kscans

Chapter 297 - The Battle for the Fortress and the Duel with the Giant

Laciel manipulated her spear, descending from the sky. Mizuki leaped onto it, near the spearhead. The impact caused the spear to wobble, and Mizuki nearly lost her balance.

"Whoa...!"

Mizuki quickly dropped into a crouch, spreading her arms to regain her balance.

"Are you out of your mind? Flying through the sky in a skirt that short?"

"Sh-shut up! Don't look!" She held down the hem of her skirt and then glanced at Laciel behind her.

"Are you sure about this? If Mash runs out of mana, you'll fall, you know?"

Mizuki was standing on the tip of Laciel's Divine Spear, while Laciel herself sat further back on the shaft. It was amazing she could even stand on a shaft no thicker than a fist. To think she was planning to fly in that state—it was beyond mere athleticism.

"Laciel... you understand, right? Don't you dare drop Mizuki."

"How rude. My control over the spear is impeccable. You've ridden it before, haven't you, Mash? Besides, I'll protect her with a magical field, so it will be fine."

I remembered flying while clinging to her in the 'World of the Jar of Holy Oil.' I'd been so afraid of falling off that I'd clutched her chest the entire time.

"But," Laciel said, bringing a hand to her lips and leaning close to my ear, "I will play a little prank so I can get some nice candid shots of Mizuki for you."

"Wait, if she falls, Mizuki will die!" When we had exchanges like this, I started to genuinely worry that Laciel might actually drop her. She was a dangerous one. I lifted the hem of Laciel's peplos up to her knees.

"What are you trying to do at a time like this?"

Ignoring her question, I touched her soft, white thigh and slid my hand further up. Then, I grabbed her underwear.

"Mash!"

She tried to press my hand down over her peplos, but I was faster, pulling her panties clean off.

"Kyaaaaaah!"

"If you make even one dangerous move, everything you've got will be on full display, too." This would surely encourage Laciel to fly safely and carefully. With that thought, I clenched the still-warm panties in my fist.

"You're awful! This is just awful! How many pairs of my panties do you plan on stealing?!"

"You're the awful one! Don't you put Mizuki in danger!"

"The one putting her in danger is you, Mash!"

As Laciel and I argued, Famu approached and snatched the panties from my hand.

"Master..."

"I-I know." I turned my gaze back to Mizuki and Laciel. Mizuki looked at each of us one by one before her eyes settled on Famu.

"Famu, protect Mash."

"I will," Famu replied with a nod. Laciel, watching the two of them, let out a soft chuckle.

"Well then, until Mash's mana runs out..."

"Wait, land me before that happens!"

Before Mizuki could finish, the spear shot up into the sky.

The Divine Spear, carrying Mizuki and Laciel, soared through the air, leaving a trail of light particles like an afterburner. It circled the giant, gaining altitude. The giant swatted its arms as if trying to brush away a bothersome fly.

The Divine Spear dodged its arms, dove sharply, and then accelerated again, climbing up the giant's body. Amidst this violent movement, Mizuki held her sword at the ready, crouched on one knee.

"I can't believe it..." She must have been able to maintain that posture because she was protected by Laciel's magic. Still, they were making repeated, sharp maneuvers.

Ignoring my worries, the Divine Spear plunged into the giant's head. The spear pierced through the black vortex. A moment later, the spearhead burst out from the back of its head, and the two riders emerged with it. The tip of the spear had caught a jet-black sphere. It was blacker than the particles covering the giant's body, a darkness so deep it seemed to swallow the surrounding light.

"Vantablack..."

"It's as if everything is being swallowed by it. There's no sense of depth. Is that what it's called? Vantablack? Could that be the core Lady Laciel mentioned?" Myra asked, holding up a hand as she stared at the orb.

"No, Vantablack is a color..." With a piercing cry, Mizuki slashed the jet-black sphere, and the object shattered. The spear reversed its ascent at a sharp angle and charged toward the giant once more. The giant thrust its fist out to block it, but the Divine Spear dodged with the grace of a falling leaf and plunged into its chest.

Mizuki and the others, having vanished into the black particles, emerged from the giant's back and shattered a second core. They then circled halfway around its torso and plunged into its solar plexus.

At that moment, the giant's body wavered. The black particles enveloping it began to diffuse like steam. Its footing started to crumble, and it took a step to support itself. The impact sent a deafening roar and a tremor through the earth. I tried to brace myself, but I couldn't keep my balance. The world began to distort.

Myra and Famu supported me.

"Master... a mana potion."

At Famu's urging, I drank the potion. My vision cleared somewhat. The giant was swinging its arms wildly, trying to fend off the Divine Spear's assault. Mizuki and Laciel temporarily pulled away from the giant, creating some distance.

"Will she make it in time..." Which would come first: Mizuki destroying all the giant's cores, the giant destroying itself, or my mana running out? We had used our trump card, Goddess Summon. Letting the giant escape was not an option. As I clenched my sweaty fists, the giant, which had been chasing Mizuki, turned to face us. Then, it raised its fist.

"It's targeting us! I'll block it with Yata no Kagami!" Famu shouted, about to raise her hand.

"Wait! Using your special skill now would be bad. If the Crimson Brigade attacks, we won't be able to handle it!"

"But!"

Marmi stepped forward, raising her wand.

"...I'll use a Mana Seed and block it."

"Can you do it?" She nodded, but her face was grim. I remembered when she'd blocked Komachi's special skill during the fight with the pirates. I was thinking that if she worked with Nephi instead of Cecily, when I was suddenly lifted into a princess carry. I looked up to see Nephi. She had a refined face. Her sharp, narrow eyes swept over the members of Levante.

"No time. We're running down the mountain, now." Nephi gave Famu and the others a look and started descending the mountain. She leaped down the slope with long strides.

"Hey, why are you carrying me down?!"

"You're running out of mana; you can't even move properly. More importantly, close your mouth and hold on tight, or you'll bite your tongue. My princess." Watching her crack a joke with a faint smile, I was surprised by her strength. I vowed to myself never to pick a fight with her.

Without even looking at me, her eyes darted restlessly across the flowing scenery. I had no choice but to wrap my arms around her neck and look behind us. Famu and the others were following. Just as the space behind them turned black, a fierce shockwave hit us. The blast sent leaves swirling, and the surrounding trees were all knocked down in unison. The earth shook violently, and Nephi missed a step, nearly falling, but just barely managed to stay upright. The giant's black particles rained down around us, staining our surroundings black until we could see nothing.

"Famu! Myra! Mo!" I shouted my companions' names. Instead of a reply, I thought I saw something flicker.

In an instant, that light became a torrent, a flash of lightning unleashed by Marmi. After a deafening roar, the soot that had been obscuring our vision cleared as if a fog had lifted. The mountaintop where we had just been was now a bald mountain, stripped of its trees.

A jet-black sphere floated in its center. It was one of the ones Mizuki had been destroying. Seen up close, it was easily twice the size of a person. The giant's fist was gone, but the core was slowly rising, trying to return to the giant's body. I took Akitsuki Uta's sword from my storage.

"With this, that sphere..." I tried to hand it to Nephi, but Famu grabbed the sword.

"Master. I'll cut it. Nephi, please take care of the Master." Without waiting to see Nephi nod, Famu charged up the slope. All the while, the sphere continued to rise. She leaped in pursuit, soaring through the air.

"Reach it!" The blow she unleashed with a fierce cry pierced the sphere. In that moment, a high-pitched sound like shattering glass rang out, and the sphere broke apart. As she landed, it dissolved into a black miasma and vanished like a heat haze.

"Master!" Her cheerful voice echoed, but as she turned to face me, her expression shifted to one of horror.

Following her gaze, I turned to see the giant swinging its other fist down. Famu started running towards us.

"Stay back! Famu, run!" I screamed. Myra was frozen in place, and Marmi was trying to erect a magical barrier, but it wouldn't be in time. Just as the black shadow was about to consume our vision, Nephi tightened her grip on me.

Just then, the Divine Spear, trailing its rainbow tail, disappeared as if sucked into the black particles. It then burst through the other side. Mizuki destroyed the sphere caught on its tip. At the same time, the black miasma that had formed a fist lost its cohesion and scattered. Only the wind pressure hit us. Nephi grabbed a tree to keep from being blown away, enduring the gale. I tried to cling to Nephi, but my body wouldn't obey. I was reaching the limits of my mana.

"Mash, take this." Myra handed me a mana potion. I drank it, but it only made my stomach churn, and I couldn't feel any of my mana recovering.

I looked at the giant. Its upper body had lost its human shape and was beginning to dissipate. The Divine Spear, carrying Mizuki and Laciel, was now working on its lower half. How many more cores did they have to destroy? Would they make it in time? As I wondered, Mizuki destroyed another core, and the giant fell to its knees. The ground rumbled, but it wasn't as violent as before. It likely had no strength left to fight back.

"Master, from that position, we can attack it from the ground," Famu said.

"Don't let your guard down. It could crush you."

"I know. But we can't waste this chance. We have to finish it off, no matter what." Her turquoise eyes seemed to shine with a powerful light. I didn't know the giant's purpose. There was also the matter of Hyatts and Hatts's return journey. And for the dog-eared race living in these mountains, we couldn't just leave a creature like this, god or not.

"...I'm going too." Famu and Marmi nodded to each other and ran down the slope. I wondered if Marmi could keep up with Famu's speed, but she too had built up her stamina from all the mountain hiking. More than anything, she was light on her feet. She followed close behind Famu, bounding like a deer.

As I watched them go, I noticed Myra looking at me with an indescribable expression. I was still being held by Nephi. The world distorted, and my consciousness began to fade.