The principality military’s flagship.
The private chamber of the princess royal.
Beside Hertrauda stood Hertrude.
“Elder Sister, please do not summon the Guardian Deity of the Land. The Guardian Deities of Heaven and Sea—if we have both, that will suffice to achieve our purpose.”
“Lauda… I have forced a cruel role upon you. If only I had kept using this demon flute—”
Hertrauda shook her head.
“It was a role one of us had to bear. From the moment Elder Sister failed, it was already decided that I would next head to the kingdom.”
Hertrude gripped the demon flute, and then tears flowed.
When the demon flute’s true power was unleashed—the price demanded in return was the user’s life.
In exchange, one could commandeer the super-large beings called Guardian Deities.
“Lauda, I no longer understand anything.”
To Hertrude’s words, Hertrauda had no clear answer.
Because it no longer had any meaning.
“Even if Queen Mylène’s words were the truth, we cannot stop. We will sink the kingdom, seize the floating stones that lift the continent—and the principality will obtain new land. That is what is necessary for the principality to become a true great power.”
The reason the principality was sinking the kingdom was that it wanted the floating stones the kingdom possessed—the stones that kept the kingdom’s land afloat.
To carry those floating stones back and expand their own territory.
For the principality, which could not win by conventional means, such high-handed methods were necessary to become a great power.
“Are we in the right, I wonder?”
“I cannot judge that. Once everything is over, I have no choice but to entrust the rest to Elder Sister.”
The sisters’ parents had died in an accident.
There were other members of the royal family, but the two of them were the only ones who had been given the oral traditions and education as heirs.
One of them had to survive and guide the nation.
“…Elder Sister, how did you spend your days in the kingdom?”
The time Hertrude could speak with her little sister was running short.
So she wanted to have as pleasant a conversation as possible.
“I was at a place called the Academy. I attended it as an exchange student. It was a more terrible place than I ever imagined.”
The sight of female students dragging slaves around and looking down on the male students was something Hertrude had known about, but it was still a shock.
“That Wicked Knight was bowing and scraping to women too, you know.”
“The Wicked Knight who defeated Vandel did? How did the kingdom end up that way, I wonder? I’ve heard that in the era when the principality was still the Archducal House, they were no different from us.”
“Indeed. A strange country, isn’t it. They even dispatch fliers for the sake of the girls to go on adventures. The island where I found that Magical Armor’s right arm—it was an elf island.”
Seeing Lauda’s eyes sparkle, Hertrude began to talk about the adventure.
The Archducal House, too, was originally a family of adventurers.
They had been raised from childhood hearing such tales.
When Hertrude finished speaking, Lauda was beaming.
“Elder Sister went on an adventure, didn’t you. I am so envious. As for me, I have no more time left.”
“Lauda.”
Hertrude pitied her little sister, but the time had come.
A knight arrived to report.
“Your Highness Princess Hertrauda! We have confirmed the kingdom army’s approach!”
Lauda’s expression, which had been that of a child, changed instantly into something cold.
“I will go at once. …Elder Sister, if I fall—then I leave the rest to you.”
The royal capital—there was only a short distance left to the center of the continent.
If they arrived there, everything would end.
Hertrude turned a smile toward her little sister, yet tears were streaming down.
“Leave it to me. Also, I will be by your side as well.”
“That is reassuring, Elder Sister.”
◇
I had Arroganz sit down atop the deck.
Inside the cockpit, I whistled in bravado at the sight before me.
“What the hell is that size.”
Directly beneath the super-large monster, as if being shielded, was the principality fleet.
They were escorting the monster as it slowly headed for the royal capital.
『Target entering firing range.』
The ridiculously huge monster was a multi-eyed, multi-armed form wreathed in clouds. Its many great eyes turned toward the kingdom army.
Trailing behind Partner were the kingdom army’s fliers, and together we were just about to charge into the principality forces.
The super-large one stretched one of its hands toward us.
『Target closing in.』
“Blow it away!”
In time with my words, Luxion—who had become an empty husk—murmured 『Understood.』 There were none of the usual snide remarks; only the bare minimum of conversation.
『Firing missiles.』
From Partner’s missile launch port, a single missile was fired.
It struck the super-large one’s hand dead-on, causing a massive explosion and blasting the huge hand away.
The great hand, which could have crushed even Partner in its grip, was blown off and turned into black smoke.
“Let’s keep firing more and more!”
『Commencing bombardment.』
Partner’s cannons belched fire, and as they hit the super-large one, huge explosions erupted. Missiles were launched one after another, blasting away its arms.
Without pausing, the bow changed direction and Partner accelerated.
『Enemy fleet—formation change confirmed.』
“Too slow!”
Perhaps panicked after having its proud Final Boss’s arm blown off, the enemy was hastily preparing to meet our charge.
The communication conditions were poor, and they seemed to be fumbling just as we were.
Following immediately behind Partner were the fliers carrying my family and friends.
These were currently the highest-performance fliers around.
On the deck, I stood Arroganz up and readied a rifle.
I shot down the monsters swarming around the principality fleet. The thousands, the tens of thousands of monsters—dealing with those was to be handled by forces other than Partner.
Partner was too busy attacking the super-large one.
The artillery exchanges of the fleet battle and the extermination of monsters had to be left to our allied ships.
As the distance to the enemy shrank rapidly, the bombardment began.
Monsters were pierced and turned into black smoke.
Shells were fired at Partner one after another, but even when they hit and burst, they did no real damage.
The barrier deployed to protect the flier deflected everything.
The mainstream of fliers were those with cannons lined up along their sides, and the enemy was practically showing us their bellies.
“Bite through them.”
When Partner reached right before the principality army’s eyes and nose, the allied ships immediately behind began firing in succession from the cannons mounted on their bows.
Magical barriers deployed around the principality vessels, but they were pierced through and the fliers sank.
“These are state-of-the-art. Don’t think you can hold out with something like that!”
Allied ships sank, and Armors came flying out one after another.
As if to block Partner’s path, a single flier appeared, turning its broadside toward us.
It unleashed its lined-up cannons all at once, but Partner defended against all of them.
“That level won’t get through. And I’m pretty good at ramming, too.”
Partner’s bow rammed into the flier’s side and snapped it into a V-shape.
We kept advancing just like that, and the flier split apart fore and aft and fell.
“Once we’re inside their reach, it’s ours.”
We had already slipped directly beneath the super-large one.
In this position, we shouldn’t take attacks from the super-large one—or so I’d thought!
The kingdom army’s fliers, charging in one after another, launched their Armors, and both armies plunged into a frantic melee.
“Phase one complete, I’d say.”
Several missiles were launched from Partner, and upon hitting the super-large one, they exploded and blasted it into black smoke.
That black smoke was sucked into the swirling clouds, making them even blacker and larger.
We launched the assault at dawn, and the sky, which had been bright, was now covered by thick black clouds.
And from those black clouds, as if resurrected, the super-large one appeared once more.
All of its multiple eyes were watching Partner.
“It revives right away, dammit. Keep up the attack and seal its movements like this.”
『——Enemy unit closing in.』
Landing on Partner’s deck was a principality Armor, charging toward Arroganz.
『I’ve found you, Wicked Knight!』
“Wicked? Don’t talk like you’re the only one who hasn’t strayed from the path!”
Aren’t you, coming to kill me, and me, about to kill you—aren’t we just two of a kind?
I aimed the rifle and pulled the trigger; the Armor was shot through the abdomen and tumbled across the deck.
Looking up, fliers and Armors were starting to surround Partner.
I pointed the rifle at a flier directly above and pulled the trigger; it hit the engine section and burst into flame. It came crashing down toward Partner, but protected by the barrier, Partner didn’t suffer a single scratch.
I heard a voice mixed with noise.
『Destroy it with Armors!』
『If we take him down, promotion is ours for the asking!』
『I’ve got hiiiim!』
I had an axe held in the left hand and cut down an approaching Armor.
Gouging from right shoulder to abdomen, I knew at once that the pilot wouldn’t survive.
Luxion pointed out to me.
『Your reactions are delayed.』
“Yeah, they are!”
Against another one, I brought the axe down on its head; the blade reached all the way to the torso, but I couldn’t pull it out and had to release the axe.
I shot through a third one with a rifle round, then had a new weapon placed in my left hand.
“—I’m counting on you.”
I cast a single glance toward Weiss, then looked up at the sky and took off.
◇
The bridge of Weiss.
Having charged the principality forces and dragged them into a chaotic melee, the kingdom army was fighting fiercely.
Watching that sight, Angie held and supported the trembling Livia.
“Livia—rest a little.”
Shaking her head side to side, Livia’s eyes spilled tears. She pressed both hands to her head, and her breathing was ragged.
“It… hurts. Why is everyone fighting? Even though it hurts this much… why?”
Angie struggled over the answer.
“…Why, indeed.”
She knew the answer.
Angie had learned that answer, but when she saw it with her own eyes, the answer became unclear.
As Livia pressed her chest, Marie came barging in.
“Hey! Enemies are gathering around this ship too, you know!”
To Marie, dressed in the Saint’s garb, Angie gave a sharp rebuke.
“Be quiet!”
“Ye—yes!”
“There are escort vessels around us. Besides, this ship won’t be brought down so easily.”
Creyere, floating nearby, nodded as if in agreement.
『The greatest threat is the super-large monster directly above us—the one they call a Guardian Deity. No other flier can bring this ship down. More importantly, are the two of you ready? And you too, Marie.』
Treated like an afterthought, Marie looked displeased but—perhaps frightened by Angie—kept quiet.
Angie supported Livia and spoke to her gently.
“Livia—let’s bring this battle to an end quickly. You can do it, can’t you?”
Crying, Livia nodded and clasped her hands in front of her chest.
As she assumed a pose as if offering a prayer, Angie imitated her posture too.
(What is this? My chest feels tight. And—so painfully sad that tears are—)
She could hear the voices around her.
《Help! I don’t want to die!》 《Mother, help me!》 《See, I told you I never wanted a war!》
Feeling lives flickering and vanishing, Angie’s own chest grew tight.
(You have been sensing this the entire time?)
Creyere’s voice sounded.
『The ship is—how should I put it—resonating? It is responding to Olivia’s ability. A curious performance. I am fairly sure the manual said nothing about such a function.』
Marie opened her mouth wide and made a fuss.
“Eeeeeek! A huge monster from the front!”
A monster, its great maw open wide, was closing in on them.
When Creyere murmured 『Hmm,』 the monster was blown away, shot through by Weiss’s main cannon.
『Marie, you too must exercise your power. It seems the two of them alone are insufficient.』
“Huh? What am I supposed to do?”
『In any case, imitate the two of them.』
Flustered, Marie mimicked the two and began to pray—and then Weiss trembled.
As if it was about to exert its full power—
Angie looked up toward the ceiling and spread both arms wide.
(…A warm light is overflowing. And—it’s so calming.)
What came to mind was summer vacation—the scene of the three of them chatting on the way back from the hot spring.
If only days like that could last forever—that was the sentiment.
◇
Having cut down an approaching monster, I glanced back over my shoulder.
The Armors around me, and even the fliers, all ceased to move.
The fighting halted, and then the monsters were blasted away.
A warm light enveloped the battlefield; that light was being emitted from Weiss.
“—So this is the superweapon.”
As the monsters were erased by the light, even the super-large monster up in the sky closed its eyes and crossed its many arms as if to protect itself.
But the light turned its gargantuan body into black smoke, and it vanished.
“That settles it, then.”
Many of the Armors had dropped the weapons they were holding.
The communication conditions improved, and even the thick clouds covering the sky were driven away, revealing blue sky.
“Love is really something, huh! —…!”
Just as I tried to laugh, my will to fight abruptly drained away.
What I felt was fear. It was like having my fighting spirit forcibly stolen from me.
I could hear a voice.
(No more fighting, please. I—I don’t want to see a battle like this. Please, stop the fighting!)
It was Livia’s voice.
“I see. So this is Livia’s true—”
Livia’s voice reached deep into people’s hearts.
Even without eloquent phrases that shook the soul, when Livia said something, it gripped people’s feelings.
From Weiss came sound—Livia’s voice came through.
(Please—let us stop. If this continues, so many people will become sacrifices. Please stop the fighting.)
If battles could end with words like that, no one would have any trouble.
They wouldn’t—and yet, the feeling of truly wanting the battle to end crept right into the heart.
The empty husk of Luxion murmured.
『Mental attack confirmed.』
Sure enough. What a terrifyingly powerful attack this is.
Livia’s ability, amplified by Weiss’s power, was outrageously devastating.
The principality knights who had hated the kingdom were dropping their weapons and listening to Livia’s voice.
“Don’t screw with me!” or “You think we can let it end here?!”… Such emotions melted away before Livia’s sorrowful heart.
And then, the sight I saw was—a nostalgic memory of my former life.
I looked up and muttered as the super-large one let out an eerie cry and vanished.
“…What a cruel attack.”
This power—it must never be used… That was what I thought.
◇
From the principality military’s flagship, Hertrauda had watched that spectacle.
Tears fell.
“…Why do you grieve for us? Stop it. You must be our enemy. Don’t grieve!”
Livia’s heartfelt pain poured into her; her chest ached.
Those around her were either dumbfounded or sitting down in place, weeping.
Their will to fight was being stolen away.
“Something… like this. Are you telling us to forget our hatred—with something like this? With this…”
So mortifying.
And yet, the desire for revenge was being stolen away.
Little by little, she was losing any certainty that they were in the right.
Hertrude held Hertrauda tight.
“Lauda—let us end it already. The Guardian Deity of the Sky has vanished from sight.”
Hertrauda shook her head from side to side.
“No. I won’t. If it ends like this, I don’t know what I’m losing my life for. I—I have to fight!”
Clenching the demon flute, Hertrauda wanted to fight, yet her heart recoiled.
She could not hate the ones she was supposed to hate.
She could not stand.
“—That’s cowardly. A kingdom that does this kind of thing really is the worst. Not letting us hate, not letting us hold a grudge—it’s the worst. It even takes away my very will to fight. Then—what did I stake my life for?”
Hertrauda wept, and Hertrude, holding her tight, shed tears.
“I’m sorry. For making you take my place… I am truly sorry.”
The Guardian Deity of the Sky vanished.
The demon flute that Hertrauda had been gripping shattered into powder.
“…No. Even the Guardian Deity of the Sea—has been defeated?”
Gradually losing vitality, Hertrauda’s consciousness grew distant in her sister’s arms.
“Lauda!”
“Elder Sister… Somehow, although I’m terrified, it feels so warm.”
Through Livia’s ability, all fear gradually faded, and it felt like being wrapped in something warm.
Robbed of her will to fight, Lauda’s face became serene.
“I’m sorry, Elder Sister. …Leaving you all alone.”
Lauda closed her eyes.
Hertrude’s sorrowful wails reached her, but even those she gradually ceased to hear.
◇
Standing at Hertrude’s side was Vandel.
Weeping, Hertrude gradually began to laugh.
“Your Highness.”
“Vandel. I—I’m strange. I should be grief-stricken, but my heart is warm and I feel so happy. Even though Lauda is dead, it won’t even let me grieve.”
To Hertrude, who muttered that the people of the kingdom were truly cruel, Vandel placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Leave matters to me. This Vandel shall settle everything.”
“Vandel?”
Perhaps due to the effect of the Magical Armor’s right arm, the mental attack had no effect on Vandel.
“Now—command me while your will to fight still remains.”
Hertrude was tormented. Her expression, he recalled with nostalgia, was the same as when she was little.
“Your Highness!”
“…Vandel, go. Show the principality’s pride.”
After a deep, affirming nod, Vandel strode majestically out of the room.
Once outside, he pressed his palm to his mouth and coughed.
His palm was stained red with blood.
“It has held out quite well this far.”
Grateful to his own body, he looked at his right arm.
“An ominous right arm. And yet, with this I can fight that Wicked Knight. —That kingdom vessel alone must be sunk, without fail.”
The white ship visible in the distance.
Thinking that such a thing could not be left unchecked, Vandel poured power into his right arm. It swelled grotesquely, and as it enveloped his entire body, it took the form of an Armor.
『—Now then, let us begin.』
Taking flight, Vandel charged in a straight line toward the white ship—toward Weiss.
◇
I was in a daze.
That feeling where you know you shouldn’t fall asleep, but you’re sleepy—something like that.
Or maybe not?
Anyway, fighting was starting to feel utterly ridiculous.
『Mental contamination confirmed in Master.』
I could hear the voice of Luxion’s empty husk, but everything just felt like too much trouble. Now that I thought about it—why was I fighting at all?
There was no need for me to be doing this sort of thing.
In the first place, everything was Marie’s fault.
No one would be angry even if I abandoned someone like her.
No one—well… maybe the parents from my former life, whom I’ll never see again, might be angry. Telling me, “You’re the elder brother, so look after your little sister.”
But that’s not really my character, so…
『Enemy unit closing in. It is heading for Weiss.』
When I looked over, a black, spiky Armor—like a knockoff of Arroganz—was charging right into Weiss.
I had seen that Armor somewhere before, too.
I still can’t recall where.
“Huh? Weiss?”
Immediately afterward, the black Armor collided, a hole opened in Weiss’s hull, and an explosion erupted.
“Oh crap!”
I hurriedly gripped the control stick and moved Arroganz, and my consciousness grew clear.
“What was that? Like I was dreaming or something.”
『Mental attack. A mental attack was emitted from Weiss without discrimination between friend and foe.』
“So it was Livia’s power. I never want to experience that again.”
That sensation of being wrapped in something warm carried a sort of happiness, but at the same time, it was terrifying.
The surrounding fliers and Armors were still immobile.
“Anyway—that unit is—”
『The unit that stole Hertrude, and the demon flute, from the royal palace.』
“So it’s the Black Knight old man!”
Realizing the danger at this rate, I accelerated Arroganz all at once.
◇
The underside of the continent.
Having confirmed the super-large monster vanishing, Luxion simultaneously judged the detected power as a threat.
『So this is Olivia’s power. It certainly deserves the name “superweapon.”』
Smoke was rising from Luxion’s hull.
『Communication conditions are improving. The link with the child unit will be restored shortly.』
When he submerged the hull in seawater for a moment, the sound of the retained heat boiling the water could be heard.
The surroundings were enveloped in white steam, and Luxion’s hull looked as though it was surrounded in mist.
『As long as nothing goes wrong…』
At worst, he thought, it would be fine if only Leon survived.
Cooling his hull while considering the plan ahead, Luxion—slowly began to move.
◇
Having slashed into the beautiful white hull with his greatsword, Vandel stepped into the interior of the ship.
『What is this?』
He saw legless pseudo-Armors charging at him with weapons.
He batted them away and crushed them with his greatsword, then grabbed one with his left arm.
『No one is piloting them? Truly uncanny.』
Crushing it in his grip, he advanced while destroying the ship.
『A vessel like this has no right to exist. The kingdom is evil after all. Evil… Yes, evil!』
His right arm swelled, and numerous eyes opened wide; from them, magic was unleashed.
Exploded from within, Weiss suffered massive damage.
Its altitude gradually dropped, and fires began to spew from all over.
『Yes. I must destroy it… The kingdom is evil.』
As Vandel advanced, destroying as he went, he arrived at the bridge.
There, three young women stood.
『Women? I see. So it was you who did that.』
Facing the three cowering before him, Vandel raised his greatsword high.
Stepping forward was the brown-haired girl.
“Please, wait. No more. A battle like this—we have to end it!”
『Not yet!』
Vomiting blood even as he spoke, Vandel poured his feelings out at the three.
『It is far from over. So long as the principality exists, we shall challenge the kingdom to battle. When you consider all that you have done, is that not only natural!』
Another of the women opened her mouth.
“Don’t give me that. Are you saying your principality has done nothing at all?”
From her tone, he could tell she knew the principality’s past.
But Vandel did not relent.
『And what of it? Do you understand the feeling of having no choice but to watch as your family dies right before your eyes?!』
Just as he was about to swing the greatsword down, Vandel was attacked from behind. Wires were thrown over him and he was forcibly dragged out of the bridge.
When he turned, there stood five Armors in conspicuous colors.
『That’s far enough!』
A white Armor clad in a cape came at him with a sword.
Forcibly tearing off the wires, he blocked with his greatsword.
Vandel laughed inside his Armor.
『Not bad skill. But—do not think you can stop me with so little!』
When he sent it flying back, this time a green Armor opened fire with a rifle.
Vandel, not dodging the attack, knew that the bullets would ricochet off his armor.
『It deflects these, I see.』
He could tell as plainly as if he held it in his hand that his opponent was panicked.
Looking around, spears were floating around as if to surround Vandel.
When they came at him simultaneously, they stabbed into the gaps in the Armor—into the joints.
『How’s that! You can’t escape from my spears—』
『Hmph!』
When Vandel exerted his strength, the spears snapped at the points they had pierced and became useless.
『Youuuu!』
『I won’t allow it!』
A red Armor and a blue Armor mounted a pincer attack on Vandel, but he sent one flying with his greatsword and smacked the other away with his tail.
Near the slowly-sinking Weiss, Vandel laughed as he faced the five.
『What is the matter, whelps! Did you imagine you could defeat this Vandel with such skill?!』
The man in the white Armor was shocked.
『Vandel? The Black Knight!』
『Indeed. Former Black Knight now, that is. Even so, I can butcher the likes of you in an instant.』
Accelerating, he brought the greatsword down to cleave the white Armor in two—when the red Armor rammed into him, throwing off his aim.
The blue Armor stepped forward and brandished its sword.
『That swordwork—could it be the Sword Saint?! No—even more unpolished than him.』
『Uooooooh!』
While defending against the blue Armor’s furious onslaught with his greatsword, Vandel, encircled, laughed.
『Yes. Put more strength into it! For this Vandel—for the Black Knight’s opponent—bring someone stronger!』
His eyes were bloodshot, and his mind was growing gradually unhinged.
Under assault by Vandel rampaging, the five were at a disadvantage.
Vandel’s Armor—the Magical Armor—swelled grotesquely, and eyes appeared all over its body. Its deeply ominous form made the five seem to shrink back.
『Cowards! Afraid, you spineless lot! Then die!』
Laughing as he swung the greatsword, an Armor burst in and sent that Vandel flying.
『—Wha—?!』
Reeling from the shock, he recognized the newcomer’s identity and felt elation.
“At last we meet!” his expression seemed to say, as Vandel wore a feral grin.
『I’ve been waiting for you, Wicked Knight!』
There stood Arroganz.
『The hell kind of name is that to stick on me. If I’m wicked, then you bastards are even worse scum than that.』
From the corner of Vandel’s rejoicing mouth, blood trickled down.
◇
Looking at the ominous Armor before my eyes, I could no longer tell what it even was.
It felt like a living creature, but also like a machine.
The eyes on the surface of the Armor swiveled and darted—disgusting.
『I have long awaited the day I would fight you.』
“Thanks for the unflattering confession. I never wanted to see you again. More to the point—that’s one strange Armor.”
I heard the voice of the Black Knight laughing in a gurgling, crackling way.
『I had thought I must thank you.』
From that response, the first thing that came to mind was that right arm.
“No way—”
『Indeed! Now there is no gap in performance between your Armor and mine. Let us begin a battle where pure skill alone shall decide!』
I dodged the Black Knight as he attempted to ram me, but he immediately circled behind me.
The empty husk:
『Enemy closing in from the rear.』
“Your reactions are just as delayed, aren’t they!”
I used the rifle to block, but it was cleaved apart by the greatsword.
I tossed the rifle aside at once and took a new weapon in both hands.
The Black Knight’s new Armor—which moved with astonishing fluidity—felt like there was no performance gap with Arroganz.
If it had come to this, then a pure gap in skill would be decisive.
And in that case—I was no match for him.
“You’re persistent, old man!”
『I cannot die until I have taken your head!』
What the hell did I ever do to you!
I soared high into the sky with Arroganz, and the Black Knight followed. Truly, there was no sense of a performance gap. More than that—
『Falllll!』
From the eyes attached to the Black Knight’s Armor, magic was unleashed. Fireballs—dozens of them—came at me with terrifying speed.
I tried to evade, but they tracked me.
“That’s gotta be cheating!”
I tried to outrun them by boosting Arroganz’s speed, but even more fireballs were added in.
“Deploy drones!”
『Deploying drones.』
When the drones were launched from the container, they began attacking.
The round drones were fitted with machine guns, and those were firing on the fireballs.
However, while they did manage to shoot some of them down—at the same time, the drones were swallowed by the fireballs and shot down as well.
Some of the drones were even sliced apart by the greatsword the Black Knight held.
“You bastard!”
『Only you— No, that’s wrong. The one I must destroy is something else—』
His movements suddenly became strange, and he directed his gaze toward Weiss, visible far below.
“Hey, don’t screw with me!”
『Yes. That ship alone—I must sink it.』
All over the Black Knight’s body, the eyes prepared to unleash fireballs in unison.
I sent Arroganz into a precipitous dive, and floated in front of the destroyed Weiss’s bridge. Behind me, I could see Livia and Angie.
And incidentally, I could see Marie as well. It seemed that even if they tried to flee the bridge, the passageways were gone and they had no way to escape.
“Shields full power.”
『Deploying shields.』
I became a shield to protect the three from the fireballs that came raining down.
When the falling fireballs struck Weiss, a huge explosion occurred. Before I knew it, the five-man squad had also come over and were protecting Livia and the others.
As Weiss, engulfed in flames, began to sink in earnest, the battle around us started to resume.
“And it was finally about to be over.”
As I steeled myself against the endlessly firing flames, I heard the Black Knight’s voice.
『I will not accept such an ending. Until one side falls, this battle shall not end! As if I would allow it to end!』
I gave an order to the Masked Knight.
“Hey, perverted knight!”
『I told you I am the Masked Knight!』
“Doesn’t matter—take the three of them and evacuate. I’ll hold this position.”
『—Understood.』
He looked as if he wanted to say something, but perhaps thinking they could do nothing about this on their own—he seemed to be withdrawing.
…Good.
“I’ll take on this damned old man.”
When I sent Arroganz charging, the Black Knight raised his greatsword.
That was when it happened.
The lake surged upward, and from it, a mountain emerged.
“—You’re kidding me.”
At the appearance of the enemy—with its mountain-like shape—a cold sweat ran down my back.
『Enemy—super-large emergence confirmed. Different type from those so far.』
I heard the voice of Luxion, who had become a hollow shell, and the moment I let my guard down, the Black Knight cut me, and I fell to the ground.
◇
Clutching the demon flute, Hertrude looked at Lauda, who was laid out on the floor.
She apologized to her precious little sister.
“I’m sorry. Forgive your worthless big sister… How did things ever come to this?”
As Hertrude wept, one of the senior statesmen approached her.
He was injured, blood streaming from his forehead.
“You wretched little girls. To fail—it’s pathetic!”
There was no respect for royalty in that; he was a man who simply cursed filthily. He was a noble who held an important post even in the principality.
When he tried to kick Lauda, Hertrude reflexively shielded her and was kicked instead.
“Stop! Lauda did her best!”
“And what of it! Effort is meaningless. Results! Produce results! You, your whole family, are truly useless. Your father and your mother opposed the war. That is why we killed them, and then we worked you and your sister like useful puppets.”
The senior statesman looked as though he was throwing a wild tantrum at the situation.
“It’s over. Everything is finished. If it’s come to this, the kingdom will, for the sake of its honor, invade the principality. I thought if we used that monster, we would win. To think—the kingdom would render it powerless!”
Hertrude held the hand of Lauda, who no longer moved.
“What… exactly are you saying?”
“You still don’t understand? Parent and child alike—dim-witted, the lot of you. You girls were being used by us.”
Hearing about her parents’ accident and this man’s words, hatred was born inside Hertrude.
The noble before her looked at Hertrude and laughed.
“No, not yet. If I deliver your head to the kingdom, I alone can be saved. I can become the hero who stopped a reckless course of action!”
He pointed a pistol at her, but at that moment the flier pitched violently.
What rolled to Hertrude’s hand was her own demon flute.
“Da—damn it!”
Just as the noble regained his stance and brought the muzzle toward her, Hertrude snatched up the demon flute and blew with all her might.
(Everyone—just disappear!)
Then, monsters appeared around her, wreathed in black smoke.
They assailed and sank their fangs into the nobleman.
“S—stop! Help!”
Screaming and wailing, the noble was devoured and killed by the monsters.
Slowly standing up, Hertrude, holding the demon flute, walked toward a place where she could see outside.
Her parents’ accidental death—the words and deeds of the nobles… Because of all that, she no longer understood what she and her sister had risked their lives for.
When Hertrude came out onto the deck, her eyes were clouded and stagnant.
Outside, the battle had resumed, and Weiss was in the midst of being destroyed by Vandel.
Tears streaming, Hertrude blew the demon flute.
An eerie melody echoed through the air.
(Enough. I don’t care what happens anymore—but die, all of you, just die.)
What the demon flute summoned was the Guardian Deity of the Land.
Originally, in this otome game world, it was a monster that appeared as the Final Boss.
Releasing the flute, Hertrude began to laugh like one possessed.
“Everyone can just vanish!”
—To that deranged command, the Guardian Deity of the Land answered.
◇
Leon’s father, Balcus, was issuing orders from the bridge.
“Another crazy-huge one showing up! What the hell is going on?”
Just when he thought they had charged, suddenly consciousness had faded.
The super-large monster that had been in the sky had vanished, but now a monster massive as a mountain moving across the lake had appeared.
He couldn’t keep up with the situation.
Nicks, who was on the bridge, pointed outside the window.
“Dad—another monster showed up!”
“Launch Armors. I’m going out.”
“No, dad—you have to be the one giving orders, or who will?! I’ll—”
“Shaddap! Listen—there’s an order to these things. You stay here.”
He couldn’t let Nicks die.
Thinking that, Balcus placed a hand on Nicks’s head and ruffled it roughly.
“If something happens to me—you brothers stick together. If Leon survives, protect the territory even if you have to work him to the bone. He’s capable, but he’s an idiot. You take proper care of him.”
“Taking care of him—there’s no way I can! In the first place—wouldn’t it be better for you to stay, Dad?!”
“Don’t you damn brats die before I do! You guys—I’m counting on you about Nicks.”
So saying, Balcus left the bridge.
◇
Sure enough, the Final Boss appears; the Black Knight gets absurdly powerful; I really have no idea how it turned out like this.
『Now only you remain, Wicked Knight!』
The Black Knight old man who pursues me to the ends of the earth.
Not happy about it.
If only some cuter kind of girl would chase after me.
“Tch!”
When I blocked the Black Knight’s greatsword, the axe I was holding became battered and ruined.
“Missiles! All of them!”
『Full salvo.』
The containers opened, and small missiles swarmed toward the Black Knight. The Black Knight put distance between us and dodged every last one of them.
On top of his creepily unsettling movements, the eyes all over his body intercepted the missiles.
As for weapons on hand—only the axe was left.
I’d almost used up everything.
Even if I wanted to grab him and blast him with a shockwave, I couldn’t even grab him in the first place.
If we fought seriously, I would be the one to lose.
“Even with cheats—this is what it comes to. I’m getting sick of myself.”
Just when I thought I had him cornered, I was cornered myself; just when I thought I had exhausted every option—the super-large monster extended spikes from its mountain form.
When it loosed those spikes, they pierced through the surrounding fliers one after another.
Without distinction between kingdom and principality, it began attacking indiscriminately.
“—Hah?”
Even the Black Knight seemed flustered by this.
『Your Highness!』
I could only think that something had happened.
The super-large monster was rampaging, friend and foe alike.
“Luxion, attack with Partner!”
『Understood.』
Partner began attacking the super-large one, but it was also taking concentrated fire from the surrounding principality forces.
“—You bastards, before you target my ship—there’s an enemy you should be taking down first!”
As I shouted, I readied my axe—and blocked the greatsword the Black Knight brought down on me.
『I no longer have time to deal with you. Die, quickly!』
“Refused! Like hell I’d die in a place like this!”
Dying in a war—absolutely not.
War—that’s something only the people who actually enjoy it should go off and do.
『You have no knight’s pride, nor any stubborn will. You truly are a wretch!』
“And what of it? Don’t push your pride or stubbornness onto me!”
Chivalry?
Sorry, but chivalry in the kingdom is apparently for protecting girls. So I can’t play along with your personal aesthetic.
Partner expelled all of its remaining ammunition and blasted the super-large one away.
At the same time:
『Partner—operational limit reached.』
“…!”
Battered by concentrated fire, Partner’s barrier vanished, and as shells and magic struck it, it burst into flames and fell into the lake.
This is inexcusable toward Luxion.
And the Black Knight was closing in on me.
『This is the end!』
Gripping the control stick, I tried to struggle to the very last moment—
Luxion’s voice—returned to normal.
『Purging container.』
“You—!”
Just as I ejected the container I had been carrying on the back and sent it toward the Black Knight, Arroganz slowed after evading his attack.
The Black Knight, who had sliced the container apart, was caught in the explosion.
Since the container had the engine nozzle, that was only to be expected.
“Appearing out of nowhere—what’s your plan for this situation?”
If the Black Knight attacked next, I wouldn’t even be able to flee.
『No problem. Schwert—it’s coming.』
Approaching from the sky above was Schwert—its form completely changed.
“What on earth is that?”
『It’s Schwert.』
“The shape is completely different!”
『A trivial detail. Commencing docking.』
When Schwert came to Arroganz’s back side, it merged directly onto the section where the container had been connected.
“It combined!”
『It is closer to a parts swap. There is a large blade—please use it.』
When Arroganz drew the sword hilt that extended from Schwert, a greatsword similar to the Black Knight’s emerged.
Schwert’s shape, depending on how you looked at it, could also be seen as an airplane or a shield. That was the form of Arroganz carrying such a thing on its back.
“So I can fight with this?”
『No problem. Data analysis. Support program update complete.』
When the Black Knight burst out of the smoke from the container’s explosion, Arroganz was forced backward.
The acceleration, far beyond before, made controlling the machine difficult.
“It’s way too fast!”
『Please acclimate yourself. Commencing attack.』
From Schwert, a laser-like beam of light was fired and assailed the Black Knight.
“The laser bent!”
『You will bite your tongue, so please be silent.』
…What’s with this conversation that doesn’t treat Master as Master at all?
Up until a moment ago I was feeling lonely, but now I’m strangely irritated.
“But with this—maybe I can fight the Black Knight.”
Turning to face the Black Knight, I readied the greatsword.
『You whelp—still hiding another ace like that—』
“The one who wins at the end is the strong one. Don’t complain, old man!”