[214] 5. An Angel's Formula (4)
Shirone, realizing he'd been thinking only of himself, turned back to Ikael.
"Ah, um..."
Ikael shook her head.
"No. You don't need to thank me. This happened because I failed to foresee it. I'm sorry that's all I could do to help. From here on, it depends on you, Shirone."
"Thank you. Truly."
Shirone insisted on his gratitude. If not for Ikael, he would still be crouched against Jebul's wall, sobbing.
Ikael's expression softened. Even his stubbornness—so endearing.
"Keep this in mind, Shirone. You probably know, but my chances to use my power are limited. Even if your mind has evolved another step. Kariel is a cautious angel. Only use it when you're certain you can save your friend."
Shirone nodded and readied to leave. It was a pity to part with Ikael, but there was no time to linger.
"Be careful. I hope you can return safely to your original world."
"Yes. Thank you so much."
After Shirone left and the door closed, Ikael sank into her seat, weariness showing on her face.
The room remained perfect, but somehow felt lacking.
Shirone had been here. Recalling the day's drama, Ikael let out a small chuckle.
"I'm glad it was Shirone."
Her halo-body opened into a spinning ring of light, and a crimson vortex pulsed in one corner of the room.
"Answer the summons, Ashur."
Square panes of glass appeared before Ikael.
Dozens of panes linked by intersecting lines glittered, then filled with color and projected the image of a mara.
A handsome man with jet-black hair falling to his shoulders and three triangles floating above his head knelt before Ikael and bowed.
"Ashur. I serve the angel's command."
The pane boundaries dissolved and Ashur's figure took on depth.
"We need your strength. Please help Shirone."
"Understood."
Ashur answered without hesitation. A look of apology touched Ikael's eyes.
"I'm sorry to make you do this as well."
"I was born from the concept of Lady Ikael. I obey any command."
A highest-grade mara is a direct retainer of an archangel. They are so busy in heaven that they cannot be summoned at will.
Ashur, especially, was Ikael's bodyguard—hailed as heaven's strongest mara swordsman. Though his power was sealed now, he was not the sort of being meant for mere errands.
Ashur spoke stoutly.
"Do not worry. If it is something Lady Ikael holds dear, it is dear to me as well. I will carry out this mission even at the cost of my existence."
"Thank you. But Kariel is strong. And right now, even Imir—the King of Giants—is active inside Jebul."
At the name Imir, Ashur's eyes flashed.
"I don't know what drew him to this, but be cautious. Imir has reached the ultimate physical might a living being can pursue. Entanglement with him is never good."
Open displeasure crossed Ashur's face. He was heaven's strongest mara swordsman, but the title of heaven's top warrior had always been shared between Imir and himself.
There were those who valued Imir's purely physical supremacy, but Ashur did not accept that. Someday they would have to settle who was truly strongest.
"Do not worry. Imir is no match for me."
Ikael realized she'd struck at the warrior's pride and soothed him in a gentle tone.
"Heh. Of course I think Ashur is the strongest. Even if Imir arrived in perfect condition, if Ashur guards me I would fear nothing."
Only then did Ashur rise, satisfied.
"Indeed. As long as I stand, no one will lay a finger on Lady Ikael."
"Oh, and one more thing."
At the doorway Ashur turned, fixity and tension in his posture as he looked at his revered master.
There was an unassailable majesty in Ikael's narrowed gaze.
"If you meet Kariel, be sure to deliver this message."
6. Heavenly Turmoil (1)
Shirone descended the tower and scanned Arabot's open plains.
Igirin's memory guided him toward Jebul. It was a considerable distance for teleportation.
As soon as he entered the Spirit Zone, a flood of information poured in through his synesthesia.
"Wow..."
He'd known his concentration had improved, but experiencing it firsthand was almost unbelievable.
While keeping the same density, the Spirit Zone's diameter had expanded by one and a half times. Converted to volume, his mental capacity had risen to nearly four times its previous level.
In other words, the mental burden of casting magic had been reduced to a quarter of what it once was.
With the Spirit Zone larger, he felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted.
Shirone targeted Jebul and drew up the Omniscience charge for spatial transfer.
Until now the effect had been modest, but with the diameter increased by twenty-five meters, it could finally be used in the field.
On the surface a twenty-five-meter increase might not seem like much, but when converted to a radial, omni-directional target the extra reach expands to a hundred meters.
Link ten such spatial transfers and the range could increase by over a kilometer.
"Everyone, hang on. Just a little longer."
Thinking of his friends made his heart ache, but Shirone's concentration—honed to the Diamond Stage—didn't waver.
As Omniscience and Omnipotence combined, a static of light embroidered the sky.
A streak of light shot toward Jebul.
@
Rian had been running for thirty minutes. His heart felt like it would burst, but the volume of air he drew in with each breath remained steady. If he burned through his oxygen at once, he'd collapse long before reaching his destination.
By now Canis should have delivered results.
Rian thought there were two possibilities: Canis had either disabled the Great World Gate's security, or he was dead.
He shook the thought away. This was no time to worry about others.
If Canis had failed, then next to die might have to be him.
"Huff! Huff!"
He didn't have Tess's ability to lighten her body, but a lifetime of training kept his body from tiring even after an hour of running.
At last he reached the final point connected to the Great World Gate.
The corridor's right side was sealed by a glass wall, beyond which blue sky stretched out.
Jebul consisted of dozens of floating plates, so this place was the outer rim of one of those plates. If he ran along the edge he could reach the bridge leading into the Great World Gate.
Just as Rian prepared to launch himself again, something floating from the ceiling caught his eye.
A drone buzzed toward him with urgent movements.
A drone is only a machine, but the way it moved carried Tess's desperation.
"Tess? Are you all right?"
The drone bobbed up and down like a nod. It seemed no fatal situation had occurred yet.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
The ground trembled along the path Rian had come. Turning, he saw a massive man striding toward him.
Rian drew Signa and Exd.
An unknown enemy. There was no halo or horns above the man's head.
The first thing that came to mind was a giant.
Though small for a giant, the earth shuddering with each step suggested immense weight.
"What a monstrous creature. How heavy must his muscles be to carry that mass?"
The giant's movements were ponderous, but each step drove him forward.
Thud!
The giant stamped his foot and stopped tall before Rian.
A display of force.
Only someone with the strength to overcome inertia in a single strike could do that.
"Who are you?"
Imir asked. He truly didn't know, hence the question.
Holding Signa and Exd, this human might be a mech-user, but his features resembled the Nor people.
"You say what?"
The giant couldn't be reached by psychic resonance, so words couldn't be read.
Imir couldn't read him either, but he didn't care—he was sizing up raw power, not language.
"I see. So you're the heretic who rampaged in heaven."
When Imir's fighting spirit flared, Rian instinctively stepped back and raised his sword.
He had expected the man to wet himself and run; instead the human raised a blade. That moved Imir. The instant their eyes met was his favorite moment.
"Good eye. For a human, you've been honed well."
Rian pulled his left foot back. Given the weight difference, brute force wouldn't work. If a gap opened, he had to exploit it quickly—speed and decisiveness were his priorities.
"Identify yourself. Friend or foe? If you intend to interfere, you will not pass here."
Imir couldn't understand Rian's words, but a hundred meanings were readable in the intensity of his gaze.
'Choose,' it said. But that's my job...
Imir strode forward.
It might seem crude, but it perfectly disrupted Rian's breathing rhythm.
Rian, who had planned a sneak attack, was forced to retreat.
That provoked Imir's pleasure.
The fight had already begun. He loved all the emotions that flowed once both sides decided to kill.
Approaching Rian, Imir said, "You are the enemy."
Rian's hair stood on end.
The giant's aura surged like a vast barrier. It was so immense he could barely take it in.
"Shall we begin?"
At that moment, the drone's mechanical voice sounded from the ceiling.
"Lan—guage—decode. Begin?"
Imir's gaze flicked upward. When he looked back down, Rian had already vanished.
"Taha!"
Signa came flying from the side. Imir blocked it with an upraised arm. A tremendous shockwave burst out, making the giant's skin ripple like a sheet of water in a gale.
Still, his body did not budge.
Pushing Signa away with his arm, Imir tilted his head and fixed his eyes on Rian.
There was a snake's look in his gaze—prey spotted.
"Nice ambush. It almost makes me feel bad. A swordsman should return a blade in kind."
As he spoke, Imir shoved Signa aside. His body twisted and a powerful hook swung in.
Rian thrust Exd forward and hunched his body.
When Imir's fist struck the shield, a roar erupted as Exd's hologram slammed into him.
Still, Imir did not back down. The one thrown back was Rian.
Rian rolled, dropped to his knees, and recovered his center.
The Exd mounted on his arm lay as if struck by a cannon—its insides exposed.
Imir peered over his shoulder and grinned.
"As you can see... there aren't many weapons that can withstand my strength."
"Damn it, how embarrassing..."
Tess's viewpoint came through the drone. Imagining her watching and waiting for help only made his blood boil.
"Here I goooo!"
Rian charged at full speed.
He threw Signa as a feint, launched himself into the air, and drew the greatsword from his back.
Imir grasped the incoming Signa and crushed it like a snack.
At the same moment, Rian brought the greatsword down.
The fist that had been holding Signa came flying.
With a ringing clash, Rian was stunned to feel his blade strike bone. It sounded like steel on iron.
The counter motion sent Rian hurtling. Imir immediately pursued, raising his fist.
"That was fun. I'll give you a present."
"Ugh!"
Rian planted the greatsword into the ground, using its broad side as a shield, pressing it to his shoulder and thigh and driving his full weight into it.