Published at 17th of August 2019 8:25 am

Volume 13, Chapter 5: The Great Summoning

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

May 22, Saturday

Kiriha and the others were a poor match against the robots, but to Koutarou they were a perfect match. What Kiriha and the others were lacking in was pure attack power, which was what Signaltin specialized in. Moreover, while the robots were fast and had excellent cooperation, they didn't have any weapons that could break through Koutarou's armor. It was impossible for the robots to break through the two barriers consisting of bent space and magic. This was because the robots had been designed as all-purpose robots, and as a result, the weapons the robots used were mass produced. Compared to Koutarou who was only using items produced for him, the robots stood no chance. While they might look like her, the robots were nothing like what Maya had been. One could say that the robots were now in the same position Kiriha and the others had been just a moment ago. And if their opponent had been Koutarou instead, Kiriha and the others might have won with ease. It was kind of like a rock-paper-scissors born from their individual abilities.

“And that's five!”

Koutarou swung Signaltin and cut through a robot without the slightest bit of resistance. If his opponent had been human, Koutarou would have held back the power of his swing. However, he was currently not holding back in the slightest. Against machines, there was no problem for him to pour his everything into his attacks. On top of that, Koutarou was currently furious.

And just as Koutarou had locked on to the sixth robot–

“...As expected, the Motor Knights alone are no match for you.”

He could hear a familiar voice coming from behind the remaining ten robots. He then saw a giant made from steel reaching at least five meters in height.

“You're finally here, Elexis.”

“You remembered me. I'm happy, Koutarou-kun.”

The giant's head slid up a little while the armor on its chest slid down. On the other side of that wall of steel was a face Koutarou remembered. He was Ruth's former fiancé, and the CEO of DKI, Elexis Borannam. As if facing a friend, Elexis greeted Koutarou with a graceful and refined smile.

“I'm not happy... Looks like you've been doing as you please, Elexis.”

Koutarou stared at Elexis with a sharp glance. There was no way that Koutarou could remain calm when facing the man who was the reason the girls had been hurt. To him, the girls were like the sun, they were the light that lit up his every day. And now those girls were hurt and lay collapsed on the ground. It was as if Elexis had stolen the light from the world, and Koutarou couldn't forgive him.

“I didn't really wish to. Harming women is not elegant after all. However, it was needed to defeat you.”

“Me?”

“That's right. You are the biggest obstacle in the way of defeating her majesty Elfaria and princess Theiamillis. And most of all, I can't fulfill my objective if I can't defeat you.”

Elexis creating those robots and sending them at the girls had all been done to defeat Koutarou. From his experience in the past, Elexis considered Koutarou his top priority. If Elexis and the military tried to attack the empress and princess, Koutarou would get in the way. So in that case, defeating Koutarou first would lower the risk. That was Elexis's judgment on the situation.

“And you live by the good old code of chivalry. While I believe that spirit of yours is worth respect, when it’s time to attack you, targeting that first is effective. It'll be hard for you to win while protecting all of your friends.”

“So that's your plan...”

He was up against Elexis and the ten robots by his side. The remaining coup d'état soldiers that had been lying in wait until now advanced forward whilst avoiding Koutarou. They were targeting the collapsed girls in order to hold him back. Koutarou would need to defeat Elexis and the robots while preventing the soldiers' advance. In order to create this situation, Elexis had launched a large scale attack on the girls of room 106. Elexis had deployed a force larger than what Kiriha had foreseen because he was after Koutarou, not Theia or Elfaria. He didn't care if he left behind evidence if he was going to go up against Koutarou. Once he had eliminated Koutarou, he could slowly defeat Elfaria and Theia in a way that wouldn't leave behind any evidence.

“Now, let's begin, Koutarou-kun. You don't have much time left.”

“...Even after 2,000 years, you're still my most troublesome opponent, Dextro...”

Koutarou strengthened his grip on Signaltin and pointed the tip towards the giant Elexis was in.

Part 2

The battle was progressing in Elexis's favor. The reason for that was the giant that Elexis was using.

“Kuh, it's tough!”

“Of course. I made it just to defeat you after all.”

Despite the fight having just started, Koutarou's armor had already taken a lot of damage. Koutarou was stuck on the defensive and under a fierce attack. Because Koutarou was wearing his armor, he was stronger than the last time they had fought. Yet, he was at a disadvantage. That was just how strong Elexis was.

“And these robots' movements are completely different from before!”

“It took a lot of time before I was able to get them like this.”

The steel giant Elexis was riding was a new model that had been overhauled using the data Elexis got from Koutarou during their last fight. On top of the overall improvements, this giant that had been named Warlord, had one more unique feature to it: to fight in cooperation with the Motor Knights.

Battles in modern Forthorthe consisted mostly of how to break through the opponent’s barrier. In their last fight, Koutarou had practically launched a surprise on Elexis, so Koutarou hadn't used any defenses. However, knowing that there would be a battle beforehand, Koutarou would definitely have a barrier. That's why a means to break through it needed to be prepared.

And that was when Elexis thought of a synchronized attack. While single attacks wouldn't breach Koutarou's defenses, a simultaneous attack might. If several attacks hit at the exact same time, it should be difficult to maintain the barrier. However, a combined attack like that was impossible for humans. That's why the Motor Knights had been created.

Motor Knights could cooperate with one another at quite a high level, but their true power was only unleashed when they were with Warlord. The high-end strategy support computer that Warlord had calculated at what timing each of the shots had to be fired, and sent instructions to the Motor Knights. With this, the Motor Knights attacked in sync with Warlord. Because the Warlord's attack was powerful enough on its own, this synchronized attack became very dangerous. And because the Motor Knights changed their weapons constantly on Warlord's command, their attacks were varied and hard to predict. It was a problematic enemy for Koutarou who was fighting on his own.

Truth be told, Warlord itself hadn't gotten much stronger. On its own, it wouldn't stand a chance against Koutarou. The same was true for the Motor Knights. However, even if their individual strength wasn't enough to reach Koutarou, if they all worked together as a single unit, they should be able to win. At the same time, Elexis devised his strategy in a way to hold Koutarou's power back, and turned the victory condition into something simpler. This was the plan Elexis had come up with in order to beat Koutarou.

“All for one and one for all, don't you think that's fitting for a knight?”

Elexis's voice came from the speakers installed on Warlord's face. In contrast to his calm tone, his attacks were fierce.

With a loud boom, the large caliber beam shotgun that Warlord was holding in its left hand roared. The fired beams spread out over a wide area and assaulted Koutarou.

“Tsk!”

Koutarou tried to evade, but it was difficult avoiding a blast from a beam shotgun designed to cover a wide area. On top of that, with the Motor Knights getting in the way of his evasive maneuvers, Koutarou wasn't able to fully avoid the attack even with the help of his armor.

“Distortion field load increased. Alert message. Due to continuous damage, the distortion field will exceed tolerable levels within a minute. Continuous battle is dangerous, immediate withdrawal is advised.”

“I know! But I can't fall back, so do something!”

“As you wish, my lord.”

Having been hit by the shotgun, Koutarou's armor was letting out screams. Damage was reported one after another, and only ominous forecasts were given. Koutarou's roaring had shut it up, but he felt the same way the artificial intelligence did.

Warlord had been made just to fight against Koutarou. In order to hit the fast Koutarou, it came equipped with lasers that moved at the speed of light, shotguns that covered a wide area, guided missiles and more. Since they were weapons that prioritized accuracy, it had less power than mobile weapons of the same class. However, they had enough power to deal with Koutarou. Moreover, the Motor Knights would support Warlord and launch synchronized attacks if needed.

Koutarou had fought against countless enemies that were strong on their own. He had also fought against a group of weak opponents. However, this was his first time fighting against a group of strong opponents. They were hard for him to fight, and while he had shut up his artificial intelligence, he felt like letting out the same kind of screams. He also couldn't just focus on the enemy in front of him, so Koutarou was panicking.

At this rate everyone will... what should I do?!

Koutarou moved around, evading while focusing on his left hand, creating a fireball using Kiriha's gauntlet. The ball of fire went flying towards the coup d'état soldiers. However, since he was dodging at the same time, Koutarou was unable to properly aim. As a result, the explosion caused by the fireball didn't have the effect he had hoped for, and wasn't enough to stop the soldiers. While suffering minor wounds, the soldiers continued advancing to where the girls laid collapsed.

“Kuh, one more!”

In a fluster, Koutarou tried to attack the soldiers once more. However, he wouldn't be allowed to do so easily.

“Your opponent is me.”

Warlord's laser cut across the ground in front of Koutarou. This carved a large crack in the ground. Sensing danger, Koutarou jumped over the crack and activated his posture control thrusters.

“Don't get in the way, Elexis!”

“I'm afraid I have to!”

The thrusters spewed out propellant and forcibly changed the direction of Koutarou's body. Next, Koutarou activated the emergency boosters on his legs and thrust towards Warlord.

“I can't waste time here! I'll finish this now!”

The soldiers were now very close to the girls. If they fell into the soldier's hands, Koutarou would have no choice but to give up. So Koutarou had to hurry up and finish this battle.

“Focus the barriers on the front, booster output to maximum!”

“As you wish, my lord.”

Koutarou charged forward with all of his might whilst readying Signaltin. His appearance was like that of a meteor with a long blue tail.

Koutarou-kun, even if you do have ridiculous power, you're only human...

Despite Koutarou charging towards him with a terrific speed, Elexis was feeling relieved. Everything had proceeded as Elexis had planned.

Elexis had always been thinking about what to do to keep Koutarou from being able to use the full extent of his powers. And in the end, he had come up with the idea of using Koutarou's humanity.

He would remove Koutarou's calmness by hurting his friends, put a time limit on the battle to put pressure on him, and had the soldiers approach the girls to make him uneasy. As a result, Koutarou would have to hurry to end the battle, and would be unable to use his full strength.

In a hurry to end the fight, Koutarou would have to forcibly attack without waiting for an opening in Elexis, while at the same time showing his opponent countless openings. His movements also became very simple as he took the shortest route possible.

Knowing that much, there was no fear of being beaten. Elexis calmly fired the grenade launcher attached to the bottom of the beam shotgun. With a low and heavy launching sound, the shot flew straight towards Koutarou.

“One of those won't stop me!!”

Koutarou continued his charging, disregarding the grenade. If it was only one then even if his barrier was broken through, his armor should be able to withstand it. Thinking like that, Koutarou forcibly tried to break through.

“...The normal you probably would have dodged this.”

The grenade fired was slow and unguided. Koutarou should have noticed the meaning behind that, considering that Warlord was equipped to deal with him. But since he was in a hurry, the thought never occurred to him.

The grenade exploded before reaching Koutarou. No, more accurately it wasn't an explosion but something inside it had deployed.

“This is?! Oh crap?!”

The grenade didn't contain explosives, but instead a net woven using special fibers. Since Koutarou had his barrier deployed, the net spread across the surface of it and completely wrapped around him. Entangled by the net, Koutarou lost his balance before falling to the ground.

“Guh!!”

The heavy impact into the ground knocked the breath out of Koutarou. The next moment, a beam attack from the Motor Knights assaulted him. Because of the impact and the net, Koutarou was unable to move. And all of the beams struck Koutarou.

The impact and heat caused the dirt and rocks around Koutarou to fly up. As a result, Koutarou's appearance was temporarily hidden.

“How'd it go...?”

Elexis stared at where Koutarou had been without letting his guard down. He also used the sensors to track Koutarou's movements. He had lost in their previous fight because he had let his guard down in a similar situation. Elexis wasn't going to repeat the same mistake.

“...Did it work?”

As the wind scattered the dust, Elexis could see Koutarou lying in a small crater created by the attack. According to the sensors it wasn't a hologram, but the real one. That was when Elexis was finally able to relax. He had bested Koutarou.

Would I have won if Koutarou was the kind of man that only thought about himself... I'm glad he was a very humane human...

Having overcome the most dangerous part, Elexis felt deeply relieved. In terms of individual strength, he was nowhere near Koutarou's level. That's why, if Koutarou had chosen to abandon the girls, he might have been the one lying collapsed instead. That was the risk of this plan, but Elexis had placed his trust in Koutarou's personality and chosen this plan. Though it sounded bizarre, Elexis was rewarded for his belief.

“U-Uhh...”

That was when the collapsed Koutarou's hand moved slightly.

“He's still alive after all that?!”

Looking through his monitor, Elexis couldn't believe his eyes. He quickly opened up the hatch to the pilot seat and confirmed it with his own eyes. But there was no mistaking it.

“How could that be...”

The Motor Knights beams had all been direct hits. Koutarou's barrier had overheated in an instant and the ten beams should have burnt him to a crisp. Even the net that had enveloped Koutarou had been burnt away without leaving a trace behind. But Koutarou had survived, and what's more, he was trying to get up on his feet. Elexis couldn't believe what he was seeing.

“I-I can't lose... N-not when everyone, is in danger...”

Signaltin had protected Koutarou. Sensing that his life was in danger, Signaltin unleashed its magical power to save him. And in return, Signaltin's glow had weakened considerably. Its glow was less than a third of what it usually was. Both it and Koutarou were exhausted.

“U-Uuaaaaahh!”

Koutarou squeezed out what strength he had left. Using Signaltin as support, he stood up.

I have to protect everyone, no matter what!

He couldn't stay collapsed. He couldn't give up those girls. He wanted to save them, even at the cost of his own life. That strong emotion was what let Koutarou stand back up.

“E-Elexis... I'll be, taking everyone back...”

After standing up, Koutarou glared at Elexis. His whole body was hurting, but the fire in his eyes was still present. It was so fierce that Elexis instinctively held his breath.

“...Splendid, Koutarou-kun. I truly wish to have a friend like you. But your wish won't be fulfilled. You have lost.”

Elexis controlled Warlord and pointed the sword in its right hand at Koutarou's throat. Even as he did that, Koutarou couldn't do anything. Standing up was the best he could do.

“Not yet... not...”

“If you can't accept it then look behind you.”

With the sword still at Koutarou's throat, Elexis indicated the back of Koutarou using his left hand.

“Your precious friends are already under our control. There's no longer any need to fight. Drop your weapon. That is the best for everyone.”

Koutarou looked behind him as he was told. There, he saw the coup d'état soldiers around the area where the girls from room 106 laid collapsed. They had reached the girls while Koutarou was on the ground.

“...Everyone... I, didn't make it...”

Koutarou felt a strong sense of despair as he stood in place and stared at the girls who had collapsed. One of coup d'état soldiers approached the girls. The soldier was looking at all of the girls’ faces, until he reached Sanae.

“...! …!”

It was too far away for Koutarou to hear, but the soldier was cursing at Sanae. He pulled on the still unconscious Sanae's hair to forcibly lift her up before kicking her. Her thin, delicate body fell to the ground like a ragdoll. The soldier had been attacked by Sanae during the battle before and retaliated.

“Sanae?!”

The soldiers' retaliation didn't end there. They began using violence against the other girls as well.

“Elexis! Stop them right now! What grudge would they have with the girls?!”

Koutarou hurriedly turned back to Elexis and desperately appealed to him to stop the soldiers. Elexis was the person in charge, and he should have the authority and responsibility to stop them.

“What a painful sight. Of course I'll stop them right away. But... Before that, I want you to tell me something. Where is the empress and princess?”

The soldiers' violence wasn't something Elexis had planned. However, he used the situation to interrogate Koutarou.

“There's no way I'd tell you!”

“Then choose, Koutarou-kun. The earthlings you're so close with, or the troublemaking aliens. You don't even need to consider it, do you?”

“To hell with that!!”

Elexis was practically demanding that Koutarou hand over Elfaria and Theia for the safety of his friends. However, both options were practically the same to Koutarou. If he handed of Theia and the others, Sanae and the others might be saved, but then Theia would be in danger. That's why Koutarou couldn't choose. Alien or not, those things didn't matter anymore. They were all equally important to him.

“Theia is not a troublemaker! I won't sell her out to the likes of you!”

“Then I guess it can't be helped. Just stand there and watch your friends get beaten up.”

Punches, kicks, trampling. There was even someone who had pulled out a knife. The soldiers' violence gradually escalated and was about to go past what could be considered revenge. That might just be acting to threaten Koutarou, but even so, it was an action that would make anyone want to avert their eyes.

“...Y-You...”

A fierce rage and frustration from not being able to do anything made Koutarou grind his teeth with all his strength, to the point where it looked like he might crush his own teeth.

“...What do you take people's lives for...?”

Something deep inside Koutarou's mind creaked. Every time the girls were hurt, he felt like something inside of him was being torn apart and broken.

“I have always asked myself that question. That's why I decided to end her majesty Elfaria's reign.”

“And for that sake you'll use the lives of others as your pawns? And trample them with weapons?!”

“Without that much resolve, you can't change the world! This world isn't kind enough to change without some kind of sacrifice!”

Elexis excitedly spoke. This was something painful for him as well. He had to crush those he sought to save to change the world. But if he didn't change the world, everything would stay the same. This was a dilemma that Elexis had been wrestling with for several years. Though even then, he had made his resolve to change the world, but it wasn't like his heart didn't hurt.

Koutarou silently watched over Elexis's appearance. His excitement from before seemed like a lie. Ever since he touched Elexis's resolution, Koutarou had regained his calm.

“...I never thought I'd do it in the middle of a battle...”

Koutarou muttered with his eyes closed.

“What are you talking about?”

Noticing the change in atmosphere, Elexis suspiciously looked at Koutarou's face. The soldiers noticed the same thing and stopped harming the girls in order to pay attention to Koutarou.

“...We were friends. That's why I didn't want to get him involved with our troubles. I was planning on doing it once everything had ended and everything was peaceful...”

Koutarou clenched his right hand. But it wasn't out of anger. Koutarou was currently feeling very sorry. And at the same time, he felt mortified over his own powerlessness.

“...I wanted to go sightseeing, have some delicious food, have fun with everyone else, and make some great memories. That's what I wanted to do...”

“Just what are you talking about, Koutarou-kun?!”

Elexis was perplexed by Koutarou's words, but he felt a surprisingly overpowering atmosphere from Koutarou's composed tone. That made him uneasy, and kept him from calming down.

“...Nothing at all. I was just talking about how foolish we were. Fools that couldn't stop a fight that has continued for over 2,000 years.”

Koutarou raised his hand and looked straight at Elexis.

Light had returned to Koutarou's eyes. It was a strong light supported by a strong belief. And there was power in his words. He no longer felt panic or timidness. He had returned to the strong Koutarou that had decided to fight.

“Elexis, you said that you can't change the world without sacrifice, didn't you?”

Koutarou had made up his mind.

At this rate, the girls might die. To change that, Koutarou accepted his own powerlessness and foolishness, and decided to save the girls using any method he could. He wouldn't regret the sacrifice he had to make. Even if that was to involve a precious friend in this fight. Just like Theia had made up her mind when she returned to Koutarou and the others.

“That's right! That's what reality is like!”

“Then... how is your resolve, Elexis?”

Koutarou's sharp glance pierced Elexis. Koutarou wondered if Elexis had the same level of determination he did.

“What do you mean?!”

Pressured by the atmosphere around Koutarou, Elexis did his best to hold back his unease, and replied with a loud voice to hide his anxiety.

“The resolve that you yourself might become a sacrifice. Or are you an exception when it comes to sacrifices to change the world?”

“I don't know what you're trying to pull, but stop this useless resistance! You can't change anything!”

Koutarou was trying to do something Elexis couldn't understand. In order to erase his unease, Elexis raised his voice even further. He was getting to the point where he could no longer hide how shaken he was.

“You're absolutely correct. I can't change the world. I don't have that kind of power.”

All of Koutarou's powers were borrowed. His only power was his own skill with the sword. Everything else was something he had gotten from others. It had been so up until now, and it would be from now on as well. And what he was trying to do now, wasn't his own power either. But Koutarou would no longer hesitate, no matter if he relied on the powers of others, or if he looked unsightly, as long as it could save those precious to him.

“Don't regret it, Elexis. Nobody will be ever to stop this one!”

Koutarou raised his right hand and clenched it hard. As he did, the back of his hand began to glow. That light formed a geometrical pattern. Since Koutarou's right hand was covered by a gauntlet, the pattern looked like it was being carved into the armor.

“By the pledge of old, for the reunion once promised! Answer my summon and appear!”

Koutarou spoke ancient Forthorthe, used for ritualistic purposes. For each word he spoke, the glow grew brighter and began to cover his surroundings. And as the light covered the surroundings, the atmosphere began to tremble.

“What is this?! A space quake?! What is about to appear?!”

Elexis couldn't understand the situation he was in and looked around his surroundings as his anxiety grew. His subordinates were the same and they stood still, frightened by the light and trembling atmosphere.

The only one who understood the situation was the one continuing his chanting, Koutarou.

“Pass through endless time and countless distance and appear, old king!”

“Stop it, Koutarou-kun!! Don't you care what happens to your friends?!”

“You're too late!”

Koutarou ignored Elexis's calls for him to stop and showed a frightening smile before shouting out the last passage of his chant.

“Shake the light and appear!! Great champion of the purgatory, Fire Dragon Emperor Alunayaaa!!”

In that moment, the light grew even stronger and filled the surrounding space. Nobody could see anything; it was as if they had been thrown into a pure-white world.

“...Rest easy, friend. This is not a foolish act. In fact, I feel honored that you called for me at your time of need.”

It was a deep and full voice like the rumbling of the earth. As that voice rang out, the light that had covered everything began to gather into a single point. It was behind Koutarou, in the direction of where the girls laid collapsed. Looking for the owner of that voice, Koutarou turned around.

“You came!”

Koutarou's expression eased up a little due to his relief and nostalgia as he looked for the owner of the voice. Since Alunaya had a very unique appearance, he should have been easy to find. However, Koutarou couldn't spot him. As Koutarou was puzzled by that, the full voice rang out again.

“You finally called for me, Blue Knight.”

The voice was much closer than Koutarou had imagined. As he turned to look in its direction, he saw one of the collapsed girls trying to get back up.

“L-Landlord-san?!”

That girl was the landlord of Corona House, Kasagi Shizuka. Shizuka slowly stood up, put her hands on her hips and smiled calmly.

“It has been a while. I am glad to see you well.”

The voice Koutarou was looking for came from Shizuka's mouth. And her smile at the time was different than usual. It was a powerful and composed smile fit for a king.

“Landlord-san?! Why is landlord-san...?!”

Koutarou was confused. He had summoned a friend he met in a different world 2,000 years ago, not Shizuka. But the voice was coming from Shizuka, and her smile wasn't her normal one.

“Could it be?!”

Koutarou noticed something and poured spiritual energy into his eyes. As he did, he could understand the situation Shizuka was in.

So that's how it is!! Alunaya-dono is inside of landlord-san!!

It was Shizuka's body, but there was another soul overlapping hers. Koutarou could see that overwhelming amount of spiritual energy. And Shizuka's eyes were shining red. Koutarou had seen them before.

“You! Don't move!”

“Stop your useless resistance!”

However, the soldiers couldn't understand that.

They had been wrapped in a powerful light and feared what would come next. But in the end, nothing had happened. And as that anticlimactic scene ended, a lone girl had gotten up from the ground.

That was how they perceived the events. That's why they put their hands on Shizuka's body to deprive her of her freedom.

“Don't carelessly touch my body, scum! Only my friend may do so!”

Shizuka's expression turned into one of anger and roared at the soldiers.

“Uwaa?!”

“What?!”

Despite her not doing anything else, the soldiers that had touched Shizuka were sent flying.

He blew them away with just his spirit... he's the real deal!!

Seeing that, Koutarou was convinced that a powerful existence was inside of Shizuka.

“Burn it into your memories!! My name is Alunaya!! The prideful king of dragons and the ruler of flame!! Don't you forget it, even after you've left this life!!”

That was the legendary dragon that had answered Koutarou's summons. The Fire Emperor Alunaya.

Part 3

The moment Shizuka spoke that legendary dragon's name, she became covered in crimson flames. However, the flames weren't hurting her, but rather looked like they were protecting her as they covered the surface of her body. After a few seconds and the flames had disappeared, Shizuka's appearance had greatly changed. She had transfigured into something halfway between dragon and human.

She had horns on her head, and her eyes and hair had turned red. Sharp fangs fitting for beasts peeked out from under her lips. Her arms and legs were covered in crimson scales, as if they were armor. On her back she had dragon-like wings and a long tail stretched out from the back of her waist. She looked like a child born between a dragon and human.

“Blue Knight, leave this to me! While my power is limited in this form, I won't lose to normal people!”

“I'll leave it to you!”

“Here I was wondering it would be, and it's just a mutant? How desperate can you be, Koutarou-kun! Just taking in some characteristic of other livings won't make humans that much stronger!”

Elexis had been surprised at first, but his composure had returned by now.

He didn't think Shizuka's transformation was much of a threat. Though she might have gotten biologically strengthened, she was still a living creature. She wouldn't be a match for Forthorthe's weapons and protection. While they might struggle a little since the originally strong Shizuka had gotten stronger, she was someone the soldiers should be able to defeat.

“I think so too. In this small form, I can only use a fraction of my power.”

In that moment, Shizuka opened her mouth and spewed fire. However, this was too hot to call fire and it also shot out fast. That's why, rather than saying that she had spewed fire, it was more apt to call it firing a plasma beam cannon. The beam Shizuka fired cut through the air with ease.

“Impossible?!”

Small unmanned fighters were smashed into pieces and fell in front of the shocked Elexis's eyes. These small fighters were automated, unmanned weapons designed to support the soldiers. The comparison to Earth technology would be a light assault vehicle. Though they were called small, they were not something so weak. Yet they had been destroyed in a single attack. And it wasn't just one. The majority of the fighters had been shot down by this attack.

“So I really couldn't shoot them all down...”

Shizuka wasn't pleased with this result and regrettably dropped her shoulders. However, the side that had suffered the attack were speechless. With this one attack, all of the soldiers had understood that the girl in front of them wasn't something constrained by their common sense.

“Uwaa, Aaaahhhhh!”

“Don't come over hereee!”

The soldiers who had seen Shizuka's power up close all descended into a chaotic state. They reacted in all kinds of ways, some ran away, others blankly stopped in place and some fired their guns at random. But they all had one thing in common: their teamwork had completely collapsed.

“Hmph. The quality of the soldiers sure has dropped in these 2,000 years. Alaia-dono's soldiers would have come at me... They're so reliant on their technology that they've lost their willpower...”

Shizuka moved forward, feeling somewhat dumbfounded by the soldiers’ behavior. She had a regal presence as she walked and the ground cracked for each time she took a step. Despite her form, that overwhelming power was still present.

“...Lidith, Fauna and Caris who had parted with them is here... and I suppose the one I am dwelling in would be Mary... I also feel another nostalgic presence... I see, then I guess it was only inevitable for me to appear here as well!”

Shizuka moved forward to protect the other girls. If she didn't step forward, there was a chance that the still collapsed girls might get caught up in the soldiers' attacks.

“I'll make you pay for harming my friends!”

“You monster!”

Realizing how strong Shizuka was and what state his subordinates were in, Elexis hurriedly closed up Warlord's hatch. If Shizuka was left be, the soldiers would be annihilated. So Warlord and the Motor Knights would need to defeat her right away.

“Change the coordination mode! To anti infantry―, no anti mobile weapon!”

“Understood, changing the coordination mode. Target set as mobile weapon. Tactics optimization, changing to weapon preset F.”

Having gotten back into control of Warlord, Elexis spat out orders to the artificial intelligence. That only continued for a short while, but since he was watching Shizuka attack the soldiers, Elexis started to panic. He had to keep the soldiers from being annihilated. To him, they were precious companions who shared the same goal.

“Let's go, Warlord!”

“Your opponent is me, Elexis.”

But as Elexis was about to head towards the soldiers, Koutarou blocked his way.

“Get out of the way, Koutarou-kun! I don't have the time to deal with you!”

“I'm afraid I have to... that's what you told me just before.”

While somehow managing to support his staggering body, Koutarou pointed the tip of Signaltin towards Warlord. He might be staggering, but a fierce fire still resided in his eyes.

“What can you even do now?! Are you going to fight in that state?! Stop this useless action and get out of the way!!”

“Come on now, that's not how it goes, Elexis.”

Koutarou smiled at Elexis. He couldn't let Elexis go since his aim was obviously Shizuka. But Shizuka was strong. The collapsed girls would be better off being hostages than get caught up in their battle. It was because he was aware of this that Koutarou desperately struggled to stay conscious and stood in Elexis' way.

“Weren't you prepared to make sacrifices for your goal? Forget about your subordinates and fight me. Information on Theia and Elfaria, and taking my life was supposed to be your goal, wasn't it?”

“So our companions’ lives are on the line, for both of us...”

Realizing Koutarou's goal and resolve, Elexis changed his mind. In this situation, Koutarou would never step down. He had to defeat him first.

“Very well, let's finish this, Koutarou-kun.”

“Don't think things will go the same as before.”

Koutarou and Elexis both readied their weapons. Thanks to him summoning Alunaya, the battle was proceeding in Koutarou's desired direction. He was resolved to do this. He knew that with his armor so heavily damaged, he wouldn't be able to stall Elexis for long.

“...I have to at least buy enough time for Alunaya-dono to clean up that side... Everyone, lend me your strength...”

Koutarou muttered in a quiet voice as he strongly grasped Signaltin. Now was the time to use every power at his disposal. There was no need for it to be his own. Even a borrowed power would be fine. As long as he could protect what he wanted, Koutarou would use any power he could.

And as if answering his request, a girl's voice reached his ear.

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

That wasn't a voice that had reached him as sound. Instead, it had reached him through the power of the sword in his hand.

“Your majesty?!”

When he first heard that voice, the first person to pop into Koutarou's mind was a silver haired girl. In the past, she had spoken those exact words. However, Koutarou quickly realized it was a different person. There was no way that silver haired girl would be here, but he thought of someone else who was.

“Sakuraba-senpai?”

“Fufufu, you already found out. I thought that was a pretty good act too...”

The voice belonged to Harumi. She also had the power to control Signaltin. That's why it called out to him the way the girl in his memories had.

“Why are you here? What about her majesty, Elfaria?”

Koutarou closed his mouth and sent his thoughts to Harumi. He didn't want Elexis to hear the rest of this conversation.

“If Signaltin's powers grow weaker, I will know, no matter where I am. That's why I had her majesty hide and came here.”

Even after avoiding the unmanned scouts, Harumi and Elfaria hid in the mountain cottage. They believed it would be safer to stay in a place that had already been searched than to carelessly move around. Of course, she didn't forget to use a spell to hide any tracks, just in case.

That was when Harumi sensed Signaltin's powers greatly decreasing. That was a sign that Koutarou and the others were in an incredibly dangerous situation. So Harumi left Elfaria behind in the cottage and headed towards Koutarou.

“How reckless...”

“Either way, I can't protect her majesty on my own. I had to do this.”

There was a high risk in leaving Elfaria on her own, but it was unrealistic to believe that Harumi would be able to protect Elfaria on her own. Harumi knew just how difficult it would be for her to escape from the enemies that had defeated Koutarou and the others and reach the safety of Theia's or Clan's ship. That's why Harumi had decided to lower the chance of that happening by heading out to help Koutarou. Elfaria also shared her opinion.

“And besides, you plan to fight despite being so wounded, right Satomi-kun? Then I should be able to fight with my own body as well.”

“Sakuraba-senpai...”

“Satomi-kun, we will fight together. I will always stay by your side and protect you.”

That was Harumi's confession of love.

“The Silver Princess couldn't do it because of her position, but I am just a normal girl so... I will stay with you until the very end.”

Harumi felt like she was very blessed. While the Silver Princess loved the Blue Knight, she had to give up on her feelings for the sake of the country. But Harumi was different. She was just a very normal girl born to a normal family, and she had the right to decide what to do with her own life. Having experienced the Silver Princess's life like it was her own in the play, Harumi couldn't think of her as a stranger. That's why Harumi wanted to fulfill the wish of the Silver Princess. If Harumi, who shared the same feelings as the Silver Princess, could live with Koutarou, then she believed that the Silver Princess would feel like her own feelings had been requited.

That's why Harumi had decided to fight, not just for herself, or for the Silver Princess, but to fulfill both of their desires.

“I understand. Please lend me your strength, Sakuraba-senpai. It's quite pathetic, but I can't beat Elexis on my own.”

“Yes!”

Harumi released all of the feelings that had built up inside of her and answered Koutarou. She didn't know if those feelings had reached Koutarou or not, but he had said that he needed her. That alone was enough to satisfy her.

Silver Princess... Please, lend me your feelings! So I can forever protect the man we both feel for!!

Harumi clasped her hands together in front of her chest and called out to Signaltin's powers. Harumi carried the emotions of both herself and Alaia. The power awakened by those two emotions greatly exceeded the power of two, and the sword glowed brighter.

Part 4

“Did you finish your prayers, Koutarou-kun?”

“I have no need to pray. I have someone who will do that for me.”

Signaltin began glowing brighter just as Koutarou and Elexis were about to start their fight. The light that had been dim until then suddenly grew brighter, to the point where it was as bright as when Alunaya was summoned.

“What are you planning?! I won't let things go as you wish!!”

Sensing danger as the sword started glowing, Elexis sensed danger and he squeezed the trigger without hesitation. As he did, the beam shotgun in Warlord's left hand roared. At the same time, the ten Motor Knights fired their beam cannons. Their cooperation was perfect and the shotgun and beam cannon assaulted Koutarou at the same time.

“Good judgment, but you're too late, Elexis!”

Eleven beams poured down on where Koutarou was standing and created a large crater. However, Koutarou was no longer there, and Elexis's attack had only managed to create a hole.

“You should have shot me before that prayer began!!”

Koutarou rapidly closed in on Elexis. His movements were fast and didn't appear to be in as much pain as he had been just a moment ago. Though not completely, Koutarou had been healed and regained his stamina when Signaltin began glowing.

“That light from before–! But even then, you can't move faster than the armor's designed for!”

However, Warlord was tracking Koutarou's movements. He began repeatedly firing the laser cannon on his right shoulder towards Koutarou. Since lasers moved at the speed of light, the moment it was fired, it would hit Koutarou. Lasers weren't something that could be dodged after having been fired.

“It's not just about moving quickly. You should be well aware since you're using those things.”

However, the moment the laser hit Koutarou, he vanished like smoke. The Koutarou that Elexis had shot was an elaborate illusion Harumi had created.

The next moment, two of the Motor Knights to Warlord's right exploded at the same time. Koutarou was standing right next to the two destroyed robots. His aim wasn't Warlord, but the Motor Knights.

“Satomi-kun, get back!”

Koutarou followed Harumi's instructions and fell back quickly. Three Motor Knights nearby were aiming at him.

“Gather, spirits of water! Dance, spirits of wind! Combine these two powers and appear, spirits of lightning! Oh dragon-like dark cloud, open your jaws and destroy! Roar of Thunder!!”

But before they could attack, a powerful lightning poured down from the sky and assaulted the three robots. Against the power of nature containing over a billion volts, the Motor Knights’ barriers didn't stand a chance and were unable to do anything. The three that were bathed in the lightning exploded.

“...Amazing...”

If Koutarou hadn't fallen back, he would have been caught up in that lightning as well. Harumi's warning hadn't been to tell Koutarou of her attack on the Motor Knights but to keep him from getting caught up in it as well.

“...I-I'm surprised as well...”

This result came as a surprise to Harumi as well. Since her opponent wasn't a human, she could attack without holding back. To her surprise, the attack was far more powerful than she had imagined it would be. Harumi started getting a little frightened of herself as she looked at the charred ground and fragments of the robots lying about. If she misused her power, she might get her own allies involved. That's why Harumi carved deep into her heart that she had gained a terrifying power.

“I went too far...”

“It was a sudden fight so don't worry too much about it! Sakuraba-senpai you're doing great!”

“Y-Yes, thank you, Satomi-kun!”

Hearing that Harumi had cheered up, Koutarou took a look at his next target.

You probably think that I'm targeting your attendant robots, so I'll give you a reminder!!

Koutarou's next target was the weapon that Elexis was controlling, Warlord. Since the remaining Motor Knights were on the other side of Warlord, there was no fear of a counter attack. This was his chance to attack.

“Just who are you, Koutarou-kun?!”

Having lost five Motor Knights in an instant, Elexis was starting to lose his composure. He fired missiles at the approaching Koutarou at the same time he repeatedly fired his laser to obstruct Koutarou's path.

“I told you before, I'm just a victim!”

Koutarou swung his sword and cut through the air, while Harumi, controlling Signaltin's power, unleashed a shockwave. The shockwave destroyed the incoming missiles. The flames from the explosion hid Koutarou and greatly weakened the power of the lasers. With the lasers weakened, they could be fully blocked by his magical barrier. Bathed in lasers, Koutarou advanced without hesitation.

“I'm just a normal student you'd find anywhere!”

“I don't think that's all there is to you!! Your power has deviated from reality!!”

The abilities Koutarou had at his disposal were rich in variety and all of them were at a very high level. Koutarou's skill with the sword, the science and spiritual technology that his armor was using, the spiritual energy and magic inside of him, and even the ability to summon a supernatural being. Koutarou was using all of those abilities in harmony to fight. And as a result, his combat capabilities exceeded common sense.

“My power is insignificant. It's all thanks to the powers I've borrowed from everyone else. I'm sure if you used it, you would be even more amazing!”

Having approached Warlord, Koutarou swiftly thrust Signaltin forward. He was aiming for the laser cannon on the right shoulder. Since he couldn't avoid the lasers, it was his primary target.

As Signaltin crashed through Warlord's barrier, Koutarou generated electricity in his left hand. That electricity passed through Signaltin and pierced the laser cannon. Leaving behind a small explosive sound, the laser cannon exploded into pieces.

“That's not a funny joke! I don't have the ability to borrow that much power!”

Elexis suddenly swung with his left fist in an attempt to beat Koutarou down, but Koutarou swiftly kicked off of Warlord before he could reach. As he did, the remaining five Motor Knights tracked Koutarou's movements, aiming for him with their beam cannons.

“Gather, spirits of water! Dance, spirits of wind! Combine these two powers and appear, spirits of lightning! Like a coiled snake, like a rising tornado, show yourself! Whirl! Thunder Spiral!”

However, the fired beams never reached Koutarou. Using the magnetic field of the powerful electric current she had created, she altered the direction of the beams. Thought it was just a marginal change in direction, it was enough to shift the beams away from Koutarou.

“Sakuraba-senpai, that's amazing!”

Koutarou brandished Signaltin, and attacked the Motor Knights. The powerful magnetic field was interfering with the Motor Knights systems and, while it was just for a short while, the robots remained still until they could resolve the errors that occurred. Harumi's choice of spell was incredibly fitting, and served to both defend and attack. Koutarou made full use of the opening Harumi had created.

Along with several sounds of metal being cut in half, all five of the Motor Knights were cut into pieces. Elexis saw the robotic parts fall to the ground, and at the same time, he saw Shizuka beat down his final soldier.

“...Your true power is not one you can see with your eyes. It allows others to entrust their powers to you. It is your very existence...”

Elexis practically spat those words out.

It was far too brilliant of a comeback. Elexis had been one step away from a total victory, yet Koutarou had turned the tables on him. Koutarou's power far exceeded Elexis's imagination. If he had borrowed his power from others, then just how much did those people trust him? What's more, it wasn't just one person. Considering his strength, Koutarou should have borrowed his strength from many others. Elexis couldn't see himself gaining the help of that many. And so he was forced to admit that his capacity didn't compare to Koutarou's.

“Then I will take pride in that true power. And I would never betray the trust placed in me.”

If Koutarou's true power was as Elexis said, then it meant that Koutarou was himself, as were the girls of room 106 themselves, and the bond formed between the ten was a real one.

“...It's our win, Elexis.”

So Koutarou took pride in that bond. And he wouldn't betray that bond.

Koutarou wasn't alone.

He always had nine girls at his side.

“Not yet, Koutarou-kun!”

Elexis punched a red button installed in the corner of Warlord's control panel.

As he did, the control seat separated from Warlord and flew backwards. The button Elexis had pushed was an emergency eject.

“Oh no?!”

“Even if I can't defeat you, there are still ways to win against you!”

To Elexis, leaving behind the soldiers was a painful decision. However, in the current situation, it would be next to impossible to retrieve them. The chance of Warlord defeating Koutarou and Shizuka alone was slim to none. That's why Elexis had no choice but to choose to escape.

“I see, you're after Theia!!”

“That's right! Fighting you directly is not the only way of fighting!”

However, this wasn't just to protect himself. If he could capture Theia who was fighting in space, then she would be more than enough to negotiate. Though it would be limited to those who survive, but Elexis could retrieve the soldiers later.

“I won't let you get away!!”

“You're too late!!”

The moment Koutarou got ready to attack Elexis, the control seat he was sitting in opened a space-time hole and entered.

“I won't let you leave on your own!!”

Koutarou activated the emergency boosters on his armor and chased after Elexis. He was going to plunge into the still space-time hole as well.

“I told you that you're too late!”

However, just before Koutarou was about to enter the hole, Warlord that had been left on the surface exploded.

And the space-time hole disappeared right in front of Koutarou. As a result, Koutarou simply passed through where the hole had been.

“Damnit! In that case...!”

Though he had let Elexis get away, Koutarou wasn't about to give up. He quickly activated the armor's comms and was trying to contact Theia and Ruth who were engaged with the enemy ships.

“The connection to the network has been cut. Communication is not possible.”

“What?!”

However, the artificial intelligence in his armor let him know that communication was impossible.

Part 5

The reason Koutarou couldn't contact Theia and Ruth was because of Warlord exploding. Warlord had exploded to jam Koutarou's communications.

Forthorthe spaceships usually made use of gravitational waves to communicate. This was a method more reliable than electromagnetic waves, but it was still susceptible to interference. Just like how one could use electromagnetic fields to interfere with electromagnetic waves, gravitational waves could be interfered by using gravitational fields. That was why Warlord's reactor had purposely been overloaded.

“...Because of this interference, not only is communication jammed, but transferring objects is not possible either! Least of all live humans!”

Since communications using gravitational waves couldn't be used, Koutarou was communicating with Clan through the use of electromagnetic waves. Since Clan was further away than the moon, there was a time lag in their communication. And right now, even that slight lag was enough to irritate Koutarou.

“At this rate, Theia will get beaten!”

Thanks to Clan, Koutarou could get a grasp of Elexis's strategy.

Like he had said, Elexis's goal was to defeat Koutarou. Forcibly launching an attack on the surface to draw Koutarou down from space was the first stage of the plan.

The second stage was to lure the Blue Knight to the far side of the moon. In order to minimize the risks, there would be a high chance that either Theia or Elfaria was on the ship. Elexis's goal was to capture and kill them. If the three spaceships ignored the Blue Knight and sent support to the surface, the Blue Knight would have no choice but to reveal itself. And though Theia knew it was a trap, she had no choice but to head to the far side of the moon.

And the third stage was that if Elexis failed to defeat Koutarou on the surface, he would have Warlord self-destruct to keep Koutarou and the others on the surface for a while. By doing that, he would have some time to launch an attack on the Blue Knight that was isolated in space. The first attack also had the purpose of gathering Koutarou and the others and then stalling them.

Elexis's strategy proved effective, and Koutarou and the others were unable to get to Theia and Ruth in space. The Blue Knight was mostly completely automated, but even then it was a bit too much for just Theia and Ruth to control. If they were to go up against three ships, the more help the better. Left stranded on Earth, all they could do was watch the footage of the battle that Clan was streaming from Hazy Moon to them and Koutarou started feeling rushed and impatient.

“Clan-san. Can't we do something with your power?”

Harumi's silver hair swayed in the wind as she asked Clan whose hologram was being displayed by Koutarou's armor. Harumi’s hair had been dyed slightly silver due to the influence of Signaltin's magical power. It gave her a mysterious atmosphere that charmed anyone who saw her.

“...Even if I have the Cradle enter the atmosphere and pick you up, we won't make it in time.”

Entering and exiting the atmosphere followed by a 380,000 kilometer trip to the far side of the moon. Even for Forthorthe's advanced technology it was something that would take some time to do.

“So we're at a stalemate...”

Koutarou strongly clenched his fists. Since the armor was amplifying his strength, if something had been in his hand it would have been easily crushed.

“Blue Knight, I do not understand the detailed circumstances, but in short you wish to enter the world of the stars?”

Shizuka who had been watching over the situation until now opened her mouth. She had her arms crossed and stared at Koutarou's face.

“That's right. My friend is fighting in space, in the world of the stars.”

“Hmm... The back of that large satellite... There certainly seems to be a commotion going on over there.”

Shizuka looked up at the moon and squinted her eyes before nodding. She wasn't using any kind of magic, yet she could sense the distortion of space and energy colliding.

“But it would take too much time for us to get there using any method we have.”

“I see. Then, Blue Knight, I shall take you there right now.”

Shizuka pointed straight at the moon. She then puffed up her chest, put her hands on her hips and showed a confident expression. This was neither a joke nor a misunderstanding.

"You can do that?!”

"However, it won't be easy. There is a limit to my powers too.”

The legendary dragon, Alunaya, inside of Shizuka looked like an omnipotent being to Koutarou, but even Alunaya had his limits. In fact, he couldn't take form on Earth. As expected, 2,000 years and 10 million light-years was too great a distance.

So he sent his magical power and a copy of his soul to Earth. And using the crest on Koutarou's hand as a beacon, he had been sending bits of his powers to Shizuka who was living Corona House for over ten years. He couldn't simply appear today, but had required such a long time to prepare.

“Rising up into the world of the stars and flying to the back of that satellite will most likely drain me of all my powers. And until I recover, I won't be able to do anything. Would you be fine, even then?”

Right now, Shizuka, Alunaya, only had the power to take Koutarou into space and would be unable to give him support in the battle. And so Alunaya asked Koutarou if he would go to Theia, despite knowing that.

“Of course! Please do so, Alunaya-dono!!”

Koutarou was prepared for that.

Of course he was.

He was a knight who served Theia after all.

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