.
Ancient Forest, northeast.
At the surface of Avalon’s information management facility Archive that was located underground.
Lux who was clad in Divine Drag-Ride Bahamut and Lisha who was clad in Tiamat were confronting each other with the grey colored sky as the background.
.
──Wrong.
There was no way this was true. Lisha’s logic was telling her that.
There was no way Lux would betray the New Kingdom.
There was no way he would point his blade toward her and Queen Raffi.
Him giving instruction to Azure Division and──Alma, it must be some kind of mistake.
Or perhaps, this man was an impostor.
If Lisha didn’t think that, she would be unable to move.
But, right now she was the princess of New Kingdom.
That was why, she had to defeat this person no matter who he was.
In order to protect her mother Raffi who had staked her life to protect this country until now.
.
(……This wasn’t in the plan. But──)
The young man facing her, Lux was also similarly losing his bearing.
In his original plan, he planned for Lisha who became a prisoner to not fight till the end.
Either way, due to Uroboros’s world revision, Lisha wouldn’t be able to recognize Raffi as her enemy.
It would also be hard for the kingdom’s people to be able to realize the truth at the end.
In that case, he should finish this without anyone noticing.
He tried to remove the threat of Sacred Eclipse secretly, without telling Lisha or anyone else of the New Kingdom, so that no chaos would result.
However, Lux’s fleeting wish easily vanished. Now he was facing Lisha like this.
「There is no way this is true! You’re──an impostor! Try answering me! Lux!」
Lisha floated in the air wearing Tiamat. She unsheathed her Sword Device.
With mind control operation she fired the special armament, the twelve throwing weapons Legion.
From where Lux was at, first two of them flew at him with a fierce speed with roaring sound.
「Tsu……!?」
Lux used Bahamut’s great sword and deflected the Legion’s first attack.
But, the concealed shot that was lurking unseen at the Legion’s shadow attacked him further.
(She pretended to fire two when it’s actually three! Furthermore it was inserted between the first and second Legion!)
Naturally, firing projectile weapon through a trajectory that couldn’t be seen from the opponent’s perspective needed an uncommon technique.
While a precise control of trajectory was needed, predicting the opponent’s field of vision accurately was also indispensable to achieve this miraculous feat.
The sword that swept aside the first attack didn’t make it in time. The second Legion hit Bahamut’s armor.
「Guh!」
The power was also transmitted to Lux’s own body through the barrier. He displayed an anguished expression.
Even so he barely kept only his balance from crumbling.
He swept aside the third Legion, and at the same time he sent it back accurately toward Lisha.
「What……!?」
Normally it was next to impossible to accurately hit back a weapon with pointy shape toward the opponent with one’s own weapon.
「Chih!」
Lisha’s Tiamat boasted variegated as well as overwhelming attack power in regard to long distance attack.
Therefore, it was important to stop Lisha’s attack even if he had to brave some danger.
However Lisha didn’t stop her attack. She sent out one of the Legion that was positioned around her. She defended by firing down the Legion that Lux reflected back at her.
Right after that, the shot of the Cannon that Tiamat had prepared without Lux noticing attacked toward him in a straight line.
「──Ku!」
Should he block or dodge?
Because the Legion’s attack just now hit his torso, Lux immediately chose to dodge.
But, the instant he tried to doge to the side, three Legion came with a curving trajectory toward his side from the opposite direction.
「This is──from that time!?」
Firing her Cannon and then sending Legion above the firing line to push back the opponent.
It was the tactic that was used at Lux and Lisha’s first mock battle.
「──Linker Pulse!」
Lux dodged the cannon shot to the side while forming force field using his special armament to barely shirted the trajectory of the three Legion.
But, he was unable to dodge completely.
His barrier was grazed, the surface of his armor was slightly scratched, and the balance of his armor frame was broken.
「Is that all you can do, cursed imposter」
*Jakin* Lisha swung her Sword Device further. She summoned the huge cannon──Seven Heads.
Particles of light gathered on the seven cannon muzzles and it fired explosively.
(……The energy charging is fast! I won’t make it in time!)
After using weapon and special armament in quick succession, Lisha attacked further with her main cannon.
Even if Lux defended, the power of the attack would end him if it hit directly.
*DOUNN!*
「──U, aaAAAH!」
The instant Lux understood that he wouldn’t be able to completely dodge it, he hardened his defense by strengthening his barrier and also activating Reload on Fire.
He endured the after wave of the terrific destructive energy of Sevens Head while quickly focusing on rallying himself.
Conversely speaking, there was no worry to be hit with additional powerful attack if it was right after Lisha unleashed her greatest attack.
In that case he activated Reload on Fire the instant he was hit by the attack and a distance was opened. Five seconds later he would switch into counterattack with the state that was accelerated by several times but──.
「As I thought, it’s different. You’re another person. There’s no way you’re Lux……. You’re weak.」
「……!?」
The moment Lisha saw Lux activated Reload on Fire, she retreated and took some distance.
In addition she descended inside the forest and hid herself.
Lux’s plan was completely seen through.
Even so, he couldn’t let go of this chance.
For Lux whose armor and stamina had been greatly exhausted, if he didn’t make this battle a brief one, he would quickly become disadvantaged.
(Strong……. I’ve realized it already but, Lisha-sama, she has become strong.)
Since that day when he first came to the Royal Officer Academy and fought her, he had fought several mock battles against Lisha.
He should be in advantage from knowing Lisha’s capability, but right no he felt that she was the toughest opponent more than anyone else.
Of course there was also the effect from his exhaustion due to the consecutive battle against Celis and Philuffy.
However even more than that, Lisha right now possessed the strength of a firm will.
In order to protect her stepmother Queen Raffi.
In order to protect the New Kingdom, she resolved herself and fought to defeat the enemy.
(I can only finish this right away……! With the power of Baptism that I obtained──)
The same like the procedure that was applied to Aeril, Yoruka, and the main members of Syvalles, Lux also obtained an ability from the device called the Coffin.
He calmed his breathing and focused his mind in order to activate that power.
(What, the heat won’t come out inside my body. The power of Baptism, isn’t activating.)
But, for some reason he was unable to use that power.
The power wouldn’t well up.
(There is no time to think about it. The strengthening compression of time using Reload on Fire──I can only decide the battle using the remaining five seconds of super acceleration!)
Lux switched his feeling and resolved himself.
He flew with several times his normal speed due to the acceleration of time and charged into the forest below where Lisha vanished into.
He moved until there was less than one second until contact.
He found Lisha’s figure that was hidden by the tree leaves.
But, the form of Tiamat that he discovered was completely different than before.
「……!?」
「I’ve been waiting, for you to come challenging me in close quarter combat!」
The two layered armor using Over Unit.
The fighting method that Lisha developed herself. Placing a Drag-Ride that had been turned into parts over another Drag-Ride.
Wyrm Claw that was equipped with additional drill arm and two armored claw arms was aimed to greatly increase the user’s capability in close quarter combat.
(She hid inside the forest in order to defend and intercept as well as to change form, and also so I won’t realize that aim of hers!)
Lisha looked impulsive in a glance, but she was clever not just in tactic but also in strategy.
As though to prove that, she took preparation to outwit and intercept Lux.
「Even so, I cannot lose here!」
There was no doubt that the present where Bahamut was accelerated by several times was his biggest chance to win.
Thus Lux drew closer and dodged the drill arm. He tried to aim at Tiamat’s Force Core.
Right after that, he noticed instantly that it was impossible and gritted his teeth.
「So you came aiming for my Force Core right away?」
Lux hallucinated Lisha saying that to him from her gaze.
It was hidden.
The Over Unit Wyrm Claw was equipped above the armored shoulder that contained Tiamat’s Force Core, because of that he couldn’t hit it directly.
(Is there no other choice but to destroy the Wyrm Claw first!?)
First he had to strike the Force Claw that was the power source of Wyrm Claw. After the Over Unit was dispelled, he could aim at the Force Claw of Tiamat.
Although he made that judgment in an instant, Lux noticed that doing that was also difficult.
The reason was the structure of this strengthened armor that Lisha created by remodeling general purpose Drag-Ride was different from normal Drag-Ride.
Therefore, Lux was unable to predict what kind of structure the contained parts and frame had.
(I made a big mistake. How can I only notice such thing after this late.)
The talent of developing Drag-Ride that Lisha nurtured.
He realized its troublesomeness once more now that she turned into enemy.
Most likely, Lisha who was under the effect of the world revision could only recognize Lux as an impostor.
(Then, I’ll forcefully make her unable to fight and capture her once more. I’ll end this fight without making Lisha-sama get burdened with the anguish and sin of defeating her majesty Raffi!)
If he couldn’t aim at the Force Core, he would destroy Tiamat’s armor directly.
Lux decided his aim and drove his great sword into consecutive attacks but, it was tough.
(Chaos Brand’s blade won’t go through! It’s the defense barrier that Wyrm Claw generated!)
Tiamat’s barrier and was double layered by the barrier that was generated by Wyrm Claw above it.
His attack wouldn’t work like he wanted due to the obstruction of that defense that was specialized for close range combat.
Even so, he swung his sword in full force in order to make use the seconds where he was accelerated by several times.
──But, when he destroyed one of the additional arms, his accelerated time was cut off.
「Eat this-!」
The remaining Wyrm Claw.
The arm that was equipped with rare armament in the shape of drill rotated in high speed and stabbed forward.
Lux twisted his body to slip through that and strike the Over Unit with his great sword.
「……-! A!」
The after wave from the barrier of Wyrm Claw getting pierced made Lisha raised a faint pained voice, even so she drew out her Sword Device in a tight grip.
When Lux wondered what she was going to do with that, Lisha’s attack was already unleashed.
「──Break Purge!」
「Wha-……!」
She released the Over Unit, Wyrm Claw as buckshot that stopped Lux and Bahamut from attacking further.
While Lux was standing still due to that momentum and impact, Lisha and Tiamat leaped backward to take distance.
(This is bad……this is──)
Most likely Lisha was intending to switch into her remaining two Over Unit.
Wyvern Wing that strengthened the back wing and displayed high mobility, and Drake Horn that provided camouflage, jamming, investigation, and increased surprise attack capability.
It would be really troublesome if she used those two.
Therefore, Lux shifted the armor buckshot using Linker Pulse while forcefully chasing after the withdrawing Lisha.
He would decided the battle before she could summon and wear new Over Unit.
The moment he charged with that determination, Lux’s trajectory was changed to an unexpected direction. He floated up.
「──!?」
「Suppresor──, the gravity weighing you is zero now.」
The Divine Raiment of gravity manipulation that Tiamat possessed.
Because it was a powerful ability that one must be the most vigilant against, Lux always kept it in the corner of his mind.
There would be no damage from strong pressure from having his weight lightened like this, but it was a really troublesome phenomenon in the aspect of disrupting his action.
Even against a flying type Divine Drag-Ride like Bahamut, its mobility would be drastically disordered just by lightening the gravity slightly.
Executing the movement that he planned would become abnormally difficult with this.
No matter how much of an expert Lux was in piloting Drag-Ride, he wouldn’t be able to deal with it because he never experienced such situation.
*DON-!*
「Ua……!」
His flight trajectory to pursue the retreating Lisha was shifted and he crashed on a tall and big tree.
He immediately tried changing direction to deal with the weightlessness, but at that time Lisha already finished switching her Over Unit.
「Drake Horn! Eat this again! ──Suppressor!」
*Gakun!* Bahamut’s altitude decreased and it was instantly pressed on the ground.
This time the burden of heavy gravity was pressed on him and his movement was completely sealed.
「Gu……! UaAAAH……!」
Because the Divine Raiment was strengthened by Drake Horn, an unprecedented heavy gravity attacked Lux and Bahamut.
That force that was incomparable to the time when he first fought Lisha didn’t allow him to endure.
Not just Bahamut’s armor, his flesh body was also screaming.
(How? She applied Suppressor……she used Divine Raiment while switching Over Unit? Such thing is──)
Using special armament or Divine Raiment that put a great burden on the user at the same time required terrifying amount of stamina and mental strength.
Especially Lisha who had the tendency to favor the use of ability or weapon with high firepower despite her relatively few stamina, that was her only distinctive weak point.
However her strength right now, it was in the level of Yoruka or Celis, or perhaps Philuffy when she released her power of Abyss──no, it was even more than that.
Looking carefully, something like steam was faintly rising up from Lisha’s body.
Lux who didn’t know the circumstance had no way to know but, the power of Baptism that was applied to Lisha’s body was the accumulation and burning of energy.
She 『accumulated』 beforehand──that was to say that in order for her to exert power, she accumulated energy from her daily life bit by bit, and when she turned on her mental switch when push came to shove, she could 『burn』 that accumulated energy and unleashed it all at once.
That was to say, it was a Baptism that complemented Lisha’s weak point until now so that she could use Divine Raiment, special armament, and Over Unit fully.
It took time like this until she could use that power to transform her physical ability that she didn’t have before, but the power when it was activated was terrific.
(It’s impossible……. At this rate, I won’t be able to endure……! I’ll, die……!)
He sent Lisha a pleading gaze, but he couldn’t see any hesitation in her resolve.
He was at a lost whether he should call out to Lisha in the attempt to make her notice that he was Lux and dispelled the binding of world revision.
But──.
(No, I can’t do that. If she learn what I’m trying to do, Lisha-sama will be hurt and sad. Right now I’m the leader of Azure Division who is trying to destroy the New Kingdom in the end──)
Lux resolved himself like tha and exerted his last strength.
Lux too also tried to liberate the power of Baptism residing in his body but──.
「Ugu, ah……!」
His focus was shaken and cut off before he could activate it.
(Why? Is it because I’m tired? Or else──)
Was it because he was being harmed by the damage from Suppressor’s pressure.
Lux was visited by a bad condition from unknown cause, even so he kept resisting.
He barely scrapped together his Drag-Ride’s energy. Then before his frame was completely breaking apart, he activated Bahamut’s Divine Raiment.
「──Reload on Fire!」
The first five seconds of compression strengthening.
The target of the phenomenon of extreme deceleration was the gravity pressure on Lux.
He extremely reduced the gravity pressing down on him and closed in to Lisha using that opening.
「──Howling Roar!」
Even that move was predicted. Lisha unleashed the Howling Roar that had been strengthened several times over by Drake Horn.
However Lux was also the same.
If it was Lisha in her current full power state that used all her special armament and Divine Raiment to the maximum degree, there was no way that she wouldn’t at least take such countermeasure──.
「──HAaAAAH!」
Faster than the flood of whirling shockwave could blow Lux away, Chaos Brand’s tip stabbed at Drake Horn.
It barely hit and half-destroyed it, but Lux was showered by a terrific shockwave of Howling Roar from below and he was blown away to the air.
「Uh, gu……. Ah……!」
Bahamut’s endurance limit was crossed and his armor was crumbling to pieces.
He should have decided the battle using all his strength before his remaining stamina ran out, but he didn’t understand how he was beaten up to this degree.
Of course he had the self-awareness that he had done extremely reckless things all that time he was facing powerful opponents, but,
(Is this, the way I fight until now? Something, is strange……)
Even though he should have given his best effort, it was like he was just going round in circles.
Lux was imprisoned in such strange mood.
The eyes of Lux who was thrown up saw the grey sky that was snowing.
He was already mostly running out of strength.
The world revision by that Uroboros.
Since he noticed the strangeness of the looping parade until reaching this point, his mind was stretched tightly all this time. It felt like the tension would burst anytime.
(Not, yet…… I──)
He had to save the New Kingdom, this country.
The face of everyone in the Academy, the face of the members of Syvalles.
Krulcifer, Philuffy, Celis, Yoruka, Airi, the Triad.
At the end Lisha’s face floated in Lux’s mind.
「Lisha-sama, I……. I’m ─」
He muttered hollowly while instinctually fixing the posture of his Drag-Ride. In that instant.
──*GAUNN-!(
A sharp impact pierced through his whole body. Lux vomited blood.
「Gah──!」
When he noticed, a shadow that flew up from the forest far below──Lisha who was clad in Tiamat slashed him with her Blade.
The Over Unit that strengthened mobility, Wyvern Wing.
Due to that terrific acceleration, she closed in until short distance in one go and struck a direct hit without him being able to even react.
(Aa──. ……I can’t, go on anymore)
Strength left his whole body. His consciousness was getting far away.
Bahamut’s armor was dispelled. Lux was starting to free fall from the sky wearing only a pilot suit.
(So in the end, I couldn’t do it)
Just like what Fugil said, he didn’t have any caliber as king.
He pursued his ideal too much, but in the end he couldn’t save anyone.
That was all there was to it.
(However──, Lisha-sama)
He felt apologetic that he would disappear like this, at the same time he thought that if it her then he could leave New Kingdom to her.
Even if Queen Raffi carried out the world revision again after this, Lisha would receive the affection of the queen and she might be able to live without realizing the truth forever.
She might make the righteous government that Lux wished for came true.
(Then, perhaps it’s fine……. Sayonara, Lisha-sama.)
That instant when he was going to gave up everything and let go of his consciousness.
「…………」
「Where is the real you? Where are you, Lux──」
The face of the princess who was turning back and looking down on him falling down looked really sad.
「────」
Right after that, Lux’s consciousness was cut off.
Without even noticing the black shadow of terrible omen that was occurring in a part of the Ancient Forest.
──And then.
「Lux-kun!」
Without also noticing the voice of the blue haired girl who saved him just before he crashed on the ground.
.
「Fugil……. It seems that Raffi Atismata started to change. As expected, she cannot keep hold of her consciousness when she fused with Sacred Eclipse with her human body.」
Near the center of the Ancient Forest.
Near the lake that was the boundary line when they first faced the Azure Division, Fugil and the Automata who managed Avalon, Arshalia were looking up to the snowing sky.
Raffi’s change.
Raffi was preserving her thought as human relatively well after she fused with Sacred Eclipse, but anomaly was gradually coming to her mind.
「If she has advanced until that state, the it will start moving soon……perhaps. It will be a repeat of the phenomenon that occurred several hundred years ago in this Ancient Forest.」
Sacred Eclipse was a system that projected human’s will and brought salvation using Elixir.
And then, it was also a regulation system that would react to human’s desire, hatred, or hostility, carried out massacre, and absorbed energy.
The latter half of the function wasn’t something that was installed by Arshalia who wished for the world’s salvation. The traitor at that time killed Arshalia and then added it on their own convenience.
That was the conjecture formed from the situation.
Raffi lost against her own impulse and ate the humans who opposed her. She absorbed those people’s fear, hatred, and resentment.
.
「Guah! Oua……! UOOOOOO, goh!」
.
*Crunch crunch, snap snap*
It was a sound that was unthinkable to come from human. No, even Abyss wouldn’t produce such grotesque sound. Such sound resounded from behind a tree right nearby.
Raffi loved Lisha who looked up to her. She was her heart’s support.
However, even that memory would soon vanish.
The greatest and strongest humanoid Ragnarok devoured the countless thought of those who opposed her and transformed into a monster that would lead the world to destruction.
.
She wished for even more destruction and massacre.
With the thought of people getting absorbed and integrated in, the will of salvation was gradually being overwritten. At that time when it reached the last stop, Sacred Eclipse would end the world.
It would eliminate the whole surrounding without any trace.
All living things gathering in this Ancient Forest would return to nothingness and it would make the world to redo back from zero.
And then Fugil would use world revision through Uroboros and made them forgot their memory regarding the Ruins.
The world that lost its fighting strength with the top ranked Drag-Knights mostly annihilated would obtain equilibrium once more.
Fugil’s mission was nothing more than an extreme repeat of destruction and resurrection.
He would assure that the system called Sacred Eclipse created by Arshalia to save the world would continue.
He existed just for that.
「Another failure huh. No──it’s not. Arshalia, we still don’t know. As long as your dream is still alive──」
The ideal of peace that was broken and taken away by someone else.
But, if malice was also the will of human, then Fugil decided to see it through till the end.
Without giving up, he was pursuing the possibility of people choosing the correct path and Sacred Eclipse functioning correctly.
Fugil was waiting for a hero that he was unable to become to appear in the world.
「If I give up, then everything will be over there. In that case, let’s make them forget everything and repeat it again. For eternity.」
「…………」
.
「Gugoh! Gogoou……! Ogogogogooooooo, guoh!」
.
Raffi and Sacred Eclipse were changing into something unknown. Fugil didn’t even pay them any mind and looked up to the sky while talking to himself.
The Automata that was the substitute of the girl he loved was standing still without saying anything.
.
Ancient Forest, northeast.
At the surface of Avalon’s information management facility Archive that was located underground.
Lux who was clad in Divine Drag-Ride Bahamut and Lisha who was clad in Tiamat were confronting each other with the grey colored sky as the background.
.
──Wrong.
There was no way this was true. Lisha’s logic was telling her that.
There was no way Lux would betray the New Kingdom.
There was no way he would point his blade toward her and Queen Raffi.
Him giving instruction to Azure Division and──Alma, it must be some kind of mistake.
Or perhaps, this man was an impostor.
If Lisha didn’t think that, she would be unable to move.
But, right now she was the princess of New Kingdom.
That was why, she had to defeat this person no matter who he was.
In order to protect her mother Raffi who had staked her life to protect this country until now.
.
(……This wasn’t in the plan. But──)
The young man facing her, Lux was also similarly losing his bearing.
In his original plan, he planned for Lisha who became a prisoner to not fight till the end.
Either way, due to Uroboros’s world revision, Lisha wouldn’t be able to recognize Raffi as her enemy.
It would also be hard for the kingdom’s people to be able to realize the truth at the end.
In that case, he should finish this without anyone noticing.
He tried to remove the threat of Sacred Eclipse secretly, without telling Lisha or anyone else of the New Kingdom, so that no chaos would result.
However, Lux’s fleeting wish easily vanished. Now he was facing Lisha like this.
「There is no way this is true! You’re──an impostor! Try answering me! Lux!」
Lisha floated in the air wearing Tiamat. She unsheathed her Sword Device.
With mind control operation she fired the special armament, the twelve throwing weapons Legion.
From where Lux was at, first two of them flew at him with a fierce speed with roaring sound.
「Tsu……!?」
Lux used Bahamut’s great sword and deflected the Legion’s first attack.
But, the concealed shot that was lurking unseen at the Legion’s shadow attacked him further.
(She pretended to fire two when it’s actually three! Furthermore it was inserted between the first and second Legion!)
Naturally, firing projectile weapon through a trajectory that couldn’t be seen from the opponent’s perspective needed an uncommon technique.
While a precise control of trajectory was needed, predicting the opponent’s field of vision accurately was also indispensable to achieve this miraculous feat.
The sword that swept aside the first attack didn’t make it in time. The second Legion hit Bahamut’s armor.
「Guh!」
The power was also transmitted to Lux’s own body through the barrier. He displayed an anguished expression.
Even so he barely kept only his balance from crumbling.
He swept aside the third Legion, and at the same time he sent it back accurately toward Lisha.
「What……!?」
Normally it was next to impossible to accurately hit back a weapon with pointy shape toward the opponent with one’s own weapon.
「Chih!」
Lisha’s Tiamat boasted variegated as well as overwhelming attack power in regard to long distance attack.
Therefore, it was important to stop Lisha’s attack even if he had to brave some danger.
However Lisha didn’t stop her attack. She sent out one of the Legion that was positioned around her. She defended by firing down the Legion that Lux reflected back at her.
Right after that, the shot of the Cannon that Tiamat had prepared without Lux noticing attacked toward him in a straight line.
「──Ku!」
Should he block or dodge?
Because the Legion’s attack just now hit his torso, Lux immediately chose to dodge.
But, the instant he tried to doge to the side, three Legion came with a curving trajectory toward his side from the opposite direction.
「This is──from that time!?」
Firing her Cannon and then sending Legion above the firing line to push back the opponent.
It was the tactic that was used at Lux and Lisha’s first mock battle.
「──Linker Pulse!」
Lux dodged the cannon shot to the side while forming force field using his special armament to barely shirted the trajectory of the three Legion.
But, he was unable to dodge completely.
His barrier was grazed, the surface of his armor was slightly scratched, and the balance of his armor frame was broken.
「Is that all you can do, cursed imposter」
*Jakin* Lisha swung her Sword Device further. She summoned the huge cannon──Seven Heads.
Particles of light gathered on the seven cannon muzzles and it fired explosively.
(……The energy charging is fast! I won’t make it in time!)
After using weapon and special armament in quick succession, Lisha attacked further with her main cannon.
Even if Lux defended, the power of the attack would end him if it hit directly.
*DOUNN!*
「──U, aaAAAH!」
The instant Lux understood that he wouldn’t be able to completely dodge it, he hardened his defense by strengthening his barrier and also activating Reload on Fire.
He endured the after wave of the terrific destructive energy of Sevens Head while quickly focusing on rallying himself.
Conversely speaking, there was no worry to be hit with additional powerful attack if it was right after Lisha unleashed her greatest attack.
In that case he activated Reload on Fire the instant he was hit by the attack and a distance was opened. Five seconds later he would switch into counterattack with the state that was accelerated by several times but──.
「As I thought, it’s different. You’re another person. There’s no way you’re Lux……. You’re weak.」
「……!?」
The moment Lisha saw Lux activated Reload on Fire, she retreated and took some distance.
In addition she descended inside the forest and hid herself.
Lux’s plan was completely seen through.
Even so, he couldn’t let go of this chance.
For Lux whose armor and stamina had been greatly exhausted, if he didn’t make this battle a brief one, he would quickly become disadvantaged.
(Strong……. I’ve realized it already but, Lisha-sama, she has become strong.)
Since that day when he first came to the Royal Officer Academy and fought her, he had fought several mock battles against Lisha.
He should be in advantage from knowing Lisha’s capability, but right no he felt that she was the toughest opponent more than anyone else.
Of course there was also the effect from his exhaustion due to the consecutive battle against Celis and Philuffy.
However even more than that, Lisha right now possessed the strength of a firm will.
In order to protect her stepmother Queen Raffi.
In order to protect the New Kingdom, she resolved herself and fought to defeat the enemy.
(I can only finish this right away……! With the power of Baptism that I obtained──)
The same like the procedure that was applied to Aeril, Yoruka, and the main members of Syvalles, Lux also obtained an ability from the device called the Coffin.
He calmed his breathing and focused his mind in order to activate that power.
(What, the heat won’t come out inside my body. The power of Baptism, isn’t activating.)
But, for some reason he was unable to use that power.
The power wouldn’t well up.
(There is no time to think about it. The strengthening compression of time using Reload on Fire──I can only decide the battle using the remaining five seconds of super acceleration!)
Lux switched his feeling and resolved himself.
He flew with several times his normal speed due to the acceleration of time and charged into the forest below where Lisha vanished into.
He moved until there was less than one second until contact.
He found Lisha’s figure that was hidden by the tree leaves.
But, the form of Tiamat that he discovered was completely different than before.
「……!?」
「I’ve been waiting, for you to come challenging me in close quarter combat!」
The two layered armor using Over Unit.
The fighting method that Lisha developed herself. Placing a Drag-Ride that had been turned into parts over another Drag-Ride.
Wyrm Claw that was equipped with additional drill arm and two armored claw arms was aimed to greatly increase the user’s capability in close quarter combat.
(She hid inside the forest in order to defend and intercept as well as to change form, and also so I won’t realize that aim of hers!)
Lisha looked impulsive in a glance, but she was clever not just in tactic but also in strategy.
As though to prove that, she took preparation to outwit and intercept Lux.
「Even so, I cannot lose here!」
There was no doubt that the present where Bahamut was accelerated by several times was his biggest chance to win.
Thus Lux drew closer and dodged the drill arm. He tried to aim at Tiamat’s Force Core.
Right after that, he noticed instantly that it was impossible and gritted his teeth.
「So you came aiming for my Force Core right away?」
Lux hallucinated Lisha saying that to him from her gaze.
It was hidden.
The Over Unit Wyrm Claw was equipped above the armored shoulder that contained Tiamat’s Force Core, because of that he couldn’t hit it directly.
(Is there no other choice but to destroy the Wyrm Claw first!?)
First he had to strike the Force Claw that was the power source of Wyrm Claw. After the Over Unit was dispelled, he could aim at the Force Claw of Tiamat.
Although he made that judgment in an instant, Lux noticed that doing that was also difficult.
The reason was the structure of this strengthened armor that Lisha created by remodeling general purpose Drag-Ride was different from normal Drag-Ride.
Therefore, Lux was unable to predict what kind of structure the contained parts and frame had.
(I made a big mistake. How can I only notice such thing after this late.)
The talent of developing Drag-Ride that Lisha nurtured.
He realized its troublesomeness once more now that she turned into enemy.
Most likely, Lisha who was under the effect of the world revision could only recognize Lux as an impostor.
(Then, I’ll forcefully make her unable to fight and capture her once more. I’ll end this fight without making Lisha-sama get burdened with the anguish and sin of defeating her majesty Raffi!)
If he couldn’t aim at the Force Core, he would destroy Tiamat’s armor directly.
Lux decided his aim and drove his great sword into consecutive attacks but, it was tough.
(Chaos Brand’s blade won’t go through! It’s the defense barrier that Wyrm Claw generated!)
Tiamat’s barrier and was double layered by the barrier that was generated by Wyrm Claw above it.
His attack wouldn’t work like he wanted due to the obstruction of that defense that was specialized for close range combat.
Even so, he swung his sword in full force in order to make use the seconds where he was accelerated by several times.
──But, when he destroyed one of the additional arms, his accelerated time was cut off.
「Eat this-!」
The remaining Wyrm Claw.
The arm that was equipped with rare armament in the shape of drill rotated in high speed and stabbed forward.
Lux twisted his body to slip through that and strike the Over Unit with his great sword.
「……-! A!」
The after wave from the barrier of Wyrm Claw getting pierced made Lisha raised a faint pained voice, even so she drew out her Sword Device in a tight grip.
When Lux wondered what she was going to do with that, Lisha’s attack was already unleashed.
「──Break Purge!」
「Wha-……!」
She released the Over Unit, Wyrm Claw as buckshot that stopped Lux and Bahamut from attacking further.
While Lux was standing still due to that momentum and impact, Lisha and Tiamat leaped backward to take distance.
(This is bad……this is──)
Most likely Lisha was intending to switch into her remaining two Over Unit.
Wyvern Wing that strengthened the back wing and displayed high mobility, and Drake Horn that provided camouflage, jamming, investigation, and increased surprise attack capability.
It would be really troublesome if she used those two.
Therefore, Lux shifted the armor buckshot using Linker Pulse while forcefully chasing after the withdrawing Lisha.
He would decided the battle before she could summon and wear new Over Unit.
The moment he charged with that determination, Lux’s trajectory was changed to an unexpected direction. He floated up.
「──!?」
「Suppresor──, the gravity weighing you is zero now.」
The Divine Raiment of gravity manipulation that Tiamat possessed.
Because it was a powerful ability that one must be the most vigilant against, Lux always kept it in the corner of his mind.
There would be no damage from strong pressure from having his weight lightened like this, but it was a really troublesome phenomenon in the aspect of disrupting his action.
Even against a flying type Divine Drag-Ride like Bahamut, its mobility would be drastically disordered just by lightening the gravity slightly.
Executing the movement that he planned would become abnormally difficult with this.
No matter how much of an expert Lux was in piloting Drag-Ride, he wouldn’t be able to deal with it because he never experienced such situation.
*DON-!*
「Ua……!」
His flight trajectory to pursue the retreating Lisha was shifted and he crashed on a tall and big tree.
He immediately tried changing direction to deal with the weightlessness, but at that time Lisha already finished switching her Over Unit.
「Drake Horn! Eat this again! ──Suppressor!」
*Gakun!* Bahamut’s altitude decreased and it was instantly pressed on the ground.
This time the burden of heavy gravity was pressed on him and his movement was completely sealed.
「Gu……! UaAAAH……!」
Because the Divine Raiment was strengthened by Drake Horn, an unprecedented heavy gravity attacked Lux and Bahamut.
That force that was incomparable to the time when he first fought Lisha didn’t allow him to endure.
Not just Bahamut’s armor, his flesh body was also screaming.
(How? She applied Suppressor……she used Divine Raiment while switching Over Unit? Such thing is──)
Using special armament or Divine Raiment that put a great burden on the user at the same time required terrifying amount of stamina and mental strength.
Especially Lisha who had the tendency to favor the use of ability or weapon with high firepower despite her relatively few stamina, that was her only distinctive weak point.
However her strength right now, it was in the level of Yoruka or Celis, or perhaps Philuffy when she released her power of Abyss──no, it was even more than that.
Looking carefully, something like steam was faintly rising up from Lisha’s body.
Lux who didn’t know the circumstance had no way to know but, the power of Baptism that was applied to Lisha’s body was the accumulation and burning of energy.
She 『accumulated』 beforehand──that was to say that in order for her to exert power, she accumulated energy from her daily life bit by bit, and when she turned on her mental switch when push came to shove, she could 『burn』 that accumulated energy and unleashed it all at once.
That was to say, it was a Baptism that complemented Lisha’s weak point until now so that she could use Divine Raiment, special armament, and Over Unit fully.
It took time like this until she could use that power to transform her physical ability that she didn’t have before, but the power when it was activated was terrific.
(It’s impossible……. At this rate, I won’t be able to endure……! I’ll, die……!)
He sent Lisha a pleading gaze, but he couldn’t see any hesitation in her resolve.
He was at a lost whether he should call out to Lisha in the attempt to make her notice that he was Lux and dispelled the binding of world revision.
But──.
(No, I can’t do that. If she learn what I’m trying to do, Lisha-sama will be hurt and sad. Right now I’m the leader of Azure Division who is trying to destroy the New Kingdom in the end──)
Lux resolved himself like tha and exerted his last strength.
Lux too also tried to liberate the power of Baptism residing in his body but──.
「Ugu, ah……!」
His focus was shaken and cut off before he could activate it.
(Why? Is it because I’m tired? Or else──)
Was it because he was being harmed by the damage from Suppressor’s pressure.
Lux was visited by a bad condition from unknown cause, even so he kept resisting.
He barely scrapped together his Drag-Ride’s energy. Then before his frame was completely breaking apart, he activated Bahamut’s Divine Raiment.
「──Reload on Fire!」
The first five seconds of compression strengthening.
The target of the phenomenon of extreme deceleration was the gravity pressure on Lux.
He extremely reduced the gravity pressing down on him and closed in to Lisha using that opening.
「──Howling Roar!」
Even that move was predicted. Lisha unleashed the Howling Roar that had been strengthened several times over by Drake Horn.
However Lux was also the same.
If it was Lisha in her current full power state that used all her special armament and Divine Raiment to the maximum degree, there was no way that she wouldn’t at least take such countermeasure──.
「──HAaAAAH!」
Faster than the flood of whirling shockwave could blow Lux away, Chaos Brand’s tip stabbed at Drake Horn.
It barely hit and half-destroyed it, but Lux was showered by a terrific shockwave of Howling Roar from below and he was blown away to the air.
「Uh, gu……. Ah……!」
Bahamut’s endurance limit was crossed and his armor was crumbling to pieces.
He should have decided the battle using all his strength before his remaining stamina ran out, but he didn’t understand how he was beaten up to this degree.
Of course he had the self-awareness that he had done extremely reckless things all that time he was facing powerful opponents, but,
(Is this, the way I fight until now? Something, is strange……)
Even though he should have given his best effort, it was like he was just going round in circles.
Lux was imprisoned in such strange mood.
The eyes of Lux who was thrown up saw the grey sky that was snowing.
He was already mostly running out of strength.
The world revision by that Uroboros.
Since he noticed the strangeness of the looping parade until reaching this point, his mind was stretched tightly all this time. It felt like the tension would burst anytime.
(Not, yet…… I──)
He had to save the New Kingdom, this country.
The face of everyone in the Academy, the face of the members of Syvalles.
Krulcifer, Philuffy, Celis, Yoruka, Airi, the Triad.
At the end Lisha’s face floated in Lux’s mind.
「Lisha-sama, I……. I’m ─」
He muttered hollowly while instinctually fixing the posture of his Drag-Ride. In that instant.
──*GAUNN-!(
A sharp impact pierced through his whole body. Lux vomited blood.
「Gah──!」
When he noticed, a shadow that flew up from the forest far below──Lisha who was clad in Tiamat slashed him with her Blade.
The Over Unit that strengthened mobility, Wyvern Wing.
Due to that terrific acceleration, she closed in until short distance in one go and struck a direct hit without him being able to even react.
(Aa──. ……I can’t, go on anymore)
Strength left his whole body. His consciousness was getting far away.
Bahamut’s armor was dispelled. Lux was starting to free fall from the sky wearing only a pilot suit.
(So in the end, I couldn’t do it)
Just like what Fugil said, he didn’t have any caliber as king.
He pursued his ideal too much, but in the end he couldn’t save anyone.
That was all there was to it.
(However──, Lisha-sama)
He felt apologetic that he would disappear like this, at the same time he thought that if it her then he could leave New Kingdom to her.
Even if Queen Raffi carried out the world revision again after this, Lisha would receive the affection of the queen and she might be able to live without realizing the truth forever.
She might make the righteous government that Lux wished for came true.
(Then, perhaps it’s fine……. Sayonara, Lisha-sama.)
That instant when he was going to gave up everything and let go of his consciousness.
「…………」
「Where is the real you? Where are you, Lux──」
The face of the princess who was turning back and looking down on him falling down looked really sad.
「────」
Right after that, Lux’s consciousness was cut off.
Without even noticing the black shadow of terrible omen that was occurring in a part of the Ancient Forest.
──And then.
「Lux-kun!」
Without also noticing the voice of the blue haired girl who saved him just before he crashed on the ground.
.
「Fugil……. It seems that Raffi Atismata started to change. As expected, she cannot keep hold of her consciousness when she fused with Sacred Eclipse with her human body.」
Near the center of the Ancient Forest.
Near the lake that was the boundary line when they first faced the Azure Division, Fugil and the Automata who managed Avalon, Arshalia were looking up to the snowing sky.
Raffi’s change.
Raffi was preserving her thought as human relatively well after she fused with Sacred Eclipse, but anomaly was gradually coming to her mind.
「If she has advanced until that state, the it will start moving soon……perhaps. It will be a repeat of the phenomenon that occurred several hundred years ago in this Ancient Forest.」
Sacred Eclipse was a system that projected human’s will and brought salvation using Elixir.
And then, it was also a regulation system that would react to human’s desire, hatred, or hostility, carried out massacre, and absorbed energy.
The latter half of the function wasn’t something that was installed by Arshalia who wished for the world’s salvation. The traitor at that time killed Arshalia and then added it on their own convenience.
That was the conjecture formed from the situation.
Raffi lost against her own impulse and ate the humans who opposed her. She absorbed those people’s fear, hatred, and resentment.
.
「Guah! Oua……! UOOOOOO, goh!」
.
*Crunch crunch, snap snap*
It was a sound that was unthinkable to come from human. No, even Abyss wouldn’t produce such grotesque sound. Such sound resounded from behind a tree right nearby.
Raffi loved Lisha who looked up to her. She was her heart’s support.
However, even that memory would soon vanish.
The greatest and strongest humanoid Ragnarok devoured the countless thought of those who opposed her and transformed into a monster that would lead the world to destruction.
.
She wished for even more destruction and massacre.
With the thought of people getting absorbed and integrated in, the will of salvation was gradually being overwritten. At that time when it reached the last stop, Sacred Eclipse would end the world.
It would eliminate the whole surrounding without any trace.
All living things gathering in this Ancient Forest would return to nothingness and it would make the world to redo back from zero.
And then Fugil would use world revision through Uroboros and made them forgot their memory regarding the Ruins.
The world that lost its fighting strength with the top ranked Drag-Knights mostly annihilated would obtain equilibrium once more.
Fugil’s mission was nothing more than an extreme repeat of destruction and resurrection.
He would assure that the system called Sacred Eclipse created by Arshalia to save the world would continue.
He existed just for that.
「Another failure huh. No──it’s not. Arshalia, we still don’t know. As long as your dream is still alive──」
The ideal of peace that was broken and taken away by someone else.
But, if malice was also the will of human, then Fugil decided to see it through till the end.
Without giving up, he was pursuing the possibility of people choosing the correct path and Sacred Eclipse functioning correctly.
Fugil was waiting for a hero that he was unable to become to appear in the world.
「If I give up, then everything will be over there. In that case, let’s make them forget everything and repeat it again. For eternity.」
「…………」
.
「Gugoh! Gogoou……! Ogogogogooooooo, guoh!」
.
Raffi and Sacred Eclipse were changing into something unknown. Fugil didn’t even pay them any mind and looked up to the sky while talking to himself.
The Automata that was the substitute of the girl he loved was standing still without saying anything.
