The Battleship Elpis.
Monsters, non-humans, demons. There are countless words people use to describe those who transcend the boundaries of humanity. These descriptions are often not about appearance, but about their extraordinary abilities. S-Rank Adventurers Kelvin and Silvia, and even the Beast King Leonhart, are like that. Compared to standard adventurers, their strength is beyond human comprehension.
However, Gordiana Pritiana, the S-Rank Adventurer Maizakura was currently confronting, far exceeded even that category. Not only her abilities, but also her appearance was vastly different from that of a human. Her steel-like body, which seemed on the verge of bursting, had expanded to four to five times its original size. Furthermore, her skin had turned bright pink. This was no longer a matter of the aura or energy emanating from her body. Her physical form was undeniably present, radiating a palpable sense of intimidation.
As her wings flapped, they created a powerful gust of wind. It wasn’t Maizakura who had spread the wings of a god on his back. Gordiana, in her transformed state, also possessed peach-colored wings, like those of an angel… no, a goddess. Her total of eight wings were so enormous that they completely hid her large back. They gave off a visual impression of immense strength and weight, making one mistakenly believe they could lift the giant Gordiana and enable her flight through their flapping. And the halo hovering above her head – what kind of joke was that? It was probably something no one present understood.
“Haha… ‘Is she really human?'”
“No, she’s superhuman ♡”
Gordiana replied in her usual deep voice, shaking her twin drills. Only her hair, which seemed woven with golden threads, retained its original color, making it blonde. It was rather unsettling.
“S-so big…! She was already over two meters tall, but now she has to be over ten meters!”
“Mhm, a new species of Giant Race.”
“Setsuna-chan, she’s an ally, so don’t try to cut her, okay? That’s a promise with me. Especially don’t use me to cut her.”
“I won’t!”
Just as Maizakura on the enemy side was bewildered, her allies were also considerably shaken. The only ones who remained calm were Gordiana and her comrade Serge, who had fought a fierce battle with her and given birth to this compassionate “Heavenly Bull – Final Form.” And Leon, her dear friend, who believed in Gordiana’s potential and harbored unwavering friendship for her, even in this form. Such was the impact that still dominated the scene.
“Well, well, it’s understandable that you’re so flustered. After all, this is the first time in the history of this world that such ultimate beauty has been manifested ♡”
“W-well, when you put it that way, it’s hard to respond. As a former hero, I have no idea what the appropriate words are.”
Gordiana, confident in her own beauty, could be described in a single word: a goddess of muscles. Her striking face and hairstyle remained unchanged, and her physique hadn’t altered much in form. It was just her size, color, and attire that were odd. It was only natural for Maizakura’s conscience to wrestle with whether he should honestly voice his thoughts. Setsuna, on the other hand, even felt pity for Maizakura, who had to confront such a being.
“Everyone, please step back a bit. I’m going to start fighting for real now ♡”
“And with that said, let’s get out of the way. Pritia-chan’s battle is about to start, so we’ll retreat~”
“Eh? W-wait a minute!”
“Emma, I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?”
As if entrusting everything to Gordiana, Serge forcefully ushered everyone back to where Leon was. Setsuna followed the instructions for the time being, Emma looked displeased, and Silvia was already distracted by something else.
“Now, I’ve kept you waiting quite a while, haven’t I? The prima donna of this stage is finally making her move. Will you do me the honor of being my opponent?”
“Of course, that’s what I’m here for.”
Now, he had to look up to meet Gordiana’s gaze. Maizakura gripped his greatsword anew, focusing his mind to resume the battle. However, the opponent he needed to face was no longer there. His vision was completely filled with pink, as if a wall of that color stood before him. And that analogy wasn’t far off.
From Setsuna’s distant perspective, Gordiana’s colossal body seemed to have “popped.” Gordiana wasn’t defeated; quite the opposite. Gordiana had initiated an attack. She had moved forward with such speed that afterimages blurred and remained in her place.
(So… fast…!)
What she did was a simple tackle with no finesse. Yet, Gordiana was simply fast. Her massive body moved with unbelievable speed, deceiving even Maizakura into thinking a pink wall had suddenly appeared. From her first step to maximum velocity, Gordiana, a bullet in wall form, unceremoniously sent Maizakura, who was defending with his greatsword, crashing deep into the wall of the Chamber of Selection with the impact. The next moment, the pink goddess descended before Maizakura, who had collided with the wall.
“Oni Retsu Ken – Kyoku!”
“—!”
What followed was a storm of blows from her two massive arms. Trapped between the wall and Gordiana’s pink fists, Maizakura responded with Will, but Gordiana’s attacks showed no signs of stopping. Even if her fists were about to be sliced by his greatsword, they regenerated instantly, returning to their complete state by the time the next fist descended. The speed of her consecutive blows, just like the tackle, was too fast for the eye to follow. Before he knew it, it was over, and another fist arrived faster than he could feel pain. Moreover, it seemed to be gradually increasing in speed, further intensifying the storm.
“Hmph!”
An uppercut, mixed within the barrage and capable of vaporizing a flying bird, accurately hit Maizakura’s chin. It shattered the wall and forcibly propelled him to the very top of the Chamber of Selection, embedding him in the ceiling. In this brief moment, less than ten seconds, everyone was simply overwhelmed.
“Did… did she win? Did she win…?”
“No, not yet ♡”
As if in response to Gordiana’s voice, Maizakura, embedded in the ceiling, began to descend at high speed. Spreading his wings of light and holding his greatsword directly below him, he unleashed thousands upon thousands of stardust and re-collided with Gordiana, who was taking an anti-air stance on the ground. At that moment, Maizakura’s greatsword, Will, had become less a sword and more a ball of light.
“I see, is that your trump card?”
Gordiana’s colossal body was bisected by Maizakura’s attack. From her right shoulder to her side, her arm and leg were severed. However, regeneration did not stop. The lost limbs were repaired in an instant, and by the time Maizakura spoke, she had fully recovered.
“…Even Kiraboshi can’t withstand it.”
“You also withstood my full-powered attack, didn’t you?”
“So, you’re saying our strength is equal?”
“No. In terms of raw power, even now, I’m still far behind you. The fact that you’re still so energetic after taking all that damage is proof enough. However, it seems you still can’t go all out, can you?”
“…I am serious.”
“No, you aren’t. Not at all. You’re unconsciously controlling yourself. I deduce… that if you carelessly use that power and damage the ship, it might interfere with Kelvin-chan and Kuromel-chan’s battle. You can’t let that happen. You don’t want to. Is that it?”
“……..”
“Does that silence mean yes? However, this won’t get us anywhere, will it? Neither of our attacks are getting through. As for me, continuing this dance indefinitely is an appealing prospect, though.”
In reality, it was different. The “Heavenly Bull – Final Form,” which possessed such immense compassion, had only a limited amount of time remaining. That’s why Gordiana intended to have someone else end this battle. And that plan had already been set in motion.
“Werewolf Integration Three-Sword Style, Shadow Wolf Mode. And activate— ‘Mockery’s Grasp’.”
Unbeknownst to others, Leon had stepped on Maizakura’s shadow.
