On that note, it would be much easier to understand if it was just a matter of who was stronger or weaker.
在那点上，是强是弱就好懂的多。

“--Remedios-sama, the priest contingent and the adventurers have raised their flags.”
「——卡斯特迪奥团长。神官团、冒险者团的旗帜也升起了」

“How about Calca-sama?”
「卡尔嘉大人呢？」

“Not yet.”
「还没」

“Is that so… well, it’s about time to start casting longer-duration defensive spells. Once Calca-sama arrives, we’ll advance on Jaldabaoth first and act as bait to draw his attention. Keep your will strong and beware any special attacks the enemy has.”
「是吗……但差不多是时候开始施放持续时间较长的防御魔法了，卡尔嘉大人一旦抵达、我们就最先接近亚达巴沃，成为诱饵引开他的视线。保持着坚强意志、防范对方的特殊攻击」
部下们一齐发出雄壮的回应。

“No movement from the plaza.”
「从广场没有传来任何动静吗」

They had confirmed that the advance force had been wiped out, and if their target had shifted location, the adventurers responsible for reconnaissance would have told them. If there was no news from them, that meant Jaldabaoth had not moved from the plaza where he had appeared.
先遣队的全灭已被确认，若是目标移动的话负责先行侦查的冒险者应该会有联络过来才对。没有联络的话，也就是意味着亚达巴沃在出现的场所完全没有动作。

“Don’t look down on us, you miserable little demon. Probably thinks that if he can kill us all here, he can conquer the country easily.”
「别小看我们啊、区区的恶魔。大概是想着在这里将我们杀尽的话，就能简单地征服这个国家吧」

“No, ma’am. It’s also likely that he’s trying to stall for time. If we’re pinned down here fighting Jaldabaoth, the demihuman army will be able to win elsewhere.
「不、团长。也有另一种可能是在拖延时间。我们如果为了与亚达巴沃战斗而被钉在这的话、亚人们的军队就能进行有利的战斗」

“...I see. So that’s possible too… this Jaldabaoth is pretty smart, huh.”
「……原来如此。还有这种可能吗……这个亚达巴沃、脑袋相当不错呢」

“I think he’s good at scheming because he’s a demon.”
「我想因为是恶魔所以善于阴谋诡计」

“...Hmph. He’s just a demon who’s gotten full of himself, see if I don’t beat him down and make him weep tears of bitter defeat.”
「……哼嗯。得意忘形的恶魔之流、看我打趴他让他凄惨地哭吧」

Just as Remedios began to swear to the gods, the final flag went up, as though it were waiting for that moment.
就在蕾梅蒂欧丝向神发誓时，最后的旗帜也有如等待那一刻飘扬起来。

“Vice-Captain!”
「副团长！」

“Yes ma’am! Everyone, we’re moving out!”
「是！大家、随时可以出动！」

“Alright! Follow me!”
「好！跟我冲！」

Remedios began to run, determined to bury her sword in that demon’s face.
蕾梅蒂欧丝奔跑起来、下定决心要将剑插上那恶魔的面孔。

She turned a corner, ran again, then turned a corner once more.
转过弯、奔跑、然后再转弯。

And so, she saw a suspicious-looking person, standing in the middle of a plaza painted bright red and strewn with the bodies of the fallen. A tail protruded from that person’s waist.
于是、散落人的残骸、看见了在大范围沾满鲜红色的广场中站着的可疑的家伙。穿戴着假面、从那腰上伸出尾巴。

His description was almost identical to the one provided by the fleeing soldiers.
与逃回来的士兵们所口述的是几乎一样的打扮。

He did not have wings or horns, and the only sign that he was a inhuman was his tail. From that point of view, he was little more than a man in a mask.
蝙蝠之翼笔直无棱角、能说是异形的特征也只有尾巴，如果这样看的话只不过是带着面具的男子。

However--
但是——

“Are you Jaldabaoth!?”
「你就是亚达巴沃吗！！！」

“「Red c-」ah! ”
「red k【c?】——哦哟！」

An acrid stench filled the air as they entered the plaza, that of blood and burst innards. There was a sound of squelching meat as she stepped in, but she was no longer concerned about such things. All that remained was charging with all her might and swinging her sword.
脏器和血的臭味混合在一起、脚步踏入飘散刺鼻般臭味的广场时，踏烂的肉片发出噗叽的声音。但是、早已没有注意那种事情的意识。只是、全力突击，把剑挥下而已

Her irritation built as Jaldabaoth effortlessly avoided her, and she swung again.
一边对亚达巴沃毫不费力地避开这边的一击而不快感增强的同时，将剑向上砍去。

That too was evaded.
而那也被回避了。

Remedios knew that however much time she put into her studies, she would never be able to excel in academics. For that reason, she spent all her time on improving her fighting skills instead, because she understood that she was more talented in that field. After that, she had become the greatest warrior of this nation.
蕾梅蒂欧丝理解自己即使付出大量时间，也无法在学习获得成果，正因为如此，她将所有的时间花费在提高战斗能力上面，因为她明白在那一方面明显地更有才能。然后，甚至成了这个国家最上位的战士。

And now, the instincts of the paladin Remedios Custodio were screaming to her.
而现在那个圣骑士蕾梅蒂欧丝・卡斯特迪奥的直觉在喊叫。

Jaldabaoth’s evasion was not a coincidence. He put on a show of conceit because he had the strength to back it up. Few human beings could keep up with the battle that was about to take place, and she would need to further enhance herself with magic.
亚达巴沃的回避绝不是偶然，摆出让人大意的态度是因为他有着与之相符的实力，能跟得上即将要开始的战斗的人类仅有少数，然后自己也需要更进一步的魔法进行强化。

Remedios’ instincts had never failed her at times like these.
像这种情况下蕾梅蒂欧丝的直觉从不落空。

“Fall back! All of you fall back! --No, form a cordon! This demon is very strong!”
「撤退！你们给我撤退！——不、做出大规模的包围网！这个恶魔很强！」

Saying so, she backed away with her men. Her subordinates retreated further than her, but she could not go as far as them. At most, she could move four meters back, at a range where she could take a single step and then cut him down.
仅说了这些后、与部下们一样自己也拉开距离。虽然部下们退到了更远的地方，但自己没有办法退到这么远。最多只有4米左右、是仅需踏出一步就能进行斩杀的距离。

Jaldabaoth rounded his shoulders.
亚达巴沃落下肩膀。

“Haaa… just like a charging bull. What is it? Could it be you’ve seen red?”
「哈啊……还真是有如蛮牛一般的女子呢。怎么了？难不成是看见红布在挥舞了吗？」

Remedios ignored the demon’s taunt, and the troops led by Kylardo and Calca appeared in her field of vision. Shocked by the sight of Remedios engaged with Jaldabaoth, they made haste.
无视恶魔俏皮话的蕾梅蒂欧丝的视线中，出现了卡尔嘉和凯拉尔朵所率领的士兵们，惊讶于蕾梅蒂欧丝已与亚达巴沃遭遇、并且正在交战中的情况，加快了速度。

Jaldabaoth turned to face Calca, exposing his defenseless back to Remedios. However -- her instincts told her that Jaldabaoth might just be waiting for her to attack him from behind, and so she froze.
亚达巴沃将整个身体转向卡尔嘉的方向，在蕾梅蒂欧丝的面前暴露出无防备的背后。但是——她直觉亚达巴沃该不会是正在等着她从身后挥剑过来而停止了动作。

“You two! He’s very strong! If you don’t pull your men back, they’ll only die for nothing!”
「两位！这家伙很强！不让士兵撤出的话只会白白送死！」

The two of them immediately responded to Remedios’ shout, and they were the only ones to step forward.
两人即刻依照蕾梅蒂欧丝的怒吼声做出行动，走在前面的只有卡尔拉及凯拉尔朵。

Remedios kept her distance from Jaldabaoth while circling around him until she stood in front of the two of them.
蕾梅蒂欧丝一边保持着与亚达巴沃相同的距离，一边为了站着两人前面，以画圆的方式进行移动。

“Remedios, please don’t push yourself.”
「蕾梅蒂欧丝，请不要勉强自己」

“She’s right, onee-sama. Shouldn’t you take him on with everyone at once?”
「没错、姐姐大人。他不是该全员一齐面对的对手吗」

Her eyes had not moved from Jaldabaoth even as she listened to their quiet words from behind her. Perhaps he was planning to unleash that wall-breaking power of his; if he made a move, she would dash up and hack him down.
听着两人在身后小声说话的同时、也未曾将视线从亚达巴沃转移开来。他该不会是想要趁这个时机施放能破坏城墙的力量也说不定，如果他有想要做的姿势，就立刻冲上去砍了他。

However, Jaldabaoth showed no sign of doing so.
然而在亚达巴沃身上看不到这样的迹象。

His relaxed composure made Remedios unhappy.
那个余裕让蕾梅蒂欧丝感到不快。

I must, I have to strike him down!
（绝对、绝对要把他打趴在地上！）

“So you are Jaldabaoth?”
「你就是亚达巴沃吧」

Jaldabaoth’s shrug in response to Calca’s question only intensified her displeasure. Every little thing that demon did only served to make her mad.
因卡尔嘉的质问而耸了耸肩的亚达巴沃让蕾梅蒂欧丝的不快感更加强烈，这个恶魔的所作所为的一切都那么让人生气。

“Indeed. ...Your slave charged right at me without saying a word. What would she have done if it was a case of mistaken identity? Well, it does interest me that there are savages in the Holy Kingdom who are incapable of speech. Ah, just to be sure, may I ask if you are the reigning Holy King?”
「没有错。……你的奴隶一句话也不说就直接袭击过来了呢，如果搞错了的话该如何是好呢？嘛、圣王国里面也有着不使用语言的蛮族这一点，我倒还挺有兴趣的呢。哎呀、保险起见先问问妳，妳就是当代的圣王吗？」

“Indeed.”
「没有错」

“There’s no need to tell him your name, Calca-sama.”
「没有必要对这家伙报上名号、卡尔嘉大人」

Remedios levelled the point of her sword at Jaldabaoth.

“All you need to know is that he’s Jaldabaoth, and all we need to do after that is kill him and send him back to hell. Talking with him is just going to taint your tongue--”
蕾梅蒂欧丝将剑尖指往亚达巴沃。「只要知道这人是亚达巴沃，接下来需要做的就只有把宰了他遣还回魔界。如果与他搭话舌头会被污染——」

“A-ah, Remedios, earlier…”
「那、那个，蕾梅蒂欧丝，事前说的……」

Calca’s confused words made Remedios tilt her head. Had she said something like that before?
卡尔嘉困惑的声音让蕾梅蒂欧丝的脑袋歪斜，有说过那种事吗？

Kylardo seemed to have a spell from the rear, because a surge of heat blazed up within her body, accompanied by incredible strength. Her attack from just now had been evaded, but now she was confident that she could strike him in this state. At this point, Remedios thought, so that’s it, because talking to him was meant to buy them time.
凯拉尔朵似乎在后方使用了魔法，身体内部燃起热力、涌现出惊人的力量。方才的攻击虽然被回避了，这个状态的话有着能击中的自信。到这里蕾梅蒂欧丝才产生原来如此的想法，问他话是为了拖延时间、吗。

“--Still, I am magnanimous, so I shall chat with you for a while. Do you have any questions?”
「——但、但是我很宽容大量所以就跟你稍微说点话，有什么想问的吗！」

Jaldabaoth pressed at the eye region of his mask, a motion Remedios had seen Calca, Kylardo, and her vice-captain perform many times in the past.
亚达巴沃将手按压在眼睛周围的面具上方，这个动作曾从卡尔嘉和凯拉尔朵、还有副团长那里看见过好多次。

“...Also, please, prepare yourselves until you are satisfied. The sight of you -- who are desperately preparing yourselves to defeat me -- being trampled and your lives taken by a power which surpasses even that; truly it is a sight to evoke ever greater despair in those who witness it with their own eyes. --What a wonderful sight it will be.”
「……还请、准备时间到你们满意为止。为了胜过我而拼死准备的你们，被以超越那的力量所蹂躏、夺取生命。那才正是、能够让亲眼所见之人产生更强的绝望感。——是多么愉快的光景」

“I won’t let that happen!”
「那种事、我会不允许它发生！」

“Sorry, Remedios, but could you quiet down for a bit?”
「抱歉、蕾梅蒂欧丝，能稍微安静一点吗？」

There was a hint of steel in Calca’s voice, and Remedios shut up. It was merely a slight change of tone, but from experience, Remedios knew that Calca was angry.
被卡尔嘉以稍微强硬的口吻说道、蕾梅蒂欧丝将嘴闭上。虽然只是微小的语气变化，但从经验上知道在这种时候她正在生气。

“Remedios, step back for a bit.”
「蕾梅蒂欧丝、稍微退到后方」

“But, but if I move back, I won’t be able to cut him down if he does anything weird…”
「但、但是，如果再退的话那家伙有什么奇怪的动作的话就没法砍了他……」

“Ah, that is fine. I will not attack until we finish speaking, or until you launch an attack of your own.”
「啊啊、没关系。在说完话之前、或是你们那一方攻击过来之前，我这边是不会攻击的」

“As if we could believe what a demon say--”
「恶魔所说的话岂能——」

“Remedios!”
「蕾梅蒂欧丝！」

“--Understood.”
「——遵命」

Remedios fell back as ordered, and her sister whispered to her through her helmet.
遵从命令退回来的蕾梅蒂欧丝，她妹妹在耳边隔着头盔小声地对她说。

“Calca-heika is trying to learn more from the opposition. You need to ignore what that demon says and bear with it.”
「卡尔嘉陛下是想要问出对方的情报。不管那个恶魔说什么都请忍耐」

Remedios grimaced in displeasure.
蕾梅蒂欧丝露出了一副不满的态度。

Her enemy was a demon. That being the case, they ought to consider that everything he said was probably a lie. Rushing in and cutting him up would save effort and brain cells. However, impeding her mistress was a betrayal of her loyalty. Thus, she had grit her teeth and endure this.
对方是恶魔。既然是这样，就应该以对方说的全部是假话为前提来思考。赶紧一刀把他砍了这样更省事不用费脑细胞。但是妨碍君主有背忠义。在这里不得不咬紧牙关忍下来。

“Now then, Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth. I have some things to ask you. Why have you come here? If you wish to trample this country, why not move with the demihuman army from the fortress? Or could it be--”
「那么、魔皇亚达巴沃。我有些事想要问问你的。你来这里的目的是什么？如果想要蹂躏这个国家的话，不和城塞时候的亚人军队一起行动是为什么？难道说——」

“...Ah, you need say no more. I can imagine what you wish to say. It would seem you are mistaken. The reason I have come here alone is not to parley with you.”
「……啊啊，不用再继续说下去也可以。妳想说的我已经预测到了。看来你们是误会了什么的样子。我一个人来这里，并不是想要跟你们进行交涉」

A subdued “what” came from Calca, who was standing behind Remedios. She sounded clearly disappointed.
从蕾梅蒂欧丝身后的卡尔嘉那里传出了「是么」这样显得遗憾的声音。

“There are two reasons why I have come here alone. The first is because compared to being slain by the demihuman body, crushing you by myself will deepen your despair that much more. The other reason is -- in order to avoid making the same mistakes as I did in the Kingdom. I had not expected to meet a warrior as powerful as myself. Therefore, the fact that I have come here alone is to see if there is a being comparable to me.”
「我一个人过来的理由有两个。其一，比起在亚人军势的乱战中战死，还是被我一个人蹂躏更能深刻的体会到绝望。然后另一个理由是——为了不重蹈在那个王国的覆辙。没想到在那个地方有着跟我同等力量的战士。所以说，我一个人来此地是为了调查这个国家是否有着跟我同等的存在」

“There might be, you know?”
「说不定、有哦？」

“Of this I am certain -- there are none. I have given you all this time. If anyone like that did exist, they would be in this city -- by the side of you, the most important person in this nation. Yet, I have not found anyone like that. That includes those snivelling cowards hiding themselves away.”
「我能如此断言。并没有。给了你们这么多的时间。如果存在的话，应该在这个都市——这个国家最重要的人物，也就是你的身边才对。可是我并没有发现那样的人物。包括那些偷偷摸摸藏起来的鼠辈们」

“You bastard! Are you saying we’re weaker than that warrior!?”
「你这家伙！你是在说我们比那个战士还要弱吗！」

Remedios could not pretend she had not heard those words, and they made her forget her forbearance and shout in anger. Calca and her sister’s words were already halfway out of her head, but the order not to cut him down just barely held on.
不能当做没听见的话，让蕾梅蒂欧丝忘记了忍耐，这样怒吼着。虽然卡尔嘉和妹妹嘱咐的话有一半从脑袋里飘了出去，但唯有不能砍上去这点在拼命忍耐着。

“That is exactly what I am saying. Did you not hear me? Is that all you wish to know, your Holy Majesty?”
「我就是这么说的，没传到你耳朵里吗？想知道的事情就只有这些了吗？圣王女陛下？」

“While there’s one more thing -- Angels, advance!”
「虽然还有一个——天使队，向前！」

Calca’s powerful voice filled the plaza, and the angels in the perimeter and hidden among the priests spread their wings and took flight.
卡尔嘉充满气势的声音传到了整个广场，在后方布置包围网的近卫和神官之中埋伏的天使一齐展开，飞了起来。

There were five angels summoned through third-tier spells -- Archangel Flames. There were twenty more summoned through second-tier spells, Angel Guardians. And then, there was a single angel which Calca had summoned before arriving here -- a Principality of Peace.
五只以第三位阶魔法召唤出来的手持炎剑的天使——火焰大天使。二十只以第二位阶魔法召唤出来的守护天使[Angel·Guardian]。然后，来到这里之前卡尔嘉用第四位阶魔法召唤出来的一只安宁权天使[Principalities·peace]。

While she did not remember what powers the angels possessed, she remembered that the Principality of Peace which Calca summoned could use low-tier divine spells and could use abilities such as protection from evil, smite evil, mass silence, among others. That was because she had often seen Calca summon it.
虽然不记得天使们有着怎样的能力，但还是知道卡尔嘉召唤出来的安宁权天使能使用低位的信仰系魔法，还可以施展对恶的加护、对恶一击、全体镇静化之类的特殊能力。是由于经常看见卡尔嘉召唤出来的缘故。

Sensing the murderous intent around her, Remedios understood that she no longer needed to hold back, and so she charged. Normally, the priests would have supported her with attack spells, but there were none. Perhaps they were conserving mana to summon angels.
闻到周围充满着的杀气，蕾梅蒂欧丝明白已经不需要再忍耐了，毅然展开了突击。平时的话应该会有神官们作为援护的攻击魔法才对，是为了召唤天使在温存魔力么，并没有发现有任何攻击魔法。

Remedios activated a skill from one of her job classes, Evil Slayer. The divine power within her holy sword intensified.
蕾梅蒂欧丝发动了其职业、邪恶杀手[EvilSlayer]的特殊技能，让圣剑里寄宿的神圣之力变得更强了。

In that moment, five adventurers suddenly appeared behind Jaldabaoth. They must have used invisibility magic to close in on him. She did not know why they had suddenly become visible. While she knew that there was a spell called [Invisibility], she had no idea what sort of spell it was or how it could be negated.
那一瞬间——亚达巴沃的后面突然出现了五名冒险者。是使用了能变得透明的魔法缩短了距离吧。她
不明白为什么这些人突然能被人看见了。虽然知道有着名为<透明化>的魔法，但、那是个怎样的魔法、怎么才能使其失效之类的就完全不明白了。

Jaldabaoth did not respond to the adventurers who had suddenly appeared. No -- it did not seem like he had even noticed them.
亚达巴沃并没有准备迎击那些突然现身的冒险者的样子。不——感觉甚至都没有察觉到。

At that moment, she sensed that she had been mistaken about the aura of intimidation from Jaldabaoth. Or rather, this was just an illusion or a copy, and the original was not here.
那个时候，在亚达巴沃身上感觉到的威胁是错觉么。还是说实际上，在这里的是幻觉或者分身，本尊并不在这里么。

No -- she denied the latter deduction. That could not be. Her instincts -- her ability to sniff out evil -- told her that Jaldabaoth was right there.
不——她否定了后者。那不可能。她的直觉——对于邪恶一闻就知道的嗅觉正告诉她，亚达巴沃就在那里。

The adventurers looked shocked, and slashed at Jaldabaoth in a panic. Just as she thought that their weapons would be able to reach her, Jaldabaoth sprouted a set of strange wings behind him. They impaled the adventurers who had tried to attack him from behind.
冒险者们一副吃惊的样子，慌慌张张的朝亚达巴沃斩了过去。觉得他们的武器能砍到的瞬间，亚达巴沃的背后生出了奇怪的羽翼。那宛如是刀刃一样贯穿了从后面过来的冒险者。

Perhaps the frothy blood he was coughing up was because he had been stabbed in the chest and blood was flowing into his lungs, but with his last trace of life, a single adventurer swung his weapon down on Jaldabaoth.
是胸部被贯穿，肺里流进了血液的缘故吧。

吐着血泡，即使这样也要竭尽最后一点生命力，仅有一名冒险者仍拿着武器朝着亚达巴沃挥了下去。

However, Jaldabaoth took the strike head on, with no sign he had been harmed.
但是，亚达巴沃就用身体接了下来，完全没有受到任何伤害的样子。

Since they were here, those adventurers ought to have been quite skilled. It was only reasonable to assume that they would be wielding holy-elemental weapons as part of their preparations. Even so, they could not leave a mark on him, showing that this demon was quite a highly-ranked being.
既然聚集到了这里，也就是说明他们也应该是实力者。作为理所应当的准备，他们拿着的也应该是赋予了神圣属性的武器。即使这样连一点伤痕都没留下，说明这个恶魔是相当高位的存在。

In the few moments that it took the battle conditions to change, the charging Remedios shouted “Yeeart!” as though wailing, and slashed down diagonally with her holy sword.
战况在这几个瞬间的变化中，赶过来的蕾梅蒂欧丝发出了「妥呀啊啊！」这样的像雄叫一样的绝叫，握着圣剑斜着斩了下去。

Jaldabaoth hopped one step back, and that tentacle-like -- no, it probably was a tentacle -- wing threw the perforated adventurers at her.
亚达巴沃随机后跳了一步，那个像触手一样的——不，或许这就是触手吧——羽翼将贯穿了的冒险者们就这样甩了过来。

She had no intention of taking it head-on.
完全没有硬接下来的想法。

She took her left hand off her sword’s hilt, beating them all aside --
抽出握住剑柄的左手进行迎击，把那些全部给打飞了——

“「—Flow Acceleration」”
「——流水加速」

—Then activated a martial art, stepped forward, and thrust.
发动武技，踏向前一步，然后刺了过去。

The holy sword stabbing in at Jaldabaoth’s throat was blocked by a set of suddenly-sprouted claws--
刺向亚达巴沃咽喉的圣剑，被突如其来的伸长了的爪子给阻挡——

“「Holy Strike」!”
「圣击！」

She infused the holy power within the sword into the claws in the instant they made contact.
与爪子接触的瞬间，将寄宿在剑上的力量灌入进去。

This was an elementary technique for paladins, and it was originally intended to be used in the moment one’s blade bit into a foe’s flesh, but that did not mean it could not be used as a touch attack. Since most of the divine power simply exploded on the surface, it would not do much harm, but she had still used it anyway. That was because her instincts as a paladin -- which her little sister called an animal instinct -- screamed that she needed to show that they could still resist Jaldabaoth, and prevent the morale of the surrounding soldiers from falling.
圣骑士所获得的这个入门特殊技能，本来是瞄准刀刃砍入肉体的瞬间发动的，但这不代表只是接触就不能发动。因为神圣之力是在身体表面爆炸的缘故，给予的伤害量很少，但即使如此还是用了这招。这是因为在冒险者们被杀的此刻，需要让周围知道还是有对抗亚达巴沃的手段来防止士
气低下，作为圣骑士的直觉——妹妹称为野性的直觉——在这么大叫。

“I see…”
「原来如此……」

The Angels jammed themselves in between Remedios and the retreating Jaldabaoth. They launched their attack while floating at roughly head height.
天使们插进了在退得更后面的亚达巴沃和蕾梅蒂欧丝之间。他们在大概头部高度的位置一边漂浮一边开始对亚达巴沃进行攻击。

Remedios clicked her tongue.
蕾梅蒂欧丝啧地咂了一声。

The metallic sound that rang out as her holy sword made contact with Jaldabaoth’s claws told her how hard those claws were. In addition, the fact that he could easily evade a blow she had struck after magical enhancement -- although in a somewhat clumsy fashion -- showed how high his physical abilities were.
圣剑与亚达巴沃的爪子接触的瞬间发起的尖锐金属音，清楚地告诉了她对手的爪子到底有多硬。还有能轻易架开经过魔法强化的她——即使姿势并不完美——所发出的一击的肉体能力到底有多高。

There were only a fewaVanishing few people who could contend with such a mighty being. While the angels summoned through third and second tier spells usually excelled at slaying monsters, they only served to get in the way during this battle. In particular, the greaves of the angels floating back and forth were an eyesore.
能够与那种程度的强者战斗的强者寥寥可数。虽然经由第三位阶和第二位阶召唤出来的天使平常在驱除魔物时很有用，但在这次的战斗中却只有碍手碍脚的份。尤其在视线高度晃来晃去的天使的鞋子很碍眼。

“「Penetrate Magic - Holy Ray」.”
「<魔法抵抗突破化·神圣光线> (Penetrate Magic·Holy Ray)」

Her sister cast a spell. However, it vanished before Jaldabaoth’s face like it had been deflected.
妹妹发出了魔法。但是在亚达巴沃的面就像被弹开般消失了。

“「Twin Penetrate Magic - Holy Ray」.”
「<魔法二重抵抗突破化·神圣光线> (Twin Penetrate Magic·Holy Ray)」

Calca emitted two rays of light as well. She was probably thinking that it would be fine as long as one of them could pierce Jaldabaoth’s magic immunity, but unfortunately her attack was ultimately as ineffective as her sisters.
卡尔嘉也发出两道光线，目的大概是想只要有一人能突破亚达巴沃的魔法无效化就好吧，可遗憾的是最终结果与妹妹的别无二致。

That meant he possessed very high magic resistance. In other words--
这就表明其对魔法也有着相当高的防御能力吧。也就是说——

I need to put all my strength into this!
（我不再加把劲可不行的意思了啊！）

She roared, to fire herself up.
她更加鼓足了劲的大声怒吼。

“Use your head and let the angels fight! There’s no point in this!”
「再多动动脑让天使战斗！这样子没有意义！」

The fact was that even though the angels had the advantage of height and surrounded him on all sides, Jaldabaoth remained calm. But that was only natural. Even after being surrounded by so many people, not a single attack had hit Jaldabaoth.
事实上，尽管天使占据了头顶上这样有利的位置，而且还包围了四周，亚达巴沃还是从容不迫。那也是理所当然的。即使用了这么多人包围起来，却连一个攻击都没命中亚达巴沃。

The adventurers ran over to collect their comrades who had fallen by Remedios’ feet. While their immobile bodies were clearly dead, they still hoped against all hope that it was not true.
跑过来的冒险者们去回收了倒在蕾梅蒂欧丝身旁的同伴。虽然那一动也不动的身体证明已经死了，但仍旧相信那万一的可能性吧。

“...How bothersome. Even if they are nothing more than insects, a swarm of them is still displeasing.”
「……真麻烦啊。即使是小虫子、数量一多也真是叫人不快呢」

Jaldabaoth sounded perfectly composed.
亚达巴沃一副游刃有余的态度。

Indeed, being able to negate the spells cast on him from the rear and perfectly evade physical attacks made him seem overwhelmingly superior.
实际上能将后方飞来的魔法无效化，又能完全回避物理攻击的话，确实会觉得具有压倒性的优势吧。

However--
但是——

Do you think we’ve never fought enemies like this before?
（你难不成觉得我们没有和这样的对手交战过吗？）

Unless their summoners were specialists, summoned monsters were generally weaker than the ones who called them forth. Therefore, there were cases where angels’ attacks ended up being useless.
如果不是特化召唤的术者的话，召唤出来的魔物自然会比术者本人要弱。因此天使的攻击不管用这样的事偶尔也会发生。

Against a powerful foe, the best way to use angels was---
而面对强大的对手，最有效活用天使的办法就是——

The airborne angels rushed Jaldabaoth as one. They did not use their swords, but went for a grapple.
升上天空的天使们一齐朝亚达巴沃袭击过去。不是用剑，而是擒抱。

--To hinder their opponents’ movements in this fashion.
——用这样来阻止对方的动作。

It was quite effective.
这相当有效。

Perhaps he was starting to grow tense, but Jaldabaoth went on the offensive, and a single swipe of his claws caused several angels to vanish into nothingness.
可能是感到焦躁了吧，亚达巴沃转守为攻、爪子的一击就让好几个天使消失在了虚空中。

However, the angels from behind filled the gap, continuing the attack in place of their absent fellows.
但是后方的天使补上了被切除下来的空缺，代替消失在虚空中的天使持续攻击。

This was the scary thing about summoned monsters. Since they were beings that did not count as dying even when they were killed, they could be used to their full extent in this fashion.
这就是召唤魔物的恐怖之处。正因为是死了也不算死亡的存在，才能充分发挥所持的能力来行动。

The angels came like a ferocious waterfall, without rest or respite, and Jaldabaoth’s flowing counterattacks left Remedios staring in awe. However--
天使的行动有如倾泄而下的瀑布般毫不停歇，亚达巴沃像是流水作业般的应对让蕾梅蒂欧丝不禁为之瞠目。但是——

That’s carelessness on your part!
（这就是你的大意了！）

Remedios had moved subtly to step into an opening in Jaldabaoth’s defense, a fatal flaw that was exposed when he was on guard against the angels coming from above.
静静移动的蕾梅蒂欧丝跳进亚达巴沃的空档，瞄准了正警戒着上方飞来的天使的亚达巴沃那致命的空隙。

“--What!?”
「——什么！」

“Yeeart!”
「哒呀啊啊啊啊！」

She activated a skill, and then her martial arts, using her holy sword to strike a blow with all her might.
由发动特殊技能、再加入武技后的圣剑所使出浑身解数的一击。

She had chosen to conserve the greatest power of her holy sword because her instincts told her that now was not the time for that powerful move, which could only be used once a day.
之所以选择温存了所圣剑具有的最大力量，是因为她的直觉告诉她、还不能在此使用那一天只能使用一次的大招。

Stricken by the mightiest blow she could muster apart from that move, Jaldabaoth flew back as though he were being smashed to the horizon, until he crashed into a store on the other side of the plaza.
受到所有攻击手段中除那之外最大级的一闪，亚达巴沃几乎呈水平线地飞了出去，就这样一直飞到广场对面的一家店面里。

Remedios looked down at the hands which held her blade.
蕾梅蒂欧丝低头看向持剑的手。

“--Oh no.”
「——糟了」

“Nee-sama! You did it!”
「姊姊大人！办到了呢！」

She shouted angrily in response to her little sister’s excited exclamation.
对着妹妹很高兴的声音发出大声怒吼。

“It’s not over yet! How could he have flown so far!?”
「还没完！怎么可能飞那么远啊！」

“Given your brute strength, I think it’s possible, Nee-sama...”
「我觉得凭姊姊大人的蛮力就有可能……」

“He flew out by himself!”
「那家伙是自己飞出去的！」

Indeed, not only had she allowed Jaldabaoth to escape the encirclement, she had even given him the chance to hide in a house.
没错，不仅眼睁睁地让亚达巴沃从包围往中逃掉，还给了他躲到住家中的机会。

The reason why they could fight enemies like Jaldabaoth was because they could encircle their opponent and force them to face many people at once. Allowing him to hide in a cramped home was too dangerous.
多少能够和亚达巴沃进行象样的战斗是因为把对手包围起来，强制使他以一敌多的缘故。让他躲到狭小的房子里对己方太危险了。

In addition, Jaldabaoth’s actions would change now. It was possible he would stop playing around now.
而且这下子亚达巴沃的行动方式就会发生改变，不再玩下去了的可能也是有的。

“Remedios! What should we do?” Calca shouted.
「蕾梅蒂欧丝！该怎么办！」

卡尔嘉在大叫。

Usually, Remedios would ask and then Calca would answer, but now the opposite was the case. During battle, she was better able to make the right choice than the other two.
平常都是蕾梅蒂欧丝在发问然后卡尔嘉回答的立场，不过现在反了过来。在战斗方面，自己比起两人还要能做出正确的选择。

“Bring down the house without going near it!
「在不靠近的情况下破坏房子！」

After hearing that, the priests cast attack spells one after the other.
听从那番话，神官们纷纷使用起了攻击魔法。

They collapsed the house in short order. However, it was hard to believe Jaldabaoth had been crushed under the falling debris. Even Remedios in her enchanted armor could survive that much unless she was very unlucky.
房子陆续崩坏掉。但是难以想象被压在瓦砾下的亚达巴沃会死。就算是蕾梅蒂欧丝，在穿着魔法铠甲的状态下，只要不是很不走运、这种程度也是死不了的。

Also--
而且——

Remedios looked down at her unstained blade.
蕾梅蒂欧丝看向没有沾上血迹的刀身。

Could he have rolled with that blow just by flying away? Had he used a martial art like Fortress or something? Or was it a demon-only skill? There were many possibilities for that, but things would become troublesome if she could not see through it.
刚才的一击真的只靠自己飞出去就能完全承受下来吗？难道不是使用了要塞之类的武技吗？还是说是恶魔独有的特殊能力吗？虽然可能性很多，但要是看不穿的话就麻烦了。

Amidst the sounds of destruction, the neighboring houses crumbled under the area-effect spells. Dirt and dust filled the air, and she could not help coughing.
伴随着崩坏的声音，住房因为范围魔法攻击而完全倒塌。大量尘土在空中飞扬，不由得咳了起来。

“Say, Remedios, why hasn’t Jaldabaoth come out yet?”
「吶，蕾梅蒂欧丝，为什么亚达巴沃不出来呢？」

“...Nee-sama, could it be he’s already escaped by teleportation?”
「……姊姊大人，会不会已经用传送逃走了？」

That demon who spoke so arrogantly? I can’t imagine he’d escape without being hurt...
（那个做出如此傲慢发言的恶魔吗？既然没有负伤，实在难以想象会逃走……）

“...We ought to use fire. Pour on the oil and ignite it, then may I ask you to sanctify it, Calca-sama?”
「……这该用火攻了。淋上油放火吧，然后可以请卡尔嘉大人追加祝福吗？」

“Nee-sama, are we going to conduct the ritual of Holy Fire? Doing so to harm an opponent… is that really what a paladin ought to be doing?”
「姊姊大人，要进行圣炎的仪式吗？以给予对手损伤为目的使用那个……那是圣骑士该做的事吗？」

“That’s fine, if Remedios thinks that’s the best way, then we’ll go with it. No, we should do it. Since he’s a demon, there’s no reason he won’t be hurt.”
「没关系，如果蕾梅蒂欧丝认为那是最好的手段，那就这么做吧。不，就应该这么做。既然是恶魔的话，没有理由不受到伤害。」

Many demons were resistant to fire, but the Holy Fire was of the holy element, and fire resistance was only half as effective against it.
恶魔之中有很多对于火焰有抗性，但是圣炎兼具火焰与神圣的的属性，具有火焰抗性也只能防住一半。

“Then, Calca-sama, the preparations for the ritual--”
「那么卡尔嘉大人，仪式的准备——」

“We don’t have time for that. Please use the simplified version.”
「没有那样的时间。麻烦用简略化的」

Calca looked straight ahead as she said that, and from the corner of Remedios’ eye, she saw her little sister wondering if she should go “But--”
对于正面看着卡尔嘉做出的发言，视野的一角中妹妹则露出「但那个」欲言又止的样子。

Simplifying the Holy Fire ritual would place a great deal of strain on the user’s body. This was not something which she, as one of Calca’s subordinates charged with keeping her safe, ought to recommend. However, it would be even worse if they gave Jaldabaoth time.
将圣炎这样的仪式魔法简略化的情况下，会给术者带来的负担相当大。这不是该由保护卡尔嘉安全的部下所提出的方案。但是要是给了亚达巴沃时间则更不妙。

“If you think this is the best way, then we’ll do it. However, if I perform it by myself, I won’t be able to help you after that. Please keep that in mind… Then, can you light the fire right away?”
「如果妳觉得这是最好的手段的话就这么办。但是在我一个人执行的情况下，就不能做之后的支持了。请千万记住这一点。……那么立刻放火吗？」

“Un--
「遵——」

“--Kukuku. My, this is quite vexing.”
「——呵呵呵。还是令人困扰呢」

Suddenly, Jaldabaoth’s voice issued from the pile of debris.
突然，从瓦砾的小山中传来亚达巴沃的声音。

“Nee-sam!”
「姊姊大人！」

“I know!”
「我知道！」

Remedios immediately stood in front of Calca and held her sword in a ready position.
蕾梅蒂欧丝立刻站到卡尔嘉面前举好剑。

Jaldabaoth had been buried under the house after all. Therefore, mentioning the use of the Holy Fire attack was the right choice. They had not thought that he might have lost consciousness because of the shock of being buried under the fallen house.
亚达巴沃果然是埋在住家的下面。然后在这个时间点开口的话也就是说用圣炎攻击是正确的选项吧。没想到并没有因为被埋在住家下面的冲击而失去意识。

“It would seem that it is time for me to get serious.”
「我也差不多、该认真起来了呢」

“Oh? Then we should have done it earlier. I’ll wait, so why don’t you show me your power? ...Calca-sama, Kylardo, get back.”
「喔？那样的话早点使出来不就好了。我会等着的，不快让我见识下你的力量吗？……卡尔嘉大人，凯拉尔朵。退到后面去」

Remedios whispered her orders to the other two. At the same time, Remedios fell back as well, allowing the resummoned angels to form a wall between them and Jaldabaoth.
对两人小声的下达指示。与此同时，蕾梅蒂欧丝也后退，让再度召唤出来的天使在亚达巴沃之间的直线上形成墙壁。

“Oh yes. In that case, please get back. It would be quite disappointing if you were to die from the shockwave.”
「说得也是呢。那么请稍微退后点，要是因为我引起的冲击而死的话也挺扫兴的」

The collapsed pile of timbers and bricks swelled up. As they collapsed to the ground, something massive slowly stood up from among them.
倒塌下来堆在一起的木头和砖头被逐渐抬起来。然后一边将那些拍落的同时，某个巨大的东西缓缓地站了起来。

“...Jaldabaoth?” Remedios could not help muttering under her breath.
「……亚达巴沃？」

蕾梅蒂欧丝不由得低喃起来。

That was because he looked completely different from the previous Jaldabaoth. It made her wonder if he had changed places with another demon. However, there could not be many demons who looked like that.
这是因为样子和之前的亚达巴沃完全不同，让人甚至怀疑是不是和别的恶魔进行了替换。可是像这种程度的恶魔不可能会有好几个。

Indeed, that was Jaldabaoth. That was Jaldabaoth’s true form.
没有错。那就是亚达巴沃。那就是亚达巴沃的真面目。

It flapped his fiery wings, and flames burned at the end of its long tail. Its brawny, frightening arms were also on fire. Its wicked face bore a wrathful expression.
啪地张开的火焰翅膀，长长的尾巴末端也有火焰燃烧着。然后那粗的可怕的手臂前端也有火焰正在燃烧。那副邪恶的脸孔上满是愤怒的神色。

“Priests, order the angels to charge!”
「神官们啊，让天使突击！」

Obeying Calca’s order, the priests commanded their agents to rush in. Jaldabaoth did not counterattack the angels as they swung down with their weapons, simply took the blows on its body. Even though it was surrounded and pounded, it did not seem hurt in the slightest. It looked just like a horde of children trying to hit a fully armored paladin with sticks.
照着凯拉尔朵的命令，神官们让自己召唤的天使进行突击。亚达巴沃对手持武器攻击的天使一点反击都没有，只是默默的用身体承受。即使被包围起来攻击也只是一副不痛不痒的样子。那姿态
彷佛是小孩子在扑过去打穿着全身铠的圣骑士一样。

“This is my true nature.”
「这就是我的本性」

Jaldabaoth spoke in a coarse, basso profundo voice that seemed to shake the pits of their stomachs. It backed off as it fended off the angels. It ignored every single attack the angels made as it raised its flame-wreathed hands, and then clenched them into fists. Its fiery form resembled a red-hot volcanic bomb.
亚达巴沃发出了如同沉入腹底一边粗闷的声音。接着粗壮的脚踏出一步，在压制着的天使就同时往后退。无视天使们全部的攻击，亚达巴沃慢慢握起被火焰包着的手、做出拳头。冒出粗暴火焰的样子就像是赤热的火山弹。

“Now, you foolish and bothersome insects -- disappear.”
「愚蠢又烦人的飞虫们——消失吧」

With a bang, the angels which should have been in front of Remedios vanished.
砰的一声，本应在蕾梅蒂欧丝面前的天使就消灭了。

Jaldabaoth had punched with extraordinary speed, and even Remedios’ trained motion vision could not capture a single frame of its movement. Just that single hit was enough to exterminate all the angels that were forming a wall for Remedios.
亚达巴沃那以超乎寻常的速度挥出的拳头，即使是蕾梅蒂欧丝那经过锻炼的动态视力，甚至连一
瞬间留下的残像都没能捕捉到。仅凭那一击就将做为蕾梅蒂欧丝保护壁的天使们消灭了。

This was Jaldabaoth’s true form.
这就是亚达巴沃真正的姿态。

Remedios gulped as she witnessed that overwhelming power which could easily slaughter multiple angels in a single blow, and then she gripped her holy sword tighter. Her sweat poured like rain, she felt as though it was making her tunic change color under her armor.
轻易地将复数的天使屠杀殆尽，其压倒性的力量让蕾梅蒂欧丝咕嘟地咽了下口水，然后加重握住圣剑的手的力道。汗如雨下、感觉彷佛铠甲下的衣服都因此变色。

Could--could she win this? No--
这——能赢的吗？不——

“--Yeeeeeeeaaart!”
「——哒呀啊啊啊啊！！」

Remedios shouted to banish her fear. While it was a thoughtless move, if she did not charge right now, she would be essentially admitting defeat to him in her heart. She gripped her holy sword tightly, and leapt forward.
蕾梅迪欧丝吶喊起来，这是为了甩开自己的怯懦。虽然是无谋的突击，但在此刻如果不向前冲的话就等于在心中承认了败北。紧握手中的圣剑、向前跃起。

She used the full might of her body in a massive downwards chop.
她那倾尽全力的、来自从大上段的一击。

Jaldabaoth did not block or dodge it.
亚达巴沃既没防御也没闪躲。

And then -- it bounced off with laughable ease.
随后——令人发笑般的被轻易弹开了。



“...Eh?”
「……诶？」

The sword, made of a mysterious metal that was harder than adamantite, bounced off Jaldabaoth’s skin.
以硬度堪比精钢的未知金属打造成的剑，被亚达巴沃的皮肤弹开了。

Looking up, she saw that Jaldabaoth was looking at her. It was similar to how a human being would not care about a worm writhing around on the ground.
向上看去，亚达巴沃的视线并没有朝向自己。就像是人类不会俯视在地上蠕动的虫子。

“Dealing with you empty-handed is a little troublesome… no, there is an excellent weapon here.”
「要空手对付你们也有些麻烦……不，这里有着不错的武器啊」

Jaldabaoth stepped forward, paying no heed to Remedios. His massive body shoved her aside.
亚达巴沃无视蕾梅蒂欧丝开始迈步向前。蕾梅蒂欧丝被他的巨大身躯推向了一边。

“What!? Ugh, dammit!”
「什么！呜、可恶！」

Remedios and the freshly-summoned angels chopped at Jaldabaoth’s back. However, his metallic-gleaming skin remained untouched beneath their blades.
蕾梅蒂欧丝和新召唤出的天使一起反复砍向亚达巴沃背后。然而，那有着金属般光泽的皮肤在剑下却丝毫未损。

They hit him with attack spells. However, all of them bounced off.
飞来了攻击魔法。然而，果然还是全被弹开了。

This bastard, he’s not stopping at all, where’s he looking at--
（这家伙，脚步不停地是瞄上了哪里——）

Remedios’ face turned pale as she looked in the direction Jaldabaoth was headed. There stood Calca and Kylardos.
往亚达巴沃前进方向看去的蕾梅蒂欧丝脸色不禁变得铁青。在那个方向上的是卡尔嘉和凯拉尔朵。

“You lot, do something! Stop him! Hurry up and stop him!”
「你们也赶紧做些什么！阻止他！快阻止他！」

Remedios barked her orders at the paladins behind them. She could not think of what they could do, but she could not let Jaldabaoth reach Calca and Kylardo.
蕾梅蒂欧丝对配置在后方的圣骑士们下达了命令。虽然想不出能做些什么，但也不能就这么让亚达巴沃到达卡尔嘉两人身边。

“Let Calca and Kylardo pull back! He’s going for the two of them!”
「让卡尔嘉和凯拉尔朵退后！这家伙的目标是她们两个！」

The paladins and priests closed ranks in front of the two of them, forming a wall. A pathetically weak wall.
圣骑士和神官们站在两人身前，构建了一道防壁。多么脆弱的防壁。

“Stop! Stop!! STOP!!!”
「停下啊！停下啊！停下啊！！」

Remedios screamed as she swung her sword over and over again.
蕾梅蒂欧丝大叫着，反复地挥动手中的剑。

However, nothing she did managed to pierce Jaldabaoth’s skin.
然而，无论是哪一击都无法穿透亚达巴沃的皮肤。

The paladins swung their swords, the priests cast their spells, but even so, they could not impede Jaldabaoth in the slightest. He walked on nonchalantly, without saying a word.
圣骑士们挥动剑刃，神官们释放魔法。即便如此也无法停下亚达巴沃的脚步。他若无其事地只是默默地前进着。

The people who touched the flames coiling around him wailed and collapsed to the ground, but Jaldabaoth did not look like he intended to attack.
触碰到寄宿于那身躯上火焰的人发出悲鸣滚倒在地，但亚达巴沃自身却像是连攻击的想法都没有。

“The two of you, run! We can’t stop him now!!”
「你们两个快逃啊！现在的我们无法阻止这家伙！！」

Remedios’ head was a confused mess as she shouted.
大叫着的同时，蕾梅蒂欧丝的头脑已经完全混乱了。

Jaldabaoth should have been repulsed by the adventurers of the Kingdom. She was in the same league as adamantite-ranked adventurers, and she might have even been stronger than them. In that case, why could she do nothing about Jaldabaoth?
亚达巴沃应该在王国被冒险者击退了啊。自己与精钢级冒险者是同一级别的、说不定还是自己要更强些。那么为什么、自己却会对亚达巴沃束手无策啊。

Think! There’s got to be something I can do! I have to find it! I have to find something I can do to harm him!
（办法、肯定有什么办法！不把它找出来的话！找出对这家伙造成伤害的办法！）

There must have been some reason for Jaldabaoth’s invincibility. Just like how some monsters were highly resistant to all metals beside silver, there must be some kind of racial defensive ability protecting his body.
亚达巴沃的无敌肯定是有着某种缘由的。就像有些魔物会对银以外的金属有着很强的抗性一样，一定是某种类似的防御能力在保护着那具身躯。

But what kind of ability is it!!!!!
（那到底是什么啊！！！）

Her ever reliable instincts told her nothing.
可靠的直觉什么都没有告诉自己。

Until this point, it had always been her vice-captain or Kylardo or Calca giving orders. All she had to do was carry them out. However, all three of them were silent now.
一直以来在这种时候，总是由副团长和凯拉尔朵，或者卡尔嘉发下指令，自己只要将之实行就好了。可现在那三个人却是一言未发。

Frustration began to build in Remedios, but she was clear about one thing.
蕾梅蒂欧丝感到焦躁，但只有一件事她很清楚。

As long as the two of them escape, they would prevent Jaldabaoth from achieving his aims.
只要让那二人逃脱，就能阻止亚达巴沃达成他的目的。

The two of them seemed to understand that too, because they turned and ran without looking back.
那二人似乎也很清楚，头也不回地向后方逃了出去。

That was good. There was no time for people to lollygag around like idiots on a real battlefield. Even if Remedios died, so long as the Holy Queen, the head of state survived, there would still be hope, And even if the worst-case scenario unfolded and the Holy Queen died, so long as her sister was still alive and they managed to recover her body, they could bring her back to life.
这样就好。真正的战场上没有让人像傻瓜般犹豫的时间。即使蕾梅蒂欧丝死去了，只要作为国家顶点的圣王女活着的话就还有希望。而且就算发生了最糟糕的的情况，即使圣王女死了，只要妹妹还活着、并顺利回收了尸体的话就能让死者复活。

Several priests -- probably capable of third-tier spells -- stood guard by Calca’s side. Their defense ought to be able to buy the two of them more time to flee.
几名神官——大概是第三位阶魔法的使用者们吧——守护在卡尔嘉身边。他们这道防壁应该能为二人赢得更多的逃跑时间吧。

“Mm. 「Greater Teleportation」.”
「嗯——<上位转移(Great·Teleportation)>」

Suddenly, Jaldabaoth vanished, and the sword in her hand struck nothing but air.
突然间，亚达巴沃的身影消失了，手中的剑随之挥空。

“What!?”
「什么！」

Remedios panicked and looked around, and then a piteous wail reached her ears. Remedios’ heart lurched. The sound had come from the direction where the two of them had run.
慌乱起来、东张西望的蕾梅蒂欧丝耳中传来了惨叫般的悲鸣声。蕾梅蒂欧丝的心里咯噔一下。声音是从二人逃往的方向传来的。

However, the wall of paladins kept her from seeing what was going on.
但因为圣骑士们防壁的遮挡她看不到那边的情况。

The power of the magic items she possessed suppressed her terror, but her anxiety continued welling up. If her sister and their guards were killed, then only Calca could stand against Jaldabaoth. She was the pinnacle of the Holy Kingdom; if she was lost, then the country would fall with her.
持有的魔法道具的力量压抑住了恐惧感，但焦躁却油然而生。包括妹妹在内，警备的人们死掉了的话与亚达巴沃对峙的就仅剩卡尔嘉一人。这圣王国的顶点，若是失去了她、国家也会随之灭亡的重要人物。

“Out of my wayyyyy!:
「碍事啊啊啊！」

Remedios shouted as she broke into a sprint. The paladins hurriedly parted their ranks for her.
蕾梅蒂欧丝大叫着奔跑起来。圣骑士们也纷纷慌张地让开道路。

She was too far from Calca.
离卡尔嘉的距离太过遥远。

Her body was far too slow and sluggish.
多么迟钝的肉体啊。

Remedios had always thought her strength of arm and fleetness of foot were at the zenith of human ability, and it was a silent source of pride for her. However, this moment was the first time she learned that it was nothing but false vanity.
蕾梅蒂欧丝曾认为自己的臂力、脚力是人类种的最高峰，并悄悄地以此为荣。然而，在这瞬间自己第一次认知到那不过只是虚伪的假象。

All she needed to do was survive a single hit. However badly hurt she was, there were many priests here. There was a way, so long as she did not die.
只要挺过一击就行。即使受了重伤也有众多的神官在这里。若是没死就总有办法。

While Remedios told herself that as she ran, she found that Jaldabaoth had taken hold of Calca’s body. She did not have the luxury of seeing to Kylardo’s safety.
在奔跑的同时这样告诉自己的蕾梅蒂欧丝，发现了被亚达巴沃抓住的卡尔嘉的身姿。甚至没有去确认凯拉尔朵安危的余裕。

Jaldabaoth’s massive hand was closed around Calca’s legs. Those hands were wreathed in flame. She heard something like her flesh sizzling under the heated armor, and her helmeted face seemed to have gone mad with pain as she clenched her neat rows of teeth.
亚达巴沃用巨大的手抓住了卡尔嘉的双脚。而那双手上包裹着火焰。能听到像是护甲加热后下面的肉体被炙烤着的声音。戴着头盔的她的表情因为让人发疯般的痛苦而变得扭曲，整齐的牙齿紧紧地咬合着。

The despicable bastard! He’s taken a hostage!
（太卑鄙了！竟然抓了人质！）

Was Jaldabaoth going to make some kind of demand -- having taken a fighting stance, Remedios found herself doubting the words he said next.
亚达巴沃是想要提出什么要求吗——。摆好架势的蕾梅蒂欧丝因为亚达巴沃接下来的话语、而不禁怀疑了自己的耳朵。

“An excellent weapon.”
「不错的武器啊」

“--Hah?”
「——啊？」

Remedios glanced at the holy sword she was holding.
蕾梅蒂欧丝瞬间看向了自己手中的圣剑。

Did he want that?
是想要这个吗。

“From the moment I first saw it, I felt that it would make an excellent weapon.”
「第一眼看见的时候我就觉得会是把相当不错的武器」

He raised his arm, lifting Calca to his line of sight. Jaldabaoth flexed his arms. It looked just like he was making practice swings.
抬起手臂，把垂下的卡尔嘉的身体举到和视线平齐的高度，亚达巴沃抖了抖胳膊。简直就像在挥剑练习一般。

There was a crack, and Calca wailed in wordless agony.
随着咔嚓一声，卡尔嘉发出了不成声的悲鸣。

Unable to bear the force of Jaldabaoth’s strength and the weight of her own body, the joints fo her knee now bent in a direction they were never intended to face.
承受不住亚达巴沃那摧枯拉朽的力量与自身的体重，她的膝盖的关节扭向本应无法弯曲的方向。

It was then that Remedios realised Jaldabaoth’s meaning.
这时蕾梅蒂欧丝终于明白了亚达巴沃的意思。

He meant to use the Holy Queen, Calca Bessarez, as a weapon.
将圣王女、卡尔嘉·贝萨雷斯当做武器，那家伙所说的是这么一回事。

“You, what are you…”
「你、你要做什……」

She could not understand it.
没能理解。

However, she had no choice but to understand it.
然而，却又不得不去理解。

“Alright, is it my turn now?”
「好了，那我就上了哦？」

A wicked smile appeared on that furious face, and Jaldabaoth approached her.
充满愤怒的脸上浮现出些许邪恶的笑容，亚达巴沃向这边走了过来。

What should she do?
该如何是好啊。

Remedios backed off, and the paladins behind her retreated as well.
蕾梅蒂欧丝后退了，后面的圣骑士们也后退了。

What, what can I do at a time like this? What should I do?
（这、这种状况，究竟如何是好？该怎么做？）

Remedios looked around for help, and behind Jaldabaoth, she saw the priests protecting Calca and Kylardo collapsed on the ground.
蕾梅蒂欧丝为了寻求帮助而转动视线，在亚达巴沃的背后，她看见刚才守护着卡尔嘉的神官们和凯拉尔朵都倒在地上。

While the priests were motionless, her sister was still moving faintly. Perhaps she had secretly cast a spell.
虽然神官们一动不动，但妹妹还微微扭动着身体。说不定是悄悄地使用了魔法。

Kylardo’s still alive! But who should I save first -- I have to ask Isadora.
（妹妹——还活着！要先去救哪一边——只能问伊萨多萝了）

“Isadora! What should we do!?”
「伊萨多萝！该怎么办！？」

“Retreat!”
「后退！」

“Understood! Everyone, fall back! Retreat! Retreat!”
「知道了！全员后退！后退！向后退！」

“--What? Not fighting? And after i went to all this effort to obtain a weapon to smash you to pieces…  「Fireball」.”
「——怎么了？不战斗吗？明明我难得入手了用来把你们打碎的武器……<火球>」

Jaldabaoth extended the hand that was not holding Calca and discharged a third-tier attack spell. The fireball flew over and burst, immolating the paladins within its area of effect.
亚达巴沃伸出没有抓着卡尔嘉的那只手，从中释放出第三位阶的攻击魔法。飞翔的火焰破碎开来，点燃了范围内的圣骑士。

Protected by fire resistance spells, the paladins barely managed to avoid being fatally wounded. However, it was simply that they had not died.
圣骑士们因为受着耐火魔法的保护而勉强算是避免了致命伤，但也只是没死罢了。

Calca squirmed and struggled, but she could not escape Jaldabaoth’s hold.
卡尔嘉扭动着身体拼命地挣扎着，但似乎无法从亚达巴沃的拘束中逃脱。

“What an annoying woman. You are a weapon now. Act like one.”
「真是个烦人的女人。你现在是个武器。所以给我像个武器一样」

Jaldabaoth’s body flexed slightly as he raised the arm that held Calca.
身体微微弯曲的亚达巴沃举起了抓着卡尔嘉的手。

“STOP!”
「住手啊！」

As she realized what Jaldabaoth intended, Remedios screamed mournfully. And then, Jaldabaoth swung down, ignoring her cries.
察觉到亚达巴沃的打算，蕾梅蒂欧丝发出了悲痛的喊叫。然而，亚达巴沃视若无睹地将手挥下了。

Splat.
啪嚓。

Calca could not protect herself in time, and her unprotected face smashed viciously into the ground.
来不及防御的卡尔嘉的面部和大地发生了猛烈的撞击。

After that, Jaldabaoth slowly raised his arm again, and Calca dangled limply from his hand, having lost the will to resist him.
接着亚达巴沃慢慢将手提起，像是失去了抵抗意识的卡尔嘉无力地下垂着。

Her helmet was open-faced. That was to raise the troops’ morale with her beauty.
她戴着的头盔前面是敞开的。这是为了让她的美貌得以提升士兵们的士气。

However, that beautiful face was now a mass of fresh blood. It was flat now, like the bridge of her nose had been caved in.
然而，现在那美丽的脸上涂满了鲜血，是鼻梁是被压碎了么，看上去是那样的平坦。

“You son of a bitch!”
「你这混账！」

“You idiot! Stop!”
「笨蛋！快停下！」

One of her men -- a paladin -- could not stop himself from drawing his sword and charging out. She wanted to stop him, but it was too late.
部下中的一人——圣骑士情不自禁地拔剑冲了出去。虽想制止但已经迟了。

Jaldabaoth swung his weapon at the paladin, with a speed that did not seem like he was holding a human body
亚达巴沃用不像是抓着一个人般的速度对袭来的骑士挥动了武器。

The two of them collided, and the paladin was sent flying with a thunderous crash of metal.
两人撞击在一起，圣骑士伴随着强烈的金属撞击声被吹飞了。

His armor was staved in like he had been hit by a giant, showing how intense the collision with Calca had been.
他的铠甲像是中了巨人的一击般凹陷下去，诠释着他和卡尔嘉的冲突是多么的猛烈。

Remedios’ eyes did not leave Calca’s body.
蕾梅蒂欧丝没能从卡尔嘉身上移开视线。

Humans might have softer skins than other species, but strong humans could enfold their bodies in ki or magic, and if they were still conscious, they might be able to be endure a slash without being hurt.
即使是和其他种族比起来表皮更为柔软的人类，只要是强者就能用气或魔力裹住身体，意识清醒的话有时可以受到利器斩击而不负伤。

Indeed. If they were conscious.
没错，意识清醒的话。

Perhaps it had been knocked loose by the impact, because her helmet had flown off and her long hair played wildly in the wind. Her inverted face was a bloody mess, her nose smashed and her front teeth shattered, her eyes rolled up and a faint moan leaking from her throat. Her beauty, regarded as a national treasure, had vanished without a trace. Her present state was too tragic for words.
是被冲击震掉了吗，因为头盔不知飞到了哪里，长长的头发在风中凌乱地飞舞起来。就那么被倒吊着的脸上鲜血遍布，鼻子碎掉前牙脱落，翻着白眼仅发出微弱呻吟声的模样里，那被誉为至宝的美貌已经连碎片都不剩了。那样子、实在是太过凄惨。

“What should we do, Isadora!? How can we save Calca!?”
「该怎么办？伊萨多萝！要怎么才能救下卡尔嘉！」

“I, I don’t know!
「不、不知道啊！」

“What the hell are you good for, then!? Doesn’t that brain of yours exist for times like these!?”
「没用的家伙！你的脑袋就是为了这种情况才存在的吧！」

“I never imagined something like this could happen! There’s nothing we can do but pull back!”
「这冲情况我想都没想过啊！除了全员撤退别无他法了！」

“So you want me to abandon my sister and Calca here!?”
「要把我妹妹和卡尔嘉扔在这里么！」

“What else can we do!?”
「除此之外到底还能怎么做啊！」

And Remedios had nothing to say.
被这么反驳后蕾梅蒂欧丝无话可说。

“My my my. The sight of humans squabbling before their enemy is a fearsome sight. Well, it is about time. Playtime is over.”
「诶呀呀。会在敌人面前吵架的人类还真的是可怕啊。差不多到时间了。游戏就到此为止吧」

“What?”
「什么？」

Jaldabaoth slowly looked to the sky.
亚达巴沃缓缓望向空中。

“It is about time that my army arrived at this city. I need to smash the gates and usher in a storm of slaughter and carnage.”
「也差不多是我的军队到达这座城市的时候了。必须赶快粉碎城门，掀起一场暴虐与杀戮的风暴才行」

“Do, do you think we’ll let you do that?”
「这、这种事情你以为我们会允许么！」

“Let me? You do not need to let me. All you need to do is accept it. Like say, the gift of a star, here.”
「没有必要允许。只需、接受就好。就像星星的礼物一样、呐」

Jaldabaoth raised the hand that was not holding Calca, and then, like he was searching for something -- he pointed to the sky.
亚达巴沃将没抓着卡尔嘉的那只手、像是索求着什么似地举起——伸向了天空。

“--STOP!!!”
「——住手！」

Remedios shouted because she did not know what he was going to do.
正是因为不知道他要做些什么，蕾梅蒂欧丝才大声地怒吼起来。

However, everyone was frozen in place, unable to act. That was because they could not attack Jaldabaoth, who held the Holy Queen hostage.
然而谁都束手无策无法动作。因为无法攻击有着圣王女这一人质的亚达巴沃。

No, everyone was afraid that if they attacked him, he would block it with Calca’s body. What would they do if Calca died from their blows?
不，大家在害怕攻击之后他会用卡尔嘉的身体接下来。要是卡尔嘉因此而死那可如何是好啊。

Heedless to the confusion of Remedios and the others -- the star fell.
而无视蕾梅蒂欧丝等人的迷茫——星星坠落了。