Published at 17th of August 2019 8:11 am

Volume 8.5, Chapter 5: The Silver Princess and The Blue Knight

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

Ever since Koutarou obtained Signaltin, the reborn Forthorthe army's advance had been unstoppable.

The rumor of Koutarou repelling the fire dragon emperor, Alunaya, spread throughout Forthorthe like a wildfire, and even more people and supplies gathered for them. At this rate, the Forthorthe army would come out victorious. As a result, the band of knights that were still on the fence joined the Forthorthe army one after another, and their forces drastically increased. Their force was now more than capable of taking on the coup d'état army.

Meanwhile, the coup d'état's forces were constantly diminishing. The worry that they would lose to an opponent who could repel dragons and still carry on strong spread throughout the coup d'état army. As a result, morale dropped and a lot of people defected. If Alunaya, who had gone missing, reappeared, they would probably be able to overturn their current situation, but there was no sign of that happening. Because of that, the coup d'état's army situation kept deteriorating.

Even though there was almost no difference in their forces, with a low morale, even winnable wars would be lost. While the Forthorthe army's proficiency increased, the coup d'état army was ill prepared and they lost battles all over the country. And that just made the situation even worse.

As a result, the reborn Forthorthe army was able to smoothly advance without Koutarou even needing to use Signaltin. Because of that, by the time the first snowflake fell, the Forthorthe army was approaching the capital, Fornorn.

Koutarou and Clan were staring at the 3D image created by Clan's bracelet. There, they could see a brick cityscape. In the modern age, it would be considered old-fashioned, but in this age, it was beautiful and without peer. As expected of the capital of an imperial country; the villages and towns they had seen were nothing compared to this.

“So this is the capital Fornorn huh... it's quite large.”

“It's the largest city on this continent. It's equipped with water and sewage, and I've even heard there are street lights.”

The population of Fornorn was over 100,000. When compared to historical cities on Earth it was a very large city. Before the invention of the steam engine, there was a limit to how large a city could become compared to the modern age. Because of that, a population of 100,000 in this age was more than enough to call Fornorn a metropolis.

And because it was a such a large city, the force stationed there was large. Since it was the capital, around 10,000 soldiers should be waiting for them. If the coup d'état army was to mobilize all their forces, that number could become several times larger, but since those forces were busy suppressing riots and maintaining the borders, their number wouldn't rise past 10,000. Even then that was quite the force.

“Still... it's strange.”

“That's true. Why haven't they deployed any soldiers?”

“Who knows... but it would be troublesome if they used a scorched earth strategy...”

The reborn Forthorthe army had deployed to surround the city portion of Fornorn. Their numbers were around 8,000, but with reinforcement on the way, that number would be closer to 10,000.

Despite that, the coup d'état army showed no signs of intercepting them. They should have around 10,000 men, but they hadn't been deployed. They hadn't even set up a position to defend.

“Princess Alaia doesn't want that kind of battle.”

“How rude, the same is true for me too.”

“Sorry, Clan.”

“Just how long is it going to take for you to acknowledge that I am a princess?”

“I said I'm sorry.”

What Koutarou and Clan worried about was that the coup d'état army had deployed their soldiers inside the city. If that was the case, there would be a lot of damage if a battle were to occur, and there would be no point in attacking Fornorn. If the capital was reduced to ashes so the masterminds behind the coup d'état could be captured, the damage done would be worse than when the coup d'état had happened.

“More importantly, if that's their goal, we need to find a way to attack the palace.”

“...More importantly huh? Geez... Repairs on the Cradle will be finished soon. If we use that, it might be possible.”

“Alright... gather some more information Clan. You should focus on the barracks.”

“I understand. I'll gather more in-depth information before the reconnaissance team returns.”

Because of those circumstances, Koutarou and the others were careful in attacking Fornorn. Considering what would happen after the war, it wasn't enough to repress the coup d'état army. That was the tricky part in civil wars: if they fought in a way that could lead to further riots or uprisings, the civil war would never end. Both Forthorthe and Earth's history proved that.

“Your excellency!!”

At that time, the young man who served as Koutarou's adjutant jumped into Koutarou and Clan's tent. Normally he wouldn't do something like that, he would always stop by the entrance. So the very fact that he had entered the tent meant that something serious had happened.

“Calm down, what happened?”

Koutarou asked the young man what was the matter. He could tell that it was something important, but he wouldn't be able to understand with his adjutant panicking. In order to settle him down, Koutarou replied in a calm tone.

“W-Well, the coup d'état army has surrendered!!”

“What!?”

“W-What!?”

However, upon hearing his report, neither Koutarou nor Clan could remain calm.

The reason the coup d'état army had surrendered was because the masterminds, Maxfern and Grevanas, were absent.

Maxfern and Grevanas had vanished a few days ago and had never been seen since. At the same time, the alchemists and court magicians had vanished as well. They had left, taking only their protégés with them.

They had left the coup d'état army without leaving any specific orders. Like a child who had grown tired of a toy, they didn't seem to care anymore.

“...And since we don't want to go to battle either, we are now surrendering.”

“Even if you say that, it's hard to believe...”

Though the coup d'état army's messenger had explained the circumstances, Koutarou was perplexed. He understood what the messenger was saying, but it was hard for him to take that as the truth.

“I can understand that you feel that way. But it is the truth.”

The coup d'état army's messenger seemed to be perplexed by the situation as well. And he had been desperately attempting to make Koutarou understand that.

“Your excellency, I have sent troops to confirm it. What he said is all true. Maxfern and the others are nowhere to be found in the palace, and the alchemist research facilities and the magician's tower were empty as well.”

The adjutant had confirmed that the messenger was speaking the truth.

“Hmm... I understand. It seems like a problematic situation for both sides.”

“I am glad you understand.”

Even though it was an incomprehensible situation, it was the truth. Maxfern and Grevanas had abandoned the coup d'état army and vanished.

“Clan.”

Having understood the situation, Koutarou beckoned Clan over. Once she came closer, Koutarou whispered to her.

“...What's going on? This is completely different from the manuscript.”

“...I don't know either. According to history, the Blue Knight fought against Maxfern and Grevanas.”

In both Theia's manuscript and in Forthorthe's history, the Blue Knight fought Maxfern and Grevanas. Though there were differences in how the battle developed in each history book, the fact that they fought was the truth.

Despite that, even though they had made it to the capital, Maxfern and Grevanas were nowhere to be seen. Theia's manuscript had been written using a history book where the final battle took place at Fornorn. And based on how history progressed, that was natural. Because of that, this end was unexpected.

“...If history is different from the manuscript, what happens next?”

“...It doesn't feel right, but Alaia has to become empress, so let's start working towards that.”

“...Alright, let's do that.”

After his private talk with Clan, Koutarou informed the messenger.

“We will accept the coup d'état's surrender. Prepare to let us in right away.”

“T-Thank you very much, your excellency!!”

Hearing Koutarou's answer, the messenger’s expression brightened up.

He himself was confused by the current situation. There was a chance that Koutarou wouldn't believe him and suspect that it might be a trap, so he had come knowing he might be killed. So he was truly relieved. With this, the war was over and he could return to his family. Those emotions turned to tears and streamed down his cheeks.

“Geez...”

Koutarou let out a small sigh and dropped his shoulders. Seeing that, Clan furrowed her brows.

“It's still too early to relax, Bertorion.”

“Well, I know, but... it's better that the war ends.”

“That's true. It's not like I don't understand how you feel.”

No matter how many times he experienced it, Koutarou couldn't get used to war. He felt it was best if he could carry on without fighting anymore. Though the change in history bothered him, Koutarou still couldn't help but feel relieved. The same was true for Clan; though she said not to relax, she was secretly relieved as well.

However, the battle wouldn't end yet.

“Bertorion, this is terrible!!”

The atmosphere in the tent was becoming more relaxed as they could see the end of the war. That was when Flair jumped in with the blood drained from her face.

“Princess Alaia and princess Charl have been kidnapped by Maxfern!!”

Flair delivered a message that would raise the curtain to the final battle.

Part 2

While Koutarou and the others had been distracted by the capital, Maxfern had ambushed Alaia's forces that were positioned in the rear. With the entirety of the coup d'état army left in Fornorn, nobody expected an ambush at this timing.

Maxfern had used a flock of abnormal-looking winged monsters to attack. They had been summoned by Grevanas and his court magicians, and attacked Alaia and her forces at their command. Suffering an attack from the sky by an army that shouldn't exist, the reborn Forthorthe army was broken up and Alaia and Charl were kidnapped.

Alongside Alaia and Charl, Mary and Fauna had also been kidnapped as they were all in the same tent.

After that, Maxfern left the Forthorthe army an odd message. It stated that Koutarou should come to the castle at Nariachal without moving the army.

“Oh yeah, what kind of place is the castle at Nariachal?”

While riding on a horse, Koutarou called out to Lidith who was nearby. The name Nariachal hadn't appeared in Theia's manuscript, so Koutarou was unfamiliar with it.

“Nariachal is northwest of Fornorn. It's an old castle that the Maxfern family used to manage. It fell out of use around the time Fornorn was being built, and now it should be empty.”

Lidith answered Koutarou's question while skillfully controlling her horse. She was a far better rider than Koutarou was. Thanks to that, she was able to dexterously match Koutarou's speed while speaking.

“It's without a doubt a trap, Bertorion.”

Clan was riding together with Flair on another horse as she could only make a horse walk at best. She wasn't the best at physical activities after all. Clan was desperately holding onto Flair trying not to fall off. But even as she did that, she was still worried for Koutarou.

“They're going to kill Alaia-san and the others either way. They probably just want to get rid of you before that.”

To Maxfern and Grevanas who had started this coup d'état, Alaia and Charl were just a nuisance. To them, killing both would be the most efficient way for their coup d'état to succeed. So Alaia and Charl would be killed eventually. It didn't matter if Koutarou came or not.

Currently, Koutarou was in more danger than Alaia and Charl. If Alaia and Charl were to die, Koutarou, as the army commander, could declare an avenging battle and things would become troublesome for the masterminds. It was possible that the Forthorthe army would gain momentum, rather than lose it. In order to avoid that, it would be better if it was uncertain whether Koutarou, Alaia and Charl were alive or dead. Even if they were actually dead, by making the people believe that they might still be alive, they could avoid the citizens’ feelings concentrating on one point.

“However, I won't let them do that! No matter what happens, I'll save the princesses! Even if I were to lose my life!”

Flair's expression filled with rage and she whipped her horse. Her rage was intense. Since she was always so serious, she held a strong hate for Maxfern who had taken her highly esteemed master hostage.

“Please calm down, Lord Pardomshiha. If I let you die, princess Alaia will scold me.”

“But Bertorion, there's no point in being careful if princess Alaia and princess Charl were to die!”

Flair was in a rush. To her, something that should never happen had occurred. So not a trace of composure could be found in the normally dignified girl.

“Slow your horse down a little please, Lord Pardomshiha. At this rate, your horse will pass out before we get there.”

“...Ugh, s-sorry...”

Flair blushed a little, listened to Koutarou's advice and slowed down. If she hurried her horse too much, she would end up not reaching their destination. And if Flair tried too hard, she wouldn't be able to accomplish her goal either. Realizing that she was getting too flustered, Flair admonished herself.

“Still, what are we going to do, Blue Knight?”

Caris who was sitting on a flying cane came up next to Koutarou. In her case, she was better at flying with her cane than riding on a horse. She was flying backwards as she faced Koutarou.

“If we keep going like this, we'll walk right into their trap. And there's just the five of us. There's a limit to what we can do.”

In total there were five people heading towards Nariachal; Koutarou, Lidith, Flair, Clan and Caris. There numbers were far too few to save a princess. And knowing that they were heading into a trap, anyone would be worried, not just Caris.

“Well, I guess we can't get too hung up on details... Clan.”

“What's with that face?”

Clan was instinctively worried when she saw Koutarou's serious expression. At times like these, Koutarou would always say something reckless.

“You didn't come up something stupid again, did you?”

“It might be. Clan, we can't be picky in this situation. We'll need to use any method we can to save princess Alaia and the others.”

“..Are you sure?”

Clan pointed at the surrounding girls with her eyes. Any method meant using all equipment onboard the Cradle. That would be the same as just telling Flair and the others who they are. It was on a completely different level from being seen flying and using some advanced weaponry. Doing that, the chances of not being able of returning to their own world were very high.

“Yeah. The end is near, and it's just like Caris said. There's a limit to what we can do with just five of us.”

“...I understand.”

Clan nodded her head. Though there was a risk, Clan believed that Koutarou's decision was correct. They could trust Flair and the others, and they did have too few people. They would rather accept the risk of having their identities found out than losing Alaia and Charl.

“And prepare that too, we might need it.”

“T-That too!? I'm still in the process of adjusting it and―”

“Like I said, we can't get too hung up on details.”

Koutarou grinned as he said that. It was a mean smile he would show when telling Clan a dark joke, but this time it was a little different. Seeing that face, it hit Clan.

“...Bertorion, could you possibly be unbelievably angry?”

It looked like Koutarou was behaving calmly to Clan. However, she could sense an intense rage hidden behind his smile. Maxfern and Grevanas had touched something that they shouldn't have.

“No, I'm calm.”

Koutarou touched the insignia of rank on his chest as he said that.

“...Calm is it... Geez, this might not end so well...”

Now, Clan was certain that Koutarou was angry. He was only acting calm so that he wouldn't worry the people around them.

I see, there was no way I ever had a chance of winning against such a nonsensical man...

Koutarou must have been the same when she had fought him. Having realized the reason for her own defeat, Clan could sense that the battle they were riding towards was going to be fierce.

Part 3

Having been taken to the old castle at Nariachal, Alaia and the others were confined in its dungeon. However, after spending some hours in the dungeon, they had been taken to the castle's garden.

It was a very lonely garden. Since it was positioned between the gate and the castle, it had a lot of plants and statues in the past, colorfully greeting the visitors. However since this castle hadn't been used for a long time, there had been no people to maintain it, and the garden was in ruins. The plants had all withered, the sculptures were cracked, and sand had filled the fountain. The ruined garden over 100 meters long was exceptionally lonely.

Alaia and the others were brought onto the garden and bound to wooden stakes driven into the ground. The binds were strong, and Alaia and the others had no hope of breaking free. In that situation, it was hard to remain calm. This situation was especially taxing on the young Charl.

“...What's going to happen to us now?”

Filled with anxiety, Charl let out a small sigh and furrowed her brows. Seeing that, Fauna and Mary smiled and encouraged Charl.

“We'll be fine! There's no way these villains can do anything!”

“That's right, Reios-sama will definitely come save us!”

That was all the girls could do as they were unable to move.

“I know! I know that! But...”

“Charl... you are scared that Reios-sama will come, are you not?”

Alaia was painfully aware of how Charl felt. Neither Alaia nor Charl doubted that Koutarou would come save them. That's why they were scared.

“Sister! Blue Knight is an idiot, so he'll definitely come! And he'll be killed trying to save us!”

“Charl...”

Koutarou wouldn't be able to do anything if Alaia and the others were used as hostages. Koutarou would face danger for their sake, and would most likely be killed. That was the unavoidable truth, and that terrified the two.

“It will be fine, Charl. Reios-sama will definitely win. Our Blue Knight won't die that easily.”

Alaia continued speaking to Charl as if trying to convince herself.

However, Alaia believed otherwise. Koutarou would definitely come, and then let himself be killed without putting up a fight. Alaia knew just what kind of person Koutarou was. That's why she loved him. However, she couldn't tell her little sister, who was trembling in anxiety, that Koutarou would likely be killed.

Please, don't come, Koutarou-sama... I wouldn't mind, no matter the reason...

All Alaia could do was pray. She suppressed the feelings of wanting to cry and desperately tried to show Charl a smile.

“There's no need to worry, princess Alaia, princess Charl. As long as the Blue Knight listens to us, there won't be a need to kill him.”

“Maxfern!”

Before they knew it, Maxfern appeared besides Alaia and the others. Biorbaram Maxfern, he had been a minister of Forthorthe for a long while. However, he had been the person who killed Alaia's parents and brought war on the country. In front of a person like that, not even Alaia could conceal her anger. Alaia's smile vanished in an instant and she glared at Maxfern with a harsh expression.

“You're full of lies...”

“That's not true.”

Maxfern brushed off Alaia's glare and showed what looked to be a tender smile at first glance. However, it was obvious that it was just for show.

“As long as the Blue Knight agrees to our demands, it'll be impossible for him to bring harm to us. A lion has no reason to crush a single ant.”

At this time, Maxfern was overflowing with strange confidence. He was convinced of his own victory. And he didn't seem to be interested in Koutarou's life. His tone and behavior sounded that confident.

Where does this confidence come from...?

Alaia felt something eerie about that and was at loss of words at the unspeakable uneasiness.

“Maxfern-sama, it seems the knight in question has come.”

The nearby former head of the court magicians, Grevanas, pointed towards the gate on the other side of the garden.

“So you've come, Blue Knight... fufufu, he's an exemplary knight alright. How excellent...”

Looking in the direction Grevanas had pointed, Maxfern laughed, satisfied. The time he had been waiting for had come.

“Blue Knight!”

“...Ah... Koutarou-sama... why...”

By the wide open large gate was a knight in blue armor. Alaia could tell it was Koutarou, even from afar.

Koutarou had come here alone. After getting off his horse, Koutarou looked around the garden. During that time, Koutarou and Alaia's eyes met for an instant. During that instant, Koutarou showed a gentle smile before quickly returning to his serious expression. Koutarou knew that now wasn't the time to be happy.

“You can't, Reios-sama!! This is a trap!!”

Koutarou walked straight towards the center of the garden. His steps were slow but firm. Because of that, Alaia could tell just what kind of resolution Koutarou had when he had come here.

“Don't bother with us!! Maxfern will kill us anyways!!”

Despite knowing that, Alaia shouted. She was desperately trying to stop Koutarou.

“Please don't worry, I'll save all of you soon.”

However, Koutarou wouldn't stop. He continued walking without breaking rhythm and he had now reached the center of the garden.

“...I see he's brought that.”

Once Koutarou got closer, Maxfern stared at him for a moment before smiling and stroking his beard.

“It looks like it. I can detect its magic.”

The magician, Grevanas, wasn't looking at Koutarou with just his eyes, but also with his magic. He could see dense magic power filling Koutarou's body. Everything seemed to be going just like Maxfern and Grevanas had planned.

“Confirm if it's the real deal or not, right away.”

“As you wish.”

Grevanas raised his hand. As he did, an absurd looking creation appeared.

It had the body of a carnivorous animal standing upright, its head looked similar to a reptile’s and on its back were large wings. It was an absurd appearance that looked like several creatures mixed together. It was a creature that Grevanas and his court magicians had summoned from a different world they called Hell.

“Go!”

Grevanas swung his hand down towards Koutarou. The monster flapped with its large wings and flew into the air. Those wings weren't just for show.

“W-What's that!?”

Koutarou only first noticed the monster's existence when it flew up. Even he was at a loss for words when he saw its absurd appearance. However, Koutarou had seen all kinds of creatures since he had come to Forthorthe. The horses had horns, and the lizards had wings. And a while ago he had seen a giant dragon. As a result, he had built up somewhat of a resistance towards strange creatures.

“I see, so that's the demon that kidnapped her highness and the others!”

Koutarou had heard about the bizarre monster, the demon, from the men in Alaia's force. A flock of beasts that walked upright and flew across the sky had kidnapped Alaia and the others. Their description matched this creature perfectly.

“However, it's not something I can't defeat!”

Because of those various circumstances, Koutarou drew his sword without flinching.

Compared to that dragon, this demon is nothing! Besides, I have this sword!

The sword Koutarou had drawn was Signaltin. His new power, given to him by Alaia.

“Hyaaaaaaaah!!”

The demon screeched loudly, flapped it large wings and charged towards Koutarou.

“Bring it!!”

Koutarou shouted right back and pointed his sword towards the demon. As he did, the silver sword felt Koutarou's will to fight and began shooting pure-white light.

A pulse... I see, this is from princess Alaia...

Koutarou could feel a gentle warmth from the light. He had a recollection of that sensation. It was the same warmth he had felt during their dance, and when he had been injured, when they had held hands.

“You're quite unlucky―”

Koutarou was confident that while this light was still glowing, he couldn't lose. There was no way he could, because Alaia was at his side, protecting him.

“―I'm in an extremely bad mood today!!”

Koutarou swung his sword down with all of his might. His target was the demon's face. He was aiming for a counter attack as the demon thrust towards him with its mouth wide open.

“Hyaaaaaah!! Gugegegege!!”

However, the demon's movements were swift. It skillfully moved its wings and tail, dodging Koutarou's attack. As a result, Koutarou's attack merely scratched the demon's tail.

“It missed!?”

“Gegege, gegege.”

The demon that had escaped into the sky looked down on Koutarou and ridiculed him, taunting him, as if saying that his attacks would never connect.

“...Quite impressive.”

Koutarou looked up at the demon and felt admiration. However, that wasn't directed towards the demon's quickness. No, Koutarou felt admiration for something else.

“Huhyah!? Gyaoo!?

That was when the demon noticed what Koutarou was looking at, and that was its own tail. Strangely enough, about several dozen centimeters had disappeared off the demon's tail.

“Gugaaaa, Hyaaaaaaaah!!”

What's more, that disappearance was continuing even now. The section of the tail was shining white, and its glow was gradually melting the tail. The light eventually ate up the demon's body and spread to the demon's body.

“Guga, Aaaaaa, Gugyaaaa!! Ga―”

The demon's screams suddenly stopped. It couldn't scream, even if it wanted to. The light had devoured the demon's entire body and now only its head remained. The demon tried to let out a fearful scream, but without a throat, it could no longer do so. Eventually, even the demons head disappeared. All there was left behind was a handful of ash. And as it fell towards the ground, it was blown away by the wind.

Maxfern, who was watching that spectacle excitedly turned to Grevanas.

“Grevanas, did that demon die?”

“No.”

In contrast to Maxfern, Grevanas was calm, and he explained what had just happened.

“When a demon is summoned into this world, it creates a body by hardening magic power. That sword eliminated that magic and forcibly sent the demon back to hell.”

“Forcibly sent back to hell from just a scratch... how interesting.”

“Of course, it might die as a reaction from that...”

“Either way, what splendid power! It's beyond expectation.”

“Yes. It seems to be the genuine sword.”

Despite their subordinate demon being defeated, neither Maxfern nor Grevanas were shaken. If anything, they almost seemed happy.

“Just what are you doing sending something like that at me? I came just as you told me too.”

Koutarou stopped and called out to Maxfern. Since he couldn't tell what Maxfern was after, Koutarou proceeded carefully.

“Sorry about that Blue Knight. I couldn't tell if you were the real one or not. I'd like to apologize for the rough welcome.”

“...So you are Maxfern?”

Koutarou didn't know what Maxfern looked like. He had been told by Lidith that Maxfern was a middle aged man with a long beard, but this was the first time they had met.

“Indeed. I am Biorbaram Maxfern. The man who will become king of this world.”

Maxfern introduced himself in a dignified manner. His majestic behavior was indeed fit for the title of king. If he wasn't full of greed, that is.

“The king of the world... that's quite bold. Do you really think you can become king?”

“Of course. That's why I had you come.”

“Me...?”

Koutarou was perplexed.

Does he think he'll become the king of the world by killing me? That's just...

Maxfern had called for Koutarou so he could kill him, using Alaia as a hostage. That's what Koutarou believed. But if you could become king by killing an ordinary high schooler, the world would be overflowing with kings. Koutarou couldn't follow Maxfern's train of thought.

“It couldn't be...”

However, that was when Alaia's expression changed. Koutarou didn't understand, but Alaia understood what Maxfern was after.

“Maxfern, could it be that everything was just for that!?”

“But of course! As expected from the silver princess, known for her wisdom! It seems princess Alaia understands everything! Fuhahahaha!!”

Alaia was at a complete loss for words, while Maxfern was laughing out loud. He then reached his right hand out towards Koutarou and declared.

“Alright then, Blue Knight, let's finish up our business! Once that's done I'll give you back her highness!”

Maxfern's voice sounded like he was jeering at Koutarou and Alaia.

“Now, hand over that sword!! That holy sword that will make its wielder the king of the world!!”

It was as if he was trying to grasp the world with his extended right hand.

Part 4

Maxfern's goal wasn't to take over the empire of Forthorthe. His goal had always been Signaltin, or more precisely, the holy sword that held the goddess of dawn's power in it, which was said to give its wielder a claim to the throne. The royal family's national treasure, the holy sword said to cut open the future and lead its user to the throne. By obtaining that, Maxfern would aim to become king of the world.

However, the seal used to confine the sword was strong, and not even the combined force of the court magicians could break it.

So at first Maxfern threatened to kill Alaia and Charl to make the emperor break the seal. However, even then the emperor wouldn't do so. Even if his daughters’ lives were in danger, he wouldn't assist Maxfern's ambition of using the holy sword to rule the world.

So Maxfern changed his plans. The holy sword's seal would only be broken if the country was in a true crisis. So he assassinated the emperor and empress and started the coup d'état in order to create that crisis. The coup d'état wasn't his goal, but his method.

Next, Maxfern let Alaia, who had no idea of what was happening, escape. Alaia and the others hadn't been able to escape on their own, Maxfern had created an escape route for them.

So when Maxfern's niece, Lidith, let Alaia escape, he felt like hugging and praising her. Lidith's actions were exactly what he had hoped for.

Ever since then, Maxfern had kept watch of Alaia, and at the same time made sure she always felt a moderate sense of danger. He would send pursuers after her, and even poison the village she was hiding in. His goal of doing that was to make Alaia believe that this was a true national crisis.

That's why Caris's mission had only been to monitor Alaia, and why Dextro hadn't been permitted to directly kill Alaia. It was all to make Alaia believe this was a national crisis, so she would break the seal on the holy sword.

However, he had made one miscalculation, and that was the Blue Knight's, Koutarou's, existence.

Ever since Koutarou had appeared, Maxfern's plans had continued to fail. The pursuers were defeated, the poison was treated and the steel giant had been defeated. Their attacks on the base ended up as failures, and stopping the Forthorthe army's advance was not possible. What's more, Koutarou's existence gave Alaia hope, and she began believing that the country could be saved as long as Koutarou was present, even though Maxfern wanted her to believe the holy sword was necessary.

So Maxfern changed his plans once more. He decided that the best way to make Alaia feel a good sense of danger was to target Koutarou's life.

Maxfern received reports from the spies he had planted inside the reborn Forthorthe army that Koutarou and Alaia were either lovers, or something close to that. If Koutarou's life was in danger, Maxfern suspected that Alaia would break the seal on the holy sword for the country's and for Koutarou's sake. Sending Alunaya and the assassins at Koutarou were all to that end.

As a result, the seal on the holy sword was broken, and the sword was now within Maxfern's reach. Though he had hated Koutarou at first, he now almost felt like thanking him.

Part 5

The moment Maxfern demanded Signaltin from Koutarou, Alaia let out a sorrowful voice similar to a scream.

“You killed father and mother for that!? You started a coup d'état, killed a lot of people, and cornered me, all to break the seal on that sword!?”

To Alaia, that was a situation that made her despair. Everything had been according to Maxfern's schemes. The Forthorthe army's uphill battle, the large amount of people dying and even Alaia's heart. Maxfern had manipulated all of it just to make Alaia break the sword's seal.

“That's right!! If I didn't, I would never get my hands on that sword!! And I would never be able to become king of the world!! I served the royal family for decades, just so I could get a chance!! Everything was all for this, princess Alaia!!”

This was the highlight of Maxfern's life. He had waited for this chance for several decades. If he could get his hands on Signaltin, everything would go as he planned. He could enjoy eternal life gained from the sword's powers, or he could turn his attention to world conquest. If he obtained the sword, the possibilities were endless. Maxfern no longer had anything to fear. The future was spreading out, infinitely, in front of him.

“...To think you were after this sword...”

This came as a surprise to Koutarou. In Theia's manuscript, Maxfern's goal had only been to take over the country. However, reality had been completely different from the manuscript from the start.

“Now, give that sword to me, Blue Knight. If you do, I'll safely return princess Alaia and the others to you. It shouldn't be a bad deal for you either.”

Maxfern crossed the garden and casually approached Koutarou. Maxfern was convinced that there was no way he wouldn't accept this deal.

“If you'd like, I could leave Forthorthe alone for a couple of hundred years. As long as I have that sword, I have all the time in the world.”

“Kuh...”

Koutarou began hesitating.

Should he hand over the sword and save Alaia and the others? Or should he defeat Maxfern here and save Forthorthe?

Koutarou could only chose one of the two.

“You can't, Koutarou-sama!! Even if it's for us, you can't give that sword to Maxfern!!”

Alaia wished for the latter, just like the former emperor had. However, then Alaia and the others would be killed.

If he chose the former, peace would return to Forthorthe for a while. However, if the sword had the powers Maxfern said it did, Alaia and Charl's descendants would eventually be trampled by Maxfern.

The end result would be the same, the only difference was how long it would take.

“But, your highness―”

“If you're my knight, then please realize my wish!! Please slay Maxfern and at least save yourself!!”

“That's right, Blue Knight!! You must live!! Live and protect Forthorthe!!”

“Shut those women up, Grevanas!!”

“Yes.”

Grevanas signaled to several of his subordinates nearby. They formed a circle around a big crystal in the center and started chanting something. The next moment, that appeared.

Something huge came crashing towards the ground at an incredibly speed. And just before it smashed into the ground, it flapped its large wings, reduced its speed and landed.

However, even then, the sound made when landing was terrific.

It was the fire dragon emperor, Alunaya.

Its over 20 meters giant body made both the earth and air shake.

“This is the dragon from that time!?”

“S-Sister!”

Although Alaia and Charl had remained courageous up until now, there was nothing they could do with Alunaya's gigantic body in front of them. All that the bound girls could do was hold their breaths with the dragon, who seemed to be brutality given form, in front of them.

“So you've come, monster...”

Koutarou instinctively raised Signaltin. Seeing that, Maxfern stopped Koutarou.

“Careful there, Blue Knight, you better not be thinking of something stupid. If you do anything out of the ordinary, Alunaya will bite down on the princesses with its sharp fangs.”

“Grrrrrrr.”

As if hearing what Maxfern said, Alunaya growled. It then opened its large mouth. If it were to close that mouth, Alaia and the others would be torn apart instantly. Since Koutarou was well of aware of their power, this threat had a big effect on Koutarou.

“Kuh.”

Koutarou stopped and lowered his sword.

“Good, that's right. As long as you obey, the princesses won't have to die.”

Maxfern began walking again. He was now right in front of Koutarou.

“Koutarou-sama...”

Alaia bit her lips. As expected, Koutarou couldn't abandon them. Him having pulled his sword was proof of that. In reality, he should cut down Maxfern where he stood. However, Koutarou couldn't do it. He would probably hand the sword over to Maxfern. There was no longer any way to prevent that.

Maxfern stopped in front of Koutarou and casually presented his right hand. He had a triumphant grin on his face.

“Now, Blue Knight. The sword.”

“...It's your win, Maxfern.”

Koutarou made an unpleasant expression and nodded, before extending his right hand and presenting Signaltin to Maxfern.

“Ooooooh, so it's finally in my hands, the holy sword!!”

Having received the sword, Maxfern raised it above his head. He looked like a child that had just gotten a new toy.

“We're in position!! Go ahead, Bertorion!!”

Clan's voice could be heard from his communication device.

“You're late, Clan!!”

The moment he heard Clan's voice, Koutarou made a fist and swung at Maxfern. His goal was of course to reclaim Signaltin. The time for a counter attack Koutarou had been waiting for was finally here.

“I can't help it! Since Alunaya appeared we had to change position!”

“I don't want to hear excuses!!”

“W-What!?”

Distracted by the sword, Maxfern was unable to dodge Koutarou's punch.

Receiving Koutarou's blow with his cheek, Maxfern turned over and collapsed. Koutarou quickly rushed up to Maxfern and tried to take the sword back.

“I won't let that happen.”

However, before Koutarou reached the sword, Grevanas cast a spell. His magical cane had a special magic built into it. It required neither incantation or motion to activate. It was an artifact that let the user cast a spell just by thinking it. The magical arrow created rained down and kept Koutarou away from Maxfern. Meanwhile, Maxfern got up and out of trouble.

“Damn it, kill Alaia and the others right away!!”

Maxfern was really angry after Koutarou's unexpected attack. He ordered the murder of Alaia and the others as revenge. The life of a princess was a price far too high to pay for a single punch. However, Maxfern couldn't forgive Koutarou punching him since he had now become king of the world.

“Do it!”

Grevanas ordered his subordinates to kill Alaia. The ring they had formed around the crystal relayed those orders to Alunaya.

“ROAAAAAAAR.”

The orders were swiftly conveyed to Alunaya and the dragon let out a roar. Its loud voice shook the atmosphere. The dragon opened his mouth wide and attacked Alaia and the others who were still bound.

However, just before the dragon's fangs reached Alaia and the others, a large explosion occurred by Alunaya's feet. The unexpected explosion caused Alunaya to lose its balance and it fell to the side.

The impact rivaled the explosion and Alunaya crushed the stone pavement with its fall.

“Uwah!?”

Thanks to the explosion, Alaia and the others avoided Alunaya's fangs, but it wasn't all positive. Fragments of the stone pavement Alunaya crushed shot towards Koutarou.

“Damn it, that's overdoing it, Clan.”

Koutarou landed on his butt after getting hit by a ten centimeter big rock. It was all thanks to the armor's barrier that it ended with just him falling down. If it wasn't for the barrier, something terrible would have happened to Koutarou.

“What was I supposed to do!? The dragon just suddenly appeared so I couldn't make any fine adjustments!!”

The explosion had come from a bomb Clan had set. Clan could become invisible using an invention she had made herself. And while Koutarou was distracting Maxfern and the others, she had snuck up and planted the bomb.

Using the opportunity give to them by the explosion, Flair and the others used the same device as Clan to save Alaia and the others. That was the rescue plan Koutarou and Clan had come up with.

“Bertorion, we've saved princess Alaia and the others!!”

The plan was a success, and Alaia and the others were now free once more. Koutarou could see everyone meet up at the edge of his view.

“Alright!”

All that was left was to reclaim Signaltin and defeat Maxfern. Pumping himself up, Koutarou was about to get back up.

“Koutarou-sama, look out!!”

Alaia's screams could be heard through the old castle's garden. The next moment, Maxfern appeared in front of Koutarou with Signaltin raised above his head.

“Things won't go the way you want them, Blue Knight!”

Unlike Koutarou, Maxfern hadn't been showered with stones. Seeing Koutarou fall, he didn't miss his chance.

“Maxfern!!”

Koutarou was still getting up, he was seemingly defenseless.

At this rate I'll be killed!!

Realizing the danger, Koutarou quickly ordered the armor.

“Raise the barrier! Full power!”

“As you wish, my lord. Commencing emergency deployment of the distortion field.”

The armor obeyed Koutarou's order and deployed the barrier. Linked up white hexagonal tiles appeared in between Koutarou and Maxfern and stood in the way of the incoming attack.

The next moment the hexagons caught Maxfern's attack. However, Koutarou fell over once more from the force. At the same time, the armor's systems let out a cry.

“Alert message. Distortion field function has been stopped. The damage is above tolerance levels.”

“From one hit!?”

The hexagon tiles disappeared all at once. With just a single strike, Maxfern had knocked out the armor's barrier. Even the armor that had stood up against all kinds of attacks up until now was powerless in front of Signaltin.

“Looks like the match is over, Blue Knight.”

Maxfern raised the sword above his head once more. Koutarou had fallen over and his barrier was gone. In the current state, if Maxfern swung down Signaltin, Koutarou would easily be cut in half.

“No, not yet!”

Koutarou focused on his left hand. He used his spiritual power to create a large fireball and threw it Maxfern.

“Something like has no chance against this sword!!”

Maxfern swung Signaltin down without even flinching. The sword easily cut through the fireball and continued towards Koutarou.

“So that didn't work either!?”

Koutarou had used all the spiritual energy he could muster to create that fireball. However, Signaltin erased all of Koutarou's efforts with ease. Neither his defensive or offensive powers worked against Maxfern. He no longer had any ways of defeating Maxfern.

I'm sorry your highness... even though I promised that I would protect you, it seems this is as far as I go...

Death was inescapable as the blade came flying. Koutarou was prepared to die.

“However!!”

However, even then, Koutarou faced Maxfern. Even if he was cut and killed, he wanted to injure Maxfern as much as possible and buy as much time as possible to allow Alaia and Charl to escape.

Even if he couldn't avoid death, he wanted to fulfill his oath to the very last moment. That was most likely the moment Koutarou became the true Blue Knight.

“Noooooooooooooo!!”

Alaia screamed at the top of her lungs.

To Alaia, the sight in front of her almost looked like slow motion. Koutarou had realized he was going to die, but still faced Maxfern while Signaltin approached him. However, that sight was intermittently replaced with memories of when she had met Koutarou and the time they had spent together.

Koutarou would die. What's worse, he would die by Signaltin, which she had unsealed to protect him. It was almost as if Alaia had killed Koutarou herself. Alaia's heart couldn't accept that reality.

There was no way she could accept that.

Alaia's life had become part of Signaltin and would always protect Koutarou. It would always be besides him. That was her own oath, and her only wish as she could not live freely.

“Koutarou-samaaaaaaa!!”

However, no matter how much Alaia screamed, that time had come. Signaltin approached Koutarou and came in contact with his hair. As that time approached, Alaia was full of despair.

“Wahahahahaha, die, dieee, Blue Knight!! Accept the punishment of defying the king of the world!!”

Maxfern was swinging down the sword with all of his power. Everyone believed that Koutarou was cut in half.

However.

Signaltin was what was split in two.

The moment Signaltin touched Koutarou's body, it broke in half, making a shrill noise, leaving Koutarou completely uninjured. It was like a paper-mache sword made from paper and glue.

Nobody could believe the sight of what had just happened. And of course, the most surprised of all was Maxfern.

“As if something like this could happen!! Just before, just a moment ago it had that much power!!”

Maxfern was in complete shock and stared at Signaltin that had split in half. It had lost its shine and turned into some rusty iron scrap. Even though it had been shining with such a beautiful silver sheen just a few seconds ago.

“Wasn't I supposed to become king of the world!? Wasn't it supposed have the power of the goddess of dawn in it!? It was even supposed to be able to destroy the evil rooted in people!! What is going on, Grevanas!? This is just some scrap!!”

Trembling with rage, Maxfern threw the remains of Signaltin to the ground. When it landed, the rusted blade fully shattered, leaving the handle behind as the only thing recognizable. However, even the handle was cracked, and looked like it might fall apart any second now.

“I-I don't understand either! For it to suddenly lose its power...”

“Now everything has been for nothing, Grevanas!!”

Maxfern yelled at Grevanas, with his face dyed red with rage. Even the calm Grevanas seemed to have lost sight of himself at this sudden event.

“...Signal...tin...”

Only Koutarou remained calm in the sight this surprising event. He picked up the handle thrown to the ground and looked towards Alaia.

“...”

Unlike everyone else, Alaia had her eyes closed and her head turned down. At this point, Alaia ignored even what she heard. She didn't want to see the moment Koutarou was cut down. She didn't want to hear his last screams. Because she was so intent on that, she was unaware that Koutarou was safe.

“...So that really is this case... this sword, Signaltin... that's what it is...”

The sword crest on Alaia's forehead was shining brightly. It was almost as if that crest was the real Signaltin.

“Princess Alaia.”

Having understood everything, Koutarou called out to Alaia. While both enemy and ally were at a loss and the situation had been brought to a standstill, it didn't change the fact that they were still in the middle of enemy territory. In order to escape from this crisis, her help was essential.

“Eh...?”

Upon hearing Koutarou's voice, Alaia opened her eyes. At first, she believed that voice might have been an illusion. However, when she opened her eyes to look, she could see Koutarou standing there.

“Koutarou-sama?”

“I am sorry for making you worry, your highness.”

“Koutarou-sama, w-weren't you, killed, just now...?”

Koutarou who was supposed to have been cut down was still alive. That mysterious and unexpected sight made Alaia blink repeatedly. She was happy, but she was so confused she couldn't understand the situation. She didn't know what kind of face she should make.

“It seems like Signaltin was the one to break.”

“The sword... ah...”

Alaia looked at Koutarou's hand. There she saw Signaltin's handle being held by Koutarou. The moment she saw the ruined sword, she was reminded of what the sword had looked like when it was first revealed at the temple.

I see... if I am part of that sword, that sword is also part of me. Then, my oath is―

Alaia's eyes lit up as she understood what it all meant.

“Let's go your highness. I will use my life and this sword to protect you.”

“I believe in you, Koutarou-sama. And I will protect your life.”

The two nodded at each other before taking a pose. Koutarou pointed the non-existent blade towards Maxfern. And Alaia reached her arms forwards and pointed her palms towards Koutarou.

Noticing the two, Maxfern sneered.

“What are you going do with that scrap? Did you lose your minds after that holy sword broke?”

If Maxfern had ordered Grevanas and his court magicians to attack now, this outcome might have been different. However, because of his shock, Maxfern overlooked Koutarou and Alaia's actions. He was convinced that they couldn't do anything anyways.

“You weren't able to cut me because this seemed to be broken.”

“What!?”

Koutarou smiled as he saw Maxfern taken aback by surprise, and he began charging towards him. The sight of him running with the handle made it look like he really was holding a powerful sword. As he did, Alaia began incanting.

“Past, present and future, oh mother of all things, goddess of dawn.”

It was the incantation Alaia had spoken in the temple.

As she got further into the incantation, she sword crest on her forehead began glowing, brighter and brighter. The light covered her whole body and eventually it overflowed from her body.

“A descendant of Forthorthe, your faithful servant asks of thee. Now is the time to break the seal, and give us power to overcome this crisis.”

The light headed towards the shattered fragments of the blade lying on the ground. Once light covered all of the fragments, they began floating up into the air, and were drawn to the handle Koutarou was holding.

“Wind of the heavens. Green of the ground. Water of the sea. Fire of the mountain. Using my life as provision, reveal the power to unify all things!”

The fragments that flew to the handle began reconstructing the blade from the handle and up. And by the time Koutarou had reached Maxfern, the sword had regained its former shape.

“My name is Alaia! The silvery white snow of Mastir! Oh holy sword of the temple, carve my name into your blade and revive!”

Koutarou raised the sword above his head. At the same time, the sword regained its silvery sheen and began emitting its pure-white magic. The sword that had been a broken, the rusted piece of scrap just a few seconds ago, was given its name once more and regained its former powers.

The holy sword, Signaltin.

Now that Koutarou and Alaia's feeling were as one, more power than ever before filled the sword.

“That's impossible! A broken blade regenerating is impossible! Regaining its lost power is impossible!”

“Since you're not a knight, you would never understand why this sword shines, even if it was something so simple!!”

What was important wasn't the sword. It wasn’t a problem if it broke or not; what was important was what was placed into it. In fact, not even the power inside might have been a problem.

Koutarou could feel the warmth emitting from the sword. This sword would protect him, and all living creatures of this world.

“I won't accept this!! Just because I wasn't born a knight!!”

However, Maxfern didn't notice. He was too focused on his lineage, and that the sword had broke and lost its power, that he didn't realize what was truly important. If he had noticed that, the sword might have answered to him.

“With this it's over, Maxfern!”

“Damn it! God damn it!!”

“Maxfern-sama!!”

Koutarou brandished the sword and was about to attack Maxfern. However, in that moment, he could sense the intention to attack covering the entire area he was standing in. Sensing that, he instinctively jumped back. The next moment, giant claws slashed through the place he had been.

“Alunaya!!”

It was a strike from the fire dragon emperor, Alunaya. It had fallen to the ground from Clan's explosion, but it had now recovered was attacking Koutarou.

“Kill them, Grevanas!! Don't let any one of them escape alive!!”

Boiling with rage and his eyes bloodshot, Maxfern ordered the deaths of Koutarou and everyone.

“Please stop it already, uncle! What more will come from fighting!?”

“Shut up, shut up! I'll kill you too!”

“Uncle...”

Not even Maxfern's niece’s, Lidith's, words could reach him now. That's just how intense the rage that made his entire body tremble was.

Maxfern couldn't forgive the holy sword for not accepting him, the man who was supposed to become the king of the world. Nor could he forgive Koutarou who was using that sword. Allowing those existences was the same as admitting that his own existence was insignificant. That all of his efforts up until now had been in vain. That was something the prideful Maxfern could never do.

“Get them men!”

In contrast to the enraged Maxfern, Grevanas calmly ordered his subordinates to attack.

As he did, a flock of demons sprang up from cover. Their numbers easily passed 100. The demons appearances varied greatly, but their eyes were all filled with the intent to kill. And that wasn't all. Several of the steel giant Koutarou had fought before could be seen amongst the demons.

This was Maxfern's current troops. No, these were no longer troops, but a horde of monsters. In his pursuit of power, Maxfern had resorted to using non-human creatures. They were most likely reflecting the inside of him. Maxfern was now but a monster with the appearance of a man.

And the horde of monsters attacked Alaia and the other seven girls.

“Your highness!! Everyone!!”

Koutarou quickly moved to rescue the girls.

“Oh no you don't. Your opponent is right here!!”

“ROAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!”

However, Alunaya stood in Koutarou's way. After a roar, Alunaya revealed its fangs and threatened Koutarou. As a result, he was no longer able to head to the girls’ rescue.

“Kuh!”

“Kukuku, Blue Knight, even if you're invincible, those girls are normal humans. Can they last long enough for you to make it to them? Wahahahahah!!”

Maxfern laughed at Koutarou.

With Signaltin, Koutarou was strong. He might even beat a giant dragon. However, regardless of if he won or lost, it would take time for their match to end. In that time, Maxfern was going to kill all of the girls.

“...You're too naive, Maxfern.”

However, Koutarou smiled. Despite Maxfern laughing at him, he showed no signs of anxiety.

“What!?”

“Sorry, but things won't go as you planned.”

Koutarou knew that those girls weren't some weaklings that would go down without a fight.

Part 6

As the demons attacked, the girls obeyed Flair's instructions and calmly created a formation.

In the front was Clan and Flair. Skilled in fighting, these two would create a shield wall. Clan was using her rifle like always. However, Flair's weapon was different from normal.

“You understand how to use that weapon, right?”

“I'm fine! The balance is slightly different, but since I always used a thin sword there's not much of a difference!”

Flair was holding a sword made out of light. A shining blade, reminiscent to a neon tube, extended from the metal handle. This was a beam saber with a scorching hot blade created by containing heavy metal particles within an electromagnetic field, creating the shape of a sword. Flair had gotten two of these from Clan and held one in each hand, and she attacked the oncoming demons.

“Something like this?”

Flair blocked the demon's attack with one sword and attacked with the other. The high temperature from the beam easily cut through the demons and scorched their bodies. Combined with Flair's own skills, she was like a tiny, glowing tornado cutting through demons.

“That's very good! Please continue like that!”

Clan was shooting at the demons that Flair couldn't reach with her sword. By doing that, Flair could take bolder actions. And if Flair was about to get attacked, she would get in the way to cover Flair. The barrier protecting her body was strong and could easily brush off the demons’ claws.

Behind the shield wall and in charge of attacking was the alchemist Lidith and the magician Caris.

“Caris, it's time for the next attack!”

“Alright, I'm ready!”

Lidith and Caris were working together. Their two jobs were to wipe out a large number of demons using large-scale attacks and to defeat the steel giants.

Lidith had borrowed the strategical computer and observation device from Clan and targeted a large amount of enemies. Since Caris and Lidith had been linked through magic, the target information was conveyed to Caris as well. Using the information she got from Lidith, Caris repeatedly sniped enemies she couldn't see herself. Since Lidith prioritized targets that were entering Caris's range, the demons were shot down before being able to do anything.

This was a strategy only made possible thanks to Lidith. Normally, there wouldn't be anyone capable of using the strategical computer in this age. However, having served as Clan's assistant, Lidith had learned how. Thanks to that, they were able to create a combination attack using science and magic.

“Caris, the giant!”

“I know! I'm, currently planting it! … Alright, detonate it!”

“Detonating!”

A steel giant collapsed alongside an explosive sound. There wasn't that big of a wound on the giant. The damage was limited to a small dent and scorch marks around its chest. However, that alone was enough to the defeat the giant. This too was a combination attack from Lidith and Caris.

After their first fight with a steel giant, Clan had prepared a certain type of explosive. It was the kind of explosive that was applied to the target before use, but it didn't cause that big of an explosion. However, the explosive power turned into a shockwave and destroyed a certain something inside the target. Knowing the steel giant's construction, Clan targeted the crystal powering them. Though the giant's armor was made from thick steel, the inside was just a crystal. Destroying the crystal was easy using this method.

Caris would use her magic to attach the explosive to the giant and Lidith would use the computer to detonate it. Even the mighty giants were powerless against this attack. Even though their first battle had given them such a hard time, they were now defeating the steel giants with ease.

Behind Caris and Lidith were Fauna the priestess and Alaia. Fauna was in charge of using spiritual power to heal and increase everyone's physical strength. With this, the four up front could fight without reservation. Alaia was in charge of command and support using magic.

“I'm gradually starting to understand how to use magic, Fauna.”

“You're doing great. This is very good for someone using magic for the first time, Alaia-sama!”

Alaia didn't have the knowledge to use magic, but she was currently receiving magic power from Signaltin via the crest on her forehead. She then controlled it using the language used for rituals that she learned during her seminars to cast magic. As a beginner, she couldn't help with attacking, but she could help with strengthening and defending. In parallel to her commands, she used her newfound power to support everyone.

And in the rear were Charl and Mary.

“Please stand still, princess Charl.”

“I know, I know.”

The young Charl didn't have much of a job, if anything it was to stand still. If she wandered around, she would get in the way of the others and cause everyone to worry. Being wise for her age, Charl understood that and remained motionless in the rear.

“...Uhm, your highness, I feel like I'm not being of much use.”

“Don't grief, Mary. I'm completely in the way.”

The maid Mary's role was to guard Charl. Though she had learned martial arts for self-defense, she wasn't skilled enough to take part in actual combat. As a result, she was positioned in the rear to guard Charl. However, this job was surprisingly important. Charl's safety had an impact on everyone's morale. The job Mary was complaining about was the most important of all.

Just like Koutarou had expected, the eight girls weren't killed instantly. In fact, they had taken a counter offensive and were reducing the number of enemies. Though they had gotten weapons and equipment from Clan, they were firmly holding the line against a horde of monsters.

“Grevanas, just what are they doing! They are just a few girls!”

“But Maxfern-sama, their weapons are―”

“Shut up! I don't want to hear any excuses!”

The current situation was making Maxfern angry. Nothing was going the way he wanted it. He had gotten his hands on the sword, only to lose it. He tried to kill his enemies, but it wasn't going well. Everyone had been proceeding smoothly until they reached this castle, but the moment they came here their luck had run out. It was a nightmarish situation for Maxfern.

“It looks like your plan is falling apart, Maxfern. I guess you're just a third-rate villain.”

Koutarou readied his sword and kept Alunaya in check while provoking Maxfern. His aim was to get Maxfern to focus on him to reduce the pressure on everyone else. In reality, he was terrified of Alunaya turning its flames towards the girls.

“Shut up! In that case, I'll at least kill you!! Do it, Grevanas! Kill the Blue Knight!!”

Like Koutarou had planned, Maxfern focused on him. He might not even have needed to provoke Maxfern in the first place. Maxfern absolutely hated Koutarou for being able to use the sword he couldn't.

“As you wish.”

Grevanas ordered his subordinates to shift portion of the forces attacking the girls onto Koutarou instead. And he himself used his cane to control Alunaya and continue its attacks on Koutarou.

“It went as planned... but at this rate I'll be killed. I should change the battlefield.”

Realizing that he would be at a disadvantage, Koutarou dodged Alunaya's flames, activated his boosters and soared up into the sky. He had determined that it would be too dangerous to fight on the ground with a large amount of magicians and demons targeting him.

“ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAR.”

Alunaya chased after Koutarou whilst roaring.

Flapping its large wings, Alunaya's giant body flew through the air. Those wings and the magic covering its body created an immense amount of lift, allowing Alunaya to fly like a bird. About ten or so demons followed after Alunaya.

Alunaya was being controlled by Grevanas while his subordinates controlled the demons. In other words, the court magicians were using their full force to crush Koutarou. While that was Koutarou's plan all along, it was the biggest danger he had been in so far.

“If I'm forced onto the defensive, I'll end up losing! In that case―!”

The armor's barrier still hadn't recovered, so taking on continuous attacks in this state was very dangerous. Koutarou quickly made up his mind and attacked with Signaltin. His target was of course Alunaya. He had to beat down the dragon and secure an escape path.

“Everyone! Please lend me your powers!”

Those words naturally slipped out from Koutarou's mouth. All of Koutarou's powers were just borrowed. In the past he had grieved about that fact. However, now Koutarou felt that was for the best. He had noticed that if he turned into someone like Maxfern, it didn't matter how much power he had.

It didn't matter if he didn't have any power of his own as long as he could achieve his goal while working together with someone. And he noticed that working together with someone was the most important thing. The only reason Koutarou was even here was because of all the cooperation that had been accumulated.

“...I want you say those words to me first.”

“Princess Alaia!?”

With the battle about the start, Alaia's voice reached Koutarou's ears. It wasn't a voice created by sound. It was conveyed to him through the glow of Signaltin.

Koutarou instinctively looked towards the garden. There he saw Alaia with her hands in front of chest, praying, and looking up at him. Just a few moments ago, that would have been an incredibly dangerous act. However, with the reduced number of enemies, the chances of her being attacked dropped.

“Koutarou-sama, I will fight with you.”

“What do you―”

Before Koutarou could question Alaia, a demon appeared in front of him. Koutarou left the question as it was and swung Signaltin at the demon.

In that moment, a powerful glow emitted from Signaltin's blade. At this timing, it was almost as if it had sensed Koutarou's intention to attack. The demon was cut in half by the light that shot out from the sword before the blade even reached it. The next moment, Signaltin had passed through. There was no feedback at all, it was like he had cut an illusion. However, the demon turned into dust and disappeared.

“Koutarou-sama, fight any way you want. I'll time it from here.”

“I see, so that's what you meant! I'm counting on you, princess Alaia!”

“Yes!”

This phenomenon was caused by Alaia. Using the crest on her forehead, she controlled the output of Signaltin. Normally, Signaltin constantly emitted a certain amount of magical power. But by controlling Signaltin, she could control when to release the energy. By doing that, the amount of energy used wouldn't change, as the magic power was released in bursts. It wasn't as much a power up as it was efficient use of the magic power.

“Here I go, princess Alaia!”

“I'll protect your back! Just focus on what's in front of you, Koutarou-sama!”

“I understand!”

Koutarou charged towards a nearby demon. Since Alaia momentarily accelerated him, the distance between them was covered almost immediately. To the demon, it must have looked like Koutarou teleported. So even if the demon wanted to dodge, it didn't have the time. Signaltin began emitting light once more and the demon had been cut before it could even move.

“Hyaaaaaaah!”

“Kah Kah!”

Two demons attacked Koutarou at once. One demon had an insect's head and another a goose's. They aimed for Koutarou's back with their sharp claws, planning on tearing him apart.

However, the demons were hit by a small shockwave before their claws could reach Koutarou. It only had enough power to slightly damage them, but it was enough to make them stop. With their wings spread out, they were easily affected by the shockwave. And while they had been stopped in their tracks, Signaltin attacked.

Signaltin cut the two in half without any sound, and their bodies were separated into magic power and dust. It was a splendid combination attack by Koutarou and Alaia.

“I can do it! With this, I can do it!”

Thanks to Alaia's accurate control of Signaltin, the sword was completely different from before. Its offensive power had risen dramatically, and the leftover magic power was used for acceleration, defense and various other things. As a result, Koutarou was overpowering the demons all on his own. It only took a few seconds before the ten something demons were reduced to a number that could be counted with the fingers on one hand.

“ROAAAAAAAAAAAR!”

With the majority of the demons gone, Alunaya charged towards Koutarou. Meanwhile, the remaining demons retreated. Maxfern and the others had determined that the demons didn't stand a chance against Koutarou.

“...Time for the main show.”

Koutarou wasn't going to use the same casual pose he had taken when dealing with the demons; instead he grabbed the sword with both hands and brandished Signaltin.

“Koutarou-sama, I'll keep an eye on your surroundings. You deal with Alunaya.”

“Please do, your highness.”

While Koutarou was fighting with Alunaya, there was a chance that the demons might attack. So with Alaia watching his back, Koutarou could focus on Alunaya.

“We're almost there! You can do it, Koutarou-sama!”

“As you wish, my princess!!”

As he shouted, Koutarou readied his sword and flew forward at full speed. Alunaya's intention to attack was expanding rapidly. It was either an attack with its tail or a flame breath. If he sat still he would be a sitting duck, and if he closed in, it would be harder for Alunaya to pull off such a large attack.

Alunaya unleashed its giant tail. The tail coming from the side was like a massive whip that made the very air around it tremble.

“I can't take that!”

Koutarou made an overly large evasive maneuver to dodge the tail. Without the barrier, a single hit would be fatal. And without Caris's illusions, he had to prioritize safety over all else.

“Please leave it to me.”

However, Alaia increased Koutarou's speed to make up for what he lost in the maneuver and Koutarou charged towards Alunaya with the same speed he had started with.

“Gooooooooo!!”

Alunaya had a powerful barrier protecting it. While Signaltin had the ability to dispel magic, would it be enough to break through the barrier? The only way to find out was to try.

“ROAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!”

Signaltin splendidly broke through Alunaya's barrier. One of Alunaya's scales was torn off by the attack and it screamed out in pain.

“It worked!? But it was too shallow!!”

Since Alunaya wasn't a creature summoned through magic, its body wasn't composed of magic. Because of that, Alunaya wasn't reduced to dust like the demons. The only damage was the scale that had been torn off its body.

“So I can hurt it if I want, but this sword won't do that much damage, huh...”

Koutarou dodged Alunaya's claws while racking his brain.

Alunaya was over 20 meters long. This sword was much too small to cause damage to something so large. The results would be the same if he used the weapons built into the armor. It was like challenging a tank with a rifle.

“Do I have to rely on this just like last time?”

Kiriha's gauntlet, with Signaltin's ability to break through the barrier, should be more effective this time around. And by combining his attack with the armor's armament he should be able to do a little more damage.

“If only it had a weak point...”

“A weak point? Oh yeah, I think...”

Thanks to Alaia, Koutarou was reminded of the crystal on the back of Alunaya's neck, and that he had been able to make Alunaya retreat after attacking it.

“There's a point like that. A magical crystal is buried in the back of Alunaya's neck.”

“I see... then that would be the perfect target for this sword. By dispelling the magic, we might be able to turn the tables of this battle.”

“I'll give it a shot!”

Koutarou readied Signaltin and activated his boosters. The propellant was quickly running out. Just like before, they would be better off trying things that might work as quickly as possible.

Koutarou tried to use his mobility to get behind Alunaya, however unlike last time, he was now all alone. Without an opening from Alunaya, it wasn't very easy to circle around. And without support from Caris, he was just wasting time.

“What should I... I don't have the time to wait for Clan's reinforcement...”

Clan and the others were currently dealing with the demons on the ground. Although the number of demons had been greatly decreased, all the girls could do was send Alaia his way. Any further reinforcement couldn't be expected, and there wasn't enough time to wait for Clan and the others to finish up.

“Look out, Koutarou-sama!!”

“Haaah!”

Immediately after Alaia's warning, Alunaya's flame breath passed through right next to Koutarou. He had been so close that some of his hair got burnt.

“Please be careful, Koutarou-sama! It's all over if you take that!”

“Sorry, I was lost in thought... wait a minute?”

Making sure the flame breath had missed him, Koutarou came up with a wild idea. He quickly confirmed it with Alaia.

“Your highness, can I cut through that breath?”

Alaia instinctively held her breath after hearing Koutarou's idea.

“...It might be possible, but if it fails, there's no going back.”

Alunaya's flame breath was a normal breath that had been altered using magic. In other words, Signaltin might be able to dispel it.

And when Alunaya was spewing its flames, it showed an opening. It had to stop to spew its flames and part of its view was covered because of the fire. By purposely taking the flame breath head on and using Signaltin to dispel it, Alunaya would lose sight of Koutarou.

However, if he failed, if he missed his timing or hit it at a bad angle, Koutarou would be swallowed by the flames. Considering that risk, Alaia couldn't agree with Koutarou's idea.

Hearing Alaia's answer, Koutarou smiled and called her name.

“Princess Alaia.”

“What is it?”

“What do you believe in? The fire breath? Or me?”

“...Kou...”

Alaia was at a loss for words.

“K-K-Koutarou-sama!! That's changing the topic!! That's unfair!!”

Alaia raised her voice and criticized Koutarou. To Alaia, that question only had one answer.

“Stupid Koutarou-sama!!”

Alaia didn't answer the question. Instead she continued to criticize him like a child.

“That's poor manners, your highness... Clan, do you have any advice?”

Koutarou smiled and asked Clan using his communication device. He also wanted to her the scientist's opinion.

“...I don't, stupid. If there was anything to say, it would be that the flame breath is practically made out of plasma, so using an electromagnetic field, you might be able to protect yourself a little, stupid.”

In reality, Clan's advice would have been to stop. However, knowing Koutarou's personality, she knew that he had already decided on doing it by the time he asked her. So she gave up and gave him the advice regarding the electromagnetic field. However, this advice wasn't certain, and if it had been anyone other than Koutarou, she would have told them to stop.

When plasma is applied to an electromagnetic field, a complex motion occurs. With that, the plasma coming from the breath would diffuse and the field would serve as a sort of shield. It worked the same as how Earth's magnetic field protected against solar winds. However, if the momentum was too great there wouldn't be that much of an effect. That was most likely the case against Alunaya's breath, but it was better than nothing.

“Alright, I'll give it a try.”

Koutarou grinned and pointed Signaltin towards Alunaya's face.

“Koutarou-sama, please reconsider.”

“Your highness, I still haven't heard your answer.”

“Uh.”

Alaia was hesitant to answer. And after staying quiet for several seconds, she quietly muttered.

“...Make sure you come back, Forthorthe's Blue Knight.”

“As you wish, my princess.”

However, in the end, Alaia didn't answer the actual question.

When there was a distance between the two, Alunaya would often use its flame breath. That's because it knew that Koutarou was strong when he was up close. Because of that, it wasn't that hard to bait out a breath attack.

Alunaya opened its large mouth and began inhaling. Confirming that, Koutarou placed himself not too close, but not too far away either. This balance was actually quite tricky. If he was too close, Alunaya would switch to another attack, but if he was too far, he wouldn't be able to use the flame breath to cover his approach. Koutarou had to find the perfect spot that was just the right distance.

“Now, Koutarou-sama!”

After confirming that Alunaya was using its magic power, just before it spewed out its flames, Koutarou set his boosters to maximum thrust and charged at the dragon. As long as he could cross this distance, the rest should be easy, so Koutarou was fine with using up the remaining propellant here.

The next moment, Alunaya exhaled its breath. It was an extremely hot, white flame breath. Flames hotter than even the surface of the sun attacked Koutarou.

“How about thiiiiiiiissss!!”

While using his boosters to adjust the angle of approach, Koutarou thrust Signaltin forward, like it was an umbrella. At the same time, he generated an electromagnetic field and prepared for the plasma that Signaltin couldn't dispel.

Koutarou was wrapped in a pure-white light. Signaltin's magic power covered Koutarou's entire body while his surroundings were bathed in flames. However, while the sword might have been able to dispel the plasma, it wasn't able to do the same for the air that had been heated. The surrounding temperature shot up and Koutarou felt like he had been thrown into an oven.

“Kuh.”

Fortunately, his armor could withstand this temperature, both thanks to the short time he spent there and the fact that the armor was intended for use in space. The system reported on several errors while the armor was gradually being discolored by the high temperature, but there had been no major influence on the armor's functions.

Koutarou dove out from under the flames and circled around to Alunaya's back. Since Alunaya couldn't see Koutarou because of its breath, it hadn't noticed his movements. As a result, Alunaya was showing Koutarou its completely defenseless back.

“Taaaaakeeeee thiiiiiis!!”

And without slowing down his boosters, he charged straight at the back of Alunaya's head. His target was the blue crystal on the attached to the dragon's neck.

Signaltin pierced through Alunaya's barrier and struck its target. As the magic inside the crystal was dispelled, it shattered and scattered all over.

“ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!”

In that moment, Alunaya screamed in pain. Its voice was so loud it was as if the entire world shook.

“Did I do it!?”

“Koutarou-sama!!”

As Koutarou looked on, Alunaya was drawn in by gravity and fell towards the ground. The moment the crystal shattered, Alunaya lost control of its body. As it fell, it repeatedly tried flapping its wings to regain control, but in the end, the dragon crashed into the ground.

Part 7

Maxfern had an expression of blank surprise as he stared at Alunaya that had dropped into the garden. However, after a short while, he began laughing very silently. It was a demonic laughter that one could probably hear in the depths of hell. It was a desolate voice that made anyone who heard it shudder.

“Ku, kuku, kukukuku, splendid... truly splendid... even though you held the holy sword, to think you'd be able to defeat Alunaya...”

As his laughter spread throughout the garden, the demons surrounding Alaia and the others gathered and encircled Maxfern to protect him. Around him were his loyal subordinates, the alchemists, and Grevanas and his court magicians. They would follow him until the end.

“Just give up already, Maxfern.”

After landing, Koutarou approached to within a few dozen meters of Maxfern. However, the party surrounding Maxfern showed no signs of attacking. Either they feared Koutarou, or hadn't been ordered to do so. Either way, they didn't get in the way of Koutarou and Maxfern's conversation. The eight girls that had escaped from their danger watched the situation develop from behind Koutarou.

“You lost.”

“...That's true. I'll admit to that. It's your victory, Blue Knight.”

Surprisingly, Maxfern seemingly accepted his defeat.

He had not obtained the sword he was after, and his ace in the hole, Alunaya, had been defeated. All his plans had failed, and now all he had left were a couple of dozen subordinates, and a horde of monsters. Even the country of Forthorthe had slipped through his fingers. Maxfern no longer had any means of reversing this situation.

“However!! I have no intention of admitting that you own this country, or this world, Blue Knight!! This world is mine!! I won't hand it over to anyone!!”

Before anyone knew it, the demons were holding bottles with black liquid inside of them. However, they weren't planning on doing anything to Koutarou and the others, instead they were about to fly into the sky.

“Do it, Grevanas!”

“Maxfern-sama, do we really have to go this far?”

“Shut it!! Can you accept everything up to now being for naught!?”

“I-I didn't say that, but...”

Grevanas, who had up until then had calmly obeyed Maxfern's orders, was now showing hesitance. Seeing that, Koutarou felt something was wrong.

“Then just do as you're told!!”

“I understand...”

“What are you planning, Maxfern!?”

Koutarou questioned Maxfern in a serious tone. The ominous feeling was rapidly growing stronger and stronger. He couldn't tell what, but he felt like something bad was about to happen. He couldn't just stay put.

“Like I told you, Blue Knight! I have no intention of giving you this country, or this world!”

“So that's how it is Maxfern!!”

In that moment, Alaia raised her head. Her face expressed astonishment and fear. She knew just what Maxfern was planning, just what he was going to have the demons do.

“That black liquid, it's that poison from before, isn't' it!?”

“That's right!! Well spotted, as expected from princess Alaia!!”

The bottles the demons were carrying contained the same fatal virus that Dextro had used on a village. It was a hellish virus the alchemists had gathered, studied and produced. Maxfern was planning on making the demons carry the virus into the sky and pollute the entirety of Forthorthe.

“Are you planning on destroying Forthorthe!?”

As he understood Maxfern's goal, a chill ran down Koutarou's spine.

The pollution might not end at just Forthorthe, it was possible it could spread through the entire continent or even the entire world.

“Hahaha, isn't that how a country is originally captured!?”

Maxfern laughed and ridiculed Koutarou. Insanity could be seen in his eyes. Before long, his smile vanished, his eyes turned bloodshot and his entire expression showed his insanity.

“This country and this world are mine!! That sword might be yours, but I will never give you this world!! I'd rather give it to those who live in the darkness before giving it to you!!”

Maxfern was filled with such hatred and envy towards the holy sword that hadn't chosen him, and towards Koutarou that had easily been chosen by the sword.

If the holy sword chose Koutarou as king of the world, then he would ruin this would, and make the very fact that Koutarou had been chosen meaningless. All for the sake of rejecting the sword’s choice.

“Kukuku, Hahahahaha!! Nobody can stop it now! The world will end! And you Blue Knight, you will reign on a throne of corpses!!”

“Maxfern, you bastard!!”

As Maxfern's mad laughter filled the garden, the demons took to the sky, carrying bottles filled with virus. In total there were over 50 of the demons, and Koutarou had no way of defeating all of them while at the same time keeping the bottles safe.

“Clan, can't you do something!?”

“I can't come up with something right on the spot! If just one of those bottles shatters, something terrible will happen, there's no way to keep them all safe...”

Such a method didn't exist. If just one of those bottles were to shatter, the virus would pollute this entire area, and shortly thereafter, it would probably spread to Fornorn. The capital would be filled with the dead, and with Fornorn at the core, the pollution would spread further and further.

“Uncle! Please stop it!”

“Shut it, Lidith! I don't want to hear you calling me uncle after you chose the Blue Knight!”

“Maxfern!! There's no meaning in this!!”

“As expected of princess Alaia, you're correct!! The goal is to remove meaning!!”

There was no other way but to make Maxfern call the demons back. However, having lost his sanity, he would never obey. His only wish now was to take revenge on the goddess who had erred in her judgement.

“It's no use, Bertorion! Forthorthe will be ruined!”

Clan could create a cure for this virus. However, the country would be ruined before she could administer to everyone. There was far too little time. It was completely different from saving a single village.

“Blue Knight! Please do something! You must have something you can do, right!? Please say there is!”

“Princess Charl...”

Koutarou grinded his teeth.

Damn it, is watching this all happen all I can do!?

In reality, Koutarou wanted to tell Charl that he could do something about it, but he couldn't. As he had no idea of what he could do.

“Caris-chan, can't you use your magic to do something?”

“It's impossible. They're so spread out that there's nothing I can do.”

“Flair-sama, what should we do?”

“I'm sorry, Mary. I don't know.”

The demons flew off one after the other in front of Koutarou and the others. It was quite literally the sight of the world ending.

This is the first time I see something so frightening... no, wait, is it really?

At this time, a small doubt entered Koutarou's mind. He felt like he had seen this sight before.

When was it? When did I see this? What memory was it?

Koutarou desperately searched through his memories. That memory might become the key to solving this problem. Right now, he wanted to try anything he could.

“Ah...”

Before long, Koutarou recalled the memory he was after. It was back when he had fought against Clan. When she had been about to unleash her final attack, he had heard a voice from somewhere. And the owner of that voice had shown him abnormal-looking monsters, taking to the skies carrying black bottles. And―

“Clan!”

Koutarou's eyes lit up and he rushed towards Clan. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her back and forth. Having found a solution, he had lost sight of himself in excitement.

“W-What is it!?”

Having suddenly been shaken, Clan's eyes rolled in bewilderment.

“We'll use that! You know, that!”

“Please slow down, what are you talking about!?”

“I clearly mean that bomb that sent us here in the first place!! Use that to blow those demons, along with the bottles, away!!”

That bomb, the super-space-time repulsion shell, was the ultimate weapon Clan had developed. When activated it threw everything caught in its radius outside of the universe. Koutarou wanted Clan to use that to throw both the demons and the bottles out of this world.

“R-Right, if it's that, then!! But that's still being adjusted, we don't know where―”

“You idiot!! Now's not the time for that!! Hurry up and do it before it's too late!!”

“I understand, I got it!! Cradle!! Prepare to launch the super-space-time repulsion shell.

“As you wish, my princess.”

Right beside the now desperately shouting Clan, a black hole much larger than what she normally used to call out weapons appeared. A rounded cone appeared from the black hole. It was the missile's warhead. Clan had created two of those missiles. The first had been destroyed by Koutarou, and she was now about to fire the second. In reality, she had wanted to use this missile to return to her own world, but she didn't have much of a choice now.

“Fire as soon as it's ready, Clan!”

“At least let me do a final check!”

“I won't!”

“Fine, fine, I got it! Geez!!”

The repulsion shell was already fully charged. Since Koutarou had said to use any means necessary, Clan had charged it beforehand.

“It's too late, no matter what you're planning! Just sit there and roll your thumbs!!”

Maxfern boasted as he said that. He didn't know what Koutarou was planning or what Clan was about to fire. Convinced that it was too late for them to do anything, he let them try whatever they felt like.

“What are you trying to do, Koutarou-sama? What should we be doing?”

However, Alaia was different. She sensed something serious from Koutarou and Clan's behavior and asked him for instructions.

“Get down! There's going to be a big explosion!”

“I've finished inputting the target coordinates and parameters!! Target has been locked! Here we go, Bertorion!!”

“Fire!!”

“Everyone, get down!!”

“Fireeeee!!”

The girls listened to Alaia and threw their bodies towards the ground.

The next moment, a missile as tall as her came flying out from the black hole. The rocket engine spewed fire as it headed straight towards the demons above Maxfern.

That's right, this is what it looked like...

The image of the rocket flying perfectly overlapped with his memory.

This surprised Maxfern and his subordinates.

“What!? Grevanas, what is that!?”

Seeing something unknown flying towards them, Maxfern questioned Grevanas. He believed it was a magical tool of sorts.

“I don't know! It might be some kind of weapon, but something like that can't possibly defeat all the―”

Grevanas quickly started his explanation, however, he wasn't able to finish it. The missile travelled faster than he could explain, and it activated the super-space-time repulsion shell at its target location.

The next moment, a large flash occurred and the horde of demons were enveloped in a gigantic cube. The cube didn't just extend to the demons, but also Maxfern and his party and the castle.

The cube only appeared for a few moments. It then suddenly vanished, taking everything inside along with it. The demons, the bottles they were carrying, Maxfern, his subordinates and even the castle behind them. After the cube had vanished, it left behind a giant hole, and an earthquake accompanied by a shockwave that felt like it shook the entire world.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

Koutarou and the girls screamed. The barrier could block the shockwave, but not the intense earthquake. Everyone desperately clung to the ground. If they hadn't, they most likely would have fallen over and been hurt from the severe shaking.

“...D-Did it stop?”

However, it wasn't a real earthquake, so the shaking soon subsided. Koutarou hurriedly got up and saw a square hole carved into the ground. The acute angles on the hole told him just how powerful the super-space-time repulsion shell had been.

“Did, we do it...?”

“We did it, Bertorion!! They've all been completely erased!!”

The demons were nowhere to be seen, and neither were the bottles they were carrying. It had all been thrown out of the universe, and Forthorthe was saved from its crisis.

“No, not yet, Bertorion! Look at that!”

However, at that moment, Flair pointed towards the sky with a serious expression on her face.

“Not good!! It looks like one made it!!”

A single demon could be seen where Flair was pointing. It was still flying after being hit by the shockwave, though very shakily. And it was still carrying the bottle in its hand. Fortunately, the demon seemed to have absorbed most of the shockwave as the bottle was undamaged.

“We can't let that one get away!! Hurry and―”

And as Koutarou was about to take to the skies and chase after it.

“Koutarou-sama, it's falling!!”

“What!?”

The shakily flying demon suddenly began falling. The damage from the shockwave had been too great, and it had finally run out of strength.

“Oh no, the bottle will break!!”

Of course, the bottle fell along with the demon. If it broke, the virus inside would spread, it would be the start of another nightmare.

No good, I won't make it!

Despite knowing that something terrible would happen if the bottle would break, nobody could reach it. The demon was too far off and Koutarou wouldn't be able to make it. There was no longer anything they could do.

“There is no need to worry.”

At that moment, something large blocked the sunlight and cast a large shadow on Koutarou and the others. Looking up, Koutarou was taken aback by surprise.

“Alunaya!? Y-You were still alive!?”

“You may be thankful for the fact that I am still alive.”

The next moment a white line of light shot through the sky.

It was the flame breath that Alunaya spewed.

The extremely high temperature flame burnt up the demon, bottle and contents all at once.

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