Assault Lily: The Liberation of Niigata: Chapter 10
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Chapter Ten
Final Battle
The area that surrounded the Dragon’s Den had been turned into a flaming crater.
The nearby mountains had likewise been burned to cinder, and scattered across the scenery were multiple columns of dark smoke that arose to the skies. In the midst of it all, Soraha and the rest of the extermination team were locked in battle against the advancing swarm of Huge.
“Haaaghh!” Soraha thrust her Fragarach on the ground after slashing a Middle-class into pieces. “... hah, hah, is everyone doing okay?”
As she turned to scan her surroundings, Soraha saw all of her teammates breathing in equally rough gasps. Having continuously fought against the large horde of Huge while simultaneously avoiding the Fafnir’s fire breath, Soraha and her team were able to close their distance to the Dragon’s Den to roughly around one kilometer.
However, progressing this far still proved an incredibly arduous task, even to the likes of Álfheimr and a team of Ryuto’s very best Lilies, as not only they had to contend with the horde’s onslaught, but given that the Fafnir’s breath was able to reduce the operating capabilities of their CHARMs, the Lilies found themselves with their backs constantly against a wall.
Breathing with great difficulty, Endo Araya blurted out:
“We’re breaking our backs in every sense of the term.”
Holding off against a Small-class, Takasuga Tsukushi added:
“Soraha-sama, there’s way too many of them for us to deal with! I think we should begin the Neunwelt from out here already!!”
However, Amatsu Marei rejected the idea:
“The concentration of Magie is still too weak at this distance. We’ll need to fire it from much closer if we have any hope of destroying its arms.”
“But we’re already burning a lot of our Magie as it is. If we don’t do something...” responded Takami Asuka, and hearing her words, the other Lilies’ expressions turned sour. Their intense fatigue, coupled with the overwhelming difference in their offensive power against the Huge’s had pushed their spirits to their near breaking points.
But to this, Soraha responded:
“It’s still way too soon for us to give up. Look at how far we’ve chased the Fafnir down. If we want to take the final step towards our victory, we must seal within our hearts the resolve to achieve it!”
Sengo Yuuna concurred with great vigor, saying:
“I refuse to give up. There is nothing that'll stop me from saving Niigata!”
Then, a faint glow began to pour out of Yuuna’s body. The moment that happened, the Crystal Core of Soraha’s Fragarach began to react.
“Yuuna, that light...”
But just as Soraha attempted to speak to Yuuna, she was abruptly interrupted by Egawa Kusumi, who shouted:
“Soraha Nee-sama, watch out!”
Turning her gaze upwards, Soraha saw that a Golem-like Huge had hurled a massive boulder in her direction. Though she was narrowly able to avoid the impact, the Huge had anticipated her movements, and immediately struck Soraha with one of its rock-like fists.
Despite Kusumi’s attempt to save Soraha, she failed to make it in time.
“Soraha!!”
At that moment, the light pouring out of Yuuna’s body began to overflow, and at the same time, Soraha felt her own body becoming much lighter, and her Fragarach’s Crystal Core began to shine with a magnificent glow.
“Haaaghh!!”
With a single swipe of her Fragarach, Soraha was able to effortlessly bisect the Large-class Huge. Then, Misora and Tatsuki shouted to the others:
“Our CHARMs are back at full power!”
The Crystal Cores of their CHARMs once again shone to their brightest. Staring at her own CHARM, Banshoya Ena muttered:
“But how in the world?”
Yoshihara Nanoha turned towards Yuuna with a smile on her face, saying:
“It's the power of your Charisma.”
“My... power?” retorted Yuuna, surprised. Just then, Miyairi Fubuki interjected, calling out to all the others:
“We worry about the details later! This chance cannot slip us by!”
The Lilies then immediately made a dash towards the Fafnir, and though the horde of Huge still blocked their path all the same, having their CHARMs back to full power meant that not a single one of them were held back any longer. Even as the Fafnir’s mouth began glistening as it prepared to fire its breath once again, Soraha and Fubuki still paid it no mind, and called out to their teammates:
“Begin the double Neunwelt Tactic immediately!!”
Soraha and Yuuna charged up their respective Magispheres, and sent them off to their teammates. Both Álfheimr and the Ryuto Lilies passed their Spheres between themselves with the utmost haste, and then:
“To Endo Araya you shall submit!” said Araya as she fired her finishing shot. And at the same time:
“Behold, and kneel! Before the light of Ryuto’s faith, and the might of its valiant heroes!” Fubuki promptly fired her own shot, making use of her Rare Skill, “Heaven’s Measure”.
The two Magispheres blazed through the darkened skies almost as if ripping it apart, and successfully detonated by the glowing areas present in both of the Fafnir’s arms. Together with the booming sound of the two explosions, the Fafnir’s screams of pain resounded far.
“The Fafnir’s light is going away!” called out Yuuna, eliciting a unanimous “we did it!” from all the Lilies.
With the halos that encircled its arms now destroyed, the golden glow that enveloped the Fafnir’s body began fizzling away. This caused all the Huge that were under the effects of its Magie to grow much slower in their movements.
Pointing her Fragarach at the Fafnir, Soraha declared:
“Let’s get straight to destroying the Fafnir!”
Then, Ena called out to all the others:
“Everyone, listen. Destroying the Fafnir’s core will still require another double Neunwelt from all of us.”
“Hold on.” interrupted Soraha. “Its arms weren’t completely torn away by our Neunwelts just now, so we cannot be sure whether performing another set will be enough to destroy its core. We need a method that is sure not to fail us.”
“.... A more reliable method, you say? What do you have in mind?” inquired Tanaka Ichi, and Soraha responded with a smile:
“I say we make a single Magisphere with all twenty two of us, and use that to strike the Fafnir directly.”
Hearing her proposal, Tsukushi and Tatsuki were quick to voice their astonishment:
“You want to hit an Ultra-class at point blank with the Magisphere?”
“And with all of us participating in the Neunwelt!?”
A Neunwelt Tactic produces the most stable Magisphere when performed by nine members, but while including more participants would certainly increase its power, it would also make it inversely harder to control. Furthermore, the strain placed on the CHARM and on the Lily herself would likely incur devastating damage to both of them.
With a stern expression on her face, Watanabe Akane inquired:
“Is it even possible for this many people to perform a Neunwelt together?”
Then, Yakuwa Byakuren meekly followed:
“We’d be losing our final chance to defeat the Fafnir should we fail, do you still want to carry on in light of that?”
Soraha turned to Yuuna and Noa, and smiled:
“It was thanks to Yuuna’s Charisma that we were able to retrieve our strength. So I believe that with both hers and Noa’s Charisma together, and through all of our conjoined efforts, we can get it done.”
Hearing Soraha speak with such confidence, Noa positively responded:
“I thought the power in Yuuna-san’s Charisma was incredible~, it made me feel even more powerful than usual. So I think I can do it if she’s with me~”
Turning her gaze to Soraha and all the others, Yuuna also nodded affirmatively:
“Understood. I’ll make sure our Magisphere keeps on shining until the very end.”
All the Lilies present turned to face the other and nodded between themselves. Just then, the Fafnir let out a furious roar. Excited, Amata Hanako narrowed her eyes in anticipation.
“Ehehe, angry, aren’t we?”
“Well, how about we incite its ire even more?” added an equally enthused Imaizumi Rion.
Placing her hand on Soraha’s shoulder, Fubuki spoke:
“Amano Soraha, to you we entrust this finishing shot. May your full shine illuminate us all, o’ Wielder of the Blue Moon”
All of Ryuto’s Lilies now had their eyes on Soraha. Then, with their lips turned in a smile, both Enomoto Komomo and Sumitani Miki declared:
“We hope that the so-called Odaiba Counteroffensive’s champion and her Legion that carries the title of the legendary Álfheimr gives us an unforgettable spectacle.”
“We leave Ryuto, and Sado, in your hands.”
With a smile that inspired confidence, Soraha answered “I got this!”. At the same time, the Fafnir hissed in the distance as it began charging towards the Lilies. Swinging her Fragarach forward, Soraha called out to all the others:
“This is our very last battle! And the one where the Fafnir shall fall!”
Her words were met with loud cheering by all the other Lilies, and together, they set off in a rush towards the Fafnir. Yuuna and Noa both quickly unleashed the power of their Charisma, and while Soraha and the rest of Álfheimr lured the Huge they encountered by the frontlines away from the others, Fubuki loaded the Neunwelt Tactic’s specialized bullet into her CHARM.
“Lilies of Ryuto Girls’ Academy! Let us begin the Neunwelt Tactic!”
Calling out “Nanoha!!”, Fubuki passed the Magisphere to her junior, who confirmed “I have it, Onee-sama!!” as she intercepted it. Then, she yelled “Byakuren!” and sent the Magisphere forward.
Upon receiving the Magisphere, Byakuren alerted “Asuka-san!” while firing it directly to her flank. After reaching Asuka, the Magisphere was swiftly passed on to Marei, then Hanako, Rion, and Miki. “Komomo!” she called, making her pass while moving out of the way of the Huge, and once she received the Magisphere, Komomo made the last pass towards Yuuna.
“Yuuna-sama!”
Receiving the Magisphere from Komomo, Yuuna vigorously passed it on to Araya with the words “We leave the rest in your hands, Álfheimr!”. Araya caught hold of the Magisphere in mid-air, declaring in response “We’ll see this through!”
Upon receiving visual confirmation, Soraha called out to the rest of Álfheimr:
“Álfheimr, begin the Neunwelt Tactic immediately!”
On her command, all of Álfheimr’s members leaped high above the ground. Maintaining their eyes on the core visible on the Fafnir’s chest, they continued their ascension by using the Fafnir’s body, as well as all the surrounding airborne Huge, as platforms.
As they did so, however, the Fafnir used its arms and tails to assault the Lilies, in an attempt to interrupt the Neunwelt Tactic. Steering clear of its attacks, Araya shouted “Tatsuki!” and hurled the Magisphere in her direction, who, with a call of “Misora!”, swiftly passed it forward. “I’m on it!”, Misora answered, and passed on the Magisphere to Tsukushi. It was then sent to Akane, then Noa, Wakana and Kisara.
“It is all yours, Ena!”
“Understood, Kisara Onee-sama!”
Ena received the Magisphere from Kisara. “Ichi!” she called out, and sent it towards her junior. Upon receiving it, Ichi yelled “Kusumi!” and promptly sent the Magisphere in her direction.
Finally, Kusumi hurled the Magisphere far into the front lines, alerting “Soraha Nee-sama!”. And immediately after she received the Sphere, Soraha sent it back to Kusumi.
“Not yet! I need everyone to pour more Magie into it!”
Continuing to move towards the Fafnir’s core, Álfheimr continued to pass the Magisphere countless times between themselves. Their passes were incredibly swift, giving the Magisphere the appearance of a falling star blazing through the night sky. This was the “Blue Moon Shift”, a technique they inherited from the First Generation Álfheimr.
Unfortunately, the extensive battles they’ve so far endured, coupled with the strain of a Magisphere created by over twenty Lilies caused cracks to begin forming across the CHARMs of every single one of Álfheimr’s members. And as the Magisphere made its way back to Araya, she found herself suddenly surrounded by a squadron of airborne Huge.
“Tch!”
But immediately after, all the Huge were hit by a large array of projectiles. As it turned out, the Lilies of Ryuto had caught up to Álfheimr.
While maintaining fire at the Huge, Komomo shouted:
“Araya! Now we’re even!”
With an awkward smile on her face, Araya resumed her pass of the Magisphere to her teammates. And as the Sphere grew bigger and bigger, Álfheimr continued to ascend. Eventually, pouring the very last of her Magie into it, Kusumi made the final pass.
“Soraha Nee-sama!”
The Sphere, which could now be mistaken for the very full moon, flew towards Soraha in a rush. As she took hold of it, Soraha leaped upwards, her eyes fixated on the core exposed at the Fafnir’s chest.
However, a stream of golden Magie soon began to gather by the Fafnir’s maw.
Realizing this, Ichi shouted:
“It still has enough Magie for another breath!?”
Turning in Soraha’s direction, Ena called out:
“Sora! Fall back!”
But Soraha continued to advance towards the Fafnir regardless. Then, out of its mouth was expelled a gigantic column of light.
“Soraha Nee-samaaa!”
As if responding to Kusumi’s call, a pair of glowing wings spread wide from Soraha’s back, and in front of her was manifested a shield of light. That was Soraha’s Rare Skill, “Heliosphere”, and in mid air, it clashed directly against the Fafnir’s breath.
(I will make everyone’s hopes come true, I have to!)
Raising the massive Magisphere before her, Soraha continued to force her way towards the Fafnir.
“Come ooooon!!”
Extracting every last drop of her Magie, Soraha completely tore the Fafnir’s breath apart, creating a shockwave so intense that the unimaginably colossal Fafnir was still pushed backwards. Soraha had now herself become a spear of light, and like one she continued her trail all the way to the core at the Fafnir’s chest, hitting it at full force. The impact between the core and the Magisphere proved too severe for the Fragarach to withstand, and so, its blade completely shattered into pieces.
But nonetheless, the Fafnir’s core still resounded loudly as it crumbled into pieces. An overpowering light beamed out of the core as it collapsed, and as the light enveloped her in full, Soraha simply closed her eyes.
(We did it, everyone...)
The light continued to erupt all across the Fafnir’s body, and as it finally burst free, a massive pillar of light erected from its remains, reaching all the way to the skies.
At the same time, by the shore of Lake Chuzenji, the Ultra-class Huge ‘Cihuateteo’ which had laid claim to the region, now similarly evaporated into light, and the vortex that overtook the lake was now swirling itself into non-existence.
Watching as the light scattered around her, Funada Kiito reclined herself in a nearby rock. Though all Lilies of Odaiba Girls’ School had survived, the fierceness of the battle they just fought through left them with completely empty reserves of Magie, and so, they were all incredibly exhausted.
Just behind Kiito, her older sister Ui also leaned herself on the rock in a moment of respite. Just then, she took notice of something, and pointed towards the skies.
“Kiito, look. The sky is clearing up.”
Turning her gaze upwards, Kiito watched as the dense, black clouds looming above them began to come apart, finally allowing the glistening sunlight to come through. Laying down by the lake shore, Kawamura Yuruzuriha blurted out as she looked to the skies:
“Heyyy! Looks like Soraha and the others won”
Standing by Yuzuriha’s side, Tsukioka Momiji watched the sunlight with a smile:
“Indeed. Victory is finally ours.”
Appearing unimpressed, Kiito shook her head to the sides as she said:
“It could not have been any other way, not when we were the ones who fought for it.”
But as she turned to face the skies above Sado, Kiito couldn’t help but smile.
...
Sado Island was now illuminated by the sunlight once more.
The entire horde of Huge that surrounded the Fafnir had evaporated into light together with it, and with the vortex of clouds that loomed over the island coming undone, the skies above Sado now shone with a bright blue for the very first time in an entire year. On the ground, the members of Álfheimr and the Lilies of Ryuto all collectively turned to face the sky, basking in the realization that they had finally prevailed above the Fafnir.
But then, they noticed that Soraha was nowhere to be found. Exasperated, Ena began scanning her surroundings.
“Where’s Sora?”
With her gaze fixated on a single spot in the sky, Kusumi whispered.
“..... I’ll save Soraha Nee-sama this instant.”
“Kusumi?” interjected Ichi, but Kusumi was now already rushing towards Araya at full speed.
“Araya-chan! If you would!”
Immediately seeing through Kusumi’s intentions, Araya readied her Marmyadose, and the moment Kusumi jumped on its blade, Araya activated her B-Type Armament, using the very last of her power to shoot Kusumi high up in the skies.
“Go get her, Kusumi!”
With the Marmyadose’s thrust, Kusumi rapidly ascended into the air. And visible at the peak of her trajectory was Soraha. The shockwave caused by the Fafnir’s destruction had shot Soraha high into the sky. And having lost her consciousness, she was now in free fall, still holding onto her destroyed Fragarach.
Though Kusumi was able to grab hold of the unconscious Soraha while still airborne, the two of them were now on a direct collision course to the surface. Seeing this, Ena and Ichi immediately rushed in their direction, and successfully intercepted the pair.
“You’ve done very well, Kusumi.”
“It's time we go home.”
Together, the four Lilies began a gentle descent back into the island, where on the surface, all the remaining Álfheimr members awaited their return. But though they all attempted to cushion the four Lilies’ fall, the momentum was still enough to knock all twelve of them into the ground. Misora, Tatsuki and Tsukushi grunted audibly at the impact, and Kusumi immediately brought herself back to her feet, holding Soraha up right after.
“Nee-sama... Soraha Nee-sama...”
But no matter how many times she called, Soraha would not wake up.
As the Ryuto Lilies began to gather around them, Marei examined Soraha’s condition.
“It’s okay, she just used too much Magie at once. I don’t see any worrying injuries either, so she should be waking up in no time.”
Hearing this, the Álfheimr Lilies breathed a sigh of relief. Marei, in turn, let out a chuckle, which was soon followed by a sigh of her own as she laid eyes on Álfheimr’s CHARMs scattered on the floor.
“Still, though, you did a real good job breaking all of these, huh? Just so you know, this much damage won’t be easy to fix.”
Though the other Álfheimr members looked at Marei with guilty expressions, Kusumi kept on watching the unconscious Soraha with a concerned look in her eyes. Seeing this, Wakana embraced Kusumi from behind, saying:
“Sora-chan will be alright.”
And just then, Soraha opened her eyes. “...... Kusumi.” she said, caressing the junior’s cheek. With pearl-sized tears now flowing down her face, Kusumi quickly wrapped Soraha in a tight embrace.
“Welcome back, Soraha Nee-sama!”
Returning Kusumi’s hug, Soraha answered:
“Yeah. I’m here.”
The moment after, all of Álfheimr’s members simultaneously moved to embrace the pair, with the Ryuto Lilies watching over them as they did. Though they all had smiles on their faces, their eyes were equally fogged by tears.
Soraha then turned her gaze towards the skies, with all the other Lilies following suit. Stretched above them, from Sado all the way back to Niigata, was an expanse of beautiful and clear blue.
And with this, the Second Generation Álfheimr’s Expedition to Niigata, which would make its mark in history as the first time one of the Seven Great Ultra-class Huge was ever brought down, came to a close.
This battle would later come to be known as the “Northern Expedition”, and it was the event that propelled the Second Generation Álfheimr into worldwide renown. This tale of heroes found its place amongst the ranks of many other legends of its kind, and would be told alongside them for generations to come.