#1156 Angelic Collision

"If yacall for me, I’ll be there in a flash! The ultra-cute, super-cool love angel, Songokufon, has arrived! Bankai!!!"

Oh, hey, Songokufon. Long time no see.
By the way, I heard you’ve been hanging out with Alexander lately?

"Saint, bro, you’ve gotten kinda gloomy since the last time I saw ya. What’s up? Gettin’ old n' drying up or something?"

Don’t bring age into the topic!!!
This damn gyaru angel…! She’s as impossible to talk to as ever, always acting like she’s got the upper hand.

"Horkosfon! I need backup! You’re one of her kind, so help me handle her!"
"I would strongly prefer to refuse, but if it’s my Master’s request, I have no choice."

Glad you’re so eager to help.
Besides, she literally came back to life because of your wish, so maybe take some responsibility and rein her in a little.

Angels were actually wiped out thousands of years ago.
Now, only two have been resurrected across time: Horkosfon and Songokufon.

Both of them wield enough power to destroy the world, ranking alongside Lifeless Kings and dragons as one of the world’s three Greatest Calamities.

"Songokufon, you’re as carefree and brainless as ever. You’re really ruining the angelic image, you know?"
"Oh, please. There’s only two of us left anyway, so however we act ain't exactly gonna become Big Data or whatever, right?"
"The way we conduct ourselves defines what it means to be an angel now."

Poor Horkosfon.
I bet having Songokufon around feels like dealing with a troublesome little sister.

"Anyway… what exactly do you want? Master’s exhausted after handling an important job today. Stop bothering him with nonsense."

Uh, are you really one to talk?
Weren’t you the one who swooped into the trade fair at the last minute to help Letasreit?

"This ain’t nonsense! Am just working my butt off for Master’s sake, okay?! N’ my Master right now is Alexander!"
"Huh? Is that so?"

…The ‘Master’ himself looks pretty shocked.
Oh, and just to clarify, when Horkosfon says "Master," she means me.

"Alex’s all worried that no one’s visiting his dungeon! So I told him, 'Duh, just advertise it!' and here we are!"
"So, you’re the root of this problem…!"

And she’s already calling him "Alex" like it’s nothing.

"Would you prefer 'Alek' instead?"

Stop.
That’ll set off the machines.

If anything, Alexander should be "Alec," with a "c."

"Anyway, after all my carefully thought-out planning to get here, ya could be a little more flexible, yeah? Gotta adapt to the situation!"
"Songokufon, let’s call it here, okay? We’re the ones imposing, so let’s not make things worse…!"

Even Alexander is flustered trying to calm her down.

The trade fair is pretty much over, and everyone’s packing up… but now that this little scuffle has started, people are stopping to watch instead.

Can’t blame them. Alexander did show up in full dragon form, so that was already a spectacle.

"Ooh, I just had a great idea!" says Songokufon.

Nothing good has ever come from someone saying that.

"Let’s have a match!"
"A match?"

…Why’d you say it like a duel challenge?

"Yeah, a match! Winner gets to call the shots! Time to settle things; Black or White, let’s make it clear!!!"
"How very like you. Such a wonderfully simple solution."

Horkosfon spreads her wings.
Her magnificent angelic wings.

"Then, as the one who first issued the challenge, you should take the stage. And naturally, as your fellow angel, I’ll be your opponent."
"Ooh, now we’re talking! I’ve always wanted to see which of us is the stronger angel!"
"I thought the answer was blatantly obvious, but if you’re that eager to taste defeat, I’ll humor you."

With that, Horkosfon and Songokufon soar into the sky.

The fairgoers below look up, murmuring, "Oh? Something’s happening?"

At this point, after witnessing the giant soybeans and pure white dragon, nothing could really surprise them anymore.

"Mana Cannon, FIRE!!!"
"Mana Cannon, FIRE AWAY!!!"

Both angels fire their signature weapons, beams of light streaking through the sky like falling stars.
To the people below, it’s like a post-festival fireworks display.

As they zoom through the air, the two angels clash in an intense back-and-forth battle.

"Hey, hey, heeey! What’s with those big ol’ wings? Ya really need all that to fly? Can’t ya be more streamlined?!"

Songokufon, meanwhile, is zipping through the air without wings.
Which kinda raises the question...why is she even an angel?

"I got some major upgrades from Hephaestus, the celestial god! Attack, defense, mobility—ya name it, I’ve been optimized! There’s no way an outdated model like you can win!"
"Is modding yourself the only way to improve?"

Horkosfon elegantly maneuvers through the sky, countering her every move.

"Ever since I awoke from my 4,000-year slumber, I’ve grown through experience and knowledge. My time with Master and Letasreit has strengthened me in ways you could never imagine."
"Gah!"

Wait.
Songokufon just… stopped mid-air?!
Like she got caught on something?!

"You’ve been flying around recklessly without realizing it. You’ve never dealt with a crafty opponent before, have you?"
"Gyaaaaah?! What is this… string?"

String?
Now that she mentions it, her whole body is tangled in thin, sticky threads. Tightly wrapped, layer after layer...she is completely immobilized.

"You thought you controlled the skies, but I lured you into my domain, the trap of Natto Threads."

Natto threads?!

Wait… are you talking about that stretchy, sticky stuff that clings to your fingers when you peel the plastic off a pack of natto?
I mean, yeah, that’s just the slimy filaments created by the myxobacteria growing on the surface of the natto. It does tend to stick to your hands before you even notice…

But using that to immobilize an opponent?
And not just anyone—an angel?!

"Reinforced by my divine power, these natto threads are stronger than steel and more flexible than silk. You won’t be breaking free, Songokufon."
"Ewwwwwwwwww! Grosssssss!!!"
"That remark just sealed your fate. I’ll end this in one shot."

Horkosfon aims her cannon.

"Mana Cannon, full power!!!”
"Gyaaaaaaahhhhhh!!"

With a direct hit, Songokufon went flying, tangled in natto threads the whole way.

"No need to worry. It wasn't lethal."

Oh.
Guess she’s fine, then.

And so, in the grand battle of angels, Horkosfon, our farm’s proud guardian, emerges victorious.

The crowd erupts in cheers, treating it like the festival’s grand finale.

"You got cocky, Songokufon. Maybe if you’d fought like you did during your journey with the merman, you wouldn’t have lost so easily."
"Ugh... Damn it…!"
"Too much fooling around was your downfall."

Horkosfon flexes her veteran experience.

Ever since she was revived in this world, she had never wavered. She had continued to deepen her bond with her partner, Letasreit, and her love for natto.
And now, all that dedication had finally paid off in victory.

With this, Songokufon’s absurd demands would be rendered void, and the trade fair could conclude without any further disruptions... right?

"Not yet! It’s not over yet!!!"

But of course, she isn’t about to give up so easily.
Even after taking a direct hit from the mana cannon and letting out little sizzling noises, Songokufon is still raring to go.

"A three-round match! Let’s make it a best-of-three! Since Big Sis Horkos won, that puts the farm team in the lead, one point ahead!"
"What in the world are you saying…?"

Seriously.
Stop trying to change the rules after you start losing.

"A best-of-three...? It doesn’t matter how many times we fight, my victory is inevitable."
"Ehh? Who said anything about us fighting again~? Yer so stuck in yer ways, old-timer~."
"Why, you little…!"

No, Horkosfon, don’t take the bait!
But seriously, what is this stupid angel even trying to say?

"Look, both our teams just so happen to have members from the three strongest races in existence, right? So how about we have each of them represent us in a best-of-three battle?"

The three strongest races in the world…

Angels.
Lifeless Kings.
Dragons.

...Is that what she’s getting at?