Just as the atmosphere in the room grew tense enough to snap, the communication device on Ellen's CR-Unit reacted.
"It's … What?"
Whatever news she heard, Ellen's expression turned rather unpleasant.
"Understood. We will handle this."
After the brief call, she looked at Mikoto and Shido, then said:
"You truly are lucky people."
With that, she left the room without looking back.
"What just happened?"
"I don't know."
Mikoto and Shido looked at each other, completely unable to understand what had just occurred. Then, at that mont, Shido's phone rang.
"Hello? Kotori? What's wrong… What?"
As if it were a repeat of what had just happened with Ellen, Shido's face turned grim after hearing so piece of news.
"Yeah, Yakumo-senpai is with … Mm, mm… I understand."
After the short conversation, Shido hung up.
"Um… What happened?"
Mikoto asked.
"…A satellite is going to fall on Tengu City in a few dozen minutes."
Shido said with an ugly expression.
_______________
After leaving the Itsuka household, the two prepared to head to an empty area and use the transporter to return to Fraxinus. At this mont, the spacequake alarm had already been sounded, and large numbers of citizens were heading to the nearest shelters.
"DEM really is going too far! They're dragging innocent people into this too!"
On the way, Shido said angrily. After hearing that a satellite was falling, everyone believed this was a new tactic DEM had prepared to wipe out the Spirits.
"It really is horrible. But for so reason, it doesn't feel like Westcott's idea."
Mikoto said with so doubt.
"Eh?"
"Think about it. Westcott's goal is the inversion of Spirits. In that case, rather than killing all of us in one go with a satellite, forcing Spirits into despair would be the correct thod, wouldn't it?"
Mikoto said.
"Now that you ntion it…"
"And as a thod, this is far too crude. They know we have an airship. If they thought about it carefully, they would realize that dropping a satellite would be useless. Also… Ellen Mathers didn't seem to know about this."
Mikoto continued.
The entire situation was strange from top to bottom. Even Mikoto did not know what their true goal was.
"In any case, as long as everyone returns to the airship, we can think about the rest later."
In the end, Mikoto felt that, compared to the motive, dealing with the satellite itself was the more important problem.
"Yeah… As long as everyone… 'Everyone'… Wait! What about Natsumi?"
Shido suddenly rembered a fatal problem. Natsumi had still not been found. If the wounded girl was still sowhere in Tengu City, she might die beneath DEM's satellite.
"…There's still so ti before the satellite falls. Let's search a little more."
Mikoto looked at Shido. Seeing the anxiety on his face, she understood that Shido could not possibly abandon Natsumi.
After informing Kotori, the two ran through the streets of Tengu City, calling Natsumi's na. However, no matter what they did, there was no response.
After who knew how long, when Shido was panting and holding his knees, almost unable to speak, Kotori contacted them again.
[There's no ti left, Shido, Mikoto. We're transferring you to Fraxinus right now!]
"But… we still haven't found Natsumi. Please, let just…"
"Let us search a little longer, Kotori. I'll protect Shido."
Seeing that Shido still had no intention of giving up, Mikoto said that.
[But…]
Although Kotori knew that Mikoto's barrier was probably the safest place in the entire city, she was still worried. However, she soon lost the luxury of choice.
[What? The satellite is accelerating?]
On the airship's screen, the satellite, while falling toward Tengu City, was actually accelerating. This caused the impact ti to beco earlier than expected.
[Looks like we don't have ti to bring you two back anymore. Mikoto, I'm leaving Shido to you.]
"Mm."
Hearing the urgency in Kotori's voice, Mikoto nodded.
While searching for Natsumi with Shido, Mikoto looked up from ti to ti to keep track of the changes in the sky. According to the operation plan, Fraxinus would fire its magical convergence cannon at the satellite. After that, she only needed to open her barrier and intercept any fragnts that might fall toward the two of them.
_______________
A few minutes later, on the other side, Kotori's eyes widened in shock on Fraxinus.
"How could…"
As planned, Fraxinus fired the magical convergence cannon. However, the stream of energy, which should have been enough to smash the satellite into pieces, was deflected. It grazed the solar panels and part of the thrusters before vanishing into the distance.
Just as everyone was still shocked, Fraxinus suffered a violent impact on one side. At the sa ti, an enemy airship appeared in that direction. It was most likely that battleship which had used its Territory to deflect the cannon shot.
[This is bad!]
Right now, Fraxinus was being held back by the enemy, and the satellite was still continuing to fall. There was a real possibility that it would directly strike Tengu City. The satellite was equipped with an explosive formula, and the disaster it would cause was estimated to be on the level of a strategic nuclear weapon.
After thinking for a while, Kotori stood up and said:
"Kannazuki, I'm leaving this to you. Use Gungnir."
This was the second ti since encountering Mikoto that Fraxinus revealed its trump card—the Spirit power cannon, Gungnir.
Since an ordinary magical convergence cannon would be deflected, then they simply had to use a more powerful shot.
Kotori manifested Camael, transford it into cannon form, then completed the connection with Fraxinus's equipnt. This was a weapon that even Mikoto in her complete state would likely need to concentrate her power to resist. Whether or not it could destroy a satellite was sothing Kotori did not doubt from the bottom of her heart.
"Now! Fire Gungnir!"
Standing inside the room filled with special connection equipnt, Kotori poured her spirit power into her Angel and shouted.
[Fire!]
Kannazuki's voice ca through the speaker. A scorching, enormous mass of spirit power shot out from the ship's main cannon. Its scale had already surpassed a beam of energy or a cannon blast. It was a pillar of spirit power that seed almost solid as it struck the satellite and directly evaporated it into the air.
"Haah…"
After confirming Gungnir's effect, Kotori sank tiredly to her knees. Recovering her spirit power also ant recovering her destructive impulse. Even if it was only a small portion, one wrong step could cause all of Fraxinus to be swallowed by flas due to her rampage.
However, at that mont, the piercing alarm sounded again. According to the report from the bridge—
There was still one more satellite falling.
_____________
On the other side, Mikoto, who was still searching for Natsumi together with Shido, suddenly received a ssage.
"Ah…"
She took out her phone and saw Origami's na.
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