His central nervous system was afflicted by the nitric oxide and he was exposed to oxygen deprivation, thus Minoru’s body ceased its activity.
But his mind was a parasite, and it recognized the outside world, it had not lost the ability to influence the outside world.
(You guys, go!)
Minoru ordered the 16 Parasidolls to start fighting.
Minoru had completely removed their seal just a short time before. They were originally frozen for repairs, but they were in a state where they could work at any time. The Parasidolls quickly rose from their coffin-like case and ran off towards the open door.
After that, he restored the nitrogen oxide in the storeroom back to oxygen and nitrogen.
When the air became breathable, the healing ability automatically activated.
He knew now that he had fallen with his face to the ground.
He raised his body by pressing both hands against the floor.
“If I was human, I would have lost...”
Minoru murmured with a bitter, weak voice.
To advance a distance of about 50 meters, Ayako took no less than a minute.
The enemies are attacking one after the other.
The opponents all seem to be Ancient Magicians, ‘traditional magicians’ that came from the continent.
Ayako’s abilities are not oriented for direct combat. Moreover, they are suited for wide areas, so battles like this were situations she is extremely weak in.
Nevertheless, without fleeing and erasing her appearance – those are Ayako’s strongest points – she left seven traditional magicians crawling on the ground.
The successive attacks by the enemies come to an end, and Ayako breathed in relief. The traditional magicians were by no means weak judging by their abilities. Ayako thought she was poor at direct combat, but she defeated them without as much as a scratch.
She had assistance from the way the opponents fight. On her side there’s one person, on theirs there’s seven. Yet, instead of seven attacking at the same time, the next person came as soon as the other was defeated, and this way there was absolutely no coordination.
In addition, the attacking patterns of each traditional magician were monotonous. Ancient Magic is good at deceiving the opponent’s five senses, surprising the opponent with unexpected attacks that are impossible to fight against, and ending the battle with a decisive blow from destroying the enemy mentally. If they confront from the front, they are no match for Modern Magic, which excels at speed.
That should have been known to the enemy traditional magicians. But as they attacked Ayako, they were very straightforward by only attacking with visualized fireballs, lightning attacks that radiated in their hands temporarily, and winds that were given trajectories that were easy to understand by how they waved their hands.
“Have they been taken over?”
The magic that steals the opponents will and makes them a slave for battle also exists in the Yotsuba Family. The traditional magician’s movements were similar to the puppets made with that kind of magic.
Kudou Minoru also has hypnotic suggestion type abilities. Ayako appended this to her mental notes and started walking again in order to lend a hand to Fumiya in the battle.
But within three steps, Fumiya rushed out of the storeroom.
Before raising her voice to ask what happened, a female model robot ran off from the inside of the storehouse and chased after Fumiya
Ayako understood its true identity.
It’s not a simple battle female android.
It’s a Parasidoll. A humanoid weapon that uses magic from the evil spirit it carries.
A group of Parasidolls attacked Fumiya.
Some of them changed direction towards Ayako.
The opponent Fumiya should defeat is not the Parasidolls. That group is being manipulated by Kudou Minoru.
Parasidolls are autonomous weapons. They can continue fighting with their own decisions without being given orders. But if he defeats Minoru who currently has the authority to give orders, the research institute’s staff can inscribe new orders.
In that sense, fighting Minoru should be priority. Exhausting energy and physical strength against the Parasidolls is foolish.
But even if Fumiya tried to avoid the fight, the Parasidolls would not allow it.
Fumiya jumped straight up. By escaping in the sky, he believed he would shake off the Parasidolls.
But two Parasidolls ran after him from the ground, at a speed superior to his.
Those figures were going in a straight line, like humanoid cannonballs.
Fumiya noticed the signs of magic and made a big jump sideways. But the humanoid machine carrying the evil spirit didn’t let Fumiya escape, by tracing his movements.
Each Parasidoll specializes in specific magic. Rather than a magician, it is closer to a Supernatural Power User. The mobility of the individual specializing in Movement-Type Magic surpassed Fumiya’s own.
Was this desperation?
Fumiya released ‘Direct Pain’ to the approaching Parasidoll.
However, it produced no change in the Parasidoll’s behavior.
“A miss!?”
Fumiya was becoming agitated.
At that moment, the two Parasidolls caught up with Fumiya.
One of the Parasidolls swinged her left hand. Right after, a thin steel string extended from inside her wrist.
Fumiya instinctively formed a physical shield.
The steel string was indistinguishable from the darkness, and it coiled around Fumiya from the top the shield.
The other Parasidoll carried a short, bifurcated spear. Between the tips of the straight blades that faced one another was a thin gap.
A flashing light appeared between the two blades.
The Parasidoll aimed the short spear at Fumiya, scattering sparks from the electric discharge.
Fumiya charged towards the steel string Parasidoll.
By shortening the distance, the steel string became loose.
The steel string that was entangled counterclockwise was brushed away by Fumiya with a clockwise air current.
Fumiya leaned his body to dodge the short spear approaching from behind.
In the next moment, the Parasidoll who sent out the steel string embraced Fumiya. Fumiya, who had just dodged the spear couldn’t do anything to avoid this.
The Parasidoll fell to the ground, still holding Fumiya in her arms.
Fumiya used ‘Direct Pain’ against the Parasidoll clinging to him.
But–,
As before, there is no effect.
(Does this have no effect against these guys!?)
Fumiya finally realized.
‘Direct Pain’ is a magic that directly attacks the mind by making the body feel pain.
From the start, the humanoid machines have no sense of pain, thus no pain can be dealt to the spiritual Information Body with ‘Direct Pain’.
Fumiya hit the ground along with the clinging Parasidoll. Inertia control was insufficient, as it only reduced damage enough to barely avoid bone fractures.
“Fumiya!?”
Ayako’s frantic scream kept Fumiya’s consciousness from flying away.
Fumiya reflexively turned his eyes to Ayako.
Ayako was completely surrounded by three Parasidolls.
Her ‘Mock Teleportation’ doesn’t allow to slip through obstacles. She can’t escape with that.
In spite of herself being in danger, she anxiously called out Fumiya’s name.
“Out of my way!”
Fumiya was becoming agitated.
His mouth let out a shout.
Blowing off the Parasidoll clinging to him with an explosive Acceleration-Type Magic, Fumiya started running as he rose up.
“I said out of my way!”
He hit the face of a Parasidoll who was trying to stab him with a knife with his knuckleduster. This CAD’s main body is the gripped part and the part wrapped on his fist can be used as a weapon normally.
Fumiya did not pursue the staggering Parasidoll. A slashing repulsive force field was shot from the sides, which he avoided with quick movements and stopped with compressed air bullets.
Fumiya suddenly invoked Self-Acceleration Magic.
In an instant, he appeared behind one of the Parasidolls encircling his older sister.
At the same time he attacked with his right fist, Weight-Type Magic was invoked.
The repulsive force produced at that point destroyed the power supply unit inside the Parasidoll.
With the power supply cut off, the motor sustaining the machine’s body halted.
The Parasidoll violently shook and swayed, and then fell down.
With one corner of the circle destroyed, Fumiya hit the other two with a wind blast, making them walk back, and grabbed Ayako’s hand.
“Nee-san, we’re withdrawing for now!”
Turning around, Ayako noticed that the obstacles are gone.
She invoked ‘Mock Teleportation’ and both their bodies vanished from there.
The moment just before they moved, Fumiya felt like he heard Minoru scream.
Minoru recovered from his paralysis with the help of the parasite’s healing ability and turned his attention to the outside of the storehouse.
The battle is ongoing. That is to say the Parasidolls haven’t been annihilated. It seems the Parasidolls’ fighting abilities are a match for that magician just now, Kuroba Fumiya.
His objective today was to take the Parasidolls away, as they are valuable assets. Winning the battle here is unnecessary. Take advantage of the other person’s surprise as they concentrate on the fight with the Parasidolls and escape from the research institute with ‘Ghost Walker’. That was Minoru’s plan.
Minoru went towards the storehouse’s exit
But he was suddenly assaulted with a feeling of intoxication.
Was this the effect of ‘NOx Out’ from a little while ago? Minoru suspected so.
But he quickly realized it wasn’t so. This is certainly a symptom from the nitric oxide synthetized from ‘NOx Out’. However, this magic just now was invoked by someone other than Minoru.
An extremely small ‘NOx Out’ that limited its effect to the area around Minoru’s head. Moreover, he only sensed this complex magic when it was completed. Minoru only knows one person who has such finesse.
Minoru created a downward air current to blow away the nitrogen oxide and oxygen deprivation formed around him.
And he searched for signs of the caster who should be inside the storehouse.
“Ojii-sama!”
That person was standing just two meters away from Minoru.
He had got closer until then without being detected. Because of that fact, Minoru was shivering from humiliation.
“You didn’t perceive the magic until now...Disappointing. Really disappointing.”
Kudou Retsu’s behavior was as if he wasn’t in front of an enemy.
“I suppose this means I didn’t value you properly.”
Remorse. And deep sorrow.
“I couldn’t recognize your true value. I didn’t really understand what you wanted.”
It was like he was repenting.
“You were precious to me.”
“You were pitiable to me.”
“At least, I thought I had to protect you.”
“But...”
Retsu cut his words and turned his face up like he was looking at the sky.
It looked like he was trying to endure the falling tears.
“Looks like I was wrong.”
Wrong, this word also came out of Minoru’s mouth.
– It’s not Ojii-sama’s fault.
– Ojii-sama, there was nothing wrong.
But in the end, Minoru could not convey this to his grandfather.
He has not become a person qualified to talk with his grandfather. Such thoughts abruptly rose up inside Minoru and sealed his lips shut.
“You must have been a person who wished to earn some kind of recompense in life, instead of living a long life in a bed. To you, my love must have been nothing but restraints.”
“......”
“But Minoru.”
Retsu’s tone changed.
“I still can’t approve the current you.”
He understands and accepts his regrets. His repentance was decided.
“I can’t even recognize you, you aren’t even human anymore. I can’t overlook the existence of an evil spirit who seeks to harm the world of people.”
“Ojii-sama, I–!”
I have no intention of harming human society. He began saying so, but Minoru realized he had lost the qualifications to say it.
“The Ten Master Clans decided to capture you without killing you. But if you are imprisoned, a life as an experimental animal is awaiting you. That is too much for me to bear.”
Minoru’s heart received a mighty shock.
Minoru knew what Retsu was going to say.
“This is minimal mercy. Minoru, you will go to the netherworld by this grandfather’s hands.”
Lethal magic was released by Retsu.
Minoru’s human mind tried to accept it.
But his parasite mind refused to be destroyed.
Minoru suddenly regained his consciousness. No, maybe it’s more adequate to say that he regained his sense of reality.
It felt as if he was watching a dream as he stood up.
Outside the storehouse, the battle is still ongoing.
The time spent losing himself was not that long.
He looked around his body.
Here and there his clothes were torn and burned, but his wounds were mostly healed. The healing abilities of the parasite were still restoring his body.
He raised his eyes.
He moved them so they looked straight ahead.
In the dark storehouse floor, a shadow was collapsed.
Who is this? He twisted his head in that moment.
And in the next moment, he got his answer.
“Ojii-sama!?”
Minoru shouted and ran up to him.
He put his hand on Retsu’s body, which had fallen with its face to the ground.
However, as he rocked his shoulder, Minoru removed his hand.
He understood.
His grandfather was dead.
He killed him himself.
“Uwaaaaaa!”
Screams escaped from Minoru’s mouth.
Discord surfaces in Minoru’s heart.
With the sounds of his own heart cracking, one part of Minoru recognized that he didn’t care at all.
Minoru attacked the former Ninth Research Institute and left with 15 Parasidolls.
He left behind an injured researcher, a broken Parasidoll, a captured traditional magician and –,
The remains of Kudou Retsu.
“His Excellency Kudou died...”
Tatsuya got the news late at night in the same day, with a phone call by Fumiya.
“Yes...All this because I was worthless...”
“That’s not right Fumiya.”
Fumiya undoubtedly needed Tatsuya’s consolation.
Tatsuya’s words were what he desired.
Naturally, Tatsuya didn’t intend to offer words of consolation.
“You did well. Besides Minoru, you also dealt with a group of Parasidolls. Your withdrawal was inevitable.”
“...Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“...Thank you, Tatsuya-niisan.”
“Don’t worry too much about what happened to his Excellency. What happened between his Excellency and Minoru was, essentially, an internal problem of the Kudou Family. There is no need for the Yotsuba Family to feel responsible for what happened inside the Ninth Research Institute.”
“Yes...”
Afterwards, Tatsuya comforted Ayako who appeared on the terminal screen and then hanged up the phone.
As he received the phone call in his own room, Miyuki doesn’t yet know that Retsu has died.
It is already late today. It’s fine to tell her tomorrow morning.
Tatsuya postponed sharing it since he wanted to sort the information in his head.
Minoru seized 15 Parasidolls.
The fighting abilities of the Parasidolls is something Tatsuya knows well. Parasidolls that use their telepathy-like ability to share a single intention become tougher existences if they are in groups.
Even more, they have a parasite leader who has the same thought-sharing ability – Minoru.
He could predict it was not going to be an easy opponent without thinking too deeply.
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