Published: September 10, 2025
※2018/11/13 Typo corrections made.
※This chapter is not from Satou’s perspective.
“Ugh, this is incredible.”
The Imperial Capital was struck by a violent earthquake.
Buildings wobbled like fragile clay sculptures.
“Rock ‘n’ roll~?”
“Warning: Danger is imminent.”
“Arisa, Tama-chan, Nana! Evacuate this way!”
Lulu, atop the floating turret, called out to her comrades.
Nana, carrying Arisa, jumped aboard, while Tama slithered deftly to secure a spot at the tip of the floating turret.
Surrounding houses began to collapse, tumbling toward the floating turret.
“We’re on board!”
“Got it!”
Upon hearing Arisa’s report, Lulu advanced the floating turret forward.
“Nana, please guard the floating turret. I’ll handle the Isolation Wall—”
“Instruction received and acknowledged.”
Small falling debris and dust clouds were blocked by Nana’s layered flexible shield roof, while large falling debris was deflected by Arisa’s spatial magic “Isolation Wall (Deraciner).”
“Is it collapsing~?”
“Disaster! The castle!”
Tama pointed ahead.
They saw the tower of the Imperial Castle, located at the center of the Imperial Capital, topple.
“Let me do some scouting.”
“Understood. Leave the large rubble to me and Tama-chan. Right, Tama-chan?”
“Aye.”
Lulu used the floating turret’s anti-aircraft gun to break apart large debris, while Tama blew it away using the wind release technique.
Normally, the wind release is a technique that raises dust clouds to blind pursuers, but surely Cat Ninja Tama’s exceptional skill made this possible.
◇
“E-earthquake?”
“There was never such a huge earthquake even when I was in Japan!”
Hero Seigi and Hero Yuuki screamed as they looked around.
The castle walls they stood on undulated, teetering on the brink of collapse.
――LYURURYUUU.
“Something’s coming.”
At the call of their riding dragon, Pochi nodded.
“Something?”
“Hmph, retreat.”
Mia gently tapped Liza’s foot, who murmured a question, then mounted Pochi’s back along with the white low-rank dragon Ryuryu.
“Ryuryu, take off.”
――LYURURYUUU.
Under Pochi’s command, the white dragon soared.
Liza leapt as well, grabbing onto the outstretched arm of the white dragon.
“Follow me.”
Mia’s voice was drowned out by the crashing noise of collapsing buildings, but it apparently reached the summoned pseudo-spirit Lesser Fenrir.
Lesser Fenrir nimbly hopped over the falling rubble, following closely behind Mia.
“You all fly too.”
Guided by Hikaru’s hand from the sky, Hero Seigi and Hero Yuuki remembered their Flying Boots and infused them with magic power.
As they took to the air, the castle walls collapsed, and several buildings within the grounds also tumbled down.
“Gah, the castle!”
Hero Seigi shouted loudly enough to rival the roar.
The central fortress sank into the dust cloud.
“Seigi, look! Beneath the ground!”
Hero Yuuki pointed toward a thick dust cloud, where a huge black humanoid shadow could be seen.
◇
“I-it’s shaking.”
“We have to run, run!”
“Has divine punishment descended again?”
“Stop that nonsense!”
“Indeed! In the Saga Empire, favored by God Parion, divine punishment is impossible!”
Ministers and servants staggered, unable to stand amid the intense shaking, collapsing to their knees or clutching nearby pillars or people in panic.
“Y-Your Majesty! Could the Imperial Capital’s power cause this earthquake—”
“Now that the Demon King is destroyed, the capital’s defense is secondary—”
Midway through his aide’s words, a strong vertical tremor shook.
People were lifted off the floor and then slammed back down, screaming.
The only exceptions were the Emperor and his aides protected by the throne, and knights holding onto pillars.
“W-what’s—”
Before the Emperor could use the City Core to grasp the situation, the floor plunged vertically.
Amid violent shaking, the floor sank so fast it felt like free fall, prompting disgrace-free screams from those in the audience chamber.