Akatsuki Translations

5 days ago, two days before Dragon-Devoured Uuga’s entry into Proudia, at the Command Tower’s[1] Assembly Room

“In essence, it’s Proudia’s active period. That’s what the 【Sun-Devouring Ceremony】 is,” Diz explained.

Ur’s party and others were receiving an explanation about the 【Sun-Devouring Ceremony】 from Diz.

Without understanding what kind of battle it would be and what countermeasures to take, there was no way to achieve any merit. So Ur and the others had asked Diz for an explanation, and Diz had agreed.

— Rather than merit, it’s necessary to explain for your survival, right?

— It really sounds like we’re going to hell.

While Ur had been apprehensive, the content conveyed was simple.

“You experienced it in the Dungeon of Sin, Greed, right? It’s the dungeon’s so-called active period. You can think of this as Proudia’s version,” Diz said.

“I see…?” Ur responded.

Ur remembered the active period. He couldn’t forget it. The 【Crystal Golem】 that triggered his acquisition of the adventurer’s ring had moved to the upper layers during the active period. The frequency of monster appearances skyrocketed, and monsters from the deep and middle layers also came up to the upper layer.

It could be said that it was a dangerous time when even adventurers couldn’t enter carelessly… but,

“Hey, Diz,” Ur called out.

“What is it, Ur?”

“If it’s simply monsters becoming more active, it doesn’t seem like a threat. Even there is an active period, what’s the end result?”

The active period of Greed was certainly chaotic, and Ur had been thoroughly caught up in it, but that was mainly due to the overlap with the special event called the 【Subjugation Festival】.

In Greed, even when monsters became active, the adventurers who regularly went there were able to keep them under control sufficiently. It didn’t result in monsters overflowing and flooding the area.

If it were the same as Greed, Proudia has plenty of adventurers too. It’s the world’s largest city-state. It shouldn’t be inferior to Greed in terms of the number and quality of adventurers, so they should be able to handle it.

Therefore, something else must transpire besides the activation of monsters. What could it be?

“Well, to put it simply,” Diz began, “when the Sky Dungeon Proudia activates…”

“When it activates…”

“It falls down.”

Ur, no, not just Ur, but everyone present needed some time to react. The explanation was extremely simple, but their brains refused to understand those words.

Shizuku was the first to recover. She covered her mouth with her hand and asked Diz again.

“It falls?”

“Yup. It falls.”

“The dungeon floating in the sky?”

“That’s right. It falls.”

“Towards where?”

“Towards【True Babel】 where the Wise Heavenly King resides.”

“That’s troublesome, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s troublesome.”

It was truly terrible.

　　                                                           ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

【Inside the Solar Aegis】

【City of Sin, Proudia】 Outskirts, Undeveloped Area, Northeast Section

【Dragon-Devoured Uuga’s Command Tower】

Uuga was currently docked in an undeveloped area quite far from Proudia’s urban center. Even though the 【Solar Aegis】 could protect a vastly larger area compared to a normal 【Barrier of the Sun】, it was difficult in this world to utilize all of that space.

Even with the power of spirits, creating something from nothing is challenging. It only appears that way, but there are always constraints. Securing the materials to create and maintain it is difficult. Therefore, there are places left untouched, deemed “not worth developing at this point.”

Currently, Dragon-Devoured Uuga was docked there.

Outwardly, it was for safely docking the massive Uuga.

Inwardly, it was to keep distance so that whatever happened, there would be no impact on Proudia.

“P-Proudia is…!” Echelle cried out, sitting on the throne in the command room. It was truly an unbelievable sight.

Although this was inside the barrier, it was quite far from the City of Sin, Proudia. Only Babel at the center was clearly visible, while the rest of the urban area was just a faint glow of light. However, even from here, the 【Sky Dungeon Proudia】 sitting in the sky was clearly visible.

Beyond the Solar Aegis that covered even the sky, the gigantic dungeon floated in the air.

And now, it was slowly falling. It was falling straight towards the massive tower 【True Babel】 that protruded even beyond the defensive wall.

“To think such a thing was happening right under the Wise Heavenly King’s nose…!” Echelle exclaimed.

“It’s truly surprising,” Lynne replied calmly.

“You don’t look surprised at all!?” Echelle retorted.

“I am surprised. Really,” Lynne insisted, her expression unchanged.

Next to Echelle, Lynne was also in shock, though her face didn’t show it.

Rationally thinking, a dungeon floating in the sky should itself be an abnormality, but because it had dominated Proudia’s skies for such a long time, it had already become the norm. Even Lynne, who was from another country, held the perception that “that’s just how it is.”

And now, it was falling. Towards the center of the world’s most populous city.

In the face of this unprecedented emergency that should never happen, Echelle, Lynne, and the mages of the【White Serpent】tasked with managing Uuga alongside Echelle felt fear.

“Hey, don’t get all fuckin’ flustered, you lot!” a sharp, angry voice rang out.

Echelle and the others, who had been dazed by the surreal sight, were instantly brought back to reality. Jain, fully armed, glared at Echelle and the others, with Rabin in tow.

“Our job comes later!! Yer not plannin’ to panic now and then be useless when it really matters, are ya? Pull yerselves together!!” Jain barked.

“I-I know!” Echelle hastily nodded. Kalkara beside her touched her shoulder, gently stroking it. Feeling a bit calmer, Echelle tensed her stomach and raised her voice.

“Everyone, stay on standby for now! But when the signal comes, it’ll turn into a battle in an instant!! Don’t let your guard down!!”

A chorus of “Yes!” came back in response to those words. Most of those present were guild members of the White Serpent. Echelle felt a bit moved that these people, who had once left her, were now firmly following her orders.

However, it’s not as if they had sworn heartfelt loyalty to her. She hadn’t done anything to regain their trust.

So, this was the starting point. Echelle reminded herself of this.

“…Alright, if ya keep wandering around aimlessly, nothin’ll get done. I’m counting on ya, Commander,” Jain said firmly.

“R-Right, I understand,” Echelle nodded in response to Jain’s words.

Echelle, who had once one-sidedly hurled abuse at him and tried to force her selfishness, still couldn’t quite gauge her relationship with him and felt a bit awkward. He didn’t seem to mind, but—

“Also,” Jain continued.

“Eek!” Echelle squeaked.

“What kinda stupid sound is that? Just listen,” Jain said, lowering his voice slightly and muttering softly.

“Have you seen Black?”

“N-No? I haven’t seen him on Uuga. Isn’t he at Babel?”

“…If that’s the case, good.”

Black, the man who had been the trigger for 【Dragon-Devoured Uuga】 to get involved in this incredible battle, was not in the command tower now. As usual, or perhaps it should be said, he had disappeared without anyone noticing.

If he wasn’t here, he was probably at Babel. That’s what Echelle thought, but Jain seemed to be on high alert.

“…Um, he’s on our side, right?” Echelle asked hesitantly.

“He’s just not an enemy. Don’t expect too much,” Jain replied, then finally left.

Echelle wondered why he lowered his voice in a place where the person in question wasn’t even present, but she indeed found Black difficult to deal with. She felt like they often met her gaze, though she thought it might be her imagination, but it was still a bit scary. Those eyes were similar to how 【Heavenly Demon Greylei】 looked at her.

Eyes that seemed to peer into everything, seeing through you—

“…Yeah, let’s stop thinking about it,” Echelle shuddered, trying to shake off the eerie feeling, and let out a big sigh. In any case, she had to deal with the approaching threat now.

Proudia continued its descent, completely indifferent to Echelle’s unease. In the 【Farseer Crystal】, Proudia was rapidly losing altitude, approaching the top of Babel’s tower, and then—

                                ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

“…Hey, they really can’t see this, huh? The residents of Proudia,” Ur muttered, expressing his small observation about the massive structure approaching before their eyes. It wasn’t exactly a carefree comment; rather, it was an attempt to distract himself from the overwhelming urge to back away.

“According to Diz-sama, it’s a concealment technique using the 【Solar Aegis】. Only those who have been given permission can see this sight,” Shizuku explained.

The 【Solar Aegis】 that covers the entire territory of Proudia isn’t special only in terms of size compared to other 【Barrier of the Suns】. That was Diz’s explanation.

The 【Wise Heavenly King】 is able to freely interfere with the inside of that barrier to some extent. He said it was easy to manipulate scenery and sounds. Only those given permission can see the true world.

『That’s quite an extreme thing for His Majesty to do, isn’t it?』 Rock commented.

“It’s to prevent confusion and keep faith from wavering, I hear,” Shizuku explained.

『Well, I’m not interested in politics anyway,』 Rock chuckled.

Even as Rock laughed, the Dungeon of Sin, Proudia continued to approach. Until a moment ago, they could see its entirety, but now only its front was visible. As it got closer, it became too large to fit in their field of vision.

“Well, if people knew this was happening, they’d all leave…” Ur muttered, but his voice probably didn’t reach Rock and the others anymore. The sound of the fierce wind that arose as the Sky Dungeon Proudia approached drowned out their quiet conversation.

Proudia drew even closer. Just as it was about to strike 【Babel】, when everyone present would likely be blown away or crushed, a strong voice that seemed to cut through even the fierce wind resonated:

“【Solar Aegis】”

Immediately after, Proudia’s movement stopped.

As if blocked by an invisible wall, or as if pushed back by unseen hands, the fall of the massive structure halted.

Even though they knew this was supposed to happen, the warriors present stirred at the sight of the dungeon stopping right before their eyes. Their gazes naturally turned to the one who had accomplished this feat.

“Oh! Our King!! The great child of the Sun!!!” one of the Sun Knights shouted.

The other Sun Knights followed with roars, and then the knights and adventurers joined in. At the focus of the overflowing cheers stood the greatest king of this continent:

【Wise Heavenly King】 Arnold Shinra Prominence

Accompanied by 【Heavenly Prayer】 Sua Shinra Prominence at his side, he sat on the throne at the top of Babel, gripping a golden staff engraved with the emblem of the Sun God. He struck Babel with his staff, and two high-pitched sounds rang out.

“Oh, oh, ohhhhhhh…!?”

Suddenly, the 【Dungeon of Sin, Proudia】 began to move again. This time, not falling. It was gradually being pushed back into the sky. The Solar Aegis covering the entire city was supporting and pushing back the dungeon itself.

However, the 【Sky Dungeon Proudia】 was not a natural disaster that could be contained by this alone.

“Underling dragons!”

Dragon’s kin, eerie monsters resembling infants with pure white wings, appeared.

『A——KYAKYAKYAKYAKYA!!!!』

The dragon’s kin, with their grinning smiles, touched the Solar Aegis that was blocking the dungeon. The moment they touched it, their palms burned, their arms rotted, and their bodies crumbled. The crumbled parts regenerated instantly, only to burn again. Repeating this cycle of destruction and regeneration, they began to alter part of the barrier.

With their terrifying power to 【Rewrite the World】, they were trying to erase part of the barrier.

“……”

The Wise Heavenly King frowned in displeasure. But he couldn’t stop them. His current task was to push the enormously massive dungeon itself outside the Solar Aegis, and that required his full attention.

“Bring down the underling dragons!!!” a voice shouted.

Naturally, the warriors were intercepting them, but the underlings were terrifyingly resilient. Even if their bodies were shattered by the 【Solar Aegis】, the attacks of mere warriors barely scratched them. The warriors realized both the greatness of the Wise Heavenly King’s power and their own powerlessness.

“They’re making a hole!! Prepare to intercept!!” someone yelled.

Soon after, the dragons managed to create a hole in part of the Solar Aegis. Just doing that caused countless of them to burn away, and even more of them, still laughing, wedged themselves into the hole to keep it open.

Of course, it wasn’t a hole large enough for the massive dungeon to enter.

But it was more than big enough to send in “troops”.

“THE MONSTERS ARE COMING!!!” a voice cried out.

As the shout rang out, something began to spill from various parts of the gigantic palace. From a distance, they looked like small black dots, but they poured out continuously and in massive numbers.

The black shadows flowing like a waterfall were all monsters. They writhed like a single living organism, heading straight for Babel, towards the king seated at its center.

The warriors braced themselves. After all, they were here to protect 【Babel】 and the king.

“Brave warriors, show your strength to our king,” 【Heavenly Prayer】 Sua’s voice rang out loud and clear.

At Sua’s rallying cry, the warriors let out another roar.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

『AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!』

Their battle cries overlapped with the roars of the monsters, and the battle for the world’s survival began.

TL Note(s)

[1] Command Center changer to Command Tower