Unlimited Fafnir Vol 15 Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Chapter 1 – Crusading Jotunheim

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Part 1

「But I’m thinking……」

Thanks to Vritra’s help, the second advent of Atlantis’s final weapon, Deus Dragon Marduk was realized.

A voice that was filled with tension and anxiety reverberated on its deck.

The sun that had just showed its face from the horizon at the east was illuminating the side of the face of the voice’s owner──Kili Surt Muspelheim with its clear light.

「That perhaps, Iris-chan couldn’t see the future──because she won’t be in it.」

The words that she formed were immediately blown away by the wind to somewhere else.

However I──Mononobe Yuu clearly caught her voice in my ears.

Right now we were currently moving away from the empty island where we stayed the night before until the point where we were going to being the operation of intercepting Angolmois One.

When I looked at the starboard side of Marduk that was flying in the sky, there was the figure of battleship Naglfar flying there.

The battle would begin soon.

It seemed that Angolmois whose movement was sealed by Vritra’s adamantine had severed one of its nine necks from its main body to follow us.

We planned to go attacking it in several more hours, but it took away the initiative from us.

Now that it had come to this, we had to defeat Angolmois One first before we could proceed.

However Kili spoke of her worry to me before the battle.

Iris had become able to use Basilisk’s authority fully, so she should be able to perform future sight. However it seemed Iris said that she couldn’t see anything when she tried.

The words that Kili said just now was the result of her pondering of what that meant.

She hypothesized that perhaps Iris wouldn’t be there in the future.

But──.

「Kili, thanks.」

I stared at Kili whose black hair was fluterring due to the wind and thanked her.

「Eh……?」

I continued speaking to the bewildered Kili.

「Thank you for worrying about Iris.」

「Wait, why are you thanking me for that? Are you listening properly to my words?」

Kili glared at me in discontent. I nodded back at her.

「Yeah, I listened to them seriously. I won’t say that you are just over thinking it Kili. I think that such possibility definitely exist. But, Basilisk’s future sight is something that can vary easily depending on our action.」

「Do you want to say that things will be fine because of that?」

Kili questioned me with an unconvinced expression.

「──At the very least Kili is assuming the worst and act to avoid that future even now aren’t you? I think that the future should have changed slightly already just from that.」

There I paused and stared straight into Kili’s eyes.

「W-what?」

Kili frowned seeing my serious expression.

「Kili, take care of Iris. If everything goes well……if I can illuminate Angolmois’s main body──what Vritra called its “true body”──with Neun’s light, it will become a one-on-one fight between Angolmois and me. I won’t be able to stay at Iris’s side.」

「…………Is it alright for you to entrust that to someone like me?」

Kili fell silent for a bit before asking me again in bewilderment.

「Yeah, of course.」

When I answered hre immediately with a smile, Kili sighed in exasperation.

「I get it──but, tell me just one thing.」

Kili nodded, but she then glared at me as though to test me.

「You have been looking composed since the start Yuu. Don’t you feel scared that you might lose Iris?」

My whole body stiffened just for a moment hearing that.

However I suppressed the emotion that welled up from the bottom of my heart with my willpower.

「Of course I’m scared. But──I have to keep smiling as long as even Iris herself is smiling and saying that she is fine.」

I answered without breaking my smile. Kili looked at me in amazement for a while before she smiled wryly at last.

「Geez, I’m jealous.」

Kili brushed up her long black hair and narrowed her eyes as though she was looking at something dazzling.

「I also want to try being the one who make you show that kind of expression someday Yuu.」

She said that and smiled. Her smile looked even clearer than the transparent morning sun.

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Part 2

『Captain, we have arrived at the interception point. Angolmois One is still approaching underwater without any change.』

The pilot that was connected mentally to Marduk was called linker. Jeanne Hortensia’s voice resounded inside my brain through that connection.

I who had been waiting for the contact on the deck with Kili watched Marduk stopped midair while responding to here.

『This is Mononobe Yuu, roger. Jeanne, set the detection function to maximum and be on your guard against Angolmois One’s action. Shinomiya-sensei, have you gotten used to the ship control?』

I instructed Jeanne before asking the third linker Shinomiya-sensei.

『Yeah──it was really confusing at first, but I have grasped the sensation of moving the ship as a part of my body. I believe that I won’t be a hindrance for all of you.』

The homeroom teacher of Brunhilde class replied back with her usual strong voice.

Right now the two of them were focusing on controlling the ship and searching the enemy from Marduk’s bridge.

At this rate, I would be able to leave this ship to them without worry even if I went away from Marduk and faced Angolmois.

I told Shinomiya-sensei 『Please take care』 before turning on the communicator on my ear and called out to everyone else too.

「We will come into contact with Angolmois One soon. Everyone, have you finished preparing?」

Then a reply immediately came.

『This is team Mitsuki. There is no problem with everyone standing by at the starboard hatch. The commander of this operation is Nii-san, so please give us instruction anytime.』

Rank wise, Mitsuki, Shinomiya-sensei, and NIFL’s Major Loki were my superior. However they entrusted the right of command to me since the battle against Bahamut until now because I shouldered the main role for the operation.

I was feeling their trust and expectation on me. Then the voices of Ariella Lu and Ren Miyazawa also reached me from inside the hatch at the starboard side.

『Mononobe-kun, you can count on me. Leave the defense to me like usual.』

Ariella spoke naturally without any nervousness in her words.

『Nn. Onii-chan, I’m also fully prepared. Ask me when you need mass. I can’t match Vritra but, I can convert a lot of mass all at once.』

Ren’s capacity to create Dark Matter was the biggest among all the “D”. She spoke with a tone that was slightly tenser than usual.

「Got it. I’m counting on you.」

After I said that, next the voices of the members who were on standby at the port side reached me.

『This is team Lisa. The battle preparation at the port side is also finished. Mononobe Yuu──your voice sounds a bit stiff, but you must take care to not get too worked up.』

Lisa precisely pointed out what I should be careful with.

It seemed that she noticed that I was tense just from a small echo of my voice.

In addition Firill Crest and Tia Lightning also continued after her.

『Mononobe-kun……I’ll definitely be of assistance. I’ll properly assist everyone.』

Firill who often got assigned to support role in battle spoke with a very serious voice.

She didn’t have a conspicuous role, but I knew how she was supporting us in various situations.

『Yuu! Tia will also work hard! Tia will fight together with everyone and also properly analyze using Yggdrasil’s Akashic Record!』

Tia who was in control of Yggdrasil’s core was properly aware of what she should do.

「Everyone, thank you.」

I put my heartfelt gratitude into my words.

Hearing their strong voices completely loosened up my body.

Those were all the people who were on standby at both sides of the ship. The remaining two were──.

「Mononobe, it’s finally time huh.」

A voice came directly into my ears instead of from the communicator.

I turned around and saw two girls coming out from the door that connected to the inside of the ship.

Iris Freya’s silver hair fluttered in the wind and her eyes were filled with the color of determination. Behind her there was also Vritra who had regained her original strength.

「We can’t fall behind here even though it’s just a preliminary skirmish. I too shall give it my all to consign one neck to oblivion first in the beginning.」

Vritra who had an appearance that looked two sizes smaller than Kili stared sharply toward the blue sea far away.

Angolmois One was slithering at the depth of this ocean toward us.

We could say that we had gathered enough firepower and mass to oppose it. But the problem was after destroying its outer shell.

Would we be able to muster enough “light” to expose its true body?

「Iris──are you alright?」

There was a lot of things that I wanted to say, but what I said was just a short question.

Iris was like a sun, a light source for us because she held a lot of Apocalypse factor in her. The exhaustion to Iris would be greater the more we used Neun’s authority.

What lied ahead of there──was the same end like Apocalypse, to be turned into demise.

Vritra said that if Iris completely wrung out all of her strength, she might be eradicated completely without leaving anything behind.

However Eris still smiled even knowing all of that.

「Yep, I’m fine!」

She wasn’t simply being optimistic.

Iris was properly scared of death. I knew that.

But she was able to smile like this was surely because she had no hesitation.

「……So dazzling.」

Kili muttered beside me. Perhaps I was the only one who could hear it.

Kili stared fixedly at Iris before she moved her gaze toward Vritra.

「────」

Vritra also noticed her daughter’s gaze and the two of them stared at each other for a while.

But they didn’t make any talk. In the end Kili was the one who averted her gaze.

Iris’s decline could be prevented if Vritra supplied her with a lot of Dark Matter, but such act would shorten the planet’s lifespan.

Vritra would give the minimum aid to Iris during the operation so that she wouldn’t run out of strength, but she had made it clear that she wouldn’t give any further assistance than that.

This mother daughter were in opposition regarding that point and the ill feeling between them still hadn’t cleared up.

But they had said everything they wanted to each other in their clash last night. Even though their opinion couldn’t match each other, they should understand each other──I believed.

Kili seemed to feel my gaze and shrugged to dodge the matter.

「Even so……if Marduk can be created this easily, wouldn’t it be better if we mass produce it?」

Kili stared at the majestic figure of the flying battleship that was loaded with powerful anti dragon weapons and asked me.

I had also considered that but…….

「Aa, you see, actually──」

However a shrill voice burst out from the communicator before I could answer.

『Don’t say such stupid thing! Marduk’s main engine is per observation type dimension engine──it create a pseudo singularity to be used as driving force you know? If there are two same engines working at the same time, the singularities will get connected and energy will overflow. In the worst case this planet might be wiped off from the universe!』

The angry voice left a piercing ache in my ear. I put away the communicator from my ear until the voice finished.

However Kili reacted lately and she pressed her hand on her ear with a grimace.

The voice just now was Atla’s voice, the machine intelligence of the ancient civilization(Atlantis) that was loaded in Naglfar.

「What’s that just now……」

I smiled wryly at the frowning Kili.

「That’s Atla. Marduk is Atlantis’s weapon after all. She is the most knowledgeable about it. So……when I asked her about mass producing Marduk, she told me the same thing like just now.」

Iris tilted her head in puzzlement when she heard that.

「I don’t really get it, but in short we mustn’t create more than one Marduk?」

「Honestly I also don’t understand but, that seems to be the case.」

I nodded with a shrug, but there Jeanne’s voice reached me.

『Captain! Angolmois One’s advancing speed is rapidly increasing. Its location depth is also gradually getting closer to the surface.』

The communication came not from information transmission as linker, but through the normal channel. She was using normal communication devise when it was necessary to provide information to everyone.

「──Roger. Jeanne, give me the detailed data.」

I tensed my expression and requested for Angolmois One’s information.

『The target’s body length──the neck’s length is 2000 meter in total. There is no change from one hour before. However its width……the thickness of the neck is continuing to increase and now its body volume has doubled by nearly 1,5. This is only a conjecture because we are unable to obtain any optical information, but the possibility is high that its external appearance has become very different from the Angolmois neck we saw before.』

Jeanne read up the data with a fast-talking.

『Currently it’s in the depth of 500 meter. Its moving speed is 300 km/hour. It’s a speed that rivaled an ultrafast torpedo. An object that was at 2000 meter class being able to produce such speed underwater is……unbelievable. There is no doubt that the target will speed up even more when it come to the surface.』

Her voice was trembling.

The voice of Major Loki who was in Naglfar interrupted at that timing.

『It’s hard to believe that it’s simply swimming. Most likely it has some kind of propulsion organ. We will cross the battle line soon even at our current speed but──what will you do, Second Lieutenant Mononobe?』

Major Loki asked me with a testing tone.

I imagined his faint smile in my mind while considering the multiple strategies that I had thought up beforehand.

「……Jeanne, can the main cannon reach an enemy that isu underwater?」

And then I checked the feasibility to execute the strategy that I chose.

『Checking the detailed specs of the main weapon──this ship’s main weapon is a weapon that produce a gravitational gap that take in a certain amount of mass and lock it inside to be annihilated. At space it will continue charging forward until it hit some kind of object, but its range will be considerably decreased when firing inside atmosphere or underwater……with the target’s current depth, I believe we will need to approach until within the range of 20 km.』

Jeanne’s reply immediately reached. I decided our course of action and told Major Loki.

「Major Loki. We will simultaneously launch a preemptive strike as soon as Angolmois One enter the main cannon’s range. Prepare Naglfar to fire Babel Replica.」

『──Roger. It’s only natural to hit the enemy with our maximum power if they are simply charging straight forward. We will be able to ascertain its strength regardless of the result.』

Major Loki responded with a slightly implicating words.

Perhaps he had his own thinking, but I too had considered various patterns.

「Team Mitsuki and team Lisa should stay on standby inside the ship for now. Kili, you form an air barrier on the deck.」

Mitsuki and Lisa immediately responded to my command from the communicator.

『Understood Nii-san.』

『Roger.』

「If it’s barrier than I have put it up already.」

Kili shrugged her shoulders slightly right beside me. Now that she mentioned it, I didn’t feel the wind anymore before I realized it.

「Mononobe, what about me?」

Iris asked while fidgeting restlessly.

「Iris, your role is interception. It seems “Catastrophe” doesn’t work against End Matter, but in case Angolmois One attack us in some way, it might be useful to neutralize it.」

When Shinomiya Miyako attacked Naglfar and kidnapped everyone, Iris fired Catastrophe at the darkness she wielded but……the beam that blew away time didn’t have any effect to “something that had ended” already.

「I see! I’ll do my best!」

Iris smiled back with a big nod. I turned my gaze to Vritra beside her.

「If the attack failed and Angolmois One surfaced, seal its movement with adamantine like before Vritra.」

Adamantine was an outrageously heavy metal crystal that Vritra created to sea Angolmois’s main body. If the opponent could move in high speed, we should quickly shackle it down.

「Umu. Leave it to me my comrade.」

Vritra accepted her role while puffing out her chest.

After giving instruction to everyone, I called Jeanne once more.

「Jeanne, how long until the enemy enter the main cannon’s range?」

『175 second.』

We didn’t even have three minutes.

A high pitched sound began to come from Naglfar that was floating at our right. It was preparing to fire its main cannon.

「Begin charging the main cannon’s energy. Send out the bits for light barrier in preparation of the enemy attack. Deploy them to the front outside of the main cannon’s firing line. Split half of the bits to Naglfar.」

『Yes, starting the preparation to fire main cannon.』

Shinomiya-sensei’s voice came after Jeanne’s reply.

『I’ll take control of the bits. I’m going to place them so they can form three layers of barrier in front of the ship.』

The seventy two bits that flew out from the lower part of Marduk formed a formation like a flock of bird and flew away.

This was all the preparations that we could do right now. What was left was to wait for the time.

*KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN────!*

Marduk’s tip split into two prongs and a shrill sound like scratching metal also rang out from its main cannon’s barrel.

The countless lenses that were lined up inside the barrel shined radiantly. Sparks crackled and scattered.

Even the enemy silhouette still couldn’t be seen at the blue sea spreading before my eyes.

The sea surface was calm. It was a calmness that made it unbelievable that there was a world devouring monster approaching us.

「…………」

Iris constructed her staff shaped fictitious armament and stared at the horizon while holding her breath.

Even Kili who always looked composed had nervousness in it.

Vritra wasn’t looking at the sea, but at the white cloud floating in the sky instead. It seemed she was thinking something, but I couldn’t guess what she was thinking.

I could feel low vibration and engine sound from the deck.

The cannon was slightly pointed down to aim at the underwater enemy.

I recalled how when fighting “Red” Basilisk, we made use of the earth’s roundness to use the horizon as wall.

However Marduk was at midair, so it could attack the target directly even if there was several dozen kilometers of distance. Considering that we would shoot into the sea, there was no problem to target an enemy that was 20 km ahead from this altitude.

But the condition was also the same for the enemy.

──We don’t know when Angolmois One will attack. I also have to be on my guard using Marduk’s “eye”.

I inhaled out and focused my mind to deepen my synchronization with Marduk.

I could feel this giant ship as an extension of my limbs.

I linked with the enemy detection system that currently was being entrusted almost completely to Jeanne.

I combined the information that was obtained from Marduk’s detection function with my sight.

The world that I saw changed.

Various information in addition of the optical information that were obtained from many sensors were visualized and layered over each other.

「Tsu……」

Dizziness and headache assaulted my mind because of the information overload. I closed my eyes.

However after I endured the first wave and opened my eye, I understood the state of the vast ocean in one glance.

The depth of the sea around here varied from 1000 to 2000 meter. And surprisingly……the number of living things in it was few.

Perhaps they had instinctually sensed danger and ran away.

I turned my mind toward the sea far away──toward Angolmois One that was approaching in high speed.

Distance 28 km. Depth 350 m.

The ship’s awareness had already grasped its “shape”.

──What in the world is that?

I was still shocked even though Jeanne had told me before that its outer appearance was different now.

The enemy’s outline emerged along with the undulation of the sea bottom. Its shape was nearly like a cone. Perhaps it was to reduce the water resistance, but how did it change shape in the first place?

Neun’s authority ──”Shamash” should have determined its shape. And yet how…….

『Captain, the main cannon’s energy charging is finished.』

A report from Jeanne reached my ear while I was feeling uneasiness in my chest.

『Our preparation here is also finished.』

Major Loki also told me that he could fire his main cannon.

What was left was for me to give the order──.

My question from before was lurking inside my chest, but what I should do right now hadn’t changed.

「Marduk, synchronize with the timing of Naglfar’s firing. Begin countdown.」

Jeanne immediately responded to my order.

『Roger──starting countdown. 25 seconds until effective firing range. 24, 23──』

And then the machine intelligence Atla who was controlling Naglfar also followed.

『I’ll finish this in one attack! Count 20, 19, 18──』

The two’s voices overlapped in counting the seconds.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6──.

Angolmois One was still advancing without change. There was no sign of attack from it.

*KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!*

The engine sound was getting louder. The lenses inside the barrel shined dazzlingly.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1──.

I together with Major Loki yelled the order to fire the main cannon with certainty that it would definitely hit.

「Marduk’s main cannon, Babel──fire!」

『Naglfar’s main cannon, Babel Replica──fire!』

──A loud boom.

Pitch black light was fired from the cannon barrel. It split the sky and blue sea.

The black beams that stretched out from the two flying battleships pierced the sea surface far away side by side.

The sea was split a moment later.

The two streaks of black beams devoured the ocean and cut open a path toward Angolmois One.

The distance between the space gaps shrunk bit by bit before intersecting into one just before they hit.

──Impact.

The moment I felt that response, black crack ran through the sky.

The super gravity that was produced from the fusion of space gaps twisted even light.

Angolmois One that was right in the middle of that must be crushed, pulverized, and returned into End Matter.

After that we would use Neun’s light next to──.

I tried to make my mind moved toward the next stage, but Jeanne’s flustered voice came at that time.

『Captain, something is strange! The main cannon hit the target……it hit directly without a doubt but──it vanished there!』

「Vanished?」

I asked back because I didn’t really understand what she said, then Jeanne added on her information with fast-talking.

『』The space gap is cut off at the target’s location! The target is approaching here with the same speed──no, it’s accelerating faster!』

「Tsu……」

The space distorted due to the main cannon, so Marduk’s detection function also got disturbed, even so I focused my mind and matched the “sight” of each sensor on Angolmois One.

I saw it there.

The tip of Angolmois One that had cone shape before was opening split open. The largely opened “mouth” was swallowing the main cannon’s black beam.

──The gravity gap is eaten……!

「Stop firing!」

I got the hunch that it would be bad if we allowed it to go on like that and stopped the main cannon’s firing.

The space gap that split the sky and sea vanished, exposing the figure of Angolmois One that was ahead.

Angolmois One’s neck surfaced from the split open sea. It had completely changed from before.

To describe it in one word, it was warped.

Its shape was as though it wrenched various body parts from various creatures and stuck them on its body haphazardly to take cone shape.

Eyes of various sizes, scale, fin, internal organs, shell, muscle fiber──there was flame bursting out from between the gaps of those body parts that pushed up its giant body from the sea to the sky.

There were multiple parts that resembled the nozzle of propulsion rocket at the back of the cone. Flame was bursting out powerfully from there and it continued to accelerate.

『Uu……』

Shinomiya-sensei’s voice that sounded like she was holding back her nausea echoed inside my head.

It couldn’t be helped. She must have seen that form clearly through the optical sensors.

I also wanted to avert my gaze, but I desperately suppressed that urge. A voice came from behind me at that time.

「It looks like it devoured those who lived in the sea and used their lives as sustenance to add on its flesh half-bakedly like that. I shall stop its movement just as planned.」

Vritra saw that our preemptive attack failed and stepped forward to stand beside me.

She narrowed her eyes and held out her small palm toward the front.

She must be attempting to create adamantine that sunk Angolmois’s body to the sea.

However no change occurred even after several second passed.

「Vritra?」

I called out to her. She replied with a frown.

「──How impudent. That cursed thing, it seems that it’s radiating powerful electromagnetic field around its body. Because of that my material conversion is hindered, making it difficult to directly put adamantine shackle over it.」

「Wha……」

I gulped because it was as though the enemy had predicted our plan, but Vritra lifted her arm to the sky with a confident smile.

「Then I just need to drop down the shackle from the sky where the electromagnetic field’s influence can’t reach──」

Right after she declared that, a cube manifested at the sky far above.

It was even larger than Angolmois One’s huge body, a metal crystal with side of 1 km──its outline could be seen even from the deck of Marduk that was far away.

That sight looked like an island was falling down.

With the enemy’s size it had no way to escape. But──.

『Captain, Angolmois One’s body is rapidly expanding!』

When Jeanne’s voice resounded, I also saw it with Marduk’s eye.

The flesh that was fused to each other crookedly was swelling up and increasing in volume.

In addition there was also a change on its body surface.

A white giant horn grew from the cone’s tip.

A deep crack ran through the upper part of its body and a crimson eyeball poked out from inside it.

A body part that looked like wings appeared at its sides. The wings were covered with golden feathers. They moved and Angolmois One changed posture.

The monster became bigger than the metal crystal in the blink of eye. It opened its mouth wide──and swallowed the falling cube whole.

「Eh──it ate that?」

Iris muttered dumbfounded behind me.

The enlarged figure of Angolmois One could be seen clearly with out naked eye now.

Vritra glanced toward Iris and nodded with a stiff expression.

「Yeah, that seems to be the case. Furthermore it shows no sign of falling down even after swallowing adamantine. Most likely it has completely disintegrate the metal and digest it.」

「Digest……」

I gulped. Vritra shook her head with a wry smile.

「No──I should call it absorb. We can assume that it rapidly enlarged because it had devoured the main cannons’ energy. Besides that form──」

The tip of the cone point this way once more and Angolmois One began to accelerate. Vritra watched that with a frown.

I could guess what she was thinking. That thing’s form also brought something to my mind.

But right now first we had to deal with the sitaution.

「We will collide head on with it at this rate. Change Marduk’s direction to eleven o’clock, while Naglfar to one o’clock, full speed! After dodging its charge, change direction and take its rear!」

I suppressed my agitation and sharply gave the order.

『Understood!』

『I get it!』

I listened to Jeanne and Atla’s reply. Then Marduk began to accelerate.

Our distance with Naglfar at our right was widening.

The warped outline at the front was getting large bit by bit.

「Comrade──what do thou think about that?」

Vritra asked me while I was watching the enemy’s movement cautiously.

「……You mean its horn, eye, and the wings huh.」

I confirmed while swallowing my saliva. Vritra nodded back at me.

「Yeah, I have seen those body parts before. All of thou are the same correct?」

Vritra also asked Kili and Iris.

「……The golden wings remind me of Hraesvelgr.」

Kili spoke while looking like she was digesting a bitter memory.

Iris also spoke up hesitatingly.

「That white horn……somehow it look like Leviathan’s horn.」

And then I added the name that they hadn’t mentioned.

「It might be hard to see from here, but there is red eyeball on its upper body. It looks like Basilisk’s……」

Yes──the form of the enlarged Angolmois One reminded us of the Counter Dragons that we had defeated before.

A report from Jeanne came at that timing.

『Captain, the broad analysis is finished. The majority of the body structure covering the target’s outer shell is made up from body parts of organisms that existed on earth. Electromagnetic field is radiated from certain parts of its body. Perhaps this is from the organs that are possessed by creatures with ability to emit electricity. In addition to that……it’s just as captain and others pointed out, there are also parts that matched the data of Leviathan, Basilisk, and Hraesvelgr──』

Vritra nodded in understanding to that.

「As I thought……in other words those are the youngest demise that Angolmois absorbed──the mass of death that has been accumulated on this Gaia. And leading them are the toughest lives in Gaia──the ruin of what was once the Counter Dragons. No wonder I’m feeling killing intent this thick from it.」

When I looked beside me, I saw a trickle of cold sweat on Vritra’s cheek.

──Aa, killing intent……so this is killing intent.

I was feeling an unknown disgusting feeling and a pressure that weighed heavily in my stomach since Angolmois One showed itself.

However I didn’t realize that it was killing intent that it directed toward us.

I didn’t notice……because that killing intent had warped by that much. It accumulated to become something else──something that was even more repulsive.

「Does it──hate us?」

I gulped while muttering that. Kili smiled wryly beside me.

「Well, of course they are. When they showed up after getting lured by the “mate” that Okaa-sama prepared, they got obstructed from that right before their eyes, killed, and even had their authority stolen from them. It can’t be helped that they have resentment.」

Vritra grimaced at Kili’s words.

「……They were defeated by the providence of survival of the fittest. I wasn’t an ally of human by any means.」

「Even so they still won’t be able to accept it. Surely we would also feel the same like them if we are the loser. It’s normal to feel resentment and hatred. We have no choice but to deny everything of the opponent──in order to live.」

Kili stared with a distant look at Angolmois One that was 15 km away and approaching.

『The target change course! It’s heading here!』

Jeanne’s report came at that moment. Her words sounded like an affirmation for Kili’s statement.

「Vritra, who is the one that they hate the most do you think?」

I asked with a lowered voice.

It was within my expectation that it would chase either Marduk or Narglfar.

The problem was the main cause that was basing its decision on.

「Most likely it’s me who was the main culprit, or thee who snatched their mate. The “D” girls in the end were just target that they Counter Dragons “sought”. Therefore from their perspective their enemy is only thee alone. And to them I must be a hateful traitor who lured them out with mate as bait.」

Vritra answered self-depreciatingly.

「Enemy and traitor huh……certainly it’s only natural for us to be hated. But, it’s easy to understand if that’s the case. With this our role is clear.」

I plopped my hand on Vritra’s head and patted it in place of gratitude and gave instruction to everyone with the communicator.

「Marduk will lure Angolmois One. During that time Naglfar will attack from the side and rear! Team Mitsuki and and team Lisa will also take off and circle to its left and right. Don’t attack from the front no matter what. You will only become food for it.」

If it was chasing after Vritra and me, its front would constantly face us.

It might eat our attack again, so it would be hard to attack it from Marduk, but the others would be able to take advantage of its opening instead.

『This is Naglfar. Roger.』

『Team Mitsuki, taking off.』

『Team Lisa is also going!』

Everyone’s reply came and team Mitsuki and team Lisa flew out from both sides of Marduk.

I saw off the girls challenging the monster with fictitious armament in hands, then I connected the communication to Jeanne alone.

「Jeanne, make the light barrier bits to follow Mitsuki and others.」

『Understood. I’ll assign bits to both teams too.』

I thanked her 「Thank you」 after she replied like that, then I stared at Angolmois one’s warped figure that was gradually approaching.

I paid attention to the defense, but right now there wasn’t any sign the enemy would launch long range attack.

I also didn’t see it reacting to Mitsuki and others who flew out from Marduk.

「Hey Mononobe, Angolmois One has Basilisk’s eye isn’t it? Then what if it fire Catastophe at us──」

Iris asked anxiously. However Vritra told her with a confident tone before I could answer her.

「There is no worry for that. All of thee has already inherited their authority. Now they are just husk, broken remains.」

「I see……thank go──」

『High energy reaction from the tip of Angolmois One’s horn! Attack incoming!』

Jeanne’s warning rang out and cut off Iris’s relieved words.

「Eeh! Aren’t they unable to use authority?」

Iris was flustered, but I had no time to answer her.

「Light shell barrier, Eden(Paradise Dividing Boundary)──deploy multiple layer at the port side!」

I sharply commanded. Then the bits floating around Marduk connected to each other with lines of light and formed a shell of light.

I could hear Vritra’s voice between that.

「Angolmois One devour everything and can convert what it eat into its own power. It’s truly the embodiment of darkness that swallows everything. It’s a superior version of Bahamut that use heat as its sustenance. Then it won’t be strange for it to convert the adamantine that I fed it just now for counterattacking.」

Five layers of barrier were deployed. At the other side of them, Angolmois One’s horn shined dazzlingly.

「Team Mitsuki, team Lisa, it’s targeting Marduk! Don’t enter its line of fire no matter what!」

The moment I yelled that, the pure white light that was accumulated at the tip of its horn was fired.

The heat beam reminded me of Bahamut’s breath.

My field of vision was dyed pure white. I gathered information using Marduk’s perception function.

──The bits that were forming the first layer received heavy burden. But, they could still endure.

However because the light shell didn’t cover the whole ship, the temperature was rising rapidly. Kili should be blocking the heat as much as possible using her air barrier, but my whole body was sweating.

『Nii-san, are you alright!?』

Mitsuki asked through the communicator.

「Yeah, I’m fine. More importantly, how is your situation over there?」

『We are at the sky above Angolmois One’s right side.』

Next a report from Lisa and Major Loki also came.

『Team Lisa has finished deploying at the left side!』

『Naglfar will also arrive behind the enemy soon. The recharging of the main cannon is also finished.』

I immediately told them after hearing that.

「Everyone, begin attacking! Destroy its outer shell with maximum firepower!」

『Understood!』

Everyone’s voice of acknowledgement followed Mitsuki’s voice and our side’s attack began.

That situation was sent into my brain as image through the bits that were deployed around everyone.

『Final Arrow──Last Quark!!』

Mitsuki raised her bow shaped fictitious armament and fired an arrow of Anti Matter.

『Aegis Ray(Seven Radiances Lance)!』

Ariella fired seven streaks of light from her gauntlet shaped fictitious armament. They entangled with each other into spiral shape and became a sharp lance that headed toward Angolmois One.

『Nnu……Giant, Sun-!!』

Ren brandished her hammer shaped fictitious armament above her head before squeezing out a yell.

Then a fireball manifested above her head like a star and it dropped down when she swung down her hammer.

And then team Lisa also attacked simultaneously from the opposite side.

『Pierce through──Flash!!』

The positron cannon that was Lisa’s specialty was fired from the spear shaped fictitious armament together with a piercing cry.

『Melt Breath Dectet!』

Firill lifted her grimoire shaped fictitious armament and fired ten blue energy balls simultaneously.

Tia was a slight distance away from them. Radiant electricity covered her body.

『Connecting to Akashic Record──Dark Matter creation, electricity conversion, complete control──here Tia go……Tiamat Lightning!!』

Tia controlled electricity using Yggdrasil’s authority, gathered lightning attack above her head, and fired it as extremely thick lightning.

In addition Naglfar was firing all of its weapons from the rear.

All the attacks hit Angolmois One’s giant body──flash of explosion that painted the world swelled up.

The image from the bit was completely covered with dazzling light.

『All attacks direct hit! There is no erasure of energy detected!』

However Jeanne made use of Marduk’s detection function and grasped the situation accurately.

I listened to that report and clenched my fist tightly.

──The attack this time wasn’t eaten.

Angolmois One was facing Marduk and continued to attack. Because of that it couldn’t deal with attacks from its flank and rear just as expected.

──Vritra described Angolmois One as a superior version of Bahamut but……we couldn’t just simply assume that huh.

Bahamut had no blind spot because it could absorb energy from its whole body. Compared to that, Angolmois One could only absorb energy from its mouth.

Its ability to devour everything was a great threat, but if we only needed to avoid its front, it was easier to fight than Bahamut.

The heat beam that was fired from Angolmois One’s horn cut off and the temperature of the surrounding lowered.

A lot of seawater was evaporated from the attack’s aftereffect and I couldn’t see the enemy’s figure from the deck.

『The target’s body volume has decreased until two third of before! The attacks show great effect!』

「We did it Mononobe!」

Iris cheered at Jeanne’s report. However I felt doubtful.

「No……wait. Why is there no darkness overflowing if we managed to destroy its outer shell?」

「Aa──」

Iris gasped and looked at the vapor cloud that was thickly rising to the sky.

『Nii-san, I’ll blow away the vapor with wind!』

Mitsuki’s voice came at that time.

An invisible arrow pierced the vapor cloud.

The wind that Mitsuki unleashed pushed away the white curtain that was hiding Angolmois One and exposed its figure.

『Tsu……this is team Lisa. Certainly, it looks like there is effect from what we did. But, this is──』

I could hear Lisa’s mutter that was filled with bewilderment.

I also witnessed the same sight like them through the bits.

Angolmois One’s whole body was burned from everyone’s attack. The red eyeball and golden wings weren’t remaining. Its flesh was gouged out greatly and below it bone body that was composed from skulls showed up.

I realized after seeing that.

「Angolmois One’s outer shell──is that body that fused countless bones in the end! It won’t return back to be End Matter as long as we don’t break that! Continue your attack!」

New flesh was welling up from the bones even while I was watching. Its body was regenerating. Most likely it could create as much veil of flesh as it wanted as long it had the energy it absorbed.

『Roger Nii-san. Continuing attack!』

With those words as the signal, everyone rained down destruction on Angolmois One in a scale that wasn’t at all inferior compared to before.

Naglfar didn’t wait for my order and continued its bombardment.

All those attacks contained overwhelming might.

They hindered that thing’s regeneration, gouged the remaining flesh with certainty, blowing it away.

Angolmois One’s body was gradually getting smaller, bit by bit with certainty.

However there wasn’t any sign of End Matter leaking out at all.

In other words──this was a proof that our attack didn’t work against its bone body.

『Captain, the target’s outer shell is still unharmed!』

「Even Mitsuki’s Anti Matter doesn’t have any effect?」

『Yes……I can’t detect any effect.』

Jeanne’s gloomy voice answered me.

Anxiety was slowly spreading inside my chest.

It would be bad at this rate.

Mitsuki and others were starting to run out of breath with all their attacks. The density of their offense was falling.

『Multiple protrusions are appearing all over the target’s body!』

As though it had been waiting for that timing, Angolmois One that had returned to its former “neck” form created many white horns that reminded me of Leviathan from its whole body.

『That’s……everyone, put up your de──』

Lisa let out a shrill voice seeing the horns’ tips shining.

However I cut off her voice with a yell.

「Team Mitsuki and team Lisa, don’t move from there! I’ll activate all the light barrier bits including the ones around Naglfar!」

With my instruction, Jeanne and Shinomiya-sensei who were in charge of the deployed bits activated “Eden”.

Right after that──Angolmois One’s horns unleashed dazzling heat beam.

The scenery that was visible from the deck was dyed white once more.

「Kuh……」

The deployed light barriers blocked the heat beam from head on.

However I could see the lights that were fired to all directions through every bit.

The attack’s density left no opening to escape to.

This saturation attack was most likely for hunting the enemies around it.

It must have determined Naglfar and Mitsuki and others as its enemy too.

But the heat beams that tried to remove everyone was blocked by the light barriers.

『All barriers formed just in time! Everyone is safe──for now.』

I was relieved by Jeanne’s report, but her report also included a disquieting news.

「The barrier won’t last long?」

The reply to my question came after a slight pause.

『Yes──if the heat beams continue at this rate, the bits will overheat in three minutes.』

Kili cut into the talk when she heard that.

「In other words, we won’t have any choice but to run away unless we find a way to destroy Angolmois One’s outer shell before that.」

I nodded while feeling aware that I was making a grim expression.

「Yeah……but, at that point our defeat will be set in stone.」

Our attack didn’t work──if that was a fact, that meant that our counterattack was stopped cold right at the beginning.

And yet we also didn’t have any leeway to redo our planning. That was why we had to somehow find a solution to breakthrough this predicament.

Iris opened her mouth anxiously after listening to my talk with Kili.

「T-then, we have to find that way quickly! The reason why our attack doesn’t work……as expected, is it because the enemy is really hard or something?」

Jeanne replied to that opinion.

『According to the analysis of Marduk’s sensors, the target’s outer shell is “nothing but bone”. The Anti Matter didn’t work, so I thought that perhaps the target also had astral body like Hraesvelgr in the past, but it’s also not made up from such component. I really……don’t know the reason why we can’t break it.』

It seemed Jeanne was really confused.

If Marduk’s analysis was right, it was illogical that we couldn’t break Angolmois One.

「Perhaps……the concept of “destruction” simply doesn’t affect that thing.」

Vritra muttered with a small voice there.

「Okaa-sama……? What do you mean?」

Kili asked with a frown.

Vritra listened to that question and turned her eyes toward the light barrier that was currently blocking the heat beam.

「End Matter is the remains of those who has ended. They are deluded persistence that remain in this world simply from their will of “not wanting to vanish”. Just as we learned from how Iris Freya’s Catastophe didn’t work, those guys have perished since a long time ago. In that case it’s understandable that they can’t be destroyed.」

「Understandable you say──then, just what are you saying we should do?」

Kili grew angry at Vritra’s theory.

「……In this case we should give up on destroying its outer shell and try jumping into its darkness──into its mouth……no, it already obtain a form now, so even Neun’s light won’t affect it and we will simply get eaten……」

Vritra was also at a loss of what to do. She folded her arms and fell into thought.

I was also racking my brain in full, but no good idea surfaced.

The bits that were supporting the light barriers were nearing their limit even while we were doing that. Our options would shrink if we didn’t quickly decide our plan.

「……It can’t be helped, for a moment let’s take distance──」

I clenched my fist and decided to give the order to retreat to buy time.

.

『Second Lieutenant Mononobe, don’t you think it’s too hasty to judge that thing as “unbreakable”?』

.

However a voice that contained a coldness and sharpness that was like a blade slipped into my eardrum from the communicator at that timing.

「Tsu──Major Loki?」

I gasped and called back. He then continued speaking with a dispassionate tone.

『It seems that you can’t see it because it’s in a blind spot from your position, but according to the precise searching that Atla carried out, there is a small crack at the rear of the target.』

「A, crack?」

『Yeah. It’s very small, but from its position, it seems to be a crack that was created from our attack before just now. Right now we are looking at the recording to see which weapon created that crack──fumu, it seems the result has come out.』

Major Loki’s voice was slightly mixed with laughter.

Then this time Atla’s voice entered my ear.

『The crack at the rear of Angolmois One was inflicted by the impact from Noa Replica when Naglfar launched its all out attack!』

「Noa Replica……」

The happening yesterday flashed in my mind.

Certainly, the replicated anti dragon weapon that was installed in Naglfar wasn’t just Babel Replica.

Yesterday, in my fight against Major Loki──I was taken by surprise by Noa Replica’s gun turret that was placed on the deck.

The original “Noa” was a weapon that amplified emotional strength and fired it as cannon shell. It seemed that even the replica had similar ability, so I received a great damage when I was hit while wearing a psychic veil.

Did the same thing happen to it…….

「In that case, Angolmois One’s outer shell is an astral body as expected……but, I also can’t believe that Marduk’s analysis is mistaken.」

My mind was in chaos and I tilted my head in puzzlement. Then an energetic voice came from the communicator.

『Yuu! Tia might know the answer!』

「Really?」

I asked back with high expectation.

『Yep, see, there was a hint in what Vritra said just now. She said that End Matter is something that is remaining with just their feeling of not wanting to vanish.』

「Certainly I said that……」

Vritra frowned hearing Tia’s words.

『That’s why, Tia think Noa Replica’s psychic bullet was doing damage directly to that “feeling”!』

「Damage to the feeling──」

It still didn’t really hit home to me, but Vritra clapped her hands with an expression that was cleared from all frustration.

「I see! So the attack shook the foundation that is supporting it. Then it’s understandable why its outer shell got cracked. Comrade, this ship is installed with the original Noa Replica correct? In that case shouldn’t it be able to get through that thing’s outer shell?」

「Tsu……」

My thinking for the sake of “winning” resumed after Vritra pointed that out.

Certainly it was possible. The problem was──.

「Atla, how much is the specs difference between Noa Replica and the original?」

I asked the machine intelligence fairy who possessed the data of both weapons.

『──If it’s only limited to the amplification ratio of the psychic energy, the replica’s output is less than a tenth of the original. The original have ten times the power even if it’s only firing in standard mode. If its extraction amount of the mental strength is increased, its strength will increase even further.』

Atla answered with a slightly vexed tone.

I called out to everyone after hearing that the original could produce an output that was more than ten times at minimum.

「Yosh……Marduk is going to try to destroy the enemy’s outer shell with “Noa” at maximum power. But, the attack will only get eaten even if we attack from head on. I’ll get off the ship together with Vritra temporarily as bait──」

『You’re mistaken, Second Lieutenant Mononobe. That will be my──Naglfar’s role.』

However Major Loki suddenly interrupted my words in the middle.

「Eh……? By role do you mean as bait?」

I asked back in surprise. I could hear an exasperated sigh.

『There is a limit in how wrong you can be. What I’m referring to is the role of breaking Angolmois One’s outer shell. The role of solidifying the darkness once more using authority and the final battle with Angolmois’s main body are still waiting for all of you. Using up your mental strength here will interfere with that.』

「No, but with Noa Replica’s strength that’s……」

It was a fact that it managed to put a crack on the enemy, but it couldn’t possible smash the outer shell.

Then as expected the only way was to use the original. That was what I thought but…….

『Certainly Noa Replica’s mind amplification ratio is greatly inferior compared to the original, and the strength of its standard mode is also proportional to that. However──we never said even a single word that our maximum output is lower than over there.』

「Wha……」

I gasped hearing those unexpected words.

『Naglfar isn’t simply an inferior version of Marduk. There are technologies that we can’t reproduce but, those have been compensated using the present era’s knowledge and ingenuity. Second Lieutenant Mononobe──don’t look down too much on the people who live in this time.』

Major Loki’s voice was filled with pride and confidence.

「……We can, leave it to you right?」

『Yeah, are you anxious?』

I smiled wryly when he asked me back like that instead.

「No way.」

『Good answer.』

The communication was cut off with a voice that contained implicating smile.

I knew. That no matter the process that he had to go through, and what kind of result he reached, Loki Jotunheim was a man who would definitely achieve his objective at the very least──.

.

Part 3

After ending his communication with Mononobe Yuu from the bridge of battleship Naglfar, Loki Jotunheim ordered the machine intelligence Atla who was standing by inside the monitor.

「Atla, Sleipnir System──activate.」

His sharp voice echoed inside the bridge where he was the only human.

Atla who was displayed with a fairy avatar saluted sharply and responded to the command.

『Roger! Sleipnir System activate, starting connection with the sublinkers……succeed. Opening psychic wave circuit.』

Atla moved her transparent butterfly wings and flew around inside the monitor.

Then seven windows opened and each of them displayed the faces of young boys.

「Now then, gentlemen of Sleipnir……are your preparation finished?」

Loki asked with a smile on his lips. The young boys answered him with a straight posture.

『Yes! This is Otr Axe. The mobilization of 8000 personnel of NIFL Pacific Ocean Base is finished!』

『Regin Club. The mobilization of 4000 personnel of NIFL South America first branch is finished.』

『This is Robin Dark. 12000 personnel of NIFL Europe branch is mobilized boss!』

『This is Sigurd Garm. Mobilization of 3500 personnel of NIFL North Europe second branch has been completed.』

『Lancelot Ignite. 6000 personnel of NIFL Atlantic Ocean base, mobilization complete~』

『This is……Nataku Yue. Mobilization of 2500 personnel of NIFL East Asia second branch, finished.』

『Kunato Ktinos. NIFL Middle East third branch’s 2500 personnel has been mobilized.』

The corner of Loki’s lips twisted in satisfaction at his subordinates’ report.

The figures of NIFL soldiers lined up behind the young boys were also displayed.

「Wonderful. Good job in making it in time. However your true job will only start now. Naglfar will draw in the mental energy of the soldiers through all of you the sublinkers. Strongly imagine the mental circuit pattern imprinted into your brain so that your heart won’t be burned off from the burden.」

『Yes!』

They replied in unison.

This was the secret plan to compensate for the low amplification ratio.

Devices to extract mental energy were placed at every base of NIFL and it would be transmitted to Naglfar through the members of Sleipnir.

The devices didn’t make it in time for the battle against Bahamut, but the maintenance for Naglfar was finished when it was resupplying in the empty island and the preparations of the personnel who were sent to every base had also finished.

「Shrewd people like to say that better quality than quantity, but in reality there is nothing better than number. Though this idea is a bit primitive to be called as mankind’s intellect.」

Loki recalled how he told Mononobe Yuu “don’t look down on the people who live in this time” and smiled wryly.

『Master! I can feel the strength of life of human from this brute force. I love it!』

Atla who was flying inside the monitor expressed her opinion while smiling.

「Fuh──that opinion is just like you.」

Loki smiled in delight. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the image of the front of the ship.

The barrier of light that was blocking Angolmois One’s heat beams was deployed there.

That was the barrier that was formed by the bits that Marduk shared to here.

「The preparation is finished. Tell Marduk to turn off the barrier. Fire the main cannon at the same time with the barrier’s disappearance and erase the beam together with its source. Fire the Noa Replicas simultaneously as soon as we secure the firing line.」

『Roger, master! Preparing to fire Babel Replica, deploying all Noa Replicas. Mental circuit linking──starting energy extraction.』

Atla replied . Then the main cannon at the front of the ship began to make a high-pitched sound.

In addition the prototype psychic gun turrets Noa Replicas that were stored inside the ship went out.

Including the ones that had been placed on the deck from the start, there were a total of eight turrets.

「The legs of Sleipnir are still lacking one person but──I shall compensate for that insufficiency. Atla, use my heart for the cannon shell of the eighth cannon.」

『Yes, connecting the main linker’s mental circuit to the eighth cannon.』

Loki’s face slightly grimaced at that moment.

The young soldiers in the monitor also gritted their teeth to endure the pain.

However the color of pain in Loki’s face was painted out by a delighted smile.

「That’s right Atla, indulge and devour human’s hearts──change their resolve and will into strength. Put my killing intent into the cannon shell.」

The bridge’s monitor was displaying the graph that showed the charging amount of the mental energy. At the same time an alarm lamp was blipping.

『Master! The temperature of the mental energy amplification reactor is rapidly increasing! The cooling system can’t keep up! The psychic wave receiver and transmission circuit are also under excessive burden. At this rate the gun turrets will be damaged if we shoot, and Naglfar will also get lethally damaged──』

「I don’t mind. In the first place there won’t be the second shot. We just need to fire this one shot.」

Loki declared with a strong tone. Hesitation also vanished from Atla’s face.

『Roger! Ignoring the warning of all components, neutralizing the emergency shutdown system──limiter remove!』

Ominous shaking was starting to shake the whole frame of Naglfar.

Loki checked the status of every gun turret and took out an antique revolver from his pocket.

「Now, Sleipnir gentlemen. Lit the fire of revolution in your heart. What we are facing is a powerful will that still refuse to perish even after it died. Wring out a feeling that is sufficient to break it. Malice, hostility, killing intent──polish all kind of ill wills in you.」

Loki took out the bullets from his gun while saying that. Then he pointed his gun toward the front monitor.

The young soldiers of Sleipnir who were displayed in the screens also closed their eyes and focused their mind.

(I wonder what kind of shape their killing intent will take.)

Loki thought while narrowing his gaze toward the other side of the monitor.

(My killing intent, is always loaded inside a gun──)

It was the memento of his father who died before he was born. That was this revolver.

However he held no special sentiment or longing toward it.

This revolver was simple the “weapon” that that the young Loki Jotunheim took up for the first time.

The chamber of the gun that was handed to him was naturally empty, but he knew that it could kill human if a bullet was loaded into it.

The lacking bullet.

Something that would take away other person’s life if it was fired.

For him that was the shape of killing intent.

Therefore he aimed his gun and put his heart into the chamber.

That image was also conveyed to Noa Replica. The psychic energy that was almost bursting was compressed into the shape of bullet.

『Forming cannon shell──psychic energy loading complete! The main cannon’s charging is also finished! The authority to turn off the barrier is transferred temporarily to here!』

Atla reported with a rapid talking. Then Loki placed his finger on the trigger.

「Fire the main cannon at the same time with the barrier’s removal, at the count of five.」

『Roger! Begin countdown, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1──』

Loki shortly declared when the countdown reached zero.

「Main cannon Babel Replica──fire.」

The barrier that was constructed in front of Naglfar vanished. At the same time, the two pronged main cannon at the prow of the ship fired black light.

The beam of space gap swallowed the heat beam and rushed toward Angolmois One’s body.

The horn that was firing heat beam at Narglfar was smashed, but the bone outer shell wasn’t distorted by the super gravity and refused to be “destroyed”.

However Loki still hadn’t pulled the trigger of his gun.

This was merely the herald. The killing intent he loaded was going to be fired, now.

『Master! I have secured the firing line!』

When the jet black space gap vanished, the figure of Angolmois One with its bone outer shell exposed was displayed in the bridge’s monitor.

Loki gazed at the center of that giant body, inhaled slightly, and put his strength into his finger that was on the trigger.

「Prototype psychic cannon turret Noa Replica──Sleipnir Burst(Simultaneous Eight Cannons Firing)!!」

He pulled the trigger together with those sharp words.

Eight streaks of light were fired from Naglfar. It shook the battleship’s frame fiercely.

The feeling and determination of NIFL’s soldiers who devoted their life to fight dragon, the polished killing intent of the young soldiers of Sleipnir──and then the will of killing intent that Loki poured in, they became a gigantic torrent of light that swallowed Angolmois’s giant body.

*BOOM* An explosive sound burst out and Naglfar was greatly shaken.

『Third cannon, exploding! Fire is breaking out inside the ship! The first and sixth cannons are also at their limit!』

「No matter, give it everything we have!」

Angolmois One’s outer shell was filled with cracks inside the light.

Mankind’s killing intent was smashing even its undying will.

『Sixth cannon exploding, abnormality discovered in the port’s flywheel!』

「Control our posture with the thrusters! Hold on for just a bit more!」

Every kind of alarm lights were already blipping. The bridge was dyed red.

The monitors that were displaying all the NIFL bases were showing soldiers falling one after another after their mental energy completely extracted. Even the vital signs of the young soldiers of Sleipnir were dropping to dangerous level.

Loki still held up his gun and gritted his teeth while all limits were approaching.

His former subordinate Mononobe Yuu often felt his killing intent as “cold”.

That was only natural. What formed the core of his killing intent wasn’t anger or hatred, but simply the cool-headed will of “kill”. It was a determination that was based on rationality.

That was exactly why his killing intent was sharper and harder than anybody else.

Even now when his whole heart and feeling had been poured out completely, he put together even more killing intent with his rationality.

「──This is the end.」

The moment Loki fired the last bullet that he created inside his heart, *crack* the decisive sound of destruction rang out.

Noa Replica’s bombardment finally pierced Angolmois One’s outer shell.

The mass of skulls was breaking.

Darkness spurted out from the gouged out hole.

End Matter also flowed out from the cracks that were spreading over its giant body. The monster that devoured everything was losing shape.

However Naglfar also wasn’t unscathed.

The hull tilted greatly. Flame and explosion broke out everywhere.

Alarms were ringing out noisily inside the bridge.

The revolver fell from the hand of Loki who had wrung out his everything. He slipped down to tilting floor.

『The outer shell’s destruction is successful! However fire is breaking out from the first, second, and also seventh cannon. The psychic energy amplification reactor and second engine aren’t working. The flight mode can’t be maintained!』

Atla’s voice reached the consciousness of Loki who was ready to faint anytime now.

「……Purge the gun turrets that are in flame. Perform emergency landing to the sea. Lockdown the damaged sections with the bulkheads.」

Loki gave his instruction while confirming that Angolmois One was turning into darkness with his hazy eyes. Then he turned his gaze to the corner of the monitor.

Displayed there was the figure of Midgard’s headmaster Charlotte B Lord. Her broadcast to the world still hadn’t started.

「Atla……how is the preparation for the frequency hijacking going?」

『Ninety percent of the communication satellites and the broadcasting stations in the countries that have NIFL base are under control. Unmanned drones are currently being sent to offline regions──』

「That’s enough. Continue expanding the range under your control while starting the broadcast right away. It will be pointless if we don’t make it in time for the usage of Neun’s authority……」

Loki checked the spreading of End Matter with a side glance and ordered Atla.

『Roger!』

Loki listened to the energetic voice that knew no fatigue while leaning on the back of the captain seat.

He left the rest to the machine intelligence girl while resisting the fierce fatigue and sleepiness attacking him.

He didn’t even have any strength remaining to move a single finger now.

But he refused to close his eyelids and gazed at his archenemy in the monitor. He muttered with a hoarse voice.

「My job is over. “Grey”……next is your turn.」

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