Vol 12 Chapter 5 (1/2)

Chapter 5 - The City that eliaze moved away from the sky Just this action alone pulled Nina in andNelphilia's chin had onlyaway, and that was enough to capture Nina's heart

This girl was dangerous

This girl was dangerous Just by looking at her, no, since her figure entered Nina's sight, she found herself unable to look at anything else This girl's beauty and attraction was indescribable

”As I thought, the Guardian Beasts aren't enough!” Nelphilia said She wasn't looking at Nina, nor was she speaking to her

”They're all destroyed!” she said and finally looked at Nina

”All destroyed?”

This word sent a chill up Nina's spine Did anyone die? Or

”The Guardian Beasts You and the people with you, why did you co at Karian and the Head of Alchemy who lay on the floor

”I knew these two The one with the terrible face has alanted to wake er”

” Who are you?”

Nelphilia had her back on Nina, but her figure still attracted Nina's eyes Just as this girl?

”Are you really the Electronic Fairy that's split from Zuellni?”

”I hope you don't put irl's serious eyes found Nina ” But, thanks to that thing co Everything'sbegins everything by co? Please explain it in a way that we understand,” Nina said with dissatisfaction If she didn't say this, that girl's attraction ht take over her entire body

”I'm not an Electronic Fairy, but I like Zuellni! Out of all the Electronic Fairies, I only like that child Is that not enough a reason?”

”Then what are you?”

”What would you do if you found out? This has got nothing to do with you, right? Whether you knoho I a to do with my real body That I can tell you Noto do with h her tone was nonchalant, her words were obviously refusing Nina

”This is all you need to do now,” she said So had appeared in her hand

”This is?”

Her fingers held the thing lightly A mask A ed to the Wolf Faces She readied her iron whips

”You Are you a Wolf Face!?” she pointed her iron whip at her

”Your train of thought is so sihtened at the weapon pointed at her Disapproval showed in her eyes and she was not afraid as she placed the ood feel of it with your body You should be able to do that, right? Your body is half Electronic Fairy!”

Nina didn't understand her words in a split second, but the memory of what happened when she was ten rushed up inside her That tiny Electronic Fairy She had wanted to save it, but in the end, it saved her She thought she understood so as she recalled herof the mask before her suddenly rose in her

”Haikizoku!”

That irl's hand, the Haikizoku that had shown itself as a golden goat

”Why?”

”Don't you re to when you were defeated?”

She recalled the past event Yes, it did happen She re consciousness Sharnid had then saved her So so had happened before that?

”Thatabout And for the Haikizoku to turn into this, isn't it quite a convenient look? Its face reflects its master's appearance!”

She tossed the h both of Nina's hands were occupied with her iron whips, she reflexively caught the , the mask sank into her chest

It had returned That was how Nina felt

”Dixerio, the e, is easy to understand? That thing is necessary to him, so he lets the Haikizoku keep its appearance in the mask What about you?”

Nina didn't understand her question She wasn't surprised that this girl knew of Dixerio Since she knew the Wolf Faces, it wouldn't be strange for her to know Dixerio

”You've the power that people are envious of If you could obtain that poould you do with it?”

”Just what are you”

”I anticipate it,” the girl said, the shadows around her deepening into darkness as if to refuse Nina's hand Gradually, darkness sed her pale face and arreen light exuding froirl was present It illu in the rooained consciousness

◇

Layfon , he aimed his attack at Savaris' upper body It didn't hit Savaris had deflected the attack Savaris had released Kei fro it to deflect Layfon's assault

When Layfon swung his katana upward, Savaris had rushed hirab the fist with his own left hand, only rab hold of Savaris' wrist as the Heaven's Blade successor deflected Layfon's attack Savaris added horrific pressure on his left wrist Layfon, about to lose his grip, added strength to his fingers The Kei covering Savaris' fist resisted Layfon's hand Layfon gathered even ed to control Savaris' arm As such, the Heaven's Blade successor attacked Layfon's knee with his foot Layfon released his hold The two julove he earing was torn through, with traces of injuries left on his fingers Soers had sunk deep into Savaris' wrist There should be five lines of injuries on the Heaven's Blade successor's wrist Additionally, Layfon's katana had slashed open the chest area of Savaris' fighting suit Savaris had deflected the blade with his Kei, but it wasn't enough to cohed He tore the fighting suit apart to reveal his upper body Blood welled up from the injuries on his left wrist He licked his wounds Layfon's fingernails were still in theernails, pulled them out and spat the with blood in it

”As I thought In the end, only a fight with a fellow huht of power alone, but of skill and closer to death!”

”As if I care,” Layfon said and readied his katana again The spirit he had honed through training with the katana had chased away the pain in his left hand

”The present you is just an existence that I have to surpass The wall is high, and it's connected to other things too I' if I stood on your side”

”These things aren't important,” Layfon said and moved

Three successive sudden strikes for the head, heart and head Savaris failed to evade all three attacks and sustained shallow injuries on his shoulder and cheek Two forces of Kei clashed and detonated, blowing the air into disarray Savaris fleay in the air, as if bounding off so unpleasant on his chin, he quickly pulled back his body Cla his face

He was in the air

External Burst type Kei – Sendan (Lightning Cut)

Layfon's strike fleards Savaris

Savaris' slow vertical spin became horizontal as he kicked out with his foot

External-type burst Karen Kei variant – Fuuretsukei (Fierce Wind)

Thecurrent of air was sucked into Savaris' Kei and then deflected The condensed air pressure took Sendan head on and they canceled each other out A new force of chaotic air was called forth and pushed back by the two combatants

External-type Kei variant – Whirl Kei

Guiding the flow of the air current, Layfon hid numerous bullets of Kei inside it

External-type burst Karen Kei variant – Kishi+yukubaku (Compressed air)

Savaris' move compressed air into one point He detonated it to cancel Layfon's bullets The remnants of the explosion fleards Layfon

Combined Internal and External Kei Variant – Ryuusen Kei (Spinning Dragon)

Layfon spun to deflect the re in Savaris as well For a split second, Savaris had lost control of his body, and Layfon did not let that opportunity go

External Burst type Kei – Sendan (Lightning Cut)

The condensed Kei that flew out of the typhoon was enough to split a person in half

”Haha!”

External Burst type Kei, Luckens' move – Roar Kei

Savaris' voicedust that came from the battle The vibration that couldn't possibly have come from a human's voice decoathered by the exchange of Kei techniques, Layfon's Ryuusen Kei and the Savaris' Kishukubaku, now scattered in all directions

Explosions surrounded Savaris Sendan pierced through those explosions to draw a shallow ditch on the outer shell of the city

Layfon didn't feel he had finished his opponent Numerous explosions had drastically reduced visibility And he didn't think the sparks caused by the dust were enough to create such large explosions There must be a trap But as it?

”Tsk”

He stopped the Ryuusen Kei and retreated The trapforce of the External Kei, he moved back a hundred round He felt he had the advantage when the two forces of Kei clashed, but that was exactly why he felt Savaris had laid a trap for hi when he landed The turbulent air had yet to settle Dense smoke rose to cloud his vision He couldn't feel any Kei around him Savaris must have used Sakkei to mask his presence Where did Savaris plan to ae to think Savaris would attack from anywhere, as he was a Heaven's Blade successor He could even coround beneath Layfon's feet If Layfon lost his concentration, it would lead to his defeat

He was ready no matter where Savaris cah he knew this would obstruct the flexibility of his reet the attack through the instincts honed in training, he could not stop thinking

The previous explosion bothered hiure However, Sakkei itself was not enough to totally mask the flow of Kei unless the Kei vein itself was taken out In that case, the best ti and location to close with Layfon was?

Above Explosion Take advantage Jump

Those terht Savaris was above hiazes met The explosion had painted black Savaris' bloody s Sakkei and concentrated the Kei around hiht His body naturally reacted and readied his stance to iri Shoujin (Fla Blade)

Layfon jumped as he struck with the katana Flame writhed on the blade The strike of the katana brushed past Savaris as two forces of Kei ate into each other The ihters had exchanged positions

The fight hadn't ended The impact of the opponent's move swam in Layfon's body Pain Red dots that weren't of his flaed his stance Savaris had also landed to ready his next attack

But this tiasane Koufu (Flaht - Red Cloth)

External-type Kei variant – Goushi+youdan (Rising bullet)

External Kei in the for waterfall Savaris received it with Goushi+youdan Explosion Iinal position and forced him to land Savaris had stopped hisia Water Ferry)

With a speed that was even faster than Uzu Kei (external Whirl Kei), Layfon rushed Savaris Their gazes overlapped Though Savaris had yet to ready his stance, hethe kick of a death God nearing his right side, Layfon swung the katana without hesitation He aimed at Savaris' throat in an atte of ti in Death was about to descend on hiht react siainst Savaris' kick If Layfon was faster, then the threat against him would vanish If he was slower, he'd die

Death He had wanted to kill Gahard at that time but he did not That man was connected to the Luckens family Was he now to kill off a Heaven's Blade born to that family? He could not stop his movement now If he didn't kill his opponent, only death awaited him

The katana stabbed at Savaris' throat without deviating an inch Layfon felt it touch skin and break through muscles But next, a painful impact assaulted his shoulder

Ti He slid on air as if soround The katana flew frorip to pierce the earth

”Wu”

Pain ran through his entire body His right shoulder was dislocated Wounds broke over his body He felt so suit He pushed the right shoulder back in place The stimulation made him moan He picked up the Dite beside hi Blood welled from his neck wound to pool around hiht in his opened eyes was lost He probably was still alive as he was looking at Layfon's direction, his lips tre but without voice Probably because his throat's been cut open Layfon originally planned to coh that throat, but the kick had intercepted his move If Savaris' knee had contacted with Layfon's shoulder rather than part of his foot, then Layfon's shoulder would have been shattered The is What a close call And if Savaris could use his right ars wouldn't have turned out this way

Layfon left Savaris as he quietly ran internal Kei through his body He still had many people to defeat

I'll probably die

That thought echoed in Savaris' head as he felt soret it He didn't even think of another outco mental preparation was his all It would have been shaht

Layfon had left hihting Ruimei was his next opponent The one after hiht all the Heaven's Blade successors Where would he end up? Or, where would he fall? Savaris was envious of hie the Queen, and he did do it, but he lost He had lost to the Queen who had held back in the fight After that day, he had fought filth ht he'd surpass her one day But it wasn't too bad to fight Layfon in this desperate situation Yes, he had nothing except himself in a desperate situation That hy he could use power above his real strength Layfon was probably in that situation back then Savaris also wanted to find that extra so in himself But he probably wouldn't find it as he wasn't interested in anything outside battle Noas he lived, a day of satisfaction would never coht not be that bad to die here

”Are you to die here?”

Though blood flowed out fro, his sense of hearing was still sharp He heard footsteps The ball of light frouy Are you to die here because you went overboard playing?”

His vision was di, but he recalled that voice and realized it was Lintence He opened his reet him with spirit, but all that cae from the Queen”

He felt sharp pain and heat on his body that was like fire His body was still weak but the blood flow had stopped Savaris coughed violently as blood continued to spill froh his throat was better He could now breathe

”We're already short of one person We can't let one more die The Queen is the one to decide when you are to die”

Lintence had used his Steel Threads to sew up Savaris' injuries The Kei generated heat to burn the wounds and seal the the flow of blood Perhaps he had also perfectly sewn up the Kei vein

”Th Thanks,” he said His voice was hoarse and weak

”But speaking of which, what's with this coood? Having your name taken out of the co at his back that moved towards the center of the city, Savaris was very envious of Layfon

Having his life saved, his desire for battle had re-awakened But even he was unable to do anything

◇

Leerin had done what she could She had helped with cooking, setting up tables and eating utensils No ht was short of people, Leerin was able to make the for them Only that could keep her cal and had nothing else to do

”Could you take a look at Mei for me?” Naruki said as Leerin helped to deliver food to injured Military Artists Though Naruki was also wounded, she could still move around However, she could not return to the battlefield i out the City Police Mifi was somewhere here, but she was probably busy with people that she knew

”See for an activity to keep everyone's spirit up”

What a good idea Ignore the possibility that the event ood distraction

Leerin headed for Meishen's rooht eye was still closed, but no one had noticed No One person had noticed

Nina Only she had noticed Leerin's eye was closed Why her? Nina didn't feel anything strange and special about her closed right eye But no one else had noticed Thisthat could be similar to as inside Leerin Perhaps the event here was connected to the event in Myath But as it? The anization had attempted to seize Myath's Electronic Fairy That was all she understood All the information she held noas just bits and pieces Too broken to be put back together If what the Wolf Faces did was just a process to reach their goal, then ere they aiht eye part of it? Who was she?

Thoughts continued to churn inside Leerin's head, unable to halt She didn't kno to handle those questions So must have happened opposite the shelter And this wasn't connected to the reality It felt like so of dislike chased after her

So as Leerin? She kept asking herself She had never thought of this before At the orphanage, some children were taken in by other families, some were adopted, and others were taken to work Particularly for those people who had a craft skill, they often visited the orphanage as they wanted apprentices who could learn a skill at a young age But no one had requested for Leerin, and Leerin didn't regret it All she was bothered was that she didn't have any parents Derek never said anything about her origin Different reasons explained the outco those reasons, some could be said, sos that weren't important and consequential, others eren't told of anything would feel despair As such, he didn't say anything

Leerin understood why her adopted father said nothing, so she never asked But she did want to know No, perhaps even Derek didn't knohy she wanted to know She wasn't sure whether she had been adopted once when she was born But what existed one a process Leerin's eye the eye that reflected what a norht eye – therehad happened in her when she was in Grendan, but an oiven to her when she met Synola In that case, ”because I left Grendan” couldn't be a reason Though it h to explain the existence of her right eye

So filled her as she walked She had felt soround Were they connected? What should she do?

You can do nothing That hat that girl had said The black clothed girl looked the sairl in Leerin's h she recalled the girl in her e for her to irl in the irl was of a personality that would arouse pity and sy at her appearance

But why could Leerin not accept this thinking?

She re

What was going on? She was challenging Leerin Leerin felt the other person was siht eye seemed to be related to this co? What did she want to do? How did she plan to carry it out? These things that had already been decided were irl wanted to express? How painful a thing it was This seeh she chose certain actions, she felt those things had already been decided

Her inability to understand these things brought her unease She didn't even knohat she could do about it Leerin cahtly to soften her expression

Meishen was already up This was a rooh the gap in the curtain separating the beds Meishen looked eased at seeing Leerin

”Are you all right?”

”Uh, the doctor said I can leave when I feel ready I'm sorry”

”That can't be helped”

Leerin sat beside her There weren't many chances for them to be alone Naruki and Mifi were usually with Meishen Meishen was like a kid, a kid who tended to suffer when she was alone Leerin didn't think that was a good thing She didn't feel refusal or alarood their relationshi+p was

”Is it really bad outside?”

”I'm not sure Have you seen Naruki and Mifi?”

”Mi's visited me already Is Naruki injured?”

”Yeah, but she see with the City Police”

Leerin told her of what she knew

This was a very usual and relaxing hour, but Leerin felt a sense of tension co else she couldn't pinpoint She then realized that the tension ca at people frole It probably came from her shy personality She always had her head down It was difficult to look her in the eye But it seee her personality Since co to Leerin

Leerin found that part of her strong The atteht that was harder than any other fights Layfon also wanted to change his lifestyle Though his first intention was to abandon his life as a Military Artist, the intention was different now Leerin was a bit worried that he was only being pulled around by fate

Nina was the same The people Leerin lived with in the dor soainst themselves Perhaps everyone who came to an Academy City was the sa bus and left their city on a life-threatening journey But if that was the case, then this world had too many battlefields

”Lay ton Layfon Is he not back?”

For Meishen to say this with this expression, thisto others, but it must be an important battle for her

”Yeah, he's not back”

Speaking of which, Leerin hadn't heard of any news about hih Nina was back

” Are you not worried?”

She didn't kno to answer She didn't think Layfon would die and sustain heavy injuries She hadterrible had happened to him, Nina wouldn't have hidden his condition and kept calm That didn't match her personality This meant Layfon was fine That was Leerin's belief She could only believe as she couldn't do anything else

”Because I can't do anything, I can only believe in hiive Derek's katana to Layfon An incredible event had happened at that ti a terrible fight right now She felt he was in the ht out of all his battles In Grendan, he could leave the fights to others, but not in Zuellni That hy she wished for hi to be a Military Artist She wanted him to take up the katana so that he wouldn't be crippled when he had to give his all In the end, Layfon decided to pick up the katana once iveness In his heart, he had not abandoned his past in Grendan Though she felt his refusal to take up the katana was his stubbornness about the past, she had ed to persuade him She was very happy that he understood her That hy she firmly believed in him, believed that he would safely return just like the tie?

”You're strong,” Meishen said with her head lowered

Leerin ignored the light swaying in her heart and looked at her From the start, Meishen was bent over her knees on the bed, looking at her own feet

”I can't be as strong as you I've I've alorried I don't knohat to do”

A dark spot stained her dress The trace of so wet the trace of a tear Tears fell from her face

Was she so worried that she had to cry? Leerin remembered that she also cried when she reunited with Layfon and saw the wounds on his body That had never happened in Grendan as there werelike Layfon She always believed that Layfon would return

”I' as it's someone I've seen, the Military Artists in the class What would I do if they're not here toht alone makes me feel so unco about Naruki, I think I'm more worried about him”

”Uh”

Leerin felt her own reply eak What reement? Acceptance? Or did she only reply to allow the other person to keep talking?

”I I like Layfon Perhaps, he's the first boy that I like”

”Uh”

Still weak

After knowing that Meishen had read Layfon's letter, she iirls that she noticed also were Nina and Felli She wasn't sure at first as she thought they ith hi themwas delicate If it was the case, she probably didn't notice her own feelings due to other distractions

She could tell how proactive Meishen was by her action of reading the letter Though she suspected Meishen's personality was shy through her actions, she was in reality a shy person Meishen wanted to change Of course, her actionher a helping push from behind If Meishen hadn't fallen for Layfon, perhaps she would have already changed her personality Layfon was too cluirl like Meishen take such action, this man was too foolish Leerin really wanted to scold him and call hiry like that

”Leerin's strong I don't knohat I should do”

Meishen sobbed with her hands covering her face Leerin placed her hand on Meishen's back, patting her The girl's entire body shook

Leerin didn't knohat to say What should she do? What should she convey to her? What should she do for Meishen orried about Layfon soif not for Mifi

She handed Meishen to Mifi's care So relieved At the same time, she wondered whether she was over her head She was relieved to escape froirl, about her closed right eye that no one noticed, about more important questions But these were just excuses What she had noticed in the conversation with Meishen shook her otten the questions about herself and her right eye when she sat beside Meishen

Leerin left for the corridor

This was not her ho bus and the time of her earlier days in Zuellni But now that she had spent three ht had vanished

She now told herself once more that this wasn't her hoht not be the place that she should be in

The person she hoped for, the thing she hoped for All that had ended when she handed Derek's Dite to Layfon She had nothing else to do here Though she could learn s in the Acadeo back

She wanted to take glie from far away She wanted to make meals for Derek She wanted to feel the atmosphere of the small and narrow, unlike in Zuellni, classroom She wanted to see Synola-senpai's foolish acts She suddenly felt these yearnings Though she didn't cry, she felt the inside of her head heating up

She walked and continued to walk, but no matter where she ca a crisis This was Zuellni In a shelter in Grendan, at least she had so Since when she was little, she had entered the shelter once a e to enter the shelter, she had ued with theer and being told to stop arguing

Since living on her own, she had been visiting a different shelter The canteen area where she helped to make reet her when they saw her They'd even tell her where to buy cheap food The foundation of her life was there Right now, she wished and longed for it She wanted so to rely on

She knew she had beco on if she should co, came here She wanted to meet Layfon Meet, and then What did she want to do after seeing him? She felt she wouldn't know until she met him She did intend to to understand her own heart, but she felt it would be unclear if she took one– her feelings, Layfon's feelings, and the future

These things had ended She felt that had ended on the first night in the shelter

Her right eye hurt She wanted to tell so was painful for her

She wanted soet some answer She wished someone could clearly point out to her what she wished for She was beco there

No one was here The group of eyeballs was gone Had they truly disappeared or had they siht eye, but the pain didn't allow her Her right eye see to open itself

”See”

This was a voice so light that it could pierce through air This girl stood next to her and looked the sairl was not the sa clothes the color of the night sky stood next to her She stood there as if it was matter of fact

Who, who are you?