331 - The Seventh
――Vera, who had been fighting outside the royal palace, watched in surprise as the dead soldier who had smashed through the window stopped moving.
Gripping the gun in her hand, she looked around to see what on earth was happening.
Several strands of black hair clung to her sweaty skin. As she steadied her breathing, she glanced at the sailors who were similarly armed with guns.
"What's going on? Did Lariel and the others do this?"
Outside the window, allies were looking troubled in front of dead soldiers who had likewise stopped moving. However, one of the Valkyries flew into the room.
"Everyone, please proceed with the evacuation. No, there is no time—get outside immediately."
Vera put away her gun as she asked.
"What happened?"
The Valkyrie looked toward the interior of the royal palace.
"Everything was proceeding according to plan, but things have deviated slightly. The Master and the others are handling it, but we are withdrawing."
"What about Lariel and the others!"
The Valkyrie paused for a moment before answering.
"They are alive. However, this is an order. Furthermore, those who are nearby may only get in the way."
Without answering Vera's question precisely, she proceeded to evacuate everyone――.
――Several Large Porters, carrying everyone on board, were departing.
Damian was aboard one of them, looking toward the royal palace from the ceiling. Beside Damian was Old Man Ratata.
The golems controlled by Damian followed alongside the Large Porters. From the bed of the rattling Large Porter, Damian watched the royal palace.
"I have a bad feeling. It's far too quiet."
Old Man Ratata agreed with Damian's "bad feeling." It seemed Old Man Ratata felt something as well.
"The dead soldiers suddenly stopped moving, and then they told us to evacuate. I wonder if something terrible happened."
Baldoor also climbed onto the bed.
"To evacuate and leave Lariel-sama behind!"
Clinging to Baldoor's waist was Alette. As Alette gripped Baldoor to keep him from escaping...
"Wait! I'm sure it'll be okay!"
"To abandon my master based on such speculation, I cannot――"
Then, three automatons near Damian noticed an anomaly. Seeing a light coming from the direction of the royal palace, they stepped in front of Damian and the others and raised their shields.
Damian lowered his center of gravity.
"Something's coming."
Immediately after――a white light seemed to blow away the ceiling of the royal palace, and then the light spread, expanding throughout the royal capital... all of Central.
The mobile fortress that had charged into the royal palace was also blown away, thrown into the air and swallowed by the light.
"This is..."
As Old Man Ratata watched the light, Damian's Automaton Unit One spoke.
"It is crossing the city walls."
As the Large Porters leaped out from the destroyed city walls, the white light stopped there, as if the walls had acted as a boundary.
Damian used a giant automaton to block the flying debris from the walls.
The shockwave caused the Large Porter to lift slightly.
Following the burst of light, a cloud of dust attacked. Strong winds and sand.
As those subsided, visibility gradually returned. And the sight that spread before them was a Central that had become a complete mountain of rubble. The city walls were gone, and only a portion of the royal palace barely remained.
Damian looked at something floating above that royal palace――.
Thinking I had been swallowed by the white light, the shock subsided and I looked forward.
In front of me, the Valkyries should have deployed binders to suppress the shock... but all that remained was an ankle, and a pink braided cord fluttered in the wind. Part of it was scorched, but Monica, who stood before me, picked it up and carefully tucked it into her apron.
Looking around, the view had become much clearer. The ceiling was blown away, the walls were gone... the city of Central had been cleanly wiped out, leaving a space filled with rubble.
And the cloudy sky had opened up beautifully only above the royal palace, and within the light streaming down, there was the figure of the Septem――Agrissa, floating in mid-air.
Agrissa had become larger than when I first saw her, and both arms and legs seemed completely protected by reddish-black hardened skin. The horn-like protrusions extending from her back had also increased in number and grown larger.
Floating in the sky and looking down at us, Agrissa spoke.
"I misjudged the output. As expected of Novem. It makes sense that he stuffed memories――and records into a human body for the purpose of watching over humanity. Thanks to that, I seem to be regaining my complete form. Well, I am hideous, so I will eventually take a human form."
While directing her gaze toward me.
"In this form, I cannot embrace you."
She said this and laughed. With a single strike, she had blown away one of the continent's leading cities. Monica spoke to me.
"The evacuation of our allies is already complete. They have evacuated safely, but..."
I almost laughed.
"At this rate, it doesn't matter where they fled."
Agrissa had called that strike "misjudging the output." Intimidated by that attack, I checked the hilt of the katana I held.
"...Still, we have to stop her here."
When I glared at Agrissa, she looked delighted.
"Even after being shown such a difference in power, you still stand! No wonder Novem likes you. Besides, I love people like that. However, if I were to do it, I would simply kill you... so I'll leave the opponents to these ones."
Looking around, everyone had stood up and held their weapons, just as I had. The surviving Valkyries also gripped weapons in both hands.
However, Agrissa didn't seem inclined to deal with us herself.
"Perhaps one or two of you might die... well, if you die, it just means that was your limit. You are my favorite, so show me you can defeat them."
While remaining in her giant form, Agrissa stood tall in the air and snapped her fingers with her left hand. Around us――and throughout Central, things like magic circles appeared, and from them, armored skeletal warriors――undead emerged.
However, in front of us, an armored figure holding a greatsword appeared――the first Lariel, my ancestor and the origin of my name.
"A doll? And the others are summons?"
Then, Agrissa placed a hand over her mouth.
"I have no intention of creating monsters like Novem. He only gave them that appearance because it incites more fear. Well, to put it simply... all of these are dead soldiers. It is different from the time of Celes. I can summon dead soldiers inexhaustibly. In this world, there are more dead than living!"
I was shocked by the words that they were all dead soldiers. The skeletal soldiers filling the surroundings――filling the area around the royal palace—were crowded together, raising their weapons.
"You gathered over six hundred thousand soldiers. In that case, I have prepared ten times that. Six million. For a start, I'll use these to sweep away the trash around here. I could blow them away myself, but I enjoy it more when it takes time."
The laughing Agrissa looked genuinely amused. Looking up at the sky, I shouted.
"Are you just playing around!"
Then, Agrissa smiled.
"I am. Sorry. To face you seriously, you are far too fragile. However, it wouldn't be interesting if you were completely annihilated. Hmm, I'll leave ten percent and adjust the population of the continent――no, the whole world. I look forward to seeing how long it takes to reach ten percent."
As I gripped the hilt of my katana and tried to take a step forward, Agrissa spoke, placing a fingertip to her lips.
"I'm happy you're looking at me, but if you do that, your ancestor will come to kill you."
Suddenly shifting my consciousness downward, the knight in full armor holding a greatsword charged at me. I tried to block with my katana, but Monica pushed me aside and slammed her hammer into him.
"...USE-LESS."
I was surprised that the dead soldier spoke, but it was the voice of the ancestor of the Walt family I had seen in memories――the hero who defeated Agrissa.
"You!"
Monica let go of her hammer. The greatsword had sliced through the hammer.
From above, Agrissa spoke.
"No magic tools. A warrior from an era when even gems were not common. It is natural that he trained himself. He is one of the pinnacles reached by a warrior who pushed their skills to the limit and polished their technique. He is strong. After all, he is the one who killed me!"
Certain that Agrissa would not attack, I slashed at my ancestor. Aria circled around, attempting to thrust her spear.
"...NO-GO."
Speaking in broken words, he swung the greatsword in a full rotation. He knocked my katana away and deflected Aria's spear as well.
When Eva fired an arrow, he caught the arrow with his left hand.
"No way!"
Hearing Eva's scream, Eliza jumped.
"Then I'll freeze you with magic!"
As ice arrows attacked the ancestor, Agrissa laughed from above.
"The previous me was superior in magic. He is someone who defeated such a person. Magic won't do anything to him."
It was exactly as she said.
"Uwaaaaaaa!!"
Letting out a roar, the ancestor, perhaps having pushed his physical reinforcement to the limit, swept away Eliza's ice with his sword. There was wind pressure, and steam seemed to be rising from his armor.
"Tch!"
Just as Glacia tried to produce fire, he seemed to notice and closed the distance to her.
"Fast. ――Shuffle!"
Changing Glacia's position to Ludmilla, Ludmilla and the ancestor clashed blades. Against Ludmilla, who possessed ever-changing blades, the ancestor knocked her back with a straightforward sword path. Ludmilla tried to create distance.
"W-what is this guy!"
Using Ludmilla, he was manipulating the positioning. He was placing Ludmilla in the line of fire of those of us trying to provide support. He was experienced in combat.
Above, Agrissa laughed.
"They appear occasionally in the world. He is a born warrior with sharp instincts. Strong in his raw state. And he polished that power specifically to defeat me. Thrilling, isn't it?"
I pulled out my silver gun and pulled the trigger toward Ludmilla. The blue magic bullet flew over Ludmilla and tried to hit the ancestor directly, but...
"...BAD."
Saying that, he moved away from Ludmilla and this time targeted Miranda, who was near Shannon. Changing Shannon's position to Aria with Shuffle, Miranda and Aria faced the ancestor.
"This should do it!"
Miranda produced threads from both hands and restrained the ancestor. Just as Aria slashed with her spear...
"Hmph!"
The ancestor, wrapped in threads, used brute force to throw Miranda toward Aria. The two were blown away, and as the threads vanished, I slashed at the ancestor.
Blocking my strike with the greatsword, the ancestor looked at my face.
"...LIGHT."
Saying that, he kicked me in the stomach. In the moment I was blown away, I didn't understand what had been done to me. My katana, forged from rare metal, was destroyed, and I was sent flying.
From above, Agrissa spoke.
"Manipulating many skills is a talent. But... a warrior who sublimates and masters a single skill is a kind of art. Very strong, isn't he? Since there are almost none in today's world, it's quite refreshing."
As Agrissa said, he was likely a type rarely found in the current world. Warriors who cannot rely on magic tools for reinforcement and fight with only what they have.
Perhaps the warriors who once challenged Agrissa were people like that as well.
Monica came to my side.
"Chicken coward, the army of dead soldiers outside has begun to move. They are attacking the Allied Forces."
Ludmilla, Glacia, and Eliza were attacking the ancestor together. The three of them, who specialized in combat, were being toyed with.
And Clara was performing emergency repairs on the Porter. It seemed the shock had damaged both shoulder sections. The Valkyries were helping her.
"A ten-fold difference in troop numbers is unavoidable."
As I held my stomach, Aria, Miranda, and Shannon rushed to my side. I looked up at the sky and saw Novem slumped in Agrissa's chest.
"Lariel, what are you going to do? You still have a trump card, right?"
When Miranda mentioned my trump card, the first generation's final skill Full Burst, Aria made a troubled expression.
"It would be difficult to defeat the enemy in front of us and Agrissa in the sky all at once. Especially with Novem being held captive."
Aria also looked up at the sky. Eva was supporting the three who were fighting.
I felt the pain in my stomach receding. Miranda was prioritizing me over her own injuries, treating me with magic.
Shannon spoke.
"That's impossible no matter what. He's on a different level. The surrounding mana is gathering toward her, and then following..."
Looking like she was about to cry, Shannon seemed to realize how dangerous Agrissa was even more than we did.
I stood up from my kneeling position.
"Still, I have no choice but to do it. After coming this far, I absolutely refuse to become one of Agrissa's collections. Besides, I... have things I need to tell Novem."
Looking up at the sky, I gripped the orb that had returned from its gun shape to a necklace.
Monica relayed information from outside to me.
"Combat with the army of dead soldiers has commenced. Because Mei and Marina are there, our forces are buying time, but some of the others are fleeing. In this situation, I can only say it is collapsing."
The Allied Forces were collapsing before the massive number of enemies.
We had prepared this far, but I didn't think a Goddess who regained her power would be this troublesome. I wanted to settle this before that. As the Alliance Leader, I wanted to settle the match before the collapse. As an individual, I wanted to defeat Celes and end everything.
And personally――.
"Ah, I just really don't want to use my trump card."
When I said that and laughed, those around me gave me worried looks. I didn't want to use it for personal reasons. If I used it, the orb would become just a plain orb. And if I used it, everything I had built up until now would vanish.
Furthermore――.
"I really hate it... why are my skills so troublesome for the user? At first, it just drained mana like crazy without producing any effect."
Experience――a passive skill that allows one to obtain a large amount of experience-like things, but initially, it was a useless thing that activated halfway and only sucked up mana.
"Connection requires a kiss before use... and a deep one at that."
As I became embarrassed, Miranda smiled.
"Lariel, thanks to that, you've become good at kissing."
Really, why are my skills so terrible? Do they hate me?
"...The final skill costs too much."
Then, Monica looked at me.
"I would like to confirm that in advance. After all, if it means you need to sacrifice your life here, Monica will forcibly choose the path where the chicken coward survives."
Aria got angry at Monica.
"You, think about Lariel's feelings too. You're telling Lariel to live as Agrissa's doll!"
Monica replied.
"Even so, if he endures, a chance might come someday. If I let the chicken coward die, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I couldn't even face my fallen sisters――"
I spoke to everyone present.
"No, it's not my life. How should I put it, in a sense it's like dying, but what I lose isn't my life."
Shannon looked at me and covered her mouth.
"Memories or something!"
"...If only it were that. It might even be better to lose my memories."
Everyone looked at me, their eyes telling me to hurry up and speak. Ludmilla and the others, who could hear our conversation, also seemed to want me to hurry. They seemed to be at their limit just holding back my ancestor...
I stood up and gripped the orb.
"What I lose is... my... damn, I didn't want to use it!"
There were two main reasons why I didn't want to use it.
One is that my final skill 'forcibly causes growth one time.' There is no pain in the body before growth. However, the penalty is the condition that 'I will not grow from now on.'
Honestly, I don't care about the latter part. The problem is that I will grow if I use it.
"Ah, geez! Everyone, absolutely do not laugh! Got it? Absolutely! If you laugh, I'll resent you forever!"
I said that and gripped the orb. There was a second reason why I really didn't want to use it, but I felt I had no choice but to use it here.
As I raised the orb, a pale blue light swirled around me, creating a wind. Agrissa narrowed her eyes, but this didn't take long to activate.
"Ludmilla, Glacia, Eliza... Eva, don't interfere. Step back."
And as I was enveloped in light, I called out the name of the final skill.
Final Skill――.
"――Activate 【Seventh】."
A gentle wind blew violently around me.