328 - Lariel's Way of Fighting
The Audience Chamber of the royal palace.
There, humans who had become monsters—demons—swarmed around us.
Celes, looking down on us from near the throne, made no move to intervene. She didn't care how many of her own allies were lost. For Celes, the victory of her allies was not what mattered. Only her own victory was important.
Because she was too strong, she had no interest in anything else. Now, she even thought that she could simply bring her parents, whom she had loved so much, back to life whenever she pleased.
"—Map Model, Real Spec."
As I whispered the two skills, a three-dimensional map of the Audience Chamber appeared in my mind. Then, Real Spec accurately captured the enemies surrounding us.
"I won't hold back. —Select... Limit Burst, Up-Down."
I used the skills one after another. I applied the skills left behind by previous heads of the family to everyone connected through Connection.
Consequently, everyone grasped the surrounding situation and received physical enhancement through the skills.
"Get out of the way!"
Aria took the lead. Swinging her spear horizontally to send out slashing attacks, she tore through and blew away several demons. Clad in red armor, Aria's movements were sharp and incredibly powerful.
Miranda started running, accompanied by a golem. Shannon was riding on the golem's back, and Shannon's field of vision was being shared with everyone.
Shannon supplemented the flow of magic that I couldn't capture alone. Thanks to that, the positions of the dead soldiers and others were accurately recognized as enemies.
"It's over once I tear them apart, right?"
Miranda said with a smile, releasing threads from her left hand to capture a demon, then tightening the threads to rip it to pieces.
It was a gruesome sight. While riding the golem's back...
"Ugh, how awful,"
Shannon was completely put off.
A demon opened its large mouth and fired magic at us.
We stepped back, and Novem stepped forward instead. Raising the staff that was a treasure of the Foxuz family, a Magic Shield deployed and blocked all the magic.
Immediately after the Magic Shield vanished, three people leaped out.
Eva provided cover. She fired an arrow that pierced the temple of a leaping demon, and the arrow exploded.
"This will end it,"
As Eva said, I was certain it was over. The ones who leaped out were Ludmilla, Glacia, and Eliza. These three—to be blunt, were troublesome combatants even individually.
Ludmilla swung a longsword with a thin, long red blade horizontally.
"I suppose I shall live up to expectations."
The red blade looked as if it were glowing. Bending and then sharply attacking the demons, she tore them to shreds. It was a slashing attack that made one mistakenly wonder if she was holding a whip.
"Blow away!"
Glacia thrust her spear into a demon and incinerated it with pale blue flames. Flames erupted around her, spreading to the attacking demons and turning them into charcoal.
"Everything is the same once it's frozen."
Saying so, Eliza struck the floor powerfully with her staff. As the demons approached Eliza, their movements suddenly slowed. Their feet were frozen to the floor, leaving them unable to move. Gradually, the ice crawled up their bodies.
A demon that tried to force its way through ended up in a terrible state, its lower body shattered. Once everything was frozen, Eliza destroyed it all with her staff. The demons were smashed to pieces.
"Trivial. They are merely slightly sturdier than humans."
Eliza saying that was scary, but her friend Shannon was cheering her on.
"Go for it, Eliza!"
Eliza gave a small wave to Shannon.
I confirmed that the demons had been wiped out without me having to do anything, and looked up at the Audience Chamber.
"What now, Celes? You're the only one left here, aren't you?"
With a provocative smile, I decided to taunt Celes. Celes moved her eyebrows slightly, took a slow step forward—and immediately vanished.
Before I knew it, she was holding a staff-like scabbard in her left hand and gripping a rapier in her right. She had closed the distance to me in an instant and was trying to pierce my chest with the rapier. The blade of the rapier was glowing red. It was likely a skill prepared by Agrissa or something similar.
But I smiled.
"—Shuffle."
The third stage of the seventh head's skill. It was a position swap.
Celes tried to pierce me, but I swapped my position with Ludmilla. Ludmilla, understanding this, blocked Celes's strike with her own sword.
Regarding swordsmanship, I am inferior to Celes. And I am inferior to Ludmilla. Among us, Ludmilla is the most skilled in swordsmanship.
"Leave it to me. Now then, it is our first time meeting, is it not, sister-in-law?"
Celes's eyes widened, but she didn't seem particularly surprised. However...
"The Queen of Cartaphus, was it? It seems you've acquired quite an excellent pawn. But... you've grown quite bold, talking so big while hiding in the shadow of a woman, you piece of trash. I'll finish this one off first."
Celes immediately distanced herself from Ludmilla and unleashed attacks with her rapier. However, Ludmilla was smiling.
"You are certainly strong. But—not so strong that I cannot win."
In terms of swordsmanship alone, Ludmilla was not losing to Celes. Due to the influence of receiving multiple layers of support from skills, Ludmilla was able to fight Celes.
Celes accelerated and moved behind Ludmilla.
"Don't get cocky!"
But Eva, aiming precisely for that, fired an arrow. Celes deflected the arrow with her rapier, but she was forced to leap back because the arrow exploded.
As Ludmilla closed the distance, Celes pointed her left hand, holding the staff, toward Ludmilla.
Watching that action, I could predict what she was about to fire using the information obtained from Shannon's eyes.
"Shuffle—Eliza, make a wall."
When Ludmilla and Eliza's positions were swapped, Eliza swung her staff horizontally. A giant wall of ice appeared, and the room suddenly became freezing cold.
Then, I saw flames erupt beyond the ice.
Eliza looked slightly surprised.
"Impressive. The firepower is close to Glacia's flames."
In other words, it was weaker than Glacia's firepower. Celes, thinking she couldn't completely melt the ice wall, forcibly destroyed the wall.
As she tore it to shreds with her rapier, I raised my left hand and then swung it down.
"Everyone, simultaneous attack!"
Drawing a gun from the holster at my lower back with my right hand, I fired bullets at Celes as she leaped toward me.
Novem, Miranda, Glacia, and Eliza used magic.
Aria and Ludmilla used slashing attacks.
Eva and Clara attacked with arrows and the cannons loaded on the porters.
Concentrated fire. Because I was targeting the opponent with the Select skill, there was no way to miss. However, Celes deployed a Magic Shield to block it.
She blocked it, but Celes was blown back.
Blown back, Celes crashed into the wall. She slid down the wall and, upon landing, glared at me.
"...You're quite confident for someone hiding behind women. Did you perhaps think you could win just because you have this many allies?"
While feeling fear at Celes's glare, I slid the gun back into the holster.
"I actually am winning. And I'm not ashamed of it at all. It's a fact that I lost to you, but I just couldn't win one-on-one. Rather, it's your fault for surrounding yourself with nothing but trash. Did you think I'd fight you one-on-one?"
I taunted her. I taunted Celes. Because that was better.
Celes gripped her weapon and glared at me. Yellow magic began to glow as if enveloping Celes, and her power increased.
"You piece of trash. Don't think you'll get away with just hiding in the back because you can't win!"
Celes approached me with even greater speed than before. I blocked Celes's attack with my katana.
Celes had a surprised look on her face.
"Sorry. I've grown since before. And—"
Celes had leaped at me, but Aria had caught up behind her. Readying her spear and swinging it horizontally, Celes, noticing the approach, blocked Aria's strike with her staff. However, while her posture was broken, I kicked Celes away.
My kick hit Celes in the abdomen, blowing her back.
"Too hard. It felt like I kicked a rock."
Feeling pain in the leg I kicked with, I looked at the blown-back Celes while complaining. Recovering her posture in mid-air and landing, Celes was now expressionless. Her gaze captured Shannon.
"...It's you."
Celes seemed to have noticed. As she approached to crush Shannon, our other set of eyes, first...
"Don't think I'll let you. Shuffle."
The next person to appear in front of Celes was Glacia, who had swapped with Shannon. Glacia produced flames to protect Shannon. Perhaps giving up on the charge, Celes stopped, and Eva fired an arrow there.
As Celes leaped back fearing the explosion, Ludmilla had circled around.
Even without speaking, we could perform expert coordination. That was also the power of Connection.
"It's true that my win rate drops significantly one-on-one. But everyone here can resist your charm and is highly skilled. I don't need to be obsessed with my own individual victory. This is the answer I've come up with, Celes."
Actually, Novem had been making preparations, but this was also my answer now. It would be foolish to force it and get injured.
A real hero would surely have a duel with Celes here and seize victory. But that's not my way.
Celes flew into a rage.
"You piece of trash. I really do hate you. You take everything, and yet you still try to stand before me. I really should have erased you!"
Saying that, as Celes headed toward Eva, who was irritating her with arrows, I snapped my fingers.
"Shuffle—Novem."
When Eva and Novem's positions were swapped, Novem blocked Celes's rapier with her staff.
"I won't let you, Celes-sama."
"NOOOO-VEEEEEM!!"
Celes's face distorted horribly. The fact that resentment and complex emotions seemed to be swirling was likely thanks to Shannon's eyes.
Then, Celes's atmosphere changed.
"Every single one of you is so damn annoying!"
What Celes released were beast-like masses of magic. Upon appearing, they attacked everyone.
Shannon screamed.
"These things are going to explode!"
They were like bombs with magic condensed inside. Was this magic created by Agrissa? I put away my katana, gripped the orb, and prepared the bow. As I fired an arrow of light, Celes leaped up to the ceiling of the Audience Chamber.
"Like I'd let you, idiot!"
Saying so, she swung her rapier, and particles of fire destroyed the arrow of light, hindering the destruction of the magic beasts Celes had released.
"Tch! Everyone, intercept!"
Everyone tried to destroy the beasts, but the beasts avoided magic and attacks to approach their targets. When a few exploded, the power was considerable.
Then, Miranda screamed.
"Shannon!"
"...Eh?"
A magic monster that had leaped out from the blast was trying to capture Shannon with its fangs. I hurriedly reached out, but the distance was too far.
I tried to use Shuffle, but a monster came toward me as well, and I fired an arrow with the silver bow. Celes, clinging to the ceiling, let out a laugh.
"Ahahaha... See, the first one!"
As Miranda screamed, the magic beast's sharp fangs pierced deeply into Shannon.
—In the streets of Central.
Marina, though battered, was repeatedly striking Lumel with her fists. Her fists were covered in blood, and her rare metal gauntlets were destroyed.
"Just... drop dead already!!"
Even after receiving a blow from Marina that seemed to shake the surrounding air, Lumel, who regenerated immediately, swept Marina away with a large hand.
Marina was blown into a building, breaking the wall. Lumel regenerated the parts where he had been crushed and where flesh had protruded by Marina's punches.
"Gufu, gufufu."
As he continued to regenerate, he was subtly changing from his original form. Some parts bulged strangely, and thorns began to protrude in others.
Amidst this, Mei, whose forehead was cut and one eye was closed by blood, stood before Lumel.
Out of breath, Mei and Lumel faced each other.
The surroundings—there were fewer buildings remaining than those destroyed. Mei's right hand was glowing faintly.
"I had Marina buy some time, but the preparations are finally complete. Honestly, you're way too tough. Thanks to that, I've had to use my trump card."
Saying so, Mei formed a fist with her right hand.
Lumel's oversized single eye watched Mei's fist.
"Curious? You're curious? Right... then, I'll tell you!"
As she stepped down, the ground was gouged. Lumel also leaped toward Mei, opening his large mouth to swallow her. Since there were few dead soldiers around, he was trying to eat Mei to recover.
But that was convenient.
(It was worth the effort of crushing the dead soldiers. Honestly, I hate pain, though.)
Thinking this, Mei put her right arm into Lumel's mouth. As she grabbed Lumel's eerie tongue with her right hand, Lumel slammed his large mouth shut with force.
Mei's right arm was severed from the upper arm.
Pressing against her shoulder, Mei endured the pain.
"...Blow away from the inside."
Smiling while pretending to be fine, she leaped back, and Lumel, not understanding the meaning, swallowed Mei's right arm. He had swallowed it.
Then, while pressing the severed wound with her left hand...
"It would have been better if you were just a little bit smarter. But maybe you were that strong because you didn't have a brain to think with."
Immediately after, Lumel's upper body was blown away. Blood sprayed, and chunks of flesh splattered onto the remaining surrounding buildings.
Mei, her body stained red with Lumel's blood, immediately prepared water with magic to wash herself.
Then, Marina, who slowly emerged from the building while panting, punched and crushed Lumel's remaining lower body.
Both of them were breathing heavily through their mouths.
As the two of them sat down on the spot, Mei looked toward the royal palace. The sounds of guns and cannons could still be heard, and several ground-shaking vibrations were felt.
Seeing a part of the royal palace blow away, Mei whispered.
"...Shannon."
Eyes wide, Mei stood up unsteadily. She began to walk slowly, intending to head for the royal palace.
Marina hurriedly stood up and grabbed Mei's shoulder.
"Idiot, close your wound immediately! Just because you're a Kirin, it's dangerous to leave it alone!"
Mei looked blankly at Marina's face.
"You're right. But I have to go..."
Since Mei still tried to go, Marina carried Mei on her shoulder and headed for the place where their allies were for the time being—.