kscans

Chapter 262 - The Siege of Miglutt and the Goddess's Descent

In response to Yuuki's cry, the plaza was enveloped in a rainbow-colored brilliance. At the center of the light above his head, space itself seemed to tear open, and the tip of a spear emerged. Following it, a goddess appeared, sitting gracefully on the spear's shaft, her long golden hair flowing in the wind. Her skin was a translucent white. A rainbow-colored shawl, seemingly oblivious to gravity, floated gently around her. Through a gap in the shawl, she raised her long golden eyelashes, revealing her eyes. The clamor of battle ceased, and a profound silence fell over the plaza. Hyakka's New World, their enemies, the nomads, and the Crimson Brigade were all captivated, their gazes fixed on the descended goddess. She possessed a magic that charmed all who saw her. The only ones unaffected were Yuuki and his Messiah. I worried that Clovis might take this chance to strike Famu, but he too was frozen, his sword still pointed at her, his eyes glued to the goddess.

"You… are the one who summoned me?" Laciel's golden eyes fell upon Yuuki. His own eyes lit up, the corners of his mouth turning up in a slight smirk as he slowly nodded. Then, her eyes turned to me. She tilted her head slightly, an expression of something akin to pity on her face.

"Mash… there is something I must tell youuu."

"What is it?"

"A moment ago, you were discussing whether it was some kind of mistake that you and Mizuki were summoned as a pair, were you not?" Her voice was as leisurely and spaced-out as ever, completely at odds with the current situation.

"You must be really bored. Were you watching?"

"I am not bored. I am merely watching over you and Mizuki on your journeyyy!" Laciel puffed out her cheeks.

"So, what is it you want to tell me…?" I said, raising my voice slightly. At that, Mizuki strode over and glared at Laciel.

"If you say it, I'll be furious. I will never forgive you!" Mizuki shot a piercing glare at Laciel. Watching her profile, I searched my memories, wondering if there had been some connection between Mizuki and me in our original world. Her beautiful black hair had taken on a bluish tint since coming to this world. Every part of her face was beautiful, and their placement was perfect. As I was thinking this, Mizuki suddenly turned her gaze to me, her eyes widening as she took a step back.

"Wh-what is it?!"

"What are you trying to hide, Mizuki? If I had ever come into contact with a beautiful girl like you, there's no way I would ever forget. Did you get plastic surgery or something?"

"Of course not!"

"Then what is it?"

"I don't want to say!" As Mizuki and I were glaring at each other, Laciel waved her hands back and forth as if to get our attention.

"Ahem! Mash-san! Mizuki-san!" Laciel wore a proud smile, then closed her eyes and raised her index finger.

"You seeee, Mizuki-san's partner was originally supposed to be either Yuuki-san here, or Mizuki-san's father!"

Mizuki and I stared at Laciel, our mouths hanging open.

"Y-your father…? So when you said you had a father complex before, you really—oof!" Before I could finish, Mizuki drove her elbow into my solar plexus. It was a full-force blow. It hit with a thud, and I doubled over, clutching my stomach.

"Oww… Mizuki, why…"

"You be quiet, Mash." I looked up at her with a resentful glare, but she just looked down at me with an icy gaze. Eventually, she turned her attention back to Laciel.

"I was so conflicted about who to choose. I got a stress fever and was in bed for three days. And then, can you believe it, Yuuki-san was taken by someone else!"

Laciel continued to speak, completely ignoring our situation.

"Wait, is my dad in this world too?!" Mizuki asked Laciel.

"Who knows, I haven't been able to keep track of everyoooone… Anyway, the reason it was changed to Mash-san was because you two started fighting, and it looked like fun, so I just…"

"You thought the moment Mizuki was about to end my life looked fun?! Answer her question properly! You summon people from the same time in our original world and send them to different times in this world, right?! If you sent him to this era, we might be able to find him, but if he was sent to a past era…" I trailed off, realizing from Mizuki's pale face that I shouldn't have said that in front of her.

"Very wellll. I will look into the matter of Mizuki-san's father. But you know, Mash-san was supposed to be chosen by another god, too."

"You don't need to tell us that now! Besides, that's strange. There was no one in my original world who had any connection to me! If the system chooses pairs based on their relationships, I would definitely be the last one left. I should never have been chosen!" I could tell Laciel was trying to force the conversation back on track. I agreed with that, so I clenched my fists, stood up, and went along with her.

"Don't say that with so much pride!" Mizuki shouted, looking thoroughly put off. This woman, who had always walked in the sun, could never understand the feelings of someone from the shadows. I let out a long sigh.

"But I'm glad."

"It's not good at all! What's good about it?" Mizuki retorted angrily.

"No, the fact that I fell for you, and you fell for me, all happened after we came to this world. It means Laciel didn't twist fate to make you have feelings for me. Our relationship is something we built together since coming here." Hearing my words, Mizuki's eyes seemed to dart away for a moment.

"What? Is there something else?"

"No! It's just that you've been so awful to me. If you really liked me, I wish you would have been nicer!" Mizuki shook her head vigorously. Something was still off. After this battle, I was going to interrogate her body for the truth.

"You're still going on about that…? So, after hearing what Laciel said, are you going to go with Yuuki?" Mizuki slowly shook her head at my question.

"There's your answer, Yuuki." I turned my gaze to him. He was pressing a hand to his temple, glaring at us. The fact that he seemed a little unsteady wasn't because he was shocked by Mizuki's words, but likely because he was starting to run out of magic power.

"Mizuki… this is the last time," Yuuki muttered.

"Senpai. I'm going with Mash. I can't follow your way of thinking. Sacrificing others is wrong. Are you really okay with that?" Mizuki's words made Yuuki's eyes widen. Just as he was about to say something else, Clovis intervened.

"Isn't that enough? We can find a replacement for that woman. If you're that attached, there are plenty of ways to make her obey." Yuuki, who had been listening with his head down, looked up at Laciel.

"Goddess Laciel, kill all my enemies. Leave Mizuki alive!" He swung his arm.

"Yuuki, I forgot to tell you something."

"Your last words?" Yuuki sneered.

"I've used Goddess Summon many times, but Laciel has never once followed my orders. She always just does whatever she wants and then leaves." I said, glancing up at Laciel, who was still looking down on us from above, not moving despite Yuuki's command.

"That's such a mean way to put ittt. I believe I have always granted Mash-san's wishes! You're the one who always acts so selfishlyyy!" Laciel pouted.

"So, today you're calling me 'Mash-san' all formal-like. Are you planning on granting Yuuki's wish?" When I smirked, Laciel mirrored my expression with a mischievous grin. Seeing us, Yuuki's shoulders began to tremble with rage.

"Goddess! I'm the one who summoned you! Obey my command!" Yuuki's face twisted as he swung his arm again. Laciel watched him for a moment, then lowered her eyes and slowly shook her head.

"Yuuki, send the goddess back," Clovis told him.

"Laciel is the one who decides that, too, you know?" As I retorted, he switched his weapon to a bow and shot an arrow at Laciel. But the arrow was deflected by her celestial scarf. I took the opportunity to signal to Famu with my eyes. She gave a small nod and ran to Sameim's side.

"Laciel! Smash the barrier protecting Messiah!" I pointed at Oi, who was still crouched with her back to us behind Yuuki.

"Are you sure?" Laciel asked, as if for confirmation.

"Hurry up!" Laciel descended from her spear, landing softly on the ground. She held out her hand, and the spear flew to her from above. Clovis shot another arrow, and Yuuki raised his greatsword and charged her. But both of their attacks were entangled and stopped by her scarf. The man who had been fighting Myra cursed and moved to intercept Laciel, but Myra, who had been waiting for an opening, brought her mace down on him, and he fell. The demon woman had her arm outstretched, about to cast a spell, but her fingertips trembled, and she hesitated, frozen in place. Then, Laciel's hand came down. The spear shot out with incredible force, hurtling toward Oi's back. Countless layers of barriers had been erected around her, but the spear pierced through all of them.

"St-stop… I'm sorry… forgive me…" I thought I heard a faint, girlish voice. But the spear did not stop. The moment it reached the final barrier, a deafening roar erupted, and the area was engulfed in a violent shockwave and a furious gale.

As the maddening blast raged, I held Mizuki tight, shielding her. It wasn't necessary, since we were protected by a defensive barrier Laciel had simultaneously created, but I felt like it. Mizuki, in turn, wrapped her arms around my back and held me tight. I could feel her softness, her heartbeat, her small breaths. As we held each other, Aira came and wrapped her arms around us too.

"I came all this way to help you, and you're only paying attention to Mizuki!" Then Cecily and Mo joined in, hugging us all. I was worried about Famu and Myra, but they should have been protected by Laciel's barrier just like us. I loosened my grip on Mizuki and re-adjusted to hold all of them. Their warmth was all I needed. The rest of the world seemed to matter so little.

The blast subsided. Clovis and his group were lying on the ground around where Laciel stood. I moved away from Mizuki and the others and surveyed the scene. The cobblestones that had covered the ground were torn up and blown away, the windows of the buildings were shattered, and their walls were riddled with cracks. A barrier had been placed around Famu and Myra as well; they were staring this way with dazed expressions. The mercenaries of the Crimson Brigade were strewn about them. Many were still alive, and those who could move were shakily trying to get up. The situation around Hyakka and her group was similar. The members of New World had been protected by the barrier, but the ones they had been fighting were gone. I turned my gaze to the serenely standing Laciel.

"Did you kill them?" I asked her, and she shook her head.

"Her defense was stronger than I expected… However, as you wished, her defensive barrier has been removed." Oi was still crouched in the same position. A donut-shaped crater had formed around her. Her body was trembling minutely. Despite being at the epicenter of such an impact, she seemed to be alive. I was about to ask Laciel if she had held back, but it seemed there was no time. Her body was enveloped in a rainbow-like light, and she began to fade into it.

"Next time, it's a promise!" Laciel said.

"A promise for what again?" At my words, she puffed out her cheeks, but then she smiled and pressed her index finger to her chin.

"A date. Don't you forget." With that, Laciel was enveloped in light and disappeared.

"That's the first time I've ever seen Laciel go home!" I murmured, deeply impressed, only to earn a glare from Cecily.

"This is no time for that kind of comment! We need to settle things with Clovis and his group and get this situation under control!" As she urged me on, pushing my back, Clovis staggered to his feet. He should have taken significant damage. And yet, he pointed his sword at me.

"We will decide the future of this world."

"Is that so…? But the match is over. We won. The future you're imagining is no longer possible." Clovis laughed at my words.

"What makes you think you've won?" Clovis thrust his sword into Oi's arm.

"What are you doing?!" I yelled. Just then, Oi screamed.

"Special Skill, [Pretty Cure]!"

Her body was enveloped in shimmering stardust particles, which then flowed into the bodies of Clovis and the other wounded enemies. In an instant, their wounds healed, and their vitality returned.

"What?!" Yuuki was still face-down, but his adventurer companion and the demon woman also got to their feet. The members of the Crimson Brigade began to rise one after another. All I could do was stare at the scene in stunned silence.

"The tables have turned. It is impossible for you to fend off these numbers." A curse escaped my lips at Clovis's words. But I still had enough strength to use Goddess Summon again. Just as I was about to use that power, a new group of soldiers poured into the plaza.

"What now?!" Clovis's face showed surprise as he looked in their direction. The dog-eared man leading the soldiers was Trusar. The troops he led were the beastman mobile unit that had gone to liberate the church.

"These are the enemies of the dog-eared race, the Crimson Brigade! Slay them all!" His cry, and the answering roars of the soldiers, echoed through the plaza.