Vol 6 Chapter 4 (2/2)

”All units dodge right!”

Mitsuki instantly commanded

I could see a glowing ball shot out frodrasil's trunk

Just as I was thinking that, a blinding light flashed past our left

As Lisa said, it would be ie visually

But such a powerful attack could very well get drasil seeh the reason was unknown, it looked like it wanted to obtain me intact

Nevertheless, Yggdrasil see my safety Perhaps that was how much of a threat it viewed Tia

”It's not over!”

We listened to Tia's directions and steadily closed in on Yggdrasil while evading the railgun shots

Finally, we passed over Mount Fuji's peak

The railgun shots we dodged dug up the side of Mount Fuji Amidst the cloud of dust and debris, Mitsuki issued orders

”Begin the attack on Yggdrasil's ht to lower Yggdrasil's coht be able to daeneration”

”Understood!”

In charge of attacking, Iris and Lisa responded

Kili also went ”got it” and went up to the front with a fearless smile

Mitsuki raised Brionac Holding onto Mitsuki's waist with her right arm, Iris raised her left hand

”Coments of time—”

Iris low in her hand immediately The words she uttered served as an incantation to focus her es in order to use Catastrophe

”—Caduceus Catastrophe!”

With a shout, the red glow turned into the shape of a staff At first glance, it seemed to be a fictional armament of a different color, but most likely, no dark matter had been used

It was definitely what Iris had used at Midgard last tiht of Catastrophe

”Iris-san, please attack after me!”

While Iris was preparing, Mitsuki aidrasil and fired the first shot

”Ter Arrow—Last Quark!”

Mitsuki fired an antions to date

But as though to block the arrow's advance, the branches spread above ca a wall

Mitsuki's arrow caused a giant explosion upon contact with that wall, destroying the branches However, due to the distance, the antidrasil's main body

The branches for the canopy came down to attack us from overhead However, they were deflected by Firill and Ariella's barriers But during this tidrasil

”Our attacks won't be able to reach the main body if it bolsters its defenses like this!”

Lisa raised Gungnir and shouted

”Don't worry, Lisa-chan, I'll eliminate them all!”

Pointing the tip of her red staff towards Yggdrasil, Iris shouted acutely:

”Catastrophe, actualize!”

The red light of Catastrophe pierced the dawn sky

An attack of red light, rivaling Basilisk's, devoured the wall of branches that Yggdrasil had weaved, instantly weathering it away into dust

Without weakening, the light struck the railgun's discharge port directly

The longer the duration of exposure, the antic tree trunk, Iris' beah

The original location of the discharge port was turned into a giant hole

”Pierce, flare!”

Seizing the chance, Lisa fired her specialty, the positron cannon, from the tip of her spear Her attack drasil—the base of the branches

Severed fro and started to fall gradually towards the ground

Passing through gaps in the falling branches, we increased our altitude and got within Yggdrasil's vicinity In front of our eyes was a towering gigantic tree that ay too enormous

”My turn”

Coht hand towards the sky

”—Laevateinn”

Extending a scarlet flash of light towards the sky, Kili swung that flash down like a sword

The sword of flashi+ng light left a trail on theclouds in the sky

Chopping Yggdrasil's ht sliced into the center of the tree trunk, causing a large explosion That shockwave caused Yggdrasil's trunk to split apart left and right

”This tiet”

Aidrasil caused by Kili's attack, Mitsuki released another antimatter arrow

The pure white light of annihilation erupted from the inside of the trunk The internally detonated explosion caused Yggdrasil's body to expand greatly Losing balance, the body gradually collapsed under its oeight

”It is alround, scatter Ether Wind and attack Yggdrasil's on armament”

Seeing Yggdrasil collapsing, Mitsuki gave orders

Ren would no longer be able to fly once she passed all her dark on arround for support, which necessitated landing

”Onii-chan!”

”Yes, let's start”

Ren held ripped back in return

Unless I followed up on the attack, all we had accodrasil's body Sooner or later, it would transfer its core to somewhere else

Hence, before that could happen, wethe main body

Finding a location with good visibility, we landed at a lakeside near Yggdrasil

Everyone scattered to protect Ren and drasil's interference, I generated dark matter

”Fictional arfried”

I created the fictional arun

Then Ren placed her hand on Siegfried

”I will only think about you, Onii-chan, and you will only think about ive all of it to you”

”—Got it”

While I nodded in response, Ren's dark matter poured in

It was abefore

However, my fictional armaoing into disarray

By thinking of each other strongly, we caused our dark e without problems

It felt like Ren'sinto mine

My fictional arrew to several dozens of meters in size within the blink of an eye

Ordinary matter of that size would be almost i fictional arhts and had no weight

Consequently, I could support it with no effort, sifried renetic barrier Tia deployed for us, the dark et stolen

Responding to drasil

While ai in from Ren inside the fictional armament

”Onii-chan, just a bit more”

”Got it”

I focusedthe fictional armament collapse

The fictional armament showed a hint of red color Perhaps this was the color of Ren's thoughts

”—This is everything”

Then Ren's dark matter was all poured into my fictional armament

I turned all that dark le bullet

Transolden particles that caused souls to materialize—

”Ether Bullet!!”

The fictional armament vanished the moment the bullet was shot

The golden bullet, with everything of Ren's andoff intense brightness, it then exploded

Instantly, the sky's color turned froolden

Glittering brightly, the radiant particles drifted down from the sky

It was finer than snow—Like golden diamond dust

Descending frodrasil's collapsing main body

”How is it?”

I observed the situation with bated breath

If Director Miyazawa's predictions were true, then Yggdrasil's ht to manifest

Aradually surfaced

A scene just as hoped, but—

”This is impossible”

Ariella muttered blankly

The others gasped in surprise

I did not ht before my eyes—

Yggdrasil's soul was graduallyout of its collapsed body

It was an outline of a giant tree, whose branches extended to the other side of the horizon, co the sky

Its size was not antic

Seeing its outline cut off unnaturally, I could tell that what the Ether Wind caused to manifest was merely a small portion of the whole

This gigantic soul, hoe destroy it?

Only then did I realize ere too naive

Yggdrasil's true nature was a network built froht, it would not be strange even if its soul was on the scale of the Earth

Just as all members of Brynhildr Class were stunned Kili quietly looked up at Yggdrasil and turned towards me

”Yuu? Aren't you going to fight? You're destroying that thing, right?”

”—!”

Her words proain my senses

Indeed By this point, there was no choice but to do it This was surely Yggdrasil's core without a doubt

No ht ive up!

”—Ren, I'ain, to construct an anti-dragon armament this time”

”Mm!”

Ren's eyes blazed with fighting spirit She gripped ht hand firmly

”Anti-dragon armament Marduk—Psionic multi-barreled cannon, Noah!”

I trans from Ren into a pre-civilization weapon

Perfor blueprints in thea fictional armament

A double-barreled turret appeared on a rotating artillery platfor lines carved on its surface, the multi-barreled cannon was linked to drasil

As a weapon that ahts, Noah was effective against spirit bodies which did not interact with ordinary ainst Hraesvelgr

—I will defeat you I won't become your possession!

”Fire!”

Turning strong willpower into energy, Noah's multi-barreled turret fired two shells

The shells struck the olden particles to fly into the air

However, Yggdrasil's spirit body was far too huous These tiny shells did not produce much trace of destruction

”—Fire! Fire! Fire!”

Even so, I still fired relentlessly

But the more I repeated, the un against Yggdrasil's spirit body whose size was extraordinary

Even if I were to shoot dozens, thousands of ti it

My consciousness gradually grew hazy because the y was consu the battle against Hraesvelgr, it was pointless because y was limited as the source

”Fire—Huff, huff, huff”

After who kne many shots had been fired, I breathed heavily My vision was blurred frodrasil's spirit body standing upright, completely unshaken

”damn it”

There was no time left

The Ether Wind scattered earlier was fading bit by bit

”Onii-chan”

Ren looked up at me orry

”I'm fine I can still shoot”

I feigned vitality and forced drasil's spirit body that had appeared due to the golden particles

Ispirit bodies, I could not rely on the others

I had relied so much on them beforehand, so I must accomplish this—

But ave way

My body was about to fall over forwards

I slowly approached the ground But stopped just before round

”Huh?”

I came to my senses only to find Mitsuki, Iris and Tia's face before me

”Nii-san, are you okay!?”

”Mononobe!”

”Yuu!”

The three voices sustained my consciousness that was about to be cut off

”—Thank you all”

I thanked theot up, but this time, I fell backwards

However, warht me this time too

”Goodness gracious, get a grip on yourself and stand properly”

”Do your best, Mononobe-kun”

”Mononobe-kun, hang in there”

Lisa, Firill and Ariella supported my body from behind

”Sorry Thanks”

I thanked the in the distance all alone, Kili asked me:

”Yuu, are you at your limit?”

”No Not yet I feel power surging from within”

This was not pretense I really did feel I could continue to fight fiercely

My heart felt very wary I had depleted had recovered a little

However, this was surely just

Thoughts or y could not be transferred to others like dark matter

—When this thought crossed my mind, a question occurred to me

Really Is that true?

Who decided that y could not be transmitted? When was it proven?

Through training with Ren, I found out that dark s

The transfer of dark hts to someone To sustain the psionic multi-barreled cannon, Ren's dark matter continued to flow

Was darkme?

Those hands, tightly held together, supporting my heart, perhaps that kind of poould—

”Everyone, can I ask you for a favor?”

I asked the girls

”What is it? I a in my power for you, Nii-san!”

Mitsuki instantly answered and the others urged me to tell them

”I hope you will trans the same principles as dark matter transfer”

I did not know if this would actually pass y over Even if it could, it would probably serve as ical consolation

But in order to fight to the very end, I sought everyone's power

”Thoughts?”

Iris widened her eyes, cocking her head in puzzlement

”Yes, lend hts the power of your heart and soul”

”—I understand Just thoughts and feelings, isn't that right?”

Lisa nodded, applying force through her hand that was supporting my back

”Mononobe-kun I will think of you as strongly as I can”

Gripping my shoulder firmly, Firill spoke

”I will cheer for you, Mononobe-kun”

Ariella said while touching my back

My heart began to warradually felt satisfied

Was thisencouragement? I did not know actually

But ain, this was the truth

I slowly took the power received from everyone and poured it into Noah The lines carved all over the ht

”Tia is always always thinking of Yuu!”

”Nii-san, please accept hts!”

Tia and Mitsuki pressed their hands on ly

Then Iris placed her hands on top of theirs

”Mononobe—”

Iris simply called my name and smiled faintly

But I could feel it I could feel Iris' thoughts I could feel intense feelings that made my chest hot

Not only Iris but Tia and Mitsuki's e me power

The y into shells, ruht that shone all around

”Onii-chan Don't lose!”

Gripping htly, Ren cried out as hard as she could

Ren's thought flowed into ether with her dark matter

I could feel the unprecedented power of thoughts, dense and fierce, gradually growing stronger inside the anti-dragon armament

Everything was poured into this one attack

Let nificant hudrasil

Let it know that we are living with such fiery emotions in our hearts

”We're doing it, everyone”

”Yes!”

The girls responded to my call

Then in unison, we fired our thoughts

”FIRE!”

An intense glow expanded fro, the psionic multi-barreled cannon exploded from within and collapsed

The two balls of light drasil's spirit body

Iolden particles then scattered all over the sky

The atdrasil composed of Ether Wind shook for an instant

Once the particles scattered and disappeared in the air, I could see a drasil's spirit body

However, the spirit body showed no signs of overall collapse

”damn it! This didn't work either”

I said with frustration

”Onii-chan One more time”

Ren pulledup in her expression

”—Yeah, until it's destroyed, we'll shoot no matter how many times it takes”

I nodded and prepared to construct the anti-dragon arain, but Kili stopped me

”No, this is good enough”

Kili approached me and smiled with satisfaction

”Enough? Yggdrasil's core consciousness isn't destroyed though”

”But dae has been inflicted, so next is your job—Tia”

Kili patted Tia, who had been lending me power, on the shoulder and said to her

”Tia's job?”

Tia widened her eyes and stared at Kili

”You should be able to hear it, right? Yggdrasil's screa”

”Yeah, but it's a ”

”That is evidence that the core's functionality is dadrasil”

Kili grinned and continued

”Your pair of horns is not sidrasil's interference It is a weapon existing for the sake of devouring Yggdrasil, a power to enable you to becoon”

”The horns are a weapon Becoon—”

Tia touched the horns on her head, apparently thinking of so

”Against Yggdrasil that's trying to take Yuu's place, just do the sa to it Tia, you have that power”

”—Yeah!”

Tia nodded Looking like she understood what she -shaped fictional armament on her back

”Hey Tia!”

Before I could stop her, Tia had already flown into the sky, heading for Yggdrasil

”Kili, what are you planning to have Tia do!?”

I glared at Kili and asked her as going on

”I si is Tia's own decision Don't belittle her resolve”

Glared back by her with such intense easp

”Mind your own business and quietly watch Tia's battle”

Kili spoke in a sharp tone of voice to stop Lisa and the others fro after Tia

”You will soon knohat Tia is about to do”

Staring at Tia in flight, Kili spoke quietly

Tia arrived at Yggdrasil's spirit body then jumped into the hole I had punctured

Several seconds later, blindingly bright lightning erupted with Yggdrasil as the center

Part 5

Flying through the air where golden particles drifted, Tia Lightning recalled the first time she met him—the time when she encountered Mononobe Yuu

Back then, Tia did not quite understand much about herself

Her parents called her huh transmutation

Later on, Tia and her parents were captured by an ar This tienerate dark matter

Hence, Tia had asked hi—What am I?

Then with broken speech, he replied in Tia's ue:

'You are a—cute, girl'

It was a very gentle answer

Tia wanted to become like that, hoped for herself to become like that, it was the answer Tia desired too

Tia had always kept those words in her heart

Meeting Kili, raised to becoon, selected by Basilisk—Tia had abandoned that drea with him and rescued by Lisa and the others, Tia made a decision as a result

Tia would live together with Lisa and the others as humans

To becoirl of all in Mononobe Yuu's eyes—to become his wife

Then like how he had protected her, she would protect him too

”Tia will save Yuu!”

Tia generated wind fros, and charged into the interior of Yggdrasil's spirit body

Her surroundings were covered by golden particles, so bright that her eyes could aldrasil's cries in her mind

'Thought, flaw—collapse, reject—reject, reject, reject, repair, prioritize—'

Not just a voice Through her horns, Tia could sense intangible feelings

”—It's afraid”

Tia murmured

Yggdrasil was afraid Afraid of its consciousness disappearing, afraid of losing its existence, afraid of eath—Extrehtened

'Neun—needed, must have—uncertain, ninth authority, one and only—y—'

And it wanted—

To survive, it needed Mononobe Yuu

Tia could sense this concretely

Tia did not knohat it was afraid of Yggdrasil's thoughts were fragmented, incomprehensible

However—

”You're not having him!”

Tia declared to Yggdrasil in no uncertain terms

”Because Yuu will become Tia's husband!!”

Tia poured all her thoughts into darkit into electricity then released it

Tia's consciousness spread as an electrodrasil

Attacked and dadrasil's core syste Tia's consciousness to invade

Hacking into Yggdrasil, this was precisely the true function of the pair of horns given to Tia

”!”

Intense pain struck her head, causing Tia to frown Yggdrasil was resisting, it was struggling, trying to evict Tia's consciousness that was invading in the fornals

”Tia won't lose This time, Tia will protect Yuu!!”

Using willpower as fangs, turning edrasil's consciousness

Tia's thoughts were endlessly ah the trans the core system

The golden particles shrouding the surroundings shook It was a sign that Yggdrasil's spirit body was starting to change

'—Reject, reject, reject, unacceptable, overload, unacceptable—destroy, reject, reject—!'

Yggdrasil resisted desperately but the CPU had been destroyed physically, the ht now, its computational power had dropped to its limit

Conversely, after devouring Yggdrasil's consciousness, Tia's thoughts had acquired overwhel power

But due to excessive expansion of her ego, her original self turned fuzzy Having obtained processing power that was originally impossible for huhts

”Tia is what?”

A

But his words, carved deeply in her heart, kept Tia's consciousness together

—You are a—cute, girl

Tia gritted her teeth and used her dark

”That's right Tia Tia will become Yuu's wife!!”

Then her will raced along the network fordrasil's true nature

Then she understood The power to control electricity was drasil's true nature

The name of the authority was: Akashi+c Record

There, Tia caught a gli

Part 6

Codrasil's ed in shape

The gigantic body, never collapsing no h

”Tia What did she do?”

I looked in surprise but I was soon struck by even greater shock

Shaking, gradually fading away, the Ether Wind proceeded to trace out a certain outline

Instead of a giant tree, it was the silhouette of a young girl

”Tia-chan?”

Iris cried out in surprise

Indeed—The golden particles were undoubtedly showing the figure of Tia Lightning

”Looks like it's a success Tia has already taken control of Yggdrasil's core”

Kili smiled happily and explained to us

”What Control of the core?”

Since it was too shocking, I could only repeat like a parrot

”Yes, capable of outputting thoughts as electrical signals, right now, Tia can electrically interfere with senses, in other words, hack into Yggdrasil then tanize her as the new core”

Kili replied so nonchalantly, but after seeing the Ether Wind fade away, she smiled

”Frodrasil But back then, I had no idea that Yggdrasil was such a terrifying ed it normally, I think ould've failed already It's all thanks to you inflicting dae to the core, Yuu, that we succeeded on this occasion”

The golden particles scattered alow

The particles showing Tia's iradually

Visible under the particles was Yggdrasil's collapsed res on her back

Looking up at the young girl flying back to our side, Kili said proudly:

”Look, Yuu, this is the new dragon I raised—Tia Lightning Yggdrasil”