Chapter 1
[Whereabouts of the Ruins]
July 19th, 2100, in San Francisco.
The local police conducted a raid on the headquarters of radical magic supremacist organization FAIR.
The raid resulted in the arrest of countless members that refused to cooperate, with the police also seizing a number of items that appeared to have been unlawfully obtained. Although the leader, Rocky Dean, and the sub-leader, Laura Simon, escaped, sufficient evidence was obtained to prove their participation in organized crime. The San Francisco judicial authorities have since issued arrest warrants for both Dean and Laura.
The police have now turned their attention to securing these two suspects. As for the evidence seized, once it was confirmed that it had been obtained through unlawful means, it was simply a matter of protocol to keep custody of it.
And when the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) made a request on July 20th for the "White Tablets" to be lent over, the police, the prosecutors, and even the courts had no reason to refuse.
The DIA is an intelligence agency affiliated with the Department of Defense, which specializes in handling information pertaining to military affairs. One might wonder why it would be interested in unearthed artifacts of unknown archaeological value. The reason being, there is a high probability that said unearthed artifacts had been judged to be magical artifacts.
Modern society nowadays views magic as being directly linked to that of military power. This has been the case since the inception of what's known today as Modern Magic, that said, the military application of magic by the world's militaries had become increasingly pronounced between the years 2095 and 2097 due to a myriad of international conflicts that had broken out at the time.
Adding to this, the Artificial Relic, which is a replica of a magical relic, has garnered attention as the core technology behind a new energy source, the Stellar Reactor ─ a stationary type Gravity Control Magic Sequence Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor ─ which has much increased the already inflated value of magic and magical artifacts. Not only has it become recognized as something that can translate into direct military power, its application as being a component for a social infrastructure technology cannot be ignored.
Under such circumstances, there was no military intelligence agency that wouldn't be concerned about these artifacts, and also the fact that they were illegally excavated in secret by a potential terrorist organization of magician supremacists. It's no wonder that the DIA wanted to examine in detail the "White Tablets" that the municipal police have in custody as evidence.
Their examination of the artifacts followed the assumption of them being magical artifacts. The DIA does possess the magical know-how required to examine the artifacts. However, in order to ensure the precise analysis of them, the DIA did not waste the opportunity for an in-depth analysis, enlisting the cooperation of Stars, the strongest and finest magician unit of the United States under the direct control of the USNA Military Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A total of 16 stone tablets, 15 of which were seized by the San Francisco Police Department along with one previously submitted by FEHR as evidence, were temporarily loaned to Stars.
◇ ◇ ◇
The afternoon of July 21st, on Miyakishima. Tatsuya was meeting with Minoru as he had done the night before. The venue this time was the apartment Tatsuya used as his home on Miyakishima.
The topic of conversation remained the same as the night before. It pertains to the White Tablet that was unearthed at Mt. Shasta in northern California, USNA, which is assumed to conceal a map that shows the whereabouts to where the mythical city of "Shambhala" resides.
If one were to interpret it from a modern perspective, where magic has evolved into a field of science, then it's fairly plausible to believe that Shambhala may very well have been a city where an advanced magical civilization flourished. However, it's hard to imagine a thriving city that has remained as nothing but a legend to this day, especially as the world has become so crowded. Even if Shambhala did in fact exist, it's most likely that only ruins remain.
The legend is just mere fiction. This is what the majority of people believe it to be. Nevertheless, as someone involved with magic, and as a researcher of magic, the ruins of an unknown magical civilization is something that cannot be ignored. Now that clues to the ruins have been found, it's a no-brainer that what follows is a search for them. And for that purpose; to discuss the investigation of the ruins of Shambhala, Tatsuya invited Minoru to his home.
There they sat across from each other at the dining table instead of the sofa set in the living room. They were both served a drink in glass teacups by Minami, dressed in her usual attire, an old black one-piece dress with a white apron. She accompanied Minoru in his descent from satellite orbit about an hour ago.
In mind of the season, her one-piece dress was of a short-sleeved variant, along with a slightly shorter skirt. The cups were filled with Iced coffee. It's cold-brewed coffee that Minami had magically manipulated the osmotic pressure of in order to shorten the brewing time, and magic was also used to cool it down.
"…So you think that the ruins of 'Shambhala' are in Uzbekistan, Tatsuya-san?" Minoru asked, and Tatsuya replied with a "That's right" and a nod.
"The 'Sita River' is neither the 'Tarim River' nor the 'Syr Darya ,' but the 'Amu Darya', then?"
Minoru reiterated the question.
According to the Tibetan Buddhist scripture "Kalachakra Tantra," the utopic mythical city of "Shambhala" resides "on the northern bank" of the Sita River, which springs from Lake Manasarovar at the foot of Mount Kailash. The question was, which of the rivers actually corresponds with the 'Sita River?'
The following three rivers are the most likely candidates. First is the "Tarim River," which flows through the Uighur region. Another is the "Syr Darya," which flows through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. And the other is the "Amu Darya," which flows through the borders of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan (the Indo-Persian Federation is, as the name implies, a federal state, with the former states being constituent states of said federation). Among them, the "river that flows north" of Uzbekistan would be the "Amu Darya."
Tatsuya shook his head from side to side and replied with, "I'm still not sure about that."
"However, if you were to extend the direction from which the 'Small Tablet Compass' moved in both California and Tokyo, the two directions end up intersecting in the vicinity of Uzbekistan. The Small Stone Tablet only moved a couple of centimeters, so I can't tell much more precisely than that, that is, assuming that this is actually a 'compass' at all."
He added, pointing to a small octagonal stone slab on the table. Although it is called a "stone tablet," its thickness isn't even a quarter of its total width. Tatsuya and the others took to describing it as a "Small Tablet Compass" or simply a "compass," although it would be more appropriate to call it a "flat, smooth stone" rather than a "tablet."
This "Small Tablet Compass," which Tatsuya unearthed in the same cave on Mt. Shasta, where the other stone tablets had been excavated, moves ever so slightly in a particular direction when placed on the palm and infused with a special type of Psion. Unlike a regular compass, it seems to point toward a specific point, rather than a specific direction.
Considering the fact that it was excavated from the same location as the White Tablets, it could be assumed that it is indeed a map to Shambhala, thus Tatsuya and the others believe that this "specific point" would be the location of Shambhala.
"I see. Indeed, if we insist on just what's written in legends, it may prevent us from seeing the correct answer. The legends have many unclear elements themselves, so sticking with the clues we have in hand should be better for now."
Minoru agreed with a broad nod to Tatsuya's answer to his question.
Minoru was earnestly impressed, but Tatsuya seemed to take it as a mere back-channeling.
"No, we simply do not have enough information to work with." Tatsuya added without pretension.
Minoru smiled slightly at Tatsuya's typical lack of affability.
Seeing Tatsuya bring his teacup to his mouth, Minoru also reached for his.
"Excuse me, Tatsuya-sama."
On the occasion that both Tatsuya and Minoru's mouths were occupied at the same time, Minami, who had been sitting quietly beside Minoru up until then, spoke up.
"If we were to use the 'compass' to observe from several more points, wouldn't it be possible to narrow down the possible locations?"
"─In fact, it would."
After returning his cup slowly to the table, Tatsuya readily agreed with Minami's input.
Minami blushed. Tatsuya's nonchalant tone sounded to her as if to say she was "stating the obvious." ─Which was, of course, overthinking on her part.
"In that case, shall I drop in and observe from a couple of locations in Central Asia?" Minoru didn't see that as Tatsuya mocking Minami, but his quick proposal was clearly a follow-up in support of Minami's idea.
"All right. I'll leave it to you, then."
Tatsuya answered with the same casual tone of voice as he had before. He followed by pushing the "Small Tablet Compass" toward Minoru's side of the table
The surface of the small stone tablet was as smooth as glass. The translucent black resembled obsidian with a polished or (glassy) glazed finish. With its small size and octagonal shape, the stone tablet glided smoothly across the tablecloth from Tatsuya's hand until it came to rest in Minoru's.
"I'll take care of it."
Now in his hands, Minoru picked up the "compass" and put it in his shirt pocket. The parasitized Minoru experimented before and is also able to use this magical relic.Minoru didn’t falter, despite the fact that Tatsuya had entrusted him with such a precious relic without a second thought. The level of mutual trust between the both of them is unquestionable.
Noticing that the teacups were empty, Minami hurriedly stood up.
◇ ◇ ◇
At a research institute affiliated with the Stars headquarters, there was a battery of experiments being conducted on the White Tablets on loan from the San Francisco Police Department.
At the center of it is a young 22-year-old woman. Her name is Evelyn Taylor. A prodigy who graduated from a prestigious engineering college at the age of 17, then commissioned as a technical officer by the federal army.
She is a unique case in that she applied for admission to the United States Air Force Academy after a gap year following her graduation from college, only to be scouted as a technical officer during the screening process. Further to her qualifications, she was found to have a high aptitude as a combat magician based on an examination that was held immediately after her commissioning, resulting in her being assigned as a staff member to a research institute affiliated with Stars. There she would concurrently receive the unique distinction of undergoing training to be a member of the Stars unit.
Once Canopus took over as Commander-in-Chief of Stars, he saw an example in Tatsuya and sought to have a combat magician with expertise in magical engineering under his command in Stars. It was his conviction that not only should staff in the rear be highly educated in magic and technology, but so should those on the front lines.
Evelyn was just what Canopus was looking for. She caught his eye and he immediately had her educated as a star-class member candidate in the Stars, without even having to go through the "Starlight" Stars cadet stage. That was two years ago.
And now she is an assistant to the head researcher of Stars, Abigail Stuart, as well as the most promising candidate to be "Vega," a First-Magnitude Star-Class member of Stars.
Initially Stuart wanted to be the one to get her hands on the "White Tablets" in order to analyze them. However, her hands have been full with analyzing [Babel], a magic from a prehistoric civilization, which had afflicted so many people on the West Coast and nearly caused social unrest. The next logical choice was Evelyn, her assistant who possesses not only advanced magical engineering knowledge but also high-level magical skills.
The analysis team led by Evelyn was able to immediately determine that a map-like pattern would surface when "achromatic Psions" are poured into a "White Tablet."
"Evelyn, we finished deciphering the text."
"Thank you," Evelyn replied amiably to the report from the male researcher of the analysis team.
She is the team leader, while also being the youngest on the team. She is aware that, despite the organization's commitment to meritocracy, she still is in a position that makes others envious. As such, she knows it is in her best interest not to ruffle everyone’s feathers. A little bit of self-deprecation is nothing to her in comparison to any decline in the team's performance that could come from emotional friction.
There is the underlying perception that Canopus and Stuart are partial toward her that has allowed for her to keep her assertiveness in check without worrying that her subordinates would try to take the credit for her work.
This strategy has proved effective so far.
"The writing on the stone tablet reads in an archaic Indian script."
This male researcher's specialty is not magical engineering. If anything he possesses little to no magic aptitude. He is an AI specialist. He isn't an engineer who creates AI's, but is an expert in using them.
Since magic is not his specialty, he held little interest in the magical gimmicks of the "White Tablets." He concentrated on analyzing the information he had at hand without expecting any additional leads to appear through magical means.
"If this 'map' is anything to go by, it seems to point to the location of Shambhala."
"Shambhala? The Tibetan Buddhist paradise that Germany's dictator from the last century was so obsessed with?"
"I've heard that not only was Germany's dictator obsessed, but so was the dictator of the old Soviet Union."
"That aside, it is about that Shambhala, correct?"
The researcher nodded in response to Evelyn's question.
"The map marks an area between Samarkand and Bukhara in central Uzbekistan in the Indo-Persian Federation. Unfortunately, we could not determine the location any further."
He managed to narrow down the location without the help of the "Compass" by means of a state-of-the-art supercomputer.
◇ ◇ ◇
The satellite orbital residence facility, "Takachiho," orbits at an altitude of about 6,400 kilometers. It was originally a large-sized NSU submarine that was sunk then converted into a habitation satellite.
"Minoru-sama, thank you for your hard work."
At the airlock, Minami acknowledged Minoru for his efforts upon returning from the ground.
"Yeah, thanks."
"May I ask how it went?"
Minami inquired, to which Minoru replied, "I think I have a general idea."
They then made their way to the information center, which had been converted from the submarine's command information center.
While standing, he operated a console and brought up a map of Central Asia on the display.
Minoru traced two straight lines on the screen with a stylus device. One line started from the southeastern shore of the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan, while the other started from the northern shore of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. These are two locations which Minoru descended to investigate the location where the "Small Tablet Compass" would point to.
"The location the compass is pointing to is probably here."
Minoru zoomed in on the location where the two line extensions intersected.
"Bukhara in Uzbekistan. It matches with the theories of scholars in the Kalachakra Tantra about the location of Shambhala."
The Kalachakra Tantra is a Tibetan Buddhist scripture and one of the leading contemporary sources on the Shambhala legend. In a sense, it is the original source of the Shambhala legend.
"Should we contact Tatsuya-sama right away, then?"
The investigation using the "Compass" was requested by Tatsuya. It was a reasonable assumption that Minami would ask, "Are you going to report to Tatsuya?"
"No. Not yet, but there is one more place I would like to check before that."
But Minoru's answer was "No."
"Actually, I've found that the closer you are to the destination, the more sensitive the 'Small Tablet Compass' becomes. When I used it at these two points, the response was much clearer than when I used it at Miyakishima."
"The movement wasn't considerable then?"
"Yeah. I thought that even if it weren't to point to the original destination, that the
'Compass' would respond more accurately when used in areas where relics from Shambhala may reside."
Minoru's remark was met with surprise by Minami, who asked,
"Then you have an idea where the ruins may be?"
"Legends say that there is an underground passage leading to Shambhala in the Potala Palace in Lhasa. I think it is worth checking out."
"Lhasa, in Tibet!? But, Minoru-sama, wouldn't that be dangerous?"
Minami maintained her polite speech, but her concern was strongly conveyed in her tone.
She had good reason to be concerned. Tibet is formally an independent state, but it has become a vassal state in effect of the GAU . And the current Tibetan government followed their will in not allowing Japanese nationals to enter the country.
Minoru is not a Japanese citizen anymore. "Kudou Minoru" died in the summer of three years ago. However, he uses a forged Japanese passport when on the ground. If he were to have it on him, the local officials would without a doubt try to arrest him for illegally entering the country. The same would be true even if he weren't to carry his passport.
The Tibetan judicial authorities are the least of Minoru's problems, however. The problem is that the GAU has stationed soldiers in Tibet, acting as if they own it.
With Tibet sharing a border with the IPU, the IPU would like Tibet to disassociate from the GAU, whereas the GAU seeks to obstruct any influence of the IPU on Tibet. As a result, the region has become the stage for a secret dispute between the intelligence agencies of the two countries.
It's likely that those among the most elite of the GAU's intelligence and espionage units have been sent into Tibet. Even for Minoru, they wouldn't be easy opponents to deal with. In light of this, he isn't optimistic about being able to infiltrate Tibet.
"I'm not taking this lightly. It isn't like I'm going there to pick a fight, nor am I going to meddle with any critical facilities. Even if I don't get anything done, I plan to be back in four hours."
Four hours is the time the Takachiho takes to complete a revolution around the Earth. However, since the Earth rotates on its own axis, it takes approximately 4.8 hours for it to make a revolution. Therefore, the optimal time for a round trip to the ground and back is one hour; two, ignoring added degrees of difficulty. This means that Minoru intends to spend at least two hours in Tibet, instead of descending and returning immediately, so if something were to go wrong he would then be unable to return to the Takachiho.
Minami stared at Minoru with an expression of concern.
"Don't worry. I'll be careful."
But seeing the firm resolve behind Minoru's soft smile, Minami couldn't say a word to stop him.
◇ ◇ ◇
The Potala Palace was built in the 17th century, when Europe was ravaged by the Thirty Years' War. Built to cover a single hill, it is one of the largest stand-alone buildings in the world in terms of area. At the sight of its grandiose appearance, Minoru let out a sigh of admiration.
He is currently in the guise of an ordinary tourist. In appearance, he comes off as an ordinary young man who cares about his looks. His clothes match the current trends in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Thanks to his Information Body5 disguise magic [Parade], he has successfully passed himself off as a tourist from the GAU.
Despite the eye-grabbing sight of the Potala Palace up close, Minoru had not forgotten the purpose of his visit.
(No response from the "Compass"…)
While keeping a sharp eye out, he discreetly put the "Compass" back in his pocket after using it. Next he shifted his gaze to the base of the Potala Palace. To be more precise, he turned his "eyes" to the inside of the "Marpori Hill'' where the palace stands.
(Is it in a basement or is it in the ground? There is definitely something there, but…)
There was no response from the "Small Tablet Compass," but Minoru could sense the presence of objects of magical power hidden "beneath," in the palace, possibly a large collection of sacred relics.
(…That would be impossible. Let's just not.)
It's undeniable that he had his finger on the trigger. But the risks were too great.
Even if, for argument's sake, there is a hidden underground vault in the palace where sacred relics could be stored, it would be extremely difficult to gain access to it without causing a scene. Even with Minoru's power, such a thing would be difficult. If there are any relics buried underground rather than stored in an underground vault, then the situation could be even worse.
In any of those scenarios, it would also be necessary to account for a full-fledged response per part of the GAU. Minoru wasn’t so obsessed with the sacred relics that he would go to such lengths.
(─What is it? Magic?)
Suddenly, Minoru sensed he was about to be subject to magical interference. (Is this… [Marionette]?)
5
A magic was activated, seeking to seize control of his body from the outside, interacting with the fake Information Body, which is worn over his physical body with [Parade] and deployed to form an Information Body that covers his original body.
The knowledge that Minoru inherited along with the residual thoughts of Zhou Gongjin informed him that this was a technique for manipulating other people's bodies based on the "Taoist style" of Ancient Magic of the East-Asian continent.
(Where did it come from? How did they find out about me?) Impatience threatened to take over Minoru's thoughts.
(I have to hide my presence before anything else.)
Getting a hold of himself, Minoru chose to escape.
Minoru turned his back on the palace and headed off to a shopping area oriented toward tourists at a brisk pace. So far, there is only one set of eyes on him. It is likely that neither the authorities or soldiers have received word about Minoru. He is being pursued by a single high-level magician.
Suppressing the urge to make a run for it, Minoru headed for where the crowds were. He kept [Parade] to the bare minimum to maintain his disguise, and refrained from casting [Kimon Tonkou]. He believed that the reason he was spotted is because he was perceived to have been using magic.
There was no possibility that his appearance was the cause. If it was the case, that there was a problem with his [Parade] disguise, he would have been questioned by the Tibetan government police, who are under the sway of the GAU, or by soldiers of the GAU, who are roaming about as if they own the place.
With regard to the use of [Parade], he took great care to make sure that his use of magic would pass unnoticed by others. In fact, the only person who had ever detected his use of [Parade] in either Japan or the USNA ─ taking out certain users, owners of rare superpowers, that can visually distinguish Pushion patterns ─ was Tatsuya.
Could the person currently pursuing Minoru have a perceptive ability comparable to Tatsuya's, or could they be…
(…Did they notice the use of the "Compass"?)
Minoru believed that this was the most likely case. They still do not know how the
"Compass" operates in principle. All they found out is how to use it. Besides pouring Psions into it in order to activate it, there is an undeniable possibility that it might emit some kind of special signal that Tatsuya and Minoru are unaware of.
Shortly after Minoru sank into the crowd of tourists, the set of eyes on him increased to two. At about the same time, he sensed a sign of magic being activated. And soon after that, the sound of a flute note reached Minoru's ears.
He was assaulted by vertigo. Holding on to his feet, he held the reins on [Parade] upon its state becoming fluctuating . Minoru wasn’t the sole victim of the dizziness. Many of the tourists he was using to blend in, as well as the working shopkeepers doing business with them, all went down on a crouch. A number of them fainted and collapsed on the street.
(A sonic weapon? No…)
Minoru thought about it for a moment before dismissing the possibility of it being caused by a technological weapon. The "sound" he heard was no physical phenomenon. Oscillating Psions. It's a magical "sound."
(A magic that interferes with an unspecified number of people by making them "hear" Psion waves?)
In magic, a particular target is determined and the magic interferes with the corresponding phenomena. That's the norm in modern magical theory. This doesn't mean that there’s no magic that interferes with an unspecified number of targets. Which is the case for [Parade] as well as [Kimon Tonkou]. Minoru, who has mastered both of these, wasn’t bound by the accepted notion that "magic requires a specific target."
Incidentally, there’s a shared characteristic between [Parade] and [Kimon Tonkou], in that both are intrinsically ancient magic. [Parade] is a derivative of the [Road Mirage Matoi], from the ninjutsu style of ancient magic that incorporates contemporary concepts, while [Kimon Tonkou] is itself but a refined version of the original of the Taoist style.
(Come to think of it, the [Marionette] used earlier is also a magic rooted in Taoism.)
(Is my enemy a Daoshi?)
A master of the East-Asian continent's Taoist system of ancient magic is called a "Daoshi". Due to their long history, there are many of those Daoshi in the GAU military.
(My enemies are GAU magicians after all.)
(And I can see from the attack just now that they have no qualms about involving civilians.)
It wasn’t Minoru's intention to drag civilians into this situation.
Besides, currently, Minoru is the only one who remains standing in this tourist shopping area. There was no curtain of people to hide behind.
Facial expressions fade from the mirage covering himself. The resources that previously kept the illusion's eyes, nose, and mouth in correspondence to his real face were being reclaimed into standby in preparation for the ensuing magic battle.
Notes of a flute whistle behind Minoru's back. This time a real sound. The air oscillates instead of the psion waves.
Minoru's head swerves to look back. There he finds a small figure blowing a flute.
(A kid…?)
He was around as tall as a Japanese elementary school boy. His limbs and head, however, were closer to those of an adult. His appearance, apart from his size, seemed to be that of a man in his 30s or so. His clothing, similarly reflected an adult male's appearance, reduced to fit his body size.
Yet, that's no reason to let one's guard down. It was undoubtedly the sound of this man's flute ─ the perceived sound given by the psion waves ─ that is responsible for the fact that nearly a hundred people, regardless of their level of magic resistance, have been rendered powerless all at once.
The psion music is still playing under the physical tone at this very moment, stirring Minoru. This "tone" is probably a magic that interferes with brain functions. The reason for the dizziness that makes it hard to stay standing and the difficulty in maintaining magic ─ more precisely, difficulty in renewing the effects of a magic in operation ─ is probably due to the interference with mental faculties.
The tricky part of this magic, which we could call "Magic Flute," is that it is expressed in the form of music. Instead of targeting a specific target, the magic continuously affects anyone indiscriminately within the area where the emitted psion waves can be heard. As long as you are within the range, you can't avoid it, even with [Parade].
(Should I take some distance with [Mock-Teleportation]?)
The magic inhibiting effect of "Magic Flute" is about the equivalent of cast jamming. It's not so strong that it prevents magic being activated, but there is also no reason to stay under the influence of the enemy's magic. There was no longer the option to blend in with the crowd, nor was there any point in concealing his magic skills any longer. He has nothing holding him back from using his magic.
Minoru activated [Mock-Teleportation] right away. Except, not to return to Takachiho. His situation wasn’t so dire to the point he would need to jump to satellite orbit without allowing himself enough time to focus on the task. And he couldn’t accept even the slightest risk that Takachiho's existence might be discovered.
Minoru's figure vanished, emerging the next instant on a rooftop at the very end of the shopping street. He confirmed the range of the magic flute’s effect before jumping.
He turned around ready to counterattack.
Unfortunately, Minoru had to scramble and switch the offensive magic he was activating to a defensive one.
Invisible blades flew towards Minoru. A slash of vacuum called "Kamaitachi," instead of the popular compressed thin blades of air used in modern magic. Nevertheless, human skin is not so weak as to sever upon exposure with a difference of about one atmosphere of air pressure at sea level ─ assuming that sea level is one atmosphere and the vacuum is zero. The threat comes not from the natural phenomenon of the vacuum itself, but in the definition of "cutting and tearing" embedded in it.
(This is not so much a slash as it is a curse… Is this also a Taoist technique?)
In Zhou Gongjin's knowledge, there was a magic named [Qióngqí (窮奇)]. In this ancient magic, a curse is released through the medium of the wind, imprinting on the enemy the perception that he is "injured" or "ill". It's part of the suggestion, a kind of mental interference magic, that the enemy damages itself by the subjective impression. It gained its name "Qióngqí" from the similarity the beast with the same name has with the Japanese "kamaitachi", which is said to have been re-imported from Japan in the 19th century.
Regardless of its precise identity, it is not something that can be ignored. Minoru searched for the enemy's location, repelling the vacuum slashes and the built-in curses one after another. From the feel of the magic, it wasn’t from the little man with the flute. It was from another pursuer.
(Where is he…?)
(─Uh!?)
His enemy was right under him. Just below, by the building at whose roof Minoru was standing, stood his enemy, looking up at him. Minoru hastily jumped backwards.
He appeared to be in his forties or so, slightly taller than Minoru, but more than twice as broad and bulky. Although it could be said his overweight physique was fit for his middle age, he had enough muscles to account for the extra fat in his body.
The man climbed up to the roof before Minoru could gauge his distance, and immediately lunged at him. An iron fan was in his hands as his weapon of choice. Rather than an iron weapon in the shape of a fan, it was actually a fan with its frame and center pivot bone made of iron.
Minoru deployed an anti-material shield. Which, surely enough, intercepted the blow of the iron fan.
"─Gah!"
In spite of this, Minoru was struck by severe pain. Although he had never experienced it before, Minoru thought, "This must be how it feels to be hit by a baseball bat." Such violent pain bypassed his magic shield, directly striking Minoru.
Now his enemy was moving to strike him in the side with his iron fan. Minoru attempted to blow the enemy away in an effort to gain distance.
The magic used was simple acceleration-type magic that uses the Parasite's event interference power. It's actually more akin to psychokinesis than to magic.
Considering the enemy's physique, it should have been able to blow him away by at least two meters.
(─My magic was nullified!?)
But in reality, all it did was to disrupt the iron fan's blow. For under a second, the enemy merely stiffened his body to withstand the gust of wind, then immediately resumed his strike motion.
(Gram Demolition? No, not that. I didn't catch any psion flow like that.)
(What's up with this guy!?)
Minoru used a movement and inertia control magic on his own body this time, leaping to the rooftop across the street. Right after landing, Minoru sent a ball lightning with emission-type magic toward the enemy.
The ball lightning shot out at a speed of about 300 kilometers per hour and successfully hit its target. The man attempted to swat away the ball lightning with his iron fan, in what was probably a reflexive defensive action. And it was through the metal frame of the fan that the enemy ancient-style magician ─ the Daoshi apparently received the electric shock. He crouched down atop the roof holding his hand.
He didn't have the chance to pin him down with another magic, however. As Minoru unleashed the ball lightning, the enemy also cast "Qióngqí" himself.
Cursed winds swept over Minoru, forcing him to prioritize his magical defenses against them. At which point his ears caught the sound of the "Magic Flute" once again. The other Daoshi must have caught up with him. The wind-user Daoshi alone was challenging enough, Minoru stood little chance if he had to face the flute-playing Daoshi at the same time.
(Maybe now is time for the "the smartest thing in a tight situation is retreat" strategy.)
To begin with, he didn't come to Tibet to fight. Besides, he already got what he came for. Minoru shot up to 1,000 meters in the sky using Mock-Teleportation, and then searched for a suitable landing spot. Then, with a series of additional Mock-Teleportation runs, he jumped out of Lhasa.
His final stop was a vacant lot by the roadside on the southern bank of the Lhasa River, which flows east-west to the south of the palace. He moved about five kilometers away from his former location.
He moved only five kilometers away out of concern that he might stand out too much if he went to a place with too few people. Takachiho was already nearing the horizon from his ground level perspective. Minoru decided that it would be better to wait for Takachiho's next approach before returning to space.
(What was the deal with those guys, anyway…?)
He was fully aware of the high probability that he would come in contact with magicians of the GAU, especially those of a high-ranking ace class, if he sneaked into Tibet. He believed himself to be mentally prepared for such an occasion. But the talent of the magicians he came across were beyond his expectations. Even more unexpected was the approach of their abilities.
Neither the "wind-user" nor the "flute player," as he called them, had much magic raw power themselves. The "wind-user"'s "Qióngqí" was limited to single targets, and since it probably uses air currents as its medium, its range was short and its speed was slow.
And there was the "flute player's" "Magic Flute," which was remarkable in terms of the number of targets it could affect. However, it left more people kneeling than it actually did rendered unconscious.
Compared to Lu Ganghu, who was associated with Zhou Gongjin, it is fair to say that he is a lower rank in terms of battlefield performance. That said, Minoru never directly witnessed the power of Lu Ganghu himself, so this is only a guess based on hearsay.
However, as anti-personnel combatants, their magic was a threat. The magic of those two bypassed Minoru's defenses and inflicted damage on him despite the fact that Minoru had been prepared for an attack.
Minoru has a high resistance to both physical and mental attacks. And it was no boasting of his. His battle record proved it; Minoru had never struggled thus far, not since he faced Fumiya Kuroba of the Yotsuba Family, his grandfather (the late Kudou Retsu), and Tatsuya.
(I wasn't trying to underestimate them, but…)
Slightly shaking his head, Minoru shelved his regrets for the moment and regained his composure. He extended the radius of his passive magic perception powers to a radius of kilometers and probed his surroundings. Moments later he noticed an information body within this new radius.
(I guess they wouldn't let me get away with this easily…)
Minoru muttered in his mind. The information body was a familiar from the enemy Daoshi. It was equivalent to what is referred to in Japan as Shikigami.
It wasn’t a single information body ─ familiar. He detected only two of them at first, but now the number has increased to six.
The familiars approached at a considerable speed in a radial fan-like formation. They couldn't trace Minoru's [Mock-Teleportation], instead they must have had a general idea and released many familiars to search in that general direction. This was an orthodox approach to scouting by systematically using "numbers".
Regardless of the fast approaching rate of the familiars, it was nothing that
[Mock-Teleportation] couldn't outrun. But Minoru did not choose the escape option this time.
Minoru has confidence in his ability to use "Mock-Teleportation" in a normal capacity and leave no traces at all. In fact, when he responded to Tatsuya's call to a hotel in Berkeley, California, the other day, the USNA's authorities failed to detect any signs of his coming and going ─ from Takachiho to the ground, vice-versa. Not even that States were able to detect Minoru's Mock-Teleportation.
Yet, his current pursuer, whose identity is still completely unknown to him, managed to. They might be able to trace Minoru's return to Takachiho in some unknown way since [Mock-Teleportation] is, after all, not truly a magic of instantaneous travel.
Even at the time of closest approach, when Takachiho is near its zenith, it takes about 10 seconds to make a single trip. Once it gets near the horizon, from the ground perspective, the time required is nearly twice as long.
Vast may be the knowledge he absorbed along with the spirit of Zhou Gongjin, but even that spirit wasn't thoroughly versed in all of the Shénxiān and Taoist arts. Therefore, even if the magic itself may be unperceivable, there is an undeniable possibility that remnant traces of the movement process could be picked up.
Takachiho's security is paramount, even if it comes down to a worst-case scenario in which he is temporarily entrapped. Minoru would only return to space after he was sure that he cleared his pursuers.
Now, to shake them off or to intercept them.
Minoru chose to shake them off. He affixed the charms he had prepared in advance to both legs and took off running. Those are the Taoist techniques [Shinkonhou] appropriated from the knowledge in Zhou Gongjin's spirit. Since his opponents are also Daoshi, who use the same system of ancient magic, they will most likely notice Minoru's flight attempt, but the odds of being caught in a pincer movement or ambush are nevertheless lower than if he stood still in the same place.
He headed off the riverside road and into an undeveloped hilly area. Although he moved at speeds ranging from 40 to 50 kilometers per hour, the familiars flew much faster. Minoru attempted a course that avoided direct line of sight for the familiars, but they were still less than a minute behind him. But that ultimately only lasted less than a minute before they caught sight of him again.
While running, Minoru tried to destroy the familiars that were getting too close.
As it turned out, with the simple non-systematic-type magic, a psion bullet, he was able to easily destroy the pursuing familiar. No particular special technique necessary. There wasn't even a trap built in that inflicts a curse upon destruction.
Minoru felt dejected.
That changed really fast in the next moment, as the enemy Daoshi with the iron fan suddenly appeared where the familiar disappeared.
Seemingly appearing where the familiar once vanished, through something similar to [Mock-Teleportation]. Perhaps it was a built-in process in the familiar that emits a signal with its coordinates at the time of disappearance.
He couldn't deny that he had been caught by surprise.
And yet, both Minoru and the Iron Fan Daoshi launched their attacks at the same time.
Minoru, ball lightning.
The Daoshi, a cursed wind blade.
This time, the Daoshi didn't block the ball lightning with the iron fan in his right hand. Instead, he spread out a second, folding fan on his left hand, which then became his shield. It was large like the ones often used on stage or drama plays, with a usual bamboo frame and surface made of paper.
Certainly, a fan made of paper and bamboo doesn't conduct electricity. But Minoru did not remember launching an attack that could be blocked by a mere piece of paper.
(As I thought. These guys…!)
They are specialized in anti-personnel techniques, Minoru concluded. To add to the unspoken portion of his thoughts, Minoru surmised that the "Iron Fan" and the "Magic Flute" Daoshi were both specialists in interpersonal magic combat of the GAU's forces.
The large fan in his left hand was most likely a magical tool that was given the properties of a shield against magical attacks. The surface of the fan is covered with minutely inscriptions. Which means that the fan is probably a talisman in its own right.
(So, they have taken thorough precautions while still chasing me.)
Minoru mused as he repelled the enemy's [Qióngqí] cursed wind with his [Hex Reversal] barrier.
Then, he gave a faint, ruthless smile.
The enemy Daoshi couldn't hide his confusion. Maybe it was the curse process in the wind blade that was rebound. Or perhaps it was surprising to see Minoru's use of the Taoist barrier.
He wasn't the only one who made preparations against the opponent's attacks; just as Daoshi had arranged a shield against the four systems and eight types of modern magic mid-pursuit, so had Minoru against Taoist based attacks.
Unfortunately, the psychological impact was less than Minoru had hoped for. Soon the "Iron Fan Daoshi" got his nerves under control and charged at Minoru.
His speed in his approach and the sharpness of his steps rivaled Tatsuya's as far as Minoru's experience. If it weren't for his previous fights with Tatsuya, Minoru would certainly not have been able to handle himself as well as he did. Managing to deflect each blow from the iron fan as well as the accompanying shockwaves. Minoru realized that he had been lucky for the poor foothold on the roof earlier.
His opponent was clearly superior in hand-to-hand combat. Any magic directly cast would be nullified by an unidentified counter-magic, and any magic attack using physical phenomena would be blocked by the fan acting as a shield.
His only saving grace is that "Magic Flute Daoshi" didn't rush in with him. It was only a matter of time until it happened, however. Minoru's defeat would be inevitable if he continued to engage in an honest to a fault head-to-head battle.
Perhaps, if Minoru had been still a human, the match would have already been long over. He sat through and took the Daoshi attack head-on. Thanks to his Parasite's super-recovery capabilities, Minoru came out still standing.
But that would not hold forever. He felt that the ensuing shockwave, whose nature was as unclear as the counter-magic, was gradually dampening the parasite's regenerative power. Perhaps the enemy wasn’t so much a specialist in anti-personnel magic combat as an expert in exterminating inhuman demons such as parasites.
At any rate, it would only get worse if it continued like this. Minoru thought as much. There was never the need to defeat his pursuers to begin with.
Escaping was the goal, not victory. His objective was simply to shake them off completely. In light of this, the current situation was undesirable.
Continued hand-to-hand combat with the "Iron Fan Daoshi" and sooner or later, the "Magic Flute Daoshi" would eventually show up as well. That would pose some serious challenge to his escape.
Drastic measures were necessary to break out from this situation. Unless he was willing to be a little risky, he would not be able to overcome this. So Minoru took the plunge. He erected a shield at an angle that would catch the next attack of the iron fan.
Ignoring the incoming shockwave and the damage it would cause, he kept the magic shield in place and backtracked step by step.
Magic that directly affected his enemy was still out of play. Magic shields, however, that blocked the physical attacks of the enemy, fulfilled their purpose without a hitch.
Although the enemy Daoshi was able to nullify the magic acting on him, he could only do so to magics acting directly on him. Consequently, Daoshi couldn't get past the shield, and the distance between him and Minoru widened.
Minoru didn't believe that he could keep his enemy pinned as is. All he needed was this ten paces in between them.
The accumulated damage from the shockwaves had entered the danger zone. There wasn’t much room to spare. Aware of this, Minoru promptly activated the magic he had readied during his backward retreat.
The target wasn’t "Iron Fan Daoshi". It was the ground under his feet.
The ground exploded. The thick layer of earth, from one to two meters below the surface, suffered a rapid upward acceleration that blew away the stratum and the sand above it with an explosive force.
The enemy's Daoshi was sent flying along in the air by this magic that disregarded any efficiency. The ground he was standing on was blown away. Even if the magic was nullified, there was no way he could prevent himself from being covered by the blown earth and sand. His enemy was launched nearly two meters into the air, dropping in along with the sand and dirt he was sent flying up with, burying him halfway through.
The concussive force of the explosion wasn’t enough to incapacitate a first-rate soldier, however.
The "Iron Fan Daoshi" would be soon springing up from under the earth and sand and would resume his attack.
Minoru didn't take it as an opportunity for a follow-up attack.
He activated another series of short-range [Mock-Teleportation] to make his escape.
His sequential [Mock-Teleportation] moves brought him around the hills, back into the city center of Lhasa.
It was 50-50 that he would be able to elude the enemy. For the time being, at least there was no sign of either the "Magic Flute" or the "Iron Fan" Daoshi, nor any other enemy magicians in the urban area he had blended in with.
Minoru made his way to the train station across the street on foot, using a combination of [Parade] and [Kimon Tonkou] to board a stationary train bound for Ching Haii. He didn't have a boarding ticket, but neither did he need one. He could have easily swiped a ticket along with the ID, but he again saw no need to go through the trouble. He wanted to shake off the pursuit in any case, he simply hopped off the train before the ticket check.
Unfortunately, things didn't go so smoothly.
He heard a commotion from the car ahead. Judging from the snippets he could pick up, it sounded like a soldier from the GAU military boarded for a checkpoint inspection.
Now that's cheap, Minoru grumbled in his mind. If those Daoshi are really magicians from the military, it was natural, or rather inevitable, that they would be checking any train or self-propelled vehicle leaving Lhasa. As much as he hated to admit it, he underestimated the GAU.
Regret stalls thinking. Delaying the next action.
By the time he had moved to exit the train, he recognized the approaching steps as the presence of a magician.
It was someone other than the two Daoshi who attacked him beforehand.
Maybe that's why he noticed them so late.
Was it because he unconsciously limited his enemies down to just those two, that was why he did not notice until they were so close? Pushing these self-reproaching thoughts to the back of his mind, Minoru searched for a way out of the train.
The aisles were full of people. If he had to wade through them, he would not make it to the exit beyond them in time. His only alternative was to jump out of the window. It didn't take him long to reach that conclusion.
Ignoring the shouts of protest, Minoru shrugged off the hands that grabbed at him and moved towards the window.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of another passenger heading for the adjacent car. Probably to inform the soldiers at the checkpoint. He could no longer take the luxury of time.
Minoru reached for the window frame. Fortunately, it wasn’t a fixed shutter. He flung it all the way open at once.
Just as he did so, footsteps thumped above his head. It was the sound of someone jumping onto the roof of the train.
The next moment, the whistle of a flute resounded through the car.
Followed by the music, magic assailed indiscriminately.
As passengers crouched, some fell to their knees, and others fell down to the ground, Minoru climbed a foot on the window frame and jumped out of the vehicle.
A large contingent of soldiers gathered here and there on the platform ahead of the train's departure. One of them fired without warning at Minoru as he jumped out of the window.
The side of the train was made swiss cheese with bullet holes.
With a shield raised with the pointing of the gun, Minoru came out unscathed. Unfortunately, however, the stray bullets left a trail of victims.
He raised from his crouching landing position. Turning his head, he spotted one of the Daoshi, the one who looked like a small boy, playing his flute on the roof.
The music should have been audible to the soldiers who fired earlier, but they showed no sign of being affected by the magic. The range of the magic interaction apparently doesn't coincide with the range in which the music can be heard.
The flute notes ceased momentarily, then restarted with a different tone. Must have been a change of music.
Simultaneously, the magical effects cast along the sound was also changed. Minoru immediately knew what it entailed.
It went from inhibiting mental faculties to inhibiting the construction of magic formulas.
Specifically, it seems to be very effective in ambiguating magic targeting.
Minoru felt it wasn’t strong enough to completely suppress his magic. But he hesitated in casting long-range "Mock-Teleportation".
By restricting the amount of information he can obtain about the destination, this magic effectively obfuscates the target. It is the informational distance, what and how much you can determine about a target, rather than the physical distance, which governs the effectiveness of magic. In that sense, if a target is at a visual distance, but with restrictions on the information that can be gathered, it might as well be beyond the horizon.
It is almost as if the magic was chosen to block Minoru's means of escape. No, they must have chosen their repertoire based on their evaluation of Minoru's means of escape so as to block them.
Fortunately for Minoru, hidden by his trousers, he still has his [Shinkonhou] talismans affixed to his shins.
Minoru began to run alongside the train as soldiers were gathering on the adjacent platform. Invoking [Kimon Tonkou] in parallel with [Shinkonhou], Minoru attempted to avoid the soldiers' gunfire.
The magic from the flute focused on interfering with modern magic, but it had little effect on ancient-style. He activated [Kimon Tonkou] after confirming this with [Shinkonhou].
Soon after, Minoru deactivated [Kimon Tonkou].
Being a magic that disrupts the sense of orientation of those who look at you, this magic works by principle of interfering with the mind of those who are trying to determine your position.
As a result, anyone trying to pinpoint the caster's exact position will invariably be diverted to the wrong direction.
So what happens when "Kimon Tonkou" acts on a person who is about to target its caster?
Answer: An unavoidable misfire occurs.
The person pulling the trigger may think they got their sights on the correct direction, but they are way off. In a crowded place like this train station, the misfires would cause many casualties. Right here and now, there are already numerous civilians bleeding from gunshot wounds.
Minoru doesn't consider himself at fault that civilians were wounded and lives were lost. Misfires are the responsibility of the person who pulled the trigger in the first place. He became adept of this rationalist mentality after leaving his humanity behind.
But even if he doesn't feel remorse, he would not be fond of the resulting scene. He harbored no animosity or resentment towards the GAU. Much less of the Tibetan people. If it depended on him, he would be happy not to cause more unnecessary casualties.
Having released the misdirecting magic, Minoru must have realized as he was running away in parallel with the train. The magician inside attacked him from behind with magic. Nine small, thin, handleless knives flew all at the same time at him. But neither reached Minoru. The magic of "Magic Flute Daoshi" must have confused their aim. So it seems that the magician on the train was modern based.
A spark of inspiration crossed Minoru's mind.
If the targeting of modern magic is distorted, then how about an attack with ancient magic? Would that Daoshi also be expecting an attack with ancient-style magic?
Although Minoru did not intend to use it, he pulled out a talisman from his waist pouch, which he had brought just in case. It was created with the accumulated knowledge of ancient magic from the Former Ninth Institute, a talisman of Japanese Onmyoujutsu ─ a shikifuda. A topic he took upon himself to delve into at the beginning of the year, using his newfound abundance of free time in his life in space.
Minoru slowed his tempo and tossed the shikifuda behind him.
"Kyou Kyou nyo Ritsuryou."
At the same time that he chanted the activation keywords, the shikifuda instantly burst into flames, and the flames took on the form of a hawk.
(Nice, just as I thought.)
Just as Minoru deduced, the song caused no interference with ancient-style magic. Not only the sequences that affect oneself, but also remote ones are not obstructed.
A dark scarlet flame embodies the form of a hawk and soars into the sky, striking "Magic Flute Daoshi".
The flute releases a long, high-pitched note.
The sound is succeeded by pressure.
The impact of the psionic wave brought on by the sound crushed the flaming hawk.
The Shikigami scattered as ashes. The "Magic Flute Daoshi" instantly neutralized Minoru's Ancient Magic attack.
Minoru's attack was by no means a half-hearted effort. Although the activation procedure was simplified, he took his time with the sequence and applied a considerable amount of mystical power to create it. That Daoshi matched or even surpassed Minoru's ability as an ancient-styled magician.
However, Minoru outwitted the "Magic Flute Daoshi" in the scope of the game.
He had to interrupt his playing in order to destroy the shikigami hawk.
The intermission was for a single note. When the flame hawk dispersed into ashes, the flute resumed playing.
That brief interval was still all that Minoru needed.
In an instant, [Mock-Teleportation] was activated.
Right before the resumption of the performance, his figure had already vanished from the scene.
◇ ◇ ◇
The "Magic Flute Daoshi" stood there for a moment, staring at the area where Minoru had just been.
Seeing that he couldn't sense any trace of him, he gave up the pursuit.
The Daoshi jumps off the roof of the train. In front of his small frame, the magician who had attacked Minoru with the small knives kneeled down. That magician bore the insignia of a second lieutenant in the GAU forces.
"Han-Daijin, my deepest apologies."
"It's not your fault that he escaped, Ensign. He also got me."
The Daoshi called "Han-Daijin" had a low, deep voice that didn't quite fit his small stature.
"Should we proceed with the pursuit?"
"Hmm… Close all the roads for the time being, and have the drones patrol the area thoroughly."
The Daoshi Han thought for a moment and then gave sensible instructions.
It was also an admission that he was unable to track down Minoru's escape through magic.
The Ensign looked up from his kneeling position at the Daoshi Han with surprise in his eyes.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, sir! …I was just wondering who the hell was that magician just now?"
When asked by the Daoshi Han for the meaning of his gaze, the Ensign hurriedly fumbled up a question.
"I don't know myself either. He used Taoism besides modern magic, but I don't think he is a Daoshi."
"Could he have been a 'Saptarishi'?"
"I don't think that’s the case, but I suppose we can't rule out that possibility."
"Saptarishi", the codename for the special operative unit made up of Indo-Persian
Federation most elite magicians. They have been in ongoing covert warfare against the GAU magician units in Tibet, Uyghur, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and other countries.
"Will we be contacting Zhongli-Daijin…?" The Ensign fearfully asked. "Zhongli-Daijin" is the name of the Daoshi who used the iron fan, who worked alongside them in their pursuit of Minoru, and who is a competitor to the Daoshi Han in the organization they share.
In response to the Ensign's question, Daoshi Han broadly nodded his head, "Yes, I suppose I have to."
◇ ◇ ◇
Finally, after a three-hour escapade, Minoru finally was free from pursuit and back at Takachiho, one look was enough to tell how exhausted he was.
"Minoru-sama, are you all right!?"
Minoru stopped the rushing Minami with a limp hand wave and proceeded to the living module, where he sank deeply into the sofa.
"Do you want me to ease the gravity?"
Minami suggested in concern. The gravity in this residence was managed by Artificial Relic [Magistore]. The magic was renewed every six hours by Minoru or Minami, but it was within the specifications of the Artificial Relic system to stop the Magistore mid-operation and redeploy it with a new magic in storage as needed.
"No, it's fine. I'd much prefer something to chew on, if that's okay."
At present, Minoru was suffering from a lack of energy rather than running out of stamina, and energy is derived from vital activity. To solve his problem of low vitality, he needed to stimulate his vital activities, and to stimulate his vital activities, he needed to replenish his physical body's energy.
"As you wish," Minami replied anxiously as she headed for the kitchen.
Using the plentiful ingredients provided from the ground, Minami prepared a nourishing egg congee, which immediately improved Minoru's complexion.
Even so, Minoru's condition did not return to normal immediately, and it took more than an hour after the meal for him to recover in earnest.
"Minoru-sama… May I ask about what just happened?"
Minami's voice was equal parts worried and angry as she asked.
"I didn't mean to let my guard down, but I underestimated the GAU."
Minoru honestly admitted his fault, knowing that he had made her worried, even after he told her he wouldn't take it easy.
"There were some tough Daoshi in Tibet that exceeded my expectations."
Starting with that, he proceeded to describe the long time it took him to shake off the pursuit of the unknown ancient-style magicians that used skills unknown to even Zhou Gongjin's knowledge.
"…Were they such powerful enemies…?"
"They were. I spent those three hours trying to avoid a fight, but I don't think it would have been much easier even if I went in with the intention to kill from the get-go. Neither had much in terms of destructive power, but they were both very skilled in interpersonal combat."
"So they were ancient magicians who specialize in interpersonal combat?"
"That's what it seems. Especially with their counter-magic skills, they might even be part of some sort of counter mageist specialized unit."
"…Shouldn't we inform Tatsuya-sama about this…? Would you like me to report it to him?"
Minami offered mainly because the Tibetan incursion was carried out without Tatsuya's consultation, and though Minoru is not Tatsuya's subordinate, it is thanks to him that Minoru is able to enjoy his current life. She feared that Minoru might feel uncomfortable confessing his arbitrary actions.
"─No, I'll tell him myself. I'll be an adult and accept any flak I get."
Minoru answered with a wry smile. He seemed to come into the picture of her assumptions.
◇ ◇ ◇
Minoru did not delay in acting on his words.
And Tatsuya had no blame for Minoru at all.
[─Those people are probably part of the 'Bāxiān'.]
After listening to the report, Tatsuya named Minoru's opponents.
"Bāxiān, is it… You don't mean those mythical Xians from the East-Asian continent, do you?"
[The name comes from those Bāxiān, but their real existence is, naturally, different].
The Tatusya in the laser comm monitor chuckled and shook his head.
There are eight names handed down in Taoism for leading Xian in the tradition. They are Li Tieguai, Zhongli Quan, Lü Dongbin, Lan Caihe, Han Xiangzi, He Xiangu, Zhang Guolao and Cao Guojiu .
[The GAU has a special operations unit with codenames after the legendary Bāxiān. I was told they are composed of ancient-style magicians specialized in the Taoist system.]
"I've never heard of such a unit existing…"
[I'm not sure of the particulars either. I don't even think the NDF is privy to the details.] "Is it a secret unit?"
[It has definitely been kept secret, but so far it's activities seem to have been limited to the domestic and Central Asian areas. That's why it is probably not widely known in Japan or the USNA. Military officials of the IPU, however, would know far more about them.]
"So their area of activity is different."
Their conversation concluded at that point.
Neither Tatsuya nor Minoru have any precognitive abilities. Neither of them had the faintest idea that [Bāxiān] would again be a part of a coming event involving them in the very near future.
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