Vol 7 Chapter 4 (1/2)

Turning the clock back slightly earlier—At Mitsuki's currently uninhabited house in Nanato City

The second-floor bedroom was occupied by a heavy atmosphere

The crossdressing girl, Jeanne Hortensia, re on her right hand, whose dragonJeanne's sleeping face

Sitting on the bed's edge, Vritra stared out the

Having moved futons from the adjacent roo Vritra and Kili

There was no electricity in this house and the flashlights they had brought were switched off, hence the rooht strea in from the , they could still discern one another's facial expressions

”Mononobe-kun and the others will be okay, right? Maybe they've already started fighting the Kraken”

Firill wondered in worry

”No need to worry By now, Mononobe Yuu and Iris-san have replicated dragon powers in addition to Mitsuki-san The situation is o”

”If it's Yuu and the others They'll surely win”

Tia rubbed her eyes drowsily while agreeing with Lisa

But after listening to them, Vritra suddenly spoke up

”'Twould be a grave ard the enemy as the Kraken”

”Huh?”

Firill and the girls looked at Vritra in surprise Originally observing Jeanne, Kili also looked back with an incredulous expression

”Born froon and a D To me who standeth as the randchild”

Vritra spoke calmly while Lisa watched her warily

”What are you i?”

”This is the birth of a hybrid dragon inheriting eneration I have long anticipated”

After replying Vritra got off the bed and approached the

”Hybrid dragon? Second generation? What do you know about the Kraken's child?”

Firill asked with a frown

”—Everything The genes allowing you Ds to wieldis preordained After encountering Yggdrasil's obstruction, I continued using Hekatonkheir to spread genes These efforts have finally bore fruit”

Vritra's shoulders shook as she laughed happily

”Mother, you see?”

””

Kili asked with nervousness in her voice Vritra opened the ithout saying a word Instantly, the night's chilly breeze blew into the rooirls' hair to flutter in the wind

”Although I don't know Mother's plan entirely, I can guess the gist, so allowas Tia, capable of controlling Yggdrasil, and he are present Mother's plan is not needed”

Staring into the black pupils of her mother, Vritra, Kili asserted

”He? Dost thou truly believe that irregular is Neun?”

”Not just drasil also wanted to obtain him—obtain Yuu—hence he must be”

”Even if thy speculation proveth to be correct, I will still achieve mine objective personally”

Vritra interrupted Kili in a fierce tone of voice Unable to understand the conversation, left on the side, Lisa and the girls stood up, sensing the unusual atmosphere

”Don't do anything rash!+ Tia will stop you if you're plotting so!”

With lightning erupting frolared at Vritra

”Yggdrasil's core huh Indeed, in front of thee, control of my dark matter would be wrested away, however 'Tis a separate s that are already created”

The rooht

”If 'tis necessary to fight ye, I only need to engage using a physical vessel whose trans Hekatonkheir to challenge Yggdrasil”

Strong wind blew in fro the fraan to fly

With long black hair fluttering in the wind, Vritra smiled proudly

”A hu rest no matter what”

”Eh?”

After hearing what Vritra said, Tia's expression instantly froze

”Hast thou not realized? Though only for a brief , I created a stand-in capable of fighting without relying on dark matter”

A giant dragon's head appeared outside theIts body was covered in a black exterior rese armor The opened jaere lined with rows of sharp teeth

Blowing into the rooon's warm breath

”What—”

While everyone was shocked by the scene, Vritra juon's mouth

”Tia will protect Kili!”

Tia spread her ar to defend her

”I shan't show any ht!”

Lisa and Firill suuard at Tia's left and right

”You”

Seeing Tia and the others defending her, Kili looked quite surprised

Standing in the dragon's h she found things ludicrous

”Ye seehter away Now that the second generation is born, 'tis not necessary for me to obsess over one mate”

”What do you mean?”

Firill frowned and asked Vritra sied

”Meaning that to oeth to the existence capable of extereneration”

Displaying a smile on the corners of her lips, Vritra issued her declaration The dragon's giant jaws immediately clamped shut

Sing Vritra's girl fors

”Freeze!”

Ignoring Tia's coon stand-in flew into the starry sky

”Move aside—Laevateinn!”

Kili leaned forward from behind Tia and fired a red heat beaon

However, the black dragon swerved and dodged the bea in altitude and speed

”Where does Vritra intend to go!?”

”The existence capable of exter to Mitsuki who can use antimatter”

Firill answered Lisa's question Listening to their conversation, Kili nodded in agreement

”That has to be it She chose her direction without hesitation She must have placed soive chase now, Tia! Her dark matter must be sealed away, or else Yuu and the others will be at a severe disadvantage!”

”O-Okay!”

Tia nodded frantically in response to Kili, but just as the two of them were about to jump out the , Lisa called them back

”Please wait! If Vritra is heading to Mitsuki-san at the NIFL base, Kili-san will be in danger if she goes I will stay behind with her as her bodyguard Tia-san and Firill-san, you chase Vritra together!”

”Let's go, Tia”

Firill extended her hand with a serious expression

”Got it!”

Tia held Firill's hand Su their fictional aron

After watching Vritra and the girls leave, Kili turned her gaze to Lisa beside her

”To think I would be under your protection—What an unbelievable feeling Aren't you afraid to be alone with me after I almost killed you last time?”

”I am certainly not afraid Moreover, I do not consider myself weaker than you are”

Lisa turned her face away and answered in displeasure

”Oh dear, that really doesn't sound like words that should be coainst me”

”I siht hu to you, I came to understand In order to protect those I wish to protect, there are tions”

After saying this, Lisa looked out the

”Oh So even if NIFL's special forces attack, you'll help et rid of them?”

”Indeed No matter what kind of entity comes, I will protect you You can rest assured on this fact”

Kili felt disappointed that her sarcastic question was answered by Lisa so confidently

”How arrogant”

Sighing deeply, Kili shi+fted her gaze away uncomfortably

Part 2

'—Because of that, her target is most likely Mitsuki-san'

Afterup with shi+nomiya-sensei, Iris and the others, we listened to Lisa's report while walking along the corridor inside the base

With every explosion, the building would shake, causing s Iris and Ren would cower every tiazed at the ceiling with grave expressions Displayed on a portable ter us in worry

”Then thethis base is truly 'Black' Vritra”

'Indeed If Tia-san and Firill-san caught up, they should be engaged in coht for your location, she probably has Mitsuki-san's position corasp'

Listening to Lisa, I observed Mitsuki's body Vritra had probably placed so on Mitsuki somehow, but it was impossible to tell what it was

shi+nomiya-sensei also seemed like she had concluded it was too difficult to re With a serious demeanor, she issued orders

”Regarding your hiding of Vritra, I will pursue the matter later Since our position is known to the eneo outside first It is impossible to handle Vritra's attacks indoors Mononobe Mitsuki—Are you able to construct your fictional armament?”

shi+nomiya-sensei asked Mitsuki in a serious tone of voice

”—I shall try”

Mitsuki nodded and generated dark matter on her palm The black dark ed in shape

”It is done”

Mitsuki exhaled in relief, showing the bow-shaped fictional armament to shi+nomiya-sensei

The fictional ar Kraken Zas currently very stable Learning that Mitsuki had not suffered ain, I breathed a sigh of relief

”Excellent Mononobe Mitsuki will focus on self-defense after leaving the building Ariella Lu, you will serve as her bodyguard Mononobe Yuu, Iris Freyja and Ren Miyazawa, the three of you will support Tia Lightning and Firill Crest who are possibly engaged in coht now”

After confir Mitsuki's condition, shi+nomiya-sensei issued battle orders eloquently

”Affirmative!”

After we nodded, shi+no where the corridor turned a corner

”I will tell NIFL not to get in your way Since Kraken Zwei has destroyed all the drones, their re comes up later, contact me on the communicator”As shi+nomiya-sensei made her way to the NIFL command center, we parted ith her, put on our communicators and exited the base

Instantly, wind carrying heat and a burnt smell blew from above

I looked up to see a series of dark-red explosions in the air The noise heard earlier was probably caused by those explosions

A survey of the surroundings showed that the airstrip and the forest were already on fire, but the buildings in the base seeed

A fireball descending from the sky was blocked by so in the air

”Onii-chan, look over there”

Ren tuggedin midair

”That's—Firill”

Ariella squinted and remarked

”What about Tia-chan and Vritra-chan?”

”Probably on the other side of the barrier”

Iris looked around and asked I answered

The stars shi+ning brightly in the night sky were occasionally blocked by what seemed to be some kind of ht, flying as though in pursuit of the shadow That red light probably came from Tia's fictional armament

”Anyway, let's tell Firill and Tia we are here as reinforceenerate illumination”

”Mm”

Ren followed Ariella's instructions and raised her hammer-shaped fictional armament to the sky

A gigantic block of dark htness like a sun, illuure in the sky clearly

The black dragon flying in the sky also came into view

Although son that had appeared over Nanato City thismobility from this more refined body The sharp curves all over its body were strongly aggressive

This was most likely Vritra's new stand-in

According to Lisa, Vritra's girl for the stand-in used to communicate with Tia, Vritra had chosen a form created for combat

—Sowas impossible after all?

Feeling frustrated and a little sad, I clenched htly

Vritra's black dragon for fla after Vritra, but could not keep up with her movements

”Deploy wind barrier”

Seeing the situation, Ariella raised her gauntlet-shaped fictional ar towards the sky, probably reinforcing the barrier protecting the base

”Mitsuki!”

Noticing us, Firill descended

”—Firill-san, we have already heard what transpired froht?”Standing in front of our group, Mitsuki confir Firill

”Yes, although Tia is chasing her, preventing her froe flames Wounds are also healed rapidly It's insane”

Firill answered in a bitter tone of voice

”In other words, those flaical structure rather than transmutation”

Mitsuki gasped and looked up at the fireballs exploding against the barrier of air above

”It's alon that appears in fairy tales Taking a living organism's combat power to the limit, so this form is the result”

Ariella looked up at the illuminated sky and commented

”However, if dark anism”

While everyone was shocked, Ren pointed out cal what she said, my mind calmed down too

”That's right In fact, Vritra's flames are blocked by the air barrier coht calmly”

”Indeed, it'll be over as soon as we can land a powerful attack”

Ariella agreed with me but Firill still showed a stiff expression

”Will it be that easy?”

”Is so you?”

Firill replied hesitantly to Mitsuki's question:

”Perhaps it islarger gradually Her flying speed also seeuard”

”Vritra should be aware of the disadvantage of not being able to use dark matter Added to the fact that she created this body for the sake of eli some kind of trump card”

After listening to Firill's worries, I brought my hand to the side of my mouth and said

”Even so, our only choice is to fight I will take charge of defense Firill and Ren, go support Tia”

After speaking in a strong tone of voice, Ariella handed a communicator to Firill

”Unable to fly, Mononobe-kun and Iris will attack fro unless we stay in contact using communicators, because we need to avoid the line of fire or release the barrier”

”I got it”

After we all nodded, Ariella, Firill and Ren flew into the sky

”Mitsuki, you should focus on protecting yourself”

After re Mitsuki worriedly, Firill fleards Vritra

Left on the ground were Iris, Mitsuki and me, the three of us

”Is it too late to talk to her?”

Iris asked quietly

”This wouldn't have happened if she seriously wanted to talk to us”

I recalled rin from just now and answered

”Yeah”

Iris concurred with sadness on her face

”You don't want to fight Vritra?”

”No, because ent out together Eating ice creaht we could understand each other”

Seeing the battle intensify in the sky after Firill and the others joined in, Iris spoke ruefully

”—If Kraken Zwei hadn't shown up, perhaps that could've happened”

After exhaling a heavy breath, I said

Although I felt the saer allowed for peaceful resolutions

”Although Vritra's objective is still unknown, there's no doubt she intends to create Ds as ht now, a uess Vritra no longer feels it's necessary to reconcile with Yggdrasil”

My ansas intended for Iris, but Mitsuki looked down sadly next to us

”In other words, had I used antimatter to eliminate Kraken Zwei This would not have happened”

”What? No, it's not your fault, Mitsuki Besides, Vritra is ulti Also, Kraken Zakened because of Yggdrasil's electrical interference, causing the cooling syste—”

”Even so, I am still responsible At the very least, by my own hand, Vritra must be”

Mitsuki raised her fictional arhts on her face

”Hold on, Mitsuki, you should protect yourself just as Firill said Leave the attacking to us”

I stopped Mitsuki and shi+fted aze to the sky

In the sky, white fro Vritra

Explosions and flashes of light kept happening Vritra stopped attacking us and flew faster, probably to focus on evasion

”So fast And such irregular movements, impossible to predict It looks like she prioritized mobility because she could not use dark matter”

No eneration ability, we all possessed enough offensive power to take out Vritra in one hit Since defense was iical solution

”I cannot aiet If Firill-san and the others do not halt Vritra'swould be difficult”

Mitsuki apparently still intended to attack, but after seeing Vritra's excessively fast movements, she lowered the bow

”But What is Vritra-chan doing? Just dodging won't win”

Iris still see with a worried expression

I was asking the sah defenses could be co in attack power However, I noticed a certain change while tracking Vritra's figure flying in the air

”What Firill observed just noas not her i”

Rather than increasing in size, it was

And accoradually increasing I had a bad pre left behind, unable to catch up

Because I realized another advantage to prioritizing mobility

Evading the girls' pursuit, Vritra breathed fire at the flare floating in the sky Unlike earlier fireballs, the firepower approached Kili's heat beams A powerful strike

The flare was eliht sky to darkness

Due to the surroundings suddenly diantic black body for an instant

”Nii-san, Vritra is there!”

Mitsuki found Vritra faster than me and pointed at the sky

Vritra was rising rapidly as though ai for the top of the heavens

There were three sht fro Vritra, but Vritra pulled ahead in an instant

”So Vritra never gave up on using dark matter”

”Huh? What's going on? Mononobe?”

Listening to my mutters, Iris cocked her head in puzzlement

”Yggdrasil's interference against darkits power, there will still be a lih e”

”B-But there's no way to attack after escaping that far way”

”There are many ways, such as—”

Judging froe flashed in my mind

But in the next instant, that ie turned into reality

The stars in the night sky—disappeared

It was a gigantic rock blotting the sky, obscuring ht sources

The scene felt al down

”Me teor?”

Iris said blankly

”Attacking by bringing down a gigantic mass As expected fro capacity is on a completely different level from ours”

With a stiff expression, Mitsuki looked up at the enor the sky

”I' to use Catastrophe to erase it! Everyone hurry back!”

Using the communicator, Iris called to her classmates in the sky

'—Understood! All of us have retreated from directly above! You're free to fire any time!'

Ariella's voice could be heard over the coht and raised it to the sky

”O Catastrophe! Actualize!”

The red beaht up the sky

The pillar of tiiant meteor

Coainst Kraken Zwei, her output had increased further

Enveloped in red light, the radually turned into dust and broke off, but the meteor was too massive, or perhapswas quite slow

”Mononobe! There isn't enough time at this rate!”

Iris called out urgently At this irls returned

”Yuu! Vritra is using the meteor as a shi+eld to approach us!”

Tia landed and spoke while panting Electricity was sparking around her red horns Most likely, Tia was currently expanding the range of electrical interference

”—After reducing theIris-san's Catastrophe, I will destroy it using antion armament to aim and fire at Vritra”

Mitsuki raised her fictional armament with a tense expression

”Are you able to shoot, Mitsuki?”

Firill asked in worry Mitsuki nodded with an expression befitting the captain of the Dragon Subjugation Squad

”Do not worry, because the eneon this time”

In other words, she was hinting that she regarded Kraken Zwei as huo out of their way to pursue this matter at the moment

”Then Firill and I will get ready to deploy a barrier any time Ren, lend dark matter to Mononobe-kun”

”Mm”

Ren nodded in response to Ariella and held my left hand firmly

”I can't continue anymore”

Iris spoke painfully The red staff's outline began to fade and the brightness weakened

Even that Basilisk that possessed the sa it could fire Catastrophe at full power Similarly, Iris had her own limit

”Ren, we're up”

I gripped Ren's hand in return and started to construct an anti-dragon armament

”Marduk—main cannon, Babel!”

Given Vritra'sthe projectile-based Megiddo Babel's ability to generate a wide-area supergravitational discontinuity had a higher chance of capturing her

Through transantic weapon with the barrel split into tas constructed During this time, Iris' Catastrophe finally vanished

”I' on everyone for the rest”

Iris collapsed, sitting on the ground while breathing heavily

Weathered by the red light, the inal volume

”Leave it toArrow, Last Quark!”

Mitsuki immediately fired an arrow of antimatter

An explosion then turned the sky white

A brief ust of wind blew

Holding Ren's hand tightly, I narrowed aze on the sky

”—She's co”

Breaking through the h speed

It was Vritra—However, her foraps in the black exterior, blue-white light was leaking out Propelled by blue fla tail extended from the back

”Fire!”

I locked onto the target and ordered the pre-civilization weapon to attack, deteruaranteed kill

Gwon—An eerie noise of spatial distortion could be heard

The black torrent rushi+ng out of the anti-dragon armament spread far and wide, about to devour Vritra

What looked black was a supergravitational discontinuity, even capable of sucking in light, ietting crushed

Nevertheless—

”She dodged!?”

Ariella cried out in surprise

Using flaed directions and evaded the supergravitational zone

”Gah”

I operated the turret to follow Vritra'sirregularly at high speed

During this tihten

”No way”

Mitsuki gasped