Chapter 33 – Aigokeros Used Supersonic!

Chapter 33 – Aigokeros Used Supersonic!

Raw link: http://ncode.syosetu.com/n2211cx/34/ (2015/12/06)

Translator: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2018/12/07)

Editor 1: Hands of Vecna / Vecna (2018/12/12)

Editor 2: Kei (2020/08/04)

Translation link: https://twomorefreethoughts.wordpress.com/awlba-c033/

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All of a sudden, the white side of the city was showered by bullets made of wind, destroying many houses in the process.

Many were either injured by the bullets or crushed by the buildings collapsing onto them.

The White Town, which should have been peaceful, was instantly enveloped by confusion and fear, plunging the place into turmoil.

 

“It’s an attack!! The people from the Black Town have started attacking us!”

 

Jupiter, who had donned the appearance of a humanoid, started spreading false information in the area.

It was a given that the attack itself had been conducted by him. However, nobody there knew that.

They were already distrustful to begin with, so it was normal for them to think that even this attack had been instigated by the Black Town.

But even though the attack alone was already enough, as if to follow up on it, a voice repeatedly rang inside everyone’s head.

 

“Kill.”

 

Just listening to that voice was enough to peel away at people’s sanity. It was a devilish voice which permeated into one’s very rationality.

That sound created a sense of discomfort that was many tens of times worse than the sound of scraping glass with a nail, yet it rocked the hearts of everyone there.

 

“Kill Them If You Detest Them”

 

In that instant, for the briefest of a moment, they glimpsed the embodiment of a devil.

It had the head of a goat and the body of a human, and bat wings protruded from its back. It was truly as if a drawing of a devil from a myth had come to life and appeared, like a shadow.

That shadow talked to them, bringing forth the hatred within themselves.

 

“Kill Them”

 

All sanity disappeared from the eyes of the people.

A sudden attack, confusion, fear. And incitement.

On top of that, as if to add fuel to the fire, the devil called, enticing them.

The call of the devil spurred the Flugels’ desire to discriminate against the other side, which had been barely held in check until now. People began to take hold of weapons with their hands.

 

“Kill them.”

“Kill them!”

“Banish them!”

 

Taken in by madness, the descendants of the angels were screaming as they proceeded in rank.

Regardless of age or gender, even if they were young children, they spewed hateful words and joined the ranks of the others.

No longer did reason act as a break for them.

 

“The guys from the White Town are coming to attack us! They’re trying to massacre us!”

 

The Black Town was in an uproar.

They had known from the start that the White Town hated them and was trying to get rid of them, but they had remained optimistic.

They were the original inhabitants of this country, and their king said that he had built this country for them.

That was why they had believed that it was going to be fine.

On the other hand, there were those who believed that something like this happening was a matter of course.

The man with the darkish red wings that Ruphas had met was one of them.

 

See? Look at him, that fence-sitting opportunist of a king doesn’t deserve any respect.

To begin with, it was none other than him who struck down Ruphas 200 years ago and turned our lives into a living hell.

In the end, he’s with the White Wings Supremacists. He’s no different from the others. He’s just a man who belittles us.

 

“Snatch It Away From Them.”

 

At that moment, a voice echoed.

In a flash, all sanity melted away. The call of a devil brought forth a raging madness to the surface.

The call ran through the Black Town, amplifying their hatred.

 

“Snatch It From Them Before They Take It Away.”

 

I don’t want them to take it away from me.

 

That was what everyone was thinking. It was an exceedingly natural train of thought.

They were the victims whose things had been snatched away.

This whole time, up until now…

They were being oppressed.

They were being discriminated against merely because they had different coloured wings. Because of that, they did not have a place they could call home.

Finally, they had seen in Ruphas the appearance of the ruler they had been dreaming of. But Merak struck that ruler down, returning them back into oppression.

Would everything they had be taken away again? Would they have to go through that all over again?

 

“…. I’ll take it from them.”

 

Someone cursed out loud.

 

“As if we’re going to let them take it away from us! This time, we’ll be the ones doing the taking!”

 

Another person who had become delirious shouted.

 

“I’m fed up already, we’ve had enough! Why are we the ones who always have to put up with this!?”

“That’s right, it’s just unfair!”

“Pick up your weapons! We’ll teach them what it feels like to have everything taken away from you! Who cares about the King! We’ll take this country away from them and make it ours!”

 

Governed by their murderous impulses, the descendents of the angels shouted left and right as they proceeded in a group.

Gender and age were irrelevant. If you did not protect yourself, you would not be protected. If you did not take, it would be taken from you.

They no longer had any dreams of peace. There was only a few hundred years’ worth of accumulated resentment and hatred.

 

*

 

… This ain’t good.

 

I was flying at an altitude that only high-level flugels could reach. As I overlooked the country of Gjallarhorn, I was at a loss.

 

No, um. Maybe I should say it’s finally started.

 

Someone’s attack on the White Town had served as the impetus for them to start rampaging, and in response to that, the Black Town had also started rampaging.

 

Well… in all likelihood, it’s probably the work of that demon called Jupiter.

 

I felt that the timing for it was too convenient. It seemed as if he had known exactly when Libra would be gone and made sure to act within that time frame.

However I thought about it, it did not seem to be his work alone.

From what I had observed, it looked like everyone in the country was affected by the [Madness] status.

The [Madness] status signified that a person was debuffed, such that they have lost all reason and are governed by anger. In exchange, the affected person’s attack power multiplies and they become unable to use anything other than basic attacks.[1]

However, as far as I was aware, there was no skill in existence under the [Wind] attribute which might inflict the [Madness] debuff on an area as large as this.

Thus, this magic was of the [Moon] attribute rather than [Wind].

But it should not have been possible for Jupiter to cast a skill like this, as he seemed to be of the Wind attribute.

 

Maybe, it’s that… Perhaps the Seven Luminaries’s [Moon] also came.

 

In any case, I should go down and ask for Aries’s opinion.

I descended towards the ground and entered the inn where Aries was through the window.

When I came in, I saw Aries making a difficult face while lost in thought.

 

“Oi, Aries?”

“Hiiee!?”

 

When I called his name, he jumped up in surprise. He must have been deeply lost in thought.

He really was carefree if he was able to daydream like this during a time of great turmoil.

Or maybe I should say, “As expected of a sheep.”

 

“Why are you acting so surprised? I’ve had a look around from above, but everyone has the Madness debuff. It looks like, other than the demon called Jupiter, there’s someone else who wants to crush this country.”

“Is that… so.”

“I’ve decided to look for that demon for now, what about you?”

“… Before I say anything, Ruphas-sama, may I ask a question?”

 

While I was thinking about what to do from now on, Aries looked at me with a meek face.

It seemed like a face that was worrying about something.

I thought that I should at least hear what he wanted to say, so I replied with “No problem”.

 

“It’s fine, speak.”

“Thank you very much. Umm, so… if, amongst the ones causing this disturbance, there was someone from the Twelve Heavenly Stars… If it were you, Ruphas-sama, what would you do? Also, keep in mind that they acted this way because of their loyalty towards you.”

“Of course, I’ll stop them even if I have to punch them. And then I will reward them afterwards. I’m happy that they’re being loyal, but I don’t desire for this country to perish.”

 

I did not know what this question meant… no, could it be that one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars were involved in this somehow?

After I answered him for now, it was as if Aries had suddenly made up his mind. He had a refreshed look on his face.

 

Hmm? It really seems like the one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars is involved?

 

“Thank you very much, Ruphas-sama. Now it’s clear what I have to do.”

“Oi, wait, Aries. You can’t be…”

“It’s fine, please leave it to me! I’ll go and stop it!”

 

After saying that brightly, Aries jumped out without waiting for me to speak.

 

Ah, it definitely looks like one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars is involved.

 

I quickly chased after him, but due to some rampaging flugels getting in the way, I couldn’t tell which direction he went.

In the end, I ended up completely losing him.

 

“… tsk, good grief, always causing trouble for me!”

 

Although he was like that, amongst the Twelve Heavenly Stars, Aries was on the weaker side.

If I were to put things bluntly, if the Twelve Heavenly Stars fought each other, he would lose against the majority of them.

If it were Libra, she would be able to win against half of them, so there would not be much to worry about (if anything, we would have to worry about the enemy). However, Aries was different.

If the enemy were someone like Leon of the [Lion], it would be a checkmate without a doubt. Even if it were someone else, Aries would still be on the losing side most of the time.

And this time, the enemy would be a member of the Twelve Heavenly Stars which was capable of causing the Madness status debuff… Aigokeros, huh.

By comparison, it was not as bad, but it was still too much for Aries.

 

“Aries, don’t be hasty!”

 

The matter about the country would have to wait.

I felt bad for Merak, but the matter of my subordinates was of a higher priority for me.

 

*

 

Chaos and turmoil.

Jupiter was laughing with satisfaction in mid-air whilst looking down on the country that was being driven into insanity.

Mid-way, there was an accident involving Ruphas Mafahl visiting the country. However, it still somehow ended up going well.

With this, the country was over.

Following this, Aigokeros would continue to incite the people of this country, causing them to kill each other.

It was a shame that Merak could not be killed, but Jupiter could do that next time when he had the opportunity.

Either way, Merak would now be a naked king. There was no doubt that there would be a lot of chances to kill him from now on.

Not to mention, there was still a hope that Aigokeros would just go on and kill Merak himself.

He was one of the pillars of the Twelve Heavenly Stars after all… He was more than enough to kill the currently weakened Merak.

 

“Either way, my job here is done. Well then, I’ll quickly take my leave before that piece of junk comes ba –”

“—You were going to run away before who returned?”

“!!?”

 

As he heard a voice from behind, Jupiter took a battle stance.

He did not mishear it. There was no way that he would have.

That was because it was the voice of that existence. The enemy that he currently feared the most, and the one opponent that he dreaded to encounter.

What he saw when he turned around was exactly what he expected he would see, but had hoped that he wouldn’t. It was the sight of a young girl who was dressed as a maid.

One of the pillars of the Twelve Stars who served the Supreme Ruler Ruphas, the one with the most destructive abilities, representing the Scales.

—The Tyrannical Twelve Heavenly Stars, Libra of the [Scales].[2]

 

“Wh, What….!?”

 

Why was she back here?

He barely managed to push that question back down his throat.

According to the plan, this golem was not supposed to be back for 20 minutes.

It was true that he had spent some time moving to the area and inciting the people. However, there should have still been some time left.

Nevertheless, she was here right now.

Therefore, there was only one thing he could think of, only one conclusion that he could reach.

 

Venus, that bitch f*****g screwed up…!

 

Either her identity had been discovered or there were some unforeseen circumstances.

He did not know what the reason was.

But what he did know was that this plan was going to fail completely.

Yet again, he had an unfortunate encounter with this psychotic maid.

 

“Demon Jupiter of the Seven Luminaries. Your fighting habits, data, and attributes from the last fight have all been analysed. Should you continue being hostile, the probability of you winning is a mere 0.02%… I strongly recommend that you surrender. Should you refuse, I would like to inform you that the probability of you losing some of your limbs in the process is 48%.”

 

Additionally, there was this.

Once this golem fought something at least once, she analysed their habits and weaknesses, and applied it to subsequent fights.

In other words, once you have fought with her even once, you would be unable to use the same strategies and skills against her again.

No, in practice, you could use it again, but she would have prepared a way to counter it.

The attribute matchup was the worst possible. The difference in level was also evident. On top of that, she had analysed the previous fight.

This situation was the worst case scenario for Jupiter.

 

“F********** yoooooooooouuuuuuuuuu!!”

 

Jupiter accelerated using his wind magic, drawing an erratic route through the air.

This method of flight, which used wind that he freely controlled, had once led even Libra by the nose.

However, as if Libra understood his movements, she looked towards the direction where Jupiter was planning to head.

 

“I have already seen this before.”

 

Jupiter saw a ray of light right before his shoulder was suddenly pierced.

 

“Gaa!?”

“Target enemy’s attack power decreased by 15%. Due to the pain, target’s reaction speed decreased by 20%. Continuing the attack.”

 

Libra followed up with another attack on Jupiter, who was groaning in pain.

Taking out a machine gun from who-knows-where, she fired repeatedly!

Jupiter dodged in the spur of the moment. However, the bullets which he had avoided started homing in on him.

 

“Nnnaaa!?”

“These are homing bullets that have been prepared by Master. You will not be getting away from me.”

 

The bullets were chasing him at high speed.

That alone was fine. There was a higher job class of Archer called [Gunner], which had the ability to use homing bullets. In this day and age, although they were rare, they still existed.

However, as the crafter was that Supreme Ruler and the user was a member of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, there was just too much of a difference in the speed, precision, power and range to compare it to the average run-of-the-mill Gunner.

The bullets skimmed his clothing, hit his arms and legs, and stole his ability to continue fighting.

Notwithstanding that, he made a split-second decision to don wind over his whole body, creating a tornado that managed to repel all of the bullets.

A moment of relief – was shattered right away as he saw Libra jump in from above the tornado, causing him to freeze up.

“That move has also been predicted.”

 

Literally Iron Fist.[3]

Strong arms, made out of steel, swang down on him.

He blew his own body away with the wind at that moment, and the fist only lightly grazed his cheek.

… It was a light graze, or it should have been.

However, right afterwards, Jupiter was sent “flying” towards the ground like a falling star.

A tremendous impact and pain ran through his cheek, and he was sent flying into and smashing past several buildings, yet he was unable to stop until he had blown through the ground for many tens of meters. Once he finally stopped, he unsightly collapsed onto the ground.

He should have avoided a direct hit.

It was supposed to have been a light graze.

And yet, this power. This damage.

Jupiter turned green and imagined the worst case scenario for him. 

… If he had been hit directly, his head would have “burst”.

 

“I will advise you again. With that one attack, your reaction speed has decreased by 11%, and the current probability of you winning has changed to 0.00072%. I strongly recommend that you cease to resist further and surrender.”

 

It was a pronouncement that was devoid of any leniency, compassion or any form of anger or emotion that may have been directed at an enemy.

Yet currently for Jupiter, it was something that was more terrifying than anything else in the world.

 

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(Author Note)

 

Stop! If Jupiter gets captured due to Libra’s tracking skill, the civil war that is about to go well will be ruined!

Please don’t get captured, Jupiter! If you get captured now, what will happen to the plan to crush Gjallarhorn? There’s still some HP left. If you can endure this, you can get away from Libra!

Next time, “Jupiter is captured”. Everyone will also ___kemon get!

 

(Author Note end)

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[1] In MMO, buffs and debuffs are status changes that can affect a character or NPC’s original status. Buffs are positive, debuffs are negative. Buffs and debuffs can be cast on players, allies or enemies. And a “basic attack” (aka auto attack, normal attack, etc) is the attack a player usually possesses at the start of the game. It’s not considered a skill and often does minimal damage. It’s used as a filler for when all of their skills are unable to be used or the player is just lazy or overpowered. E.g. a normal attack for a swordsman/mage may be the swinging motion of their sword/staff respectively.

[2] Here, the author used the full “覇道十二星天” as compared to the usual “十二星天”. C.f. One Piece’s Shichibukai (七武海) usually used vs full title Oka Shichibukai (王下七武海).

[3] A play on the word, the raw is “文字通りの鉄拳” where “鉄拳” means clenched fist but the literal meaning is Iron Fist, and Libra is a golem made out of metal, so it is literally an “iron fist”. It’s pronounced “tekken”, which is most likely to be a reference.

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