"Uwaah..."
Seeing Zadkiel fire its attack, Shido naturally stepped back and fell to the ground. He raised his arms to block the blinding light, waiting for the freezing cold stream to turn him into ice.
"Huh?"
But the biting cold never ca. The unexpected weird feeling made Shido lower his arms, and then he saw that the rooftop had turned into another world.
A giant Torii gate stood in front of them, blocking the freezing blast. Even though it was dayti, the entire rooftop seed to be covered in the dark of night.
"Tsuku...Tsukuyomi?"
It was a very familiar sight. It was the one and only Angel belonging to the Spirit, Yakumo Mikoto.
"That was a close call... we finally blocked it."
Mikoto looked back at Shido and said with a very relieved smile.
"Yakumo... senpai..."
Shido stared blankly at Mikoto. Her familiar school uniform was woven and rebuilt by glowing light. Behind the girl floated a sun-like ring, and she wore a gold crown on her head. She looked both majestic and beautiful.
[Her Spirit energy flowed back enough to make her Angel manifest. Even though it's still far from her full power, making two Spirits bring out their Angels at the sa ti just for you... idiot Shido, you really are a sinful man.]
Kotori's sharp tongue ca through the earpiece. But for so reason, her voice sounded like she was breathing a sigh of relief.
"Please, take to Yoshino, Yakumo-senpai!"
Now wasn't the ti to argue with Kotori. Because of Zadkiel's freezing beam, the AST mbers had all scattered from where they were standing. The good thing was that everyone's attention was on Yoshino, so no one noticed Mikoto showing her Angel. The bad thing was that the panicked Yoshino was driving Zadkiel far away from them.
"Kotori, can you predict Yoshino's movent?"
Mikoto put her Angel away. Even though Tsukuyomi had perfect defense, it wasn't good for moving around in a fight. Her only choice was to carry Shido and fly over. If they could guess where the enemy was going, it would be better to head to that spot ahead of ti.
[No need. Didn't I tell you? There are two Spirits showing their Angels right now.]
"Shido! Mikoto!"
From far away, a familiar figure ca flying over fast, standing on a weird item that looked like a surfboard.
"Tohka! Is... is that... Sandalphon?"
Shido looked at the flying item under Tohka and noticed it was the throne with its shape changed.
"Tohka, can you take us to Yoshino?" Mikoto asked.
"Shido wants to save that child, right? Leave it to ."
Because she knew Yoshino was a Spirit, Tohka had cleared up her misunderstanding and didn't hesitate at all.
"Get on, we don't have much ti."
The cold, sharp voice sounded like it could wipe away the rain.
"Let's go, Shido."
Mikoto pulled Shido onto Sandalphon's throne.
"Hold on tight."
The next second, deadly wind pressure and montum swallowed Shido whole.
"Huh?"
Shido, who had to hug the decorations on the throne just so he wouldn't get blown away, suddenly realized the scary wind pressure was gone.
"Are you okay?"
Mikoto opened a barrier, and the dark of night covered the whole throne.
"Ah... you saved , Yakumo-senpai."
Shido sat safely on the throne. A little while later, a do made of a blizzard appeared in their view.
[It's a barrier made by Yoshino. Mmhmm, it's very well made.]
Reine's voice ca through the earpiece.
With nowhere left to run, the girl locked herself inside this snow-covered do. According to Reine, anything with magic or Spirit energy would be frozen the exact second it touched that snow barrier.
[It's just like Mikoto's situation back then. If it's like this, we can't get close.]
Reine said.
[No, it's different.]
Shido thought. Yoshino's barrier and Mikoto's barrier weren't exactly the sa. There was a thod he wanted to try.
"What's that?"
Just then, Mikoto noticed the AST troops far away using their Realizer fields to lift a huge building.
[Are they planning to smash that thing into the barrier? That's a pretty bold idea.]Kotori said.
"Shido, Mikoto, do you have any idea how to get close to Yoshino?" Tohka asked.
"Yeah. It's just a possibility... no, I'll definitely make it work!" Shido nodded.
"In that case, leave the AST to . Shido, Mikoto, I'll leave Yoshino to you guys."
Tohka drew Sandalphon and then left the throne.
"What do you plan to do next, Shido?" Mikoto asked. She thought Shido would be totally stuck, but surprisingly, he already had a plan.
"I don't know why, but as long as I have that healing ability."
[Wait! Shido, you're going to walk into that barrier with your bare body? Even with your healing power, that's too crazy! That barrier freezes Spirit energy, you know. Do you understand what that ans? While you cross the freezing zone, you won't be able to heal at all. If you fall down, you're really done for!]
"Spirit energy... so my healing ability is the power of a Spirit?"
For a split second, he could hear Kotori hold her breath over the earpiece.
No matter how they tried to stop him, Shido's mind wouldn't change. He wanted to save Yoshino, even if he had to risk his own life. But...
"Uwah!"
The back of his collar was grabbed, and Shido's forward steps were suddenly thrown off.
"Yakumo-senpai?"
"Seeing you so full of confidence earlier, I thought you had a plan that would definitely work. In the end, you're just gambling your life?"
Mikoto sighed. She should have known earlier. The man in front of her was the type who would completely ignore his own life just to save soone else.
"But..."
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to stop you."
Or rather, even if she tried to stop him, it wouldn't work anyway, Mikoto thought in annoyance.
"But aren't you forgetting sothing, Shido?"
"Forgetting what?"
"'Please, take to Yoshino, Yakumo-senpai!', who was the person who said those words to earlier?" Mikoto blinked.
"Yakumo-senpai..."
"Co on. Whether Shido wants to save soone or protect soone. Shido, who always ignores his own life for others, will be protected by ."
Mikoto reached her hand out to Shido and smiled sweetly.
The two arrived in front of the blizzard do. The AST mbers surrounding it had already been drawn away by Tohka.
"Descend! Tsukuyomi!"
Right next to the ice and snow barrier, another barrier covered in the dark of night appeared.
"Well then... let's begin..."
Mikoto stood in front of the shrine, put her hands together, and started chanting a prayer. Along with the girl's clear voice, the air inside Tsukuyomi seed to beco pure.
Mikoto raised her hand, and a bunch of Kagura bells appeared in her hand. She gently shook the Kagura bells, and the clear sound echoed through the shrine.
"Ah..."
Shido realized that without him noticing, a Torii gate had appeared at the edge of Tsukuyomi.
Jingle!
Along with the crisp sound of the bells, another Torii gate rose up.
The Torii gates lined up one after another, blending together with Tsukuyomi. Mikoto was expanding her barrier. Finally, the Torii gates touched the snow-covered do.
"Oh no!"
Shido saw the freezing ice freeze the Torii gates. Yoshino's barrier reacted to anything with Spirit energy, and even Tsukuyomi was no exception.
Jingle!
Mikoto shook the Kagura bells. As if chased away by the bell sound, the ice shattered in an instant.
[Amazing. As expected of the Angel with the strongest defense. Shido, the path is clear now.] Kotori's voice ca from the earpiece.
"Yeah!"
Shido started running. For a second, he had the illusion that he had stepped into a thousand Torii gates. Every ti Mikoto shook the Kagura bells, an extra Torii gate would appear. Countless Torii gates joined together, forming a path leading right to where Yoshino was.
The Torii gates turned the ground beneath his feet into a divine realm, and the divine realm protected Shido. Looking up, he saw the do with the howling blizzard. But even so, inside Tsukuyomi, it was as warm as spring.
The blizzard barrier was only a short five ters thick. However, running inside the thousands of Torii gates, Shido felt as if a very long ti had passed.
"Yoshinoooo—!!!"
Finally, at the end of the Torii gates, Shido saw Yoshino sitting on Zadkiel, crying.
User Comments
0 comments from readers