Chapter 398: Twin-headed Dragon Defeated, and the Awakening Divine Sword.
(Note: seems like it's back to Touya view.)
Some sword-like things were launched from the spinal fins of the twin-headed dragon, and flew towards Reginleiv.
However, the twelve crystal spheres orbiting Reginleiv like satellites knocked down each and every one of them.
They're the Fragarachs in [Sphere] form. In this form, it's possible for it to fulfill the role of a barrier that automatically repels all projectile attacks.
"Alright then. I should finish this side up soon as well. I'm worried about Ende's group, and the knight orders seem like they're having trouble, too."
The ongoing battle is slightly in our favor. The lower- and intermediate-classes were stronger than our expectations, so some of the knight orders are being pushed back, but overall we're steadily heading for the win.
Seems like both Suu and Elze's group finished up their businesses. If they went and added their supports to the knight orders, they should gain even more of an advantage. I've gotta hurry up too.
The twin-headed dragon in front of my eyes opened its huge mouths towards the flying Reginleiv, and began gathering particles of light within them.
"Oops, that's not gonna happen."
The twelve flying [Sphere]s changed form into two [Lance]s and launched themselves towards the two mouths of the twin-headed dragon.
The two [Lance]s, which pierced into their target's throats, spread open like an umbrella and began spinning.
Like drills, the [Lance]s dug through the mouths of the twin-headed dragon, and burst out of the back of its two heads.
The two heads cracked and broke into pieces from their jaws up, and began the usual routine of raising black smoke and dissolving.
However, the broken parts immediately began regenerating and finished moments later. Well, I attacked them knowing that would happen, though.
"The locations of the cores…"
Using [Divine Eyes], I scoured the body of the twin-headed dragon. The chest and abdomen… And the tail. Three in total, huh. A bit troublesome, but it's not like I can't do it.
Of the two [Lance]s that returned, I took one into Reginleiv's hand, and changed the other into 24 [Dagger]s.
And then, merging those [Dagger]s with the [Lance] I held in my hand, I converted them into a single [Heavy Lance].
"Alright, let's go."
While holding the [Heavy Lance], I charged towards the twin-headed dragon.
Crashing headlong into the twin-headed dragon's chest, I proceeded to demolish it with my momentum.
As expected, it's hard. The defense is probably tougher than on its heads. Even the spinning [Heavy Lance] isn't going through it very quickly. This bastard… Just don't know when to give up, do you.
"[Divinity Release]!"
An aura of divinity clad itself around Reginleiv. At the same time, the resistance I felt disappeared, and the [Heavy Lance] smoothly made its way through the twin-headed dragon's body.
Eventually, the tip of the [Heavy Lance] touched the roughly 3m-wide red core in its chest.
"Break."
With an acceleration from Reginleiv, the core was instantly pulverized into pieces.
After coming out of the twin-headed dragon's back, I made a U-turn, and charged at it again with the [Heavy Lance] held up in my hand.
This time, I'm aiming at the core in its abdomen.
The divinity-clad [Heavy Lance] once again pierced into the twin-headed dragon through its back, and continued boring into its body.
And after piercing through the large red core deep within with the [Heavy Lance], Reginleiv broke out of the twin-headed dragon's body from its abdomen.
"And with this, it's the end."
Like an arrow, Reginleiv flew towards the last remaining core in the tail.
The core, housed in the tail which is incomparably thinner than the chest and abdomen, was easily pierced through and destroyed by the [Heavy Lance] together with the tail itself.
With all of its cores destroyed, the twin-headed dragon began raising black smoke and crumbled into pieces.
While producing black sludge all over the ground, the twin-headed dragon advanced-class melted down like a heated wax doll.
"That was easier than I thought. Now then. I should head to everyone's—"
"Touya-san! Three o'clock direction, the variant!"
When I looked at the direction Yumina's sudden call pointed me to, two Chevaliers were caught by a sea anemone-like intermediate-class variant and were struggling about.
The dark golden tentacles took the two Chevaliers into its body quickly, and they were completely absorbed within moments.
"Flora! What about the pilots!?"
I called out to Flora, stationed in the tent for emergency treatment set up on the beach.
"They're alright-desu no. The two pilots both got out safely with the emergency transfer device, and are right here-no."
I patted my chest in relief when I heard Flora's reply. People say that casualties are always a possibility in battle, but still, I want to avoid that as much as I can.
The ones who were eaten were from our knight order, weren't they. It probably took advantage of the openings created when they went and helped out the other knight orders.
That tentacle type might be a tough opponent.
I hoisted the [Heavy Lance] up again and prepared to take it out myself with Reginleiv, but then I noticed that the movement of the sea anemone-type intermediate-class was weird.
The sea anemone intermediate-class was backing off from the shore, and heading into the shallows.
As I was finding its movements suspicious, the space behind the sea anemone suddenly cracked open, forming a rift in midair.
The sea anemone disappeared into the space filled with darkness inside the rift. After that, like a video being rewound, the rift disappeared, and the cracked space was restored to normal. Did it escape…?
"What does that…?"
I stopped in place momentarily due to the inexplicable movements shown by the variant. During the instant that space cracked open, I felt like I saw a humanoid figure standing in the darkness… Another variant ruler-class…?
"… Thinking about it now won't help. Let's end this battle first."
I switched the channel on Reginleiv's communicator to the open one.
"All of the advanced-class variants have been defeated! From this moment onwards, the battle will be for extermination! Everyone is to eliminate the enemies in front of you, without leaving
asingle one alive!"
"""Oou!!"""
War cries were raised by the various knight orders. The Frame Gears, with their morale raised high, swung their swords towards the groups of lower-classes remaining.
We've already dealt with around 80% of them. All that's left is Ende's group…
I changed the Fragarachs to [Dagger] mode, and sent them towards the knight orders that were being pushed back. While controlling the Fragarachs as they flew about freely in the sky, I turned my head and looked into the [Prison] on top of the beach using [Divine Eyes].
It sounds like I'm peeking on them, but there technically is a possibility of something happening, so.
[Divine Eyes] let me see perfectly into the inside of the [Prison]. Inside that space, cut off from the outside, an irregular battle was being carried out.
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(Note: and POV change again.)
"—Leto, Luto. It's been a while."
Mel called out to them, but the twin ruler-classes only responded with thin smiles.
"I was sure that I entrusted the two of you with advising the new [Sovereign]; just what is going on here?"
"Hah. No way we would want to take care of that little kid. You see, we wanted to do something that's fun."
"That's why we got onboard with Yura's plan of crossing worlds. Yura and Gira, and Nei over there all seriously thought to chase after you, but to be honest, we didn't really care about
that. We just didn't want to let the opportunity—to wield our powers however we want in the worlds we crossed into—pass, you see."
Mel's slender eyebrow twitched for an instant.
"And where is that Yura right now? He's the one pulling all the strings, isn't he?"
"I wonder. We don't really interact with each other a lot. Ever since obtaining this 'Golden Power', Yura had been doing all sorts of things, but we don't know the details. There's no need for us to know, either."
Not showing his moves even to the twins, who should be his allies. Mel remembered that Yura always had this principle of secrecy to him before as well.
In [Phrasia], Yura was an excellent researcher and explorer of the unknown. And, as Mel have also noticed, he holds bottomless ambition within him.
Always hungering for more. In order to obtain what he wants, he wouldn't choose his methods, wouldn't shirk from sacrifices, and would never regret his decisions. If something can be used, he would use it; a cold, devilish man.
"Well, it doesn't matter what Yura is thinking about anyway. We're good as long as it's enjoyable. And? Is that all you have to say? If that's so, can we kill you guys yet? I don't think we'd need something like the power of the former [Sovereign] with where we are now, but since you're in front of us, I guess we can take it."
"Just try touching even one strand of Mel-sama's hair. I'll grind your core to dust."
"Don't say things that you can't do, okay."
Nei stood in front of Leto, and turned her rage-filled eyes on her former compatriot, who's now a variant.
Towards her glare, Leto simply responded with a thin smile and folded arms.
Her brother, Luto, who was standing besides her, turned his eyes towards Ende, standing in front of him.
"We let you escape that time before this. But this time, you'll die, Endymion. It'd be interesting if you died in front of the [Sovereign], don't you think? I wonder how should I kill you. It's troubling."
"Yeah, I'm troubled too. How should I beat up this idiot in front of me…"
Against Luto's provocation, Ende simply shrugged his shoulders as if mocking him.
That probably displeased him; Luto pointed a dangerous gaze towards Ende, while letting out a low voice.
"Hah? Seems like I hit you a bit too hard back then. Is your head okay? How are you, who couldn't even touch me back then, gonna beat me up?"
"Well that's, obviously I'll get close like this—"
Without any preliminary movements, Ende moved in front of Luto in an instant.
"Wha!?"
"And do it with all my power, in a gouging motion like this."
Ende's right fist, with a twisting motion, impacted on Luto's left cheek.
With his neck bent in a weird direction, Luto flew away while bouncing on the ground several times due to the hit he received.
"Luto!?"
As his sister's shouted after him, Luto—blown away and rolling on the ground—impacted against the wall of the [Prison] they were in, and stopped there.
He immediately stood back up, and glared at the white-haired youth who had punched him. Deep cracks had been created on his left cheek, but those immediately regenerated.
"You… How dare you hit me…!"
"C'mon, don't get heated just because you got hit, Luto. Anger dulls one's judgment. Disturbances in your heart can create fatal openings, you know. That's what shishou said, anyway."
"Like you're so great… Who do you think you areeeee!"
Luto kicked off the ground and charged at Ende in response to his provocation. His right fist was extended towards the muffler-wearing youth, almost as if he's trying to get back for the hit he took just now.
However, an instant before the fist could land on Ende's face, he caught it easily with his left hand.
"Wh…!?"
"Only this much? Elze with [Boost] can throw punches a lot sharper than this. If I can't even stop something like this, I'm gonna get chewed out by shishou later."
In front of the wide-eyed Luto, Ende made a nimble turn on the spot before thrusting a sharp roundhouse kick at the former's abdomen. (Note: I'm not sure if "roundhouse kick" is the correct English term…)
"Gofu!?"
Once again, Luto was blown backwards. While raising sand all over the place, he rolled on the ground away from Ende.
Luto's older sister, Leto, tried to rush to him, but found her path blocked by Nei and Rize.
"You're in my way! Step aside from there!"
Leto's right arm formed the shape of a blade within moments, and turned into a dark gold- colored sword. And that sword was then swung down on Nei, who's in front of her.
The blade belonged to one who, no matter how small, carried the evil god's divinity. Nei, who's nothing more than a Phrase ruler-class, cannot block that. If she doesn't dodge, she would be cut in two without resistance.
However, what Leto felt in the next moment was not the sensation of her arm cutting through a ruler-class, but a hard resistance together with a *gakin* sound.
When she looked at her arm, she found a short sword, being brandished by Nei, blocking it.
While stopping the blade arm of Leto, who had turned into a variant, Nei smiled widely.
"I was a bit worried but… It did stop you properly, like Touya said it would."
"What, is that sword!?"
Twice, thrice, Leto swung down her dark-golden sword arm, but every slash was blocked by the silvery-white sword Nei held in her hand. Which is natural, since the sword Nei had isn't a normal sword.
It's one of the sacred treasure twin swords Ende took from the world he ran to after he lost to the Leto-Luto twins.
Afterwards, they were recovered by Touya, but, specially for this occasion, lent out to the sisters Nei and Rize.
Even if they're ruler-classes, they're still Phrase. There's the possibility that they would be "predated" by the variants, Leto and Luto. As part of a countermeasure against that, Touya had lent out the twin swords, which were sleeping in his [Storage] until then, to them.
Of course, the gods on the ground had given their permissions.
"I've been thinking this since a long time ago, but you're really annoying, you know. Especially the part where you do nothing but complain about us, and get in our way every single time."
"What a coincidence. I've always disliked you guys too. Like how you're always just doing whatever you wanted, or how you behave towards Mel-sama with no manners. We were comrades before, but now we're enemies. I can kill you without worries."
"It's things like that about you that piss me off!"
Leto swung her blade arm rapidly.
Even though she has a divine sword, the other side is still more powerful than her. It's taking Nei her all just to block the attacks that poured down on her.
However, right then, another divine sword approached Leto from her blind spot while drawing an arc. That slash beautifully cut off Leto's blade arm, and saved Nei from her predicament.
Leto's right arm, which dropped to the ground, melted down into a sludge.
"Tch…! Right, you were here too. The same lack of presence as usual…!"
While retreating backwards, Leto regenerated her right arm in an instant.
In front of her, holding up the divine sword that cut off her arm, Rize stood calmly.
"Are you alright, Nei?"
"Ahh. Somehow, yeah. Couldn't you have cut in earlier?"
"I felt bad since you were having fun talking."
"Just how in the world did you take that as a fun conversation…?"
Nei's voice was one of amazement as she responded to the words of her sister, which sounded partly serious and partly like a joke.
Ever since her time back in [Phrasia], Rize had been a strange one.
She's not a bad kid, but she often committed herself to surprising actions. At first, she was together with Nei in Yura's faction, but before anyone noticed, she somehow made her way over to Ende.
While Nei believed she was tricked by Ende into doing that, she couldn't erase the thought that there's a good possibility Rize did it on her own volition. Well, since that frivolous man is the root of evil in both cases, she's determined to punch him anyway.
"Ha, so you two will be my opponents? Sure. If that's what you want, I'll just respond in kind…!"
Leto's body became gradually enveloped in dark-golden metallic substances. Armor pieces with sharp corners were equipped on various parts of her body, from her arms, legs to her torso.
Besides her face, every part of her body was covered in that armor. It looks to be a strengthened version of [Crystal Armament], the combat mode of Phrase ruler-classes.
"Don't joke around with me… You damn small fry loser! GAAaaaaaaah!"
When Nei and the others looked towards the additional voice that came out, they saw Luto, facing off against Ende, also beginning to cover himself with a metallic armor. As expected of twins to be so in sync.
"Let's start from the beginning again. This time, I'll kill you."
"I'll pulverize your whole body to dust, core and all. Say your prayers."
(Note: Luto and Leto, respectively. Telling their dialogues apart without contextual indicators is a bit tough in English… In the raw, Leto speaks with clear feminine indicators, so it's a lot easier.)
Leto VS Nei & Rize.
Luto VS Ende.
The Phrase's [Sovereign] silently watched over the two battles from a corner of the [Prison].