『RIIIIIIIIIIIINGRANDEEEEEE』
A two-p.r.o.nged spear in the Holy Sh.e.l.l Mobile Armor hand was thrust at the small airs.h.i.+p Ringrande was riding on.
Light buckshots that shot out of the spear tips exploded near the small airs.h.i.+ps.
"I can"t shoot my magic! Stabilize the hull just a bit more!"
"It"s impossible!"
The small airs.h.i.+ps slips through gap between the tiny explosions with acrobatic maneuvers.
"If we"re too far away, my magic won"t reach--then."
"Ri-Ringrande-sama?"
Ringrande jumped off of the airs.h.i.+p.
She was free falling for a short while before her falling speed slowed down.
"I"m glad I got it from Hayato."
Running in the sky with the Flight Shoes, she approaches the Holy Sh.e.l.l Mobile Armor.
『RIIIIIIIIIIINGRANDEEEEEEE』
"Sheesh, can"t you say anything else?"
She fired [Quick Burst] that could be chanted quickly at the head of the Holy Sh.e.l.l Mobile Armor that was taking the action to attack as a distraction, and closed the distance more.
◇
『Kukkukku... spread your struggle, hatred and fear, breed the miasma necessary for his majesty"s resurrection』
Deep in a jet black darkness, a man in purple costume standing in front of a floating mirror muttered.
The mirror reflects the figures of Ringrande who"s fighting with the Holy Sh.e.l.l Mobile Armor.
White mist is coiling about around the man, sometimes something that resembles an anguished face floats in the white mist.
『Well that objective is more mundane than I thought.』
A voice that came not from the man resounded in the jet black darkness.
『--Who is it. You who speak with the language of the great orc kingdom, show yourself.』
The one who appeared before the man was a slender boy wearing a purple wig and a white mask.
『That mask, you"re!!』
『Nice to meet you, mastermind-san--』
The masked hero bowed like a stage actor.
◇
"GWAAAAA"
Ringrande who was. .h.i.t hard by the two p.r.o.nged spear got slapped onto the arena"s ground.
Even though the force of the blow was enough to carve out a trench on the arena"s ground, Ringrande still retained her fighting spirit.
Ringrande tried to get up, but the two p.r.o.nged spear pierced the ground on both her sides, pressing on and holding her back.
".■■ Quick Burst."
The spell Ringrande chanted while coughing blood disappeared after only leaving a small light explosion.
『What"s wrong, ran out of mana?』
A sane sounding voice that made the mad voice earlier seemed like a lie resounded from the Holy Sh.e.l.l Mobile Armor"s external speaker.
A hatch on the throat of the Holy Sh.e.l.l Mobile Armor opened slightly, and the aged face of the third prince Sharlick peeked out from there.
"That face..."
Ringrande expressed her surprise to see the prince"s face.
"I will ask you this only once."
The triumphant third prince Sharlick said so while looking down on Ringrande.
"Yield to me and give birth to the king of the next era."
"I refuse."
Ringrande flat out refused the third prince Sharlick.
"...What. How foolish can you be, Ringrande!"
The third prince"s Sharlick"s face convulsed and warped.
"I will destroy every single country in this age of strife once. And I am the only one who is capable of uniting all the lower cla.s.s people in this turbulent time to create an empire that covers the entire continent. Do you mean to say that you have a problem becoming the wife of such greatness!"
Ringrande isn"t answering the third prince Sharlick who rattled on with bloodshot eyes.
She"s fully concentrating everything to recover her mana.
"No, you cannot possibly have any complaint. I will make you, who was discarded after becoming the hero"s plaything and missed your chance to marry, into my s.e.x consort, not concubine. You cannot possibly be dissatisfied with that!"
Ringrande"s eyes were filled with rage.
She wasn"t lenient enough to overlook words that made a mockery of the too stoic Hero Hayato.
Ringrande twisted her restrained body and took out a ring from her pouch.
It"s a cursed item that can change life force into mana she found in the Blooduscking Labyrinth with Hero Hayato.
She has never used it since it has a fatal weakness of producing mana to the point of exhausting your entire life force.
"Oh I see now! You must be hesitating! No need to hesitate! I, the great king of the world, forgive you. Ringrande, become my empress!"
Third prince Sharlick feverishly shouted out loud words filled with love--nay, obsession.
"I refuse!"
Ringrande wore the ring and shouted.
"Wha, what--it can"t be--why."
Third prince Sharlick"s face distorted in shock.
"Because I hate you of course! Be reborn anew and make a fresh start! ■■ Quick Burst!"
Ringrande"s explosion magic burst from the gap of the Holy Sh.e.l.l Mobile Armor"s c.o.c.kpit.
"GWAAAAAAAA"
White smoke and smell of burning meat leak out of the gap, and then the c.o.c.kpit shuts off.
"DIEEEEEEEE"
Mana congregated into the two-p.r.o.nged spear, and a vestige of light ball was produced in front of Ringrande"s eyes.
She could break out if she struggled, but that would likely take time.
"--■■■ Drag Ignis"
The flame dragon that hit the armpit of the Holy Sh.e.l.l Mobile Armor"s arm that held the spear spread explosive flames around.
Since the armor"s hand got separated from the spear, the light that was going to roast Ringrande disappeared.
"Good grief.... Here I went to find out the ident.i.ty of the fool who brought the Evil Float s.h.i.+p here, and what I got was just a lover"s quarrel, what a waste of time."
A black clothed alchemist showed up in the arena ground along with a heat haze.
"I can"t really agree to that, but thank you for your help regardless."
"No need for thanks."
Blue light flashed, and then the two p.r.o.nged spear turned into round slices.
"This sharpness is as absurd as always."
"Holy sword?"
"Correct. It"s a blade to fell any evil given to me by my friend."
The magic artillery on the Holy Sh.e.l.l Mobile Armor"s arms, and the [Divine Punishment Cannon] on its chest are clad with mana.
Ringrande and the black clothed alchemist run off to look for a cover.
"Can you fight that?"
"I cannot."
The black clothed alchemist concisely replied to Ringrande.
The Holy Sh.e.l.l Mobile Armor"s triple weapons are filled with red light.
"That"s Yamato"s anti-demon magic weapon that can even wrestle against greater demon. It"s the strongest and worst weapon created by the mad magic engineers of Furu Empire--it cannot be defeated by ordinary men."
The alchemist spoke as if it was none of his business.
White and red light behind them are approaching critical.
The cover they"re running toward to is still far away, and even if they arrive in time, they don"t think it would be strong enough to block the super weapons behind them.
Ringrande is convinced of her death when she feels the burning heat on her back.
"--Thus, I leave the rest to you."
"OK."
The light and heat behind them disappeared with that easygoing voice.
Ringrande turned around and saw the Holy Sh.e.l.l Mobile Armor who had lost its mana falling prostrate to the ground, and purple haired Hero Nanas.h.i.+ floating in the air before it.
"Heya, Ga Hou, did you come to help?"
"I just came across grave robbers who rampaged around with his majesty"s legacy that should have been sealed."
The Holy Sh.e.l.l Mobile Armor"s hatch opened, and a dark purple figure showed up from there.
Hero Nanas.h.i.+ didn"t even need to turn around as the figure got slapped onto the arena"s ground.
"I found youuuuuuuuuu! You fake hero who stole my holy sword!"
"The one controlling it was the third prince huh."
Hero Nanas.h.i.+ looks below on the third prince who soul crus.h.i.+ngly cried out.
"And, since when were you a demon?"
Hero Nanas.h.i.+"s line of sight was directed at the long horn on the third prince"s forehead.
"The king who rules over the world needs a body that transcends humanity!"
"But your body is crumbling, is that alright?"
Black mist coils around the third prince"s body as it"s crumbling down.
The crumbling fragments disappear into black mist.
"T-this can"t be..."
His body is crumbling from the ends of his limbs.
"No, no, I am, the ruler... of the world..."
Ringrande"s mana clad magic sword destroys the third prince before he crumbled completely.
That might have been her mercy.
"So, I see that there"s a clown behind you, did you catch the mastermind?"
"Un, I did catch the mastermind who directly perpetrated this."
Hero Nanas.h.i.+ pulls a purple clothed man restrained with magic sealing ivy out of a shadow and throws him to the ground.
"Don"t tell me--"
Ga Hou tore off the hood that covered the purple clothed man"s face.
What showed up was a face of a corpse rotten to the core.
There"s a twisted horn on its forehead.
『--Zo Gil.』
『Is that you Ga Hou?』
Ga Hou"s face grimaced to see a familiar face under the hood.
A face of pity and grief to see a former colleague who got called back as an undead and been reborn as a greater demon with Twisted Demon Horn.
『What would be the reason for you, the one entrusted to command the entire army of his majesty, to lay waste on his majesty"s grave.』
『Is there any other reason than for the second coming of his majesty.』
『You fool... You think his majesty would wish to be revived as a demon lord.』
It"s probably the difference in perception between someone who died before the final battle and someone who survived through it.
『To rebuild Orc Empire on this land--that is his majesty"s wis.h.!.+』
『Who told you that?』
Hero Nanas.h.i.+ smoothly asked Zo Gil who vigorously shouted out.
『His majesty demon lord who stands equal to his majesty, goblin--』
Zo Gil"s head blew off in the middle of his words.
It must be a delayed magic that would activate if he were about to say a certain word.
Hero Nanas.h.i.+ traces the vestige of magic that not only revived him as an undead but also destroyed a being that had turned into a greater demon.
"Zo Gil..."
Ga Hou gave a silent prayer to the body of his old friend that was disappearing into black mist.
"So the one who a.s.saulted the duchy capital was the demons after all?"
"Yup, you"re right. I wasn"t able to reel them in, but our opponent appears to be one of the demon lords."
Hero Nanas.h.i.+ replied to Ringrande.
However, Hero Nanas.h.i.+ didn"t speak the fact that the [Goblin] word Zo Gil left behind might be referring to the [Goblin King].
(From this matter, I see that they haven"t given up on their schemes and get to know one of the elusive sources of this.)
Hero Nanas.h.i.+--Satou is exploring for solutions in his mind.
"Nin nin~?"
A golden ninja wearing pink mantle showed up from the shadow on his feet.
"Pick up~?"
Satou joined hands with the golden ninja and returned to the royal capital using Unit Arrangement.
Apparently, something happened in the royal capital.
※ Next Update is planned for 9/17.
※ People who don"t remember Ga Hou could refer at Volume 7 of the published book or web [Intermission: Orc Alchemist].