#081 Spirit
#081 Spirit
"Master!!"
Lucius tried to lunge forward, but the barrier blocked him and he couldn't get through.
A Hero far stronger than himself.
The ice barrier didn't seem like something he could break with his own power alone, and at the sight of the monster's hand seizing his master and the Hero, Lucius felt his head spin.
Should he release it?
His master had told him to trust her, but he couldn't bring himself to trust her so easily.
What if something went wrong?
What if his own misjudgment, or his master's misjudgment, got her killed?
If that happened, Lucius would never be able to forgive himself.
-Really?
Something in his heart whispered.
-Is that really why you're so desperate?
He didn't know who it was.
But the voice inside Lucius whispered to him far too sweetly.
-You're actually anxious, aren't you? Afraid the witch might choose another Hero.
He couldn't deny it.
And because he couldn't deny it, he grew even more desperate.
What if.
What if a Water Hero stronger than him started making a name for herself?
No matter how hard Arthur Lucius worked, wouldn't they need a Hero with greater power right now, in the war against the resurrected Demon King Army?
He might just get pushed aside.
Trust me.
For a moment, he thought he heard his master's voice.
Trust me.
That voice she always used.
Right now, you're weak.
But you'll grow stronger from here on.
I'll use every method I can to raise you into a Hero.
'Watch closely.'
"......Ah."
So that was it.
His master had intended to use even the Water Hero as a stepping stone for his growth.
The power the Water Hero possessed as a Hero.
A realm unknown to him, one he had not yet reached.
She had deliberately pushed the villagers and him back just now to show him that level of power.
And that prediction had not been wrong.
WHOOSH—!!
The monster's hand that had been clutching the Hero and the witch exploded in an instant.
A colossal stream of water surged out from within, spiraling outward in all directions, and gradually began to take on a shape.
"...A golem?"
It was a golem whose height rivaled the giant monster.
Jewels like sapphires glittered across its body, and the massive golem, sleek yet angular and feminine in form, gave its onlookers a sense of grandeur.
"Wh-what is that...?"
No one knew what it was.
Lucius didn't know either. Only the witch knew.
"......."
Lucius fiddled with his ring.
Perhaps.
Perhaps 'riding' that enormous thing was what the witch had wanted to show him.
"It's incredible...!"
The knight Rapid clenched his fist.
The stream of water extending behind its back fluttered like a cape, and at the tips of its outstretched hands, a massive stream of water began to take shape.
"Is that...a Holy Sword?"
The Holy Sword Liliez had used had somehow transformed to an enormous size and now rested in the hand of the blue steel figure.
Beautiful, and majestic.
And then.
[I-I don't know what that is, but!! For the Great Demon King Belphegor!!]
With a tearing battle cry, the steel giant swung its fist again.
If they stayed still, it looked like they'd take a blow to the face and be knocked backward.
Though their builds were similar, the giant monster formed from clustered Armored Beetles was far heavier.
Splash!
The sound of water rang out.
The blue figure caught the fist flying toward its face with one hand, and at the same time it blocked the attack....
Crunch!!
In an instant, it crushed the wrist with the grip of its hand.
The Armored Beetles composing the monster's body were crushed in a flash, and the giant monster staggered and toppled backward.
Swish.
The blue figure merely shook its hand lightly to the side and reset its stance.
The figure was unharmed.
Rather, it used the currents of water swirling around its body like a whirlpool to shake off the Armored Beetles clinging to its surroundings.
"That thing...."
[Azure Celsius.]
The voice of the Water Hero Liliez echoed from within.
[The enemy threatening humanity shall be annihilated.]
From the enlarged Holy Sword, a tremendous spray of water began to surge upward.
* * *
Five minutes earlier.
"Hoo."
A sight I hadn't seen in a long time.
It was my first time seeing outside from inside Celsius, but the sight itself wasn't unfamiliar.
A single-seat cockpit.
A Mana Stone panel floating in front.
And a view that seemed to open wide before me.
You could call it the interior of a giant golem, but if I put it that way, Celsius might get angry, so it was better to use the original term.
Cockpit.
"This giant figure is called the 'Spirit Machine Azure Celsius.' According to history, it's been called various things—a Demon Machine, a Demon God, a Spirit Machine God, a Holy Spirit Machine—but for now, I'll just call it a Spirit Machine."
Just because it had the word 'Holy' attached didn't make it property of the Goddess Church, and just because it was called a Demon God for its overwhelming appearance and power didn't make it a thing of the Demonfolk.
This was simply power itself.
"A Spirit Machine. An existence created to control the water mana flowing through the world. If the Holy Sword is the key, then this is for controlling the water mana."
"...This is like an external suit developed by alchemists...?"
"It's the opposite. They saw this and developed that. This is older than human history—it has existed since the beginning of the world."
It was an age so distant that even I couldn't fathom it.
After getting a lead on the Spirit Machines through the Crimson Mage, I had come to learn about them in detail.
The origins of the seven Demon Kings, too.
The origins of the seven angels, too.
The arrangement of seven, as if deliberately pieced together, was a formation to seize the seven Spirit Machines, including Azure Celsius.
The moment either side seized all the Spirit Machines in the Middle Realm, the Middle Realm would fall into the hands of the Celestials or the Demonfolk.
"As for the origins, I'll explain when there's a Hero who doesn't know the details, same as you. First—can you pilot it?"
"Pilot?"
Liliez had become a child who knew nothing.
"P-pilot this...? Me?"
"Of course. You're the Holy Sword Hero. I'm just borrowing power through you for a moment. As an auxiliary pilot."
"H-how am I supposed to move this thing...!"
"That's why you learn."
At the sight of her, like an innocent woman who didn't even know how children were made, I couldn't help but laugh—but right now, a battle was unfolding in real time.
"Sit still. The seat you're sitting in is moving this Spirit Machine right now, using you as its medium."
"So...if I get out of here, it won't move?"
"That's right. Don't ever stand up."
Because if you don't, I'll have to sit there, and if I sit there, Celsius will draw on my mana.
"Even if it's hard to understand right now, just trust me and follow along. Understood?"
"Understood. I'll do as you say."
"Good. Then first, stay still."
PRESS.
I pressed my hips against Liliez's body and straddled her, then leaned my upper body forward tightly.
"W-Witch?!"
"It's not a tandem seat, so I have to pilot it like this for now. Hup."
I braced about half my chest against Liliez's knees and slid both legs into the gap between the seat and Liliez's hips.
"Hold my waist tight. So I don't get thrown off when we shake."
"O-okay."
Liliez gripped my waist with firm hands, and I took hold of the controls in her place.
Ah, that familiar grip.
It wasn't Azure Celsius, but as someone who had once personally driven one, the movement brought back old memories.
It wasn't my preference.
It certainly had tremendous power, but I preferred fighting with my own body—
'I'm stronger that way.'
"A Spirit Machine draws power directly from the source of mana in this world. The output a Spirit Machine can produce depends on you. It can move as long as your mana and your mental strength hold out, but...."
"Hoo, hoo...."
"You can't be hyperventilating already, Liliez."
"Ah, yes!!"
It was a bit concerning, but still within acceptable limits.
Clack.
"Do you have a separate weapon you use? Then I'll switch it over to that now."
"Ah, uh, no. I don't have a main weapon...."
"Then we'll go with the Holy Sword's default state."
Clack, clack.
I channeled my will through the controls.
As someone who knew the Activation Word, as Liliez's auxiliary pilot, and as an existence who had once drawn out a Holy Sword's final awakening, I could pilot Celsius without any resistance from it.
Clack.
Celsius moved according to my will.
The timing was perfect, too.
[For the Great Demon King Belphegor!!]
The thing tried to attack with its fist again, and I moved Celsius as if moving my own body and blocked the attack.
KABOOOOM!!
"Ngh...?!"
"Hold on tight!!"
I nearly slipped.
Since I was bracing my body entirely against Liliez, if she didn't hold me properly, I might go rolling around this cockpit like a pill bug.
'Still, I blocked the attack.'
Crunch.
I crushed the giant's wrist in my grip.
The Armored Beetles inside scattered and tried to crawl over its body, but they were quickly swept away by the mana currents flowing across Celsius's armor and scattered below.
WHOOSH.
The enormous amount of water flowing from Celsius's arms had already soaked the ground thoroughly, and it seemed the whole village would soon be flooded.
"Liliez. We can't just leave that thing alone, can we?"
"What should I do?"
"I'll turn on the external speaker...I'll make it so you can speak outside, so just say whatever you want."
Click, click.
Now the sound from in here would flow outside.
After roughly gauging the remaining operating time, I twisted the sword and raised it high.
"...Azure Celsius."
One mention of the name.
"The evil threatening humanity shall be annihilated."
One declaration of resolve.
WHOOSH.
A stream of water erupted around the Holy Sword and began to coil around it.
It looked like a drill made of water, and like a spinning spear.
"Um...."
Liliez was flustered.
So I passed her a suitable technique name—the name of a technique used by a Hero who had once piloted Celsius in the past—and Liliez nodded heavily, biting her lip.
I merely prepared to use the technique in time with her call.
Ready yourself.
"Brine Spiting----!!"
I simply swung the Holy Sword.
'Azure Torrent Slash.'
In the exploding torrent, the giant monster was torn to shreds.