Volume 12 Chapter 1 — Trigger of Passion (Part 1-2)

Part 1

The land that appeared on the sea northeast of America wasn’t small like an island and wasn’t big like a continent. It seemed suitable to call it as a [small continent]――that was what was reported.

America deployed an investigation fleet and aircrafts.

The investigation group approached the unknown small continent <Atlantis> from two ways of the sea and the sky.

What was awaiting them was a very thick <magic power cloud>.

When they arrived until the coastal waters of Atlantis, the ships and aircraft of the investigation team were all enveloped by magic power cloud so thick that they couldn’t even see a few steps ahead. It was like they were enveloped by glittering cotton candy tinged with blue magic power light.

Even so the investigation team pushed through the magic power cloud and advanced.

Inside the magic power cloud, not to mention devices like radar, even sensing magic was obstructed. The dread and anxiety that the investigation team felt wasn’t something superficial.

On the path of the investigation team that advanced while mustering their courage, a wall of steel with black luster stood toweringly.

The surroundings of Atlantis was encircled by a wall like a fortress.

Over there was a [rejection] to the degree that made them stand petrified.

The investigation team attempted to destroy the wall. The missiles loaded inside the aircrafts, the summoning magic of the Magika Stigmas boarding the ship――however, there wasn’t even a micron of a scratch inflicted on the wall from those.

There was no other conclusion they could make except that it was impossible to destroy this wall.

When they looked up at a loss, the wall was continuing high without end――it exceeded the troposphere that was the height limit for aircrafts and reached until the stratosphere. At a height more than that the engine couldn’t burn the air, the aircrafts couldn’t fly properly there.

In addition, far higher than the troposphere, the air became turbulent like countless serpents rampaging around.

Rejection. The extremely hard wall, and the rampaging lid of turbulence.

There was no other conclusion that they could make other than that it was impossible to infiltrate.

……However just how in the world was this kind of wall made?

It obviously looked like something man-made. However there had never been a confirmed case of a man-made thing generated inside a <Haunted Ground> that was created from a distortion of the world. This was not something generated by the effect of natural magic power like a Haunted Ground.

Was this a wall made by someone?

Then, was there someone inside? An existence, that surpassed human knowledge was……

The investigation team finally surrendered to the terror they couldn’t resist and returned back to their country……

“Resist it you idiot. Making a face and a voice from X-files like that, are you screwing around?”

Clark Moore sent a yakuza kick toward Ridley Spielberg that was making her report with an eerie voice that was like making an acting performance.

“This is my natural face and voice~……” Saying that the blue skinned petite girl, Ridley let out a pathetic voice.

“It’s only you who are a Magika Stigma that got chosen by her Diva only because of your face and voice.”

Clark mercilessly said so, making Ridley become teary eyed while saying “How cruel~”.

One of the Numbers, Ridley was the one leading the investigation team. At the battle against Japan, she was one of those Numbers who were defeated by the favored princesses of Kazuki without even displaying any good aspect of theirs.

Clark was listening to that report inside a patient room.

Kazuki and Arthur were also let to attend with her.

“Ah, just now, the brain waves reacted.”

When Kazuki said that, Clark vigorously turned around to the direction of the bed.

On the bed, Jeremy Barrett was lying down.

She was connected to countless life preservation equipment, so to speak she was in the condition of [spaghetti syndrome].

“I wonder if it’s because she heard Clark’s cheerful voice.”

“……Really, what a hopeless girl. If I’m not at her side, her condition will quickly worsen. Thanks to that I got to do my work in this kind of place.”

When <Wakan Tanka> came attacking, Jeremy saved Clark’s life using a bullet that was infused with her own life.

It looked like Jeremy staked her life, but her life was just barely holding out.

Jeremy tried to put all of her life inside the bullet but――her survival instinct ignored her will and made her hesitate. The instinctual fear of death obstructed the complete activation of that magic.

The girl feared death naturally, she was a human. Not a loyal doll.

[Dregs of life] that didn’t manage to be put into the bullet let some of the girl’s mental energy remain in this world. The newest medical science of the minds of America scraped those together, joined them into one, and attempted to heal her.

However she still hadn’t recovered her consciousness yet.

Clark started the work of America’s rebuilding in the patient room of the girl, she peered into Jeremy’s face with a gentle expression sometimes between her work, clutched Jeremy’s faintly warm hand, and swung from joy to sorrow at the slight change of the brainwaves displayed on the monitor.

In a glance, Clark looked expressionless, but being at her side one could definitely understand her emotion.

To that figure Ridley’s eyes moistened while saying “Boss……”

“If your report is finished then get out right away.”

Clark kicked out Ridley to the corridor.

“Give that kindness to me too~” Ridley rushed out while crying.

“So it’s impossible to infiltrate whether using ship or plane……” Kazuki who listened to the report from the side turned to Clark while thinking of an idea.

“Can we detect the coordinates from the space and land inside the wall by breaking through the atmosphere? If it’s with America’s science technology then…”

“Aiming at the small continent where civilized machines don’t work due to the magic power cloud and breaking through the atmosphere where there are unknown turbulence’s inside. That’s quite a funny joke, Hayashizaki Kazuki.”

“No see……it’s important to at least say our opinion even if it’s just an idea right……”

Kazuki got dejected to have his careless idea cut down by Clark without any hesitation.

The reports said that the turbulence had regularity that made one feel the artificiality of humans in it. Even if they dropped down from space aiming at Atlantis, surely they would be repelled back outside.

It felt like the artificiality of a human……

“In other words there is a [manager] in there……?”

When Kazuki said that to himself, Clark and Arthur nodded.

In the first place everything of that small continent was artificial. When the Kings were born in all the magic advanced countries, the stage for those Kings to fight each other floated up from inside the sea. That was the arrangement.

There was the feeling that this was based on the script of someone, that everything was on purpose.

Was illusion guiding the world like that? Was the human’s shared unconsciousness throughout the world looking for the [ultimate stage] for the battle between the seven advanced magic countries to decide the supreme mythology?

No, certainly that power of illusion was vast. However, it shouldn’t be possible for a vast magic power to manifest something this concrete due to the collective unconscious.

――There was no doubt that there was an existence like the .

Stealing a glance Loki observed around the elites of China. They were prostrating wordlessly. They were completely wordless……he guessed that there was already no remonstrance about anything they could say to Fu Xi. For eternity.

Because they were already nopperabou.

Loki continued his talk.

“With the character of Vikings who love to fight, in the first place their dogma itself is to fight at the Great War of MythRagnarok. Even though they are a touting order, but they are berserkers that don’t care of their methods to get their objective.”

“What an outrageous mythology.” Ilyailiya frankly threw an appropriate comment.

“Putting it bluntly, there is a lot of simple idiots in the Einherjar. Those guys have muscles as their brain. However, only Hrotsvit is different, her mind is sharp with a wicked personality. This relationship is dangerous, the idiocy of the soldiers is changed into a good point under Hrotsvit. The order she handed down will be carried out without fail. The soldiers only concentrate on fighting without hesitation and sadness. Especially if the battle becomes a war of attrition, they will show the worst tenacity…… That’s why I want us aiming for Hrotsvit’s neck as the first thing when we arrive at Atlantis.”

“So she is the priority target. Very well, we will crush her right from the front.”

Fu Xi said.

No, rather the affinity between Fu Xi and Hrotsvit was the worst, Loki thought.

Hrotsvit who was skilled in war couldn’t be defeated with just strength alone. Fu Xi would easily be made to fruitlessly waste her efforts. Loki and Ilyailiya would need to support her skillfully.

……Support, was it. However, this alliance was only for the beginning after all. In the end it was their destiny to fight each other until there was only one remaining. They had to constantly think about the timing for betraying the other.

“In that kind of situation it will be advantageous to drag the situation into an unexpected condition and free-for-all-fight. Because this will be a battle royal.”

After Ilyailiya said that, Loki nodded as if to say that’s exactly what I thought too.

“That’s right. Exactly as you say. Besides the scope of power and the personality of those Einherjar guys are completely known by this me. That’s why, leave it to me. I’ll progress the battle into a favorable result.”

“Is that so. Then arrange it as you see fit.” Fu Xi honestly said that.

“Next is Britain.”

Loki threw his gaze towards their new comrades who attended this meeting too――Lancelot and Mordred. These two betrayed Britain and joined Loki’s Einherjar.

The two female knights were looking down with gloomy expressions. Lancelot’s expression was hiding a silent sorrow while Mordred’s expression was hiding a silent rage, they were intently not saying anything.

Loki thought that these girls were surely well-informed about Britain, but the two didn’t show any sign of opening their mouths, so Loki began to talk.

“Britain is a believer of a hodgepodge of [Celtic Mythology] and the tale of [King Arthur and the knights of the round table] mixed with each other. I think [Robin Hood] is also mixed in there.”

“King Arthur together with Celtic Mythology is……that’s quite interesting. Consequently that originally should be an amalgamated mythology.”

“They already completely have enough with the holy grail ain’t they. Possibly their objective is to return back to the starting point that is Celtic……well, it’s something like that right. As a mythology they ain’t a really strong mythology. Arthur is more a hero than a god. That’s why rather than calling it faith, they turned completely into King Arthur, trying to earn power by unifying with their Diva, their culture is a peculiar one.”

Even Lancelot and Mordred who were restraining themselves on the side had already thrown away their real names. If one actually conversed with them, it would feel like these two had completely immersed into their roles.

“However, because they are the oldest magic advanced country where the first magician of the world was born, the magic power standard of their people is high. The level of the knights of the round table is a cut above even compared to the magicians of another country’s top brass.”

The more magicians piled up in a generation, the magic power they were born with is also getting higher.

This was the biggest reason why the other countries couldn’t catch up with the seven advanced magic countries.

“In addition they compensate for the lack of strength of mythology with ――it could plunder even the greatest possession of the King she defeated, their authority.

She failed to defeat Kazuki and steal Amaterasu’s power but……

Depending on the way she acted……this girl might also produce interesting Chaos.

If Hel was also going to do something together with Ikousai, that was also interesting.

“Even if you say that you won’t follow my instruction, perhaps the entrance into Atlantis will be limited. It’s not a place where outsiders can enter freely. That’s why, you two come along together with me until the first entrance. Do whatever you like from there.”

Hel nodded briefly to that.

But Loki held Hel’s shoulder in his arm and whispered into her ear softly.

“……However absolutely don’t approach Hrotsvit.”

“Didn’t you just say do whatever you like just now?”

“Hrotsvit is a type of enemy that you absolutely mustn’t challenge from the front. Without using someone well as a sacrificial pawn for shield, that woman might destroy a whole force by herself alone. Seriously. I’ll do it without a hitch. That’s why you absolutely musn’t get near.”

“……”

Hel nodded a little then shook off Loki.

“Papa won’t save you after all.”

“Isn’t that what papa always does anyway!”

In the end Hel returned an angry yell and left while pulling Ikousai’s hand. Just before she left, Hel turned about and looked over the people gathering at the audience hall. And then the door closed with a loud noise.

‘……Well, the fun just keeps increasing.

Uncertain factor……I’ll also hold expectations to those guys’ rampage.’

Finished with the explanation of each force, Loki clapped both his hands loudly *pan!*

“Now then, finally the final decisive battle we have been waiting for has begun. The mythologies that had diverged into several during the long history of mankind, and possibly Chaos, will compete against each other for the seat of the top without equal. For the sake of leading all the people in the world by ourselves……or possibly for the sake of dying this world with chaos…… If the Order somewhere win through this, this might become the last war of mankind. Eternal peace will arrive. If Chaos becomes the one who wins through this, perhaps a future where nothing but war is waitin’ for us will come. Eternal conflict will arrive. As expected even this me cannot imagine what will happen in this battle, I also cannot make this battle go just as I wanted it. Now, whether it will be god or demon that come out, how about we try throwing the dice huh.”

“Excited aren’t you.” Ilyailiya said so while clapping her hands.

“Hel……did you memorize the faces of the China knight order’s fellows inside the audience hall?”

Ikousai who exited into the corridor whispered to Hel.

“Yes, I obtained the acquaintance of all of them.”

“With the nature of Fu Xi’s ability……there should be death happening when the time comes.”

Inside the darkness of the corridor, Ikousai’s eyes shined fiercely. That was a glint similar like what appeared in Clark’s eyes where she was doing [the battle of the weak].

“It will be great if I can save my divinity until that time though……”

Hel murmured weakly.

“Then you stay inside me for a while.”

Weak Diva could fasten the recovery of their divinity by staying inside a human.

Hel released her materialization and returned to Astrum. And then from Astrum she entered Ikousai’s mind.

“……Gu, uuuuu!!”

Ikousai fell on her knee while groaning.

Inside Ikousai there was already Susanoo who was a Diva with divinity status of a semi-chief god. With Hel who although weakened was a powerful Diva entering there, Ikousai received intense burden and pressure.

Her subconscious was vanishing…… The inside of her head was……her consciousness became full.

That was something terrifying. The inside of her head became like it was constantly overheated.

{……Are you okay?} Hel asked anxiously through telepathy.

“I’m fine……I will……defeat Hayashizaki Kazuki……”

The consciousness overflowing inside her head was all dyed in a color of a single emotion.

That was――the [tenacity to be the strongest].

‘I……still haven’t lost yet……’

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