Vol 12 Chapter 4 (1/2)
Chapter 4 - Pitch-Black Disaster
Part 1
The instant I opened the hatch, I al wind I steadied ainst the wall
Currently, Marduk had decreased its altitude and its speed was dropping rapidly too Hence, I decided it was possible to go outside even without an air barrier However, this wind pressure was capable of blowing an entire person away if one were careless
Arriving on Marduk's deck, I gripped the railing whiletowards the prow Someone was already there
Her shoulder-length hair and skirt swaying in the wind, she was looking down froe of the deck
”—Can you see it, Firill?”
I approached her—Firill Crest—while asking in a voice loud enough to overcome the wind
Only then did she notice and turn towards ht surprise She smiled
”Yes, I can see it Thank you, Mononobe-kun, fora detour to fulfill my selfish request”
”No problem, there's plenty of time before the operation starts Furthermore, this isn't really a detour The Principality of Erlia borders our charted course anyway”
I shook rateful Firill not to worry
Indeed, Marduk was currently flying over Firill's ho down from the deck, the view of a country rich with natural beauty, ringed by ht
”It's such a tiny nation when I look down from the sky like this But to me, it is an extremely place that I don't want to lose That's why I wanted to confirm What I must protect at all costs”
Firill looked out to her ho
”Yeah—It must be extremely important to you”
Expressing determination to protect her homeland, the side of Firill's face overlapped with my memory of Mitsuki, who had defended the tohere we lived in the past
”Oh, Mononobe-kun! Look at that castle! And over there, a lake and a waterfall! Do you still remember?”
Firill pointed at the royal castle and the lake beside it
”I didn't forget We even danced together at the castle, and the waterfall was so loud”
My memories surfaced This was the country where r took place The memories of the battle were especially vivid
”So nostalgic It feels like it just happened in front of me However, this messes up the promise a little”
”Promise?”
Seeing Firill murmur in disappointment, I asked, and she smiled mischievously
”My intention was to bring you back as my prince, Mononobe-kun, the next time I returned here”
”What—”
Firill ad my heart to pound nonstop
”Well, I suppose I've achieved the goal, sort of Mononobe-kun, you said you'd take responsibility Hmm, but you haven't fulfilled your promise properly yet Oh, why don't we—”
After conteainst her hand, Firill puffed out her chest as though she had thought of so
”Mononobe-kun, this airspace belongs to the Principality of Erlia, doesn't it?”
”Yeah, that's right”
Shaken by her earlier words, I nodded stiffly
”As such, I aht now Within this country, I am a super VIP”
”VIP—But isn't the Principality a deh they have royalty?”
”Even so, I'm still a VIP, you know? I have clout and authority Any objections?”
”None at all”
”Excellent So, the VIP—this princess—hereby commands Mononobe-kun, kneel down before me”
With royal dignity in her countenance, Firill declared solemnly
”Why?”
”Stop talking and just do it now”
”Fine, I got it”
I gave up and sighed, then knelt down on one knee in front of Firill I hastily boweddown had providedin the wind
Next, in front of me while I was crouched down, Firill extended her hand
”Kiss the back of my hand”
”K-Kiss!?”
I could not help but exclaim in hesitation Then Firill spoke with some displeasure
”I heard you did this with Lisa Don't tell me you won't do it with me? This is very important”
Her voice sounded extremely serious with mild insecurity in her expression
Indeed, at Midgard's underground hot spring, after the comedic ”transformation into my kind,” I had kissed the disappointed Lisa on the back of her hand
Being close friends with Lisa, Firill must have heard about what happened
”—Understood”
I mustered my determination and took Firill's hand
Since this hat she hoped, I had to grant her wish This was out ofher
Her pale and slender hand was treh she was the one who had requested it, she seemed to be nervous
This was one of Firill's traits Hence, if anything happened, I uide her
”Please excuse me, Princess Firill”
I had to afford her the proper respect since she was carrying herself as royalty here I brought my lips to make contact with her hand
In that instant, Firll's entire body shook Just as I withdrewfrom her hand
I looked up slowly andFirill
However, she deliberately canity as princess fro
”—I, Firill Crest, Princess of the Principality of Erlia, hereby swear upon the souls of reat ancestors, to accept this contract and take Mononobe Yuu as my lawfully wedded husband”
”Huh?”
I stared at Firill in shock, then she repeated it again, blushi+ng even more intensely
”With this, Mononobe-kun, you're now my husband My prince”
”Prince—J-Just wait a sec!”
”Of course I'h it was si Within the Principality, it is legally binding so long as it is witnessed by a member of royalty On this occasion, since I myself am royalty, there's no problem at all”
Firill made a thumbs-up I hastily stood up and asked:
”What, that's a huge problem! I was totally kept in the dark, so—”
”Objection overruled This e was conducted and sworn in the name of royalty Mononobe-kun, we are now husband and wife This is a princess' decision, so no co”
Firill pressed her finger to , then a sed me from the front
”Fufu, mission accomplished!”
”F-Firill”
My brain's processing power could not keep up with the sudden development and the sensation of her bust
I did not knohat to do—However, Firill released the railing that she had been holding onto for support and wrapped her ar my heart pound nonstop
This had nothing to do with e or whatever I becao of Firill never existed in my heart
Feeling Firill's body war perhaps it really was tih she had noticed so
”—Oh, looks like my time as a princess has ended”
Looking at the ground, she said in disappointment
”Uh, what do you mean?”
Unable to comprehend the situation, I asked
”Now that we have crossed the e, this isn't the Principality's airspace any, this e is only effective within the borders of the Principality We are no longer husband and wife this moment, just class you”
Firill explained with a faint smile
”Oh I see You really scared me to death”
I relaxed my shoulders and exhaled deeply Was this actually relief or dashed hopes? Even I myself could not tell
”I wanted to ainst Baha after the battle felt like it'd be a dangerous flag to raise”
Firill spoke with a wry smile, but at that moment, she switched to a solemn expression and held my hand
”However, what I said earlier was no joke The fact that we are married in the Principality of Erlia, Mononobe-kun, is the truth, okay?”
Saying that, she raised ht it close to her face
She pressed her cherry lips against the back of htly moist sensation, Firill looked up at me and smiled mischievously
”Until the next time we visit the Principality, this secret is between only me and you, Mononobe-kun”
Then she left me and walked to the hatch
Frozen, I watched her walking away, but just before entering the shi+p, she turned around and pointed at er
”Divorce or similar words are forbidden—My prince”
Part 2
NIFL's second defense line deployed across the waters of Noras greater in scale than I iined
Around Marduk, which had landed on the sea, the fleet for from one end of the horizon to the other
From the sky earlier, I had spotted aircraft carriers in the back too It was probably from there that recon planes had been launched across the sky
It would be no exaggeration to say that all of NIFL's reathered here If the enemy broke past here, there would be no way to ”protect huement was only natural My currently location was in fact the final defense line
And right now, Marduk and the battleshi+p Naglfar moored close by were in a discussion about the key points of this operation
”—2nd Lieutenant Mononobe, can I trust in you?”
Standing on the deck of the Naglfar, Major Loki asked me in a deep voice Side by side, the two battleshi+ps were separated by a distance of roughly ten e of each battleshi+p's deck, it was possible to convey our voices to the other side
”Yes Just as ured out the location of her authority This time, she should be able to unleash Catastrophe on a scale required to vanquish Bahao”
”Fine, but that is not the point I a What worries e is ten thousand th In other words, it is necessary to launch the attack at point blank range Delivering her to that position would be your responsibility What I a is whether you have the resolve for that”
Major Loki shook his head and stared intently at me
The strategy athered at the bridge, Iris and Vritra had said the following through the monitor
'—I've located my authority If I close ht in the eye on the right Basilisk's power is in ht eye'
'I too have confirlow Currently, she ought to be capable of drawing out the power consciously Nevertheless, firing Catastrophe directly i darkit into Catastrophe is no longer an option, understood?'
What Major Loki brought up was the issue that Vritra had raised
In any case, we had devised the operation in spite of the risks because ”there was no other way,” but after the , Major Loki had called me out to the deck
It seemed like he wanted to confirm my resolve prior to the operation
”Of course I'll be able to do it for sure With Catastrophe, Marduk's weaponry and the Ds' powers—Getting close to Bahamut is very feasible”
”—Thanks”
I saluted Major Loki with military etiquette
The operation that was about to start was very siot close Bahah-priority enemies, so feints were pointless Consequently, the approach with the highest chance of success was breaking through fro a saturation attack The machine intellect Atla had also reached the same conclusion
”I aravity cannon Babel was effective against Baha with its payload replaced by cryogens—has also demonstrated effectiveness to some extent We should be able to slon Bahamut's movements”
S confidently, Major Loki nodded and looked towards the prow—Baha from the northern sky
”Probability of victory is definitely not low No, considering the opponent is a dragon, this probability of victorythis batttle, aThis is very worth celebrating, but to ”
”Major Loki, do you think this ht be a trap?”
When I frowned and asked, he shrugged lightly
”I didn't say that Judging froence However, I a pheno the unknown territories? And why does its shadow turn into additional unknown territory? Right noe still have no idea”
”Yeah It bothers me a lot too”
Defeating Bahamut would not be the end of it, I told myself
”Indeed, take care not to be caught unprepared That being said, you have no cause to worry, 2nd Lieutenant Mononobe All this ti the i face to face, would've been iinally”
Turning his gaze back to me, Major Loki stared intently I could not tell what he was thinking from his expression Which side would die, or a case of mutual annihilation—The outcome of that battle was virtually preordained It was definitely a miracle that we both survived However
”It was not my oer Kili was the one who healed you, Major Loki, and perhaps it was due to Atla that we both survived”
”Due to Atla?”
Showing complete surprise on his face, Major Loki repeated my words
It wassuch a look on hihtedly
”Back then, when your plan failed, Major Loki, the Naglfar on the sea fired its main cannon at the break of dawn However, now that I think about it, judging froard”
While Ariella was using a gigantic shi+eld to defend against the Naglfar's main cannon, Tia had hacked the shi+p to stop its attack
The cannon was powerful, but I had doubts whether it could have destroy Midgard completely
”Froard you with ht have hesitated in fear of getting you caught in the blast in case you were still alive”
At that moment, a muffled voice snarled from Major Loki's chest pocket
”Wh__ nonsense ___ you ________!?”
”Atla denies it Wishful thinking on your part, 2nd Lieutenant Mononobe”
Major Loki tapped his pocket which probably contained his portable ter in a surprised tone of voice
”True, I don't have concrete evidence so I could be wrong But don't you think the i so ordinary?”
While nodding, I looked back into his eyes forcefully
”—Well, I cannot deny this possibility The i very simple for someone else, somewhere It is true that Atla saved me In that case, I should thank her”
Major Loki smiled with a froh in shock
”In any case, I no the reason I lost last ti”
”Interesting huh?”
Idownout in cold sweat
”Yes, though of course, us trying to kill each other fills reater elation”
Leaving behind a gaze and words that felt like they could freeze lfar
”I really don't want another go at that”
Left alone, I gruh, but my voice was lost in the wind Amid the noise of waves and airplanes, my words did not reach anyone
Part 3
'Bahaht speed The operation will commence as planned'
”Understood Marduk, enter launch mode”
Hearing Jeanne's report over the communicator, I issued a command to the shi+p mentally
—Main engine, ignite Engage drive transravitational control devices Co
As Marduk ruradually sank down
Standing on the deck of the slowly rising Marduk, I looked port side Roughly a hundred lfar also deployed its s
The other side apparently possessed flight capability too, which was presumably how it had the lfar's s seemed to be flywheel-ravitational control devices
”All units, the operation will begin five minutes from now Are you ready?”
Standing on the deck, I asked the girls in front of me
Although the distribution of roles was the same as in the previous battle, the outside co to charge at ht speed later, they would be left behind the moment they separated from the shi+p Hence, all of them were on the deck to participate in offense and defense
”Yeah, no probleured out my authority, so it'll work this time And you're here too, Mononobe—I won't be afraid of turning into a dragon”
After Iris responded firmly, the others also nodded
”We are fine too However, so me a while now”
Lisa looked atAriella and Ren to shi+ft their gazes in surprise
”I think I've got the same question on my mind too”
”Mm, me too”
Next, Kili looked at me with eyes of displeasure
”Hey you, haven't you been staying too close to Yuu since earlier?”
”Eh, me?”
She was referring to Firill, as standing next to me
Indeed, I was very conscious of it too As soon as we asse close to me
Her matter-of-fact expression , but the others apparently reached the end of their patience
”What's the probleht?”
Firill cocked her head in puzzle Firill's response, Lisa frowned in a dilemma
”Even so, you are still standing too close to him It is unnatural no matter how I look at it”
”There's nothing unnatural This is a very natural distance for ree?”
After answering calmly, Firill looked up at me
”No, well, even if you ask me, I suppose?”
Unable to understand her behavior, I gave a vague answer This rabbed my arm
Just as I leaned over slightly, she drew her face near and whispered in my ear
”We are needs, Mononobe-kun This kind of distance is very normal”
”Uh—”
Firill's breath and words werestares froirls, I answered quietly
”B-But that's within the Principality, and didn't you say keep it a secret from everyone?”
”Yes, that's right But the need aura between us is unstoppable For ht now, this is the natural distance So do your best, Mononobe-kun, and keep them in the dark”
Blushi+ng, Firill replied with a serious expression
While ere conversing in whispers, Iris tugged at my uniform from behind
”What are you talking about, Mononobe and Firill-chan? Why do you have to whisper?”
”W-Well, it's because—”
Racking my brain furiously, I wondered how to deceive the rest of the girls
”Just noe were flying over the Principality of Erlia, the subject of protecting this place ca with our hearts as one, we beca like that”
When I struggled to explain, Firill interjected after asking me to do my best earlier
”That's right, Mononobe-kun and I are now in this together, thick and thin We'll protect our country Like this—Hip hip hurray!”
Grabbing or
The subtle emphasis in her state the explanation
”That's right! Of course I'll do my best too Hip, hip, hurray!”
She raised her fist high
Doubt remained on the others' faces, but they tensed their expressions after hearing the latest update through their communicators
'Three minutes until the operation Cocytus has been fired from a distant base Combat team outside the shi+p, please deploy barriers from the deck and standby to attack'
”—Affirnir!”
Lisa began to construct her fictional armament and the others also readied themselves for combat
”Aegis—Deploy barrier”
Ariella erected an air barrier while Ren raised her hammer fictional armament
”Mm, Mjolnir”
After surimoire fictional armament, Firll smiled at me
”Necrono”
The pages of the book flipped noisily, blowing a s This was probably to strengthen the air barrier
Without using a fictional armament, Kili walked to the center of the deck and said quietly
”—Muspelhei Iris-chan, I will use refraction of light to make it impossible to see us from outside”
There was no visible change However, tiny particles of dark enerated in the surrounding space to deploy optical cae
'Do your best, everyone!'
I heard Tia's voice over the communicator Next, Mitsuki and shi+on's voices also reached my ear
'Nii-san, everyone, I will be watching over you all froe If a situation should arise, I will rush over instantly to support you'
' haPpEns hiP HiP huRrAy!'
shi+on's imitation of Iris and Firill earlier made me smile
”Yeah—Thanks a lot Iris, are you ready?”
”Yes, no problem Look”
When I asked, Iris nodded and closed her eyes When she opened theht eye was already crimson like a ruby A short while later, her left eye also started glowing red
”Caduceus!”
Iris cried out sharply and her staff fictional armament manifested Up to this point, it was the same as usual
However, the fictional ar its surface with a layer of red diamond scales Next, an ominous red sphere appeared on the tip of the staff
I had seen this once before It was the ”organ” for producing maximum firepower that Iris had used when she beca the shon against the ra Kraken Zwei
”—Third Eye of Catastrophe!”
As Iris called out, the red sphere split open to reveal a giant eyeball Like Iris' own eyes, the eyeball was gloith criht too
This was the third eye that Iris had created In order to maximize Catastrophe's bea Bahamut
”Mononobe It worked I will fight”
Although Iris was s her hand that was holding the staff It was possible to turn her back, but I still felt a bit worried However, since she had demonstrated her resolve, I could not shoeakness either
”Yeah, Iris—I' the fatal blow to Bahamut We'll create the opportunity for you to launch this attack”
I nodded at Iris and looked at everyone in turn
”When Basilisk used the third eye to fire Catastrophe, it required a recharge period before attacking again assu arbitrarily We will be the ones to handle Bahamut's attacks
”Yes, of course We shan't allow Iris-san to be troubled”
Lisa asserted strongly and raised her spear fictional armament Once everyone was ready, shi+noh the communicator
'—As discussed during the strategy , we have now confirmed two of Bahaed fro of ed to neutralize the heat bea Babel, our shi+p should be able to do thte same However, it is possible for Bahamut to have other aces up its sleeve Do not be careless under any circumstances'
”Yes ma'am”
After I replied, shi+nomiya-sensei continued
'Furthermore, optical weapons such as lasers will end up absorbed as energy before striking the target Although point-blank explosions are able to inflict daenerated in the blasts will turn into Baha its metabolic functions Please commit these two points to your memory and react flexibly Well then—There are only thirty seconds left The countdoill commence presently'
The atrew tense I stared at the northern sky
Bahaht yet, but we should be able to see it with a slight increase in altitude That was how close our enemy was
I increased the output of the ine and waited for the lfar revving up to high energy while hovering at the saht
'Begin countdown—Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one—'
An ICBM flew over in the sky The instant it disappeared on the other side of the horizon, the start of the operation was declared
'—Zero!'
”Main thrusters, ignite! Full speed ahead!”
With an to advance The G-forces from acceleration pressed down all overthe deck was supporting all of us
The missiles fired by the fleet at the second defense line were flying in front nearby
The clouds flew back violently and the blue horizon was dyed white Over the there, seawater was being frozen And in the sky, a giant shadoas hovreing
'Target confiret'
After Jeanne's report, the ten-thousand-ure was surrounded by white mist from the blast These white clouds were probably produced fro must have smashed into Bahamut's body and exploded without fail
'All missiles , but core energy still very high'
This was like trying to put out a fire with cups of water, but noFurthermore, the first strike's objective was to obscure Baha theas possible
Bahah the white clouds produced by the cryogens Marduk used this opportunity to close in according to the plan Only thirty kilometers remained between us
Flying next to us, the Naglfar was slightly ahead and fired a missile This was to divert Baha Marduk in appearance, perhaps the Naglfar flying side by side could confuse Bahamut as a decoy
'Bahaeting Marduk!'
But after hearing Jeanne's report, I knew the idea was too optie should have prevented it fro Iris, Bahamut correctly identified the location of its natural enemy
'High-energy reaction detected froainst its heat beam!'
Even though ere fairly far away, I still could sense the brightness fro projectiles numbered two hundred If they were to split up in the air, the quantity would be multiplied
”Too many—Even if Mononobe-kun reduced their nuht be too much to handle Should I deploy a physical barrier?”
Ariella asked anxiously The approaching projectiles looked like black stars in the blue sky
However, I shook my head and looked at Bahamut, which was about to fire its heat beam
”No, we'll blow them all away from this distance Leave it to me”
Last ti projectiles were al at us fro Abyss But this ti the main cannon's line of fire
”Babel—Maximum output”
I infused the y The lenses in the ht while a deep rus
Until now, I had always used Marduk's weapons in independent isolation to defeat dragons, but using the it The main cannon and the special artillery would self-destruct after a single shot, while the other weaponry also fared poorly in stability In other words, I had not been able to draw out their full capabilities
But this time was different
”Energy critical Target, the fifth dragon—'Eternal Longevity' Bahamut”
Plasma appeared between the lenses in the barrel and the noise of activation grew loud
Directly connected to Marduk's engine, thethe main cannon in isolation could not compare to this at all
The same time as Bahamut released its heat beam, I yelled:
”—Fire!!”
The beaht shot fro projectiles, neutralized the heat beam, and directly struck Bahamut in the distance
Due to the spatial discontinuity created by supergravity, a pitch-black band distorted the path of light rays From the shi+p's perspective, there were unnatural cracks in the surrounding scenery Seawater swirled up against the Earth's gravity, sucked into the black light together with clouds
It looked as though the world itself had shattered
Baha to escape the gravitational discontinuity, but enveloped by the black beaed out