Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 064 – Fufufu, Son. Part of Each of The Three Fights
Emma and Celine left the Alternate Esmelas Garden and moved to the Alternate Dreichels Square while chasing Vita, who teleported there.
Emma and the others arrived a little later to find Vita standing in front of the Dreichels statue.
Dreichels Square was one of the Imperial Capital’s biggest tourist attractions, bustling with people, but in this singularity filled with miasma, only the witches from the Hexen Clan were present on the battlefield.
I can now fight to my heart’s content, thought Emma and raised her orbal staff.
“Come, Ol-Gadia!”
By transmitting coordinates using Master Quartz “Geass,” Ol-Gaida, the prototypes of all the Magic Knights enshrined in the old schoolhouse appeared.
Normally, it would have been a counter weapon against Divine Knights and their Awakener, but thanks to the wisdom of one of the greatest geniuses in the Empire…… nay, in Zemuria, it was now under complete control with the support of a witch.
“Summon……?”
“I, who have ‘permission’ from Instructor Thomas, have no restrictions for teleportation, nee-san.”
“You’re indeed well prepared.”
“I don’t think this is enough to reach nee-san, though!”
At the same time that Celine roared, Ol-Gadia raised its thick greatsword and brought it down on Vita.
Vita’s physical abilities weren’t profound, but she was still able to easily avoid the sluggish movements of the Magic Knight.
Vita dodged the attack by dancing around lightly, but Emma activated her Craft towards those spots.
“Oh, blade of twilight!”
Eclipse Edge Materialized in the empty air and headed towards Vita.
Ol-Gadia threw the opponent off balance and Emma followed up with an attack. It was a simple yet effective combination, but suddenly, they were all repelled by a blade that was conjured out of thin air
“I’ll return it to you.”
As if to show off, the blade woven with spiritual power moved freely in all directions.
Emma felt the clear difference between her own blade and her sister’s, but she was well aware of the gap between the two of them to begin with.
That was the purpose of her earlier moves, along with the Magic Knight. If Ol-Gadia could restrain the opponent, that would be the end of the battle.
Ol-Gadia’s actions remained unchanged. All her attacks were bluff, and it accepted the priority on securing Vita.
Naturally, Vita saw through Emma’s intentions.
“Emma, you should try to confuse your opponent with the message your actions convey.”
With a wave of her glowing azure staff, Ol-Gadia’s hand, which had been approaching her, stopped.
No, it froze.
As if enveloped in pillars of ice that appeared beneath its feet, the Magic Knight, along with the ground Ol-Gadia was standing on, was transformed into an ice statue on par with Dreichels statue.
The ice prison further expanded its range, baring its fangs to swallow Emma and Celine in too.
“Spurt out, flame!”
The Vorpal Flare was fired, showering the ice with heat in an attempt to melt it.
However, the ice didn’t melt easily, and while it did slow down the speed of its approach, with the frozen Magic Knight beginning to form puddles of water, it wasn’t enough to instantly thaw them.
Emma gave up on thawing Ol-Gadia and switched to a different way.
“Celine, please support me!”
“Okay!”
Emma’s next action caused Vita’s eyes to widen slightly.
Just as she thought Emma would teleport Ol-Gadia, it actually moved above Vita’s head.
It seemed Emma decided if the Magic Knight wouldn’t move, then she would instead take advantage of its weight and use it as a falling rock.
Although Vita quickly avoided it by teleporting a short distance, a chase began therein.
But even with Celine’s support, Emma was unable to stop Vita without the help of OI-Gadia, the ice statue.
Vita, on the other hand, complained about her aggressive attacks, which was unlike that of a witch…… or to be blunt, the behavior of a brawny person.
“Emma, I see that you have changed a lot since I last saw you. But that’s not the smart way to do it.”
“I can’t defeat nee-san by being smart, after all.”
“But seeing this assertiveness, aren’t you being influenced by Rean-kun? Even though you are the witch who guides the Awakener, you don’t have to be similar to him in such an aspect.”
Emma was silent, as if she had any thoughts of that remark.
“……Right now, reaching nee-san is the priority!”
Hearing the remark that seemed to be an attempt to cover everything up, Vita lamented that her cute little sister had been corrupted by that eccentric boy.
But the battle situation came to a stalemate, and it was becoming a game of cat and mouse.
As Emma teleported around, she attempted a follow-up attack using orbal Arts, but Vita immediately casted the same Arts and countered it.
Vita felt the accuracy of her teleportation drop, probably because she casted Arts in response to her sister, which was basically the difference in the preparation. As she enjoyed exchanging moves with Emma —— although it was a little lackluster to call it that—— she decided to knock Emma unconscious.
“I commend you for breaking through the causality manipulation, but that’s all. You must continue to work hard——Grianos!”
When Vita called out that name, she called her familiar, the azure bird Grianos, who could be considered to be like Celine for Emma, appeared out of nowhere and received Vita’s magic power causing its small body to grow to a gigantic size.
Grianos tilted its long neck back. Emma could sense the spiritual power building up on the roof of its mouth, and realized it was about to unleash a blast of pure magic power——This is it, thought Emma as she strengthened her determination.
Emma rushed forward. Her target was Vita, but she didn’t take any defensive measures and just ran straight towards her.
“Emma?!”
Vita frantically tried to interrupt Grianos’ attack, but it was too late.
Grianos was already exhaling its breath towards Emma.
Without any preparation, Emma ran toward it as if she wanted to commit suicide, and shouted as she threw her ARCUS at Celine.
“Celine!”
“Vita, I’m angry at you too!”
At the same time as her shout, the teleportation circle activated, aligning itself with Emma’s feet as she sprinted.
Vita had been preparing for short distance teleportation since she expected a direct attack, but it wasn’t Emma who was teleported—— but a newly summoned jet-black giant.
While it had a flat head, this more sophisticated machine than Ol-Gadia felt it was tuned up for combat.
Its name was Direwolf.
It was the Magic Knight Schmidt captured and summoned on his own in Schmidt’s Classroom.
Direwolf stood in front of Emma, receiving Grianos’ attack, and forcefully swung both arms up to slam them down on the spirit bird. With that, it pinned Grianos down, immobilizing him.
“Grianos?!”
Just as Vita was about to raise her staff, Emma threw her orbal staff at her like a javelin. It hit Vita’s staff, flicking it back from her hand and hindering her movements. When a new Magic Knight was summoned, Vita reacted a step too late but Emma didn’t miss that opportunity.
Emma’s combat skill had certainly improved as she collected combat data against the Divine Knight and during the mock battle with Loa Valimar.
She was definitely not as weak as Vita thought.
Emma’s Craft and magic were certainly not comparable to Vita’s, but there were things she had gained and honed by coming to Thors.
Everything had been for this single moment.
“Nee-san—————!”
Emma leapt at Vita at full speed——and embraced her as it was.
“Eh…………?”
“Nee-san, nee-san, nee-san……!”
With the momentum, Vita fell, taking Emma with her.
However, her sister just gave her a tight embrace and didn’t use any Craft or magic.
This felt weird such that Vita stopped her hand without using magic.
“I was lonely…… when you left me behind, I cried a lot, and there was no news of you at all. Obaa-chan even told me to forget about you…… but I couldn’t do that! That’s why…… that’s why…… I decided to become a wandering witch and look for nee-san……!”
Emma simply called to her sister and poured out her emotions with tears flowing from her eyes.
Indeed, this was what she acquired through her time in Thors——no, through her bond with Rean.
Just like something he did every day as if it was the most obvious thing to do, expressing emotions honestly, something that was difficult to do.
That wasn’t the case.
Although the pretense was that she wouldn’t let Vita escape, Emma was happy to be reunited with her.
To convey her feelings clearly, she embraced her tightly and didn’t let her go.
“Emma…………”
Vita had the confidence to fend off whatever Craft and Arts Emma threw at her, but upon seeing her sister crying, she could only raise her hands in resignation.
“I’m sorry……”
“No, I won’t forgive you! I definitely won’t…… uwaaaaahhhnnn!!”
Grianos paused, and Direwolf also stopped moving due to ARCUS controlled by Celine.
Vita’s words were drowned out by Emma’s crying voice, so she gently stroked her head, just as she used to do, until her sister stopped crying.
＊
The black sword and the Templar spear repelled each other, leaving a heavy sound.
Because Roselia had contained the black flames unleashed by McBurn, the battle shifted to close-combat with Barkhorn.
Meanwhile, Barkhorn was astounded by the physical ability of the Blazing Demon in front of him.
His brute force sword swing made it hard to believe he had any training in swordsmanship, yet despite this, Barkhorn, who had studied spearmanship, was being overwhelmed.
Even if he tried to fight back, his techniques were thwarted by this power beyond what one would expect from a human. Nevertheless, he had trained himself to become an experienced veteran and was able to fight evenly.
Yet, Barkhorn believed that without Roselia’s help, he would have been unable to avoid the constant burn and respiratory organ damage caused by the black flame.
“Hah, you are great!”
Even though his flames were sealed, there was no sign of panic on McBurn’s face. Instead, due to strengthening the ‘Partition,’ Barkhorn was also unable to use the full power of his Stigma.
This might just go on in this pattern forever, thought Barkhorn who showed signs of fatigue, while McBurn portrayed the expression of a battle junkie who simply found pleasure in fighting strong opponents.
“Why do you belong to such a shady organization despite possessing such power?”
As the two of them distanced away from each other to start afresh, Roselia spoke, interrupting them.
Barkhorn immediately got into a defensive stance, but surprisingly, McBurn stopped and answered Roselia’s question.
“It’s not a big deal. I’m just doing it because it’s necessary.”
“Necessary……?”
“Since you’re a witch, you can tell, right? What kind of existence I am, that is.”
“You are the ‘Divergent Law’ itself…… a visitor from a world different from Zemuria.”
“What?”
Barkhorn’s eyes widened when Roselia pointed it out.
McBurn didn’t seem to mind and chuckled with satisfaction at Roselia’s answer.
“Yes, you got that right.”
“?!”
A shadow appeared behind the laughing McBurn.
It was a silhouette similar in size to a Divine Knight and accompanied McBurn like a shadow.
“It was about fifty years ago. I don’t know why, but I got mixed with something that came from outside. This appearance itself is me from Zemuria, but the other half is the fellow behind me.”
McBurn covered his face with his hand and laughed some more.
To Roselia and Barkhorn, it almost seemed like self-mockery.
“I’ve been searching for myself all this time. The memories of my original world, the reason I appeared in Zemuria…… For some reason, every time I use this power, I feel my head tingle. And then I realized. In order to regain my memories, I have to fight seriously…… that is, to return to my original appearance.”
“Original appearance ……”
“That would mean that you had been going easy on us all this time. It might be weird for us to say this, but that’s unbearable.”
“But for me to fight seriously and return to my original appearance, it would mean the same thing as destruction of Zemuria. Just like the Salt Pale that started this whole incident.”
“Just like Salt Pale…… you say……?!”
Barkhorn couldn’t help but shudder.
He could tell that McBurn still had more energy to exert.
Even if he transferred his power to the “Partition,” it would be impossible for his own Stigma alone to subdue the demon before him.
But if he was of the same kind of existence as the Salt Pale…… Its true nature was disaster itself, something that humans couldn’t handle.
“The reason I accepted Abyss’s invitation is because I heard that this is a dimension isolated from Zemuria. I can exert more power than usual here!”
The silhouette behind McBurn exuded a strong presence,
Its appearance was still humanoid, but the sealed flames gradually produced small sparks.
Roselia clicked her tongue softly at the heat and power it produced.
“Not good, we might not be able to contain the flame.”
“Oi oi, don’t give up there. I actually had high hopes this time, you know? If you can seal my full power, that’s the best thing. It means that even if I go on a rampage in all earnesty, the world won’t be destroyed.”
“Don’t talk about something so ridiculous! Be more considerate of this hag!”
“Then you should act like the elderly you are and go home to drink some tea!”
“We have a sweet-tooth!”
As he had declared, McBurn increased his output. A small drop of sweat trickled down Roselia’s cheek.
It was proof that Roselia couldn’t contain the flame and heat was also spreading through her body.
“A sentient Salt Pale is not a laughing matter! Barkhorn, can you finish him off here?”
“……I don’t know if I could, but I’ll try.”
“Hah, it would be a shame to end it like this, but either way, it was just a difference if it happening sooner or later. Do your best not to break down…… both of you!”
McBurn sheathed his sword and created an enormous fireball in his hand.
At the same time, the silhouette behind him supported his hands as if to provide him with more power.
He didn’t seem to return to his original appearance, but the two understood that the flame that was stronger than ever was about to approach.
“Oh, golden seal that shines in my abyss…… let your fierce roar bestow unparalleled power upon my spear!”
“Eei, I can’t abandon the defense…… but you can have the rest of our power!”
The stigma sparkled behind Barkhorn.
Roselia’s power was added to it as it transformed into a golden spear.
The two rising forces combined into one and were unleashed in a giant one.
“Roaring Heaven…… Scarlet Moon Spear!”
“Incandescent…… Hellfireeeeeee!”
The gigantic fireball and the crimson golden spear collided and consumed each other…… vaporizing the Alternate Esmelas Garden, and melting the singularity along with the “Partition.”
The result of that collision was the collapse of the singularity——
＊
“Uoooowwwaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!”
Rean fell into the large hole opened by McBurn and fell into a darkness where no light could be seen.
Rean felt like he had fallen more than a hundred arge in height, but there was no light at the place he fell to.
Not only is this place a singularity, it’s also contained by “Partition,” so maybe it’s largely because of that, thought Rean in escapism.
[“Fufufu, son. Since the singularity has been strengthened by ‘Partition,’ most things won’t be able to shake the singularity. In that case, there should be no problem calling Vali-kun.”]
“I see! ……Come, Valimar!”
As he fell, Rean summoned Valimar.
Normally, Valimar would have responded instantly, but since this was a singularity, his voice reached him with a slight delay.
{“…………Oh!”}
Valimar was summoned behind Rean.
Enveloped in light in the air, Rean was transported straight into Valimar and boarded it.
“It feels like it’s been a while since I boarded it.”
{“Umu. But it seems that something unusual is happening.”}
“Aah, McBurn-san is here now, after all. Now Valimar, please take me back to Roselia-san and others——”
[“No, keep heading down.”]
“Down?”
Rean moved to the cockpit and once again controlled Valimar, lifting it into the air, and as if on cue, a light appeared below.
[“Leave the matter of Almighty Conflagration to Miss Rose’s group. Exploring this place takes the most priority now.”]
“Is there something down there?”
[“You should check that out yourself.”]
Rean felt like complaining about how Osbon was still being roundabout after coming all this way, but he still followed Osbon and descended.
Eventually, Rean’s group entered the light they saw.
Beyond the light was a throne-like place.
In the center, there stood something like a giant pillar, with something large and red sitting on it.
“That’s……?”
[“Testa-Rossa……”]
Osbon muttered in response to Rean’s voice.
The name of Testa-Rossa sounded familiar.
It was the Vermilion Divine Knight that Beryl was talking about ——
[“——The third Divine Knight —— we can assume that its Awakener is either the culprit or at least someone related to the incident. And that person has ties to the terrorists who have been causing trouble in the Imperial Capital recently.”] 1
Musse’s words flashed through Rean’s mind.
Rean wanted to act quickly, but his battle with Barkhorn had given him a sense of composure.
As Rean tried to catch his breath, Osbon’s words echoed in his mind.
[“Fufufu, son. There’s no one abroad in that thing—— in other words, you can cut it down at will.”]
Before he knew it, Rean unleashed his power of ogre and controlled Valimar.
“Elysian Domination——”
With neither tolerance nor forgiveness.
With neither hesitation nor mercy.
The blade, filled with pure violence and strangeness, smoothly cut the Vermilion Divine Knight into pieces.
Author Note:
Osbon
“Our Rean is a smart kid who can wait in a proper manner after getting warned once.”
Valimar
(What is composure again……?)
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