Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 19 - Chapter 4

Raid

Sunday, September 19th

Darkness Rainbow leaving Crimson behind as a decoy in the battle for room 106 the other day was a last resort. Since each member prioritized their own safety, nobody would willingly sacrifice themselves for one another. In other words, despite how much Crimson loved fighting and despite the fact that she would make the best decoy since she was already injured, it was a role she’d never play without some kind of insurance. That insurance was knowing that the rest of Darkness Rainbow would rescue her. So while it meant taking a certain amount of risks, Darkness Rainbow had no choice but to agree to said terms and rescue Crimson, and it had been decided that Dark Green would be heading the operation.

Just hang in there a little longer, Crimson...

Dark Green, however, probably would have undertaken the mission even if she weren’t told to do so. Though she wouldn’t admit it, Green thought of Crimson as more than just an ally in Darkness Rainbow. Perhaps it was simply because they’d spent so much time together, but she’d started to feel something of the bonds of friendship with Crimson. And thanks to that, Green was in high spirits. This wasn’t just any ordinary mission, after all—she was going to rescue a friend. And Green wanted her back no matter what. In the future she wanted to see, Crimson was indispensable.

“As expected, our chances of being able to rescue her are higher now that she’s been moved.”

Green was watching the Blue Tower where Crimson was being held from an elevated position in the suburbs. From there, she used several spells to gather information that would help her come up with the most reliable plan.

At first, Darkness Rainbow had three options in rescuing Crimson. They could make their move either before, during, or after Crimson’s relocation. Trusting in her abilities, Green had chosen the latter: rescuing Crimson after she was transferred to Folsaria. Before the transfer, Rainbow Heart was on the move too much; it made the future difficult to read. Green would personally be involved in an ambush if they attacked during the transfer, which skewed her predictions courtesy of a feedback loop. And with those options out of the question, the most reliable plan of action was waiting until the transfer had been completed.

“Crimson’s definitely being held in there...”

Green’s spells were steadily gathering information for her, and confirmed most of her suspicions. Crimson was being held in a room that blocked magic. Normal scrying magic wouldn’t be able to see into it, but Green had a special workaround with her future forecast. There were several cells in the tower outfitted to contain magicians, and Green’s forecasts were split between the top of the tower and its basement. Considering the traffic in the building, however, the odds were slightly higher Crimson was being kept at the top. Moreover, the spiritual energy sensor that she’d brought with her from the underground was picking up a weak reaction to Crimson’s aura on the top floor. It had an estimated accuracy of about 60 percent at this range, which was just about what her future forecast estimated the odds of Crimson being at the top of the tower were. The chances of them both being wrong, however, were only about 15 percent. Judging by that, Green determined that Crimson was indeed being held at the top of the tower.

“We would’ve had a hard time with this rescue in the past, but... we’re different now.”

Green used the portable computer on her arm to give orders to the automated weapons she had stationed nearby. They were a combination of spiritual energy and Forthorthian technology, so they didn’t emit any mana whatsoever. She also had cloaked drones that flew through the air without making a sound. Between those and her own magic, it wouldn’t be hard to fly under Rainbow Heart’s radar.

“Just hang in there, Crimson. I’m coming to save you right now!”

Dark Green had a tragic past. She’d once lost something very important to her because of a lack of foresight. And it was her goal as a member of Darkness Rainbow to make sure that never happened again. That’s why she was determined to save Crimson no matter what.

Yurika never started fights. No, they were more so something she got dragged into. And when it happened, she would do her desperate best to defend herself so she could return to her everyday life in peace. That was always how things had been up until now. This would be the first time ever she was initiating the offensive, and that was just a sign of how serious the situation was. How cornered she felt. It wasn’t something she wanted to be doing, and so despite her determination, there were still moments her confidence wavered. This was one of them.

“...”

Yurika was eating dinner at the Blue Tower, but neither her mouth nor her hands were moving. She was simply staring into her bowl while holding her spoon. She wasn’t really looking at the soup, however. Her mind was elsewhere.

“Yurika, aren’t you going to eat?”

“Satomi-san...?”

Yurika was so spaced out that she didn’t realize Koutarou had come in until he said something to her. When she looked up, she saw him sitting across from her, eating his own dinner.

“Are you nervous?” he asked.

“Y-Yes... I’m so worried about what’s going to happen next...” she admitted.

Between the nerves and her fretting over the future, Yurika was nearly paralyzed. While she’d grown and matured a great deal over the past year, this would still be the first fight she’d ever taken charge in. For the first time in her life, each and every one of her decisions would affect the lives of real people—and a lot of them. Before now, the enemy had always come after her and not the other way around. Her hand was always forced in some way, which made what she needed to do quite clear. She only had to focus on what was right in front of her, the immediate problem. But this was different. She had to think bigger and long-term. The looming consequences were far greater, and that pressure weighed heavily on her. It had completely seized her.

“I thought so.”

“You noticed?”

“Yeah. It’s only normal for a commander on their first campaign.”

Koutarou shrugged and cracked a smile at Yurika’s question. He’d felt something very similar when he first took to the battlefield in past Forthorthe.

“If you make the wrong decision, people will pay the price with their lives. Who wouldn’t freeze up in that position? Everyone feels the same way before a big battle. Except for those who don’t put any value on human life, that is.”

Maxfern, Dextro, and Tayuma probably hadn’t given it a second thought, but any commander with half a heart would. The thought that you might be sending your own allies to their deaths was terrifying. And that terror was all consuming for first-time commanders.

“You too, Satomi-san?”

“Yeah, I was scared my first time too. They were all such good people, earnest about protecting their country... and a single word from me could’ve gotten them all killed. So, yeah, I know exactly how you feel.”

Koutarou had had the legends of Forthorthe to go off of as a reference, but he’d only had himself to rely on in the heat of the moment. The decisions he made in combat were his, and he’d had his successes and failures. There were plenty of battles he would gladly redo if he had the chance.

“So what should I do, Satomi-san?”

“Don’t try to do anything special.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like... don’t try and do everything yourself. That’s a common mistake.”

When your allies are in danger, it’s human nature to want to leap headlong into the fray and rescue them yourself. It seems like the right choice in the moment—it feels like the right thing to do—but it isn’t. A commander needs to remain a constant figure, and battle is an ever-evolving playing field. You can’t just change the plan at every turn, and rushing into danger yourself might compromise everything—a cost that would be paid in blood.

“Just trust in your allies and do what you always do. That’s for the best.”

Trying to carry too great a burden alone makes your allies hesitate as well. That’s why acting like normal was the safest way to ensure things went smoothly. And while that may sound obvious, it was all too simple to forget when the lives of so many were at stake. It was one of the many reasons Koutarou thought war was so horrible.

“If I was the strongest magical girl in history, nobody would have to fight...”

Listening to Koutarou, Yurika stared down at the palms of her hands. If she possessed earthshattering power, she could fight this battle entirely on her own. But because she didn’t, her friends would all put themselves in danger to help her. It made her feel helpless and bitter.

“Yeah, I think the same thing every day. If I was an invincible hero, you and the other girls would never have to fight again.”

“Satomi-san...”

Koutarou flashed a dry grin. Again, he knew exactly how Yurika felt. And that surprised her. She’d convinced herself that someone like Koutarou would have no idea what she was going through.

“But you know... When I told her that, Sanae said something interesting to me.”

As he spoke, Koutarou’s dry grin began to soften into a genuine, kind smile.

“Sanae-chan did?”

“Playing hero is fun because it’s all pretend, but being a real hero is hard.”

“It’s fun... because it’s pretend...?”

“Just think about it a little. If you were really the strongest magical girl in history, what would’ve happened when we met?”

“If I were really the strongest magical girl in history...”

Yurika reimagined what her life with Koutarou and the others would have been like if she were that strong. For starters, she probably wouldn’t have flown in through the window that night. She also would’ve been able to stop the Corona House brawl without anyone realizing it. She would’ve won the obstacle marathon on her own, prevented Sanae from getting kidnapped by the ghost hunters, and even put a stop to Clan’s sabotage before it posed any real danger. On the surface, those all sounded like wonderful things, but...

“I would have been able to handle everything on my own, but... I would probably still be alone...”

A Yurika that strong never would have needed help. She would have resolved all of the strange incidents surrounding room 106 alone, meaning Koutarou and the others never would have had the chance to come to terms with each other and learn to cooperate. They never would’ve had to. Yurika might have even kicked them all out of room 106 from the start to keep them out of danger, and that would have been the end of that.

“That’s right. It’s because you’re imperfect that we all had the opportunity to come to know each other and treasure each other. I don’t think super strong Yurika would have felt so strongly about us.”

“So I came to treasure everyone because I was weak...”

“It wasn’t just you. It was like that for everyone.”

“Everyone else too? You might be right...”

Convinced, Yurika nodded her head.

“And if you suddenly became the strongest magical girl in history now, the enemy wouldn’t be fighting you. They’re smart enough to pick their battles. They’d be coming after us or attacking the city.”

“That’s why we play pretend. I... I really only wanted the convenient parts of being a super magical girl...”

It was precisely because Yurika wasn’t the strongest magical girl in history that she’d been able to bond with Koutarou and the others. It wouldn’t have happened any other way. And even if she became the strongest magical girl in history now, she still wouldn’t be able to fight alone. The enemy would come for the precious friends she’d made. It turned out that reality wasn’t anything like playing pretend.

“So, Yurika, what do you think we should do?”

“Um... grow strong together and work together to defeat the bad guys?”

In the end, Yurika reached the same conclusion Koutarou had. Anyone could do heroic things from time to time, but truly being a hero was a sad, lonely life. Yurika didn’t want that, so she knew that she alone couldn’t be strong. She needed to get stronger with her friends, and it would be through friendship that they could overcome anything. Yurika believed that that would ultimately be the safest thing for everyone.

“I think so too.”

“Ah...”

When Koutarou agreed with her, Yurika was relieved. She’d come to the right answer. Her expression relaxed a little, and Koutarou continued...

“That’s why you should believe in us. Nobody expects perfection from you. We accept that we’re all imperfect. That’s why we work so hard together.”

Sanae threatened to put him in a scorpion deathlock if he left her again. Harumi vowed to stand by his side. Kiriha embraced his weakness. Theia and Ruth swore to make him happy, even if they had to use force. Maki prayed for him. Shizuka was there for him whenever he grieved his lack of power. And Clan had worried about her own imperfections right alongside him in the past.

They were all in this together, embracing each other in spite of their imperfections—no, because of their imperfections. And in that sense, they shunned perfection. Someone who was perfect didn’t need anyone else. Like all-powerful gods, they towered over other people. They were larger than life, meaning there was no room—certainly no need—for anyone else in their lives. And that wasn’t what Koutarou and the girls wanted. They would gladly choose friendship over perfection.

“Satomi-san...”

Coming together and doing their best in spite of their flaws felt right to Yurika. It was what she wanted from Koutarou and the other girls, and it was what they wanted for her.

“You’re right. It’s hard... but I’ll try to think that way.”

Even though she knew it was only normal to be imperfect, it was hard to shake her desire to be a hero. But Yurika began wishing that she would eventually feel that way. An easy way out was different from a true solution.

“That’s fine. I’m still trying to convince myself, too.”

“Ahaha.”

A smile finally bloomed on Yurika’s lips, and she wiped away the tears that had started forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Thank you very much, Satomi-san. I feel a little better.”

She was allowed to rely on her allies. She could rely on Koutarou and the others, and the soldiers too. None of them were perfect, but they would be giving it their all. They didn’t need heroes; they had each other. Or... maybe that was what made them real heroes in the end. But it didn’t really matter so long as they were together. Having finally reached her answer, Yurika felt a great weight slip from her shoulders.

“So eat up. You’re not gonna accomplish anything on an empty stomach.”

Seeing Yurika’s smile, Koutarou also felt relieved and cracked a smile

“Right!”

And there, Yurika chowed down. It was strange. She’d hardly been able to get a bite down before, but the food tasted great now. She figured that was the difference that not being alone made, and happily shoveled spoonful after spoonful of soup into her mouth.

“Hey, Satomi-san.”

“Hmm?”

“Want my green peppers?”

“Eat them yourself.”

“But one of my flaws is that I don’t like green peppers! You have to help me!”

A loud thud reverberated through the dining hall.

“Just shut up and eat ’em!”

“Okaaay... Hngh, I’m sorry for saying something stupid.”

Getting hit by Koutarou hurt, but it was something a perfect Yurika never would’ve gotten to experience. So imperfect Yurika decided to count her blessings.

As dinner continued, things Yurika disliked began piling up on the plate. She was happily pushing them aside to make room for the things she did like. In other words, she was saving the worst for last. Maybe through some stroke of luck she wouldn’t end up having to eat them after all. Typical Yurika.

Ugh, this is what I get for cheering her up!

Koutarou began thinking of ways to get Yurika to eat her vegetables, but before he could put any of his plans into action...

BOOM!

“Kyaaah!”

“Wh-What was that?!”

There was a loud, roaring boom and the entire Blue Tower shook violently. It felt like a lightning bolt and an earthquake had struck the tower at the same time. Tables and chairs were upturned, sending plates, silverware, and food flying everywhere. There was only the one rumble, however, so Koutarou braced himself against the sturdy wall and quickly got back on his feet.

“Yurika, are you okay?!”

“Y-Yes, somehow!”

Koutarou ran over to Yurika and helped her up too. She was covered in green peppers, carrots, and celery, but she didn’t seem to be badly hurt.

“But just what is― Ah!”

Yurika had landed hard on her butt and was a little bruised up, but her expression only turned sharp when she stood up. It suddenly dawned on her what all the commotion might be.

“Let’s go, Yurika!”

“Right!”

The dynamic between Koutarou and Yurika was suddenly different. They were no longer roommates goofing around over dinner. No, as they sprinted away to face the danger ahead, they were a legendary knight and an archwizard.

The explosion had taken place just outside the Blue Tower, and the culprit was a guided missile that Dark Green had gotten from Elexis. The warhead, which had been designed to concentrate the explosion forward, easily punched through the magic barrier and the outer stone wall of the tower. And it just so happened that Crimson was directly on the other side of it.

“Hack, ack... G-Green!”

“Crimson! I’m glad you’re okay!”

Crimson was in the midst of a coughing fit thanks to all the dust kicked up by the explosion, but appeared to be fine otherwise. Seeing that she was unharmed, Green unwittingly teared up. She was the only one who’d deeply regretted not being able to bring Crimson home during the last battle.

“Don’t— Ack! Don’t give me that! Hack, ack... Who would do that? Firing a missile—hack—straight at where your ally’s being held... Wh-What would you have done if it’d killed me?!”

Crimson was tearing up as well, but it was mostly from the smoke in her eyes. It was bad enough that she was having a hard time breathing, too. But that’s not to say she wasn’t happy to see Green.

“It’s fine. I verified the outcome with my future forecast.”

“Oh yeah? And what were the odds of success?”

“Ninety-five percent.”

“Wait, so what about there 5 percent chance something bad would happen?!”

“Well, those odds were closer to 20 percent in total.”

“Oh, okay. So there was only a 5 percent chance I’d die.”

Green had used her future forecast to narrow down Crimson’s position and then fired the missile from as far away as possible. Of course, a forecast was a still only forecast; there was always the undeniable chance that Crimson might be held somewhere else. But in all possible futures where she attacked the top of the tower, Green’s forecast broke down thusly: there was an 80 percent chance of Crimson being rescued unharmed, and a 15 percent chance that she would be injured in the rescue. That meant, all told, Green had a 95 percent chance of succeeding the rescue. In the other 5 percent of futures, Crimson was badly injured enough that she wouldn’t make it out alive. In other words, there was a 5 percent chance of total failure, and Green had fired the missile knowing that risk. It was perfectly understandable that Crimson was a little irritated.

“Wasn’t there any other way?!”

“There was... but this had the highest chance of success.”

“I’m a little curious, but you don’t have to say anything more.”

“I’d rather not think about it, so thank you.”

“Were they that bad?!”

Green had come up with several other ways to rescue Crimson, but firing a missile from range was the plan that had yielded the best odds. So while Crimson was irked about the 5 percent, Green had chosen the safest possible option.

“Wait, Crimson. The enemy is coming.”

Green’s future forecast, which she’d kept active as she infiltrated the tower, revealed that the enemy was on the way. The most imminent future had Yurika and Koutarou breaking through the door in thirty seconds.

“...I expect to hear the details when we get back, then.”

“Of course. But that means we’ll have to make it out of here first.”

“And my staff?”

“I brought you a spare.”

There, Green produced an extra staff and tossed it to Crimson. It was something Dark Yellow had made in preparation for their battle with Rainbow Heart. Dark Yellow was in charge of creating magical weapons, and this backup staff was one of them. Since it wasn’t personalized, it was fairly rough in design and there was a limit to how much mana could be channeled into it, but it was much better than nothing. In an intense battle, it would be an easy but fatal mistake to lose your staff. That’s why Yellow had thought to make spares ahead of time, and it was already paying off.

“Crimson, make yourself lighter and get on.”

“Got it... Feather Weight.”

Green had made her way up to the top of the tower on an automated weapon capable of flight. Using it instead of her own magic would reduce the magic they needed to use in their escape, and thusly making it harder to follow their mana trail.

After making sure that Crimson and Green were gone, Koutarou and Yurika entered the now empty cell.

“It looks like it went well.”

“No, we can’t be sure just yet.”

The truth was that they could have burst in while Crimson and Green were still on the premises, but had chosen not to. This was part of their plan.

Yurika had decided to attack Darkness Rainbow’s base, but there was still one major problem with that. She didn’t know where it was. So in order to find out, Kiriha had suggested that they use Crimson.

Kiriha’s intuition told her that Darkness Rainbow wouldn’t just abandon one of its most powerful leaders right before such an important battle. That said, they also wouldn’t risk a potentially costly rescue operation unless they could guarantee a certain degree of success. Koutarou and the others weren’t aware that Darkness Rainbow had promised Crimson they would rescue her in return for acting as a decoy, so in order to encourage an extraction, they’d intentionally set up a golden opportunity for one.

When Crimson was first captured, she was taken to and held at a Rainbow Heart safehouse in Kisshouharukaze City. It would have been easy to attack with a sufficiently sized force, but it was cloaked well enough that Darkness Rainbow didn’t know its exact location. Koutarou and company didn’t have the time to sit around and wait for Darkness Rainbow to find it, either. Leaking its location would have been too obvious of a ploy, so Kiriha had come up with the idea of moving Crimson.

The first and most obvious opportunity for Darkness Rainbow to attack would be during the move. But whether or not they chose to act on that, the move would still give away that Crimson was being transferred to the Blue Tower. That way, they could come and rescue her after the fact instead if they wanted.

And everything had gone just according to Kiriha’s plan. Green waited until Crimson was moved, and then swooped in to take her away. All that was left was to follow them back to Darkness Rainbow’s base.

“Heehee, it’s finally time for Sanae-chan to shine!”

“Us too, ho!”

“We’ll show them the power of friendship, ho!”

It was up to Sanae and the haniwas to tail Green and Crimson. Sanae’s ordinarily powerful spirit sight was enhanced even further with the help of the haniwas’ spiritual energy technology, which would allow them to stay on the magical girls’ trail even though they were trying to cover their tracks.

“Take care of her while I’m gone, Koutarou! Now let’s hit it, Karama-chan, Korama-chan!”

“Leave it to us, ho!”

“Ane-san, we’re off, ho!”

The excited Sanae-chan left Sanae-san behind as she flew off through the hole in the wall. The haniwas were hot on her heels, eager to embrace their time to shine. The three of them were long gone before Koutarou and the others could even say goodbye.

“I’m... kinda sorry.”

The abandoned Sanae-san blushed and apologized. Sanae-chan had most of Sanae’s energy and childishness, while Sanae-san embodied Sanae’s more mature points. She was always the one left feeling awkward.

“Don’t worry. She’s just fine the way she is. Anyway, how’s it looking, Sanae-san?”

“Um... It seems like the enemy’s concealment magic is rather ingenious. Following them on her own would have been hard. But thanks to the haniwas, she’s managing somehow.”

“That’s great news. Let’s go after them ourselves.”

Koutarou and the others then rushed out as well, but they took the door rather than the hole in the wall. Unlike the ghostly Sanae-chan and the haniwas that could conceal themselves, Koutarou and the others would stand out too much if they chased after Crimson and Green in the air. Following along on the ground would be much safer.

The climate and seasons of the Magical Kingdom of Folsaria were similar to those found at higher latitudes on Earth. It was notably more frigid than most of Japan, and dotted with tall conifer forests. All in all, it gave off a rather wintry impression.

“The question is if these are really conifers or not...”

Koutarou looked at the trees skeptically. They certainly looked like conifers at first glance, but it was possible they only looked similar. They were in a different world, after all.

“I don’t believe they’re strictly conifers, but something quite similar,” replied Clan.

“Why?”

“The climate and environment here are very similar to that of Earth, so it wouldn’t be strange for similar organisms to have evolved.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Not unlike we Forthorthians and you Earthlings.”

“Huh, now that you mention it...”

It made perfect sense that similar circumstances gave rise to similar results. Such phenomena had been observed even in the relatively limited confines of Earth, where mammals and marsupials separated by vast oceans had evolved into similar creatures. Clan’s conclusion was that the same thing was capable of happening across worlds.

“The real problem is that we lost sight of Darkness Rainbow in this forest,” said Kiriha, joining the conversation with a shrug.

Crimson and Green had ducked into the forest during their escape, where Sanae had lost their trail. Crimson and Green were concealing their auras, and their spiritual energy blended in with the natural energy of the forest, making it impossible to sense them from afar now.

“It’ll be just fine! This forest can’t deceive us!”

“You can’t deceive perfect teamwork between friends, ho!”

“We only need to carefully examine things, ho!”

Sanae had lost the two magical girls from the air, but that didn’t stop her from continuing to search from the ground. She’d merged back with her body to heighten her psychic abilities, and was still working with the haniwas on top of that. She had one on either side of her head, and they were lending her all the power they could spare. Together like this, she could still sense Green and Crimson.

“How are we doing, Sanae?” asked Theia.

“Um, I think we’ll catch up to them soon. Their auras are getting denser, little by little.”

“Your Highness, Dark Crimson was injured, which might be slowing them down.”

“This is our chance. Let’s close the distance and get a visual.”

Theia believed that Crimson and Green had entered the forest for more than just cover. She suspected that Green had planted gear here ahead of time to aid them in their escape. The fact that it had suddenly gotten harder to follow them indicated they were up to something.

And if that were the case, Theia wanted to get them in her sights before they pulled anything else. She was confident that as long as she could see them, Green and Crimson would never be able to shake her. And more than anything, she wanted to hurry. She was anxious to get to Darkness Rainbow’s base.

Koutarou and the others moved through the forest at a good clip. A few minutes in, Shizuka suddenly came to a stop. She then raised her right hand and pointed straight forward.

“I’ve spotted them... They’re over there.”

“Are you sure?”

Koutarou looked in the direction Shizuka was pointing, but couldn’t see anything. Whatever she was looking at was too far away for normal human eyes to see.

“Yeah, I can totally see that poor excuse for a mantle.”

Shizuka had good sight to begin with, which was enhanced even further by the power of the Fire Dragon Emperor inside of her. Her keen eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s, so she was able to spot her quarry before even Ruth and Clan’s drones did.

“I’m seeing it too now. Here’s the image.”

Ruth tapped away on her bracelet terminal and conjured a hologram in the air. A hologram of something red.

“It’s hard to tell by that alone... Here, let’s try this.”

Clan fiddled with her bracelet and replaced the fuzzy image with a precise CG model—of Crimson in her dark red mantle.

“Good work. Don’t lose sight of them, Ruth.”

“I’ll try.”

“Pardomshiha, I just noticed it while analyzing the footage, but there seems to be a specific pattern in the thermal radiation ahead. It might be something going wrong with one of their spells.”

“Thank you, Clan-sama! I’m on it!”

Ruth looked into it after Clan pointed it out, and confirmed the pattern. It seemed to be a side effect of either their camouflage or concealment magic. Ruth locked on to that pattern and used it to track the magical girls.

Green overlooked a mistake like that...?

However, Maki had her doubts. Dark Green was a specialist in green magic, which encompassed divination and perception. In other words, illusions, concealment, and things like future forecast were her forte. As such, Maki would have expected her camouflage spells to be flawless. But if they could sense something as obvious as an identifiable signature, then... As soon as the gears clicked into place, Maki hurried to warn her friends.

“They’re attacking! Crimson revealed herself on purpose!”

Maki figured one of two things was happening. Either Green had purposefully cast an imperfect spell to lure them out, or Crimson—who was bad at green magic—was acting on her own. Either way, it seemed Darkness Rainbow had set up an ambush here assuming they’d be pursued.

Maki’s warning rang through the forest just as Green was about to make her move.

She saw through it?! As expected of Navy! Even though she’s brainwashed, she’s as sharp as ever!

Green clicked her tongue mentally and proceeded with her attack. Even if Maki had seen through her, she couldn’t back down now that Crimson had been spotted.

“Go forth!”

Green’s attack was a surprise assault using the automated weapons under her control. She’d hidden most of them in the woods beforehand and lured Koutarou and the others to the perfect place for an ambush. Green had gone to cast concealment spells on her weapons, leaving Crimson out in the open as a decoy. The plan was to attack while Koutarou and the others were occupied with her, meaning Maki had been spot on.

“D-Detecting several energy reactions! The enemies are all around us!”

Green dismissed her concealment spells on the automated weapons as they began their attack. Koutarou and the others then realized that they were surrounded. There were more than thirty automated weapons in total, a sum that staggered Ruth. Her voice unwittingly trembled as she reported the situation.

“Mass Protection!”

The first one to react was, surprisingly, Yurika. She’d started to cast her spell the moment Maki said something, so it activated just after the automated weapons appeared.

The weapons fired off their machine guns with a loud rat-a-tat, but the bullets bounced right off of Yurika’s defensive spell. There were enough of them, however, that the barrier didn’t hold up for long. Fortunately, those precious few seconds were all Koutarou and the others needed to rally.

“Everyone, focus on protecting yourselves! Whatever you do, don’t force yourselves!” Koutarou instructed as he began attacking the automated weapons.

The automated weapons were machines running off of a combination of Forthorthian and underground technology. On top of that, they’d been enhanced with magic. Koutarou and the others were up against over thirty of them, which meant they each needed to take out three or four apiece. The weapons weren’t all that dangerous on their own, but they had the overwhelming advantage in numbers. So while it would be ideal for Koutarou and the others to split them up and each handle a few of them at a time, there was no way the machines were about to cooperate.

“Such lavish hospitality! A full greeting with automated weaponry and everything!”

Theia took to complaining as she opened fire on the machines with the assault rifle equipped on her right arm. Command Green was outfitted with an assault rifle, a grenade launcher, and standard throwing grenades, plus a heat knife for close combat. It was an arsenal designed to give her maximum versatility in combat. She had less overall firepower than she did with Assault Red, however, meaning she’d have to be more conservative and aim her shots carefully. Her accuracy was more precise with her current setup, but Theia couldn’t help wanting to charge in, guns blazing. This was frustrating for her.

“You’re wrong, Theiamillis-san! Take a closer look at the enemies!” called Kiriha.

“What do you mean?!”

“These are all prototypes and test models! Some are even refurbished! They’ve only deployed weapons they don’t mind losing as sacrificial pawns!”

As it turned out, Green had sent a hodgepodge of automated weapons after them. Some were experimental prototypes, some were simply older models, and some had even clearly been damaged before. They certainly weren’t the standard issue for sending into battle. It looked like Darkness Rainbow was saying these were trash, that they didn’t care if they lost them. If anything, sacrificing them as cannon fodder might be the best use for them.

“In other words, the enemy is planning to use this opportunity to escape! Hurry up, Ruth!”

“Yes, Kiriha-sama!”

Despite the ambush, neither Green nor Crimson were attacking. No, they were planning on doing something else while they sent their pawns out to fight for them. Kiriha could read their intentions just from their actions. But by the time she put it together, Crimson had met back up with Green.

“Bingo! But you’re too late!” she declared with a bold laugh.

Finally getting her chance to outsmart the quick-witted Kiriha, Crimson was in high spirits.

“Crimson, quit playing around! Let’s go!”

But the prudent Green scolded her, and quickly made her exit with a couple of automated weapons serving as guards. Staying to gloat would only put them in danger. Green was also delighted to have pulled one over on Kiriha, but she knew all too well that she couldn’t let her guard down.

“I know, I know. Jeez, you’re so strict...”

Crimson hurriedly chased after Green, carrying on a conversation with her much like she used to with Maki. Secretly, she was a little disappointed she wasn’t getting any more respect now that Darkness Rainbow was down a leader.

“Koutarou, should I chase after them?!”

Sanae was alarmed to see their two opponents fleeing, and offered to chase after them with her astral projection.

“No, protecting yourself takes priority right now! Don’t overdo it!”

Worried for her safety, however, Koutarou stopped her. When Sanae-chan projected herself, she left behind a vulnerable Sanae-san with greatly diminished spiritual energy. And that was far too risky considering the situation they were in.

“But...”

“Don’t be a hero, Sanae! We’ve still got options!”

“...Okay.”

Sanae just wanted to be helpful, but in the end, she agreed to stay put. Recalling her previous conversation with Koutarou, she knew that he’d said what he did out of love. She didn’t need to be a hero because they were all in this together.

“All right! Love-Love Heart, Eternal Beat!”

If she couldn’t chase after Crimson and Green, she would just have to settle for taking out the enemies near Koutarou. Burning with passion, Sanae unleashed an explosive amount of spiritual energy. It warped the very laws of physics and shone so brightly that it became visible to the human eye. As it radiated from her, she looked like was wearing a golden, glowing robe of feathers.

“Eternal Angelic Shot!”

Sanae fired off arrows of light made out of pure spiritual power. They flew straight forward and impaled the weapons in front of her. They then released their spiritual energy and rent the machines from the inside. Attacking like that in her wasteful but enchanting robe of light, Sanae looked just like one of the heroines from the anime series she so loved.

“That Sanae girl... Just who is she?”

“Have you forgotten already, Uncle? She’s the former ghost who used to live at Corona House.”

“I know that, but I can’t imagine that’s all...”

“She really is amazing, isn’t she? To think a normal human could do that much...”

Shizuka smiled wryly as she crushed another automated weapon. In terms of sheer combat prowess, Shizuka had it hand and fist over Sanae thanks to the power of the Fire Dragon Emperor within her. She was a talented martial artist, but she couldn’t surpass human limits without Alunaya’s help. In contrast, Sanae was performing superhuman feats like it was nothing. It was no wonder that Alunaya was surprised. He was so surprised, in fact, that he began to suspect Sanae wasn’t actually human at all.

“I’m jealous, Uncle. She weighs the same no matter how much she fights.”

“All right, all right. Let’s finish this up quickly.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice! Let’s go, Uncle!”

“Understood!”

Shizuka began swinging her fists again. Wreathed in flame, she looked every bit as powerful and magical as Sanae.

“Satomi-kun, I’m casting a spell on the sword!”

“Please do, Sakuraba-senpai!”

Koutarou and Harumi were also working together, though in a different way from Shizuka and Alunaya. While they were pursuing Crimson and Green in stealth, Koutarou had chosen to carry Saguratin instead of Signaltin, which would generate too much mana and give away their location. In the midst of the ambush, he hadn’t had time to call for it, either, so he was stuck fighting with what he had on hand. Nevertheless, Harumi devoted herself to supporting him. While the sword was different, her role was the same.

“Gather, spirits of water! Dance, spirits of wind! Combine these two powers and appear, spirits of lightning! With the wrath of the god of thunder, condemn my enemies!”

No matter how far away they were, Harumi was connected to Signaltin through the crest on her forehead. That was how she’d been able to traverse endless time and immeasurable distance to reunite with Koutarou. It didn’t matter if she was in a different world. With her hair shining silver, she poured pure white mana into Saguratin.

“Appear! Thunder God’s Brilliant Blade!”

The mana overflowing the sword turned into electricity powerful enough to shock whatever the sword might come into contact with. Without hampering Koutarou’s fighting style, she’d chosen a spell that would enhance both his offense and defense.

“Ha!”

Koutarou sharply exhaled as he swung the sword he was so familiar with. It caught the claws of a beast-type automated weapon, and at the moment they crossed, the weapon completely seized—but only for a moment. The metal machines were particularly weak to being overloaded with electricity, so Darkness Rainbow had given them magical resistance to it. But that moment was all Koutarou needed to get back into an attacking position and strike again. When the beast-type automated weapon started to move again, the tip of Koutarou’s sword was already impaling its metal body. Taking both the sword attack and the electric charge that came with it internally this time, the machine seized up for good.

While Koutarou and Harumi were showing off their splendid teamwork, so was the resident pair of magical girls.

“Greater Acid Splash!”

Yurika shot a strong stream of acid from the tip of her staff, spraying it over the weapons coming after her and Maki.

“Keep it up, Yurika!”

Maki then closed in with her staff—converted into a greatsword—to finish off the melting automated weapons. The weapon she closed in on tried to defend itself with a knife, but it was no match for Maki’s greatsword. Its whole arm gave way under the heavy impact of the blow, Yurika’s acid having seeped into its joints and weakened them.

But while Maki had defeated the enemy in a single strike, she used a large enough weapon that even a single strike could leave her wide open. Protecting her in that moment was Yurika’s job.

“Poison Cloud!”

Yurika cast a miasmic cloud over the automated weapons now aiming guns at Maki. It only took a matter of seconds for them to stop moving and collapse on the spot. They never even had a chance to fire.

“To think that poison would work on machines... Yurika is just full of surprises...”

Maki was both grateful and impressed. Common sense, even for a magician, would suggest that poison would have no effect on the automated weapons. It should only work on living, breathing creatures. But the truth was that Yurika’s poison not only deteriorated electronical components, it was also highly conductive. Thanks to those two properties, the gaseous poison began eating away at their circuity. And once that started to spark, it was all over. So while common sense may have said that it was pointless to try, uncommon wisdom said that poison was actually quite useful against machines.

“Impressive... Hey, what’s wrong, Yurika?”

“Nothing... I just got something in my eye...”

Yurika had brilliantly used her magic to great effect, but she still wasn’t sure it was a good thing.

The automated weapons had Koutarou and the others vastly outnumbered, but that didn’t stop them from dominating the fight from start to finish. The results spoke for themselves, really. In a matter of minutes, the automated weapons were no more than scrap metal. Moreover, since Koutarou and company all been fighting prudently, hardly anyone was hurt at all. The worst injury they’d sustained was a scraped knee on Maki’s part.

But not everything had gone their way. Sometimes there’s a price to pay for holding back and fighting at your own pace.

“Not good. We must have entered holy ground. I can’t sense their spiritual energy through the forest at all anymore.”

“The spiritual energy of the land is too high, ho!”

“Performing a circumferential search to pick up their trail will take too much time, ho!”

The price they paid this time was losing track of Green and Crimson. They’d fled in a direction that was particularly dense with spiritual energy, which covered their tracks for them. The natural spiritual energy of the forest essentially overpowered what faint traces their auras left behind, so the trail effectively went cold here for Sanae and the haniwas.

It would be possible to follow them again once they left holy ground, but they had no way of knowing where they might come out. They’d have no choice but to circle the whole thing in hopes of picking up the trail again, but the trail would be growing weaker—and harder to find—with every passing second.

“This is a strategic victory in Green’s book. I hate to think of the planning it took to come up with this...” muttered Maki, who knew the inner workings of Darkness Rainbow all too well.

Especially since she was rescuing Crimson on her own, Green wouldn’t have engaged in this plan unless she was assured of her odds at success. She’d prepared herself thoroughly and come up with all manner of safeguards to make sure she and Crimson could get away. Being able to do all of that on the spot, although frustrating, was truly commendable.

“I should’ve chased them after all...”

Sanae’s shoulders drooped. Koutarou had told her not to go, but she was kicking herself for listening to him right now. Unexpectedly, however, the one in charge didn’t seem disappointed in the slightest.

“It’s okay, Sanae-chan,” Yurika said with a smile.

“What makes you say that?”

“Because we have a plan too.”

“We do? What plan?”

Sanae’s eyes shot wide open. She was surprised to find out they had some kind of secret plan, and even more surprised to hear this coming from a cool and confident Yurika.

“Well, that’s―”

However, just as Yurika was about to explain the details to Sanae...

“Your Highness, Yurika-sama, I’ve confirmed the beacon. The detachment is successfully continuing their pursuit of Crimson and Green,” Ruth reported as she tapped away on her bracelet terminal.

Hearing this, Sanae’s already wide eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

“A detachment?! We have something cool like that?!”

“That was all explained in the strategy meeting, wasn’t it?”

“O-Oh yeah. Eeheehee...”

The meeting had been so long and boring that it was the most Sanae could do to stay awake. She was tuned out for any given part of it, which was why she had no idea that they had a detachment. Her embarrassed smile couldn’t hide that.

“S-So, what’s this about a detachment?”

“Well...”

Yurika explained things all over again for Sanae, who gladly listened this time.

Darkness Rainbow had expected Yurika and the others to pursue them, but they in turn had foreseen that that would be the case. It was easy enough to guess that Darkness Rainbow would have some kind of plan in place.

That said, they had no way of knowing how, exactly, Darkness Rainbow would try and throw them off. There were far too many possibilities, so trying to come up with a countermeasure for each was unrealistic. Instead, Kiriha had come up with the idea of going after Darkness Rainbow’s blind spot.

In a resourceful move, she’d collected the automated weapons destroyed in their previous fight—specifically the ones operating off of spiritual energy technology. She then repaired them and overrode them so they were under her control. Since it was all familiar spiritual technology and she even had access to the radical faction scientists who’d created the weapons, it was a relatively simple feat.

Then, when Green rescued Crimson, Kiriha had two of her modified automated weapons infiltrate Green’s ranks. They used faked identification numbers and their IFF signals identified them as friendlies, so the other automated weapons had no response to them. And with so many automated weapons around her, it would be difficult for Green to notice two more sneaking in. It was such a subtle move that her future forecast might fail to portray the difference a slight increase in the number of automated weapons could make. Even if she did notice—whether with the help of her divination or otherwise—it would likely be too late.

In essence, Green commanding a large force of automated weapons and only using her future forecast to predict the near future created a blind spot. It put but a small hole in an otherwise good plan, yet Kiriha used her wits to thread the needle with aplomb.