"What do you get by resurrecting the 'sage'?"

"Isn't that clear? Turning back into a human, of course. Let that guy resurrect the swallowed half of my body! Otherwise, who would listen to that guy's orders! ”

As he said this, Amatsuka ripped open the front of his coat, revealing the disgusting right half of his body that had been eroded by a metallic lifeform. Even so, Xia Yin's expression did not change, and he asked quietly.

"Tell me, then, who are you......?"

"Huh?"

"If you were really human, please tell me your memories of that time. When were you born, where were you born, and how did you live—"

At the same time as Xia Yin's question ended, there was a brief silence between the two.

Amazuka didn't answer anything, because he couldn't answer. And the fact that he couldn't answer slowly drove him to a dead end.

"Shut up...... Natsune Hase......"

Amazuka desperately squeezed out these words. But Xia Yin shook her head cruelly.

"The 'Sage' will not grant your wishes. Because, you are not human in the first place. You were created by the 'sage' to resurrect himself—"

"Shut up, ahhh!!!!hhh

Amazuka finally roared angrily. His right hand, which turned into a blade, stabbed at Natsune's heart. It was a blow that didn't release water, and Natsune couldn't dodge.

At this time, from the chest of Xia Yin, who knew that he was dead, the light flowed out. The silver wolf, which grew in the blink of an eye, knocked off Amazuka's right wrist.

"It's Shikigami-!?"

The tentacles that split from Amazuka's hand came from all sides and tore the silver wolf apart.

Yukina pretends to be the Shikigami who gave the amulet to Natsune, and immediately becomes the original origami.

Amatsuka breathed roughly, and released his tentacles by attacking Natsune again. However, before the tentacle touched Xia Yin, it was bounced out by a new figure. The girl with two daggers shielded Natsune and glared at Amazuka.

"...... of pickle-chan"

"Great, caught up."

After confirming Natsune's safety, Yukina exhaled reassuringly.

Yukina pretended to be the Shikigami who was given to her by the amulet, and she didn't just guard Natsune. It also serves as a transmitter that lets Yukina, who is a sorcerer, know where Natsune is.

"I'm sorry you dare to interfere with me repeatedly, Sword Witch...... Forget it, so I don't have to go to you. ”

Amazuka pressed his forehead and laughed loudly.

Surprise and anxiety appeared in Yukina's eyes.

The metal deck melted like a liquid, turning into countless shadows that surrounded Yukina and the others.

It's all thin men in white coats, and it's a doppelganger of Amazuka. I'm afraid it's because of the reluctance to repeat the division and multiplication, and there is not a single guy who can maintain a full human form. However, his existence has become even more terrifying because of this.

"That dagger is a bit of a hassle, but it's a bit of a hassle to fuse here. You have no chance of winning, and there is no way out. ”

Amazuka said as if boasting about his victory.

I have to admit that what he said is the truth. Driven to a corner of the deck, a sea unfolds behind them, and Yukina has no way to retreat, and there is no weapon to fight against Amazuka.

Even if you want to ask for help, this is right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In the time that Amatsuka was packing up Yukina, it was impossible to have a means of movement to reach the ship.

This kind of satisfying means is simply impossible.

"There are no absolutes, Amazuka mercury!"

As this voice sounded, several golden thunderbolts suddenly hit Tianzuka and his clone.

In an instant, the mercury of the mounds fell heavily to the ground, and the clones that were originally around seemed to have been evaporated, completely dissipating without a trace.

"Huh!?" Yukina, who was cornered, heard this voice, but what leaked out of her mouth was a cute voice that was a little stupid.

Yukina's pupils suddenly widened slightly, and in her eyes, a young man who appeared in front of her was reflected.

Glancing back at Yukina, Gucheng showed a meaningless smile: "It seems that it has caught up." ”

"Senior......

Yukina's eyes widened to reflect the figure of the ancient city, and she whispered with an expression of disbelief.

Then she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and rushed out towards the ancient city.

……

"Huh!?"

Yukina, who was about to cry, flew into the arms of the ancient city.

"Why is it only now, senior! Now that you have a way to get to the ferry, hurry up! Why didn't you come until now! ”

Yukina kept banging Guru's chest with her fist.

"So..."Helplessly, looking at the snow in his arms that kept beating his chest, the ancient city was speechless.

"Enough is enough, Xia Yin is frightened." Nina interjected in an unbearable tone.

Yukina looked at Nina with a wary gaze. It's not the first time they've met, but it's the first time they've had a normal conversation.

"Who is this......?"

"Great Alchemist, Nina Andrade. In the past, he was the original holder of the 'Sage's Spiritual Blood', and it was also an offering, and now it is here to assist our companions. ”

At the same time as the introduction, Nina also seemed to nod her head as if she was remarkable.

Yukina stared at Nina's unnatural chest: "...... Why is it the appearance of the shallot? And ...... that boobs? ”

"It's not about me, don't ask me." The ancient city turned his head, "Compared to this... Yukina is coming. ”

Amazuka Mercury, who had been relieved from the attack of the ancient city's 'Thunderbolt Arrow', was glaring at the others with an angry expression.

"Yukina!"

The silver spear that Gucheng grasped handed to Yukina, "I gave it to you with Mr. Black Cat and Saya Kato." ”

"Huh?" Yukina took the spear a little puzzled, and the part of the handle of the spear slid away, and the left and right side blades were unfolded, and then the main blade stretched out again, and it became the form of the spear that she had been used to for a long time.

"Bastard!"

Several clones of their heavenly mounds that surrounded the ancient city stretched out their tentacles together to attack. For a while, attacks came from all directions at the same time.

However, Yukina's expression was no longer agitated. From the moment the ancient city arrived at the ferry with this gun, the winner was decided.

"'Snow Wolves'!"

At the same time as Yukina summons the gun, the silver spear emits a white flash. It was the radiance of the Godhead's vibration waves that could sever all enchantments and nullify all magical power.

The tentacles of metal lifeforms created by alchemy were easily severed and changed back to their original form—that is, they were transformed back into simple metal blocks.

"Come on, 'Mercury of the Dragon and Serpent'!"

Then the ancient city summoned a new beast. It was a two-headed dragon with shining mercury scales, a dimensional devourer capable of devouring all dimensions along with space itself.

It devoured the clones of the Heavenly Tsuka, which was supposed to be immortal, one after another, and made them disappear from this world. The deck of the ferry, which had been caught in it, disappeared as well, but that didn't matter.

For an overly powerful True Ancestor-level beast, it was almost impossible not to cause damage to the surrounding area. It was enough for the ancient city to do only in battle, not to let the ferry sink into the sea.

"Goo......

Amazuka, who has lost all his clones, has his expression distorted by humiliation.

And it was Nina who took a step towards Tenzuka, who looked lonely at the man who had been called a disciple in the past, and declared in a voice that was gentle to cruelty.

"Stop, Amazuka. Thou hast lost. Be honest and hand over the wreckage of the Sage. ”

"Nina Andrade ......"

Holding the golden skeleton, Amatsuka leaked a distorted sound.

Nina's gaze fell on Amazuka's chest, on the black gem that was buried there-

"You should feel it too, right? You are an artificial lifeform created by the Sage from the dregs of the Spiritual Blood. It's just that he was implanted with the ** who wants to turn back into a complete human being, and he uses it. ”

"Even you...... Do you say such a thing, master......"

Amazuka glared at Nina with murderous eyes.

However, Nina gently accepted Amazuka's gaze.

"Whether it is a human being or not is not determined by **, but by the location of the soul. The concubine body, like the vampire over there, has lost her human body, but is still struggling to live like a human. There is no reason why you should have to obey the 'sage'. ”

"Reason...... I...... The reason for obedience is ......"

The golden skeleton fell from Amazuka's detached left hand.

It landed on the deck with a low, metallic sound.

The skeleton began to vibrate, just after that.

"Click...... Click...... Click, click......"

The golden skeleton vibrated and began to make strange noises that sounded like laughter.

Nina raised her eyebrows strangely, and Amatsuka looked at the skeleton as if frozen.

Ancient city they don't know what's going on. It's just that there is something ominous in the strange laughter of the skeleton.

"Click, click, click...... O incomplete beings, it's too late. ”

Then this time, the skeleton with its own will said clearly. It was the kind of unpleasant sound that echoed directly inside their skulls in the ancient city.

"...... 'Sage'!?"

Nina shouted as if she was scared. The ancient city kept the two-headed dragon in its materiality, pushing her away and taking a step forward.

"'Sage', in that case, I will destroy you directly."

Even the space was wiped out, and the ancient city, which had just wanted to give an attack order to the beast like this, suddenly noticed.

In the mouth of the golden skull, a terrible heat was condensed!

"- 'Lion's Gold'!"

Summoning a new beast is purely out of vampire instinct.

The huge lion clad in thunder light materialized in front of them in the ancient city, and the golden skeleton emitted a flash of light, almost at the same time.

The flash of light whitened their vision of the ancient city, and the sound of explosions shook the ship.

The vibrations of the atmosphere beat against the skin, and the eardrum preached pain. It was as if the nearest place had been struck by lightning.

But in the ancient city they were not injured. The injuries to the ferry's hull were also minor.

The scorching rush released by the golden skeleton was bounced away by the thunderous lion.

The fresh smell of heat and ozone in the air speaks of the horror of the attack.

"Senior...... This is ......!?"

"Is it the so-called heavy metal particle cannon...... It's annoying enough ......! ”

The Golden Skull's attack is the same thing as the trail left on the docks of String God Island. They are all beam weapons that invest a lot of energy and shoot charged heavy metal ions at high speed. Because it's not a magic attack, Yukina's gun can't be blocked.

However, fortunately, the "lion's gold" of the ancient city is also a beast that manipulates huge electric currents. This is because the electromagnetic field emitted by the thunderous lion can diffuse the particle beam and neutralize it.

However, in other words, it can also be said that the attack of the "Sage" can only be blocked by the beasts of the Fourth True Ancestor. It's really a terrifying monster with the strength of the artificial "god".

But-

"No...... right"

"Huh?"

Nina's whisper made the ancient city look at her in confusion.

"No, the ancient city. That's not a 'sage'! If something is a 'sage', then where is the 'sage's spiritual blood'!? ”

"What's wrong?"