<h4>Volume 16, Chapter 9 - Leviathan</h4>


    Part 1


    Before dawn. After rxing in the hot spring then returning to his room to sleepfortably, Kamito opened his eyes to a start, feeling movement in his bed.


    "...W-What''s going on!?"


    He suddenly sat up and frantically lifted his sheets—


    "Oh my, you''ve woken up. What a shame."


    Dressed in a Theocracy-style dress, Restia chuckled with a mischievous smile, leaning herself against Kamito in bed.


    "W-W-What are you doing!?"


    Kamito could not help but cry out.


    "Because I had to stay in sword form the whole time, I could not y the part of the Demon King''s concubine, could I? It is a bit unfair that only those girls could be princesses—"


    Restia slowly got up, brushing the beautiful ck hair draping over her neck.


    Decorated with exquisitece, the sheer garment offered a transparent view to her wless pale skin. Her appearance, bewitching and alluring, made Kamito stare mesmerized, forgetting the current situation for a moment.


    "How is it, Kamito? Does it look good on me?"


    "Y-Yeah, it''s incredibly... pretty..."


    With his mind still hazy and half asleep, he gave his honest opinion.


    "Fufu, thank you..."


    Restia''s lips parted with a smile as sheid her head gently against Kamito''s shoulder.


    The fine strands of her hair touched his cheek, making his heart pound nonstop.


    "H-Hey, Restia!?"


    Blushing intensely, Kamito cried out. At that moment...


    "Kamito, look at me too."


    "...!?"


    Hearing a voice from the opposite side, he turned his head over with a jerk.


    "I am wearing a princess dress too—"


    "E-Est!?"


    In that instant, Kamito reeled back greatly.


    What entered his view was—


    Est almostpletely nude, wearing only kneesocks to cover her feet.


    "W-What, w-what...!"


    "...? Kamito, what is wrong?"


    Still expressionless, Est inclined her head with puzzlement.


    Kamito hastily turned his gaze away.


    "W-What princess dress... Aren''t you wearing nothing at all!?"


    He pointed out the apparent truth.


    ...Well, it was not the first time for Est to enter his bed wearing nothing but kneesocks, but even so, it still was not something he got used to.


    Furthermore, Est had also said she was wearing a princess dress just now.


    However, she was still in the usual naked kneesocks look, what the heck was going on...?


    Still—


    "...? Kamito, what are you talking about?"


    Her clear and violet eyes were gazing squarely at Kamito.


    ...She did not seem to be joking.


    Besides, Est did not tell jokes to begin with. Of course, neither did she lie.


    "Fufu, that dress looks absolutely lovely on you, Miss Sword Spirit."


    At that moment, Restiamented.


    "...Huh?"


    Kamito once again examined Est before him closely.


    ...In the end, it was still her usual naked kneesocks look. There was no dress at all.


    "W-What''s going on?"


    Seeing Kamito tilt his head, Est spun around on the spot.


    "Kamito, this is a dress woven from divine power, only visible to you."


    She proudly puffed out her petite chest.


    "..."


    "Because I cannot see it, the darkness spirit helped me put it on."


    Kamito slowly turned his head towards Restia.


    Only to see Restia covering her mouth, giggling malevolently.


    (...I get it now.)


    Kamito sighed and faced Est again.


    "Uh, Est, it''s hard for me to say this, but you were probably tricked."


    "...?"


    "—I don''t see anything."


    "...?"


    "Est, you''re not wearing anything."


    "......"


    After a few seconds of silence—


    Without any emotion at all, Est''s violet eyes stared at Restia next to Kamito.


    "Darkness spirit, you tricked me?"


    "Fufu, how could such a weird dress even exist?"


    Restia shrugged "oh dear" in response.


    In that instant, Est''s hair glowed with intense light and the sheets on the bed floated up lightly.


    Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble...!


    "Darkness spirit, you need to be destroyed after all—"


    "Oh my, how scary. It was just a joke."


    Restia smiled fearlessly then hugged Kamito''s arm tightly.


    "R-Restia!?"


    "Hands off, darkness spirit. Kamito is my contractor—"


    In opposition to Restia, Est hugged his other arm.


    "Est!?"


    Kamito''s voice turned shrill.


    After all, Est was virtually nude at the moment. Something soft was pressed against his arm. Meanwhile, Restia''spetitiveness was stimted too and Kamito could feel two bulges pressing against him with only her dress in between.


    Sandwiched between two contracted spirits, Kamito''s entire body froze, unable to move.


    ...This was not the spirit sandwich fromst time.


    This extremely dangerous sensation—


    (...Could this be the spirit mille-feuille?)


    Just as that term surfaced in his mind...


    "Kamito, b-bad news—What!?"


    Suddenly the door was opened.


    Entering through the door was ire in her pajamas.


    "W-What, w-what are y-you doing!?"


    Seeing Kamito hugged by two spirits, ire''s twintails stood up like burning pirs of me.


    "N-No! Th-This is, basically, the two of them are making spirit mille-feuille—"


    ...Kamito gave an incoherent and iprehensible exnation.


    "T-Turn, t-turn into charcoal—"


    "Wait, ire, now is not the time!"


    This time, it was Rinslet''s turn to arrive. Like handling a cat, she caught ire by the back cor.


    "...Y-You are right."


    ire coughed lightly and immediately put on a grave expression.


    "Kamito,e right away. We have an emergency—"


    Part 2


    "—Zohar is approaching!?"


    Hearing the report, Kamito could not help but ask.


    The group had gathered in the underground conference room of the Demon''s Fist. At the table were Ellis and Fianna in their Academy uniforms and Rubia.


    "—Indeed. Heading straight for here, Mordis."


    "Uh, I don''t understand..."


    Kamito made a puzzled expression. ire and Rinslet, who had gone to fetch Kamito, probably missed the detailed exnation too, and showed baffled expressions too.


    "To think that a city is moving, how could that be possible?"


    "Did the two who went to scout possibly be mistaken...?"


    "As much as I would prefer that to be true—"


    Rubia calmly shook her head then extended her hand towards the projection mirror on the table.


    "This was the image Lily sent through Telepathy an hour ago—"


    Once infused with divine power, the projection mirror glowed with white light. This was a magic artifact capable of showing images from afar, also used by spectators during the de Dance.


    "...Th-This is!?"


    Seeing the image shown on the mirror, everyone stared in amazement.


    Disyed was apletely unbelievable and surreal scene.


    A giant city, surrounded by walls, producing a massive cloud of dust in its wake, was moving along the ground.


    Countless tentacles had extended from gaps in the walls, advancing slowly as though devouring sand.


    Crawling on the ground, it was reminiscent of a slime mold, filling the observer with reflexive revulsion.


    "...W-What is this...!?"


    ire moaned in a stiff voice.


    "...Could it be that they released Leviathan''s seal?"


    Sitting next to Kamito, Restia spoke softly with a solemn expression.


    "Leviathan?"


    "A strategic-ss militarized spirit deployed during the Ranbal War. In the same ss as Jormungandr sleeping in Ordesia''s mountain mine, a weapon of mass destruction even surpassing that—"


    "...Spirit? Zohar is a spirit?"


    "Leviathan is a possession-type militarized spirit. Its job is merge with a city, converting it into a gigantic mobile fortress. ording to war records, Leviathan destroyed a city in merely seventeen hours of operation."


    Rubia exined patiently.


    "A spirit that merges with a city..."


    "...H-How can this be... S-Something like that can still be called a spirit!?"


    Ellis smashed her trembling fist on the table. Deprived of its dignity as a spirit, converted into such a terrifying weapon, it was only natural to feel angry to see such an appearance.


    "However, the seven strategic-ss militarized spirits ought to have been sealed away and scrapped under the provisions of the international treaty. To vite the ban, is Sjora Kahn intending to make enemies out of all surrounding nations?"


    "...Indeed, I have not predicted this."


    Faced with Fianna''s question, Rubia nodded.


    "My only conclusion is that she has resigned herself to self-abandonment. However, the fact that the rebel forces have gathered at the Demon''s Fist presents a perfect opportunity from her perspective."


    "She intends to crush them in one go..."


    The image on the projection mirror went blurry like sandstorm and was soon cut off.


    "This is all that was sent by Telepathy. ording to that thing''s movement speed, I fear it will arrive here in a few hours."


    Hearing what Rubia said, everyone fell silent.


    From Kamito''s perspective, he was quite worried about Muir and Lily''s safety, though he could hardly imagine the two of them making mistakes. Hopefully, they were not going to get caught up in that—


    "How should that strategic-ss militarized spirit be stopped?"


    ire asked at this point.


    "Once activated, Leviathan will not stop until its divine power supply is cut off. Furthermore, it is most likely stealing divine power from the residents of Zohar—"


    "What did you say!?"


    ire groaned from the back of her throat.


    Militarized spirits were usually controlled by teams of trained elementalists. However, Rubia''s exnation implied that Leviathan was able to acquire divine power autonomously, hence it could virtually continue operating indefinitely.


    (It won''t stop until all the residents of Zohar have lost their lives—)


    "How about finding a ce to evacuate to?"


    Rinslet suggested.


    "For us, that would work. But escaping with all the refugees gathered here would be impossible, probably."


    "Oh no..."


    Indeed, Rubia was correct. Evacuating this many refugees within a few short hours would be impossible in theory. Furthermore, even if they escaped sessfully, these refugees had nowhere to go. Only two fates awaited them, dying out on the scorching desert or crushed by Leviathan when it annihted Mordis—


    (...How can we just let them die?)


    Under the table, Kamito silently clenched his fist.


    These refugees ced absolute faith in Kamito—the resurrected Demon King.


    There was no way he could bring himself to betray that trust.


    "...Is there any way to stop it?"


    "There is only one way to stop this strategic-ss militarized spirit, that is to infiltrate Zohar to destroy the central core that catalyzed Leviathan and Zohar''s union—"


    "Where is that?"


    When Kamito asked, Rubia spread a map on the table.


    "What is this?"


    "A floor n of Scorpia, the residence of the Theocracy''s royal family. I secretly obtained it during my stay in the Demon King cult."


    "As expected of you, meticulous as ever—"


    "Suppose one were to operate Leviathan, then the military facility called the Demon''s Circuit, located underground beneath Scorpia, would undoubtedly be used as the core—"


    "...The Demon''s Circuit?"


    "It is a so-called divine power amplification reactor that Demon King Solomon built a thousand years ago. Indeed, by using that, even a princess maiden of Sjora Kahn''s level would be able to release Leviathan—"


    Restia spoke quietly with a mysterious look on her face.


    "...Got it. In any case, all we need to do is destroy it."


    ire became fired up and dered.


    "However, infiltrating the enemy''s home base would certainly be reckless."


    "T-True..."


    "I agree on the n being reckless, but there is no other way to stop Leviathan—"


    "..."


    Hearing Rubia, ire and the others were at a loss for words.


    "Then I will stop it. After all, I promised as the Demon King."


    At that moment, Kamito stood up.


    "I won''t let you go alone. I''ming too."


    "Me too."


    "I-I will go too."


    "And me, of course. As the Demon King''s concubine, after all—"


    ire, Ellis, Rinslet and Fianna stood up one after another and looked at Kamito.


    "No, I can do this myself—"


    Kamito stopped mid-sentence.


    Their eyes pleaded with strong determination.


    —You are not going to leave us behind, right?


    (Uh...)


    These intense gazes made Kamito falter.


    However, he knew without needing Rubia to point out that this was a reckless n. Of course, these girls were reliablepanions, but at the same time, they were also precious girls whom he must protect.


    Taking them into life-threatening danger—


    At that moment...


    "Take them. They will surely aid you."


    "Restia?"


    Unbelievably, the one to break the silence was Restia sitting beside him.


    Surprised, Kamito kept staring at her intently, only to see her smile calmly and nod silently.


    ire and the girls were probably surprised by her support too. They seem a bit troubled, looking at one another.


    However, their gazes soon returned to Kamito—


    "Y-Yes, we trained ourselves for the sake of fighting by your side."


    "Yes, we will not be a burden." "I will shoot down each and every one of those terrifying tentacles without fail." "Leave support to me."


    Hearing ire''s deration, the other three girls nodded with confident expressions.


    With fourpanions and his contracted spirit looking at him—


    Kamito made his decision.


    (...I can''t believe I was thinking of fighting alone. Maybe I am a bit too full of myself.)


    After all, Kamito had received their aid in desperate situations many times already.


    "Got it. Come fight by my side."


    "Yes—"


    Kamito agreed and the girls nodded vigorously.


    "—We five will be the ones to infiltrate Zohar, is that okay?"


    Kamito turned to Rubia and asked.


    "Fine by me, except that Fianna must stay here—"


    "Eh?"


    "Rubia-sama, why!?"


    Fianna protested.


    "To protect Mordis. To defend against Leviathan''s attack, it is necessary to construct arge scale protective barrier around the city."


    "Yes, I see..."


    Considering the rate Leviathan advanced, destroying the core before it reached Mordis would be too tough a challenge. It was probably necessary to shore up defenses in order to buy as much time as possible.


    "...Understood. Then I will stay here to protect the city."


    Despite showing understanding, Fianna still looked disappointed.


    "I''m counting on you, Fianna."


    "Counting on you."


    "Yes, leave it to me."


    Fianna nodded firmly in response to Kamito and ire.


    "—In that case, the meeting is concluded. Any questions?"


    Rubia swept her gaze across everyone.


    "Are my esteemed sister''s adjustments not ready yet?"


    At this moment, Ellis raised her hand.


    "Velsaria Eva is still undergoing fine-tuning. Once the Elemental Panzer is ready, I will assign her to the city''s defense."


    "Understood."


    Indeed, Velsaria''s Juggernaut had incredible firepower but was also limited by a short operation time, making it unsuitable for infiltration missions. Using it as a defensive fortress would be the better choice.


    "I have a question too. Can the Revenant sneak into Zohar?"


    "No, the Revenant cannot be used."


    Rubia shook her head.


    "Military flying ships are equipped with spirit mechanisms as power sources. Containing a divine power reactor, spirit mechanisms make for excellent prey for Leviathan. When such a massive ship approaches from the sky, it will surely be the first to be shot down by anti-air defenses."


    "It even has anti-air..."


    "Of course. Otherwise, how would it be considered a strategic-ss weapon?"


    "Fair enough..."


    "Then how should we sneak inside?"


    ire asked.


    "Use the flying dragon militarized spirits provided by Dracunia."


    "Oh those..."


    Militarized flying dragon spirits were definitely superior in adapting to the changing situation and suitable for an infiltration mission.


    "Any other questions?"


    When everyone shook their head, Rubia stood up.


    "Then you are dismissed. Once you are ready, assemble at the flying dragonnding zone."


    Kamito andpany got up from their seats and left the conference room.


    Just as ire, thest person, was about to leave, Rubia stopped her.


    "ire Rouge. Stay behind, I have words for you."


    "Huh?"


    Part 3


    Minutester, Kamito was ready and standing at the flying dragonnding zone at the pinnacle of the Demon''s Fist, looking down at the streets of Mordis.


    News of Zohar approaching had the city in an uproar. However, with Rubia at the center and under the efforts of various cult leaders, they managed to prevent the people from entering a state of chaotic panic.


    Despite the despairing situation, the crowd did not cause a greatmotion. This was probably due in part to the resurrected Demon King giving them something to lean on psychologically.


    "Almost time to go, Kamito—"


    Looking into the distance, Ellis called out.


    Kamito looked at the desert, only to see dust rising in the horizon.


    "That''s pretty quick..."


    "Yes,pared to what we saw in the image, the speed seems to have increased."


    "So huge..."


    Rinslet''s voice trembled slightly.


    After all, the city itself had turned into a mobile weapon. If something like that attacked, even a sturdy fortress like the Demon''s Fist would not hold.


    "Thanks for waiting, everyone—"


    At this moment, ire came up the stairs, panting.


    "What did you talk about with Rubia?"


    Kamito asked.


    "...N-Nothing special..."


    ire looked away, seemingly embarrassed.


    Although Kamito found her attitude a bit weird and frowned, he brushed it off. After all, he should not pry into matters between sisters.


    "Then let''s hurry and set off—"


    Kamito took out a stone tablet and released Wyverns, a type of flying dragon militarized spirit.


    Rinslet and ire shared the mid-sized one while Kamito rode the small one. Instead of a flying dragon, Ellis chose to ride Simorgh.


    "Rinslet, do you have a dual-rider license for flying spirits?"


    "Yes, I obtained the prime-ss license at a Ostdakia training schoolst year."


    "Forget about two riders, I don''t even have a single-rider license."


    That being said, Kamito had already learned the skills for riding flying dragon spirits back at the Instructional School.


    "In that case, time to sortie—"


    Hugging the neck of the gigantified Simorgh, Ellis called out sternly.


    The desert night was calmly advancing towards dawn.