… Be that as it may, (Isn’t this going exceedingly well?) The battlefield below. Miriallia, who overlooked the soldiers of Kledelland who fell face down, caught her breath. Kurogane Ikki had found around 20 hubs since the battle started, they had succeeded in neutralizing all of them due to the cooperation with the Army of Vermillion. As he had suggested to Sirius, he had almost flawlessly carried out his role as the eyes of the Vermillion Army. Miriallia, who was sat next to such amazingness, actually felt that more than anyone else. Because, even though they both were looking at the same scenery, Miriallia didn’t have the ability to distinguish who was a soldier and who was a hub at all. ――Honestly speaking, she even felt that her pride as a sniper was hurt. So, – Hey, umm, how does Ikki grasp the location of the hubs just by looking at them from above? You shouldn’t see more than their heads from this place, right? Miriallia asked about his method of discrimination. Ikki answered. – That’s enough for me. Or more precisely, in this case, there’s no need to observe closely. – But that still sounds ambiguous to me? Ikki supplemented to Miriallia who inclined her head to the side.
– The precision the ill-natured 《marionettes》of《Marionette King》 have is considerably high. Johan-san, the people of the town of Kledelland and I had a meal together, but I never realized they were being controlled. I’m pretty sure that《Marionette King》can seize the original personality of a person and their memories through his magic threads. … It’s not something that one can find out by looking at their faces, for example. But then again, detailed information is unnecessary. It’s better to look at the whole picture with a wide view even if it’s from a distance. The battlefield is something like a lake surface on a rainy day. By having a commander as the starting point, the ripples of『motion』spread throughout the battlefield. In this case, the reason is even easier to understand because they aren’t being commanded with voice, but actually their movement is transmitted through threads. And there’s always a hub at the starting point of those ripples. – … Oh, I see. A lake surface, huh? Interesting, interesting. (I don’t get at all what he’s talking abooout!!) Miriallia was convinced that the words of Ikki were said with an unwavering self-confidence. In the first place, what they saw was completely different. Even when she was told it looked like a lake surface, the enemy soldiers below her were chattering and moving erratically, so finding where those starting points were was impossible. The number of information perceived was poles apart. As expected of someone who wasn’t acknowledged by Stella for nothing. Reliable to the best of his ability. In that case, she wasn’t going to hold him back from achieving this operation. To Miriallia, who set her weapon again, – But the only thing I can do is to find them. I don’t have the skill to mark the targets accurately with a long-range sniper. ――Thank you, Miri.
Thanks to you, I can fight for this country. – 〜〜〜〜…!!!! Ikki thanked her from the bottom of his heart. Miriallia felt oppression as if her chest tightened with such tender smile of his, – D-don’t get me wrong, I’m not doing this for Ikki. Miri-chan is a knight of Vermillion after all, no? I mean, it’s natural to help, right? She looked away as she dodged the matter with an embarrassed and sulking tone of voice. Was it because he had no malice or selfishness? Even though it didn’t mean he had a baby face, Ikki’s smiling face was innocent like the one of a child somehow, it went through her heart in an instant. (So this is the reason Stella-chan was attracted to him. This spontaneity of his did so) She had to be careful to not take that seriously unless she dealt with it. She didn’t want to imagine how terrible would it be to become Stella’s rival in love. She decided it wasn’t worth it, even if took her a lifetime. – Well… the next target is a bit troublesome. Then Ikki complained suddenly next to Miriallia who put her respiration in order and calmed her beating. – Where is he?
– There’s a tank going south on the central road, right? There’s a soldier sticking his face out from its hatch. Miriallia, who put her respiration in order, asked where the target was and Ikki pointed to a tank that rudely ran on the streets as it mowed down the roadside trees. An opponent way too dangerous to approach directly. – First is stopping its movement by any means possible. However, Miriallia shot a paint bullet to the hatch of the tank faster than Ikki could think things through. And then, – That’s not a problem. Because Til-chan――is in that area. 『ORA ORA, move, move away! Leave this guy to me!』 At that moment, when the shout was clearly heard even on the helicopter flying in the sky, a girl rushed out from the lines of battle of the Vermillion Army. A healthy tanned light brown skin. A short hair that gave a lively impression. Evidently, she was the original partner of Miriallia, the one she had mentioned just now. She was Tilmitt Gracie. Tilmitt ran in a straight line towards the tank marked by Miriallia. But this was way too reckless. Not surprisingly, the tank reacted immediately to this.
It rotated the gun turret and turned the gun port towards the approaching Tilmitt―― Immediately after, the 88mm cannon sent forth a shell together with a heavy roaring sound. The super heavy blow that exceeded the speed of sound had the power to turn a human into a lump of meat effortlessly just with its wind pressure. Blazers and non-Blazers were no different before such power. But before such overwhelming and destructive power, Tilmitt laughed boldly, – 《Stone Dive》! And plunged into the ground without hesitation. As if she jumped into the water. Generally, if one were to do so, one would just smash one’s face on the asphalt. But――Tilmitt was a knight endowed with the unusual power to go into materials. A splashing sound was made, and the whole body of Tilmitt was absorbed by the road that turned into something like water for an instant, and, at the same time the shell arrived. It blasted the road and everything in the atmosphere; dust rolled up. However, when the dust cleared up, there was no trace of a human being swallowed up in the site of destruction. Tilmitt had escaped from the shelling. The puppet-soldier was cautious of a surprise attack, so he pulled his head back inside the tank and closed the hatch.
But that was a meaningless move. It didn’t matter if it was a road or a tank, ――The unusual power of Tilmitt could slip into every place! Right after that, the body of the tank shook vertically. And then, the hatch burst open from inside, – I told you, didn’t I――――!? Tilmitt, who grabbed the nape of the neck of the soldier who was arrested from inside the tank, came in sight. Together with that, the surrounding Kledelland soldiers fell into malfunction and fell flat one after another. The soldiers of Vermillion praised wholeheartedly this sight. – Oh yeaaaaaahhh! You did it, didn’t you, Tilmitt! – Well, that would usually cause nothing but problems, but why don’t we get ourselves to help our companions together in this time of crisis? – Absolutely, leave it to me! Miri! Tell me the location of the targets quickly! It doesn’t matter where they are, I’ll drag them out!
◆◇◆◇◆ The efforts of Ikki, Miriallia and Tilmitt were transmitted to Stella who was in charge of the western main road throughout the whole transmission. She wasn’t surprised by the courage or the high level of Ikki’s ability, – Those two sure have guts. Tilmitt and Miriallia. Both were assigned as first reservists in the army from this year when they obtained the qualifications of student-knights. That obviously didn’t translate to having combat experience or having done lots of practices. Regardless of that, the efforts of the two were something to be amazed by. As expected of the two who became friends with her when she couldn’t say “don’t get close to me so easily”. Their intrepidity wasn’t half-hearted. ――She neither couldn’t nor wasn’t going to lose. – Well then, Stella-sama. I’m in charge of this, so Stella-sama may head to where Ikki-kun is.
– No. I’ll stay here. Wouldn’t it be terrible to leave old man Dan alone!? Stella returned a negative to Dandalion’s proposal. Those words seemed to have a bit of irritation in them. The last strategy meeting. 《Black Knight》didn’t nominate Stella as a person who could identify the hubs of Or=Gaule. She understood the reason. It was career. *TN: “Career” is the furigana reading for “experience”. Dandalion was a strong man with a long military service. His level of insight was backed up by his career. The same went for Ascaride. The fourth strongest person in the world was, above all, a relative of Or=Gaule. She probably knew some sort of trick to distinguish them or something. And Ikki and his monstrosity of insight. The number of years he had lived was just one more than hers, but he defeated her with his inferior strength because he always sharpened his concentration to the limit and read all the information in the battle without fail; those methods were always used. The density of each battle was in a different league than hers. Her experience was greatly inferior to theirs. However,
– I don’t want them to look down on《Crimson Princess》…! Stella thought. Certainly, my experience is shorter than theirs. But this wit dwelling in me shouldn’t lose to any of the three’s. If I can’t find them out with my insight due to experience, then I’ll use another method. (If I know what the scheme of my opponent is, then there must be something I can do) Immediately after that, the Army of Kledelland going straight ahead on the road started firing. But Stella stood in front of the barrage without escaping, – 《Empress Dress》. Incandescence was emitted from her whole body, she sent back the ashes and all before the bullets of lead touched her body. But Stella’s aim wasn’t just to protect herself from the shooting. There was another aim for this《Empress Dress》. Stella increased the heating power of the flames she was clad in and scattered the phosphorescence of the flames on the west main road that had become the battlefield. And with that phosphorescence that exceeded tens of thousands and that spread throughout her own mind, she shared her sensation. *TN: Sensation as in detection of external or internal stimulation.
She expanded her sense of touch to a wide range. Normal Blazers couldn’t go as far as handle this precisely. However, seriousness was forgotten in the shadow of the back of the overwhelming power, but that didn’t mean Stella had an average magic control power. She possessed something that even drew near《Lorelei》who had such an astounding magic control power that disintegrated and regenerated her own body, even her cells. This level of synthesis power was the strength of《Crimson Princess》. A meaningless difference in experience was nothing for her. Either way, substitution was effective. Stella literally『grasped』the battlefield with the scattering of this phosphorescence. She grasped where the soldiers were, who moved and of course, the position of the semi-spiritual magic threads. Just like the eyes of a dragon surveying the tiny ground from the skies, Stella perfectly understood everything―― – Over there! She immediately ran towards a soldier who was the focusing point of the threads and mowed him down. After she limited his movement with handcuffs, all the surrounding soldiers of Kledelland fell flat on the ground. This was the proof that the soldier restrained by Stella was the hub controlling the ones around him,
– See? I can do this as well, can’t I? Stella threw out her chest towards Dandalion who was also her master of the sword. Dandalion bent his glad-looking, wrinkled face to the growth of this girl. – The old Stella-sama had the small tendency of underestimating the worth of her talent, but… she went to Japan and became so strong that one could mistake her for someone else. – Obviously. Because I came across the worthiest opponent in Japan! Ikki never underestimated himself, no matter how much he was about to be abandoned by his talent. He always fought believing that he could do it, even if he had a terrible hand. *TN: Hand as in one’s hand when playing cards. It was preposterous to win against such opponents if he had doubts about his own strength. – All right, now I’m going to settle this rapidly! Stella let her mood go even higher with Dandalion’s praise and headed to the next target. She had already found two more hubs with the scattered phosphorescence. … The efforts of Stella and the tempestuous, steady advance of Vermillion army centered on Ikki made the hubs of Or=Gaule fell into an incapacitated state one after another. Once an hour had passed since the start of the battle,
a third of the Army of Kledelland was released from the control of the threads. And all of these remarkable results were reported to the Vermillion Imperial Palace in real time. Astraea was pleased, clapping her hands in front of the video sent from the battlefield. – Amazing, amazing! They have extricated almost a half in the blink of an eye! This is thanks to Ikki-san who’s telling everyone exactly where the hubs are, isn’t it? Isn’t that right, papa? The facial expression of Sirius, who was gazed by Astraea, – … huh! As if! Had nothing but disappointment on it. – Ufufu. Papa isn’t being honest, is he? But without even denying so, the attitude of Sirius had become considerably positive. He was also a warrior. It looked like he wasn’t going to be able to tamper with this boy who continued showing his reliable strength and who wasn’t just a big mouth forever. This was a very good sign. – It would be great if everything is settled smoothly in this way―― Astraea wished from the bottom of her heart. And destiny laughed,
At such wish of Astraea. – How so? I wonder about that? Because, you see. Calamity is, even though I come showering these questions on you, something called ordinary. Don’t you agree? 「「「――――――!!!!」」」 The unfamiliar voice of a woman suddenly echoed in one of the rooms of the Imperial Palace where Astraea and the others were gathered. Sirius, Astraea and the guard soldiers turned around, ――A person, a tall woman, stood there. Wet-looking black hair. A black dress with a number of slits resembling petals. In something that looked like jet-black flowers hanging down―― – First of all, I apologize for this sudden rude visit, King of Vermillion and Queen-sama. I am… oh, excuse me, since this is a mission, I must not give you my name. Yes, that will do. Please call me “Ain”. The jet-black flowers showed a sinister smile which fully raised the lips of her beautiful face and presented to Sirius and the others a bouquet of white lilies she was hiding in her hands behind her back. And――she told them. – I came with these flowers in hand to offer them for everyone’s funeral procession. A declaration of death.
◆◇◆◇◆ At the same time. The battlefield of Caldia was getting serious. – What the, who’s…. Ikki and Miriallia, who flew the skies of Caldia on a helicopter, looked up to what was before them in astonishment. In front of the helicopter flying close to the ground, a 30-meter tall, corpulent giant in a black hooded coat stood in the way. It suddenly appeared before the eyes of Ikki and the others, 『Gufuhih ♪』 He laughed, showing his white teeth like a horse and, 『Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa――――!!!!』
He smashed the helicopter rode by Ikki and Miriallia with both hands as if silencing a noisy mosquito. The crushed helicopter spouted out flames in the hands of the giant that were caused to strike each other. The soldiers on the ground goggled at such thing, – T-the chopper is! – You’re kidding, right…? Miriii――――!? Tilmitt shouted the name of her partner, the one who was on it. But, at that moment, – Hold on a second! Look at that! One of the soldiers pointed below the flames in the sky. – Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?!? The figure of Ikki, who escaped danger by throwing himself in the air just in time and who grabbed the napes of the neck of the soldier who seemed to be the pilot of the helicopter and Miriallia, was there. Ikki shouted with a well-projected voice. – Tilmitt-san! Catch us!!!! – ! Sir yes sir! Tilmitt moved immediately with this demand. But not to literally catch the ones who were falling in her arms; she ran to their falling point and, – 《Star Ocean》――!
The trident Device《Triaina》was planted in the ground and the asphalt transformed into『sea』. Ikki and company fell into that『sea』. A big black column of water and a splash were raised. Shortly thereafter, 「「「*Sighs of relief*!」」」 The three of them got their heads out of《Star Ocean》. – Are you guys okay!? – Y-yes, ma’am… – T-t-t-t-that was extremely close… The pilot of the helicopter and Miriallia replied to Signard who confirmed they were fine with a blue face as they were pulled up from the sea by their comrades. For the time being, the two of them ended up not losing their lives due to Ikki’s quick wittedness. However, there was no time for relief. Because the monster of the problem still stood in front of the Vermillion Army. – Damn, what the hell is this monster!? – Blazers are somewhat capable of doing this, but this thing was in Kledelland!? Signard shook her head to the words of the confused soldiers.
– No, I’ve never heard that there is a Blazer in Kledelland with the ability to turn into a giant…! Besides, if there was one who had this power, then it should have become a representative of the war…! – That means―― – It’s obvious to think that he’s a fellow of the scum that is causing this strife…!* *TN: “Scum” is the furigana reading for “criminal”. Because of that, there was no need to have mercy. Signard opened the communication of the walkie-talkie and ordered. – Informing to all forces on the central main road! Pick up the armaments of Kledelland scattered at your feet! Unleash all your ammo on that giant! The Vermillion Army deployed on the central main road acted quickly in response to Signard’s order. They stole the armament from the Kledelland Army that fell flat on the road and started launching a concentrated attack with live ammunition. But, 『Agaa ♪ Pew pew makesh me laugh〜〜〜♪』 – D-dammit! It’s useless! Why I feel this isn’t working at all!? Those pretty much had little to no effect on him. In the first place, conventional weapons were less effective against Blazers.
Since their opponent was a giant, the effect they had was like the one of a peashooter. Everything was repelled in front of the thick fat, and the giant, who was in a painless state, 『Now it’s my thurn!』 He put his nails in the asphalt at his feet and tore it off, 『Pew pew〜! Baa――――――ng!!!!』 And threw the debris at the Army of Vermillion. Like a child playing “dirt throwing”. But since this child had a size of 30 meters long, ――The fired debris was the same as an air raid done by a bomber! 「「「Gyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!」」」 The pebble penetrated the line of defense of Vermillion with a single blow. The covers and the bulletproof shields were meaningless to the asphalt bombs thrown at them by the 30-meter giant, and because of that, dozens of soldiers turned into pieces of meat in an instant. 『Gyagyagya!!』 The giant rejoiced with an expression that would make the situation of the destruction feel even innocent. Miriallia, who witnessed this, was now convinced. – No no no, there’s no way we can defeat him! I say our only choice is to run away !
– I completely agree with you…! We have no choice but to move our butts and run away! However, Tilmitt, who replied so, noticed. – Huh? Where’s Ikki!? The figure of Ikki Kurogane who was right there just a second ago wasn’t there. When she searched for him while moving her eyes, thinking “Where on earth is he?”, she found his back running towards the giant in the distance. – H-hey! What do you intend to do when you have no magic left!? – ――――! However, Ikki didn’t reply to Tilmitt’s voice. There was no time now, not even for questions and answers. Dozens of people were killed with pebble just now? Despite that, he couldn’t afford to rampage in this way. There were Kledelland soldiers who lost their consciousness and fell to the ground besides the Vermillion Army on the central main road. He had to take the giant’s attention away from the Vermillion Army and took him outside the central main road as soon as possible. But what should he do for that? Ikki recalled the townscape he saw from the helicopter as he ran up to the giant. And then, (――It’s this or nothing!)
He took a decision and put his strength into his feet that stamped on the ground even more. He had his eyes on something at the giant’s feet straight ahead. It was something like a roadside red postbox. ――A fire hydrant. – Haaah! Ikki cut the fire hydrant from the base. A fire hydrant whose base was cut off couldn’t naturally resist the pressure of the water pipe. The fire hydrant launched a pushing-up water column. And then Kurogane Ikki――was on top of the fire hydrant that was shot up. He elevated his body up to 20 meters in the sky thanks to the water pressure, – First Secret Sword, 《Saigeki》!!!! He jumped further with the water current as a foothold. The point of the jet-black blade stabbed the eyeball of the giant. 『Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!?!?』 The point of《Intetsu》pierced the crystalline lens and the cornea of the giant; the holed eye ruptured.
The glass body inside the eyeball fell onto the whole body of Ikki. The giant fainted in agony as he raised a scream. – Amazing! He made that monster falter…! Miriallia raised a voice of great joy because of the telling blow of Ikki, but, – No, it’s bad…! Tilmitt, who understood melee combat better than her, shouted. Because Ikki, who pierced the eyeball, was shook off by the giant fainting in agony, he was still in the air. In the air without escape, without trying to escape. And, 『AAAAAAAaAAAAAA――――!!』 The giant got mad at Ikki and swung one of his giant arms. A backhand blow with all of his might. Ikki couldn’t escape from the strong arm that crushed the approaching helicopter into small pieces. There was no foothold with which he could try to escape. Therefore, Ikki―― (Don’t let your consciousness be taken away! Clench your teeth!!) Right after that, Ikki’s body was mowed down by the backhand blow of the giant and revolved in the air like trash.
He was sent flying perpendicularly from the central road and crashed into the ground. And with that same momentum, he bounced several times as he crushed the asphalt road. He tumbled after he crossed the railroad crossing that ran through the town more than 100 meters away from the central main road. – Ikki! Tilmitt jumped to the roofs of the roadside buildings as her face turned blue because of such gruesome scene. She strained her eyes to get a hold of his safety. Ikki’s extremities, who collapsed on the ground, were twisted in unexpected directions, she understood he was in a certain dangerous condition even from such a distance. However, and regardless of his state, – How, was, that!? The guy who smashed your eye is still full of life, you know…!? Ikki didn’t lose consciousness. Only his head was guarded thoroughly, he protected it so that his consciousness wasn’t reaped, and when he crashed into the ground, he rolled gaudily on the ground on purpose so that the collision damage happened on the ground side. But still, all his bones were broken, he could no longer stand up. In spite of being in such a state, he provoked the giant and, (Are you telling me he has become a decoy to distract the attention of the monster from us…!?) 『AooOOoohh!!!!』
The very same moment Tilmitt guessed Ikki’s real intention, the giant raised an angry roar and started running towards Ikki. It was as Ikki expected, he was going away from the central main road. But, (There’s no reason in doing so if you sacrifice yourself!) Tilmitt felt an emotion that resembled fury towards this behavior of Ikki. After all, there were soldiers from Kledelland who haven’t recovered their consciousness on the central main road. If the giant were to act violently there, a catastrophic event would meet their eyes. It was logic to guide the giant to another place as soon as possible. But that logic―― What kind of face should we have when we meet Stella and say to her that the sacrifice of Ikki’s life saved us…!? – Everyone! Attack that big thing! Turn the attention of that guy over here! And so, Tilmitt called out to everyone who was there at the limit of her voice. The Vermillion soldiers set their guns on the giant who turned his back on them to respond to her. But, – No… wait! Their attack was stopped by the commander Signard. – General!? Tilmitt naturally tried to talk this over. But,
– He’s a completely great man. … What if this is within his calculations!? Signard didn’t comply with Tilmitt’s objection. She let admiration overflow from the bottom of her heart which made her body shudder. She realized that she had a wider view than anyone else as a commander. Like the real aim of Kurogane Ikki. Yes, ――Tilmitt had misunderstood one thing. Certainly Ikki risked his health trying to guide the giant out of the central main road as soon as possible to prevent a catastrophe… but he wasn’t a person who would accept death so easily. It was obvious. Because there was no such thing as being able to stand in a line with this man who didn’t take no for an answer. 《Failed Knight》Kurogane Ikki ‘s actions were definitely always for the sake of victory. Yes, in this moment, in which the bones of his whole body were broken, and where he couldn’t even stand up, Ikki, ――Wasn’t going to say no to his victory! (Yes, come, here…!) Ikki, who raised his gaze only with the strength of his neck, was anxious about the approaching giant who looked angry. Come running without stopping. Come running through in order to crush me underfoot with that same anger. ――The conditions were completed because he was purposely sent flying to this place.
The terrain of the city he saw while searching for the hubs on the helicopter. That information. He didn’t fail to notice it. The railroad that travelled across Caldia. ――And the high-voltage wires that ran on it! 『Gyababababababababababababababababababababababababababababa babababababababababababababababababababababababababababababab ababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababa bababababababababababababababababababa!?!?!?』 The very next moment, the giant, who tried to run across the railroad crossing, received an electric shock by the electric current flowing from the electric lines he himself had cut off. His whole body convulsed as he screamed, and blew steaming bubbles out from his mouth like a volcanic eruption. It didn’t matter how huge he was, humans were humans. He couldn’t escape from the damage of an electric shock. As long as a body contained liquid, damaged by means of the passing of electric current was absolute. And following Ikki’s plan, the giant received an electric shock by a highvoltage wire which made his body lurch violently and collapsed into the
ground. (This will, give me some time…) He gained it, that’s what he expected. 『A, a, A, Ao, o… OOOOO――――oOOOOOOO!!!!』 – ――! But Ikki’s plan was shattered there. The moment he seemed to collapse into the ground. The giant braced his legs as he kicked the buildings around him, he refused to fall, 『《GaaAAAriiIgaAAaAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!》』 He screamed loudly, it felt just like a bomb blast. Immediately after that――something, yes, something very similar to a nightmare occurred. – You’re joking, right? This is way too… He looked up, what was before him was… the figure of the giant who got so big it was easily over 300 meters tall. Ikki revealed a feeble complaint without enduring it as one would expect. And, (Stella hasn’t come despite all the commotion that has happened, which means…) The presentiment of Ikki, about that being a bad thing, proved to be right.
◆◇◆◇◆ – Haa, haaa! Haaa! Caldia west main road. Stella took rough breaths in the middle of the wide road. Difficulty floated on her face. She was dripping sweat. Unusual tension and fatigue could be perceived. But this exhaustion of Stella wasn’t due to battle, – What’s wrong? You haven’t even got within my reach but you’re running out of breath already, aren’t you? The man in black clothes dragged the bloodstained Dandalion with his left hand. They were exhausted just by looking at the man who suddenly appeared in front of Stella and the others and who partially destroyed the force deployed on the west main road. – Am I so frightening to you? – So noisy… shut up! – Kuku, your mouth is the only vigorous thing you have.
– ! Stella distorted her expression with the man’s sneer. He saw through her. That she was startled. Yes, Stella was overawed. The man was clad in a sinister aura that made them feel sick just by looking at it, there was no way to describe it at all. ――Who was this guy? The bloodstained Dandalion addressed Stella who was very vigilant. – Ste, lla…sama…, you can’t, fight, him… – Old man Dan! – Run away, please. This, guy is…《Haboob》…! – ! This guy is…! 《Haboob》 Stella, who was a student-knight and a politician at the same time, remembered that alias. The most powerful mercenary in history who had been active in the Middle East and who always brought victory to the ones he sided with―― – 《Haboob》Naseem Al-Salem…! – So you are《Crimson Princess》Stella Vermillion, huh. Naseem said and sent a gaze to Stella from the back of the sunglasses as if appraising her, And showed a barbaric smile as he laid his fangs bare.
– Kuku, I wasn’t interested in the brat that stupid kid was getting so crazy about, but didn’t you bear fruit in such a very good condition? I mean, won’t you be too much for just one person? So, will you have a good time with me? – Wha..! Stella reddened her cheeks in shame due to this overwhelmingly insolent way of speaking, and as such, she protected her chest with her arms and returned a shout in anger. – You’re no more than a stray dog! You have no manners! If you’re going to speak to a woman, make sure to learn a bit of character! Besides, I have already set my heart on a man. Certainly nobody asked for you! Naseem, towards this, – Hou, I see. That’s fine for me. It’s my creed to plunder money, countries and women, you see. He threw away the half-dead Dandalion that suspended from his left hand and clenched his left fist that got wet with Dandalion’s spurt of blood. – I’ll go head-on and finish this right away, I guess. And just with my left hand… just like I did with those guys. I’ll be playing with you with just my left hand. So… fight me with all you have. I hope you don’t make me feel bored, okay? – …! Naseem told her as he kept thrusting his right fist in his pocket. “Those guys” were probably Dandalion and the soldiers he had defeated. This man had never pulled his right hand out of his pocket ever since he showed up. She didn’t think he could be underestimated.
The man in front of him had certainly enough strength to kill her with just his left hand. The left fist that increased its coercion way more than before by means of strengthening made Stella believe so. She ran out of breath just by looking at it. Sweat spurted out from her whole body. Despite that, her whole body grew so cold enough to become numb. It was far from being excited, wishing for a fight. Just like when she confronted Or=Gaule. It wasn’t a battle at all. The demise of one’s life, the absolute premonition of death. There was no doubt that this man was also a《Desperado》who lived in a world beyond reason. Her heart pounded like it went mad and raised the alarm. Her instinct pressed her “to run away, run away!” with a shrieking voice. But, (How am I going to do that…!?) – Everyone evacuates while helping those who have collapsed! Or you’ll be dragged into this! 「「「U-Understood!」」」
Stella gave instructions to the soldiers and――they braced themselves without running away. They showed a will, a stance like saying “we’re not running away from this place”. They know this was a lost battle. She ended up understanding they wanted to misrepresent so whether she accepted it or not. She understood they were completely frightened. That was nothing they should be ashamed about. Valor was the art of self-defense. As Ascaride said, it was a proof of strength as a warrior who understood the difference in their ability and their opponent’s accurately. However, (I’m not going to clasp the sword to protect myself!) If she was going to protect her life, the best way to do so would be to run, tucking her tail between her legs. But her life wasn’t what Stella carried on her back. But her beloved country. And the lovely people who lived in it. She clasped the sword to protect all of that. In that case, she wasn’t going to lose her nerve. There was no way she could withdraw.
Because she decided to protect everything that is on her back this very moment! (I’ll do it…!) Even if they stabbed each other, she would defeat《Haboob》 now. What if he was the strongest mercenary in the world? What if he was a《Desperado》who was beyond reason? All of that was, meaningless. She should know that all of that was insignificant. A hopeless battle. A lost battle. The difference in their own strength that it couldn’t be helped. Even her own fate―― Because she never stopped looking at the back of the man who overcame all of that and stood at the top…! – ■■■■■■■■ーーーー！ At that moment, Stella howled towards the cloudy sky hanging down heavily, the strength of the dragon her body was clad in burned the blood of her whole body. – Hou. So this is the dragon-resembling strength I’ve heard on a rumor, huh. It’s quite intimidating if you ask me.
Naseem didn’t show even the least of agitation to her appearance of a dragon and the scorching heat her whole body put on. Naseem knew. That the level of difference between his real strength and hers wasn’t going to be reversed. And that was correct. Stella also knew it was correct. But her heart had no longer even a trace of panic inside. What dwelled in her heart instead was burning courage. The back of the man burned into her memory, the back of the man that always won through adversity gave her courage. I’m like him too―― (First, fight without being impatient and ascertain the skill and strength of the opponent…!) Stella, who cleared the startling of her heart away and regained her self, the same instant she calmed down. She restrained her own temperament which was about to run in an overbearing offensive mood together with exaltation and imitated the best pattern she had seen, and held the sword aiming at his eyes with it and evaluated the opponent. All that she knew about《Haboob》was that he was valuated as the best mercenary in the world. She didn’t know something like what abilities he used. To begin with, it was vital to determine them. And so, she decided.
Against Stella, who was setting up the battle calmly, – Here I go! 《Haboob》Naseem Al-Salem jumped in without having an ounce of precaution or taking measures. He judged his enemy as inferior, a negligence that never ran old. But at the same time, he had leeway backed by his absolute true strength. That stepping into was―― (He’s fast!) It was way too agile, it was way too fast, it was too late to intercept him. Naseem invaded Stella’s sword reach almost instantaneously and pushed out his left fist. It wasn’t a motion done seriously. It was a killing fist dispatched by the twist of his shoulder, elbow and wrist. A jab. A technique that rather than aiming for damage, it aimed to beat out the rhythm of oneself and to contain the enemy. When she thought so, Naseem not only didn’t use the right fist he kept shoved in his pocket, he also didn’t use both feet as weapons when he trampled Dandalion and the others down. And his Device, a knuckle buster, was equipped on his hand. With the information she got so far, she could see Naseem battle style. It was a boxer style.
This light jab put the distance and rhythm in order, and if there was a good opportunity, he had the intention of going for the victory by releasing a straight earnestly. Yes, Stella had analyzed the enemy, and guarded against the jab of Naseem, – ――――!?!? Immediately after that, her body was blow nearly 10 meters away to the back by the unprecedented impact that hit《Laevateinn》. – Wha, (What was that just now!?) – Kuku, you got this confused because of a jab? (Jab…! That was what…!?) No, Stella had confirmed with her own eyes that the motion was indeed a jab. But the impact felt like the one of a sword, her impression didn’t match with it at all. It was abnormally hard and abnormally heavy. So much that not even the strength of the dragon stopped it. This was the first time she was struck by such a sharp, hard and heavy blow. Its power was far beyond the physical strength of Kurogane Ouma, a former strong enemy of hers. (It’s impossible to measure the distance and to beat out his rhythm…!)
The reverberation of the strength that still made her bones go numb indicated her. That she mustn’t get hit not even by one of these jabs. If she were to get hit directly by a jab, her skull would end up being crushed into small fragments by a single hit…! – Alright alright! Here I go again! – ! Naseem closed the distance and unleashed his fist again. Stella protected herself against the aberrant destructive power of Naseem’s jab and strengthened her defenses even more. 《Laevateinn》was used as a shield so as to not get hit by it. The first blow was pulled out with all his weight and with an unforeseen destructive power, but, (Since I know so, I can protect me!) She lowered her back, she displayed a firm stance to deal with it carefully. And waited. For the moment when the enemy threw an impatient bold move. She would attack at that instant and offense and defense would change places. But such expectation of Stella was, – How naïve! It didn’t work against Naseem.
Naseem saw that Stella’s defense was tough and made his jab get even closer. He shrunk the gap and stepped into a short distance from a middle distance as he pulled back the fist that released the jab, ――He lowered his left elbow to the side of his torso. Stella shuddered against this. (This is bad! The angle was changed!) But, it was too late. Stella, who was prepared for the impact thrown violently against her from the front, couldn’t cope with the fist tossed directly from below. *Gaon*! And together with a heavy and hard sound, Stella’s《Laevateinn》was thrown up above her head with both arms included. And Naseem immediately brought back his left fist and made it run straight to the defenseless Stella, – Tsk! The bloodstained fist punched Stella’s face. Fresh blood was scattered, the body of Stella was blown off greatly as it bent backwards. And then, as she looked upward, – ――――――!
She didn’t collapse into the ground. Stella, who stepped on the asphalt strongly, refused to collapse on it. The flames of fighting spirit burned in her eyes as her whole face was dyed red by the fresh blood flowing from her cracked forehead. Stella wasn’t going to let her consciousness, her life, be harvested. Naturally, there was a reason for this, and Naseem had confirmed this reason. – Kuku, you didn’t put yourself on guard the moment you were hit, rather, you killed the damage by being blown off to the back showily without strength. You did a very ingenious thing, didn’t you? Hard objects were more vulnerable to impact. If she had stiffened her body against the impact, she would have received significant damage instead. On the other hand, since she didn’t resist the impact and yielded to the wind like a swaying willow, she could kill the damage. Damage evasion techniques by means of exhaustion were used by Kurogane Ikki several times during his battles against Stella. Stella used what she learned by watching him at once. However, – Oh well, it seems you couldn’t kill the damage completely after all. – Ah…! Stella’s body shook violently. Sparks scattered in front of her eyes.
Certainly, damage was killed to some extent, meaning it wasn’t lethal, but, (Like I thought, I can’t do it well like Ikki,,,) At any rate, she ended up exerting her strength the moment she was hit. Her body got completely stiffened. In the first place, relaxing one’s body and letting the strength of one’s body go before a deadly attack were superman’s taigi. *TN: Taigi (体技) literally means “body techniques” though it’s pointed out in Japanese dictionaries that it means the same as 格技 (kakugi) which can roughly be defined as “martial arts which involve fighting without weapons”. It didn’t matter how great Stella’s readiness was, it wasn’t a technique that could be done out of the blue. However, while a high price had to be paid for it, she now knew one thing. That Naseem’s fist was fast and heavy――and, above all else, terribly hard. Both its speed and attack power were beyond the norm. But still, (If I don’t get directly by it, then it won’t reach my life…!) As long as it wasn’t a clean hit, then she could endure it. If so, the method of attack was…!
– Kuku, I see that you can still go, huh. Splendid, splendid indeed. How much will you last against the striking effect my jabs have!? Naseem stepped-in once again towards Stella who showed a persistent fighting spirit. A barrage of jabs attacked Stella. – Sh――! – …! Stella was in the same completely defensive posture as the one not long ago to meet the barrage. She decided that “I’ll endure the damage of the received jabs by rolling into a ball until they’re over”. And, – What an obstinate woman! Naseem followed the same required steps he did not long ago as if ridiculing her. He did a half-step forward as he attacked her with sealing jabs. He went from mid-range to short-range, that is, to the distance of uppercuts and hooks and changed the angle of the punches by lowering his elbow to flip up Stella’s guard. Stella was――waiting for that moment! – What! The surprised one was Naseem. Because Stella plunged herself forward voluntarily as Naseem pulled his fist to his side.
She had already grasped well her mistake. Exhaustion. It was used by her, and while she understood it clearly, this principle didn’t suit her. Soft and fair goes far.* *TN: This is a proverb. The idea itself didn’t agree with her. The battle was about exerting one’s strength. Strength wasn’t something that could be pulled out, but something that was put into it. To control strength, an even potent and solid strength. *TN: Word employed here was 剛 which means hard, strong, brave, valiant. It also means “A strong strength” (力が強いこと), and this kanji “力” means a tons of things, so in reality it’s very hard to get the correct term that can be used here. If so, then she would exert her strength to the very end. She put her strength into the muscles of her body, anchored her joints and transformed herself into a huge rock――,
Stella slammed her forehead against the fist that Naseem was about to raise overhead. Yes, against the fist before it was raised overhead. An uppercut was a punch completely pulled by the power spring of one’s whole body. The fist, whose impact point was displaced, inserted cracks on the skull of Stella, but it didn’t have the power to punch even her life. He was out pushed. Naseem’s fist was repelled by Stella’s headbutt, his trunk was shaking. And the opportunity of that instant, – Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!!!! Stella didn’t miss it. She dropped her guard and changed to offense with her《Laevateinn》set diagonally down. Then she quickly raised it overhead and cut off the left flank to the right shoulder of《Haboob》 Naseem Al-Salem.
◆◇◆◇◆ 《Laevateinn》bisected Naseem’s body. It cut open the flesh, cut off the entrails and cracked the spine, there was nothing else it could destroy. As it should be, and yet, – ――――Eh? Stella was shocked by the response that returned to her hand. Certainly,《Laevateinn》should have split Naseem’s body in two. Even though his body was cut diagonally, and that she grasped the moment he was divided with her eyes. There was no feeling of cutting his flesh, the opposition of the soft entrails ――and the response of severing the bones. The only thing that came back to Stella’s hand that held the sword was a feeling similar to putting a blade in fine sand. And there were no drops of blood overflowing from the body of Naseem. (That’s, impossible!)
Unbelievable, Stella, who denied the inexplicable that happened before her, swung her sword recklessly. She cut off his neck, pierced his heart and bisected his torso together with his two arms. The blade slid into the body of Naseem without resistance and made its way through quickly. But, that was it. It didn’t matter how many times she minced his body, there was no response in her hands that cut his flesh at all, and without even blood overflowing, his divided body regained its original shape again as if rewinding time. Stella remembered that――phenomenon. (This is, no way――――――!) But, that instant. The line of sight of Stella was suddenly obstructed. When she was able to see, the left hand of Naseem, which was folded with the thumb pressing down the middle finger, stretched to the front of the face of Stella while she was shaking, (Dam――) Immediately after, she received a finger flick to the forehead from Naseem and crashed into the wall of a roadside store. However, she didn’t stop there, she slammed against a concrete-block wall two alleys ahead as she removed a part of the walls of several buildings. – Guh, uu… Stella, who was on guard for the pursuit, tried to get up immediately. However, when she tried to stand up on a knee, her body crumbled down and fell on her backside.
The finger flick, which had cracked her skull, shook her brain violently. Her consciousness flickered intensely, her field of view swayed as if she were on a ship in a strong storm. She did the best she could do to raise half the body up. Naseem got in the tunnel opened by Stella’s body and stood up in front of such Stella. – I value that you at least have courage for plunging into my punches, but that was literally useless. As you can see, I’m『Immortal』. Naseem said so to ridicule Stella’s futile efforts. Stella, on the other hand, leaned her back on the concrete-block wall and managed to get up somehow, – … You have such a trick? Even if you have a few more, I’ll tell you this. If that’s true, it will help me to defeat you. She smiled boldly with her bloodstained face. – Hou? So you’ll win against me? And how? – … Yes. While you’ve been doing so full of composure, I’ve been approaching to your life reliably. … At least, I’ve full grasped your ability. A fist with unusual hardness. A body that wasn’t affected by the blade. His true form was, – Your ability is a natural interference system――the ability to manipulate 『Sand』, right? – …!
– The strangely heavy of your fists is probably due to the strength added by your enormous magic power as a《Desperado》, right? But what is the strangely hard? That’s because the fist was covered with sand that was hardened and pressed together like a rock the instant I was hit. And the reason you’re not affected by slashes is that the moment you’re slashed, you change your own body to sand to dodge the attack…! Isn’t that right!? Stella told him with confidence. Why was that? Because she had seen that same technique. Yes, Kurogane Shizuku’s《Blue Samsara》.* *TN: Samsara means cycle of death and rebirth (a continuous cycle of this type in Buddhism). – To hell with your『Immortality』. You green imposter. I’ll give you the fact that the ability of controlling magic power to transform your body into grains is something incredible, but as long as I know your trick―― There has to be a way of doing something. And so, the moment when Stella tried to put on a brave front. – … Kukuku, AHAHAHAHAHA! Naseem, who stood before her, burst into laughter all of a sudden as if he was unable to endure it. – W-what’s so funny, huh…? Stella felt weird due to her enemy’s reaction and put herself on guard.
Naseem, on the other hand, – What’s so funny, you ask? What you have decided is the funny thing, you know? You say that this ability I use is『Sand』? You were able to see it very easily, huh. … You seem to need a lesson. About why I’m called《Haboob》. Well――――《Tóxcatl》.* *TN: Tóxcatl derives from the Nahuatl verb toxcahuia meaning “wither from thirst”. Tóxcatl then means “drought”. (Extracted from Wikipedia) *Pulls out*, He pulled out his right hand, which had remained hidden in the pocket of his jacket, And appeared for the first time in front of Stella and everyone. At that moment, – 〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜！！！！ Stella――ran away. She grew wings of flames in exchange for her legs that didn’t work as they should and launched her body directly to the side and took a distance of about 10 meters from the front of Naseem who tried to roll. The panic, should have been burned to nothing.
In order to protect them, she had decided to not withdraw. She should have decided so. ――And yet, And yet, the only thing she could think of was to run away. (What the hell, his, his right hand is…!) Stella understood the moment Naseem pulled his right hand out of the pocket. The ominous aura this man wore. What was his real identity? ――The stinking of death. It wasn’t literally stinking. She wiped it and wiped it and wiped it, but the sign of death could never be erased. That thing was stuck to Naseem’s right fist. Just like a revengeful ghost. That shouted. Regret. Curse. Pain. Even that《Marionette King》Or=Gaule wasn’t clad in a stinking of death like him.