Gakusen Toshi Asterisk - Volume 13 - Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 
QUICKENING 
A short while earlier, during the course of the first round— 
There were several cities situated on the shores of the North Kanto Mass-Impact Crater Lake in which Asterisk was located. Prior to the Invertia, there had been a number of suburban municipalities in the region, but since then, the majority of them had developed considerably as physical distribution bases to service Asterisk. Most of these were merely cities in name alone and were operated 24/7 almost exclusively by legions of autonomous puppets and unmanned vehicles. 
Kirin was presently visiting one such city, generally referred to only as Seven; it was situated to the west of Asterisk. 
“…It’s a lot like Asterisk’s harbor block,” she murmured to herself as she hid in the shadow of a huge warehouse. 
That was to be expected; the area in which she presently found herself was practically identical to the storage and distribution centers found at Asterisk’s margins. A little farther inland was a huge operations center for storing goods brought overland, but what Kirin was interested in now wasn’t that. 
The night sky was overcast, completely shrouding the moon and stars, and while there were towering streetlamps installed along the roads at regular intervals, these were insufficient to fully illuminate the immediate vicinity. No doubt the area had been designed from the very beginning to be operated by machines. There was what looked like large emergency lighting equipment scattered here and there, but at the moment, they were mere ornamentation. Thanks to that, it was easy to move around undetected. Just to be sure, however, she had memorized the blind spots in the security systems in advance. 
“Now then, next we have…” 
Dressed in her poor excuse for a disguise—a black outfit and corresponding cap—Kirin made her way from shadow to shadow, peering into the next huge warehouse. The dim light was enough for her to barely make out, with effort, the contents of the vast cavity. There was no sign of any people, nor, for that matter, any machines. 
“Not this one, either…” 
She opened a small window on her mobile device to check her map. Thus far, she had investigated three of the warehouses. According to Claudia’s information, the Golden Bough Alliance was supposedly making use of them all…and yet, they had all been completely empty. 
“It will be dangerous to go alone, but the situation being what it is, you’re the only person we can rely on right now, Kirin,” she remembered Claudia saying to her apologetically, her head bowed. 
With the Lindvolus well and truly underway, Ayato, Saya, and Sylvia were naturally unable to leave the site of the tournament for too long without being noticed. On top of that, Hilda and Haruka presently had a mountain of issues to deal with, and in any event, the lakeside cities were outside Stjarnagarm’s jurisdiction. They could hardly ask officers of the city guard to do something that was so obviously illegal. 
Which meant that, in the end, Kirin was the one who had to do it. 
She would have been lying if she had said that she wasn’t anxious, but her long-held desire to help Ayato in whatever way she could had won over. She had accepted the assignment without the slightest hesitation. 
“According to my investigations, the Golden Bough Alliance—or rather, Madiath Mesa himself—is using a dummy company by the name of Nemorensis Holdings as a front. As we’ve come to expect, there’s no concrete evidence, but there’s definitely something fishy about it. We want you to investigate the warehouses in Seven owned by this Nemorensis.” 
Claudia had said that Nemorensis had taken control of four warehouses last week—which meant that there was only one remaining. 
Kirin made her way to the entrance of the last warehouse. Unlike the previous three, bright lights could be seen emanating from inside. She peered in, trying to fade into the background—but contrary to her expectations, this warehouse, too, was empty. 
Except—it wasn’t completely empty. In the center of that huge space was a figure, standing there with arms folded. 
“You’re too late. Everything has already been shipped out.” 
The disinterested voice belonged to a young woman, probably a member of the Alliance. More importantly, however—the figure was clearly speaking to Kirin. 
She had been exposed. She could try to escape, but there was a high likelihood that this woman knew something that could prove useful. 
In that case— 
“…You’ve got sharp senses. I hid my presence as best I could,” she answered, scanning her surroundings as she showed herself in the entranceway. 
As she had expected, the two of them were alone. 
“My eyes can see through all truths. You can’t hide anything from me. Think of it as being similar to your clairvoyance, Kirin Toudou.” 
“—!” At this, Kirin’s eyes opened wide in surprise. The woman had seen through her. 
Just as she had seen through her in turn. 
“Percival Gardner…from Gallardworth, no?” 
She was Saint Gallardworth Academy’s fifth-ranked fighter, wielder of the Holy Grail—an Orga Lux also known as the Amalthean Goat—and a member of Team Lancelot from the Gryps. 
Kirin had never spoken to her directly, but she had seen her once in person at the opening ceremony of the Gryps. 
Even now, she deeply regretted the fact that she had been unable to participate in the match herself due to the injuries she had sustained in her semifinals match, but she had watched the championship from her hospital bed. There could be no mistaking the person she was presently facing. 
Unlike then, however, Percival was dressed now not in her white Gallardworth uniform but rather in what looked like black military attire. Her penchant for wearing men’s clothing was well-known, but in her current outfit, she looked truly dashing. 
“Wh-what are you doing here…?” 
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m here to eliminate anyone who tries to interfere,” Percival replied, activating two handgun-type Luxes. 
Kirin wasted no time before unsheathing the Hiinamaru and raising it in front of herself. 
“That said, D really is impressive. If we had been even a little bit slower, you would have us by the tail right now. Flawless predictions and precise instructions. What more could you want in a master?” Percival murmured. 
There was something strangely inorganic about her appearance. Indeed, her whole atmosphere was completely different than Kirin remembered. She was still as expressionless as she had always been, but now the impression that she left was completely different, dark and stagnant like a sludge-filled mire. 
“Are you part of the Golden Bough Alliance…?” Kirin asked as she carefully inched forward. 
Percival, however, shook her head. “Not exactly. I’m no more than their gun. My job is just to bury their enemies.” 
“Do you know what they’re trying to accomplish?” 
“I don’t care.” 
Kirin had no idea whether she was merely trying to dodge her questions or if she honestly felt that way—but either way, she doubted she would answer her honestly. 
“If you’re working for the Alliance…I won’t let you escape!” 
“Fine with me.” 
Kirin changed her fighting posture, raising her blade overhead. 
Percival, on the other hand, closed her eyes, murmuring to herself as if in prayer: “I am your gun, no more. I will take the sins of destroying your enemies unto myself.” 
No sooner did she open her eyes than she unleashed a barrage of bullets of light from both handguns. 
It was an accurate, precise onslaught, with no obvious weaknesses—but Kirin knew that she would have no trouble dodging it. With her sense of clairvoyance, she could read Percival’s every move. She pushed forward, closing the distance between them both, until she was ready to strike at her opponent’s torso. She had no intention of prolonging this exchange—she would finish this as quickly as possible. 
“Rrgh!” 
Percival fired another volley from her handguns to deflect her attack. The ability to deflect her strike with bullets alone put her skill on par with Saya’s, but to Kirin, that wouldn’t be a problem. She had already initiated the New Conjoined Cranes. 
However— 
“Not so fast!” 
“Huh…?!” 
With the handgun gripped in her right hand, Percival sent the Hiinamaru recoiling backward. Then, taking advantage of the momentary opening, she pressed the handgun in her left hand against Kirin’s abdomen. 
“Ugh…!” 
The bullets of light tore through the air without mercy, drilling deep into the ground. 
It was only thanks to the fact that she had foreseen her foe’s actions with her clairvoyance that Kirin had been able to dodge the barrage by a hair’s breadth. In close combat, where a fraction of a second could mean the difference between victory and defeat, life and death, even the slightest hesitation could prove fatal. In that respect, Percival’s ability to attack almost instantaneously was a grave nuisance. 
But what had Kirin most astonished was the fact that she had been able to break through the New Conjoined Cranes so easily. 
“Surprised? As I told you a moment ago, my eyes can see the truth among all falsehoods. That means that I can see through every stroke of your weapon, too,” Percival explained calmly. 
“…I see,” Kirin answered as she fell back. 
The purpose of the Conjoined Cranes was to control one’s most minute movements, including one’s breathing, timing, and vision, to create a one-sided situation in which one’s opponent was prevented from countering. In other words, that meant launching into an endless sequence of feints. If Percival could see through that, then even the New Conjoined Cranes was as-yet imperfect. 
“In short, I’m the perfect opponent for facing you. That’s why D appointed me to carry out this task.” 
“…” 
By the sound of it, the Golden Bough Alliance had anticipated her coming here. 
Kirin heaved a short sigh, lowering the Hiinamaru outstretched at her side. “That doesn’t matter,” she answered. “My blade is more than just the Cranes!” 
It was true that the Toudou style’s essence was movement combination. However, that wasn’t all that her own swordsmanship had to offer. All she needed was one swing, one thrust of her blade in which she had poured her entire being. That was what Ayato’s father, Masatsugu, had taught her. 
There could be no mistaking that Percival’s technique with her handguns was extraordinarily precise, nor could the daunting nature of her power to see through her moves be called into doubt. Kirin had no idea how her opponent had changed so significantly since the Gryps, but changed she most clearly had. She was obviously stronger now, more agile, more formidable. 
But even so, Kirin wasn’t about to let herself lose. 
She had been taken by surprise when Percival had first broken through the New Conjoined Cranes, but even without that technique, she still had the advantage when it came to close combat. 
To her surprise, Percival was quick to recognize the same thing: “Indeed. If we keep this up, I suspect you’ll defeat me sooner or later. My specialty is supporting others from behind, after all.” 

 

“In that case, won’t you surrender?” 
Percival, however, her expression blank, shook her head. “Of course not. Didn’t I tell you? I was ordered to face you, and I’ve prepared in advance to do just that.” 
As she spoke, a thunderous roar erupted from above their heads. 
“Wha—?!” 
Her reflexes taking over, Kirin leaped backward as a huge shape came crashing down from the ceiling, the massive figure gouging into the floor and sending fragments of concrete and dust flying. 
But she had scanned her surroundings before entering the warehouse. There shouldn’t have been anyone else there besides Percival and her. 
Another member of the Golden Bough Alliance…? 
She strained her eyes in suspicion and caught sight of two red lights glowing uncannily amid the dust. 
The second she made eye contact, she understood. 
There was no way she could have sensed this creature. 
After all, it wasn’t even human. 
“That’s…not Ardy. But it’s the same design, isn’t it?” 
“Yes, it’s a new-and-improved mass-production model.” 
As Percival spoke, the puppet stepped forward, revealing its full body. It was indeed very similar to the autonomous puppet that Kirin had fought against so fiercely in her semifinals match during the Phoenix, and while the designs and colors of some of its parts looked to be slightly different, its overall figure was remarkably alike. The same thing went for the giant hammer grasped in its hands. 
That said, she didn’t feel as if she was now staring at the same kind of overwhelming opponent she had faced during the tournament. Ardy had been fiercely intimidating, but this puppet was clearly less so. Rather, it’s profound silence gave it quite the opposite effect. 
Kirin knew immediately why that was. 
“This puppet doesn’t have a sense of self, does it?” 
“Of course not,” Percival replied bluntly. “Weapons don’t need personalities. We call it a Valiant—the ultimate autonomous battle puppet.” 
“I see…,” Kirin murmured—when the puppet, the Valiant, came swiftly hurtling toward her. 
She dodged backward to avoid the oncoming hammer. She’d swung around its right-hand side when a loathingly familiar wall of light appeared out of nowhere, blocking her way. 
“It’s got a defensive barrier, too…?!” 
“Indeed. Although, given that it isn’t powered by urm-manadite, it isn’t as powerful as the original.” 
In that case, Kirin realized, she would have to change course. 
The Valiant’s hammer came hurtling toward her from the side. It was an accurate, faultless attack, very similar to Percival’s own. It proceeded to launch into a chain of consecutive strikes, one powerful blow after the next, all without interruption. 
“Your clairvoyance, Kirin Toudou, relies on your being able to visually read the flow of your opponent’s prana—which means that it’s completely ineffective against a foe that doesn’t possess any prana whatsoever.” 
In other words, this was a highly calculated strategy designed specifically for her. 
“…Hmm.” 

Kirin, however, responded with no more than a slight frown as she countered with the Hiinamaru. 
The Valiant deployed another defensive barrier to hold her at bay—but with a quick adjustment of her aim and a glimmer of silver light, she slipped through that shield and sent the puppet’s left arm falling effortlessly to the ground. 
At this, Percival, watching on from the sidelines, began to look slightly ill at ease. “Just what kind of monster is that blade of yours…? How did you manage to slip through its shield? Or cut through solid steel so easily?” 
Kirin glanced at the Valiant as it fell back before shaking off the thick oil-like liquid that now dripped from the Hiinamaru with a graceful flourish. 
“Unfortunately, this puppet doesn’t quite live up to the original,” she responded. “It can clearly fight, but unlike Ardy, it doesn’t know how to fight. It may be able to use that weapon, it may have speed and power, but it will never pose a real threat. Fancy tech alone isn’t enough. If I were you, I would instruct that revised model to withdraw.” 
“…Hmph. I’ll inform D of your assessment,” Percival replied with an unexpectedly frank nod. “But the others won’t be withdrawing.” 
“The others?” 
“Didn’t I tell you? They’re mass-produced.” 
As Percival spoke, another figure, identical to the last Valiant, jumped down from the gaping hole in the ceiling. 
And it wasn’t alone. Several more joined it, a veritable waterfall of human shapes, until Kirin was faced with five of the autonomous puppets in total. 
“One might not be enough, but maybe this will do it?” 
 
The thick, leaden clouds that concealed the moon and stars began to let forth a cold winter rain. 
“Hyaaaaaaaaaa!” 
Kirin lashed out with a low strike, but as she did so, several defensive barriers each activated simultaneously, repelling her blade. In the meantime, one Valiant, having circled around behind her, began to bring down its hammer from overhead. She rolled to the side, sending a splash of water flying, only to find yet another one lying in wait for her. She swept her blade to the side to knock its hammer away, but with it deploying yet more defensive barriers, she was unable to proceed. 
If she were facing them one by one, she was confident that they wouldn’t be able to put up too much of a challenge—but facing all five at once, and, moreover, given their expert coordination, they were proving to be quite a nuisance. But even so, given enough time, she should have been able to turn the situation in her favor. 
That would have been true, of course, if not for Percival. 
“A halo of mercy and atonement I give to thee.” 
Each time that dispassionate voice let forth those words, they would be followed by a torrent of golden light. 
Kirin threw herself into the air, using the defensive barriers deployed by the Valiants as footholds to escape the deluge. However, with the lake at her back, there was no clear avenue of retreat. 
Anyone mowed down by the flood of that Orga Lux, Percival’s Amalthean Goat, would find themselves knocked instantly unconscious. There was no means of defending against it. 
On top of that, the Valiants, lacking consciousness to begin with, were completely immune to its effects. Taking advantage of this fact, they, along with Percival, had her cornered. Their timing was superbly accurate, as was their accuracy. Percival, meanwhile, was providing logistical support as the puppets worked together to drive her into a corner. Indeed, Percival’s skill fighting at the rearguard was even more unnerving than she had let on. 
Forced onto the defensive, Kirin had been driven outside the warehouse and into the beating rain. She had yet to be overcome by the joint abilities of her six opponents, but at this rate, it was only a matter of time before she was. 
I’m going to have to use the Fudaraku… But no, if I do that…! 
She turned her attention to the other weapon at her waist—her Orga Lux—but quickly pulled back. 
The Fudaraku’s unique ability lay in its power to accumulate energy over time—the longer that energy was stored, the sharper and more powerful it would become. However, if too much was accumulated, it would become uncontrollable (based on her previous tests, she had been able to use three months’ worth of accumulated energy without issue). Right now, she had close to four months’ worth accumulated. 
If she was to use it now, she would undoubtedly have little difficulty escaping from her current predicament—it would be more than enough, she suspected, to defeat not only the Valiants but Percival, too. 
And yet, she was hesitating. She couldn’t shake the thought that what the Golden Bough really wanted right now was to force her to waste the Fudaraku’s conserved power. After all, it was common knowledge that the weapon was in her possession, and given the foundations’ obligation to disclose all relevant information on their urm-manadite stockpiles, it was likely that the Alliance had surmised its potential. 
They had lured her here. They had expected her to come. They were no doubt aware that, given her and the others’ present circumstances, only she would have been able to come to Seven. And if they could eliminate her as a threat here, or at the very least force her to waste the Fudaraku’s reserve, that would deal a severe blow to their abilities to combat them. That was the only possible explanation. 
If Claudia was right, then the Golden Bough Alliance was preparing something big to coincide with the Lindvolus. And if that was true, then they needed to keep the Fudaraku up their sleeve. 
If the only person in jeopardy was she herself, Kirin wouldn’t have hesitated to use the Orga Lux. But that wasn’t the case. Right now, the fate of someone she valued even more than herself was at stake. 
Nonetheless, if she was to be defeated here, they would have ended up losing everything anyway. 
Just what am I supposed to do…? 
“That’s sloppy of you.” 
“Ngh! Oops…!” 
Percival wasn’t one to overlook her brief moment of hesitation. 
It didn’t look like she’d had time to fully charge the Amalthean Goat, but that didn’t stop her from unleashing a barrage of bullets with her two handguns. 
For Kirin, deflecting those bullets of light wasn’t difficult, but at the exact same moment, two Valiants came descending upon her from either side. 
This is bad…! 
She ran through a countless number of possible escape routes in her mind as she deflected Percival’s continued bombardment, but none showed promise. Even if she managed to stave off one attack, she would be defenseless against the next. On top of that, all it would take would be one mistake, and she would lose her prized Hiinamaru. 
The only option remaining was to minimize the damage as much as possible… 
She resolved to do what she had to, when— 
“P?n!” 
At that moment, the ground beneath her swayed violently, and with a tremendous clang, the Valiant by her right-hand side was sent flying. 
“—?!” 
Confused, she jumped sideways to evade the hammer of the remaining Valiant and then quickly reevaluated her situation. 
Amid the heavy downpour, the figure of a man—tall, with a sturdy, robust build, garbed in a ragged hood and carrying slumped over his shoulder an equally tattered sack—had placed himself between her and Percival. 
The ground beneath him was heavily indented. 
Judging by his actions, it looked like he had come to rescue her from her dilemma. 
“I hope I’m not interfering? I would have remained on the sidelines if this were any normal contest…but that doesn’t look to be the case.” 
Kirin glanced up in surprise at the sound of that familiar voice. 
“No, thank you, Xiaohui Wu.” 
Did that face, once he removed his worn hood, look somehow gentler than she remembered it being when she had fought against him over a year ago? With the way he had grown out his hair, he looked at first glance like a completely different person. 
But there could be no mistaking that tempered physique, nor the overwhelming sense of power that flowed through him. Indeed, that power looked to have increased considerably compared to what Kirin remembered. 
“Xiaohui Wu… Jie Long’s Celestial Warrior. Why are you here?” Percival demanded with a glance toward the fallen Valiant. 
Hardly anything more remained of the puppet than loose parts. 
Xiaohui didn’t look to be carrying any weapons. That wasn’t particularly surprising, given that he was a martial artist. He had likely caused that tremor she had felt a moment ago using nothing more than the strength of his legs. On top of that, however, he had somehow managed to break through the Valiants’ defensive barriers using no more than his bare hands. 
“Huh…?” 
At that moment, Kirin’s keen eyes noticed an unusually dense quantity of prana focused through his arms—of a quality she had never seen before. 
“Why am I here? I’m just passing through. I’m returning from a journey to improve my skills. If I’m not back in Rikka by tomorrow, I’ll miss my first match.” 
“Then please, don’t let us delay you.” Percival’s voice remained calm, but there was a clear edge to it now. 
That was understandable—Kirin was ready to admit that her foe had been on the cusp of victory. 
“On my pride as a warrior, I’m afraid I owe this young lady a debt,” Xiaohui replied with a smile. “I won’t allow her to be felled until I can face her again.” 
Yes, there was no mistaking that he had changed since she had last met him. 
The next moment, an air-window suddenly popped open by Percival’s side, from which came a mechanical voice disguising the speaker’s identity: “It’s time. Abandon Plan E and move to Plan G.” 
“But, D, I can’t—” 
“Are you telling me you’re disobeying your master?” 
“…Understood.” Percival let out a weak sigh, fixing Kirin and Xiaohui with a sharp glare before turning her back. “We’ll see each other again.” 
“Wait!” 
Kirin began to chase after her in pursuit, when one of the Valiants moved to block her path. 
There was only the one of them, and she should have been able to cut it down without incident—but no sooner did she think this than her hair stood on end. 
A second later, a light flashed from within the Valiant’s body, followed by a deafening explosion that sent shrapnel flying in every direction. 
“Guh!” 
She focused her prana to minimize the damage, but by the time the dust had settled, Percival and the remaining Valiants were nowhere to be seen. 
“It would seem that she’s escaped,” Xiaohui said, his tone of voice uninterested, as he lifted his ragged hood once more and took off in the opposite direction, his gaze fixed on the lake. 
“U-um, thank you again!” 
Sheathing the Hiinamaru, Kirin gave him a deep, formal bow. There could be no denying that, without his help, she would have been in serious trouble. 
“Don’t worry about it. I meant what I said. I look forward to a rematch with you… It’s a shame you aren’t entering the Lindvolus.” 
“…Seeing you now, I don’t know whether I’d be able to hold my own against you anymore.” 
That wasn’t humility—she honestly thought that. 
When they had fought each other during the Gryps, there had been an insurmountable difference in ability between the two. If Ayato hadn’t been fighting alongside her, she doubted she would have been able to overcome it. 
Thanks to her clairvoyance, she had managed, barely, to deal the winning blow—but while that may have constituted victory according to the rules of the tournament, she didn’t feel as if she had truly been able to defeat him. 
And while she may have continued her training over the past year, while she may have accumulated more experience and further developed her technique, the same could no doubt be said about Xiaohui, too. 
But I wonder what my chances would be if I used the Fudaraku…? 
“Well then, it’s time for me to go. I need to return to Jie Long as soon as possible.” 
“Ah… But there won’t be any boats heading out at this time of night. And besides, only cargo vessels stop at Seven…” 
The waterside cities that served as the gateway to Asterisk dotted half of the lake in a wide arc, but due to customs restrictions and the like, cargo vessels weren’t permitted to carry passengers. 
Kirin had made her way here on a miniature craft of her own, but it was only large enough to accommodate one person. 
“That won’t be a problem,” Xiaohui replied over his shoulder, casually stepping out into the water. 
“Wha—?!” Kirin chased after him, only to find him focusing his prana beneath his feet and standing not in but atop the dark surface. 
“Don’t tell me this is how you’re planning to go back…?” 
Only a Genestella with truly outstanding control over their prana would have been able to focus it in such a way as to literally walk on water without any advance preparation. Xiaohui certainly met that criterion. However, doing so would quickly exhaust one’s prana, and it would be incredibly difficult to maintain the effect over a moving surface. To put it plainly, it was pure madness to try to walk all the way to Asterisk. 
“It will be faster to go on foot directly rather than taking a long detour, no? That’s how I’ve made my way this far. While it shames me to say it, I don’t have much in the way of a travel budget… Or rather, I’ve used it all up.” 
“This far…? Where exactly did you go?” 
“Europe,” Xiaohui answered simply, before giving her a quick wave and disappearing into the darkness of the night. 
Kirin could only stare after his disappearing figure in mute astonishment. 
This year’s Lindvolus really is filled with amazing people… 
Even now, a part of her wanted to try to find a way to enter the tournament—but knowing that it was impossible, she reaffirmed her determination to help Ayato in whatever way she could. 
No matter where she was, no matter what her situation, she would put everything she had into being there for him when he needed her. 
Because that was the only option available to her now.