Tengu City, a high ground in the park, 5:35 PM.
In the small grove atop the hill, a black silhouette lay quietly in ambush.
[Scheduled ti reached. Comncing situation analysis. Squads 1 and 2 retreating—Judging Plan A as failed. Activating backup Plan B.]
Soon, the shadow unfurled its body under the cover of the trees. If soone had been present, they would have realized that this silhouette was not human at all, but a two-ter-tall humanoid robot constructed of tal.
Bandersnatch—an autonomous drone developed by DEM. Although the AI equipped inside was incredibly primitive compared to the Arusu sisters, as long as its owner programd the commands beforehand, it could execute designated tasks independently and with pinpoint precision, even while completely offline.
And this specific Bandersnatch was vastly different from a standard factory model. Its entire body was coated in military camouflage to blend in with the forest. Basic armants like its mana blade and submachine gun had been stripped away, leaving only a massive sniper rifle slung across its back—a weapon as tall as the robot itself.
BBB—.
It was designed and manufactured by the sa company that supplied sniper rifles to AST Wizards. But while the latter's recoil would, at worst, cause an inexperienced Wizard to scream from a fractured arm, this monstrosity had shattered its entire firing platform to pieces during testing. Rather than a weapon, it was more like a highly dangerous toy created by a designer who had let their imagination run completely wild.
However, as a trade-off, its sheer power was absolutely terrifying. A direct hit would vaporize a chunk of a skyscraper as if it had been sheared off by a spacequake. Without the protection of a Territory, it could pierce straight through even the armor of an airborne battleship.
After planting this dangerous toy firmly on the ground, the cara on the Bandersnatch's head swiveled toward Raizen High School over ten kiloters away, accurately locking onto the target's exact coordinates.
[—Comncing operation.]
Deploying a Territory designed specifically to absorb recoil, the Bandersnatch disengaged the safety.
As a side note, the optical scope on the rifle had already been removed by its owner. For an autonomous robot, it was an entirely superfluous part. Moreover, its current position directly faced the setting sun. While it might sound like unwarranted paranoia, its owner didn't want to risk failing the mission just because the target happened to catch the glare reflecting off the scope.
[Target locked—Wind speed—Wind direction—Light intensity confird—Adjustnts complete—Comncing mana charge.]
After flawlessly executing these calculations alone, the Bandersnatch aid at the target and pulled the trigger without a shred of emotion.
Of course, being an autonomous robot, it possessed no emotions to begin with.
—BOOM!
With an obscenely loud explosion, a massive hole was instantly blasted through the forest directly in front of the Bandersnatch. The bullet shot out of the barrel, tearing through the air at hypersonic speed as it closed in on its target.
However, midway through its flight, an orange-yellow beam suddenly shot out, intercepting the bullet with surgical precision mid-air.
In the next mont, a brilliant firework blossod against the sky of Tengu City.
[Miss—Snipe failed—Comncing barrel cooldown—Estimated reload ti: two minutes and twenty-five seconds—]
Faced with a miraculous interception straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster, the Bandersnatch obviously couldn't gasp in awe like a human, nor could it adapt to the situation. It rely began preparing for a second shot chanically, exactly as programd.
But right as it initiated the reload process, that very sa orange-yellow beam shot out from the distance once more. Cloaked by the dim glow of the setting sun, it utterly obliterated the chanical sniper.
————————
"...That makes three."
Standing on the roof of an abandoned building, Yutsuki lowered Ratziel, which she had transford into a pincer cannon platform.
"Kurumi, that drone just now was the last one, right?"
"Mhm, exactly."
Getting Kurumi's confirmation, Yutsuki let out a long breath, releasing her tense nerves.
Taking out the drone snipers aiming at Shido sounded easy, but putting it into practice was far more difficult than imagined. Because the enemy's effective firing range vastly exceeded normal limits, even Kurumi couldn't pinpoint their exact locations; she could only provide the precise timing of their attacks.
If it weren't for her Future Calculation allowing her to see the bullets' trajectories in advance, even Yutsuki wouldn't have been confident in taking out three snipers while simultaneously protecting Shido.
"As expected of Yutsuki-san, what breathtaking, god-like skill. I am truly in awe."
Standing beside Yutsuki, Tokisaki Kurumi—no, to be precise, a clone of Tokisaki Kurumi—was excitedly clapping her hands.
Yutsuki exhaled softly, replying with a lack of enthusiasm.
"Well, if it weren't for the intel you provided, I probably wouldn't have been able to stop the sniping either. Let start by saying thanks, Kurumi."
"Hehe, you are too modest,Yutsuki-san."
A smile surfacing on her face, Kurumi shrugged. She pointed down at the street below, offering a kind warning.
"Now then, although I have already said this once, I will repeat it just in case. The attack is not over yet. Do not let your guard down,Yutsuki-san."
Following Kurumi's direction, Yutsuki saw Ai Mulian, already equipped with her CR-Unit. Bounding off the walls of the buildings like she was performing light footwork martial arts, she was rapidly closing the distance toward them.
"Yeah, I know."
Yutsuki nodded, unfazed. Firing several ultra long range shots back to back had definitely exposed her position long ago.
"Kurumi, fall back. I don't need a human shield."
"Hehe~ Understood~"
Hearing Yutsuki's words, Kurumi smiled faintly, obediently sinking back into the shadows.
Taking out a blue tal dog tag, Yutsuki inserted it into Ratziel's slot.
[Wizard System Link Established—Are you ready?]
"Henshin."
[Ard Complete! Magical Rider—Th! Th! Th! Th! Thor~~~~]
The mont Yutsuki finished equipping her CR-Unit, Ai Mulian leaped onto the rooftop, dashing straight toward Yutsuki.
—CLANG!
With zero intention of exchanging pleasantries, the twin blades generated by Ratziel clashed directly against Ai Mulian's laser sword.
Seeing her opening strike blocked, Ai Mulian wasn't surprised in the slightest. The corners of her mouth curled up as she brandished her laser sword, launching a relentless flurry of slashes at Yutsuki.
—Heavy.
Even though they were both equipped with Mordred, the feeling Ai Mulian gave Yutsuki was completely different from Tobiichi Origami. Origami expertly utilized the characteristics of the weapon Clarent, constantly switching between "cannon mode" and "sword mode" to keep Yutsuki at bay. Ai Mulian, on the other hand, purely wielded it as a sword.
But in exchange, Mulian's slashes packed far more raw power than Origami's. Her swordplay wasn't overly complex, but it was brutally simple and effective. Every single strike was aid squarely at a vital point on the human body.
(A soldier with actual combat experience against humans?)
Yutsuki found this sowhat troubleso.Mulian's utilization of the CR-Unit remained at an extrely basic level. But conversely, this ant her reliance on the cha was incredibly low, so Yutsuki couldn't devise a strategy by exploiting the inherent weaknesses of Realizers.
"Ratziel."
[Command Received—Comncing Hack—Error!—Interference detected from Demon King Beelzebub—Hack Failed!]
(Well, that was expected.)
The warning from Ratziel rely confird Yutsuki's suspicion.
(So the Vaccine Box really was created using the power of Nia's Inversion? Now that Westcott has obtained the Demon King, mass-producing it really wouldn't be difficult at all.)
Of course, she had long anticipated that hacking could no longer incapacitate Wizards, so she didn't feel regretful. Rather, she had never planned on relying on that ability in the first place.
(Besides, compared to Tohka when she's Inversed, you fall short in both strength and speed!)
[Command Received—Activating Future Calculation!]
With Ratziel's assistance, Yutsuki clearly saw Ai Mulian's sword trajectory for the next few seconds. Flicking the short sword in her right hand upwards, she perfectly parried the hilt of the laser sword, knocking Ai Mulian's blade into the air.
(I won—?!)
Just as Yutsuki thought she had gained the upper hand, Ai Mulian abruptly shifted her stance. She clenched both hands into tight fists. Her montum didn't drop; instead, it grew even more chilling.
Stepping forward with her left foot, a heavy thud echoed as the ground caved in, causing a massive web of cracks to spiderweb outward.
At this very mont, Ratziel's ability was still active, presenting the future of the next few seconds before Yutsuki's eyes.
One punch. Ai Mulian threw a single punch, shattering the twin blades Yutsuki used to block. The strike pierced straight through her Astral Dress's defenses, landing heavily squarely on Yutsuki's chest.
And following that punch, Yutsuki was knocked to the ground, instantly losing consciousness.
(That ruthless?!)
Seeing this future, Yutsuki imdiately abandoned the idea of taking the hit head-on, throwing her entire body backward.
The next second, a ferocious punch shot out right above Yutsuki. Even though it didn't connect, the sheer wind pressure generated by the strike stung her cheek.
Of course, falling to the ground in front of an enemy was practically begging for death. So, Yutsuki twisted her body, planted her left palm on the floor to support herself, and launched her right leg directly from that position, landing a vicious kick straight into Mulian's stomach.
Taking Yutsuki's kick, Mulian was sent flying backward. She completed a mid-air sorsault and landed smoothly on her feet.
Clearly, because she had to react in a hurry, Yutsuki's kick didn't hit with its full force.
(Phew... that was close. I didn't expect this woman to be the type who's even stronger bare-handed.)
A drop of cold sweat trailed down her forehead. Yutsuki didn't dare to be careless anymore, maintaining high vigilance on Ai Mulian's movents.
However——
"Oh my, to actually launch a counterattack while dodging! As expected of Yutsuki-san, the person I set my sights on! And that CR-Unit, I get to see an entirely new side of you! I am just too happy!"
Mulian didn't press her attack. Instead, as if struck by Cupid's arrow right in the chest, she stared at Yutsuki with an expression of pure intoxication.
"Yutsuki-san, I love you! Please go out with !"
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