Emi, the Tyrannical Cannonball Girl

Height is power.

Those above, command those below.

Vassals cannot defy their king.

Height is power.

In a sense, this holds true in the physical respect as well.

Those who hold the high ground are untouchable to those below.

That idea was rooted at the very core of the Togodos' thinking.

Those who fly are stronger.

Those who fly are greater.

Those who fly are more amazing.

Until now, that had undoubtedly been the truth.

Occasionally, an individual who grew careless and took a nap would be hunted by the egg-stealing scum crawling on the ground, but those numbers were negligible compared to the total population.

We, who are big and strong and can fly, are strong and amazing, so we are stronger and greater than anything that crawls on the ground.

Or so they thought.

But.

But!!

What on earth is that human!!

The Togodo Commander recalled the previous scene, groaning involuntarily at the unpleasantness of it.

Despite being a loathsome black bug that crawls on the ground, that thing had bared its fangs at the Togodos, kings who soar through the great sky.

Furthermore, it had killed several of its pawns and dragged their bodies down to the earth.

It was an unforgivable act.

Utterly insolent.

Unacceptable.

For a black bug that crawls on the ground to hunt and kill a Togodo, the ruler of the great sky, was a hideous act that defied the very laws of this world.

It had to pass judgment on that thing at once and set the disordered workings of the world right again.

No, that alone was not enough.

That thing's crime was grave.

Its kin would have to be executed along with it, too.

But, still.

Just how it would smite that thing, though, was quite a difficult question.

Even if it charged as usual, all it could see was the charge being easily dodged, and itself being latched onto and killed instead.

To be honest, it was scary, so it didn't want to get close.

............

No, wrong.

That isn't it.

That black bug was impure.

It was a thing that defied the laws of this world.

A noble Togodo, the ruler of the heavens, should not approach such a repulsive thing.

Just getting close would defile its soul.

That was why it was now flying higher than before.

It had to maintain distance from the impurity.

No matter how high that thing could leap, there was a limit.

If it stayed at this height, that thing wouldn't be able to lay a finger on it.

It was safe.

Height is power, after all.

Those who fly are more amazing and greater.

“““Hoga! Hogaa!”””

The pawns' warning cries pulled the Commander, lost in thought, back to reality.

There was movement on the ground.

That black bug had leaped toward them once again.

B, bad!

Scary!!

“Ho-hohohoho-hoho-hoggaaaa!!”

The Commander hurriedly issued orders.

“““““Hogaaaa!!”””””

In response, the pawns activated 【Air Protect】 all at once.

But unlike before, when they had put up barriers around each one of themselves, this time they built a series of wind walls in the black bug's path to stop its momentum.

Every time the black bug hit a wall of wind, it lost its propulsion, and its momentum was steadily shaved away.

At this rate, that thing's fangs would not, reach it.

The Commander, from the bottom of its heart, was relieved.

............

No, wrong.

That isn't it.

There was no way the fangs of an impure black bug like that could reach its own noble self.

Feeling relieved at all was absurd.

Since it was an impossible scenario to begin with, there was no need to feel anxious.

The Commander began to think about this and that once again, but that composure did not last long.

“‘Flame, explode! Blow everything away! 【Explosion】!’”

Half drowned out by the sea wind, a chant like that rose up from the ground.

In the next instant.

DOOOOOOOON!!!

With that roar, an explosion suddenly burst in midair!

Attack magic!

It was launched by that black bug's comrade who had remained on the ground!

Normally, magic of that level was not something Togodos needed to be wary of.

Togodos were protected by wind, possessed robust bodies, and were tough.

But, still.

That magic, it hadn't been cast to hurt the Togodos in the first place.

The explosion had gone off at the black bug's back, right there.

Thanks to the blast, the black bug had its propulsion back, and it began shooting toward the Commander at full force!!

“HO, HOGAAAAAAAAAAAA!!?”

The Togodo Commander was horrified and panicked by the unexpected turn of events!

The fact that it had previously ordered the pawns to keep their distance now worked against it; there was nothing to obstruct the path between the black bug and the Togodo Commander!!

“Hogaaaa!! Hogaaaa!!”

It no longer had the composure to issue orders to its pawns!

It activated numerous 【Air Protect】 barriers on its own, attempting to shave off the black bug's momentum, but all those efforts ended in vain.

Because!

“‘Wind, blow it away! 【Storm】!’, ‘Wind, blow it away! 【Storm】!’”

As soon as the black bug's momentum faded, its comrade on the ground provided assistance with magic, generating more propulsion!

Taking magic meant for attacking and fine-tuning it to make one human fly, after a fashion.

It was an acrobatic stunt that only Kamasse, a genius in a state of extreme focus, could pull off!

The figure of the black bug, which had been as small as a sesame seed at first, approached in the blink of an eye.

With flames of murderous intent burning in those deep black eyes, it charged toward the Togodo Commander!

“HOGAAAAAAAAA!!”

The Commander shrieked in terror.

Due to their massive size, they lacked agility.

The Commander could neither flee nor attack anymore.

And finally, the black bug reached the Togodo Commander's body.

Gripping the feathers firmly, it murmured something in human speech.

“CAUGHT YOU.”

“Hogaaaa!! Hogaaaa!!”

Now half-crazed, the Commander flew every which way, trying to shake the black bug off, but whatever the trick, the thing stuck tight to its body and showed no sign of coming off.

The feeling of something skittering all over its body.

The terror of the black bug that brings death!!

“HOHO-HOGAAAAAAAAA!!”

Help! Help me!!

The Togodo Commander continued to shriek, but the pawns could not lend a hand.

Since they had no hands to begin with, they were incapable of the dexterous feat of peeling the black bug off a flying comrade's body.

The only thing they could do was the suicide charge the Commander had ordered earlier.

And they could not possibly launch such an attack against the leader of their flock.

They could only watch from a distance, bewildered and terrified, as the Togodo Commander thrashed about!

Meanwhile, the black bug reached the Commander's neck and swung its right arm down like a sword......

Gakin!!

“Mm.”

But that hand-chop was knocked back by the muscles of the Togodo Commander's neck.

Its body was more robust than those of the pawns.

On top of that, it had plenty of magic power, so its strength shot up whenever it used 【Body Strengthening】.

“Ho, hoga......? HOHOHO-HOGAAAAAAA!!”

The black bug's hand-chop, didn't work on it.

Realizing this fact, the Commander was dazed for a moment before coming to its senses, suddenly regaining its confidence.

Is that all! Giving me a fright like that, you black bug!

But you're just a black bug that crawls on the ground after all!

Do you really think you can defeat me, the king of kings!?

The Commander immediately began to mock the black bug, but it was too early to get carried away.

DOGON!!

“!?”

In the next instant, a powerful impact struck the Commander's head!

The Commander nearly lost consciousness for a moment.

What happened!?

The answer was simple.

As soon as the black bug saw that the hand-chop to the neck was ineffective, it immediately switched its means of attack to punching the head.

This black bug had previously hunted and killed a large monster against which hand-chops didn't work well.

If slashing didn't work, then striking.

It was putting that experience to use.

DOGON!!

DOGON!!

DOGON!!

Every time the black bug punched the Commander's head, a roar rang out all around, a sound you'd never believe came from such a small fist!

“Ho, hogaaa......!”

Amidst its hazy consciousness, the Commander flew desperately to shake the black bug off, but it was not to be.

The black bug's two legs were stuck to the Commander's neck as if by suction, and they wouldn't come off at all.

The ones shocked by this fact were likely not the desperately thrashing Commander, but the pawns watching from the surroundings.

After all, even when the Commander flew upside down, the black bug's legs never left the Commander, remaining stuck tight.

Behavior that ignored the laws of physics and made no sense at all.

What do I do!?

How can I be saved!?

The Commander desperately gripped the reins of its fading consciousness and thought.

The pawns were merely watching from a distance, with no sign of coming to help.

The black bug's legs were stuck tight to the Commander, and it couldn't be shaken off.

And with the black bug latched onto its body, it couldn't attack it either.

......Ah.

No hand left to play.

I'm screwed.

The moment it finally arrived at the truth it didn't want to admit, the Commander's spirit snapped clean in two.

DOGON!!

Yet another blow from the black bug.

To the head, a powerful impact.

At last, unable to take any more, the Commander let go of consciousness.

From its body, the strength drained.

The magic power that had filled its whole body, weakened.

【Body Strengthening】 was deactivated.

An opening appeared.

And in the next instant, the Commander's head soared through the air, falling toward the ground.

And that settles the fight against the Togodo Commander.

It was a pain because it could fly, but in terms of physical ability, the Poison Topopolock Queen was stronger.