Chapter 390: Bring Down the Ancient Aerial Fortress! 13
* * *
Thud... BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The sudden explosion of the aerial fortress 'Soul Conqueror', floating high above the royal capital.
The people of the royal capital, in the outskirts, or in the royal castle garden, which was opened as an evacuation shelter...
...Watched with bated breath.
BOOM!
BOOOOM!!
BO, GOGO, BOGOOOOM!!!
Seeing the ancient artifact, continuing to explode intermittently, emitting black smoke...
"Did she do it...?"
"I-Is it destroyed?"
"We're saved!!"
...Cheers gradually began to rise from the people!
"Hey, but wait a minute!"
But unfortunately... for the people...
...Especially for the citizens of the royal capital who had evacuated to the royal castle garden...
...It wasn't over yet.
"That thing floating in the sky... isn't it... falling towards us!?"
...Yes.
The power source of the aerial fortress 'Soul Conqueror' was destroyed, and it's now uncontrollable.
Which means...
...That giant mass, a lump of steel and dirt...
...Is falling to the ground.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAH!?"
"H-Help..."
"Calm down! Everyone, please calm doooown!!"
And its landing point...
...Unfortunately... judging from its trajectory... is clearly this royal castle garden, where they're taking shelter!
Panic spread through the shelter, despite the soldiers desperately calling for calm... !
But, however!!
"Ah!?"
Several people noticed it.
And they pointed at the aerial fortress.
And shouted!
"It stopped!!"
As they said.
The aerial fortress 'Soul Conqueror', which had been falling towards the royal castle garden, emitting black smoke... suddenly stopped.
And then, in the completely opposite direction...
...Towards the east side of the royal capital... where this aerial fortress was originally buried, in other words, the former site of Mihabyushira Hill...
...It started moving!
Looking closely...
...One of the magical cables hanging down from the aerial fortress to the ground...
...Was taut...
...Like a string connected to a kite.
Someone is grabbing it and... pulling it towards the east!
None of the evacuees in the royal castle garden noticed the state of the magical cable.
And even less so, no one understood the rather absurd reality that someone was pulling it.
But...
"It's the Grim Reaper...!"
Who was the first to say that?
Was it the female bartender?
Was it the mustached merchant?
Or was it the rough-looking adventurer?
I don't know.
I don't know, but it was probably... said almost simultaneously... by everyone.
"I'm sure that young lady! She's the one who stopped it!"
And then, here and there...
...Such voices began to be heard!
Many citizens of the royal capital witnessed the heroic battle of the girl, Emi Rune, this day.
There are many people who were saved by her.
And that fact...
...Was passed from person to person, even to those who didn't see the battle...
...And many people came to know it.
So, even without any evidence...
...They were convinced.
That the one who's doing that...
...The only one who could do such a thing!
Is a new hero!
A new Grim Reaper!
That... black-haired, black-eyed girl!
"Hang in there..."
"Thank you!"
"Hang in there, Grim Reaper-chan!"
"Uooooooh!"
"Go... gooooーーー!"
"Hang in there, young lady!"
Looking up at the aerial fortress, spewing black smoke, being pulled towards the east!
...All the people of the royal capital prayed for the hero's success... and her safety!
* * *
"RAAAAAAAAAAHーーー!!!"
And their belief... was correct!
The one gripping the thick magical cable, pulling the aerial fortress 'Soul Conqueror' as she ran through the main street, was indeed the black-haired, black-eyed girl, Emi!
"Aaaah, guuuuuuーーー!!!"
Emi Rune gritted her teeth, sweating, and ran!
After all, what she's pulling, even though it still has some buoyancy, is a giant aerial fortress.
It's incredibly heavy.
From a distance, it might look like a child flying a kite, but this is nothing so cute.
It's a tug-of-war... with her life on the line!
Gugugu, gugyugyu, gyurururururu!!
Emi's stomach growled.
She's been operating at her limit for a while now.
If she lets her guard down even a little, she might lose consciousness.
It's that dangerous.
But strangely, somehow, she felt strength welling up inside her.
What's creating that strength?
It's the feelings of the people.
Their gratitude towards Emi, their prayers for her safety.
Thinking of someone.
Cheering them on.
Being grateful.
In this world...
...Those feelings definitely reach the person.
A tiny, tiny amount...
...As mana...
That's why gods try to gather faith from people... but that aside.
Now, at this moment...
The feelings of the people of the royal capital...
Their feelings of supporting the hero...
...Have definitely become the driving force that pushes Emi's legs forward!
"R-Aa, aa...!!!"
And finally!
She reached the giant hole... gaping open at the former site of Mihabyushira Hill!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHーーー!!!"
She swung the magical cable like a shoulder throw, and slammed 'Soul Conqueror' towards the hole!!
ZDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!
With such a deafening roar, simultaneously.
A large shadow enveloped the Ashgo Kingdom's royal capital in the early morning.
Because... on the east side of the royal capital...
...Roughly in the same location as before...
...Mihabyushira Hill returned.
And then, from behind Mihabyushira Hill...
...The warm, white sun peeked out again.
The second sunrise of the day.
Now, at this moment.
The long night has finally truly ended.
And the 'Dawn Day' has begun.
This concludes the fourth stage of Arc 17.
We'll have one side story, and then start the epilogue.
I think it'll be shorter than the previous stages.
Speaking of which, this fourth stage...
I, the author, wanted to 'end it as the sun rises'... but I realized that sunrise had already started during the battle with 'Soul Conqueror'.
I was wondering what to do, but Emi-chan, with her considerable strength, created a second sunrise.
As expected of the protagonist!
So reliable!
Well then...
We're almost at the end of Part 1.
I would be grateful if you could stay with me until the very end.
Thank you very much!