16-74. Saga Empire, Battle at the Imperial Capital (4)
※This is not from Satou's point of view
"Ugeeh, it's a huge one."
An earthquake is shaking the imperial capital.
Buildings are swaying hard like they're made of clay.
"Rock n ro~ll~?"
"It's dangerously perilous so I inform."
"Arisa, Tama-chan, Nana-san! Please take shelter here."
Lulu beckoned the girls to her Floating Fort.
Nana carried Arisa and jumped out, Tama slipped out smoothly and secured a place on the tip of Floating Fort.
Surrounding houses are collapsing down toward the Floating Fort.
"We're on!"
"Got it!"
After getting Arisa's confirmation, Lulu moved the entire Floating Fort forward.
"Nana, please guard the Floating Fort. I'll put up Isolation Walls and--"
"Order accepted, so I report."
Nana and her stacked Flexible Shields block out all the small falling objects and dust cloud, while Arisa parries away big ones with space magic [Isolation Wall (Deracinator)].
"Crumbling downown~?"
"Oh no! The castle!"
Tama points ahead.
The imperial castle at the center of the capital was sinking down.
"I'll see how it's going over there."
"Understood. Tama-chan and I will take care of the bigger debris. Is it okay, Tama-chan?"
"Aye."
Lulu uses the Floating Fort's antiaircraft artillery to break down huge debris into pieces, and Tama uses her Wind Release technique to blow those away.
Normally, Wind Release is a technique to whirl up sand as a diversion at most, but this feat must have been made possible by the superior ability of Cat Ninja Tama.
◇
"E-earthquake?"
"Not even Japan ever got a quake this intense!"
Hero Seigi and Hero Yuuki look around while screaming out loud.
The rampart they're standing on is undulating greatly, looking like it's going to fall apart anytime.
--ＬＹＵＲＹＵＲＹＵＵＵ.
"Something's coming nanodesu."
Pochi nodded at her Dragon Steed's call.
"Something?"
"Nn, escape."
Mia tapped the quizzical Liza on the feet before riding the winds and took a seat behind Pochi on the back of the white lesser dragon, Lyuryu.
"Lyuryu, ta~ke off nanodesu."
--ＬＹＵＲＹＵＲＹＵＵＵ.
The white dragon flew off at Pochi's command.
Liza also leaped off and caught the arm the white dragon extended out.
"Follow me."
Mia's voice got swept away by the roaring sounds of collapsing buildings, but it still managed to reach her summoned Artificial Spirit, Lesser Fenrir.
Lesser Fenrir skillfully hops over the falling debris, following after Mia.
"You guys too, fly off."
Having their hands pulled by Hikaru who was floating in the air, Hero Seigi and Hero Yuuki recalled the Flying Shoes they had on and put mana into those.
The rampart comes crashing down just as they get in the sky, along with several other structures in the site.
"Geh, the castle's."
The volume of Hero Seigi's shout didn't lose out to the thunderous sounds.
Beyond the dust cloud, the castle in the center is sinking in.
"Seigi, look at that! Down, on the ground!"
Hero Yuuki pointed at a huge shadow of humanoid beyond the dense cloud of dust.
◇
"I-I-It's shaking."
"We-we've got to get away from here."
"H-H-Has the Divine Punishment come again for us?"
"Ey, stop that nonsense!"
"Indeed! Such a thing as Divine Punishment is impossible in God Parion's dearly beloved Saga Empire!"
Ministers and servants couldn't manage to stand up due to the violent shaking as they fell on the floor, panicking while latching on nearby pillars and people.
"Y-Your Majesty! With the power of Imperial Capital, the earthquake--"
"Now that the demon lord has perished, rather than defending the capital--"
The place greatly shook vertically as the aides were saying something.
People screamed as they got thrown off the floor and hit the floor again hard.
Only the emperor and his aides protected by the throne and knights who grabbed on pillars were safe.
"W-what just--"
Before the emperor could ascertain the situation using the City Core, the entire place sunk in vertically.
Everyone in the audience hall screamed out shamelessly without caring for their reputation as the floor sunk down at a speed that fooled even bodily sensation like it was experiencing a free fall all the while shaking violently.
"O Guardian Spirit of Saga Empire--"
While trying not to bite his own tongue, the emperor gripped the Monarch Bell in his hand and shouted out loud.
"Protect my loyal subject! ■ Absolute Shell"
The floor suddenly stopped sinking, perhaps they had hit the bottom.
Right before the people crashed on the floor, the City Core magic the emperor used was activated and everyone in the audience hall got protected by spheres of blue light.
The magic only protected people though, walls, ceilings and a huge amount of ornaments came crashing down due to the intense recoil.
Spheres of blue light protected the people here from most of the impact from the fall and the falling debris before it broke into pieces.
――ＬＷＵＨＵＡＭＺＩＥＥＡ。
"U-Uuu..."
A howl that felt like it brought about dreads from the depth of hell aroused the emperor from his momentary blackout.
Groaning and sobbing voices of people mixed with a low frequency sound from afar informed the emperor of their survival.
"S-Someone--"
None of the aide was here to answer him.
With a huge roaring sound, the audience hall's wall got torn apart, and the naked upper half of a woman with bull-like horns showed up from there.
The woman cannot possibly be a human even disregarding the horns. There's a race of carnivorous bipedal bulls called Minotaurs, but those have bull heads.
The emperor has no idea about the race of this female human with horns in front of him.
Besides, she's too huge. Just her upper half almost reached the audience hall's ceiling. No need for precise numbers, considering the audience hall is more than 30 meter tall, this thing is clearly even bigger than the giant race that boasts big frames.
Her eyes clad in purple light caught the emperor.
There is only madness in those eyes.
"D-demon lord."
The emperor murmured as if groaning.
He had no basis in that, but he could sense the woman's identity from the madness along with the overwhelming terror emanating from her.
"O Guardian Spirit of Saga Empire--"
The emperor appealed to the City Core with a trembling voice.
--ＬＷＵＨＵＡＭＺＩＥＥＡ.
Dark purple light circulates on the woman's body, converging into her long hair.
Her hair is split into three braids that then raise up as if snakes.
Snake-like mouths appear at the tip of these braids, converging dark purple lights forward.
"Take me to safety to the Sanctuary! ■ Return Master Room"
Right after the emperor disappeared, a laser-like dark purple light swallowed up the entire audience hall.
The emperor was saved by a hair's breadth, but were he used any other City Core magic than the [Return Master Room] in order to save his aides, he would have been turned into cinders along with his aides, or perhaps he would end up like the blackened burnt remains on the floor.
"Oh he got away, Lamiko-san. Gotta do something about your clothing before we go after him. I'm the only one allowed to look at Lamiko-san's naked body."
A boy wearing a shabby robe was standing close to the bullhorn woman's ear before anyone realized.
"H-Hero Fuu! Why would a hero!"
"Hee, you survived through Lamiko-san's Snake Beam huh. Pretty good."
The imperial knight commander managed to survive even after losing one of his arms and with blood seeping out of his head.
It's a miracle brought about by his body rigorously forged to protect the emperor and the holy armament left behind by past generation heroes he wore on his body.
"Have you betrayed us! Betrayed Saga Empire! Betrayed God Parion!"
The commander who was wounded all over denounced Hero Fuu.
His words incurred Hero Fuu's wrath.
"...Betrayed? S-s-screw you!"
Hero Fuu's eyes who looked like that of dead fish got dyed in the color of intense hatred.
"Screw you! Screw you! Screw you! Betrayed? Spare me your bullshit! I've never been your ally, ever! Give me back! My games! Manga! Anime! My NEET life with three meals and a catnap a day!"
The enraged Hero Fuu let out his honest feelings.
Even though the content might a bit questionable as a human, those were his true feelings as someone who was unilaterally summoned to another world without his consent.
"You all took those away from me! It took me five real time years to raise my ultimate character! I even managed to build a castle after giving my all playing solo! But none of those remains anymore I'm sure! Thanks to you kidnapping me, I couldn't refresh my castle, it must have decayed now! Give me back my five years! Let me back to my world!"
"W-what are you..."
The imperial knight who couldn't understand what Hero Fuu was talking about muttered rudely, "Has he gone mad."
"You guys are all the same! You deny any sense of value that you cannot understand! Is it fun to look down on people from your high horse?! I bet it is! Isn't it!"
"Eey, cease your rambling!"
The knight commander draws Holy Sword Blutgang hanging on his waist.
It's something left behind by a hero of the past many generations ago, when they went home.
"In the name of His Imperial Majesty's name, I beseech Guardian Spirit of Saga Empire!"
The City Core terminal embedded in his holy armor gets clad in blue lights.
"Bestow me power to fell this Man-eating Fiend! ■ Inmagic Light Blade"
Blue light dwells on the holy sword.
"<> Blutgang"
The holy sword's blue light is twinkling intensely after the commander recited the holy verse.
"I shall put my all into this strike. Secret Art--"
The knight commander puts even more mana into the sword as if he's burning down his life.
"<>"
A blade of dazzling light fired off the holy sword Blutgang swung with the commander's entire being.
That's the finisher technique Hero Hayato Masaki is proud of.
"Lamiko-san."
――ＬＷＵＨＵＡＭＺＩＥＥＡ。
A giant dark purple magic circle appeared in front of the Bullhorn Woman.
A moment later, the blade of light clashed with the giant magic circle, filling the audience hall with sparks and roaring sound.
"Idiot."
Hero Fuu's voice was erased by the thunderous sound, reaching nobody's ear.
The one his word was directed at, the knight commander is lying on the floor, split in two by his own technique that was reflected by the giant magic circle.
"Dirty stain, was it?"
Hero Fuu looked at the bullhorn woman's face while citing some kind of parody, as if seeking her approval.
"Aah, you're still naked. Let's get you some maid uniform around there."
Despite the obvious difference in sizes, the bullhorn woman did not object Hero Fuu as she reached out her snake hair toward the body of a maid that hadn't been turned into cinders.
The maid uniform disappeared from the body after it was wrapped in dark purple light on the tip of snake hair, suddenly the then-naked bullhorn woman had a maid uniform equipped. Looks like the difference in size got revised.
Using the same sequence, a knight armor got fused with the bullhorn woman's maid uniform, transforming it into a fantasy-like combat maid uniform.
"Hee, equipment evolution huh. That's pretty interesting. It look goods on you, Lamiko-san."
--ＬＷＵＨＵＡＭＺＩＥＥＡ.
The bullhorn woman and Hero Fuu were looking at each others before suddenly, she grabbed Hero Fuu and turned around.
No, that's not it.
She hid Hero Fuu in her cleavage while twisting her body, then she reached out her hand diagonally--at the opposite direction of where the girls showed up, and produced three giant magic circles in a straight line.
Blinding rain of light pillars came piercing down the ceiling, clashing with one of the giant magic circles.
Following after the rain, blue and red conflagrations swept over the place.
Just like with the commander's blade of light, both the light pillars and blue and red conflagrations got reflected back, blowing apart the entire castle ceiling along with the soil that had buried it.
◇
"Close call~?"
"Phew, we'd be done for if we didn't send the black drone to scout ahead."
Eight shadows showed up with the setting sun as their backdrop.
"Who's there!"
Hero Fuu asked.
Golden Knight Red--Arisa lifts up the corner of her mouth as she's been waiting for that word.
"Listen well!"
Arisa strikes a pose that gets featured often in hero ranger shows.
Matching her, Yellow, Pink, White and also Green cheerfully take the action pose they have been practicing. Black, Orange and Hero Nanashi look a bit bashful.
Hero Fuu seems to understand the obligatory act himself, he's watching over them without attempting to open fire.
"We are--"
--ＬＷＵＨＵＡＭＺＩＥＥＡ.
The bullhorn woman who didn't get the obligatory fired off a dark purple beam from her snake hair.
"I won't let you, so I tell!"
Golden Knight--Nana activated the [Impregnable Castle] mode of her armor and blocked the beam.
Floating Shields made with Space magic stopped the beam, scattering intense sparks everywhere.
crack
That small sound mixed in the roaring sounds reached Nana's ears.
"Everyone, evacuate the place so I tell."
"Geh, seriously?"
Arisa teleported everyone to safety using space magic.
The left behind Floating Shields of Castle got turned into stone-like materials before they dropped down.
"Well I'll be. Looks like ordinary method won't work on this demon lord."
"Installation-type Castle has a bad affinity with it, so I report."
"No need to save for the rainy day then. Go deploy 《Absolute Throne》."
"Yes, Red. Executing part exchange."
Arisa who had done appraising the bullhorn woman while having the discussion turned to Hikaru.
"Hero-sama, can you see the bullhorn woman's information?"
"Only that it's level 95, and the name's Lamiko. Her race is unknown."
"So you too... God-stamped Appraisal is supposed to be able to see more than that though."
Neither Hikaru who was summoned as a hero nor Arisa who got God's Fragments as a reincarnated person managed to find detailed info about this bullhorn woman.
Chasing after Arisa and the girls who were floating in the air after teleporting away, the bullhorn woman's snake hair laser came flying at them.
"Whoopsie."
Arisa short-range warped away along with the girls.
"Think it's another Thief God thingy series?"
"Well, I won't be surprised if there's other besides the three 『Thief God Harness』. There's also Mana Camouflage, but that one consumes too much fuel."
The two have no doubt that the bullhorn woman is a demon lord.
She's obviously been using Unique Skills after all.
"Maybe it's either minotaurs or bullhorn giants."
"Mino-san is smaller than that and they have the head of bull, so I don't think that's right. As for Bullhornkin--I don't think those exist."
The bullhorn woman come slithering out of the castle's remain.
Her lower half is covered in scales in the form of snake-like tail instead of legs.
"Oh, I think I got it."
"What a coincidence, so do I."
Arisa and Hikaru got a solid guess about the bullhorn woman's race.
Not even this world has many beings with snake hair and snake-like lower half.
"Unbiri~vabo~"
"Oh no oh no nanodesu!"
Tama and Pochi gave a warning when they saw countless magic circles appearing around the bullhorn woman.
Calculating all possible angle of attacks, there is no safe place they could get away to with short-range warps.
"Incoming omni-directional attack! White--"
"Yes, Red. Activating <> so I tell."
Nana who was done exchanging her equipment made that declaration with a cool face.
※ Next update is planned for 11/18