Fiona's face scrunched up in consternation as she looked at the increasing amount of water. If the mana would always just turn back into water no matter how much she punched or burned it, then there was nothing she could do. Death for the grimmfolk should have happened when they were no longer able to maintain their bodies made out of mana. Just like a magic spell, they would disperse back into mana, losing physical shape, but it wasn't as if they disappeared. They'd only turned back into mana, and that mana would be there always.
Right now, Suigetsu had turned into a monster that would literally never permanently die no matter how many times he was killed. No matter how many times his body was utterly destroyed and turned to mana, the same mana would always form right back up. Fiona had no way to erase the mana itself. She was stuck. Fiona would never lose this fight. That was how big the gap between the two combatants was. But it was nigh impossible for Fiona to actually defeat Suigetsu for good.
As far as Fiona knew, there were only three people capable of doing such a thing. The first was her lord and master, Lunaru Fenris. She would be able to gather all the mana that used to be Suigetsu before it formed up again and change it into a golden apple. The next was Tayuya. She'd be able to use all the mana that used to be Suigetsu for an illusion. In other words, she'd use the mana for a different purpose before Suigetsu reformed. The last was Kushina. She'd be able to use her skill Vindemiatrix to erase the mana itself. Basically, she'd be able to cut off the source of Suigetsu's regeneration.
Neither of those three were here.
No, wait… It's not three people. It's four. Fiona glanced over at the faraway figure of Wendy. She might… Kushina's successor might be able to erase this monster. But that would require putting her in danger.
Fiona honestly wanted to just throw away this entire country and stop this pointless battle, but she'd just learned that Wendy wouldn't allow that.
It looks like she'll have to be the main force in killing him, and I'll just have to support her as best I can. Strangely enough, it was looking like Fiona would be able to follow Naru's order to support Wendy after all.
"Vindemiatrix!"
While Fiona was sunk in thought, a wave of light passed by Fiona's side, hitting Suigetsu. The part that got hit had its mana completely erased. Wendy lined up next to Fiona, flapping her wings.
"You're done leading them away?"
"Yes. They've made it to the capital. I think Pakkun can handle the rest, somehow."
It seemed like Wendy was set on fighting.
Just as she looks, she's a really kind person, Fiona thought, but she didn't consider that a bad thing. She quite liked how she gave it her all to accomplish what she could, even though she might have lacked some strength. Fiona saw herself in her and her desperate attempts to get stronger. It made her strangely happy.
"Okay. Then I'll defend against its attacks. You just concentrate on erasing as much mana as you can. Even if you don't manage to get it all, we'll be able to lessen any casualties that way."
"Okay, I'll try!"
Having decided to support Wendy, Fiona covered her fist in flames and spread her arms to either side. Then, she clapped both hands together, releasing the gathered fire all at once. Immediately afterward, hot wind blew all around where Fiona's hands met, billowing her hair out. The shockwaves from the attack gouged out the ground around Fiona, and the violent stream of fire that was unleashed from her hands evaporated Suigetsu's body.
Following up on that, Wendy unleashed her mana-erasing skill, shaving away even more of Suigetsu's body, but Suigetsu was still increasing in volume faster than they were erasing him. Currently, Suigetsu was a blob of water larger than the mountain he was covering, and the blob had spouted a tentacle that was steadily creeping towards the capital.
"A-at this rate, Draupnir will…!"
Fiona stopped Wendy, who had been about to fly off towards the capital in a panic, before throwing some fire at the water tentacle and evaporating it.
"Calm down, Wendy. The mana he's made of isn't infinite. As long as we continue erasing it, it'll be that much less attacking the capital."
Why do I always end up fighting enemies like Levia that I have a bad affinity with? The thought made Fiona want to cry in grief. Why is it that I fight Water-attributed enemies every time?
At least this is definitely working. This meant that the only thing left to find out. Would the capital be engulfed before Wendy managed to completely erase the enemy?
Well… It looks like Wendy can only be so calm because she thinks the capital will be fine. Anyway, my first priority is to protect Wendy here. Fiona resolved herself to unleash her full power.
***
"Something's up…"
Haruka, who'd been searching for Robyn in the capital and had gotten absolutely nothing, looked up towards the mountain. Tayuya followed suit, and they both were just in time to see a flood of water heading towards them. It seemed as if some sort of incident had happened on the mountain Wendy and Fiona had gone to. The water was on a direct course for the capital, so Haruka and Tayuya would naturally be caught up in it as well.
But Water magic was something Haruka was good at. With a quick motion of her finger, the encroaching water all balled up in a single spot. On top of that, she activated Xgate. It swallowed all of the balled-up water. Haruka set the exit of the gate in another world but canceled the spell while the water was still traveling from one side to the other. By doing that, she'd trapped the clump of water in between dimensions, effectively exiling it. With that, the water would no longer be able to find its way out on its own. It would be forever trapped between Midgar and a different world.
This technique, the 'Subspace Seal,' was something born from abuse of the Xgate ability. Even those able to use Xgate wouldn't be able to use it unless they knew how Xgates worked inside and out. Even the Witch Princess probably wouldn't be able to copy this feat. In other words, this technique was almost something unique to Haruka.
"Hmph!"
A black wave flew from Tayuya's hand, blowing apart the water. The water, which should have dispersed into mana, reformed and continued on like nothing had happened. Tayuya understood what had happened at a single glance. She knew that the water was special, and that it would regenerate from mana even if you erased it.
Normally, magic that can't maintain its shape anymore simply ends and becomes mana again. For some reason, this one simply turns back into water even if you reduce it back to mana. Honestly, this should be impossible. It's as if the caster is nearby and just recasting the spell every time. But if it just reforms from the mana, then things are simple. I just need to use that mana before it turns back.
With her course of action decided, Tayuya used the surrounding mana to create an illusion of herself. She crafted a phantom of herself even larger than what she had made when she'd fought Sakura, and it was still getting bigger. Her phantom passed ten meters in height, then twenty meters, then thirty meters. Finally a demon large enough to touch the heavens descended upon Draupnir in all her sinister glory. The sky darkened, the clouds turned black, and lightning and thunder made themselves known. It was truly the manifestation of a demon lord. It was like a queen of demons had appeared to ruin Draupnir's peace and lead them to destruction and hell.
"A-a monsteeerrrrrr?!"
"S-save usss!"
Of course, the beastmen all panicked and scattered to the four winds in a bid to escape.
Looking down at the pitiful beastmen who were like specks to her, Tayuya laughed loudly with a voice that made the spirits of anyone hearing it creak with strain. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Foolish beastmen. Be afraid! Run! This is how you should be! HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
This woman's really excited about this, isn't she? Haruka thought. Oh well. She is a demon, after all. She just loves seeing people scared.
"Um… Tayuya? Our enemy isn't Draupnir, you know?"
"Mm? Oh. Right."
"As long as you know."
Having been corrected by Haruka, the giant demon scratched her head. Then, remembering her original objective, she looked off into the distance. There, Wendy and Fiona were fighting but having a bit of trouble. Get it together, Tayuya thought while moving to support them.
Her real body was still in its human form, but it was enveloped in her giant illusion and couldn't be seen from the outside. From the outside, it just looked like a demon large enough to reach the heavens had started advancing towards the sacred mountain.
At least, that was what Haruto, who was standing a ways away, thought. "Wh-what is that…?!"
"Th-that's… Yes, there's no doubt! That repulsive form… It has to be Demon Queen Tayuya of the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians! She is the most utterly evil of the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians and hates everything good and just!"
"Good and just…? N-no way!"
"Yes… What you're thinking is probably true. I'm sure she thinks of Wendy's brightness as an eyesore… I can only surmise that she's appeared here to kill that angel she probably hates!"
Mitokado's incredible misunderstanding caused Haruto's face to pale. In the back of his mind, he thought of a certain black-winged ruler. I see. If the master is a monster, then the subordinates will be the same. Haruto could definitely see that giant demon, who seemed like a final boss herself, serving under Naru. And the sight of Tayuya closing in on Wendy, with her shining white wings, totally looked like a great demon going to kill an angel.
The reality was the complete opposite. The demon and the angel were comrades. But who would've believed that?
The confusion and chaos only continued to accelerate, and a pillar of fire erupted from the mountain, revealing a giant monster that equaled Tayuya in size.
"MEEEEeEEEEEEeeeeEEEEEEEeeeeeEEEEEEEeeEEEEEEEHHHHhh hHH!"
It was a giant sheep wreathed in shining, rainbow-colored flame. It was one of the Heavenly Twelve Zodiac's Guardians, Fiona!
Teuchi, who recognized the form, turned ghastly pale, and his fingers started to shake. The only thought going through his head was, This sucks.
Behind her was the Goat. Before her was the Ram. The white-winged angel was completely trapped in a pincer. Anyone could easily tell she was dead. In reality, both the Goat and the Ram were Wendy's friends, but it would be unreasonable to expect anyone to realize that at first glance.
"Hey, Haruto, where do you think you're going?!"
"Where do you think ?! I'm going to save Wendy!"
Teuchi grabbed onto Haruto's wrist to try to stop him as he tried to run off. "Don't be stupid! What the hell do you think you can even do?!"
While trying to fight against Suigetsu would have been bad enough, the situation now was completely different. Teuchi understood very well the fearsomeness of the Heavenly Twelve Zodiac's Guardians, since he'd experienced it up close with Fiona. To him, they were monsters beyond human ken. When they were around, the words 'fight,' 'win,' or even 'lose,' didn't exist. They were just on a whole other level. The Twelve Zodiac Guardians were like mobile calamities. No person could actually fight them in the conventional sense of the word. Not only that, but there were two of them in the same place! There was no fighting that.
"Listen to me. Don't mistake bravery for recklessness. Taking on an impossible enemy with no plan is nothing but reckless. You're still immature, but someday you'll be so strong we won't even compare to you. Until then, you need to stay away from those monsters. Just bear with it right now."
Haruto bit his lip, frustrated at his own powerlessness. He couldn't just sit still and watch Wendy get killed, but he knew that there was nothing he could actually do.
Why am I so weak? Why am I so stupid? I don't have the ability to save even a single girl, and I don't have the smarts to figure a way out of this.
The boy's fists shook in frustration. The situation was only getting worse. Now a giant scorpion had appeared as well. Following that, a giant crab showed itself in the forest along with Penny the Goddess's Scales, the strongest golem in Midgar. That totaled five Guardians gathered. The Ram, the Goat, the Scorpion, the Crab, and the Scales were all here, and in the next moment, they all bowed deeply.
What's going on? Haruto strained his eyes. He could barely make out a figure in a orange robe in front of all the monsters. Just who could even control all these monsters?
As that thought ran through Haruto's mind, a strong gust of wind blew off the robe's hood. The figure turned out to be a golden haired woman whose hair resembles that of the tails of a majestic bird. There was no mistaking her. Haruto had only seen her once, but he would never forget her.
"Lunaru Fenris…"
Yes, the only one a bunch of monsters beyond human ken would obey was a monster even further removed from human ken than they were. Haruto shuddered and his lips trembled as the whole of Draupnir was shrouded in despair.
Mitokado even cried, "The world is over!" before fainting.