At this mont, fifteen thousand ters above Tengu City, on the bridge of Fraxinus, the battleship owned by Ratatoskr, a sharp alarm was blaring.
"What happened?"
Kotori, seated in the captain's chair and biting down on her lollipop, frowned as she asked.
"Report! Radar indicates a large number of Realizer Field reactions above Tengu City Plaza. Judged to be DEM wizard… no, one of them is AST's First Lieutenant Tobiichi Origami. Combat is currently in progress."
"Hmph… just as Yutsuki-nee said."
After hearing the report from her crew mber, Kotori's expression turned sowhat grim.
At the sa ti, the main screen that had been showing Shido and the others' performance switched to the scene in the sky.
The DEM wizards, equipped with various exaggerated cr-unit, and their unmanned drones, Bandersnatch, were clearly not the usual AST formation.
And at this mont, this unit was being blocked by a girl wielding an anomalous weapon resembling a white aerial battle chariot—White Lycoris.
"So that's it…the reason Tobiichi Origami was absent was this… No wonder Yutsuki-nee said she was working hard for Shido."
Kotori muttered under her breath, nodding thoughtfully.
She was not especially surprised by the situation. In fact, a few hours earlier, Ryougi Yutsuki had already told her a little about it: the news that DEM's dispatched personnel would suddenly attack.
Normally, AST would not be deployed unless a Spacequake occurred, and it was even less likely they would appear in a crowd-dense place like Tengu City Plaza… or so common sense would say. But Yutsuki was, after all, the Spirit known as Hacker—the most dangerous Spirit to humankind—soone who possessed access to many of humanity's hidden secrets. Information coming from her could not be ignored.
"Damn it… I was careless. Shido had already displayed his Angels power in front of DEM twice before… We should have been keeping DEM under tighter watch."
Kotori clenched her teeth in self-reproach.
Tengu City Plaza was the venue of a massive event, and the following six Spirits were gathered there: Yatogami Tohka, Yoshino, Yamai Yuzuru, Yamai Kaguya, Ryougi Yutsuki, and Izayoi Miku. Add to that,Shido-who could use Spirit power…
According to normal logic, this was absolute madness. If a battle were to break out there, a large number of casualties would be inevitable. Even with DEM squeezing Japan by the throat, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force would never allow sothing like that.
Although it had been presented as information, Yutsuki had only ntioned it in passing twice. Perhaps she had understood that the information was too abnormal and thus too unbelievable. She had likely just wanted Kotori to adjust her mindset as quickly as possible.
"Commander, what do we do?"
"…What else can we do? Since AST's Tobiichi Origami has already moved,there's no reason for to sit by and do nothing."
And, looking at the current situation, Origami would not be able to hold out for long.
Kotori had personally experienced the functions of White.Lycoris. It was a mad machine that concentrated the firepower of an entire squad into a single body. Even Kotori, in a fully manifested form, found it sowhat troubleso to deal with. But the price for that power was an imnse burden on the user.
Right now, Origami might appear to be holding the advantage while single-handedly fighting a crowd, but once she reached her limit, it would beco many against one.
"Cancel surveillance of Tengu City Plaza. Lower Fraxinus's altitude. Kannazuki, I want you to provide the minimum necessary fire support to Tobiichi Origami without causing any injuries to civilians!"
"Understood!" The handso young man gave a textbook military salute in response to Kotori's order, then asked with a hint of concern, "But is that okay? Abandoning support for Shido and the others… though personally, I do rather enjoy a bit of stand and watch play—fu!"
"…No choice. If Yutsuki-nee's prediction is correct, then continuing to monitor the venue will only turn us into a burden for Shido…"
After rewarding her vice-commander with a swift retaliation for his final remark, Kotori let out a bitter laugh and steeled herself again, fixing her gaze on the situation before her.
Even so, that alone probably was not enough.
Most of the weapons installed on Fraxinus were strategic weapons ant for anti-battleship combat. Considering the need to avoid civilian casualties, the number of usable weapons was limited. Even if Kannazuki could operate the various Realizer weapons with absolute precision, it still would not be enough.
"Mana. I'm going to need your help next."
Kotori turned slightly and addressed the girl standing leisurely at the side.
The girl looked about Kotori's age. Her hair was tied into a bundle, and the defining feature of her face was the beauty mark beneath her left eye. She also sowhat resembled Shido when he was in won's clothing.
"Honestly… and here I am still on break… as the little sister of Nii-sama, I'm being so useless…"
Takamiya Mana—forr AST Second Lieutenant, forr DEM dispatched employee. She was also… the younger sister of Itsuka Shido by blood.
Kotori's mouth twitched in response to Mana's natural, effortless mockery, and she shot back in a sharp tone.
"Ho… then please, Mana-san, could you co help Shido a little…?"
"No problem. Helping Nii-sama in a crisis is the duty of a real little sister! Since Yutsuki-san and Kotori are both working so hard, there's no reason for to slack off."
Patting her chest, which was about the sa size as Kotori's, Mana nodded without hesitation. After equipping her cr-unit, she left the aerial battleship and headed to support Tobiichi Origami.
Kotori let out a long breath and leaned back in her chair.
"That's all we can do. Yutsuki-nee… Shido… I'm leaving the rest to you."
————————————————————————————————————————
At this mont, in the Tengu City Plaza venue, a suffocating silence hung over the crowd.
All the audience mbers stood clustered together, their eyes glazed with a strange light, moving with faintly involuntary steps like marionettes being controlled.
At a high position away from the audience seating and the central stage stood Itsuka Shido, dressed in a maid outfit, his fists clenched tightly as he stared at the girl onstage, clad in a brilliant stage dress.
—Izayoi Miku.
"What are you doing, Miku? We won, didn't we?!"
"Shut up! You filthy dog."
With a hideous expression that looked as if she had eaten sothing rotten and suffered food poisoning, Izayoi Miku spat out words of disgust in her sweet, beautiful voice.
"I never would have imagined it. So Shiori-san was actually such a filthy boy. For deceiving , I'm going to make you regret it…"
"Don't you dare hurt Shido!"
At that mont, Tohka stepped forward and placed herself in front of Shido, gripping her Angel—Sandalphon—before swinging it toward Izayoi Miku.
A fierce blade of wind tore through a large number of seats and rushed toward Miku.
However, just before the blade of wind could close in on her, a wall of ice suddenly appeared in front of Miku and blocked Tohka's slash.
Then two figures suddenly appeared, and a violent gale with terrifying force rushed toward the two of them.
Ice creation, wind manipulation—Izayoi Miku did not possess such powers.But rather…
"S-Stop! Yoshino! Kaguya and Yuzuru too! Co back to your senses!"
Shido shouted as he escaped the Yamai sisters' surprise assault with Tohka's princess-carry—a posture that was deeply humiliating—but the others showed no intention of stopping their attack.
"What are you saying, Shido-san… and Tohka-san? Why are you… hurting Onee-sama?"
"That's right, that's right—this is all your fault—. We have to give you a proper, strict education—"
"Kuku… it seems Shido is saying so strange things, Yuzuru."
"Shock. Could it be that he has lost his sense of morality?"
Yoshino, Yoshinon, and the Yamai sisters all answered in turn.
From their words, it was clear that they had not forgotten Tohka, and their personalities had not changed in any way. Only the apex of their values had been overwritten with the existence known as Izayoi Miku.
This was a miscalculation. None of them had expected that, at the very mont victory was to be decided, Miku would breach the agreent and use her Angel.
"Shido, what do we do now?"
As Tohka carried Shido away from the audience and from the Yamai sisters' attacks, she asked uneasily.
At Tohka's question, Shido had no good answer.
Tohka was wearing noise-canceling earphones so she could hear the performance, and thus had not been affected by Miku's voice. But it was obvious that Tohka alone could not possibly withstand so many Spirits attacking at once.
He had wanted Kotori to teleport him over, but since earlier, the other end of the earpiece had gone dead. What was happening on the other side was deeply worrying.
The situation was extrely dire.
"What on earth… do we do…"
And then, suddenly, a wall of iron sand extended in front of Tohka, and the surging iron sand, with its unmatched cutting force, forced even Tohka to stop in her tracks.
Then the sa wall appeared behind her, forcibly blocking her retreat and pinning her in place.
"Yutsuki…"
Shido looked at the girl before him and said with difficulty.
"Honestly, what are you doing trying to attack Onee-sama for no reason? Shido, if you had any sense at all, you'd stay right there and not move."
A familiar, reliable, and casual voice sounded.
The problem was that, at this mont, her status had changed—from ally to enemy.
"Yutsuki—! Co back to your senses!"
"Don't worry. I've never been more clearheaded than I am now. Ratziel—cannon mode."
With a soft sigh and an expression as calm as ever, the long bow in Ryougi Yutsuki's left hand shifted to her right. The dark blue bow limbs folded forward and closed in, and the grip fixed itself to her forearm, transforming into a clamp-like cannon emplacent.
Countless iron sands gathered from the ground like streams of water and converged at the cannon muzzle. The tip of the cannon pointed directly at Shido, and rings of electric light began to flicker, releasing heat that distorted the air.
—The situation was on the verge of despair.
"Haha—Actually, I should thank Shiori-san too. If not for you, I never would have t so many lovely Spirits, and I never would have t such a cute, outstanding girl who can stand toe to toe with —Yutsuki-san. Though boys make want to retch, I still have to thank you, hehe… ahahahahaha…"
With her fingers gently stroking Yutsuki's silky hair from behind, Miku wore a blissful expression, her beautiful lips unable to stop letting out excited laughter.
"Shiori-san, Yutsuki-san, and everyone else's bonds are nothing more than such fragile things. Victory and defeat no longer matter—I don't care about any agreent—because the world must revolve the way I say it should!"
Seeing Miku's seductive and smug smile, Shido ground his teeth in frustration.
"Yutsuki, snap out of it!"
"I told you, I'm perfectly awake. Stop moving and stay still, or I'll have a hard ti aiming."
At this mont, Tohka was swinging Sandalphon in an attempt to cleave through the iron sand. But the mont she cut it apart, the dense iron sand instantly restored itself. Since Tohka's Astral Dress was only partially summoned, she could not cut through a siege made from sand particles from the start.
Yoshino and the Yamai sisters were still standing motionless at a distance. But if they showed signs of breaking through the iron-sand wall, an attack would imdiately be launched.
"Just like this… leave the stage, Shido."
"Yutsuki, co back to your senses!"
Ignoring Shido's cries, Yutsuki maintained her usual calm expression and rcilessly uttered the words of execution.
"—Railgun!"
At that mont, a giant orange beam pierced through the stage of Tengu City Plaza.
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