Arc 7, Chapter 97 "Coming from Beyond the West"
--The offensive and defensive battles that unfolded in the Imperial city of Lupgana were reaching a climax at every turn.
A cloud-cloaked dragon descends into the snowy sky, and red-hot flames scorch the sky like turbulent clouds. Stone dolls and desperate soldiers clash, and the battlefield is warped into a back-and-forth struggle between the mighty arms of the beasts and the cunning malice of the cunning men.
However, at this moment, this moment, the greatest focal point on this battlefield is the innermost part of the Imperial City - the white light emitted from the most beautiful castle in the world, called the Crystal Palace.
The magic crystal used throughout the castle -- a crystallization of mana that is purer than any other type of magic stone - is the "magic crystal gun", a strategic weapon that amplifies the mana stored in it while reaping the benefits of the target.
It was the trump card of the Crystal Palace and the greatest firepower the Vollachia Empire possessed. Even on this battlefield, that single shot was the ultimate blow that could decide the outcome of the battle.
First of all, only a limited number of people know about the existence of this magic crystal gun.
The only ones who knew were, of course, Abel, who was the sitting emperor, and Zikr Osman, who had been informed of the general plan of operations. Only Priscilla Barielle, who was no doubt informed in advance, and a very limited number of personnel on the rebel side.
The situation is roughly similar on the Imperial side. Vincent Vollachia, the fake emperor who leads the rebellion, and his vizier, Berstetz Fondalfon, who follows him. And even the Crystal Palace itself, Mogro Hagane - one of the "Nine Divine General" - is unaware of this hidden ball.
And then--,
"--The remaining power of the magic cannon is three times at its limit, but on this battlefield it can only cut once."
That is Abel's reading, and hence the awareness he shares with Vincent.
Although various factors are involved, the magic cannon is in every sense the trump card for homeland defense. An outburst that empties its remaining ammunition is hardly something that can be used in the future.
Unless, of course, Vincent is going to use up everything he has on this battlefield without any consideration for the future.
"You cannot be so desperate."
What to call that certainty, Abel dares not think.
But conviction is conviction, and without cutting it out of his budding mind, Abel laid down the battlefield. And he chose to ensure that the magic crystal cannon, which could only be fired once, would trigger an empty shot.
The thought was brought out by Zikr, a valuable asset, and his soldiers with high morale under his banner, as well as the "decoys" that united the various tribes.
"--The elite use them as decoys. The enemy cannot ignore them."
Then, at the third apex, where the odds seemed to be against them, a magic cannon was pointed at the battlefield defended by Mogro.
The disadvantage of the magic cannon, which can cause extensive damage to allies, no longer needs to be taken into consideration on Mogro's battlefield. The reason is that each of the stone dolls scattered across the battlefield is nothing more than an offshoot of Mogro, and even the huge Mogro that has become one with the city walls is not the main body of Mogro.
Therefore, the intentions of both sides overlapped, and the magic crystal cannon that was released annihilated the rebel group, but also canceled out the cause of defeat of the rebels, who were helplessly defeated. --It was supposed to happen.
"----"
A moment later, many on the battlefield saw the black light that swallowed the white light that was released.
What brought it about, where was it that the immense blow of the magic crystal cannon was scratched away without causing any damage, and what was the deed of those belonging to either side of the enemy?
Countless thoughts flashed across the blank space created, and everyone stopped moving in dismay.
Events outside of the expected, and Abel, who was in the rebel command post, was no exception.
He, too, was blinded by an unforeseen phenomenon, which created a small space of time in his thoughts. --The only difference was that he came back from it more quickly than anyone else.
Who, how, or where, everything is not understood but--,
"--We're launching right on schedule!"
If they can come out of the situation better than expected, so much the better.
Often, what is needed on the battlefield is not the right decision, but a fast decision. And to update and change the events caused by the decision to the right decision.
Abel ordered as he tore his gaze away from the battlefield where the white light was supposed to reap. At the sound of Abel's voice, the soldiers at the command post, who had been stiffening, looked at him and lowered their gazes.
Abel responds to these multiple stares, unable to hide his agitation, with black eyes over his demon mask.
"Launch now! Give the order! Any delay will result in the death of Zikr Osman!"
"--tsk"
"Move fast, move fast!"
"Hah--!!"
The soldiers around and in the command center are all under Zikr's command.
The mission had originally included Zikr's life in the calculation. The soldiers accepted the fact that it was empty to cite Zikr's life as a factor in the operation, and moved immediately.
This is more a function of Zikr's accumulated trust than Abel's decisiveness.
"I can't be the death squad. But don't let up, Zikr Osman. If you survived, it means you still have a role to play."
In the distance, at the third apex of the citadel that protects the Imperial City, a clash occurs that should never have happened. It is a battle led by Zikr, with the "People of Shudrak" and their various tribes in tow.
The battlefield became a correct comparison of geographical strengths to see who could overtake the mogros and push them into the Imperial capital.
Looking at the unexpected struggle from afar, Abel touched his own demon face and muttered to himself.
"Inevitably, my role in the process is close at hand."
Behind Abel, a soldier launches a magic stone cannon into the sky.
It was a sign of progress and a return gift to the Imperial City side, which had played its trump card with the magic cannon -- proof that the rebels had also played their trump card.
While holding the light in his eyes, Abel looked beyond the third apex--,
"--Who are you to try to move the board from the west?"
△▼△▼△▼△
"--Surely"
And looking at the battlefield in the distance from the top level of the Crystal Palace, Berstetz Fondalfon trembled slightly in his old throat.
The Imperial Prime Minister, who rarely shows emotion, his confusion and agitation caused no small amount of surprise to the guards at Berstetz's side.
"----"
Feeling the gazes of these soldiers on his profile, Berstetz immediately tightens his cheeks.
If you show inertia, you will be underestimated in the empire. Even if those around you don't think so, if you think so yourself, you will not be able to stand. That is the Vollachia way.
This is exactly what Berstetz himself believes Vollachia should be.
"Of course, as we were going to challenge the Imperial City, we thought there would be some countermeasures......"
With a renewed sense of awareness, Berstetz takes the events that took place head-on.
What spilled from his lips was a reflection on the previous incident - the fact that the magic cannon, the trump card of the Crystal Palace, had struck a blow that ended in a blank.
The existence of the magic cannon is considered top secret, known only to a very few people in the empire.
However, as long as the real emperor, Vincent Vollachia, was on the other side, the secrecy of the magic cannon's existence was now meaningless. However, even if he knew of its existence, the magic cannon's out-of-the-box power and existence value was that there was no way to prevent it in the first place.
Therefore, Vincent's move, according to Berstetz, was to avoid a decisive battle in the Imperial Capital or not to deploy his army in a situation where magic crystal cannons would be used.
However, Vincent entered this battlefield, moreover, he took command of the rebels who got ahead of him in the process and began to manipulate the situation. Perhaps it was a bitter effort to push the forces he was willing to sacrifice all the way into the line of fire of the magic cannon.
Then, in pursuit of maximum efficiency, Berstetz pointed his magic cannon at the third apex.
It may be Vincent's plan to have them shoot at the battlefield where the most rebel troops are concentrated and where the least damage can be done to the allies, but the fact remains that the opponent will still suffer.
He would eat what was offered and use the power of the "Nine Divine Generals" to smash the enemy's plans. --With this in mind, he asked the other Vincent on the throne for forgiveness.
And then--,
"Once each side's chicanery is gone, it's purely a difference in troop strength. --Do it."
Seeing agreement with Vincent, Berstetz ignited the magic cannon.
The enormous destructive power that was unleashed, without missing its target, was supposed to fly straight into the battlefield, vaporize many heroes on its way, and send them off into the distance.
Therefore, he thought that the victory or defeat would be decided after the magic cannon had reaped the rebels and the battle situation had been reorganized.
"Do you consider the magic crystal cannon to be completely free of damage?"
Considering his track record of reviving the magic crystal cannon sealed in the Crystal Palace, it did not occur to him that Vincent might have some means of offsetting it.
The ability to keep the cards lying low until the last minute, just as Vincent had done. While regretting the fact that he had been so successfully entrapped, Berstetz felt a surge of excitement in his heart.
More than anything, he thinks. --That it's a shame.
"Sir, he will be dearly missed."
The state of the Vollachia empire, where the strong are respected, and Vincent's attitude of ruling the empire by wits rather than violence, despite being at the top of it, is a combination of boredom and horror.
A political skill that has never caused a major war, something he admires and disdains at the same time. Still, he had no complaints about serving Vincent.
If only he would fulfill his duties as emperor and protect the glory of the Vollachia Empire.
"What do you say we go back to, sir......"
What will he do with the empire after his return to the throne and the execution of all those who have given him credit for the rebellion? Will he maintain the empire as it was before, and once again relinquish his duties as emperor?
Even a good emperor should not be on the throne if he is so good as to let that happen.
"--Prepare the next magic cannon."
The number of bullets in the magic cannon is fixed, and it is not allowed to run out here.
Nevertheless, if it is necessary to change the situation, Berstetz will use all his authority. However, if the opponent has two trump cards to counteract the magic cannon, he cannot make the same mistake.
Before he can see through that, though, he can't set it up.
"--! Prime Minister Berstetz! That one!"
Suddenly, one of the soldiers standing by Berstetz raised his voice.
If you followed the soldiers' gaze, you could see the light of the magic stone emanating in the sky far behind the battlefield - probably at the point where the main camp of the rebels would be laid out.
It's some kind of signal.
It was terribly unreliable in the white and red sky of the battlefield, but it was effective enough from the perspective of those waiting for the signal to come.
"The signal......"
Behind his threadbare eyes, Berstetz guesses the other party's intentions.
After the firing of the magic cannon, it was the same on their side that they thought they should move the situation. If that is the case, that signal was an instruction to the soldiers on the front line. However, if the intention was to inform the soldiers fighting on the front line, that signal was a bit too unreliable.
Therefore, it is not the soldiers on the front lines who will be informed--,
"--Reserve forces."
But at the same time, Berstetz ponders.
With the majority of the rebels gathered from all over the country already rampaging on the battlefield and being crushed by the power of the "Nine Divine Generals", what kind of forces can function as a reserve force?
A reserve force is not simply a piece that has been left out.
They should be trump cards in the right sense, deployed to decisively change the war situation. Of course, they must be decisive.
What kind of force could it possibly be? --With that thought, Berstetz opened his threadbare eyes and turned them westward.
"No way."
In Berstetz's muffled voice, a shadow from the western sky slowly appeared in his field of vision -- a group of flying dragons, the champions of the sky, unfurled wide to the side and loomed majestically in the distance.
The flying dragons are numerous in the Vollachia empire, but it takes a great deal of skill and talent to follow them -- a great noble family with the greatest striking power in the empire that adds the most of their wings to their banner.
She was the High Countess who refused to participate in the recent decisive battle in the Imperial capital to suppress her own territory, and she had the strongest flying dragon squadron in the empire.
"--High Count Serena Dracroy?"
Spotting the dragon ships fluttering in the sky with their flame-red sails, Berstetz understood the threat of the reserve force prepared by the rebel forces.
In terms of controlling flying dragons, our camp also has Madelyn Eschart, one of the "Nine Divine Generals". In front of her, a dragoness, all flying dragons are at her will. --However, except for the flying dragon that has formed a bond with the dragon's leader through the art of "flying dragon reeling", all other flying dragons are at her will.
"If so, it would only be a close competition for control of the airspace. No, if she has invoked the 'cloud dragon', that premise will change."
Despite the shock of the magic cannon being knocked out, Berstetz also kept abreast of the battlefield.
In the midst of the fierce battles that unfolded at the five pinnacles, there were several out-of-the-ordinary battlefields that even changed the color of heaven and earth, and in one of them, a mighty dragon was caught soaring down.
As a dragon person, Madelyn is able to summon "dragons" which are her own blood relatives.
She had never tried to call the "cloud dragon" Mezoreia to the ground before, and her call would bring about a major change in the war situation.
Of course, the background of Madelyn's call to Mezoreia is adjacent to the possibility that she was so driven that it is not a situation that can be foreseen.
"In any case, if the flying dragons are fighting each other for airspace,"
Berstetz believes that the company has the advantage in both quantity and quality.
The High Countess Serena Dracroy, wwho wisely went to the rebels, to say that her judgment and determination, which as a Volachian man has moved up, was a mistake--,
"--?"
Thinking this, Berstetz suddenly realized that he was staring in the direction of the west.
The flying dragon squadron was slowly coming from far away in the sky, and he had been focused only on them, but that was not the only change that occurred in the west.
--The hills to the west, where a closer look revealed a newly developing group.
For a moment, it seemed that they were the forces of High Countess Dracroy, but Berstetz quickly changed his mind, apparently not.
The reason for this is simple: the flag that the group is flying.
It is not the crest of the High Countess Dracroy, a flying dragon with a cheek scar, nor the national crest of a wolf pierced by the sword of the Vollachia Empire, but a very different flag.
Belstetz was slightly troubled by what it was that was being drawn, and said.
"--Is that a star?"
△▼△▼△▼△
"Hey, bro, what are you doing? We're totally late to the party!"
"Quit your goofing around, you lizard....... Schwartz is busy......!"
"There's no doubt we're in the middle of an intake, but Hiain has a point. What about us? Do we continue to join the ranks of the rebels?"
"Wow, do you see that, boss? Right and left are all in confusion, just like a war between the worlds! I can't stop my heart from pounding to see where this is going!"
"Oh, shut up! We're in the middle of a very moving scene?!"
Natsuki Subaru is in danger of becoming more comfortable with the name "Natsuki Schwartz".
However, Natsuki Schwartz is still only a pseudonym. He strongly felt that his real name is "Natsuki Subaru" when he was called by his name.
But--,
"That's your, that's your recognition that you're calling my name, right?"
"Uagh! Uawh, uawh, uawh-!"
"All right! I got it so don't snot on me! It's dirty!"
Subaru is soaked in her tears and snot as he responds to Louis, the blonde girl who clings to him, pressing her face firmly against his.
But the reason he can't shake it off all at once is that he owes too much to this Louis for what he has done and too much to her for what she has accumulated.
Subaru had already done so much to Louis that he could not make amends.
He could say to himself that it was inevitable.
"If I did that, I wouldn't be qualified to face you. So I'll do it right."
"Uuh......"
Louis grunts this as she attaches herself to Subaru's back and rests her forehead against it.
Subaru exhales, taking it as a sign of forgiveness in her own way, or perhaps she is just happy to see him again, but there seems to be no negative feelings.
There are many thanks that need to be said to Louis, not just an apology.
The best example of this is--,
"--Beatrice."
Squeezing, Subaru calls out the name of the girl in his arms and strokes her ample hair. With her tremendously voluminous curly hair and gorgeous dress, the girl, who is not at all suitable for the battlefield, is definitely there for Subaru from many angles.
I'm sure that she did a very difficult imitation that could have almost made her disappear.
So--,
"--Subaru."
And so those lips called his name, and Subaru bites his relief.
After all, his name is "Natsuki Subaru", he thought again--.
"--Is 'Mr. Schwartz' okay?"
"Uagh!"
Subaru bites his lip in relief, and his shoulders jump as he hears a whisper in his ear that catches him off guard. When he turns around without thinking, he sees a familiar pretty face -- Tanza.
The deer girl in kimono, with her usual expressionless face, whose emotions were hard to see, looked at Subaru, who had fallen on his buttocks on the spot, hugged Beatrice, and attached Louis to his back, and looked,
"I am sorry to interrupt your fun, but I am sure that Hiain and the others have a point. I think we don't have much time to waste."
"That's a slightly stinging way of saying that."
"I don't think we have time to waste."
"Sorry, sorry, my bad! ......I know how Tanza feels. Maybe you're somewhere in this battlefield, Yorna."
Subaru, urged on by the cold, hard tone of his voice and admitting his own fault, expressed such understanding. Then Tanza lowered her round eyebrows slightly and muttered a small "yes".
Tanza, who had come to accompany Subaru by chance, was originally a follower of Yorna Mishigure, the ruler of the Demon City Chaos Flame.
While enduring the desire to join Yorna as soon as possible, Tanza still accompanied Subaru on his journey, and they are finally on the verge of being reunited.
If Subaru had rushed out to enjoy the reunion amidst such an anxious state of mind, it is understandable why he would want to interfere.
However--,
"......Subaru, what is it with you, I suppose, you cheeky little deerstalker?"
Beatrice, who had been writhing in Subaru's arms, looked up at Tanza and said in a somewhat disgruntled voice. Immediately, Tanza's gaze also turned to Beatrice.
"My name is Tanza, and by chance, I have been working as a caretaker for Master Schwartz."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I hope you've had a good time, I suppose. The others and I will take care of Subaru from here on out, and you'll be out of my life, in fact."
"Take care from here on out? By the looks of it? It seems you can't even move properly without Master Schwartz holding you......"
"Holding Betty is what Subaru lives for, so this is okay, I suppose."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, why are we fighting?! Can we be nice to each other, little girls?!"
For some reason, the two were caught in the middle of an acrimonious atmosphere that had broken out, and Subaru's voice involuntarily flipped inside out.
She is always so calm, and in a good way, she has a very un-Tanza-like attitude that is not endearing. He knows he shouldn't tell a little girl that she is not mature.
"Tanza and Beatrice, don't fight. You're on our side, and you're on our side. See?"
"Beatrice has been making a lot of noise to me. Yorna-sama has also told me that those who carelessly insult or humiliate us will be dealt with accordingly."
"Did they say such a Hammurabi-code thing to you? I didn't know that......Well, you'd better be sorry...... Beatrice?"
Subaru tried to make peace with Beatrice, but Beatrice's round eyes stared at him. Subaru was transfixed by those eyes with their characteristic pattern, and he twisted his head to ask, "What's wrong?" Subaru twisted his head.
Then Beatrice's lips trembled with a wince.
"You just called her name before mine, in fact. What do you think you're doing, I suppose?"
"What? Did I?"
"You did, in fact! I'm so furious, I suppose! I'm not going to let you get away with this, in fact!"
Beatrice's head is rocked back and forth as she grabs onto his chest, her eyes angry. Subaru is also giddy to hear the unexpected self-rule.
And then, getting fed up with the back-and-forth that never went anywhere.
"--Schwartz, the patience of your day job is not infinite. You know that."
"Mya" "Wah"
When a thick, heavy voice descended, Beatrice screamed before Subaru could. Beatrice rolled her eyes, and following her gaze, Subaru understood her surprise.
Standing there was Gustav Morello, looking down at us with a stern face, four arms folded over his black cloak.
He is the governor of the Gladiator Island and should have been in a position to capture Subaru and his friends, but now he is a collaborator - or rather, a comrade - of Subaru and his friends who are proudly traveling outside of the island.
It is not limited to him. The many people who gathered here and came with Subaru, not only the Gladiator Island, but all the friends who joined them before they came to this place, are all comrades.
"Su-Subaru, this guy is......"
"This is Mr. Gustav. He looks scary, but he is serious and scary at heart. Gustav, the one on my back is Louis, and this is Beatrice. Tey are my......."
"......Yours?"
"Uh...... that one, see, that one."
Subaru is at a loss for words as he pats Beatrice's shrinking back and explains to Gustav. Both Gustav and Tanza, as well as Beatrice, frown at this situation.
At the multiple stares, Subaru scratched his head awkwardly and said,
"......If you want more details, I'll tell you later."
"Hey, hey."
"I'll have to wait, I suppose! Subaru, I don't think it's just what you look like, but also what's inside your...... head."
Gustav takes Subaru's too-appropriate misdirection seriously. However, since Beatrice seemed to be about to get to the unnecessary crux of the matter, Subaru covered her mouth.
Then, he gently overhears Beatrice flailing and struggling.
"I told everyone about my shrinkage and it got complicated. So I'm going to keep it to myself."
"......You remember Betty right?"
"The fact that I love you and that I have to do this..."
At Beatrice's stern look in her eyes, Subaru replies, and then squeezes her hand. Beatrice's small hand, as Subaru's small hand intertwines their fingers.
As soon as he did so, Subaru was momentarily struck by a dizzying sense of emptiness. But it did not last forever, just the first beat was louder.
"I can't live without you. Right?"
"......It feels like I'm being deceived, I suppose. Besides."
"Besides?"
"--. This is not right, Subaru, in fact."
They clasp hands from the front, and warmth flows from within Subaru to Beatrice. Subaru can tell by the sensation that it is not a bad thing, but rather a relief.
A bit, subtly, his memory about Beatrice was a bit fuzzy in some areas, but there were only blurry details and optimism that he would be fine once his body was back to normal.
In any case, while Subaru was taking such a positive view of the situation, Beatrice was frowning with a well-shaped eyebrow and seemed to be pondering something.
"You know, you look so cute when you think about it, but you think it's funny?"
"......Subaru had no way to drain his mana while he was away from me, I suppose. So the mana just kept piling up, but in this amount."
"--?"
Beatrice's long eyelashes quivered as she put more force into her fingers as if to confirm. Her lips spill a soundless voice in front of Subaru, who tilts his head.
It was, indeed, muttering. -It was too much.
But no sooner had he ascertained the truth of the matter than--,
"--Oh, bro, oh no! That Cecilus guy got ahead of us!"
"Whaa?!"
Subaru turns around in a panic at the sound of Hiain's scream. Hiain's eyes point to the battlefield, where a fierce clash is taking place, and a cloud of dust continues to cloud the scene.
It was evidence of an insufferable listening boy running off down the hillside.
"What do you say, I take you back......?"
"No, I'm glad you feel that way, but even Weitz can't do it. I mean, it's impossible for anyone to stop Cessy. ......Raise the flag..."
"I know you, Schwartz."
Subaru, while feeling abhorred by the distant dust cloud, takes a positive view of the outburst, knowing full well from the journey so far that he is unable to hold the reins.
When Subaru, having regained his composure, makes his next request, it is Idola who moves knowingly. He and Weitz slowly raise the flag in its place.
And the movement was followed by a large number of comrades in the surrounding area.
Flag after flag was raised, and it would have appeared to those around them that the group on this hillside was solidly united.
"Louis, get off my back."
"Aah, uuh!"
"I'm not going to suddenly disappear again, so that part's okay. I've made my peace with what caused me to skip it."
He persuades Louis, who is still suspicious of Subaru's disappearance, to leave his side. Louis still looks doubtful, but she still honestly moves away from Subaru's back.
Still, she don't seem to have much trust in him, as she doesn't want to leave my side.
"--. Betty has no intention of leaving, in fact."
"Yeah, you stay with me. --Tanza, are you ready?"
"Yes. --Squadron of Pleiades, you may leave at any time."
Behind Tanza, who bowed deeply, Subaru also smiled as he saw his comrades in arms raising their flags, weapons, and fighting spirits.
Morale is high, motivation is high, and the objective is in sight.
"Cessy knows what my policy is without having to tell you every single time, so that's my usual charm...... Well, let's get to it, guys!"
"""Ooooh--!!"""
"--"
Bilious, there is a tremendous response to Subaru's call, and Beatrice chokes up.
They will be surprised when they hear it for the first time. However, it is now a familiar and very important pre-battle ritual for Subaru.
"Uagh?"
"Subaru, what are you doing, I suppose?"
Louis and Beatrice, who have just joined the group and whose details are unknown, look up at Subaru.
Subaru closed one eye to meet their gaze and took a step forward with the excitement that welled up from deep within his body and put it firmly into his slender legs.
And he assures them..
"It's obvious, isn't it? --I'm going to ruin this stupid war that my father started."
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--The offensive and defensive battles that unfolded in the Imperial city of Lupgana were reaching a climax at every turn.
A cloud-cloaked dragon descends into the snowy sky, and red-hot flames scorch the sky like turbulent clouds. Stone dolls and desperate soldiers clash, and the battlefield is warped into a back-and-forth struggle between the mighty arms of the beasts and the cunning malice of the cunning men.
However, at this moment, this moment, the greatest focal point on this battlefield is the innermost part of the Imperial City - the white light emitted from the most beautiful castle in the world, called the Crystal Palace.
The magic crystal used throughout the castle -- a crystallization of mana that is purer than any other type of magic stone - is the "magic crystal gun", a strategic weapon that amplifies the mana stored in it while reaping the benefits of the target.
It was the trump card of the Crystal Palace and the greatest firepower the Vollachia Empire possessed. Even on this battlefield, that single shot was the ultimate blow that could decide the outcome of the battle.
First of all, only a limited number of people know about the existence of this magic crystal gun.
The only ones who knew were, of course, Abel, who was the sitting emperor, and Zikr Osman, who had been informed of the general plan of operations. Only Priscilla Barielle, who was no doubt informed in advance, and a very limited number of personnel on the rebel side.
The situation is roughly similar on the Imperial side. Vincent Vollachia, the fake emperor who leads the rebellion, and his vizier, Berstetz Fondalfon, who follows him. And even the Crystal Palace itself, Mogro Hagane - one of the "Nine Divine General" - is unaware of this hidden ball.
And then--,
"--The remaining power of the magic cannon is three times at its limit, but on this battlefield it can only cut once."
That is Abel's reading, and hence the awareness he shares with Vincent.
Although various factors are involved, the magic cannon is in every sense the trump card for homeland defense. An outburst that empties its remaining ammunition is hardly something that can be used in the future.
Unless, of course, Vincent is going to use up everything he has on this battlefield without any consideration for the future.
"You cannot be so desperate."
What to call that certainty, Abel dares not think.
But conviction is conviction, and without cutting it out of his budding mind, Abel laid down the battlefield. And he chose to ensure that the magic crystal cannon, which could only be fired once, would trigger an empty shot.
The thought was brought out by Zikr, a valuable asset, and his soldiers with high morale under his banner, as well as the "decoys" that united the various tribes.
"--The elite use them as decoys. The enemy cannot ignore them."
Then, at the third apex, where the odds seemed to be against them, a magic cannon was pointed at the battlefield defended by Mogro.
The disadvantage of the magic cannon, which can cause extensive damage to allies, no longer needs to be taken into consideration on Mogro's battlefield. The reason is that each of the stone dolls scattered across the battlefield is nothing more than an offshoot of Mogro, and even the huge Mogro that has become one with the city walls is not the main body of Mogro.
Therefore, the intentions of both sides overlapped, and the magic crystal cannon that was released annihilated the rebel group, but also canceled out the cause of defeat of the rebels, who were helplessly defeated. --It was supposed to happen.
"----"
A moment later, many on the battlefield saw the black light that swallowed the white light that was released.
What brought it about, where was it that the immense blow of the magic crystal cannon was scratched away without causing any damage, and what was the deed of those belonging to either side of the enemy?
Countless thoughts flashed across the blank space created, and everyone stopped moving in dismay.
Events outside of the expected, and Abel, who was in the rebel command post, was no exception.
He, too, was blinded by an unforeseen phenomenon, which created a small space of time in his thoughts. --The only difference was that he came back from it more quickly than anyone else.
Who, how, or where, everything is not understood but--,
"--We're launching right on schedule!"
If they can come out of the situation better than expected, so much the better.
Often, what is needed on the battlefield is not the right decision, but a fast decision. And to update and change the events caused by the decision to the right decision.
Abel ordered as he tore his gaze away from the battlefield where the white light was supposed to reap. At the sound of Abel's voice, the soldiers at the command post, who had been stiffening, looked at him and lowered their gazes.
Abel responds to these multiple stares, unable to hide his agitation, with black eyes over his demon mask.
"Launch now! Give the order! Any delay will result in the death of Zikr Osman!"
"--tsk"
"Move fast, move fast!"
"Hah--!!"
The soldiers around and in the command center are all under Zikr's command.
The mission had originally included Zikr's life in the calculation. The soldiers accepted the fact that it was empty to cite Zikr's life as a factor in the operation, and moved immediately.
This is more a function of Zikr's accumulated trust than Abel's decisiveness.
"I can't be the death squad. But don't let up, Zikr Osman. If you survived, it means you still have a role to play."
In the distance, at the third apex of the citadel that protects the Imperial City, a clash occurs that should never have happened. It is a battle led by Zikr, with the "People of Shudrak" and their various tribes in tow.
The battlefield became a correct comparison of geographical strengths to see who could overtake the mogros and push them into the Imperial capital.
Looking at the unexpected struggle from afar, Abel touched his own demon face and muttered to himself.
"Inevitably, my role in the process is close at hand."
Behind Abel, a soldier launches a magic stone cannon into the sky.
It was a sign of progress and a return gift to the Imperial City side, which had played its trump card with the magic cannon -- proof that the rebels had also played their trump card.
While holding the light in his eyes, Abel looked beyond the third apex--,
"--Who are you to try to move the board from the west?"
△▼△▼△▼△
"--Surely"
And looking at the battlefield in the distance from the top level of the Crystal Palace, Berstetz Fondalfon trembled slightly in his old throat.
The Imperial Prime Minister, who rarely shows emotion, his confusion and agitation caused no small amount of surprise to the guards at Berstetz's side.
"----"
Feeling the gazes of these soldiers on his profile, Berstetz immediately tightens his cheeks.
If you show inertia, you will be underestimated in the empire. Even if those around you don't think so, if you think so yourself, you will not be able to stand. That is the Vollachia way.
This is exactly what Berstetz himself believes Vollachia should be.
"Of course, as we were going to challenge the Imperial City, we thought there would be some countermeasures......"
With a renewed sense of awareness, Berstetz takes the events that took place head-on.
What spilled from his lips was a reflection on the previous incident - the fact that the magic cannon, the trump card of the Crystal Palace, had struck a blow that ended in a blank.
The existence of the magic cannon is considered top secret, known only to a very few people in the empire.
However, as long as the real emperor, Vincent Vollachia, was on the other side, the secrecy of the magic cannon's existence was now meaningless. However, even if he knew of its existence, the magic cannon's out-of-the-box power and existence value was that there was no way to prevent it in the first place.
Therefore, Vincent's move, according to Berstetz, was to avoid a decisive battle in the Imperial Capital or not to deploy his army in a situation where magic crystal cannons would be used.
However, Vincent entered this battlefield, moreover, he took command of the rebels who got ahead of him in the process and began to manipulate the situation. Perhaps it was a bitter effort to push the forces he was willing to sacrifice all the way into the line of fire of the magic cannon.
Then, in pursuit of maximum efficiency, Berstetz pointed his magic cannon at the third apex.
It may be Vincent's plan to have them shoot at the battlefield where the most rebel troops are concentrated and where the least damage can be done to the allies, but the fact remains that the opponent will still suffer.
He would eat what was offered and use the power of the "Nine Divine Generals" to smash the enemy's plans. --With this in mind, he asked the other Vincent on the throne for forgiveness.
And then--,
"Once each side's chicanery is gone, it's purely a difference in troop strength. --Do it."
Seeing agreement with Vincent, Berstetz ignited the magic cannon.
The enormous destructive power that was unleashed, without missing its target, was supposed to fly straight into the battlefield, vaporize many heroes on its way, and send them off into the distance.
Therefore, he thought that the victory or defeat would be decided after the magic cannon had reaped the rebels and the battle situation had been reorganized.
"Do you consider the magic crystal cannon to be completely free of damage?"
Considering his track record of reviving the magic crystal cannon sealed in the Crystal Palace, it did not occur to him that Vincent might have some means of offsetting it.
The ability to keep the cards lying low until the last minute, just as Vincent had done. While regretting the fact that he had been so successfully entrapped, Berstetz felt a surge of excitement in his heart.
More than anything, he thinks. --That it's a shame.
"Sir, he will be dearly missed."
The state of the Vollachia empire, where the strong are respected, and Vincent's attitude of ruling the empire by wits rather than violence, despite being at the top of it, is a combination of boredom and horror.
A political skill that has never caused a major war, something he admires and disdains at the same time. Still, he had no complaints about serving Vincent.
If only he would fulfill his duties as emperor and protect the glory of the Vollachia Empire.
"What do you say we go back to, sir......"
What will he do with the empire after his return to the throne and the execution of all those who have given him credit for the rebellion? Will he maintain the empire as it was before, and once again relinquish his duties as emperor?
Even a good emperor should not be on the throne if he is so good as to let that happen.
"--Prepare the next magic cannon."
The number of bullets in the magic cannon is fixed, and it is not allowed to run out here.
Nevertheless, if it is necessary to change the situation, Berstetz will use all his authority. However, if the opponent has two trump cards to counteract the magic cannon, he cannot make the same mistake.
Before he can see through that, though, he can't set it up.
"--! Prime Minister Berstetz! That one!"
Suddenly, one of the soldiers standing by Berstetz raised his voice.
If you followed the soldiers' gaze, you could see the light of the magic stone emanating in the sky far behind the battlefield - probably at the point where the main camp of the rebels would be laid out.
It's some kind of signal.
It was terribly unreliable in the white and red sky of the battlefield, but it was effective enough from the perspective of those waiting for the signal to come.
"The signal......"
Behind his threadbare eyes, Berstetz guesses the other party's intentions.
After the firing of the magic cannon, it was the same on their side that they thought they should move the situation. If that is the case, that signal was an instruction to the soldiers on the front line. However, if the intention was to inform the soldiers fighting on the front line, that signal was a bit too unreliable.
Therefore, it is not the soldiers on the front lines who will be informed--,
"--Reserve forces."
But at the same time, Berstetz ponders.
With the majority of the rebels gathered from all over the country already rampaging on the battlefield and being crushed by the power of the "Nine Divine Generals", what kind of forces can function as a reserve force?
A reserve force is not simply a piece that has been left out.
They should be trump cards in the right sense, deployed to decisively change the war situation. Of course, they must be decisive.
What kind of force could it possibly be? --With that thought, Berstetz opened his threadbare eyes and turned them westward.
"No way."
In Berstetz's muffled voice, a shadow from the western sky slowly appeared in his field of vision -- a group of flying dragons, the champions of the sky, unfurled wide to the side and loomed majestically in the distance.
The flying dragons are numerous in the Vollachia empire, but it takes a great deal of skill and talent to follow them -- a great noble family with the greatest striking power in the empire that adds the most of their wings to their banner.
She was the High Countess who refused to participate in the recent decisive battle in the Imperial capital to suppress her own territory, and she had the strongest flying dragon squadron in the empire.
"--High Count Serena Dracroy?"
Spotting the dragon ships fluttering in the sky with their flame-red sails, Berstetz understood the threat of the reserve force prepared by the rebel forces.
In terms of controlling flying dragons, our camp also has Madelyn Eschart, one of the "Nine Divine Generals". In front of her, a dragoness, all flying dragons are at her will. --However, except for the flying dragon that has formed a bond with the dragon's leader through the art of "flying dragon reeling", all other flying dragons are at her will.
"If so, it would only be a close competition for control of the airspace. No, if she has invoked the 'cloud dragon', that premise will change."
Despite the shock of the magic cannon being knocked out, Berstetz also kept abreast of the battlefield.
In the midst of the fierce battles that unfolded at the five pinnacles, there were several out-of-the-ordinary battlefields that even changed the color of heaven and earth, and in one of them, a mighty dragon was caught soaring down.
As a dragon person, Madelyn is able to summon "dragons" which are her own blood relatives.
She had never tried to call the "cloud dragon" Mezoreia to the ground before, and her call would bring about a major change in the war situation.
Of course, the background of Madelyn's call to Mezoreia is adjacent to the possibility that she was so driven that it is not a situation that can be foreseen.
"In any case, if the flying dragons are fighting each other for airspace,"
Berstetz believes that the company has the advantage in both quantity and quality.
The High Countess Serena Dracroy, wwho wisely went to the rebels, to say that her judgment and determination, which as a Volachian man has moved up, was a mistake--,
"--?"
Thinking this, Berstetz suddenly realized that he was staring in the direction of the west.
The flying dragon squadron was slowly coming from far away in the sky, and he had been focused only on them, but that was not the only change that occurred in the west.
--The hills to the west, where a closer look revealed a newly developing group.
For a moment, it seemed that they were the forces of High Countess Dracroy, but Berstetz quickly changed his mind, apparently not.
The reason for this is simple: the flag that the group is flying.
It is not the crest of the High Countess Dracroy, a flying dragon with a cheek scar, nor the national crest of a wolf pierced by the sword of the Vollachia Empire, but a very different flag.
Belstetz was slightly troubled by what it was that was being drawn, and said.
"--Is that a star?"
△▼△▼△▼△
"Hey, bro, what are you doing? We're totally late to the party!"
"Quit your goofing around, you lizard....... Schwartz is busy......!"
"There's no doubt we're in the middle of an intake, but Hiain has a point. What about us? Do we continue to join the ranks of the rebels?"
"Wow, do you see that, boss? Right and left are all in confusion, just like a war between the worlds! I can't stop my heart from pounding to see where this is going!"
"Oh, shut up! We're in the middle of a very moving scene?!"
Natsuki Subaru is in danger of becoming more comfortable with the name "Natsuki Schwartz".
However, Natsuki Schwartz is still only a pseudonym. He strongly felt that his real name is "Natsuki Subaru" when he was called by his name.
But--,
"That's your, that's your recognition that you're calling my name, right?"
"Uagh! Uawh, uawh, uawh-!"
"All right! I got it so don't snot on me! It's dirty!"
Subaru is soaked in her tears and snot as he responds to Louis, the blonde girl who clings to him, pressing her face firmly against his.
But the reason he can't shake it off all at once is that he owes too much to this Louis for what he has done and too much to her for what she has accumulated.
Subaru had already done so much to Louis that he could not make amends.
He could say to himself that it was inevitable.
"If I did that, I wouldn't be qualified to face you. So I'll do it right."
"Uuh......"
Louis grunts this as she attaches herself to Subaru's back and rests her forehead against it.
Subaru exhales, taking it as a sign of forgiveness in her own way, or perhaps she is just happy to see him again, but there seems to be no negative feelings.
There are many thanks that need to be said to Louis, not just an apology.
The best example of this is--,
"--Beatrice."
Squeezing, Subaru calls out the name of the girl in his arms and strokes her ample hair. With her tremendously voluminous curly hair and gorgeous dress, the girl, who is not at all suitable for the battlefield, is definitely there for Subaru from many angles.
I'm sure that she did a very difficult imitation that could have almost made her disappear.
So--,
"--Subaru."
And so those lips called his name, and Subaru bites his relief.
After all, his name is "Natsuki Subaru", he thought again--.
"--Is 'Mr. Schwartz' okay?"
"Uagh!"
Subaru bites his lip in relief, and his shoulders jump as he hears a whisper in his ear that catches him off guard. When he turns around without thinking, he sees a familiar pretty face -- Tanza.
The deer girl in kimono, with her usual expressionless face, whose emotions were hard to see, looked at Subaru, who had fallen on his buttocks on the spot, hugged Beatrice, and attached Louis to his back, and looked,
"I am sorry to interrupt your fun, but I am sure that Hiain and the others have a point. I think we don't have much time to waste."
"That's a slightly stinging way of saying that."
"I don't think we have time to waste."
"Sorry, sorry, my bad! ......I know how Tanza feels. Maybe you're somewhere in this battlefield, Yorna."
Subaru, urged on by the cold, hard tone of his voice and admitting his own fault, expressed such understanding. Then Tanza lowered her round eyebrows slightly and muttered a small "yes".
Tanza, who had come to accompany Subaru by chance, was originally a follower of Yorna Mishigure, the ruler of the Demon City Chaos Flame.
While enduring the desire to join Yorna as soon as possible, Tanza still accompanied Subaru on his journey, and they are finally on the verge of being reunited.
If Subaru had rushed out to enjoy the reunion amidst such an anxious state of mind, it is understandable why he would want to interfere.
However--,
"......Subaru, what is it with you, I suppose, you cheeky little deerstalker?"
Beatrice, who had been writhing in Subaru's arms, looked up at Tanza and said in a somewhat disgruntled voice. Immediately, Tanza's gaze also turned to Beatrice.
"My name is Tanza, and by chance, I have been working as a caretaker for Master Schwartz."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I hope you've had a good time, I suppose. The others and I will take care of Subaru from here on out, and you'll be out of my life, in fact."
"Take care from here on out? By the looks of it? It seems you can't even move properly without Master Schwartz holding you......"
"Holding Betty is what Subaru lives for, so this is okay, I suppose."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, why are we fighting?! Can we be nice to each other, little girls?!"
For some reason, the two were caught in the middle of an acrimonious atmosphere that had broken out, and Subaru's voice involuntarily flipped inside out.
She is always so calm, and in a good way, she has a very un-Tanza-like attitude that is not endearing. He knows he shouldn't tell a little girl that she is not mature.
"Tanza and Beatrice, don't fight. You're on our side, and you're on our side. See?"
"Beatrice has been making a lot of noise to me. Yorna-sama has also told me that those who carelessly insult or humiliate us will be dealt with accordingly."
"Did they say such a Hammurabi-code thing to you? I didn't know that......Well, you'd better be sorry...... Beatrice?"
Subaru tried to make peace with Beatrice, but Beatrice's round eyes stared at him. Subaru was transfixed by those eyes with their characteristic pattern, and he twisted his head to ask, "What's wrong?" Subaru twisted his head.
Then Beatrice's lips trembled with a wince.
"You just called her name before mine, in fact. What do you think you're doing, I suppose?"
"What? Did I?"
"You did, in fact! I'm so furious, I suppose! I'm not going to let you get away with this, in fact!"
Beatrice's head is rocked back and forth as she grabs onto his chest, her eyes angry. Subaru is also giddy to hear the unexpected self-rule.
And then, getting fed up with the back-and-forth that never went anywhere.
"--Schwartz, the patience of your day job is not infinite. You know that."
"Mya" "Wah"
When a thick, heavy voice descended, Beatrice screamed before Subaru could. Beatrice rolled her eyes, and following her gaze, Subaru understood her surprise.
Standing there was Gustav Morello, looking down at us with a stern face, four arms folded over his black cloak.
He is the governor of the Gladiator Island and should have been in a position to capture Subaru and his friends, but now he is a collaborator - or rather, a comrade - of Subaru and his friends who are proudly traveling outside of the island.
It is not limited to him. The many people who gathered here and came with Subaru, not only the Gladiator Island, but all the friends who joined them before they came to this place, are all comrades.
"Su-Subaru, this guy is......"
"This is Mr. Gustav. He looks scary, but he is serious and scary at heart. Gustav, the one on my back is Louis, and this is Beatrice. Tey are my......."
"......Yours?"
"Uh...... that one, see, that one."
Subaru is at a loss for words as he pats Beatrice's shrinking back and explains to Gustav. Both Gustav and Tanza, as well as Beatrice, frown at this situation.
At the multiple stares, Subaru scratched his head awkwardly and said,
"......If you want more details, I'll tell you later."
"Hey, hey."
"I'll have to wait, I suppose! Subaru, I don't think it's just what you look like, but also what's inside your...... head."
Gustav takes Subaru's too-appropriate misdirection seriously. However, since Beatrice seemed to be about to get to the unnecessary crux of the matter, Subaru covered her mouth.
Then, he gently overhears Beatrice flailing and struggling.
"I told everyone about my shrinkage and it got complicated. So I'm going to keep it to myself."
"......You remember Betty right?"
"The fact that I love you and that I have to do this..."
At Beatrice's stern look in her eyes, Subaru replies, and then squeezes her hand. Beatrice's small hand, as Subaru's small hand intertwines their fingers.
As soon as he did so, Subaru was momentarily struck by a dizzying sense of emptiness. But it did not last forever, just the first beat was louder.
"I can't live without you. Right?"
"......It feels like I'm being deceived, I suppose. Besides."
"Besides?"
"--. This is not right, Subaru, in fact."
They clasp hands from the front, and warmth flows from within Subaru to Beatrice. Subaru can tell by the sensation that it is not a bad thing, but rather a relief.
A bit, subtly, his memory about Beatrice was a bit fuzzy in some areas, but there were only blurry details and optimism that he would be fine once his body was back to normal.
In any case, while Subaru was taking such a positive view of the situation, Beatrice was frowning with a well-shaped eyebrow and seemed to be pondering something.
"You know, you look so cute when you think about it, but you think it's funny?"
"......Subaru had no way to drain his mana while he was away from me, I suppose. So the mana just kept piling up, but in this amount."
"--?"
Beatrice's long eyelashes quivered as she put more force into her fingers as if to confirm. Her lips spill a soundless voice in front of Subaru, who tilts his head.
It was, indeed, muttering. -It was too much.
But no sooner had he ascertained the truth of the matter than--,
"--Oh, bro, oh no! That Cecilus guy got ahead of us!"
"Whaa?!"
Subaru turns around in a panic at the sound of Hiain's scream. Hiain's eyes point to the battlefield, where a fierce clash is taking place, and a cloud of dust continues to cloud the scene.
It was evidence of an insufferable listening boy running off down the hillside.
"What do you say, I take you back......?"
"No, I'm glad you feel that way, but even Weitz can't do it. I mean, it's impossible for anyone to stop Cessy. ......Raise the flag..."
"I know you, Schwartz."
Subaru, while feeling abhorred by the distant dust cloud, takes a positive view of the outburst, knowing full well from the journey so far that he is unable to hold the reins.
When Subaru, having regained his composure, makes his next request, it is Idola who moves knowingly. He and Weitz slowly raise the flag in its place.
And the movement was followed by a large number of comrades in the surrounding area.
Flag after flag was raised, and it would have appeared to those around them that the group on this hillside was solidly united.
"Louis, get off my back."
"Aah, uuh!"
"I'm not going to suddenly disappear again, so that part's okay. I've made my peace with what caused me to skip it."
He persuades Louis, who is still suspicious of Subaru's disappearance, to leave his side. Louis still looks doubtful, but she still honestly moves away from Subaru's back.
Still, she don't seem to have much trust in him, as she doesn't want to leave my side.
"--. Betty has no intention of leaving, in fact."
"Yeah, you stay with me. --Tanza, are you ready?"
"Yes. --Squadron of Pleiades, you may leave at any time."
Behind Tanza, who bowed deeply, Subaru also smiled as he saw his comrades in arms raising their flags, weapons, and fighting spirits.
Morale is high, motivation is high, and the objective is in sight.
"Cessy knows what my policy is without having to tell you every single time, so that's my usual charm...... Well, let's get to it, guys!"
"""Ooooh--!!"""
"--"
Bilious, there is a tremendous response to Subaru's call, and Beatrice chokes up.
They will be surprised when they hear it for the first time. However, it is now a familiar and very important pre-battle ritual for Subaru.
"Uagh?"
"Subaru, what are you doing, I suppose?"
Louis and Beatrice, who have just joined the group and whose details are unknown, look up at Subaru.
Subaru closed one eye to meet their gaze and took a step forward with the excitement that welled up from deep within his body and put it firmly into his slender legs.
And he assures them..
"It's obvious, isn't it? --I'm going to ruin this stupid war that my father started."
