[GODDESS] Listen well, Misumi.
[GODDESS] The demons' surprise attack
left things in a dire state.
[GODDESS] I'm sending you to Limia at once
to help their hero.
[MAKOTO] But I have a request.
[MAKOTO] I'm going to need the two of you to gather up
and lead any competently trained highland orcs,
and mist lizards.
[MAKOTO] And any other capable volunteers
you can find.
[MAKOTO] And take Kaleneon.
[MAKOTO] I'm counting on both of you.
[chuckles]
[MAKOTO] On Makoto Misumi's orders,
the denizens of the demiplane
entered their first battle against the demons of Kaleneon.
[soldiers screaming]
[groans]
[grunts]
[soldiers screaming indistinctly]
[EMMA] The enemy's main forces have been routed!
[EMMA] Now let's mop the floor with their heads!
[soldiers screaming]
Well, you still want to fight?
Those attacks of yours...
They're completely useless against my reflection.
I thought your size was just for show,
so I was disappointed at first.
Turns out you've been watching me
and analyzing my attacks?
You have my compliments.
Can you explain one thing?
why do you keep using the same attacks over and over?
[MIO] Because...
they were in the young master's memories.
[MIO] Walther and Smith & Wesson.
[MIO] Weapons that can even pierce iron.
I decided it'd be fun to only use those on you.
I haven't the feintest clue what you're talking about,
but...
[Left grunts]
[LEFT] If this is a fight to the death,
let's go.
I very much appreciate that.
[firing shots]
[deflects]
[chuckles]
[grunts]
[blood dripping]
[MIO] My, how truly interesting.
But performing such complex calculations
is a weakness, isn't it?
[chuckles]
No matter.
[LEFT] You're just wasting time.
Indeed. I am.
Watch me.
Not even you can regenerate endlessly, you know.
I won't stop reflecting your attacks anytime soon.
Really now?
Is that your strategy?
It's pointless unless you can outlast me,
since we both know you can't outwit me!
[firing shots]
[chuckles softly]
Huh.
[TOMOE] Mio's trying to master
that reflection technique, isn't she?
She's so lucky.
All I got stuck with were nobodies
who can hardly put up a fight.
[TOMOE] Our victory is set in stone at this point.
[exhales]
I know.
[TOMOE] I'll create an obvious border right here.
[breathes slowly]
[rumbling]
Great.
[TOMOE] That should work.
[rumbling]
The demons won't be able
to send reinforcements that quickly.
They're much too busy dealing with Limia and Gritonia
to pay any attention to me.
[MAKOTO] Not long before this,
the demons charged the suburbs
surrounding the imperial capital.
[MALE SOLDIER] We spotted demon forces!
[MALE SOLDIER] Shieldmen! Ready yourselves.
[MALE SOLDIER] Archers! Take aim.
[MALE SOLDIER] Fire!
[RONA] My...
[RONA] It has begun.
[SOFIA] You snuck into a senior statesman's chamber,
smack dab in the middle of an attack by enemy forces?
Gotta say, that's rather bold of you, Rona.
Sofia.
[SOFIA] I wish you'd share your information with us.
[SOFIA] We are your allies,
not your subordinates, you know.
Did you find out anything?
[RONA] Just that Tomoki,
the empire's hero,
fights differently by day than by night.
[RONA] I believe his healing only works
when the moon is shining bright in the dark sky.
You're saying he can only heal at night?
[RONA] Yes.
But we only have one true target,
and that's the hero of Limia.
Back up,
so, is he stronger at night, too?
Really Sofia. Pay attention.
[MITSURUGI] Rona,
Princess Lily has returned,
and she's commanding the imperial forces.
But how did she get here from Rotsgard?
[RONA] That settles it.
[RONA] We mustn't stay long.
[RONA] Let's head to Fort Stella.
[SOFIA] You go on ahead.
I'll catch up.
I wanna have some fun with that hero.
[Nagi roaring]
[TOMOKI] Don't let them advance any farther!
[TOMOKI] Use all your firepower to rout them!
[ALL] Sir!
[Nagi roaring]
[SOFIA] I see. Just perfect.
[SOFIA] This should be excellent practice
for killing that sorcerer,
so I won't dare hold anything back.
[MITSURUGI] The sorcerer, huh?
[MITSURUGI] I doubt there's any chance
you would lose to him now.
[Tomoki gasps]
What's that?
[SOFIA] Hey there.
[TOMOKI] And you are?
Sofia.
I'm a Dragonslayer.
[TOMOKI] Since when?
[TOMOKI] Aren't you Sofia Bulga?
[SOFIA] Interesting.
So, you do know who I am?
You're the hero of the empire,
Tomoki Iwahashi.
[TOMOKI] That's right.
[TOMOKI] What can I do for you?
[Sofia chuckles]
I'm quite interested in you.
[TOMOKI] Huh?
[TOMOKI] Why me?
[deflects]
Watch out!
Pretty decent timing.
I'm disappointed in that "hero"
but this lady knight sure does impress me.
[Sofia sniffing]
Ha.
[SOFIA] That smell.
[SOFIA] You've been granted strength by a greater dragon.
Must be Glont, or Sazanami.
Wait. What are you thinking?
You've changed.
[SOFIA] Right.
[SOFIA] I hadn't mentioned it yet.
[SOFIA] I'm honored to tell you all
that I have acquired another title these days.
Now, it's Sofia Bulga,
Demon Commander.
[TOMOKI] You're with them?
[SOFIA] I heard you're stronger
when the moon is in the sky, hero.
It's dark.
Why don't you show me
some afterhours dance move, huh?
[TOMOKI] I don't care who you claim to be.
[SOFIA] Don't bother.
[SOFIA] That's not gonna work against me.
[Tomoki gasps]
[TOMOKI] She knows about my Magic Eye?
[SOFIA] You're wielding a spear.
[SOFIA] Why don't you try using that to beat me?
[SOFIA] If you can, then I'll be all yours.
I'll offer you my body and my mind.
[TOMOKI] And I will prove to you
that battles can never be determined by level alone!
How perfect.
I agree with you completely.
Of course, this lizard is in our way.
[slashes]
Nagi!
[Nagi growling]
[SOFIA] Well, I'll see you all down there.
[thuds]
[soldiers screaming]
[SOFIA] Hey. Looking for me?
[SOFIA] If you lose,
the empire will be in big trouble.
[SOFIA] You'll need luck.
[TOMOKI] I'm a hero blessed with the goddess's protection.
[TOMOKI] Stop underestimating me.
[chuckles]
Oh yeah?
[SOFIA] Now let me show you how strong I am.
[grunts]
Huh?
That rocked!
You fell for my Clay Doll Trump card!
Impressive! Great thinking.
Oh.
That's quite a spell.
[YUKINATSU] Isn't it exquisite?
[YUKINATSU] Breaking free of that binding won't be easy.
[SOFIA] Huh?
[SOFIA] You've given this some thought.
I did.
You can't fight like that.
So, I don't know why you insist on being so pompous.
Just stay on the defensive.
Mora, you stick with me.
Sir.
You took Nagi down.
Prepare to pay!
Hit me with your best shot.
Like you really want me dead.
[TOMOKI] Oh, yeah?
[TOMOKI] In that case.
[gun loads]
I'll give you what you want!
Now, just die!
[explosion]
[Tomoki chuckles]
If you had survived,
I would've made you one of my women.
[SOFIA] Was that a joke?
It's going to take a whole lot more than that
to take someone like me down.
[gasps]
How?
But, uh, wasn't that a direct hit?
Well, it was a creative attack, I'll give you that much.
[SOFIA] Despite combining so many elements,
they don't interfere with each other's power.
[crystal shatters]
[SOFIA] It's a shame, though.
[SOFIA] It wasn't strong enough to forge a lake.
[SOFIA] Now,
show me how strong a hero is.
[grunts]
[screams]
[thuds]
[footsteps approaching]
[gasps]
I was once defeated by Sofia,
and injured in a battle against the sorcerer.
[crackling]
[LANCER] But finally,
it seems I have completely regained
my power as a greater dragon.
♪
[SOFIA] Honestly, that did not live up to my expectations.
[straining]
[Ginebia coughing]
[SOFIA] You're a hero, aren't you?
Then why don't you at least try and fight like one?
[Tomoki thuds]
[Tomoki screaming in pain]
[crying]
[Tomoki groaning]
Hm?
[steam hissing]
[SOFIA] Oh.
[SOFIA] Your healing is pretty powerful.
Monster, you monster!
[SOFIA] Really now?
[SOFIA] Don't you think it's rather rude
to call a woman a monster?
[TOMOKI] Are you kidding me?
[TOMOKI] Ironic to hear that coming from a hyuman
who sides with demons.
[chuckles]
[SOFIA] I'm still waiting for you to show me
how strong a hero is.
[SOFIA] I really hope you were just holding back.
[SOFIA] You're not already quitting on me, are you?
[SOFIA] Or is there some kind of activation condition
I'm not aware of?
Ah,
are you scared you'll accidentally hit your friends?
[SOFIA] Should I kill them first?
[TOMOKI] No, don't!
I won't show you the ace I've got up my sleeve
if you kill them.
That's why you're here.
[TOMOKI] So, send my allies to the imperial capital.
[Sofia chuckles softly]
[SOFIA] That's fine by me.
Go on, take them.
[TOMOKI] Huh?
[SOFIA] That form.
[SOFIA] Your strength has finally returned.
Yes.
You want me to escort these half-dead fools
to the imperial capital?
[SOFIA] So, that's taken care of
Now, show me the goddess's protection.
[TOMOKI] Well, unfortunately,
what I'm about to show you
has nothing to do with the goddess.
[SOFIA] Huh?
[TOMOKI] It's your own fault things turned out this way.
[TOMOKI] Prepare yourself.
Hurry up.
[TOMOKI] Within these flames lie unimaginable
and monstrous horrors,
but don't look away as they're quite likely
the last thing you'll ever get to see!
[chuckles]
[TOMOKI] Obliterate!
[explosion]
[screams]
[LANCER] That was quite the trump card, eh?
[SOFIA] It was.
I'd say even more sadistic than the sorcerer's arrow.
[LANCER] I'd expect as much from a hero.
[SOFIA] A savage technique that takes the caster's life.
Of course,
that's not what makes it so terrifying.
[SOFIA] Even those who avoid the direct blast
are usually afflicted by a special poison or curse.
[SOFIA] A bit like radiation or something of the sort.
[Sofia chuckles]
[SOFIA] Relax.
[LANCER] I didn't know I'd been impacted, too.
[SOFIA] The hero himself seems to be unaffected.
[SOFIA] It's not a very heroic power.
[SOFIA] You'll be fine, now let's reconnect telepathically.
[SOFIA] Oh, and don't touch the hero.
[SOFIA] I'm not done with him.
[SOFIA] Rona, can you hear me?
[RONA] I sensed a tremendous blast of mana.
[RONA] What happened?
[SOFIA] Just Tomoki's trump card.
[SOFIA] It was a high-power, area-of-effect fire spell.
[RONA] Then I can presume he's dead?
[SOFIA] My apologies, but he got away.
[RONA] I see.
[RONA] But if you got him to cast his trump card,
that's good enough.
[RONA] Shall you return to Fort Stella?
[SOFIA] Not now.
[SOFIA] I'm feeling pretty fatigued.
[SOFIA] I need a break.
Huh?
[gasps]
[RONA] Sofia?
[SOFIA] Please tell me you saw that, too?
[RONA] She forgot to end the telepathic link.
[RONA] She seems rather flustered.
[LANCER] That's him alright.
[SOFIA] He's heading right toward Limia's royal capital.
[SOFIA] You can fly, right?
Yes. Let's go.
We'll end this quickly.
The day I kill him has arrived at last.
[SOFIA] You just wait, sorcerer.
[RONA] I never expected that my greatest concern
would actually go to Limia.
[RONA] This is ridiculous.
[MAKOTO] And now, back to the present.
[MAKOTO] Makoto Misumi was headed
to Limia's royal capital.
[SHIKI] You need to wear a disguise of some sort?
[MAKOTO] Yeah.
[MAKOTO] People can't know I'm Kuzunoha, the merchant.
You're right.
I could probably return to my pre-contract form,
but I don't think that will help.
Any more ideas?
I could wear a veil,
but I'm pretty sure it'd come off in battle.
Wait, I think I know what we can use, though.
Mio asked me to make some adjustments,
so, I still have it in my possession.
Come on. You don't mean...?
[soldiers screaming]
[VERDA] Hibiki, it's no use.
They've broken through the third and fourth lines.
I can't believe they're getting through so easily.
This is why we should've moved the royal capital
closer to the Hopleys' lands.
And it's such a shame, too,
since he was in favor of that idea.
[HIBIKI] You mean Ilumgand?
[HIBIKI] There's something happening
in the academy city, too, isn't there?
Seems that way.
[HIBIKI] I hope he's okay.
[WOODY] Me too,
but either way, we'll have to retreat from here.
[WOODY] I think joining the forces sent to Stella,
and reclaiming the royal capital
is still our best move.
It's true.
We need to go, Hibiki.
Are you sure?
But what will happen to the people in the city
if we all just abandon them?
Well, you see...
Please, Chiya, hear me out.
[CHIYA] Huh?
[CHIYA] Hmm.
[HIBIKI] As it stands now.
[HIBIKI] Many lives have been lost.
[HIBIKI] All in the name of defeating the demons.
[HIBIKI] We carry their abandoned hopes
and dreams with us and we go forward.
[CHIYA] Hmm.
[HIBIKI] We must win this war to achieve peace.
Their deaths weren't in vain,
and we will fight hard to prove that.
[HIBIKI] And so,
we will dig deep to find the strength we need,
to honor them.
[CHIYA] I get it.
[CHIYA] You're talking about Naval, right?
[grunts]
[Hibiki exhales]
[HIBIKI] Oh, well, I suppose I am.
[HIBIKI] Please know.
[SEALY] Seriously!
Why're you all still here?
[HIBIKI] Sealy.
We're going now.
Use those Tsige scouts, and start the retreat.
[SEALY] Of course, sir.
How is the evacuation going?
It's been rough.
Hoping 30% make it.
Those damn demons!
They're mowing down every hyuman they come across.
[both gasp]
We must leave.
What's our escape route?
Right, in the throne...
[rumbling]
No, that's impossible!
[cracking]
[explodes]
[all grunt]
[rumbling]
[IO] Provide your enemies with an escape route,
and most of them would happily take it.
[stomps]
[all gasp]
[gasps]
[IO] Or did you always intend
to ambush me here, Hibiki the hero?
[Hibiki sighs]
I'm not afraid of you!
[gasps]
That's quite a scandalous outfit you're wearing.
Is it part of your strategy?
[HIBIKI] It's enhancing garb made from my guardian beast.
[HIBIKI] What do you think you're doing
emerging from the ground like a gross mole?
That's the only escape route we have,
and he blocked it.
Damn it.
I was running out of patience, so I came to meet you.
I could not handle waiting any longer.
[WOODY] What about the soldiers outside?
Why ask me about them?
You murderer!
You knew! Those men were my allies!
- Be careful! - Try to remain calm.
We can't go this way.
[IO] You're still trying to flee?
[IO] I won't let you.
[IO] Hibiki, you're destined to die right here.
If you don't, then we'll slaughter
everyone in the royal capital.
[IO] Though it's a shameful act for a warrior,
[IO] I am currently a commander of demons.
[IO] And I am here as a soldier.
[HIBIKI] You think it's honorable
for soldiers to kill civilians?
[IO] This is a war between species,
and as such, it will inevitably end
with the extinction
or eternal enslavement of one side.
[IO] I know you sense that, as well.
[grunts]
Now decide.
Will you sacrifice your people?
Or bet on your chances of being able to take me down?
[Hibiki screams]
[Io chuckles]
[HIBIKI] Amazing!
[HIBIKI] This sword forged by Beren isn't just strong,
it's enchanted with special wind magic!
Just go for it!
Here, take this!
[Hibiki screaming]
[Hibiki screams]
He's through!
[deflects]
[punching]
[groans]
[punches]
[rumbling]
[HIBIKI] Elemental gauntlets?
[HIBIKI] Not only that,
but they're enchanted with all four basic elements?
Did you think you were the only ones here
with exceptional weaponry?
[IO] That's enough!
[ALL] Hibiki!
[explosion]
[grunts]
[IO] Hmm.
[IO] And who are you?
[MAKOTO] My only choice was to wear
this stupid hero suit that Mio made me
in order to hide my appearance.
[MAKOTO] What should I do?
[MAKOTO] This bizarro costume has dumbfounded them.
[MAKOTO] Huh?
[MAKOTO] You've got to be kidding me?
[MAKOTO] Really?
♪
[MAKOTO] Otonashi from school is a hero?
[MAKOTO] Night Twenty-Two:
[MAKOTO] "Fight On, Hero!"