Genjitsushugisha no Oukokukaizouki - Volume 19 - Chapter 4.1

Chapter 4: Elegy for a Great Man

“Here she comes, the Kingdom’s strongest!” Fuuga shouted with glee as he spotted Aisha riding atop the black ryuu Naden’s forehead.

The strongest pair of dragon and knight in the Kingdom, aside from the unique case of Souma and Naden, were facing him simultaneously. This showed just how much of a threat his opponents perceived him to be, which only pleased Fuuga’s sense of self-affirmation.

“Madam Naden!”

“Roger that!”

In response to Aisha’s command, Naden gave a powerful shake of her head, propelling Aisha forward like a bullet aimed at Fuuga. Fuuga’s eyes widened as he saw the dark elf warrior charging towards him, but Durga met her with its claws.

“Hahhhhh!!!” Aisha shouted as she slammed her greatsword into the oncoming claws. When their attacks collided, Durga lost the struggle, and Aisha managed to deflect the claws that had fought against dragons.

“Whoa?!” Fuuga exclaimed.

Durga lost its balance midair for a moment. Fuuga hurriedly grabbed hold of the tiger’s fur, managing to avoid being thrown from his saddle. He had nearly fallen headfirst towards the ground—something that even made him break into a nervous sweat.

“Almost had me there... She’s got that same stubborn strength as ever.”

He observed Aisha, who had fallen past him when her attack was deflected. Naden caught her and placed her back on her head. Since Aisha hadn’t formed a dragon knight contract with Naden, she lacked the blessings that Souma possessed, which prevented one from falling off. Their surprise attack had aimed to capitalize on her superior ability to mount and dismount quickly.

“Augh, how is it fair that he can withstand that?” Naden complained.

“He’s not the kind of foe we can use the same strategy against again,” Aisha replied. “I wanted to end it with that strike.”

Both were frustrated by the failure of their surprise attack, but they quickly shifted their focus. Aisha fell into a battle stance with her greatsword.

“But even so, we will stop Fuuga here. He’ll not be reaching His Majesty.” she declared.

“You’ve got that right!” Naden agreed wholeheartedly as she glanced over at Halbert and Ruby. “Are you okay, stupid Ruby?” she called out. “Aren’t you tired?”

“What are you talking about, dumb Naden?” Ruby answered. “This is still no big deal for me.”

“Sir Halbert!” Aisha shouted. “You’ll be the main attackers since you’re experienced at fighting in the air! We’ll provide support, so fight to your heart’s content!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

The four fighters moved to block Fuuga’s path, the final obstacle preventing him from reaching Souma. Fuuga wore a feral smile that never wavered; he was exhilarated at the prospect of facing such powerful opponents. It was a pleasure that only someone who had reached the pinnacle of strength could truly appreciate.

“Nice! Now this is an ensemble fit for the final stage!”

“Grr! Sir Fuuga, you...” Aisha growled.

“Now, let’s all fight to the death!” he cut her off as he sent Durga rushing towards them.

Naden and Ruby both attempted to stop the charge, but Fuuga and Durga moved in perfect unison. Their attacks were so precise that it was nearly impossible to defend against them. Halbert and Aisha fought back with a spear of flame and a sword of wind, yet Fuuga effortlessly parried every strike before launching his own counterattacks. His expression revealed that this was a simple task for him.

“Come on! Is that all you’ve got?!” Fuuga taunted.

“Urgh...” Aisha grunted.

“Damn you!” Halbert retorted.

Despite being attacked by four skilled combatants, Fuuga and Durga refused to back down. They pressed onward, undeterred by the assaults they faced. For the fighters from the Kingdom, falling was not an option; they were determined to protect what mattered most. Fuuga, ignoring his injuries, understood that if he were to fall here, it would mean everything was over. The difference in their mentalities was clear.

As they fought, Fuuga continued to draw closer to the Kingdom’s main camp. When they were near enough to distinguish the faces of those within the camp, Aisha made a decisive statement. “We can’t let things continue like this... Madam Naden!”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Let’s use that. You know, the other thing we came up with.”

“Whuh?! In a real battle?! Where we only have one shot?!” Naden blinked in surprise, her dark ryuu eyes wide.

Aisha nodded. “If we don’t stop him here, His Majesty will be in danger. No matter what...we have to stop that guy.”

“All right...” Naden replied hesitantly, her usual composure faltering; she couldn’t quite bring herself to say her signature “Roger that!” catchphrase.

Naden lowered her guard against Fuuga’s path and rose into the air.

What is she planning...? Fuuga thought as he looked up at them. Meanwhile, Halbert and Ruby seized the opportunity to attack.

Halbert taunted, “This must be easy for you if you’ve got time to look away!”

Ruby chimed in, “We’re your opponents!”

Fuuga clicked his tongue in annoyance as he turned to face them.

At the same time, Naden climbed even higher into the sky above Fuuga.

Aisha placed a hand on Naden’s antlers and said, “Well then, Madam Naden. Are you prepared for this?”

“Yeah. You be careful too,” Naden replied.

“I will... Now let’s go!”

“Roger that!”

Naden transformed into her human form while in midair. In this form, even she could not remain afloat, and both she and Aisha were pulled down by gravity.

“Now...!” Aisha commanded.

As they fell, Aisha clasped hands with the human Naden. They spotted Fuuga fighting directly below them. Aisha helped Naden onto one side of her greatsword and wreathed it in wind magic before swinging it towards the ground.

“We call this the Black Dragon Shooting Star Shot!!!” Naden shouted.

“Goooooooo!!!”

Aisha launched the petite Naden using wind magic. As they noticed Naden plummeting at a speed faster than terminal velocity, Fuuga’s, Halbert’s, and Ruby’s eyes widened. Then, Naden began to gradually revert to her black ryuu form. Caught off guard, Fuuga was too slow to react.

“Roarrrrrr!!!” Durga growled.

Naden transformed into the black ryuu just as she closed in on Fuuga and Durga, slamming into the tiger with tremendous force. After absorbing such a heavy attack, even Durga could not remain aloft. The tiger struggled to recover as it tumbled to the ground, but Naden quickly wrapped her long, serpentine body around Durga.