Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 39 - Chapter 4

The Welcome Ceremony

Monday, September 5th

While she’d managed to finish her speech for the ceremony, Nalfa was extremely nervous on the day of. The pressure of taking center stage was overwhelming.

“Ahahaha, Nalfa-san,” laughed Koutarou, “you’re stiff as a board.”

“Do you have to sound like you’re so unconcerned?!” Nalfa objected.

“Aww, c’mon. I’m worried sick for my underclassman getting up on that stage.”

“I know a liar when I see one!”

Koutarou had come to check on her and found her pacing. She was so distracted that she kept tripping every so often too. It reminded him of how clumsy she’d been when she first came to Earth.

Yeah, I guess it’s just in her nature.

Koutarou was unexpectedly tickled. He felt like he’d ended up with a handful of a little sister, not so different from Yurika or Sanae. In fact, Nalfa was acting just like Yurika or Sanae did when beset with trouble. He couldn’t help wanting to look after her.

“You’re always in such high spirits during the Blue Knight cooking program,” he said to encourage her.

“I don’t have to do that on my own, and people only watch that for you... You have to help me!”

“Sorry. I’m in charge of security. It’s my job to protect you and the new transfer students.”

“Can’t you please just protect me?!”

“I wouldn’t make for very good security if I were glued to you on stage, now would I?”

“Right now I hate how dedicated to the job you are!”

All Nalfa needed to do was walk out in front of the crowd and read her speech, but it was her first time doing anything like this. She was on tenterhooks. She ordinarily projected a gentle aura, and that was nowhere to be seen right now.

“Break a leg, Nal-chan!”

“Don’t you abandon me too, Kotori!”

“But you really are on your own, Nal-chan. There’s nothing I could do for you if I wanted to.”

Kotori was filming Nalfa with a very amused expression. She wasn’t recording just for fun. They’d later send footage of both Nalfa’s speech and Koutarou’s patrol back to Forthorthe. In other words, it was business as usual.

“Kotori, you traitor!”

“Me? What about Kou-niisan?”

“Koutarou-sama is just serious by nature!”

“Why is he the only one off the hook?”

“That’s... Just because!”

With that, Nalfa turned her attention to Kotori. Satisfied, Koutarou nodded and used his bracelet to contact the others. He hadn’t just been making up excuses—he really did have to take care of security.

In total, the second wave of transfer students consisted of over fifteen hundred students, about two hundred of whom would be attending Kisshouharukaze High School. Kisshouharukaze was receiving so many because it had been designated a model city for the job. There were several similar special zones in Japan, each of which would also be taking on a large share of the second wave of students. Schools where the first wave had adapted well were receiving proportionately more. In that sense, Harukaze High was performing admirably.

“Theia, how are things over there?” Koutarou asked.

“It’s about time for the new students to enter the gymnasium, so I’ve dispatched some unmanned scouts to keep guard... But I guess you could say it’s just a nice, clear day so far,” she responded through his bracelet.

“We haven’t seen any suspicious radio or gravity waves either. Nor any comms interference. I don’t believe there’s any danger at the present moment,” Ruth added.

Harukaze High’s success was in large part due to Nalfa, but it also had a great deal to do with Theia and Ruth. They’d essentially paved the way. Everyone on campus had learned of their origins around the time Nalfa arrived, but because the kids and faculty already knew them, they were mostly comfortable around Forthorthians. Incidentally, Theia and Ruth were in charge of the early warning system today. Their job was to detect enemy attacks as soon as possible with various drones and sensors.

“Nefilforan-san, what’s the situation like over there?” Koutarou asked next.

“The airborne troops are in position on standby. If there are any problems, they’ll sortie immediately,” the princess reported.

“Moreover, the commander looks a little disappointed that’s all you had to ask her,” Nana threw in.

“Wha—”

Nefilforan and Nana had their most elite forces over Kisshouharukaze City. They were specially trained in dropping into enemy territory and boarding spaceships. Today, their mission was to deploy immediately in the event of any enemy activity and buy time for everyone else to arrive. The moment Theia and Ruth detected someone, they would move out. They played a critical role as the first line of defense.

“And how’s the gymnasium team?” Koutarou asked next.

“Uh, we’re fine!” Sanae-chan replied.

“You need to give a more detailed report!” Sanae-san scolded her.

“I’ll handle it,” Sanae-nee offered. “We’re keeping watch with the haniwas, but haven’t sensed anyone.”

“Hey, look at you, Onee-chan! That was a great report!”

“...Was it?”

“It was, ho!”

“We’ll send the data to Ane-go, ho!”

“So yeah, like I said, we’re fine!”

When the Sanaes and the haniwas were done giving their side of the report, Maki chimed in. “Satomi-kun,” she began quietly, “Yurika has been checking regularly and there’s no sign of magic being used within a quarter of a kilometer.”

“I’m still worried about the grand wizard though...” Yurika muttered.

“Hey, there’s no sneaking past Uncle’s nose,” Shizuka assured her.

“Really?”

“He’s telling me he can smell seafood-flavored instant curry on you.”

“Okay, okay! I believe you, so don’t say anything more!”

Assigned to the venue detail were the three Sanaes, Yurika, Maki, and Shizuka. They were the perfect combination of power and flexibility. And in the event of a more physical attack, the Sun Rangers and men in black were standing by outside. There were also normal guards provided by the school present. The ceremony was clearly protected with multiple layers of security. Short of a large-scale attack, the students would undoubtedly be protected.

“Kiriha-san, how’s it going on your end?”

“It’s last minute but we’ve confirmed the identities of all of the additional guests. It’s safe to assume that there aren’t any spies among them.”

“What about you, Clan?”

“There are no gravitational waves in orbit and no high energy signals... It appears that Ralgwin and his forces really did return to Forthorthe.”

Farther above Nefilforan’s troops, Kiriha and Clan circled the Earth in the Hazy Moon. Kiriha was commanding the ship while Clan was providing backup for everyone. They used their spare time to gather information and manage intelligence, like confirming the guest list. Their exact jobs would shift with the ever-changing situation on the surface below.

“I certainly hope so,” said Koutarou. “It’s best if nothing happens. Especially today.”

“I’m afraid the Earthlings might be our biggest worry today,” Harumi said with a sorrowful look.

Plenty of Earth’s native population was still in an uproar about the arrival of aliens, and tensions were high. Some people even accused Forthorthe of being involved in past UFO sightings, even though Japan and Forthorthe had jointly debunked that. A great number of protestors had tried to flood the country in time with the second wave of transfer students. They were generally barred entry for that purpose, but there were plenty of protestors in Japan too. There was even speculation that foreign countries were fueling the unrest due to lingering dissatisfaction that Forthorthe had chosen to cooperate with Japan exclusively. The danger, as Harumi worried, was already present.

“We—all of us in Kisshouharukaze, really—are lucky that Theia and Ruth-san were the first Forthorthians we met,” said Koutarou.

Thanks to Theia and Ruth, he already knew that Forthorthians were flesh and blood humans just like Earthlings. The whole city knew it by now. Rather than fear, they’d be greeted with a warm welcome here.

“Yeah, that’s true. I think so too,” Harumi agreed.

She was of a similar mind. People feared the unknown, but Theia and Ruth were now longtime friends. The response just wasn’t the same. Their presence had inoculated the citizens of Kisshouharukaze City to the fear many were feeling.

“I don’t feel the same,” said Theia. “I have the shivers right now.”

“What do you mean?” Koutarou asked.

“Think back to when I met you. Who knows how this would be unfolding if I had killed even one person on this planet? Just the thought of it is terrifying,” she confessed with a shudder.

Indeed, Theia had once looked down on Earthlings as mere backwater neanderthals. She hadn’t cared one iota about their safety—and she now realized how dangerous that was. If she had caused an incident back then, the current relationship between Japan and Forthorthe would be dramatically different.

“We have Ruth-san to thank for that. Both of us,” said Koutarou. “The unthinkable might have happened without her.”

“I was only fulfilling my duty as Her Highness’s retainer.”

“There’s no need to be modest. If not for you, I would have hurt someone. I truly am grateful, Ruth.”

“Same. I would have hit Theia for real.”

Ruth’s interference had stopped the fight between Koutarou and Theia and subsequently prevented a variety of problems. She was indirectly the reason there was peace on Earth at the moment. Koutarou and Theia both felt obliged to thank her for that.

“You hit me for real now, though,” Theia objected.

“That’s totally different. You know that,” Koutarou argued.

“Indeed. It’s no-holds-barred between us now.”

“Ahaha, I am proud to have served as cupid for Your Highness and Master.”

As far as Ruth was concerned, she wasn’t entirely sure that she could really stop Theia if it came to that. She was, however, confident that she could mediate between her liege and Koutarou. He’d proven to be a great ally and friend. While it wasn’t exclusively for Theia’s sake, Ruth was pleased that the two were on such great terms.

“W-We’re getting off topic. Let’s get back to work,” Koutarou insisted.

“Hey, you’re just avoiding the... Okay, let’s return to work,” Theia conceded.

“Yes, I believe that’s for the best,” Ruth concluded.

Regardless of Koutarou’s intentions, Theia and Ruth weren’t planning on letting all the progress they’d made go to waste. Not now that Koutarou was so precious to them. They wanted to follow the same path he did in life, and they would risk everything to protect him moving forward.

The welcome ceremony had proceeded smoothly so far, yet Koutarou and the girls remained on guard. Their greatest concern at the moment, however, wasn’t a potential attack—it was Nalfa. She’d almost fallen twice already, first when she climbed up to the stage and then again for seemingly no reason at all. To no one’s surprise, she was incredibly nervous. Koutarou wanted to rush to her side both times but stopped himself. Nalfa had only tripped without tumbling over, so she didn’t actually need any help either time. Nevertheless, watching out for her had become second nature to Koutarou. Harumi watched this all with a smile from where she stood next to him, although he was none the wiser.

“To our newest students, welcome to Kisshouharukaze High School! I am Nalfa Laren, a transfer student from Forthorthe just like you. I’ve been here since April of this year,” Nalfa began.

It was all she could do to read the speech she’d prepared beforehand. Her nerves were getting the better of her. Her expression and voice were stiff. Koutarou watched worriedly, hoping she’d be able to make it all the way through.

With Satomi-kun focused on her, I need to do my best...

Still smiling, Harumi cast several spells to heighten her senses and her awareness of her surroundings. Since Koutarou was so fixated on Nalfa, she decided it would be best to leave her to him and pick up the slack elsewhere. Unfortunately, Nalfa could easily be the main target of a terrorist attack, so Harumi knew there was no harm in Koutarou keeping a close eye on her.

“As I’m sure you’ve all noticed already, this world is full of surprise and wonder. Its history is entirely different from Forthorthe’s, so the way people live and the way society works here are different. I believe just getting a taste of that will make your time here worthwhile. I know it has for me. Even now, my days here are still full of surprise and wonder.”

Nalfa stumbled over a few words here and there but managed to plow her way through her speech. Koutarou continued to look on, tense and excited for her.

“Stay calm... The next part is a little long, so take a deep breath first. Yeah, that’s it!”

He’d helped Nalfa write the speech and rehearse it. He knew it almost as well as she did. He was keenly, anxiously aware of everywhere she might stumble.

I’m sure Satomi-kun watched over me the same way... Harumi thought to herself as she observed them. In the past, she’d also been painfully shy and flighty. She couldn’t help seeing a little bit of herself in Nalfa, and seeing the way Koutarou doted on her warmed her heart.

“Now, with that said, I believe it would be best for you all to experience life here for yourselves. Please enjoy your time on Earth and in Japan. And again, on behalf of the current student body, welcome to Kisshouharukaze High School! Let’s have a wonderful school year together!”

Nalfa didn’t take long to get through her speech. She’d kept it short to avoid standing out too much. It was only a fraction of the length of the principal’s speech, so it was well received by both the current students and the transfer students.

“Thank goodness it’s finally over...” Koutarou sighed.

“Satomi-kun, you’re practically acting like you’re Nalfa-san’s father,” Harumi remarked.

“Yeah, well, I feel like I’m fretting over my daughter.”

“Haha, I’m a little envious.”

As Harumi laughed, Nalfa returned from the stage followed by a round of applause. Now that it was all over, she was profoundly relieved to see Koutarou and Harumi.

“Pheeew... I did it,” she said, exhaling all the air in her lungs and scrunching her shoulders. It made her look even more petite than usual—a sign of just how anxious she’d been.

“Nice job,” Koutarou congratulated her as he handed her a bottle of water. Nalfa wasn’t the only one pleased that her speech had gone off without a hitch. He, too, looked relieved.

“Thank you very much, Koutarou-sama!”

“You did great out there.”

“Thank you... I was really nervous.” As she said thanks a second time, Nalfa finally managed a smile. She couldn’t have been happier to be done with the whole ordeal.

“I told you that you’d be fine, didn’t I?” Koutarou reminded her.

“You did,” she said. “My faith in that got me through.”

“That’s all you have to do for now, Nalfa-san, so take a break for a while.”

“Yes, I think I’ll do just that,” Nalfa agreed, her expression relaxing.

Meanwhile, Koutarou’s own expression grew stern. He was still on the job, after all. Ralgwin could be lurking anywhere and Earth-based radicals could attack at any time. Just because Nalfa’s speech was over didn’t mean they were in the clear yet.

“That’s enough for the fake Satomi-kun, I think,” said Harumi.

Seeing that Koutarou was ready to get back to work, Harumi waved a finger. When she did, the illusory Koutarou who’d been walking around the gymnasium disappeared. Harumi had summoned it as a distraction while the real Koutarou was completely focused on Nalfa. It was largely a decoy, but if it served to put the enemy on guard, that was fine too. Buying time was all Harumi had hoped to accomplish with the illusion.

“Sorry about that, Sakuraba-senpai,” Koutarou apologized. He finally realized that he’d neglected security while Nalfa was on the stage and that Harumi had been covering for him.

“Don’t be sorry,” she said. “I love that part of you too.”

Harumi would have been a little dismayed if Koutarou had wholly ignored his friend’s big day to carry out his guard duty. She wanted him to remain the kind, honest boy he was—that was her and Alaia’s wish. If he fell short anywhere because of it, she would make up for it herself. She’d meant what she said to him.

“Could you not say that with such a straight face...?” he begged bashfully.

“C-Certainly. P-Please forget I said it...” Harumi replied, equally bashful.

Though she and Alaia shared a soul, their minds and lives were discrete. Nevertheless, Alaia’s words would unconsciously escape Harumi’s lips from time to time. They were so frank on occasion that she found herself staring at her feet out of embarrassment. Like right now, for example.

Koutarou hadn’t been the only one watching Nalfa’s speech. Another knight had done the same—the Gray Knight. His reasons were entirely different, however. There was no kindness or warmth in his eyes. Rather than cheering on Nalfa, he beheld her like a mystery that needed to be deciphered.

“To think Nalfalaren would become a high school student welcoming alien transfer students... What’s going on in this world?” he muttered. “But things are starting to make sense now. Either the Blue Knight wished this for her or there are some other extenuating circumstances... I can’t say for sure, but if she’s a mere powerless human here, that would explain why Signaltin isn’t embodying its true powers.”

The Gray Knight had been observing Koutarou and the people around him. As expected, he’d sensed nothing from Nalfa personally. He could tell the other nine girls had gained great strength via a contract with the sword, but even between the lot of them, that still didn’t add up to the power that the true sword of kingship possessed. The Gray Knight had a hard time believing that power had been lost. Since Nalfa demonstrated none of it whatsoever, that meant it was either hibernating somehow or displaced in some way.

“Would she remain powerless even in an emergency?” he wondered aloud. “It’s about time to find out.”

The Blue Knight, Signaltin, and the other girls were one thing. Nalfa alone was helpless. So after careful surveillance, the Gray Knight finally decided to make his move. He needed to confirm where the sword’s true power lay and the conditions for drawing it out. As long as its power remained sealed, he couldn’t accomplish his goals. He would have been even more cautious under normal circumstances, but with the group about to depart for Forthorthe, he needed to strike even if there was some risk involved.

Following the welcome ceremony, Nalfa departed Harukaze High for Corona House. The ceremony was all she had scheduled for the day, so without anything else to do, she left afterward while Koutarou and company stayed behind to tend to other matters. Kotori and Kenji were seeing her home.

“Man... everything’s totally different from last year,” Kenji said with a small smile.

A short year ago, Kisshouharukaze High School had been an ordinary local school. Today, it was a critical institution of intergalactic diplomacy. As a result, things were indeed quite different around campus. Whereas the principal and vice principal had been mere custodians of the student body before, they now spent their time running all over the place. Just the other day, they’d had a meeting with Forthorthian VIPs on a spaceship in orbit.

“Even seeing spaceships is becoming a normal occurrence,” Kotori agreed.

Harukaze High had also changed dramatically in appearance. New facilities and dormitories had been added in anticipation of more transfer students. The school was now almost twice the size it had been. As Kotori had alluded, there was even a small spaceport where smaller crafts could land. And those were only the changes visible to students. Like Kenji said, things were totally different from a year prior.

“I never thought that I’d have to give a speech in front of people like that,” sighed Nalfa.

The biggest change for Nalfa was a personal one. She’d always been a viewer. Since coming to Earth, she’d been shooting things that she thought other people would want to see. Yet finally, today, she’d taken her own place on the stage. It might not have meant anything to someone else in her shoes, but it was world-shaking to Nalfa.

“If you’re going to say that, then I never thought that I’d make friends with an alien,” said Kotori.

“Me either,” replied Nalfa.

The two girls shared a look and a giggle. In truth, their relationship was the most profound change of all. Kotori’s best friend was from a different planet and vice versa. It was a friendship of both personal and cosmic significance.

“Meanwhile, I got a lead role in our next show because Forthorthe turned out to be real,” threw in Kenji.

“Oh, yeah. That did happen, didn’t it?” said Kotori.

For the past two years, Theia had written plays about Forthorthe for the school festival. Kenji’s firsthand experience with both had allowed him to land the starring role in the next iteration.

“It’s just a shame that Sakuraba-senpai isn’t the princess...” he mumbled.

“Nii-san, why’d you have to go and ruin it?!” Kotori shouted.

“S-Sorry. Just slipped right out...”

“Ahaha, you siblings sure get along,” Nalfa remarked.

The Matsudaira siblings’ relationship had changed over the past year too. Enrolling at Harukaze High had destroyed Kotori’s image of her brother. Indeed, she’d learned of his womanizing ways and she disapproved strongly. In a way, her own horizons had broadened—in no small part thanks to her eye-opening friendship with Nalfa.

“I was so proud of my brother until last year too. To think you were really like this...” Kotori lamented.

“You don’t have to put it like that!” Kenji objected.

“If you don’t like it, maybe you should stop switching girlfriends every day!”

“I have my reasons!”

Nalfa giggled as she watched the siblings bicker. She had a brother of her own, so she could relate. In fact, she’d had quite a quarrel with her brother, Danesford, before leaving for Earth.

“Don’t go, Nalfa! It’s far too soon!”

“If anything, it’s almost too late for me to study abroad.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about! You’ll never make it on your own! It’s too dangerous!”

“You’ve always been overprotective!”

“You just don’t get it! In the worst case scenario, you could die!”

Danesford had been vehemently opposed to her coming to Earth. He’d always been protective of his little sister, and he couldn’t imagine her thriving on a strange new planet all alone.

In the end, my brother was right. I’ve caused a lot of trouble for Koutarou-sama. Still, I’m glad I came...

Reflecting on it now, Nalfa understood her brother’s concern. She wasn’t mature enough to get by on her own. That said, she didn’t regret her decision to come to Earth. So many wonderful things had happened here, beginning with meeting Kotori.

Besides, if I were more self-sufficient, Koutarou-sama surely would have regarded me like all the other transfer students. I never would’ve gotten to see him as a normal boy. I probably shouldn’t think this, but I’m glad things turned out the way they did...

It was true that Koutarou had taken a special shine to looking after the klutzy, unreliable Nalfa. He wouldn’t have felt the need to keep close tabs on her if she’d been more dependable, so Nalfa was now glad she was an airhead—but only a little. She was still keenly aware she’d been a burden on him.

“Besides, why are you only criticizing me?!” Kenji demanded of his sister. “Kou’s not much different!”

“Kou-niisan doesn’t chase after any girl he lays eyes on! He’s doing his best to settle down!”

“No matter how you look at it, he’s just dating all of them!”

“It only looks that way to you and your filthy brain! Kou-niisan is a gentleman who’s never crossed the line!”

No matter what planet they hailed from, it seemed siblings were much the same anywhere in the universe. That was how Nalfa felt watching Kenji and Kotori. Her thoughts turned to her own brother, and she found herself wondering what he was doing right now. Being separated had taught her how great it truly was to have someone close by. The next moment, however...

Huh...? What is this tingling feeling?

Nalfa stopped when she sensed a presence. She looked around to find the source, and her eyes fell on the riverbed that followed the road home. The hair on the back of her neck instantly stood on end. There was something there. Something frightening.

“Hey, what’s the matter, Nalfa-san?” Kenji asked.

“Yeah, Nal-chan, your face is pale,” Kotori remarked.

The siblings had noticed Nalfa stop in her tracks and thus turned around to see what was wrong. Her apparent state of shock alarmed them.

“I just got this weird feeling,” she said. “There’s something... There! What is that?!”

Nalfa finally saw it. It was on the riverside promenade up ahead in the direction they were headed. Nobody had been there before, but now someone wearing a gray hood had appeared as if oozing out of the ether. The strange presence Nalfa felt correspondingly grew stronger. She was convinced this person—whoever they were—was the source of it.

“Kotori, Kenji... let’s go a different way.”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“That person... They’re an unknown... An enemy!”

Nalfa cast a steely gaze upon the figure. She had no idea as to his real identity. She couldn’t see his face lurking beneath the hood. Nevertheless, she could tell based on presence alone that this man was extremely dangerous. There was something about them that was fundamentally opposed.

“What are you talking about, Nal-chan— Ah!”

“Get back, Kotori!”

The siblings finally noticed the strange new arrival as well. Kotori was primarily taken by surprise, but Kenji sensed that the figure was suspicious and stepped forward to protect the two girls. He was acting on his instincts as an older brother.

“So you sense it, do you?” the man in the hood—the Gray Knight—asked Nalfa.

He seemed pleased that she could detect the threat he presented. It suggested that she hadn’t fully lost her powers. If she recognized the danger she was in now, surely there was a way to awaken her full faculties. That was what the Gray Knight wanted.

“Wh-Who are you?” Nalfa asked him in turn.

“Nobody, but everyone calls me the Gray Knight,” he replied.

He saw no need to share his identity, but in the service of his goals, Nalfa needed to know who he was. That was why he took the title of Gray Knight. It was a moniker someone had once given him, and he’d kept it all this time.

“You’re the Gray Knight?!” Hearing that, Nalfa understood that Koutarou and company’s worst nightmare had appeared before her. “Did you... come to kill me?”

“It’s looking like that’s how this is going to play out.”

The Gray Knight approached as he spoke, closing in on Nalfa and drawing his sword. It looked like a traditional Forthorthian knight’s sword, yet the blade was dark and dull. It reflected no light, but not for lack of care for the blade. It was more apt to say that the weapon simply did not let light escape. Its very silhouette was vague.

That sword is... I know that sword!

The moment Nalfa saw the sword, she was unable to take her eyes off of it. It was familiar to her, yet she couldn’t recall when or where she’d seen it before. She had no idea how she knew it.

Nalfa stood stock-still, her eyes transfixed on the sword.

“So you react to this, do you?” the Gray Knight murmured as he approached. “I’m starting to see the full picture...”

“What are you muttering about?! Stop right there!”

With that, six armed men in black suits jumped out in front of Nalfa. They were her bodyguards, who’d been watching over her from cover. Like the Sun Rangers, they were part of the government’s anti-invader department. Little did they know that this was their first encounter with a real invader.

“We’re authorized to open fire! If you take one step closer, we’ll shoot!” one of them declared.

“What will you do now, I wonder...?” the Gray Knight continued.

“Back down, everyone!” Nalfa cried. “You all have to run away!”

“Huh?” the man in black responded, baffled.

“So you can even sense this power...” the Gray Knight muttered. Standing some distance away, he swung his sword without form or technique. The arc it cut became a wave of energy that flew toward the men in black.

“Anti-energy field!” The biggest of the six men pulled out a large shield and stepped forward. His shield intercepted the incoming wave of energy, and an internal device activated to cancel it out. Thanks to that, the six men in black survived the attack unharmed.

“Oh, so the government isn’t entirely inept...”

The man in black was using the same kind of spiritual energy field that Korama and Karama did, although the government’s version of the technology still had a long way to go and hadn’t been miniaturized like the haniwas’. Instead, it capitalized on its large size to generate a high-powered, high-capacity field that was stronger than what the haniwas could project. That was how it had been able to defend against the Gray Knight’s attack.

“Captain!” the man called out to his squad leader as he forwarded him some data.

The captain saw it on the monitor built into his sunglasses and made an immediate decision. “It’s best to retreat! Nalfa-san and friends, please get behind us!”

The data concerned the remaining battery in the shield—blocking a single attack from the Gray Knight had drained nearly half of it. That meant the men in black would only be able to defend everyone from another shot or two at most. If they entered combat like this, they were guaranteed defeat. That was why the captain had swiftly made the call to withdraw.

“But that will put you all in danger!” Nalfa objected.

“Don’t worry about us!” the captain assured her. “This is our job! Think of you and your friends’ safety!”

The men in black only intended for Nalfa, Kotori, and Kenji to flee the scene. They intended to stay behind to buy the children time to get away. The men in black had already accepted their fates. Nalfa had no intention of leaving them behind to escape herself.

“...Thank you!”

At least, not until Kotori and Kenji entered the equation. She couldn’t bear the thought of endangering them. She’d never forgive herself if they died because of her. And so, reluctantly, she turned to run.

“These men are skilled and their captain is wise...” the Gray Knight continued to mutter. “The worst opponents on the battlefield.”

“Fire as one! Don’t let him get near Nalfa-san and her friends!” the captain shouted.

The Gray Knight had already attacked the men in black. That gave them the necessary go-ahead to respond in kind. And so, with smooth movements, the men in black collectively drew their weapons and opened fire on the Gray Knight.

“Using pistols against an enemy suspected to be from Forthorthe seems foolish at first, but they’ve taken the proper precautions...”

As bodyguards, the men in black couldn’t walk around with larger firearms like assault rifles. At best they could carry a pistol in a holster and a submachine gun in a briefcase. To make up for this, they’d converted to using spiritual energy-based ammunition. The bullets were still metallic, but their tips were imbued with energy so that each shot would have spiritual impact even if blocked. They didn’t yet have the technology to fire pure spiritual energy. This left them reliant on enhanced material bullets, which had the advantage of both physical firepower and spiritual force. They were bound to have some effect, even against the Gray Knight.

“I think it’s working, captain!”

“Keep firing! Cover for the kids!”

The Gray Knight had created a spiritual energy field to shield himself. It would take more than a volley of imbued bullets to defeat him. Still, the hail of fire strained his generator and slowed his advance—just what the men in black wanted. They were only trying to buy time for the civilians to flee.

“I can’t take too long...” the Gray Knight murmured. Nalfa and her friends had already made it twenty meters out, and he couldn’t afford to let them escape. “Looks like it’s come to this...” He focused on his sword. A haziness began swirling around it, obscuring its shape.

“Captain, the enemy is up to something!”

“I don’t know what he’s doing, but prepare for an attack! Raise the anti-energy field!”

“Understood!”

The men in black were well trained and quick to respond. Once again, the man with the shield moved out in front of the group.

“You’ve got the right idea, but sadly, that won’t be enough...”

The Gray Knight swung his sword wide, dispersing the haze around the blade. It began drifting toward the men in black.

“It’s going around my shield, sir!”

“Is it some kind of gas?! Hold your breath!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

“Again, you’ve got the right idea... But you’d need the sword of kingship to protect you from that.”

The captain suspected the Gray Knight had unleashed a harmful agent, hence his order for his men to hold their breath. That would keep it from entering their lungs and incapacitating them immediately—but as the Gray Knight had muttered, that wasn’t enough to protect them. The haze he’d cast out was still being absorbed through their skin. The men had only bought themselves a few extra seconds by holding their breath.

“U-Ugh...”

One after another, they collapsed to the ground. They’d played all of their cards right; their hand just hadn’t been strong enough to win. The fault was hardly theirs, however. Their opponent was simply that strong. Fortunately, their good fight hadn’t been in vain.

That’s right... Just past those bushes... is a car... waiting for you...

As the captain was losing consciousness, he watched Nalfa, Kotori, and Kenji flee. They were approaching some shrubbery, beyond which was a vehicle that belonged to allies of the men in black. Even if the Gray Knight chased after Nalfa and her friends now, he wouldn’t make it in time to stop them from getting in. That meant the men in black had accomplished their goal.

“Well played. I’d almost love to let them go on your behalf, but I’m afraid I can’t let that happen...” In the blink of an eye, the Gray Knight was upon the men in black. Brandishing his sword, he called, “Stop right there, Nalfa Laren. Any farther and I’ll kill these men.”

Those words reached Nalfa’s ears just as she was about to round the corner. Reflexively, she stopped and turned back.

“Oh no, the men in black!”

“It’s no skin off my nose. You decide. Will you abandon or save them?”

The Gray Knight really didn’t care one way or the other. He was confident that he could catch Nalfa even if she chose to flee him in earnest, but he also knew what it would mean for her to abandon someone.

“You will spare them if I cooperate?” she asked. Her body was quaking with fear, but her voice was steady. A strong desire to save the men in black bolstered her.

“D-Don’t do it...” the captain begged her. “You have to run...”

“Despite my appearance, I am a knight. I don’t go back on my word,” the Gray Knight promised.

“Nal-chan, no! He’s a terrorist!”

“She’s right! There’s no guarantee he means what he says!”

Kenji and Kotori believed the Gray Knight to be a villain. His goal was to drive a wedge between Japan and Forthorthe, and to that end, he was after Nalfa’s life. Cooperating with him was out of the question in their eyes. Nalfa would just be walking into her own grave.

“Really, it doesn’t make a difference to me, although I am interested to see if you’ll turn your back on them.”

The Gray Knight leveled his sword at one of the men in black. His goal here was an experiment to see if Nalfa’s powers would manifest under mortal duress. He thought this was his best chance to draw them out, but he was willing to take a secondary approach...

So what will you do, Nalfa Laren? You’ve never intervened because it just creates parallel worlds, but here you are, trapped in a single timeline. How will you react in this situation, I wonder?

Nalfa’s own life being in danger wasn’t necessarily the only way to bring out her power. Knowing that, the Gray Knight wanted to force her into a dilemma to see how she would respond. That information could prove just as useful.

“I understand... I’m coming,” she eventually agreed.

“I see. So that’s your answer,” he mused.

“No! You can’t go!” Kotori cried.

“Nalfa-san, he’s just going to kill everyone!” Kenji shouted, reaching out for her. He had a terrible feeling about all this. Nalfa had a glint in her eye that he’d never seen before.

“I know,” she said. “But this is what Koutarou-sama would do.”

Nalfa lightly eluded Kenji’s grasp as she turned a smile on the siblings. Kenji’s hunch was spot on—Nalfa looked just like Koutarou would in that moment. The thought shook him for a moment, and in that time, Nalfa began walking toward the Gray Knight.

“I’ll do whatever I can!”

She knew this was practically suicidal. Even so, she couldn’t help herself. She would forever regret it if she abandoned the men in black. She would never be able to look Koutarou in the eye again.

I’m scared. I bet that sword hurts... I don’t think I could dodge it. I’m not very fast. I doubt he’d let me get away anyway... Even if I picked up one of the bodyguards’ guns, I don’t know how to use it... At this rate, I really will die...

Ponder as she might, Nalfa couldn’t come up with a plan. She didn’t know the first thing about self-defense. She couldn’t imagine that anything she might try would work. But even so, she kept thinking. Koutarou would never give up, and she wanted to follow his example.

Maybe it’s pointless, but maybe I could surprise him...

In the end, Nalfa decided to take a gamble. If the Gray Knight truly meant to cut her down, there would be no stopping him. She knew she wouldn’t succeed where the men in black had failed, but she didn’t want to go down without a fight. Giving the Gray Knight a start might be all she could do. She didn’t think it would amount to anything, but it was better than doing nothing.

“Prepare yourself, Nalfa Laren.” The Gray Knight stepped forward, rapidly closing the distance between them as he raised his sword.

“Come back, Nalfa-san!”

“Don’t do this, Nal-chan!”

Kenji and Kotori snapped out of their stupor and chased after her, but they wouldn’t make it in time. The Gray Knight would reach her first. Finally, he brought his sword down...

“Here I come!” Nalfa cried.

With that, she took off running. But she wasn’t trying to escape. Instead, she was headed straight for the Gray Knight. Nobody saw it coming—not even him.

“What are you doing?!”

The Gray Knight had swung his sword to scare Nalfa, not kill her. But now that she was dashing toward him, she’d entered its range. She was on a direct course to meet his blade. Nalfa was going to die before he’d solved the mystery, and the Gray Knight couldn’t have that. In a desperate move to prevent it, he swiftly altered his sword’s trajectory.

“Ahh!” Nalfa yelped.

In the end, the sword grazed her collar before stabbing into the ground. A trickle of blood ran down her neck. The outcome was wildly different from what she expected, but ultimately, her life had been spared.

“I-I’m not dead... Why?”

“You surprised me there... but I’ve learned something. Your power doesn’t come out even when your life is in danger.”

Nalfa was quite shaken by the attack. Her wound was superficial, but being cut with a sword was still terrifying. But there was more to the Gray Knight’s assault. He’d hoped that cornering Nalfa like this would trigger the awakening of her powers.

“Wh-What are you saying...?” she stammered.

“You’re coming with me. I still—”

Right now, the Gray Knight’s attention was fully focused on Nalfa—and there was someone who’d been waiting for just that moment.

“Sudden Full-power Punch!”

It was Sanae Onee-chan, who was wreathed in light as she leaped out from where she’d been hiding. She flew at the Gray Knight, channeling all her power into her fist, which was glowing brighter than the rest of her body.

“Ugh, of course you had to show up now of all times—”

“Hyaaaaah!”

Sanae-nee’s fist met the Gray Knight’s right hand with a grand explosion. She’d actually suppressed her power in order to catch him off guard, so the surprise attack was far from everything she had. Even so, her punch had the power of a cannon behind it. It sent the Gray Knight’s sword flying. It landed some distance away, lodged in the ground.

“Tch.” The Gray Knight sneered. “Who would’ve thought you could lie in wait when you have no patience?”

“You’re the one who doesn’t have any patience,” Sanae-nee rebutted. “You’re rushing because you’re nearing your goal, aren’t you?”

The Gray Knight had indeed let his guard down. Sanae-nee had sensed his lack of killing intent from the start and bided her time accordingly. He’d remained fixated on Nalfa after she tried to run, allowing Sanae-nee to get the drop on him. She could have put more power into the attack, but because he’d been unable to shield himself with the power of chaos, the blow was still plenty strong.

“I suppose I should be more careful. People always trip near the finish line,” he mused.

“I never thought I’d hear you say that,” she shot back.

Sanae-nee stared down the Gray Knight as her fist began glowing again, this time far brighter than before. Since she was no longer trying to hide, she could channel her maximum power without fear.

If I let him get that sword back, I’m toast!

The Gray Knight’s sword was how he controlled the power of chaos. It was an incredible stroke of good luck that Sanae-nee had disarmed him with her initial attack. She needed to keep him that way until reinforcements arrived.

“You saved me, Sanae-sama!” Nalfa cried.

“I owe it all to the men in black,” she replied. “I only made it because of them.”

Indeed, the men in black were to thank for Sanae-nee’s arrival. The moment the Gray Knight had appeared, they’d called for backup, which prompted Koutarou and the others to move. Sanae-nee had been nearby, so she was able to fly directly to the scene with her psychic powers. The men in black had bought enough time for her to make it there, meaning that, in the end, they’d carried out their mission successfully.

“Nalfa, you get back!” Sanae-nee cried.

“You can’t fight on your own!”

“Don’t worry, backup is on the way! But I can’t have you getting in the way!”

“O-Okay...”

Nalfa bit her lip as she backed off. She was frustrated that she was only an impediment to the fight, but it was a reality she had to acknowledge.

“There’s no need for all that,” the Gray Knight insisted. “I have no intention of doing anything to her now.”

Rather than giving chase, the Gray Knight simply watched Nalfa go. He’d learned at least one thing in his experiment today, and he wouldn’t be able to learn more without the appropriate preparations. The best he’d be able to do now was kidnap Nalfa for future observation.

“What gives?” Sanae taunted. “You already lose interest in her?”

“If anything, I have more pressing business with you,” the Gray Knight replied. “You’re the last one.”

“So that’s how it is, huh? Your psychic powers are pretty weak.”

For the time being, the Gray Knight’s interest had shifted to Sanae-nee. The other girls of their world had been absorbed into the whirlpool of chaos, charging it with their powers. The only spiritual energy in that equation came from Kiriha and the haniwas. It was comparatively weak, all things considered, but the whirlpool more than supplemented it. Without the sword to control the chaos, however, the Gray Knight was at a distinct disadvantage.

“In other words... I’ll never have a better chance of defeating you,” Sanae-nee continued in a bold declaration.

“That’s awfully clever for you,” the Gray Knight remarked.

“I had to grow up sometime... even though we were both trying to avoid that.”

“...No wonder.”

With weaker psychic powers and no sword, the Gray Knight had no way of blocking Sanae-nee’s attacks. But now that she was alone, this was his chance to absorb her into the whirlpool of chaos too. Thus his objective shifted: the Gray Knight’s new goal was to retake his sword and take Sanae-nee before reinforcements arrived.

“I won’t let you have your way,” she said. She knew what the Gray Knight was after. Carefully, one step at a time, she moved to get between him and the sword.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. You know that psychic powers aren’t the only thing I have at my disposal.” The Gray Knight followed suit, creeping forward to keep Sanae-nee from completely blocking his path to the blade. The only hitch was that he couldn’t move but so far on the promenade.

“I know, but you can only use Forthorthian weapons right now!”

Sensing that the Gray Knight was growing desperate with her psychic powers, Sanae-nee swiftly went on the offensive. Minding her opponent and being quick to respond was the fighting strategy the Kiriha and Theia of her world had taught her. She created several fist-sized balls of energy around her and fired them at the Gray Knight.

“Getting read like a book sure is a pain...”

The Gray Knight’s distortion field couldn’t block spiritual attacks. Magic was an option, but he had no time for an incantation. Sanae-nee had prioritized speed over power to keep him on his toes. His only recourse, as she’d said, was Forthorthian weaponry.

“You’re nothing compared to Theia!” she shouted.

“Tch, there’s too many of them!” he shouted in turn.

The Gray Knight returned fire with an assault rifle. The bullets, infused with some of his spiritual energy, negated Sanae-nee’s orbs on contact. But as she’d pointed out, he wasn’t as quick or accurate as Theia. He could have wiped all of the orbs out in one fell swoop with his sword, but without it, they pummeled him one after the other.

“Guh! You’re pretty good, Sanae!”

Between the orbs’ lack of firepower, their diminished numbers after his counterattack, and his armor, the Gray Knight was able to endure Sanae-nee’s onslaught. This didn’t faze her, however.

“There’s more where that came from!”

The continuous explosions obscured both her and the Gray Knight’s vision, which made no difference to Sanae-nee with her spirit sight. She could still see the Gray Knight’s aura, so she fired a second round of orbs at him.

“Try this on for size!”

“Don’t think the same trick will work twice!”

From the billowing smoke emerged three Gray Knights—he’d used the short amount of time he had to cast an illusion spell. His copies looked just like him. They even mimicked his aura and heartbeat. They were so detailed and convincing that he couldn’t conjure more than two. Not even Sanae-nee could easily tell them apart.

“Now it’s my turn!”

The three Gray Knights unloaded with their assault rifles. The real Gray Knight was firing with the same weapon as before, while his copies were using illusory versions so compelling that they were capable of rendering pain and even holes in their targets. It would take an individual of extraordinary will to resist them. Otherwise, they were just as effective as real guns. And since their attacks weren’t physical, they bypassed most defenses. They were most dangerous.

“Child’s play!” Sanae-nee shouted, repeating a line from an anime as she swept her arm through the air.

A powerful wave of spiritual energy followed that buffeted the hail of bullets and all three Gray Knights. If ever there was an individual of extraordinary will, it was Sanae-nee. Her conviction dispelled the Gray Knight’s copies, the first, the second... and then the third. It turned out that all three were fake.

“I knew it!” she yelled. “And now I know what you’re doing next too!”

With that, she whipped around and fired a blast of spiritual energy from her hands. Unlike when she’d blown away the illusions, she didn’t need to put that much force into this attack. If anything, speed was more important. The beam raced ahead and knocked the sword impaled in the ground away from the Gray Knight.

“So you noticed...” he murmured.

The Gray Knight appeared to have anticipated Sanae-nee’s move. He wasn’t surprised by it; he simply stood up and turned to face her. His three illusions had been a mere distraction. He’d remained in the smoke, casting another spell to cloak himself. He’d hoped to reclaim his sword that way, but Sanae-nee had ultimately seen through his ruse.

“That was close... I didn’t know you could use that kind of magic.”

Wrapping her spiritual energy around the sword with her signature Poltergeist power, Sanae-nee retrieved the blade for herself. When it was just within arm’s reach—

“Kyaaah! Wh-What is this?!”

A sharp, sudden pain shot through her hand. When she looked down, she could see the power of chaos flowing from the sword and into her. That was what hurt so much.

“Tch! I-I won’t let you wiiin!”

At its current rate, the chaos would erode Sanae-nee. Luckily, she’d noticed before it was too late. In an attempt to repel the danger, she used all of her power to push it back. The force of her spiritual energy sent the sword flying again—just what the Gray Knight was waiting for.

“It would have been easier for me if you’d just let it swallow you up...”

The blade spun wildly through the air, but the Gray Knight caught it without difficulty. While Sanae-nee had managed to escape the immediate danger of the whirlpool, the Gray Knight had now gotten his hands on his sword again. The situation had officially gone from bad to worse.

Sanae-nee maintained a fearless smile, but in reality, she understood the grim nature of her situation. She’d only been able to put up a fight so far because the Gray Knight had been separated from his sword. Now that it was in his hands again, hope was all but lost. This was the man who’d defeated each of her friends.

“I’m not going to fall that easily!” she roared.

“I’d certainly hope not. You’re the only one left,” he replied, fixing a sharp stare on her.

Indeed, the Gray Knight was on guard. Psychic powers could be used without warning. Unlike magic and science, they required no incantation or device to activate. The unexpected could happen at any moment. Because of this, however, the output of psychic powers was generally weaker than magic with the same energy input. Thankfully, this posed no obstacle for Sanae-nee, who had vast stores of spiritual energy. She had more than she needed and then some, making it possible for her to unleash incredible attacks in the blink of an eye. Fighting a high-level psychic like her would be a challenge for almost anyone.

“And yet... there’s nothing you alone can do against this sword,” the Gray Knight taunted.

“I won’t know until I try. Besides, you already dropped it once,” she taunted right back.

“Then I’ll hold on tighter!”

Quick to action, the Gray Knight charged forward. Since psychic powers made for nasty sneak attacks, he didn’t want to lose the initiative. In fact, immediately after he started running, fist-sized rocks began raining down where he’d just been standing. Sanae-nee had secretly been gathering them while they were talking to try to catch the Gray Knight by surprise.

“He noticed?!”

“Now it’s my turn!”

He was still some distance from Sanae-nee, but the Gray Knight swung his sword. Gray energy flew forth from the arc he carved, spinning like a boomerang as it sailed toward her.

“That’s nothing!” Sanae-nee cried. She knew the boomerang was coming, and it was moving slow enough for her to follow with her eyes. All she had to do was duck to dodge it.

“Don’t be so quick to judge,” the Gray Knight scoffed.

His attack wasn’t as simple as Sanae-nee thought. After the boomerang sailed past her, it hooked around for a second pass. It would automatically keep coming after its target over and over again.

“Oh no!”

Ducking down again, Sanae-nee manifested several balls of spiritual energy around her. Her plan was to shoot the boomerang down. However, the Gray Knight wasn’t standing idly by as she worked. He repeatedly swung his sword in her direction.

“There’s more where that came from.”

“That’s way too many!”

There were now five boomerangs sailing toward Sanae-nee. Each on its own wasn’t much of a threat, but five simultaneously was overwhelming. She had her hands full just dodging them and couldn’t spare a moment’s concentration to counterattack. While she took aim, one would swoop at her. Her aim wasn’t any good on the run either.

“Simply fleeing won’t get you anywhere.”

“Agh, then I’ll just do this!”

Without any better ideas, Sanae-nee pushed her spiritual energy outward around her like an expanding balloon. It was a desperate plan, but it worked. The Gray Knight’s boomerangs were trained on her energy, so they homed in on the wave she unleashed and exploded on impact.

“An impressive feat of strength,” he remarked.

“Yeah, how’s that?! Impressed, aren’t you?!”

“I guess relying on the ease of automatic tracking was a mistake.”

Incorporating the homing feature into an attack was convenient, but in exchange, it generally compromised firepower, speed, and duration. It also demanded a certain amount of ingenuity from the wielder, who had to specify the intended target. There were also times like this, where the function could be thwarted altogether. So, while convenient, tracking attacks still had their drawbacks.

“Ha, you’re not Ruth or Glasses! You should come at me with your fists!” Sanae-nee shouted.

“I won’t use my fists per se,” the Gray Knight replied, “but I agree.”

With that, he readied his sword once more. Sanae-nee was now darting through the air at high speed. The Gray Knight was confident that taking her down would necessitate relying on a familiar weapon rather than petty tricks. Though he wouldn’t accept her challenge directly, he was more than willing to come after her with his trusty blade.

Oh man... Fighting guys like him is the worst.

Sanae-nee’s confident voice didn’t betray her, but deep down, she was scared. In a contest of sheer strength, she knew she’d be at every disadvantage. That meant she’d have to rely on her speed—and the Gray Knight knew that too. There was no doubt in her mind that he’d try to stop her from capitalizing on it.

“Nevertheless, victory goes to the swift!”

Sanae-nee couldn’t afford to lose the initiative against someone so powerful. She also understood that he’d be looking for ways to hamstring her. She had to avoid that at all costs. She pooled her spiritual energy in her legs and took off running as fast as she could. Her spiritual circuitry advanced the transmission of information through her body via her nervous system, enhancing her reflexes dramatically.

“She’s fast!”

The Gray Knight was taken aback. Sanae-nee was moving at superhuman speeds. Moreover, she was abruptly changing directions at odd intervals. Her trajectory was so erratic that no normal person could ever hope to keep up with her. Kicking off the various walls and trees around her, she was rapidly closing in on the Gray Knight.

“We’ve known each other for a long time, but this is the end!” he shouted as she approached. Sensing that Sanae-nee was serious, he took his sword in his right hand and drew it close to his body. Rather than moving, he was bracing to intercept her charge. “Come, Sanae!”

“Oooooh!”

With a shout, she dove toward him. Her extended right fist, wreathed in pale purple light, contained enough spiritual energy to finish the fight in a single blow. When she got close enough, the Gray Knight thrust for her chest.

“Ack!”

In order to dodge, Sanae-nee abruptly changed directions again. When she did, the jerky motion revealed the charm dangling from her neck. When the Gray Knight saw the words embroidered upon it—“Family Safety”—he stopped for a moment. It exerted no special power over him, however; it’s hold was purely emotional.

“Raaaaaaaah!” Sanae-nee collided with a nearby wall after her evasive maneuver and used the spiritual energy stored into her fist to bounce back, unleashing a powerful kick as she flew. “Hyaaah!”

With the Gray Knight stopped in his tracks, Sanae-nee’s kick met him square in the torso. The moment she made contact, she released the spiritual energy pooled in her leg for extra speed. This sent the Gray Knight flying. He bounced along the ground as he rolled until coming to a stop when he finally hit a concrete embankment.

“How do you like that?!”

That spiritually supercharged kick was the strongest attack Sanae-nee was capable of at present. If it didn’t work, she was out of cards to play. In a superhero anime, it would have been the equivalent of her using a forbidden technique, for she’d compromised all of her morals to use it against another human being.

“Well done, Sanae... If not for this sword, you would have won,” said the Gray Knight, slowly rising to his feet as if nothing had happened. A strange haze now shrouded his body—the power of chaos had obscured his very form to deflect most of Sanae-nee’s energy, and it had done so without the Gray Knight’s bidding. Like Signaltin, his sword automatically protected its wielder.

“Still, it looks like it didn’t shield you entirely,” Sanae-nee remarked.

“Of course not. Nothing’s ever that easy.”

The Gray Knight’s sword had indeed shielded him, but there was a limit to the protective power it could deploy instantaneously. It had only spared the Gray Knight the worst of Sanae-nee’s attack. He’d still taken a portion of her spiritual energy directly, damaging his internal organs. There was blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

“Too true...” she muttered.

“There are times we must simply accept our fates,” the Gray Knight replied quietly as he approached. A small whirlpool began forming at the tip of his blade, and it grew bigger with every step he took. It threatened to swallow Sanae-nee.

“And there are times we simply have to challenge fate,” she countered.

With that, Sanae-nee took a single step forward and then stopped. Her whole body felt heavy. Her legs wouldn’t budge and she couldn’t move her arms—for she’d expended all of her energy in that last attack. Right now, she was both physically and spiritually drained. She’d used everything she had, and it still wasn’t enough to defeat the Gray Knight and the power of chaos.

I guess I didn’t stand a chance after all. At least Nalfa got away... I’ll leave the rest to you, Kiriha.

Victory seemed so distant now that Sanae-nee braced herself for the worst. She was actually winning the fight in terms of blows, but now that she was unable to dodge the Gray Knight’s next move, her streak would be cut short. It was all over.

“Don’t cry. All will merely return to its original state. You’ll get to see everyone else soon,” the Gray Knight assured her.

“That’s not why I’m crying. I’m sad that I couldn’t save you.”

The whirlpool was already large enough to consume Sanae-nee. All the Gray Knight had to do now was swing his sword. He laid eyes on the charm hanging from her neck, but it wouldn’t stop him a second time.

“See ya, Sanae.”

Just as the Gray Knight raised his blade aloft...

“Sanae-chan’s Special Burning Fire Mega Hurricane!”

“There’s no fire or hurricane, though...”

A massive ball of spiritual energy fell down upon the Gray Knight from above, completely taking him by surprise.

“Tch!”

He was forced to abort his attack and jumped back. Sanae-nee’s last blow had already compromised him, so taking another serious hit in his current condition would be dangerous.

“Use this!” a familiar friendly voice called.

With that, a knight’s sword with a silver blade and golden inlay came flying. It slid right into Sanae-nee’s hand as if it had a mind of its own.

“Saguratin?! This won’t—” the Gray Knight shouted. “Wait!”

Indeed, the sword was unmistakably Saguratin—the royal Forthorthian sword forged to commemorate Theia’s birth. It had once been an ordinary blade, but no longer. It was now imbued with power that made it a rival for even Signaltin. If Signaltin was a magical sword, then Saguratin was a spiritual sword. As such, it began channeling spiritual energy from above.

“And now she’s recovering?!” he exclaimed again.

The energy that Saguratin was absorbing flowed directly into Sanae-nee, replenishing her spiritual stores and stamina. Even she was surprised by this turn of events. In her stupor, Sanae-san and Sanae-chan landed next to her without a sound.

“I knew Onee-chan would be able to use it too!”

“Now all the stars have gathered! Sanaes assemble!”

Sanae-chan, who was astral projecting, struck an odd pose she’d learned from an anime as she glared at the Gray Knight. Sanae-san, on the other hand, was simply relieved to see Sanae-nee was all right. Simultaneously keeping an eye on their enemy while reveling in their friend’s well-being was something only the Sanaes could do.

“You came! Thank you both!”

Sanae-nee grasped the sword and smiled. She was truly happy that her other selves had come to her aid, but the celebration was only momentary. The enemy was still before them.

“Real heroes rush to save allies in need!” Sanae-chan declared.

“You don’t need to thank us,” Sanae-san followed up. “You would have done the same, right?”

“Yeah... Still, I’m grateful. Talk about good timing.”

Unlike the Sanaes, the Gray Knight wore a stern expression. He was coming to grips with the reality of the situation, which was far more complex than he’d first imagined. “Saguratin, hmm? So that’s what happened...”

To think the power’s been split into parts... There might even be more than just these two.

The Gray Knight needed the sword of kingship’s true power, but based on what he now knew, it had been divided between at least Signaltin and Saguratin. He could sense its power coming from both blades, yet even combined, they still only accounted for a fraction of its true power. There had to be more elsewhere, meaning the Gray Knight was still a long way from accomplishing his goal.

I guess they had their own plan. Thinking about it rationally, of course they did... Ah, god damn it!

He’d been so certain that he’d put his opponent in check by coming to this world, but he now realized how far out the endgame remained. It was hard to lay blame on his lack of foresight, however. He’d accomplished the ordinarily impossible feat of crossing worlds, after all. He’d had no way of knowing what would await him here in this universe.

“Nevertheless, this tells me what I need to do now...”

The Gray Knight raised his sword again, still trained on Sanae-nee. She had no connection to this world’s sword of kingship. Absorbing her would put him one step closer to checkmate.

“Here he comes!” she cried. “Be careful, you two!”

Sanae-nee responded to the Gray Knight in kind, readying her own sword. This Saguratin was different from the one she’d borrowed from Theia in her own world, but it responded to her emotions all the same and began glowing with a reassuring light.

“We’ll do what we can, so you go beat him, Onee-chan!” shouted Sanae-chan, who moved into position next to her.

With their body and spirit divided, Sanae-chan and Sanae-san individually weren’t as powerful as they were when unified. Having both of them on hand, however, doubled their defensive potential. They’d leave all the attacking to Sanae-nee, who was now armed with Saguratin and refreshed spiritual energy. They hadn’t just given her the sword because it was cool—it also connected them telepathically via the crests on their foreheads.

“Here we go! I’ll start!” The first to make a move was Sanae-san, who used her psychic powers to fill the air with a dust cloud.

“Using your head, I see!” The Gray Knight clicked his tongue.

Clouding the area put him at a distinct disadvantage. Thanks to their spirit sight, the Sanaes didn’t need to rely on their physical vision. The Gray Knight could use the same power to a certain extent, but his spiritual sight paled in comparison to theirs. The visual impediment gave them an edge.

“Environmental Protection!”

The Gray Knight cast a quick spell to shield him from his surroundings, blocking out the dust in a several-meter radius around him. It was too small of an area to be useful in battle, but he knew the girls wouldn’t give him time to cast a more powerful version.

“Take this and this and this!” shouted Sanae-chan as she fired a volley of energy arrows at the Gray Knight. By the time he could see them, they were mere moments away from striking.

“Ngh!”

Thanks to his spiritual circuitry, he barely managed to defend himself. The hazy power coursing through his sword morphed into a disk-shaped shield that dispersed the incoming energy.

“You’re wide open!” Sanae-nee rallied as she charged at him, her glowing gold sword in hand. She’d been waiting in the wings for just this moment.

“Think again!”

The Gray Knight immediately activated his distortion field via his bracelet. While it wouldn’t do anything against Sanae-nee’s spiritual energy, it would still physically block Saguratin. He wasn’t prepared, however, for what came next...

“Wha-bam!”

When the tip of her sword collided with the Gray Knight’s field, Sanae-nee unleashed Saguratin’s power in a perfectly controlled directional explosion. His barrier had indeed blocked her sword, but the explosion was an entirely different story.

“Hnnngh!” The blast sent the Gray Knight flying a second time. Each time he bounced along the ground, the loud screeching of metal and ripping of pavement could be heard. “I underestimated what Sanae could do on her own... This world really is a strange one,” he muttered to himself in frustration when he came to a stop some meters away.

“All right! It’s working!” Sanae-nee cheered. Kiriha had devised ways to stand against the Gray Knight, yet Sanae-nee had feared the worst after what had gone down in her own world. It was a one-sided fight then, but no longer.

“All thanks to the power of friendship!” Sanae-chan cheered too.

“I don’t know if you can really call it friendship when we’re all the same person...” Sanae-san corrected her.

“Then it’s the power of narcissism!”

“Never mind. I’d rather call it friendship.”

The three Sanaes technically only had two people’s worth of spiritual energy between them, but Saguratin’s amplification effect helped make up the difference. Now that the Gray Knight had failed to absorb Sanae-nee, the girls immensely overpowered him in terms of energy. It was effectively three against one.

“So it’s come to this again,” he muttered. “I don’t have the luxury of holding back.”

The whirlpool conferred two different abilities upon its wielder: the ability to use the powers of anyone it absorbed, and the ability to use the power of chaos itself. The latter was inherently risky, which was why the Gray Knight preferred to stick to the former. If this battle continued at the current rate, however, he knew defeat was inevitable. He thus decided to take an uncharacteristic risk.

“Here he comes again!” Sanae-nee warned the group.

“I know,” replied Sanae-chan. “I’m getting a bad feeling from him.”

“Don’t let him get too close. He’s up to something!” added Sanae-san.

All three Sanaes raised their guard as the Gray Knight’s aura grew ominous. Sanae-chan and Sanae-nee disappeared into the lingering dust cloud to escape his detection. That was when two clear voices rang out through the obstruction.

“Sanctuary! Modifier: Maximize! Effective Area, Colossal!” they chanted in harmony.

“A ward to keep people away?!” the Gray Knight gasped. “What are they planning?!”

He’d immediately identified the wide-area barrier spell meant to unconsciously drive people away and prevent sound and light from escaping the area. It was commonly used in fights between magicians, but this particular one had been cast with the Gray Knight at its center. It had also been maximized—a precaution that wasn’t ordinarily needed. It was like an announcement that some kind of attack was coming.

“This!” Theia called from on high.

When the Gray Knight looked up, he saw a warhead emerging from the dust cloud. He recognized it the instant he laid eyes on it.

“That’s a Super Space-time Rep—”

It was mere meters away. He had no way of dodging it at this distance. Moreover, this wasn’t something that he could casually shrug off with the power of chaos. He either needed to resign himself to defeat here and now or conjure all of his power to defend himself—and he chose the latter. There was no telling where he’d end up otherwise.

Seconds later, the missile activated and a glowing cube appeared to encompass a three-meter radius around the Gray Knight.

“Aaaaaaaah!” he wailed in pain.

Everything inside the cube was shunted outside of space and time. The Gray Knight called upon the power of chaos to save himself, but it came at a high price. Just coming into contact with it was dangerous, and he needed to summon an extraordinary amount of it to ward off the cube. In other words, he was jeopardizing his very existence. Still, he thought it was better than being thrown out of the universe.

“I’m surprised... Even if it was scaled down, you were able to endure a Super Space-time Repulsion Shell,” Clan commented, observing the situation via an unmanned fighter.

She couldn’t help being impressed with what she saw, for when the cube receded and took the dust cloud with it, the Gray Knight was still standing. He hadn’t survived the attack unscathed, however. More than half of his armor was nonfunctional now.

“I channeled a lot of energy to attack. That saved me,” he explained.

“I see,” Clan mused. “So you protected yourself with the whirlpool of chaos.”

Blocking one of her Super Space-time Repulsion Shells was no mean feat. Thanks to the information Sanae-nee was able to relay, Clan had been able to dial the strike to a hyper-specific area. Nevertheless, the Gray Knight had withstood it. Clan was genuinely shocked by his strength.

“But I did take unnecessary damage from an unexpected attack. I think I’d best retreat for now.”

Upon assessing the situation, the Gray Knight decided to withdraw. He could take on Koutarou and all nine girls if fully prepared—the power of chaos was that strong. But right now, he’d already expended both himself and the whirlpool against the Sanaes and Clan’s signature weapon. He understood that he was at a disadvantage and that it would be wiser to try again another time.

“There’s no way we’ll let you get away!” Theia’s voice shouted from her red and gold drone. She had her cannon trained on the Gray Knight and was dead set on preventing his escape. She was ready to open fire at a moment’s notice.

“That’s only if you can ignore these,” he said. Even though he was in her crosshairs, he was dead calm—for he already had an escape plan in the works. He’d only come today to find answers, not to defeat Koutarou and the girls, after all.

“Your Highness!” Ruth shouted over the coms. “I’m detecting a large number of space distortions! It appears to be a huge group of incoming mobile weapons!”

“What?! Contact Nefilforan immediately!”

Ralgwin had taken his forces and departed Earth for Forthorthe. In order to pack his ships with supplies, he’d left his mobile weapons behind on the planet’s surface—and the Gray Knight had now summoned them all. He had no other use for them, so this was the perfect plan. They would serve as a distraction for the Gray Knight the same way they had for Ralgwin. But that wasn’t all he had up his sleeve.

“I’ll throw this in as a little bonus,” he muttered.

With that, he summoned forth something from the whirlpool of chaos. Something meant to ensure his retreat.

“Isn’t that... Shijima Tayuma?!” Kiriha shouted in surprise as she observed the situation from an unmanned drone.

Indeed, appearing from the whirlpool was a giant black dog. It was the very same appearance her nemesis, Shijima Tayuma, had taken upon being transformed by the power of chaos.

By the time Koutarou arrived on the scene, it was chaos. Autonomous mobile weapons were buzzing around and a giant black hound was on a rampage. The only two reasons the battle hadn’t embroiled the whole city were its out-of-the-way riverbank setting and the barrier Yurika and Maki had put up to keep bystanders away.

“Damn it, where’d he go? No, that doesn’t matter right now!” Koutarou muttered. “Ruth-san, can you call Warlord here?!”

“Right away, Master!”

The Gray Knight was ultimately responsible for the current situation, but Koutarou and the girls didn’t have time to think about him at the moment.

“There are so many mechanical enemies! What are we gonna do, Maki-chan?!” Yurika shrieked.

“Keep your cool! We’ll handle them one at a time!” the calmer magical girl replied.

“Nefilforan’s unit just deployed!” Theia informed them. “Hold out a little longer!”

At present, the Corona House crew’s goal was to keep the enemy occupied. A swarm of mobile weapons and a giant black hound breaking out into Kisshouharukaze City would wreak havoc. Not only would there be casualties, but it could also jeopardize relations between Japan and Forthorthe. They couldn’t risk that, meaning they couldn’t afford to leave and chase after the real culprit.

“Uncle, if that thing fires a single shot toward the city, it’ll be a disaster!”

“I know! But what an annoying bunch! Their each and every movement is utterly devoid of royal grace!” Alunaya replied in frustration.

“We’ll just have to demonstrate ours and defend the city from them!” Clan chimed in.

“Well said, Princess!”

The mobile weapons were fixated on Koutarou and the girls, so they weren’t too much of a concern. Stray fire would never reach the city, as the riverside embankment acted as a natural shield. The real problem was the black hound. Since the Gray Knight had consumed a great deal of energy to protect himself against Clan’s Repulsion Shell, the black hound he summoned wasn’t as large as it had once been. Even so, it was still over twenty meters in size. Its head stood taller than the embankment, meaning it could potentially fire into the city. On task to prevent that were Shizuka, who’d taken her giant dragon form, and Clan, who was aboard the Cradle.

“Kii, we’re counting on you until reinforcements arrive!” Clan called to Kiriha.

“Got it,” she replied. “But I have little experience when it comes to being chased by monsters.”

“As long as you’re cracking jokes, I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“My, my.”

“We’ll protect Ane-san, ho!”

“...Kurano’s daughter... Kurano’s daughter...”

“Here he comes, ho! Watch out, Ane-san!”

The black hound was calling for Kiriha. It had been searching for her ever since it manifested. Shijima Tayuma had formerly been swallowed by the whirlpool, losing himself in the process and melting into the chaos itself. All that remained of him were his strongest emotions—his hatred, his rage, his jealousy. That was what drove the black hound now. Kiriha decided that she could take advantage of it to distract the beast. That was why she’d descended to the surface.

“Now this is problematic...”

Kiriha had borrowed a PAF from Clan and was hovering at a very low altitude, racking her brain. Alunaya was keeping the black hound pinned in place, which left her to figure out how to handle its ranged attack—waves of six black orbs. It would spell disaster if any one of them hit the city. Moreover, she wasn’t sure how the hound would respond if she was killed or disappeared. That additionally meant she had to keep her position in mind at all times and move in a fashion that kept the black orbs from flying in odd directions.

“Ho! You’ve been locked on to, Ane-san!”

“A mobile weapon is attacking, ho!”

“It’s just one thing after another!”

The mobile weapons around the riverbed were making things tricky for Kiriha. They would occasionally target her, meaning she needed to keep a keen eye on them as well. If she evaded carelessly, the city would pay the price. Thankfully, Theia was able to lend her some assistance.

“Don’t worry!” she yelled over the comms. “Charge straight at twelve o’clock!”

“Thank you, Theia-dono!”

“Don’t thank me just yet! The next one’s coming!”

Theia was controlling three fighters remotely, which she used to shoot down the mobile weapons closing in on Kiriha. In truth, she was itching to don her Combat Dress and enter the fray with the black hound herself. There were just too many mobile weapons around for that, so she was stuck controlling fighters for the time being. Even with AI assistance, handling three at once was a feat, but Theia managed it with ease. Nobody but her could have pulled it off.

“You can leave your defenses to me!” Ruth called out.

The vice captain of the Satomi knights was in charge of protecting Kiriha when she was under attack. Ruth had several unmanned fighters under her command, and she maneuvered them as a swarm. She wasn’t as skilled at manipulating independent fighters simultaneously, but her precision allowed her to coordinate them magnificently. That was why she could handle so many at the same time. So, given their strengths, Theia took the lead on offense while Ruth took the lead on defense.

“Also, sorry for the wait, Master!”

“Thank you, Ruth-san!”

While protecting Kiriha, Ruth also summoned Koutarou’s own mobile weapon from the Hazy Moon. A massive five-meter robot painted a vivid blue appeared from the transfer gate. It was a humanoid weapon by the name of Warlord III, which had once belonged to Elexis and had since been modified by Theia and Ruth specifically for the Blue Knight. The front of the machine opened for Koutarou as he approached, and he climbed in.

“I’ll be able to put up a fight now.”

“You honor me, Your Excellency.”

With Koutarou in position, the system booted up automatically. Like Theia’s former flagship Blue Knight, Warlord was synchronized to his armor. Just as the mobile weapon was closing back up, someone squeezed through before the cockpit shut tight.

“Mind giving me a ride?”

“Kiriha-san?!”

Indeed, the stowaway was none other than Kiriha. Warlord’s control system had been replaced entirely, making more space inside the machine than there had been under Elexis’s control. It gave Kiriha just enough room to slip in with Koutarou.

“Control method set to direct control,” the AI announced. With Kiriha aboard, it automatically switched controls.

Warlord III, as the new Blue Knight battleship currently being built, had two methods of control. The first was master/slave system that read the movements of Koutarou’s armor; the second required direct signal input from Koutarou’s mind and body. The former could be operated intuitively and allowed greater room for error, while the latter was faster and didn’t physically require him to move. They had optimal uses respectively, but with the limited space in the cockpit, Warlord defaulted to direct control.

“What are you doing here?!” Koutarou demanded.

“I wanted to try out the fabled princess carry,” Kiriha replied. She was currently in his arms with hers wrapped around his neck.

“I’m being serious here!”

“This way, the black hound—Tayuma—will come after us together.”

“So that’s your plan. I sure bet he hates us.”

Upon the arrival of the blue armored machine, the black hound had begun to shift its attention away from Kiriha. What remained of Tayuma’s soul wanted to kill Koutarou too, which presented a new danger. If the hound was after Kiriha and Koutarou, it would try attacking both of them. Kiriha had joined up with Koutarou to focus its aggression.

“That’s right. I certainly didn’t do this just to enjoy you holding me, Satomi Koutarou.”

“There must be some other way to keep Tayuma in check, right...?”

“Nope. I’ll secure myself with the PAF I borrowed, so pay me no mind. Fight as you will.”

“Don’t think I’ll forget about this afterward.”

“I just hope there’ll be an afterward.”

Obeying Koutarou’s will, Warlord III turned toward the black hound. The cockpit’s suspension was fine-tuned, but the machine still bobbed a bit as it moved. Kiriha strapped herself in with her PAF as promised, firmly secured her arms around Koutarou’s neck, and planted the gentlest of kisses on him. That last part wasn’t strictly necessary... but Koutarou was too busy preparing for battle to notice it.

With Kiriha now aboard Warlord with Koutarou, the black hound pursued them even more doggedly than before. It was even starting to drag Alunaya along with it. Tayuma hated them just that much.

“Satomi-kun, I can’t tell how powerful the enemy is, so I’m going to start with channeling all my magic into protection!”

As Warlord III advanced, a white light wrapped around it. Harumi was using Signaltin’s power to shield the machine. The black hound was smaller than it had once been, but now that it was fully merged with the whirlpool of chaos, it was potentially even more dangerous than before. Harumi was prudent to focus on defense.

“I’m counting on you, Sakuraba-senpai! In exchange, I’ll attack at full power! Authorizing automated attacks against the black hound! Fire at any opening you detect! Just make sure you don’t hit the city no matter what!”

“As you wish, my lord. Firing control system settings changed. Automatic attack frequency set to high. Safety device reconfigured. Automatic defenses adjusted accordingly.”

Warlord III came equipped with a variety of weapons—even more than Koutarou’s armor, and he meant to take advantage of them. While the AI handled the firing, Koutarou himself would focus on his sword and shield. He wasn’t especially skilled with ranged weapons anyway, so he believed this strategy to be the most effective.

“Opening chest laser cannon.”

Warlord III began firing immediately. Given the battlefield’s proximity to the city, lasers were a convenient choice of weapon. They were accurate and fast, striking their targets unerringly in the blink of an eye. Missiles and other types of cannons couldn’t boast that capability.

“Satomi Koutarou, Tayuma’s main defense is a spiritual energy field. I’m having Karama and Korama analyze it now.”

Even as she clung to Koutarou, Kiriha was still scrutinizing the situation with the help of Forthorthian technology, as well as relaying everything she learned to Koutarou via the crest on her forehead. Thanks to her, he didn’t need to look at his radar and other sensors.

“So you think Forthorthian weapons will work against it, Kiriha-san?”

“I do. But stay on your guard. It may defend itself with the power of chaos.”

“Got it!”

The black hound was primarily relying on a spiritual energy barrier, as it had in the past. That was perfectly within expectation, given its origins as Tayuma. It knew how to defend itself from spiritual energy and magic, but not so much against pure force. That meant Warlord III’s standard armaments should be effective. The only foreseeable problem was if the black hound brought out the whirlpool of chaos—which was a perilous possibility they needed to account for.

“Activate my energy blade!”

“As you wish, my lord.”

Warlord’s main melee weapon was an appropriately sized knight’s sword—a smaller version of Blue Knight’s beam sword. Like a beam cannon, the blade used ultra-high temperature heavy metal particles, but it was even more powerful for not having to project them. A mobile weapon’s beam sword could cut through almost anything. It was the perfect choice for close-quarters combat against the black hound.

“Anti-material energy blade activated in hit synchronization mode.”

“Landlord-san and I will take care of the big guy!” Koutarou called to the group. “Everyone else, you handle the mobile weapons!”

“Ha! We won’t have any trouble taking out pesky mechanical enemies!” Theia rallied.

“Uncle, this is where we step up!”

“Understood! We’re the only ones who can keep the black beast in check!”

Alunaya was currently grappling with the giant hound, which was trying to escape his grasp. It badly wanted to break away to attack Kiriha and Koutarou, so it conjured six black spheres to fire at Warlord III. Koutarou skillfully controlled the mobile weapon to block or dodge each and every one.

“Looks like my shield holds up against them,” he remarked.

“It’s triple-protected by Harumi’s magic, a spiritual energy barrier, and a distortion field,” said Kiriha.

“Then the rest is up to me!”

“No, to us.”

Suddenly, Koutarou could see several green marks in his field of vision indicating weaknesses in the black hound’s barrier. Since Tayuma had used his spiritual energy by feel, his creations were uneven. The haniwas had picked up on that, and Kiriha relayed the details to Koutarou by way of the crest.

“Good work!” he said. “Keep it up!”

“Of course!”

Kiriha rarely let Kii show, but she slipped a little while she was alone with Koutarou in the cockpit. It was somewhat unfortunate that Koutarou didn’t notice, but neither of them had the presence of mind in the heat of the moment to appreciate it.

“How’s this?!”

As he closed in on the black hound, Koutarou brought down his sword. Just before it made contact with the beast, a beam sheathed the blade. In order to conserve energy, it only activated before a direct hit.

“GRAAAAAAAAH!”

The sword struck right where Kiriha had indicated a fault in the barrier. The momentum of the blade and the energy of the beam easily broke through it, cutting into the black hound’s waist.

“Blue Knight, get back!”

“Alunaya-dono?!”

“The dog’s body is phony!”

Given the nerves and organs in an animal’s midsection, a strike like that would ordinarily be debilitating, if not outright fatal. The giant black hound, however, was only made in the image of a beast. It had no flesh—that was what Shizuka had concluded from grappling with it. Koutarou’s strike had still wounded the beast with energy, but it wasn’t nearly enough to fell the creature. It retaliated by firing another wave of black orbs.

“ROAAAAAAAAR!”

“Whoa!”

Koutarou was too close to have any prayer of dodging. Two of the orbs slammed directly into his shield. With his triple-layer defenses, he was able to withstand the first, but the second shook Warlord violently.

“Ahhh!”

“Kyah!”

Koutarou reflexively grabbed hold of Kiriha. He had no plan in mind; his instincts were simply to safeguard the girl in front of him. The gesture, however, proved unnecessary. There was no serious damage to the mobile weapon, and Kiriha’s PAF protected her personally. Nevertheless, she looked up at him like it meant the world to her.

He would’ve done the same thing no matter who was here, just like he did with Kii...

She tightened her arms around Koutarou, hugging him back. It wasn’t especially comfortable since he was in his armor, but being able to sense his soul so close to her comforted her in a different way.

“Are you okay, Kiriha-san?!”

“I am.”

“Give me a status report!”

“Report: Damage to the mobile weapon is minimal. Bypassing damaged circuits... Operation complete.”

“All right, then let’s go!”

Koutarou released Kiriha and had Warlord III jump back. Kiriha meanwhile held on tight, her arms firmly fixed around Koutarou. Without so much as hinting at the inner workings of her heart, she calmly offered Koutarou advice.

“Even if it doesn’t have the physical form of a living creature, try attacking its chest or head.”

“How come?”

“This creature was once Tayuma. What’s left of his human consciousness may very well be stored there.”

Though the black hound had no body, its perception of what its body should be shaped its form. That was Kiriha’s theory, and if she was right, then attacking the head or chest would still be effective. Though there was no evidence to support it, Koutarou didn’t question her.

“I’ll give it a shot!”

If Kiriha-san says so, I trust her judgment.

He glanced down at the girl in his arms for a moment, and she looked up at him in turn.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I was thinking that you’re as clever as ever today.”

“I’m just desperate to find a way to victory for you.”

“Guess I’d better come out on top!”

Koutarou grasped Warlord III’s sword and shield as he charged the black hound once more. The beast saw him differently than it had Kiriha. Its piercing gaze now burned with a hunger to defeat its fated foe.

In addition to the black hound, the Gray Knight had unleashed a unit of mobile weapons to facilitate his escape. As for who was left to deal with the swarm... Magical Girl Rainbow Yurika was on the job!

“Maki-chan, get back! I’m doing it again!”

“You’ve got this, Yurika!”

With a firm hold on her staff, she incanted loudly and clearly, “Controlled Acid Cloud!”

This was an attack spell that conjured a cloud of strong acid that she could freely control, and she used it without mercy against the Gray Knight’s machines. Twirling her staff, she swept the cloud across the swarm one mobile weapon at a time. It wasn’t very fast, but the machines showed no sign of trying to evade it as it billowed over them.

Fshhh...

After a few seconds of contact with the cloud, the mobile weapons ceased to function and hit the ground. Over a dozen of them had fallen already. It didn’t take long for the acid fog to seep through the gaps in the mobile weapons’ bodies and dissolve vital circuits. By the time they realized something was wrong, the damage had already been done.

Seeing this, Theia let out an almost resigned sigh. “I guess this is what you call an egg of Columbus...”

“Their AI might be prepared to deal with acidic ammunition, but not a free-moving corrosive cloud. Yurika-sama’s creativity wins again,” remarked Ruth. She was just as surprised as Theia, but more honest with her praise for the magical girl responsible.

For all a mobile weapon knew, a cloud of powerful acid was just a zone of strangely high humidity. The machines could learn it was acid by deploying an observational drone to gather more information, but nothing about a high humidity reading would trigger that kind of caution. Thus the mobile weapons wrote off Yurika’s powerful magic as fog. It never registered as an attack, especially considering that the sensors designed to detect such things were the first to break down. At best, the AI would disregard it as a sudden short. If the computer knew how to detect magicians, it might have been a different story, but for now, the girl in the strange pink dress continued to wield a colorful cloud to deadly effect—all under the radar.

“Good job, Yurika! Keep it up!” Maki encouraged her.

“I feel like this isn’t the kind of attack that a magical girl of love and courage should be using...” she whined.

If anything, the mobile weapons were on guard for Maki and her staff-made-greatsword. She seemed a far more likely cause of the mysterious malfunctions. Of course, Maki was using illusions to create the perfect distraction. They were throwing grenades at the same time Yurika’s cloud struck in order to draw the machines’ fire—all while Maki was safely away from the danger. Thanks to her assistance, Yurika’s one-sided slaughter continued without a hitch.

“Why does it seem like Yurika’s ingenuity only comes out at times like this?” Theia pondered.

“We’re lucky to have Yurika-sama on our side. I shudder to think what might have happened if she’d been this serious when we first met.”

“You can say that again... Now, let us protect her! She’s the cornerstone of our offensive at the moment!”

“As you wish, Your Highness!”

“Nooooo, not like this! I don’t want to stand out like this!”

Although Yurika was gassing down the mobile weapons left and right, there were far too many for her to take out in one sweep. They’d yet to identify her as a threat, but she was still a potential target in their eyes. She could be attacked at any moment, which could turn the tables on the girls. To prevent that, Theia and Ruth began to assemble unmanned fighters to defend Yurika while pressing their own attacks.

Shizuka had borrowed Alunaya’s draconic form to go toe-to-toe with the black hound. Her karate holds and throws, however, were ineffective against the otherworldly beast. It wasn’t entirely corporeal, after all.

“Uncle, it looks like joint locks aren’t working either. They just bend in weird directions.”

“What if we toss the creature?”

“Dogs have a lower center of gravity than humans, so it would be hard. Most of the effective throws would only work if it was already in a joint lock.”

“Meaning we’ll have to use brute force to strike clear and obvious weak points!”

“Won’t it be dangerous to let go of it?”

Even with the hound’s vague, elusive body, Shizuka and Alunaya were able to keep a firm hold on it in a grapple. The problem was that they couldn’t attack this way. The black hound was strong enough that it could easily break free if they released it with one hand.

“Then let’s do this the dragon way!”

With that, Alunaya roared flames. He’d been avoiding such an attack for fear of their proximity to the city, so he’d waited for a safe time to unleash it.

“Uncle?! It didn’t work, Uncle!”

Unfortunately, however, safe didn’t mean effective. His flames blasted the black hound’s chest but only scorched its skin. Alunaya hadn’t used all of his power.

“Nay! All is well!”

“Try this on for size!”

Just as the draconic fire died down, Warlord III attacked the black hound. Alunaya had showered the beast in flame to inhibit its vision as Koutarou approached.

“RAAAAAGHHH!”

He aimed for the head, and the blow struck true. It was a shallow slash, but it left the hound reeling in pain unlike before.

“That did the trick!” Koutarou cheered.

“It appears that Tayuma saw his head as the container of his spiritual essence.”

The black hound, formerly Tayuma, was gravely wounded by the attack. Koutarou’s strike had not only drained it of energy, but it had damaged the beast’s spirit directly. Meanwhile, if Kiriha had been the black hound, she wouldn’t have taken damage from anything other than a blow straight to the heart—for that was where she believed her soul resided. She also kept her greatest treasure, a worn-out trading card, close to it at all times.

“Gragh, Kurano’s daughter... Graghaagh... Kurano...”

“Satomi-kun!”

“I know!”

Koutarou was already taking his distance by the time Harumi called out to him in warning. Thanks to that, a wild swing of the black hound’s claws only caught air. Koutarou had already been hit by the beast once, and he wasn’t about to let it happen again.

“It seems this creature has the best qualities of being corporeal and incorporeal at the same time.”

“That’s so unfair!”

A normal canine would have struggled to scratch a foe so swiftly. Attacking Alunaya right in front of it was one thing, but Warlord III slightly behind and to the side of it was another altogether. The fact that the black hound could manipulate its shoulder like that meant its limbs were closer to human—albeit with razor-sharp claws attached. Shizuka was rightfully upset.

The danger, however, had yet to pass. Warlord shook and rattled violently without warning.

“What now?!” Koutarou shouted.

“Alert: Left arm’s shield has been destroyed and will no longer offer any protection. Recommendation: Abandon it.”

“I thought I dodged that last attack!”

“Affirmative. No contact registered from the enemy. Alert remains: Left arm’s shield has been destroyed. Warning: The enemy may have an attack undetectable by this machine.”

Warlord III’s AI believed that the enemy had made contact that went undetected. Koutarou, however, had a different theory.

“That sort of cheat sounds just like Vandarion,” he muttered.

“It seems the rules of reality don’t much matter to those touched by chaos,” Kiriha observed.

They both knew that the black hound was capable of defying physics, as evidenced by the strange way it had just swung its arm, the unnatural structure of its body—and now the conveniently extending range of its attacks. Koutarou had experienced something similar during his final fight with Vandarion.

“Still, we really hurt it with that last hit! We can keep fighting!” he rallied.

“But we must finish this swiftly—before it realizes that it can alter reality,” Kiriha warned.

“Even I abide the laws of nature... This beast can’t even do that?”

“I guess that’s the power of chaos for you. Ugh.”

The black hound was merely a convenient manifestation of Tayuma. A vessel of sorts. But beyond that, its true nature was chaos. If Koutarou and the girls didn’t keep that in mind, not even Warlord III or the Fire Dragon Emperor would stand a chance. The black hound was proving to be an exceptionally dangerous foe.

Although everyone had begged her to flee, Nalfa was watching the fight from afar. She felt she couldn’t leave even though she knew there was nothing she could do. She had no special powers, no weapons training, and no technological expertise. Watching was all she could do, which was why she couldn’t bring herself to run. She felt it would mean turning her back on something in her heart that must never be betrayed. Thus she stood frozen in place, praying with all her might.

“Koutarou-sama... please stay safe...”

Nalfa felt a tightness in her chest every time Koutarou and the girls were attacked. She’d been scared earlier when she was attacked herself, but this was petrifying on an entirely different level. Her nerves frayed as she watched the people who’d welcomed her to this world face danger for her sake. Not being able to do anything was frustrating. If it were possible, she gladly would have traded places with them.

“Ahh, what is that...?”

Yet what struck her the most was the black hound. She sensed something extraordinarily ominous from it. It was similar to the feeling she’d gotten from the Gray Knight. It was a swirling sort of vagueness, but the threat it posed was quite clear. Nalfa wasn’t in danger, however. Koutarou and the others were, which made her all the more anxious.

“Please, anyone, protect Koutarou-sama...”

Nalfa’s heart quivered when Warlord III’s shield was destroyed. Koutarou was safe, but his mobile weapon’s left hand was now disarmed. It was an alarming sight to everyone watching—even the men in black.

“Don’t worry, Nal-chan,” Kotori encouraged her. She smiled as she supported her trembling friend and said, “Have faith in Kou-niisan and the others.”

“Kotori...”

“Kou-niisan used to be reckless, refusing to rely on anyone else, but he’s changed. He now has friends and allies he knows he can trust, so I’m sure he’ll be just fine.”

“They’re all girls though,” Kenji muttered.

“Nii-san! Why must you regard everything from such an impure point of view?! You know that Kou-niisan trusts you the most!”

“C-Cool it, Kotori! It was just a joke to lighten the mood! I know that!”

“There are some things you shouldn’t joke about!”

“Pfft... Ahaha!” Nalfa couldn’t help breaking into a giggle over the Matsudaira siblings. Seeing this, they both smiled at her.

“Kou’ll be fine, so just hang in there for him.”

“Yeah, Nal-chan. If you love Kou-niisan, then you need to stand by him, right?”

“You two really understand Koutarou-sama, don’t you? I’m starting to lose my confidence...”

Nalfa could feel the deep bonds Kenji and Kotori had with Koutarou, while she herself had only known him for a short while. She felt like she couldn’t compare.

“It’s only a matter of time,” said Kotori. “Even if you feel that way now, you won’t in a few years.”

“She’s right,” offered Kenji. “And unlike how he used to be, Kou’s a lot more composed now. I’m sure a good, honest girl like you could slide right into his heart, easy.”

“Nii-san! Couldn’t you say that some other way?!”

“M-My bad.”

“Hahaha... I think I get it now. First things first, I’ll start by believing in him.”

“That’s the spirit, Nal-chan! Believe. Believe that there’s a future for you.”

“Yes.”

With that, the fear faded from Nalfa’s eyes, giving way to a strong resolve. She looked far less frail and intimidated than before—in no small part thanks to the help of her friends, Kotori and Kenji.

I’m sure a future for me and Koutarou-sama exists... I may not measure up to the other girls, but I’m still sure that there’s something for us. I’ll have faith in that, just like Kotori and Kenji said I should...

By then, something strange had begun to happen. Nalfa was glowing with a faint light that shone with all the colors of the rainbow, just like her hair. The stronger her feelings grew, the brighter it became. The same thing had happened once in the past, but the light was now stronger than it had ever been before. The others couldn’t help taking notice of it this time.

“Whoa, Nal-chan, you’re glowing! Is that some kind of special camera light?” Kotori asked.

“Huh? What light?” Nalfa asked in turn.

Since Nalfa was from Forthorthe, Kotori was used to seeing her with all kinds of advanced tools and tech that she didn’t understand. She figured this wasn’t any different. Someone else, however, was quite surprised to see it...

“I see... So this is when you bring out your power!”

It was the Gray Knight, who’d been observing the battle from a safe distance all this time. The black hound made for the perfect distraction—and the perfect opportunity to study Koutarou and the others.

“Bringing out Tayuma was worth it after all,” the Gray Knight muttered.

Nalfa hadn’t displayed a single sign of her power when her own life was in danger, but something had changed now. Seeing this, the Gray Knight struggled to contain his excitement. He was finally getting closer to his true goal.

Koutarou and company continued their desperate offensive against the elusive black hound. Alunaya grappled with it while Koutarou attacked its head with his sword. It was the best they could do against the beast, yet they were slowly being driven back by the power of chaos.

“I have bad news, Blue Knight. I’m very nearly out of energy.”

“Maybe it’s because we’re touching the black hound directly, but Uncle’s mana is being polluted! We can’t keep this up much longer!”

“Then we’ll just have to go for it! Are you with me, Sakuraba-senpai?!”

“Always, Satomi-kun.”

In the same fashion that the Gray Knight’s sword had eaten away at Sanae, the black hound was wearing down Alunaya. The effect wasn’t as strong, but Alunaya had only been able to withstand it for so long because of his vast stores of mana. He could stop the drain by simply letting go of the beast, but the danger that posed to the city was unthinkable. Knowing that, Koutarou was determined to attack without regard for his own safety. Harumi, who was focusing on controlling Signaltin, agreed with his decision.

“But you won’t ask me if I’m with you, Satomi Koutarou?” Kiriha pressed him with a resentful look. He’d asked Harumi, but not her.

“I just wanted to know if there was mana to spare,” Koutarou replied honestly. He’d really asked Harumi if Signaltin had enough power left to pull this off.

“I know that.”

“Then don’t complain, Kiriha-san.”

“But this might be the last time we talk...”

In truth, Kiriha understood the situation perfectly well—and that was precisely the reason she’d felt the need to speak up. She didn’t care what Koutarou said to her so long as he said something. She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him near.

“Do you have that card with you today too?” Koutarou asked after a pause, gently placing his hand on Kiriha’s bountiful chest. If she did indeed have the card on her, he knew that was where it would be.

Kiriha puffed up her cheeks a little and whispered into Koutarou’s ear like a young girl, “Why is it only times like this that you touch me? You can do it anytime you want, you know?”

“I can’t bring myself to have designs on people so precious to me.”

“Heh. No one would accuse you of that.”

Kiriha smiled. Even if those were her last words with Koutarou, she was happy now. She thus placed her hand over his... and a green light began shining where they touched. The light grew brighter and brighter until it filled the entire cockpit.

“What is this?!” Koutarou gasped.

“I don’t know,” Kiriha replied, “but it seems our powers have dramatically increased!”

The crest upon her forehead was aglow with the same green light, while a similar phenomenon was unfolding with the other girls. Theia’s was red, Yurika’s was blue, and so forth. Each of the girls was now wreathed in a light that matched the color of their sword crests—proof that their powers were overflowing. Sensing this, Kiriha immediately issued instructions instead of waiting for Koutarou.

“Everyone, attack now! Before this light disappears!”

The green light enveloping Kiriha endowed her with the ability to use divination magic, but its greatest gift was sharpening her already keen mind. With her enhanced wit, she immediately recognized the situation, for it was identical to their fight against Vandarion. She thus pushed everyone to press on despite their confusion. Kiriha had no idea where this power came from or how long it would last, but she knew they hadn’t a moment to waste. They needed to act now, whether it was reckless or not.

“Karama, Korama, hurry and find Nalfa! See if she has the same light around her!”

“Ho-oh! Why can I hear Ane-san’s voice in my head?!”

“I don’t really understand, but understood, ho!”

That was the one thing even Kiriha’s enhanced mind couldn’t comprehend. She’d seen Nalfa glowing with a similar light before, but she didn’t know what it meant. The best she could do now was postulate, which was why she was sending the haniwas to investigate.

“Your Highness, if this is like that time your firepower increased, would it not be best to sortie in your Combat Dress?!” Ruth asked, a yellow light around her. In magic, yellow governed barriers and enhancements. It was well-suited to someone like Ruth, who fought defensively via coordinated unmanned crafts.

“I can do one better than that!” Theia rallied. “Forward the firing controls of all your fighters to me! You take over everything else!”

While Ruth was glowing yellow, Theia was glowing red—the color of force. Its magic primarily enhanced Theia’s raw attack power. It would grant her dominating strength in her Combat Dress, but she didn’t think that was necessary just yet. All she needed to do at the moment was take out the remaining mobile weapons, and for that, Ruth’s fighters were more than enough. With the red light heightening her firepower, she could shoot them all down with deadly ease. She and Ruth thus worked together to make quick work of the remaining robots.

“Are all these spells yours, Aika-san?!” Koutarou shouted in surprise.

“They are! Right now, I can reach all the way to you with my magic!” Maki replied.

The former Dark Navy was wrapped in an indigo light, which enhanced her specialty magic of the same color. Thanks to that, she could cast spell after spell to help Koutarou even though he was well outside of her ordinary range. Magic didn’t do much against the black hound, but that didn’t stop Maki from enhancing Koutarou’s vision, reflexes, and the like.

“How’s Yurika doing?” Koutarou asked next.

“She’s melting all of the enemies with Clan-san,” Maki answered.

“Sounds like a dangerous combo...”

Clan was aglow with an orange light that expanded her mind and granted her the ability to alter objects. With it, she could wring more destruction from her bombs—but this time, she was using her insight and expertise to assist Yurika.

“If you follow the ratios, there’s no weapon you can’t melt!” she insisted.

“I don’t know the first thing about science!” Yurika shrieked.

“I’ll give you the numbers, so just make sure everything is within the parameters!”

“Okay, here goes... Twin Cast: Summon Acid Cloud!”

The blue light around Yurika increased her mana and gave her the power to call things from afar, enabling her to use powerful summoning magic. She used it to conjure forth two different types of acid, which Clan then used her orange light to mix. The byproduct was an acid so potent that it could melt nearly anything. It was far more powerful than what Yurika had been using before, and it decommissioned the remainder of the active mobile weapons in the blink of an eye.

“Kiriha-san, is it really okay for us to be using chemical weapons like that...?” Koutarou murmured. The acid fog the girls had created was just as terrifying as their enemies, if not more so.

“Don’t worry. Clan-dono will break down any remaining acid.”

“Okay, so they did consider the consequences of this.”

“Veltlion, are you trying to pick a fight?!”

With even more mana than normal, Yurika could perform incredible magical feats—which was dangerous in its own right. Fortunately, Clan was there to act as a throttle for and a safeguard against her destructive potential. While the two girls seemed an unlikely combination at first, they had a unique and surprising combination of talents.

“At this rate, Yurika’s gonna hog all the glory! Shizuka, you should team up with us Sanaes to take down the black dog!”

“Fine by me! Uncle’s raring to go too!”

“Hahaha, with all this mana, I can really get serious for the first time in a while!”

The Sanaes were glowing purple, while Shizuka was wreathed in a black light. They governed the powers of spiritual energy and destruction respectively, which served to enhance the abilities the girls already possessed. Shizuka’s mana in particular had increased explosively, overcoming the drain from being in contact with the giant hound. And physically, she was now strong enough to hold it in place with brute strength alone. If the beast had had any bones, they would have long shattered in Alunaya’s draconic grasp.

“Satomi-kun, let’s close the whirlpool. We should be able to do it with this power,” suggested Harumi, a white light radiating from her body.

Since all nine colors of light weren’t in constant use, Harumi channeled their leftover power into Signaltin. The sword glimmered like a rainbow as its power swelled. In this state, Harumi believed it was strong enough to close the gates of hell. The Gray Knight had opened them, but it was the black hound—Tayuma—that was now holding them open. It ordinarily would have been more effective to defeat the beast first, but with the rainbow-colored light, Harumi thought it was possible to shut the gates directly.

“I feel like I’m not really doing anything here,” Koutarou commented with a bitter smile. Warlord III’s sword was now emanating Signaltin’s power, which enhanced the entire mobile weapon—but that was thanks to the girls. It wasn’t Koutarou’s own strength.

“In the same fashion that sails do nothing, perhaps you could say that. But a ship nevertheless needs them to move. The same way we need you, Satomi-kun,” replied Harumi.

Indeed, the sails of a ship had no inherent power of their own—yet they were responsible for moving the ship. Without them, no wind would be strong enough. In a very similar fashion, Harumi and the other girls would never be able to move forward without Koutarou. He was the one who made use of their power.

“I keep getting full of myself because you always spoil me like that, Sakuraba-senpai.”

“Boys should be at least a little proud. Hee hee.”

Harumi wasn’t the only one who saw Koutarou as the figurative sails of their ship. While each of the eight other girls would have expressed it differently, they all felt the same way. Theia saw him as their battlefield banner raised high over a long line of troops. Yurika had no sense of direction (in more ways than one), so she felt like he was the map app on her smartphone, telling her where and when to go. They all wanted him to lead and guide them as they supported him, and that desire made their nine lights glow ever brighter even now.

“Here we go, Sakuraba-senpai,” he said.

“I’m with you.”

“You too, Kiriha-san.”

“Why do I come in second?”

“Oh, don’t sulk. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“I know. I just wanted to tease you.”

“Jeez, every time...”

Koutarou ordered Warlord III to advance. The black hound stood between him and the gates of hell—his target. His plan was to attack the whirlpool itself with his supercharged sword.

Maybe I really am the only one who can catch everyone’s wind...

Signaltin, like the whirlpool, drew upon the power of emotions. And with so many of them directed toward him in the moment, Koutarou felt like a font of strength. He understood the deep bond he shared with all the girls, and he intended to use that to challenge the whirlpool and correct the distortion in the world.

“This is the result of him accepting all of us... so why does Satomi-kun feel like he has to choose just one wind to propel him in the future?”

“Because he’s an idiot.”

“Your Highness, you don’t have to say it that way!”

Unaware of the girls’ slight displeasure, Koutarou flew forward. Seeing him approach, the black hound summoned a multitude of orbs to fire.

“Hahaha, you don’t have the time for that!”

The power of destruction within Shizuka supported Alunaya, who crushed the two legs of the beast he was grappling to keep it in place.

“GRAAAGH!”

Shizuka and Alunaya had so far avoided letting the beast go for fear of it running amok, but now they had a new plan...

“Super Spiritual Energy Thunderbolt!”

Out of the blue, a pale purple streak of lightning—courtesy of Sanae-san—struck the black hound. The beast might have been able to block or dodge it ordinarily, but with two of its legs crushed, it was a sitting duck. Regenerating the broken limbs would take energy—energy it didn’t have in its weakened state. The bolt thus easily pierced the black hound’s defenses.

“Spiritual Turbulent Tornado!”

Next, a purple whirlwind whipped up around the beast. Of course, this was no normal tornado. It was a creation of Sanae-chan’s psychic powers meant to blind and trap the hound.

“Special Celestial Comeeeeeeeet!”

With the black beast in check, Sanae-nee flew down at it from above while brandishing Saguratin in both hands. In terms of spiritual attack power, there was no one stronger than Sanae-nee with Saguratin. Her only obstacle was how to get in range of the beast—which was where Sanae-san and Sanae-chan had come in. Her sweeping slash left her wide open, but the attack struck true and met the beast’s head with an incredible impact. In truth, her “slash” was less like a sword strike and more like being hit by a spiritual meteor. Powered by the minds of all three Sanaes, Saguratin was supercharged with energy—so much so that it was visibly spilling out of the blade.

“Were the embarrassing attack names really necessary?” Sanae-san asked with a wince.

“Yeah. It, like, totally helps you focus or something,” insisted Sanae-chan.

“Really...?”

With that fell blow, the black hound’s head was destroyed. It popped like a soundless balloon, and the beast collapsed to the ground.

“Now’s your chance, Blue Knight!”

“Here I come!”

“We should go too, Uncle.”

“That’s the idea!”

Even now, the headless black beast wasn’t defeated. It was drawing energy from the whirlpool of chaos to regenerate—meaning that the whirlpool had less power to defend itself. The Sanaes had coordinated their attacks specifically to create this opportunity.

“Indeed, your final hour has come!”

With a flap of his wings, Alunaya exhaled a great blast of fire. It was hot enough to be plasma, but he’d avoided the risk of any stray flames reaching the city by adjusting his angle in flight. The whirlpool of chaos generated gray blobs to defend and fight back, but Alunaya’s searing breath incinerated most of them.

“I’ll take it from here!”

Shizuka took control of Alunaya’s body to unleash a karate kick at an approaching gray blob. It was several meters in size, but it stood no chance of surviving an attack from a twenty-meter dragon. The kick, supercharged by Shizuka’s black light, obliterated the blob.

“Burn, spirits of flame! Burst, breath of the stars! Spring out before me, primal power, and let the heavens and earth behold your white radiance! Halo of the Sky God!”

With Harumi’s incantation, a power as great as Alunaya’s fire breath coiled around Warlord’s sword as Koutarou thrust it into the whirlpool. Combined with the rainbow light, it was the single strongest attack they’d ever produced. A fierce crackling could be heard as the diametrically opposed energies clashed within the vortex until it climaxed into a great explosion. Yurika and Maki had cast a powerful ward over the area, but not even their combined spells were enough to contain it completely.

The rainbow light and the gray chaos had canceled out one another until it was clear which power prevailed. The whirlpool ultimately faded after consuming all of its energy. Likewise, the black hound began melting away.

Nefilforan’s unit eventually arrived to clean up the remaining mobile weapons, and with that, the battle was finally over. Though Koutarou and the girls were ultimately victorious, something was bothering Koutarou. He was concerned about the Gray Knight, who’d disappeared in the middle of the fight.

“Did he really run away...?”

Koutarou touched down with Warlord III where the Gray Knight had last been seen—where Clan had fired a limited Super Space-time Repulsion Shell. But as hard as Koutarou looked, there was no evidence of the Gray Knight anywhere now. He’d said that he was retreating, but the group had no reason to take him at his word. Believing him blindly was dangerous. Yet in the end, it seemed he’d fled as promised.

“Hmm... He must have withdrawn when we engaged the beast that was formerly Tayuma,” Kiriha mused.

“What makes you say that?” Koutarou asked.

“The Gray Knight can control the whirlpool of chaos with his sword, and he never interfered in the fight after that.”

“I feel like the Sanaes would’ve chased him down if he had.”

“Meaning that he might have stayed nearby for a time, but he ultimately retreated. Perhaps he had a reason for it.”

With his sword, the Gray Knight had full control of the whirlpool of chaos. If he’d truly been desperate to defeat Koutarou and the girls, he inevitably would have used that against them in their fight with the black hound. Instead, he’d simply left them to duke it out. Had the Gray Knight been that concerned about his own safety, or had there been something keeping him from fighting further? Kiriha suspected something along those lines was the reason he’d vanished.

“Isn’t it a simple matter of numbers?” Harumi asked. “Ralgwin’s forces are already en route to Forthorthe, after all.”

Harumi believed that the Gray Knight had fled after realizing the disadvantage he was at against the group. The only allies he had—mobile weapons and the black hound—were foes that Koutarou had already defeated once. The Gray Knight had surely realized his chances of victory were slim. Koutarou and company had had their hands tied looking out for the city, but beyond that, they’d certainly had the advantage in terms of strength.

“Either way, the Gray Knight’s undoubtedly used up most of his available forces. If he had more, he would have attacked the ceremony directly,” offered Kiriha.

If the Gray Knight truly wanted to create a diplomatic rift between Japan and Forthorthe, creating a situation where Forthorthian blood would be on Japanese hands or vice versa would be ideal. That meant a mass attack—which he couldn’t afford. Kiriha had surmised that his last remaining forces had been on reserve in the event he needed to use them as sacrificial pawns for an escape, as he had today.

That leaves the question of why the Gray Knight remained on Earth after Ralgwin and his forces departed. Kiriha was concerned about the Gray Knight’s motives, but without anything conclusive, she didn’t bring the matter up with the group. And why did he make contact with Nalfa? Does it have something to do with why he’s still here? Or is it just a coincidence?

All the group knew for sure was that the Gray Knight had stayed behind on the planet and tracked down Nalfa. But what had he been up to in the intervening days? And what was his real goal? Kiriha couldn’t say for sure, and his behavior unnerved her.

The worst-case scenario is if he’s thinking the same thing I am...

Kiriha was left pondering Nalfa’s true identity. As far as she knew, the Forthorthian transfer student had exhibited mysterious powers on at least two occasions. The first was shortly after she’d arrived on Earth, and the second was today. Kiriha hadn’t witnessed the latter personally, but the haniwas had confirmed that Nalfa had been glowing with the colors of the rainbow. If the Gray Knight had stayed on Earth to investigate that as well, it could spell a great deal of trouble.

While Kiriha was turning all of that over in her mind, Kotori approached Koutarou. She’d been waiting for her chance to talk to him without interrupting anything. “Kou-niisan, do you have a minute?”

“What’s up, Kin-chan? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“It’s about Nal-chan, not me.”

“Is she hurt?”

“No, she seems perfectly fine. That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“I don’t think there’s any way she should be fine... I mean, she was almost killed.”

“Ah, gotcha.”

Koutarou could see where Kotori was coming from. The Gray Knight had come dangerously close to cutting Nalfa down. She’d even been wounded in the process. No normal girl could walk away from an experience like that unshaken, yet Nalfa wasn’t showing the slightest bit of concern for herself. Kotori thought it might be because she didn’t want anyone to worry.

“So I was hoping you could help her, Kou-niisan.”

“Are you sure it should be me?”

Koutarou understood what Kotori was asking. She wanted him to support and comfort Nalfa. He just didn’t think he was particularly qualified for the job.

“Kou-niisan,” Kotori leaned in to whisper. “I’m only telling you this because it’s an emergency, but... Nal-chan likes you.”

“What?!” Koutarou reflexively looked Nalfa’s way. She was currently sitting on the stairs to the riverbank, talking with a medic.

“So I’m sure. There’s no one better, really,” Kotori assured him with a faint smile as she backed away, her voice returning to normal.

“Wouldn’t Mackenzie be perfect for this kind of thing?”

Kenji had been the one to support Koutarou when his family situation was rough. In Koutarou’s eyes, there was no better ballast than his best friend. He trusted Kenji far more than he did himself.

“He shouldn’t be allowed near a woman when she’s weak!”

“Kotori, that’s going too far!” Kenji objected. “I know how to behave myself!”

Kenji’s shoulders slumped. He didn’t feel like he’d done anything to anger his sister today. In fact, he felt like he’d done a good job protecting her and Nalfa. Yet Kotori’s low opinion of him hadn’t changed any. That hurt a little.

“So this is really a process of elimination...” Koutarou mumbled. “Still, I can’t just leave her be.”

He wasn’t fully convinced he was the right man for the job. He genuinely believed Kenji would be a better option. But Nalfa’s best friend was telling him he should do it, so he decided to listen.

“If you would, please, Kou-niisan.”

“Okay then, here goes... Wait.” Koutarou took a few steps, then stopped.

“Kou-niisan?”

“What about you, Kin-chan? Are you okay?”

If Nalfa was upset, there was no doubt Kotori was as well. When Koutarou realized that, he turned back to her with a worried look.

“Don’t worry,” she replied. “I’ll ask you to spoil me later, Kou-niisan.”

“Not me?!”

“You got it, Kin-chan. Shall I have some sweets ready for you?”

“Yeah. That’s enough for me.”

“Good to know. Okay, here goes for real this time.”

Koutarou thus approached Nalfa, with Kenji, Kotori, and the ten other girls watching him go. The girls in particular looked strangely happy. They were glad that he was going to comfort Nalfa, but they were also glad that he hadn’t forgotten about Kotori. He’d grown considerate as of late, and they were pleased with this development.

Shortly after coming to Earth, Nalfa had been attacked. And just like today, Kenji and Kotori had been there to help her back then. The situations were quite similar indeed, with the biggest difference today being the assailant—the Gray Knight. His very presence inspired fear in Nalfa, but it was a fundamentally different fear than having a gun pointed at her. It was an alien, almost primordial fear, like mud slowly filling her mind. She’d tried to face the Gray Knight when he brought his sword down upon her—but that didn’t mean that she hadn’t been scared. When she touched the bandage around her neck, the quaking fear came rushing back to her. It had firmly taken root in her heart.

Oh no, if I look like this, I’ll just make Kotori worry...

Nalfa slapped her cheeks a couple of times and tried to smile. She finally managed it after a few attempts. She then turned around to look for her best friend but found someone else approaching her instead.

“Koutarou-sama...”

“Hey. Mind if I sit here for a while?” Koutarou asked, taking a seat on the step beside Nalfa. He then opened the plastic bottle in his hand and took a sip.

“Koutarou-sama, why...?”

“Kin-chan told me I should come talk to you. Pretty sure she saw right through the brave face you put on for everyone.”

“Kotori told you...?

With that, the smile disappeared from Nalfa’s face. She knew faking it was pointless after hearing why Koutarou had come.

“She’s a good friend,” said Koutarou.

“She is.”

“I’ve got Mackenzie, so I know how it feels.”

“Even though Kotori’s always getting mad at him?”

“Girls just don’t understand the real Mackenzie.”

On the surface, Nalfa and Koutarou were having a pleasant chat... but Nalfa’s expression remained gloomy. Koutarou noticed but continued nonetheless. He was prepared to wait until she was ready to talk. Thus their friendly conversation continued for a time, and when it finally reached a lull, Nalfa grew brave enough to broach what was really on her mind.

“Are you always fighting against this kind of fear...?”

She hardly even knew what to say, so she tried desperately to put her feelings into words. Nothing would change if she didn’t speak up.

“Not exactly. Enemies like we fought today are pretty rare,” Koutarou replied calmly.

“But you’ve faced them before?”

“Yeah, here and there.”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Of course I am. We hardly know what we’re up against.”

“But you don’t look scared to me.”

“That’s because there’s something I fear even more than all this.”

“What?”

“That the people I want to protect will die because I’m too scared to move. Take today, for example. If nerves had gotten the better of me and delayed me even a little, those men in black or Nefilforan’s forces might have paid the price for it. Compared to the fear of losing someone, fear of the unknown is nothing.”

Koutarou’s actions bore consequences for the fates of others. That was something he’d learned the hard way along the line—and it terrified him. No matter how careful he was, the worst could always happen. He fought desperately to stave off that possibility and the regret that came with it.

“What scares you the most, Nalfa-san?” he asked. “Is it the Gray Knight who attacked you? Or something else?”

“What scares me the most...?” Nalfa had to look inward for the answer. What did she fear more than anything? “That you, Koutarou-sama... or Kotori, or my brother... might suddenly disappear. It doesn’t have anything to do with the knight in gray armor.”

Ultimately, Nalfa feared exactly what Koutarou did—losing loved ones.

“In that case, I think you did your best today, Nalfa-san.”

“I didn’t do anything...”

“You stood up to him, didn’t you? I heard from Kin-chan and Mackenzie.”

When the Gray Knight had cornered the group, Nalfa had done her best to resist. When things were most grim, she’d at least wanted to surprise the Gray Knight. Her efforts had given Sanae an opening to attack, and in the end, everyone was saved. Nalfa had done a spectacular job.

“It was all I could do...”

“That’s fine. It’s not like you’re some almighty deity. You’re just a normal person like me. What’s scary is scary, and there’ll always be some things that are impossible for us. So just do your best together with everyone.”

If Nalfa was powerless, then so was Koutarou. The only strength he had to his name was a little skill with a blade. In the end, he was only human—but that didn’t stop him from trying his hardest. Somewhere along the way, he’d gained allies willing to lend him their strength, and that was okay in his book. He’d realized there was no need for him to take on everything by himself.

“I’m not an almighty deity... I just need to do my best with everyone...”

Nalfa chewed on those words. She was happy that Koutarou was telling her that it was okay for her to be a normal person. It seemed so obvious, but it lifted a great weight from her heart. Thanks to that, she was able to smile a little. She also realized there was something else she wanted to ask Koutarou.

“Um, Koutarou-sama?”

“Yeah?”

“May I ask something of you?”

“Knock yourself out.”

“Could I borrow your shoulder for a while? Just until I cheer up a little more...”

“Sure.”

With that, Nalfa leaned over and rested her head on Koutarou’s shoulder, her rainbow-colored hair tickling his hand. When he looked at her, he felt strangely at ease.

“By the way, Nalfa-san. Can I ask something of you too?”

“Of course. I’ll do anything.”

“I think Mackenzie did his best today, so could you get Kin-chan to go easy on him?”

“I’ll give it a try, but I can’t make any promises.”

And so the two of them went back to chatting casually about their friends. Something was different now, however—Nalfa was smiling. While there wasn’t anything special about their conversation, she enjoyed it immensely.

During the battle, the Gray Knight had been hit by a Super Space-time Repulsion Shell and forced to retreat—but he didn’t consider that a loss, because he’d learned something very important in the process.

“She won’t exhibit her powers when her own life is in danger, but she won’t hesitate when the Blue Knight is in trouble. The power’s divided between Signaltin, Saguratin, and she herself. No, it’s probably split into more than just three parts...”

What the Gray Knight wanted to know the most was why Signaltin wasn’t exhibiting its true powers despite the rainbow contract. As the answer started to become clear, he was glad he’d stayed on Earth. For some reason, Signaltin’s power had been divided and distributed in a way that it could be recalled when necessary. He knew it was in three parts at the very least, but in order to accomplish his true goal, he’d have to gather them all.

“That will mean putting the Blue Knight in grave danger. If I don’t, I doubt she’ll pool all of the power...”

Since Nalfa wouldn’t use the sword’s power for her own sake, the Gray Knight would have to leverage Koutarou against her. And a small skirmish like the one today wouldn’t be nearly enough. He’d have to resort to something on a much larger scale. An all-out war, perhaps.

“It needs to be a major fleet battle at the very least. Another coup d’état might do the trick. Guess I’ll be sticking with Ralgwin for a while longer...”

The Gray Knight was strong, but since this wasn’t his home world, he lacked one particularly powerful resource—connections. He would need Ralgwin’s or Grevanas’s assistance to snare Koutarou in a large-scale battle.

“I’ll leave my Sanae with you for a while longer, Blue Knight. My goal is still a ways off. I won’t have any trouble hunting her down in the process...”

The Gray Knight brought up the navigation computer and set a warp course. His destination was Forthorthe to rendezvous with Ralgwin and Grevanas. With everything he’d learned while on Earth, the Gray Knight could now clearly visualize the path ahead of him. It would be a long and arduous one, but he remained optimistic... for at the end of it lay his true goal.

The Hazy Moon detected a space quake a few days after Nalfa was attacked. Clan’s bracelet rang out in alarm while she was enjoying lunch in the school courtyard with everyone.

“My sensors are reporting a large-scale space quake detected. There’s a 90 percent probability that it’s the warp signal of a large spaceship... from somewhere around Jupiter? That’s pretty far. Perhaps that’s why the prediction is so uncertain,” she reported.

“None of our allies have any business in Jupiter’s orbit. It’s probably best to assume that the Gray Knight is headed for Forthorthe,” Ruth added.

Indeed, the Forthorthian ships currently on and near Earth had no reason to travel to Jupiter. There was also no reason for anyone to go that far in preparation for a warp back to Forthorthe. They could safely initiate their warp drives in much closer proximity to Earth—unless the distance was the goal, of course. If anyone tried to warp in Earth’s vicinity, Clan’s Hazy Moon would track them. That wasn’t a worry from Jupiter, however, and the only person who would be worried about that under the circumstances was none other than the Gray Knight himself.

“He has his own spaceship?” Koutarou asked, surprised.

“He came from a parallel world, so it’s safe to assume that’s how he got here,” Kiriha replied.

“Oh yeah. Now that you mention it, Sanae Onee-chan has one too.”

“It’s not fair, though. His is way bigger,” Sanae-nee said with a pout.

“A big spaceship? Not a battleship?” Kiriha mused, raising an eyebrow. “What kind of ship are we talking about, Clan-dono?”

“Hang on... Okay, it’s definitely big—bigger than a royal-class battleship—so the AI classified it as a transport ship.”

At present, royal-class battleships were the biggest crafts meant for battle in Forthorthe. There were even larger vessels, however, meant for civilian use and transportation—to move mining resources or supplies to remote regions, for example. The ship the Hazy Moon had detected was larger than a royalty-class battleship, so it was naturally presumed to be one such civilian transport craft.

“Is something the matter?” Harumi asked, giving Kiriha a worried look. Whenever Kiriha reacted like this, there was usually cause for concern.

“I just find it strange that the Gray Knight is using a civilian ship. Maybe I’m overthinking things...”

That was the part that stuck out to Kiriha. Under the circumstances, a battleship would have made more sense—and it wouldn’t have been impossible for the Gray Knight to get his hands on one. She simply wasn’t sure why he would have chosen a civilian vessel instead.

“Does it have something to do with why he went out to Jupiter?” Harumi asked.

“You’re suggesting it’s just another way to thwart attention and avoid pursuit? Yes... That does seem likely.”

Kiriha believed Harumi had struck the heart of the matter, so she put any further thought of it out of her mind for the time being. It was an unsettling situation, but there was no point in dwelling on it without more information.

“The way I see it, a bigger ship will be easier to find,” Koutarou chimed in. “We’ll head that way soon, so just knowing what we’re looking for is a good start.”

“Hmm, I think I’ll follow the lead of your optimism.” Kiriha nodded and took a sip from the bottle of tea she was holding. After calming down, a different thought altogether occurred to her. “By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask you all before then.”

“And what’s that?” Koutarou stopped eating his lunch and turned to Kiriha. Incidentally, today was Maki’s turn to make lunch, which was a simple but lovingly prepared meal of deep-fried dishes.

“I was thinking of bringing Nalfa, Kotori, and Kenji with us when we go to Forthorthe.”

“Us?!” Nalfa and Kotori exclaimed in unison, turning to look at each other at the same time.

“Yeah, why me too?” Kenji cocked his head. He could understand Koutarou going and even Nalfa, but he saw no reason for him and his sister to tag along.

“Because of the Gray Knight,” Kiriha explained. “He might come after Nalfa again, so we need to protect her.”

“That’s true,” mumbled Koutarou. “We are the only ones who can protect her...”

He knew Kiriha was right. For some reason, the Gray Knight was interested in Nalfa. As long as there was a chance he might make contact or attack her again, they needed to protect her—and asking normal soldiers to defend her from the Gray Knight was a tall order. She would be safest with Koutarou and company.

“But why bring along Mackenzie and Kin-chan too?”

“The Gray Knight might try to take them hostage. It’s well known now that they’re good friends, so we need to keep a close eye on them too.”

Indeed, there was a grim chance that Kotori and Kenji would be used against the group. The Gray Knight wasn’t the only one who might try it either. The moment Koutarou and the others left the planet, the Matsudaira siblings might find themselves in hot water.

“That’s true... Sorry, but it looks like you three are going to have to come to Forthorthe with us,” Koutarou ultimately announced.

Kenji, Kotori, and Nalfa were all dear friends to him. He had no qualms about keeping them close to protect them, but he did feel bad about springing the situation on them so suddenly. Nalfa felt the same way.

“I’m sorry, Kotori. You’re in danger because of me...”

“Don’t say that! It’s the bad guys’ fault, not yours, Nal-chan!”

Kotori didn’t blame Nalfa. If anything, she was angry at the villains who were targeting her best friend. She had no objections to going to Forthorthe, but Kenji shook his head.

“I’m not going, Kou.”

“Is there a reason?”

“Yeah. I have a date next weekend.”

“A date?!”

The series expression on Kenji’s face had led Koutarou to believe his reason would be equally serious, so the truth caught Koutarou quite off guard. He nearly started choking on his lunch in surprise. Kiriha quickly handed him a bottle of tea, however, so he managed to survive without incident.

“C’mon, man, what’s more important to you, Kin-chan’s life or a date?!” he demanded.

“They’re both important! My romantic future’s on the line here!” Kenji insisted.

In truth, he had two dates coming up—one with Kashiwagi Shiori and one with Emily the transfer student. He was trying to decide between the girls by going out with each of them. Unlike Kenji’s typical dates, these were indeed serious to him.

“Don’t worry,” Koutarou assured him. “Folsaria will conjure up a body double for you.”

“Don’t worry?! How am I supposed to entrust my romantic future to a body double?!”

Even though Kenji’s heart was in the right place, the circumstances were against him. His best friend was critical of his motivations, but not more so than his own little sister...

“I can’t believe you, Nii-san! I’m not the only one in danger here! Nal-chan is too!” Kotori was fuming. She was consumed by a fiery rage, yet her glare was icy cold. Kenji felt both frozen and burned at the same time.

“K-Kotori! Just hear me out!” Upon realizing his blunder, he tried to beg for forgiveness, but the damage was already done.

“That’s enough. My brother is dead to me. As of today, I’m Kou-niisan’s little sister.”

Someday, Kenji would understand. He would one day return to the wonderful brother he’d once been. Kotori believed in him and waited patiently for him to change. He’d even given her cause to be hopeful this time—he’d simply taken it too far. She couldn’t accept her brother choosing a date over her life.

“Help me, Kou!”

“You made your bed.”

Alas, it was a fight Kenji would have to endure on his own. Even Koutarou, who’d kindly asked Nalfa to help smooth things out between the siblings, couldn’t throw him a rope now.