While they had needed to stop for snow sprites twice since heading out early that morning, Alcanretia was supposed to be coming into view soon.
The closer they got to the city, the more Aqua had gone on about how majestic it was. Kazuma had only sighed and let her ramble on – if she was distracted with talking, she wasn't causing much trouble.
And boy had she gone on. The buildings topped with a rainbow of blue-hues, from the darkest navy to the lightest periwinkles, that covered the homes, businesses, churches, and more that had been built up over the centuries; the labyrinthine waterways that wove throughout the city providing clean, fresh spring water to any Axis Cultist who wanted some and providing a means of transportation for all; the sparkling white cliffs that surrounded her city; the pristine lake the city was built on that were fed by mountain water and reflected the beauty of the city's Goddess; the teeming billions that followed her religion and called the city home.
She swore they would have their breaths stolen by the view.
When they went through the tunnel carved into one of the cliffs that surrounded the city, they broke out into the light and had their breaths were indeed taken away by the sight before them.
Kazuma had known Aqua was obviously upselling her city – she couldn't help her lying. He hadn't, however, expected her to be lying so much.
They rode across a great bridge across the water – undoubtedly constructed to display the full majesty of the city as you rode in.
Kazuma couldn't find that majesty.
The blue-topped roofs she'd been bragging about were unevenly stained various shades of black, gray, and purple. The shores of the lake, or those that weren't frozen closer to the city, seemed to be stained purple and black as well, staining the white-tan sands. They could charitably be called interesting, but Kazuma didn't think anyone would want to swim or relax anywhere near them – he certainly didn't. Parts of the white cliffs also seemed to be stained by plumes rising out of the city – instead of steam, it appeared to be closer to smog. The trees that she could see on top of those cliffs also seemed to be suffering and dying.
He couldn't imagine the waterways within the city were doing much better than the lakeside he'd seen.
He turned to Aqua to remark about the disconnect…
He blinked in shock. It looked like she was actually about to cry – and not with her usual crocodile tears, either. She looked genuinely upset at the state of 'her' city.
"Aqua?" he asked. Her gaze snapped to him, and he was surprised again.
Rage. Aqua was really mad. She often got upset about things, but she usually quickly forgot whatever it was she was upset about once it wasn't a concern anymore.
"What the hell happened to my city?" she ground out.
"Hmm? Oh, you didn't know? I thought it was weird that you were talking about the hot springs…" asked the driver of their current cart. Aqua whipped her head towards him, and he shrank away from her furious gaze and the killing intent she was giving off.
"Eh… it used to be how you described it, but it's been losing its spring-like qualities for a while now. There was a scare about Tokoroten slime a while ago, but now, the spring water can't be bathed in," he explained.
As he did, Aqua seemed to grow more and more upset. "Now, most people can't go into the water without dying a painful death. It's all completely poisonous!" he exclaimed.
He shrugged. "Of course, you know how those Axis Cultists are. Crafty to a fault! The groundwater wasn't hurt as badly as the spring was, so the Priests can just purify the water they get out of the ground and the lake. And anyway, the poison is actually a lot more valuable than the spring water ever was. It's super useful against anything you want dead, from pests to monsters."
"So… they don't have hot springs anymore?" Kazuma asked. The man shook his head. "Afraid not."
He cried out in dismay – that had been half the reason he'd wanted to come! He wanted to perve on all the girls coming with him and soothe his body after his experience with death!
He sighed. So, this trip was for nothing then?
He glanced at Aqua, who seemed to be in denial. Well, hopefully they could figure out why Aqua was changing – it must have had something to do with the city after all – and get her back to her normal self. Then, it would be on to Megumin's village…
He sighed. And he'd been looking forward to the hot springs too…
"Nothing would be worse than turning into a Dark Goddess…" Aqua muttered to herself. Kazuma just raised an eyebrow at her – when would she learn not to raise flags like that?
-OxOxO-
As they disembarked from the caravan – with Tanya taking the chance to help Viktoriya down, take hold of her hand, and not let go – Tanya was surprised to find that Aqua seemed to be very, genuinely, angry about something.
Tanya was then given a long spiel about the grandeur of the city being undone recently and that she had to fix it that instant. Tanya merely raised an eyebrow at the woman's caregiver.
He shrugged. "Uh… I've got a few hotel vouchers because Aqua helped with the Zombies last night. Do you want to check in there first?"
She nodded. "I'll take care of it. The sooner we get this over with, the better," she said-
"Welcome to Alcanretia! Are you here for sightseeing? To join the cult? To adventure? For baptism? If you're looking for a job, please come to the Axis Cult! We have an opening right now to explain how wonderful the Axis Cult is. We are offering some very attractive compensation right now. If you take this job, you'll get the privilege of calling yourself an Axis cultist! Come, come, come, join us!"
Tanya was startled out of her thoughts as she was nearly assaulted by a crowd of people. She raised an eyebrow. "No thank you-"
"Come on, what is it that you desire? Money? Power? Sex?" she flinched at the last one-
An old lady with sagging tanned skin stepped forward and continued to try and sell her on the cult. "Ah, fret not, young one! If it is an older man you desire, the Archpriest here is known by this phrase: as long as there is a hole, even an orc is fine."
Tanya blinked slowly, half-astounded by the woman's audacity and half-enraged with enough potency to ensure she transcended any outward expression of her anger.
For now.
The hand locked with her own squeezed, and Tanya was reminded about what was at stake and about the presence of Viktoriya which calmed her slightly.
Finally, she turned to Aqua, blocking out whatever else the old woman had been saying. "I'll kill them if I have to stay here for too long." She had said it quite clearly, so there was no way both she and her handler hadn't heard it. She was only half-lying too.
Something about the crowd felt… off. She could detect just the slightest edge of malice in their words, and she could feel the barest hints of killing intent. It was… disconcerting, to say the least.
While the crowd did not understand what she had said, Aqua certainly had. Her anger seemed to smolder for a moment. Kazuma told her not to announce herself as the goddess of the Axis Cult, which she seemed to know already. Tanya found it astounding.
Aqua was going to go to the headquarters and Megumin would tagalong to watch over her, Kazuma and Darkness were going to go sightseeing, while Tanya, Viktoriya, and Lorelei were going to hide out in the hotel.
Hopefully, this would be over quickly and they could move on and go somewhere Tanya actually wanted to be.
-OxOxO-
Kazuma glanced to his side as the rest of his friends, as well as some other people he supposed could charitably be called comrades-in-arms, all went in different directions.
He glanced to his other side. "It's not really what we're here for, but since the hot springs are broken, I'm going sightseeing. What about you?" he asked the blonde-haired woman who had more than a cutting board for a chest.
She shrugged nonchalantly. "I suppose I shall come with you. I don't know cities other than Axel well," she said. He shrugged right back at her.
As he'd expected of a tourist city, the shops trying to attract the attention of passersby seemed to be fighting a war over getting customers.
And, while one might have expected the city to be lacking tourists without its main draw…
"Take a look at this! Weak poisons, made for keeping out infestations of vermin! Simply place a few drops onto some bait and watch them drop like flies!"
"This One-Hit-Kill Bear was found dead earlier today by adventurers! Bidding on its pelt and claws begins soon! Don't waste this opportunity!"
"Coat your blade in this, and any enemy you face is sure to die a painful death! Or try this poison if you wish upon your enemies a swift end!"
…well, the lack of hot springs didn't seem to be damaging the spirit of those who lived here all that much.
At one point, they ran into an Elf and a Dwarf, and the pair began to quarrel over who he wanted to buy food from. It had seemed like such a fantastical experience in this stupid world with magical girls wielding guns and Goddesses who couldn't do anything useful…
Only for their quarrel to later be revealed as a farce they put on for tourists. He'd only wanted to ask about tourist spots to visit, and the whole experience had been ruined.
They'd told him that the cliffs were good for hiking, but that with the hot springs gone, he couldn't really expect much unless he went out adventuring, although they'd also claimed that a lot of monsters in the area were becoming much rarer.
He sighed and decided to stop reminiscing. He'd just get more depressed…
He looked up to find that Darkness was eyeing one of the stalls selling poison-
He shook his head slowly. "No. Do you even have any poison resistance?" he asked.
"I don't know. I might have some from my heritage… Kazuma, don't you think it would be a good idea to test it here? What if we're in a battle and we don't know if I can take on a poisonous monster? Why risk-"
As she rambled on, he looked at the stall-
He blanched. "No, you dumbass Lewdsader! That poison is supposed to be enough to kill something the size of a horse!" he shouted. He wasn't going to bet against these people lying as much as Aqua, of course, but he wasn't going to-
His gaze was stolen by a woman who had dropped her groceries. He stood to help her and muttered threats if Darkness made them look off. Helping the woman made him feel good…
Until she tried to get them to talk about converting to the Axis Cult. And then she tackled him and talked about fortune telling, and then, with a small unassuming necklace, Darkness revealed her religious affiliation-
Pitoh!
The woman walked away quickly, while Darkness stood there. Kazuma sighed.
"Hey Darkness, um… How should I put this? The Axis and Eris Cults seem to be on bad terms, so keep that amulet hidden… And don't take this matter to heart…"
He consoled Darkness who just stood there stiffly.
Kazuma raised an eyebrow towards her back. She wasn't…
"Could it be that you're enjoying this?" he asked sarcastically.
"No…" she said, trailing off, only to mutter under her breath, "To be spat on like a mongrel begging for scraps… and what's this burning I feel?" she said, swooning on the spot.
Kazuma said derisively, "It's probably your blood rushing to your face, you degenerate-"
"No, really… I think her spit is burning me."
Kazuma blinked and looked at her as she turned around. The spit that had landed on her face was indeed causing what looked like a rash.
Kazuma looked around, his gaze lingering on the dark, polluted waterways, and shivered. He'd complained about Aqua's water tasting horrible, but this was…
"That can't be healthy. Maybe we should go see what Aqua's up to?"
Strolling through the streets looking for the headquarters of the Axis Cult, he and Darkness eventually came upon a man being accosted by two others. They tried to get them to join the Cult-
Taking out her amulet when they started to badmouth Eris, Darkness said, "As you can see, I'm a follower of Eris. Defaming Eris-sama as a dark goddess before me is–"
They spit on her and turned to leave… only to turn around again.
"Hey, be careful what you eat. This is the City of Poison, don't you know?" the burliest of the men said while taking some dark flasks out of his belt. "We thought it was a curse for not being pious enough," he began, turning the flask over in his hand, "but the wealth we've gained shows that we're favored by Aqua. It'd be a shame if some poison from this city found its way into your food."
Kazuma just nodded and pushed Darkness along before she could offer to taste test their finest poisons or some other bullshit. The eventually found a cafe to sit down in and get some food.
Time and time again, people tried their hardest to get them to join by offering incentives, pretending to know them, and other cowardly tricks that modern Japan had prepared him for… only to be taken aback when they started to make off-hand remarks about how much poison was in the city.
"… What's with this city, or rather – what's wrong with the Axis Cult?" he complained.
Of course, if he were honest, it wasn't just this city. The girl sitting across from him looking at the dog bowl with dog food covered in poison in it while blushing heavily was obviously a bit bent in the head, as were a lot of the people he met. Except Eris… but he didn't really know her that well, and he wasn't going to assume she was sane when everyone else seemed to be crazy.
"And you, dear customer? Your friend has openly displayed her affiliation, but what about you?"
"I think that the," fake, lying, "Goddess Aqua is quite good," at spending my money, "and that all should praise her," for being the biggest pain-in-the-ass in the history of the world.
The woman smiled, her earrings twinkling, and gave him his plate of food, and he just sighed and refused Darkness's request that they stay in the town forever.
Darkness pushed away her plate. "Good thing Tanya isn't here. Can you imagine how they'd treat her? At least I think Aqua is a Goddess" she said. Kazuma nodded-
"And who is this Tanya, Eris worshiper?" asked the waitress who'd somehow come right back without him noticing. Had she used Lurk?
Kazuma talked quickly. "Uh, just a friend of ours." He said this while lying through his teeth, of course.
No, while these people might kill him if he didn't pay lip service, it always felt like Tanya would have absolutely no problem with killing him, and getting her kicked out of town or forced to listen to the Axis Cultists or attacked because of him or Darkness might set her off.
Not that he blamed her for having a short fuse, if half of what he knew of her had actually happened.
The woman peered down at them, for a moment, and then turned on her heel and left.
Kazuma shook his head again. They really needed to find Aqua and fix whatever was wrong with the town.
-OxOxO-
Mitsurugi stood on a plain outside of the town, ahead of where the traps were being made.
Fio and Clemea stood nearby – although Fio had a blunt weapon, as suggested by the guild staff in case they made it onto the golem, Clemea was armed with a javelin with a rope tied to the back end, just in case they got the change to climb the golem – ready to retreat to aid the main body of adventurers.
As it was, Mitsurugi was standing in the front, praying that the Cursed Sword Gram could make a dent in the 'golem' – it was really a giant machine, based on what he'd heard in his years since arriving in this world – before it sped past him.
"I know what you've said in the past, but, are you sure you can't let one of them try me on?" pleaded Aigis for what felt like the thousandth time. He resisted the urge to cuss out Aigis again – the armor still didn't know that Mitsurugi wasn't a foppish pretty boy.
His patience was growing thinner by the day – Aigis had even noticed at one point – and he prayed for the health of whoever had been stuck with it the first time for putting up with it for however long he'd had it before his second death.
Mitsurugi had even let Aigis roam around on his own at times, though he was wary it would do something that Mitsurugi would have to clean up if he let him out of his sight for too long.
His teammates, too, were growing tired of the armor, though they'd had no qualms about telling him they wanted it gone once he took down Degurechaff. They were getting quite antsy about that, actually, which he found odd. They'd told him about some unsubstantiated rumors they'd heard, but he didn't care to remember at the moment. He wouldn't be swayed.
And with Degurechaff gone, he'd have to endure the armor all the longer. Why had she chosen to leave now, of all times? Along with Lady Aqua?
He sighed unhappily. At least if she were here, she could dispel the barrier with a wave of her hand and then allow that famous shopkeeper to destroy the rest. As it was, they were going to have to rely on what had sounded suspiciously like an artillery gun or a cannon to take down the Mobile Fortress Destroyer.
He heard shouting behind him and turned to face the town. Yes, it was being dragged outside of the walls and around the other attempts being constructed to try and stop the golem – barriers and traps, no matter how ineffective, as well as a few earthen golems made by some Creators.
In contrast to the town, he grimaced when he looked at the artillery piece. What had that demon been constructing such a machine for? If she'd known such a threat were heading for the town, would she have fled without taking more with her?
And if this hadn't been made to beat the Mobile Fortress Destroyer, who was she planning on using it on? The Demon King, or the people of Axel? The entire world?
He spun back around, readying the Cursed Sword Gram. Thanks to Aigis, he could put everything he had into his attacks without worrying about either defense or what would happen if he ran out of energy.
"I'm counting on you, Aigis," he muttered to the armor. It scoffed, moving on its own for a moment and rolling its shoulders. "But of course."
He took another breath as he saw the thing begin approaching over the horizon. He knew that whatever malice he imagined it was feeling was in his head, and that he was only another piece of the terrain in its path to the city.
It was now or never. Since magical attacks wouldn't work on it with the barrier still up, most of the special skills he got from wielding Gram were out. His job as Sword Master wasn't the best in this situation – mastery of the blade wasn't really too important when your enemy was so much bigger and also wasn't fighting with swords.
Still, he had a few ways to help in this situation. He began chanting and focusing on the rings on his left hand to increase his Luck, Agility, and Strength. Then he moved on to his skills.
"Precision Strike. Expert Handling. All-or-Nothing Strike: Maximum," he intoned with his blade raised, poised to attack the spider-like mechanical beast bearing down on the city of Axel. It was time for-
BOOOM!
He stumbled for a moment, and he risked a glance backwards to see that the artillery piece had been fired successfully…
Only to miss, with the shot sailing past the main body of the machine. He wondered if they would be able to find their range before they were destroyed-
And then the machine's legs were speeding closer. He readied himself again, made his best judgment of where the legs would land, and began to sprint forward.
"Kyouya, are you… quite sure this is the-"
"Hyaaa!" he shouted, putting his entire weight into the forward motion of the swing, aiming for the forwardmost leg-
CLANG!
He tumbled past, his vision blurring from the energy he'd put into the swing. The leg hadn't been cut off, the other legs were moving closer-
"Stance Change!" he shouted, out of breath. Still, he swung Gram again, praying-
CLANG!
Still, not done. As he sailed past the leg, the thought to call it there appeared in his mind – he had to stop Degurechaff – but he banished the thought.
The threat of the nazi was in the future. The livelihood and lives of many of the people of Axel depended on him.
"STANCE CHANGE!" he shouted, once more redirecting his momentum towards the leg now rising up from the ground. His sword was spurred onwards-
KACRUNCH!
He grinned viciously… and let his consciousness fade despite the high of his accomplishment. He was tapped out.
As the Mobile Fortress Destroyer sped onwards, slowed but not beaten, Aigis saw the sword in his hands fade in intensity. It seemed his current master was done. He gazed towards the gates of Axel, nervous but hopeful…
The number of beautiful women in town was insane, even if some had left! It would be a tragedy if some were to die.
-OxOxO-
The disconcerting feeling coming from everyone around them had grown on their way to the hotel. Despite Aqua claiming to be the Archpriest for their parties, the denizens of Alcanretia hadn't backed off overly much. Their tactics for trying to recruit them ranged from predatory – attempting to get her to sign papers without reading the fine print or obtaining her autograph – to downright threatening.
"Who knows what might happen if you don't join the Axis Cult… what if the water going into your room wasn't purified anymore?"
Of course, while the method they hinted they might utilize was novel, the threats to her life certainly weren't, and they managed to ignore them.
After a much larger amount of time than she had expected – the manager of the establishment had been talking to two rough-looking Cult members trying to convince him to bar any non-Axis Cult members from staying. Tanya hadn't wanted to get drawn into an argument they had no part in… so they'd had to wait for two hours.
After a rather terse talk with the manager behind the front desk, Tanya was thus quite happy to find herself sequestered away in a room with Viktoriya. They discarded their adventuring clothing in favor of some more casual clothing.
Tanya licked her lips. Yes, time alone with Viktoriya.
A vision swam through her mind, of Viktoriya in the hot springs of the Empire, her nakedness only thinly protected by a veil of sheer steam. Tantalizingly close, yet so far-
"Tanya?" Viktoriya asked. Tanya shook her head and looked up. "Hmm?" she replied. Viktoriya only raised an eyebrow, causing Tanya to chuckled sheepishly as a blush began to build on her face.
During her construction of the weapon back in Axel, they had spent a lot of time trying to figure out a great many things.
How to construct the thing with just the tools and materials offered by their surroundings, and how to go about making more modern tools and materials. They'd argued over what kind of ammunition to make, and what kind of artillery to construct as well. Tanya had final say, as the one who was both constructing the weapon and as the one who was paying for most of it, but Viktoriya's additions were welcome – Tanya had some idea of how they worked and the strategy one used when deploying the weapon, but Viktoriya had been very helpful with some particulars that Tanya couldn't have noticed while leading the entire Kampfgruppe.
However…
"I suppose…" Tanya began nonchalantly, facing towards a window and not paying overmuch attention to what was outside of it, "that there isn't a great deal to do around here unless we want to be proselytized to constantly, hmm?" she asked speculatively. She could feel the blush from earlier spreading.
"I suppose not," Viktoriya said, equally as speculative. "What do you want to do?"
Well, a lot of their time in the past week had been spent doing quite a lot of hugging. And snuggling. And kissing.
From behind her, Tanya felt one of Viktoriya's well-worn hands trace an invisible line on her collarbone. She shuddered in anticipation, turning around-
BANG BANG BANG!
Tanya only got a glimpse of Viktoriya's eyes – intently focused on Tanya – when the door began to bang and both of their gazes were dragged towards the offending object.
Tanya cleared her throat – Lorelei had walked in enough times and been witness to either or both of their voices cracking out of nervousness – and asked, as neutrally as she could, "Who is it?"
"Governor Degurechaff, the city of Axel is under attack!"
Both of them stood there feeling annoyed and shocked for a moment. Really? Right when they were-
Blushing heavily, they moved away from each other, and while Viktoriya opened the door and ordered the two men to begin explaining, Tanya took a moment to curse Being X.
Oh, it wouldn't do much but make her feel better, but hopefully he would remember this moment if she ever got that wish.
She turned to the two men – one seemed to be a Mage of some skill based on his equipment and clothes, while she wasn't sure who the other man was – and listened to them as they explained. And then, ordering them to continue, she began getting her equipment back out and putting it back on, as did Viktoriya.
Something called the Mobile Fortress Destroyer was heading towards the town, and it was likely that the whole town would be wiped out by the thing if they didn't hurry. They were there, primarily, to get Aqua so she could try and break the magical barrier surrounding it.
At the end of the explanation, Tanya cursed internally. They needed to get there as fast as possible and they needed Aqua at least, but hopefully Megumin as well. Would she need to grab her relics while they bought time?
She sighed. "Fine. We're heading for the headquarters of the Axis cult. Do either of you happen to know where it is?"
They didn't.
-OxOxO-
"How could you miss!? It's right there!"
"This is harder than it looks, you Harpy!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU TWO!"
Takashi and Aya did indeed shut the fuck up and began to work on reloading the thing. Degurechaff's notes had been quite helpful.
She had provided a few written basics that basically anyone in town could understand – they equated the artillery piece to a ballista that hit much harder and gave instructions based on that understanding. That section had helped to convince some of the town's guards who were familiar with such weaponry to help them load the 'giant monstrosity.'
The more complicated instructions – in theory for any Reincarnates and in practice for Takashi – explained, in Japanese, about how he could change the timer for the explosives, some basics in tactics on how best to utilize the thing, and upkeep, of all things.
This advanced section was surprisingly unhelpful, considering Degurechaff apparently hadn't expected them to use the thing on anything but infantry. With that in mind, she hadn't bothered to make any Armor Piercing ammunition – she had been waiting to get her hands on Tungsten, though she'd helpfully explained what it could have done in this situation.
As it was, they'd missed the first shot, though it seemed that that Kitaruga guy had damaged one of its legs. High above them, he could hear Wiz chanting, preparing an Explosion spell with the hope that it might be able to overwhelm the barrier and damage it despite its protection.
They and the guards reloaded it rapidly, while Takashi tried his best to figure out how the hell they were going to take it down. They only had four shells left – that, Degurechaff's writings claimed, was a result of her having to leave and a vague note about 'complications' with building the artillery piece.
He didn't think they could destroy the giant thing with four shots, which meant aiming for whatever looked important… which they couldn't do because they'd just started to use the thing and didn't have any training. What could make up for-
A memory assaulted him, of a girl with brown hair, glowing golden eyes, and a distinct lack of training and ability early in Tanya's war who made up for it with divine intervention and luck. He grinned happily and turned to the guards who were about to fire another shot. "Wait!"
He turned to the Ranger who'd been using Farsight to help them aim. "Your Luck is decent, yes?"
The man in blue nodded. "Uhh… sure?" he said nervously. Takashi nodded and ran off. "Don't fire it yet!"
They stood awkwardly, waiting for him to come back. Aya hadn't the foggiest what he was thinking, but if he thought it would help, she was willing to stave off the nervous glances of the guards and other adventurers.
In the distance, the Creators in town had pooled their resources, and four great earthen golems rose up from the ground – one was being contributed by a newly arrived Creator who'd come in anticipation of the town's expansion.
Takashi came back, a gaggle of Priests in tow. "Bless them with Luck! They'll be able to hit their next shot for sure!"
Some of them looked skeptical, but a few stepped forward. "Of course! We'll help defend the town! It's our home too!"
A woman stepped in front of them. "With payment, of course."
The man who'd offered help first glared at her, for a moment. "Zachary was right… and you're a bitch for throwing him out!" he shouted. He turned back and began to bless the guards, Takashi, Aya, Shizuka, and the blue-wearing Ranger.
The woman seemed to be growing angry… but she was also ignored. Takashi continued to grin, and they took aim again. Turning to the Ranger in blue, he asked, "Do you think using Snipe will help at all?"
The man opened his mouth… and then he shrugged. "Eh, no clue. It won't hurt… I hope," he muttered under his breath. A few more adjustments were made to his aim, and then-
"Snipe!" he shouted. The second time the gun went off was slightly more bearable than the first, but Takashi still found himself shaking away the ringing in his ears and the vibrations in his head.
When he looked up, it was in joy. The shot had raked a hole deep in the side that the other Reincarnate had damaged.
Of course, it wasn't all good. The thing had avoided the barricades that some of the townsfolk had constructed, and it was currently contending with the golems. He began shouting for them to reload the artillery-
"Explosion!"
He looked up again to watch. The spells blossomed to life, impacting a glowing red shield that suddenly flared to life down by its legs. For a moment, the fiery destruction of the spell battled against the steady magical shield, fighting to overcome each other…
And then the explosion faded, gouging out some land around the immense golem and doing nothing more. The barrier flicked a few times before fading away again.
It hadn't worked.
He swore and ordered them to keep reloading, mixing in some threats for good measure. "Aim for the legs! If we don't immobilize it, then this whole thing will have been for nothing!"
So they did, but they were running out of time if they didn't want to be trampled. The golems were gone. They had twenty seconds before it trampled them.
Takashi winced. "Snipe!" yelled the man. Takashi grinned as the shot hit home, near the base of the monstrosity…
But it didn't stop.
One of the legs was gone, and two more were damaged, but that was all. He turned to the man who had been organizing everyone else – he thought his name was Rex – to tell him they had to leave-
"EXPLOSION!"
He was torn, for a moment, over where to look: towards the unfamiliar voice or towards the threat bearing down on them.
He decided on the latter. He watched another explosion spell burst into life, more brilliant than any he'd seen in the memories that weren't his own. The red barrier flared to life again, struggling with the power of the spell cast against it-
The shield flared white once and then dissipated, floating away on the wind as specks of black soot. The explosion then ate into the legs of the beast, crippling the side that hadn't been targeted.
CRASHHHH!
The Mobile Fortress Destroyer struggled to raise itself off of the ground, fighting against gravity and its own bulk to move towards the town with just two legs. It continued to try, and Takashi started yelling at the team manning the artillery piece. They worked, watching as the metal monstrosity continued to struggle.
"Snipe!" the man shouted again. The shot raked across its side once more, damaging its legs further. They started to reload again, and it kept struggling, until…
It stilled.
Takashi didn't dare to celebrate, for a moment, and then-
"WAHOOOO!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! WE SAVED THE TOWN!"
"I'M GONNA SPEND ALL OF MY MONEY AT THAT PLACE TONIGHT!"
He just collapsed in place, breathless. He couldn't believe it, honestly.
"Honestly, considering the person I'm here to find, I'm surprised I had to intervene against such a foe… speaking of, where is she?" came the same unfamiliar voice from behind them.
Takashi turned around, ready to thank whoever had come to their rescue. She looked…
The tall woman was striking, to say the least. With goat-like horns on the side of her head, pointed ears, and some kind of black, oval marking on the center of her forehead, he felt his gaze drawn to her face first and foremost.
With his gaze drawn to her face, it was next to impossible to miss her strange eyes. The color wasn't all that rare, but the slitted pupils certainly were. With the goat horns in mind, she was probably some kind of Monsume.
Of course, as his gaze drifted down from the red hair atop her head, past the purple, fur lined cloak held together by a crystal pendant and a tie, he blushed at how… form fitting her clothing was.
He swallowed his blush and noted her raised eyebrow. Despite how striking she looked, the lackadaisical air he felt from around her, from the slouched posture to the disinterested look in her eyes did not match with the huge power she had just displayed by casting an explosion spell.
Of course, Wiz's attitude didn't really match what she was capable of, either, so…
He shook his head and frowned. If he was honest, she looked familiar, and with such an appearance, he would have expected to remember the name of someone like this.
As he opened his mouth to respond to her question, a noise shook his thoughts. His gaze spun towards the fallen Mobile Fortress Destroyer, worried.
"This machine has stopped operation. This machine has stopped operation. Unable to expend unused energy and vent heat. Operators, please evacuate from the machine. This machine has…"
The warning bellowed across the land, and he couldn't help himself when he turned to the unknown woman. "Did you really have to jinx us like that?"
She shrugged lazily. Takashi was about to figure out what the hell they were going to do as the warning continued to repeat itself – if the energy and heat wasn't vented, it would surely explode, right? – when another voice exploded from inside the town.
"Who are you?"
Wiz had climbed down from atop the gates of Axel. Takashi watched as the newcomer turned her body to the side, side-eying Wiz. He saw her searching for… something as she looked into Wiz's eyes, but she quickly turned back around.
"Just a traveling adventurer. I think we've got bigger problems than that, don't you, Ice Witch?"
Wiz's eyes widened slightly, but the conversation was quickly cut off.
"Charge!"
He turned around, perplexed. It seemed that everyone had decided to attack the thing on their own. He blinked, shocked…
Oh yeah, they were all probably customers of the Succubi. Shrugging, he abandoned the newcomer behind him, and went in with them.
"You moron! What're you doing?!" he heard Shizuka shout from behind him.
"We can't figure out how to stop it from blowing up from the outside, can we?" he asked. He heard her growl, even from twenty feet away, but she began running after him, followed by Aya, those that hadn't yet charged, and Wiz, and the mystery woman.
One by one, the Rangers, Spearmen, and more threw whatever they had on hand, trying to obtain purchase, and one by one, they did. Some discarded their armor before making their climb, while others decided to do it with the armor – including that Nakagama guy in the blazing white armor with the black cape.
The golems were quickly overcome – Takashi heard some guy say something about being level 30 – and they came to a set of doors barring the way into the structure of the machine. It was battered down in short order as well, and they swarmed through the structure.
In the end, what they found was depressing. A skeleton sat in a chair, while Nakahama stared at a book he had found.
"Can't read it," he said, his face hidden in the shadows of his new armor, handing it to the large group that had just made it in. It was passed around for a few moments, until Takashi got it-
His eyes widened… and then they narrowed. It was in Japanese.
Why couldn't Hakaname read it?
He shook his head – a question for later – and skimmed the book, reading it out loud…
He wanted to feel sorry for the person who'd made this thing, he really did. He knew all about expectations and being put in positions one didn't want to be in…
But he really couldn't. This guy seemed… really pathetic.
In the end, they disregarded the unhelpful book and looked for the Coronatite it mentioned. The man in the white armor cut through the metal and grabbed the ore, complaining of its heat before dropping it on the ground. The Mages all debated how to get rid of it.
The alarm was gone, thankfully, but Wiz and the mystery woman both agreed that it was going to blow up. Aya offered her magical barrier that was supposedly impenetrable… but only if she had enough mana, which she probably wouldn't.
Honestly, it was a bit noble of her. Way different from how she usually acted.
"I… may be able to get rid of it," Wiz said. The woman next to her raised an eyebrow. "Really? You still have enough mana after all this?"
Wiz gulped. "Well… not exactly, but-"
"Ah, I think I know what you mean," the mystery woman said. "Everyone, get out of here. We'll get rid of it," she said, her voice a mix of confidence and a hint of tiredness.
Skeptically, they did. They heard some muttering behind the door-
"I wonder what two beautiful, bountiful women like that are doing behind this door…"
Takashi glanced at Makanaki with disdain. He'd always seen the man as an airheaded but ultimately noble person doing his best to help Belzerg… but he was a pervert too?
Actually, wait, considering the motivation of most of the male adventurers who had fought the Mobile Fortress Destroyer, could he really cast stones at glass-
The doors opened and the man in the white armor stepped back. "It's gone," declared Wiz. "In the end, I had to use Random Teleport to send it somewhere. Considering how big the world is, what's the likelihood it ends up somewhere important?" Wiz asked.
Her statement hung in the air for a moment-
SMACK!
Aya let her hand fall from where she'd planted it on her own face. "Considering you idiots are the ones with the Luck Goddess, I wonder why so many of you say stuff like that inviting trouble…"
The woman in the purple cloak smiled. "We can speak later, Wiz. I'm sure you have questions. But for now…"
She shrugged again. "I need a nap!" she declared as she Teleported away. Wiz seemed upset… and considering her random teleport, Takashi couldn't really blame her.
Takashi sighed himself as everyone began to pile out of the machine and began to make their way down. He hadn't let the book out of his grip yet – maybe Degurechaff would want it? – and he surveyed the landscape from his vantage point on the machine.
Overall, it seemed things were going well. He could see the interim Governor speaking with people – one of whom seemed to be Degurechaff's height – while gesturing to the machine and the pieces of debris that had been blown off. A celebration seemed to be going on at the gate of the town, with Degurechaff's weapon in the middle. There seemed to be a friendly argument going on.
He breathed in deeply. He was glad things had gone-
KABOOOM!
He flinched as yet another explosion disturbed the peace of Axel. Sighing, he started to make his way towards one of the many ropes. That had sounded remarkably close. Had Degurechaff come back after all?
-OxOxO-
When they burst into the church – they'd made the mistake of telling people when asking for directions that they were not looking to convert twice before they'd realized that pretending like they wanted to convert would be much easier. With that done, the four of them had managed to find the place and burst through the doors.
"If they aren't here…" Lorelei, who they'd dragged out of her room after getting themselves ready, muttered.
Tanya sighed. "Then we leave without them. I'm not losing that town without a fight," she said, directing the statement towards the two trailing behind them.
Although, if she were honest, she wasn't confident in their odds without that fake goddess. If the magical barriers this place could make were anything like what things like Adamantite and Mithril could do, then she'd definitely need to use her relics.
And there was honestly no telling what Johanna would do if or when she won, which made her only slightly less of a threat than the Mobile Fortress Destroyer.
She shook her head and exited the atrium of the church and walked into the main hall of the church…
To find all three of Kazuma's teammates and the teenager himself. Megumin's person was overflowing with registration forms as she muttered to herself darkly, Darkness was panting heavily, Kazuma seemed contemplative, and Aqua…
She was crying, while several other Priests were gathered around her.
"We know that this must be hard, but you don't have to change too much!"
"Please, Miss Archpriest… if we're doing better now than we were, then there isn't really anything to fret over, is there?"
"I'm sorry Lord Zesta wasn't here to explain the situation more fully. He's run off with some other Priests to play under the guise of… I mean, they're spreading the name of the Axis Cult, as they should."
"They can still get some groundwater without going through the springs, though it doesn't hold any of the restorative properties that it used to, but…"
Tanya sighed. "Hey, get her up! Axel is under attack!" Tanya shouted at them. That startled the three of them not being fawned over into action… but Aqua was unresponsive.
She sighed and walked forward. "Do I even want to know what happened to her?" she asked. Darkness and Megumin shook their heads, but Kazuma nodded. "Yeah, it might be pretty important to your conflict with… Sanzai Ektsu," he said.
Tanya's eyebrows rose… but they had more pressing matters to tend to. "Perhaps later, then. We need to leave," she insisted. Kazuma sighed.
"Ever since she's learned about what's been going on, she's been inconsolable. She didn't even flinch when I told her I'd drunk her really expensive wine and replaced it with cheaper stuff…"
Tanya's brows furrowed… what could they use… Tanya could try to slap her like she had upon first meeting the idiot, but the people surrounding her were unlikely to take that well.
Viktoriya snapped her fingers. "Oh! Maybe… we could use some killing intent on her?" Viktoriya suggested.
Tanya thought about it for a moment. Why not? They'd apologize to the people fawning over Aqua later.
They stepped forward, past the three who were already on board, but before they could try it-
Then Lorelei stepped in front of them. "Hey, Aqua. Axel is in danger right now. Don't you want to prove you're just as good now as you always have been?"
Aqua's crying trailed off a small bit, but it hadn't yet abated. Tanya mentally congratulated Lorelei on getting that far with a few kind words, but-
"We'll let you drink as much booze as you want for 24 hours if you come with us," Lorelei promised.
That seemed to have gotten through to her, as he sobbing died down into sniffling. "Y- you mean it?"
The woman nodded while everyone looked on, not surprised that it had come to this but only that it had taken so long. "Sure thing. I'll even ask Bill from the Blonde Pixie if you can have some of his more experimental stuff."
Finally, she seemed to have calmed down. "Okay… yeah! My loyal followers are counting on my help in Axel! I can't let them down!"
Kazuma sighed in relief, while Tanya merely raised an eyebrow at Lorelei, who began to grow sheepish. How exactly-
"Lady Degurechaff! I come bearing news!" shouted a voice from behind them. She spun around.
"What is it?" she demanded. Had the town already fallen? What would they do with the refugees? Would the Princess punish her for being away in the town's-
"The Mobile Fortress Destroyer has been destroyed!"
-OxOxO-
Alderp dug into the food at the long table, relishing the steak he'd prepared with gusto. Things were likely a bit touch-and-go at the moment, of course, but he was sure things would turn out fine.
He rolled his eyes. As if there was a question – he knew the 'good guys' always won.
Having hidden in an alcove just in time, Alderp had watched his adopted son storm through the building muttering about the Mobile Fortress Destroyer that he'd heard the announcements about, seen the artillery cannon, and run out, retrieving some people to help him move and understand the weapon.
He shrugged. And, if the thing did manage to destroy Axel? Well, the mansion was fairly far away from the town, so it might be spared, and even if it wasn't, the guards had left with his son to defend the city. He could leave at any time…
He felt an itch, to go look at his former relics, but he quashed it. He hadn't survived hundreds of years without running into his fair share of mind-controlling or mind-altering items, skills, and monsters – with Max only being the most recent example – though he had to admit none were quite as enticing as whatever was trying to get him to look at his relics.
As it was, he was going to enjoy the food before him with relish; he hadn't done it in a while, of course, but making his own meal had reawakened some old feelings of his. It was…
He smiled fondly. It was both nostalgic and horribly comedic, if he were honest. After generations of planning, killing dozens of people to body-switch his way into power, he'd been forced right back to the beginning: making food with his own two hands.
He shrugged again and dug into a bowl of french fries he'd cooked up. What would Degurechaff have him do, when she came back? Would he rot in his cell…
He dreamt of what he might do. In a few years, as a reward for good service, she'd find some nobody for him to inhabit, and he could come out into the open as her advisor. Maybe he could take her body?
He blanched as he finished his sandwich. No, she was too canny for that, and he wasn't strong enough – physically or mentally – to try and contemplate some scheme to outdo what someone so… comfortable with killing would be willing to do. He would stay away from her for her decision not to execute him as ordered.
Besides, as he had found after so many years serving this or that noble and the kingdom as a whole, it was much easier to ride coattails than to work in the limelight.
As he picked up a spoon, ready to tear into a bowl of ice cream, his meal was interrupted by a resounding crash emanating from the centerpiece of the dining table. Startled, he looked up, to see…
His eyes widened, for a moment, his breath leaving his body in a single, prolonged exhale, and then his gaze softened. A sphere made of Coronatite, glowing and giving off heat that he could feel so far from the middle of the table, had just… appeared.
This was it, then? He wasn't to be killed in battle, or by one of his schemes inevitably blowing up in his face, but through… this? Bad Luck?
Because he couldn't imagine how else something like this could just appear out of thin air, through teleportation, in a place where no one would anchor their teleport to.
There was so much he wanted to do. He wanted to rage against Eris for doing this to him, against his lot in life, against Max and his past self for getting caught by Degurechaff and against his more distant past self for getting rid of his original relic to kill a measly General.
He wanted to go back in time and tell the idiot he had been in his first life not to believe so thoroughly in the lies his nation told, in the lies he'd been told before his arrival by Aqua.
He wanted to run away, to live. He'd been fighting against the end for centuries, physically and politically outwitting his opponents and managing to climb ever-higher up the Kingdom's ranks.
In the end, despite how much he wanted to do, how angry and terrified and sorrowful he wanted to feel, he muttered a quick prayer for Walter as remorse gripped his heart. The boy hadn't done anything to deserve a rotten father like him.
Then, he slowly finished his ice cream, even as the sphere of concentrated energy began to burn the table, setting it aflame.
What would his fate be when he died? Or, when he was pronounced guilty, what would his sentence be?
He took another bite, relishing in the cool taste as heat assaulted his face.
Who would come to confront him, who hadn't known of his relic? The people he had wed to gain power? The children he hadn't taken the place of? The parents of the offspring he had taken over?
The sphere began to crack, beams of light spilling out from the center.
Would he have to face the multitudes of people he'd robbed the lives of, in more than one way?
He licked the spoon, trying to memorize the cool, chocolate flavor of the ice cream, the feeling of the solid-liquid in his mouth, the near-undetectable smell he could sense from the ice cream and the metallic spoon.
Would he get to speak to the people from his first life in Japan, who he could hardly remember clearly anymore?
"Delicious."
For a moment, he felt a sharp, burning pain, and then, he felt nothing.
-OxOxO-
A/N 1: And thus ends Alderp. I'll probably write a pseudo-epilogue for him in Charming Omakes. Might even have a full backstory.
Anyway, Alcanretia has been explored and we get a sense for the changes brought about by the poison. I do think that the town just selling the poison if Hans had succeeded in normal Konosuba is probably what would have happened, considering that's what they did when Aqua turned the hot spring into holy water.
A/N 2: If you'd like to donate to support me monetarily, gain access to the monthly poll, and gain access to my (very long) summary of the KonoSuba Light Novels, search for Sugarcane Soldier on the website of the Patrons.
A/N 3: Many thanks to Afforess for being a Super Patron.
A big thank you to lekille and WarmasterOku for being Ultra Patrons.