Winter Fall (I)

by Shūsuke Amagi

  The thorns calculated the irregularities in their order as it tried to root out the rules behind their actions.

  Initially, his priority had been to make the appropriate adjustments.

  However, what would happen when the opponent had already read the patterns of this side and decided on her own to destroy them?

  Clang!

  Haia's blade cut the ground.

  That strike was the signal.

  According to the order, the next one should be Troyatte's attack.

  No, Troyatte had already moved. His Kei technique took shape, coming to the state before release.

  In the process, others also began their own moves one by one, refining and condensing their Kei.

  That was the process up to now.

  But, it wasn't the same.

  "Raaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!"

  Ruimei roared.

  Great flames of Kei covered the entirety of his iron ball, flying towards Lævateinn.

  At the same time, a giant shell also shot out of Barmelin's cannon.

  "Crimson!"

  Claribel also released her greatest Kei technique. Igniting the Kei hidden in the palace with lines of fire, in a moment it became waves of flame rolling towards Lævateinn.

  Haia also ran Kei through his blade, and released.

  Psyharden Technique - Sakaneji Chousaku. [9]

  A Kei technique that thrust out with stabbing and swirling Kei that was gathered together.

  Afterwards, Troyatte also used his technique.

  External-type Kei, Karen Kei variant - Nightshade Demon.

  This was the Kei technique that Troyatte had been quietly preparing and concealing throughout this battle.

  A black sphere passed through the thorns, and suddenly appeared in front of Lævateinn.

  This move wasn't originally a technique for attacking.

  Absorbing the techniques of the opponent, and reflecting them back. It was a Kei technique with this special feature.

  Troyatte used the greatest Kei strength that he could, letting this Kei skill appear in front of Lævateinn.

  This Kei technique that had the feature of drawing in other Kei skills had an effect on the Kei techniques that the other four Heaven's Blades had released.

  It played its part, drawing in the other Kei techniques.

  Strength was gathered there.

  The amalgamation of four Kei techniques flew at Lævateinn like a deadly rain of arrows.

  The movements of the thorns were slightly slow compared to this. Because it had gotten used to the speed of the attacks before, it had responded a bit slowly.

  Though it was barely a matter of seconds, in a fight with Heaven's Blade successors, even a short moment could decide everything.

  Though it wasn't like the wall of thorns completely hadn't made a defense.

  It couldn't be said that it was in a completed state.

  The gathered Kei techniques collided with the incomplete thorns, exploding.

  Explosions shattered the shield, ravaging that which had continually protected Lævateinn.

  Before the explosions disappeared, two other figures moved.

  They were Savaris and Kanaris.

  "This is pretty good."

  Savaris said this as he jumped into the blaze.

  It was praise for the battle plan.

  The Heaven's Blades would obviously be able to cooperate if it were only for a moment. But, just as Haia had expected, if the Heaven's Blade successors had taken various actions because of provocations between themselves, and all of their actions were for their common goal, then it would be different.

  Claribel was the same.

  "Regardless of what happens, I'll use everything I can for this chance."

  Kanaris behind him was ready to unleash her Kei technique at any time. Savaris had jumped into the scorching blaze a step ahead, releasing his own technique.

  External Kei variant - Roar Kei, Hermit's Palm.

  That moment, Savaris had already entered the state of Thousand Man Rush.

  But, Savaris was a single person.

  No, his momentary actions had made an incomprehensible afterimage phenomenon appear.

  Yes.

  A thousand Savarises were all in the same place.

  All of the Savarises released a Kei technique from the same place. It was a compact gathering rather than a surrounding.

  The vibrations released from that place formed a thick pillar.

  Next was Kanaris.

  In the gaps between Haia and the others' attacks, she and Savaris had been continuously refining their Kei.

  Savaris' Hermit's Palm was a technique that required long preparation.

  Though it possessed strong destructive force, because of the long preparation that it required, it had been judged as a Kei technique unsuitable for actual combat.

  The Kei technique that Kanaris unleashed was the same.

  "......Then."

  The moment Savaris released Hermit's Palm, Kanaris also released her Kei technique.

  External-type Kei variant - Kagura Priestess' Ritual Dance.

  Kanaris' rapier cut sound and rearranged it. Her method of fighting that had been named sound strikes was even stronger than Savaris' with regard to vibrations.

  The sound strike technique that had Kanaris' extraordinarily high Kei power seemed as if it added to Savaris' Hermit's Palm.

  From the sound of it, it was quite tranquil.

  However, the results were intense indeed.

  The vibration waves formed and gathered by Hermit's Palm that had been released from Savaris' hands seemed as if they had suddenly been torn apart and spread out, becoming even more intense, engulfing Lævateinn.

  Kagura Priestess' Ritual Dance.

  This was a rarity for Heaven's Blade successors to use, a trick that strengthened Kei techniques.

  Normal Military Artists would use Kei techniques to strengthen their companion's techniques when they were fighting cooperatively, but this was different.

  The move that Kanaris released particularly strengthened the might of sound attacks.

  This was the reason behind the increase in Savaris' vibrations.

  The sound of the explosions produced by the vibrations were different from normal destruction. The sounds that the particles composing substance made when they collided with each other at high speed was fine like the sound of tiny bells, as well as creaky like the sound a piece of iron would make.

  "Uwah."

  Because of the overly intense sound, Claribel quickly blocked her ears and retreated.

  She wasn't the only one who withdrew, Haia did as well, and other than Savaris, the other Heaven's Blades all pulled back their distance.

  It wasn't only because of the noise.

  The vibrations that pierced through Lævateinn continued destroying everything behind her.

  Because of this, the already-dilapidated palace began crumbling.

  It was already commendable for the palace that could withstand the might of a few Heaven's Blades to have held out till now in this situation that couldn't be described as just 'a few' Heaven's Blades.

  But now, the palace began to crumble.

  The ceiling cracked, and fragmented rubble fell down bit by bit.

  In order to avoid the falling rubble, the Heaven's Blades retreated.

  And Lævateinn......?

  Savaris' Kei technique still continued. The falling rubble was crushed by the shockwaves, and the dust produced filled the surroundings.

  And this quickly brought about a new situation.

  Flame suddenly danced through the surroundings.

  A dust explosion.

  The flames that had been spread all over by the shockwaves of the battle ignited the concentrated dust, producing an explosion.

  "Wow......"

  The explosion continued, and the flame swelled without limits, not seeming at all as if it were about to stop.

  The explosion and flame didn't have that much str
ength.

  However, the chaotic flame would affect vision, and there was no way to confirm what was happening in the center of things.

  "Hey, how is it~?"

  After moving to a place that the flame couldn't reach, Haia asked this into the Psychokinesis flake.

  (I'm not too clear on it.)

  "What do you mean?"

  (Because of that explosion, Psychokinesis has become disturbed to a degree, and before this, the Psychokinesis around the palace was already unstable.)

  "Nn? When did this start?"

  (The instability started after the enemy invaded, and continued as the battle went on. Now it's becoming worse. If this goes on it may only be a matter of time before we're unable to communicate.)

  "......Do you think it has to do with this thing?"

  (Definitely.)

  "Ahh."

  Haia mumbled a reply to Elsmau's words.

  The explosion still continued, and he was very clear that the reason of the explosion was the dust explosion.

  Because the flame still hadn't disappeared, that meant the source of the explosion, the dust, still hadn't disappeared.

  The fact that the pressure of the Kei technique still hadn't disappeared said that Savaris still continued to release his Kei technique even now.

  Though Savaris was surprised at this extraordinary Kei strength, this wasn't the only problem.

  If the dust explosion still continued, and the Kei technique still continued, that meant that Savaris who was in the center of the explosion was still in battle.

  "It seems like we haven't completely dealt with her~"

  Thinking this, Haia felt a chill near his temple even though he was in a incomparably hot environment.

  "Hey, let go of me!"

  "What are you trying to do!?"

  After hearing Ruimei and Kanaris' voices, Haia looked over.

  "Does it even need to be said, obvious I'm going to give her a finishing blow."

  "That's what Savaris is doing now."

  "It's because I can't trust him that I'm saying this!"

  It seemed that Ruimei still wanted to continue attacking, and Kanaris was trying to stop him.

  Attacking...... If he could, Haia also wanted to do that.

  However......

  "Where's Savaris?"

  "Hah! Who cares about that guy who couldn't finish the enemy off."

  Even for the strongly individualistic Heaven's Blades, other than Ruimei who said this, the others didn't seem like they were going to take any actions.

  Kei pressure could still be felt from the center of the explosion.

  "Out of my way!"

  "No!"

  While Ruimei and Kanaris bickered, the other Heaven's Blades didn't move at all. Claribel had a confused appearance, and what about the other two?"

  "............"

  "............"

  Troyatte and Barmelin completely ignored the other two, continually watching the center of the raging flame.

  Though they hadn't made a decision like Ruimei, they still understood that they definitely couldn't relax their guard in the current state.

  However, Ruimei's iron ball wasn't thrown to the center of the explosion in the end.

  It wasn't because Kanaris had persuaded him.

  Rather, suddenly, the Kei pressure disappeared.

  If it were only this, then they should have taken action that moment. Not only Ruimei, but Haia also thought so. The other four probably also planned the same.

  After the Kei pressure disappeared, if Lævateinn still lived, then Haia and the others would have no reason to be troubled.

  However, they weren't given sufficient time.

  At the same time the Kei pressure disappeared, it happened.

  The dust explosion also stopped.

  The unstoppably blazing flame also suddenly disappeared.

  At the same time, a sense of danger assaulted the spectators.

  "Wah!"

  Thorns penetrated through the disappearing dust.

  But, the size wasn't the same.

  The thorns near Haia now were as large as tree trunks.

  "What!?"

  While making a surprised sound, Haia observed calmly. The other Heaven's Blade successors were receiving the thorns' attacks at the same time.

  An inauspicious sound came from the base of the thorns.

  At that time, the thorns swung out without any specific target, and something appeared.

  No, it had fallen there.

  "Savaris!"

  Kanaris was the one who had shouted.

  As if he had been tossed away by the thorns, Savaris fell down near Haia.

  "What's going on~?"

  'Are you alright?' There wasn't any time for Haia to ask this.

  "Couldn't do anything about it."

  Savaris who responded to him like this wasn't completely unharmed. However, seeing as he didn't have any burn marks, the wounds he had received weren't from the dust explosion.

  "It seems that we've underestimated our opponent's abilities a little."

  "Abilities?"

  Savaris didn't know what he was saying.

  But Haia had quickly understood.

  The inauspicious sound grew louder.

  Speaking of which, the crumbling of the palace had already stopped, and though they couldn't see the surroundings clearly because of the smoke that the dust explosion had produced, the palace couldn't have been completely destroyed already.

  That strange silence heightened the troublesome premonition inside him.

  "It's coming."

  Savaris said.

  Something slowly emerged from the smoke.

  Lævateinn.

  Her posture had changed a bit, and her clothing had become the same as what one wore to fight outside the city.

  However, just that much of a change wasn't enough to make them feel surprised.

  The smoke slowly disappeared.

  No, something that shouldn't be disappearing was disappearing.

  Then, the smoke was being absorbed, that was a fact that Haia quickly understood after this.

  "Impossible!"

  Thinking carefully, that was a size that he had already gotten used to.

  However, not a single person had noticed that thing being there.

  That thing was under Lævateinn's feet.

  A thing put together by countless thorns.

  The problem was, that size.

  The diameter of the thorns that had just attacked Haia was already about as large as Haia's height.

  Every vine of thorns had that thickness, and their length definitely wasn't short.

  The thing that they had put together seemed about as big as a male phase filth monster.

  That kind of thing, when had it been made?

  Had it started when Savaris had released his vibrations?

  While she was being destroyed, and showing far more regenerative speed than the destructive speed that they displayed, had she deliberately prepared that kind of thing?

  "This thing is really an incredible monster."

  As Haia said this, the surrounding smoke became even thinner.

  It disappeared cleanly.

  With that, the appearance of Lævateinn and the monster became even clearer.

  Moreover, the surrounding situation as well......

  "This is......"

  Troyatte said this.

  Before them was the scene of the destroyed palace, but the method of destruction definitely wasn't normal.

  It wasn't the scale of the destruction.

  Rather, it was the nature of the destruction.

  It was evident that the palace hadn't been destroyed by the shocks of the battle.

  No, there was portion that had been destroyed by the battle.

  However, the degree of crumbling was already far more than a normal situation, and the palace had become like sand.

  Though he had thought this could have been brought about because of the vib
rations, it shouldn't be only that. It was very clear that it had been produced by something with a wider range.

  Because the Kei technique that Savaris had released was a concentrated vibration wave. Even if Lævateinn's surroundings had become like this, it should be impossible for the area behind Haia and the others to have been affected.

  Not only Haia, but the other Heaven's Blade successors also noticed this.

  "......Could it be that we're going to be eaten here?"

  Claribel said this.

  "Probably."

  Troyatte also agreed.

  "The traces in that thing's surroundings seem artificial. However I look it doesn't seem to be produced by Sava-Kana's combination."

  "Though your abbreviation makes me extremely displeased, what you said is right."

  Savaris felt the wound on his neck as he nodded.

  "That thing regenerated while it was being destroyed, and even made that kind of thing. What a chilling scene."

  Savaris' expression was clearly not as frightened as he had said, and he had a happy expression, his mouth curved into a deep smile.

  "Well, next...... What's the battle plan after this?"

  "Wait a bit~"

  Savaris' tone was extremely lively.

  Compared to this, Haia's tone was a bit heavy.

  Not just a regenerative ability that was mightier than normal, it was able to and had the ingenuity to use its regenerative ability to use the surrounding substance to create new material.

  No, from the start, Lævateinn's regenerative ability was actually creation.

  Regardless, the important question was whether her ability was greater than the destructive ability of this side. How great was that creation ability? Did it have a weak point?

  Did she have a vital point like a normal organism?

  Though he had also been troubled by these kinds of things when he faced filth monsters, however, the difficulty of the problem this time was far greater.

  He worried endlessly, and before Haia thought of a way to resolve this......

  "No, this is over."

  Lævateinn opened her mouth.

  "You cannot stop me, this has already been proven. If you continue to fight, it's unfavorable to both you and I."

  What was she saying in this situation?

  The first half of what she said could be taken as her declaration of victory.

  Then, what about the latter half?

  "Quickly halt your aggression, and leave. This is a warning."

  Unfavorable to both sides?