Leviathan of the Covenant

Volume 8, Chapter 4 - The Conclusion between the King and the Imitation Part 8

Ideally, things should be done with minimum effort.

In addition, it would be best to maximize gains.

This was Haruga Haruomi's guiding philosophy. After meeting up with Orihime, he looked down at the Earth from satellite orbit, an altitude of four hundred kilometers.

He suddenly thought, "Eh? Isn't this a perfect opportunity?"

No, calm contemplation made him realize. There were too many problems with this plan of action. The slightest misstep and he might end up being the man who destroyed civilization on Earth.

However, if there was no way of winning against the dragon kings unless he went this far—

"Sigh... All I can do is take a gamble. If we don't persevere to the end, the humans of Earth will have no path but extinction."

Follow your feelings and go crazy to your heart's content.

Using President M's message as his scapegoat, Hal issued the first command to the golden imitataion Queen.

"Use the Ruruk Soun runes of 'telekinesis' and gather up all the satellite and meteor fragments floating in the Earth's vicinity. Like 'everyone, share your spirit energy with me!'"

The wisdom of Ruruk Soun was a prided repository of mystic rituals and ultimate techniques—

Among them, "telekinesis" would be considered extremely basic magic. But for Hal right now, this was the most effective spell.

"Let's make a scene using 'Operation Spirit Bomb'!"

After he had explained the essentials of the plan to Orihime and transported her to Earth to support Asya...

The golden imitation Queen used telekinesis to gather up space trash such as satellite and meteor fragments to the same location—

The result was "a ball scrap metal and rock roughly ten kilometers in diameter."

The Imitation seemed to have great potential, seeing as she was able to accomplish so much in such short time. That being said, Hal had heard before that the Earth's vicinity contained as much trash as several thousand tons, so abundance of material was one reason. (Of course, he excluded the inhabited International Space Station as a target for collection.)

When Hal used the Rune of the Bow on it...

The Gold Imitation responded to his will summoned a golden longbow into her left hand.

"Let's go, technique of assured annihilation. The arrow... is the scrap metal you gathered!"

Uuuuuuuuohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

The Gold Imitation roared loudly.

In front of them was a rough sphere with a diameter of ten kilometers—a mass of scrap metal and rocks.

Namely, an improvised meteor compressed using telekinesis.

Using bow-wielding left arm, the Imitation struck this gigantical artificial object hard. Heartmetal output was raised to the maximum, pouring magical power into it without any reservation.

"As long as I all of the Imitation's and my power to shoot this thing down from satellite orbit!"

The destructive power ought to surpass the sun-shooting divine bow...!

The artificial meteor's surface became covered by "the tilted half-moon," in other words, the symbol of the Rune of the Bow, and crashed towards the Earth.

At first, its motion was quite slow, but the meteor soon began to gather speed.

The planned impact point was Princess Yukikaze who had been taken to the Old Tokyo Concession.

"A meteor that might have caused the dinosaurs to go extinct sixty-five million years ago—I remember its diameter was around fifteen kilometers or so."

Hal dug out this piece of trivia from a corner of his brain.

"This meteor's size is pretty close to that, so I guess the destructive power would be similar..."

It was one of many theories about the cause of the dinosaurs going extinct.

The meteor had crashed in the Yucatan Peninsula, resulting in a gigantic crater and sending a huge amount of sand and dust into the air. This state of affairs persisted for at least a decade, even blocking out sunlight, causing dramatic changes to the entire Earth's climate and ecosystems, plunging the dinosaurs in famine.

Even if less serious than that, with this meteor so big, a crash would probably cause an astounding impact on the sky and earth—

"But... Princess Yukikaze will definitely intercept it."

Hal was very sure.

He used this plan because he understood the princess' personality and extraordinary abilities.

"Oh right—This counts as a technique of assured annihilation invented by me, right? In that case, I'll name it 'the bow of human extinction' or something like that..."

Mid-sentence, Hal realized he really stood a chance of terminating mankind, and felt deeply awkward about it.

He paid attention to the meteor's movement.

The artificial meteor crashed into the atmosphere and began to burn. In a few minutes, it was going to smash hard into the ground at the Old Tokyo Concession, devastating eastern Asia with terrifying destructive power.

"So it really is coming!?"

"To you would use such a large-scale attack for my sake—Praiseworthy, Haruomi!"

Princess Yukikaze flew up.

Releasing white magical power, her flight was the very image of a rising dragon.

No rocket, no matter how advanced, could compare to her. The princess' speed easily exceeded the second cosmic velocity required to escape the Earth's gravity, and the third cosmic velocity required to escape the sun's gravity. Her speed increased every 0.1 second—Currently reaching roughly fifty kilometers per second.

Far faster than the falling artificial meteor.

This was the full power and top speed of the dragon king who had transformed into the dragonslaying arrow!

"H-How is such speed possible!?"

With wide-eyed amazement, Hal looked down from an altitude of four hundred thousand meters.

Far below, roughly sixty or seventy kilometers above ground—the area before the stratosphere—the ultimate bow and the ultiamte arrow finally collided with great force.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Oooh. As expected of the princess, she singlehandedly pushed back the meteor..."

The artificial meteor fired by the Imitation's bow could be considered a mass-based weapon.

A diameter around ten kilometers. Its fall was powered not only by the Rune of the Bow but also the power of gravity. The pure white draogn king had blocked it singlehandedly, pushing it back to space!

Furthermore, the princess herself was the "dragonslaying arrow."

An energy body that utterly smashed everything it came into contact with, even capable of slaying dragons.

Simply colliding with the princess already caused the falling artificial meteor to start crumbling. At this rate, it was going to to explode in midair sooner or later. Just as Hal had predicted.

"Causing human extinction would be pretty bad..."

He did not care if the artificial meteor got destroyed.

However, when it exploded, it would definitely catch Princess Yukikaze in the blast. At this moment, Juujouji Orihime should be asking Hal's childhood friend for a favor, to borrow the tool needed for this situation.

"It's here!"

A magic symbol similar to the "巳" character appeared on the back of Hal's right hand.

The was the Rune of the Chain lent to him by Asya from Earth. This was just like the time when he had borrowed the Rune of the Sword from his fellow Tyrannos, the silver dragon Pavel Galad.

"Imitation! In the instant of the explosion, use the dragonslaying chain to bind Princess Yukikaze. Otherwise, she might escape using her extraordinary speed!"

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

The Gold Imitation roared deeply in response. Her left hand was holding a golden bow, while the remaining right hand manifested a counterweighted chain that was akin to a live snake craning its neck.

Hal finally finished laying his trap of assured victory. Just as he nodded...

He heard the proud voice of the girl who was supposed to be somewhere else.

"Hahahaha! Sure enough, Haruomi is different from the others!"

The magic surfboard was flying over with lighting speed.

Aiming for the bow and chain wielding Imitation's face, the surfboard's front end collided with the golden snout with a "clong!"

Quite a powerful blow. The Imitation's massive body was sent flying hard.

"Stop!"

Hal—more precisely, Hal in astral form—used telekinesis to halt the Imitation.

In the zero gravity environment of space, it was anyone's guess how far one would fly as a result of such an impact. However, the Gold Imitation apparently took substantial damage. She did not move.

Unconscious. One-hit knock out.

"That move was the dragonslaying arrow too... Amazing."

"Fufufufu. I, Yukikaze, is the one who wants to praise you for being amazing. The power of your dragonslaying bow is astounding."

The magic surfboard flew to just before Hal's astral form.

On it was the girl in a white one-piece dress. Just like several hours earlier, this was Princess Yukikaze's human form, again separated from her dragon form.

"I forgot you had this move too..."

"You have apparently learned new tricks."

Princess Yukikaze narrowed her eyes, because Hal immediately materialized his own body, using the same principle as how he materialized on Earth.

Below was a magnificent sight, the Earth's landmasses and blue oceans—

Hal and the Princess Yukikaze faced off.

"Because I can't be treated as an evil spirit and get sent to the afterlife just yet."

"I am surprised you thought up something like that. But conversely... It means I can do this."

Whoosh. Princess Yukikaze's human form jumped down from the surfboard.

Jumping through the air with agile movements like a fairy dance, she kicked Hal from the side. Hal wondered if she had used flight magic to execute combat moves in zero gravity.

"Uwah!?"

"Oh? You are quite amazing."

Hal reflexively used imperishable protection to guard himself. He also used telekinesis immediately to halt his body, which almost got kicked to the other side of the universe.

However, what awaited him was the princess' smile and follow up attack.

The ferocious girl of white again danced with fairy-like agile movements, swiftly closing in.

Just like that, she grabbed Hal's shoulder with her slender left hand, then attacked Hal with a karate chop from her right.

"Take this barehanded strike that can shatter a winged lizard's skull!"

"Woahhhhhh!"

Hal used telekinesis on both hand, trying to intercept the dragonslaying karate chop.

What a close shave. However, the artificial meteor and Princess Yukikaze's dragon form were currently colliding in the Earth's atmosphere. The time of the great explosion was gradually approaching.

Probably two or three minutes remaining...

"Damn it! It wasn't easy holding out this long!"

Holding the princess' knifehand with both of his hands, Hal felt poignantly.

He was corneered. Haruga Haruomi had no chance of winning anymore. Princess Yukikaze probably understood this and said with delight, "Fufufufu. For a Tyrannos who cannot become a dragon king, you have done very well. You deserve praise from me."

"Ooh. You're totally saying that with condescension!"

However, Hal could not refute her at all.

The advice given to him before the battle lingered in his mind.

'No matter how many cheap tricks you pull out, struggling like a pathetic rat to bite the cat to death, your teeth will never tear into a berserk dragon king's throat.'

'As much as possible, avoid fighting fair and square.'

'Follow your feelings and go crazy to your heart's content!'

Don't tell me—Only now did Hal start feeling regret.

Originally, he had kept to unorthodoxy and the ambush approach, but in the end, he slipped again into fighting "fair and square." However, Hal could not think of any strategy more crazy than this...

"By the way, Haruomi, I believe I have told you this."

"Huh? Told me what?"

Hal and Princess Yukikaze were still locked in their postures in the barehanded struggle.

As a result, their faces were very close with only thirty centimeters between them. Hence, Hal could admire the princess' snow fairy-like beautiful face from up close.

"If you're fortunate enough to survive, you shall become mine."

"Why were trying to send me straight to the afterlife earlier despite saying that!?"

"I could not help myself. Forgive me. Forgive Yukikaze and take this attack without a fuss. If you are fortunate enough to survive..."

"End of conversation! This is an endless repeat!"

Although he still had the princess' karate chop clamped, his hands and telekinesis were reaching their limit.

The knifehanded strike gradually came closer. Hal's arms were out of strength, but he used his remaining willpower to squeeze out telekinesis, deflecting the karate chop to the side slightly.

THanks to that, the view of the princess' adorable face became even clearer...

"Besides! Why do you have to keep harassing me every time!? Even if I hold the Rune of the Bow, it's not like I have any direct relationship with you!"

By this point, there was no need to hold back anymore. Hence, Hal grumbled without reserve against the adorable king.

"Why can't you leave me alone!?"

"What are you talking about? I, Yukikaze, am so interested in you."

The great dragon king looked quite surprised.

"I, Yukikaze, hope that you would obediently kneel before me and swear eternal fealty to me."

"Then recruit me properly! Don't just dangle half-baked treats in front of me, but end up forcing me to get killed by you!"

"That is because I am displeased by your indecisive manner."

The princess went "hmph," looking a little offended.

"You ought to be more resolute and dignified. However, you did quite well earlier, when you brought up for the first time what would happen if you were to defeat me."

"Oh? That?"

Hal remembered he had something quite rude to Princess Yukikaze went he got carried away in the mood.

Something like "a promise that already assumes I'm gonna lose is outrageous. In case you lose, what are you going to offer me."

He was very surprised that the princess actually liked this kind of attitude.

"Yes, it is quite manly. Regrettably, I hoped you would add to that 'If I win, I will take the princess as my minion'."

"Hmm—I'm not good at dealing with stuff like that."

"Naturally, I, Yukikaze, understand that is how your personality is. Nevertheless, I believe it wouldn't hurt for you to be more forceful back then."

"Why?"

"I do not know how to answer that. However, it will be more to my liking if you acted that way."

"Uh, meaning you'll like me more?"

"Yes."

Eh? What was with this conversation?

Hal was totally lost, and banished to the back of his mind the matters of the princess' barehanded chop and the artificial meteor that was about to explode.

Could it be possible that she harbored a certain level of affection for him? No, the princess herself seemed totally unaware too.

If he exploited this situation with determination and forcefulness, perhaps he could easily—

(However, wouldn't that interpretation be a bit too narcissistic of me...? Kind of like a boy in puberty, baited by a girl's unintentional actions, finally ending up in ruin—)

Hal's self-control overruled his deduction.

However, Princess Yukikaze's face was right before his eyes, frowning in puzzlement. She was probably feeling the same sense of dissonance as Hal's from the conversation just now.

The otherworldly beautiful maiden dragon king did not look displeased as a result of this—

(Since I'm destined to lose to the princess no matter what... In that case.)

He might as well muster his courage and go crazy.

Hal committed his resolve and brought his face close to Princess Yukikaze.

"H-Haruomi...!?"

The princess tried to speak but he sealed her mouth with his lips.

This was a historical moment, a kiss between the successors of the Bow and the Arrow, between the imitation dragon king and the genuine dragon king.

Next, the artificial meteor below exploded spectacularly near the Earth's surface.

Normally speaking, Princess Yukikaze's dragon form should have flown away at full speed, to avoid getting caught in the blast.

However, possibly because her human form's mind was blanked out by Hal's kiss—

The white dragon king's massive body did not engage her prided super speed, and was completely swallowed by the perfectly timed explosion...