Chapter 150: Registration Code [Aqua Pontifex]
After Loki left, the others let out a small sigh of relief.
Watching Yomi and Rabi chase each other in circles, a small smile appeared on Frey's face. Although it wasn't as radiant as the one in the photo, this was the first time he had seen her smile.
This was a good thing.
"Frey, I know you have a lot of questions, but you should ask Yomi for the specific details," he said, turning to leave.
Even if one wanted to claim credit, one had to choose the right occasion. For now, it was better to give them some warm space.
Most importantly, the Night Party was about to begin.
He looked up at the Big Ben in the distance. The hour hand was already pointing to five, and the opening time for the Night Party was six in the evening. He also had to go and prepare.
"I'll be going then. I won't disturb you."
"Wait."
Frey called out to him. Her mouth moved for a long time before she finally mustered the courage to say, "Thank... you... for saving Yomi... he's been locked up in there... for several years... You must have... encountered danger... right? I'm sorry."
"Don't always say you're sorry," he said with a smile. "But it's fine. Who told him to be your family?"
"——!"
Frey suddenly raised her head, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes.
He took a step forward and wiped them away for her, saying softly, "Go on. Have a good talk with him, and then get ready to participate in the Night Party. I'll be waiting for you, Frey."
"...Mmm. See you later."
"See you later."
She waved and turned to leave.
Yomi, however, was a step slower. He took this opportunity to say to him in a low voice, "Boy, you've got quite a way with words."
"Is that a compliment?" he asked in return.
"Of course. Being able to talk is very popular." Yomi had a human-like "auntie" smile on his face. "Rest assured, I'll put in a good word for you."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. You helped her because you like her, right?"
"...You've misunderstood."
"Hehe, have I?"
Yomi left him with a meaningful laugh, wagging his tail and happily trotting after her, leaving him and Raishin to look at each other.
"Let's go. Let's go back and change."
"The Night Party is about to start."
The two of them headed to the dormitory together.
He took off his dusty and worn clothes and put on the formal attire prepared by the academy. Just like playing a game in a suit, there had to be a sense of ritual. Not to mention, this was a banquet to select the protagonist (the Wiseman). Naturally, it required the highest level of reception and pageantry.
And the designated venue for the Night Party was not the field exercise ground.
The stage for this phase was the turf plaza behind the central lecture hall, sandwiched between the Philology Department and the Law Department. White stone pillars stood on the ground like a Stonehenge, marking out a combat field.
But this was also temporary. As the Night Party escalated and the battles entered their climax, the venue would also be changed to become larger and more luxurious.
...I'm getting sidetracked.
In front of the battlefield, the students had already lined up. Surrounded by the strange gazes of the crowd, he and Raishin slowly walked towards the line.
At the front of the student line, standing on the stage, the headmaster was saying, "—I look forward to your active performance."
It was just as the speech was ending. It seemed they were still late for the ceremony.
The professors looked helpless, and Charlotte was glaring at him with a very angry expression, but all he could do was return an apologetic shrug and a shake of his head.
There were over a thousand people present. Only the hundred glove holders were obligated to participate in the Night Party, so not everyone showed a serious and attentive expression. There were also fun-lovers who were treating this as a festival.
The headmaster's speech ended. Naturally, the top student had to give the oath.
So Tenzen Akabane... no, Magnus took the stage.
He was followed by six girls in gothic lolita outfits. Although they looked as cute as flowers, they were a battle team. Their combat power was enough to rival several battleships, and they were strong contenders for the title of Wiseman in this Night Party!
"We who gather at Walpurgis, to continue to protect the flame of magic, are willing to wash blood with blood. To not become King, is to become nothing. We swear to fight with truth."
This sentence ignited a frenzy of battle, and all the participants became excited.
At this moment, the band played a loud trumpet sound. A flock of crows flew across the sunset sky. The crowd of students gave the participants a warm round of applause. And the clock tower, as if it had timed it perfectly, began to chime.
Dong— dong— dong— dong...
Finally, as the sixth chime ended...
"The 49th Walpurgis Night Party hereby begins!"
With the headmaster's declaration, the glove holders all took out their gloves at the same time. He was no exception. Then, they put them on in unison.
A female student from the executive committee stepped forward and, in a loud voice like an opera singer's, shouted:
"Number 100—Goddess's Vicar (Aqua Pontifex)! To the stage!"
He was called out immediately.
[Goddess's Vicar]
This was a title he had specially chosen, hoping that the Axis Order could also shine in this world and bring a little wisdom and peace to a world still at war.
He lifted his foot and left the line.
He passed through the wreath that served as an entrance and walked into the battlefield. Of course, the elegant attendant, the girl-type automaton RyuZU, also followed behind him.
Just as they arrived at the center of the battlefield, his opponent was announced.
"Number 99—Self-Flying Flame Sword (Sacred Blaze)! To the stage!"
With the appearance of his opponent's name, the spectators were stunned.
"What?!"
"No way!"
"It's actually him? He voluntarily downgraded?"
It seemed they didn't know that Loki had lowered his rank to 99th.
Amidst the commotion of the audience, the young man he recognized, with pearl-colored red eyes and a resemblance to Frey, appeared from the other side.
He was indeed one of the top thirteen, the Sword Emperor, Loki, and beside him was the angel-type small Gundam.
"The broadcast didn't make a mistake?"
"It's really him!"
"But why..."
The crowd still didn't know why, but he did.
"Yo, you twisted tsundere boy."
"You bastard..."
Loki's eyes were like he was about to murder someone. He said with a fierce and terrifying voice, "I believe I told you to forfeit."
"I believe I said, I refuse," he replied, lifting his head slightly, with a hint of stubbornness.
Their gazes clashed fiercely.
And so, the first night of the Night Party began.
Several gas lamps illuminated the battlefield.
Under this light, Gabriel, which shone with a steely luster, began to move.
Loki's hands were in his pockets, his arrogant appearance as if he didn't know what an opponent was.
It looked as if he wasn't inputting any mana into his automaton, but he could clearly see a non-transparent stream of mana being input into Gabriel's body from behind.
Gabriel's giant longsword swung precisely at RyuZU. Even though he was very annoyed with him, he did not attack him angrily. One was because the rules didn't allow it, and the other was because his heart didn't want to.
RyuZU dodged the blow with agile movements.
Although from an outsider's perspective, this was an unannounced attack, he did not accuse him of a sneak attack, because it wasn't a violation of the rules. The Night Party had already begun.
"Master Kobayashi..." she asked softly.
He said to her, "Don't attack Loki, and don't use the Imaginary Switch. Your Magic Circuit has been removed, and it will affect your gears."
"Yes, I understand," she said with an elegant bow, and then rushed towards Gabriel.
A slender girl against a small Gundam.
Many people who knew Loki's strength had already turned and left, not wanting to watch. After all, a battle that would be over in an instant held no desire for them to continue watching.
However—
Clang!
Sparks scattered. The sound of steel colliding was fleeting. The people who had turned away stopped in their tracks and looked back at the center of the battlefield. There, the large scythes from under RyuZU's skirt and Gabriel's longsword were clashing.
After a brief stalemate, both sides immediately retracted their weapons and then swung again.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The girl's speed was superior. She continuously rotated and leaped around the angel-type small Gundam, as if performing a gorgeous dance. Accompanied by the flickering sparks, her beautiful figure was reflected even more elegantly and gorgeously.
On her precise yet fragile body, the only hard thing, and possibly the hardest in the world, were the two large scythes under her skirt. With these, she was able to continuously entangle the angel-type automaton.
But it was not always so.
Her speed was fast, it was true, but Gabriel's was not slow either. With its [Hot Wind Operation] Magic Circuit, the angel-type automaton could continuously increase its speed.
She had clearly noticed this as well.
So her attacks became even more ferocious, continuously attacking all parts of the opponent's body, trying to find its weak point.
When she swung the scythe in her hand and slashed at Gabriel's neck, the pillar on its neck immediately twisted and shook. Although it dodged quickly, he still keenly sensed that that was its weak point.
"Tsk."
Loki clicked his tongue softly.
An invincible person is one with no flaws. Once a flaw is discovered, they are no longer invincible.
After that, her attacks were only aimed at Gabriel's neck. However, having a clear target also meant that the opponent didn't have to be distracted with other areas. Furthermore, Gabriel's swordsmanship was also quite exquisite. It didn't block every attack, but rather applied force from the side, cleverly using kinetic energy to deflect.
He couldn't help but look at Loki in a new light.
The wolf-dog automaton Yomi had once said that, unlike them, who were easy to control, the angel-type automaton required higher precision.
As expected of the man who would one day ascend to the throne of the Wiseman.
At this moment, daggers shot out from Gabriel's back, cutting through the air and flying towards RyuZU.
Wind-manipulating magic?
He frowned slightly.
All this time, her fighting had relied on her agility and speed. But when the enemy was just as agile and fast, her advantage vanished.
Of course, that was without activating her time stop.
And now, with her in a stalemate with Gabriel's main body, she was unable to block the extra daggers. In fact, it was because she only had two scythes. If she had a few more, the result would be different.
Just as the daggers were about to hit her, his figure disappeared and then reappeared behind her, stomping the sneak-attacking daggers under his foot.
"Master Kobayashi."
"I'll help you."
The rules of the Night Party did not allow automatons to attack puppeteers, but it was a different matter if the puppeteer voluntarily entered the field. For example, Raishin, who was also skilled in martial arts.
Although this kind of attack was the norm, he was still a little angry. He said to Loki, "You should be glad that the Night Party doesn't allow attacking puppeteers. Otherwise, you'd be lying on the ground right now."
"Heh, save your sleep-talking for when you're asleep!" Loki sneered.
He also said very seriously, "You should know what it means to interfere in a battle between automatons."
"Of course. Bring it on. That being said..." he deliberately provoked him, "Can you really harm me? With your ridiculously slow daggers? You can't even cut my skin."
"I can. There is nothing in this world that Gabriel cannot cut."
He took his hands out of his pockets, aimed them at Gabriel, and inputted mana. "—Spin!"
"I'm ready!"
Along with a loud boom, a storm formed around Gabriel's body.
The heat flowed, and the air twisted.
A burnt smell rushed into his nose, and Gabriel, spraying hot wind, flew into the air.
Its angel-type appearance suddenly changed. Its shoulders and arms merged with the longswords, reforming into a single iron plate. The parts of its entire body also reassembled like a puzzle.
In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a greatsword.
It was a greatsword with a length close to an adult's height. Its gracefully curved double edges were sharpened and without any blemish. Gabriel's face was exposed at the base of the blade, which was an eerie sight.
"Oh my, so you're finally getting serious?"
He was not flustered at all. He had known long ago that Loki had this move up his sleeve.
As Loki made a motion of raising and then swinging his hand down, the greatsword began to rotate at high speed and rushed towards RyuZU. Because its weight was concentrated, the power of this blow was completely different from before.
"Dodge! Are you stupid, you idiot!"
Amidst Charlotte's concerned cry, he just held up his hand. At the same time, a transparent film appeared in mid-air and then merged, enveloping him.
—Barrier!
Screeeeeeech—
The piercing sound of a chainsaw cutting through a door panel. The crowd of onlookers couldn't help but let their mouths hang open, because they saw that the powerful rotating greatsword had actually been successfully intercepted!
"Impossible!"
Loki shouted what was in their hearts, but the facts were before them, and there was no room for them to deny it.
"H-how could this be..."
"Magic."
While blocking the greatsword, he said with ease, "Your Gabriel is indeed very strong. The rotational force combined with the hot wind operation is a perfect match. An ordinary person would be defeated if they met you. But..."
At the same time, his mana burst forth, sending the greatsword flying.
"Against me, who has powerful mana and can use defensive magic, it's completely useless!"
The melon-eating crowd swallowed hard.
They had thought Loki was already out of this world, but they hadn't expected someone even more out of this world to appear.
"Rest assured, Loki. I will not take away your Night Party qualification, nor will I do anything to Gabriel," he said with a smile, but his expression was dark and terrifying.
Because he was going to use him as bait to lure out the scumbag "father" who was controlling them like puppets from behind the scenes!
(End of Chapter)