To become a king and a magician

This constant shift between feeling full and feeling empty made him feel like his magic circuits were about to break down.

"Time...shouldn't have held out long enough?"

Xia Chuanhu didn't keep track of how long he held on; he just wanted to hold on as long as possible, because you can never have too much time to prepare. The longer he persisted, the higher his chances of winning the final battle would be.

Therefore, even when he was so tired that he could not stand up and could only kneel on his knees, Natsukawa Tiger still did not stop exerting his strength.

He was certain that if he stopped exerting himself for even a moment, the Sea of ​​Life would immediately expand, and then it would be a real struggle to suppress it again.

Now is not the time for him to risk everything.

(Speaking of which, Arcueid...)

With difficulty, he raised his eyes to look at the figure that had become somewhat frantic, and a sense of apology rose in Xia Chuanhu's heart.

Although it was in response to his request, Natsukawa Torama felt really sorry for Arcueid, making her do the thing she hated most.

I really need to make it up to her afterwards.

(However, that will have to wait until Tiamat is defeated...)

For now, we should focus on suppressing the inhibition of the Sea of ​​Life.

And at that very moment—

"minister......."

A somewhat indistinct sound faintly reached Xia Chuanhu's ears from afar.

Within this singularity, it seems that only Fujimaru Ritsuka would use such a title to refer to Natsukawa Torato.

(Is he/she here?)

Raising his head slightly, Natsukawa Toramaru tried to find Fujimaru Ritsuka's figure, but because of the fiery world formed by the yangyan he released, Natsukawa Toramaru's entire field of vision was completely red, and he couldn't see clearly at all.

Even with the perception of an elf, it would be impossible to concentrate on sensing Fujimaru Ritsuka in this situation—she is the one used to suppress the Sea of ​​Life.

"minister......!"

Here we go again. Judging from the location, it seems to be up there.

"Minister...Minister..."

It's getting closer and closer, right above me at an angle.

Natsukawa Tora looked up at the sky—

"minister!"

What came into view was Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was calling out to him loudly and reaching out her hand to him with all her might.

Riding on the wind god pterosaur summoned by the power of Quetzalcoatl, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash have now arrived above Natsukawa Tora.

"Minister! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting! Preparations in Uruk are basically complete! You can come back and rest now!"

Is it basically finished?

It will take about two days for Tiamat to reach Uruk, which means the rest can be completed within two days.

"It's... a bit slower than I expected..."

Natsukawa Tora gave a weak laugh: "Where's Arcueid?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka paused for a moment: "Miss Arcueid is currently in a state of mental instability. Rei-senpai said that her obsession is too strong, to the point that she sees everyone except you, the captain, as her enemy. Mr. Kingo is trying to hold her back."

"Haa."

After a moment of silence, Fujimaru Ritsuka was met with a sigh.

So it really has turned out like this?

Natsukawa Torara looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu: "Ritsuka, Mashu, I'm sorry, you should go back first."

"Huh?"

The two of them were stunned for a moment.

Supporting himself with the Holy Sword, Xia Chuanhu took a deep breath and quickly recovered his strength: "You guys go to a place a little further away to meet me. I'll take care of some tails here and then head over there immediately."

"Minister, you're planning to— um!"

Before Fujimaru Ritsuka could say anything more, the lava at Natsukawa Tora's feet suddenly boiled and surged violently, with pillars of fire shooting straight into the sky!

Get out of there immediately! Fujimaru! Mashu! That temperature is terrible for you! Staying at that distance will burn you to ashes!

Roman, who had been observing the situation, quickly reminded them, and Mash immediately pulled the Quetzalcoatl to a more distant place.

"Brother!"

"Don't worry, Mashu, we'll catch up soon." Natsukawa Tora waved with a smile. "Also, isn't that Kingu fighting Arcueid over there? Let him leave too, I'll handle the rest."

"minister......"

Fujimaru Ritsuka gritted her teeth: "You'll come back, right?"

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm not going to hold off a powerful enemy to cover your retreat. Don't make it sound like I'm going to never come back."

Xia Chuanhu said with a wry smile, "It's just to let her rest for a bit. Both of us are exhausted after fighting for so long. If we continue, we won't be able to catch up with the next phase of the battle."

"So... I'll go and calm her down."

As soon as he finished speaking, the pillars of fire surrounding Xia Chuanhu burned even more fiercely.

Seeing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka could only nod and, together with Mash, rode the Wind God Wyvern and quickly left the space that was too hot for them. A few seconds later, the Sky Chains that were flying everywhere also disappeared without a trace.

“Aaaaaaa...”

Arcueid seemed somewhat puzzled, but having given up on thinking about it, she immediately turned her attention back to Tiamat—she had to continue suppressing her!

However, just as Arcueid was preparing to continue his attack, Natsukawa Torato below raised his holy sword.

(Considering the situation after I give up suppressing it, the time I need to stop Arcueid... one strike?)

We need to stop Arcueid from going berserk with a single blow.

It's a truly fantastical idea, but we have no choice but to do it. Arcueid is currently completely unable to communicate with words, so the only way to stop her is through force.

"I'll treat you to a 100-year-old cake later, so let me hit you on the head now."

Staring at that figure, Xia Chuanhu raised his holy sword, and the pillars of fire surrounding him suddenly danced, transforming into one burning red dragon after another!

Holy Sword, unleash your full power!

"Bang--------!"

With a roar and impact like a volcanic eruption, the several burning red dragons merged into one, and a gigantic fire dragon head spewed out from the lava! It crashed into Arcueid, which was flying towards Tiamat!

"Boom—!"

The raging flames engulfed Arcueid in an instant! She wasn't given even the slightest time to resist!

A magnificent, enormous firework bursts into bloom in the sky!

The next moment, in the eyes of Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was watching the fireworks bloom from afar, a point of light suddenly appeared and was growing larger and larger at a very rapid pace... no, to be precise, it was flying towards her!

"That's—whoa!"

The rapidly enlarging light crashed directly into Fujimaru Ritsuka's arms, the violent impact nearly causing her to fall off the back of the wind god pterosaur. Fortunately, Mash, who was nearby, caught her in time.

Upon seeing the true form of the light in Fujimaru Ritsuka's arms, the master and servant immediately froze on the spot.

Because they were a pair of people who looked about 80-90% similar to Natsukawa Torato and Arcueid...

--child!

64. The little tiger about to be crushed

Inside the tower in Uruk.

"......"

"......"

"......"

The Gilgamesh group, who had been gathered here waiting for Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others to bring Natsukawa Tora and the others back, all fell into silence.

The reason for this is naturally the little boy sitting on Fujimaru Ritsuka's shoulders and the unconscious little girl being held in Mashu's arms.

"Fujimaru Ritsuka, these two children are...?"

Even Gilgamesh was surprised and puzzled. Although he vaguely sensed some of the truth, he still needed to confirm it again.

Before Fujimaru Ritsuka could answer, the little boy sitting on her shoulders spoke up: "Even though you've shrunk, you still recognize me, right? King Gilgamesh, it's me, Natsukawa Torato."

"No, I know it's you, but the question is, how did you become like this—"

"So cute~~~~!"

Before Gilgamesh could ask any more questions, Merry rushed forward and pulled Natsukawa Torata off Fujimaru Ritsuka's shoulder, hugging him tightly.

"A tiger looking like a little kid...hehehe~~~ He's just as adorable as Arthur was as a child~~~"

"Ugh... Haaah—!"

Struggling to peek his head out of Meryl's valley, Natsukawa Tiger, his cheeks slightly flushed, kicked his legs in annoyance: "What are you doing, Meryl? Put me down!"

"No~~~"

With a rather ominous smile on her face, Meryl pressed Natsukawa Tora's head back down: "Little kids should listen to their big sister, okay? Disobedience and fidgeting will get you punished~"

"Well....."

Barely peeking out half his head, Natsukawa Tora looked in the direction of Sajou Rei.

(Zero! Help me out!)

(Yes, Master.)

After completing the conversation via telepathy, Sajou Rei came to Meryl and grasped the hand that Natsukawa Tora had extended.

"Pop~~~"

With a somewhat eerie sound, Natsukawa Tora was pulled out of Meryl's arms by Sajou Rei and pulled into her embrace.

Meryl raised an eyebrow: "Oh my~~~ You're really protective of your master, Lingyi, let me hug you again~~"