Date A Live

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Diediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediedieeeeeeeeeeee!"

Along with the wild laughter, several hundred bullets were fired through the air.

Mana increased the strength of her Territory, attempting to guard against the concentrated gunfire.

But, in that instant, Jessica created a limited Territory around Mana.

"Tch—"

Mana clicked her tongue in an annoyed tone, as she twisted her body, and cut open the Territory with the on her right hand.

But by that time, Jessica had already finished charging her Maryoku cannon. She fired the giant cannon at Mana.

"Naive!"

But then Mana condensed her Territory, as though she was sending a stream of Maryoku towards Jessica.

She then raised the and hacked towards Jessica.

Jessica then changed the defensive properties of her Territory, as she parried Mana"s strike. The clash between a Maryoku blade and a Maryoku s.h.i.+eld resulted in a clash of shocking fireworks.

But then, abnormalities began to show up on Jessica"s body.

"Eh…!?"

As though she underwent a convulsion, her breathing was blocked and blood began to flow from her nose and eyes, as the Territory around her began to weaken.

The weakened Jessica"s Territory was no longer capable of blocking Mana"s laser sword. The blade began to slice open the crimson as the laser sword and Maryoku on the right hand was destroyed.

Mana hardened her face and retreated from Jessica.

"…You have hit your limits. Jessica! The outcome has been decided! Surrender—"

But, Jessica aimed her remaining cannon at Mana, ignoring her words. Then, she fired a blast that didn"t look like she had hit her limits.

"Ku…"

Mana dodged the cannon"s blast by a hair"s width as she glared at Jessica.

Then, Jessica laughed maniacally as her blood began to flow from her eyes.

"—MANA. MANA. TAKAMIYA MANA. I, I, I, I, I WIL, WILL NOT, LO, LOOOOOOO, SE. THIS TIME, I WON"T LOSE. I WON"T LOSE AGAIN. AS LONG I HAVE , I WILL, I WILL, I WILLLLLLLLL"

Her unfocused eyes continued to twirl as she repeated the same words repeatedly like a broken record. It was clear that she wasn"t herself.

"Jessica…"

Mana bit her lips and clenched her fists.

Although the exact conditions were unknown, it seemed her brain was treated with Maryoku. She had compressed decades of her life to that day today. It was understandable that she would have become stronger.

Mana looked at Jessica with a troubled and pitiful expression, before sighing lightly.

She then silently placed a hand on her chest.

—She had already heard it from Kotori and Reine, that her body had been through the same procedure.

One mistake, and she could end up like Jessica.

"…"

Mana went silent as she clenched her teeth.

"MANA! MAMAMA, MANA. TAKAMIYA, MANA. ADEPTUS TWOOOO. YOU WERE ALREADY THIS ANNOYING. WHY, WHYYYYYYYYYYY WOULD WESTCOTT-SAMA AND OFFICER MEIXAZ RELY ON YOU EASTERNERSSSSS??? I, I, I… I AM DEFINITELY MORE SUITED, SUITED. AAAAADEPTUS, NUMBER TWO, TWO!"

Jessica yelled as she began her berserk rampage.

But Mana did not dodge, as she spread her Territory and approached Jessica slowly.

"…You were already like this from the beginning. You are jealous, materialistic, only because you would always say such hateful words."

She said so in a low tone as she shortened her distance. Even when she saw Mana approaching, she did not leave, and continued firing her cannons wildly.

"AH, AHAHAHAHAHAHA, MA, MAMAMAMAMAMANANANANA?"

Jessica looked at Mana with eyes that were incapable of focusing as she opened her ammunition cartridges and fired a stream of bullets.

Mana advanced through the storm of bullets, activated the laser sword on her right hand, and sliced open Jessica"s chest.

"Ah, gah, ah, ahhhhhhhh!"

She cut through the Territory, pa.s.sed through the wiring suit, as though she cut through a body. But Mana did not look back.

The Territory surrounding Jessica began to disappear, as the large mechanical frame of the began to fall towards the ground.

Jessica, held by Mana"s Territory, began to purge a large amount of blood as she made a weak sound.

"He, he, he, hey, Mana? I, I, I, I, I"m strong nowwww, right? I won"t, lose to anyone anymoreeeee. Master Westcott will, finally, approve of meeeee, right?"

"…Mm, of course."

As Mana replied, Jessica made her final smile, as she slowly lowered her head.

"…."

Mana closed Jessica"s eyes as she carried her body, and looked towards the main offices of DEM.

"—Isaac… Westcott…!!!"

"…!"

s.h.i.+dou collapsed into a puddle of his own blood, as he looked at the sight in front of him, his wound being consumed by a flame.

At the moment Ellen stabbed s.h.i.+dou with the light saber, Tohka let out a hysterical yell – before her body was consumed by a ma.s.s of dark particles.

"Wha…, what in the…"

The flames had finally healed the wound on s.h.i.+dou"s chest, as he suppressed the urge to vomit, allowing his mouth, full of the taste of iron, to move.

There was clearly something suspicious.

Behind him, an excited Westcott appeared to be saying something, but it was impossible to hear what he was saying. No, to be precise, even if it was possible to hear his words, it would not be possible to comprehend the meaning behind it.

Compared to that, the change to Tohka"s body was much more apparent to s.h.i.+dou.

There was a reason for it. There was a ma.s.sive difference between then and when Tohka deployed her limited Astral Dress and Angel.

The inauspicious dark light that covered up Tohka"s body dissipated with a glow.

At that point, Tohka"s full figure became visible to s.h.i.+dou.

"What…"

But, when s.h.i.+dou saw Tohka"s full figure, he couldn"t help but hold his breath.

Tohka was in her Astral Dress, surrounded by a black glamour.

Even so, this was something that was not impossible. Even if a Spirit"s powers were sealed, there was still an invisible bond linking them, causing a partial backflow of their powers when their emotions become unstable.

In fact, beginning from Tohka, Yos.h.i.+no and Yamai may also occasionally defy Ratatoskr"s intentions and partially summon their Astral Dresses.

But, what Tohka was wearing now was definitely not her partial Astral Dress.

Black armor on her shoulders and waist, and a black spectral veil covering her chest and lower half.

There was no question. It was a complete Astral Dress made from a heavy amount of Reiryoku.

"Astral, Dress…"

But, the Astral Dress that Tohka was wearing then, was completely different from what s.h.i.+dou remembered. To make an a.n.a.logy, it was like the base of a photo.

To add on, there was something else that was more pressing – Tohka"s expression.

It wasn"t the Tohka that was crying for s.h.i.+dou earlier – there was simply a supernatural sense of oppression, as though she was a monarch.

Of course, there was no change to her body or face physically. Despite that, s.h.i.+dou felt that the girl clad in a black glamour in front of his eyes was a completely different being from Tohka.

Then.

"That… is…"

s.h.i.+dou shakily raised his head, speaking in a surprised tone.

The right hand of Tohka, clad in a black Astral Dress, was wielding a giant sword.

"Sandal…phon?"

No – no. That sword was clearly different from Sandalphon.

It was a large sword with a single blade. The hilt of the sword, stained black like Tohka"s Astral Dress, as well as the blade of the sword itself, left a trail of darkness in the sky.

"—"

A chill ran down s.h.i.+dou"s back as he inhaled sharply. For some reason, the sword possessed not just the danger of being a sharp weapon, or a Spirit"s ma.s.sive power, it also possessed something frightening enough to make someone"s body s.h.i.+ver in fear.

"……"

Tohka surveyed her surroundings carefully. Then, she let out a sigh.

"—where, is this place."

"Eh…?"

s.h.i.+dou frowned. What exactly is Tohka talking about.

Tohka acted as though she didn"t notice s.h.i.+dou"s confusion, as she continued to look around the area, before pointing at the nearby Miku.

"You. Answer me. Where is this place?"

"Eh? The j.a.panese branch of DEM Industries… isn"t that so?"

"I have never heard of this place – then, why am I here?"

"Huh, weren"t you captured and brought here by the Wizards from DEM?"

Miku turned towards Ellen and Westcott with a confused expression. As though following her line of sight, Tohka also turned towards them.

Then, Westcott"s face revealed a frightening expression.

"Incredible. This is the first time I"ve seen such a perfect Reversal. –Look at this, Tohka. That is the fruition of our dream!"

As he said so, he patted Ellen"s back.

"Alright, it"s time to get to work. Finally, the enemy for you to defeat has appeared. Go, my strongest Wizard. Now is the time to dethrone the tyrannical queen, and become a stepping stone to our greater heights."

"—mm, I understand, Ike."

As she said so, Ellen nodded, and her body disappeared like the mist.

In the next instant, Ellen appeared above Tohka, and attacked with her laser sword.

"…!"

s.h.i.+dou continued in his crouching position, trying to warn Tohka about Ellen"s attack. However, he had lost his voice due to shock.

But, there was no need to worry. Without turning, Tohka simply raised her right hand, and blocked Ellen"s attack with her sword. At the moment the two"s weapons met, a large explosion occurred, strong enough to send s.h.i.+dou flying to the wall.

"Ku……"

As the brunt of the impact was on s.h.i.+dou"s wound, s.h.i.+dou twisted his face and let out a pained wail. Miku hurriedly came over.

"Oi… are you alright!"

To even be worried about a man, it was extremely untypical of Miku. It was possible that she was also in a panicked state.

But it was nothing notable. s.h.i.+dou himself was unable to comprehend the sight in front of his eyes. It might have been much more acceptable to say that it was an illusion.

"Lawless."

Having parried the attack, Tohka said in a low voice as she sent Ellen flying. Ellen"s body spun before she regained stability and stopped in mid-air.

"This is so much different from the stuttering [Princess] earlier. If not, it would be troubling. It would be meaningless if it was a Spirit that could be easily dispatched by me."

"…what are you doing. You fool. Why do you raise your sword against me?"

"My apologies, but I"ll need you to die here. What we seek are your abilities. Your character is just but a hindrance."

Ellen"s eyes sharpened as she stated so, and she raised her laser sword again, jumping towards Tohka.

Tohka"s left hand moved to the hilt of her sword as she parried Ellen"s strike.

But, Ellen"s vicious attacks didn"t just stop there. From the left, from above, from below, she continued her a.s.sault at a blindingly fast speed.

s.h.i.+dou was left speechless as he watched the light of the laser sword dance in the air. To compare with the Ellen he had known up to now, there was a significant difference in att.i.tude and speed. To fire off multiple attacks in an instant, a Tohka in a limited Astral Dress would have been defeated by the first blow.

Despite that, Tohka was not inferior to Ellen at all. She was able to parry every attack that was fired with an inhuman skill level.

A battle between one that wasn"t human, and one that was a superhuman. Even though s.h.i.+dou himself was not involved, it was clear that he was crushed by an atmosphere of strong hostility and killing intent.

"—There!"

At this point, Ellen moved upwards from below Tohka, flipping up Tohka"s sword. In that instant, a large opening appeared in Tohka"s stance.

Of course, the same applied to Ellen. But then, Ellen moved backwards slightly, modified the shape of the weapon on her left shoulder, as it extended from her elbow. At the same time, the tip of the weapon began to gather energy.

"Pierce, [Rhongomiant]."

In an instant, the weapon began to unleash a blinding flash.

It was a flash of light imbued with concentrated Reiryoku, thick enough to possibly be able to burn someone"s eyes if they were to look directly at it. It simply wasn"t comparable to the weapons used by the AST – this was a weapon that could easily match the power of an Angel. In an instant, Tohka"s body was devoured by the light, and the walls and ceiling of the building were blown apart like a piece of paper, and the remnants would continue to spread through the air.

That was slightly different compared to a cannon. To be more precise – it was a ray.

A ray of light that spans several hundreds of metres, obliterating everything in its path, its large figure standing in the sky above.

Then, Ellen slowly exhaled a breath and the gigantic ray disappeared with it. As for the building, the entire walls and ceiling of the upper floor was completely destroyed, giving the impression that it had been chewed off by a giant.

"Tohka… Tohka!?"

s.h.i.+dou continued to call Tohka"s name as he looked around his surroundings, but he couldn"t see Tohka anywhere.

Could she have been obliterated by that ray – a terrifying thought like that swept through his mind.

But, that theory was disproved the moment he saw Ellen glaring furiously at the sky. From the building, the view of the sky was widened due to the destroyed roof. Tohka was calmly surveying the area, with her back against the moon, a faint glow from her Astral Dress that was fluttering in the wind. It appeared that she had parried the attack with her sword. There was no trace of injury on her body.

"…I see. So it appears that you"re more than just talk."

Tohka silently slanted her eyes as she slowly raised her right arm with the sword.

"Don"t think you"ve won just yet!"

But, Ellen didn"t just sit there. She raised her laser sword again and approached Tohka in an instant, slicing towards her body.

"Hmph."

Tohka frowned slightly, and instead of using her right hand with the sword, she used her empty left hand to parry the attack.

Even Tohka"s Astral Dress was incapable of fully parrying that blow. The strong remnants of Reiryoku scattered to the floor like sparks, while Tohka"s right glove was destroyed at the same time. A burning injury was rapidly expanding on her slim hand.

But then.

"—[Nahema]"

Tohka said in a cold tone as she ignored the injury on her arm, as she moved down the sword that was pointing high towards the moon — [Nahema].

She wasn"t just aiming for Ellen. She was also aiming for the man at the top of the building, Isaac Westcott.

"Tch—"

At this point, Ellen twisted her face and immediately halted her attack, and flew back to the building.

A sound strong enough to slice wind was followed by a crus.h.i.+ng noise from the air.

In the next instant, the traces from Tohka"s sword began to generate a powerful shock wave.

"Uu, uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa–!"

s.h.i.+dou and Miku let out a shocked cry as they were caught by the shockwave.

Even so, it appeared that Miku had managed to inject some of her Spirit abilities into her cry. An invisible barrier formed around s.h.i.+dou and Miku, mitigating most of the impact from the shockwave.

"Are, are you alright, Miku…!"

"Mm, mm… that said, don"t, don"t get the idea that I intended to save you! This was just a coincidence!"

As s.h.i.+dou said so, Miku turned away with a face of displeasure.

But, if it wasn"t for the sound barrier created by Miku, it was likely that s.h.i.+dou would have been blown away by the shock wave. s.h.i.+dou"s face went pale at the state of the damage of the building"s walls.

"Is that really… Tohka…? That is—"

s.h.i.+dou looked at the black silhouette in front of him, with a face of fear.

With a crus.h.i.+ng sound similar to something collapsing, Ellen, s.h.i.+elding Westcott underneath the rubble, came into view. It seemed that at the moment before Tohka attacked Westcott, Ellen had already blocked the attack with her Territory.

"My apologies. Thank you for the help, Ellen."

"It"s alright. I can"t let you die here."

Ellen looked at Tohka, as she answered Westcott.

"What do you think of the [Princess]?"

"Mm, it"s impossible to compare with the Spirit that we battled before. Although we were disappointed then, it can be truly said that she is an AAA-rank Spirit now."

"I see. So—are you capable of winning?"

"Of course. A being capable of defeating me, does not exist in this world."

Ellen answered without hesitation. However.

"However, that is under the a.s.sumption that I am well enough to fight."

Having heard these words, s.h.i.+dou looked down, as he swallowed a bit of his saliva.

There was a deep gash from Ellen"s chest to her abdomen, and she was bleeding heavily.

"I was careless while defending her attacks earlier, causing my wound to re-open. I"ve already applied the pain suppressants, but fighting that Spirit would be a ha.s.sle in my current state."

"Hm… is that so."

Wescott put his hand to his chin as he sighed.

"Then we don"t have a choice. Let us retreat now. There"s still time to slowly savor the feast."

"Wouldn"t that be problematic?"

"No. I"m already used to waiting. It"s already an impressive feat that we"ve managed to Reverse the [Princess]. And today—I"ve actually seen an unexpected face too."

As he said so, Wescott looked at s.h.i.+dou. s.h.i.+dou felt a chill go down his shoulder.

"—in that case, we will be taking our leave. Survive until the day we meet again. Takamiya—no, Itsuka s.h.i.+dou."

"Eh…?"

s.h.i.+dou frowned at Westcott"s words.

Takamiya. That was the surname of Mana, the girl who claimed to be s.h.i.+dou"s true sister.

"Wait, you, you know about me…?"

"No, nothing—nothing about Itsuka s.h.i.+dou."

With that, Westcott moved his line of sight away from s.h.i.+dou, and placed his hand on Ellen"s shoulder.

Then, in an instant, the air around Ellen began to shake with a bang. It appeared that she had concentrated her Territory.

Then, Ellen used an invisible hand to hold Westcott, levitating him, as she fired up the thrusters and flew off towards the sky at an astonis.h.i.+ng speed.

"Ah… oi, oi!"

The cries were meaningless, for the duo were engulfed by the night, and vanished, leaving s.h.i.+dou"s voice echoing in the darkness.

However, even with the enemy retreated, the crisis was still not over. s.h.i.+dou looked up again.

After seeing Ellen and Westcott leave, Tohka looked down, and descended upon seeing s.h.i.+dou and Miku.

"Next would be… you two."

She said with a cold glare towards them. Against a Tohka that was definitely unlike her usual self, s.h.i.+dou"s body stiffened immediately.

"…wait, weren"t the two of you friends? That said, this girl didn"t seem to be in need of your help. What"s going on?"

Miku asked in a low voice. However, s.h.i.+dou was at a loss for words.

"Even if you say so… I don"t know what"s going on either."

"…aside from that, wasn"t your chest pierced right through? How are you still alive?"

"About that… let"s just say, it"s a special property. I"ll explain to you later."

Even so, nothing could be solved just by idle chatter. s.h.i.+dou began to strike up a conversation with Tohka.

Then, at that moment. Tohka slashed the on her right hand, and a shockwave was generated towards the duo.

"Uwa!?"

"Kya!"

s.h.i.+dou was caught up in surprise and had to parry the attack with [Sandalphon]. Although he was still standing, there was an intense pain that began to spread from the two hands wielding the sword"s hilt.

"Tch…"

s.h.i.+dou felt a shudder. Although it appeared nothing to Tohka—the attack earlier was intended for s.h.i.+dou.

If the attack wasn"t blocked with [Sandalphon], s.h.i.+dou would"ve likely been killed from the impact.

"So that"s [Sandalphon]… why do you wield an Angel?"

Tohka"s eyesight narrowed as she said so. It was an expression that was clearly hostile.

"Tohka! What… what"s wrong with you! Do you remember me!?"

Tohka started to frown as s.h.i.+dou shouted.

"Tohka…? Are you referring to me?"

Tohka stared intensely at s.h.i.+dou. Indeed, it was unlike the usual Tohka. It wasn"t just limited to s.h.i.+dou, she could not even remember her own name.

"What is… going on…"

s.h.i.+dou tilted his face in confusion. At that point, his right earpiece began to emit a static noise, followed by Kotori"s voice. It appeared that the jamming had been removed with the destruction of the building"s roof.

[s.h.i.+dou! s.h.i.+dou! Answer me! s.h.i.+dou! What happened!?]

"I don"t know! Tohka began acting weird after I was stabbed in the chest! Is that also a backflow of Reiryoku?"

[No–I"m afraid not.]

"Then, what should we do? Is it possible to seal Tohka"s power!?"

[That… I don"t know. There isn"t a precedent. Before that, it"s currently impossible given her affection levels for you.]

"In that case, what should we do…"

[We"ll just have to pull her consciousness back here. If there is a possibility–]

At the mention of "possibility", s.h.i.+dou"s eyebrow suddenly twitched.

"I see… in the end, I still have to do that."

[What are you blabbering about?]

Tohka let out a cold voice, as though she was interrupting s.h.i.+dou and Kotori"s conversation.

"–Hmph, although I don"t understand what you"re on about, but that doesn"t matter. I"ll just finish you straight away. You don"t seem to be as strong as that woman earlier."

With those words, Tohka lifted up her greatsword and charged at s.h.i.+dou.

"Kuwa…."

s.h.i.+dou barely parried the first strike but in the next instant Tohka waved her greatsword again, attacking s.h.i.+dou, whose hands were numb and unable to move.

"Ku–"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Just as the attack was about to connect, Miku let out a loud squeal, creating an invisible barrier, barely blocking the attack.

"Miku…!"

"Please don"t get the wrong idea. Haven"t I already said it? I hate those men who say [love], [important] and [to the end], yet they"ll just as easily eat their words."

"Eh…?"

"You, haven"t you said so? You"d try to rescue Tohka even if it"ll cost you your life. Then, carry that responsibility to the end. Don"t… disappoint me. I… I came here to witness that."

"Miku–"

s.h.i.+dou looked at Miku, and then nodded firmly.

"Yes… you"re right."

s.h.i.+dou began to grip [Sandalphon] with renewed strength as he glared at Tohka.

"Alright, Tohka. It"s almost morning. Let"s go home and eat. If you apologize now, I"ll make you your favorite dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

"…What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?"

Tohka tightened her eyebrows in shock. s.h.i.+dou sighed slightly and ran towards Tohka. But at that instant, Tohka waved her greatsword. Although it was parried with [Sandalphon], s.h.i.+dou was knocked back to his original spot.

"Ugu…!"

"What are you even doing–. That was cringeworthy."

"Shut up, we don"t have any better ideas! We have to approach her first, or we can"t do anything…!"

Listening to s.h.i.+dou"s words, Miku huffed as she touched her eyebrow.

"So as long as you can approach Tohka, you"d be able to do something?"

"…, yeah, that"s right. Although I can"t say it will be successful, we won"t know unless we try." "Mm–hmph… is that so."

Miku answered, uninterested. Then, she twirled once, as though she was dancing, and then stepped on the ground with her foot.

"[Gabriel] — [Rondo]!"

Then, as though it was cl.u.s.tering Miku, several silver tubes appeared from the ground, and all of them were facing Miku as though they were microphones.

No, it wasn"t just that. Metallic tubes began to appear from throughout the destroyed floor, with their heads bent and facing Miku.

"…it"s okay. I"m just doing this for once. I"ll be giving you, the blockhead who is stupid enough to run in here unarmed to rescue Tohka, just one chance."

"Eh…?"

"I"ll use a defensive voice to pressure Tohka from all around. While I cannot say for sure how long can I hold her, but her movements should be halted for a short while. In that time, you can test what kind of method you intend to use."

"Miku, you…"

"Do you want to try? Or not?"

Miku said in a no-nonsense tone. s.h.i.+dou glared at Tohka, before making a step forward and nodding his head.

"Let"s do this!"

"Then, I"m beginning–"

Miku leant backwards to take a deep breath.

"———————"

She let out a resounding, high pitched sound into her Angel"s organ that surrounded the entire area.

[Gabriel]"s tubes caused Miku"s voice to resound in the area, and it seemed as though an unseen hand had grabbed Tohka. Her hands were held unnaturally and bound to her body as though it was being tied up.

"Mou–what, what the h.e.l.l is this."

Tohka frowned in displeasure and began to exert strength in an attempt to free herself. At that point, Miku"s voice increased by a few octaves due to the pain.

"Mi–"

s.h.i.+dou stopped the urge to call out for Miku, as he regained his footing.

There was no meaning in calling for her. In fact, it would just waste the valuable time that Miku was buying.

Then, s.h.i.+dou could only advance. Tohka stepped on the floor violently with her foot. The floor"s material disintegrated instantly, and the pieces flew towards s.h.i.+dou like shrapnel.

"Kuwaaaa–"

Although some of the materials were blocked by [Sandalphon], his body was soiled by mud everywhere. A sudden pain caused s.h.i.+dou to nearly pause temporarily.

But, he couldn"t just stop for something as trivial as this. He protected his face with his hand, resisting the incoming pain from the impact, as he continued advancing towards Tohka.

Then, with a "tch", an annoyed Tohka clicked her tongue.

"–Annoying."

With that, Tohka inhaled deeply, and slowly moved her body forward, gripping her wrist as though she was trying to break free of her musical bonds.

"——!?"

Miku"s voice continued to lower–and then.

"—"

Miku opened her eyes in desperation.

She had intended to increase her power to resist Tohka, to increase the strength of her bonds–at them.

But at that point, she couldn"t let out any sound.

"–, –!"

Words formed in her mouth, but she couldn"t vocalise it for some reason. There was only a raspy sound from her throat.

"Wha…!"

"Hmph."

s.h.i.+dou"s panicked voice and Tohka"s annoyed voice came simultaneously.

The moment Miku"s voice stopped, the silver tubes of [Gabriel] collapsed and the sound barrier binding Tohka vanished.

It appeared that she had overused her power. In a day alone, she had an unprecended usage of her [Voice] and her Angel. Besides that, she had been fighting Tohka, a Spirit several magnitudes stronger than her, and she was barely binding her with her sound barrier. It was not unexpected for her to lose her power and voice temporarily.

"Hmph. Acting smart, I see."

Tohka huffed as she raised [Nahema].

–it wasn"t aimed at s.h.i.+dou, but rather, at Miku.

"Wha…!"

s.h.i.+dou held his breath. He still hadn"t gotten to Tohka"s position.

"You"d dare to constrain me. Do you not know your limits?"

With that–Tohka struck with her sword.

"–"

Even if she tried to shout, she couldn"t vocalise anything. Miku smiled weakly, as she didn"t even make an attempt to dodge, merely remaining in her original spot. No… to be precise, she lacked the strength to even dodge.

To think that in an instant, Miku would meet her end at the blade of [Nahema]. Although her Astral Dress was still intact, it was unlikely for it to survive the next blow.

But then, that was unavoidable.

From the start, Miku was useless outside of her singing. She had absolutely nothing aside from that.

Hence, a Miku without her songs, voice and music was worthless.

n.o.body would love Miku without her [Song]. n.o.body would protect Miku without her [Voice]. n.o.body would believe Miku without her [Music].

She was already aware of that since the start.

To think of it, there was a high possibility of this occurring. Having infiltrated into this Wizard-infested building. In fact, it was her own fault for running in here on her own accord.

She had already gotten three Spirits under her command, and she should have been using this time to enjoy herself. Why did she even come here?

Miku asked herself–before silently smiling.

That"s right. It was for that man. Itsuka s.h.i.+dou.

The man who would sacrifice his own life for Tohka, the very type of man that Miku hated. She came, to witness his resolve, or his tragic end.

She was shocked when she heard that Itsuka s.h.i.+dou had appeared at the j.a.panese branch of DEM Industries. To think that he would actually ignore his own safety to rescue Tohka.

–Truthfully speaking.

Even if it was just once, Miku wanted to see for herself.

It was because Miku had utterly lost hope in mankind, in men.

She wanted to see, a human, who would love someone from his heart.

s.h.i.+dou, he had yet to give up.

To get back the person most important to him, he would put his life in great peril, yet not stop.

If.

If only, Miku had met a man like him earlier.

Even if she had just a small portion of the love he had for Tohka.

–I could"ve, walked a much different path–

With a sound that couldn"t be vocalised, Miku slowly shut her eyes.

But.

"Miku–"

Just as s.h.i.+dou howled, a large sound came from ahead, causing Miku to immediately reopen her eyes.

As s.h.i.+dou shouted Miku"s name, his direction changed subconsciously.

It wasn"t a calculated decision made because he cannot reach Tohka from that distance.

It was because, purely, he had wanted to help Miku. His body moved due to that.

The only thought he had, was to not let Miku die.

And–not to let Tohka kill Miku.

But, this attack was different from the previous, as though that was merely a joke. It was impossible to completely parry the blow with just [Sandalphon].

With just the power in s.h.i.+dou"s hand, he was too weak to protect Miku.

There was– there was, something else he needed.

If only, he had the strength to protect Miku…!

–At that moment when s.h.i.+dou made his wish.

"…!?"

There was an icy feeling, on s.h.i.+dou"s left hand.

"Eh………….."

Suddenly. While flying in the sky on "s back, Yos.h.i.+no who was in battle with the AST wizards let out her soft voice.

The moment she was about to shoot a pillar made from condensed vapor in the air to the wizards, an odd feeling, that felt like a light layer of curtain surrounding her consciousness got taken away or a tree rooted in her mind got extracted, attacked her.

"Just now……eh? Eh?"

After a beat, Yos.h.i.+no opened her eyes in surprise and looked around.

---What was she doing?

That fundamental question filled her mind.

No, she understood. Yos.h.i.+no has manifested her Astral dress and Angel- to fight the AST. But…….for what reason.

"Uu……………"

She got a slight headache when she tried thinking about it. [Yos.h.i.+non] dwelling inside then let out her voice dubiously.

"Huh…………? Yos.h.i.+no. Why are we here again?"

"Y-Yos.h.i.+non too………?"

"Uuuun, it"s like, a hole popped open in my mind. I remember watching the Tennou festival stage event…………..bu-bu-but"

[Yos.h.i.+non] started giving off weird sounds and shook it"s giant body as if it was feeling itchy. Yos.h.i.+no opened her eyes in surprise at [Yos.h.i.+non]"s sudden state.

"W-what"s wrong, Yos.h.i.+non"

"Hnnnn, no, somehow, I felt a different weird kind of feeling compared to the other one just now………."

"A weird………feeling?"

"Yeah yeah. It"s like you know. Like my power getting sucked away?"

"…………….?"

Yos.h.i.+no tilted her head in wonder.

But, they didn"t have the leisure to have a conversation. The reason was simple. The AST who were cautious of them all fired their Gatling gun at her.

"Kya------"

"Wa-wa-wah!"

The same time Yos.h.i.+no lost her breath, [Yos.h.i.+non] moved through the sky with sliding movements and barely dodged all of it.

But of course, the attack did not end there. A group standing by behind her was pointing their laser canon at Yos.h.i.+no.

"Okay, fire!"

The same time the female that might be the captain raised her voice, all of the Wizards pulled the trigger.

However, faster than them for an instant, strong wind pressure attacked the AST members who were ready with their weapons.

"Guwah……………..!?"

The 10 meter giant condensed big typhoon of crazy energy scattered the AST members to all directions along with their Territory. The Maryoku light fired by the laser cannon extended out to the ground and sky which was unpopulated.

"Kaka, how lukewarm! Too lukewarm! Getting blown away must mean this. Well, it"s harder to believe to block our "s attack!"

"Question. Are you okay, Yos.h.i.+no, Yos.h.i.+non"

After saying that, the girls who caused the wind flew in the sky to Yos.h.i.+no.

"Kaguya-san………..Yuzuru-san!"

After Yos.h.i.+no called their names, the sisters who were wearing the same maid outfit as Yos.h.i.+no, nodded in response.

But, there was one shadow who charged at the Yamai sisters even after she got blown away. It was a girl wearing a different suit than the other members------Origami. She rushed at the both of them while swinging her laser claw.

"----------!"

Although, it seemed that her body was already in shambles. After Kaguya [Fuu] shot a cl.u.s.ter of condensed wind, Origami took it at her stomach and bent her body in a くshape.

Yuzuru gently supported Origami"s body when it was about to fall to the ground powerlessly.

"Confusion. Master Origami. What is……….."

"s.h.i.+-dou………………"

Origami did not answer Yuzuru"s question and lost consciousness after leaving those words.

After Yuzuru looked troubled, she flew towards the AST members who were blown away just now while carrying Origami and carefully handed over her body to them before flying back to Yos.h.i.+no and Kaguya.

"W-what……are"

The captain who received Origami asked suspiciously.

But, Yos.h.i.+no did not answer her. They were the ones that want to ask what was happening here.

"-------and, I have one question to ask Yos.h.i.+no. Why are we here?"

"Consent. I thought we were at the Tennou Festival hall"

It seemed that the Yamai sisters also couldn"t grasp the current situation. They thought they were able to get some kind of information but-----

And.

"………….!"

Yos.h.i.+no, the Yamai sisters, and also [Yos.h.i.+non] dwelling in all looked up------they looked up to the top of the biggest building in the vicinity.

Within the war zone filled with explosions and Maryoku spreading around, a louder explosion and strong Reiryoku wave was confirmed.

"J-just now……….."

Yos.h.i.+no looked up and mumbled blankly--------The Yamai sisters who were making the same face as Yos.h.i.+no looked at each other.

"Ah------"

Maybe she recovered after a moment of rest; she leaked her voice.

However, Miku had something more of concern. Before her most important voice, her consciousness was taken away by the event in front of her.

s.h.i.+dou went in between Miku and Tohka to block an attack from .

---He raised his left hand up and made a barrier described as a wall of cold air.

"…………..!?"

The surrounding temperature dropped and white mist were floating around. It might be the effects of Reiryoku; small crystals of condensed water were floating in the air and were melting when they touched Miku"s skin.

Miku had seen this before somewhere.

Yes------it was quite similar to Yos.h.i.+no"s Angel power.

"Yo……….Miku, you okay?"

After saying that, s.h.i.+dou took a glance at Miku.

"waa, aee-----"

She said it with her voice which she still couldn"t use properly. When she did that, s.h.i.+dou who survived "s attack, dispersed the wall of cold air while opening his mouth.

"I----promised"

"Eeh…………?"

Miku brought her eyebrows closer at s.h.i.+dou"s words----and twitched her shoulders.

She recalled the conversation she had just now in the building.

(----Then what, will you risk your life to save me if i was in a tight situation like Tohka-san!?)

(Of course!)

It was true that s.h.i.+dou said that.

After Miku placed her hands on her mouth, her whole body started trembling.

Tears fell from her opened yes.

"Ah-ah…………"

He protected it. This person did. s.h.i.+dou did.

He protected her. Miku. The [Voice]-less Miku. The Miku who should have lost all of her value.

He protected it. That small promise------!

There was a numb feeling in the depths of her throat. Miku was sobbing softly while unconsciously extending her hands to s.h.i.+dou"s hand.

Her finger touched s.h.i.+dou"s hand. Why? Even though it was the body of a male that would make her feel like puking, even with a finger touch, nothing displeasing was coming up when she touched s.h.i.+dou.

And. Miku noticed something off there.

Tohka who released that attack just now, was pressing her forehead with her left hand and was groaning painfully.

"U-uu………….s.h.i.+dou………..s.h.i.+dou…………."

"……………..?"

Miku heard Tohka"s groaning words and slightly frowned her eyebrows.

Tohka certainly said [s.h.i.+dou] just now. Perhaps, her memories came back…………?

However.

"Uu-A-Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"

After Tohka shouted, she stabbed held in her right hand into the ground and swung her left arm at the blade.

"A-guh…………"

A huge wound was formed on the left hand which had its Astral dress torn off by Ellen"s attack, and blood was flowing down profusely. It seemed that Tohka finally calmed down because of that.

No, calming down might be a wrong expression. Tohka glared at s.h.i.+dou with bloodshot eyes and pulled out which was wet with her own blood.

"Such trickery…………! Are you trying to mislead me, human!"

After saying that, Tohka kicked the ground to fly up to the sky and swung her giant sword up to the sky.

"Understood-----then with this attack, I will obliterate you without even any dust left!"

A mysterious ripple appeared in the void when she did that and a giant throne several times taller than Tohka appeared from there.

The throne then separated in the sky and started covering the sword Tohka was carrying.

Each time the throne fragments fused, black particles would scatter around while the giant sword turned bigger and malicious.

When the last fragment fused with the sword----

The tip was thrust to the sky as if it was going to cut the moon.

"----- with my [Paverschlev]…………!!"

Tohka made a roaring declaration.

"s true form appeared.

"That"s…………!"

s.h.i.+dou opened his eyes wide when he saw that.

Tohka gripped the sword handle stronger. When she did that, black particles started concentrating around the s.p.a.ce of the giant blade.

"…………..!"

Miku gasped and tried to make a voice barrier. But, she hadn"t recovered enough Reiryoku to use her Angel------even if she was able to achieve it; she didn"t think she could block that attack.

"…………uh"

She can"t let s.h.i.+dou die without doing anything. Miku hugged s.h.i.+dou"s body as if to cover for him and faced her back at Tohka.

"Miku………!?"

"……………, …………!"

s.h.i.+dou shouted but, Miku did not get away.

Even she did not understand her own actions.

But, it was just obscure. She just didn"t want to break her promise with this boy.

She wanted Tohka to be saved-----yes, that was what she thought.

Nonetheless, she could understand with one look of that tremendous Reiryoku poured in that sword. Most likely, the attack that was going to be shot now will be an incomparable destructive attack that will slice everything in view. It was not something that Miku"s small body can block. Miku"s body would probably evaporate together with s.h.i.+dou in a moment later.

"Disappear, human……….!"

Tohka shouted and swung her sword glowing darkly at s.h.i.+dou. That action itself caused echoes of creaks in the surrounding s.p.a.ce.

But-------

"……………!?"

Before Tohka could finish swinging her sword.

Miku felt the surrounding temperature drop even lower even though it was already low.

"………..!"

"Alright, let"s do this!"

The same time a familiar voice echoed, torrent of cold air attacked Tohka.

"Kuh……..?"

Tohka frowned her face and made a Reiryoku wall around her to offset the attack.

When looked over, they saw Yos.h.i.+no attached to a giant rabbit floating in the sky.

"Tohka-san………..! What happened to you……..!? For you to attack s.h.i.+dou-san is just……….!"

Miku felt something off from Yos.h.i.+no"s words----before opening her eyes wide.

She probably got released from Miku"s control when Miku lost her voice.

And.

"…………………….eh?"

Miku left s.h.i.+dou"s body at that moment.

It was because s.h.i.+dou"s body started generating heat like a flame.

"d.a.m.n you------how impudent………!"

Tohka blocked the wind and cold air attack while preparing with [Paverschlev] and frowned her face.

While looking at that scene, s.h.i.+dou gentle pulled Miku"s body off because she came in front to cover s.h.i.+dou.

A glowing sword of light in his right hand.

And in his left hand------a s.h.i.+eld of cold air .

Yes. When Tohka released her attack at Miku, s.h.i.+dou manifested the Angel of cold air in his left hand like what he did with .

"Ah………….uu…….!"

Miku pulled s.h.i.+dou"s sleeve. It seemed that she was worried about him.

But, he had to go. s.h.i.+dou smiled at Miku.

"…….i"ll be going now. To save the princess. -----To protect my promise"

"Aah…………………"

After saying that, Miku quietly let go of her hand and nodded.

No matter if it was Yos.h.i.+no; it seemed that it was hard to completely pressure the present Tohka in her Limit release form. s.h.i.+dou"s body would most likely get blown away the moment he got close.

But, why? s.h.i.+dou was looking up at that Tohka in an oddly calm manner.

Was it the influence of continuous use of Angel with his body; his whole body hurt as if it was torn into pieces. And, "s flames were running around inside his body to allow him to somehow move his messed up body. Normally, the crazy pain was enough to make him mad.

But, s.h.i.+dou"s legs did not stop at all. He was slowly but certainly getting closer to Tohka.

"----Tohka"

"……………!"

Tohka twitched her shoulders in fear when s.h.i.+dou called her name.

But, Tohka swung her head to get it off and shouted before raising her giant sword and swung it down.

"----[Paverschlev]!!"

It was in an instant. s.h.i.+dou"s view was covered in darkness.

---a sound that sounded like the sky splitting echoed nearby.

Next off, everything touching the extension of the sword Tohka was swinging, caused one line.

It had reached, the building with one part sc.r.a.pped off, the ground shown below, the buildings lined up unfolding down there and the mountain visible at the furthest back in view.

And, the Reiryoku wave pa.s.sed through that line and obliterated every existence in the line.

It was neither a joke nor a metaphor. Everything touching that torrent of black Reiryoku were compressed, pulverized, turned into particles and disappeared into the wind.

"………………!"

Miku, who was lying on the building floor, lowered her body to prevent getting blown away by the after-wind of the slash which was pa.s.sing by in front of her while letting air out from her throat.

The building, city, and ground formed a straight line of nothingness. Yos.h.i.+no was in the sky; she probably got blown away by the after-wind when Tohka swung .

But, no matter how much she looked around. She could not find s.h.i.+dou there.

The place s.h.i.+dou was standing just now was gouged out deeply and turned into a giant creva.s.se.

"…………….! ………………!"

Miku raised an inaudible voice to call s.h.i.+dou"s name.

However, there was no reply. Either he was erased by [Paverschlev]"s attack or he was swallowed by the building"s cracks. No matter which one it was----s.h.i.+dou was gone.

"Fu-----haha-hahahahahahaha!"

The moment Miku dropped her palms on the ground, Tohka"s loud laugh echoed up in the sky.

"He"s gone. He"s gone. Finally-----he"s gone. The cunning and crafty human that was misleading me…….!"

Tohka shouted that out and spread both her hands.

After Miku clenched her teeth, she glared at Tohka with a sharp gaze. But-----her eyes opened wide in surprise there.

"--------"

Further up the moon floating in the sky behind Tohka.

"Fuun, what are you talking, my kinsman. Aren"t you still missing a step to take pride in victory?"

"Protect. I am deeply in love with our foresight if I say so myself"

---s.h.i.+dou was wrapped with the wind produced by Kaguya and Yuzuru and was floating in the sky.

It was a weird floating feeling. Even though he went through 15000 meter in one go with "s teleporter and he was made to move in high speed because of a Spirit-------getting covered with dense wind while flying in the sky was his first experience.

The moment Tohka swung [Paverschlev], Kaguya and Yuzuru appeared from the building shadow"s and just barely saved s.h.i.+dou. It seemed that they saw this coming from the start and was hiding.

"Sorry and thanks, both of you"

"Kaka, don"t sweat it. This is easy for us"

"Consent. Your safety is all that matters.----more importantly"

"Yeah, counting on you two"

Kaguya and Yuzuru nodded at s.h.i.+dou"s words before maneuvering [El Re"em] and [El Nachash].

They then threw s.h.i.+dou to Tohka along with the wind barrier still covering him. No-----dropped might be a better way to put it. s.h.i.+dou"s body which was covered with the wind was falling quickly like a ball towards Tohka.

"------Wha"

Tohka probably noticed s.h.i.+dou approaching and looked above.

"Why you-------so you were still alive…………!"

After saying that, she released [Paverschlev] and swung .

Was it because she couldn"t perform repet.i.tive shots of [Paverschlev], or she judged that she wouldn"t make it to complete gathering power. No matter which one it was, it was still undeniable fact that it was a fatal attack to s.h.i.+dou.

"Kuh-----"

There was 30 meters left. Judging by the falling speed, he would probably reach in a few seconds.

But that instant was too long for Tohka. Before s.h.i.+dou could reach Tohka, she could probably swing and split his body in half easily.-----but.

"--------ah"

For some reason, only for a moment there. Tohka, who swung up, stopped.

The Spirit, who swung her sword up, suddenly got controlled by a sudden feeling that pa.s.sed through her mind.

The moment she saw the human holding falling above her head, a fragment of a buried memories cut into her consciousness.

"This scene, where have i-------"

---Seen this before.

The moment she recognized that, her memories--------scenes which were supposed to be unknown to her, started showing out in her head one after another.

A Spirit swinging a giant sword upward. And a boy falling down the sky calling a name.

(TooohkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaa—!!)

"Toh------ka……………."

The name echoed in her memories.

If she was correct, that name was the name the human approaching now from the sky, used to call her.

Tohka. Tohka. It was a word not familiar to her. But, that------

"Kuh……………."

Instantly-------a sharp pain rain through her mind.

And in that instant gap.

"-----Tohka!"

The boy falling down from the sky was coming close to her.

"Yo, Tohka. I came to save you"

"You……….!"

She made a grim face and poured strength into the hand holding the sword. But, he was completely in her chest area. It was clear that the boy could pierce into her chest faster. She gritted her teeth in reflex and prepared for the pain.

The Angel. He threw the only weapon that could injure her away into the sky.

But, the boy performed an action beyond her expectations.

And at the same time too, the cold air swirling around his left hand dispersed.

Basically, he became completely defenseless in front of an enemy.

"You, what are------"

"It hurts……….holding this right?"

After the boy said that, he hugged her while making a somewhat nervous face.

"Wha…….you-----"

Without understanding the boy"s intentions, she frowned her eyebrows. But, she couldn"t finish her sentence.

The reason was simple. The boy was pus.h.i.+ng his own lips onto her lips.

Her head was in chaos at the sudden event.

---What is this guy doing? To his enemy. In a battle. A kiss? For what? To take me by surprise? Then why would he throw his sword? I don"t understand. My view is getting fuzzy. My consciousness is getting blurry. [s.h.i.+dou] s.h.i.+dou? That name grazed my mind and it"s making me fall even more in chaos. My head is dizzy. Fragments of [s.h.i.+dou]‘s face which were buried were [s.h.i.+dou] coming out. [s.h.i.+dou], it"s like this body isn"t mine [s.h.i.+dou] at all. [s.h.i.+dou] that name was devouring my consciousness. [s.h.i.+dou] I feel disgusted each time that name echoes [s.h.i.+dou] but, it doesn"t feel so bad. [s.h.i.+dou] Aah why did I forget. He was the one who named me. [s.h.i.+dou] he was the one that flipped my existence-----

"-----s.h.i.+-dou…………..?"

Tohka"s throat vibrated and called the boy hugging her.

And to match with that, the dark Astral dress covering Tohka, and the sword she was holding, turned into particles and melt into the air.

She wasn"t that shocked though. Those didn"t belong to Tohka. It was only normal that Tohka wasn"t wearing them.

"………………..ou"

After a short answer, s.h.i.+dou smiled in relief------he then went limp like that. She quickly hugged his body tighter.

But, it wasn"t a necessary worry. A wind veil was formed wrapping around both Tohka and s.h.i.+dou and was slowly transporting them down to the ground.

Within that mysterious float, Tohka looked around her. The building with its upper part blasted away, and the line of city buildings separated in half. Yos.h.i.+no and the Yamai sisters nearby and Miku lying down on the ground.

She didn"t understand anything at all. When s.h.i.+dou was almost killed by Ellen, Tohka lost her consciousness the moment she felt that even counting on her Angel couldn"t do anything.

"Guh…………."

But, Tohka"s thoughts were interrupted by s.h.i.+dou"s short groan of pain.

"Sh-s.h.i.+dou! Are you okay!?"

"Ou……….somehow"

After s.h.i.+dou said that, he somehow managed to stand with his own legs. His body was in wreckage and looked it was going to collapse anytime soon. To support s.h.i.+dou, Tohka hugged his body tightly. "Tohka…….are you alright too? What was that just now…….?"

"That………..? What are you talking about?"

Tohka looked surprised while replying back. s.h.i.+dou then made a difficult face before patting Tohka"s head.

"No…….never mind. I"ll leave those stuff to Kotori and Reine-san. Right now----welcome back, Tohka"

"Mu…….? Umu"

Tohka tilted her head for a moment------but, nodded.

"I"m back……s.h.i.+dou"

The same time she said that, morning sunlight started pouring in between the separated line of city buildings-----turning both of its shadows into one and projected itself thinly on the building"s floor.

Within the dark building filled with rubbles, several shadows were squirming about.

With the morning sun just rising, it was early in the morning and what"s more; the s.p.a.cequake alarm was being set off so no human would slip into this place but……………….if some stranger were to see this scene then, they would first doubt this to be an illusion.

That"s because, all of the girls there had the same face without an inch of difference.

"-----DEM second branch building, the targeted person wasn"t there"

"The top research lab is a miss"

"Tohka-san was the only one at the 1st branch roof"

While hearing reports from the voices of [Herself] one after another, Kurumi sighed tiredly while sitting on a rubble.

"Looks like………this is a miss too"

Even though she wasted almost 1000 of her clones, it wasn"t that productive. After Kurumi sighed disappointedly, she made a small shrug with her shoulders.

"-----the captured Spirit. I wonder where you are"

She mumbled quietly.

Yes. That was what Kurumi was searching for.

The 2nd Spirit confirmed in the world.

---the only existence that has knowledge of the Spirit of Origin.

Even if she eats s.h.i.+dou who has Spirit Reiryoku, and used [Yud Bet12th bullet], it will be meaningless if she doesn"t kill the Spirit of Origin.

She was captured by DEM industries and was the Spirit that was imprisoned in a facility somewhere in the world.

In order to find her, Kurumi brought up the idea on cooperating with s.h.i.+dou.

Nonetheless----it seems that it was all for naught this time.

"Well, I don"t have much of a choice. I guess I"ll end this here since I got s.h.i.+dou-san to pat my head today.----right, all of me?"

After Kurumi said that, the several Kurumi squirming in the darkness disappeared into the shadow.