Mayoi Black Summoner: Volume 12

1. Auflage 2023
ISBN: 978-1-7183-7570-3
Verlag: J-Novel Club
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 250 Seiten

Reihe: Black Summoner

The battle junkie finally faces the First Seat of the Apostles at the Sanctuary!

Kelvin's party and allies find themselves scattered once they reach their destination. While wandering around, Gerard finally encounters his fated enemy, the man who drove his home country to ruin and death: Jildora! Now, he swings his sword to get revenge for his previous lord, his wife, and his daughter.

At the same time, Kelvin and Melfina face Iris Deramilius, also known as Arbitrator of the First Seat, in the deepest part of the Cradle. On one side is Kelvin, the battle junkie who wants nothing more than to fight powerful opponents, while on the other is Iris, who places blind faith in her goddess, Elearis. Is there any other choice but for them to cross blades?!

Come along for the ride as this black-clad Grim Reaper and his friends challenge the Apostles in the twelfth volume of this epic journey!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Mayoi, Doufu

Weitere Mitwirkende

Taishi,

Chen, Kevin

Leseproben

Chapter 1: Fated Enemy

If anyone had been present to witness the fight unfolding east of the entrance to the Evil Deity’s Heart, they would have been entirely convinced they had time traveled back to the age of mythology—that was how awe-inspiring the creatures in the face-off were. On one side were Zahahka the Divine Dragon, Lenge-Range the Divine Beetle, and Anra the Divine Snake, all deities from yore, led by Tristan Faaze, Controller of the Tenth Seat among the Apostles of Elearis. On the other side were Fire Dragon King Boga and Light Dragon King Mdofarak. And they were not alone.

“It has been a while, General Tristan. This is likely your first time seeing me in this form, but you took good care of me when I was big.”

“What a wonderful surprise! I was thinking what a cute child my opponent was, but to think it was Princess Shutola! This humble servant offers his sincerest apologies for not recognizing you immediately.”

Shutola had showed up riding on Mdo’s back, followed by ten modified black knight golems that used to go by the name of Schwarzstille but had been renamed to Royal Guard. A very generous number of Wind Jail Gems had been embedded in the backs and soles of all the golems, which was how they had kept pace with Mdo and were now hovering in the air.

::Shutola-sama, you didn’t have to trouble yourself to back us up. We can take care of things here on our own!:: The words came from Boga quick and fast over the Network, tinged with a trace of disappointment that it wasn’t his back that Shutola had chosen to ride on and speaking in hopes that she might consider changing.

Shutola, however, reined him in. ::Hold it. Boga, did you properly think about what order you’ll be killing the Divine Beasts in? If you kill the insect and snake first, the dragon that Tristan is riding will become stronger. There’s no telling what would happen if the powered-up dragon gets away.::

::You think we would let it get away?:: Mdofarak sounded slightly indignant.

::The possibility isn’t zero,:: Shutola fired back. ::As a fact, the two of you never managed to capture Survivor.::

The two Dragon Kings grunted, having been poked in their sore spot.

::Just now, you reported that you’re overwhelmingly stronger than the enemy. If that’s true, then the smart thing to do is to kill Tristan first, because he’s the Summoner controlling all three Divine Beasts. He’s probably the Apostle who’d cause us the most trouble later on if we let him slip away.::

::But...if we defeat the weakest opponent first, wouldn’t brother Kelvin be disappointed in us? Isn’t it our group’s policy to fight and crush enemies at their full strength?::

::Oh yes, my liege would definitely say that.::

::Of course he wouldn’t! Dearest brother Kelvin does get a bit silly every once in a while, but he always makes sure he’s not indulging in his hobbies at the expense of putting his companions in danger! Either that or there are other extenuating circumstances! Don’t misunderstand!::

Trembling a little inside, Boga and Mdo managed a ::Uh, yes, ma’am...::

::So, as I said, we’ll prioritize killing Tristan or his dragon. When a Summoner dies, their contract with their Followers is automatically voided. If that happens to Tristan’s side, the Divine Pillars’ teamwork should break down, and if we handle the situation well, we might even be able to get out of any more fighting. If they’re not emotionally attached to Tristan, they won’t come after us for revenge. At the very least, when he was in Trycen, he touted human supremacy and was definitely not the type of person to make this kind of effort. In light of everything I said, what we should be doing is clear, right?::

Boga’s bewilderment could almost be heard over the Network. ::I mean, I follow your logic, but...it doesn’t sit well with me somehow.::

::Shutola-sama, are you sure about this? Isn’t it a waste to start by taking out the enemy general? I really do think if my liege were here, he would drag the fight out until Tristan started fighting at one hundred percent.::

::It’s fine! I’m giving you permission to do things this way! When we have Tristan’s head, I’ll explain things to dearest brother. I’ll take responsibility. In the name of Shutola Trycen, I order you to follow my instructions to the letter without question!::

Shutola suddenly raised a hand towards the sky, emanating a queenly aura that brooked no protest. Even though her appearance was that of a child, her dignity was equal to that of someone shouldering the fate of a country. The young Dragon Kings quailed upon being blasted with such intense intimidation at point-blank range.

::Y-Yes, ma’am!:: they both barked.

The conversation so far had taken place entirely through telepathy. As such, in Tristan’s eyes, it must have looked like Shutola was suddenly raising her hand for no reason. However, he too was a Summoner and therefore also had the ability to communicate telepathically. The moment he saw Shutola moving, he instantly issued orders to all his Followers. Lenge-Range and Anra quickly moved in front of him protectively.

::I’ll draw away the two in front, so ignore them and charge straight in!::

::U-Understood!::

::Hey, Mdo, has Shutola-sama always been like this?::

::She might be projecting a little bit of sister Sera right now.::

::Ah, they do say that children are easily influenced by their parents and sibl—::

::You two, leave the idle chatter for later!::

::MA’AM!::

::MA’AM!::

Shutola manipulated her threads and sent five Royal Guards towards Lenge-Range and five towards Anra while Boga and Mdofarak shot past at top speed. Even while controlling her golems, Shutola kept her eye on Tristan.

“As expected, you’re coming for me first. Princess Shutola, always the one to prioritize efficiency. However, life isn’t fun without playing around a little.” Tristan maintained the smug look on his face as Zahahka sped backwards as fast as it could. He clearly still loved hearing his own voice as much as ever.

Shutola took a moment to hide the small smile about to creep onto her face and replied, “General Tristan, you can never have too many comrades you can truly trust. Given that, making them sacrifice themselves is out of the question; you have to keep them alive to make the most of them. As the saying goes, where there’s life, there’s hope. You’ve really got to cherish them.”

“I...suppose?”

Tristan gave what he thought was a harmless answer to what Shutola said. However, this was a fatal mistake against this opponent.

Currently, Shutola was using her Unique Skill Retributive Persuasion to box Tristan in with logic. What she was saying was common sense that anyone would agree with, but because of her ability, the moment someone affirmed what she said, it would become an ironclad rule in their mind that they could never even question, much less go against. As a result, Tristan could no longer order his Divine Beasts to sacrifice themselves, and neither could he use the ruthless strategy of strengthening a Divine Pillar by killing the other two.

Kelvin had said this Unique Skill would be effective in diplomacy to the point of brutality, but it definitely had its usefulness in battle too. After all, the longer an opponent talked with Shutola, the more options they would lose. Someone who had prior knowledge of her skill would be able to take countermeasures, but someone who didn’t would be stripped of all courses of action before they knew it, unable to so much as lift a finger while thinking it was the most natural thing in the world. Boga and Mdo, who fully understood what was happening, felt chills run down their spines even though they knew Shutola was on their side.

“Another thing, General Tristan. You are the reason for Trycen’s fall, and, though indirectly, practically the person who killed my father. In other words, I am duty bound to kill you to avenge him. If I were here as my older self, I would surely have told you to end your own life. If the citizens knew how you had betrayed our country, they would surely wish for the same. General Tristan, you have committed crimes that you can only atone for by choosing your own death. Don’t you agree?”

Tristan stared at Shutola. If he said “yes” now, he would have no choice but to immediately end himself, and he would do so without hesitation. Shutola’s words were a vicious weapon that could kill someone who took a single wrong step.

“You’re unusually chatty today, Your Highness. Very well! I shall speak from the heart. I do not agree at all! To live is to enjoy—in other words, he who has fun, wins! Rather than lament those who have passed, it makes much more sense to prioritize those still living. You think I, who seek to enjoy my life to the very marrow of my bones, would choose death of my own accord? Now that is a fine joke indeed!”

The man clutched his stomach as if holding back laughter bubbling up from deep within. Shutola had not counted on her move succeeding, but she couldn’t help frowning a little at his answer. Then the look on her face turned even frostier at his next words.

“By the way, Your Highness...could it be...