Madan no Ou to Vanadis - Volume 17 - Chapter 3.4

Without showing much of a surprise over her appearance, Ganelon stared at the pink-haired Vanadis with a faint smile twisting his lips.

“It’s not just you either, is it? You people are spread out. I suppose you came here separately from him.”

Olga knitted her eyebrows. It was just as Ganelon had said. Olga had driven her horse towards Zagan together with Elen, Liza, and Lim, but just yesterday evening Sofy, Mila, Titta and the others had joined up with them.

But then again, it didn’t mean that they had planned this reunion in advance. Both parties simply had avoided all contact with each other up until now for the sake of not allowing their enemies to grasp their whereabouts. Given that their destination remained the same either way, it might be correct to describe it as both parties having unexpectedly run into each other when Zagan was close at hand.

Having arrived in Zagan, the girls decided to split up in teams in order to search for Tigre. And it was Olga who had found Tigre, and Ganelon with him, as the first.

“I wonder whether you’ll be able to protect Vorn by yourself until the other Vanadis discover this place.”

Fighting spirit lit up in Olga’s eyes upon Ganelon’s provocation.

“I have no words to exchange with an enemy I cannot respect.”

“You savage tribes really haven’t changed in the slightest over the last 300 years.”

Tigre frowned. He felt uneasy about the way of Ganelon that hinted at him actually having witnessed it all.

Without minding such small stuff, Olga bared her pure wrath at her tribe being ridiculed. The blade of Mad Roar grew, reaching a size that was almost no different from her height. Olga kicked off the ground. On the other hand, Ganelon didn’t move from his spot, only readying Durandal.

As the Sword of Invincibility and the dragonic tool clashed straight from the front, two different types of spark illuminated the darkness. Ganelon had parried Olga’s blow that would have likely pulverized any skilled knight along their armor.

“Very well. I have already seen Vorn’s power. I’ll humor you for a bit.” Ganelon forced Olga back with Durandal, and shifted to a fierce offensive.

While swinging around the greatsword like some light stick, he let its steel blue blade rain down on Olga from the right and left. Olga blocked those blows with Muma, but without being able to find a single opening to launch a counterattack, she got forced into an one-sided, defensive battle.

Tigre had nocked a new arrow on his Black Arrow, but since he couldn’t find a moment to fire it, he was doomed to keep watching Olga’s battle while unable to help her.

In the first place, Ganelon had a small build, which meant his height was close to that of Olga. And both wielded huge weapons that didn’t correspond to their heights in any way. Even though Tigre was highly skilled at archery, even he would find himself hard pressed to land a precise hit under these circumstances.

──However, Ganelon isn’t perfect either.

Tigre had noticed that Ganelon’s attack patterns were monotone and repetitive. He could easily tell that Ganelon very likely hadn’t studied any swordsmanship. Ganelon had overwhelmed Tigre by capitalizing on his superhuman strength and speed. Tigre was sure that Olga had noticed the same as him.

“Olga!” He called out to her while drawing his bow to the limit.

If it was her, she should be more than capable to guess what was coming from this much. And the young girl magnificently met the youth’s expectation. While twisting her body, Olga repelled the greatsword homing in on her from the side with her ax, using a motion similar to scooping it up from below. Ganelon’s sword was hit upwards for a moment.

Not missing that opening, Olga brandished Muma, aiming at Ganelon’s feet. No sooner than the wind howled, the ground was gouged out and broken apart.

Only a small cut-off piece of a robe was to be found among the countless scattering stone fragments. Ganelon himself was in the air as he had evaded Olga’s huge ax by jumping. He tried to slam down his sword on the top of Olga’s head just like that, but Tigre shot his arrow at that very moment.

Ganelon’s eyes shifted from Olga to Tigre. He opened his mouth, spitting out something similar to black phlegm. That mass hit the arrow, and melted it into oblivion.

Olga, on the other hand, was about to strike the airborne Ganelon with her draconic tool, but reconsidered just before putting it into practice, and quickly leaped backwards. Durandal left behind a jarring screech as it grazed Muma on its way downwards.

Tigre walked up to Olga who had carefully retreated.

“You okay, Olga?”

“Thanks, you saved me there.”

A red line was running across Olga’s left arm. Durandal’s tip had touched her shallowly. If Olga had been just half an instant later, she’d have doubtlessly lost her left arm then and there.

“Is he a demon?”

“And a human as well.” It was Ganelon who had answered Olga’s question. His tone was cheerful, but his eyes oozed with a tenacity that wouldn’t allow any objection. “Because I devoured several demons, my body has become a mixture of both, though. However, this place here is still pure human without any demonic elements.”

Ganelon lightly tapped his forehead with a finger. And then he continued his words as if to emphasize it once more, “I’m human. My name is Maximilian Bennusa Ganelon.”

Neither Tigre nor Olga replied to that because they couldn’t find any words for that abnormality. Even if Ganelon were human as he claimed to be, it still wouldn’t change the fact of him being a lunatic.

“Don’t make me laugh. Do you think there exist any humans who would devour demons?” A voice, beautifully cutting Ganelon’s statement down, could be heard from within the darkness.

While being well aware of the feelings of surprise and joy dancing in his heart, Tigre directed his eyes towards the origin of the voice.

A wind got up, blowing away the miasma. And from within Elen appeared with her silver hair fluttering. It wasn’t just her either. Liza and Lim were next to her.

“My ice has also judged you to be a demon.”

That voice could be heard from the opposite direction of Elen, Liza, and Lim. When he turned his eyes in that direction, Tigre was attacked by even more surprise.

Mila was walking in his direction while clad in chilly air. Sofy was next to her. Moreover, Titta, Gaspal, and even Damad were behind the two Vanadis.

With his delight winning over his confusion, Tigre let his eyes wander with a bewildered expression. Until some time ago he didn’t have the leeway to think, but it was quite weird for Olga to have come running for his rescue. Especially since he didn’t tell anyone about coming here.

“I’ll tell you the details later.” Olga quietly addressed Tigre.

Because of that, Tigre also managed to pull himself together.

Even while being surrounded by five Vanadis in a half-circle, Ganelon didn’t show a sliver of flinching back. The faint smile, which he had shown for some time now, still remained on his lips as he scrutinized the faces of his foes one at a time. His eyes passed across Mila and Sofy, stopping at Titta. The girl’s shoulders jumped in fright, causing Gaspal to move in order to protect her.

“I see. So it’s the plot of the human-loving bitch, huh?” Ganelon justified for himself, looking away from Titta as he had apparently lost all interest in her, just to return to scanning the Vanadis and Tigre as before. “It’s a bit different from what I had planned, but it fits either way. Let’s have you people do the work for me.”

Elen and the others furrowed their eyebrows.

“What do you mean? Do you believe that we’ll let you do as you please any further?”

Ganelon sneered at Elen who had taken a step forward while readying Arifar, “Do as I please, huh? That’s already over.”

At that moment, the ground beneath Tigre’s feet became cracked. Many rays of black light surged out of those fissures. They pierced Tigre’s body, changed into miasma, and began to erode the youth’s body.

“Did you think that my preparations weren’t already finished?” Ganelon roared in laughter.

He had finished the ritual before Tigre had even shown up. The finishing touch was Tigre, the one to become the vessel, coming to this temple ruin. The battle afterwards was, just as Ganelon had said, nothing more than him checking Tigre’s compatibility.

“It’s the advent of the Demonic Tir Na Fal!”

“Tigre!” Elen shouted what was more of a scream than a yell.

Kicking off the ground, she tried to rush over to Tigre while borrowing Arifar’s power. But, the instant she came in contact with the miasma surrounding Tigre, Elen suffered an intense recoil, getting flicked away.

Liza raised Thunder Swirl overhead.

“Disperse the Night, Ephemeral FangNott Rubeed!”

Black light was released from the whip’s tip as it plunged onward with irregular movements. Liza had concluded that they wouldn’t be able to rescue Tigre without a draconic art, even if it resulted in injuring Tigre. Her internal conflict about this measure revealed itself in her not having used her strongest draconic art.

However, Liza’s draconic art was confined to only scraping off a bit of the black vortex of miasma, causing her to stand stock still in shock. Mila, Sofy, and Olga couldn’t come up with any means to change the situation, and thus were stuck watching on as Tigre continued to be swallowed up by miasma.

Elen stood up while using Silver Flash as a cane, and called out to Tigre with a hoarse voice. But then her eyes widened in surprise. Tigre’s body transformed within the maelstrom of miasma. His dull red hair turned black, and an eerie black gleam filled his eyes. Unable to endure the excessive pressure, his body started to spout blood from his face and arms. The miasma clung itself to the blood, darkening his body. The voice escaping his lips formed no words, but seemed more like the growling of a beast.

And then Tigre’s left arm started to melt. The Black Bow in his hand was absorbed into his arm, fusing with it. As if having timed it, his face began to distort as well. It wasn’t that his facial features changed or anything, but his nose got crushed, his mouth tore wide open to the sides, and his teeth became sharp, changing into fangs. It was such an extensive mutation that it made even Gaspal and Damad swallow their breaths.

“You’re saying…this is a goddess?” Mila breathed out with a shudder.

She wondered whether it turned out like that because the goddess was trying to descend into a human body, or did it actually reflect the goddess’ true appearance?

Either way, the Vanadis wouldn’t be allowed to remain dumbfounded spectators indefinitely. Tigre──no, Tir Na Fal lifted her left arm, turning the Black Bow in the direction of Sofy’s group.

“Everyone, hurry and get behind me…!” Sofy yelled, sensing the danger.

She held up her golden staff.

Tir Na Fal drew the bowstring to the limit while an arrow fully made out of miasma manifested at the tip of her right hand.

The Vanadis instantly perceived the tremendousness of the 『Power』 concealed in that arrow. After waiting for Elen and the others to rush behind her, Sofy unleashed her draconic art.

“──Congregate before me, gleaming wavesFalvarna!”

Accompanied by a clear, sonorous sound, countless light particles poured out of the pointed end of Light Flower. It extended in front of the Vanadis, creating an invisible barrier. At the same time, the goddess released the arrow.

The atmosphere roared and the earth rumbled as light and darkness exploded. The girls’ visual field was dazzled by a furious dance of light and dark, almost making it impossible for them to see anything else. The Vanadis clearly realized the goddess’s dreadfulness through the roaring of the ground and the howling of the wind which both were passed on to them through their skins.

And then their horror instantly transformed into shock. In front of Elen and the others, the goddess made the miasma congregate, creating a new arrow, as if it was nothing. That arrow was one size bigger than the previous one, allowing the prediction that only Sofy’s draconic art most likely wouldn’t be able to block it.

The arrow was fired. At the very same time, as if in complete harmony, Elen lifted Silver Flash overhead, Mila held up Frozen Wave over her head, and Liza mowed down Thunder Swirl.

“──Tear the atmosphere apartLey Adomos!”

“──Freeze the heavensCielo Zam Kaphar!”

“──Miraculous Smashing Claw Ripping Heaven and Earth ApartGron Lazurga!”

Storm, blizzard, and lightning coiled around each other in a vortex, turning into a raging stream of light, and melting into the invisible barrier that had barely maintained its shape, just before the miasma arrow crashed into it. The light and blast caused a searing pain in their eyes and ears. The ground around Elen and the other Vanadis was mercilessly gouged out.

The aftermath caused the atmosphere to quiver faintly while smoke blended with miasma billowed. While panting heavily, the Vanadis tensely waited for the smoke to fade, swallowing the saliva in their mouths. The three draconic arts at full power had apparently offset the goddess’s arrow, and thus fully blocked it.

Due to the view opening up in front of them as the smoke cleared, Elen and the others couldn’t help to become aware of how their bodies trembled. The walls and the floor’s stone paving had been blown away without leaving a trace behind. The ground itself was awfully crooked. They realized that not a single strand of their hair would have remained if they had directly taken the arrows on. No, it was quite likely that Zagan itself would have perished.

“Tigre… What happened to you?”

While Titta cowered in anxiety, Gaspal sighed. Lim and Damad, who were trying to protect Titta just like him, had become speechless due to the dreadfulness of what was going on.

Tir Na Fal stood where she had been standing since before without any apparent change. And while kneading the miasma between her left and right hand, she produced a new arrow. A cold shiver full with the prediction of their death traveled down the spines of the Vanadis. Olga was about to unleash a draconic art as well, but she seemed unable to make up her mind.

It was that very moment when Tir Na Fal’s posture fell apart. Her body slanted over as if being pulled by something, on the verge of falling down. The arrow, which was fired at that moment, passed Elen and the others far above their heads, vanishing into the sky.

──What’s going on? What happened?

Elen and the others stared at Tir Na Fal with questioning looks. If she had shot the arrow just now normally, they would have likely been pulverized without even their bones remaining.

Ahead of the Vanadis’ line of sight, the goddess was twisting as if bearing excruciating pain. She pinned down the Black Bow which had fused with her left arm, groaning in agony. It was a golden opportunity to attack her, but no one present was able to move because the current happening was way too queer and unnatural.

“You guys, use this chance to fall back.” Mila said to Lim, Gaspal, Damad, and Titta with her voice pregnant with nervousness.

Lim revealed a mortified expression, but she couldn’t avoid admitting that an average warrior would be a burden by just being present in this place. She swiftly bowed, and left while urging Titta, Gaspal, and Damad to do the same.

Tir Na Fal started something new. From a position of her body being bent backwards, she loudly kicked off the ground. Exhibiting a terrifying jumping power, the goddess swooped down on Sofy who was the Vanadis standing closest to her.

A sudden gust. And then a small shadow wedged itself between Tir Na Fal and Sofy. It was Olga. But, once she considered the body being that of Tigre, she hesitated in unleashing a draconic art. Using Mad Roar as a shield, Olga attempted to block the goddess’s blow.

Without minding the small girl’s actions, Tir Na Fal bashed Olga from above her draconic tool with her left hand. A thunderous bang as if a huge rock got smashed to smithereens ruptured the eardrums of everyone present. After a short scream, Olga’s body whirled through the air.

The other Vanadis became terrified once more. Blowing away a Vanadis together with her draconic tool by just punching her was an impossible feat for a human.

“Olga!” Sofy rushed over to Olga in a hurry.

Meanwhile Liza slapped down her black whip, and Mila stabbed with her ice spear at the goddess from point-blank range. Tir Na Fal didn’t even try to dodge them. She stared at the two Vanadis with her eyes emanating a black radiance, and casually moved her arms.

Alongside a hard clank, Thunder Swirl was repelled by the Black Bow. At the same time, Frozen Wave’s thrust was warded off by the goddess letting it slide off her right palm. Even though either attack was powerful enough to even break dragon scales apart.

Tir Na Fal tried to discern whom of the two she should attack first, but then her eyes shifted upwards. At that very moment Elen, clad in wind, was about to slash down Silver Flash.

A metallic sound similar to blade ringing reverberated. The goddess had held up her left arm, and parried Elen’s slash with the Black Bow. Then Tir Na Fal drew the bowstring in that posture. A miasma arrow came into existence between her hands

Elen tried to change her direction in mid-air through 『Wind ShadowVuelni』.

──Won’t be in time, huh…!?

Tir Na Fal’s movements stopped but for a moment. Elen kicked the goddess’s head, using it as a foothold to jump away from her. The miasma arrow was released immediately following, but passed through empty spacing and vanished.

Using that opening, Mila and Liza also leaped away, opening up some distance. All three of them ran over to Sofy and Olga. Olga was down on her knees, being propped up by Sofy. She was lifting her body even with her face twisted in pain. She was tightly clasping Muma in her right hand, but her left arm was powerlessly dangling down. Obviously having its bones broken.

──This outcome even though she got hit through her draconic tool?

New fear blew a freezing breath into the hearts of the Vanadis.

Tir Na Fal stared at Elen. Immediately after groaning lightly, she came charging. Sofy clenched down her molars, and brandished her golden staff while scowling at the goddess.

“──Glittering Spray, Scamper Ahead of MeMutay Lasuv!”

A globe of white light with the size of an adult head was created at the pointed end of her staff. Upon one swing of Light Flower, that globe was released into space, attacking Tir Na Fal.

The goddess smashed the globe apart all too quickly with a punch of her left fist that was fused with the Black Bow. At that moment, the light ball burst into countless light particles, scalding Tir Na Fal’s eyes, and thus stopping her movements for an instant.

Mila readied her ice spear and swiftly advanced. She let her spear glide, trying to pierce the enemy this time for sure. Support the translation by reading Madan no Ou on Infinite Novel Translation

The goddess smiled ominously with her eyes still closed. Lavias’s spear tip grazed Tir Na Fal’s flank. In the next instant, the goddess simply extended her right arm, grabbing the handle of Mila’s spear.

“You little…!” Mila cursed.

She made Frozen Wave freeze the goddess’s right hand by having it release freezing air from its entire frame.

In the next moment, an astonishing spectacle was reflected in the Vanadis’ eyes. Tir Na Fal lifted the spear alongside Mila. The Snow Princess of Frozen Wave couldn’t let go of her spear in time because of her sheer surprise. The goddess swung the spear down just like that, slapping Mila on the ground.

A short scream escaped Mila’s lips. At the same time, Tir Na Fal’s hand was freed from Frozen Wave. Immediately following, Tir Na Fal leaped, assaulting Mila, who hadn’t gotten up yet, like a beast.

Making a spot decision, Mila shortened her hold of Lavias, but the goddess was faster. Right after a crunching sound similar to metal being crushed, Mila moaned in pain.

Before Mila’s groan could even fade, Elen and Liza were already in the process of striking the goddess from the sides. Liza had transformed her jet-black whip into a cylindrical weapon through 『Steel WhipKustal』.

Tir Na Fal repelled the blows by Silver Flash and Thunder Swirl with a horizontal sweep to the side of the Black Bow. And then she stepped in toward Liza who had begun to fall back, punching her with her right hand. Liza attempted to parry the blow with Thunder Swirl, but she got slammed against the ground thanks to the goddess’s terrifying physical strength.

Elen accelerated through 『Wind ShadowVuelni』, and took some distance from Tir Na Fal while carrying Mila.

“You alright?”

“…It’s just a scratch.” Mila responded with her face twisted.

The blue-haired Vanadis was holding her right chest with the left hand. On a closer look, one could see that the right side of her breastplate was broken in a strangely distorted way. A part of her outfit was torn, and blood was oozing out close to her solar plexus.

“She bit it off, that bitch.” Mila spat out in annoyance while standing up.

Elen needed a short moment to grasp the meaning of those words.

Tir Na Fal, who had forced Liza to yield with a single blow, shifted her eyes to Elen, Sofy, Mila, and Olga.

“What should we do…?” Mila, who was usually so confident, now mumbled in despair.

She had even considered that she’d encounter an opponent who was basically immune to her draconic tool. Even though she’d love to find a means for survival with her draconic arts, the other side had miasma arrows, which surpassed all their draconic arts by far, at her disposal.

Feelings of resignation going way beyond fluster colored Elen’s ruby eyes as well.

“This doesn’t even qualify as a fight between a child and an adult…”

She couldn’t come up with a breakthrough solution. All she could think of was them getting slain one by one at this rate.

No good, the silver-haired Vanadis gritted her teeth. Putting strength into the hand holding her longsword, she staved off the despair trying to encroach upon her heart.

──I’ll get back Tigre. As if I’d ever let the likes of a goddess have him.

Elen stared back at Tir Na Fal. At that moment Elen saw it. The goddess tried to raise her left arm, but it immediately dropped back down. Tir Na Fal repeated that action twice.

──Don’t tell me… No, I’m sure it must be that.

She had almost overlooked it because the goddess was wielding such overwhelming strength, but Tir Na Fal’s actions were riddled with oddities. Even though she should have been able to fire miasma arrows at any time she wanted to, she hadn’t done so. In addition, her stance had suddenly fallen apart, and she had also stopped moving a few times.

──Tigre is fighting her.

Elen had thought that Tigre might have been swallowed by Tir Na Fal. But this didn’t seem to be the case. Tigre’s consciousness was still around. And he was trying to suppress the goddess’s actions.

Elen lifted the corners of her mouth into a smile. A smile of delight teeming with a strong fighting spirit.

“Elen, what are you planning to do…?”

After having approached Elen while preparing her staff, Sofy planted herself next to her. Olga was next to her, too. Olga’s face had become pale, but it didn’t harm the light of fighting spirit dwelling in her eyes. While tightly clasping her huge ax in her right hand, she fixed her eyes on Tir Na Fal.

“I’m going to save Tigre.” Elen declared.

She concisely recounted to the surprised Vanadis what she had observed.

“I dare say that I’m still alive right now because of him. If not for him, all of us would have died a while back.”

“…You say save him, but how are you going to do that?” Mila inquired while propping up her body with her spear.

Elen immediately replied, “I’ll drive my draconic art into that woman’s left arm──the Black Bow.”

Sofy swallowed her breath. She believed that method to be too excessive and violent, even if Elen’s conjecture were to be correct. Although it had been reduced to a beast dominated by the goddess, that body was still Tigre’s.

Olga asked with a dispassionate tone, “What if Tigre loses his arm?”

“──I’ll make it up to him, even if I have to spend all of my remaining life on it.”

The one answering like that wasn’t Elen, but Mil who was engulfed in a layer of freezing air. She then bluntly declared to Elen, who was knitting her eyebrows, “Eleonora, I shall go along with that idea of yours. That’s why, yield this duty to me.”

Even while aware of their respective positions, Mila couldn’t help but confront Elen with her feelings.

It’s unthinkable for the man, who’s made me go this far, to not fight against the goddess, Mila could believe so from the bottom of her heart.

Elen was about to say something, but since Tir Na Fal, who had been standing upright, started to move, she reassessed that this wasn’t the right moment to discuss this topic. She scowled at Tir Na Fal while readying her sword.

“Don’t fail.”

No sooner than hissing that, Elen kicked off while tightly gripping Silver Flash. Challenging the goddess from the front, she slashed away at her. The goddess stopped Arifar with her right arm. Without minding that, Elen began a flurry of attacks from various angles. In the meantime, Olga went around to the goddess’s right side while dragging her ax behind her. She moved so shrewdly that one could doubt her being injured. With a little delay, Sofay started to move as well, going around to the goddess’s left side.

Tir Na Fal’s expression distorted as if she was trying to form a smile. Being right in front of her, Elen got goosebumps from the wickedness and repulsiveness of this smile-look-alike. It went so far that she honestly believed that it was great that Tigre’s face had been transfigured.

A tremendous amount of miasma billowed up around the goddess, forming a defensive layer. Elen cut at it with Silver Flash, but the sword bounced off with a shrill clank. As she almost let go of it, Elen quickly readjusted her hold on the hilt.

Rather than hard, it’s terrifying, was the impression Elen embraced. Fully stepping into this resembles throwing myself into a raging stream. Either I’ll be flung away or swallowed by it. That’s probably why she laughed. Elen comprehended.

──Don’t underestimate us.

Elen hoisted Silver Flash up with her body engulfed by wind. Olga’s Mad Roar was tinged with a gleaming reminiscent of moonlight. Light particles spilled out of Sofy’s staff, fully enveloping her. The power flocking towards the draconic tools gave birth to light, heated them up, and swirled around them in a maelstrom, thus meeting all conditions for a devastating blow.

The countless wind blades released by Elen’s longsword, the shockwave so strong that it smashed the ground as it plowed onwards from Olga’s huge ax, and the shining light globe released from Sofy’s bishop’s staff collided with the defensive layer of miasma.

A thunderous roar so powerful that it numbed one’s skin surged through space. The defensive layer around the goddess was torn apart at countless places within the furious storm of wind and light, and dispersed after losing its power.

At that very moment, Mila thrust Frozen Wave with both hands at the goddess’s Black Bow while screaming out her fighting spirit. Her body was already wrapped up in a film of freezing air, and the tip of her draconic tool was shining fiercely.

“Lavias! Entrust your everything to me!” She appealed to her partner without caring about using up all her power, and even her life force.

Staying true to her own words, she bet everything on that one attack while imploring Frozen Wave to do as told if it approved of her as its master.

──I shall take back my loved one with my own power and hands!

A huge amount of cold air currents came into existence within a short distance, repeatedly engulfing Lavias’ spearhead. The freezing air surrounding Mila emanated a white brilliance thanks to her resolve and fighting spirit.

Once she cast a glance at the approaching Mila, the goddess tried to hook her right hand’s fingers on the Black Bow’s string in order to start creating a miasma arrow. But at that moment a black whip tore through the air, twining itself around Tir Na Fal’s right hand. It was Liza’s attack. When Elen and the others had fired their draconic arts, Liza had gotten up, returned Thunder Swirl into its whip form, and lain in wait for an opening.

And thanks to that, Mila’s draconic art was unleashed but an instant faster than the goddess could create her miasma arrow.

“──Freeze the heavensCielo Zam Kaphar!”

The enormous amount of freezing air gushing out of Lavias instantly froze the ground at the goddess’s feet. Many ice spears extended from there, sealing Tir Na Fal’s movements while at the same time attacking her. And a short moment later Mila drove her draconic tool into the Black Bow with a momentum as if trying to ram Tir Na Fal with her body.

An impact.

The goddess howled like a beast. Brandishing her left arm, she blew away Mila.

Mila was violently thrown on the ground, but immediately got back up, and glared at the goddess. Tir Na Fal’s left arm　─ the spot that had fused with the Black Bow ─ had been gouged out. Black miasma was flowing down from the wound. The Black Bow itself had been frozen with the coldness having reached all the way to even the bowstring.

“Tigre! Can you hear me, Tigre!?” Having watched all of this play out, Elen frantically called out to her lover.

Mila also raised her voice as if her body wasn’t bogged down by fatigue all over.

“How long do you intend to stay like that, Tigre!?”

Sofy, Liza, and Olga also frantically appealed to him, placing their feelings into their words and voices.

The miasma gushing out of the wound gained in density, and groans escaped the goddess’s lips. It was at the moment when the Vanadis thought that it needed just another little push.

“──Okay, thanks for your hard work. You’ve done well.” A gruesome voice filled with scorn reached the girls’ ears.

Maximilian Bennusa Ganelon stood a dozen steps away from Elen and the others. The 『Sword of Invincibility』 stood next to him, stabbed into the ground. His jet-black robe was tattered, but the injuries he had carried away in the battle against Tigre were already healed.

“Goddess, now is the time for you to become mine!”

No sooner than trusting both his hands high into the air, Ganelon knelt down on the spot, and then pressed both palms on the ground. His small body was wrapped up by miasma, and a sinister, violet light was released from his hands.

While meandering like lightning, the light traveled across the ground at a tremendous speed, and stabbed into Tir Na Fal who was rooted to the spot. The goddess screamed her pain out so loudly that it caused the atmosphere to tremble. With her eyes rolled back and her mouth opened to the limit, her body convulsed. It was such a terrifying expression that the Vanadis were lost for words.

“What…What are you doing!?” Sofy, who came back to her senses first among the Vanadis, sharply glared at Ganelon.

Ganelon didn’t answer. Because he didn’t need to. With each moment, the violet light tying the goddess and Ganelon together grew in size and brilliance. This was the effect of Ganelon 『Devouring』 the goddess. And Ganelon truly experienced with his own skin how the miasma covering his body continued to become more powerful.

Losing her temper over Ganelon giving her the cold shoulder, Sofy brandished her bishop’s staff. She felt that it’d be dangerous to carelessly approach Ganelon, going by the strength of the miasma surrounding him. Thus she concluded to have no other option but to attack him from her current position. And Sofy’s action also triggered Liza.

“──Glittering Spray, Scamper Ahead of MeMutay Lasuv!”

“──Disperse the Night, Ephemeral FangNott Rubeed!”

The whitely glowing globe of light from the tip of Light Flower, and a flash so strong that it dazzled one’s eyes from Thunder Swirl were unleashed, assailing Ganelon. However, both draconic arts were blocked by the miasma covering Ganelon’s body, thwarting them from even touching his body.

Ganelon felt enraptured while savoring the 『Power』 flowing into his body. Up until now he had devoured three demons, but Tir Na Fal, his current target, was incomparable to them. She was a being exceeding his imaginations by leaps and bounds.

Ganelon’s eyes were widened to the utmost limit, a red light teeming with sinisterness burning within. The atmosphere around Ganelon was transformed into miasma, emitting a black light and coiling around him. The miasma fully engulfed him in no time, and continued to swell up even further.

“Going through the annoyance of the proper procedure was worth it.” Ganelon unintentionally muttered while laughing.

It was only the person endowed with the potential to become the King of Magic Archery ─ the one chosen by the Black Bow ─ who could allow the goddess to descend into their body. Thus it remained impossible for Ganelon. However, once the goddess had descended, he could devour her. But, the opponent was still a goddess. It was unthinkable that she’d let herself devoured without any resistance. And Ganelon could easily imagine that he’d be no match for the goddess with his own powers if she were to exhibit her full power.

He had to allow the vessel for her advent to become strong. A robust physical health was a given, but the vessel also had to be equipped with the will power to oppose the goddess. If he could chip off the goddess’s power on top of that, he’d be able to devour her, Ganelon had concluded.

On this point Ganelon had room to negotiate with Drekavac. If Ganelon were to fail in devouring the goddess, or was hijacked by the goddess after devouring her out of inability to control her powers, things would proceed as Drekavac had planned. The world might have been remade for the sake of the demons.

On the other hand, Ganelon was confident that he’d be able to suppress the goddess with his own power. His original plan was based on Ganelon whittling down the goddess’s power by himself. This was also one of the reasons why he had stolen Durandal from Brune’s royal palace. If it was this sword that had been forged for the sake of blocking off the powers of draconic tools, it should also be capable of damaging the goddess.

What could maybe called a fortunate circumstance for Ganelon was that he was able to push that duty on the Vanadis. And thus he was now devouring the goddess. Without leaving even a single fragment of her in Tigre’s body, he completely absorbed the goddess into himself.

And then a change occurred to Ganelon’s body.

◎

——————- End of Part 4 ——————-