Mayumi, who jumped up to the rooftop chasing after Minoru, stopped her feet there.
Minoru stopped at the opposite edge.
Blocked by thick clouds, neither moon nor stars could be seen. From this height, it can be seen that the clouds in the center of the city are faintly reflecting the light from the illumination on the ground. Minoru’s back barely stood out with the faint light.
Minoru had turned his back on Mayumi.
Even when she activated her Psions to attack, he did not turn around.
“Minoru-kun, give up already! It’ll be worse if you resist any longer! I will also properly listen to what you have to say!”
Even to Mayumi’s appeal, Minoru didn’t respond. Not to mention the lack of signs of attack, he also didn’t show any hint of defense.
Mayumi wavered. Even her would hesitate to attack an enemy that is showing no resistance.
But she can’t overlook this. Minoru converted into a parasite. She didn’t confirm it with her own eyes, but Tatsuya wouldn’t tell lies like this. Her junior was not the kind of person who tells such evil lies. And the existence of the parasite cannot be neglected.
“Minoru-kun, put your CAD under your feet and raise your hands!”
Mayumi presses herself to make a decision, calling out to Minoru to surrender.
For the first time in the rooftop, Minoru showed a reaction. He turned only his face towards Mayumi. His face, seen from the side, looked suspicious, evil, and because of that, the smile on his face looked unworldly beautiful.
No, rather than saying unworldly, it should be inhuman.
Mayumi didn’t doubt the story that Minoru became a parasite.
But at this time she was truly convinced that Minoru changed into something other than a human.
Mayumi composed the Activation Sequence for ‘Magic Bullet Shooter’, the magic she is best at.
There was no more hesitation in her.
Dry ice bullets were shot from twelve batteries, that were created in positions that surrounded Minoru.
Cold bullets penetrated shoulders, chest, abdomen, back, thighs. – No, they slipped through.
(An illusion? This is ‘Parade’!?)
‘Parade’, the magic of the Kudou Family that disturbs other people’s aim by creating illusions in the information dimension. When it was decided that in this operation they would pursue him, Mayumi’s father taught her about the existence of this magic.
As she heard beforehand, it feels completely indistinguishable from the real one. At the time Mayumi used ‘Magic Bullet Shooter’, she could see Minoru’s figure from six different directions. But she couldn’t feel anything wrong with the visual information obtained from any angle.
(If I can’t find the real body, then!)
Mayumi’s magic specialty is long-ranged precision shooting. If she can’t discern the target’s position, she can’t make use of her special skill.
But she is ‘one of the best long-ranged precision shooting magic users in the world’ and at the same time she is the eldest daughter and also, with due respect, the strongest magician in the Saegusa Family who carries the nickname ‘Versatile’. ‘Mark’ attacks aren’t the only cards on Mayumi’s hand.
(‘Parade’ is magic that diverts the enemy’s attack by putting illusions near them...)
Mayumi heard so about the features of ‘Parade’.
(Then Minoru-kun’s real body must be somewhere on the rooftop!)
Mayumi constructed a new Magic Sequence. ‘Dry Blizzard’, magic that rains down dry ice bullets.
An air cluster of carbon dioxide was formed three meters above the rooftop, and -80 degrees Celsius stones violently fell.
About two thirds of the rooftop was within its range. However there was no evidence showing that the attack had damaged Minoru.
But still, Mayumi was not disturbed. The Dry Blizzard barrage is just preparation for her favorite.
Mayumi formed a cage that imprisoned gas. Only gas was prevented from entering or exiting.
Inside it, dry ice was sublimated all at once.
The air cluster of minus dozens of degrees Celsius with very high carbon dioxide concentration covered half of the roof.
Mayumi shrank the cage while slowly ejecting any gas other than carbon dioxide, and at the same time she sharpened her senses towards its interior.
If Minoru is inside, he must use some kind of defensive magic. Even if you can falsify your real position, the signs of continued magic use should not be falsified. – So Mayumi thought.
But contrary to her expectations, no matter how much time passed, there was no indication of new magic in the rooftop.
Instead, Mayumi felt signs of a familiar powerful magic being produced above the ground.
The signs of the magic invoked near the back door of the hospital indicate that it’s her sisters’.
It was the Psion waves of Kasumi’s and Izumi’s Multiplicative Cast.
(—I was tricked!)
Mayumi finally became aware of the trick. Minoru’s goal has consistently been to invade the hospital from the rear entrance. Minoru’s illusion was a dummy to keep her away!
The illusion magic includes features such as perfect virtual image projection, remote battery magic and probably interference in magic detection. It is a Psion wave barrier that cannot be surpassed without the strong waves from Multiplicative Cast.
Mayumi left the gas isolation barrier as it was and ran on the rooftop to the side with the rear entrance.
(Kasumi-chan, Izumi-chan!)
She bit her eager screams to death. Kasumi and Izumi fell senseless. The worst-case scenario appeared to become reality.
But right now, Minoru’s capture takes precedence. At the very least, her sisters can’t receive medical treatment if Minoru is not driven back.
Minoru aims to extend his hand to the door of the rear entrance.
Mayumi used the large quantity of carbon dioxide she maintained on the rooftop and formed/shot dry ice bullets.
Minoru pulled his hand back and jumped a big distance backwards. Mayumi’s attack went through Minoru’s afterimage.
“Minoru-kun, surrender!”
Mayumi appealed, and Minoru raised his face.
There was no reply from Minoru, nor did he show in his attitude that he would obey Mayumi’s words.
Without hesitation, Mayumi aimed and shot dry ice bullets at Minoru.
(Again!?)
Her bullets overlapped with Minoru’s body and hit the ground behind him. ‘Parade’ once again. Mayumi instantly concluded.
Mayumi compressed the cluster of carbon dioxide under her control without solidifying it. The ten meters squared gas was pushed into a sphere with a one-meter diameter.
She threw that sphere towards Minoru.
The one-meter diameter sphere crashed into the road’s surface, spreading out as a hemisphere with a five-meter radius.
It didn’t scatter anymore. Her sisters are left outside the range. Mayumi didn’t forget that.
The carbon dioxide density is slightly above a level that causes poisoning. If there isn’t much difference between human and parasite metabolisms, Minoru should avoid breathing that gas in.
Mayumi produced a gentle gas current inside the hemisphere. It isn’t even strong enough to call it a gentle breeze. The direction is also not fixed. It looked random, but the weak air current had a complex regularity.
That stream was interrupted at a certain spot. It’s at a height from 170cm to 180cm. Around 50cm wide. Its size was a little bigger than Minoru’s body.
Mayumi made ‘Magic Bullet Shooter’ batteries inside that hemispherical dome and concentrated fire on that spot.
Signs of the hidden Minoru are exposed.
The appearance of a young boy who was standing still emerged from the weak light of the street lamp.
The ‘Parade’ wore out.
Mayumi increased the power of the shots and the density. Carbon dioxide to produce bullets was abundantly prepared. The fired bullets sublimate and return to gas, becoming material for bullets once again.
Suddenly, Minoru brought his hand up.
Mayumi thought it was a sign of surrender.
It couldn’t be said that there wasn’t an opportunity there.
However, at least the ‘Magic Bullet Shooter’ did not stop.
So it could be seen that Minoru’s counterattack happened regardless of the opportunity Mayumi gave him.
The Minoru’s illusion that lured Mayumi vanished when she released ‘Dry Blizzard’ on that spot.
There were no remnants of the illusion that disappeared in Mayumi’s consciousness.
Therefore she didn’t notice that a dark shadow was created where the virtual projection was.
Four long legs stretched from the shadow.
The head is formed after the neck, and a thin tail is connected on the other side. It resembles the silhouette of a tiger.
Fangs grew inside the wide-open mouth, and instead of a roar, thunder was released.
Mayumi turns around in panic.
The shadowy beast clad in thunderbolts was already before her eyes.
Mayumi was pushed down by the beast without doing anything.
The shadow stabbed Mayumi with its fangs.
Instead of blood gushing out from Mayumi’s body, her body was attacked by electric shocks that stole her consciousness.
Mayumi’s body shook and swayed and collapsed on the edge of the rooftop.
“Damn it!”
That scream was sent out from Minoru’s mouth.
“Mayumi-chan!”
Mayumi’s body falls.
Minoru constructed Gravity Control Magic to catch her.
But before that magic was released, Mayumi’s body was enveloped by a burly shadow of a person that came from the sky.
Mayumi falling from the roof was a complete miscalculation on Minoru’s part.
In confusion, he tried to release magic to help Mayumi.
But before that, she was rescued by a strong looking man.
Falling from the sky, he caught Mayumi in the air, controlled gravity and inertia and descended on the road without a sound. That person completely killed the momentum and landed silently. But Minoru’s ears were visited by auditory hallucinations that shook the ground with a thud.
“Juumonji-san...”
The burly person was Juumonji Family’s Juumonji Katsuto.
Katsuto held Mayumi in his arms, and turned his back to Minoru.
He gently laid her body down on the street.
?
Minoru did not attack Katsuto from behind. – No, he couldn’t.
Katsuto’s back swallowed his mind as if it were saying ‘wait a bit’.
Katsuto stood up and turned around.
Minoru stepped back, leaving behind the illusion of ‘Parade’ right away.
But the attempt at evasion was meaningless.
Transparent walls were created by Katsuto. Magic barriers given solidity and impenetrability, with length and width of over 1.8 meters, about two tatami mats [18] . It approaches Minoru at great speeds.
Minoru hurriedly jumped to the right.
It’s a barrier that doesn’t have any influence on anything but solid materials and physical power, but since it’s magic that gives the space the property of ‘transparent barrier that doesn’t let solid matter pass’, it is incompatible with the illusion that gives this same space a conflicting property definition. The ‘wall’ Katsuto used demolished Minoru’s ‘Parade’, and Minoru’s body appeared and quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Minoru dodged Katsuto’s attack by throwing himself down onto the road and immediately started to compile the next magic. ‘Ghost Walker’, the magic that disguises directions, recently learned from taking Zhou Gongjin’s knowledge in.
At the same time he ran to the left. If ‘Ghost Walker’ was successful, it should look to Katsuto as if he ran the opposite way.
But that escape was brought to a standstill in two steps. In his path, a physical barrier towered over him.
(‘Ghost Walker’ isn’t working?)
Minoru thought so for a moment, but he immediately realized his mistake.
Katsuto’s magic barrier was a cylinder built with a diameter of four meters and height of two meters.
A wall that surrounds him from all directions. This means the misrecognition of directions from ‘Ghost Walker’ is meaningless.
From just above, the walls draw closer. As if covering a cylindrical cage, a cylindrical ‘ceiling’ fell.
Minoru opposed the barrier magic that was crushing the encirclement by using the same physical shield.
He concentrated all of his energy into a 50cm diameter round shield against the cylindrical wall with a diameter of 4 meters.
Both Minoru’s and Katsuto’s barriers broke at the same time.
Without delay, Minoru invoked jumping magic and escaped from the inside of the ‘cage’.
When he landed, Minoru pressed against the road with one knee. The Juumonji Family carries the nickname ‘Iron Wall’, and its strongest magician attacked him with barrier magic. Katsuto spread his power widely, and it was possible for Minoru to barely offset it by concentrating his strength in a narrow range. This tug of war was heavily exhausting Minoru.
However, Minoru had no time to take a break or recover his strength.
Katsuto isn’t a generous person who would allow him to take a break.
Before he could be chased, Minoru released counterattacking magic.
‘Cloudless Thunder’.
Among the Release-Type Magic he excels at, this interpersonal magic is a technique that has a very high offensive ability. Given Minoru’s current exhaustion, it was by no means magic he can use lightly. But half-hearted attacks wouldn’t affect Katsuto.
A group of air molecules turned into plasma. From there, an electron shower rained down towards Katsuto.
But it didn’t reach Katsuto.
Even the group of positive ions that fell like snow shortly afterwards were stopped by the magical barrier.
This was within Minoru’s expectations.
It was not bravado, from the start Minoru didn’t think he could cause damage to Katsuto with ‘Cloudless Thunder’. The goal was to shift the momentum by cutting Katsuto’s attacks temporarily.
(How about this!)
Minoru took out a token – a card with a black luster from his pocket, and turned it towards Katsuto.
A four-legged beast whose body was only colored in black leapt out of the token and attacked Katsuto.
It was Zhou Gongjin’s offensive magic ‘Shadow Beast’, adapted from western Ancient Magic called ‘Hellhound’. If classified like Modern Magic, it could be said to be a kind of Outer-Systematic Magic that invents the truth of an attack, using as a foothold the optical illusion of sustaining an attack from fangs and nails.
(It’s Outer-Systematic Magic that changes fate from the astral side. Physical shields should not defend against it!)
The black chemical body draws closer to Katsuto.
However, the jet black ‘Shadow Beast’ crashed into the magical barrier without touching Katsuto’s body.
(...Does the barrier magic of the Juumonji Family, by limiting the targets to defend, have property preservation features to keep other spatial attributes as they should naturally be?)
Minoru was not shaken by the result, and calmly analyzed Katsuto’s magic from the phenomenon he just witnessed.
The Juumonji Family’s barrier magic ‘Phalanx’. What is troublesome for Minoru is not the defense itself, it’s that it combines Zone Interference properties.
Field magic that doesn’t allow phenomenon modification in a space except the caster’s closed-off barrier definition.
Neither illusions nor chemical bodies are projected into space. If it doesn’t exceed Katsuto’s Phalanx, it will be erased by the barrier. Minoru took Zhou Gongjin’s techniques and assimilating a parasite has increased his speed, but the power remains as it was before. Minoru still had phenomenon interference power superior to most magicians, but regrettably it was not enough to hit past Katsuto’s barrier with brute force.
Minoru scattered copies of himself and quickly turned and jumped to the shadows. It wasn’t ‘Parade’, but simple virtual images he created to preserve magic resources. And while Katsuto’s eyes were disoriented, he let out magic in quick succession.
– ‘Spark’ ‘Cloudless Thunder’ ‘Plasma Bullet’ ‘Hot Wind Blade’
From the magic he is used to from every day usage,
– ‘Nitrogen Storm’ ‘Dry Blizzard’
He attacked with diverse techniques, going as far as using the Saegusa sisters’ specialty magic with the intent of striking a surprised Katsuto.
But all of that was stopped by Katsuto’s defense.
Then, making a small hole, he hurled offensive Phalanx barriers.
Instead of concentrating in one place dozens of times, he shot towards all of the scattered illusions.
Before long, one of them hit Minoru.
‘Offensive Phalanx’ is a magic that crushes a body, by destroying the opponent’s defenses with repeated strikes on their solid impenetrable barriers. If it’s only one barrier, it’s not much different than normal Weight-Type Magic. Minoru’s physical shield and Katsuto’s barrier counterbalanced each other.
By counterbalancing, his whereabouts were exposed to Katsuto.
The ‘offensive Phalanx’ advanced.
‘Ghost Walker’ would not make it in time.
Minoru cancelled his own shield and activated accelerating magic at the same time.
Katsuto’s barrier sent Minoru flying.
With the utmost effort, Minoru kept his consciousness from being interrupted by the pain, and amplified his momentum to fly upward.
While bearing deep wounds on his ribs and internal organs, he raised himself more and more with anti-gravity magic.
In the darkness, Minoru’s body ascended vigorously.
With his body full of wounds, he flew through the lowest clouds and carried out his escape.
Mayumi and her sisters were brought to the hospital where Minami was hospitalized. When Tatsuya and Miyuki rushed in, Kasumi and Izumi weren’t awake yet, but Mayumi had not completely lost her consciousness so she was already up on the bed with the ability to have a conversation.
“Anyway, what matters most is that there were no serious injuries.”
“I think this is all Minoru-kun allowed himself to do.”
To Tatsuya’s words, Mayumi expressed a self-deprecative smile.
“...Minoru-kun’s objective is only Minami-chan, he didn’t intend on seriously opposing us, most likely.”
“Rather than not intending to oppose, isn’t it that he didn’t want to become your enemy?”
To Miyuki’s consolation too, only bitter responses returned.
“Senpai...”
“...I’m sorry. I was childish.”
Tatsuya raised his voice to reproach Mayumi, who seems to have finally recognized her own lackluster attitude.
“No...I think it’s natural to be frustrated when you lose.”
To Miyuki’s words, Mayumi’s face revealed a groan and tilted her head.
“...Miyuki-san, have you ever lost?”
“...Yes, umm...I have, but...”
“S-Sorry. I asked something weird.”
“By the way, is Juumonji-senpai still chasing Minoru?”
Tatsuya changed the topic before the atmosphere became strange.
“Yes. But I didn’t hear it directly from him.”
Mayumi responded, also taking advantage of Tatsuya’s incentive.
“The people of the Juumonji Family said so.”
Mayumi let out a small breath. She wasn’t ridiculing herself, not pitying herself, it was a sigh of admiration.
“Juumonji-kun really is amazing...He repelled Minoru-kun with no injuries, I can’t say it enough.”
“Juumonji-senpai’s skills are definitely magnificent...but I think Juumonji-senpai would have a harder fight if he was alone.”
At Miyuki’s words, Mayumi tilted her head with a ‘uh?’.
“Fighting Kasumi-chan and Izumi-chan, and then fighting Saegusa-senpai, Minoru-kun must have been considerably exhausted too. Without your struggles, Juumonji-senpai would have been hurt.”
“Is that right...? No, it is right. I will believe so. Thank you, Miyuki-san.”
Mayumi smiled at Miyuki, and Miyuki responded to that with a small bow.
Afterwards, they talked to both Kasumi and Izumi who woke up, and then returned to their home.
They didn’t visit Minami’s hospital room. They only visited in the evening, and they heard that Minami was already asleep as she was tired from rehab.
“Seems like our senpai and the twins have gone home.”
While looking at the screen of the portable terminal in the living room, Tatsuya told Miyuki of its contents.
“I think it would be better to stay at the hospital for one night...but I guess it’s easier to calm down at their own home?”
“You can’t calm down at a hospital that is led by the Yotsuba Family. Maybe they could, but Head-dono of the Saegusa Family can’t.”
“Onii-sama, you’re mean...But that may be the case.”
Confronted by Miyuki’s quick change in attitude, Tatsuya only smiled sarcastically.
Tatsuya let his smile end, and Miyuki too smiled in relief. Perhaps she thought she was ‘failing’ her own change in attitude [19] .
“By the way, Onii-sama. Can Juumonji-senpai capture Minoru-kun?”
It is undeniable that ‘must change topic’ was in Miyuki’s mind. But in spite of that, Miyuki was seriously concerned with the result of Minoru’s pursuit.
“It will be difficult.”
Tatsuya’s answer was concise and pessimistic.
Tatsuya knows the power Minoru holds in his hands – this was not the reason.
“Juumonji Family’s magic is revealed even in their nicknames, ‘Iron Wall’ and ‘Capital’s Final Defensive Wall’, meaning they are adequate for defending a base. They show incomparable power in intercepting and repelling an enemy, but it’s likely that they are not cut out for pursuit and capture jobs.”
“Now that you mention it, I remember that they didn’t even actively participate in the pursuit of parasites during the last ‘Vampire Incident‘.”
“Everyone has good and weak points. Juumonji-senpai also thinks his nature fits ambushes rather than chases.”
“Oh, Onii-sama. I think aptitude and nature are not always aligned.”
“...You got me there.”
Tatsuya raised both his hands while smiling, and Miyuki responded with a prideful smile.
“Apart from what Juumonji-senpai thinks.”
The jokey smile vanished from Tatsuya’s face.
Miyuki also returned to meek expression.
“The scope of Minoru’s activities was naturally restricted, as his goal is to invade the hospital. If he is bound by the policy of avoiding destroying the hospital as much as he can, his invasion routes are limited to the front entrance, the night entrance, the staff entrance, the rear entrance and the rooftop. If you are Juumonji-senpai, you’re better off waiting for Minoru to jump straight into your palm.”
“But Minoru-kun has ‘Parade’ and ‘Ghost Walker’. Both magics cause you to lose sight of what’s in front of you. Even knowing it is coming, doesn’t it make it hard to capture him?”
“It is not necessary to know exactly where Minoru is. At least not for Juumonji-senpai.”
“...I’m sorry, what do you mean?”
“Magic barriers aren’t useful just for protecting the inside from the outside. They can also be used to lock up what’s inside so it won’t go outside.”
Miyuki whispered ‘ah’, hitting her hand on her mouth.
“I don’t know in detail to what scale Juumonji-senpai can extend his magical barriers, but it probably doesn’t reach 10 or 20 meters. If he predicts Minoru’s activity area he can surround that area. If this is done, he can’t escape with ‘Parade’ or ‘Ghost Walker’.“
“I see, if you know where he’s coming from, if you’re Juumonji-senpai...”
“You can capture him, regardless of his camouflage magic.”
“Still, in situations where you can’t identify where he is heading, isn’t it difficult to beat ‘Parade’ and ‘Ghost Walker’?”
“I think so. If your reasoning is correct, it should be difficult to capture an escaping Minoru.”
Tatsuya finished talking, and revealed a bitter smile as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Of course, we’re not talking about whether I can capture him. It would be hard for me to capture him even with Elemental Sight if he uses ‘Parade’ and ‘Ghost Walker’.”
“Is that so...”
“Leaving the search to someone else may be the fastest way...Let’s hope for the Saegusa Family’s and the Kudou Family’s investigation network.”
“That was a disaster...”
Minoru kept his back to the seat of the Cabinet, spitting out words of regret to himself together with a sigh of relief.
Just ten minutes ago he shook off the Juumonji Family’s pursuit unit commanded by Katsuto, and boarded a Cabinet to go towards the Hokuriku region.
With the assistance of the parasite’s healing ability, he had already healed the injuries inflicted by Katsuto.
Seating in the trailer of the Cabinet, Minoru changed his face with ‘Parade’, and he was convinced that he finally ‘got away’.
But he still couldn’t remove the ‘Parade’ disguise. Privacy is officially guaranteed inside the Cabinet, but he doesn’t know how reliable that is. Maybe they set surveillance cameras for public protection. Also, there is no guarantee that the Ten Master Clans won’t peep from that camera.
Even so, he was freed from his tension, even if not completely, and Minoru got some room to look back at his failure this evening.
Minoru didn’t intent to underestimate the Ten Master Clans. But as seen by the result, he had no choice but to admit that he did underestimate them. He intended to kidnap Minami alone. He expected that it was possible.
But in practice, he couldn’t even invade the hospital. He was doing good until he incapacitated the three Saegusa sisters, but he was forced to give up on Minami’s abduction when he was opposed by the head of the Juumonji Family.
Mayumi, Kasumi and Izumi were also not easy to defeat. It may be seen as a victory that the fights concluded in a short time, but the three of them were far tougher than he expected.
Neither Kasumi nor Izumi would have fought as hard if they were alone. Even if they attacked at the same time, one plus one is not a threat to the current Minoru.
But the unification of the two with Multiplicative Cast definitely drove Minoru to a wall.
The outside of his body was frozen by the Izumi-led magic, it was not an act to get his opponents to lower their guard. If the parasite didn’t have a healing ability, that would have been checkmate.
The ‘Nitrogen Storm’ right after too, if you don’t know in advance about these two’s magic specialties, the counterattack may have not been decided that skillfully.
Mayumi was even stronger than Kasumi and Izumi using Multiplicative Magic. The deciding move, the Ancient Magic from the continent, the attack technique that uses chemical bodies as a medium, was originally not supposed to be used this evening.
It was completely unexpected that Mayumi would break ‘Parade’.
And then, Juumonji Katsuto. Minoru didn’t know Katsuto well. Though they had met once, all that remained in his memory was nothing but simple greetings.
It was clear now that they crossed swords. No, it should be said crossed a sword with a shield.
Katsuto truly was an ‘Iron Wall’. Even looking back at it again, a mental image on how to break through his protection didn’t appear at all.
That he had just fought the Saegusa sisters was no excuse.
It was true that he was exhausted from the successive battles.
But that was according to Minoru’s predictions, and he decided to attack tonight.
Besides the exhaustion from the fight against the sisters, he doesn’t think he could outwit Katsuto. He doesn’t think he would lose, but he also wouldn’t beat him.
(...He might be an even more formidable opponent than Tatsuya-san for me...)
The intrinsic features of Phalanx completely nullify illusions and chemical bodies.
He has tactics to attack his ‘masks’ by locking up the ‘range’ of ‘Parade’.
I can’t defeat him with just my own strength.
In the seat of the Cabinet, Minoru harshly scolded himself in chagrin.
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