~Part IX Verse Final : ~ Resolution
~Saga~
“Schwalbe Fliegen!”
“Schlangenform!”
What ferocity… A dual-supportive combination that makes use of their aligned offensive properties…one as the swordsman balance out the short-midrange to very close combat, utilizing properties of her chain-linked sword and sharp swordsmanship, while the hammerer, using a raw combination of force and ranged offenses from a mid-range to relatively close range attack.
“Arkbird!”
Summoning small arrays of magical circles on my fingers, I blasted the destructive silver balls shot towards me, and from the blitz of an explosive fury, a snake-like form leapt out from the piles of smoke, aiming towards my neck, which I blocked.
Nothing stopped there. With each parry of my blade from one knight, the other strikes in, leaving not a single chance of an opening.
Another clash as the three of us forced our strength into our attacks. As my blade locked heavily, both hands gripped strongly to withstand the force generated from pressure of the knights…
Not good. They’ll overpower me on earth.
A high-speed step-in, tri-waltzing through the opportunity from the over-concentration of the power-match, I jumped and blasted before the skies, just as the both of them soon caught up.
An aerial dog-fight.
One strike, followed by another. The infinite sounds of clashing metals from each blow was almost mesmerizing, as we continued the long-standing equal match-up…
However…I’m being forced on the defensive.
At this rate…I’ll have to risk my chances.
I closed my eyes for an instant. Concentrate on the atmosphere…feel the surroundings...
My armor…makes it one with the wind itself, concentrate on the impulse calculation…
“I’ve got you now!”
With sounds of cartridges being loaded in the distance, I can feel… Just a little longer.
“Raketen Hammer!”
Now.
“…Wait! Vita!”
It seems the General saw my intentions, but it’s already too late.
“…Cast Off.”
Without any forewarning, my armor blasted into smithereens, each one exploding off in every direction, making it a barrage of high-velocity sharp shrapnels, as I reveal my inner knight armor, shrouded below my ceremonial armor.
[Ritterrüstung Bereinigung,] ((“Knight Armor, Purge.”))
[Änderung Zwei-Modus.] (( Change, Zwei Mode. ))
The Count and the General are mostly unharmed, though the little girl suffered some since her means of defense was only the hammer which blasted away the direct barrages unlike the other one who managed to convey a barrier in time.
“Come…Zwei.”
As another identical blade to the current Schertwekruez Null I’m holding right now materializes in front of me, I had my empty hand grab it and now…it’s complete.
The high-speed dual-wielding close combat mode, Zwei.
“Let’s go.”
[Yes, Meister.]
[Manöverflügel.] (( Maneuver Wings ))
As I magically materialize some wings around my back and legs, I boosted up my speed and maneuverability as I take advantage of my heightened offensive abilities.
~Vita~
Damn it, damn it, what’s with this guy!?
I don’t know what this Sala-whatever guy is doing, but he’s getting on my nerves! What’s with this new form of all a sudden!? It’s just removed armoring, right!?
I ignored the façade. That’s right…it doesn’t change anything. Signum and myself will just need to beat up that bastard senseless and kill him right here and now.
It’s that simple.
“Let’s go, Graf Eisen. Cartridge Load!”
[Explosion.]
With that boost, I flew forward, rushing towards his annoying speed, aiming directly for a kill as he blocked…no more like, accepted my attack with a smooth motion, parrying away Eisen, with a sharp slam to it’s side.
One blade used to reduce Eisen’s velocity, and the other to slam it non-directly. What a fussy and ridiculously annoying fighting method.
But even so…the repelling strike he hit Eisen with…was he ever that strong?
Going too close doesn’t work, and the Swallows are ineffective against him…
“What’s wrong, little girl? Rabbit got your tongue?”
Bastard… just because you’re stronger, you think you can mock us? Mock me!?
You’re gonna pay.
“Eisen, Load Cadtridge!”
“Vita!”
Signum looked at me…Don’t worry, Signum.
“Signum, just hold him. Your sword is better than his, one or 2. I’ll blast out his guts with this!”
As I forced out Eisen’s full force…
“Roaring Storm Gigan-!”
Before I could deliver my blow., all of a sudden, I lose all my control over Eisen…my magic control dissipating, as my body was chained and binded out of nowhere.
“When!?”
“Trap Bind… a zero-notice spell that occurs when there’s enough of released magical energy particles around to form a magic-dispelling spell. This is my victory, Count.”
Damn it…
Damn IT!
~Saga~
The mind-game worked. In a normal condition, it’s hard to force such level of a bind without her noticing or without getting injured by Signum while casting, but this conditions favoured me.
Signum rushed away from our dog-fight as she rushed over to release her fellow chained knight, but it’s too late.
“Zwei, Load Double Cartridge.”
As both my blades loaded their respective loads, I combined both my blades back into one as I focused my magical triangle below me…
A tri-buster spell…My most powerful ranged attack, combining the focused spell-energy of 3 different outputs on each edge of the Belka triangle, and releasing it as a single concentrated force.
“Tri-Heart Breaker!”
As a burst of high-energy was released from the tip of the formed Belka triangle, colliding into one…the force of energy threatened to blast both Signum and Vita who’s in range…
All of a sudden…my spell was dissipated, and distorted away…
No…more like…blasted away…as I see several orbs of extremely concentrated magical energy surrounding both knights…
Such level…Could it be the Princess?
~Tiara~
Standing on the balcony of my royal chambers…my magical triangle and circle below me signaled, as I sensed distress from the Wolkenritter. I cannot see them from this range, but at the very least…I could sense their presence and locations as I sent my thoughts.
“It’s enough, Signum. Retreat.”
“But! Princess!”
“I will not have any of you die. Retreating is not absolute defeat. We still have the last defense line of the capital. I will create a distraction, so assemble our forces, and retreat at the sign of the holy light.”
“Understood.”
Now is the crucial time.
Concentrate…
Heed my own voices, my embodiment. Bring forth my own power… the power I need to save them.
Before long…10 magical circles appeared around me…each one being a long-distance low-control area-affect spells…I can’t control it’s precision carefully without proper coordinates from a distance of almost several hundred kilometers away…but this will have to make do.
Fire.
As each magical circle shot out its energy, flying off in a direction almost foreign like a rain of shooting stars ripping the sky, beyond what my eyes can see…I sense a foreboding feeling.
It’s almost as if I’m sending someone important to me to doom.
“Cough! Cough!”
I coughed… as expected, simultaneous use of 10 magical circles for such high-level spells and expecting a degree of precision is too much. I cannot afford to strain my body too heavily…
Now that I…carry the life of another…
~Saga~
I wanted to give the escaping knights chase, but this…
Without a doubt, only the Princess of the Knight Sky is capable of such a level.
10 extremely powerful spells at the same time, all directed to this area?
I used the last ounce of my strength, as I forced out more Drei barrier blades, forming gigantic walls of shields protecting the area that is being affected, and my troops.
Each blast was heavy and powerful, threatening to rip off my protection…but I persevered… as my body betrayed me, and fell to the ground.
“Damn it…after all that…did we still lose?”
Speaking out loud, I failed to notice my fellow knights…Isdera, Wira, and Astra…along with the surviving members of my troops surrounding me, as Isdera and Astra picked up my battered body.
“No…General. They retreated. This is our victory.”
“Now, stand up, General. We can’t have the MVP of this battle lying face-flat on the ground, can we?”
I see…so they’ve escaped.
It was a harsh battle…many of my troops were lost, but we’ve reached the last line…
So long as we defeat the Princess of the Night Sky…
~Tiara~
Signum, Vita, Shamal, Tesla, Zafira…their heads down, kneeling before me. An unpleasant sight, gloomy.
“Lift up your heads, all of you. You’ve fought valiantly, and are alive. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“We’re truly sorry, Princess. We’ve dishonored ourselves as the Wolkenritter, having to be protected by the Princess.”
I sighed…I suppose I have to be harsh on them in times like this, otherwise they’ll keep demeaning themselves…
“If all of you have time to keep your heads down and talk about dishonor, think about how to restore it instead rather than speaking your minds here. I do not expect perfection out of all of you, but at the same time…I do not want to see all of you like this.”
“…Understood, Princess.”
Their moods are lifted up…That’s nice. Though…Shamal still looks…bothered.
“Is anything wrong, Shamal?”
“…Ah!? No…nothing.”
Strange.
Now that Saladin has reached the final lines…it’s the decisive moment now. He is the single key to the strength of the Vauxhall…
So long as we defeat Saladin…
~Tiara/Saga~
This war will end.
~Shamal~
Could it be…?
That fallen back of Saladin... that vivid image of him reflected as I flew past the battlefield…
It looked like ...Saga.