Micchi Versus the New World - Chapter 138

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Chapter 138

A platoon of harpies from Prince Kain arrived in the morning to tell us that King Garran was taken care of. Unsurprisingly, by Kaoru. With the demon giants in the Kartolan Badlands subjugated and the third crystal in our hands, it was finally time to move in on central Sathorayne. To take the fight to Chika.

Lady Katrine and her attendants came to send us off as we were in the middle of boarding the airships. They mostly brought food. Some had other gifts like jewelry or weapons.

"It ain't too late to throw your weight into this fight. The way I see it, you got the most to gain from us coming out on top," I said.

"We were never a martial nation like King Garran and his giants. All we can offer are prayers and well wishes for your success. If the sun yet rises after the twilight of this war, then perhaps a new era of friendship may dawn between our kinds." Katrine bowed.

"I dunno what the fuck that meant, but I'm gonna assume we're all chill now."

When I stuck a hand out to Katrine, she looked at me funny before clasping it.

"Yes. I, too, believe we are… chill now." Katrine backed away as the airship's crystalline engines powered on and pulsed a freezing gust of wind.

I climbed the rope up onto the deck where the others were waiting for me. All of them showing a steeled resolve of seeing the war come to an end. Our three airships began towards the final battleground.

A child squeezed past the guards and raced into the courtyard. "Bye, Micchi! Bye, Yui! Thank you!"

Nowan, huh? I clenched a fist and flashed him a smile.

Keep those fists raised, kid.

Me and other high-ranking officers gathered downstairs in the meeting room to go over battle plans.

"Our destination is the Seat of the Lord," Rugal began as he pointed to the center of the map of Sathorayne. "That's what demons regard the place as. A simple and apt name, given where the demon lord resides. It's one giant, shallow crater. No villages or cities within sight. Only a massive palace, large enough to be its own city according to Lady Katrine. The barrier runs along the geographical edge of the crater. With all three crystals in hand, it should come down during our approach."

"What kind of fight should we expect?" Loraine hesitantly asked.

"No one knows. Lady Katrine and Lord Vermin haven't met with the demon lord nor gone through the barrier in years. There could be anything inside. Or nothing," he said.

"Then we're going in blind. Fine with me. Swinging into the dark ain't nothing new to me." I shrugged.

"Aaaand that's how I know we're fucked." Ririko sighed from her seat while two demon incubus she kept around to paint her nails.

We went to bed that night without a plan. Hopefully, Kain and his side thought something up. Tensions were high. A lot of soldiers couldn't sleep. Neither could I.

Lying in bed with Loraine by my side and Kawa underneath, I started having second thoughts about bringing them with me. This wasn't their fight. It never was. I turned over on my side. Loraine was fast asleep, lips slightly parted, and breathing rhythmically peaceful.

Unable to sleep, I climbed out of bed. Kawa lifted her head sluggishly. I patted her head and scratched her chin. When she fell right back to sleep, I slipped out quietly.

Ririko was at the bow of the airship, leaning on the railing and gazing out towards where we were headed.

"You're here now?" Ririko suddenly asked without turning around. "Earlier, it was Yui. At least until she started nodding off, so I carried her back inside and came back. You think Kaoru's up right now, too. Or maybe Chika and Anya from the palace?"

"I'd believe it. Say, I never asked. How'd you know Chika?" I joined Ririko and braced my elbows against the railing.

"Don't know her personally. Only ever heard rumors. Eri knew her though. Went to a backwater school called Mo… Moto…?"

"Motonari?"

"That's it!" Ririko lit up with recognition. "She told me a little bit about 'em. Back then, they were known as the four queens of Motonari. Well, at least in their first years."

"Four? Chika, Anya, Eri, and who was the last one?" I searched my memories and turned up with nothing.

"Uh… Name's at the tip of my tongue… It's gotta be Sachi. Not sure what happened, but I heard they were all tight," she said.

Sachi… That wasn't a name I recognized. Chika and Anya never brought her up. I wondered what kind of person she was? If she hung around them, then she had to have been a tough nut.

"So, got anything planned for when you get back to Japan?" I asked.

"Find Eri. Get some facial scar treatments. Can very well do compensated dating with a face like this." Ririko grinned.

"I dunno. Gives character. Maybe some old man'll be into that."

"Yuuck! I didn't need that image in my head."

Our laughter was drowned out by the humming crystals and roaring winds against the fluttering sails. It was a bittersweet feeling knowing Ririko was going to leave. But a promise from one delinquent to another wasn't something you break.

As the sun's rays peeked over the horizon, the royal flagship and two airships flanking it came into view between two clouds. Even the airship with Oaks and guild members from across multiple kingdoms had caught up. I walked over to starboard as Kain's flagship descended until we were level with each other. Kaoru had the same idea. She nodded at me, then turned towards the Seat of the Lord.

A black and gray castle of gargantuan proportions laid at the center. Its walls were as tall as the spires of Cynderace.

The shimmering barrier encompassed the entire crater. All seven ships slowed to a crawl so they didn't ram themselves to their deaths. Something in my pocket started glowing and heating up. I pulled the crystal from Lord Vermin out. So did Ririko of Lady Katrine's crystal. Kaoru held the third.

We didn't need to do anything special. All of a sudden, several places along the barrier melted like a thin sheet of ice under the sun until it disappeared.

"Lady Micchi!" Kain called from the quarterdeck of the flagship, accompanied by Mildred and his little brother Theo. "Shall we discuss a plan of attack?"

"I was just thinking of going in there swinging!" I shouted back to their shock.

"We've arrived at a pivotal moment in the war, possibly our last campaign against the demon lord… And you want to go in without giving so much as a single thought to a plan?" Mildred gaped at me.

"Hahh? You calling me stupid?" I tried to jump over, but Ririko, Yui, and Loraine grabbed me by the back of my jacket.

"Barriers! Barriers!" someone shouted frantically from the crow's nest.

I thought they meant the barrier we had just brought down with the crystals. Everyone followed the gaze of the sailor on the crow's nest to the castle. Magic missiles slammed into the barriers of our airships. I clutched the rails tightly to keep from falling over.

"We're a big target as a group! Break off and retreat!" Kain ordered.

"If we turn our backs to those blasts, then we're fucked! Full speed ahead. Take us as close to the castle as possible!" I yelled to them.

Mildred and the mages on Kain's flagship swapped gazes between him and me.

"A frontal assault it is then. Open all the sails! Take this battle straight to the demon lord!" he boomed.

Seven airships spread out and flew directly for the castle. The magical bombardment was taking a toll on our mages. Some of them were beginning to pass out. The clear blue skies were now dark with smoke and fire. A blast from underneath knocked us off our feet. I raced over to the edge. One of the crystalline engines cracked. The airship was on a crash course into the castle now.

"Get inside and hold onto something!" I ordered.

Rirko stayed on deck, one hand on the rail and the other glowing with cold magic.

I grabbed her arm. "The fuck are you doing? You're gonna get flung off when we crash!"

"I'm trying… to keep us afloat, and you yelling at me isn't helping! Do something useful and find a place for me to land!" Ririko shouted back.

Somewhere to land…

We were seconds away from the castle. I could see all the demons watching from below on the ramparts and streets. I saw monsters climbing onto the walls getting ready to chow down on us when we landed. A garden terrace on the upper walls of the castle looked like as good a place as any.

"Big open garden space on the left side of the castle!" I told Ririko.

"Alright… you better hang onto something, too…" Ririko winced as the groaning ship angled towards the terrace.

The airship was coming down too hard and fast. I tackled Ririko to the ground and raised an icy barrier over us.

Everything went dark.

My head was ringing. Smoke filled my lungs. Wet grass tickled one side of my cheek.

"Haha! We did it!" a shrill voice whooped in celebration.

"Damn surface-dwellers… finally rid of 'em."

"Fan out and start putting them in chains. Demon lord's orders!"

A large number of somethings marched past. The ground rumbled as they walked. Someone started pulling on Sacchan, but it only made me hold on tighter.

"Let go, bitch. Learn to give up already," whoever they were said to me.

"Give up?" I snatched the imp by the throat and pushed myself up.

Fires raged all around the garden. The lush green I saw earlier was now engulfed in flames, as was the airship behind me. Hundreds of people strewn on the ground laid conscious and groaning in pain. An even larger amount of demons were all around us, staring at me like I was a corpse risen from the dead.

"How are you… still up… from that?" the imp squeaked in my grasp.

"Because…" I began, panting heavily and pointed Sacchan at the savage, looming castle before me. "Chika taught me two things… one— get the fuck up!"

Sacchan flashed with pale green light that washed over the entire terrace.  The same magic that healed Nowan now enveloped everyone. One by one, UKD soldiers, Ririko, Loraine, Kawa, guild members, Commander Rugal, Hurai and Thelesia, Lilim, and even Naka got back up like nothing hurt.

"And two— keep fighting!" Yui roared, shooting into the horde of demons like a bullet. The built up electric charge in her nunchucks fried them to a crispy finish.

Rugal rallied the troops, and a battle broke out between both armies.

"Micchi, I don't see the other airships anywhere!" Loraine hurried up to me with Kawa by her side.

My airship was the only one that landed on the terrace. I peered over the edge of the castle. Two had crash landed far below outside of the gates. UKD soldiers were regrouping and helping each other up, but demons poured out to meet them in battle. They wouldn't last long. Behind the gate, however, lying as a smoking mess in the wide promenade half-way to the castle entrance was the flagship. It was surrounded by demons, but they should be fine with Kaoru. Turning my gaze back to the castle, another airship had crashed partway through a balcony. The last two were unaccounted for.

"Is it… too late to surrender?" the imp in my hand asked.

I pitched him into the sky.

"Rugal!" I shouted.

"A little busy here!" Rugal bulldozed through a trio of demons and cracked his neck.

"Prince Kain's down there. Clear a way and regroup with him," I said.

"Where are you off to?" he asked.

"Where else?" I pointed to the highest point of the castle. "To the top."