We were being led by Juggler to a certain location. It was a port warehouse, the Bureau's armory, in fact.
Apparently, this was where the means of transport to the island where Aria was being held were located. The members were me, Yukina, Kokkoro, Tsukasa, Woz, and Juggler.
I couldn't bring Waver along, as you'd expect. Considering who we were up against and what might happen afterwards, Waver's combat power wouldn't be enough to stand against them.
Even so, it was a formidable lineup.
On the way to our destination, Juggler answered our various questions.
"The island in that photo is one that I-U is secretly using. For testing out techniques and weapons, or for duels," he said nonchalantly, which left me stunned.
"You're with I-U...!"
"Yeah. I'm a member, too."
"Senpai...!"
Yukina's gaze at Juggler also became stern.
"What's I-U?"
"It's a criminal organization in this world. It's run by a leader called 'the Professor.'"
Even Tsukasa didn't know about I-U. Woz was the one who answered, but why could he answer so smoothly?
"A criminal organization, huh? That's about right. The monster incident on the island today? That was I-U's doing."
"What did you say?!"
So, the Ultraman monster and Another OOO were all I-U's work?!
Considering that the zombies were connected to Vlad... maybe the tools he used fell into I-U's hands?
"...Well, I'll leave it up to your imagination just how much was I-U's doing."
"But then, why are you helping us? Lord told us that 'the Witch of Sand and Gravel,' our opponent, is a member of I-U."
"There are a lot of circumstances behind that, little lady."
He tried to deflect Kokkoro's question, but we wouldn't let him. Under our glares, Juggler shrugged and answered.
"Patra is a problem child for I-U, too. Or... was, I should say."
"What do you mean?"
Juggler's words were so full of implications that even Yukina was getting a little annoyed.
"Patra got expelled from I-U. It's not a very cohesive group to begin with, but Patra was special even among them. Too special, she didn't fit in. She's not the type to serve under someone else. She had a fight with the Professor and eventually left. Her kidnapping of Aria Kanzaki H. seems to be her way of doing something to our leader."
That part hasn't changed much from the original, I guess.
"It's that serious..."
"Yeah, Patra's a tough opponent. She was already dangerous, but after she got her hands on a Class Card in I-U, she became even more unmanageable."
Huh?
"What did you say? A Class Card?"
"Yeah. Do you know about it? It's apparently based on a ritual called the Holy Grail War. It's an item that lets you temporarily take on the abilities of great historical figures."
"...Senpai."
"...Right."
Yukina and I nodded to each other. We needed to gather more information about that.
I opened my mouth to ask for more information... but before I could, we arrived at our destination.
"We're taking this."
Juggler stopped and pointed to a long, cylindrical object about two meters long. It was completely black, with no ornamentation.
"We'll get close to the island by boat, then switch to this."
"What is this?"
"It's an assault transport torpedo. It's launched just like a regular torpedo. When it gets close to the enemy, the people inside escape, and the main body hits the target as a torpedo. The people inside then take out the enemy while they're disoriented by the torpedo."
He said it so casually, but...
"Don't we need training for something like that?! Like, for the timing!"
"Figure it out yourselves."
Ignoring my retort, Juggler boarded the boat equipped with the torpedoes.
"Why do we have to use something like this?"
Tsukasa also seemed to find it strange. He was more composed than me.
"If we get too close to the island, we'll get shot down."
"By Patra?"
"To be precise, by the sphinxes she's summoning."
The sphinx that kidnapped Aria.
"Yeah. I was actually surprised you defeated it so easily. That sphinx isn't a normal familiar. It's a 'phantasmal species,' like a dragon."
"Lord, you defeated something like that...?!"
"...Well, yeah."
I wanted to keep how I did it a trade secret... but given the situation, I had to explain it clearly and make a plan.
"That would be a big help. Let's go over the details on the way."
"Sounds good."
We boarded the boat.
It was late at night. We'd arrive at the island at dawn. I was pretty close to my limit, so I wanted to rest and recover some energy.
---------
A few hours later, we arrived near the target island. I was able to get some sleep, but I was still far from fully recovered.
But we couldn't wait for me to recover. Even Kokkoro, who was so much smaller than me, was rubbing her sleepy eyes and participating in the mission.
"That concludes the mission briefing. Everyone, good luck."
"Got it."
"Leave it to me, Lord."
"Understood."
"Right."
"As my Demon King commands."
Yukina, Kokkoro, Juggler, Tsukasa, and Woz each responded in their own way.
We were already inside the torpedoes. We'd just finished the mission briefing, which also served as a test for the internal communication system.
"Honestly, that's a pretty bold plan you came up with."
"My Demon King's plans are always on point. If we take out two or three of them, Kana will definitely take the bait."
"Even if that works with Kana, fighting Patra head-on is reckless. The plan for after that is a long shot, too."
Woz was being his usual completely-agreeing-with-me self. Juggler was commenting on Patra and Kana's combination from the perspective of someone who knew them better than we did.
"I'll handle that part myself."
Tsukasa said something so reassuring. Decade, I really do trust you! Seriously, I'm counting on you!
"Yukina-sama, please don't be nervous."
"It's okay, Kokkoro-chan."
"Sorry, Yukina. I'm pushing such an important role onto you."
"Haa, Senpai..."
Yukina let out a sigh of exasperation.
"Have you forgotten Article 1 of the Butei Charter?"
"Trust your comrades, and help your comrades?"
"That's right. You don't have to be the only one facing danger, Senpai. Please, trust me more."
"...Alright. I'm counting on you."
"Yes!"
"Sorry to interrupt this touching moment, but we're about to launch."
"Y-Yes! Understood!"
This communication device doesn't show faces, but I could tell Yukina must be blushing right now.
My face was getting hot, too.
"Lord, please trust me as well, not just Yukina-sama."
"O-Of course!"
"How enviable. To be so liked by kids."
Juggler, I hope you didn't mean anything by that.
While we were talking, the torpedo was launched and, just as Juggler intended, reached the island without any hindrance.
I secretly used the periscope on the torpedo to check the island's surroundings.
And then, something incredible came into view.
"Oh, come on..."
It was a huge structure that shouldn't have been there. A giant pyramid, shining with a golden light. A glowing ship was docked at its summit. And of course, the ship was flying.
Numerous sphinxes were in the air—all of them looking in our direction.
"This is bad...!!"
Our eyes met through the periscope, and all of us collectively held our breath.
A beautiful woman appeared from the glowing ship.
Her body was adorned with gold and silver treasures, with only a few pieces of cloth covering her chest and lower body. She was practically half-naked. Her clothes offered no defense, but with the sphinxes surrounding her, she didn't need to worry.
The name of this unparalleled beauty was Patra, the Witch of Sand and Gravel.
"Welcome, you lowly mongrels."
She must have been using magic, because her voice was clearly audible even to us inside the torpedo.
"Do you know why I allowed you to come this close?"
Patra asked, puffing out her chest while lounging on the top of the pyramid.
"It is to show my power to the I-U members watching this battle. If I defeat you, who defeated Vlad and Shintani Kouhei, they will have no choice but to accept me."
Patra jingled her accessories and crossed her legs.
"You may think you cleverly evaded the eyes of the sphinxes, but if I had wanted to, I could have turned you into food for the fish before you ever got here!"
"...Hey, Juggler."
"Hey, don't blame me. I didn't think she'd go that far."
This whole plan was completely pointless, wasn't it?! Why did we have to be cooped up in this cramped space?!
"The next king of I-U is not Aria. It is me!! Even that stubborn 'Professor' will surely cede the throne to me once I defeat Aria's allies and take her life into my own hands."
While Patra gave her speech, we were communicating with each other.
"Well, it's a good thing she came out. At least the first part of the plan is a success."
"Well, that's just Patra's personality. She's proud and loves to stand out. And she has the power to back it up."
"But this time, we're taking advantage of that arrogance."
"If she had holed up in the pyramid, we would have had no chance of winning. I was confident, but I was also secretly nervous."
I was, too. Otherwise, we would have had to turn tail and run and come up with a new plan.
The power of Patra's Class Card that Juggler told me about was astonishing, even for me, who had experienced the Holy Grail War.
Patra, who claims to be the reincarnation of Cleopatra, has the power of the greatest pharaoh, Ozymandias, sealed within her Class Card.
...Yeah, I know what you're thinking. When I first heard it, I thought, "Why not Cleopatra?!" It makes sense to wonder that.
But when you're actually fighting it, it's no laughing matter.
First, the giant pyramid in front of us is a Noble Phantasm.
It's the Great Temple Complex of the Sun King, Ramesseum Tentyris. It's a compound pyramid that grants immortality to Patra and her subordinates and applies a curse that even weakens Servants.
You can just think of it as a super amazing pyramid, but the problem is that it's a pyramid.
Patra isn't just claiming to be the reincarnation of Cleopatra for show. It's because of her unique rare skill.
Her skill is a ridiculously powerful one: "When a pyramid-shaped building is nearby, her magical energy becomes infinite." It sounds like a total bug, but that condition is met by the Ramesseum Tentyris. Because it's a pyramid.
Thanks to that rare skill, she can use Ozymandias's Noble Phantasms, which should require a huge amount of magical energy, without limit.
"Patra, don't let your guard down."
A man on a sphinx approached Patra. He was just as handsome as she was beautiful.
"This isn't all of Aria's group. And even if you defeat them, you might have to face Special Division Six next."
"Then! We will kill them all, too! I shall line up all their heads at the celebration!"
"'You may attack Aria, but do not kill unnecessarily.' Have you forgotten the Professor's words? You can't become king if you don't follow the rules."
"Ugh~~!!"
The two of them started arguing, right in front of their enemies.
"W-What's going on with them? I thought they were allies..."
"Yes. They look exactly like a child throwing a tantrum and her parent."
"He's the only one Patra can't stand up to. His name is Kin'ichi Tohyama. He's a legitimately strong guy, so be careful."
"That woman Kana isn't here. Is she hiding somewhere?"
"Hmm? Nah, don't worry about it. Kin'ichi's here, after all. Sho Yozuki, you deal with Kin'ichi in Kana's place."
"? ? ? ?"
Juggler held back his laughter as he replied to Tsukasa's question. But his nonsensical answer just left everyone with question marks above their heads.
He probably didn't want to cause any more confusion. If he told the truth, we'd probably just tell him to stop messing around.
"And... you're here, aren't you, Juggler? I can't figure out your true intentions."
"That's my line, Kin'ichi."
Juggler replied with a laugh.
Patra, who had been bickering with Kin'ichi playfully, narrowed her eyes as soon as she heard Juggler's name.
"Juggler? You mean Juggler Juggler!! That lowlife, he's getting in my way!"
"You're really hated, aren't you?"
"Seems so. It's enough to make you cry."
Don't lie.
"Kin'ichi! We're killing him! Understand!"
"Calm down, Patra."
"I hate men! Especially a coarse man like Juggler! When I become the king of I-U, I've decided to surround myself with only beautiful women as my retainers! It's just a matter of whether he dies now or later!"
Kin'ichi naturally closed the distance between them. He raised Patra's chin with his right hand, and then...
"...!!"
"Eep!?"
...he suddenly kissed her. A chorus of screams from the women in the torpedo followed.
"Do people in this world have to flirt with each other before they can fight?"
Tsukasa was dumbfounded.
If you didn't know the full story, you'd think so, too. Yeah.
Patra, who had just been kissed, was in a panic. She tried to push away Kin'ichi, who was pulling her close... but eventually, she closed her eyes and went limp.
The time of watching a kiss scene between two strangers, not in a movie or drama, quickly ended, and Kin'ichi slowly pulled his lips away. Then,
"My apologies. I'm sorry for confusing you with my words."
Kin'ichi's aura had changed. He felt even more formidable.
Patra, who had come back to her senses, wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
"Kin'ichi Tohyama...! You used me...! Even though you don't even like me...!"
"Of course not. I'm not that kind of a man."
If his face is handsome, his smile is handsome, too, Kin'ichi.
"What in the world are we being shown...?"
"...Maybe this is what the people around us always think..."
Yukina was starting to realize something.
"Please, Patra."
"O-Okay! I'll try not to kill them as much as possible!! But this is a battle! So sometimes killing is a result of it!"
"Yes. That's right. It can't be helped then."
With the tension slowly easing, the battle was about to begin.
--------------------------------------------
🚀 Want Early Access (80+Chapters ahead ) & Bonus Content?
"Loving this story so far? You can read ALL chapters RIGHT NOW by joining my P4tr3on!
✨ Unlock instant access to the full completed novel
✨ No waiting for daily updates
✨ Support your favorite degenerate author (that's me!)
Only $5.99 for the full experience!
🔗 Check my profile for the Link!!