Lezamer didn’t give so much as a word in response. Instead, Watt was met with only a boundless wave of murderous intent surging from Bahamut Dominion. The corner of Watt’s mouth twisted into a grin. Compared to all the bloodbaths he’d been through so far, Lezamer’s bloodlust felt like nothing more than a slight breeze. Lezamer wasn’t even a true Steelrider in the first place. Even seventeen years ago, his skills had been clumsy at best, and he likely hadn’t improved since then either.
The remaining concern, however, was the sheer power of Bahamut Dominion as a Diviner-class Mechsteel. It didn’t matter how much of an amateur its pilot was; that Mechsteel was the real deal—and it wasn’t the sort of foe to be underestimated. Even then, Watt didn’t have the slightest intention of losing.
“We’re gonna have one helluva brawl on our hands here. You ready, Anna?” Watt asked.
“That’s okay! I’m the one he challenged in the first place. You won’t be the only one fighting, father—I’m right here with you!”
“’Atta girl! That’s what I like to hear!” Watt replied. “Well then, why don’t we give those nobles watchin’ a real show...and let ’em see what Anna Ogdenn’s all about!”
She grew up to be a good kid with a lot of pluck, that’s for sure, Watt thought with a satisfied grin. It was almost impossible to believe that she’d been raised under her stepfather. Watt could see her mother’s influence shining through in that regard.
It’s for her too—and that’s all the more reason I gotta send this dumbass prince packing!
Everything that had happened back then, and all the pent-up resentment from it, didn’t matter at all now. He’d taken up his blade for his daughter, and if he’d made it that far, then all that was left was to claim victory. Watt’s spirits had never been higher as a refreshing surge filled his heart.
Carome, captain of the Royal Knights, stepped forward from her peers. “I take it you’re ready, then. The duel will now begin! This battle shall be witnessed in full, not only by myself and my fellow knights, but also by all those present. May you both battle honorably! Now...begin!”
No sooner had Carome given her signal than the Diviner sprang into action.
“Hmph, spare me the rambling! Battles belong to the victor! Bahamut Dominion, bring me victory!”
With a roar, a burst of steam sprang from Bahamut Dominion as it spread its wings. A pale magic energy flickered, propelling the Mechsteel’s enormous form into the air as it flapped its wings.
“I’ll crush you like the roach you are!”
Bahamut Dominion immediately leaped into a fierce charge. Despite its tremendous weight, the Mechsteel accelerated all at once, the distance between them visibly shrinking with each passing moment. In the blink of an eye, Lord Gryphon’s entire sight was filled by the titan. After all, Bahamut Dominion was gargantuan—merely slamming into its foe would be enough to smash Lord Gryphon to bits.
Watching as the manifestation of death itself closed in, Anna’s face stiffened with fear.
“If you freeze up in a fight, that’s the moment you lose,” Watt said. “Don’t look away!”
“O-Okay!”
Watt’s words gave Anna just the support she needed. She interlocked her hands as if in prayer, but she kept her eyes fixed on the encroaching Diviner.
“There, that’s more like it! He’s got a lot of power to throw around, but he’s just like a kid—he doesn’t know how to use it! We got nothin’ to be scared of!”
Lord Gryphon broke into a dash as well. Making no attempts to even dodge Bahamut Dominion, instead it barreled straight ahead. The moment that Anna started to close her eyes out of fear they’d crash into each other, Lord Gryphon sprang into the air. Making expert use of the Mechsteel’s exceptional capabilities, Watt jumped straight over Bahamut Dominion, springing off its head.
“Urgh! You wretched bastard! How dare you make a fool of me!”
“Ha ha—just my way of sayin’ hi!”
After kicking the Diviner, Lord Gryphon made its landing, only for Bahamut Dominion to brace itself in place with its brakes. Bahamut Dominion practically leaped as it spun around, the two dragon heads on its shoulders opening their jaws.
“Such impudence toward the king shall not go unpunished! There won’t even be a body to claim after I’ve obliterated you! Multi-Cast, Skill Fusion! Activate, Hyper Magi-skill! Dragon’s Roar!”
An extraordinary amount of magic energy gathered around Bahamut Dominion before being unleashed in a torrent of light. The attack, modeled after the fiery breath of a dragon, carved through the earth as it stretched forth.
“Doesn’t matter how powerful the attack is—if you know it’s comin’, you can always get outta the way!”
After ascertaining the direction of the light, Watt wasted no time jumping to the side with Lord Gryphon. The beam rushed past his side, only for a Lord Gryphon Neo—which had been acting as a protective barrier in the rear—to go hurtling through the air, shield and all, after containing the attack. The nobles who had been watching the battle so nonchalantly thus far now scrambled to make their escape.
Checking the devastation behind him, Watt turned around with a grimace on his face.
“What the hell do you think you’re doin’?” he demanded. “That ain’t the sort of attack you can go blastin’ off in a duel! You tellin’ me you don’t even care if the people around us get caught up in this?!”
“Father, there are nobles behind us!” Anna pleaded with Lezamer. “Please, you must think!”
“Hmph! As if that matters to me! It’s their fault for scurrying about so! They’d be far better off if they just got it over with and died by my attack!”
It was the nobles of the kingdom who were watching the duel—the very ones who would eventually take on a vital role in the kingdom’s operations. What’s more, some of Lezamer’s own supporters were among them, but it was clear he’d completely forgotten even that.
“That’s the most bullshit excuse I’ve ever heard!” Watt said with a frustrated sigh. “But I can’t let him go firin’ that off any more. Anna—we’re gonna take the fight to him. Brace yourself so you don’t get tossed!”
“Okay!”
Lord Gryphon dashed ahead, twin blades in hand. Seeing Lord Gryphon charging toward him, Lezamer leaned forward, foaming at the mouth as he spoke.
“Very well, then, I’ll just crush you with my own hands! Activate, Hyper Magi-skill: Tidal Severance!”
Bahamut Dominion moved the massive wings sprouting from its back before grabbing the lower pair of wings. They made a cracking sound as they began to change shape, transforming into a pair of incredibly massive broadswords, each the size of a Mechsteel in its own right. Gripping the enormous blades in its gargantuan hands, Bahamut Dominion charged ahead.