Part 2
---[Underwood Underground City]. Kasukabe Yō’s room.
After leaving the guest reception room, everyone decided to return to their own rooms to unpack their baggage and went their separate ways.
Returning to her room, Yō fell straight towards the bed that was made out of a hollowed out Water Tree root that was stuffed with something similar to the weaving of the thatch roofs. Though it might be so, it wasn’t as if she had directly dropped herself straight into a litter of tree roots.
But she lay on the white sheet that covered the tree roots.
“……the smell of tree roots and thatch.”
Yō was enjoying the calming smells and almost drifted into sleep there and then.
Through her droopy eyelids that went so heavy with the desire to sleep, Yō lifted her head suddenly as though she just remembered something.
“……Cannot. There’s no time to sleep.”
That’s right. Yō had arrived in the South Side with a strong determination and a promise to keep. Though it might be impossible to have a hundred new friends, but if she didn’t get to know more Eudemons of different kinds, she wouldn’t be able to show her face to Izayoi who had given her his rights.
“……Come to think about it, would Izayoi have found his headphones by now?”
Yō suddenly thought of the headphones that Izayoi always wore on his head. She also remembered the Flame-like logo that were on those headphones as well.
That logo was similar to the brand that dad had liked as well.
[Dad said that it was an [Irreplaceable exquisite antique that couldn’t be found currently]……Could Izayoi’s headphones be the same too?]
Maybe it was due to that reason which made Izayoi look for it so desperately. Even so, the moment that the three of them were summoned to this world of Little Garden, all the belongings that they brought along with them would also have become items that are unique and irreplaceable……
“……Nn, thinking about it will get me nowhere. I will ask him when I get back then.”
Yō decided to change the direction of her thoughts. Rather than worrying about Izayoi, Yō would like to prioritize the promise that they had. Luckily Calico cat had gone for a stroll and hadn’t return. If she wanted to move alone, this would be the only chance for her.
“Firstly, the change of clothes and then head outside of the suburbs. The wildlife reserves should hold many different types of Eudemons.”
Yō rustled through her baggage as she finally got to unpacking it.
From a personal perspective of living, Yō did not find a need for excessive items.
Hence her bag was small and should only contain the minimum amount of necessities---as such, when she spotted an item that she had no recollection of, appearing in her bag, Yō’s mind was instantly blanked.
“……Huh……”
How did……She managed to squeeze out a low moan.
‘That’ which had dropped out from her bag……was definitely……Definitely not something that should appear with the other items in her bag, especially for Yō.
“Eh……Huh? Huh?”
The sudden impact caused Yō to feel dizzy as she got to her feet and fell head first to knock on the pillar in the middle of the room.
But she didn’t mind that pain. Because……the……the appearance of such an item in her possessions would definitely cause people to assume that she had purposefully resorted to underhanded means to get Izayoi’s---
“Yō-san! It’s an emergency!”
*Bang!*Kuro Usagi suddenly burst into the room by slamming the door open forcefully. Yō quickly hid the item behind her back in a hurry.
However, accompanying a loud sound, the surroundings began to shake violently, causing Yō to fall backwards on her butt in a sitting position.
“Wa……Earth……Earthquake?”
“No! It’s an attack! [Underwood] is currently under that attack of a Demon Lord Residual group! We should also go lend a hand immediately---“
---Kuro Usagi’s words stopped as she had suddenly clamped her mouth shut.
This is due to the item that dropped behind Yō that held her unwavering gaze. And that was Izayoi’s headphones.
“Yō…Yō-san? Why is Izayoi-san’s headphones here……”
“No……It’s not!”
Yō was getting more confused. This was understandable since she really didn't know anything.
Even if she wanted to defend herself, her laconic nature was a burden to her and she did not know what else to say, leading to an awkward silence between them.
Just when Kuro Usagi couldn’t stand it anymore and was about to break the silence------A huge arm smashed through the dormitory walls and right between the both of them.
“Kya!”
They were both knocked flying at the same time. Yō tried to assess the outside situation from the hole in the wall but found herself staring into a huge eye that was looking inside from the other end.
Yō couldn’t repress her natural instinct to jump away. While the attacker couldn’t be bothered by her reaction as it used its huge arm to sweep the whole dormitory off its foundations.
“Yō-san!”
Kuro Usagi grabbed Yō who was off-balanced into her arms, seeming to protect her as she leap clear of the dormitory.
Witnessing the full size of the attacker for the first time, Yō said in a low and trembling voice:
“Ti….Titan!”
That’s right---A huge body of a height around ten meters appeared before them. The arms that held a huge long blade were as thick and sturdy as huge tree trunks.
A fearsome glare was emitted from behind a mask where two holes were drilled for the eyes.
Kuro Usagi eyed the Titans and prepared herself for battle.
“YES. They are [Humanoid Eudemons]--- also known as the Titan tribe!”
“Gahouhouhouhouhouhouhouhouhouhouhouhouhou----!”
The titans who were wearing their masks swung their hair while they gave off a fearsome roar before starting towards them to launch their attacks.
The place that was chopped by the huge sword had already formed a crater and the vibrations shook the whole Underground city. The outer walls had also started to crumble due to the impact. If it weren’t for the Great Tree’s tree roots to support them, they would have long been laid to waste.
Yō was dodging the slashes of the huge sword as she asked Kuro Usagi:
“You said that these are the Residual group of the Demon Lord. Could it be that the [Authority of the Host Master]……”
“No! These felons are ignoring the rules of Gift Games and had launched a direct assault! And they are the epitome of an unlawful organization!”
Anger was evident in Kuro Usagi’s reply. Gift Games were one of the few rules that existed within Little Garden that granted lots of freedom. The violent acts that did not conform to such a rule would surely cause her to be boiling in rage within her heart.
Just as they dodged another slash from the huge sword, they heard Asuka’s voice coming from behind.
“Kasukabe-san! Kuro Usagi! Are you guys fine?!”
“No problem on our end!”[65]
Kuro Usagi opened her mouth to reply and Asuka nodded to acknowledge.
Asuka then raised her Gift Card as she intended to summon Deen. Only to be stopped by a flustered Kuro Usagi.
“Wait……Please wait a moment, Asuka-san! If Deen and the Titans started to fight within the Underground City, the whole city would definitely be flattened!”
“Then what should I do?”
“Please head above ground with Yō-san! There’s more of the Titan tribe attacking outside! Please leave the city to Kuro Usagi!”
Kuro Usagi raised her Vajra that shot out a thousand arcs of lightning just as she ended her words.
The masked Titan wasn’t able to dodge the counterattack and howled as it crashed to the floor.
However, in the next moment, three other titans leapt down from above.
“Gahouhouhouhouhouhouhouhouhouhouhouhouhou----!”
*Boom!* The titans who had leapt down had thrown a chain towards Kuro Usagi in an attempt to restrict her movements. However, Kuro Usagi had a comparable leg power to Izayoi’s own.
Weaving through the gap of the chain thrown at her original position, she leapt in front of the Titan clan and let out a volley of lightning from her [Mock Divinity. Vajra] to strike them down.
“Rest assured! This level of opponents will never be a match to Kuro Usagi, no matter how many they may bring! Both of you, please help support the others outside!”
“I……I got it!”
Asuka shouted her consent as Yō whipped up a whirlwind that flew Asuka to the outside. At the moment before she flew herself to the surface, Yō who took a glance below and spotted the destroyed dormitory.
“…..Wu!”
A sense of panic caused Yō’s chest to feel tight. Judging by the extent of destruction, the headphones shouldn’t be able to remain intact without a scratch. Once the headphones are damaged, it would be more difficult for her to prove her innocence.
If the misunderstanding were to be unsolvable, the happy times they had up till now would burst like a soap bubble---
“Kasukabe-san! Go to the surface!”
“Nn……Okay!”
Asuka’s voice pulled Yō’s mind back to reality and they left the Underground City together to the surface.
As their field of vision widened, the battle torn situation was painted before their very eyes.
The echoes of bronze weapons clamoring against each other resounded across the plains and the river banks.
The curtains of the night sky were illuminated by flames that blossomed sporadically.
The deafening explosions from the fire arrows that were shot at each other were reflected by a barrier created with whirlwinds.
[Underwood]’s lower regions[66] were also embroiled in battles that made use of the condensed miracles—[Gifts].
“The……The situation seems to be worse than my imagination!”
Though the Titan tribe had at most two hundred or so on their side, but their opponents could only block one with 10 of their own. Facing a Titan invader, it required many Beastmen and Eudemons to attack together to successfully stop the advance of the opponent.
Even though the situation was as described above, the numbers were in [Underwood] residents favor and they should still be in an advantageous position. However, the chaotic battle field was filled with many differing views.
“Those people over at the Great Tree! Put out the lights! These guys are bad at night vision!”
“Cannot! There’re also [Two Wing] members who are bad at night vision!”
“Who cares about that! We would only be giving our opponents the upper hand if we continue like this!”
“We have to find the sentry who should have alerted us to this invasion and see if he really did do his job!”
The chaos was like a contagious disease that rapidly spread through the ranks of the defenders. The situation was simply out of control. The residents of [Underwood] were just a messy crowd that were engaged in their individual battles.
[No. We should focus on the situation at hand now!]
Yō cut off her train of thoughts to change her perspective. Since the situation was this bad, there’s no time for her to continue dwelling on other problems.
“Asuka, let’s find Sala to control the situation first……”
“I think that would be impossible.”
Asuka immediately replied. Looking to the direction that Asuka pointed, Yō spotted a bright and fiery figure in the night sky.
It was Sala who was flying in the skies with her Flaming Wings and there were three other Titan clan members that were pursuing relentlessly.
Though the three of them on first glance seemed smaller than the other Titans, but besides the masks that all the Titans wore they had a golden crown adorning their heads, sceptres[67] or a long staff as part of their accessories, distinctly marking them as different from the other Titans in terms of their imposing presence.
“Those three who are currently in battle with Sala should be the main force of the invaders. If we were to enter the fray and upset the balance, there’s no telling that it would be more good than harm. For now, let’s just go confirm the chaotic battle situation below before all else.”
“I got it. How do we do that?”
Caught by Yō’s question, Asuka thought for a moment while observing the defense line of the City.
“……Can’t let them invade into the City… Just place me down at the spot that is about to be breached.”
“You sure?”
“Nn. I will summon Deen on my way down to create a diversion and opening in the enemies and use that moment of surprise to launch my attack.”
“Okay. I will leave it to you.”
Asuka’s red formal dress fluttered as she descended into the battlefield and she took out her Gift card while shouting amidst the clamors of battle:
“Come to me! Deen!”
Following Asuka’s summons, a circular magic array that had no markings on it appeared in the skies.
And from the middle of the circular array, a huge armored red steel doll of a height similar to the Titans appeared and fell towards the ground.
The impact of the collision caused the ground to shudder and form a huge crater at its feet.
“---DEEEEEEEEEeeeeEEEEEEEN!”
The reverberation of the roar echoed in the Moon lit night.
The figure caused the Titan tribe, Gryphons and the other beastmen to quake in fear.
Due to the red Steel doll’s sudden appearance, the battle was ceased for a moment as they couldn’t identify which side it belonged to. Grabbing that chance, Asuka shouted her orders.
“Stun them with your roar! And beat your opponents flat!”
“DEEEEEEEEEeeeeEEEEEEEN!”
Deen stomped through the ground and began its charge. Grabbing the masked heads of two Titans within its reach, it smashed the back of their skulls together.
The warriors of the Titan tribe couldn’t help but give a roar in anger.
“Gahouhouhouhouhouhou---!”
The titans tried to escape the grasp of the Steel arms, but Deen’s unnatural power wasn’t about to be moved by such an effort. Not releasing its hold on the titans in its right and left hands, it proceeded to smash them together repeatedly to the point where its opponents have lost consciousness.
And with that, Deen raised an unconscious titan.
“Toss him out!”
“DEEEEEEEEEeeeeEEEEEEEN!”
Under Asuka’s command, Deen tossed the titan in one of its hand at another titan.
The titan must have been too stunned to register what was happening. It would seem that they had never thought of the possibility that their comrade could be tossed into the air with arms and legs flailing like he were dancing in mid-air and collide right into his own chest.
The two Titans who were tangled with each other seemed to have become a tumbler[68] as they rolled and bounced all the way to the middle of the large river.
Witnessing the great battle from the air, Yō had forgotten to provide assistance and merely gaped in a daze.
“Deen’s……really impressive!”
Yō had heard of how Deen made a quick job out of the Demon Lord cronies previously and had predicted a certain amount of battle strength that it needed to do that.
But the actual ability had far exceeded her imagination. The warriors of the Titan tribe didn’t stand a chance against the Red Steel doll that was at its full power. And it had already put down three of the Titan tribe within moments.
The heroic performance gave a boost to the spirit of the [Underwood] defenders.
Judging it to be a victorious turning point, a person in the Great Tree unfurled the banner of the [Draco Greif] Alliance and lit torches to brighten it up.
Sala also began to speed up her wrestling with the three Titans and swung her red hair that seemed to burn with crimson flames back as she shouted:
“If you let your guests protect the [Host], this would be our lifelong embarrassment! All members of the [Draco Greif] Alliance! Stand strong and hold your respective stations and change the tide!”
Roars of the emboldened warriors erupted in the battlefield as they replied to her chiding with much fervor. The various Communities that had returned to their orderly thoughts started to gather in their formations under the Flag and started to resume their respective missions.
[One Horn] and [Five Claws] moved forth to the frontlines and roared as they attacked the invaders.
[Two Wings] and [Four Footed] pulled the two wheeled war chariots as they provided support.
[Three Tails] and [Six Scars] were in charge of stretchering the injured away from the frontlines and providing item support.[69]
Facing the [Draco Greif] members that were getting more organized in their attacks, the Titan tribe was slowly being pushed back and had started to retreat as well.
Yō who was observing the battle situation had thought that the result was already clear by then. But---
In that moment, the sound of a stringed instrument being played could be heard from the field.
“……Huh?”
Yō couldn't react in time as a dense fog began to cover the surroundings. The battlefield below had also been shrouded by the fog.
The strange fog had even appeared in front of Yō’s eyes when she was about a thousand meters above ground.
And that made the sense of sight useless.
“How did it suddenly……”
“Oh no!”
Yō suddenly jerked her head down to look below.
The three Titans that had originally targeted Sala were now targeting Asuka and Deen as they launched their attacks. And what made things worse was the fact that the other Titan tribe members had thrown lots of chains around Deen’s body, causing it to be slower in its actions.
If Deen’s movements were entirely locked down, Asuka would become defenseless.
“Asuka---!”
Yō wrapped herself with whirlwinds as she descended rapidly. Placing all her energy to increase her speed to the maximum Yō then assessed the information stored within the [Genome Tree] to increase her mass to the heaviest recorded mass of an animal that she had befriended.
Bringing her full force into the strike that had created lots of shockwaves in her descent…
“Gahouhouhouhouhouhou---!”
However, she was swept aside by the huge arm that collided into her side.
“……WHAT?!”
It was just as simple a gesture as swatting a fly.
The crowned and masked Titan had easily deflected the strike that Yō had pumped all her energy into.
Yō managed to pull herself into a defensive position to protect herself, albeit with much difficulty and she collided with the surface of the big river, skipping along the surface before landing on the other side of the bank. Due to her use of wind to cushion her impacts, she hadn’t sustained any serious injuries. If it were to be land that she first smashed into, there’s no telling how serious an injury she might have sustained.
Moreover, the reason why she was able to take on that attack without injuries was due to the fact that Yō’s body was strengthened beyond that of a normal human.
[If Asuka were to receive such an attack……]
Surely---her slender body would be beaten to pulp.
Yō shook her head to rid herself of that worst possible scenario.
Whipping up a whirlwind to start her flight, Yō tried to rush back to Asuka’s side as fast as she could.
Though Yō had the sight of an eagle, but visibility on the ground was too poor with everything shrouded in dense fog. Even while flying close to the ground at her maximum speed, she could only rely on her ears that picked up sharp sounds of metals clashing and the roars of the Titan tribe. In addition to the poor sight, she was also getting confused by the smells and it was clear that this was a Gift used by the invaders.
[If it’s like this……]
Yō suddenly ascended rapidly and stopped in mid-air.
Since the fog is the result of a Gift’s power, we can only use the power of a Gift to counter it.
Spreading her arms, Yō started to collect all the winds into her palms.
[Though I’ve not tried any tricks other than flight……but I’m sure I can do it---!]
No. It must succeed no matter what.
If she couldn’t succeed, Asuka’s life would be in danger.
“Da…Damn it……Disperse them all---!”
The tornado that moved along the water level of the river gave a rumbling roar as it started to move forth. And it wasn’t long after that it started to suck up the fog along the funnel and up into the sky.
Though the thought was sound, the effectiveness was lacking and the dense fog showed no signs of dissipating. Yō had thought that her efforts had all been for naught when her ears picked up the roars of Eudemons that have witnessed her actions.
“---GEYAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Seeming to respond to Yō, the battlefield was suddenly filled with a large amount of whirlwinds. Though the roars of the Eudemons were unable to be understood by people who lacked the capacity to speak in their language, but they were all understandable to Yō’s ears.
[It’s Gry and his comrades……]
Thanking him in her heart, Yō took the chance to sprint forward as the fog was dissipating.
Just as she was praying hard to make it in time when she reached the battlefield---
She found that Asuka was still fine, causing Yō to feel as though she had worked for nothing.
“Asuka!”
“Ka……Kasukabe-san……Ya!”
Yō who felt so relieved that she forgot to stop her speed, knocked into Asuka and they fell to the ground. Though it was lucky that Asuka was on the floor and not on Deen’s shoulder that a tragedy did not happen, but she still couldn’t avoid falling to the ground on her butt.
“This’s great! To be able to get through that kind of situation without a scratch. You really are great, Asuka!”
“Though I would really like to answer that with a [Of course, do you really need to ask me that?], but in reality, it wasn’t me who defeated the enemies.”
“Eh?”
“……Just look around you and you will understand.”
Under the urging of Asuka’s solemn voice, Yō looked around to confirm the situation.
The fog was dissipating and the shadow of a human figure was becoming more visible. As for the Titan tribe---
“---How is it possible……”
When the fog had dissipated, she noted that the Titan tribe---had been annihilated.
They had been gutted by a sharp blade that cleanly slit open their skulls, necks, hearts and none had been allowed to become anything other than corpses on the ground. The main force of the invaders should also be amongst the dead, the trio that had worn crowns and held accessories like the sceptres.
……Yō was sure that she had arrived beside Asuka’s side within a minute.
But the Titan tribe on these parts of the battle field had all been wiped out with the same type of technique.
“Could it be……all the Titan tribe was…….by one person……who in the world is it?”
This reality was a great shock to Yō as she drew a sharp intake of breath.
To be able to wipe out the Titan Tribe in such a short period of time. That was surely an act that far exceeded one’s imagination.
Amongst the people that Yō knew of, only one could have managed this monster like feat---
“---You aren’t hurt, right?”
“Eh…… Eh?’
Yō immediately came to her senses. Though she had heightened her alertness due to the sudden voice, she immediately dismissed it in the next moment. This was definitely not because of her willingness to dismiss it.
But it was because Yō could understand with just one look---Though the owner of the voice wasn’t a beast man, neither was she an Eudemon nor a Lesser Dragon.
It was she, this woman who had killed all of the Titan Tribe.
“……”
The other party had a black hair ornament that tied back her beautiful pure white hair.
The white formal dress that seems to bring out a sense of quiet prudence on her was also covered by an exquisitely decorated silvery white armor.
A black and white Masquerade half-mask[70] covered the upper half of her facial features.
Seeming like a figure that’s only made out of the two colors of white and black, she was now totally drenched in the splatter of Titan’s blood.
“……You were the one who beat the Titans?”
“……”
The masked lady only glanced at the both of them to ascertain their safety with her eyes without giving a reply. Following that, she then turned away from Yō and Asuka as she left the scene with the only parts not covered in blood being that of her black hairpin and the swaying long ponytail that was tied by it.
Yō watched her back view as she was stumped for words, whereas Asuka propped herself up and said bitterly:
“That lady ……is very strong.”
Even for Asuka who had much pride to admit that so simply without any conditions, there wasn’t a need to know that the other had held an impressive amount of power that simply caused others to feel overwhelmed. And there was no telling that they might be meeting her as an opponent in the Harvest Festival Games. Thinking about that, the both of them simply couldn’t feel pure joy about being able to pull through safely.
Just when they were bending their heads gloomily, the bell to inform all about the end of the battle started to toll.
The dense fog that once covered the starry skies of [Underwood] had also been dissipated by the efforts of Yō and the other Eudemons.
Lifting her gaze to the starry skies, Yō straightened her back as she inhaled a refreshing breath of fresh air that came from the river, while she looked at the full moon that was a day past it’s fullest---[71]
“---Ah.”
Yō remembered the headphones that she had left in the dormitory and a sudden irksome chill seemed to pass through her shoulder blades. In cold sweat and whipping up a gust of whirlwind, Yō rushed back towards the dormitory.
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