Queen's Blade Rebellion Illustrated Stories: Showdown, chapter 9.5

Extra chapter! I guess the bad news is that there's only one extra chapter remaining besides this one, but on the other hand, you practically can't find any of these two illustrations anywhere, so I guess you're free from unwanted spoilers.

Branwen makes her debut clashing against Eilin & Ymir! Who will win?
Enjoy!

Showdown, chapter 9.5: The Dragon Warrior’s Tragedy

“That small man, to consciously set those unfavourable restrictions.”

Ymir’s gaze turned to Dogura, the masked small man behind Branwen, and the one who held the special string restraining her.

The time given against Ymir’s party was five minutes. In that interval, if Ymir’s party could get away from Branwen, it’d be their victory. There was no need to overdo it and fight.

“You, are you an underling of the Marshland Witch?”

“Hell yeah! I am the great Dogura, working for the great Masshland Witch! Kukkukkukku, I’m gonna train you too.”

“Ymir sis...”

Eilin faltered before Dogura’s viscous gaze sent from behind the mask. But Ymir, unperturbed, leaned forward and stepped ahead.

“In that case, I wonder if you know my true identity. Who is the Iron Strategist Ymir?”

Ymir declared, sticking out her tiny chest.

That was her revenge against Melona taking her form as she pleased. Hopefully, it’d go well.

“It... it can’th be... A, are you Missh Melona?”

Changing his expression suddenly, Dogura now looked modest.

“That’s right, quite so! I received the order to take this girl straight to the witch! You’d better clear the path!”

“Ha, haha~~~~h! G, give my regards to the great Wisch...”

(Looks like it worked.)

(A, as expected from Ymir sis, what an outstanding quick wit!)

“Hm, I can certainly tell you’re good at your work.”

“Too bad though, but you can’t fool my eyes, Dwarven Princess!”

Taking her eyes off Dogura, who bowed his head and prostrated himself, Branwen stuck out her sword to hinder the two people that were going to advance further inside.

“If if had been Melona, she wouldn’t have asked Dogura if he was an underling. Besides...”

“Master! Call me Master!”

Before Branwen could finish talking, Dogura took hold of the training tool and forced her to kneel.

“Do you know how many times I’ve told youu? I am your master. You should naturally call me “Master Dogura”. Besides, I already knew these guys were faake!”

Sensitive parts of Branwen’s body were stimulated, making her body shake as her skin blushed.

“Kukuku, I know who you really are, don’t hold back... as Dwarven Princesses, you’ll fetch a high price.”

Slurp, Dogura wiped his mouth under his mask, estimating the price of Ymir’s party.

“There’s no way out, seems like we have to do this, Eilin!”

“Ymir sis, let’s show them out earnest.”

They couldn’t avoid fighting anymore, so the two people took their weapons and turned towards Branwen. The time she had been granted for the two people was five minutes, could they succeed in escaping completely…?

At that moment, the other party, Sigui and Izumi who were thrown out of the phantom ship like Ymir’s party, had been forced to retreat, surrounded by innumerable undead.

“Hey, what... are you doing?”

Next to Izumi, who prepared her sword as she glared at her surroundings, Sigui spread both of her legs.

“T, this is a Holy Pose to drive the demons away.”

Exactly as Sigui stated, the undead surrounding them certainly couldn’t approach them, and remained beyond a fixed range.

“But, with this, we can’t move.”

“If you realized that, think of some other way! A, after all, I can’t stay like this indefinitely...”

Having kept the Holy Pose for a long time, Sigui was nearing her limits, her thighs trembling.

“E, even if you say so...”

Izumi surveyed her surroundings and let out a big sigh. The innumerable undead surrounded the two people like the fog or the mist. Even if she made full use of her fencing, she didn’t have the confidence she could break through.

“As, as I expected, this is a stalemate, right...”

The same moment Izumi muttered that, shedding cold sweat, the earth vibrated largely.

“Wwha! An earthquake?!”

Thump, thump, the earth shook at fixed intervals, making the undead withdraw.

“That’s the sound of Bligh’s footsteps, somehow Yuit and the others made it this far.”

Sigui released her Holy Pose, and waved her hand widely at Bligh, that slowly appeared from the other side of the thick fog.

“We’re restarting. Let’s go, Princess!”

Along with her declaration, Branwen shortened the distance between them in an instant.

“Sorry, but I have no intention to cross swords with you.”

Ymir took out a fire jar from her handbag. The high heat flame from the Asgartan fire jar, used in the iron manufacture of Iron Mountain to melt iron, thwarted Branwen’s charge.

“Now! Eilin!”

As someone from the Dwarven Tribe resistant to the high heat and used to the Asgartan flame, Eilin wielded her hammer and charged at Branwen.

“Attack with all your strength!”

Reading through Eilin’s attack, Branwen repelled the hammer with her sword, and kicked the leaping Eilin, sending her flying.

“Kyauh!”

Sent flying completely like a football, Eilin returned to her original position.

“Kuu, Ymir sis, this girl is really strong.”

Rubbing her stomach, where she had been kicked, Eilin complained through teary eyes.

“That’s right, we need another plan, just what...?”

Ymir raised her brows. A while ago, when she was trying to go through passing herself for Melona, why didn’t Branwen overlook it...? Why didn’t she choose a way for them not to fight?

“Hey, you great Dragon Warrior, get serious here.”

Matching Dogura’s voice, the string he carried that connected the training tool and Branwen shone, tinged with magic.

“Ku, aaah...”

Even as she writhed in agony, Branwen didn’t drop her sword, and firmly turned her gaze to Ymir’s party.

“A, a proud person like you, how are you under the thumb of such a low-life?”

Branwen narrowed her eyes at Ymir’s question.

“Because I’m proud... I have no choice but to fight.”

Jumping over the flame, Branwen drew near.

Eilin hadn’t recovered from her injury just now, only Ymir could face her.

“I wanted to save this until we dealt with the Witch, but there’s no helping it.”

Ymir took a deep breath, and drank up in one gulp an elixir that she had kept hidden.

“Y, Ymir sis... your appearance...”

Before Eilin’s eyes, Ymir’s appearance changed greatly. Clearly taller, her slender legs grew, both her arms became supple, and her chest changed to an unbelievable extent.

Eilin was at a loss for words, Ymir’s appearance was on par with Branwen.

“My appearance isn’t the only thing that has changed!”

Ymir repelled Branwen’s sword with her axe. She didn’t lose in physical strength either.

“T, that’s amazing! With this, you can win!”

“Fufu, this is the power of the Giant Growth elixir.”

Branwen attacked Ymir, who was smiling as if she had already won, with her shield.

“Naive!”

Ymir struck the shield with her axe.

“It might be you who is naive.”

Branwen followed up releasing a kick at Ymir, the powerful blow that had hit Eilin and sent her flying, and Ymir’s body bent like a question mark.

“Gufuh... This much is nothing...”

Although her mouth was distorted in pain, Ymir didn’t fall down. Instead, the elixir lost its effects, and Ymir returned to her original appearance. The elixir’s effect only lasted for a few seconds.

“It still needs some adjustments.”

Ymir felt a shudder before such a tough opponent that couldn’t be brought down even with the Giant Growth; the elixir had been made aiming to have a rematch with Claudette, so even if she couldn’t accept that Branwen’s power was equal or stronger than Claudette’s, that just now was nothing but proof.

“Don’t play around, Branwen!”

Branwen’s body trembled along with Dogura’s rebuke. In a sense, Dogura could be seen as an ally of Ymir’s party. Due to Dogura’s relentless punishment, Branwen couldn’t move, and Eilin acted on this golden opportunity.

“Let’s go, Sister.”

“Hmm, now is our chance!”

They decided to use their two-way simultaneous attack, Twin Princess Strike, and aimed for Branwen.

“I… I can’t afford… to lose!”

Branwen roared. Eilin was drawn back for a moment before that roar reminiscent of a dragon. Though it was only for a brief moment, for Branwen it was plenty of time.

With her sword and shield, Branwen magnificently endured the attack of the two people, and set her sight on Ymir. She unleashed an unpredictable technique upon the dwarf.

“Ymir sis!”

Branwen’s sword approached Ymir. She couldn’t dodge something that fast and powerful.

(S, sorry. Eilin, this is our loss.)

The same exact moment Ymir resigned to their defeat, Branwen’s sword broke when it was about to reach Ymir’s body, and ended up cutting empty air. The durability of that inferior weapon full of cracks had met its limit due to the attacks with the Giant Growth.

“Branwen... still playing around... you foolish woman.”

Smiling with a grin, Dogura operated his training tool.

“Au... kuuuh... nah...”

Branwen let out a heavy breathing as she was subjected to a very intense torture, and collapsed, writhing in agony, on the arena’s floor.

“Five minutes have passed... Branwen, it’s your loss... My marks will increase by one with this.”

Matching Dogura’s words, the chain tattoos engraved from the thigh to her left buttock increased by one.

“If you win the chain will disappear, if you lose, the chain will only increase. Unless the chain is gone, your important thing won’t be set free... I’ll engrave it on your body so you remember...”

Ugh ugh, Dogura laughed as he turned Branwen’s thighs and buttocks, where the tattoo was engraved out of thin air.

“Y... you can go... it’s your victory...”

Breathing roughly, Branwen pointed to the exit of the arena.

“I want to ask you something... if you’re so strong, you could set yourself free immediately, why subject your body to such humiliation?”

“For my pride... If I win my fights, I’ll obtain my freedom. Even if I obtained my freedom any other way, what I care the most about won’t be there.”

Ymir cast down her eyes before Branwen’s reply. Even if they brought Dogura down, her intention was to remain there.

“Sorry... Let’s go, Eilin!”

“Yes, Sister!”

Turning their backs on Branwen’s agony due to Dogura incessantly punishing her body, the two people left the arena.

-To be continued-

Now that was a fine battle, they amped up the tension with this one, and the new techniques sure helped.

It's a pity that the story is ending now that the battles were starting to resemble the actual books...

Also, having in the same chapter Dogura, the dwarves and Izumi, with their crazy speech patterns, is a pain to translate ^^U 

Next chapter: we're back with Annelotte's party...!