> Divulge The Magic Vulnerability Volume 1 Chapter 6">Volume 1 Chapter 6 (2/2)

That was what allowed her to break through the upper limits of the world set by those four rulers, but it was also what left her vulnerable enough to be defeated and sealed by human hands. If they had been up against those four elemental rulers themselves, people would have realized how silly it was to challenge them with magic. No matter how many shots they fired, they could never bring them down.

”Hold on. Is that what this is about!?” Nirvelphany spoke up in displeasure while Ayato flew the Armored Dragon below a giant water arch. ”There are only four elements in the world and we demons play a large role in their creation. But the Forturiana Church invented the light and dark elements to create an explanation where humans are on top! That's why they can't allow an explanation with only the four elements! So were they trying to cover up the truth by silencing the Hero and the Demon Lord during their Temple Moving Ceremony? All to protect their cheap illusion of a nonexistent element of light!?”

”If you want to get technical, you could be seen as the one and only element of darkness or non-elemental being since your possibilities cannot be controlled by those four elemental rulers!!”

Just as he said that, Ayato forcibly lifted up the giant isosceles triangle craft. It was a lot like a horse rearing up and he used it to rapidly brake.

High Priest Belbath's identical Armored Dragon tore through the air as it shot by.

And Ayato raised his voice just as they pa.s.sed by in the air.

”Miss Mamilis!!”

”Got it, Coach.”

The full-auto shotgun produced countless red muzzle flashes. Primary Blaze was the most basic form of fire magic, but it was more than enough of a threat at that density.

Pieces tore up from the surface of the High Priest's Armored Dragon, but it did not fall yet.

In fact, Belbath managed to escape out ahead. The Dark Elf's distinctive long ears shook as the old man escaped beyond the range of her full-auto shotgun.

And…

”The bazooka is coming again!!”

”Perfect. Let's move in close.”

The High Priest shot the bazooka backwards and it flew straight toward them while trailing white smoke.

”Kyahh!!”

”We're fine!!”

Teleria screamed, so Ayato held her in one arm to calm her down while accelerating the Armored Dragon and letting the approaching weapon pa.s.s by just barely overhead.

No matter what definition you used, Nirvelphany's presence could not be used to prove the existence of an element of light itself.

And if darkness existed without light, that would only be a bigger problem for Forturiana. Enough of one that they would lose the unifying power to pull off an event like the Temple Moving Ceremony.

That would leave no way to prove the existence of light without doing exactly what they themselves forbade: doubting the very existence of benevolent coincidence and a.n.a.lyzing things instead.

The two Armored Dragons moved in close.

Now it was Ayato's turn. He focused on his Linkage Plug sword in addition to the crystal tarot cards.

”The other sects try to explain the creation of the world through harmony of the four elements, but Forturiana has gathered greater popularity through their simpler Light-Dark Duality. They can't let it get out that the element of light doesn't exist!”

Mamilis's full-auto shotgun gave another roar, but there was more of a distance now. The barrage of explosive flames did not quite reach the High Priest's Armored Dragon. However, the High Priest's bell cricket soundproof barrier really did not seem to be working properly while moving around at such high speeds.

Ayato and Belbath glared at each other, but their voices could not reach other at this distance and among all the explosions. The Bell Ringing prototype's effect also served to distort the sound between them.

This must have been an unpleasant surprise for the High Priest as well.

It had happened during the leadup to their delicate Temple Moving Ceremony.

All official records had been lost, so no one knew where in the Selected Kingdoms the sealed shrine was located. Also, the seal could not be broken from within. If no one knew where it was, then Nirvelphany's slumber was essentially eternal. And yet this had happened.

They had actively oppressed the demons because they did not want the other humans to find out they were borrowing the demons' power. They also wanted the demons themselves to forget they were lending out their power. Yes, just like an abused child or old person would become convinced it was their own fault, the long, long history of oppression was meant to make them more withdrawn and weak-willed.

The four elemental lords never made an appearance and never spoke with the humans.

So they could be silenced by crus.h.i.+ng the smaller demons who could possibly bring their words to the humans.

But the ancient Demon Lord Nirvelphany could not be oppressed like that. She might just destroy all who opposed her, regather the scattered demons, and reclaim their strength as a great army. She had the greatest power, but she also had the ability to pour out all her efforts for a single human, so her actions were nigh impossible to predict. There was always a risk of her breaking her way directly into human society and revealing the truth instead of using the smaller demons as messengers.

Forturiana could not allow the truth to get out.

However, Nirvelphany would not be so easily captured once she was unsealed. They could not predict how she would act.

So they had stolen that freedom from her.

They had gone all in. The date of the Temple Moving Ceremony could not be changed and, because it was a setup, there was no coming back if it failed. They had needed to incorporate a conspiracy into their own precious event.

By ordering the old man arrested and executed, they had tried to redirect and guide Nirvelphany's actions so they could capture her.

(Miss Mamilis's shots are preventing the High Priest from firing his bazooka because he will be caught in the blast if one is shot too close to him. This is our chance to get close!!)

”Forturiana has been putting out sketchy-looking ads related to magic. Things like overuse of magic giving you a disease from the recoil, or being allergic to mana. But I've never heard of that happening to anyone.”

”Of course you haven't. Mana itself circulates through all living things, so it would take an extremely high density before your body could detect it as an abnormality.”

”Exactly right, Demon Lord. That means they're having to take desperate measures to gather followers. I bet their finances are in the red. They say they have the favor of the royals in this city, but that may be the problem. If they've picked up a ridiculously expensive lifestyle, they'll start running the business into the ground. Ha ha. That explains why they needed an event like the Temple Moving Ceremony.”

The enormous sailing s.h.i.+ps and steamboats had much higher levels than sorcery vehicles and airs.h.i.+ps. A group of ones between 300 esoule[5] and 400 esoule[6] were packed in close on the water's surface. Ayato attacked them to increase his processing s.p.a.ce like a runaway s...o...b..ll, so he quickly reached the quadruple digits. If he could directly stab it with his sword, he could hack the Bell Ringing prototype on High Priest Belbath's shoulder or the man's large Armored Dragon itself.

(I'm not going to let this go to waste.)

He only had to get closer.

If only he could move in!!

(I'm between Level 6000 and 7000 now. No, it's still growing! He's earned the favor of the king to abuse the entire sky city's infrastructure and create a tiny fortress for himself, but I'll drag him out of there and destroy him!!)

”Nirvelphany.”

”Yes?”

”Only four elements exist. Whatever benevolent coincidences might exist, they don't come from the element of light that High Priest speaks of. Revealing that fact would ruin him and the Forturiana Church. They might want to redo their Temple Moving Ceremony, but I doubt the king would let them at that point. This might be cruel to the ordinary believers, but I'm going to make that church pay for everything they've done. …So this is a personal question: would you be satisfied with that?”

She looked confused.

An then she answered him.

”I won't be satisfied until I've punched him myself.”

”I had a feeling. Doing that does feel good.”

Driven by the dense barrage of explosive flames coming from long-eared Mamilis's full-auto shotgun sorcery gun, High Priest Belbath's Armored Dragon rapidly braked.

”I knew this was coming soon!!”

The slipper-sized bug did not function properly during rapid movement, so this was his only chance at survival. Ayato had been in the same position earlier. By braking and letting the pursuer pa.s.s you, you could switch out the positions of attacker and defender. But you could deal with that if you knew it was coming.

Ayato touched his crystal tarot cards.

His Armored Dragon shot forward, but twisted around to flip upside down. The two Armored Dragons pa.s.sed by while nearly touching in an acrobatic stunt. The two 35 esoule[7] crafts were a mere 2 esoule[8] apart.

While one was upside down and the other was not, they effectively existed in the same s.p.a.ce.

Ayato and Belbath's eyes met.

The boy in the blue blazer remained upside down as he moved to stab his Linkage Plug sword into the creepy bell cricket on the High Priest's shoulder.

”You think I'll let you, traitor!?” roared the High Priest.

An intense vibration followed. He could no longer trust the slipper-sized bell cricket, so he forcibly twisted the Armored Dragon around so its wing would hit theirs.

That one second seemed to stretch out for an eternity as Ayato lost his chance and the two crafts lost their balance. Ayato was forced to pour all his attention into the crystal tarot cards to ensure they did not crash.

The next thing he knew, the two crafts were flying alongside each other.

”Living in fear of the truth can't be fun. You've grown so bloated with shame that it's impossible to see who you even are anymore, High Priest!!”

”Don't make me laugh, sinner. The Temple Moving Ceremony will provide a solid foundation for the Forturiana Church and that old man must be executed for that. Failure is not an option here!”

”I thought churches were supposed to be divine inst.i.tutions. Since when did a human like you get to call the shots?”

”The truth is preserved by the king and spread by the Forturiana Church!! You need only open your mouths and accept the truth we provide you! That will ensure happiness for all the people!!”

”The truth has more weight than that. I may be a shameless Sorcery Hacker crawling through the depths of the earth, but let me make something clear. No matter what you theatrically read from your script and no matter what anyone in the world believes, you can only alter public opinion. It might be hidden in the shadows of history, but the truth is always out there! We've worked hard to overcome our interspecies differences, so I'm not letting you tear down those bonds just to protect some fantasy about a nonexistent element of light!!!!!!”

It was Striker Henrietta who grimaced at that.

”(I-is this really the High Priest who supposedly wishes for the wellbeing of the people? Does he think the entire Forturiana Church belongs to him?)”

Had Belbath realized he had let this slip out in his anger, or did he think he could silence a mere Striker?

Despite their close range, the High Priest lifted the cylindrical bazooka back up onto the shoulder opposite the bell cricket. Dark Elf Mamilis aimed her full-auto shotgun at the other Armored Dragon in response.

Both weapons fired at once and crimson muzzle flashes blossomed out.

Belbath's own bazooka sh.e.l.l was shot down quite near him, so his own Armored Dragon's wing was caught in and torn off by the attack that gathered a portion of the scenery toward a central point. However, lots of shrapnel flew through the air at the same time.

Nirvelphany immediately moved to protect the old man who had saved her.

But she felt no pain.

She hesitantly opened her eyes to see the blonde girl standing in front of them like a s.h.i.+eld with her arms crossed in front of her.

”I…won't let you.”

She protected her face with the two hands holding the handguns, but a trail of red could be seen on her cheek behind that.

Demon Lord Nirvelphany.

Thomas Robergin.

That girl faced forward with a powerful desire to keep anyone from rejecting the way they had lived their lives.

”I won't let you!! Not after they've come this far! I'm sick of seeing people have everything taken from them at the very last moment!!”

The damage to the High Priest's craft actually worked in his favor. The slower speed meant he fell behind. He escaped the dangerous side-by-side position and he now had the perfect position to aim at them from behind.

But for a brief moment, those realistic problems did not even matter.

The boy felt a sharp burning in the back of his mind.

Ayato Criminaltrophy had seen the wound running along his partner's cheek. She could easily heal that with the recovery magic developed from the water magic she excelled at. There was no fear of it even leaving a scar.

But he still punched himself in the cheek with the hand holding his sword.

With a dull sound, he woke himself up further. He grabbed both his Linkage Monitor crystal tarot cards and the Sorcery Hacking sword.

If the conditions were right, he could hijack anything in which mana flowed.

”Nirvelphany, help me out here. You said you wouldn't be satisfied until you punched him yourself, right? Well, you're only going to get one shot at a cross counter.”

”Let's show that b.a.s.t.a.r.d what h.e.l.l really looks like.”

The Armored Dragon's wing had been torn up and, even though he still had the gem-encrusted Bell Ringing prototype on his shoulder, his old body was protesting from all over. Even so, Forturiana High Priest Belbath Ruin Cranky smiled while pursuing the sinners from behind. He of course had a plan for victory, but that plan was not the bazooka sorcery gun resting on the shoulder opposite the bell cricket.

(I do not need an effective attack myself. It seems the earth town's Sleipnir did not arrive in time, but that will not alter the result that is protected by benevolent coincidence.)

He checked their location.

This was Water Castle Town Aquaria. The sinners were trying to lose pursuit, escape Sky City Celedileka, and fly out into the open sky beyond the city.

(But that is a deadly barrier.)

Sky City Celedileka controlled more than just the floating ground. Large airs.h.i.+ps equipped with tons of giant cannons were deployed around it. Their firepower was enough to drive back that crimson dragon and they would be waiting outside Aquaria right now. It could not be more obvious what would happen once that was aimed at an unprotected human.

The real horror of those cannons was not the fire and wind magic that could be enclosed in the sh.e.l.ls. By establis.h.i.+ng a thick barrier in the sky around the sh.e.l.l, those sinners could not avoid cras.h.i.+ng right into the barrier. It could be easy to forget given all the safety measures in place, but they were moving at 80 Scuz[9] at the moment.

The High Priest only had to pursue them to guide them toward the airs.h.i.+ps.

They were flying straight toward their death while mistakenly thinking they were escaping.

(But they cannot choose to stay inside Celedileka either. They are d.a.m.ned if they do and d.a.m.ned if they don't. There is no avoiding it!! And the worldly debts incurred will be forced onto the kingdom that fully binds the Forturiana Church with this sky city! No one can stop me now!!)

They were still accelerating.

The outer wall would come into view soon.

Their death was approaching.

The High Priest could not keep the smile off of his face.

And then the moment arrived.

The roar he heard did not come from the airs.h.i.+ps; it came from the giant dragon that had responded to Demon Lord Nirvelphany's call.

”Ahh!?”

This was not right.

That should not have been here.

Hadn't that dragon been attacking Fire Castle Town Flared? Then what was it doing here in Water Castle Town Aquaria!?

The trick itself was simple.

”A sky city can freely change direction while floating in the sky, so the cardinal directions are fairly meaningless. No matter how big it is, it's floating up here like a kite, so it can be intentionally turned with the right methods,” explained Ayato Criminaltrophy while piloting his Armored Dragon. ”We aren't standing on the ground; we're flying high above the surface of Celedileka. And at this alt.i.tude, the magnetic distortion renders compa.s.ses useless. There are plenty of ways of visually telling direction, but the simplest is to follow the paths set up in Water Castle Town Aquaria. If you're following a path, you tend to a.s.sume you're going straight. Human eyes are easily deceived like that.”

In other words…

”I am slowly rotating Sky City Celedileka. That should allow me to avoid the airs.h.i.+ps set up for us and slide us over toward the giant dragon.”

Of course, that was no easy task even with his Linkage Plug sword. Moving the sky city itself would require an absurdly high processing s.p.a.ce and level.

Fortunately, he had a source for that right in front of him: Nirvelphany.

She was the ancient Demon Lord, a legendary being.

But there was still mana circulating through her body. Mana pa.s.sed through living things as well. The healing magic that Teleria often used worked by controlling that flow to regulate the body's condition.

No further explanation was needed.

The beautiful Demon Lord let go of the old man she held and tapped her index finger on the center of her forehead.

”Hack me,” said the Demon Lord.

All demons knew what she looked like, so the crimson dragon would avoid attacking the Armored Dragon she was riding.

If they brought the High Priest to the dragon, its extrlarge attack would settle this.

”It does not matter if I have any power remaining inside my body. I still have the safety devices that were meant to restrain my ma.s.sive power as the Demon Lord. When converted into your 'levels', I estimate it would reach 9999. It is useless to me at this point, but I imagine a professional Sorcery Hacker would recognize its value. Draw it out and use it as you like. If your blade can reach that far, then do not hold back. This should be enough to move the entire sky city.”

Resonating with Nirvelphany's power required Level 9999 and acquiring that power would add another 9999.

If this worked, he would very nearly reach Level 20000.

He had secured more and more processing s.p.a.ce by stabbing his blades into the sails and external propulsion devices of the various s.h.i.+ps and boats, but he had not found anywhere to use it. The larger of those s.h.i.+ps had provided as much as 100 or even 1000 each. His power had grown at an accelerated rate, so he was finally approaching the level of the legendary Demon Lord or the entire sky city.

So he spoke.

”I am a Sorcery Hacker. There's nothing I can't do.”

”Then let's bring an end to all this tragedy. I am willing to have my entire body hacked for that.”

And.

”Ah.”

And.

”Ahh.”

And.

”Abwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!???”

The crimson dragon had been making reckless charges at the city all this time after sensing his master's lamentation, but this time he finally released a powerful beam from his maw as if expelling all of his pent-up frustrations.

Even the light of the sunny and starry sky faded away.

The result went without saying.

What did it matter if the High Priest had a gaudy, gem-encrusted bell cricket with a mere Level 799?

As that fool pursued Ayato's group, the right half of his Armored Dragon was mercilessly vaporized and the surviving wreckage and old man crashed down into the water below.

Approximately 36 meters. Approximately 136 kilometers per hour. Approximately 2200 degrees Celsius. Approximately 120 meters. Approximately 360 meters. Approximately 480 meters. Approximately 42 meters. Approximately 2.4 meters. Approximately 136 kilometers per hour.

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