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Armor-piercing rounds, fired in rapid succession from the ultra-long barrel of an anti-battleship rifle, shot out with high-speed explosive pressure.

The silver-winged armored angel, «Metatron» Sasaki, was issuing orders mid-air while firing when she sensed changes in Nidhogg, causing her brows to furrow.

“Huh, strange. What is it plotting now?”

Everything was proceeding as planned; the opponent’s HP was diminishing steadily, and she could tell they had inflicted a serious blow.

Yet suddenly, the demeanor of her opponent shifted from thrashing and rampaging like an insect to possessing a clear, distinct ‘will’ once again.

“…This definitely doesn’t seem to be a good omen. All units, attack at once!”

The moment Sasaki issued her command, Nidhogg’s Evil Eyes snapped open, ensnaring her and even «Azazel» Izumo, the vice-commander of the Thirteen Demons, in its effect.

“—Rrrgh. I let my guard down!”

Fortunately, the number of allies had swelled to a staggering level, so the Evil Eyes only managed to ensnare one-fourth of their forces. However, there was no guarantee against a second or third wave of ‘gazing.’

Sasaki smoothly swapped the magazine and squeezed the trigger. The fired shot hit Nidhogg and emitted a dense cloud of smoke, obscuring its vision. She continued firing until Nidhogg was completely engulfed in smoke, disrupting the effect of its Evil Eyes.

“Hmm, this might hinder our aim as well, but that’s within the margin of error.”

As Sasaki made that remark and was about to swap the magazine, Nidhogg contorted and then burst open as if exploding.

“—What the hell?!”

Wait—no, it wasn’t Nidhogg that exploded but rather it had self-detonated the body part tainted by the chaos of «Demogorgon» Shizu. The detonated part struck down “Baron” Shinra as if deliberately aimed—which, indeed, it probably was.

“Garrrrgh?!”

Despite his expertise in nullifying all sorts of beam attacks, Shinra couldn’t offset the impact of the part—which was actually Shizu in an undefinable, chaotic form—and was sent flying hundreds of meters away. Yet, as a master of immense power, the impact alone couldn’t have dealt a significant blow to him.

“…So heavy, Shizu! Just how much have you eaten?!” Shinra furrowed his thick brows as he stared at Shizu pressing down on him.

“How rude! Is that how you talk to a lady?” Shizu’s complaining voice echoed from within the chaotic mass and then slid away from Shinra.

Meanwhile, Nidhogg began curling up on the spot, having successfully thwarted the nuisance.

◆◇◆◇

An uncanny feeling overcame me at Shima’s murmuring, yet I had no plan ready. I instructed the three to prepare for a follow-up attack. Just as I took my stance, Jotun slid its right foot and hand forward, assuming an upright posture with both feet aligned in a straight vertical line.

“I am sacrificing a thousand church knights for this Ultra-Ultima class Holy Light. Do you think you can withstand it, lil’ Hiyuki?”

Light began radiating from Jotun’s entire right arm, starting at the shoulder joint.

Crap, even as a Vampire Princess, I wasn’t impervious to ‘Light’ element spells. Kokuyou, who also possessed the ‘Darkness’ element like me, couldn’t handle the attack either. I couldn’t gauge the strength of this attack, but I had a nagging feeling that not even the Four Heavenly Kings could withstand it.

“Everyone, avoid the line of fire!”

I hurriedly issued the order to spread out.

Fortunately, that Ultra-Ultima dreadnought-class magic required some time to charge. We managed to create a significant distance between us during that time—but I was unaware of his true intention. Jotun maintained its original stance for some unknown reason; it didn’t even attempt to look at me.

—What does that mean? Isn’t he trying to take a shot at me?

I remained puzzled until I noticed a grin on what should have been an otherwise expressionless face of Jotun. Reflexively, I turned to check again. Jotun’s extended right hand was pointing towards the Throne Room. —Huh, was his aim to destroy that all along?

But my realization came too late. Almost as soon as it struck me, Jotun’s right hand evaporated, and in its place, an overwhelming mass of Holy Light—evidenced by the stinging sensation crawling over my skin—blasted forward, shattering every window in the corridor as it passed.

The spell, launched with exquisite timing and a formidable power that none present could stop, advanced like a king on his march. We were in dire straits, bracing for the imminent disaster when a fire vortex—rivaling the size and power of the light technique—collided with it.

“Fire Break Impact!”

“Wha—?!” In that moment, everyone’s voices of surprise overlapped.

The attack, though a basic spell in the light element category, was poised to strike the throne room and obliterate everything in its path. No one had doubted this outcome. Although Holy Light boasted a superior energy level, the elemental hierarchy of ‘Flame ﹥ Light’ meant that the collision of these two large-scale magics neutralized each other.

In the ensuing silence, which was so intense it felt like a needle pricking my ears, the ‘Wizard’ who had cast the earlier flame spell, grinned and shook her golden staff.

“Yahoo, Miss Hiyuki. It’s been s~ooo long!”

A petite violet-haired girl, standing no taller than 155cm and appearing around 15 or 16 years old, greeted us with a cheerful smile. Walking beside her was a blond swordsman in his mid-20s, clad in silver armor and a white mantle edged with red.

No one was a stranger to these two figures. In fact, this place was as much theirs as it was ours. Yet, neither of them was supposed to be here.

“Master Lubbock…” Mikoto muttered with a short gasp. Following her, “…Lord Tamegoro,” Utsuho groaned, addressing the girl.

Lubbock and Tamegoro—both were fellow guild members and sub-guildmasters as well. It was rare for a day to pass without our paths crossing. We had become close friends, and like me, they were ‘Title Holders,’ each possessing an alias conferred by game management—Lubbock’s title was «One Man Army», while Tamegoro’s was «Blazing Force».