Volume 4 Chapter 4 (2/2)
Suspicious presence and empty tone
Lux's back beca Philuffy's atmosphere that he had seen before
The alar inside the Ark
At the beginning he didn't notice, but it felt like he had certainly heard it somewhere before several times──
「Phi-chan, say」
Anxiety was suddenly born inside Lux's chest It was an aard tian
It caused Lux to speak out the question that he was unable to say until now
「Have you ever, come to this island, before……?」
There was no light in Philuffy's eyes
She didn't even react to Lux's question
It was as though she was already unable to hear anything right from the start
His throat was dry
It felt suffocating, an indescribable uneasiness stabbed his chest
Lux was going to try calling out once more, but it was then the pattern beneath theht enveloped the two of them
Gravity vanished froht after that mysterious sensation,
「GURUaaaAAAAA……!」
They could see the fore of the deck along with a loud howl
It was the Abyss that had one of its claw cracked by Lux's Critical hit
One of its heads glanced tohere Lux and Philuffy were, and right after that it ran inside the forest in high speed
「damn it! At this rate──」
The Abyss was already heading inside the island
The only silver lining was that it wasn't going toward the residential area, but they would lose sight of it if it entered deep inside the forest
Lux was about to fly Bahamut to quickly pursue it, it was then,
「Lu-chan Tell me the location of the Abyss while you pursue it」
Philuffy as skating behind spoke to Lux with a calm voice
「That's──, could it be?」
Lux guessed her intention just from that
「Yes If you stop its movement for me just for a moment, I can catch it」
「Got it……」
There was no time for hesitation
Lux raised Baha its route irregularly in order to shake him off
The Abyss wasn't counterattacking right away ure by hiding inside the forest
Its aiht of it and made his motion simple
(But, I'll let it escape if I hesitate because I'm scared to take the bait……!)
Lux resolved himself and tried to raise Bahamut's speed even further, it was then──,
『Lu-chan It's fine We aren't that weak you know?』
『……Thank you, Philuffy』
Hearing Philuffy's voice, Lux recovered his composure
He took a deep breath and accelerated Bahamut further
He reached the position right above the Orthros that was dashi+ng agilely inside the forest and he gradually shrank the distance
「Gu, urururururu……!」
Even Lux could hear its ferocious voice that wasteeth
Itclose to it without choosing to attack forcefully
But, Orthros was gradually approaching the practice ground
And then when it caic moment came
「Howling Howl!」
The practice ground was surrounded with bulky stone wall, there was a single path that connected its entrance with the forest
Lux struck with the i Howl in that place where there was no obstacle at all
But,
「GU, RURURUaAA……!」
That instant, Orthros's eye glint shi+ned and it accelerated even faster
It dodged the Howling Howl's shockwave and slipped through the gate of the practice ground
A moment later, Typhoon's Divine Rai Chain) cut through the air
Their coordination failed
The Orthros that saw a good chance filled its four li an opening, it was then──,
「That was perfect, Lu-chan」
So unusual happened at the same time with Philuffy's slow voice
「GA, GAH……!?」
The leg of Orthros that should have avoided the attack completely was snapped by the tip of the wire that was modeled after snake's jaw
Looking there, there was phosphorescence twinkling around Lux, flickering like flame
Linker Pulse(Resonance Wave)
It was the special armament loaded inside Baha with a power to generate some amount of attraction or repulsion force
By using that, the trajectory of the Pile Anchor that should be cutting ee trap
A coordination that made use of Lux and Philuffy's special armament
「GURU……AaaaAAH!」
While the h speed and pulled it toward Typhon
「……ei」
Philuffy who pulled the Abyss up until the outer wall of the practice ground unfastened the entangling wire, at the sa
「GUGAaAAH!?」
The Orthros that was bloay toward a direction where there was no sign of people started running again after it fell
Chasing after it, Philuffy also jumped down the outer wall
「Yosh!+」
Next Lux also chased after the Orthros
But, he noticed so that
「This place, if I'm not mistaken──!?」
Lux followed Philuffy and the Orthros into the abandoned monastery
A part of the floor of the round room and path below
「Uu, kuh……!」
Lux kept floating above that ruined building, felt a sharp pain behind his eyes and he held his forehead
The scenery below hiht
(What……is this!? This sensation──)
His five senses re stimulus
The blackness of dried blood, and the rotten s the air
The echo of scream that couldn't be made out as a voice anymore
Black re on it
The disposal place for thing that used to be human
Lux desperately , searching for 『that』
And then,
「──U, AAAAaAAAAH!」
Lux raised a yell frohly
「There is no way……that's true!」
He remembered
The day of coup d'etat five years ago
A few days before that day, Lux came to this place
His childhood friend Philuffy was brought here to be test subject forthat, he located this place and came to save her
What he found inside, was dead young girls that looked as though they were devoured apart from inside
Hu neeapon that was carried out at the era of the old empire
This facility was built as edy was ensuing
After the success of the revolution, this facility was abandoned and the corpses of the girls were given burial, but the trace in this place still remained the same like in the past
(──But, that time Philuffy wasn't here……)
A while after the coup d'etat succeeded, he got a letter from Relie that which him that Philuffy was safe
That hy, he must had luckily saved Philuffy
Everything was just Lux's absurd fear, there wasn't anything wrong
It should be so
Even though there should be nothing more than that
OOOoooOOO……!
Orthros's groas echoing strangely and reached Lux's ear
Lux who cae rooround facility The dark shadow suddenly wavered
「GUSHAAAAAH……!」
Lux received the claw attack that stabbed to hih speed and parried it
Then, the h Lux and hid itself
Lux was spontaneously shocked when he saw its figure just for a moment
Orthros's shape changed
There were dark red veins running through its whole body, its cloudy jet black pupils were shi+ning gold
And then above all else, the claw that Lux broke with Critical hit was coenerated
「That's, it's the same like the Chimeira Celis-senpai saw, and the Poseidon──」
Revival froeneration and strengthening
It felt like the ene until just noas reset
At present when it was difficult to see through the eneerous to use Reload on Fire, but,
「SHAAAAAAAH!」
The 's violent attack that assaulted from the darkness once more was blocked by Lux from the front
Orthros's fang attacked at Bahamut's armor At that moment its left eye was slashed
「GU, GAAH……!」
One of the three hidden techniques Lux invented at the end of his training──Quick Draw(Godspeed Control)
Lux aimed at the eyeball because he saw it difficult to deal a lethal wound to the body of Orthros that was in a ra state
Orthros's expression distorted in anguish It tried to leap back, but its jump ended incompletely
「GU, GA……?」
The flash of Quick Draw that Lux unleashed oncethis time
Orthrus that confir on its back squirmed
「GUAaAAAAAaAAAH!」
It attacked not using its front leg or its fang, but the countless snake head that attacked simultaneously
Judging that it couldn't win by defending and attacking one by one, it increased its number of attack to the maximum and launched simultaneous attack
But──,
「Reload on Fire」
Super high speed instantaneous attack using Bahamut's Divine Raiment
Red slashi+ng line that reached a total of twelve lines ran through Orhtrus's whole body instantly Right after that, its body fell into pieces
Thethat was severed apart until its core became black ash and crumbled
It welcomed the same end like the Chimaera and Poseidon before and scattered apart
「Fuu……」
Lux who finished defeating the Abyss dispelled Bahamut for the moment
In the first place Baha the Divine Drag-Rides that already had severe consuh it was Lux but it was really hard to use Bahamut concesutively
After he met up with Philuffy, he would use Wyvern to return back And so he was going to search for her, it was then──,
「Philu, ffy……?」
He noticed that Philuffy herself wasn't anywhere he could see
But, he could hear a frail, faint breathing sound from the other side of a broken wall
At that instant, a strange sight surfaced at the back of Lux's mind, and he could hear a voice
A certain day five years ago, a few days before the coup d'etat
Relie Aingra in
Her face was haggard and lethargic, her eyes beca her eyes out
And then, her lips that were forcing out a smile silently opened
「I want Lux-kun to also attend that girl's funeral She surely, will feel happy xxxxx too──」
「──U, AAAAAAH……!」
An intense headache attacked Lux and he crouched on the spot
Strange disordered memory
Lux shook his head in denial to shake off that memory
「There's no way that's true……! Philuffy should be saved that time!」
That day five years ago, when Lux searched for Philuffy here, she wasn't here
After that a letter fro him that Philuffy was safe
(Then, what's this? This strange painful memory……? I certainly──)
「Haa, haa……」
Rough breathing voice pulled Lux's consciousness back to reality
He suddenly could hear a girl's voice froe room
「Philuffy!」
Lux hurriedly ran toward the direction of the voice There Philuffy was leaning on the wall and sat as though she was sinking down on the floor
She wasn't injured
Lux as thinking about the worst case let out a relieved sigh and walked toward her
Most likely she forced her anemic and feverish body and she reached her limit
「Get a hold of yourself I'll carry you to the boardinghouse right away, that's why──」
「Lu……chan?」
Lux was sloalking toward Philuffy to lend her his shoulder so she could stand But then Philuffy opened her eyes slightly
「Are you okay!? You are really feverish──」
Philuffy silently lifted up her face beside the hurrying Lux
「Don't Nearby, an Abyss is……」
And then, she deliriously whispered with emotionless voice
「It's okay If it's Orthros, I defeated it already That's why don't worry──」
「No, it's here」
「Eh……?」
Lux was unable to say his next word
His neck was grabbed far faster than he could speak and he was lifted up high
「Wha──!?」
Both his feet left the floor Lux was flustered
His neck was strangled by Philuffy's right hand At the sa in midair
It took Lux several seconds until Lux realized his situation
「U……guh! Philu, ffy……?」
The uished expression, he saw it
Faint red pattern entered Philuffy's skin, both her eyes were dyed black
Her pupils shi+ned gold, a smile was pasted on her mouth
The girl's smile was infected with madness that he had never seen from her even once until now
Seeing the coed inside Lux's brain
Chimaera, Poseidon, Orthros
The form transformation all those Abysses displayed
However, why?
Why was so like that, in Philuffy──,
「Ka, ha……!」
His breathing and blood flow stopped, and his consciousness became distant
Right after Lux resolved hio
「Gehoh……! Kohah……!」
Lux was breathing roughly on the stone paving he was thrown at
Before his eyes, Philuffy's eyes closed and she abruptly collapsed face down
The strange dark red pattern e
Seeing that, Lux approached Philuffy once more
「Oh, oh-hoh Are you two in thenuisance here」
A scornful laugh caround facility
At the sa jet black robe showed up in that place
「You……!」
Silver hair that was the saray and blue eyes
The girl who possessed asy there
The ar weapon and information at various places
Previously, this girl named Hayes she showed her face when the acadeist
「Why are you here!?」
Lux pulled out the Sword Device of Baha at the same time
「Don't screa cold feet here」
In contrast Hayes showed a sticky ss
「……That Abyss too, was it your doing?」
The ene stance, but Lux didn't bother with it and closed the distance
He reached a distance where his blade could reach in a single breath, faster than a Drag-Ride could be summoned
But, Hayes didn't look perturbed at all She lifted her face in enjoyment
「……Ku-ku-ku Just when I thought that you are just a brat enjoying harem life with those sluts, but you bastard is actually one cruel guy huh You're planning to let your lifesaver die? I' there you know」
Ahead of her gaze was the collapsed figure of Philuffy
「What……do you mean?」
A shadow entered Lux's face
Somewhere in his heart, he had suspected the answer
「Ratatoskr(Parasitic Plant)」
Thedown Hayes distorted into a repulsive arc
「The wonarok's body that I planted into her──a seed of the Yggdrasil you see」
「That wo into a part of Yggdrasil」
Like that, she told the answer
The fact that Lux feared and wanted to deny the most
「Her heart is assimilated with Abyss's core She'll die if you try to re inside that woer to life and abnoritation of mind It's basically show up as abilities the same like what you've seen until now」
Abnormal super recovery and the improvement of body function
But, when the life energy was used up because of the abnormal consumption rate, the Abyss with those abilities would become black ash and crumbled at that time
「And then your childhood friend cannot go against 『Yggdrasil』, narok that is the master of that ovule seed Usually she is no different at all froet that receive the sound wave coed to carry out that coainst that coh fever and headache, and their body function will start go out of order It's at the level that it'll be hard even to just stand up straight」
「Don't tell me──」
Lux shuddered hearing that explanation
「Yes, that woave all this ti that command, and inside the pain that feels like hell, she was finally at her limit just now in this place」
Hayes cackled while ju down from the table
That moment Lux thrust the tip of his blade toward her throat
「Stop that command If you don't──」
「Oi oi, calm down okay, prince」
Hayes wasn't perturbed at all She raised both her hands and played the fool
「You at least already understand the reason why I appeared in front of you like this right? It's too late even if you kill me now ──No, instead it will be a disaster if you kill drasil if I'iven to it won't be revoked for eternity You trash, pull away this rude sword right away Or I'll kill that monster woman」
Hayes fiddled with the horn flute in her hand, both her eyes opened and she sneered
Unable to oppose her, Lux gritted his teeth while withdrawing the sword
「……Now, cal The reason is because she has conarok」
「Taboo you say……?」
Hearing Hayes's co her word
「That's right The greatest taboo for Yggdrasil's parasite body isn't going against order, it's attacking another parasite body That woman attacked an Abyss with parasite inside its body just now She tried to kill it」
The body of Orthros that became ash and vanished just now
Most likely before Lux went into the underground facility, Philuffy cornered the Abyss until near death once already
Therefore, it becaainst the controller of parasite body Yggdrasil and her body reached the limit
「What a sad reality That woman is basically beyond help She will die for sure within a few days Just like the Abyss with parasite body inside it that you guys killed, she will turn into a pitch black ash」
Hayes declared indifferently
Lux's heart rapidly chilled hearing that
Lux understand not logically, but instinctually that what she was telling him was the truth
「You understand what I'et to the main point」
「What do you, mean?」
Lux whose eyes expression was shadowed asked with a dark voice
「You are really slow huh, prince Is even your head get screw loose because of the shock from your cute childhood friend's condition? Do you think that this me intentionally show up here just to harass you?」
「This is a transaction I'll especially give the order to Yggdrasil to save that woman If you open the door at the deepest level of that Ruin──the Ark that you guys are sneakily searching」
「……What does that mean?」
「To open the door at the deepest part of every Ruin, the authentication of Xfer(Key's Supervisor) is needed see I also have one Xfer, but unfortunately after they used their authority once, they won't be able to use it again for a few months If possible I want to have the Xfer with you, that woman with blue hair to open the door」
The Xfer that Hayes was talking about must be about Krulcifer
Froation this time the objective was to reach the deepest level of the Ruin, so that condition could be achieved without any problem
However──,
「……What is your objective? What are you planning as the strategist of Heiburg? Can you guarantee that Philuffy can be saved by doing that?」
Even so, he couldn't iirl would fulfill her promise
Hayes let out a thin smile at Lux's question and she threatened
「Hee, I'm shocked You bastard still don't understand your position even at this point huh」
And then, she made an evil look and her face came near Lux
「You don't have any choice right from the start If you want to let that woman die then do whatever you like, you hero pretender false prince」
Hayes said only that before she worn back her hood low over her eyes and turned around
「I'll confir whether the rooet ation in two days About the time──let's see Open it at afternoon when roup's movement Even if you open the door when I'm not here, it will be closed fr that」
「Wait! Hayes!」
Lux yelled toward Hayes who turned her back at him and walked away
Her steps stopped, and she turned around with a fearless smile
「Who are you? Those eyes and hair color, they are the same like the old empire's Arcadia family Are you a survivor of the imperial family that I don't know about? Or else──」
「Hah」
Hayes laughed off Lux's question
「I', different from you all」
She only said that before her robed figure vanished ahead of the passage
After that only Lux and Philuffy were left behind
Part 3
「Haa……, haa! Somehoe defated it…… It's really a troublesome opponent」
「Anyway, looks like this place is settled」
Inside the Ark, near the center of the seventh floor
Inside one of the four passages around the main route, Lisha and Krulcifer took a breather
In front of them was the remain of Orthros that had its core broken already and died
The two of thes that appeared simultaneously inside the Ark
They didn't knoorked, but the alar inside the shi+p had also stopped
Right after Lux and Philuffy chased after an Orthros outside the shi+p, all the ether It was then the second Orthros showed up
Judging that it would be dangerous to do battle while unarmed members like Airi and Relie were present, Lisha and Krulcifer carried out Orthrus's exterroup and hth floor
If they could go to the eighth floor, they would be able to open the door of dedicated passage that connected to the deck They had confirain to the eighth floor using that passage next time
And then with this the erous place in the Ark that was the Abyss manufacture area was cleared
The re floors only had exceptionally short distance that had to be traveled compared to the previous floors, and it seeer
Therefore, the possibility that they could safely conquer the Ruin before they finished their training cahtened
「Even so, soe……」
「What is?」
Krulcifer asked with her usual cool expression toward Lisha's
「I'e but…… If I have to say, it's everything The events and situations since we ca camp until now, no matter what it doesn't feel matched up Krulcifer, what do you think?」
「……This is unexpected It looks like you are ht」
「Fufu, well yeah Even though I look like this, soht!?」
After nodding proudly for a moment, Lisha frowned and snapped at Krulcifer
But, Krulcifer eluded her calmly and continued her talk
「The appearance of Ruin that no one knew or even predicted The Ruin investigation that even drastically altered the original training ca along in this training camp No, rather than that──why did the headirl whose physical health is bad to co here?」
「You ht that the head at her little sister to an overprotective degree, but……」
「Yes, that's right You understand already if your thought has reached that far aren't you? Just what is the source of the strange out of place feeling fro camp──」
「……Don't tell me」
When Lisha got that inkling, at that moment,
『Lisha-sa for response Are you two safe?』
A transon voice came in and the two lifted their face at the same time
『Noct, what's the matter? Is everyone safe?』
『──Yes We safely reached the center of eighth floor and opened the direct passage to the deck But……』
The voice of Noct who usually kept coed with impatience
Lisha and Krulcifer's expression also tensed from her air
『Due to a cave-in and appearance of ht of Airi If the two of you are safe, please cooperate with the search』
『Got it! We'll head there right away! Eighth floor right!?』
Lisha yelled and immediately drove away her Tiamat
Krulcifer sih the corridor
Part 4
「Uu……, nn」
After the appearance of the Orthros, a confusion occurred due to a cave-in at a part of the seventh floor
And then, Airi was separated fro outalone in a corridor of the Ark
Her current position was hth floor
She couldn't even see clearly for a fewwent out due to impact
For the ti, it was a small mercy that she wasn't injured at least, but she wondered if everyone was safe
Besides,
「Nii-san──is he safe right now?」
The gloomy atmosphere and the coldness filled her with unease
As always, when she was alone her weakness like when she was still sickly came out
Her sickness and frailness led her to depend on someone else
That was so of wanting to receive the protection from people close to her, but because of that, she caused her only big brother to worry very much after her mother died
Perhaps because she was at the age of entering puberty, she was usually really shy to say it out, but she was really grateful toward her brother
After the old edoht that she too had to change
As his only beloved family, this tith
Thinking that, she endeavored to study harder than anyone in the acadee as a civil official
She obtained the knowledge about Drag-Ride and Abyss,she was alsothe Ruin's ancient text, Relie had also entrusted her with the position as the exclusive aide of Syvalles the other day
She got along ith the girls at the acade brother
She believed that although irow up splendidly
Despite so
「Please quickly come here if you're safe It's really cold here you know?」
Wide space enclosed within darkness
The situation where she didn't even understand where