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Chapter 11

Although the NSU had withdrawn its fleet, it was impossible to say for sure that the military threat had already passed. It will take several weeks for everyday life to return to normal.

Classes at all high schools of the National University of Magic have already resumed, but extracurricular activities were limited to 4:30 p.m. Classes in schools of magic ended at 3:20 p.m., so extracurricular activities were reduced to about 1 hour.

Of course, First High School was no exception. The Student Council and the Disciplinary Committee involved in supervising extra-curricular activities also completed their work before 5 p.m.

Shortly before 4:30 p.m.

Erika, Leo, Mizuki and Mikihiko were waiting for individual Cabinets on the platform of the station closest to First High School. Miyuki and Lina have been leaving the school separately from everyone lately, and today they left a little earlier than the rest.

It was Shizuku's and Honoka's turn first, they already got into separate Cabinets and left. The others were now waiting for the next Cabinet to arrive.

“Ah, there she goes.”

The individual Cabinets didn’t have an arrival schedule, but during the busy hours the next free Cabinet appeared within five minutes. This station was mainly used only by students to come to school and go home. At the moment, the rush of passengers has already passed, and only these four remained, but still the next Cabinet arrived at the station just five minutes after the departure of Honoka's Cabinet.

“Ok, I'm next.”

Mizuki went to the opened door. The order in which they sat down was strictly defined. Apart from Honoka, who needed to go in the opposite direction, on the days when Miyuki and Tatsuya weren’t with them, their order was this: Shizuku, Mizuki, Erika, Mikihiko, Leo.

But today there are also some differences from the usual order.

“Miki, show her out.”

Erika didn’t suddenly just ask, but ordered Mikihiko to escort Mizuki.

“Uh!?”

“Come on, hurry up. Even if there are no other passengers, your slowness is annoying.”

“Well, if she doesn't mind...”

Although Erika's demand was completely unreasonable, Mikihiko somehow agreed too quickly. On the contrary, he looked like he wanted to do it.

“Um, but... it doesn't feel right.”

Mizuki looked shyly at Mikihiko, but even without her confirmation it was obvious that she didn’t like this idea.

“No, Mizuki. After all, the danger isn't over yet.”

But regardless of Mizuki's opinion, Erika was adamant.

“Come on, hurry up.”

“Uh-huh...”

As a result, Mizuki and Mikihiko surrendered under the pressure from Erika and sat in the same Cabinet.

The Cabinet with Mizuki and Mikihiko inside left the platform. Seeing them off with his eyes, Leo briefly asked Erika:

“... What are you up to?”

“What are you talking about?”

Erica replied without turning to face Leo.

“I’m talking about the reason you told Mikihiko to accompany Mizuki.”

“I already said, didn't I? Because of the danger.”

Erika was still staring in the direction of Mizuki's retreating Cabinet.

Leo frowned at the tense atmosphere.

“You didn't say anything about any danger yesterday. Is something bothering you now?”

Erika finally turned to Leo.

“... I wish, but it was a wasted experience.”

Immediately after these words, the next Cabinet arrived at the platform.

Erika walked over to him and looked around.

“Leo, let's go for a little ride together.”

“What are you doing so suddenly?”

“If you're going, then let's go. I'll tell you inside.”

Erika said, and sat down in the Cabinet transportation system.

Leo scratched his head nervously, then he crossed the road on the sliding bridge blocking the front of the Cabinet, went into the Cabinet through the opposite door and sat down on the seat next to Erika.

It had been more than 10 minutes since Tatsuya got on “Wingless,” the electric motorcycle, and started the pursuit.

At the entrance to Lake Saiko, Tatsuya saw the car with the carriers of Minami's and Minoru's Eidos with the naked eye.

As he accelerated, he caught up with the car on the right side. In the driver's seat, he saw a man with the face of Minoru holding the steering wheel. Although persons under the age of 18 can obtain a license to drive a four-wheeled vehicle under special conditions, but Minoru unlikely met these conditions.

But that wasn’t the problem now.

Using his psion waves, he activated the built-in CAD in his suit with full mental control, and considered the activation sequence he devised.

The magic was “Gram Dispersion,” specifically configured for use against Parade. It was a sequence of Decomposition magic corresponding to the Kudou family's spell.

It will decompose the magic sequence that builds a visible illusion, even if Minoru himself can’t be seen with the naked eye.

Tatsuya released the magic.

A visual noise ran across Minoru's face, and the outline of his entire body became blurred.

This doesn’t mean that the body of the carrier with the image of Minoru was destroyed.

The magic sequence that formed the image of Minoru, stripped of its information body structure, began to dissipate.

After the haze of psionic particles cleared...

“Kudou Soushi! After all, it's a fake!”

Tatsuya didn’t even bother to look at "something with the image of Minami" sitting in the passenger seat.

The “Minoru” turned out to be a fake. So, Minami shouldn’t be real either.

Tatsuya slammed on the brakes, deciding to go back to the hideout located in the center of the Sea of Trees.

At the same time, Soushi turned the steering wheel to the right.

Tires squealing, the large passenger car made a sharp approach towards Tatsuya.

Which made the car spin.

As if knocked down, the electric motorcycle flew off the road.

Guided by Tatsuya, “Wingless” flew to the side along an arc.

But in fact, the motorcycle wasn’t hit by the car.

He took off by himself, with the help of flight magic.

Tatsuya turned “Wingless,” the flying electric motorcycle, 180 degrees in the air and brought it back to the road.

Then he looked in the rear-view mirror. There he saw that the car had stopped, turning sideways.

Furthermore, the car driven by Soushi began to turn around, apparently in order to pursue Tatsuya's motorcycle.

Using his psion waves, Tatsuya activated the suit's built-in CAD.

At the same moment when the magic was activated, two wheels fell off one side of the car, and that side slammed onto the road with a crash.

Moreover, this car will no longer be able to prevent Tatsuya.

But Tatsuya remained vigilant, realizing that instead, Soushi himself could attack him with some kind of restraining magic.

The tilted car without two wheels was getting smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror.

Some time had already passed, but Soushi hadn't released any attacking magic.

Tatsuya arrived at the hideout Minoru used at about 5:45 pm Before entering the Sea of Trees, through the suit's communicator he informed Hyougo about Soushi as he was directly on the move. At the moment, one of Hyougo's father's subordinates, Hanabishi Tajima, has already been sent there for insurance.

Tatsuya left the motorcycle on the side of the road. But it turned out that this was no longer necessary. Unlike last time, the barrier no longer interfered with him.

The barrier itself, distorting the sense of direction, still existed. But its functions have significantly weakened.

This could happen due to the lack of a “master” who needs to be hidden. Either that, or the mechanism that continuously maintains the magic could've weakened due to several breakthroughs of the barrier.

But that wasn't what he needed to think about now. Tatsuya stopped in front of the entrance to this exotic one-story wooden house, and opened the door.

Tatsuya's expectation that this house would be completely abandoned turned out to be wrong.

Immediately after opening the door, his perception caught subtle signs of a presence.

These signs of a presence were very similar to human ones, but the life energy in them wasn’t felt. Tatsuya didn’t have the so-called “ability to sense otherworldly

phenomena," but it seemed to him that if you encounter a ghost, you will experience exactly the same impression as now.

It was impossible to ignore this creature. Tatsuya simply had no other choice.

The ghost-like thing turned its attention to Tatsuya. Tatsuya realized that it was waiting for him.

He couldn’t afford the unnecessary battles, right now.

And at the same time, he shouldn’t lose sight of the slightest clue.

In addition, if the owner of this presence is an enemy, then it will be faster not to wait for him to prepare a trap, but immediately rushed over to him.

Tatsuya went deep into the mansion, in the direction from which the signs of presence were felt.

Honoka returned home around the same time that Tatsuya entered the hideout that Minoru used.

She lived alone. Her parents were alive and well, but ever since Honoka went to elementary school, they were often away from home, almost living at work.

Honoka's and Shizuku's mothers were close friends from a young age, and Honoka's mother often left her off at Shizuku's home. And during her high school years, she almost lived at Shizuku's house when her parents were away for work for long periods of time.

The Kitayama couple treated Honoka like Shizuku's sister. In particular, the care of Shizuku's father, Kitayama Ushio, manifested itself in such a way that Honoka began to feel shy about this when she grew up. Honoka began to live alone when she entered First High School, no doubt, mostly due to the fact that she decided that she couldn’t use the good nature of Shizuku's parents forever.

When Honoka finally decided to live in a separate apartment, this caused a slight disagreement.

The first thing Kitayama Ushio said was, “I'll buy you an apartment.”

When she refused, he offered to arrange for her a luxurious apartment, which he described as follows: “it has a reliable security system, and the management company is apart of my group of companies.” That is, he tried to “buy” Honoka an apartment not an apartment room, but a whole apartment complex.

She refused this too. “Then at least live in a securely guarded apartment,” said Ushio, and ordered his subordinates to find suitable apartments. They found more than a dozen options.

After discussion with her parents, Honoka chose one of these options, and now she lived in this apartment. This apartment had a huge rent and was too spacious for one person to live in. The security system in it, although it wasn’t the latest in technology, but it was enough to protect the girl living alone. This apartment was also conveniently located for visiting the school.

Therefore, she had no fear of anyone getting in, while she wasn’t at home.

Besides, even though she was a sorceress, in terms of perception and way of thinking, she was closer to an ordinary girl. When she came home, she didn’t even think about being wary of suspicious people.

A shadow crept up to Honoka from her blind spot, silently and unnoticed, and grabbed her from behind

“Kya (mm-m-m)...”

Her mouth was covered with a rag, and she didn't have time to scream clearly.

She didn’t even have time to think about holding her breath, and she inhaled the substance applied to the rag, which deprived her of her freedom of thought.

Miyuki, who left school a little earlier than her friends, was already at home and had changed into her home clothes.

She had learned about Tatsuya's absence at home even earlier from the message he left her. There was a longing in her heart to hear his voice, at least through audio communications, but the strong feeling “I shouldn’t bother Onii-sama” somehow held her back.

At that moment, Miyuki heard the sound of an incoming call.

Miyuki rushed to the desktop terminal with hope.

However, the monitor on the small terminal installed on the desk in her room didn’t display Tatsuya's name.

“Pixie, what's wrong?”

The caller was Pixie, who currently “lived” in the Student Council room at First High School.

“Miyuki-sama.”

Tatsuya ordered Pixie in his absence to obey Miyuki's orders. At the moment, Miyuki was considered a temporary mistress for Pixie, but Pixie didn’t call Miyuki

“mistress.” Pixie... more precisely, the Parasite inside Pixie considered only Tatsuya to be her exclusive master.

She simply followed the orders of Tatsuya, and when the need arose, it was Miyuki who she reported to.

“Mitsui-sama was • kidnapped.”

The same was true for this emergency alert.

“What!?”

Miyuki involuntarily switched to a high tone of voice.

Miyuki didn't lack any experience with getting into various unusual situations, but the abduction of her classmate was completely unexpected for her.

In itself, kidnapping isn’t really a rare crime. Their number has significantly decreased after the installation of outdoor cameras, but so far there are about 60-80

cases per year. And last year, for example, there was a major human trafficking incident by a major gang, and the total number of victims exceeded 200 people.

But Miyuki couldn’t even think that her friend would be the victim of criminals.

They lived in a world in which life was far from calm, but at least in their country public safety was not at a level where living in fear of criminals for people is everyday.

“Pixie, do you know what the situation is now?”

However, Miyuki quickly regained her composure. Miyuki was born only 17 years and 4 months ago, but her life, to put it mildly, was already filled with all sorts of events. And such a “career" wasn’t an empty boast.

“Mitsui-sama • deprived of • freedom • of will • with the help of • narcotic •

substance. Two • abductors • removed • her • from the building. At the moment, •

they • are moving • on foot.”

The parasite living inside pixie has awakened and got its “personality” based on the

“thoughts” of Honoka. Therefore, Pixie and Honoka were spiritually connected. For her part, Honoka couldn’t watch Pixie due to a lack of computational abilities, but Pixie was able to track the experiences that Honoka was experiencing in real time.

Tatsuya ordered Pixie not to spy indiscriminately on Honoka's personal life. Through the “path” connecting Pixie and Honoka, Pixie saw the state of Honoka, even without having the intention to do so. Therefore, Tatsuya placed a restriction on it.

But now Honoka was in danger, it was an emergency.

Pixie's body was a machine that couldn’t produce psions. The Parasite living inside Pixie couldn’t sustain its activities without the supply of psions from the outside. And the largest source of psions for Pixie was Honoka.

If the activity of the Parasite stops, then it will “reset” the personality. For a living being, such a suspension of activity is tantamount to death.

In other words, Honoka's security was a vital issue for Pixie. In order to ensure the safety of Honoka, Tatsuya allowed Pixie to monitor Honoka's activities to a minimum extent.

“Amendment. They • just • got in • the car. • With the addition of • the driver, • the number of • abductors • increases • to three.”

“Okay. If they try to do any harm to Honoka, stop them with telekinesis.”

“Yes, I will obey. The terms of • lifting the ban on use are • accepted.”

“Check the map to track the exact location of Honoka. If you think that the kidnappers have arrived at their hideout, then let me know about this place.”

“Yes, I will obey.”

Miyuki ended the conversation with Pixie and phoned Hanabishi Hyougo, Tatsuya's personal butler.

Minoru' s hideout was a one-story house, but this house was quite extensive and had many rooms.

Tatsuya temporarily left the house, walked around, made sure that he didn’t have a back entrance, and re-entered the front entrance.

He didn’t take off his shoes. The floor was clean, but Tatsuya didn’t care that he could have trampled on dirt. For him, this house was a “target for search” and not a

“place of residence.”

Tatsuya spent about five minutes inspecting the outside of the mansion, but that didn't bother him either. Not because he followed the proverb “slow down - you will continue," but because this detour was useful in the form of knowledge that no one will run away through some secret exit while he is inspecting the house from the inside.

The owner of the previously detected signs of presence was found relatively quickly.

“Fujibayashi-dono?”

In the back of the house, in a windowless room that looked like a storeroom, Tatsuya was waiting for Fujibayashi Nagamasa, head of the famous Fujibayashi family, magicians of ancient magic and “ninjutsu users," father of Senior Lieutenant Fujibayashi Kyouko from the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion. Tatsuya took off his helmet, which he was still wearing, put it under his arm, and spoke to the creature that looked like Nagamasa.

“Shiba-dono. You came too?”

There wasn't an accusatory tone in Nagamasa's voice.

“I detected an anomaly in the barrier.”

But even if Tatsuya was accused, he wouldn’t have experienced any feelings of guilt.

“Fujibayashi-dono, are you here for the same reason?”

Tatsuya asked in a friendly tone, but his eyes burned with a bright fire.

“No. I'm here according to plan.”

The fire in Tatsuya's eyes flared up even brighter, while his eyes narrowed to a stern, sharp look.

“Does this mean that from the very beginning you planned to deal with this without me?”

Tatsuya's manner of speech had lost respect for his elder. However, Nagamasa showed no concern over this.

“Sort out...? Hmm, in a way, this is the correct expression. I came here to deal with the situation that led to this mess.”

“Your goal isn’t to capture Minoru, but to let him escape?”

Tatsuya asked a question that wasn't directly related to Nagamasa's words.

“It was our Fujibayashi family who gave the former Ninth Laboratory the spell, which later became the basis of Parade.”

Nagamasa also spoke on a topic unrelated to Tatsuya's question.

“The indisputable fact is that it is based on the “Matoi” spell, created by Kokonoe Yakumo's predecessor, however it is “Shadow Twins” of the Fujibayashi family that connects it with modern magic. We also transferred many other techniques to the former Ninth Laboratory.”

“So what? I have no desire to listen to these complaints.”

Tatsuya listened to everything his opponent said.

“This is in no way a complaint. We don’t cling to gross profits, like the traditionalists.”

“You want to say that you have such a lofty goal as the search for truth?”

There were faint signs of ridicule in Tatsuya's voice.

“The search for truth. Exactly.”

But Nagamasa agreed, becoming absolutely serious.

“Shiba-dono. Do you know what the art of shinobi is for?”

“I don’t know.”

Tatsuya answered dryly and briefly. The thought read in his voice: “I didn’t come here to answer questions."

“In an era when electronic equipment wasn’t yet invented, the art of shinobi represented a technology for intelligence and assassination. Spies and killers were both shinobi using “ninjutsu” and not using it. And they did nothing else.”

“Even if they were unhappy about it?”

“The shinobi who lived at that time may have been pleased with such a life. Despite the attitude towards them, their skills were considered important and necessary.”

“The art of “ninjutsu" is of great importance in our time.”

“Do you really think so? With the spread of electronic equipment, the number of places where shinobi can actively operate has significantly decreased. And with the development of modern magic, capable of activating quickly and reliably, “ninjutsu"

was forced out, even from the sphere of intelligence.”

“Ancient magic is excellent for surprise attacks, so it still plays an active role in assassinations.”

“We wouldn’t be able to live a normal life if we were only killers.”

“If you aren’t here to buy more time, then tell me what you're getting at.”

In response to Tatsuya's demand, voiced with undisguised annoyance, Nagamasa didn't make a displeased face, but merely nodded, saying "good."

“According to its usefulness, “ninjutsu” can’t defeat modern magic. Useless techniques are considered obsolete, and their fate is to disappear without a trace.

Before that happens, we will incorporate “ninjutsu" into modern magic, developing it into a technology that meets modern needs. Our predecessor believed that it was the duty of our family, the Fujibayashi, as followers of the supreme shinobi of the Iga clan. The development of “ninjutsu." That is our goal.”

“What does all of this have to do with Minoru?”

“Kudou Minoru is the completed form of the magicians from “nine,” whose goal was to create new techniques by introducing ancient magic into modern magic. At the same time, he's a member of the Fujibayashi family, possessing secret knowledge in modern magic. We can’t allow him to fall into the hands of the Ten Master Clans or the Self-Defense Forces.”

“But Minoru shouldn’t have a direct relationship with the Fujibayashi family.”

“For a shinobi, blood connection isn’t important.”

In his own words, Tatsuya didn’t try to convince Nagamasa. He was just trying to extract useful information from him. Hearing his answer, Tatsuya decided that further attempts would be hopeless, after which he turned his back on Nagamasa and walked away.

He wasn’t wary of an attack from behind. From the very beginning, Tatsuya saw that Nagamasa didn’t have a physical body, and therefore couldn’t attack him.

The image of Nagamasa, which was left behind by Tatsuya, vanished into thin air.

As Tatsuya expected, there was no attack from behind.

Tatsuya rounded his eyes in surprise, quickly put on his helmet and rushed towards the entrance of the house.

That's when he had heard the sound of an explosion and an intense fire blocked his way.

6 o'clock in the evening is the time when dusk will soon come. Although the summer solstice was quite recent, and the days were still long, but now the lighting was bad due to the fact that the sky was covered with clouds.

“Perhaps it will rain heavily.”

“If you want, take an umbrella from my house.”

Mizuki and Mikihiko talked as they walked side by side along the road leading to Mizuki's house and ran along the riverbank.

?

“Or you can wait at my house. Father isn’t supposed to be home yet.”

Mizuki said, and giggled involuntarily. This isn't the first time Mikihiko has accompanied Mizuki home, and has already managed to "get acquainted" with her parents.

The attitude of Mizuki's father towards Mikihiko at that time was rather severe.

Mizuki's mother had even reproached him for his “childishness” later. Mikihiko reacted to this with understanding. “Shibata-san is a girl, so this is a father's natural behavior,” he thought with a wry smile. However, he couldn’t deny that this incident left him with the realization that it would be difficult for him to cope with this again.

“N-no, it's too late. I'll just escort you to the entrance of your home.”

“Okay.”

Mizuki' s face appeared to be regretful, but she immediately smiled again.

Mikihiko froze for a moment at Mizuki's smile. However, he quickly came to his senses and smiled back shyly in response.

Creating a delicate atmosphere around themselves, causing embarrassment to passersby, Mizuki and Mikihiko walked along the waterfront.

And this “good mood” was spoiled not by Mizuki's mother or her father, who returned home earlier than he should have, but by three men, radiating an ominous aura.

The people around them just idly strolled and chatted with each other, and these three purposefully approached them. Simultaneously Mizuki's and Mikihiko's faces changed while they stopped.

Despite their ominous feeling, these men looked quite ordinary. Their age was from 30 to 45 years, in appearance. They didn’t emanate a sense of rudeness. On the contrary. It was the feeling of some subtle, refined deception.

Mikihiko noticed the abnormality of these people by the disguise they were wearing,

and Mizuki, without even taking off her glasses, saw an aura of the color that usually means trouble. All three men's faces showed admiration for the reaction of Mikihiko, who immediately went into a fighting stance, and Mizuki, who hid behind him.

One of the men suddenly flew forward. Not “jumped," but “flew."

To avoid this, Mikihiko hastily jumped to the edge of the road, lightly hitting Mizuki with his back. Mizuki staggered, and Mikihiko held her with one hand. When he raised his head, he saw that the man had blocked the road to the station.

It was such a quick action that he didn’t even notice how the activation sequence was deployed. From this, Mikihiko already realized that these three were strong and dangerous magicians. Mizuki also intuitively sensed their danger.

Two in front, one in back. Squeezed in pincers, Mikihiko turned to them sideways, his back to the river. He covered Mizuki with his back.

“What do you want?”

Two on the right, one on the left. Behind the river, in front of the wasteland.

Mikihiko turned to the two men on the right, who blocked the path to the side of Mizuki's house. He didn’t expect to get an answer or start a conversation. They weren't somewhere in the mountains, distant from civilization, but right inside a residential area, albeit at the very edge of it. He spoke in order to buy time, in the hope that passersby would call the police.

However, the men didn’t answer.

Mikihiko swung his left hand down sharply.

With that same hand he caught the metal fan that had flown out of his sleeve.

Slightly opening this unique CAD with one hand, Mikihiko pressed the index finger of his right hand on one of the metal strips that made up the fan.

The wind began to swirl around Mikihiko and Mizuki. This vortex of wind isolated them from the wind that was blowing on the left side of Mikihiko, which had some

kind of aerosol impurity.

In fact, this aerosol impurity was a drug that paralyzes the victim's free will.

The magic that had isolated them from the attack of the suspicious men, Mikihiko released instinctively.

The men's faces changed. The carefree faces expressing the thought that “they aren’t rivals to us” quickly changed into the facial expressions of people ready for battle.

“Who are you!?”

Mikihiko didn’t know everything about this attack, down to the ingredients of the narcotic substance. But the fact remained that they had been attacked. It was obvious malice, so Mikihiko called out to the opponents in a stern voice.

His shout was made reflexively. He didn’t expect to get an answer.

But contrary to expectations...

“Horsehead.”

The question of Mikihiko was answered by the man on the left, who had previously released the magic that created the poisoned wind.

“Horsehead?”

Mikihiko had no idea what that name meant. This question seized hold of his mind, and his concentration on the enemies weakened.

In other words, it created a gap in his defenses.

The enemy on the right threw a thick needle. More precisely, it was a thin sharpened wooden stake.

Mikihiko knocked down the stake, which was given speed and penetrating power by movement magic, with his right hand.

He wasn’t injured. Through a gap in the torn fabric of his school uniform sleeve, one could notice that his right hand was shimmering with a dull glossy sheen.

Protective magic covering his skin with the “Element of Metal" from the system of the Five Elements. If you look only at the effect, then this form of ancient magic was similar to the strengthening magic in which Leo was good at using, however, they differed in the principle of action.

“Good thing I learned this...!”

Mikihiko learned this “gold armor technique" from his father last month. At the end of May, when Mikihiko went into battle with a detachment of the Self-Defense Forces, which was led by Toyama (Tooyama) Tsukasa, he felt the need for more close combat techniques. He turned to his father for advice and as a result received this magic. You could tell that his sense of danger worked here, despite the fact that this situation was different from the intended one.

The enemy attacks didn’t end there. On the contrary, the thrown stake seemed to be only a distraction.

The man, who was standing next to the one who threw the stake, rushed forward, approaching 10 meters in 2 steps, and swung his right hand diagonally from the bottom left to top right.

It looked as if in his right hand, there was only the hilt of a dagger.

But Mikihiko wasn’t fooled by this.

He staggered back, holding his right hand out in front of him. A thin, barely noticeable cut appeared on his sleeve.

“Glass Dagger!?"

The hand that was peeking through the slits in the sleeve stopped glistening and returned to its original skin color.

The golden armor technique could cover only one part of the body at a time. Another disadvantage was the short duration it could be used. And for repeated application, a certain amount of time was required.

Of course, Mikihiko hadn't forgotten. The next magic, prepared in advance in anticipation of the completion of the armor technique, he activated immediately after receiving a blow with the glass blade.

“Sorry!”

That's all he could say now. Without waiting for Mizuki's answer, he suddenly pulled her close to him, clasping her waist.

Mizuki froze. She didn’t say anything. No, she didn’t have time to scream.

Mikihiko's magic activated.

The air mass, located between Mikihiko and the man brandishing the glass blade - a member of the Horsehead squad named Henry Fu - suddenly exploded.

A gust of wind struck not only Henry, but also Mikihiko.

As if riding this wind, Mikihiko jumped while still holding Mizuki.

He leaped over the restrictive fence, and jumped from the embankment into the river.

Although it was called a river, in reality it was more of an “artificial channel.” It was narrow and not deep, and its course was weak.

With the help of magic activated while jumping, he briefly managed to stand on the surface of the water, but the next moment he plunged knee-deep into the water.

“Shibata-san, I'm sorry. Be patient a little longer.”

Again apologized Mikihiko. As he spoke, his fingers moved, preparing a new magic.

“Don't worry about it.... Yoshida-kun!”

Mizuki uttered a warning in the form of a shout.

But even without it, Mikihiko had already noticed that the Horsehead was chasing them.

The grass on the bank swallowed up the lightning that had attacked them.

Lightning was created by the magic of the release system released by Iggy Ho - a member of the Horsehead squad. And Mikihiko defended himself against it with help from the modern magic, “Lightning Rod." Mikihiko's CAD outwardly looks like it's intended for ancient magic, but it also contains activation sequences of modern magic.

Leaving Iggy on the bank, the other two jumped into the river. Upstream was Gabe Shu, who had previously released a cloud with a narcotic substance. Down by the river stood Henry Fu, the one brandishing the glass-bladed dagger.

Such a change in the situation wasn’t much of an improvement.

The raging flames attacked Tatsuya, penetrating deep into the mansion, which Minoru used as a hideout. The fire spell was activated outside the mansion by Fujibayashi Nagamasa.

Tatsuya initially could only use the magic of “Decomposition" and “Restoration."

The magic activated by the artificial magic calculation area had a very low power of interference with the phenomenon, so it couldn’t cover the entire house to put out the fire. By using “Mist Dispersion," which decomposes substances to the level of chemical elements, he couldn’t eliminate “combustible substances," because they will be decomposed into “combustible elements," which in turn can be more combustible, even to the point of explosive combustion.

Relying on the heat resistance function of the “Freed Suit,” Tatsuya ran straight through the fire.

When Tatsuya ran out of the mansion engulfed in fire, a hail of shuriken came flying at him. There were twenty of them.

Shurikens flew from four different directions, and with different time intervals.

Tatsuya dodged them, flying into the air.

Hovering in the air, he found the silhouettes of the enemy.

In all four directions there were opponents with the appearance of Fujibayashi Nagamasa.

Tatsuya furrowed his brow.

But besides this, there were no further delays on his part.

Tatsuya's magic pierced four human silhouettes.

And it wasn't “Decomposition."

A “armor-piercing psionic projectile." Non-systemic magic, firing a compressed psionic mass. This magic, developed under the leadership of Yakumo, existed both in the form (variety) of the projectile's flight in normal space (physical dimension) and in the form of its movement along the information dimension. Now Tatsuya was using a variation with flight in normal space.

The distance between them was about 20 meters. In less than half a second, four psion bullets penetrated four human silhouettes.

Four of the Nagamasa's simultaneously disappeared.

“All four of them were illusions... Is this “Twins”?”

Tatsuya muttered to himself as he dodged the hail of stones that came flying at him from behind.

Tatsuya noticed Nagamasa's use of "Twins" while talking to him in the mansion. So

he wasn't surprised.

“Although it looks similar to Parade, but it's something completely different...”

Such a bitter thought crossed Tatsuya's mind as he descended to the ground.

Nagamasa's “Twins" (or as he called it himself - “Shadow Twins") was different from both Minoru's and Lina's spells. Perhaps it doesn’t have enough power to fool

“Elemental Sight."

However, this magic made it possible to simultaneously create several doubles capable of functioning as batteries for invoking magic. But the most problematic part was that the connection with the real body was cut off.

“This isn't a transformed object. Maybe... are these “Shikigami” from spirit magic?”

He didn’t know how it worked, but he assumed that an image was being created from the independent information body of the “shadow,” and the operator was controlling the magic from afar, hiding behind the projections.

“If you apply reverse tracking to the information close to the exit point of the magic sequence, then you can find out the location of the real body, but...”

“... It won't be that easy," thought Tatsuya, destroying the next double that appeared behind him.

To test this, he directed his “sight" at the source, which had fired stones with the help of speed magic. But there was no one there. When you “chase” the information, if it just moved, then the real body can be tracked. But in this case, it seems that the information continuity was cut off using some kind of invisibility technique. Tatsuya remembered that Yakumo demonstrated a similar technique.

It won’t be possible to track the target through the information dimension, if you don’t catch the necessary information directly during the activation of magic. Also, Nagamasa only used magic at the same time as the shuriken or stones were fired, disabling his remote control of the magic immediately after they were fired.

Consequently, this battle turned into a guessing game of when and where the next magic will be launched. And Tatsuya at the moment had the role of currently lagging behind.

While he spends time and effort here, Minoru continues to escape.

Tatsuya was forced to fight not only with Nagamasa, but also with haste in his thoughts.

 

Stakes and lightning bolts flew from the bank. From above the wind blew with drops of narcotic substance. While a blade was coming from behind.

Mikihiko repelled the attacks of all three members of the Horsehead squad, by controlling the water from the river.

The stakes were simply fought off with water balls.

Against lightning, he created a veil of thick fog.

Against the narcotic wind, he defended himself by using a wall of “reverse waterfall"

- when water rushes from the bottom upwards.

Against the enemy attacking with a glass dagger, he defended himself with a water whip, divided into 8 parts.

However, to repel long-range attacks and to prevent the enemy from reaching close-combat range, Mikihiko spent all his strength, so he wasn’t able to counterattack.

Behind him, Mizuki could hardly restrain the trembling. Although it was now the middle of summer, it was already evening, and the river, although shallow, had a current. If you stand knee-deep in water for a long time, you can freeze. Mikihiko understood this, so his impatience increased too much.

“... No, that won't do. Stop being nervous, Mikihiko. Impatience is absolutely forbidden.”

But it's better to risk everything to escape, isn't it? Fighting off the temptation to do so, Mikihiko mentally scolded himself.

At this point, Mizuki received no damage, except for a slight loss of temperature from the river water. Although this was precisely because of Mikihiko's protection.

He himself was well aware of this.

... ...If he hurried now, all his efforts would be in vain Mikihiko turned to himself.

...It's not just a coincidence that we were attacked here.

...This is the way Shibata-san goes to school.

...Their target isn't me, but Shibata-san.

With such thoughts, despite his nervous exhaustion, he could continue the battle by completely going on the defensive.

Mikihiko's patience was rewarded with the arrival of reinforcements.

From the bank of the river there was a loud noise from an impact. The sound was like a thin metal stick striking strong wood.

“Ah! You, the Chiba swordswoman! Why are you here!?”

Immediately afterwards, Iggy Ho's confused cry was heard.

“You want me to answer that?”

The voice that responded belonged, of course, to Erika.

“Mikihiko! Mizuki! Are you okay!?”

Then they were hailed by another voice, coming from the direction of the station, a

little behind Erika.

“Leo!?”

Even before Mikihiko had time to reply, a large human figure jumped from the embankment.

Leo landed in the river with a large splash.

“I take care of that!”

He pointed to the assassin from the Horsehead squad named Henry Fu, who was stunned by this spectacular appearance of reinforcements.

“Watch out! He has a dagger made of glass!”

“Aha!”

Leo bellowed enthusiastically, and lashed out at Henry, who had already recovered from his shock and was standing up.

He didn’t scream “Panzer!” like usual. Because right now Leo was using the CAD

with mental control, that he received from Ernst Rosen last summer. Intense psionic light enveloped Leo without the usual cry, and he attacked the dagger.

Now, with the exception of Mizuki, the battle turned into a three against three format.

Mikihiko turned to the remaining enemy, Gabe Shu.

During the course of the battle with the Nagamasa doubles, Tatsuya was lured from the courtyard of the hideout into the Sea of Trees.

Despite the name “Sea of Trees," this forest wasn’t so dense that it was impossible to move between the trees. Even an ordinary person (non-magician) didn’t have to

worry that he would get stuck here if he turned off the road.

But it was an indisputable fact that the trees made movement difficult. People who aren’t accustomed to acting in the forest won’t be able to fight here at a decent level.

And three-dimensional spatial maneuvering with the help of a flying suit was generally excluded.

Perhaps this might have been unexpected for Fujibayashi Nagamasa, but Tatsuya didn’t have any difficulty moving among these obstacles. He's accustomed to acting on the basis of information received from “Elemental Sight," replacing the visual information received from ordinary eyes. He had also reached a level where he didn’t experience inconvenience even when working with non-visual information received from electronic devices, instead of information received from magic.

In addition, the possible firing angles were limited to trees, so the location of Nagamasa's magic batteries were easy to read.

Visible light, infrared rays, and radio waves are blocked by trees, so searching with the naked eye or detecting with the suit's sensors was even more difficult than under normal conditions.

Using “Elemental Sight" to determine the coordinates is much easier. At the time of magic activation, the magician and the source of activation are connected informationally. If it is the same as before – firing off shurikens or stones, and if we can accurately predict the moment of its appearance, then we can say in advance that the reverse tracking will be successful.

The Double appeared in the shade of the tree.

But Tatsuya turned his “sight" backward, behind him.

There was no attack from the front.

Shuriken flew back to the right.

Before he could even take a step to evade, the connection with the spellcaster had already been interrupted. Signs of magic activation began to emanate from the double

in front.

“No, this doesn't fit."

Firing a psion bullet, he destroyed the double.

The fact is that the double, who stood in front, tried to activate camouflage magic with a delayed activation.

Signs of magic activation appeared from behind.

“Attack by non-lethal sound waves."

Looking back, he counterattacked with an Armor-Piercing Psion Bullet.

“Sustained?"

The double didn’t disappear.

Sound waves with a frequency close to the upper limit of a person's hearing hit Tatsuya.

However, Tatsuya's helmet automatically blocked sound waves that cause discomfort and interfere with mental concentration.

If you look only at the direct impact, it was a meaningless attack.

Tatsuya squeezed psions 3 times stronger than during the last attack.

Counter-Magic Spell / Gram Demolition.

A powerful stream of psions blew the double away.

Immediately after, a chain wrapped around Tatsuya's legs.

That senseless attack turned out to be a distraction.

Sparks and lightning emanated from the chain.

However, the next moment the chain disappeared.

The damage to the suit and the wounds under the suit also disappeared.

Something shook in the shadows of the trees.

Tatsuya turned his hidden beneath his helmet toward this shaking.

To the left of Tatsuya a new double appeared.

This double tried to shoot stones shrouded in fire.

Tatsuya's “sight” grabbed onto this “image."

Tatsuya read the double's information while he was connected to the real body.

From information about the current moment to information about what was a moment ago.

And even further. Only a moment in the past.

Rewind.

Rewind.

Revealing the “past", hidden behind the “present" in the history of information change, Tatsuya unleashed his power.

Local “Decomposition." Magic, piercing thin holes in the human body.

Tatsuya heard the sound of a man falling, both knees broken. This sound came from the shadows of the trees about 10 meters away.

On the embankment leading to Mizuki's home, Erika entered into close combat with Iggy Ho, a member of the Illegal MAP Horsehead unit.

Erika's weapon was a telescopic baton with a built-in CAD.

Iggy Ho's weapon was some kind of wire.

“You're pretty good with that homemade thing. You must be a pretty good craftsman.”

Erika spoke with a mocking tone during their exchange of blows.

Iggy only continued to look for Erika's weak points with his stern gaze.

The weapon he used was a twisted, thick wire, the tip of which was sharpened with a file. A wooden stick was attached to it, which acted as the handle. This weapon was used almost like a rapier.

The Horsehead squad entered the country by plane under the guise of ordinary passengers, so they couldn't bring any weapons with them. And it's not just about the current moment. For them, making weapons on site from readily available materials was commonplace. The wooden stakes he threw at Mikihiko were also made from sawed logs. The glass blade, for example, was cut from ordinary window glass. To do this, they even mastered a special magic that helps with the processing of materials.

Also, in order to compensate for the lack of strength of materials, magic was used not only during processing, but also when using the weapons. They make weapons from any available materials. Use as a weapon everything that comes to hand. Perform the assigned task of killing or sabotage, without receiving support from their country.

That was the style of the Illegal MAP.

Thanks to Iggy Ho's magic, the wire thin sword he used looked even more durable and flexible than a real rapier (at least outwardly). But it was only the effectiveness of the weapon itself. After all, combat skills is another conversation.

Iggy was far from weak in the use of rapier-like weapons. His practical techniques of fencing were at a high level.

However, if we talk about the techniques of the sword, then Erika was a step, or even 2-3 steps higher. The only reason the fight wasn't over was because Erica was wary of the possibility that Iggy might have something "up his sleeve."

But in reality, in order for the wire sword to withstand the attacks of Erika, Iggy Ho was forced to maintain his strength and flexibility with magic, so he had no time for other magic.

Erika intuitively guessed this, and went at Iggy with a continuous attack with an emphasis on speed. Her fighting style wasn't in the tactic of “hit-and-run” using self-acceleration magic, but in not giving the enemy any extra time to rest by moving around in an arc, keeping her distance.

And now Erika is finally convinced that the enemy has no magic attacks.

Iggy Ho swung horizontally with his wire sword. This sword had only a pointed tip, so it wasn't a cutting attack, but an attack with a strong and flexible wire like a whip.

Erika dodged this attack, bouncing back. For the first time in this fight, she stepped back from her template, and increased the distance.

Without a second's hesitation, Iggy Ho reached for his belt with his left hand. These three members of the Horsehead squad had CAD's not on their wrists, but on their belts.

Erika didn’t know that her opponent was trying to control a CAD.

She was just looking for an opportunity to attack.

So, with the enemy's action, she saw a chance. She was ready to use it.

Self-acceleration magic activated.

Erica moved closer to Iggy at a speed that the human eye couldn't follow.

Iggy Ho hastily stopped manipulating his CAD and held the wire sword out in front

of himself, supporting it with his left hand.

Erika's baton lightly struck the wire sword.

This unexpectedly too weak of a recoil slightly puzzled Iggy Ho.

The assassin from the Horsehead squad fell into a stupor for about half a second.

While Iggy's consciousness was turned off, Erika managed to get behind him.

He didn't have time to turn around.

Relying on his intuition, he tilted his head as far as he could.

Erika's baton, aiming at his head, hit Iggy Ho in the left shoulder.

In a place close to the base of the neck.

Common sense would say that the battle was over. However, Erika, without losing her alertness, immediately swung again.

But then a surprise awaited her.

The enemy with his neck bent, turned back to her, and committed a self-explosion.

From Iggy Ho's back, a powerful stream of smoke began to spread in all directions.

Even though it was self-inflicted, it wasn't suicide.

“Smoke screen!?”

As Erika said, Iggy Ho set off a smoke screen using special explosives strapped to the inside of his jacket.

But despite the reduced power and temperature, explosives remain explosives. When an explosion occurs under clothing, you don't end up without any injuries. However, Iggy Ho moved on to his next action with such a speed as if he didn't feel any pain at all.

“Ah! Hey wait!”

Erika voice rang out, surrounded by a smoke screen. Even through the smoke, she was able to detect that the enemy began to quickly move away.

Illegal MAP is an illegal sabotage squad. Members of this detachment must have a high level of combat abilities. But it was much more important not to fall into the hands of the enemy.

With modern technology, it is possible to extract information from the brain of the dead. Simple suicide wouldn’t be enough to maintain secrecy. Therefore, the ability to escape at any cost is especially desirable for illegal agents.

Erika didn’t pursue Iggy. She immediately closed her eyes so as not to damage them.

It wasn’t known what substance could be mixed into the smoke to cause any effects other than blocking the view. There was also the possibility that she had already been subjected to some subtle paralytic effect.

A reckless pursuit could lead to a counterattack. Besides, the purpose of Erika and Leo rushing here was to help Mizuki and Mikihiko. Fighting the remaining enemies was a priority over the pursuit of fleeing enemies.

Erika leaned over the fence. There, in the river, Leo and Mikihiko still had to fight.

Erica wanted to intervene in their battles, but when she looked down, she was disappointed.

The battle between Leo and Henry Fu was more of a fistfight than hand-to-hand combat.

Henry's dagger, though it was made from ordinary glass, was strengthened by magic.

However, after the first collision with Leo's fist, reinforced with the magic of the same type, it shattered into pieces.

Moving from a voice recognition system to a thought management system, Leo stopped wearing a protective glove with an integrated CAD. Instead, he started wearing open-fingered gloves reinforced at the knuckles on both hands. He didn't

wear these gloves all the time, but he kept them with him just in case.

It was the magic-fortified fist part of his glove that shattered the glass blade.

The glass blade, fortified by Henry Fu's magic, was broken by Leo's fist which was reinforced by magic. This meant only one thing: Leo's magic surpassed Henry's magic. Moreover, Henry Fu's face froze when he saw the insane strength of Leo, who didn’t grab the blade from both sides, but simply struck it with a direct blow.

However, if he had continued to stand there in a daze, he wouldn't have been fit to serve even as a common soldier, let alone as an illegal agent. Henry threw the remaining hilt of his dagger at Leo to gain time, jumped back despite the poor foothold in the knee-deep river, and tore off the left sleeve of his jacket with his right hand.

On his left wrist, under a long-sleeved jacket, worn despite the weather being in the middle of summer, wasn’t a CAD, but two thin weighted bracelets, the weight for which was made from iron sand.

Henry took off his weighted bracelets with his right hand.

“Hah! So you wanted to give me a head start?”

While ignoring Leo's mocking comment, Henry wrapped bracelets around his fists, partially with the weight out.

In fact, Leo didn’t believe that his opponent was giving in to him. He quickly understood why Henry had transferred the weight of the bracelets from his left wrist to both of his fists.

It was kind of like a replacement for gloves, which not only protected the fists, but also added power to the punches.

Leo rushed towards Henry at the same time, as he understood it.

When Leo managed to take only one step, Henry rushed forward to meet him.

In battle, Leo and Henry fought using their fist fighting skills.

Leo with his fists that are hard as steel.

Henry with his fists covered with a cushion of iron sand.

From a direct strike with Leo's right hand, Henry dodged, ducking his head.

Henry's right hook, aimed at the body, was blocked with Leo's left hand.

This marked the beginning of the exchange of blows.

Henry Fu only evaded Leo's direct punches, skipping the sliding ones.

Leo defended himself only against Henry's dangerous punches, skipping the minor ones.

Both soon lost the ability to use magic.

Leo's reinforcement magic stopped.

It seems that after interrupting the reinforcement magic on the dagger, Henry Fu also used a little magic to support his close combat, but it also stopped.

Being magicians, these two were forced to continue to fight like ordinary fighters, using only their physical abilities.

Leo broke into a smile.

Henry's face was distorted, as if in torment.

For Henry Fu, a member of the Horsehead unit of the Illegal MAP (and for any assassin or saboteur), such a direct clash was highly undesirable. Even in situations where it is impossible to avoid one-on-one close combat, a direct clash usually doesn’t occur.

If they were on a good road surface now, it would have been possible to gain distance

by maneuvering with their feet, pretending to run away, and then counterattack the pursuing enemy. In this case, it would be possible to use techniques to avoid a direct collision.

But here in the river they were standing in water that was as deep as the middle of the calf. The state of the river bottom also didn’t contribute to rapid movement. If you use the technique of leg movement in such a place as in boxing, you can easily stumble and open up for the enemy a gap in your defense.

Continuing the fist fight with Leo, Henry Fu decided that this mission was a failure.

Before the situation could get any worse, it was necessary to take a position suitable for evacuation.

However, he couldn’t single-handedly make the decision to retreat. Henry thought about it as he continued to shower Leo with short, weak blows. In the Horsehead detachment, he tried more than others to adhere to military discipline.

They were separated. If all three could evacuate at the same time, then there wouldn't be any problems. But if at least one of them escapes with the connection cut off, the remaining two will be at a disadvantage, being in the minority.

The contempt that the opponents were only schoolchildren had disappeared from Henry. They were opponents who could not be defeated in the format of three against four (more precisely, three against three). If they were even more outnumbered, they might not even be able to escape.

We must somehow convey to the rest the signal for evacuation...

It happened at the same time that Henry Fu thought about it.

The faint sound of an explosion came from the embankment.

Henry grabbed a hold of Leo's fist after his lunge, and took the time to look up.

“This is a smoke screen! Iggy lost and ran away!?"

When Henry Fu saw the black smoke trickling down the side of the road, he immediately realized what had happened.

At the same time a strong sense of danger overtook him.

The high school student in front of him not only mastered magic techniques, but also possessed physical strength and endurance at the level of Navy Seals or Green Berets.... That's what Henry thought of Leo. He caused a lot of trouble, and it was impossible to deal with him without magic.

And if the “Chiba swordswoman,” who was given special attention during the preliminary investigation, joins him here, then the simple “impossible to deal with”

will no longer be an excuse. The idea of the worst-case scenario flashed through Henry Fu's head. The “worst” outcome for members of the Illegal MAP wasn’t death.

But, falling into the hands of the enemy, with further disclosure of their origin and details of their mission.

Leo pushed Henry away from him.

Henry recoiled and staggered back along the river bed about two or three paces.

Leo followed Henry, who caused a strong splash on the surface of the water.

“Gabe! Retreat!”

With his eyes fixed on Leo advancing in front, Henry Fu shouted loudly to his comrade who was upstream.

But this sudden announcement for withdrawal didn’t stop Leo's advance.

“They want to escape!?”

He wasn't confused, but, on the contrary, became more serious.

Almost catching up with Henry Fu, taking another step in close proximity to him, Leo sank slightly under the water.

Stomping, he pushed through a deep hole in the bottom of the river.

Using this pit as a fulcrum, Leo pushed off with his whole body and made a powerful lunge with his fist.

It was an uppercut aimed at the torso that was capable of causing damage to internal organs.

Shortly before, Leo caught a glimpse of Henry Fu's arm reaching for his CAD, but he still hit him in the stomach.

The body of Henry Fu, who had been struck by Leo's fist, soared into the air with considerable acceleration.

“What...?”

Leo muttered in a stupid voice.

After all, he himself had just delivered the blow, but he didn’t think that the enemy would be thrown back five meters.

And not five meters back, but to a height of more than five meters.

Leo was stunned by this scene, as if it happened in a cartoon or anime.

Even Erika, looking out from the shore, looked at it with rounded eyes.

Henry fell into the river.

He rose with a sudden movement as if he had received no damage at all, then turned his back on Leo and ran as fast as he could down the river.

“What the...?”

It was only later, after thinking, that he realized that the enemy had used magic at the moment of receiving the blow, activated magic in order to throw himself into the air using the momentum from the uppercut.

But during this very unexpected scene, Leo just froze in a stupor.

Mikihiko's fight was difficult, even when the enemy was left alone.

Unlike the battles of “Erika vs Iggy Ho" and “Leo vs Henry Fu," the fight of Mikihiko and Gabe Shu was a “magic shootout."

Mikihiko wasn’t weak in physical combat. His physical strength and mobility was at a level that even Tatsuya and Leo recognized.

Nevertheless, his strongest point in battle was where the main role is played by magic

- that is, “shooting with magic" in the middle or long range.

On the other hand, Illegal MAP was a commando unit, and along with that a squad of assassins. By their nature, they preferred to use many different methods of killing, such as stabbing with a sharp weapon or striking with a blunt weapon. But in fact, being a magical combat unit, they were more powerful in this type of magical combat rather than physical combat.

Also, as could be seen from the initial distribution of roles in the attack on Mizuki and Mikihiko, Gabe Shu was a member of the Horsehead squad who specialized in pure magic combat. Therefore, it was inevitable that the battle of Mikihiko and Gabe took place in the form of a shootout of magic, given the strengths of these two.

Gabe Shu is far superior to Mikihiko in experience of battles against people.

Even considering Mikihiko's age, it was impossible to say that he had little experience in fighting against people.

But the magic of the Yoshida family wasn't primarily intended for battles with people. It was meant to be used to interact with otherworldly creatures, to expel them, invoke them, or to lend their power. Mikihiko gained experience in battles against people during joint operations with Tatsuya. But it was still difficult for him to fight an opponent who was trained to use magic specifically against people in a real battle.

From under the feet of Gabe Shu, bursting out of the water, stones flew.

Mikihiko knocked down the arriving river rubble with ice arrows made of river water. The freezing process was intentionally added, because according to the rule

“earth defeats water” in its liquid state, the water didn’t have sufficient power. In modern magic, this wasn't a problem, however, in ancient magic it was impossible to ignore the “rules of competition between the five elements."

Mikihiko sensed the signs of magic underwater right in front of him. In a hurry, he isolated the flow of the river, creating a wall of water.

A bubble burst under the water in front of him. It released air that was compressed by magic and submerged underwater. This explosive expansion had the force of an explosion like that of a hand grenade.

Rising strong water spray became an obstacle to Mikihiko's vision. And at that moment the river rubble flew again.

The enemy occupied a position upstream, which put Mikihiko at a disadvantage.

In addition to bubble bombs, upstream Gabe Shu also launched attacks in the form of floating a paralytic substance down the river, and letting it disperse near Mikihiko and Mizuki. He also alternated this with shots of rubble and the emission of high-frequency sound waves. Although Gabe had a small variety of attacks, the pattern of their use was hard to read.

But this doesn’t mean that Mikihiko was only defending.

Ice arrows, which were used to beat stones, were also sent towards the enemy. He also launched water spears at the enemy. Shot at the feet of the enemy with thin jets of water under high pressure. That is, he made a variety of attacks using the river water.

In other words, in terms of diversity, Mikihiko was better. However, the attacks of Gabe Shu, though simple, were specifically designed to inflict damage on a person.

Therefore, Mikihiko was forced to repel all these attacks. After all, if he hadn't done that, then besides him, Mizuki would've been injured, who was hidden behind his

back. Thoughts about this depressed Mikihiko more than anything else.

"But now, in terms of the number of people, we are in a better position than at the beginning..."

Before Erika and Leo appeared, it was three against two (actually three against one).

And now, in fact, there were three on three, but because of the division, each had individual one-on-one battles.

But despite all this, Mikihiko felt more cornered than before.

Suddenly the situation changed.

There was a small explosion above.

A mixture of black, brown, and red smoke drifted down from the shore.

There was a shout from behind: “Gabe! Retreat!"

The next moment the surface of the water exploded.

A thick wall of water splashed between Mikihiko and Gabe Shu.

When the water spray fell, Mikihiko couldn't see the enemy behind it.

 

When Pixie got in touch with Miyuki again, the clock read 18:05.

“Miyuki-sama. Sorry to bother you.”

“Pixie? Report.”

“The movement • Mitsui-sama • stopped. Presumably, the kidnappers • arrived • at their • hideout.”

“Is Honoka okay?”

“It seems that • Mitsui-sama • is still • under the influence of • a narcotic substance.

Other • harmful effects • not felt.”

“I see...”

Miyuki breathed a sigh of relief.

There weren't any medical sensors connected to Honoka, and Pixie didn’t receive medical information. However, Pixie received her supply of psions from Honoka regardless of the distance between them. It seems that she's been receiving the details about the state of Honoka as a side effect of this psionic transmission.

While respecting the privacy of Honoka's private life, neither Tatsuya nor Miyuki usually requested this information from Pixie. But this was an emergency. The news that the kidnapping victim has no physical injuries brings relief to the people who are worried about the victim.

"Pixie, can I get accurate information on where Honoka is being held?"

Magic isn’t limited by physical distance. Even if you try to go back through the magical connection, you can’t get the distance and direction.

However, Pixie had a body derived from the fusion of a Parasite with a humanoid machine. In much the same way that psionic radar works, she could recognize the direction and distance of the source of these waves - the source of the psionic flow that feeds her, from the received psionic waves.

“I am conducting • mapping • with cartographic • data... Mapping is • completed.

Send • data?”

“Yes please.”

“Obeying.”

Simultaneously with this response, the signal for data received flashed on the display.

The call was in voice only mode, so the display was blank, but after loading the data, a map was displayed.

“Received. Please keep watching.”

“All right, Miyuki-sama. Continuing • to conduct • observation.”

Through the remote control, Miyuki ended the conversation with Pixie. She had taken the first call from Pixie in her room, and now she was in the living room.

Miyuki got up from the couch, turned around, and looked at the man standing behind her.

“Hyougo-san.”

“Yes, Miyuki-sama?”

Hanabishi Hyougo replied in a respectful tone.

“Can you prepare a car right away?”

But Hyougo didn’t answer Miyuki's question.

“I dare say that Miyuki-sama is going to personally go to the rescue of Mitsui-sama?”

“Right.”

Although she was answered with a question, Miyuki only nodded in response, not showing that she was offended.

“You mustn't.”

To which, Hyougo gave an adamant answer.

“What do you mean you mustn't? Can we not go?”

“Quite true.”

“Are you ordering me?”

“This isn’t an order. Just a warning.”

Miyuki looked at Hyougo with unconcealed displeasure.

Hyougo didn't mind.

“Miyuki-sama, you are the heiress of the main family line, as well as the bride of my Lord, Tatsuya-sama. You are too valuable, and shouldn't expose yourself to danger for such trifles.”

“Trifles? Hyougo-san, are you saying that the threat to my friend Honoka's life is nothing?”

In the living room there was a cold... no, frosty voice. Miyuki didn’t raise her voice.

But her voice echoed throughout the room, in which such an effect shouldn't have been created.

Although, most likely, this isn’t the sound reflected several times in the confined space of the living room, but the voice echoed only in the minds of those who heard it.

Hyougo bowed apologetically, but he wasn't afraid.

Raising his head, he met Miyuki's eyes.

“It’s not so important that Miyuki-sama personally has to take care of it. So let me go and deal with it.”

“You, Hyougo-san?”

Miyuki questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

Miyuki knew about his career - about how he gained experience in a foreign private

military company, before becoming Tatsuya's butler. But Miyuki had never seen Hyougo actually fight, or even heard of anything like that.

In addition, Miyuki's doubt was due to the fact that, from her point of view, Hyougo didn’t possess any special abilities as a magician. Miyuki simply didn’t see enough of Hyougo's combat power to be confident in it.

“Yes. Leave it to me.”

Hyougo bowed low to Miyuki.

Miyuki's gaze, directed at Hyougo, remained sharp.

The air in this room wasn’t cooled with air conditioning. There was a long silence (perhaps Miyuki's influence had silenced everyone), which was broken by another person present.

“Miyuki, let me go with him? Will that suit you?”

“Lina, you go?”

“Yes. Miyuki, you know my power.”

“But we don't know who kidnapped Honoka, do we? If these are USNA agents, then what are you going to do?”

“Why would agents from the States (USNA) kidnap Honoka?”

“I don't know, but...”

At the moment, neither Miyuki nor Lina knew that Miyuki's assumption was true. In response to Lina's simple counter-question, Miyuki responded with a vague phrase that carried the meaning “maybe I'm exaggerating?”.

If events had developed in this way, it could have come to such a difficult situation, as the clash of the illegal detachment of assassins, Horsehead from the Illegal MAP

and Lina, who is “Angie Sirius."

Such a future was prevented by the incoming phone call to Miyuki's mobile terminal instead of the apartment's landline terminal.

“Yes... Erika?”

The call was from Erika.

Leo, Mikihiko, and Mizuki went up to join Erika. Mizuki got up there with Mikihiko, with the help of his magic, and Leo climbed with his legs without the use of magic.

Mikihiko's magic dried the clothes of all three and removed the dirt sticking to them.

Finally experiencing a refreshing feeling, Mizuki breathed a sigh of relief. After that, her legs gave way abruptly.

Mikihiko hurriedly offered her his hand. Mizuki managed to grab Mikihiko's hand and somehow avoided falling.

“I-I'm sorry...”

Mizuki let go of Mikihiko's hand. Immediately after that, she staggered again.

Mikihiko held out his hand again, and this time Mizuki clung to it.

“When you get out of a state of extreme tension, sometimes your legs and lower back lose their strength. You'd better hold on to Miki for a while.”

This time, Erika advised in a serious tone, without teasing those two.

Mizuki and Mikihiko looked away in embarrassment.

Erika and Leo, each in their own way, simultaneously shook their heads, expressing the thought “there's nothing you can do about them."

After which both of them noticed that they had the same reaction.

However, both no longer had the strength for their usual quarrel.

Erika turned away from Leo and pulled out her mobile terminal.

She switched the terminal to telephone mode, and called Honoka.

However, the connection wasn’t established.

Making a serious face, this time she called Miyuki.

“Yes.”

“Ah, Miyuki? It's me. Erika.”

“Erika? You seem excited. Did something happen?”

“Why is she in such a hurry?"

Erika thought. But, deciding to leave this question for later, she answered the question first.

She quickly and in order told about what happened. Mizuki and Mikihiko were attacked. The opponents were East Asian in appearance, but with English names.

After that, she called Honoka, but couldn’t get a hold of her.

“... By the way, are you all right, Miyuki?”

The answer came after a second pause.

“...I'm all good. I see... Mizuki was also targeted.”

“Do you know something?”

Miyuki said “Mizuki too." This meant that something similar happened to someone

else. Erika quickly realized that.

“Honoka has been kidnapped.”

“...So that's how it is.”

Although it was possible to guess in advance what happened, but Erika was still momentarily speechless.

“We don't know who the criminals are, but thanks to Pixie, we found out where she was taken.”

“... Can Pixie do something like that?”

“Yes, but not with anyone...”

“Oh, I see.”

Erika also knew the circumstances of the case when the Parasite had taken up residence in Pixie. So, she quickly realized that there was a special connection between Honoka and Pixie.

“So we're going to go help her out.”

Erika didn’t spend much time thinking about coming to this decision.

“...It's dangerous.”

“Miyuki, were you not going to do it yourself?”

“You're right, but...”

“I think Miyuki and Lina would be better off not going there. The opponents may be American agents.”

There was a brief silence on the other side of the phone line.

“I beg your pardon, Erika. Can I call you back?”

“Sure.”

Erika ended the call.

Less than five minutes passed before the incoming call signal came on her terminal.

“Erika, it's me.”

“Yeah. So?”

“I think everything is exactly as you said, Erika. It is highly likely the opponents targeting Mizuki are part of an illegal commando group from the USNA. I think the criminals who kidnapped Honoka are also from this unit.”

“Is that Lina's opinion?”

“Yes. Like you said, Erika, neither Lina nor I should go. But you guys can't go on your own, either. The opponents - agents from the USNA army. They're too dangerous.”

“We've already fought with them here, so it's too late to talk about danger.”

Erika's ear, pressed against the terminal speaker, caught a faint sigh.

“I could tell you not to put yourself in danger again, but... Erica, you're not going to agree, right?”

“You already understand, don't you?”

Erika heard another sigh.

“If you promise not to force your way into the enemy camp, but to go with the right men, I will tell you where Honoka is being held."

Miyuki thought that further attempts at persuasion would be futile. So she made this

condition.

“Who are the right people?”

“I already asked SMAT to go there. I ask you to unite with them on the spot.”

SMAT. Special Magic Assault Squad. This is an organization that brought together combat magicians from the police, created as a result of rethinking the fact that the police weren’t able to adequately respond to the Yokohama incident the year before last. The kidnapping of a civilian by a group of magicians was certainly under the responsibility of SMAT.

“But won't the police make a fuss?”

As Erika said, the likelihood that large-scale police movements would endanger the kidnapping victim wasn’t zero. That's just...

“Even if I hadn’t told you about this, you were going to use the police force yourself, weren't you?”

Erika had close ties to the police. She could use the police to locate Honoka, and she had planned to do that.

“I give up. I will do as you say, Miyuki.”

Realizing that Miyuki could see right through her, Erika raised a white flag. More precisely, it could be considered a draw, because she won Miyuki's compromise of

"handing over the rights to save Honoka."

“Sending the coordinates.”

“...OK, received.”

“Be careful, Erika.”

“Leave it to us. I will contact you when we save Honoka.”

Erika said and completed the call.

Tatsuya headed toward the shade of a tree 10 meters away. From this place, he felt a response, and heard someone fall there.

That “someone" was Fujibayashi Nagamasa.

“Do you know where Minoru is going?”

Tatsuya didn’t boast of victory or accuse him of betrayal. He only indifferently began to interrogate Nagamasa. More precisely, judging by his tone of voice, he simply

“asked,” and not “interrogated.”

“I don’t know...”

On the other hand, Nagamasa, sweating due to the sharp pain from the holes in his body, answered with a voice from which the will to fight hadn't disappeared.

“I see.”

Tatsuya asked nothing more. He turned his back on Nagamasa and was about to leave.

“Wait...”

The one who wanted to continue the conversation was Nagamasa himself.

“Does it suit you...? You're not going to interrogate and torture?”

“You don’t know, do you? If so, then there is no need to ask questions.”

“I see... You know that I am trying to buy time...?”

Nagamasa’s assumption was partially correct. Tatsuya did think that Nagamasa was

stalling for time, but he didn't think there was any point in interrogating Nagamasa, because he didn’t know of a way to check whether Nagamasa was lying or not.

Therefore, the first question about the direction of Minoru's escape was asked only on a whim.

Tatsuya didn't waste any time responding with unnecessary kindness. He was about to leave this place, leaving Nagamasa sitting there with his back up against the trunk of a tree.

“That's not all! I'm not done yet!”

Tatsuya looked wary. After all, Nagamasa hasn't lost his combat power yet.

Tatsuya looked back, and at the same time a new hole appeared in Nagamasa's body.

But the pain from those wounds wasn’t enough to stop Nagamasa. Tatsuya didn’t kill Nagamasa because he was the father of Fujibayashi Kyouko. And because of the difficulties with the subsequent settlement of problems that will arise if the head of the Fujibayashi family, the famous clan of magicians of ancient magic, is killed.

But Nagamasa wasn’t such an adversary that could be dealt with so easily.

Usually a person can't use their right arm if you shoot them in the right shoulder.

However, Nagamasa intertwined both hands in a symbolic gesture.

Seeing this, Tatsuya this time made a hole in the tendon of the left elbow.

But this didn’t break the gesture of Nagamasa.

On the contrary, he began to change the symbols shown by his hands, and at such a speed that was impossible to keep track of with the naked eye.

By the time Tatsuya decided to do away with Nagamasa, his technique had already been completed.

The “Sekirei Hachijin” barrier covering this area focused with the center being in the form of Tatsuya and Nagamasa.

It was already later than 6 pm. Although the days were supposed to be long for this season, the Sea of Trees was shrouded in darkness.

And now this darkness has become even more dense and impenetrable.

And something in this darkness began to put oppressive pressure on Tatsuya.

Tatsuya focused his “sight” on the true form of this pressure pressing on him.

Something that looked like a misty haze in the shape of a man was reaching out towards Tatsuya.

“Twins...? Or Astral projection... No, residual thoughts of the dead!?”

If we assume that the information received from the Fujibayashi family (from the enemy who is right in front of him now) is true, then the “Sekirei Hachijin” barrier, which is an array of “Kimon Tonkou” installed in fixed positions, which uses the same technology as “Magic Amplifiers.” Or, most likely, “Sorcery Boosters” a magical tool, for the manufacture of which some of the technologies used in Sekirei Hachijin were borrowed.

The technology of “Sekirei Hachijin” is as follows: while the magician is still alive, their body is transferred to a state of cadaveric fat, leaving only the brain, whose structure crystallizes in the process. On the forehead of the victim magical symbols and drawings are carved. As a result, these magician's remains are transformed into a magic output device that can work for hundreds of years. They are buried underground in several places, and they support the continuous work of the magic,

“Kimon Tonkou.”

A week ago, Tatsuya didn’t know how corpses could support magic.

But now, after the experience gained in the battle with the Astral projection of Arcturus, he knew how.

The source of the interference force in the phenomenon is the Pushion waves.

Tatsuya personally witnessed it in that fight.

Perhaps the magical processing that transforms the magician into a state of cadaveric fat, contains the process for enclosing the pushion information body inside these remains. Thus, the magic of the concealment barrier is maintained by periodic discharges of interference force into the phenomenon, using the Pushions stored in the remains.

The psychic pressure (which can be rephrased as “pressure by external systemic magic"), currently acting on Tatsuya, was undoubtedly caused by Pushion information bodies enclosed within human remains transformed into magic output devices. Tatsuya described them with the phrase “residual thoughts of the dead," but usually these information bodies are called “ghosts" or “spirits."

Carved on the foreheads of the corpses, transformed into a device called “Sekirei Hachijin," the command “to distort the sense of choosing a path." The ghosts were unable to think for themselves, and simply tried to lead Tatsuya astray. If they break through the barrier of Tatsuya's will, he will be forced to wander around the Sea of Trees until the ghosts' powers are exhausted.

“Fujibayashi Nagamasa... committed suicide?"

The hands of the ghosts reached out to Nagamasa as well. Tatsuya didn’t have the ability to “see” the activity of the Pushion information bodies. He could only dimly sense them. However, he realized that Nagamasa's mind had already been captured by these residual thoughts.

He isn’t dead.

But in such a state, Nagamasa was like the living dead.

“If the caster commits suicide, then the magic can’t be undone."

“If you continue to push away these residual thoughts, then one day their strength will be exhausted..."

“But I can't wait for that!"

Tatsuya focused his “sight” on the psionic information that was generated when these

“ghosts” (residual thoughts) tried to interfere with him. If Tatsuya hypothesis wasn’t wrong, then information should be recorded in this world that “something is trying to interfere with Tatsuya' s mind and distort his sense of direction,” as well as information about “Pushion information bodies trying to interfere with Tatsuya's mind.”

Based on these records, he considered the following information: “the structure of the pushion information body that exists in this world in such a form that it can interfere with the phenomena that forms part of this world, called Shiba Tatsuya."

“I see."

“I see it!"

He discovered a foothold that allowed the pushion information body called “ghost” to exist in this world...

Destroy it.

Decompose!

“The magic of decomposition of the structure that's supporting the pushion information bodies, "Astral dispersion,” activation."

...Destruction of the structure of the psionic informational body that helps the spiritual body (the pushion information body) to exist in this world.

... Not the destruction of the pushion information body itself, but its expulsion from this world.

The white misty figures in the shape of people surrounding Tatsuya quickly disappeared one after another.

After that, Tatsuya immediately realized that “Sekirei Hachijin," which was supported by the thoughts of the dead, had been destroyed.

The magic of decomposition of the structure that's supporting the pushion information bodies, "Astral dispersion."

It doesn’t seal the spiritual body in this world.

It makes it so that the spiritual body can no longer exist in this world.

The phrase “can’t exist in this world" means that from the point of view of those who live in this world, it simply disappears.

Dies.

We can say that this is tantamount to killing by erasure.

Tatsuya finally has at his disposal the means to kill spiritual bodies and spiritual life forms.