novelThe One Who Attacks from Behind (1)
| ← Ch.16 | Ch.18 → |
"I'm going to ask you one more time."
"What?"
"Are you insane!?"
"I already said no."
They stepped off the bus.
The giant shopping mall SeeDWalK was located alongside the town's biggest road. It was also a one minute walk from a bus stop, which one was one reason Mutsuki and the others often used it.
He and Ange entered that busy mall again today.
It was a sunny Saturday, making it perfect for shopping.
"I can only conclude you're an idiot to go out of your way to live somewhere the enemy knows about. You're putting yourself in danger, you know?"
He could not think of Ibekusa or Lucia as enemies.
He knew saying that would only anger her, so he dodged the issue.
"W-well, anyway, I've already made up my mind."
"...If you're that insistent, I guess I have to go along with it."
"Let's try to enjoy the move for now. You don't hate shopping, right?"
"Hmph."
"I'll pour my heart and soul into dinner tonight. I'll make us a feast."
"...Please don't. At least don't act so excited about it."
"?"
Her second sentence was muttered too quietly to hear, so he was left tilting his head.
"Hey, over here, over here!"
They met up with Micha in the motorcycle parking area.
All three of them were moving, so they were of course all going shopping. Mutsuki and Ange had taken the bus while Micha had taken her big motorcycle. The Latin beauty's outfit left her navel and cleavage fully exposed as she operated a motorcycle two sizes larger than all the others. She stood out in a variety of ways, so finding her had been easy.
"Okay, let's get going."
She took the lead without showing any concern for the gazes of the passersby.
Mutsuki followed, and...
"?"
Despite seeming displeased, Ange's expression relaxed and she followed in the rear.
SeeDWalK was the largest shopping mall in the area.
Its grounds covered 1. 8x3 kilometers, it had over 100 establishments that ranged from clothing stores to restaurants, and it brought in plenty of guests from other prefectures on the weekend.
"This place is as busy as ever. Why do humans gather in places like this?"
"The main reason is how convenient it is, but I'll admit there might be some group psychology at work making us want to go somewhere so lively."
"...Heh heh?"
She still had a twisted view of things, but a smile still reached the girl's face in the crowd.
Ange liked this mall. It was filled with too many stores to remember and countless people walked here and there. She seemed to enjoy it as much as the excitement in a multi-day festival. It was incredibly cute how her uncontained cheer found its way to her face.
"Where should we go?"
"We need to check out the electrical appliances first. While we can skip on a TV, a vacuum cleaner and washing machine are a must living with you, Micha-san. And we can have those delivered, so we won't have to carry anything around with us."
"Okay....Neh heh heh? Looks like I can finally go nuts again."
Micha grinned and waved around a black credit card she pulled from somewhere. She had previously shown off that card which could produce as much money as necessary.
"..."
A warm sensation came over Mutsuki as he viewed his two excited roommates from behind.
He had already been away from his family for a month and it was thanks to living with those two that he could confidently say he was enjoying himself.
If Ange could always smile like she was now, he would have no complaints.
"Attention, shoppers."
An announcement played from a nearby speaker.
"A taste-testing event for regional beers from all over the country is being held in the basement specialty section. Please feel free to take part."
Micha completely ignored the next statement ("If you will be driving home, please refrain from attending the event.") and turned toward the other two. Her red eyes were opened so wide it scared Mutsuki.
His month living with her told him it was no use telling her she had come on her motorcycle, so he raised three fingers.
"You will be going home on the bus with us. Do not ask for any more than they provide at the event. Only buy as much as will fit in the fridge."
"Got it!"
She ran off in no time.
"~? ~? Hm? Where'd Micha go?"
Ange had been so entranced by the dondurma being mixed at a nearby ice cream shop that she had missed the exchange, so she was left tilting her head.
Mutsuki killed some time with the girl who held a five-scoop ice cream cone in both hands.
A mall was useful for times like this. SeeDWalK's third floor was the amusement floor. With books, CDs, miscellany, and a movie theatre, there was a lot they could enjoy just by window shopping.
"I want to go the arcade."
"The arcade?"
"Yeah. That's what you call the place with all the games, right?"
She did not know much about the human world, so she apparently wanted to show off the words she had learned. She nearly dropped her ice cream when she stuck her chest out in pride.
After thinking about it for a moment, Mutsuki decided that was a decent idea.
They had been forced to wait for Micha in this mall once before and the two of them had killed time at the mall's arcade which was known as Game Master City.
He had made her mad at the end, but they had enjoyed themselves up until then. He was confident he would not make that same mistake this time. They rode the escalator up and made their way to that corner of the third floor.
Even as large as SeeDWalK was, Game Master City took up a third of its third floor. It was the largest amusement park in the prefecture.
It included standard boxy arcade games, token games, crane games, ping-pong, billiards, karaoke, bowling, and a manga café. Part of the roof was used for tennis, basketball, volleyball, futsal, a golf driving range, and a batting center. One could even enjoy archery in the massive entertainment center.
"It's pretty busy today."
"It was a weekday last time we came. It's always like this on Saturdays."
"What's that weird creature? A monster? Should I defeat it?"
"That's a character suit. They're just handing out balloons, so leave them alone."
"Hmm... A character suit, huh? The human world is full of strange creatures."
The ice cream would have gotten in the way, so they waited for her to finish before going inside.
The inside was full of people. The area near the entrance contained the prize games popular with more casual players, so there were a lot of couples and parents with their children.
"..."
Suddenly...
(I wonder what we look like to the other people around here. )
It started bothering him and his face grew warm.
(Ange may be short, but surely we don't look like father and daughter. Brother and sister maybe? No...)
"Mutsuki?"
"Hawah!? W-what?"
He thought his heart would leap from his throat when she suddenly turned around. She was shorter than him, so hanging his head had made him look directly into her raised eyes.
"Why are you zoning out? ...So where is it?"
Luckily, the flashing lights of the games hid the red on his face and he smiled bitterly at the girl looking up at him with her usual lopsided frown.
"Sorry, I wasn't listening. What is 'it'?"
"You know what I mean. That motorcycle one we played last time."
"Motorcycle one? ...Oh."
He remembered. When they had come here before, they had played a motorcycle racing game at the very end. He was pretty good at the game and she was a complete novice, so he had beaten her very badly which had angered her.
"Show me where it is. You caught me off guard last time, but I don't think I'll lose this time."
Ange crossed her arms and leaned her short body backwards.
It made her look cute rather than arrogant, so the boy smiled bitterly, nodded, and pointed to the line of racing games with his eyes.
"Okay! Let's do this!"
"Wah, wah! Wait, Ange!"
She was so eager to play that she grabbed his sleeve and began walking quickly toward the game.
Mutsuki followed while nearly tripping as she tugged on him.
Having a girl drag him around by the arm was quite embarrassing. He tried to break free, but this was the most powerful angel. There was no way he could match her strength.
He started looking around, afraid someone was watching.
A complete stranger would not be too bad, but the problem was someone he knew.
After all, they had run into a classmate their last time here.
The light sound of a bell reached their ears even through the background noise of the park.
"I thought maybe I was being too hasty, but you actually showed up."
Mutsuki stopped on reflex and looked back.
Ange noticed the added weight to the object she was dragging behind her, but they did not have time to grasp the situation.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!"
"!?"
The excited and cheerful background noise had been far from uniform, but the tone of all those voices changed at once.
They grew to screams.
The reason was obvious even from where Mutsuki and Ange were. One of the nearby crane games had begun to transform.
The exterior decorated with neon and colored tape began to bend and the scrap-like inner parts were shown off. After that, the transformation took an unexpected turn. The hanging crane became an arm, the neon lights became eyes, and it overall took on a humanoid shape.
It was essentially a supernatural phenomenon, so anyone would scream if they saw it. Mutsuki did not, but that was simply because he had seen it a few times already.
He had met things like this several times before.
They were the contraptions controlled by the humans of FeTUS. FeTUS Witches Miss E, aka Ibekusa Machina, had said they were tools loaded with a "spring" to power them.
"..."
Ange faced him and pointed to the machine person.
"...Character suit?"
"No! It's a Springloaded!"
The crane was not the only one. A total of eight Springloaded rushed toward Mutsuki while sweeping aside the surrounding arcade equipment.
There was a fighting game, a shooter game, a horse-riding game, a roulette wheel, a token exchange machine, a bowling lane panel, and lastly one carrying twelve archery bows that fell from a hole in the ceiling.
" Outta the way! Mutsuki!"
The closest one, the crane game, reached its giant arm toward Mutsuki. Once Ange noticed the enemy attack, she rushed forward.
She pulled out Prominence and made a full swing toward the machine as it extended its arm. She hit the enemy, but it took a back step to reduce the force of the slash. It was knocked backwards but not sliced in two.
"Ah... A-Ange..."
He had known he was a target, but his legs were still about to give out because he had not expected for his life to be put in danger on such short notice.
His guardian angel stood in front of him and faced the eight Springloaded.
"Springloaded... Kh! I can't believe they would attack in a crowd like this."
Mutsuki checked their surroundings. Fortunately, the other guests seemed to be fleeing in panic.
(Th-this is weird. It's not like normal. )
Mutsuki wrinkled his brow and looked to the eight machines that were undoubtedly targeting him.
He had run across Springloaded a few times before, but something about this did not seem right. All of the previous ones had made absolutely certain to avoid any damage to its surroundings. They had never made an attack that could hurt someone else like this.
"This is too forceful..........Ah."
Mutsuki and Ange exchanged a glance.
Ibekusa Machina had warned them about a dangerous FeTUS member who would use any means necessary and did not care about secondary damage.
"Heh heh heh."
Another light ring of a bell sounded clearly through the screams and commotion.
A woman stood among the fleeing guests. They spotted her as soon as they started looking. Everyone else was panicked, but she alone had an icy smile on her lips and stood with her back perfectly straight and her hands clasped behind her.
"...Black Cat?"
"I'm honored you know my name."
A solid, chilly aura surrounded the woman, like she was a steel sculpture.
When a trained soldier stood tall, it could coldly strain the surrounding atmosphere. This may have been the perfected form of that. Like a thread drawn taut, she perfectly maintained her upright stance with the solidity of metal. Her eyes had a cleverness to them that showed no emotion in a different way than Machina's. She wore a skintight suit that covered her from neck to wrists, but its black color may have assisted the steel-like impression.
However, she was not a Springloaded. She was undoubtedly human. The slight opening at her chest revealed soft curves and the thighs exposed between her flared skirt and long boots contained feminine fat. Her knee-length hair was braided and it swayed behind her like a tail.
The lines of her cheeks were round and she had a somewhat childish face that stood at odds with her aura. She also wore a strangely fancy black helmet with cat ears attached.
Sharp glasses accentuated large feline eyes with raised corners.
Vertical pupils ran down the deep golden irises.
"Jiyuuni Ange. I had heard you have great power even for an angel, but..."
She spoke in a low voice that was enunciated as clearly as a bell.
"Battle preparations complete...positive."
"Target of attack...Jiyuuni Ange...positive."
Out of the eight Springloaded, the fighting game rushed forward.
This was what had seemed off to Mutsuki. All of the previous Springloaded had been tasked with "capturing" their target. These ones were here to "battle" and "attack".
Just as it got close, it began stepping in place like a boxer.
The literal iron fist that flew toward Ange would have turned a normal person to mincemeat, but the angel blocked it with her giant sword and began her counterattack.
"Daaaaaaaaaahhhh! Prominence - Loop!!!!!"
As the sword parried the fist, it split in two like a pair of scissors.
She had not had time to use it in her fight against Machina, but this weight adjustment allowed her to compensate for her own light weight. And this double-sword style was where Ange of the Double Flame truly shined.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!"
She danced within the reach of the enemy's outstretched arm and built up centrifugal force to swing the two blades toward the enemy's neck and legs.
The enemy used its incredible reaction speed to sway back, but prioritizing its upper body meant its lower body could not escape.
The lower blade dug in at what would have been a human's thigh and then sliced through the machine.
"All right!" cheered Mutsuki with a clenched fist, but...
"Damage...32%. Attack possible...positive."
"Kwaaah!"
This opponent really was a machine. The damage was light.
Its fist jabbed into her gut as if to say she had simply put herself in the perfect position. Ange took a back step at the last second to escape most of the shock, but it was still enough to knock her small body backwards.
"A-Ange! Are you okay!?"
"Kah...ah..."
Mutsuki ran over. Despite crashing through three slot machines, the girl did not seem injured, but she was grimacing.
In pure ability, Ange, the most powerful angel, was clearly winning, but she was poorly matched in a direct-fight against a machine with no sense of pain.
Angels were weak against human knowledge and that gap was grimly apparent here.
"Ange, let's run away."
"...Eh?"
He made his suggestion too quietly for Black Cat to hear.
"We should run away. We're outnumbered here. And even Ibekusa-san said-..."
Ibekusa Machina had told them to run away and Mutsuki was inclined to agree given the situation.
But the determined girl's eyebrows bristled.
"To hell with that! You're telling me to run away!? You're telling me to do what Ibekusa said!?"
"N-no. I'm not saying it because someone else said so."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Just you watch! I'll smash all eight of them to pieces!"
She got back up and it seemed to have only fired her up even more.
"She acts calm enough at school, but is she still just a kid?"
This was exactly what Black Cat wanted.
"Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall....Springloaded! All of you attack at once!"
"Positive."
"Simulating combat situation...odds of victory...99. 92%."
Springloaded could consume other machines, so the fighting game absorbed some components from a nearby arcade game to repair its leg. Then, all eight machines moved forward and Ange faced them head-on with her two swords.
However, the attack came from a surprising direction.
A paper cup flew in from behind, hit her head, and dumped its contents on her face.
The golden-brown liquid gave off the unique scent of beer.
"Honestly, and when I was busy too. I'd only gotten to drink fifty-eight varieties so far."
"Micha-san!"
Micha had appeared behind Mutsuki at some point.
"Cool your head, Ange! Your top priority is protecting Fujita Mutsuki-kun, not defeating the Springloaded!"
"..."
Ange was forced to restrain her killer intent when the older angel spoke harshly for once.
Her nose twitched a little in frustration, but the liquid dripping from her hair finally seemed to calm her down. She recombined her two blades into the single sword.
"Fine then....I'll prioritize my mission and fall back."
She returned the sword to its pendant form and grabbed Mutsuki's hand.
"Target escaping. Beginning pursuit...positive."
The eight Springloaded also began to move, but...
Micha stood in their way. Wings of red flame grew from her back, transformed into hands, and threw a nearby billiards table. The table knocked the fighting game onto its butt.
"Micha-san..."
"Go. I won't last too long, but I'll buy you what time I can."
Micha winked at worried-looking Mutsuki while she emitted hellfire hot enough to melt the surface of the nearby arcade games.
"Let's go, Mutsuki!"
"R-right."
Ange pulled on his hand and started running. She took him out of the park and into a passageway created by lines of onlookers. They immediately jumped over the edge and into the open central area.
Mutsuki was seriously afraid at first, but Ange emitted her blue flames just before landing which created an updraft that let them gently land. They ignored the other guests who had no idea what was happening on the third floor and were dumbfounded by the boy and girl who had just jumped down two stories.
"Um, I know it was my suggestion, but should we really have run away!? If the Springloaded chase after us, the panic is only going to grow."
"If you're captured, the panic will encompass the entire world. And since the Springloaded are human weapons, they'll keep the damage to other humans to a minimum. More importantly..."
After they ran out into the obviously packed parking lot, Ange came to a stop.
"I can't exactly run away with you in tow...and the bus would be too slow."
"Y-yeah. We could call a taxi, but we don't have time."
"That leaves only one option."
She began running again. Due to her great strength, she was more carrying Mutsuki than pulling him and he had no choice but to go with her.
They made their way to the motorcycle parking area.
"I've thought of destroying this thing countless times before, but who would have thought it would finally come in handy?"
She ran over to Micha's beloved off-road motorcycle.
"Eh? ...This?"
"Perfect, isn't it? According to Micha, it gets good speed. Or do you want to steal another vehicle? You can't start them without a key, right?"
As she spoke, Ange used the blue flames from her back to stroke the giant engine attached to the back wheel. This seemed to be how it worked when it belonged to an angel. The internal combustion engine roared to life.
"No, that's not the point. We need a driver."
"We have one."
Ange climbed onto the engine that acted as a rear seat.
"..."
The boy's thoughts froze for almost three seconds. With a confused look, he brought his index finger to his chin and tilted his head.
"You're good with motorcycles, right?"
His thoughts froze for another three seconds.
He wished he could have stared for another five seconds, but he did not have time.
The outer wall of the SeeDWalK's third floor exploded and two Springloaded jumped out, presumably after escaping Micha. They both crushed a parked car when they landed and then consumed those machines to make the tires and engines parts of themselves.
"We don't have time! Let's go, Mutsuki!"
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I can't! I'm only good with them in games! In games!"
"Bwah!"
In the ruins of Game Master City on the third floor of SeeDWalK, Micha somehow managed to escape the veritable mountain of foam she was drowning in.
She looked around and her eyes met those of the security guard who had hesitantly arrived to check on the situation. The only remaining Springloaded was the fighting game one that she had somehow managed to defeat. The other seven had likely pursued Ange and Mutsuki.
"Cough, cough. Come on now! Don't just spray that sticky white stuff all over a lady. It's rude."
She had wanted to hold them here for a while longer, but they had gathered up the fire extinguishers and fire suppression system nozzles to bury her alive in the firefighting foam. She had failed to hold them here.
She pulled out her phone and called Ange.
"Hello!? Micha!? What is going on!? One, two...seven of the things are after us! You couldn't take out at least three of them!?"
"Sorry, sorry. I'm not as young as I used to be. Are you okay?"
"We're retreating on your motorcycle. They haven't caught up yet, so we're still okay. Other than Mutsuki's tears, we haven't received any damage."
It seemed they were okay. She even heard a more distant voice shout, "I am not crying! The wind is drying out my eyes!"
"We can't seem to lose them. If you're fine, then come help us....Oh."
A loud roar grew closer and some panic reached Ange's voice.
"They're catching up... I'm going to hang up! Come help us!"
"Ah, wait, Ange!"
Micha wanted to know where they were going or at least in which direction, but the girl hung up before she could ask.
She had no choice. Rather than pursue, she called a different number and jumped out the hole the Springloaded had made.
Meanwhile, Mutsuki was in the greatest danger of his life.
"Hey! Can't you drive any faster!?"
"No, I can't! You should really be praising me for not getting into an accident so far!"
As he turned the accelerator grip, he moved his hand as carefully as stroking a baby, but the engine was so incredibly powerful that the acceleration was still intense. The speedometer passed the 200 mark in only a few seconds.
He had somehow made it this far without falling over. Fortunately, the startup and gear changing was the same as in the game, so the real danger was taking turns. He had nearly fallen over at first, but Ange had used her marvelous reflexes to kick off the ground and correct their balance.
Humans were powerful when their life was at risk, so he had gotten the hang of it in about ten minutes. He had not had the guts to drive down normal roads, so he had moved from the main road to the highway. Despite being the weekend, there was fortunately not much traffic, but...
"Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah!"
"Ahh! Watch out!"
"I'm sorry! But we're going way too fast!"
Weaving between the other cars only moving at 100 kph was not easy. Shifting his weight even slightly pulled him to the side like the earth's gravity had shifted and he would nearly pull the handlebars to the side with him. He was truly glad that the large back wheel provided some stability.
"..."
There was, in fact, a way to provide further acceleration, but he did not have the courage to try it.
"Here they come! Don't swerve!"
After placing her phone in her pocket, Ange stood on top of the engine cover over the back wheel.
Despite their great speed, they had not been able to lose the Springloaded. The seven of them had all absorbed a car engine and had surrounded the motorcycle on either side as it traveled at over 200 kph.
The angel clicked her tongue, pulled an elastic band out instead of her phone, and tied back her red hair that was getting in the way as it danced in the blowing wind.
"Bring it! I'm not about to lose to some humans!"
She split her divine sword in two and pointed them to the left and right.
The first to attack were the crane game and the shooter game. The crane and shotgun barrel were sent toward them simultaneously.
Ange was already poorly matched against these enemies, but she also had unstable footing and the wind pressure of their speed got in her way. She frowned at her overwhelming disadvantage.
"Daaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Even with her narrow footing, she used her elasticity and centrifugal force the best she could and swept aside both attacks.
Just as the enemy was forced to flinch back, she leaped into the air and onto the shooter game. She stood on its shoulders, recombined her two blades into the single giant blade, and used its weight to stab deep into it.
"Ggh...main frame...damaged."
The machine soldier writhed with a great hole in its chest.
"Combat possible...negative. Prioritizing operation..."
"Tch!"
It slammed on its brakes.
Ange was about to be taken away from Mutsuki, so she made an immediate jump. She used her momentum to assist her powerful leap.
"Ryaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!"
And she cut at the crane game driving alongside the motorcycle.
She swept aside the enemy's extended arm in midair and used the force to launch herself upwards.
Just like with the horizontal bar in gymnastics, she twisted her straightened body to land on the motorcycle.
"Fwah!?"
But her position was a little off and she landed on the boy's shoulders.
She was fairly light, so that alone would not have been an issue. However, the unexpected landing position surprised her, so her feet slipped and she fell into a sitting position.
"Ngaaahhh! Why youuuuuuu!"
"Wabh!? Ange!? I can't see!"
She clung to the boy's head to hold on.
However, the boy began to panic as she clung to his head with her thighs on his shoulders.
His face was sticking right up her skirt and he could not see the road ahead.
"Kh! Why you! Deeeryaaaaaaahhh!"
While clinging to his head, the girl somehow managed to swing her giant sword and drive back the crane game's fierce attack.
"Um, um..."
As the battle grew more intense, the boy's nose was pressed harder and harder against her spats.
He could feel the soft squishiness below and smell the strong scent of sweat.
The girl attacked with all her might and swept aside the crane machine's arm.
"You're miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!"
This was the perfect chance to slice its body in half.
"I can't see!!"
"...Ahhn!"
However, Mutsuki's shout sent a tingle through the base of her thighs and her strength left her.
Her weakened sword strike was deflected by the metal body and the crane game escaped.
"Gh... Stupid Mutsuki! That was my chance! ...And where do you think you're sticking your face, you pervert!?"
"You landed on top of me!"
"Shut up, shut up, shut uuuuuuuuuup! You pervert! You butt devil!"
"This has nothing to do with your butt! ...Wah!?'
They did not have time to argue. A hole suddenly appeared in the road and he frantically swerved. They just about toppled over.
The hole had been created by an unpleasantly shiny projectile: a bowling ball.
"————"
The other Springloaded had caught up. The bowling machine was firing its balls into the air like a cannon. They did not actually hit, but they created plenty of holes in the road up ahead.
"So they've switched over to long-range attacks. Mutsuki! Don't let us fall over!"
"I-I'll do my best."
The token exchange machine opened its mouth(?) wide and fired countless tokens as bullets.
However, that was no reason to worry. The girl climbed back down onto the back wheel and brushed up her ponytail.
"Corona!!"
Her blue wings surrounded the two of them in a thin field of flames. The tokens were diverted off course by the change in air pressure made by the intense flames, and they were either swept upwards or created holes in the ground. And...
"Helio!!"
The blue flames produced glowing beads that assaulted the approaching Springloaded.
The balls of light only reached a few hundred degrees and could not pierce the metal bodies, but...
"Grl!? Gbhhhhbhhbhhh!!"
The token machine was an exception because it had opened its large mouth. The glowing heat bent its ejector and caused its bullets to tear through its own body.
Even if she was poorly matched, Ange had already begun adapting to her lack of footing and the intruding wind. Anyone with an understanding of combat would have trembled in fear at her combat instincts.
She had taken out two, which left five.
"Capture of...fleeing target...deemed difficult...positive."
The archery machine drew its bowstrings.
Arrows fired from all twelve bows. The tips were dulled since they were made for a game, but they could still easily tear through the human body at that speed. But...
"It's no use! Corona! ...!?"
The angel created another shield, but she had mistaken their target. The arrows flew low and were not aimed at her.
The shield of flames was concentrated around her and Mutsuki, so it was weaker elsewhere. The tips of the twelve arrows melted as they continued straight toward the motorcycle's back wheel.
"Trying to take out our means of transportation? Don't underestimate me!"
She immediately swung her divine sword and swept all twelve arrows out of the way, but...
"Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah! What, what, what!?"
One of them destroyed the support for the back wheel's cover. Ange's footing sank down and she had to quickly escape to the seat the boy was sitting on.
"What just happened? ...Wah!"
Mutsuki paled when he looked back. The cover frame's position had lowered and the engine was scraping against the back wheel.
"Wait...is this thing broken!? Are we in trouble!?"
"Um, I think we're fine. It only shifted position."
If they continued like this, the frictional heat could destroy the engine, but Ange managed to pry it back up. Three of the four frame supports still existed, so it was fine once they were unbent, but...
"I can't stand on this anymore. Mutsuki, scoot forward."
"S-sure."
He moved to the front of the seat and Ange stood on the back half.
Her butt was squishing against the back of his head, so he leaned forward too.
"Target speed lowered."
"Operation completion possible...positive."
Two Springloaded charged forward to take advantage of the lost speed caused by the back wheel's damage. The roulette wheel used its entire disk-like body as a tire and the horse-shaped horse-riding game ran on its own as the only one not to absorb a car.
Ange desperately swung her two swords to fight back from her even more restricted footing.
Unlike the previous two, these two fortunately had no weapons. The horse-riding game did not even have arms and the girl had gotten the hang of fighting under these circumstances.
"Too slow!!"
She had no reason to fear these opponents. Her giant sword opened a hole in the roulette wheel's guts...and the force of her attack sent her butt back into Mutsuki's head.
"Gh...zh..."
The disk groaned in agony and Ange began to attack the horse-riding game.
"Operation...complete...positive."
"Eh!?"
Only then did she catch on.
Something was spinning on the inside of the roulette wheel as it rotated at 250 kph. A red ball was rolling along the inside edge of the rotating disk.
As soon as it fell over into the proper orientation for a roulette wheel, the ball hopped out using the sword embedded in the middle. It followed the blade, the arm, and...
"Kfh..."
It collided with the girl's slender stomach.
The tremendous blow to the solar plexus knocked the strongest angel out for a small fraction of a second. She was unable to support her small body and she pitched forward.
The next thing she knew, the gray road was right in front of her eyes.
She was falling. She was going to slam into that asphalt.
"~!?"
But it was not her adorable face that contacted that rough surface. It was her long hair, tied into a ponytail.
That red hair scattered about as it caught on small pebbles.
"Nn...gah!"
The very next moment, she had pulled herself back up onto the seat.
An arm around her stomach had supported her. She was briefly caught off guard and her heart skipped a beat.
"Watch out! If you fell off, you'd...um, what would happen? Well, you'd get hurt!"
After seeing that she had recovered, Mutsuki grabbed tightly onto the handlebar that had started rattling even though he had only let go for a few seconds with just one hand.
The girl was briefly left in a daze, but then...
"Not bad."
She pressed her forehead against his back.
"Let's try this again!"
"Please no..."
She heard a pathetic complaint, but she did not mind. She kicked at the face of the horse-riding game and then lopped its head right off.
She ended up leaning too far forward again, but she did not care.
"Fwaaaaah! ...Oh, honestly! I said watch out!"
After all, Mutsuki's arm would wrap around her if she was about to fall.
The boy pulled her close as if embracing her. She let him do as he wished, so they swapped out who was in front and who was in back and her butt landed on top of his lap.
This was the most stable position with only the one seat to work with. She did feel a little too close to him, though.
"..."
She said nothing as she stared at his face.
He had a look of extreme focus as he drove a motorcycle for the first time while being forced to handle an unruly girl. The hints of tears remaining in the corners of his eyes were a little pathetic, but he did not look too bad.
Mutsuki had noticed her gaze, but he did not have time to return the look. They were already moving at 280 kph. A slight lapse in attention and they would crash into the other cars that were essentially stationary obstacles at this point.
Meanwhile, the three remaining Springloaded had been unable to keep up since they had passed 250 kph. Due to the heavy arcade games loaded on, they had reached the limits of normal car engines.
Still sitting on the boy's lap, Ange realized they were pulling away from their pursuers and breathed a sigh of relief. But then...
"!?"
The look on her face changed when the destroyed roulette wheel and horse-riding game caught up with those other three.
"Um, Mutsuki?"
"Yes?"
"Umm, about that romance of men you mentioned."
"The giant robots?"
"..."
"————!?"
Mutsuki looked over his shoulder and noticed what has happening.
As the destroyed two caught up to the other three, their various parts intertwined, transformed, and became a single giant body. The cars that were slamming on their brakes also had pieces taken to create an even larger and more complete form.
"..."
"Romance?"
"For today, I'll find a new hobby."
It was a giant measuring over twenty meters tall.
The upper body was humanoid, one hand held a crane, and the other held a roulette wheel.
It had four legs to support its incredible weight. It had the long, manly legs of a horse, wheels spun on its torso, and twelve arrows were drawn.
Ange looked back toward the dull sound of the arrows whizzing through the wind and her eyes opened wide.
"Stop, Mutsuki! No, wait, don't stop!"
"Eh!? ...Fwah!"
Ange forcibly twisted the accelerator grip. The burden shifted to the back wheel, but Mutsuki somehow managed to keep the motorcycle from popping a wheelie.
A moment later, the barely passable road dropped by about a meter.
"Its size has only made it crazier!"
The twelve bows fired twelve bowling balls connected by wires.
Each ball was large enough to break a hole in the ground, so a horizontal line of them connected by wires was enough to split the road itself in two.
Shocked into a daze, the boy's face paled.
Even Ange looked troubled. She could fight back as long as the car chase continued, so destroying the road necessary for the chase felt like cheating.
They had miraculously avoided that one, but who could say about the next one. In fact, the enemy could probably take out one of the bridge's supports, causing it all to collapse.
"~~"
Ange wrinkled her brow and glanced up at Mutsuki.
"...? What is it?"
He was on the verge of tears again now that the enemy had shown off its overwhelming power, but he did not give up and continued operating the motorcycle. The close calls seemed to be helping him gradually grow accustomed to this insane race.
His tear ducts were still loose, but he may not have been that pathetic a guy.
The girl smiled, pulled out her phone, and placed it in his pocket.
"Afterwards, call Micha for help."
"Eh?"
"Make sure you escape. If you're captured, I'll have failed as a bodyguard."
"Ange!?"
Before he could turn around, she had jumped down from the motorcycle.
They were already travelling at more than 300 kph, so her short redheaded form vanished in an instant.
"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"
With a blade in each hand, Ange slipped past the arrows fired by the twelve bows and attacked the twenty meter giant.
Blue wings of fire appeared and she used the air pressure they created as footing to jump up to her enemy's head.
"Haaaahhhh!!!!!!"
She recombined her giant sword and slashed straight down at the top of its head, but...
"Lithography...excellent. No errors in anti-angel tools."
She sliced through the metal framework with a grinding sound, but it immediately fused back together and regenerated.
(This really isn't easy. )
She might have managed in a one-on-one fight while on the move, but a head-on attack against three at once was playing right into their hand.
All Springloaded could regenerate their own functions by copying their semiconductors in a process known as Lithography, so the only way to defeat them was to destroy the entire "spring" at once without giving it time to make a new copy.
With a body this big, normal damage was unlikely to have much effect. However, producing enough damage to destroy it in a single strike would be difficult.
(This might come down to a tie. )
The best she could do here was to draw their attention and buy enough time for their target to escape.
The Springloaded had learned just how much of a threat Jiyuuni Ange, strongest guardian angel, was, so they were forced to stop and face her even if it gave Mutsuki, their final objective, a chance to escape.
FeTUS would also want to avoid having their super-technology on public display for long. Once people gathered, this operation would be called off, so...
"I'll take you on until then! Daaaaaaaahhh!!"
She deflected the extended crane and dodged the wheel hammer that was swung down toward her.
It was quite fast for its size, but a natural fighter like Ange could easily follow its movements.
(Where's Mutsuki? Did he get away?)
For a brief second, she shifted her attention toward the motorcycle.
"!?"
And that proved a fatal mistake.
She had been so focused on the attacks from above that she had not noticed one from below. Something grabbed at her leg.
"Kh...!"
If she had simply tripped, she could have easily recovered with her reflexes, but this grabbed at her leg and pulled her down.
It was an arm. A hand had grown from the concrete road and grabbed her ankle.
(A Springloaded? Oh, no!)
Ibekusa Machina's face flashed through her mind. That girl had taught her this.
Three Springloaded had combined to create this giant, but it was probably only being controlled by one or two. The remaining one had shifted its spring to the road and turned the surface itself into a Springloaded.
Ange sliced through the concrete arm with her sword, but by that time...
"Anti-angel extermination simulation...complete."
"Ahh..."
The giant wheel hammer was swung down.
It covered too much space, so she could not escape after falling onto her butt.
She was going to be crushed.
"Checkmate."
"!"
".............. nge!!"
She heard the engine before the voice.
She looked up.
She should have been angry. She had told him to run away, to hide, and to call Micha, but he had ignored her instructions and made a U-turn right back into danger when protecting him was her responsibility.
However, she formed a smile instead of her usual lopsided frown.
Smoke rose from the motorcycles tires and he reached a hand toward her with tears in his eyes.
She would never have admitted it, but he seemed reliable for the second time that day.
Mutsuki leaned over so far his shoulder nearly scraped the road and he caught the girl.
Ange flipped up and over him to pull in the opposite direction. If she had not, he would have fallen over.
Smoke rose from the motorcycle as it slipped along, but its inertia pulled it just barely past the hammer's range. As soon as the blue sky came into view, she heard the Springloaded giant's hammer slam into the Springloaded road hard enough for the surface to cave in.
Thanks to the girl's support, the motorcycle wobbled but remained standing as it came to a stop.
The boy's mouth flapped wordlessly as he held Ange. He seemed to be trying to ask her if she was okay, but the words would not come out.
"Yes, I'm fine. I did panic a little there, though."
"..." (Flapping mouth)
"Wipe away those tears."
"..." (Nodding)
As she watched the boy wipe at his eyes, the bodyguard girl checked on their surroundings.
After the hit from its ally, the Springloaded in the road seemed unable to move. That meant escape was an option, but she was still afraid of those twelve bows.
Which meant...
"Hey, Mutsuki."
She whispered into his ear.
After he heard her plan, he grew pale and shook his head, but...
"Beginning capture of Serpent's Eye holder...positive."
"We don't have time to hesitate!"
The crane arm reached out to grab the stopped motorcycle.
"Do we have to?" he silently asked with his pathetic, teary look.
"Yes! We do!" she silently replied with her lopsided frown.
"Fine then!"
The boy spun the accelerator grip.
The engine sounded like it was going to explode. Mutsuki had gradually gotten used to driving the thing, so he quickly shifted up to top gear.
It tore into the crane as it raced up the Springloaded's arm.
"Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!"
It was a slope of more than fifty degrees. Even the off-road motorcycle had difficulty with that, but the boy somehow managed while driving for his very first time. He had gained an excellent sense of balance from all the risk of death. He was half in tears while doing it, though.
The engine was incredibly powerful and its speed did not waver. Also...
"I'm going to accelerate, Ange! Hold on!"
He bent the accelerator grip.
The end of the grip was actually a cover for a small button. He had seen Micha use it once before and had feared for his life when she had.
The Springloaded tried to brush off the object climbing its arm, but it was too late. Once Mutsuki pressed the button, the engine roared so loudly it spewed flames and the motorcycle accelerated with nearly twice the speed.
Simply holding onto the handlebars was the most Mutsuki could manage, but...
"Tell this to whoever made you."
The strongest guardian angel lightly raised her sword and the motorcycle flew straight toward the chest of the mechanical soldier protected by twelve bows.
"The crane is too slow."
"I'm never riding a motorcycle again."
"Huh? But what about our rematch?"
"Not even at the arcade. I'm never riding one again."
"So you're going to quit while you're ahead?"
"I'm not doing it! I really did cry!"
The two of them climbed off the motorcycle as the Springloaded crumbled behind them with a hole in its chest.
Ange was of course exhausted and Mutsuki's legs were giving out due to fear, so they both crouched down for a short break.
"Is it...over?"
"Yes. It looks like they've stopped. We defeated all the Springloaded."
Ange tapped the ground with her heel.
Mutsuki breathed a sigh of wholehearted relief, but...
"But only the Springloaded."
The girl's tone of voice dropped and he remembered that this was still only the opening skirmish.
They both stood back up and faced the pile of Springloaded wreckage when they heard the ringing of a bell.
"That was a wonderful battle."
Black Cat gave a round of light applause and Ange drew her divine sword once more.
"But...ein Unglück kommt selten allein."
The beauty in black clasped her hands behind her back, spread her feet to shoulder width, and tightly arched her back as if to say she was most comfortable like this. With her bulky helmet, she naturally ended up looking down on people. As she stuck out her skinny chin, her long braided hair swayed like a tail.
She was FeTUS Witches Miss C, aka Black Cat. According to Ibekusa Machina, she was one of the witches who were more powerful than any Springloaded.
"I should apologize, Jiyuuni Ange. I underestimated you."
Her round feline eyes narrowed behind her glasses.
As the corners of her eyes narrowed, a horribly repulsive murkiness covered her golden eyes.
"To be honest, I was disappointed when you showed up at the mall. You had visited there before, so I had set up a Springloaded as a lookout and ended up sending eight of them after you."
Her apparent intelligence and calm were only on the surface. This girl was dangerous. Mutsuki was unfamiliar with the world of killing, but even he could sense the threat in her eyes.
"According to our calculations, eight cutting-edge Springloaded is enough to defeat one hundred angels. However..."
Her eyes narrowed even further.
"You managed to defeat all of them and destroyed a total of seven....Heh heh heh."
The next thing Mutsuki knew, an insane smile had appeared on her lips.
"It's been a while..."
"—————!?"
"...since I came across such a promising opponyent?"
She unclasped the hands behind her.
The backs of her slender hands were hidden by tight gloves. On both hands, glittering metallic claws were attached to the base of the second, third, and fourth fingers.
"Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"
The bewitching cat appeared in front of the angel's eyes too quickly for her to even be caught off guard. She had approached so quickly that she had seemed to disappear and reappear to Mutsuki.
" Prominence - Loop!!"
Ange prepared her two swords. The cat instantly used the centrifugal force of a spin to attack the angel's windpipe with her three claws. Ange pulled her body back and used a sword as a shield.
"Heh heh... Heh hee hee...hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee!"
The spinning black object released a faint, crazed laugh as she sent out her other three claws.
The girl somehow managed to defend against this attack too, but the later attack had more centrifugal force behind it and it launched her backwards. She flew through the air, bounced a few times on the ground, and finally stopped after hitting Micha's motorcycle.
"Heh heh heh heh hee hee! What's wrong? You're slow, slow, slow! Nya ha ha!"
Black Cat's pretty face twisted into something as hideous as a deep sea fish and she crouched down. She stood on all fours with her arms and legs straight.
It was the pose of an animal ready to fight.
The vertical slits of her pupils tightened in even further. Her braided hair bounced on her round butt like a tail.
"Grrrrrrrrr!! Let me enjoy thiiiiiiiiissssssss!!"
She tore through the concrete ground as she raced forward.
"Ange!" shouted Mutsuki.
"..."
Ange had finally gotten back to her feet, but she did not have time to prepare her sword.
"Corona!!!"
"Nyah!?"
But she protected herself with the flames emitted from her back.
However, she was not targeting Black Cat. She sent them toward Micha's motorcycle.
"Vnyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
The gasoline ignited and exploded. The motorcycle's parts scattered every which way and the hellfire scored a direct hit on Black Cat as she passed above it.
The sticky gasoline stuck to her and set her ablaze.
"..."
Mutsuki frowned. Even if she was their enemy, he did not want to see someone on fire.
Ange, on the other hand, showed no mercy and immediately began her next action. The enemy was wide open, but instead of going for an attack, she put away her sword and ran toward Mutsuki.
She grabbed him in her arms and jumped from the edge of the road.
"Wah!? Eh? We're running away?"
The boy's eyes widened as the girl jumped from the elevated highway to a nearby building's roof, to the building after that, and then to the roof of a house.
He agreed this enemy was too dangerous and he did not want to fight her if it could be avoided, but he had not expected this prideful girl to run away so easily.
Ange turned her usual sullen look his way.
"We're not running away. We're retreating. It's a strategic retreat."
"Oh... Yeah. That's right."
"..."
"..."
"Just to be clear, I haven't accepted what Ibekusa said!"
"I know, I know."
She seemed to be in a very bad mood, so he could not ask anything more. Her wrinkled brow twitched as she spoke.
"I don't know how powerful she is, but I want to avoid facing her while holding someone as useless as you. Find somewhere to hide. Got it?"
She apparently did not like that she was doing exactly what Machina had suggested, but she had apparently prioritized making a rational response to the situation at hand.
Mutsuki was glad she had prioritized him (technically, her job) over her own reckless pride and he was glad she had at least kept Machina's words somewhere in her heart. The corners of his eyes relaxed.
But...
"A game of tag!? You're gonnya have to be faster than that!"
"!?"
At first, he did not know what had happened.
He sensed the unpleasant smokiness of burning gas and then Black Cat's sick and distorted smile appeared before his eyes. She had caught up. All Mutsuki knew was that he had been torn from Ange's hands.
"You're kidding... She's faster than me!?"
Not even Ange could react in time. Before she could put up her guard, a knee stabbed into her gut and she was sent flying into a neighboring building. She broke through the wall of wood and concrete.
Mutsuki gasped at the sudden turn of events. He tried to call for Ange, but the dry smoke reached his throat and he could only cough.
The flames had yet to vanish from Black Cat's hair and clothes. She had pursued them while still covered in burning gas.
She erased her insane smile and faced the dumbfounded boy.
"The Serpent's Eye holder.... Adam. The final objective of FeTUS."
"...? Ad...am...?"
"Hmph. So the fun is already over."
He had previously heard both Machina and Ange mention the term "Adam".
He had been curious, but he had not been given the time to investigate it and then had completely forgotten. He was confused by its sudden reappearance here.
But before he could feel too puzzled, Black Cut stuck a sharp syringe in his neck and its contents quickly dragged his consciousness into the darkness.
For better or for worse, Ange had been knocked into an abandoned building.
Plywood covered the windows and it only contained two business desks and six run-down chairs. She could tell at a glance the place was not used.
(Gh... That girl really is strong. )
The damage to her kicked stomach was surprisingly great, so she could not stand up quite yet.
When Black Cat caught up, she ran over and placed her hand on a nearby desk.
Just as Miss E had done, the material transformed. With a smooth movement, it wrapped around the collapsed girl's wrists, forced her to her feet, and became a cross to hold the girl's small body.
She grimaced from both the pain and humiliation.
Black Cat placed Mutsuki's unconscious form in a nearby chair.
"Now, then. This is incredibly unfortunate, but even I am one of the FeTUS Witches. I am a servant to the realm of man, so I can't focus on my own entertainment forever. The games stop here."
She clasped her hands behind her back and stood tall, but some madness remained in her expression.
"Before I take you back to headquarters, I think I'll investigate your special traits."
"...Wah!"
Three silver lines raced audibly through the air while giving off a black glint. By the time Ange realized they were the girl's claws, her uniform's buttons had already been torn away. Her bisected red checkered tie fell away and the front of her clothing opened.
This revealed her delightfully slender white belly and the elastic sports bra that covered her small yet pretty bust.
Ange bit her lower lip because it hurt her pride that Black Cat had gone out of her way to avoid harming her skin.
"Hm." Black Cat narrowed her eyes."So this is the legendary armor used by the angels. That impregnable Suit is supposed to be harder, more elastic, and stickier than anything on earth."
She pulled on the bra with the tip of just the claw growing from between her middle and ring finger.
Those claws had sliced right through the clothing, but it only stretched like rubber. Even after pulling, scraping, and twisting, the blade would not break through.
"But..."
After adequately checking how sturdy the material was, she hid her claws and reached her fingers toward the back and armpit visible through the gaps in Ange's torn uniform.
She scooped up the sweat worked up from running around so much and pinched the bra.
"It is weak to sweat. A defective product, just as reported."
That solid material easily tore and revealed its white contents.
The Suit's material was weak to seawater...or more broadly, salt water. It used an absorbent on the inside, but if Ange worked up too much of a sweat for that to absorb or the liquid was splashed on her from the outside, it grew fragile. FeTUS was wholeheartedly researching the angels, so they apparently already knew about that weakness.
"Why you... Do you like stripping girls? Are you insane!?"
"Oh, I quite like it."
Ange clenched her teeth in humiliation, but Black Cat toyed with the hole in the black material. The hole easily grew and finally a light pink point popped energetically out into view.
The surrounding breast was covered in the elastic material, so the strangled tip and areola were pushed perkily out. The nipple itself was childishly inverted, but Black Cat forcibly pried out the young point.
"You don't like it?"
"~!!!???"
"I can violate others. I can violate their bodies, their dignity, their pride, and their lives."
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Based on the color, that tip had to be delicate, but Black Cat pinched it so hard it looked like it would tear off.
The girl felt like her skin was going to tear and she screamed loud enough for her voice to echo around the floor. The intense pain forced out even more sweat.
The fingers did not leave the protrusion until it grew erect enough to force off a pasty.
"I especially like tormenting a truly ruthless opponent. I love seeing their look of unbearable frustration and their look of unbearable hatred for me. I love seeing their face twisting in greater and greater agony. The prouder the opponent, the better. No matter how great the pain and torment, they will never beg for forgiveness. Seeing them unable to hold back the tears and cries of pain as they desperately try to maintain their pride is the greatest pleasure imaginable."
Black Cat happily narrowed her eyes as the prideful girl glared at her with hatred in her eyes and gasped for breath as the pain finally faded.
Black Cat gave the bewitching and insane smile of a female cat.
"Do you know what I mean?"
"...All I know is that you're not just a pervert; you're the most despicable kind of crazy."
"I see. That's too bad."
This time, Black Cat removed just the center claw and reached out the other two.
"I sensed something similar inside you, so I thought you might feel some sympathy. But oh, well."
She further balled up her clenched fist as if bringing her thumb and little finger closer together.
The metal claws followed that movement and curved like a scythe so their tips approached each other.
"This is part of my job. I mustn't mix business with pleasure."
They almost looked like electrodes.
"I will do my duty and gather some data for a new anti-angel weapon."
White sparks passed between the two poles.
"...Wh-what?"
"This is known as the Kühler Kralle. You angels are weak to heat radiation, so this tool diffuses your body's heat using the power of magnetism. But don't worry. I don't intend to kill you. I only want some data on the output level. However..."
Ange was still at a loss for words when Black Cat pressed the tool against her upper arm. Despite how easily she swung around her giant sword, that upper arm had a feminine softness to it and the tool almost lovingly stroked against it.
"When we tested this on a human, it was apparently painful enough to knock them out."
The electrical current was released.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Another scream of pain reverberated through the building.
| ← Ch. 16 | Ch. 18 → |