No sooner that she felt like flames were flickering at the corner of her eyes, the monsters disappeared in succession. Elen, who had cut down a monster straight from the front with Silver Flash, looked towards the source of the flames, surprise and bewilderment reflected in her eyes. After all, a Vanadis manipulating flames shouldn’t exist in this world at present.
“──Elen.”
The one she found fighting there was her best friend. Lim freely wielded the two blades, indiscriminately slaughtering the monsters, be it dragon or frog.
When Elen called out to her, “──Lim,” her voice was hoarse. Lim responded with a smile.
“It’s been a while since we fought side-by-side like this, hasn’t it?”
Lim’s voice was filled with a calm might and a joy over being allowed to stand next to her best friend on the battlefield.
──That’s true, isn’t it?
Elen recalled what had been normal during their time as mercenaries.
“I’ll have you tell me all the details later on. For now, we have to──” Elen looked up to the giant of miasma proclaiming himself to be the goddess. “──somehow deal with that guy.”
Mila, Liza, and Sofy couldn’t hide their surprise over Lim participating in their battle. Only Olga cast a fleeting glance at the two blades in Lim’s hands, and nodded with obvious comprehension. As if she had sensed some kind of spiritual existence.
『──The Vanadis have increased by one, eh?』 Ganelon cheerfully laughed as he looked down on them from the giant’s forehead.
A sadistic gleam dwelt in his eyes, almost as if he was watching sacrifices that had been thrown into the cage of a ferocious beast, as he asked, 『So, what are you going to do next?』
Elen and the others groaned quietly. Lim joining them was a valuable addition, but not as much to overturn the current situation. They were well aware of it. Even if they unleashed their draconic arts while slaying the monsters, the giant’s huge frame made out of miasma didn’t even sway in the slightest.
『Look』, Ganelon pointed Durandal towards the sky once more. Elen and the others almost cried out in reflex. Right now it was the time for the sun to sink in the west, and the sky should be mostly dominated by darkness.
And yet, the sky’s color as it filled the Vanadadis’ visual field was tainted with an ominous violet.
『Sooner or later the black sun is going to sink, and the crimson moon is going to rise. The soil will change into the sky’s color, and the oceans will become green. And then, the era sought after ── shall descend upon us』
A part of that remark was terribly unclear. Unfortunately no one knowing the Brunian language of ancient times was present at the moment.
“Even if you ask us what we’re going to do, it’s obvious that we’ll fight you with all we have, isn’t it?” Elen scowled at Ganelon while tapping her shoulder with Silver Flash.
Mila, Sofy, Liza, Olga, and now Lim as well; all of them readied their draconic tools. The silver-haired Vanadis continued as if spitting out her accumulated rage, “You’re an invader, Ganelon.”
Ganelon narrowed his eyes, seemingly having his interest piqued a bit.
“As if I’d allow Leitmeritz to turn into some weird place outside the human world because of you. I shall take you down as ruler of Leitmeritz.”
That was almost the same as what Tigre had told Ganelon.
“Up until this very day, I have never forgiven anyone trying to harm Olmutz, and I don’t have any intention to start with you either.” Mila let Frozen Wave release chilly air.
Sofy also spoke up while holding her staff at her chest, “A black sun, crimson moon, and violet sky doesn’t suit Polesia. Not to mention that it’d hurt the people dear to me, so it’s not even worthy of consideration.”
While having Thunder Swirl lightly caress the ground with a thwack, Liza pinned her odd eyes on Ganelon, “This place, where you’re right now, is my Lebus. I don’t have anything else to tell you.”
Olga dragged Mad Roar along with her right hand, informing Ganelon in a way that could only be called indifferently, “My clan lives in Brest. The souls of my ancestors rest between heaven and earth. It’s the duty of a Vanadis to protect her people, and it’s the duty of a chief to protect the peace of her ancestors. I’ll carry out either duty.”
After staring at the blades of Luminous Flame, Lim looked up to Ganelon, “I don’t have the qualification to say anything about the livelihood and people of Legnica. However, I can at least tell this much from what I’ve seen and heard myself: Neither Lady Alexandra nor Lady Figneria would have pardoned or overlooked you.”
The Vanadis kept their replies towards Ganelon short.
『Then come』
Mila and Liza kicked off the ground. Tempests of ice and lightning traveled across the ground as if competing against each other as they closed in on Ganelon.
Ganelon spat out a black blizzard blended with miasma from the giant’s mouth, and countless, branching, violet lightnings were fired from his left hand.
The two Vanadis widened their eyes. Mila’s draconic art was erased by the blizzard whereas Liza’s lightning strikes shattered during the clash with the giant’s violet lightning.
Ganelon raised Durandal overhead, just to swing it back down in Olga’s direction. Olga took the blow with Mad Roar. A fierce pain ran through her broken, left arm, but she endured by clenching her teeth.
A crack traveled across the ground at Olga’s feet. It widened in no time, collapsing. Olga was buried in the soil up to her ankles while earth, sand, and stone fragments were whirled into the air. No sooner than screaming curtly, Olga was slapped against the ground, back first.
Ganelon raised Durandal overhead once more, obviously planning to deliver the finishing blow. Elen, Lim, and Sofy planted themselves in front of Olga, getting ready to defend her.
Ganelon lifted his left hand, created a great number of fireballs from its palm, and let them pour down on Elen’s group like rain. Sofy made Light Flower expand its invisible barrier, protecting her friends. However, the flames that gouged out the ground vanished right away, instead turning into a raging sea of flames around the four.
Her blond hair moist with sweat, several strands clung to Sofy’s forehead. She fended off the conflagration and heat, but it consumed her stamina at a rapid rate.
“I leave Olga to you.” Elen said to Sofy, and leaped, choosing the brief moment when the rain of fire ceased.
Lim followed her best friend. Arifar engulfed the two girls in its wind, allowing them to fly high up into the air as they approached Ganelon.
Ganelon swung the Sword of Invincibility sideways. Arifar and Durandal collided, causing Elen to be blown backwards. However, Elen flew as if drawing an arc, immediately launching herself at Ganelon once more. Matching Elen’s timing, Lim released flames in a radial shape, stealing Ganelon’s line of sight.
But, Lim’s flames were scattered in the blink of an eye. Ganelon had spat out a miasma storm. Emanating a dull gleam, Durandal swooped down on Elen. After a fierce clash between the blades, Elen was hurled towards the ground. She changed her posture with the help of the wind, somehow managing to barely avoid crashing onto the hard soil. Lim alighted next to Elen.
『Talking so big, and yet this is all you can muster?』 Ganelon commented with a bored expression while glaring down at the Vanadis.
Elen looked up to him, laughing scornfully, “Stupid amateur. That’s a line you say after you’ve won.”
Ganelon revealed a thin smile. Being slightly away from Elen and Lim, Liza and Mila released their draconic arts once more. The miasma giant dealt with them just like earlier.
A section of the ground got frozen over, reflecting the flashes of the lightning strikes. Frost clung to Liza’s breastplate, and several burn marks had damaged Liza’s dress. Both of them had begun to pant.
Ganelon lifted Durandal and brought it down towards Elen. In response, she had Arifar clad its blade in a wind current. But, despite doing so, Elen didn’t even try to take on Durandal’s blade directly, crouching down on the spot instead.
Lim released her flames, Sofy deployed a new barrier, and Olga lifted her ax overhead after having stood up.
A thunderous roar shook the atmosphere. The invisible barrier was blown apart in an instant, and only with the combined effort of Lim’s swords and Olga’s big axe, they barely managed to stop Durandal’s mighty blade.
It was at that very moment that Elen raised Silver Flash overhead, “──Tear the atmosphere apartLey Adomos!”
The big storm blade wasn’t aimed at Durandal, but the wrist of the hand holding Durandal. The storm-like shock wave from a point-blank range pierced through the wrist formed out of miasma, hollowed it out, and devoured it up to halfway.
Elen screamed out a war cry. Performing several leaps in quick succession, she soared towards Ganelon’s right wrist, brandishing Arifar. A sound similar to the splashing of mud reached Elen’s ears. The wrist was severed, causing fine particles of miasma to scatter into the air. The miasma hand holding Durandal dispersed and vanished with just the Sword of Invincibility stabbing itself into the ground after rotating around its own axis several times.
“I told you, didn’t I? Stupid amateur.”
After landing on the ground, Elen revealed a triumphant smile while putting her breathing in order. Her words weren’t mere provocation, but her evaluation of his way of sword handling. Receiving Durandal’s slashes twice, Elen had seen through the gaps in the giant’s defense.
『I see. But──』 Ganelon laughed derisively. Immediately after the wound on his right wrist started to wriggle like some living being, his lost hand was instantly recreated. Watching this, Elen and the others couldn’t help but to swallow their breaths. 『I guess nothing has changed by the number of Vanadis having increased by one, huh?』
Just when Ganelon commented so…
『──That’s not true』.
A female voice tinged with a bewitching timbre rejected his words. A single girl slowly walked over with a calm, slow stride. Elen looked back towards the source of the voice, just to become puzzled.
“Titta…?”
Right after muttering that, Elen immediately denied her own words.
She’s Titta, but then again not. That body definitely belongs to Titta. But, the one dominating it isn’t Titta’s soul, but something completely different.
Her outfit of wearing a cloak on top of reddish, thick clothes hadn’t changed. However, her chestnut-colored hair, which used to be bound into a ponytail, had lost its hair band, thus spreading widely. She was slightly floating up from the after-waves of the overflowing power. Her hazel eyes released a crimson gleam, and her delicate body was wrapped in a golden light emanating divinity and sinisterness at the same time.
What shocked Elen above all was her expression. Titta’s usual sweetness and brightness was gone, replaced by a smile possessing a shadiness grounded in darkness and beauty.
Ganelon’s face warped in hatred, and he croaked, 『You bitch…』
A large amount of winged monsters gushed out of the giant’s abdomen. They numbered 20 in total. Receiving Ganelon’s order, the monsters flapped their wings all at once. No sooner than crossing far above the heads of the Vanadis, the monsters swooped down on Titta while screeching.
Titta moved her eyes, looking up to the approaching monsters. Then she giggled. In the next instant, the monsters, which were about to sink their fangs and claws into Titta, were blasted apart into smithereens. Transforming into black dust without a single monster surviving, their remains melted into the atmosphere, and disappeared.
“…Tir Na Fal, I assume?” Elen asked with trembling lips to get clarity.
That, which was manipulating Titta’s body, nodded slowly, and gently placed her right hand on her chest.
『Ever since the start of this battle, this child has prayed to me aaall the time, saying, “Please save Tigre-sama and everyone else. If it’s for that sake, I shall yield my body to you.”』
Upon those words, Lim unconsciously nodded with an expression tinged with sadness. She knew that it’d be just like Titta to do so. After all, she was a girl who worried about making her cherished lover sad not being able to be of use to Tigre rather than lamenting over the bad luck of being present in a place like this.
『So, you bitch used that girl’s prayers to take over her body so that you could manifest, eh?』 Ganelon looked down on Tir Na Fal, scorn dyeing his face. 『Very well. Just like the demonic Tir Na Fal, I’ll make you mine by devouring you as well』
『I don’t have any intention to fight』
The goddess dodged his provocation so readily that Ganelon actually looked disappointed.
『I cannot afford to break this child’s body, otherwise I’ll get scolded by that boy. I have come here as a replacement for the seventh who isn’t present right now. They told you, didn’t they? There’s meaning in the number of Vanadis increasing by one more』
Tir Na Fal smiled, and looked back. Elen and the other Vanadis had been looking at her. So had Ganelon. Thus, all of them were startled.
Being supported by Gaspal and Damad, the youth with the dull red hair ─ Tigrevurmud Vorn ─ walked over this way, obviously dragging his feet. His left hand held the Black Bow while his right hand held onto a single arrow.
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