Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut Vol 19 Chapter 2 Part 34-38

Part 34

「Fugil──」

Arshalia held her breath inside the cockpit watching her master’s predicament.

Uroboros’s torso was destroyed by the gravity orb that Lisha fired. Now it couldn’t activate its Divine Raiment──and also its special armaments properly.

Even so, in order to save her master Fugil, she desperately searched for any function that was still usable.

Endless, Zero One, and Infinity couldn’t be used.

But, she noticed that these five seconds when the flow of time of Lux and Fugil was decelerated would be enough time to smash Lux from above using Uroboros’s hand.

Arshalia gave her all in order to execute just that one movement──but,

「……Won’t, let you」

「──What!?」

An unhurried voice quietly entered the cockpit where the Automata Arshalia was sitting inside. Uroboros’s right arm that was going to swing down was entwined with the wires of Pile Anchors.

The hand’s movement was slightly diverted due to the powerful pull at the wires.

Uroboros’s raised right arm fell not on the head of the stopped Lux, but at behind him.

The last attack that Arshalia attempted was prevented at the last second.

『My bad but, I had predicted that future beforehand. I asked her──to prevent that future from happening.』

Krulcifer who was standing above a rocky area sent her voice through Dragon Voice.

Fafnir was already seriously damaged, so it couldn’t even attack or defend anymore.

Consequently only a part of its armor could materialize right now but──Krulcifer only focused on making future prediction using her Divine Raiment.

「Why can you still fight even after you have used up all your strength!? How──!」

「It’s simple. With the power of love──there isn’t anything stronger than that in this world.」

What made the members of Syvalles who were already in the death’s door could revive was──their recovery rate was several stages faster compared to the ordinary human was thanks to the Baptism that had been applied on all of them.

They strengthened their body with Elixir after that looping parade ended so that less burden would be put on Lux.

But, that was just a single factor. It wasn’t the main reason of their comeback.

「We can’t, just keep sleeping like this.」

Celis wearing the half-destroyed Lindwurm was floating above the downed Uroboros. Even her Lance was already broken, but the cannon muzzle that was protruding from her back was filled with all the energy she could muster.

「After all our country’s princess and the man we love are fighting with their life on the line.」

They couldn’t lose.

They couldn’t possibly keep lying down without being able to do anything as they were in this predicament.

The resilience from Baptism and their stubbornness moved their bodies that shouldn’t be able to move anymore and allowed them to wear their Divine Drag-Ride once more.

The Divine Drag-Ride Yato no Kami leaped on the air and Kirihime Yoruka thrust her Blade into Uroboros under her feet.

She ran Spell Code near the cockpit where Arshalia was at and gave a new order.

「You want to control Uroboros? What can you do at this point──」

Spell Code could freely control other person’s Drag-Ride, but it would need considerable power to control a Drag-Ride this huge.

Furthermore Uroboros right now was in a state that couldn’t move properly anymore.

It didn’t seem likely that it would be worth it to forcefully move Uroboros in this state.

But, Yoruka’s aim was something else.

「Naturally──I understand that. But, I won’t let you do anything more than this. There is a meaning in doing that.」

「──!?」

Spell Code’s character strings were spreading on Uroboros’s armor surface and sent a certain command.

The barrier that was covering the surface vanished. The armor opened from the inside and the hatch that was hiding the Force Core located in the shoulder was opened.

「Don’t tell me──」

Lux had brought back the blueprint of Uroboros from the central and showed it to everyone.

Uroboros had three energy sources. If all of them were destroyed, it would become impossible for Uroboros to repair itself on its own.

「I’ll leave the rest to you, Celis-san.」

「Yes, leave it to me.」

Celis answered while floating in the air, at the same time a sphere of light was fired from the cannon platform on Lindwurm’s armored shoulders.

Starlight Zero.

The cannon that was Lindwurm’s special armament fired, at the same time Celis vanished using Divine Gate’s teleportation.

「No way, impossible……. Our Uroboros, it can’t possibly──!」

The Automata shuddered from imagining the future that would happen in several more seconds.

For more than a thousand years, people who turned this greatest and strongest Artifact inoperable had never appeared.

However, now.

The girls who had grown stronger together with Lux Arcadia──accomplished that unprecedented feat.

「The Artifact Uroboros──is shot down.」

Krulcifer who got down from above the large rock and hid behind it muttered in satisfaction.

Right after that──the deadly light bullet that Celis fired touched Uroboros’s shoulder and blasted the Force Core.

.

Part 35

Several seconds before Krulcifer, Celis, Philuffy, and Yoruka stood up to fight together──.

Lux and Fugil were also carrying out their last exchange.

The support attack from Automata Arshalia was stopped by the girls of Syvalles.

Lux didn’t have any time to take any notice of that.

The two of them were within the range of each other’s sword.

But, they were concentrating all their focus within the flow of time that was decelerated until near zero.

It was long──.

Lux was feeling like the time was stretched for eternity inside the compression strengthening of time that they both activated against each other.

Fugil’s sword was pulled behind him in preparation to slash, while Lux’s sword was raised above his head to slash down. They were readying themselves for the later five seconds where the super acceleration would begin.

Either way──right now Lux had no stamina to maintain the Over Limit even longer than this.

The next attack would be the last.

<ruby>Technique<rt>Skill</rt></ruby>, <ruby>life<rt>strength</rt></ruby>.

Even <ruby>ingenuity<rt>thought</rt></ruby>──Lux was pouring his everything into his Drag-Ride.

But even with all of those──he wouldn’t be able to defeat the man before him.

However, unlike that time, now there was a sense of reassurance inside his chest.

Greifer, Mel, Soffice, Rosa, Magialca, Alma, Aeril.

Krulcifer, Celis, Philuffy, Yoruka, the Triad. Everyone had cut open the path for him, leading him until this far.

The comrades who believed in him.

His little sister Airi who became his moral support.

Singlen who stood in his way as a powerful enemy.

And then──his elder brother Fugil who guided him five years ago so he could fight. He was thankful to all of them.

Above all else, he was glad to himself who had done nothing but reckless things until now, but kept getting his wish granted even then.

That was why, he had decided what his last move would be.

The secret technique that he had continued to polish in that tournament as the Weakest Undefeated.

He would bet everything to Quick Draw.

Within the flow of time that was almost completely stopped, Lux predicted what Fugil’s next move would be based on the battle until now.

And then.

『Your Divine Drag-Ride──I want to touch it until the end.』

He would bet everything into this Drag-Ride that Lisha had continued to maintain, repair, and fine tune for him──he moved!

.

In the earlier five seconds where the Reload on Fire of both sides stretched out the flow of time of each other.

Lux’s opponent, Fugil was thinking.

What was he hoping, wishing for?

He predicted Lux’s intention in order to accomplish his mission as a hero.

It wouldn’t even take twenty seconds before Lux’s Bahamut would reach its operation limit.

Fugil used his discernment. He tried imagining meeting Lux head on with all his skills that he had continued to polish for more than a thousand years.

He could do it without problem. He didn’t feel like he would lose.

No matter what kind of hardship or trouble he met in the past, he had continued to survive and win them all until now.

He had the confidence that he could defeat Lux.

But, at the same time he also had the conviction that he wouldn’t be able to defeat Lux.

Contradiction.

For some reason alarm bell was ringing inside the brain of Fugil whose body was at a stop.

(What──? This out of place feeling)

He couldn’t find the answer.

But, he knew that the answer would come to him soon enough.

Fugil’s wish was to continue to fight as the hero.

No──.

(……Wrong. What I wished for──my true objective was)

Why was he thinking something like this now?

The words that were said by Arshalia’s AI who appeared before this.

Those words contained a fragment of the answer that Fugil had continued to seek by repeating history.

.

『Even they aren’t bad people deep inside. Their hearts are just frayed because they were hurting for so many years. Weren’t you the one who proved that to me?』

.

The imperial princess Arshalia saved a member of the clan of traitor that was hostile to the empire──Fugil and took him in as her comrade.

However, because of that──due to that belief of hers, because she tried to save everyone, she was betrayed and died.

Their dream to right the world was──.

Their dream to save all the people who died unseen by others because of misfortune couldn’t be realized.

Since that day, Fugil had forgotten the answer all this time and searched for it.

He kept the balance of the world for more than a thousand years and saved the weak.

He searched for the vessel of king who could become a hero.

When he saw Lux, Fugil’s heart that should be dead was stirred.

(Just what in the world I was wishing for?)

Fugil moved his Divine Drag-Ride while feeling convinced of his victory and defeat at the same time.

He started moving more than ten times faster in the 『later five seconds』 of the Reload on Fire.

That time finally arrived. The instantaneous offense and defense burst out.

.

Lux brandished his Chaos Brand to swing it down toward the Force Core on the shoulder.

In respond Fugil pulled his sword behind around his waist’s height.

Lux was going to slash from above to below, while Fugil would slash from below to above.

This situation──was advantageous for Lux if they clashed upfront.

But, Fugil was aiming to parry Lux’s initial attack aside before striking back.

It could be seen from the preliminary movement of Fugil’s Bahamut──, it slightly dropped its center of gravity and gathered strength.

「──HAAaAAAAAAH!」

Therefore Lux pretended to slash down while slightly shifting his swing’s timing.

Fugil’s plan to deflect the starting point of Lux’s slash should be destroyed by that and Lux’s full powered downward slash would hit the armored shoulder──but,

「──!?」

But, Fugil also stopped swinging up his sword in the middle and took a defensive stance right away.

All the energy that was circulating within the great sword was joined with the barrier. He showed the stance of blocking using all his strength.

(I was read? My Quick Draw is──)

He didn’t know whether Fugil had read his thought or he had seen through his preliminary movement.

He didn’t care which was the case.

He couldn’t stop his attack anymore.

There was only one thing that Lux could do right now.

That was to muster his whole being, everything he had──and struck, that was all.

「──GO-OOOOOoOOO!」

A voice resounded. Perhaps it was Lisha’s yell, or perhaps Lux’s own voice.

Lux couldn’t even spare any thought to understand that and swung down Chaos Brand with all his energy.

Fugil’s eyes opened wide. He blocked that attack with his right armored arm and his Blade as shield.

.

*BAKIIIIIIIiiiiIIIII!*

.

An impact that felt as if all the air was blasted away pierced the surrounding──, the blocking sword snapped and the armor creaked.

However──Fugil’s Bahamut wasn’t damaged. It had enough strength remaining to continue fighting.

「──Ha」

A smile formed on the lips of Lux who had used up all his energy.

In the end──Lux was unable to surpass the hero of the beginning Fugil.

Even at the last exchange where they predicted each other, Fugil performed a Drag-Ride control that surpassed the possible movement enabled by Over Limit. Lux’s prediction missed and Fugil succeeded in blocking his attack.

──The fight was settled.

He was unable to win against Fugil.

However, there was no regret inside Lux.

He had gave his everything to face this opponent.

「So, I can’t win……」

Lux was going to close his eyes and surrendered his consciousness to the fatigue, but a sight that he never even dreamed of entered his eyes.

……*Crack crack crack crackkk!*

Countless cracks spread all over Fugil’s Bahamut and it shattered.

Without understanding what had just happened, Lux pushed down his Chaos Brand that was in contact with Fugil’s great sword.

Its tip sunk into the shoulder of Fugil who was only in his pilot suit now. The blade didn’t stop and reached the heart.

Lux immediately pulled away the sword. Then fresh blood spurted like fountain from the body that was cut open.

The fight was settled.

It was settled with Lux’s victory.

.

Part 36

「What is, going on?」

「I don’t know. But──」

Krulcifer and Philuffy were staring at one spot while murmuring with small voice.

The two of them together with Yoruka and Celis climbed up on the fallen Uroboros’s stomach and gathered.

They were standing on the chest area near the shoulder. When their gaze moved toward the battle between Lux and Fugil, it was already decided.

From a glance, it looked like Lux’s attack was predicted and got perfectly blocked, but──.

Right after that, it was Fugil who got his armor destroyed.

「Did, Lux win?」

「──It seems so. That’s also how it looks like in my eyes.」

Celis muttered in astonishment while Yoruka smiled.

Right after that──, the remaining members including Lisha who were hiding at the temple site cheered out.

.

Part 37

「──I see, so it’s like that.」

Fugil muttered without any change in his expression while blood was flowing from his shoulder.

Why it was Fugil’s Bahamut that was destroyed when he had predicted Lux’s attack and succeeded in blocking it?

The reason was──.

『Fugil! Your Bahamut, it’s already──』

「It already reached its limit huh. This Drag-Ride’s frame was already at its breaking point due to Over Limit’s recoil.」

Fugil’s control was undoubtedly flawless.

But, Fugil who had received Baptism in number that should originally be impossible and turned into a superhuman that surpassed normal human didn’t notice.

He had repeatedly performed control that was originally should be prevented by the limiters that were removed by Over Limit. Even though the pilot, Fugil himself was alright from doing that, but those performance surmounted Bahamut’s endurance and it broke down.

Fugil didn’t notice that because he was focusing to the battle until now.

He was thinking too much about how to win against Lux──against Lux and his comrades that he was losing awareness of his own Drag-Ride.

However this──couldn’t be said as completely Fugil’s own blunder.

In addition it also wasn’t bad luck.

──He simply didn’t realize.

This tragedy happened because the Drag-Knight called Fugil surpassed the power of the Drag-Ride.

When someone used Over Limit, the Drag-Knight’s body would scream in pain and normally it would be them who got downed first.

Their bone would snap, their muscle would tear, their fatigue would accumulate. They wouldn’t be able to do reckless moves in succession.

But such thing didn’t happen in Fugil’s case.

He didn’t notice because his abnormally strong toughness.

Since Arshalia died, Fugil fought alone for more than a thousand years.

He thoroughly tempered himself. He was a superhuman who didn’t even feel pain and never lost against anyone.

He kept winning until now.

Fugil was defeated because he was the strongest person of a type that the world had never seen before.

Lux himself was running out of strength because he was a human with limit, but he obtained victory as a Drag-Knight who protected his own Drag-Ride.

They grew together and depended on each other, along with Lisha’s support.

「──Fugil」

「It seems, I have spent……too long by myself.」

His words leaked out from the corner of his lips along with a trickle of blood.

His body was swaying while heading toward the edge of the collapsed Uroboros.

Fugil’s battle was already over.

It had ended in that day more than a thousand years ago.

The current him was the same like the Sacred Eclipse, a broken device.

That day, the dream that he saw together with Arshalia, it had ended since a long time ago in the past.

They supported and complemented each other──that was exactly why they could see that dream.

Fugil was stronger than anyone.

His strong feeling lost its place to go to, then he wandered for eternity without end, seeking for just a single answer.

Fugil’s wish, his hope wasn’t 『the mission of hero』, it also wasn’t 『to show the proper path of human』.

The true answer that Fugil was seeking.

It took a very long time until he found that answer.

『Fugil──!』

Then, he heard the magnified yell of the Automata Arshalia. Fugil take a step off the edge by himself.

A few ml below, there was the blade of the giant Blade that Uroboros dropped.

He was falling straight toward it──there Lux grabbed his elder brother’s hand.

Bahamut’s armor that Lux was wearing was also already dispelled.

It felt like he would faint immediately from the extreme exhaustion he was feeling, but he gritted his teeth and maintained his consciousness with his will.

「──What are you doing?」

Fugil looked dubiously at Lux while hanging in midair.

Lux strongly grabbed that limp hand with his own hand and exerted his strength to pull Fugil up.

Lux was struggling with his body that had run out of strength to save Fugil.

「Are you planning to repeat the same mistake again? I should have told you before to have the determination to destroy your enemy.」

Fugil told Lux with a cold smile.

He told the descendant of his family──his temporary little brother who should be the one who slain him, the strongest enemy.

「Even so, I──」

Even Lux himself didn’t understand why he was trying to save Fugil.

However, he was unable to let go of his hand.

Seeing that, Arshalia’s figure and words from a thousand years ago were brought back in Fugil’s eyes.

.

『Because, I can’t believe that you’re really a bad person──』

She opened her heart to ascertain everything with her own eyes.

『It’s fine if you just become the hero. If there isn’t any hero anywhere, then you can──』

.

──That’s right.

.

Fugil was attracted by the beauty of the act of saving people. He dreamed of a hero and aimed to become one.

However──he despaired when the wickedness that was the true nature of they, humans was thrust before him. He came to doubt his own way of living.

There wasn’t any meaning, in saving human.

Human wasn’t worth saving.

That was why──he searched for the vessel of king who could lead humans righteously. He kept resetting history searching for a just world.

But, now……there was someone who was stretching out his hand toward his enemy, just like Arshalia in that day.

It was someone who descended from the clan of traitor.

Someone who was born from the old empire that was called as absolute evil in the past, a person who descended from the same blood like Fugil──.

.

「──Do you see Arshalia, there is a hero here. A hero who came from among the people you saved that day.」

.

The answer that Fugil was searching for.

There was a path ahead after people saved other people.

「You weren’t──mistaken, not at all.」

Fugil made a fleeting smile.

Right after that, the body that had lived and fought for more than a thousand years lost color──crumbling into dust.

.

Part 38

Lux saw Fugil closing his eyes and turning into ash.

He was most likely, someone who was more serious and kinder than anyone.

It was because of that he wandered searching for the truth.

He was──exactly the same like Lux.

He wasn’t really a different person from Lux, he was a hero who followed the same path.

But, Fugil was too strong that he dreamed too much.

He didn’t content himself with just those within his sight, he also tried to do something about those who were outside his sight.

He lost his path when he lost his ideal other half Arshalia.

He was lost within a labyrinth without exit.

He wandered in his aimless search.

Even Lux himself, if he was unable to save Philuffy and Airi, if he was unable to save everyone in Syvalles.

(Surely, I too would──)

He would be possessed by the mission to carry out the revolution. He would live by continuing to hate the old empire.

He would be crushed under the wish that couldn’t be fulfilled and lost his heart.

However──, he was saved from that by Fugil.

When Lux lost his mother and lived in anguish──.

He tried to influence the old empire with the right method, but at that time, there was no one in the imperial family who would listen to Lux who was the youngest son.

With only one exception──Fugil.

At that time, he thought of Fugil who talked and listened to him as hero.

However, Lux finally understood.

In this world, there wasn’t anything like immortal winner or righteous hero.

Just like what Lux saw in Fugil’s action.

Just like what Lisha and Alma saw in the Black Hero.

Just like what the people who were oppressed by the old empire saw in Count Atismata.

A hero was the shape of salvation that people saw in their own heart.

.

(──I, couldn’t become a hero.)

Lisha, Krulcifer, Celis, Philuffy, Yoruka, Airi.

Without them at his side, he wouldn’t be able to do anything, much less saving the world.

It was wrong to think that he was able to do anything by himself.

It was fine to not become a hero.

It was fine to not suffer from trying to become something that he couldn’t become.

But──if he could aim to chase after that ideal and inspired hope in everyone──.

Lux realized that he should aim to live in that way.

.

「Farewell Fugil. My hero──」

.

Uroboros’s Sword Device that was in the grasp of the disappearing Fugil slowly fell and stabbed the pile of snow on the ground, becoming the grave marker for Fugil himself.

Someone who could control this Artifact, wouldn’t appear anymore in this world.

The end of the hero who continued to fight for the people while being human himself.

After watching that end, there were voices coming somewhere.

He heard loud cheers from the temple site where the allied force was taking refuge.

Amidst that, there was someone flying his way in the arms of Alma who was wearing EX Wyvern.

Lux relaxed when he saw Lisha’s smiling face, then he let go of his consciousness.