—Absolute certainty…
Those words gave Hiroshi a chill. He felt as if he had been fighting based on a certain trust in Akuto so far. However, doubts welled up within his chest when it came to killing him with “absolute certainty”.
But when Hiroshi saw a metal stake being produced within Peterhausen’s throat, he had to make a decision.
“Dammit! Switch to anti-demon king combat mode!”
With that announcement, the Brave suit emitted a light that Hiroshi had never seen from it before.
The demon king and Brave’s battle left the soldiers below in chaos, but the Hattori ninja forces remained perfectly composed.
However, the demonic beasts had not fallen into chaos either. As a result, the only proper battle was being fought in front of the main entrance.
The demonic beasts were employing a strategy of attacking in groups of three, but their organizational ability was still inferior to that of the Hattori ninja forces. They were unable to keep up with the splendid movements of the ninja who were providing cover for each other. The demonic beasts were cut down one after another.
The live broadcast focused on Yuuko, so her actions had to have stood out the most to the viewers. The viewers saw her cut down a demonic beast with her ninja sword and give orders to the ninja around her.
But in reality, the Hattori ninja forces were spread out around Yuuko because they could not allow any attacks to reach the cameraman and reporter who were near her. The only demonic beasts that reached her were either injured or were isolated from their fellow demonic beasts. This made it much easier for Yuuko to defeat them.
“Can you see Hoshino Yuri-chan!? Can you see her powerfully fighting these demonic beasts despite being an idol!? This is the new feminine form for our modern age. Strong yet beautiful. This is the G.o.ddess we have all dreamed of seeing!”
Despite what was actually happening, the reporter was enthusiastically and excitedly raising his voice as he described Yuuko’s actions. The broadcast Eiko was counting on for herself was being overwhelmingly filled with support for Yuuko.
—But I am not sure this is a good thing to gain popularity for.
As Junko glanced over at the situation around Yuuko, she cut down an approaching demonic beast.
—She has always cared about her comrades, but she was not the type to hunt demonic beasts so gleefully. Is the mana having some sort of negative effect on her?
There was too much Junko had to think about.
And then…
“You are Hoshino Yuri-chan’s older sister, right?”
The reporter was holding the microphone toward Junko.
Junko did not reply and the reporter gave her a reproachful look.
—Is he dissatisfied that the situation is not progressing according to the story he had imagined?
Junko was displeased, but fortunately a demonic beast fell from the sky behind the reporter. It appeared to have already lost the ability to fight, but Junko took the opportunity to stab at it with her short sword.
The silver blade shot by next to the reporter’s face.
“Ee!” shrieked the reporter.
The short sword stabbed into the demonic beast behind the reporter and warm blood spurted out.
“I am indeed her sister,” said Junko as she twisted her body to avoid the blood.
The demonic beast collapsed toward the reporter and he ran away.
—Hm. That is one less annoyance I have to deal with.
However, that instant had been shown in the broadcast, so her popularity had suddenly jumped up. And unbeknownst to Junko, this had an effect on Eiko’s command.
“You have to be kidding me! What is this Lovers guy doing!?’
Eiko was panicking. After she saw the reaction to the broadcast, she shouted at 2V.
Akuto and Hiroshi were continuing their superhuman battle in the air. This prevented the army from taking part in the battle and they had nearly been routed despite almost no casualties. In order to hide this disadvantage from the public, the broadcast was focusing on the Hattori ninja forces who were actually putting up a fight. However, Eiko could not stand that this was increasing even Junko’s popularity.
“There is no way I am inferior to her! G.o.d dammit. Why do those stupid men always praise the virgins!?”
As Eiko began complaining about unrelated issues, she further pressed 2V.
“Where is this Lovers or whatever his name is?”
“Do not worry. He will handle this.”
As soon as 2V gave that annoyed response, an eerie shadow cut across the battlefield displayed on a mana screen. 2V let out a whistle.
“There he is.”
After seeing how well the situation was progressing, Junko debated whether she should continue following Eiko’s instructions. If they continued on, they could clearly secure the main entrance as an entry point. However, that might be playing into their enemy’s hands.
Also…
—If I continue on, I will be Sai and senpai’s enemy.
Junko was still unsure what to do. She hated her own lack of decisiveness. No, she may have already made up her mind deep down. It was just that honor and family were keeping her from acting.
—In the end, it comes down to my cowardice.
Junko knew it was unlikely she could do anything even if she could change that, but she still regretted it.
—I wish I had the power to change it.
This was the first time she had ever hoped for political power rather than military power. She had always helped others almost too much and her personality ensured she was never bothered by training or her studies. For that reason, she had never understood why anyone would use their power for their own desires. However, she now understood, even if only slightly.
As the waves of demonic beast attacks settled down, she placed a hand on the Sword of Sohaya’s hilt once more. She pulled, but it still refused to come out.
—I cannot draw it unless I am chosen by G.o.d… But grandmother said it only had to be something convenient for the G.o.d. So what does the G.o.d want in this situation?
As Junko thought on that, a demonic beast moved in her peripheral vision.
—They are not going to let me rest, are they?
Junko drew her short sword once more and moved forward. The demonic beast resembled a human, but it moved on four long legs.
—No… This is…!
A bad feeling caused Junko to stop in her tracks. Unlike the other demonic beasts, this one was not attacking in a group. And it did not resemble any of the others.
Her bad feeling turned out to be dead on. This creature swung its arm like a whip. And that arm stretched out and swept through the s.p.a.ce Junko had been before she quickly jumped back.
“This does not look like a demonic beast,” muttered Junko.
Its skin shined like rubber. Its head had no hair and glistened. It looked like a human covered entirely in tights or like some new type of creature, but its arms were too long to be human and some of its joints seemed to bend in the opposite direction of a human’s. However, its aura was not that of a demonic beast.
—In that case, why is it attacking us?
Junko was confused, but she had no time to investigate. It must have deemed Junko a formidable opponent because it jumped past her and began attacking the rest of the Hattori ninja forces.
“Watch out!” cried Junko.
The ninja heard Junko’s warning and saw the enemy arrive, but several of them were still blown away in an instant.
—It can’t be!
Junko was shocked. She had clearly seen what had blown them away. Every single one of the attacked ninja had tried to defend against the strike with their swords. However, that rubber-like arm seemed to have both flexibility and durability. Unbelievably, the swords were unable to slice through the arm. It looked like a contradictory existence such as a soft metal rod. The areas struck by the swords bent, but the tension snapped back and blew away the ones holding the swords.
“Avoid that arm!”
The Hattori ninja forces reacted immediately. While all shouting that warning, they attacked the mysterious creature. Several were beaten down by irregular movements, but five of them made it right up to the creature. They stabbed their swords into it simultaneously.
However, their eyes all opened wide in surprise. The swords had definitely pierced its body…or so it seemed at first. In reality, it was similar to stabbing a rubber sheet with a stick. The creature’s body stretched and the swords stabbed through to the other side of its body, but the skin was never broken.
“Gh!”
“How can this be!?”
The Hattori ninja forces let out cries of surprise. Like rubber snapping back into place, the creature’s body returned to normal. The elasticity caused the swords to fly up into the sky and blew away the ones holding tightly onto those swords.
“Stand back. If I use heat…!”
With that comment, one of the Hattori ninja forces decided to use magic. He produced a ball of fire which flew toward the rubber creature. However, that ball of fire was annihilated by flames fired from the rubber monster’s mouth.
This was one of the reasons battles between those skilled in magical combat ultimately came down to hand-to-hand combat. If one used magic to cause damage, mana could be used to negate the effects. However, only humans could do that. Demonic beasts could not.
—It is powerful… But why is a human attacking us?
As Junko’s confusion grew, she ordered the Hattori ninja forces to fall back.
And with perfect timing, armored warriors advanced into the area the Hattori family had held before. They belonged to the Teruya family’s forces.
“You fools! Stay back! That thing is dangerous! Stay away!” shouted Junko.
But those armored warriors completely ignored her. They created an orderly line and advanced.
“Wait!” she shouted again, but the rubber monster surprisingly disappeared into the school building.
Thanks to the Hattori ninja forces defeating the demonic beasts, the main entrance had been freed, but no one had thought someone like that would be the first to pa.s.s through the gate.
“The most powerful demonic beast has fled from the Teruya family’s army!” shouted the reporter following Yuuko around.
It may indeed have looked that way to those who had not directly fought that rubber monster.
—But from how that thing fought, I doubt it would fall back no matter what enemy arrived. That must mean… but it can’t be…
Junko grew suspicious.
“So that is who you were talking about. You could have told me you said Rubbers and not Lovers!”
Eiko grinned as she watched the battle on a mana screen. It seemed Rubbers’s appearance had prevented the Hattori family from taking too much of the credit.
“I just wish I could have been out there to put on a show,” said Eiko jokingly.
2V, on the other hand, gave a serious response.
“Hm… That probably would have worked. He is a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t, so he would have gladly let you hit him.”
“Is that thing human?”
“He is such a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t that he experimented with magically altering his own body. Thanks to that, he no longer looks human. However, he is a powerful force in magical combat. Now, as planned-…”
Just as 2V said that, something even he had not predicted occurred.
The Teruya family"s armored warriors had immediately tried to enter the school building, but their advance suddenly came to a halt. A moment later, one of the armored warriors in the lead was sent flying backwards. As he flew back, he knocked back the others behind them as if they were bowling pins.
“What?”
Eiko peered into the mana screen in surprise.
With relaxed movements, a figure stepped out into the s.p.a.ce in which the Teruya family armored warriors had been. Of all people, it was the student council president, Lily Shiraishi.
“Do not enter the school without the student council’s permission.”
Lily rotated her right wrist as it made crackling noises.
This angered Eiko.
“Dammit! To h.e.l.l with her! Just take her out!”
Eiko gave orders to her family’s men, but Lily knocked several of them away with her extending arms before those orders could reach them. The attack was not as powerful as Rubbers’s, but it was still plenty strong.
“You worthless men! I’ll send in another unit to…”
In her irritation, Eiko finally checked the state of the overall battle.
And she was shocked at what she found. Due to victory being almost a.s.sured once they made their way into the school building, she had given almost no orders to the other units. The ground forces were almost entirely unscathed, but they had fallen into chaos as they tried to avoid the effects of the battle between Akuto and Hiroshi. Not only did she not have almost a thousand soldiers divided into platoons and awaiting orders, but the soldiers did not even know where any of their fellow soldiers were.
And the midair battle between Akuto and Hiroshi was still ongoing. Its fierceness had caused the soldiers’ morale to drop like a rock. A clearly superhuman battle was unfolding overhead and the elites of the Hattori and Teruya families were battling the demonic beasts ahead.
Those demonic beasts had been driven back all at once by the Hattori family’s attack, but they had begun to gather at the main entrance once more. And at every other point around the school building, the demonic beasts were almost entirely unscathed.
“A-am I…losing?”
As that possibility finally occurred to Eiko, her face paled in fear.
If she lost, her incompetence would be revealed to the entire empire. And on top of that, her patricide would likely come to light as well. If that happened, she would be completely ruined.
“Sh-should I order the entire army to attack…?” muttered Eiko.
“No, you still have other options left,” said 2V frantically.
Eiko still had most of her military force. They had only been thrown into chaos. If she gave appropriate orders, they could reorganize and recover. Also, the aircraft carrier and the elite airborne troops waiting onboard were not affected by the chaos. Eiko had merely given into fear and could not think rationally.
—Using her is not easy when she is this incompetent. It looks like being a bit reckless and aiming for mutual destruction is my only chance.
2V changed his mental strategy.
“Have the ground troops fall back and send in the aircraft carrier. I said to avoid damaging the surrounding area, but in the current situation, no one will blame you for destroying the school building. It will look like the demon king and his side are the ones destroying everything, after all.”
2V’s words must have sounded promising to Eiko.
“I-I see… You’re right!”
And Eiko gave the order to send in the aircraft carrier.
—Sigh. What a pain.
2V secretly grinned. He then focused his mind.
A trap he had set up ahead of time activated. Completely ordinary soldiers a.s.signed to each unit began moving according to 2V’s will. They were L’Isle-Adams disguised as humans. They were not the standard autonomous variety. These dolls would have no will of their own without the intervention of 2V’s magic. About 50 of them had been slipped into the army in all.
One of 2V’s L’Isle-Adams had of course been sent to the bridge of the aircraft carrier.
“Begin the advance. Approach the school building and mop up the demonic beasts along the walls.”
After having Eiko’s orders relayed by the captain, 2V’s doll nodded with an innocent expression as it held the aircraft carrier’s helm.
—Now then. Let’s make sure this works.
“This is quite bad.”
Fujiko thought as she stood before the underground altar.
“What is it?” asked Keena.
“The aircraft carrier Genkaku has begun to move.”
Fujiko manipulated several mana screens to display Genkaku from various angles. The giant ship had been stopped a short distance from the schoolyard, but it had begun to slowly move toward them.
“Is it really that bad for it to come here? You have an idea, right?” asked Keena.
Her innocence irritated Fujiko.
“Of course I have an idea! But it is a last resort. I will destroy the school building.”
“The school building will go boom?”
“If I have the demonic beasts destroy it just barely underground, it will all sink down, right? There is nothing more I can do about the aircraft carrier’s attack. But doing that signifies our loss. We need to flee when that happens.”
“Then wouldn’t we have lost right away if they had sent in the aircraft carrier at the beginning?”
“Stop pointing out the flaws in my plan! Yes, we would have. But I thought the aircraft carrier would pursue Akuto-sama. I never expected he would be held in place by that thug named Brave.” Fujiko was regretful and she looked over to another mana screen. “Also, it hurts that I lost track of that rubber man even though he has to be in the building somewhere.”
“Really? How did you lose track of him?”
“If I knew that, I would not be having so much trouble! Where did he get off to…? I have some demonic beasts with good noses searching for him, but I can only hope his presence does not become a fatal factor for us. Honestly, if Akuto-sama could only take care of Brave!”
Fujiko wailed as she scratched at her hair.
“I told you not to fight, remember?”
Keena had been talking normally, but she suddenly fell silent.
“What is it?”
Fujiko glanced back toward Keena. Keena did not appear much different from normal, but she looked like she was dreaming.
“Nothing, senpai. Hey, what do you think of this world’s situation?”
“What?”
Fujiko turned around in surprise.
“I am asking you about the sorrow of people fighting each other despite all wanting a world without fighting,” said Keena.
Fujiko found Keena’s behavior odd, but it did not seem dangerous. She felt wrong not giving an answer, so she replied while continuing her work.
“Just because they are fighting does not mean it is a sorrowful situation. If the options are a ma.s.sacre or a war, you can only welcome war. A world without war would be a world where everyone can carry out a ma.s.sacre,” said Fujiko, but she received no answer.
“Then you’ll have to answer to me,” said Keena.
The usual Keena was back.
“…Is that a phrase you learned recently?”
“Eh? What?”
Keena looked confused.
—This is anti-demon king combat mode?
Hiroshi was confused by the lack of change. His output, his weapons, and his energy transfer speed had not improved.
However, he soon realized that there was less of a burden on him when he blocked Peterhausen’s claws and that his attacks had more force behind them.
—What is going on?
Hiroshi was amazed at the effect of his first attack. The force of his attacks gradually grew and they soon reached a level that threatened to blow Peterhausen out of the sky.
“The mana is being negated,” Akuto told Peterhausen.
“So that is what this is. My internal mana is not being affected much, but I cannot transfer it outside of my body very well,” groaned Peterhausen.
“We need to put some distance between us.”
Peterhausen shook his head at that suggestion.
“No. He is faster. We must not turn our backs to him.”
“Then let’s come up with some means of handling this,” said Akuto. The aircraft carrier then slowly moved into view. “Not good. That thing’s started to move.”
“And it seems to be targeting the school building. They must no longer care about appearances.”
Peterhausen saw it too.
The infantry down below must have been relieved by Genkaku’s presence because they began reorganizing and falling back into formation. Unbeknownst to Akuto and Peterhausen, this morale recovery was thanks to the work of the dolls 2V had slipped into the army’s ranks.
“Do we have to deal with two enemies now?” muttered Akuto.
Peterhausen grinned.
“Exactly. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.”
“Are you rejoicing over another powerful enemy?”
“No, it is more than that. From my past experiences, I know that large weapons like that have mana producers inside. They need it to power their weaponry.”
“I see. It’s dangerous, but I guess we should approach it as we fight.”
Akuto sent Peterhausen toward the aircraft carrier.
Genkaku was known as an aircraft carrier, but it contained an airborne unit rather than actual aircrafts. However, the airborne troops’ equipment was not specialized for being dropped to the ground. They wore reinforced outfits that allowed them to fly and fight in midair and even perform bombings. They looked like they were carrying airplanes on their backs and they were especially feared by the countries outside the empire. The aircraft carrier powered itself and produced mana, so it could be sent into areas in which mana was not disseminated. It had been designed to defeat enemies who used the internal-combustion engines of an older age.
Depending on the situation, each individual airborne soldier could function as a gun battery. If they carried long-range cannons, they could line up on the deck and use their judgment and magic ability to fire accurately even at long-range.
Airborne soldiers who had those long-range cannons on their backs and were ready to fire were currently lining up on the deck. When they saw Akuto, they began preparing to fire.
“Our target is the demon king and the demonic beasts. Unless otherwise ordered, you may choose whatever target you wish. Finish them off while keeping the damage to the Constant Magic Academy school building and the surrounding area within reasonable limits. The one known as Brave is not a target. However, do not worry about accidentally hitting him.”
Those were the instructions from their commander. The airborne soldiers did not look nervous as they prepared their long-range cannons and awaited orders.
“Begin the attack.”
Arrows of light fired from all of the soldiers lined up on the aircraft carrier deck.
Peterhausen flew toward the aircraft carrier in a splendid trajectory that avoided what looked like torrential rain falling sideways.
Hiroshi followed and avoided the initial attack, but he must have realized that what looked like particles of light were being annihilated around him because he stopped avoiding all but the attacks heading straight toward him.
“Our power is back, but we are still at a disadvantage,” laughed Peterhausen.
“You didn’t think about what to do after this?” asked Akuto in shock.
“Is that a problem?” replied Peterhausen calmly.
“No, I suppose not. At any rate, it’s time to think,” answered Akuto.
A few airborne soldiers jumped from the aircraft carrier. They held spear-like weapons. They looked well suited for use against a black dragon.
“It looks like we do not have to think after all.”
“Don’t sound so happy about that,” complained Akuto.
“Joy should be honestly expressed!”
As Peterhausen let out a roar of delight, he flew in between five of the airborne soldiers. The soldiers were likely doing their very best, but Peterhausen flew circles around them like he was playing with some puppies. He then rushed forward, stopped, and let loose an intense attack.
Akuto was being directly targeted as well, so he swept aside the spears with his hands, grabbed and bent them, and threw back b.a.l.l.s of fire.
“These seem to be the elites!” rejoiced Peterhausen like a child.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” said Akuto with a shrug.
However, the battle quickly ceased to be pleasant for Peterhausen. A figure appeared in front of them. Needless to say, it was Hiroshi.
“Out of the way!”
Akuto struck one of the airborne soldiers following him around. It was not really an attack. He only shoved the soldier, but that sent the man tumbling through the air. He stalled and he began falling in a tailspin.
Hiroshi was looking only at Akuto.
“He really is our only true enemy,” complained Peterhausen.
“It looks like we have to settle this,” said Akuto with resolve in his voice.
Panic had fallen over the aircraft carrier bridge.
“How are we being toyed with this much?”
The captain’s voice was filled with more fear than confusion. The screen that displayed information on the state of the battle was currently showing several points of light. Those lights were indicated as allies, but their statuses were changing to “incapacitated” one after another. The screen displaying actual video footage also made it clear that the airborne troops were at a disadvantage.
“We are the ones here with combat experience! What are you people doing!?”
The captain raised his voice, but no one replied. He was not simply shouting out in anger. He had done nothing wrong strategically. They were simply up against too dangerous an opponent. It was completely true that each individual soldier had to give this their all.
The most dangerous individual was Hiroshi. He was not actively attacking the military, but the airborne troops who approached him would lose their mana which would incapacitate them. They were rendered unable to fight properly.
Akuto was of course their worst enemy. Peterhausen calmly used the airborne troops as shields. Akuto was more reserved, but he still stole the airborne soldiers’ weapons and would lead Peterhausen to use the aircraft carrier’s armor as a wall to avoid attacks.
“Do not let them do as they wish! Do not let the country’s dignity waver in the eyes of the people!” roared the captain, but the silence remained.
No. A single voice spoke up in response.
“How about I handle this, captain?”
The man spoke in a disrespectful tone and the look on the captain’s face changed.
“Who said that!?”
The soldier holding the helm raised his hand.
“It was me, the helmsman. I’m asking for freedom to do what I want.”
Everyone on the bridge was shocked to hear that un-military-like tone. Everyone turned toward the helmsman. And they all realized something impossible. They did not recognize him. They wondered how they had not noticed it before.
“Who are you!?”
“Like I said: the helmsman. For the moment, at least,” said 2V.
“Like h.e.l.l you are! Did you sneak in here using hypnotism magic!?” shouted the captain.
At the same moment, he motioned with his hand for the secondary helmsman to take out the helmsman.
The secondary helmsman nodded and immediately fired a magical explosion at the helmsman. The explosion hit the helmsman’s head dead on. Flames burst out for an instant and then smoke wafted up. He had perfectly controlled his explosion so as to kill his target while not harming the bridge.
The helmsman’s head was gone. The secondary helmsman brought his hand to the console to take control of the ship, but the main control refused to transfer over.
“Wha-!?”
He looked back over at the helmsman and saw an uncanny sight. The headless helmsman still held the helm as before.
“A-a doll!”
The lack of blood told the secondary helmsman what was happening.
“That’s right. But it’s already too late.”
A voice came from somewhere on the headless helmsman. The bridge crew shot to their feet and tried to stop him, but the aircraft carrier shook greatly.
That was when the captain and everyone else on the bridge realized what 2V was trying to do. The aircraft carrier was gigantic, but its high output engine was enough to provide the same mobility as a light aircraft. The problematic air resistance could be reduced by controlling the air itself with mana.
The aircraft carrier took an action that showed no concern for those aboard. That giant ship was over 350 meters long and yet it performed the maneuver known as the Immelmann turn. The ship rapidly ascended before rotating sideways. After that turn, it began to descend.
Those inside who were not strapped down and the airborne troops on the deck who had not expected it were all tossed around and slammed into the ship.
However, Genkaku did not lower its speed. And its target soon became clear.
—Why is this happening!?
Hiroshi was irritated. He felt as if his irritation over not knowing how to handle his fight with Akuto was exploding out.
In the end, he knew that his irritation came from his trust of Akuto. That was why he could not stand what Akuto was doing.
“Ohhh!”
Hiroshi charged in once more. He had realized the aircraft carrier was producing mana, but he could still fight evenly. And when separated from the ship, he had an overwhelming advantage. His current attack sent a fierce impact into Peterhausen. It had obviously sent the dragon flying farther than before.
—I just have to neutralize him! If I can only defeat the black dragon!
Hiroshi quickly accelerated to take advantage of this opportunity. He advanced while avoiding the airborne troops raining down from above. He approached Akuto. He could clearly see Akuto’s expression.
However, he had been so focused on Akuto that he had not paid enough attention to the situation as a whole. Why had they moved away from the aircraft carrier? And why where the airborne soldiers suddenly raining down from above? Those facts had not properly registered with him.
“Haaahhhh!”
Hiroshi charged in while expanding a high-temperature plasma ball, but Akuto’s expression confused him.
Akuto was clearly looking somewhere other than Hiroshi. When he did look over at Hiroshi, a kind expression appeared on his face.
—Wh-why is he giving me that look?
Hiro