"—Pfft."
Faced with Artemisia's threat, Minerva could not help letting out a laugh.
"Hahaha! You said it! You said it! You finally said it!"
Looking at Minerva, who was not frightened but delighted instead, Artemisia frowned. While raising her guard inwardly, she also vaguely felt that sothing was wrong.
"You… did this on purpose?"
"Hey, Director Westcott cares about form and justification. Otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted to go through all this trouble just to act out such a rotten little play."
Minerva shrugged and admitted it very readily.
"Acting… I see. So you were testing ."
Hearing that, Artemisia vaguely guessed the other party's intention. Now that she had stepped outside the restraints of DEM's identity, many things that had confused her before beca clear.
Perhaps from the very start of this war—no, from the mont she proposed going to AST—Westcott had already treated her as an enemy. That was why he designed this trap to force her to reveal her stance.
But if that was the case, why not turn hostile from the beginning? Why deliberately go through such a roundabout process?
As if seeing through Artemisia's doubts, Minerva imitated Westcott's tone and said,
"Artemisia, I find this deeply regrettable. To lose such an outstanding Wizard as you. As compensation, I have specially prepared a stage for you to prove your nobility and integrity. I hope that, in the end, your final struggle can bring so entertainnt—that was the director's original ssage for to relay."
Entertainnt for him?
Hearing that, Artemisia could not help feeling sowhat speechless. Westcott's way of thinking truly was not sothing ordinary people could understand.
"Kill ? If Ai Mulian or Ellen were here, that might be another matter, but do you think you can do it with just yourselves?"
Artemisia coldly stared at Minerva and spoke in a low voice. In response, Minerva only smiled without confirming or denying it.
"You still don't understand? My dear Artemisia, since this so called Spirit was nothing more than a disguise ant to lure you into the trap, do you still think rely protecting the people behind you will be enough?"
After saying that, Minerva snapped her fingers. The Wizards who had originally surrounded Artemisia suddenly scattered and rushed toward the other citizens hiding near the edges of the shelter.
"Bad!"
Seeing this, Artemisia imdiately understood the other party's intention.
At first, when she saw Minerva arresting people from Raizen High School, Artemisia had thought she intended to threaten people closely connected to the Spirits. But in reality, if it was just as Ryougi Yutsuki said, if they had once prevented a terrorist attack planned by Westcott, then from another perspective, this action was also equivalent to showing Westcott their stance. To him, even ordinary citizens would work just as well as hostages.
The only reason Minerva had acted out such a scene was to mislead Artemisia's perception.
In an instant, the blue circuits on Lancelot's surface suddenly lit up. Artemisia raised her magical output to the limit. One second later, Minerva saw Artemisia several dozen ters away suddenly vanish. Imdiately after, she felt the protection of her Territory being torn open by so kind of sharp claw, followed by a heavy impact to her abdon.
With a bang, Minerva's entire body uncontrollably flew toward the ceiling and embedded itself into the do of the shelter.
Artemisia did not stop. Like a swallow weaving through a forest, she caught up to several Wizards who were retreating after the fact. Repeating the sa thod, she used Cheshire Cat to tear through their Territories, then struck them unconscious in an instant with the hilt of her sword.
Although she did not use the blade, with her full speed and strength behind the blows, those strikes still broke their bones.
However, before she could even take a breath, another group of Wizards from the opposite direction had already caught up to the fleeing citizens and launched attacks at the people scattering in all directions.
"Lion!"
Seeing that the distance was too great, Artemisia activated another armant of her CR-Unit. The six wings on the back of her armor suddenly opened, turning into six magical floating cannons suspended in midair. They precisely fired at Wizards in six different directions.
Accompanied by explosive roars and cannon fire, more than ten Wizards were shot down in response. Even so, the sudden outbreak of battle still plunged the citizens into panic. Just from the corner of her eye, Artemisia saw many people injured by stray magical cannon fire and falling stones. Screams and cries for help rang out one after another.
(What do I do? This won't work.)
Artemisia's heart burned with anxiety. Although her strength was enough to stand on equal footing with a Spirit, whether during her ti in SSS or DEM, her missions had always been to oppose Spirits, not rescue lives. This chaotic situation was simply not sothing she could handle alone.
However, an uninvited guest blocked her path. Artemisia looked and saw that it was none other than Minerva, who had just been sent flying by her.
"That hurt~ I almost thought I was going to die. Attacking without even saying hello first! That's really unlike you, Artemisia!"
Minerva grinned. Her sowhat battered face carried a trace of madness. Her Realizer surged with ominous black light as she launched a fierce assault against Artemisia.
(This feeling… It's the sa as those Wizards earlier.)
While responding to Minerva's attacks, Artemisia was secretly shocked. She could clearly feel that the other party's movents and strength had not weakened at all. Instead, they had grown considerably stronger than before. For the mont, Minerva could actually fight her evenly.
Even stranger was that whenever their blades collided, Minerva's Realizer would release an electric current like energy. If Artemisia's Territory collided with that energy, the Territory around her would beco sowhat unstable, as if trying to slip out of her control.
"This power… Jabberwock?"
Artemisia was secretly startled. Of course she recognized this power, because it was one of the armants in her own armor. A power that could interfere with a Wizard's Territory—Jabberwock.
Honestly, Artemisia did not particularly like using this armant, because it was almost useless against Spirits. Rather, it felt more like sothing specifically designed to target Wizards.
Why could Minerva use Jabberwock? Although Artemisia cared about that greatly, now was clearly not the ti to dwell on the question.
To be fair, even with Jabberwock and spirit power enhancent, Minerva was still no match for Artemisia. However, Artemisia was single-mindedly trying to rescue the endangered citizens, leaving her with no heart for a prolonged battle.
"Get out of my way!"
Artemisia gritted her teeth and tried to speed up to shake off her opponent, but Minerva stuck to her like so kind of all purpose glue, clinging tightly and refusing to let go.
"Are you anxious? Then let tell you another piece of good news."
Seeing Artemisia's anxious appearance, Minerva was clearly extrely pleased and said,
"At this very mont, this isn't the only shelter being attacked. There are twenty six shelters in Tengu City. Can you handle them all by yourself?"
Hearing the bombshell Minerva threw out, Artemisia's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Wha—ngh!"
Taking advantage of Artemisia's mont of wavering, Minerva actually pierced through Artemisia's Territory with one sword and left a wound on her arm.
Blood flowed from the tear in her wiring suit. Although the wound was not deep, seeing Artemisia injured made Minerva unusually excited.
"Hahaha! SSS's ace? So what if your swordsmanship and magical power are strong?! In the end, you're nothing more than this!"
(So it's still no good? At the very least…)
Looking at the situation deteriorating beyond her control, Artemisia powerlessly clenched her fist.
[Hey, hey! Young lady, did you forget about us?]
Hearing the voice from her communicator, Artemisia widened her eyes in surprise. At that mont, Kusakabe Ryouko and her subordinates suddenly rushed into the shelter and took the lead in stopping the DEM Wizards running wild.
"Ryouko? Why are you here?"
[Of course, to help you. If AST just stood by and watched while a foreigner risked her life to protect the city AST is responsible for, then I probably shouldn't be a soldier anymore.]
As she spoke, Ryouko smiled bitterly and sighed. The mont she thought about the consequences this action might bring for herself and AST, she could not help feeling a headache.
[Fuck! Worst case, I lose my job! Who cares!]
After giving that self-destructive curse, Ryouko swung her sword and forced back the Wizard in front of her, then opened her microphone and shouted loudly.
[Citizens! I am Kusakabe Ryouko of the Ground Self-Defense Force's special unit. The shelter is currently under attack by unidentified terrorists. We will protect everyone's lives. Please do not panic and follow my instructions as you move!]
With AST joining the battle, the situation clearly stabilized sowhat. Under Kusakabe Ryouko's command, AST divided their work. One group was responsible for stopping DEM's rampage, while the other was responsible for caring for and guiding the citizens in evacuation.
Seeing this, Artemisia could not help smiling softly, and her whole body relaxed considerably.
"Tch! I really should have dealt with that woman earlier."
Minerva clicked her tongue in displeasure.
"Surrender. You have no chance of winning."
Artemisia spoke in a low voice.
"Otherwise, from here on, I will no longer hold back."
"Hmph! Don't tell you think you've already won? Still as naive as before, Artemisia."
Minerva widened her eyes and laughed with disdain.
"…You know ?"
Artemisia frowned. Rembering how the other party had used Jabberwock earlier, she could not help asking.
"Of course you don't know ! I'm nothing more than a defeated enemy you took down with one strike. However, I think you will definitely recognize this colleague."
For so reason, Minerva revealed a aningful smile.
Imdiately after, six beams of light suddenly swept outward from the very center of the shelter, swallowing AST and DEM Wizards alike.
"This power… Lion?"
Artemisia looked down and saw that, at so point, a black-haired girl with a dull expression had appeared there. Six wings floated behind her back, and faint white smoke was rising from them.
"Leon…nora?"
Looking at that Wizard in disbelief, Artemisia muttered blankly.
Original Author's PS: A brief explanation. Minerva and Leonora are both characters who appeared in the spin-off manga. Leonora is Artemisia's friend, while Minerva is the type of person who is… an extrely twisted Artemisia fan.
Original Author's PS2: Honestly, at first I only wanted to give Artemisia more scenes, but when I ca back to my senses, I realized I had dug way too many holes. Rather, this entire volu's final battle basically feels like this… Damn it, I finally understand what it ans to be riding a tiger and unable to get off. Should I change my mood and go write an IF route instead?
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