***Arc 7 One Who Bare Their Fang on Reason, Chapter 151 The Light that Tears the Heaven***
A/N: 1 ken = around 1.8 m
――Intruder in the forbidden area.
Even before hearing those words, Vinthril flew into the forbidden area.
Vinthril, who lost sight of the footprints on the way, thought that the intruders were headed for the river from the footprints so far, and there he was convinced of the existence of Lira from the traces he found.
A Suiko that was torn in two and hung, and a griffin's feather that fell there.
The feather was not that of an adult, but definitely that of Larnell, who had left it in Lira's care.
The intruder, at least, had spent time there with Lira.
And perhaps the target of the intruder was the Holy Spirit.
There were no signs of torture, but if the intruder had been a good person, Lira would have already returned to the village.
It was better to think that they had somehow extracted information and were on their way to the Holy Spirit.
After instructing one of his men to report back, Vinthril immediately headed for the forbidden area, and on his way,
"You're fast, Vinthril!"
"Chieftain!"
On his way to the sanctuary, he meets his father――the Chieftain Alkierence, astride a griffin.
Alkierence took twenty-odd warriors with him, and he even saw a few more flying up from the distant village.
The chieftain himself, holding a spear.
He was probably going to mobilize all the warriors who could move.
With that alone, Vinthril understood the seriousness of the situation and lined up next to him.
"Lira is probably with the intruder."
"...Is that so? It seems the whistle sounded from the forbidden area."
‘It's the worst possible situation,’ said Alkierence.
The whistle of the sanctuary was only sounded when a magical beast appeared or there was an intruder.
The other party was a madman who hunted magical beasts as mere prey.
He knew the strength of the chief guardian Vervas, but he had to say that the guardians alone wouldn’t be good enough.
It was probably best to assume that the intruder had already broken through.
"――It's not an ordinary opponent. They could hunt magical beasts as if they were rabbits. Most likely, The forbidden gate has been broken through."
"I haven't let my guard down since I got the report. Even if we can't make it in time, we still need to do our best. There's no other way. We can only take the intruder down as soon as possible and hope to not buy Yagernaus-sama's wrath."
‘――Otherwise, it wouldn't be strange if this mountain disappeared, literally.’
Vinthril nodded at the words that followed.
The question of what about Lira was completely overlooked.
At the entrance to the sanctuary, two men were being tended to.
One of them was Vervas.
When he recognized them, he pushed aside the warrior who was tending to him and flew up into the air astride a griffin.
His wounds did not seem to be serious.
He was probably waiting for them to arrive, thinking it was impossible for him to pursue the intruder alone.
Vervas was a calm warrior who did not mistake courage for recklessness.
"...I'm sorry, Chieftain. All responsibility is――"
"No need for excuses. Who is the intruder?"
"A horse...and a girl who is accompanied by a Suiko. Along with Lira-sama."
"Suiko with...a girl?"
Vervas nodded.
"She looked very young. But I did not underestimate her by her appearance. I gave it my all, and even then, I was no match for her and lost. ...Even if I fight ten time the result would be the same"
He looked serious.
Alkierence and Vinthril wrinkled their eyebrows.
The words of Vervas, the chief guardian, were more heavy than from anyone else.
"The reason I'm still alive is the consideration of the opponent....I know of the shame of showing my face in front of you with such disgrace...but please allow me to accompany you."
"Pardoned. Anyway, now we need as many fighting strengths as possible. Various judgments will be made after everything is over, show your pride as a warrior."
"Yes sir"
Vinthril thought for a moment and asked.
"What is the other party up to? I'm glad you're alive, but it's too mysterious."
"... I don't know. Lady Lira, who was accompanying that girl, said that she was seeking an audience together with her. If we don’t intervene, she won't bring any harm to Kreisharana, she said."
"It’s The same thing. What are you thinking, Lira?"
Vinthril closed his eyes for a moment.
Although she is the miko, it was still an unforgivable sin.
Lira should have known that.
Lira is a kind girl.
Has she been moved――but considering the severity of the crime, he can’t think of it as a sane decision.
All would be lost if they incurred the wrath of the Holy Spirit.
"...I don’t think Lira-sama would do such a thing for her own self-preservation. Considering the words and the way they spoke, perhaps the intruder threatened the people of Kreisharana. ...The other party has more than enough ability to threaten the entire village."
"...How foolish."
No matter how many people of Kreisharana die, even if they were destroyed by the intruder.
It was better than incurring the Holy Spirit's wrath.
Vinthril shook his head and Alkierence announced.
"It's over, Vinthril. For now, just focus on what you need to do."
"...Yes sir. My apologies."
Several other warriors joined Vervas and the others on the way to the Hollow of the Holy Spirit.
The wounds were not deep and everyone was alive.
What was surprising was not so much the fact that the intruder let them live, but the fact that they could afford that kind of consideration.
In battle, it was far more difficult to keep the opponent alive than to kill them.
Against the well-trained Kreisharana warriors, moreover, against the Griffin cavalry that ruled the skies, to only take away their resistance without taking their lives——that would have been impossible unless there was a significant difference in strength.
He let the Griffin flap its wings while thinking about what kind of monster it was.
And so as they proceeded, and arrived at their destination.
The hill of the Holy Spirit appeared before them, and all they could see was the swirling atmosphere.
——It was already too late.
Perhaps before the Holy Spirit, the monster was there.
"Vinthril!"
"Yes sir! Everyone get ready! The battle has already begun! The enemy is no ordinary opponent, don't get too close. The situation being the situation, throw the javelin to end it quickly!"
Grasping the spear and pulling the reins.
The Griffin——Litgund whipped his neck up and flew up over the slope of the hill in one fell swoop.
The hollow beyond the hill――Rising behind the magic crystal cliff wall was the figure of the Holy Spirit, which looked like a fortress.
With a single swipe of its tail, it could wipe out an entire village.
Even a towering castle would crumble before its claws.
At the end of its long, serpentine neck was a huge jaw that could swallow a hut whole——and its icy reddish-purple eyes.
He had faced the Holy Spirit seven times before, but he had never seen the Holy Spirit rise its body.
The enormous magical power and intimidation——the air in this place was all different.
Even though they were separated by a distance of two li, Vinthril trembled with fear.
Even the valiant Litgund was frightened by the pressure exerted by the Holy Spirit and wanted to leave the place.
――The dragon was an existence that should be called a god from mankind’s point of view.
Comparing the two was like comparing a human with an insect, and there was such a gap between a dragon and a human.
A single whim could destroy a city, or even a whole country.
In the first place, dragons and humans are different in terms of existence.
It would be the height of folly to point a spear at them.
The storm was caused by its wings. It was a localized storm.
He caught sight of Lira rolling toward his direction and Larnell chasing after her, perhaps caught in the storm, and recognized a Suiko, who was frightened by the Holy Spirit in the corner of the hollow.
And there was only one person in that hollow――
"What is she…?"
――It was a bug with silver hair that confronted God.
The black cloak fluttered.
In front of the dragon, she grabbed a twig-like spear and defied the storm that arose.
From the excessive forward leaning step, the upper body was bent and the spear was ready――a momentary flow that even felt beautiful.
But what is released from there is a torrent of power that could no longer be thought of as a spear.
With a roaring sound, the spear pierced through the storm of sand that covered the eyes.
Prying open the wind barrier in front of, turns the distance of 1 ri into nothing――Even after piercing the base of the dragon's wings, its scales and flesh, the spear wouldn’t stop.
Along with the ferocious sound of breaking glass.
Behind the dragon, the cliff wall collapsed with a blue glow.
Mixed with the dragon's blood, the resulting color was a purple color.
――The insect-like girl unleashed a blow that could kill even a god.
Vinthril, Vervas, and Alkierence.
All those present stared at the girl, forgetting to breathe and think for a moment.
They had expected her to be no ordinary opponent.
They were prepared for it.
However, that figure of hers was far beyond their imagination.
The girl regained her balance as she rolled, and once again grabbed her spear in her hand.
Finally, Vinthril, who had been standing still, was allowed to come to his senses.
"...Don't hear me throw the next spear! Aim from behind!"
And then, he screamed, took the reins and forced the frightened Litgund to flap its wings.
――The scales were like ore, and they certainly didn't lie.
She intended to shred the wings with a single blow, but the scales were harder than she had imagined.
They were tougher than a simple rock――but not as tenacious as metal.
If so, a spear would be enough to inflict a wound.
It would not be impossible to kill it.
Without going against the wind, when she grabbed the spear, leapt behind.
Even if it's Krische, she couldn't get through all of this storm and come forward.
It was troublesome. After all, it was better to do something about those wings first.
There was also the danger of escaping into the air.
As she had judged from the way Griffin flew, whether consciously or not, the Dragon manipulates the wind by manipulating magic power without relying on magic crystals.
With that much magical power, it would be easy to levitate that giant body.
It was necessary to act so as not to give that opening. If it escaped far into the sky at this time, there is no chance of winning even if it was Krische.
She moved her body forward again.
The dragon noticed and moved its arm as if to hide the base of its wounded wing.
It clearly understood what she was trying to do.
While correcting the information that its reaction is quick for the size, she shoots the spear regardless.
That gigantic body――she knew from the beginning that she couldn't kill it with a single throw of the spear.
The spear pierced the dragon's scales, gouged out its flesh, and thrust into its arm.
It did not penetrate. The flesh itself must be tough.
"Hg..."
Rolling over, she got up, and Krische immediately jumped backwards.
The dragon turned away from her――what swung was its huge tail.
Plain and simple, the movement was readable.
However, the tip of the tail came faster than the sound, bursting the air as it headed towards her.
In front of its power, a person's body would easily be scraped off along with the earth.
She avoided it by jumping around three shaku from the tip of the tail.
However, the crushed earth crumbled and headed to Krische.
Even a single stone could be fatal if dealt with incorrectly. It had such power that it could make a human body explode even if they were covered with armor.
She kicked away only the ones that would hit her from among the countless bullets, then roll upright.
The dragon was a huge body that was beyond common sense, but it was faster and sharper than she imagined.
Considering its apparent weight, it was an incredible speed.
"Aim!"
Kreisharana’s words resounded from behind Krische.
They must have caught up.
The spears were being fired at her――the sound of the winds, the number of spears was twelve.
However, the storm caused by the dragon still remained.
The trajectories of the spears were disordered and distorted, and only two of them would hit her.
――As if she had eyes on her back.
Krische grabbed only those two and without turning around and threw one.
It was a simple task, and there was only one thing to do.
Grab the spear, throw it. Repeat.
Even if the wound was as small as a needle's hole to the dragon, it would eventually become impossible to ignore it as the wounds multiplied.
From forward leaning acceleration, she kicked her heel to the ground in front of her and suddenly stopped.
She seized the power of the rampaging force and transmitted it to the spear in her hand.
A true, full-force throwing javelin――it doesn't matter if her stretched muscles and joints hurt.
It was the same as having no pain as long as it didn't pop off.
The spear pierces the long neck――its base.
From the bottom jaw to the tail’s ventral, there were no scales.
The skin was thick, but she expected, its strength was only that of tanned leather.
The spear bursts through the flesh, and a large amount of magic-filled blood sprays out..
She had thought that if it went well, she would be able to penetrate it, but it didn't go that well.
She continued forward, trying to grab the second spear,
"――I won’t let you!!"
A shadow descends from overhead.
A young man astride a giant griffin blocked her view as if shouting.
The living hero of Kreisharana――Chief Warrior Vinthril.
His hand wielding a spear that had killed many Suiko.
But the girl easily avoided the blow by leaping backward and keeping her distance.
"I can't allow any more blasphemy.... I’ll take your life!"
A surprise blow from overhead, a blind spot. But it was still not enough.
Reaction speed, athletic ability, and breadth of vision.
Vinthril once again understood that all of them were far above his own.
Silver hair that shone like the moon.
The beautiful girl’s eyes, devoid of any sense of reality, seem to see nothing.
But the color that captures everything was purple.
――It was the eyes of the Absolute, similar to those of a dragon.
The mere sight of her sends chills down his spine.
He instinctively understands that someone like him would never win.
The arrogance, filled with madness――unafraid to point its blade at the dragon, even to the heavens.
Even though she is a human being, she stood outside of human domain.
The wind stopped and there was silence for a moment.
Along with the command of the chieftain, Alkierence, countless wind noises rained down on her.
The girl danced in the storm of spears that could easily turn even a Suiko into pieces of meat.
As before――she did not even look back.
She captured everything around her with just the sound of the echoes.
Twisting her body, she glided across the earth in an arc.
As if in a dance, she easily grabbed one of them.
Without even letting her cloak scrape against it, it was a celestial dance beyond comprehension.
There was a beauty that made him forget that he was in battle and become captivated.
"Litgund!!"
Litgund lowered its stance and flapped its wings once.
It leapt as if to strike the girl with its entire body, and then attacked her.
As if to cover her vision, Vinthril also leaps and turns from the side.
A moment of defenselessness and time.
He didn’t even think about winning. Prioritizing stalling time over killing her.
If he could inflict wounds and even steal the time to shoot the spear, this girl would eventually reach her limit.
With Litgund as a wall, passing through the side, what he found there was a forest of spears thrusting the earth.
In it, he catches the figure of a girl jumping behind and charging in.
What she unleashed was a thrust with all her might that pierced even rocks.
"...!"
But the girl no longer even looked at him.
Twisting at the waist, she ducked Vinthril's spear at the back and grabbed the hilt as if pinning it between her left armpits.
And without killing her momentum, she spun around and draws Vinthril in――
"Ugh!?"
――The impact that occurred was instant.
The girl's right heel pierced Vinthril's flank as she accelerated.
A moment later, a severe pain runs through him, and his thoughts stop.
Vinthril's body was lifted by the impact and slammed into Litgund's body.
The extreme pain cuts off her thoughts, and the edge of her vision that even loses her color.
Looking helplessly at the girl running towards the Holy Spirit, Vinthril couldn't hold back and vomited.
"In this world... to think such a warrior existed."
The roaring sound that continued to echo was the sound of the Holy Spirit――the spear that broke the scales of Yagernaus and pierced the flesh.
Facing the countless javelin as if it didn’t exist, and easily dodging Vinthril’s desperate blows.
Naturally, the spear that she shot with aberrant power pierced even the Holy Spirit.
There was no one who could blame Alkierence for his weak mutterings.
Even as it was in front of him like this, he couldn't believe it was real.
As Kreisharana’s warrior who spent his entire life in training, he knew the limits of humans.
The girl's physical ability certainly didn’t surpass theirs.
Even so, the girl toyed with dozens of warriors and even set her fangs against the Holy Spirit.
It was a foreign object that could not be described with common words such as monsters.
Throwing a javelin would be meaningless against such an opponent.
Rather, it was a big advantage to the opponent.
"Huf, from now on throwing spears is prohibited! Us our flesh and blood as a shield for Yagernaus-sa――"
It was not his own volition to stop talking.
It was because the atmosphere suddenly changed into something different.
――Yagernaus flapped its wings once.
A storm erupted again, and the body of the girl who was close to it floated in the air.
What was different from before was that, the Dragon as if pointing it to the heavens, its maws were wide open.
A radiance like the sun had risen in front of its maw.
"――Everyone, get out of the way of the front and into the sky!"
He only knew this from the myth.
He had never seen it before.
But he understood that this was exactly what was happening right in front of him.
It tore up the mountains and changed the terrain.
A roar of doom that destroys even nations.
――It was called the Dragon's Roar.
The violence was undoubtedly directed at the lone girl who was still up in the air.
At the training ground in Albenaria, the royal capital, Selene and Eluga were there.
"Don't push yourself too hard. If Selene-sama also collapses, what will Krische-sama think when she returns?"
"I’d be more at peace if I work when I’m a little tired, Faren. When I have free time, all I can think about is bad things."
‘Haa’, Selene sighed and said.
Outside the ramparts――the second building of the military academy was newly built in this training ground.
A building owned by the kingdom in the first-class town was used as the school building, but as expected, only classroom lectures could be conducted there.
For practical operations, it’s better to learn how to make use of soldiers, so a simple school building was built beside the training ground, which was to be used as a place for practical education.
A chess exercise on the board.
Tactical education as knowledge.
All of them take shape only with practical operational experience.
Whether it's a war with the Holy Empire or a civil war.
Selene, who felt her own helplessness more than anyone else, knew this better than anyone else.
If she could set up a solid training facility and conduct thorough training, she would be able to reduce the possibility of a fool like herself leading the troops on the battlefield.
Among the tasks assigned to her, Selene placed an emphasis on the military academy.
"Even Kreschenta is being considerate to me. Really, I can’t just stay like this."
Kreschenta wanted to spend time with Serene for one reason or another.
No Krische, no Bery.
One of the reasons was that she simply wanted someone to spoil her, but she also had the intention to see how Selene was doing.
She rarely shows her face in front of Selene unless she has something to do, but recently she has been showing her face in front of Selene saying she had something to do.
"Kuku, Her Majesty the Queen’s atmosphere is quite different from that of Krische-sama, but they are very much alike in their kindness."
Selene smiled wryly while looking at Eruga's evil face, exasperated.
Kreschenta did not particularly care about other people's faces. Naturally, the same goes for Eluga's face.
――Don’t tell me this old man throws all people who aren't afraid of his face into the kind category right?
It's not like Selene did not think of such a thing, but as expected that would be rude.
As assistant marshal, Eluga and Kreschenta have had their fair share of contact.
She also knew how Kreschenta cleaned up the aristocratic massacre that Krische caused.
At the very least, he would not be misunderstood, thinking that she is a kind and pretty queen like she looked.
"…For the time being, I have spoken to the corps commander Argand, and have also sent a letter to General Verreich. These two men should be fine."
Eluga suddenly said.
"Well, General Ghaka is a pure war lover――he's like an innocent child. He doesn't look like a devout person who reveres the Holy Spirit. I think you can rest assured, too."
"What about General Keithriton?"
"I talked to him a little bit before he headed west, but he really liked Krische-sama. He said that as long as she didn't make a big mistake, but... I'm a little more worried about the massacre of the nobles the other day. It would be nice if that didn’t change his mind."
The slaughter of the great nobles――although it was not spoken of openly, there was no one inside the Kingdom who didn't know about it.
The criminal killed 17 people and left no evidence behind.
The crime was so extraordinary that it is impossible to judge by law.
However, because of its anomaly, rumors spread.
The name that came up there was Krische, and the Black Flag Special Forces led by her.
Of course, only those involved in the military know the power of Krische herself.
For the masses, rumors were nothing more than rumors.
Because the incident was so extraordinary, the general view was that only a few people were actually killed, and the rumor that 17 people were killed by having their limbs torn off was a false rumor.
Kreschenta moved Dagris,
‘Starting with the attempted assassination of the Queen, several malicious nobles fought behind the scenes and several of them died.’
She was dealing with it by spreading such rumors, trying to deceive from the eyes of the masses.
This was more plausible than the truth that seventeen people had been dismembered and killed in a single night.
Kreschenta’s maneuvering had worked so far.
However, if Krische were to return after killing the dragon, it would undoubtedly have a further negative impact on the current situation.
For a human capable of killing a dragon, it wouldn't be strange for them to be capable of that.
If public order were disturbed by fear of Krische, it would surely spread to the whole masses.
There was a good chance that someone like Felworth would make a move.
"We should be wary of the north and the west...... interior, too. Whatever happens, it will be difficult."
The battle between Princess Kreschenta and the Royal Prince Gildanstein――it was not a royal power struggle like the previous civil war.
Whatever the reason, directing the army to the royal capital in the current situation was a high treason with no excuse.
Though It would not be easy for soldiers to gather in a place of rebellion, the discord in the current situation, where the neighboring countries were all trying to destroy the kingdom, was quite fatal.
"Assuming the worst, I can't see the victory. I intend to do as much as I can, but if that happens, it'll be partially dependent on Krische-sama."
"... half of this situation is her fault. You don't have to feel responsible for it."
Selene said exasperated.
Will the dragon slayer become infamy or fame?
They wouldn't know until they see the results.
There are so many possibilities, for it to go in both a good or bad direction.
‘――No matter what, at least I hoped that Krische would come back safely.’
War and everyday life.
At least that's where Selene's future all begins.
"Hmm... what is that?"
"What's wrong?"
Eluga turned his eyes to the sky and narrowed his eyes.
Selene tilted her head to look at it.
A blue sky with sparse clouds.
Was it north-northwest from there?
Something like a glowing line faintly rises from far beyond the horizon toward the sky.
When she was thinking about what that was, it suddenly started to move,
"Huh…?"
――It tore through the clouds above the royal capital in an instant..
From far beyond the horizon, beyond even the mountain range.
The light passing over the royal capital――Selene, a little late, sensed that it was a torrent of power created by an unbelievably large amount of magical power.
"…this, is"
She knew about the dragon myth.
So she tried to understand it, but her heart refused to comprehend.
Even those who had been training around them stopped their hands and looked on in amazement.
Selene does the same ――she stumbled, and Eluga immediately supported her body.
A vortex of magical power tearing through the clouds from thousands of ri away.
It was an anomaly that made her want to refuse to comprehend.
However, only the two people present at the scene were aware of what kind of being had caused the event.
And the existence that would have been the trigger.
"...Krische"
While being held by Eluga, Selene simply called out the name of her beloved girl with a trembling voice.
