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Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 7 - Yokohama Disturbance (II) - Chapter 11.3




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The speed for Flying-Type Magic depended on the Magician's familiarity and training with this magic. Tatsuya, who designed the magic, probably understood it better than anyone alive. Based on his current flight speed, he would be able to traverse the distance between the trailer that served as a mobile base and Yanagi's unit in a short period of time.

The scenery flew by. While Tatsuya did his utmost to train his eyesight on the move during combat training, trying to do so while flying was never something a human being was supposed to be able to accomplish. Under these conditions, he couldn't overestimate his own physical capabilities. Thus, along with the naked eye, he was using Elemental Sight as a radar to search for obstacles in the air with his consciousness.

He was entirely reliant on that to find those particular things.

The small flying object that only measured 1 meter in length. The pitch black, bird-like flying machine was undoubtedly the low altitude unmanned observation drone. It was currently at the target area — where Yanagi's unit was in combat — and circling overhead. In order to avoid being detected by the drone's magic sensors, Tatsuya flew far above the drone, pulled out a CAD with his right hand, and disengaged the Flying-Type Magic.

Just like that, he plummeted downwards. Just before he made contact with the unmanned drone, Tatsuya activated Decomposition Magic "Mist Dispersal".

The unmanned drone instantly disintegrated into dust and blew away in the air.

Once more activating Flying-Type Magic, Tatsuya prepared to land.

 

The sudden loss of the images from the unmanned drone plunged the invasion command center into chaos.

Although the machine that stopped transmitting was not one of a kind, these highly expensive drones did not come with spares. Undoubtedly, they had lost their precious "eyes".

While they appeared to have launched a successful surprise attack on an enemy nation, the reverse was true in that they were also isolated deep within enemy territory. Losing one of the methods to verify the battlefield conditions exerted considerable pressure on them.

 

By the time Tatsuya met up with Yanagi, the initial fighting had already died down and Yanagi was in the process of providing medical treatment for the wounded.

"Special Lieutenant, excellent timing."

Before Tatsuya could speak, Yanagi identified his figure and immediately called him over.

After saluting Yanagi smartly, Tatsuya swept a gaze over the wounded whose armor had already been removed.

"We've already removed the bullets. The rest is up to you."

His helm off, Yanagi's exposed face didn't betray any expression, but his eyes betrayed his emotions.

"Understood."

Tatsuya gave a decisive answer that rejected Yanagi's guilt as unnecessary while pulling out the silver CAD from his left waist.

The groans from the wounded ceased immediately. In place of that, Yanagi could hear Tatsuya clenching his teeth behind his closed lips.

 

After obtaining an overview of the enemy forces thanks to Honoka's magic, Suzune felt that there were less invading troops than she expected.

"—Don't you think the battle line is too stretched out."

"Now, what was once known as a battle line has ceased to exist."

Suzune answered Mari's question without any hesitation.

"Conflicts are still breaking out throughout the inland areas. Using infiltrated guerrillas to take out transportation and communications while the amphibious forces make a beeline for the suppression targets...... I think that is the basic plan for the invading army."

"If Rin-chan says so, then that must be it...... Then, what is the enemy's objective?"

Not only did Mayumi tilt her head in consideration, even Suzune ruminated on this as well.

"......As Mayumi predicted, one of them must be the Kantou branch for the Magic Association, that much is certain. Another objective is probably aimed at the civilians attempting to flee by sea, probably with taking hostages in mind."

"Hostages?"

"I doubt they are trying to massacre civilians. If that was the case, they would have sent a missile boat rather than a landing vessel. Hostage exchange, ransom...... The final objective remains unclear."

"So that means there is less danger of being suddenly bombarded by cannon fire or guided missiles, correct?"

Suzune mentioned this aloud as she watched the large crowds of civilians gathered near the lobby near the station's ticket stands.

"Earlier, Kyouko said that reinforcements from Tsurumi are almost here. Taking the route into consideration, we should protect the civilians near Mizuho Wharf and then throw any remaining forces into sweeping out the enemy."

"Agreed. I think so too."

Suzune nodded her head at Mayumi's prediction.

"If the enemy's intent is to take hostages, they will definitely come here, where the defenses are weaker...... I will — actually, let's go help Kanon's side first."

"Indeed..... Although their numbers are few, the other side has Miyuki with them."

Mayumi expressed her agreement to Mari's plan of deployment.

"Ah~, that girl's Freezing Magic probably qualifies for combat level."

Mayumi and Mari exchanged wry smiles. They were probably contemplating "those siblings......"

"......Still, Mari, don't push yourself too hard. It's not a good thing for you to face off against mechanized troops."

"I got it."

Watching Mari's figure as she trotted away, the previously silent Honoka who was standing nearby fearfully struck up a conversation with Mayumi.

"Uh, should I join the defenders? If not the front line, I can still offer support from the back."

Honoka must have gathered all of her courage to say that. Mayumi smiled and shook her head from side to side.

"Mitsui needs to be here to help when the helicopters arrive. Also, Miyuki-chan and Kanon-chan's mission is not to defend but to be on guard. We are not professional combat Magicians, so there's no need to run the risk of combat or seek combat at all. Instead, we should be considering how to escape."

Mayumi warned her in a slightly mischievous tone.

But half of Honoka was certain that Miyuki and Erika would never flee from battle.

She turned an uneasy gaze on Shizuku only to find the same look mirrored in her dear friend's eyes.

The "guard team" Mayumi spoke of — which was really the "defense team" — had split into two groups to defend the two access routes just as Suzune predicted. Just when they were about to reach the point of no return, Kirihara suddenly turned to Sayaka and opened his mouth.

"Mibu...... I think you should head to the rear."

Kirihara's words prompted Sayaka to turn a surprised look on him that practically screamed "Why are you saying this now?"

"Kirihara-kun, I am also a swordsman. I have the resolution to stand on the battlefield."

"Don't go any further!"

At this, Kirihara finally exploded. That was enough to cause Sayaka to just stand there with widened eyes.

"Do not speak of 'resolution' so frivolously!"

"......Kirihara-kun?"

"Kirihara-senpai...... Why are you so angry?"

Sayaka and Erika, who was watching this scene with some amazement, both asked at the same time. After venting, Kirihara relaxed somewhat.

"I...... don't want Mibu's sword to be stained by blood."

Even though she was astonished by these unexpected words, Sayaka couldn't help but form her own rebuttal.

"But...... swords are meant to be......"

"I understand that sort of thing."

—Kirihara cut short whatever she wanted to say.

"Swords are tools men use to make war on each other and, unlike spears and arrows, were the first weapon created to cut humans. So, it is not necessarily wrong to say that a swordsman's hands must be stained by blood."

Kirihara confirmed Sayaka's words. Following that, he called upon a higher "law" to reject it.

"However, kendo was never something that needed live weapons to determine the victor. Is it really a good thing to advance from an athletic activity to a skill for killing?"

Until Kirihara fully calmed down, regardless of whether it was Sayaka or Erika, both could only wordlessly listen to him as he continued.

"I...... In middle school, I always thought that Mibu's sword was wonderful. Her techniques were graceful and her form simply beautiful. There was nothing nefarious in it and it existed solely to train herself in the art of kenjutsu...... No, that is kendo. I am entirely unable to wield such a wondrous sword. At that time, ah, I wished — that her sword would forever hold that beauty and continue to shine forth with that brilliant luster. So...... Well, ach, seriously, how the heck am I supposed to say this!?"

"I understand, senpai."

Seeing Kirihara clutch at his head not knowing how to continue, Erika spoke up in a different tone than before.

"At your match during recruitment week, I saw Sayaka's sword advancing in the correct direction, but I guess Kirihara-senpai thought otherwise. The idea that the true sword is completely different than kendo — probably because I'm different from senpai in that I am more attuned to using a sword to kill people, because I don't think that way."

"Erika-chan......"

Erika's heavy tone caused Sayaka to grow a little concerned. On the other hand, Kirihara stood there in shock and was unable to muster anything in response.

"However, Kirihara-senpai, the ultimate decision rests with Saya."

Erika's sharp eyes pierced through Kirihara's orbs.

"It's true that live combat is entirely different than combat training. There is nothing wrong in Kirihara-senpai not wishing Saya's hands and sword to be dirtied by blood. Yet, Saya is definitely not the sort to allow the target of her affections to charge into danger alone. She would want to fight alongside her beloved."

Both Sayaka and Kirihara blushed at that. Their embarrassment undoubtedly arose from the term "beloved". Still, this wasn't the time and place to express their affections, so both of them held themselves in check.

"......Oops, I think I said something I shouldn't have."

Even Erika was getting a little bashful, so she was in no position to say anything about Kirihara and Sayaka.

"I think this third wheel is going to quit the field. You two can discuss how best to proceed from here."

Erika quickly left the area.

After calming down, Sayaka and Kirihara both exchanged a glance.

 

Without any way to access a bird's eye view of the situation, Masaki and Kichijouji of Third High had no way of knowing that the enemy force wasn't very large.

The sum total of the enemy's forces included the amphibious vessel disguised as a large cargo ship (pretty much a transport for land forces) and the irregulars who infiltrated ahead of time. Also, their goal was to seize objectives rather than prepare for a massive invasion.

"Is it already over......?"

Unaware of this, Masaki expressed amazement that the enemy's attacks had broken off, and this was not because he was a battlemonger.

"There's no way of telling if it's over for real. After all, we have no way of receiving intel."

Masaki's muttering to himself received a response from Kichijouji, who was approaching from behind.

In his immediate surroundings, there was no one else save for Kichijouji. There was no sign of his other companions, only blood soaked corpses piled ahead.

"So we need to take this opportunity to escape."

Kichijou said this in all seriousness as he watched Masaki put the handgun-shaped CAD that was glowing faintly red back into his chest pocket.

"We've already changed the tires. Masaki, let's get on board the bus."

Saying so, he turned around to see the students originally ready to meet the enemy had already congregated around the bus's location.

"Come on. The sooner we leave the better."

Kichijouji prodded Masaki.

Yet, Masaki shook his head.

"Masaki?"

"I'm going to head for the Magic Association branch office."

"That's too risky!"

His eyes widening, Kichijouji immediately expressed his disagreement to Masaki's words.

"First of all, for what!?"

Masaki wore an oddly detached expression as he replied back to his bestirred friend.

"To reinforce them. The Magicians from the Association couldn't possibly just be sitting there doing nothing. They must have formed a volunteer unit and joined in the defense."

"So what!"

"Because I am an 'Ichijou'."

These softly spoken words caused Kichijouji to suck in a breath.

"......Don't tell me, this is because of what happened earlier? No one meant anything by that. It's just that they weren't accustomed to it, they don't see Masaki as......"

"I wouldn't even bother with trivial things like that."

Masaki bulled over Kichijouji's words and shook his head.

"The first time I stepped onto the battlefield, I wanted to throw up too."

A wry smile appeared on Masaki's face as he added, "But I didn't."

Kichijouji felt that a distinct sense of loneliness emanating from that face.

"In addition, there's an absence of adequate supplies, trustworthy officers, and they were thrown into the field with no mental preparation whatsoever. The conditions were too terrible for a first battle."

"Exactly! That's why everyone expressed themselves that way."

"I already said that's not it."

Desperately trying to justify this — Masaki felt that this was "justifying" — Kichijouji was cut short by Masaki again.

"Although I cannot go into the specifics, the Ten Master Clans have a responsibility towards the Magic Association. As an Ichijou, and the eldest son to boot, I cannot scurry away and pretend this has nothing to do with me."

Masaki patted Kichijouji on the shoulder and advanced in the opposite direction of the bus.

"Then I'm going too!"

Catching Kichijouji's insistent scream, Masaki halted his footsteps.

"I am Masaki's tactician. If Masaki is joining the volunteers, then so am I."

"George, you need to help everyone escape safely."

Masaki merely turned his head slightly and spoke to Kichijouji with his face turned.

"This street is still a battlefield and there's no way of telling what will happen. Honestly, if I have to worry about whether the teachers and senpais got out of here safely, I cannot concentrate on the battle ahead."

After saying this, Masaki turned his face forward and continued onward with his back to Kichijouji.

"......Understood, Masaki. I will take up the responsibility to make sure everyone gets out safely. That's why, Masaki, you must return unharmed."

You are my only "commander". With this feeling in his heart, Kichijouji accepted Masaki's orders.

Hearing his words, Masaki kept his back to him and raised an arm in acknowledgement before once again stepping off towards the battlefield alone.

 

"—They're here."

The first to discover the enemy's approach was Mikihiko.

The talismans spread out by the wind transmitted images of the enemy.

"Bipedal tanks...... They're different than before. They move like humans."

"Like humans?"

At Mikihiko's words, Erika tilted her head for some reason while wearing protective headphones. (In order to avoid interfering with the conversation, they weren't covering her ears.)

Bipedal tanks were created to access narrow paths with an upraised firing platform. At the same time, the stubby legs were equipped with treads to navigate steps and rubble, but it was never designed to function as a combat robot.

Among modern military technology, at least within Erika's knowledge, no combat robot that could mimic human motion existed.

"You can see it in a second...... There!"

But now was not the time to consider things removed from reality.

Accompanied by Mikihiko's voice, the bipedal tank appeared from behind the building.

The stubby legs with treads attached.

A slightly elongated body.

Until this point, all features were uniform with bipedal tanks.

However, the right arm was equipped with a chainsaw and the left hand had a pile driver with gunpowder, both of which were equipment that was impossible on a normal bipedal tank.

If the heavy machinery used to clear away obstacles in disaster zones was modified into human form, it would undoubtedly look like this.

In addition, there was a Howitzer mounted on the right shoulder and a heavy machine gun on the left shoulder.

"Combat robots!?"

As if in disbelief that her imagination had turned into reality, Erika's voice hitched.

By her side, Miyuki directed a chilling gaze at the nefarious looking mobile weapon.

Once the bipedal tank (?) entered her sight range, Miyuki unleashed her magic.

No questions were necessary. (Not that this was the phrase's original meaning)

All three machines halted their footsteps.

Their treads were frozen through, prompting them to come to a stop.

The fact that they didn't tip over demonstrated the superiority of their balancing modules.

But the legs were not the only things that were frozen.

Miyuki's magic was not child's play.

Anyone with the military knowledge to pilot a bipedal tank would immediately recognize the frost originated from a magical attack.

Needless to say, this long-haired young woman of chilling temperament barring their path was the source of the magic.

That being said, neither the machine gun nor the Howitzer spat fire.

This was not some simple Freezing Magic, she had also activated "Freeze Flame" — Miyuki's magic not only restricted movement but also prevented any increases in heat.

Seeing that the weapons were disabled, Leo immediately charged.

Calling this swift reaction time and nose for victory a manifestation of his wild nature would not be incorrect.

The weapon he held in his hands was similar to a short stick with a twin-headed hammer.

The entire length measured 50 cm, the grip alone was 30 cm.

The protruding head at the front end was much wider than the handle and was approximately 10 cm long. From the side, it looked almost like a Latin cross.

The head of the hammer started humming like a motor and a black membrane poked out from the head of the stick.

A very, very thin, transparent, black membrane.

The motor sound stopped and the membrane turned into a straight two meter long blade.

Completely flat, this was an ultra thin blade that could not be seen from the side.

This was the Chiba Family's secret sword "Usuba Kagerou".

Relying on Fortifying Magic to solidify the flatness, the thin blade was made up of carbon nanotubes.

Usuba Kagerou was both the name of the technique and also the name granted to this special weapon.

The Usuba Kagerou in Leo's right hand flickered.

The carbon nanotubes were woven into an ultra thin plate that was 5 nanometers thick, making it sharper than any sword or razor as it easily cut the frozen armor plating in half.

The front armor had been sliced diagonally.

All that remained was a thin bisection line that could barely be seen.


Red droplets slowly drizzled down from there.

Not only was this the result of highly intense training in a short period of time, this was also the might of the finishing strike custom made for Leo.

As if chasing the lithely retreating Leo, the bipedal tank collapsed by the roadside.

Although she was a step behind Leo out the door, in terms of who took out the prey first, Erika had the mastery.

She had adjusted her headset in a flash and used her left arm to hold the handle of Orochimaru steady as she fell into a stance.

The moment her hand transferred from the scabbard to the hilt, the scabbard split along the back of the blade like two pages of a book, revealing the gigantic blade within.

Her palm steady, Erika used her right pointer finger to press the button right below the edge.

Then, she hefted the entire 180 cm long blade on her shoulder.

At this point, the magic already activated.

The odachi that weighed ten kilograms flew through the air.

In that instant, Erika's silhouette vanished.

At least, she vanished from Miyuki's eyesight.

Immediately afterward, a shattering roar was heard.

It was similar to the sound from antique waste disposal facilities where metal was being crushed.

Erika maintained the swinging posture of the odachi.

The red fluid staining the blade was unquestionably the pilot's blood.

Gravity Systematic·Inertia Control Magic "Yamatsunami".

First, this minimized the inertia of the self and the weapon while closing in on the enemy at high speed. At the point of impact, the hidden sword technique amplified the transfer of inertia with the weapon's inertia and struck the target.

The overlapping false values of inertia could be further enhanced running from a farther distance to reach a maximum of 10 tons.

The speed received from the transfer of inertia coupled with the weight obtained from increased inertia.

At its maximum strength, Yamatsunami was like a giant, 10 ton guillotine crashing down from up high.

The armor that could resist such a blow probably didn't exist.

The key to this lay in when to switch from transfer of inertia to increased inertia.

In addition, necessary components also included the ability to sprint forward without losing one's balance due to loss of inertia and the ability to hold the blade steady and prevent wobbling.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the high speed reaction and perception that would not be subverted by the loss of inertia.

Those were the critical components to Yamatsunami.

Erika was born with that "speed" and, with countless days of harsh training, she finally obtained this ability.

Erika looked towards her next prey.

Leo was already closing on the next target.

Yamatsunami activated.

A second later, Leo disengaged Usuba Kagerou and covered his ears before the shattered bipedal tank.

The other half of the "guard" team — which was the "defense" team — also engaged the bipedal tanks in battle.

On this side, Isori planted walls that obstructed oscillations three meters into the earth so Kanon could freely use her magic that used the earth as a medium.

The "formation" that Isori spread underground was also able to detect the enemy on the surface.

The surface and insides were covered with diagrams, created with silk threads, that aided in magic invocation, which was essentially a magic formation.

As an elite of the Isori Family, who were the authorities on Engraving Magic, Isori Kei excelled in this sort of magic which was unimaginably similar to the ritual formations used in Mikihiko's Ancient Magic. In the end, no matter whether it was modern magic or Ancient Magic, they differed little on the point of "magic".

Hence both of them were fulfilling similar roles, which on some level made perfect sense.

"Incoming."

When Isori said this, Kanon spread out the Activation Sequence.

Although Isori had precautions in place, she couldn't use oscillation magic that was too strong when she was unfamiliar with the situation underground.

Two atypical bipedal tanks appeared.

Unfamiliar with the types of weaponry, Kanon wasn't really surprised by their odd shapes.

Without any additional considerations as a burden, she released the prearranged magic.

The paved road gave way to fine dust to form a swamp with the water that welled up from the slight oscillations in the earth.

The bipedal tanks sank down roughly a head's length because their feet sank into the earth.

Originally, treads were put in place to traverse sandy or wet terrain like open ground.

However, the liquefied road surface easily swallowed the smaller treads.

This was one of the variations of the Chiyoda Family's magic "Mine Genesis", "Oscillation Mine".

The result was as could be seen.

The magic liquefied the earth to prevent the enemy's advance.

The treads groaned as they churned the muddy water until the sand jammed the treads.

At some point, the moisture was evaporated, causing the liquefied road surface with the bipedal tank's legs still stuck inside to solidify.

After liquefying the earth, Kanon used moisture oscillation to cause them to evaporate.

The magic known as Oscillation Mine referred to a chain of processes that ultimately led to capture.

Although objects from the previous century differed somewhat, paving materials were still basically composed of concrete. Even so, it's not like she caused a complete liquefied reaction. Rather, she just altered the state of sand that was immersed in water. Despite calling this a capture, in reality this was only a temporary measure, but given that the enemy was currently unable to move, this temporary measure was sufficient to deliver a fatal blow.

Standing to the flanks of the immobile bipedal tanks, Toshikazu and Kirihara appeared.

Toshikazu attacked from the skies.

There was no way the pilot of the bipedal tank could react to that sort of speed in time.

Like a hawk descending from the heavens, he smoothly cut a deep slash across the pilot's seat.

Secret Sword "Tetsuzan".

Usually, the "blade" was the only concept set inside the blade with a Magic Sequence from Move-Systematic magic set to guide the blade's slashing motion. —If the weapon wasn't "Ikazuchimaru".

When Ikazuchimaru was used to activate "Tetsuzan", not only the blade, but swordsman was also included within the magic's targets.

At the same time that the blade was set as a concept, the "swordsman wielding the blade" was set as another complementary concept, thus realizing the possibility of high speed attacks and slashes without trembling.

When he swung the sword downwards, his body already knew how to move. Through thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of repetitive motions and practice, the slashing action had already been carved into his very body by the time he learned this technique.

The general consensus was that the eldest son of the Chiba Family was not as talented as his younger brother.

In reality, Toshikazu himself believed that Naotsugu was a prodigy and he was not.

Precisely because he wasn't a genius, he relied on a determined training regime unknown to other people to earn the ability to use Ikazuchimaru's Tetsuzan technique, "Lightning Tetsuzan".

Because this was a technique taken to the logical extreme, once he initiated "Lightning Tetsuzan", he could only follow through with the motion. This is why he made sure no one saw him practice.

For this reason, many people mistakenly believed that he was a slothful individual while he actually earned this secret sword through his incredible diligence.

The bipedal tank whose pilot's seat was cut in two finally went silent.

The other bipedal tank turned its other body to meet Kirihara, who was closing in while pressed low to the ground.

He was still a step away from entering close quarters combat.

The muzzle of the machine gun pointed at Kirihara, but no bullets spat out.

Behind Kirihara, a kodachi came flying to impact on the machine gun and knock it off the bipedal tank's shoulder.

Diagonally behind Kirihara, Sayaka readied another kodachi and threw it.

The Howitzer was also taken out.

The two kodachis returned along their flight axis back into Sayaka's hands.

Knife throwing.

Although Sayaka belonged to the Kendo Club in school, her father was a Magician who used kenjutsu in live combat. She learned kenjutsu techniques and rudimentary lessons from home. Among those lessons, her area of expertise lay in knife throwing.

In a head on confrontation, a woman could not avoid being on the weaker end when it came to wrist strength. For example, the Sonic Blade favored by Kirihara relied heavily on wrist strength. It was too difficult for her to control the tachi using magic with her magic technical ability. Yet when it came to knife throwing, that had nothing to do with wrist strength so long as she could match her magic with the throwing motion. With this in mind, she trained relentlessly to be able to use this magic.

Since there was a huge opening after the initial throwing motion, this was not something she dared to use against swift opponents but would be perfect against this sort of large, plodding opponent.

Seeing that the firearms had been taken out, Kirihara took the last step forward.

A giant saw was being brought down on his head.

However, he had already seen through its trajectory.

His body naturally began to slide and Kirihara's blade bisected the bipedal tank's left leg.

Sonic Blade.

His favorite magic easily sheared through the armor plating designed to withstand land mines and anti-armor rifle rounds.

The tank body came crashing down.

Kirihara cut off the pile driver at the base as he fell back and then looped around the side to plunge the blade into the pilot's seat.

The feeling that traveled across his hand told him he penetrated flesh.

Kirihara's face twisted slightly as he pulled the blade out and leaped far away from the bipedal tank.

The expression on his face was most definitely not a smile.

 

After searching the APC's wreckage, Tatsuya removed a 30 cm long box from the vehicle.

"Is this it?"

He held the box in front of the camera as he asked this question.

"Yes, that's it. Put it in front of the analyzer...... Yep, looks like it."

A reply came back across the display on the camera.

"That's the Magic Booster."

"It looks like a normal box."

"Connection and operation are completely done through a ritual feedback loop, so there's no mechanical outlet."

On the other side of the display, Sanada continued explaining to Tatsuya, who was frowning with suspicion at the flat box that only had a handle.

"You said that the APC's anti-physical magic barrier was being amplified by this booster, right?"

"That should be the case. Although it's only speculation on our side, but it fits."

Sanada expressed his agreement towards Yanagi's speculation on the matter.

"Then our enemy's identity becomes obvious. Well, not that there were any other possible culprits anyways."

"Although this is insufficient as evidence, we are neither the police nor judges. Though even if we did know their identity, our plan of action probably wouldn't change."

On the other side of the display, both of the captains broke into evil smiles.

He really didn't want to turn into those people, Tatsuya thought with a little hesitation before verifying his next set of orders.

"Then, are we to sink the Great Asian Alliance's camouflaged combat vessel?"

"Sinking it in the confines of the harbor is a bad idea. We would impact the harbor's functions too heavily."

Of course, he was aware of that possibility. He was only joking when he mentioned sinking the vessel, but that appeared to have provoked an answer that was more serious than he anticipated, hence Tatsuya was slightly apologetic.

"Then are we conducting a boarding action?"

Yanagi asked Kazama, who replaced Sanada on the monitor.

Somehow, he got the feeling that boarding the enemy vessel with such a tiny force had already turned into a predetermined event, Tatsuya thought.

It was only now that he remembered that these acquaintances of his — his current superiors — did not know the meaning of a joke, or maybe they were the type of people who had become accustomed to accomplishing things that most people would assume was a joke.

"We'll put that off until the end. There are public figures in the plaza before the bus station who have called in helicopters for evacuating civilians. After handing the area over to the unit from Tsurumi, head to the bus station and provide cover for the evacuation."

"Understood."

Standing next to Yanagi, Tatsuya saluted at the same time and thought what a courageous bunch of public figures those people were.

Even if they were evacuating, remembering to take civilians who had not evacuated yet was certainly a praiseworthy gesture, he thought.

"Also, the public figures who called in the helicopters are called Saegusa Mayumi and Kitayama Shizuku. If the two of them have any requests on site, please do your best to accommodate them."

Hearing these familiar names in his ear, Tatsuya barely suppressed a coughing fit.

 

Almost at the same time, the other locations also ascertained their enemy's identity.

Although the wreckage that Erika smashed was a dead loss, Miyuki, Erika, Leo, and Mikihiko were crowded in front of the other bipedal tank that was undamaged save for the pilot seat that Leo slashed open. Mikihiko was the one who called the other three over.

"In regards to this bipedal tank, I don't think it's moving just through machinery."

"In other words, they applied other sorts of spells?"

"Exactly."

It wasn't anything special for Miyuki to use a more formal tone with boys (this was not always the case, as she might adopt a different tone in different circumstances).

Maybe for the same reason, Mikihiko was never able to speak casually around Miyuki (he was always like this).

"The limb motions for these three were amazingly human-like. The bipedal tank's body is dominated by the pilot's seat and has too many structural differences compared to the human body. They couldn't imitate human motions even if they wanted to because doing so should lead to loss of mobility."

"Even so, these guys still manifested 'overly' life-like motions, right?"

Mikihiko nodded without hesitation at Leo's question.

"Their mobility is not just coming from pistons, gears, or electricity. I believe that there's also some force at work here to enable the limbs to mimic human motion."

"In other words, they're using magic? What kind of magic?"

"Probably Senshi Shihei Jutsu."

"Senshi Shihei Jutsu?"

Erika turned the unfamiliar name over in her mouth as she tilted her head.

"Is that the humanoid servant magic from the Onmyo System? I heard it originally came from the Daoists."

Hearing Miyuki's answer, Mikihiko couldn't help but nod in admiration.

"Indeed. Senshi Shihei Jutsu involves cutting paper into human shapes, then sprinkling magic on it to turn them into soldiers."

The latter half of that explanation was for Erika.

"In other words, our enemy comes from the Great Asian Alliance?"

Yet Erika flung the magic's explanation to the back of her head and directly announced the enemy's identity.

"Aren't we jumping to conclusions here? Magic from the Onmyo System may also hint at traitors from within."

"No, I think there's an 80 to 90% chance that Erika is on the right track."

Although Leo expressed his question with a caution that seemed entirely unlike him, Mikihiko still shook his head and expressed his support for Erika's opinion.

"This may sound strange, but Ancient Magic was also mainstream at one point...... Among those who emphasize tradition, there are skills that enjoyed considerable popularity over the years, and also skills that have become outdated. In the past 10 years, you cannot find shikigami with actual physical bodies no matter which branch of Ancient Magic you look into within the country. In our country, Senshi Shihei Jutsu has already been abandoned as magic. In order to grant bipedal tanks the full range of motion to use saws and pile drivers, the more magic that is present the better. If it was me, I would enchant the pile driver and saw themselves. Even we Ancient Magic users are not so stubborn as to insist on using abandoned magic despite knowing that there is wasteful excess within the magic."

"I'm not talking about who's more stubborn and all that."

Seeing Mikihiko starting to overthink this — or at least become overly conscious, Leo's expression turned a tad stiff as he waved his hands.

"In summation, the ones controlling the bipedal tanks are Magicians from the Great Asian Alliance? OK, got it."

"Ah, no, well...... I guess that's how it is."

Mikihiko likely realized that he was projecting his anger within his words and sheepishly shut his mouth. Still, his expression altered swiftly as he dropped another bombshell to the other three.

"Eh? You want Shibata-san to go over there?"

After receiving the request over the loudspeakers on the transmission terminal, Mayumi involuntarily shouted back.

"......OK. Well, I guess you have a point...... Fine, I understand. But let's make sure we get her opinion on the matter first...... Yes, I think putting it to her directly would better. Shibata-san."

Mayumi removed the terminal from her ear and passed it to Mizuki.

"Yes, what is it......?"

"Miyuki-chan's group would like Shibata-san to head over. They have provided an in-depth explanation, so please listen carefully before making a decision."

Normally, Mayumi and Mizuki did not meet very frequently. Thus, when receiving the transmission terminal that was accompanied by something close to a mission briefing, Mizuki could only helplessly and carefully, no, more like fearfully receive the terminal.

"Ah, Shibata-san?"

"Yoshida-kun?"

Now that she knew it was Mikihiko on the other hand, Mizuki's expression relaxed a few degrees.

If Erika was on the other line, there was no telling when she would say something outrageous whereas Mizuki would still grow anxious when speaking to Miyuki for no apparent reason.

Still, why was she relaxed around Mikihiko — Mizuki had not discovered the meaning for this for herself yet.

"I would like to borrow Shibata-san's power."

On the other side, Mikihiko's tone was a little anxious. —Actually, he seemed rather excited.

"Eh, power?"

"The enemy is using Ancient Magic called Senshi Shihei Jutsu to command their mobile armors. Since their magic differs in nature with my own, I'm having a hard time grasping the enemy's magic. However, with Shibata-san's 'eyes', I think that you can read the enemy's movements faster and locate the core of the enemy's magic faster than I can. Once you locate the core, I can use my magic to nullify the enemy's Senshi Shihei Jutsu. That's why I hope that Shibata-san can get over here as soon as you can. Of course, this will be dangerous, but I will definitely protect you."

"—!"

Speechless, Mizuki turned completely red.

She understood very clear that there was no ulterior meaning in that.

But—

"See, Mizuki. Yoshida-kun will definitely protect you, right?"

"—!"

"—!"

Once Miyuki's voice came across the terminal, an aura of silence seemed to have been passed across as well. Both of their brains were flooded with images of the other person's face and, in an awkward silence that gave them fits, time seemed to stop.

"......Of course, not just Yoshida-kun, but the rest of us will protect you to the best of our ability."

The frozen time was restored when Miyuki broke the silence.

Overhearing the transmission, Mayumi could not help but remark privately, "Miyuki-chan really is an S......"

"Y-Yes! We will all defend you!"

Mizuki softly nodded at Mikihiko's hysterical cry that seemed to speak on so many levels.

"I understand. I'm heading over right now."

Removing the terminal from her ear, Mizuki let out a huge sigh and handed the terminal back to Mayumi. After that, she lightly bowed to Mayumi before jogging off to the "front line" where Mikihiko and company were stationed.

 





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