The enemy is getting anxious.
Natsumi sensed this from the drones' movents.
Perhaps realizing that Itsuka Shido's side was almost ready to shoot down the satellite, the drones's attacks clearly beca more ferocious. A dense swarm of Bandersnatch poured in from all directions as if they cost nothing, charging forward while firing a barrage of missiles at Natsumi's side.
Of course, these missiles were basically all turned into harmless fruits and vegetables by Natsumi's Haniel. But the enemy obviously realized how troubleso Natsumi was. They ordered so of the drones to distract Natsumi while the rest launched an attack.
"It's been three minutes, isn't Yutsuki's side ready yet?"
After turning the Bandersnatch surrounding her into cartoon plushies to break free, Natsumi asked sowhat anxiously.
Although it was still manageable, facing this seemingly endless swarm of Bandersnatch, even Natsumi found it a bit tricky.
[Sorry to keep you waiting, we're ready on this end. Prepare to retreat.]
Yutsuki's voice rang through the earpiece. As if having waited for a long ti, Natsumi pointed the tip of her broom forward. The Spirit power she had been accumulating turned into a beam of light and shot out, turning all the Bandersnatch in a straight line into plushies.
"Now, let's go!"
Seeing a path open up before them, the Yamai sisters and Yoshino didn't hesitate. They abandoned the artificial satellite they were holding up and prepared to leave using their Angels.
"Oh, right. Before that—"
Before leaving, Natsumi seed to suddenly rember sothing. She turned around, facing the large satellite weighing tens of tons, and waved her Angel.
"Haniel."
With a flash of light from the mirror on her broom, the next mont, the artificial satellite suddenly disappeared, replaced by an abnormally massive, super-giant dostic pig.
Seeing this, everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
"Oho—You're quite capable, Witch of a Thousand Faces."
"Surprise. You can even do this?"
"Natsumi-san... is so amazing..."
"Yo, yo~ Saving a super move like that for last. You've got so tricks up your sleeve, Natsumi-chan."
"It's not that I wanted to hide it. Yutsuki just told to leave the satellite for last and prioritize using my Spirit power to protect everyone."
Natsumi shrugged and answered.
Originally, Natsumi planned to just turn the artificial satellite into sothing else right from the start to eliminate the danger of the explosive formulas. But Yutsuki said they didn't know how many drones the enemy had prepared this ti. Simultaneously spending Spirit power to maintain the satellite's transformation and to protect the others from a massive number of drones might very well leave her drained and powerless later on.
That girl really considered every possible situation.
The girl's "better safe than sorry" way of thinking made Natsumi sigh in admiration.
(Well then, next is the final step.)
Riding her broom, Natsumi, along with the Yamai sisters and Yoshino, rapidly descended towards the ground. Even from hundreds of ters in the air, Natsumi could clearly feel the powerful Spirit power fluctuations from the ground.
Honestly, even though she understood Itsuka Shido's intention to help her and confird he was soone she could trust, Natsumi still felt a tiny bit of resistance towards accepting her Spirit power being sealed.
After all, according to Ryougi Yutsuki, although sealing her Spirit power ant she wouldn't have to worry about being hunted by Wizards like the AST and could live a normal life like an ordinary person, it also ant her power would be heavily restricted.
To exaggerate a little, it was practically putting her life in Itsuka Shido's hands.
While you can't have your cake and eat it too, Natsumi really didn't want to get stabbed in the stomach with a sword by an enemy a second ti.
"Alright, the rest is all up to you—Itsuka Shido."
Let see what thod you'll use to destroy the artificial satellite. The Knight that Yutsuki hopes for.
Slowly landing on the ground, Natsumi looked towards Shido's direction with a bit of curiosity. To her surprise, at so point, the giant sword the boy had been holding in his right hand had disappeared. In its place was an arrow with a unique shape, gleaming with a faint purple cold light.
"This is..."
Natsumi's eyes widened.
Even from a distance, she could clearly feel the terrifying Spirit power on the arrow, seemingly compressed to the absolute limit, sending shivers down her spine.
The boy stood firmly on the ground like a rock, looking up at the sky. His eyes revealed an incredibly powerful resolve and determination.
Nocking the "arrow" on Ratziel and drawing the bowstring to the fullest, the boy, looking like a completely different person, whispered in a magnetic voice.
"I am the bone of my sword..."(TL:still funny every ti lmao)
Pfft—!
Natsumi, who had stepped into the otaku circle under Yutsuki's influence, spat out in shock the mont she heard that line.
_________________________________-
"Imagination?"
On the second day in the virtual world, hearing Yutsuki's explanation of the trick to using an Angel, Shido showed a confused expression.
"Yes, imagination." Yutsuki nodded and said seriously, "If you want to use an Angel flexibly, imagination is an absolutely indispensable prerequisite."
"Yes, Yutsuki. I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"I heard from Tohka before that a strong wish is the key to driving an Angel. Is there a difference between the two?"
"That explanation isn't wrong. But, it's not enough. At the very least, I don't have the habit of making wishes when I fight."
Yutsuki pushed up non-existent glasses and explained.
"As you know, Spirit power is a force easily influenced by emotions. But, how to wield it, how to make it execute the right authority according to your wishes—that relies on human imagination to achieve."
In Yutsuki's view, emotions determine the output intensity of Spirit power, while imagination determines its precision.
"A so-called wish actually contains two types of information: emotion and imagination. The stronger the wish, the richer these two types of information, naturally making it easier for the Spirit power in the body to react. For example, Shido, when you ntion Tohka's Sandalphon, what pops into your mind?"
"A sword."
Shido answered imdiately. Yutsuki nodded and continued.
"Exactly. It's like a word association ga. At the sa ti you make a wish, you unconsciously form a concrete plan in your mind to realize that wish. Therefore, the Spirit power naturally manifests in the appearance of Sandalphon."
"Is that so? Then according to what you're saying, actually, Tohka and Yoshino's Angels aren't inherently attached to their Spirit power, but rather forms they imagined themselves?"
Shido frowned slightly, clearly finding Yutsuki's view a bit hard to accept. Because according to her, as long as she puts her mind to it, Tohka could actually summon Kotori's Camael, or even Kurumi's Zafkiel could be ford.
Hearing Shido's doubt, Yutsuki chuckled and shook her head.
"Well, I can't say imagination is omnipotent. Just like no matter how skilled a carpenter is, they can't carve a piece of wood into a diamond. Any imagination must have a basis. Groundless imagination is no different from delusion."
"The nature of every Spirit's power is very different. And since they gain the knowledge of how to use their Angel the mont they beco a Spirit, undoubtedly, a Spirit's Angel is structured to maximize their Spirit power level. Rough imagination would have a hard ti surpassing its original level of perfection. Moreover, a person's subconscious is very hard to change. Even if I tell you Sandalphon is an axe, you wouldn't truly believe it, right? Your subconscious has already linked Sandalphon with the image of a sword. If you try to summon it imagining an axe, you'd probably just summon Kotori's Camael."
"Mhm... true."
Hearing Yutsuki's explanation, Shido nodded, deep in thought for a mont before asking.
"Then, Yutsuki, are you saying that as long as I don't violate those rules... I can use my imagination to change the Spirit power, to change the Spirit's Angel according to my own thoughts?"
"Not bad, Shido. You understood what I was trying to say very quickly."
Yutsuki nodded in satisfaction.
"My Ratziel is the best example. It was originally just a bow with an auxiliary calculation function. But I tried to perceive it as a 'computer'. After many attempts, I was able to derive various techniques from it."
"I see."
Shido nodded in realization. In this world, he had also tried summoning Yutsuki's Ratziel. But in reality, the most he could do was use lightning to fire it as an "arrow". As for hacking, using iron sand to control a railgun, optical camouflage, and other such moves, he couldn't execute them at all. Because those weren't information originally attached to the Angel, but techniques Yutsuki created through her imagination.
"Imagination, huh..."
Seeing Shido lost in deep thought, Yutsuki couldn't help but chuckle.
"That being said, it's extrely difficult to rely on pure imagination to alter an Angel's original abilities. As soone with experience, let teach you a trick, Shido."
"A trick?"
A hint of curiosity appeared on Shido's face. The corner of Yutsuki's mouth curled up, revealing an intriguing smile.
"When conceptualizing, it's best to have a reference prototype. And it's best to give your special move a na."
"Eh? A na?"
Shido was instantly dumbfounded.
"A na! A na. Giving your goal a clear title makes it easier to conceptualize the content, and it acts as an associative keyword to quickly complete your imagination when using it. When Tohka and the others summon their Angels, don't they also often shout the Angel's na? It's the sa logic."
"Uh... I understand the logic. But why a special move?"
Shido asked, feeling a bit embarrassed. Honestly, shouting the na of a special move you're about to use in battle felt a bit shaful.
"Well, imagining you're writing a software program really dampens the enthusiasm for conceptualizing. Don't you think doing it like a hot blooded manga is more fun, Shido?"
Yutsuki answered with a matter offact face. In response, Shido scratched his head helplessly.
"Well... I don't really mind."
"Is that so? But I think this description is more fitting. For example, Shido, if you put your mind to it. Right now, if you put your hands on your hips like in middle school and shout 'Secret Art: Roaring Flash Blast Wave!', it would probably succeed. After all, looking at the conceptual content, it's not anything particularly complex, just a massive pure output..."
"Ahem—let's just skip that."
Shido hurriedly coughed twice to interrupt Yutsuki.
"Well, trying to use the results of your dark history might actually fail at a critical mont because you're too embarrassed to imagine it."
Seeing Shido didn't intend to try turning his dark past into reality, Yutsuki didn't force it. She chuckled and proposed an alternative plan.
"Then, how about I make a special move for you, Shido?"
"Uh, is that okay?"
Shido asked, sowhat surprised.
"Of course. For the sa story, the manga artist and the light novel author don't have to be the sa person."
"Mhm... then I'll leave it to you."
Shido pondered for a mont. He didn't have any particularly good ideas at the mont, and Yutsuki was fairly reliable. So he nodded and entrusted the conceptualization of his special move to Yutsuki.
__________________________________________________
"Trace on."
[Received. Basic structure... Skeleton... Conceptual composition... Spirit power nature... Analysis complete.]
As if responding to Shido's voice, the bow nad "Ratziel" in Shido's left hand constantly emitted thin strands of blue white lightning, slowly seeping into the surface of Sandalphon.
[Comncing operation... Structural modification... Spirit power synchronization... Compression...]
Analysis—Deconstruction—Reconstruction!
Repeating the imagination practiced countless tis in the virtual world. As the lightning continuously surged and perated, Sandalphon began to emit a bright blue-purple glow. As if forged by an invisible hamr, the broad giant sword slowly began to shrink and deform, finally taking the appearance of an "arrow".(TL: basically the sa thing as Caladbolg I guess?)
"Phew..."
Taking a slow, deep breath, Shido nocked the arrow on the bowstring, aiming at the artificial satellite that had already started falling towards the ground. As if performing self-hypnosis, he whispered.
"I am the bone of my sword..."(TL:lmao)
As his words fell, his initially uneasy and nervous emotions cald down completely.
Honestly, even though Itsuka Shido wasn't deeply involved in otaku culture and hadn't watched the ani about a certain red coated archer, he could roughly guess that the level of sha in what he was chanting was on par with, if not greater than, the "Roaring Flash Blast Wave" he had conceptualized in middle school.
But in reality, Itsuka Shido had to chant it whether he wanted to or not. After repeated practice, this incantation had long beco sothing akin to self suggestion. If he didn't say it, the ti required to complete this move would instantly beco several tis longer.
Realizing he had been set up was already too late, so Shido simply gave up and ignored the issue.
An artificial satellite, huh...
His eyes locked onto the artificial satellite in the sky that had been turned into the shape of a dostic pig. Although thanks to Natsumi's efforts, the satellite was no longer in danger of exploding, an object of that size hitting the ground would still cause a terrifying impact.
Shido gripped the bow handle tightly.
Sealing the Spirits' powers so they could avoid being hunted by the AST and live peaceful, ordinary lives.
That was Itsuka Shido's wish.
But, was this really ordinary? From Tohka's inversion, to Marina's hacking intrusion, and now DEM hunting Natsumi and dropping a satellite. In just under a month, everyone's lives had been in danger several tis.
Just as Yutsuki said, saving Spirits wasn't just about simply sealing their power.
Since they entrusted their power to him, then he must work hard to use this power to protect them from danger.
(This is the city I live in... my ho is here. How could I let you crash down!)
"Broken Phantasm!"(TL:don't know why the og author nad it this, but in fate's lore, broken phantasm is about detonating one's noble phantasm to generates overwhelming destructive power,but then the noble phantasm is likely to be broken beyond fix and can't be used again,it's like detonating an angel lol)
After shouting the line a certain brown haired girl had been eagerly anticipating, Shido released the bowstring.
The 'arrow' nad 'Sandalphon' shot forth, leaving a trail through the clouds in the sky, accompanied by a whistling sound as it tore through the wind, flying towards the artificial satellite.
Seemingly sensing the attack from the ground, the Bandersnatch mounted on the artificial satellite deployed their Territories one after another, forming a shield to deflect the incoming arrow.
"It's useless."
Yutsuki said calmly.
As the conceptualizer of this move, she knew that a one ti use arrow created by compressing the massive amount of Spirit power originally used to maintain the weapon's shape... purely in terms of destructive power, could absolutely rival a sure kill strike from a Spirit in their pri.
Zzzt-Boom—!
Like a needle piercing leather, the speeding arrow effortlessly tore through the Territory enveloping the artificial satellite's surface and entered the satellite's interior.
As if it were an illusion, the artificial satellite, falling with tens of tons of weight, seed to violate the laws of physics and paused in mid-air.
Then—
BOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!!
A deafening explosion shook the sky above Tengu City. As a mushroom cloud slowly rose above the city, a powerful shockwave swept downwards towards the ground, kicking up massive clouds of dust. And countless lollipops rained down like a torrential downpour, scattering across every corner of Tengu City.
Facing this incredibly fantastical scene, Tohka and the others were so shocked they couldn't speak for a mont. Only Natsumi, wearing a subtle expression, flew over to Ryougi Yutsuki's side.
"Yutsuki... this move of Shido's, it couldn't possibly be..."
"Hehe~"
Yutsuki's eyes glead with excitent. As if boasting, a proud smile appeared on her lips.
"How about it?Emiya Shirou is the idol I admire most in my heart!"
"No, this would get reported for copyright infringent, right."
Natsumi retorted calmly.
User Comments
0 comments from readers