16-76. Saga Empire, Battle at the Imperial Capital (6)
"Namu~?"
"That looks really hurt nanodesu."
Tama and Pochi murmured in a safe zone.
Near the keep of Saga Empire's sunken castle in the center of the imperial capital, the bullhorn woman--Lamia demon lord raised her body with her shoulder dyed red.
Fallen hero Fuu controlling the demon lord was hit by Hikaru's <>.
"That was not Lulu's but Miko's attack, was it."
Standing behind Tama and Pochi, Liza looked up at the girls floating in the air inside Nana's protective <>.
――ＬＷＵＨＵＡＭＺＩＥＥＡ。
The demon lord roared out.
Hero Fuu's reflexes aren't good enough to dodge rain of multiple javelins accelerated to supersonic speed with Lulu's accelerated canon.
However--.
"Lamiko-san!"
Hero Fuu's slightly shrill voice resounded above the imperial capital's debris.
"Geh, he's still alive."
Arisa sounded like she was relieved somewhat.
"Lamia demon lord turned her face away to protect that kid."
Apparently, master sniper Lulu saw what happened.
The demon lord who was roaring at them had her face gouged out, but it had already begun regenerating while producing white steam.
――ＬＷＵＨＵＡ。
The demon lord wraps Hero Fuu in both her hands.
"Lamiko-san?"
The chest flesh on the demon lord's upper breastbone opens up as she leads hero Fuu inside.
"I see--I'm going to become one with Lamiko-san."
Hero Fuu disappeared into the other side of flesh wall with half-squinting entranced eyes.
"Om nom nom~?"
"It's a two-mouthed woman nanodesu!"
"No no, I don't think she's eating him though?"
Even Arisa who corrected Tama and Pochi didn't sound too confident about it.
A dark purple light swept over the demon lord's body, right afterward, her figure changed.
"The demon lord has undergone a change form so I report."
"Hero's armor and dagger?"
Equipment that appeared to be Hero Fuu's got equipped on the demon lord.
Her lower half is still that of snake, but it's now wrapped in transformed leg armor.
However, it seemed she slackened her strength during the equipment transformation, Mia's Lesser Fenrir managed to pry its way out of the snake tail's constriction.
◇
"It's so dark... yet warm and soft."
『Brighten. ing.』
At Hero Fuu's murmur, the voice of a girl responded in broken speech.
A small room made of red pulsing veins.
Hero Fuu sat on a cockpit-like chair located in the center of the room.
"--Uwaa"
Hero Fuu was gasping for breath at the sudden acceleration, but he didn't get thrown off the chair.
Since slender tentacles secured him on the seat in place of seat belts.
"Lamiko-san, can't I look the outside?"
『Look, ing.』
The wall in front of him turned transparent, showing the outside.
A spherical-shaped laminated magic circles--Nana's throne is floating ahead.
"Our enemy are strong. Lamiko-san, use my equipment."
『Equip, ing.』
Hero's armor and dagger Hero Fuu took from his Inventory were taken by tentacles that extended out of the walls here.
"I'd have given you other stuff I got with me, but I gave them all to the generals and the others already..."
『Gratitude, Fuu.』
Her voice was flat, but Hero Fuu sensed a deep affection in it.
Hero Fuu looks forward.
Straight ahead which is rare for him who's usually looking down.
"Annihilate the enemy. Lamiko-san."
『Annihilate, ing.』
The demon lord resumed the battle responding to Hero Fuu's order.
◇
"Falankusu~ nanodesu!"
Defensive shield Phalanx that Pochi deployed in a hurry defended against an attack that managed to split even the rampart.
The demon lord had swung out her arm, assaulting Pochi with a gigantic holy dagger.
At first Pochi blocked the attack with her sword, but even a weapon made of dragon fangs that can [Pierces through everything] wouldn't be sturdy enough to repeatedly clash with a massive holy dagger made of Orichalcum alloy without chipping.
Once the blade is chipped even a little, the crack will only get worse from there.
"We can't get close to her at this rate."
"Not true nanodesu! With Capatult's launch we can do it nodesuyo!"
After dodging the second assault of the holy dagger, Liza runs in parallel with Pochi.
"Nin nin~"
A cherry-looking cat ninja who was being chased by undead snake hair ran past the two.
"Stop playing around, defeat them."
"Aye~"
Thud, the cat tail struck the ground, and then innumerable shadow extended out of gaps between debris, binding the undead snake hair.
Immediately after, blue shining bullets rain down on the undead, annihilating them all.
Looks like Lulu launched a support fire when she saw these undead stopped moving.
"We should get back to attacking the main body ourselves."
"Aye aye sir~"
"Roger nanodesu."
The beastkin girls gauged the distance to the demon lord as the Lesser Fenrir kept her busy.
Above, Nana is dodging and defending, Hikaru and Lulu attacking, while Arisa is in charge of detecting and disturbing the demon lord in fierce clashes.
Shockwaves generated from these clashes have left none of the original buildings around the imperial castle standing including the rampart.
"--Really, it's truly strong. This demon lord."
"Well, on top of being an upper level 90s, she's even got herself hero's equipment after all."
Hikaru responded to Arisa's murmur.
"Why didn't they deploy Lamia demon lord right from the start then?"
"You mean before the vampire demon lord?"
"Un, if this is the mastermind--Gobu King's handiworks, both of those demon lords should have been deployed at different cities each."
"Maybe he's the type that saves stuff for the last?"
"I could see that if he were a bad guy in a home console RPG, but isn't it too much of a foolish move to unleash your card one by one?"
While replying to Arisa randomly, Hikaru covered the beastkin girls' assault with support magic.
"You're right. But you're bound to have the rug pulled out from under you if you're fixated on the idea that our enemy is incompetent."
Hikaru mocked herself for falling victim to a similar ploy that cost her many of her friends.
"Maybe he adjusted it so Master's help won't come? Or perhaps, he's keeping us here so we won't go support Master?"
Arisa racked her brain while muttering.
"But what would that entail? Gobu King went around and setting fires at every cities, all while constantly running away from Master like he's harassing him. If all of that had some sort of reason behind--"
--Beepbeep.
Arisa's golden armor received a transmission from the Solitary Island Palace.
The comm jamming barrier surrounding the capital seems to have vanished during all the uproar.
"Is there an emergency?"
『I'm not sure if I should report this--』
Zena who was standing by in the Solitary Island Palace reported about <> found in the capital.
Presently it's being purified in a ritual by Sera and other high ranking priests.
Similar items have been discovered in Seryuu City and Muno Earldom as well, so they've issued warning to every locations.
"Nice follow-up! We'll leave those to you. And since I've told you the situation here, please ask Tina-sama and other personnels that are good with detective works to work out what our enemy is trying to achieve."
Arisa has conveyed everything that has transpired with her group and Satou's to Zena.
"I will pass it over to Elterina-sama and her highness Sistina."
"Un, please."
Now that she's entrusted the investigation to her allies, Arisa can fight without reserve.
The clashes with demon lord that have been seesawing back and forth are gradually tilting toward Arisa and the girls' favor.
◇
"Lamiko-san's attacks don't work? Just what's up with those cheat armor! Even the twerps and tail girl broke through what should have been absolute defense aegis with their white weapons! And most annoyingly--"
Hero Fuu cursed out and then glared hard at the floating Throne.
"That gunner with her starting out-looking FPS equipment shooting bullets endlessly like there's no tomorrow! How dare they shoot and wound Lamiko-san's beautiful body!"
The demon lord's Unique Skill [Shield of Reflect God (Aegis)] did reflect back everything that hit it, but all the rifle bullets other than those intended to be feints managed to hit the snake lower half that was outside the aegis's range.
"Lamiko-san, lower right! Three hostiles with white weapons coming!"
Even with the warning, the demon lord's arms are already busy dealing with the white dragon coming from above and the Lesser Fenrir rushing on the ground, only her snake hair's petrification laser could be used to stop them.
And even the petrification laser was dodged by their Flickering Steps moving in zig-zag.
"If only I had magic like Yuuki's..."
Hero Fuu chewed his fingernails as he could do nothing but watch.
『Magic, have.』
As the girl said that, a screen not unlike a selection screen in a PC game got displayed before Hero Fuu.
"Magic list? Is this maybe--『Master Wizard』's power?"
『Transfer, ing.』
"You mean leaving the control to me?"
After glancing at the screen once, Hero Fuu broke out a stiff smile while kukukuku-ing.
"Nice! We're going to win this!"
Hero Fuu's finger crawled on the screen and picked a magic.
"Earth Shaker!"
Severe earthquake ran through the ground, Pochi and Lesser Fenrir tripped over and got caught in the demon lord's attack.
"Miasma Swamp"
Miasma around the imperial capital converged, draining vitality off anyone inside the whirlpool-like swamp area.
Liza carrying Pochi jumped twice in the air, joined by ninja Tama to take refuge inside Nana's Throne.
"Labyrinth"
The girls got locked up in a barrier of space magic along with the Throne but they immediately got out of it as Arisa cast the opposing spell.
"That was faster than I thought, but that bought us enough time."
A gigantic meteorite falling from the sky assaulted the Throne.
It's the meteor summoning magic that the False King Shin once used in an attempt to destroy Shiga Kingdom's castle.
The girls who just got out of Labyrinth were late to notice it as the meteor squashed them all along with the Throne.
"Ahahahahaha. This is amazing, Lamiko-san. We're invincible."
Hero Fuu laughed out loud like a maniac inside the demon lord.
◇
"Oh crap, what the heck is that?"
"Must be Meteor. What now Yuuki."
Hero Yuuki and Hero Seigi who had evacuated far away from the castle with Flying Shoes looked up at the gigantic falling meteorite in the sky.
"I mean, like, aren't we in danger here?"
"Right, we are!"
Hero Yuuki and Hero Seigi made a nose dive and took shelter in a place that would shield them from the explosion and flying debris.
Moment later, raging winds and broken debris flew all around them.
"What's the demon lord searching for? Don't tell me, those girls are still alive?"
"After eating that Meteor? High level heroes are incredible."
The demon lord pushed her way through broken pieces of meteorites in the impact crater.
"What to do now?"
"'Course we'll help."
Hero Yuuki concentrated his mana and shoot Inferno at the demon lord's lower half.
The demon lord couldn't protect herself with Aegis from the surprise attack, and got her lower half burned.
"It's coming here!"
"Run!"
The demon lord that had started regenerating with rising white smoke turned toward the two heroes.
Rock balls of vengeance are pouring behind the two fleeing heroes.
Every one of those rocks is as big as a house.
"I'm gonna die, die, dieeeeeeeee."
"Shut your trap Seigi, keep those legs moving!"
The two heroes frantically ran in the sky, even more desperately than when they were being chased by the vampire demon lord.
◇
"Phew--those kids are really reckless."
"Un, but we're saved thanks to them."
"Succeeded reactivating <>, so I report."
Throne should have been capable to endure a mass that huge by design, but either it was an early failure or the meteor was not an attack relying on mass alone, the Throne function had shut down temporarily.
Twofolds faint purple lights circulate on Arisa's body.
"It's reprisal time! Let me show you what serious Arisa-chan's capable of."
Arisa gallantly declared so as she pointed her wand at the demon lord.
※ Next update is planned for 12/2
Arisa and the girls' turn will end in the next chapter, and the chapter after the next will be back to Satou.