Mobuseka Volume 13 Chapter 15

This is MTL. So, I cannot guarantee that the translation 100% contextually accurate or appropriate.

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Chapter 15 "A Worthy Opponent"

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Part 1

Outside Arcadia, the war situation was changing.

The Kingdom's army had begun to regain control and was pushing the Empire's army.

This is because some of the enemy had retreated back inside the fortress.

The assault of Leon and his companions into the interior of Arcadia caused a powerful force of magic knights to leave the battlefield.

The Empire's forces were agitated, partly because they were impatient that their own fortresses were being attacked.

Gilbert, who was watching from the bridge, immediately coordinated with his allies around him to launch an offensive against the Empire's forces.

"Don't miss this opportunity! Keep pushing!"

They would collide with each other with all their might, and the loss rate would be staggering.

If this had been a normal war, both countries would have been regarded by later generations as fools who had made the wrong decision.

The captain was getting impatient with Gilbert, who continued to command the front line.

"Gilbert-sama, please stand down. You are the heir to the Redgrave family. Now that we don't know if Vince-sama is safe or not, we need you to survive!"

Even after hearing that opinion, Gilbert didn't back down.

"If I run away here, I will be dishonored for generations to come. You want me to be ashamed?"

"There would be shame to bear! Besides, our allies have the upper hand now. There would be no shame in retreating."

"Shame is just a front. My stubbornness just won't allow me to run away from this."

"Gilbert-sama"

As the captain gives up trying to persuade him, two white armors pass near the flying battleship.

It was truly encouraging to see them slashing through and defeating the monsters.

The performance of the armor is likely high, but the skill of the two pilots is also remarkable.

However.

The conversations that could be heard were not as refined as their fighting style.

"With this, I've won in terms of the number of enemies I've defeated!"

"Don't act all high and mighty after stealing the prey of the great me!"

The Redgrave family's flying battleship was installed with monitors when it underwent modifications.

Two men wearing strange masks were projected on the screen there.

However, when Gilbert heard their voices, he had an idea who they were.

He falls to his knees, clutching his forehead.

The panicked captain worried about Gilbert.

"Gilbert-sama!? Keep composed!!"

The captain seems to have noticed something as well.

It seems he understands Gilbert's feelings.

"N-No problem. But more importantly, captain——can you target those two?"

"Ha?"

Gilbert looked expressionlessly at the masked knights fighting in front of him.

"If it's just one shot, don't you think it was an accidental shot?"

"No, you can't. Even like that, those things are allies, you know!?"

Gilbert makes a bitter face.

"I know that! But, you know! But!?"

(What on earth were they thinking, coming out to a place like this?)

Their voices can still be heard from the monitor.

"Who are you really? I'll catch you when we get back! I'll have you thrown in the royal dungeon, so be prepared!"

"You are the one who will regret having defied the great me! On the contrary, I will throw you into the dungeon, and then you will realize your crime."

Sadly, the masked knights were unaware of who their opponents were.

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Part 2

Arcadia's power reactor.

The guy I fight here is Finn, who doped just like me.

Each side is in a state where they are exerting their aircraft performance to the fullest.

In terms of performance——is Brave better?

"It's the first time Aroganz has been pushed this far since the old man Black Knight."

It reminds me of the Black Knight.

He was a hero of the former principality, and was the old man who cornered me when I let my guard down.

If I hadn't had that experience, I probably would have lost to Finn by now.

It's thanks to the struggles I went through back then that I'm able to fight.

[I won't let you destroy the power reactor!]

Brave swung his longsword at me, and when I caught it, I lost in strength and was slammed into the wall.

When I slam into a wall, horn-like protrusions emerge from both of Brave's shoulders, filling them with electric shocks before unleashing them.

It seems to be consuming a lot of magic power, but since there is a power reactor nearby it can absorb as much magical energy as it wants.

The battlefield was in Finn's favor.

"Luxion!"

[Deploys a shield on the surface of the armor]

A thin magic barrier deployed on the surface of Arroganz prevents the electric shocks that would be released.

Because the additional armor has been purged, the Brave's attacks now can pierce Arroganz.

But even though Arroganz was safe, the surroundings were different.

The area around the electric shock melts and explodes.

Jumping away from the spot, Brave swung his longsword.

The power of cutting through a large section of the wall is frightening.

"I —— we can't lose!"

"We are in the same boat!"

As Brave carelessly slashed at Arroganz, Arroganz extended his left arm and released a shockwave.

No damage was done because it was avoided at the last moment.

But it was enough that I was able to create distance.

Now we go on the offensive.

Finn flicked the great sword that had been swung at his side and kicked it at us.

"What a nasty jerk!"

"I don't want to hear from you!"

Releasing a laser while flying backward with the momentum of the kick, they will close the distance, ignoring the surface being burned.

Like Finn, Brave seems to be in high spirits and doesn't seem to be bothered by the damage.

"I couldn't have spent more time on this"

As I stepped on the pedal, Schwert's thrust-variable nozzle narrowed, spewing blue flames and increasing the speed of Arroganz.

Brave also increases his speed.

It flaps its bat-like wings and follows us.

Lasers were fired at its wings, but even though they were burned and pierced, they regenerated instantly.

And then electric shocks are fired at me as I'm being chased.

Several spheres, which looked like electric balls, came toward Arroganz.

[It's a tracking type of magic. The total is——eighty-one!]

"Shoot it down!"

Schwert dealt with them with lasers, but they were too many to deal with.

Luxion is also calculating Schwert's remaining energy level and dealing with it, but the energy is depleting too fast when dealing with Finn.

"How can they move like that? Even if they are Leon and Arroganz, there is no way they can move like that!"

Finn and the others seem to notice something strange about Arroganz's movements.

Finn must have had a bad feeling that he couldn't win even though he was using strengthening drugs.

It was Brave who realized what I had done.

[——He did it.]

"What's the matter, Kurosuke?"

[Buddy, Luxion's done it! He's gonna kill his own master!]

"You're kidding!?"

I said to Luxion as I heard that.

"Don't worry about it. It's all my orders."

He should have just ignored it, but Luxion reacted and began to tremble.

[Even though you don't know anything]

Brave blames Luxion.

[You're going to sacrifice your own Master to defeat us? The strengthening drug you're using isn't normal. It is the kind that cuts your life! That's the kind of tactic the machines of the old humans would use!]

Luxion, who was blamed, retorted in a rage.

[——If only you people hadn't existed, Master wouldn't have gotten his hands on this kind of drug. The new human race should never have existed in the first place!!]

The battle intensifies as emotions run high.

Even in the midst of all this, Finn asks me a question.

"Leon! How can you throw your life away so easily! You are the one who values your life more. How can you give up your life so easily!!"

——Are you trying to say that risking my life in battle isn't something that suits me? I understand that better than anyone.

But there were only some things I could save with my two hands.

"If you want to save something, you should give something up!"

I was greedily trying to save this and that, and before I knew it, my hands were full of baggage.

And yet, there were still so many things around me that I wanted to save.

There's no other way, right?

There was a limit to what I could hold in my hands.

Finn blames me for my actions.

"Even if it's your life!"

"Thanks to that, I can save a lot of lives!"

If I could win this battle, I would be able to save many lives than my life worth.

That's why I can't lose.

——I have no intention of losing, even if my opponent is Finn.

Both sides attacked each other even more intensely.

The electric bolts formed into a sphere and tracked Arroganz, but in response to Brave's rage, they grew larger and accelerated, closing in on Arroganz.

I slashed with my greatsword at one of the incoming electric bolts that came around and was caught up by the Brave as I stopped moving.

"Tch!"

As I kick at the approaching Finn, he grabs Arroganz's leg with his left hand.

"Dang!"

By the time I realized it, it was too late and Brave destroyed Arroganz's leg.

[Purge the right leg.]

"You bastard, how dare you!"

Looking at Brave's surface, his veins were pulsating.

"He even injected Brave with drugs!?"

[No, he is linked to the pilot and seems to be affected by it.]

He must have been pushing himself too hard. He was showing incredible concentration when he was facing me.

And one possibility came to my mind.

I turned my gaze to the power reactor.

"So that's why. ——Finn, you were being too reckless."

Finn, who was chasing after me, was quite blind to his surroundings, probably due to the effects of the drug.

"Leon! I'll end it with this!"

The longsword Finn was holding emitted light and appeared to be filled with lightning.

The length of the blade is many times over, and it is difficult to dodge.

Brave, wielding it, approached.

"Whatever it is, shoot it!"

[Got it!]

As I ran around shooting lasers, the scene around me flowed ridiculously fast.

Both sides flew around the cylindrical space, fighting fiercely against each other.

If I had not used the strengthening drugs, I am sure I would not have been able to keep up with this speed.

As I run away, Finn keeps chasing me.

"Finn——You're stronger than me."

He was strong, for sure. But——it was a mistake to rely on drugs.

When I was cornered and my back was against a building, Finn raised the longsword he was holding, which was imbued with lightning——and swung it down without hesitation.

It's one blow that's going to take my life.

"This is the eeeend!"

[Buddy, no!]

Brave was the first to notice, but it was too late to stop him now.

Finn finally realized it when he was told, but it was too late.

"S-Shoot"

He hurriedly tried to stop the longsword, but the momentum could not be stopped.

It stuck so deeply into the structure I was leaning against and Finn tried to pull it out, but he couldn't.

Arroganz's left arm grabbed Brave's arm and pulled him.

The blade of the longsword dives into the structure.

"Finn, your mistake was not actually experiencing the effects of the drug. You've been a bit narrow-minded"

The strengthening drug Finn used must have had a strong effect.

But it seems he never tried it.

If he tried it, he either gave up on using it or Brave stopped him.

Either way, Finn's field of vision was narrower than usual.

He was so focused on me, his enemy, that he couldn't see his surroundings.

Because he was connected to the magic creature, the effect was felt even by Brave, and he was slow to notice.

The place where I was cornered is the power reactor —— the pillar itself.

Finn's great sword had pierced the power reactor, and the heat had reached the inside, causing the pillar to creak.

There is a crack and then a strange noise.

It was like a scream.

[Master, the power reactor has not been destroyed.]

Hearing Luxion's voice, I pushed aside the stunned Finn and swung the great sword I was holding.

As the blade plunges deep into the pillar, I say to Luxion.

"Do it!"

[Yes!]

The impact is transmitted from both arms of Arroganz to the greatsword, and an explosion occurs directly inside the power reactor.

"More!"

[Even the great sword of Adamantite cannot withstand it. Besides, I don't know if Arroganz can withstand it.]

"Go all out! If it can be destroyed, I don't mind if this is broken!"

[! ——Understood!]

Just as Luxion had feared, the right arm, which had been generating the shockwave, burst into flames, and his greatsword shattered.

But it worked.

The pillar bulged from the inside and then split where the cracks had formed.

The red particles erupted with great force, and the wind that was generated blew Arroganz away as well.

The pillar swells up red and begins to dissolve.

The surroundings are tinted red and nothing can be seen.

"What happened!?"

[We succeeded in destroying the power reactor. But the power reactor is melting. It is dangerous to stay here!]

"Then evacuate immediately——Guh!"

When I held my mouth, I coughed and vomited a lot of blood.

[Master! Neutralizer——]

Not ten minutes had passed since I took the drug.

Even though there were still a few minutes left, my body was reaching its limits.

"Haha, I should have trained more."

[Request the use of a neutralizer!]

"Unfortunately, Luxion——I can't."

Gripping the control stick, I moved Arroganz, and the long sword was swung down at the place where I had been.

Brave with Finn riding in it, liquid pouring out of his twin eyes as if he were shedding a tear.

"How dare you —— how dare you —— how dare you destroy Mia's future!!"

I told the enraged Finn.

"My win."

"Uwaaaah!"

Move up to get away from the screaming Finn who is moving toward me.

Luxion explains the armament situation.

[The right arm does not move. As for the left arm, the part that generates the shock wave is burned and cannot attack. Master, that's all. Administer the neutralizer!]

"Not yet!"

I had Schwert shoot a laser and draw a circle on the ceiling.

Then a hole opens, allowing Arroganz to escape through it.

"We're out!?"

[Arcadia's output is decreasing. Fall confirmed.]

The fire was spewing out of the hole we had jumped out of.

From there, Brave comes out with his armor burned.

I apologize to Schwert.

"Thanks for everything you've done, Schwert."

Luxion figured out what I wanted to do, and then detached Schwerdt and sent it to Finn.

[Purge Schweert. Initiating remote control]

Schwert increased his speed and charged at Brave, piercing its torso and sending it flying.

Brave screams in pain.

"Damn iiiit!!"

The tip of Schwert was deeply pierced into the torso of the magic armor.

The pilot won't escape unscathed.

——Finn would have died instantly.

Brave fell on the ceiling of Arcadia —— on the deck, and it seems that he can't move anymore.

I lower Arroganz near Brave, but it's not stable because it's only on one leg.

[Master, this has already gone far beyond what is needed. Administer the neutralizer]

Hearing Luxion's panicked voice, I covered my mouth again.

I vomit a lot of blood.

[Master!]

"D-Don't be impatient. Get the neutralizer——quickly——"

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Part 3

I got close to Brave, but Finn didn't say anything.

Red tears are flowing from Brave's twin eyes.

Luxion called out to Brave.

[——Do you still want to fight?]

Brave doesn't seem to have the will to fight.

[I can't fight without my partner]

Gradually, Brave's body crumbles.

Then Brave relays Finn's words to me.

[Leon, I have a message for you from my partner. He said that he wouldn't hold a grudge even if you killed him. It's the same for both of us.]

"I, see —— that's typical, of him."

I can't speak well.

I used a neutralizer, but the pain didn't go away from my body.

Brave is unable to maintain his magic equipment form and disappears as if crumbling.

[It's too early to be relieved. After all, the core of Arcadia is still there. I really hate that guy, though.  ——More importantly]

Brave raised his arm and pointed at the longsword stuck on the deck.

I figured out what he wanted to say, so I let Arroganz pull it out.

Seeing the appearance of Arroganz, Brave was laughing.

[Buddy——I'm sorry.]

When the grey and crumbling Brave was swept away by the wind, there was nothing left in place.

Not even Finn's body was left behind.

"——Finn."

When I mutter the name of the friend I killed, tears come to my eyes.

Even though I am not deserving of it.

In my sentimental state, Luxion warns me.

[Master, it's not over yet. If what he just said is true, the core of Arcadia is still present. I do not believe the main body can be regenerated, but its destruction is a priority. We should tell our allies.]

Now all we need to do is destroy the core and our victory will be complete.

Wiping away the bloody tears, I steel myself.

"Right. Let's get this done quickly."

Just when I thought it was all over, there was a red particle of light streaming somewhere from the hole we had popped out of.

It was not being swept away by the wind, it seemed to be being sucked somewhere.

[——There is an individual who is rapidly absorbing magic elements.]

The longsword I got from Finn is gripped tightly in Arroganz's left hand.

"The enemy is really bad at giving up."

It seems that this battle is not over yet.