But, that scenery was immediately masked over by a cloud of dust and dirt.
“It hid underground!?”
Earth Dragon Titan──it was a dragon but didn’t possess any wings. Rather, its huge, flat head could be described as similar to a crocodile. The only difference here was the size. It was so much bigger that its name originated from the legendary huge gods, the titans.
“So we were driving on its back!?”
It lay in wait underground and when the cars of Resist passed above, it jumped up.
『Ugh…a-all hands, get out!』
Balmung kicked the door open and left the car.
“Lady Jeanne!”
“I know!”
The door had deformed because of the toppling. As soon as Hualin saw that it wouldn’t move, she swiftly destroyed the window’s glass, and left outside through the window.
──A violent dizziness assaulted Jeanne.
Just a mere second. That was how long Jeanne had lost consciousness. A period of time that was insignificant, but it was an extremely long gap in this predicament.
“Lady Jeanne!?”
“…….gh, at a time like this…….please lend me a hand, Hualin….!”
Jeanne grabbed Hualin’s hand and crawled outside.
…You gotta be kidding. Coming to this place. Was this possibly Hinemarill’s true goal!?
Her heart hurt from suddenly being constricted. She couldn’t even stand up as the spasms across her whole body wouldn’t stop. It was obviously a pain triggered by the curse haunting Jeanne.
It was clearly not what they had agreed upon either. It was supposed to be a curse for the sake of relaying their location, but Jeanne strongly suspected it to be a curse with the goal of making a human take down mythical beasts.
“Stop! Machine gun fire will simply be repelled by that thing’s scales.”
“Grenade launchers! Throw hand grenades and everything else you have at hand at it!”
“……N-Nothing works!”
The air was full of soldiers screaming.
Fire didn’t work. It was thwarted by the mucus oozing out from the gaps in the scales. THe flames and explosions thus didn’t even reach the skin of Titan.
“Ugh, h-hey…hurry up and come out, won’t you!? You’re here for times like this, aren’t you!?”
『What an idiot you are』
A cracked pendant.
The cool voice of a girl could be heard from the shadow of Titan.
『Once you talked you revealed that Kyoko was hiding there』
Rikugen Kyoko held up a hand. The instant her transparent finger touched it, the raging dragon stopped moving altogether.
──Omnipotent Mirrorfication 『Ice』──
A cold cracking sound.
The mucus oozing out between the dragon’s scales froze in the blink of an eye. Frozen roses twined themselves around its big frame.
『────────gh』
The huge dragon collapsed, causing dirt and sand to whirl up in the air. Just like prey that had been caught in a spider’s thread.
A huge shadow up in the sky darkened that big dragon. Looking up, the brawn mercenaries forgot to point their rifles, only staring in mute shock.
The one up there was a sub-dragon, as dark red as lava. The new foes flew savagely as it opened its muzzle so widely that it looked as if its face was being torn apart. The scorching hot breath of a fire dragon could turn a town into nothing but ash and cinders within a single night.
“What’s going on!? Even a sub-dragon has sniffed us out────────gaaah…”
『Shut up and crouch down』
Rikugen Kyoko’s fist expanded like a balloon. She raised her frozen fist above her head and struck the sub-dragon’s breath with her big fist.
『…The worst. Although I finally managed to regenerate my cells, now this…』
Her right fist evaporated. However, in exchange, the flames which should have burned all the Resist members on the ground, were completely gone. While all of them felt relieved──
“Lady Jeanne, please stay back. We weren’t its target!” Hualin roared.
Hualin was standing in front of Jeanne, who was kneeling due to Hinemarill’s curse, covering her. She had noticed it earlier than anyone else present in this place.
Mythical beasts weren’t simple beasts. With the beastman Rath=IE as their leader, they were the supreme rulers of the ground who possessed brutality and cunningness.
『…Oh damn』
Rikugen Kyoko looked up to Titan, who had been released from the ice vines, with a frown on her face. The cause was the sub-dragon’s breath.
Rikugen Kyoko’s ice had been melted away by the scorching heat. And even though she managed to block the breath itself, the earth dragon still was released from its shackles.
『The breath just now aimed at saving its comrade? So they’re a race smart enough of taking such action, huh…?』
The sub-dragon was charging another breath up in the sky. Meanwhile Titan strutted across the ground, opened its jaw, and released a roar of fury. Then it raised its forelegs as if to smash all the humans on the ground.
But, Jeanne couldn’t move as she was being afflicted by the curse.
…At a time like this! It was my mistake. This curse was a trap of the devil after all…!
Her whole body was convulsing, making her feel dizzy. The most she could do was stay conscious while kneeling on the ground. She couldn’t even look up to the approaching Titan.
“Don’t mind me! This is…my blunder…!”
Facing everyone present, she mustered her voice. All her subordinates knew that Jeanne was afflicted by Hinemarill’s curse.
Liaison Officer Gregory objected to this as too dangerous until the very end. It was me who ignored his warnings and went along with the devil’s suggestion.
“………Go, retreat────────”
The instant she was about to be trampled underfoot of the earth dragon, while feeling as if time had slowed down to a snail’s pace as she was on the verge of inevitable death, Jeanne alone heard the 『Devil’s voice』.
“As you wished, the human with the curse cast on here arrived at the hideout of Rath=IE.”
“Activating Maximum Phase Transition 『Pandemonium』──”
“Come now and °°rampage to your heart’s content Elder Sister Vanessa!°°”
The squirming shadow at Jeanne’s feet heaved.
*Plop*
Accompanied with a sound similar to when a stone drops into a marshland, something pitch-black crept up. From Jeanne’s shadow.
“Wh-!?”
“Sheesh, she’s such a sloppy subordinate.”
A bewitching female devil with jet-black wings flew out of Jeanne’s shadow. The black hair spreading across her back reflected the light, shining in violet. Her crimson eyes and lips glittered so suspiciously that anyone would be able to tell her devilishness at a glance.
Succubus Lord Hinemarill?
No.
The emerged devil seemed to be more mature than Hinemarill and her ominous outfit was brimming with darkish miasma.
“Hinemarill, I told you to send me to the location of that human. I didn’t order you to send me to a forest smelling of beasts,” she complained while looking unhappy.
In contrast to her words, her voice was bouncy and full of joy, a big smile adorning her face. While being in front of a huge earth dragon which was looking down at her.
“Hah! Don’t get carried away, you filthy beasts!”
She declared with a charming smile.
The devil roared while making her shoulders tremble so strongly that her fairly exposed boobs shook, “Beast who don’t know Dark Empress Vanessa are not worthy of my love. Disappear from my sight!”
Her name thundered across the land, followed by her spell being activated in the next moment.
──Gloria 『My paradise, blast them apart』
The ground seethed, transforming into a scorching red bog, similar to magma, while scattering crimson sparks. And then it exploded.
The earth dragon Titan and the sub-dragon were both swallowed as the flames blasted up high into the sky as if trying to pierce the heavens. Jeanne and the other humans were forced to close their eyes due to the heat and light──
After the torrent of fire calmed down, only the devil was standing there. Surrounded by an air of composure.
“In the end, beasts are nothing but plain beasts, huh?”
She had activated a great spell, which could be compared to a natural disaster, as easily as breathing. And on top of that, she showed not a single sign of exhaustion.
This alone told a tale about the abnormal strength of the devil. As far as Jeanne knew, there existed only one such devil who went beyond Succubus Lord Hinemarill.
…Dark Empress Vanessa. Didn’t Kai and Rinne defeat her!?
The hero of the devil race.
But she had heard that Vanessa fought a battle to death against Kai and Rinne, got wounded by an attack of a monster called Rasterizer, and perished in the end.
So what does this mean?
『…Dark Empress? You are? Kai said you were attacked by Rasterizer and died』
“And who are you supposed to be? It’s rare for a Spirit to use language.”
The hero of the Spirit race 『Spirit Sovereign』 Rikugen Kyoko──
The hero of the Devil race 『Dark Empress』 Vanessa──
From where did these two monsters pop out?
While more than a hundred mercenaries watched with their breath bated, the two people of different races remained still, merely staring at each other.
“I see.”
『I see』
They said simultaneously.
The succubus lifted the corners of her mouth while the slime widened her eyes.
“You’re the Spirit Sovereign?”
『Devil reincarnation. Did you prepare a spare 『body』 and put your soul into it?』
“──Correct. You sure are well-informed, Rikugen Kyoko.”
『I didn’t expect that you’d be able to reincarnate even after being hit by Rasterizer’s Zero Code. Even your soul should have been sealed away completely』
“Well, that’s why I killed myself before getting sealed.”
The resurrected devil looked up to the sky. She squinted her eyes at the dazzling sun she saw for the first time in a while.
“I was in time before being erased. That’s all there is to it.”
『A planned suicide?』
“Yes. Having said that, it was a risky move. After all, I have never experienced defeat. It was my first time experiencing a reincarnation, too. It was up to fate whether it’d succeed or not, though.”
At that time──
Even Kai probably hadn’t foreseen that Dark Empress Vanessa would reincarnate.
“It’s my loss. A big defeat. I don’t intend to make up any excuses either.”
“…Next time I will take you on as a succubus. Mark my words.”
A racial difference──
Reincarnation is one of the devil’s best hidden secrets, and thus it didn’t suit Heavenly Lord and Angel Alfreya. The ones noticing that disparity were likely next to zero.
Angels and devils should suffer from Code Zero in the same way, but the means of extinction were different for both races. It was a “difference” so small that even Kai hadn’t realized it.
“A devil’s body turns into black mist, leaving not a single strand of hair or piece of claw behind, before dispersing──”
“Heavenly Lord Alfreya’s body fossilized──”
Dark Empress Vanessa had escaped Code Zero by destroying her body out of her own will. Heavenly Lord Alfreya fossilized because of Code Zero because she didn’t possess the secret art of reincarnation.
That difference between the two races divided the fate of both parties between life and death.
“By the way, humans…,” the devil addressed the human standing closest to her──Jeanne──with a smile that could be called haughty.
Jeanne remained silent. She knew that cold sweat was running down her cheeks. The spell cast on her by Hinemarill was anything but a normal curse. Using the vitality of its victim, it was a parasitic transition spell allowing a devil to transfer in front of its prey.
…No wonder I felt like dying. It was a curse to call a monster like her. The vitality taken from me should be in a different league.
Right now her body felt so light that it seemed like a lie. She had been released from the curse. Because the transfer of Dark Empress Vanessa finished, Pandemonium had concluded its duty and disappeared.
“You surely won’t get in my way, will you?”
“…What is your objective?”
“Hahaha, what a trivial curiosity. I went as far as appearing in order to startle that human called Kai, but now that I’ve come all the way to this place──,” she flapped her wings and continued as if declaring her will, “I guess I’ll crush Rath=IE.”
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