Kuro no Maou

That was before Lily returned to Crono and left for Caramara.

'---- So, how about that?　Does Shangri-La look like it can fly?

Yeah, we won't be able to fly in a hundred years in this place.

Looking up at the crashed ancient giant weapon, the Sky Battleship Shangri-La, which sat in Destiny Land, Lily was consulting with Simon.

The contents of the consultation were grandiose: could this flying battleship be flown again?

''Yes, I knew it wouldn't be possible here.

A cursory glance doesn't reveal any critically damaged areas, nor does it deteriorate over a thousand years of time. Maybe there's not just some conservation-friendly magic at work, but also an automatic repair function for the damaged areas.

'Ancient magic technology is really unimaginable,' Simon says, his eyes sparkling with romance.

'The hull is safe, but the vital power source is empty.

'If we're going to fly Shangri-La, I think we're going to have at least 10 percent.

The Sky Battleship Shangri-La operates by ether. It must be not just primary color magic power, but magic power with the properties of either the black magic power handled by Crono, or the white magic power emitted by the Apostle.

Lily got the Shangri-La here and immediately realized the need for the Aether, but there was no way to make it supplied satisfactorily.

Although this Distiney Land was part of a living ancient site, it was by no means a military facility. There was no such thing as a supply facility for a giant battleship.

Nevertheless, they scavenged for the best possible system of ether supply they could, restored it, and connected it to the Shangri-la to replenish it. The result was the partial restoration of the ship's internal functions and the restoration of the single secondary gun that had been unleashed with great fanfare against Fiona and the others.

At the time, the aether refueling had resulted in a 0.2% availability of the engine department.

Since then, it has continued to be replenished, but its operating rate has only just exceeded 0.3%. That, too, has been a downward trend in recent years in terms of the increase in numbers. In order to increase the utilization rate, Lily and Simon agreed that we needed to replenish the ether more rapidly and in larger quantities.

''Do you have any ideas on how to do that?

''The most realistic possibility would be to completely conquer ...... 'God's Annihilation Realm Avalon'.

Conquer the real castle. Even I would have a hard time doing that.

''But if the Demon King's Castle is built right above the Giant Dragon Hole, it should be able to secure an enormous amount of ether to supply Shangri-La with.

Pandora's most difficult dungeon, the rank 5 dungeon, the Divine Annihilation Realm Avalon, has never been conquered by a single player, let alone one who has ever set foot in the jet-black imperial castle that rises high in the center of the dungeon.

However, this was the imperial capital Avalon where the legendary Demon King Mia reigned. Its location was undoubtedly at the confluence of the earth vein, right above the Giant Dragon Hole. The huge flow of magic power flowing through the earth can be observed even today.

And in ancient times, when they built an immense magical civilization, they obtained an ample source of energy by utilizing the magical power of this earth vein. All the ancient ruins that are used even today, such as Sparda's war tower Pharos, can be used because they are built on top of the dragon pit.

''Yes, the Demon King's Castle would have reasonable facilities, and its functions are certainly alive and well. I think we can successfully pull the ether to this place a bit farther away.''

However, in order to do so, he would need to attack the God's Annihilation Realm in an unprecedented manner.

I'd like to refrain from taking on this challenge right now.

''Even so, we can still make a Homunculus, and it looks like we can use some weapon production equipment, so there's a lot we can do.

Yeah, I'll just do what I can for now. As for the ether supply, we'll just have to hold off on that until we can find a better outlet.

That's why Lily had also put off the complete restoration of the Sky Battle Ship Shangri-La.

However, she would have to face an emergency that would not allow her to do so, at the end of her long journey.

"The 'Peaceful Heart' aerial fortress. To be precise, it's a giant flying weapon in the form of an aircraft carrier called a 'sky carrier'.

Yes, Sariel said, pointing to the flying castle that the Eleventh Apostle Missa rode in.

At that time, in addition to the fact that he had his hands full dealing with the sudden attack of the apostles, the worst thing that could have happened was that Crono was missing, ...... When things settled down after a little while, Lily thought.

I didn't think there was someone who could fly an ancient flying weapon before me. That, too, the owner was one of the Apostles.

To oppose him, we have the same one here.

Lily was impatient ---- but when she got her hands on the original monolith of Karamara, everything was resolved.

How's ---- Shangri-la doing?

"Engine room: stable at 12% utilization.

We're at 9,000 feet, maintaining a speed of 500.

Every part of the system is normal.

Yeah, it's a nice flight.

Lily, with a pretty smile like a flower blooming, was now at an altitude of 9,000 meters in the air.

After how much time had passed, the Sky Battleship Shangri-La flew through the sky again.

Lily sits in the captain's seat in the form of a young girl, watching the crew of the homunculus, who are unafraid to carry out their duties in the far sky.

''Oh, um, Lily-san ...... is this really okay?　Do you think you'll fall off?

How many times have I told you that? I'm fine. I'm stable.

I'm not sure if it's possible for a ship this big to fly in the sky or if it's just common sense.

Even a monstrously large dragon can fly. Even ships can fly.

But, but, but," said Joseph, half-tearing and shivering, glancing out the window, reflecting the clear sky above the white clouds.

Joseph didn't know. Not that there was a ship that flew in the sky. That he was going to be carried on that flying ship.

The nations surrounding the Great Atlas Desert will form a coalition to attack us, and we will intercept them.

With this declaration, Joseph bravely came in front of Queen Lily, fully armed, believing that now was the time for him to fulfill his duties as Grand Duke of Kalamala to defend his lands.

And when Lily took me to the fifth level, she put me aboard an ancient battleship far larger than a large freighter ...... and we were forced to begin our air journey.

I didn't listen. Joseph wasn't told about any of it.

'Nah, how could this ...... happen?'

Oh, I hope you've finally calmed down enough to listen to what he has to say.

It's not that I'm not used to it. I'm just getting tired of being scared.

'May I ask ......?'

'Of course, I'll tell you. It's an important part of the defense of pandemonium.

That's the source of Lily's confidence, who didn't lose her composure at all when she heard that she was dealing with the largest fleet in history. If we limit ourselves to this great desert, it doesn't matter what kind of large army comes in, Pandemonium has absolute defensive strength.

I stumbled upon this Sky Battleship Shangri-la when I ran away from home all those years ago.

You ran away from home and found an ancient weapon ......?

It doesn't make sense from the first word, but if Lily runs away from home, it's not surprising that she would at least find an ancient weapon by accident. Joseph decided to agree with that for the moment.

'As you can see, the hull of the ship was in good preservation and safe, but there's no power to fly it, which is crucial. That's why, until now, it's only served as a production facility to build these kids ----.

It was also casually the first time he had heard of homunculus being produced on this ship. However, that's not the main point, so I won't go into details.

''There's a very spacious hangar on the fifth level of the Great Labyrinth. Undoubtedly, it's large enough to operate a sky warship. This place is fully equipped to operate the ancient weapons.

In the vast hangar discovered on the fifth level, not a single large ancient weapon such as the Sky Battleship or the Night Frame was left in the vast hangar. However, there was no doubt that those weapons were also available here at the time.

Even if it was empty, the fact that there was a hangar here was enough for Lily.

''And above all, there's an enormous amount of ether here that can be obtained from the Giant Dragon Hole.

The points where the original monoliths are located are all on giant dragon holes, especially in Caramara.

In other words, the aetheric replenishment that was not available in Distiney Land was finally possible in this place.

''Until now, most of the Aether was used as a force to open up the dimension for the Karamara God to enter this world, but ...... no longer is that evil god.

When Lily had just arrived in Caramara, the Temenigur monolith was the first to go to secure it. There, he figured out that the original was in the deepest part of the world, and yet an enormous amount of ether was being used for something.

The answer was the god Caramara, and since it was permanently banished by the Demon King Mia, all the ether that could be pumped out of the dragon pit began to travel to the Great Maze.

The infinite magical power of this planet that still continues to gush forth without dying is transformed into ether by passing through the energy facilities of the Great Labyrinth controlled by the Original Monolith, and then replenished to Shangri-la with the facilities in the hangar.

'The first thing I did after I got the Original Monolith was to restore the transfer function. This also went more smoothly than I thought it would, probably thanks to the absence of the Caramara God. But the best part for me was successfully 'summoning' Shangri-La here from Destiny Land.

There is no other way to transport the Shangri-la, a giant ship that has lost its navigational capabilities, to the edge of the continent than by using transference. Lily didn't think that she could conveniently imitate such a thing as moving the Shangri-la itself to the hangar of Karamara by transference.

But "convenient" also meant "what people want".

Wouldn't the ancient civilizations, who were at the peak of their magical technology, have considered the ability to recall their precious giant weapons back to their base just in case? They have the technology of shifting magic. No matter what kind of huge object it is, they will want to move it freely.

That's why the Sky Battleship Shangri-La had it. It had a summoning function called "Emergency Call.

The discovery of this function and the procedure for activating it. An emergency beacon is emitted from Shangri-La, which is detected in the Great Maze and set up as a return base. Linking the ship to the base through the geological vein and activating ---- It was a miracle of several fortunate miracles that we were able to get this far.

It's a concept that Lily wouldn't have come up with if she hadn't heard about the existence of SOS signals from Crono within a week of inheriting Xanadu's legacy and returning to the surface.

Even a fairy with the unbeatable communication ability of telepathy could not imagine what a highly developed information and communication society would be like. In this other world, there is not even a radio to allow a ship in distress to send out a simple SOS.

'It was very hard work, but this is how the effort paid off. The Shangri-la is once again in the air.

''The wisdom of Her Majesty, who has revived such a huge ancient weapon, is unparalleled, even by ancient sorcerers (Ancient Wizard).

After listening to the explanation seriously, Joseph was in awe and admired the feat. In fact, there is no one else who has revived and exercised the ancient power in such a visible way, leaving Lily behind.

'Not really. That's why I'm having such a hard time.''

However, I wondered if even this one Shangri-La would be too much of a defensive force for the Atlas Coalition, which has only a fleet of regular desert ships.

No, Shangri-La isn't your main mission to protect pandemonium.

There's more: ......

I'm afraid to ask any more questions, but it was Joseph who couldn't help but let his element leak out.

'The quicksand around the Great Desert is thanks to the goddess Atlas, right?

If the work of the Great Nature is the work of God, then the quicksand caused by the earth veins flowing in the Great Desert is exactly what it sounds like.

The blessing of the Golden Fertility Atlas will bring abundant fruit and water to this thirsty desert. Although you will never have the ability to control the quicksand, it is still believed that all the phenomena in the desert are caused by the Goddess Atlas.

'Yes, I think it's a very nice faith. But alas, it's not a dream or a romance, but the quicksand can be manipulated by man. The ancient people made it possible.

...... is a joke.

The Sky Battleship is still good. The giant steel ship is an ancient weapon, no matter what kind of mysterious performance it boasts.

However, it's hard to accept it when people talk so boldly about its ability to manipulate natural phenomena such as quicksand. If someone from a port city says that they have the ability to break the ocean, they would be met with a blank stare.

Joseph was born and raised in Kalamala. He has naturally believed that the currents of the Great Desert are at the whim of the Goddess Atlas.

'The Confederation Fleet was about to move forward in three pieces, so I combined them into one for the trouble. We've got Shangri-La flying, and I want to get this over with, so I'm speeding up the width and speed of the quicksand and bringing it straight to us.

"Well, you don't think ...... this strangely unnatural quicksand is manipulated by Lily to ......?

'The original monolith is a control device designed to interfere with the Dragon Hole. The transmutation is triggered by interfering with the ground vein and is somewhat easy to manipulate.

Someone should have asked the question in the first place. The natural formation of a convenient quicksand trade route between the middle of the desert and various locations.

Hundreds of years ago, believing the legends, they crossed the Great Desert and discovered the Great Maze. It was a historic feat of adventure.

But was it really just a mere coincidence that they came to the Great Labyrinth? Did they have the blessing of the Goddess Atlas?

Lily, no, Xanadu would have found out as well.

That the golden demon goddess Karamara, who had been seeking the desires of men, had used the functions of the original monolith to invite the people of the new age, who had forgotten the ancient times, to come to her.

The immense wealth produced by the Great Labyrinth and the huge trade routes that sell it outward. All of this was merely a stage set by the god Keramala to accelerate their desires.

But he didn't bother to tell Joseph, a pure Caramara man who believed it to be a blessing from Atlas.

'There's no point in having any great fleet if you can control quicksand. Because if you stop him in the middle of the Great Desert, he'll dry up on his own, won't he?

Does this war ...... mean that this war is not even a war in the first place?

'Yes, yes, exactly. This isn't a war anymore ---- it's just an exercise.

Lily was the only one who didn't want to fight Hana.

Flying Shangri-la. Manipulate the quicksand.

It's just practice to make sure it works.

Let's get some altitude down. "Lower the altitude, so that the ground-crawling Allied Fleet can see this Shangri-la clearly.

"Yes, my princess.

Apparently, they had already reached the point where the Allied fleet was.

Shangri-La slowly lost altitude and passed through the white clouds to see the land again, which was all the color of sand.

In that lonely land, the pitiful ships that didn't know they were just being carried around were rolling around, looking like a swarm of insects crawling around on the ground.

Lily then smiled and gave her orders to her loyal subordinates.

'Main gun, prepare to fire: ----'

A flash and a roar.

It was an explosion so huge that no one had ever seen or heard of it before.

The blinding brilliance and the blast and impact that shook even the robust large ships that were thrusting through the desert. Even Grand Admiral Shergail couldn't bear the great shaking and bent his knees on the spot.

A few seconds later, with the effects of the explosion finally subsiding, he stood up.

''...... na, what happened ......?''

I didn't ask anyone, just myself.

But the answer came into view on its own.

At the rear of the ship, a few kilometers or so away, a huge plume of smoke was rising from the haze. It is definitely the explosive center of the earlier big explosion and ---- the result of the attack unleashed from that flying battleship.

'Good day, ladies and gentlemen of the United Fleet. I am Lily, Queen of Pandemonium.

A girl's voice echoes through the air, as if pouring down from the heavens.

Shergail knew the name Lily and the name of her new country, Pandemonium. But deep down, he didn't have a shred of hope that she would reign as the reigning queen over Karamara.

She is an adventurer who has inherited Xanadu's legacy. He offered to distribute that inheritance, and only successfully incorporated it into the Xanadu conglomerate and other legislators. ...... That's the perception, and it was analyzed as such by everyone in the countries that heard the story.

But Shergail had to understand. The beautiful fairy girl who calls herself Lily really does rule the farthest desire city.

Because the new queen was thus displaying her overwhelming prowess to the invaders.

''I'm sorry to surprise you. This is an ancient weapon, a celestial battleship. As you can see, it can fly and is armed with a very powerful cannon. That's a warning. Next time, I'll put it right in the middle of your fleet.

"Stupid ...... idiot!　A flying battleship, oh, that's not even a fight if you have one: ......

I realized that what I believed to be an overwhelming advantage was a hopeless power differential.

That wasn't an illusion or a papier-mâché. Truly, an unknown, ancient superweapon is being resurrected.

We can't win. There was no way it could win. His fleet is only a weapon for dealing with the same desert ships, and he is neither prepared nor prepared to fight the flying giant ships in the sky.

'Surrender, you'll do it, won't you?

The pressure is indisputable.

But, however, is it okay to surrender without doing anything, Shergail ponders, betting on the responsibility and pride of being in charge of the Grand Fleet?

It is true that they will not be able to defeat the ancient weapon that is the Sky Battleship. But it would have to be challenged to a fight at least once to show it.

At the very least, beating the first normal fleet led by Zenongardt would give them room to extract concessions later, even if they were defeated.

'Shergail, you're not going to challenge that thing, are you?'

Bellany, reflected in the communication crystal, must have guessed it when she saw Shergail's face as if she had made up her mind.

Even the not-so-womanly lady was pale in the face of the majesty of the Sky Battle Ship. She doesn't seem to have the guts to challenge it.

I'm sure you'll find that the power of the sky battleship's guns is tremendous, but they can't fire continuously. Most importantly, it's too powerful, and if it becomes a melee, you won't be able to shoot it.

'I'd say it's quintessential to be able to analyze it that way after seeing that one huge shot. But even if you went in with all your might, one shot like that would blow up half the fleet.

I don't care. If we lose half our numbers, we'll still be able to beat their fleet. If we can just get close enough, we can win.

We can't drop Lily's sky battleships. But we can at least destroy the fleet on the ground and show them. Even if my body is fragile and scattered on the sand, as long as we achieve that much success, the reputation of the Jin Atlas Kingdom will be preserved. The rest can be left to the leadership of His Majesty the King.

---- Oh, dear, perhaps we've forgotten that we've stopped ourselves in our tracks?

It's a good thing that you're able to have a good time with your friends and family.

It's a good thing that you're a littlest bit of fairy telepathy that has interrupted our ship's communication.

That's quite a nice telepathic communication setup. But you'll be leaking your hand out to the elves. You need to take extra precautions.

As Lily giggles dainty laughs with a couscous and dainty smile, Shergail, who was on the verge of being prepared, gets a chill down her spine.

It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It's not just a matter of time before you find yourself in the middle of the night. I'm not blessed with the blessing of the goddess Atlas, but I can also control the quicksand ---- like this.

With an earth-shaking roar, the hull of the ship shook loudly again.

Unable to bear it, Shergail fell to his knees, no matter, and crawled straight to the floor. They all have their heads high in front of the Queen.

''Goooooooooh!　Hey, what's going on?!

I'm going in circles.

The interior of the ship is shaken by a massive shaking, as if it had been plunged into a giant sandstorm, and the ship is in a state of screaming. In the midst of all this, Lily's cool voice speaks to me.

The United Fleet is now being swallowed by a huge whirlpool of quicksand.

If I'm in the mood, I can submerge you into the sand vortex, or I can keep you there forever. As long as you're on board the ship, you won't even have a fight with me, the one who rules the Great Desert ---- when you find out, and I hope you'll surrender quickly.

''Oh, geez, you ...... can't be allowed to do this, this kind of ...... quicksand manipulation is only allowed to the Goddess Atlas ----.''

'Shergail!　Come on!　This fleet is as good as a mud ship now!　It's not about winning, if you defy that little fairy girl now, it's all over!

"Bellany, you ......

"We've been beaten from the start, you and I!　Admit it, decide, that's what you're supposed to do, Grand Admiral!

A reprimand, almost an angry voice. But that's why Shergail recovered from his shock and regained his senses.

That's right, I am the grand admiral who leads the United Atlas Fleet, the largest and strongest of all. The future of this fleet will be determined by my decision.

Therefore, the Grand Admiral makes his own decision.

"I speak to Her Majesty Queen Lily of Pandemonium. "I surrender to Her Majesty Queen Lily of Pandemonium. At least the lives of my soldiers will be spared ----.

"Wise decision, Grand Admiral Shergail. "Wise decision, Grand Admiral Shergail. Rest assured, I swear I won't treat you badly. Hmmm, welcome to pandemonium.