Seiken Tsukai no Kinju Eishou

Haimura Moroha suffered damage.

He was directly showered with the fearsome Dark Arts of Lightning Empress, his consciousness was blown off and his entire skin was hideously and ruthlessly burned.

It wasn’t to a half-dead level. It was crazy he was alive, to the point of being mysterious.

One could grasp that Naikatsutsuu was made to flow, lightly covering his whole body with prana while being unconscious like Bernard did.

An amazing self-defense reaction.

Still, to the degree of barely surviving.

Thin, fine and unreliable like a thread.

AJ made every effort to carry Moroha on her shoulder. She couldn’t go to the hospital because they would be tracked immediately. She found out a house on the outskirts to give shelter to them even if it had its special circ.u.mstances, then put him on the bed and checked his condition――

He groaned again.

– You fool… you fool… you fool…

Tears and mean words began to overflow.

– You’re doing this war on your own, aren’t you!?

She resisted the impulse of wanting to beat him.

– You’re protecting “man-eater”, aren’t you!?

She resisted the impulse of wanting to beat him.

– Then why did you save me… why me… when this stupid woman keeps standing in your way!?

The fact of the matter was that AJ endured the urge of wanting to disappear, strike, hit and punch herself recklessly with a thought that felt like spitting blood.

Self-reproach and suicide could be done as much as she liked afterwards.

Right now, the only thing AJ should do was――

– To think you’ve made gone this far, and that Edward-sama will not be the only one!

AJ took off her clothes as if tearing them off in half. Her outerwear, underwear, everything.

The time when the outside finally began to be well-lighted.

The thin light that shone through the gaps of the curtain illuminated the stark naked figure of AJ.

AJ had no time to be timid and put herself on the only bed in the room still naked.

She lay down next to the almost dead Moroha and embraced him with all her heart.

Then, she pumped up prana from the seven gates of her whole body and burned with shining emerald green flames.

If AJ were a Dark Savior, she could heal Moroha directly with Healing the Scars.

However, while Light Techniques had a self-healing ability, that act didn’t allow the recovery of other people’s wounds.

– This is… the best I can do…

She burned with prana.

The Rank Savior AJ mustered her prana to the limit of the output she could hold.

No, she surpa.s.sed the limit, she went beyond that.

And gave it to Moroha.

The 100% of the produced prana couldn’t be poured into others. Because the efficiency was terribly bad.

10% maybe? 5%?

But, did she know that?

There was nothing else AJ could do to not let the light of Moroha’s life go out.

In that case, she had no choice but to do this.

AJ held the head of Moroha on her rich chest.

She brought it very near the gate of her heart where she could pump up the most prana.

To not make even the smallest gap between the two, and to increase the area where skin and skin touched each other even if it was a little more, she practically was glued to him.

Even by 1%. She tried to increase the efficiency even by 0.1%.

Even if my prana is completely burned here, please.

Even if my prana dries up completely here, please.

– Open your eyes…. Wake up, please…! Wake up…. Come on, wake up…

If his consciousness returned at least, then the output of Moroha’s Naikatsutsuu should increase.

She believed that her voice would reach his consciousness in a coma state and so, she continued praying and calling him.

She didn’t know when the Russian pursuers would come, she couldn’t neglect being on guard.

She had to sharpen and strain her nerves.

It was extremely difficult to do those things at the same time, but she couldn’t complain about it.

– Wake up… wake up… wake up…

She raised Moroha’s chin, thrust her fingers into the hideously burned lips of his and opened them.

Then, kissed him.

She sent a long breath fully loaded with prana in the lungs of Moroha.

She didn’t intend to do artificial respiration, and she wasn’t sure if this had any effect.

But she was already desperate. She did everything that came into her mind.

– Wake up!

She blew long breaths into him, took a breath and called out to him over and over.

For how long did she repeat that?

The eyes of AJ had a serious and very scared look in them, but――

That figure of hers was full of a dedicated and tender motherhood.

Eventually.

A voice came through the lips of Moroha.

– A…… u…… a…… o……

It was just a groan with no words in it.

But, a voice still. This was an evidence that his consciousness was returning.

– Wake up, sleepyhead! My lord will laugh at such carelessness of yours!

AJ raised a loud voice as if that was the true moment for it.

She eagerly tried to pull in the consciousness of Moroha that had surfaced.

『A…n…ge…la…sa…?』

That worked!

Moroha called her name!

– Yes, it’s me, Angela! Are you completely conscious? Who are you? Tell me.

『Mo…ro…ha…』

– Alright, let’s keep going! What is Moroha’s family name?

『Hai…mura…』

The voice of Moroha was becoming more and more clear.

AJ seemed to shout “Yes!” with exultation.

– That’s right, you’re Moroha Haimura. So? Where are you? And what are you doing now?

『I’m in Russia, doing war』

The response of Moroha was in j.a.panese.

AJ couldn’t understand him. So, she thought that his consciousness became distant for a moment again.

『I have to fight…. I have to win…』

But when she heard that Moroha kept talking, she finally realized that this was j.a.panese.

His consciousness was still cloudy.

So he just talked in delirium in his native language.

『I have to fight…. I can’t sleep eternally…』

And yet, she didn’t understand the meaning of his words.

Moroha distorted his facial expression as if he was being tortured by the flames of h.e.l.l, but AJ, who saw him complaining fervently, made her chest tighten.

He was going to try to fight, and his heroicness would go along with it.

– Why are you doing this, going this far…? It’s different when it’s about Urushibara, but it’s “man-eater” that important? Isn’t she practically a stranger?

『I promised… to save him…』

– I don’t understand j.a.panese.

『――I… promised, to rescue, Leshya’s young, brother. She didn’t have a younger brother, but, I said, that I would save him』

How much in pain was he?

Moroha gasped, but he continued talking. Now, it seemed to be difficult, impossible to make him say nothing.

At the same time as his tone of voice became clear, the brightness of Moroha’s prana got stronger little by little.

It was necessary to make him speak a lot to make his consciousness clear up.

AJ hardened her heart.

– Continue.

『――Saving people isn’t easy. It’s difficult and painful, and no matter how hard I try… I may not be able to save them, perhaps my strength is not enough… that’s the way it is』

– Okay, keep going. I don’t know what that means, but I’ll listen to you earnestly.

『──That’s why I’m not thoughtlessly saying “to save someone”. That’s plain arrogance』

A sharp pain ran, and because of that, the face of Moroha distorted noticeably.

『──But when I saw Leshya, I had to say it. … I… had to』

He took deep breaths as if gasping, wishing for oxygen again and again.

『──That’s why I keep fighting. … Even if it’s painful or difficult, I’ll accomplish it without fail. … To take responsibility for what I said』

She didn’t understand his words, but there were things that reached her.

There were things that went very close to his facial expression, his tone of voice and his fighting but suffering appearance.

AJ was impacted by that and hugged him even more strongly.

Then, the rough breathing of Moroha began to calm gradually.

His prana shone much more dazzlingly.

AJ was intuitive. Moroha was trying to get through the most difficult part.

He was trying to live with a steel-like strong spirit.

AJ also mustered her prana more and more, pushing it from the back.

There’s no way she could let him die here. No――she didn’t want to let him die.

To save not the world, but just one girl.

The Saviors around the world feared him, and antagonized Russia that treated him like a tumor.

He continued fighting all by himself.

How was she going to let such an exhilarating man die when he was capable of endure it?

AJ embraced Moroha.

As if she treated a younger brother with tender loving care. Like a mother who protected her own child.

He felt asleep again, but she was relieved, seeing the sleeping face of Moroha who had a completely calmed respiration.

A smooth skin like the one of a baby peeked here and there from below the burns that covered his whole body.

There was no sign at all of the pursuers.

They didn’t think that a person showered with Lightning Empress’s ritual would manage to survive?

AJ didn’t lose her guard, however, she continued rubbing Moroha’s head with a permanent tender look in her eyes.

– ……Ra……sha……

Moroha’s consciousness slowly headed towards awakening.

He felt like he slept for a very long time.

And felt like he had a terrible nightmare the whole time.

He was ostracized as a monster, as a grotesque thing until he became stronger――

And still, he couldn’t protect or save the ones important to him――

A nightmare.

But Moroha didn’t let his heart be destroyed, he didn’t let it be painted over with despair, he kept struggling.

The voice of a strict and gentle woman continued encouraging him all along.

Such a vague memory went away somewhere else quickly because he woke up.

But instead, the five senses regained perception. He was embracing something soft.

His cheeks were near something even softer.

What is this? It has an amazing good smell.

He opened his eyelids to confirm it.

He vaguely adjusted his focus.

It was the b.r.e.a.s.t.s of a woman.

– !?

Moroha, who knew the ident.i.ty of the one his cheeks were glued to, was stunned.

He tried to jump up by reflex, but he couldn’t do it due to the intense pain!

He listened to what his body said properly. The pain of the injuries lessened when he kept still as he lamented, but the oozing pain tormenting his whole body couldn’t be contained. He received Lightning Empress’s Lightning Dragon directly, but life was all that he had, he had an unbelievable good luck, but….

Anyways, he didn’t know what happened after that.

He took his eyes away from the voluptuous b.r.e.a.s.t.s,

(C-calm down. Now, Natural Stance. Grasp the situation calmly)

He looked around, moving just his neck and eyes.

AJ’s beautiful face jumped into his eyes.

The line of AJ, from her beautiful back to her b.u.t.tocks, jumped into his eyes.

AJ’s beautiful thighs jumped into his eyes.

(Why does she have no clothes on?)

Moroha averted his eyes that were like getting glued to her and shifted his attention to his surroundings.

They were in a shabby bed of a small and run-down room with almost to no furniture.

The only thing placed on a table was a digital clock and he could see that it was a bit past 3 pm. The date hadn’t changed. He calculated that he had been sleeping for about 6 or 7 hours.

Probably AJ brought Moroha here to nurse him as he was in a critical condition.

She was able to confirm that they were in a momentary safe-looking place and examined his body.

He seemed to be burned with Lightning Empress’s Dark Arts and that could be confirmed well because he wasn’t wearing clothes. Burns going from light to severe could be found here and there. Since his body didn’t move with normality, the damage to hidden parts like the nervous system and inner muscles should be very bad. Delicate operation was impossible, so he couldn’t use Heal the Scars by himself. He didn’t cut Naikatsutsuu for now.

He used his head and a.n.a.lyzed these things composedly…

But in the end, he wasn’t entirely sure why AJ took off her clothes, moreover why they were embracing each other and slept like that.

He grimaced, cold sweat ran down and,

– It’s cold, Ed-sama… *mumble mumble*.

AJ hugged his head tightly.

His face was buried in her cleavage, directly in her b.o.o.bs!

He was pushed against them.

– Stop, Angelsan! This is bad, this is very bad!

Being able to speak made him happy. He advised her desperately.

– Hmmm…?

AJ let out a s.e.xy long breath and rubbed her eyes.

Moroha, whose head was set free, was relieved as he averted his eyes from her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

AJ fixedly stared at Moroha for a moment, but,

– Did you wake up, Moroha!?

– Yes…. Thanks to you.

– I’m glad! I’m really glad!

She embraced him as she was glad, free from worry.

– Err, umm, Angelsan…?

– Why are you speaking so depressed? You can be more delighted, you know?

– Yes, but, your b.o.o.bs are touching me…

Because she embraced him defenselessly, a soft, fluffy-like feel was pushed against Moroha’s chest and collapsed.

In a sense, this was probably an even more pleasing situation.

– Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Could people get this red?

AJ made her whole body be completely boiled and jumped out from the bed.

(Oh, that scream is unexpectedly cute)

If he were to say that inadvertently, AJ would end up jumping through the window as she was, so Moroha held his tongue.

– D-don’t get the wrong idea! What happened after isn’t at all that thing between a man and a woman!

AJ screamed with teary eyes as she hid her important parts by holding her knees in her arms, in other words, by crouching.

– I-I understand.

– I reluctantly do it to cure you!

– I-I don’t get the process but I understand.

– You understand that this wasn’t something erotic?

– Of course, I don’t think it was that, not even a millimeter of it hahaha.

– And not even a millimeter of wicked feelings when I was embracing you now?

AJ was angry, she fixedly stared at him.

– … Of course?

– Then why did you avert your eeeeeeeeeyes!?

– Uwaaa, It can’t be helped, you know? I’m a man too.

Moroha screamed.

AJ sprung at him, and straddled him and strangled him.

– This is dangerous. This posture is dangerous more than my life being in danger.

– Uwaaaaaa, I’ll take my life after I’ve killed you; I’ll protect my faithfulness to my loooooooooooord.

– I don’t want to die for that reason!

His body didn’t move even when he tried to shove her and push her.

Moroha seriously felt a premonition of death because he had no way to get out of it.

Help!? There’s no way it would come.

『h.e.l.lo!』

Someone came at the thought of it!?

The entrance door was suddenly opened.

『Hmm, it has no key, isn’t that too careless? Well, it’s meaningless to lock the door against us』

The ice-cold voice of a woman was suddenly heard.

Moreover, in j.a.panese. In Kansai dialect.

『I’ve come to talk! I’m terribly sorry if you are in the middle of something, but it will be just a minute!』

A liveliness that kind of added even more fuel to this insane situation with AJ.

Moroha and AJ stared that way with surprised eyes.

A girl with a beautiful black hair stood there.

The corner of their eyes pointed upward to her ample chest, to the girl with determined-looking spirit.

She noticed that Moroha and AJ were dumbfounded and,

『Hmm? My j.a.panese is that weird? You don’t understand it? I’ve been using it a lot since my dad died…』

No, that wasn’t the issue.

AJ, who was still straddling Moroha, separated her hands from his neck and said.

– Who… are you?

Moroha also nodded and *ah!*, he noticed.

His head recovered from the quarrel and the confusion and recalled that her face was familiar to him.

Her name was Katya Eschevna Honda.

From what he understood, she seemed to be half j.a.panese and half Russian. She was 18 years old.

She was a Kuroma of the Russian Division and her rank: the branch office head of Yekaterinburg.

Yes, she was one of the 8 people who fought against Moroha this morning, she was the Kuroma deployed to the southeast side.

– I was. .h.i.t by Morohhan’s Saturn, then I opened my eyes not long ago and came here. The twins still don’t wake up, which means that Morohhan went easy on me, didn’t he? Thank you very much for that.

Katya laughed, looking blank.

By the way, because AJ got mad, saying「j.a.panese is prohibited!」, Katya changed to English.

Moroha had no obligation to be able to say that her Kansai dialect was mixed with her intonation, that it was a poor English, so a「Kansai dialect in an English-speaking world」ended up being heard by Moroha.*

*TN: You could interpret what is in「」as “English with a touch of Kansai dialect”.

Without being able to get up on the bed, he put a sheet, covering up to his chest and listened to her explanation.

On the other hand, the already dressed AJ questioned her oppressively with her back leant on the wall.

– How did you know we were here?

– I allowed a confidant of mine to watch you during the battle this morning. And after it finished, I allowed them to shadow you all this time.

– In that case, why didn’t you attack us?

– Ahaha, stop joking. You were releasing a bloodl.u.s.t that went outside of the room. There’s no way I can catch you unguarded. As if a fierce animal throbs inside you; I felt insignificant, you know?

Then after Katya laughed for a moment,

– Besides――

Both her face and tone of voice calmed a little then continued her explanation.

– I really don’t want to fight against Haimurhan.

– Because this guy is a frightening S-Rank?

– I wasn’t scared by that. Do you know how many times have I fought against Metaphysicals? That’s like having a meal for me.

Katya, who was ridiculed by AJ, got offended by her and roughened her breathing.

– Did you know? That most of the Russian Saviors are orphans? There’s no room for objection, even if you refuse it bluntly.

He had heard from AJ, in a conversation during a break of this trip, that Leshya wasn’t the only one.

It looked like there were 700,000 orphans just「officially announced」in Russia.

It was a very deep problem. No, the expression named「problem」smoothed over it neatly.

A lot of people hadn’t the discernment to clearly think of it as a「burden」and as a「trouble」.

– It’s said that the socialist state has been opening a lot nowadays. If you think you have a decent job in this country, then it’s important what your parents do. We, the orphans, live life in very hard mode. Since we exterminate Metaphysicals, we get to live in luxury. When we look at the smiles of the people walking on the streets, it makes us feel a bit proud, we think “how are we not going to protect them?”. If so, why do I think if that “boosted my enthusiasm?” That I can bet one or two souls.*

*TN: Aside from being a hard text to translate as Katya speaks in Kansai dialect, souls is the furigana reading for lives.

Although Katya’s tone of voice became affable, he felt the weight in her words.

Moroha, who was still in the bed, straightened his att.i.tude as he listened to her.

– But Lightning Empress scares me, I can’t disobey her, and I truly hate killing people. My heart is about to crumble.

It looked like she was happy that a person with such a balanced mentality was truly in Russia.

– It’s not just me, you know? There are a few others, other ones like me in Russia. Those guys feel like real comrades at least, and we have a horizontal relationship.*

*TN: horizontal relationship means that there are no statuses or ranks differentiating people, they are all equal.

– In the end, you’re in a position described as “moderation faction”, huh. That’s why you didn’t attack us even though you got our whereabouts?

– That’s right. The other branch heads that fought this morning are still unconscious or already ran away as Lightning Empress’s purge scared them. I came here secretly by myself.

– You were saying you… have something to talk about, right?

When Moroha confirmed so, Katya put both hands and feet vigorously on the ground.

Then, she stared in puzzlement towards Moroha all of a sudden and,

– Please――I want you to save my friend!

She appealed to him in a shouting-like manner and kneeled down on the ground.

– Wait wait! I got that you don’t want to be hostile, but isn’t strange to ask this to the enemy?

AJ hit, but,

– I know I have no place to ask this to Haimurhan. But there’s no other person I can rely on.

Katya didn’t move as she rubbed her face against the dusty floor.

– It doesn’t matter how much you tell us about it, it has nothing to do with us! To begin with, Moroha has something he must do. He doesn’t have time to help people. Isn’t that right, Moroha? Don’t be silent, say something.

– That’s right. Katysan, can I listen to what you have to say in detail?

– Did you listen to him? That’s Moroha’s repl――eh, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?

AJ raised a hysteric voice.

– Hey… what are you thinking…?

She immediately glared at him with eyes filled with anger.

– You’re protecting “man-eater”, don’t you? You’re not in the position to make a detour, are you?

– No. This is probably the development I was looking forward to. If that’s the case, this is the fastest shortcut rather than detour.

– What do you mean…?

– I’ll explain it later. Anyway, let’s listen to Katysan now.

When Moroha implied the nuance when they were alone,

– Tch.

AJ gave up with a reluctant att.i.tude as she clicked her tongue powerfully.

Moroha turned about to Katya again.

– Please raise your face. I’m sorry that I’m still in the bed though.

– Thank you, thank you!

Katya raised her face energetically. Those almond-shaped eyes of hers were a bit wet.

– So?

– Yes! The friend I was talking about is Yuri. She’s the branch office head of Novosibirsk.

– Yuri? The gravity user Yuri Olegvich?

AJ bent herself forward slightly.

– That girl sure is famous, isn’t she? Anyway, Yuri is in a tough spot!

Katya stopped talking for a short time.

Her throat got thirsty with what she had said, she gulped down saliva and moistened her lips.

In what type of danger had the gravity user, who was a particularly outstanding subject in the Russian Division, fallen into?

Katya told them with a slightly trembling voice.

– Last night, a terrible Metaphysical appeared on the outskirts of Novosibirsk.

AJ, who heard that, laughed.

– So? Are you telling me that that Metaphysical is beyond your powers and it has to be exterminated by Moroha?

– That’s right! That’s why I came to rely on him!

– A Metaphysic appeared just right in time, huh!? Hey, Moroha. This is a trap. If you get along with it nonchalantly, the Russians that are on alert will be ready to jump at you, you know?

– I’m not lying. The timing is certainly unexpected, but whatever you think of me, it is true!

– Hmm. It’s more suspicious that you’re getting desperate.

– Angelsan…

– Huh? You think so too, Moroha?

– Angelsan… can you be silent for a bit please?

When Moroha asked with sincerity, AJ stared in wonder.

As soon as she began to tremble all over,

– Y-you b.a.s.t.a.r.d… how far do your good-naturedness pretend to go…!? Learn to doubt people a little!

– I know. I’m not so broad-minded. I’ve been thinking about it and concluded she’s being honest.

– How!?

Moroha, who was flared up by AJ who bared her canines, responded with a giggle.

– If they were lying in wait and ready to jump at me leisurely, then they could have attacked me with all their strength here and now, am I right?

– Uguh…

AJ immediately clogged her throat.

Although Moroha didn’t press her for an answer, he did talk to Katya without hesitation.

– As you can see, I’m not in a state where I can fight against a Metaphysical. And for that, can I request you to heal me with Dark Arts?

– I’m the one asking you for that, so of course I’ll do it!

As if to show immediate results, Katya replied immediately.

– Right? Since I feel that Katysan is leading me to a trap, there’s no reason for her to cure me, don’t you agree?

Moroha winked at AJ.

He didn’t say it, but if he were to say it more candidly――

Anything was fine, as long as this immobility of his body was cured.

If a trap awaited him, if the leaders of the Russian Division encamped to siege him again and if with that Lightning Empress tried to come out after that――

None of that mattered.

Rather, it could be convenient as it would save him the trouble of searching for her.

– … I, get that.

AJ consented with an extremely disappointed face.

She seemed to get that no matter how this turned out, it was nothing but an advantage for Moroha.

– However… don’t think about this so calmly when you’re in this critical state. If we are attacked now, it will be the end of the line, you know? Usually one would be fl.u.s.tered. Aren’t you scared, panicked or something? I look like a stupid being the only one getting agitated with this…

No sooner than she pouted her lips, she threw a complaint.

– is that so…?

This question made Moroha think a bit about it.

Because he always aimed to be in Natural Stance――speaking of that, the answer was easy, but it appeared that for him it wasn’t just that.

– … Because… I’m protected when Angelsan is near me… you know?

– Whwhwha…

AJ ignited her face suddenly.

– W-what are you saying!? Y-y-your flattery is so obvious! There’s no way I can be deceived by such frivolous words.

She waved both hands and complained.

Moroha did nothing but give a bitter smile.

AJ folded her arms and faced away,

– Humph, I understand! I understand. It’s your destiny. It’s fine as long as you judge everything.

She declared she would withdraw completely.

With her face still red.

She hid her embarra.s.sment, but to Katya, with a blunt tone of voice,

– Hey. For the time being, I’ll a.s.sume that what I’m listening to is real, so keep talking.

– I don’t know who you are, and why you look so self-important since a while ago… but whatever.

Katya cleared her throat and looked straight at Moroha only,

– Yuri has subordinates monitoring that Metaphysical. The town and the villages haven’t been attacked yet, but it’s a matter of time. When push comes to shove, Yuri and the others will put their lives on the line to stop it.

– You’re saying that they haven’t battled against it yet?

– Correct. The opponent is terrible, we can’t do nothing against it.

– But I had heard that Yuri-san is a very strong Savior, isn’t she?

– No matter how strong Yuri is, it’s impossible…. It’s impossible when it’s a Dreadnought….

– Today of all days, it had to be a Dreadnought?

At such a time like this, the unexpected became even more unexpected.

Moroha was at a loss for words due to the shock.

Immediately after, AJ,

– These idiots! These… complete idiots!

She hit the wall with her backhand and shouted at Katya.

– You should immediately summon all the Rank Saviors if you’re going to destroy it. This is a disaster, isn’t it!? What is Russia doing? How are they having Moroha as their opponent in this situation!?

– I think the same! I said so to Lightning Empress! But Lightning Empress… she ordered us to postpone such a thing and to defeat Haimurhan first!

– Stupidity has a limit…

AJ hit the walls many times because it was impossible to suppress her anger.

– We also were all disgusted with it. It’s not like I’m obeying her only because I fear her even now, but because I thought that tyrant is an indispensable woman to protect our motherland from the Metaphysicals, so I worked for her, controlling myself. But I can’t follow a woman who prioritizes her power than exterminating Metaphysicals.

Katya put a strange look in her eyes and stared at Moroha.

– I beg you, Haimurhan. I want you to take the lead of our moderate faction to defeat the Dreadnought.

With eyes as if a person wandering in the desert had at last found an oasis they had craved and craved and craved for.

– I want you to help Yuri.

With eyes of a person at their wits’ end.

Faster than Moroha responded to it――

– Hmm. Since Lightning Empress is unreliable, you’re convincing him to accept his position as the new S-Rank?

AJ felt annoyed.

– I’m conscious that what I’m saying is very selfish!

Katya immediately objected.

– But we’re not asking just for Haimurhan’s strength, we’re also counting on his personality. If it’s Haimurhan, is it enough if I entrust him with my soul? If Haimurhan helps Yuri, I’ll do anything, alright? I’ll even cooperate fighting against Lightning Empress, you know? *

*TN: Soul is the furigana reading for life.

– Hey, Moroha. You’re not being fooled by this obvious flattery, are you?

– It’s not flattery! I’ve been investigating stuff about Haimurhan all this time!

– Stuff about me…?

– Please don’t think bad――

Katya nodded and started talking.

The seventh S-Rank Savior that a.s.saulted Russia alone.

Katya knew about that news in an email that Bernard reported to Lightning Empress.

Together with that, she felt strongly interested in Moroha.

Such a recklessness, is he just pretending to be a hero?

Or is he the heroic figure that normal people can’t comprehend like the great bird that flies in the sky?

She used the personal intelligence network of the moderate faction, and what she investigated, it surprised her.

Moroha not only had started a war, he also hadn’t killed anyone.

None of that makes sense. What kind of person is him?

Her interest grew stronger and stronger.

Maybe this person would become a Russian Savior in a true sense――

Perhaps even more than Lightning Empress.

She sent an email to Leshya in j.a.pan because she had nothing to lose, she asked for his personality and she got a fantastic answer, more than what she expected.

But in the end, she wanted to make sure of it with her own eyes.

She discussed it with Yuri and went off on her own. Yuri violated Lightning Empress’s order and didn’t join the Moroha Interception Network and headed towards the monitoring of the Metaphysical. Katya pretended to comply with the order purposely and joined the Interception Network.

What she saw there was Moroha’s gallant figure who protected the Beletskaya sisters, his rivals, while being sandwiched between 6th Rank Dark Arts.

She also got the chance to exchange words with him on the confusion of the battlefield and was able to touch his personality directly.

――This person is worthy of my trust.

Not only his personality was superior, but he combined it with the strength to carry out justice.

Katya believed so, and at that moment.

– I’m very serious…

Katya fixed her eyes on him with craving eyes.

Moroha couldn’t help but think back upon that.  Even though they were on the battlefield this morning, Katya suddenly showed a smiling face in front of Moroha and now she was facing him with that same strong look. He memorized it well because it was striking.

And, Moroha’s answer was decided long ago.

– Let’s help Yuri-san.

– Really!?

– Of course.

Moroha nodded.

– ……

AJ said nothing more. She turned away with a sour expression on her face.

– Thanks a lot! Now that Haimurhan is supporting us, our strength has increased a hundredfold.

– Humph. You said it well, woman. Don’t forget the promise in which you said you’ll do anything, understood?

– I know that. First of all, I’ve healed those wounds. Do you feel better than before?

– Hou, they’re almost gone. Your mana is almost something worth seeing.

– Are you really going to act self-important like you’ve been doing since a while ago?

– Ah. I’m sorry. But I’m pretty sure there’s no time to quarrel?

– You’re right!

Katya jumped, checked the clock and left the room hurriedly.

– I’ll go and get the tickets of the train first!

– While you are at it, bring something to wear to this guy!

– I agree.

Those footsteps noisily went away just like when they came.

The Siberian Railway, when foreigners made use of it, had complicated procedures, so it was better to leave it to Katya of the Russian Division who had a lot of influence.

The lively person disappeared and the mood rapidly fell completely silent.

That made Moroha become aware of the narrowness of the room as he took a breath.

Nevertheless, AJ fixedly stared at him with a scary face.

Like she was thinking about something.

– Is there something on my face?

– I don’t feel like wanting to get along with your sweet talk.

AJ begin to talk with a heavy tone of voice with the same scary look in her eyes.

– This… is no longer your own war, huh.

– Indeed, we can say that.

– Whether it’s you or Lightning Empress the one that gets the victory and carried on shoulders in a Mikoshi, a great war will divide Russia. Hmm. That’s very flashy, don’t you think? *

*TN: Mikoshi is a sacred religious palanquin.

– But I want to live plainly and in peace if possible.

– This was as you said, it wasn’t a detour. Those who were initially supposed to stand in the way as your enemies will change to your side. This means there’s no better shortcut to get to Lightning Empress than this.

AJ asked, looking uninterested.

– You said you are looking forward to it, right? You knew that this would happen? From the beginning?

– Well, the Metaphysical stuff is a bit surprising, but I thought that someone would get in contact with me sooner or later.

– Did you know the existence of the moderate faction?

– No, that’s something new for me. But the Russian Division not being a monolith is easily imaginable, isn’t it?

In the first place, monolithic organizations were rare.

They were impossible if the top wasn’t full of charisma.

Like Edward.

Many people gathered under his strong will that wouldn’t want to kill any subordinates.

Lightning Empress was the opposite.

How many people would think of truly wanting to accompany her to that extent?

This was the biggest opportunity for Moroha to take advantage of that and use that to wage war with the Empire.

That’s why he had decided to not kill anyone.

He decided to continue proving with a yokozuna sumo* that he was a different person than Lightning Empress who killed right away.

*TN: Yokozuna sumo means “facing one’s opponent head-on and winning via overwhelmingly superior strength or skill”.

And above all, the fighting style was――

The existence called「Moroha」, who had never thought of wanting to kill people, agreed to it.

Of course, it was easier said than done.

His side put his life on the line, becoming a handicap he carried on his back, and her side, the one that killed, was the worst and most sinister by far.

Still, he disliked to ignore his own feelings for a reason like「because it’s complicated」.

He definitely disliked so.

The righteousness of Moroha went beyond a simple “whitewashing”.*

*TN: Righteousness is the furigana reading for stubbornness.

He let his “resolved non-killing” sublimate until it was a strategy.

Even if they didn’t talk about all of that, AJ seemed to get that.

– Edward-sama finds himself in inescapable situations, and what protects us is the strong spirit of the king.

She crossed her arms and said so with a stern face.

– As for you, it rather should be called the strong spirit of the supreme ruler.

– No, that’s too fancy. You’re embarra.s.sing me, so please stop.

– Are you saying my words are clumsy!?

Moroha gave up and shrugged his shoulders to AJ who bared her canines.

AJ, without a moment’s delay, made a cynical remark.

– Since I’m seeing you being this energetic, I don’t to keep worrying about you anymore. You can go all out to at best exterminate the Metaphysical, right? Otherwise I’ll end up killing it without you having the chance to partic.i.p.ate?

– Eh? Angelsan is going to fight too?

– Humph, naturally.

AJ threw out her chest with her arms still folded.

Because she didn’t hear anything idiotic, she behaved like a spoiled child.

– The situation between you and Russia is of no concern to me, but killing Metaphysicals is the duty of us, the Saviors. If I leave it carelessly, then I will end up betraying the ideals of my lord.

Why do you say things that aren’t so honest? He was unable to control himself and ended up spurting that out.

The laughing AJ became dejected.

But Moroha couldn’t help but think that she looked just like her.

She became what he was looking forward to.

Yuri Olegvic Zhirkov got ready to die.

By the side of the Obi River around 10 kilometers southwest from Novosibirsk.

It had been two nights since she was in a battle formation in a wetland where no locals could get in and set foot on it, and started standing watch with her subordinates by turns.

The date was September 22nd, past 6am.

Yuri had the feeling that the air was changing rapidly while looking up at the morning glow. It was getting terribly suffocating.

According to the reports of the scouts, the Dreadnought was slowly going upstream the Obi River towards the city.

The monster had finally reached a distance that could be seen with the naked eye.

A grotesque silhouette appeared in the backlight of the morning sun.

A half-round body appeared from the surface of the Obi River and something that had the appearance of countless tentacles wriggled on its whole body.

That uncanny silhouette got bigger and bigger.

An ominous sign of death felt in Yuri’s chest got bigger and bigger.

Her subordinates also looked confused,

– Katysama is still not here!

– We should get in touch with her and check the situation. There’s nothing we can do even if we intercept it now.

– Or maybe abandon this place and retreat the war front to where――

– … That’s impossible.

Yuri rejected the withdrawal plan before the subordinate said everything.

– … We can’t allow that to get closer to Novosibirsk than this. If the people of the city were to notice it, they’ll panic, won’t they?

She lamented while pulling the hem of the miniskirt held between her fingers.

An expression of sorrow appeared on her graceful face.

It was too ephemeral and beautiful, her subordinates were simultaneously taken aback by it.

Yuri, without being aware of the look of her subordinates, made a decision.

– …. Everyone will escape. I’ll manage it to keep it at bay until Katya and the others come running here.

Screams were raised by her subordinates all at once.

– We must not leave Yuri-sama behind!

– We’ll have no face to meet Katysama!

– We are Saviors! The resolution of that moment, we can show it!

– Why we polished our strength for, doing it until we vomited blood if we aren’t going to fight now!?

Yuri stared at each person’s face as she listened to several shouts.

– … You guys are so reliable.

She muttered and her subordinates dyed their cheeks in happiness.

– … Alright. Let’s keep it at bay, everyone.

Yuri stretched her hand and pulled out a large sword that stood on the ground.

An unusual and huge large sword that resembled the ones that the White Knights had.

The strangeness was even more prominent when it was held by such a gaudy human being and by one with such a short stature like Yuri.

No matter how one looked at it, that was heavier than Yuri’s weight, and still she shouldered it lightly.

She let the prana put on her whole body burn up――and started the a.s.sault.

They ran on the water that flowed eternally in the Obi River.

They put the seventh trick G.o.dlike Movement to use and changed any kind of place to foothold with the supernatural way of walking Mongyoku.

All the ones she brought with her were Light Saviors, so all the subordinates followed her on the water.

They ran at full speed towards the demon, striving to be the first to get the most honorable achievement.

– Let’s meet in the next world!

Someone shouted.

No one laughed at such miracle or showed signs of that happening.

– … It’s wonderful, isn’t it?

Yuri muttered and released her greatest specialty, the secret technique of Mars.

She transformed her own prana into a shape that was her foundation.*

*TN: Shape is the furigana reading for phenomenon.

In the case of Yuri, it was gravity.

She dispatched a number of invisible hands, stretching to the Dreadnought.

The distance between her and her opponent was already no more than 50 meters.

When she looked at it from there, it was truly gigantic! It was 8 meters long.

It looked round like a skull.

Like a freshly severed giant head that went upstream the Obi River.

A loose and disheveled hair grew on it even though it was a skull, and that hair looked like tentacles that wriggled at will.

A zigzagging and disgusting manner of using its hands that was unbearably noisy as if countless of them beckoned, or as if they rubbed the empty sky.

Why those things called Metaphysicals were so gross that all of them felt nauseous?

Yuri grabbed the Dreadnought with her gravity hands as she endured the physiological unpleasant feelings.

– … Stop.

She apprehended and constrained it.

As they were invisible to the eye, there was no sound.

However, the giant that was going upstream the Obi River didn’t advance at all from that place.

– Attack!

The subordinates, who were well aware of it, slashed at the Dreadnought from all directions.

The monster stretched countless hairs and tried to capture each person surrounding it, but his movement was clearly slow due to the gravitational anomaly originated by Yuri.

The dexterous subordinates cleared them away easily, opening a way out and attacked its head with a severe Venus.

Everyone fought safely, they were doing strenuous efforts against their opponent, the Dreadnought.

The gravity constraint by means of Yuri’s Mars had a great effect on it.

However,

– … Guh… u… ah… aaah… aaaah…

Yuri herself was drenched in cold sweat, she was having a hard time, and was breathing hard.

An extraordinary prana was required to restrain the Dreadnought for 10 seconds, and she was squeezing it out, and yet, she was completely devoting herself to it.

Since she was restraining this object, which was giant than a detached house, with gravity, there was no choice but to do this.

Metaphysicals were essentially a ma.s.s of energy called Satana.*

*TN: Satana is the furigana reading for magical power.

One could say that a more powerful energy was necessary to pin down that energy.*

*TN: The first energy is the furigana reading for mysterious power (in the story, prana is the furigana reading for mysterious power).

– … It’s… strong….

The Satana of the Dreadnought was that much powerful.

A real demon that seemed to laugh at the concept, understanding and so forth that it was「a Metaphysical stronger than normal ones」.

Yuri realized that the resolution to die, the one she had embraced, was not enough in front of the real thing she was fighting for the first time.

(… It’s no use. This isn’t doing it at all)

The smiling face of her close friend in her mind was fading away.

Would it be possible for her heart, which was revered together with “man-eater” and Bernard, both distinguished persons praised in Russia, to not be affected by the sediments of arrogance acc.u.mulating in it?*

*TN: Russia is the furigana reading for empire.

– Yuri-sama! Please remove the restraints for a moment!

– Please take a rest!

– We’ll be okay!

Yuri, who was encouraged by her subordinates that worried about her, became obstinate and continued restraining it.

If she were not to tighten it, someone would end up dying; that was the sort of obstinacy she had.

She distorted her cute face in anguish and clenched her teeth to draw prana.

The Dreadnought appreciated that look of hers.

Despite not having eyeb.a.l.l.s, it felt a gaze that licked all over its skin.

While restrained, it showed a broad grin of composure, an expressive face unimaginable for a skull and a posture as it was being chopped up by the subordinates.

Yuri hallucinated so.

She was squeezing out prana to restrain it, but, far from that, that hallucination felt like something very important for her was being dragged out from the core of her body, like it was being sucked up by the skull.

A discomfort that ran with fear and that felt like it contaminated her body from the inside.

(… It looks like I can’t have a proper death)

She seemed to go insane in despair.

If her subordinates weren’t there, she would have bit her tongue right now.

– … Ah.

The body of Yuri sunk unexpectedly.

When she noticed it, her right foot was immersed in the water up to the ankle.

The depletion of her prana started, she could no longer maintain Mongyoku.

She couldn’t stand decently. She couldn’t put a bold front.

(… I don’t want to die… n.o.body wants to die)

She sobbed as she glared at the Dreadnought.

Those eyes were――opened wide in amazement.

Not only Yuri, but all the subordinates stopped what they were doing, they were overcome with surprise.

They stared, with their mouths wide-open.

At something that fell from the sky.

It was a person. It was beyond incredible.

It was clad in a white prana and black mana, leaving a trail like a meteorite.

Or like spreading their black and white wings.

A boy descended from the heavens.

Brandishing a single-edged long sword.

A sword of right-and-wrong chaos in which a white light and a black flame fought each other on the sword blade.

Yuri didn’t know.

That this boy was Haimura Moroha.

As soon as the urgent news arrived on the mobile telephone of Katya, he jumped down from the train in motion and ran, making free use of his Light Techniques and Dark Arts. He left AJ behind who insisted, saying “I’ll go too”, at a speed with which he  crossed over 10 kilometers of Siberian wetlands in just 10 minutes on foot and the seventh S-Rank――

Came running.

– Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

A dragon-like roar was emitted from the mouth of the boy that shook the atmosphere, tearing it to pieces.

Yuri’s abdomen felt it noticeably.

The Dreadnought that was smiling broadly changed its look all of a sudden.

It turned exactly into a demon and glared overhead.

But the boy had an even terrifying look.

So terrible that he lost control of himself.

In reality, it looked like there was a moment he thought so.

The boy a.s.saulted the area at the top of the head of the Dreadnought.

And, that was it.

Flashes of light, sounds of explosions and storms burst like a local tempest.

When the shockwave flowed, the water of the river surged like a tsunami, tossing Yuri and her subordinates.

They withstood it somehow, stared at him with soaked eyes and saw an unbelievable scene again.

All the water of the river around them had dried up completely….

Naturally, the giant body of the Dreadnought disappeared without a trace. It disappeared with just one blow.

Only the boy remained.

Because his body drew the gaze of the dumbfounded Yuri and the others, he scratched his head.

As if his look of moments ago and scarier than the demon’s was a lie, he showed a smile unaffected by what was appropriate for his age and said.

– Oh! I think the water will close in from the upstream again, so why don’t you escape immediately?

He had an ordinary face that seemed to be found everywhere, and said strange words that no one could say.

n.o.body could reply to him right away.

What happened? They should have witnessed that in detail, and yet, their heads didn’t try to understand the situation.

Yuri and her subordinates, all the ones who were there, hardened. But, that was unmistakably the reaction of ordinary people.

Yes――

Yuri, one of the best Saviors in Russia, was nothing but in the category of an ordinary person when compared to Moroha.