novelFor What Purpose Should That Strength Be Used? The_Old_Glory (2)
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Part 10
(November 10 – Kauai – Northern Off Limits Area of Napali Coast – From UAV Lesser Emperor #210)
Roberto Katze did not shut his eyes even at the very end.
The smell of smoke wafted up and time stopped. In that strange calm, Lindy violently trembled within the half-destroyed monster truck. The nearby gunshot had been quite a shock to her.
However, something was missing.
The smell of blood was clearly lacking.
This was because the president had not been shot.
The gunshot had been a warning shot fired by another marine and aimed at the ground next to the feet of the marine aiming at the president.
The next thing the man targeting Roberto Katze knew, he was surrounded by other marines with assault rifles.
"You're the idiot, " spat out one of the marines surrounding the minority.
"Y-you can't be serious. I'm part of the US military, too!"
"Just disarm yourself. Now!!"
As instructed, the man threw all his weapons to the ground. After binding the man's hands behind his back with a cable, one of the marines saluted the president.
"Please excuse our rude actions up to this point. We deemed this the quickest method of meeting up with you, sir."
"Mister, who are you... ?"
"I am Corporal Martin Flowers." The marine said while pointing at his chest with his thumb. He then pointed over his shoulder."Starting from the right, they are Sergeant Elute Lux, Private Xiaolong Harvard, and..."
"I take it I can consider you trustworthy?"
"I could think of no greater honor."
"Thanks for your cooperation, " Roberto Katze said frankly. He then switched to his "official" tone of voice."But prepare yourselves. Right now, siding with me will separate you from the main group. You might even be fired on by fellow American soldiers."
"To be honest, I wish for a strong America that lives up to its name as the world police, and what Presidential Aide Roseline Krackhart and the marine volunteers are doing may be the shortest path there in a way." Martin Flowers then looked the president square in the eyes."But that is not something we should gain by sacrificing a child who has suffered abuse. In fact, I believe a strong America that lives up to its name as the world police should be protecting people like that. We feel you are the one that personifies that ideal the best and that is why we wish to help you."
Roberto smiled and said, "In so doing, we are distancing ourselves from the easy path through life."
"Perhaps, but we will be the ones to get the last laugh."
The United States had begun to move.
It was supported by those with an iron will that did not allow it to lose its order during a crisis.
Part 11
(November 10 – Kauai – Napali Coast – From UAV Lesser Emperor #300)
Following Kuroyoru's instructions, Kamijou was behind the log house wrapping duct tape around and giving shape to the dismantled and rearranged parts of the generator's transformer and the hot-water heater. As he did so, his cell phone started to ring.
"Birdway?"
"Some progress has been made in the analysis you wanted. That said, we still don't know everything about Saronia's spell."
"I need any kind of hint I can get. She'll be here any second!"
"Very well, " said Birdway in a satisfied voice."The false analysis from the papyrus said she had to use Russian plants, but it seems that that was one of the things meant to lead us astray. That means other plants can be used as the origin for her magic as well."
"Is she really that powerful... ?" asked Kamijou doubtfully as he looked around.
Plants were everywhere. They were what supported the entire food chain from the bottom. If she could use all of that for her magic that could control people or make someone's left arm unusable, he had no chance of winning unless he fled to a desert or the South Pole.
"Just hear me out, " said Birdway, cutting off Kamijou's doubts."To be more accurate, the Leshy spell is magic that gives her control over a small forest in Russia. However, an exception can be made by creating an 'enclave'."
"An enclave?"
"If migratory birds regularly come and go through a certain area, that place can be made into an enclave. And the same result could likely be pulled off by putting a pet on an airplane and taking it to the other place. But more importantly, the animal that goes to and from the area must have a magical connection to the local plants."
"... Can you please explain this a little more clearly? What do you mean by a magical connection?"
"The Leshy controls the residents of the forest. The animals are considered a member of that 'society' once they make some kind of exchange with the forest. If she wanted to make some Hawaiian plants into an enclave, she would have to have the animal brought from Russia give something to the local plants."
"Like eating a plant's fruit or dropping a seed caught in its fur?"
"My guess is it's simpler than that. Something so simple that there are almost no animals or plants that don't take part in it. Plants do not merely support the food chain. They have another important role that gives the earth one of its most important characteristics."
"..." Kamijou thought for a second."The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide... ?"
"Precisely. A report said that Saronia has often been spotted in conifer forests. Those are not used for food. If the animals are gaining something from the plants there, it has to be through the air."
"So the animals that create the cycle of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the Leshy's forest become residents of the forest. And when the residents of the forest go elsewhere and create a cycle of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the local plants, that becomes the Leshy's enclave." Kamijou organized his thoughts."But if she could control all the living things in the enclave, wouldn't we have been under her control long ago!?"
"Didn't I tell you we still don't know all the details? And remember that we still don't know for sure if Saronia's magic really allows her to control people. If she had something that convenient, surely she would have been able to put together a strategy that made her much more of a major player in World War III."
"... Then what?"
"Doesn't it seem strange that she could reproduce the effects of the Leshy, a fairy that rules over the residents of the forest? Creatures with simple brain structures like insects or reptiles are one thing, but what about humans? Perhaps she cannot actually control such a complex living creature and can only switch out how they see certain things or make them more weak-willed."
"Are you just guessing?"
"I am using the people we captured on Oahu and the hostage children in the shopping mall as samples. They seemed like Voodoo zombies to me. Saronia and Olay's goal was to gain the majority within the US Congress and other government and military areas. After getting a certain number using Olay's control of information for an upcoming election, Saronia would only have to manipulate the remaining ones who would not give in so that they were absent on the day of a vote."
"But then wouldn't everyone in the area of effect become weak-willed as well? If so, areas across Hawaii should have been like zombie theme parks or something."
"Like I said, we don't know the exact conditions. My guess would be that it takes time to establish the cycle of oxygen and carbon dioxide. It might take as long as three or four days. A week would match perfectly with the creation of the world, but I doubt it's that long. If it took that long, the magician wouldn't actually go there. Anyway, that would be why we haven't seen any effects after being here for less than a day."
"So if the target leaves that enclave before the three or four days, the spell can't be completed... And an enclave might be as small as a neighborhood park."
"If she knew the schedule of her target, she could probably create small enclaves at each place he or she would go in order to build up the necessary time."
That might be linked to the means of controlling animals and people.
But then Kamijou looked down at his unmoving left arm.
"If those are the conditions, I doubt Saronia would come to the front lines. She can't carry that out without three or four days, so she must have a spell prepared that gives her some kind of immediate power."
"I agree, but I have no idea what that could be."
"I see." Kamijou lightly rubbed his left arm."Looks like I'll just have to charge in and figure it out as I go."
"Finished!!" shouted Kuroyoru as she attached the "arm" wrapped in duct tape to the joint on her right side.
It was basically a number of metal pipes forcibly held together in the shape of an arm. It did not even have a full complement of fingers.
Dumbfounded, Kamijou stared at the creakily moving arm for a bit, but he finally came back to his senses.
"You only made one? Counting your normal hands, that only gives you three nitrogen spears!"
Even then, the combined force of Trident and Gremlin was slowly approaching.
Likely, they were being extra careful with their approach and continually firing to seal Kamijou and Kuroyoru's movements because those two were from Academy City. Trident and Gremlin were afraid they had a hidden trump card. They were cornering Kamijou and Kuroyoru with bullets so they would reveal what they could do. The soldiers would press farther in once they were sure of their safety.
Kamijou himself was planning to charge in and gather information on Saronia's spell and only then try to find a way past it.
For those that relied on supernatural powers, the amount of information one had could be the difference between life and death.
They were likely more worried about Kuroyoru than Kamijou, but Kamijou had no idea how long their caution would last. If the soldiers saw their lack of movements as an "eerie silence" that would work in their favor, but if the soldiers decided they could not do anything, the soldiers and magicians would pour in like an avalanche.
And amid that hopeless situation...
"I was never intending to rely on Bomber Lance."
"Why not?"
"An Academy City-made arm can move on its own and I could use it as an independent weapon, but we just won't get that kind of functionality out of materials we found lying around. When I realized that, I changed my plan." Kuroyoru grinned."When you were given that lecture on magic back in Academy City, I was there too. I seem to remember hearing that magic is meant for people with no talent and that, other than a few exceptions, no special disposition is needed."
"No, you idiot. I'm no expert, but magic isn't what you're thinking it is! Unless you're some kind of genius, you aren't going to be able to pull of some amazing technique by adlibbing all of a sudden. Not to mention that espers like us experience a side effect if we use magic!!"
"That's fine, " said Kuroyoru."It doesn't matter what kind of magic it is. It doesn't have to have any real destructive power to it and I doubt I can perfectly pull it off from the little I overheard. That would be like watching someone perform heart surgery and then trying to do the same thing on your own. I'll fail, but that's not a problem. If failing leads to success, that's not a problem at all."
"What are you saying... ?"
"I'm saying that I will be intentionally causing this side effect or rejection or whatever it is." With a heavy thunk, Kuroyoru Umidori lowered the duct tape-wrapped arm to the ground."I'm a cyborg. The extent of what counts as my body is extremely vague. Now, what if I could completely think of the objects I connect to my body as parts of my body?"
Kamijou heard a sound like a hard object creaking under stress.
At first he thought it was coming from Kuroyoru's "arm", but it was not.
"Wouldn't that mean I could force that side effect on whatever object—whatever target—I wanted and destroy it?"
It came from the ground.
More specifically, it came from one of the saw tooth-like cliffs.
To make up for the "magic-like thing" that Kuroyoru Umidori, an esper, had activated, the rejection had appeared in the improvised arm and then spread to the ground beneath it.
As a result, the entire cliff collapsed.
The log house just barely remained behind the line, but everything beyond the line came crashing down. The silver uniformed mercenaries and magicians on that cliff were swallowed up and swept down into the sea down below.
The avalanche was so clear and distinct that it almost looked like some type of thrill ride.
However, that attraction had no safety standards.
"Gah... !?"
"Kuroyoru!!"
Hearing a short scream, Kamijou looked back up from the bottom of the cliff and saw Kuroyoru's small body trembling. The improvised arm wrapped in duct tape had completely shattered and the skin of her other two slender arms had torn from the inside, revealing the artificial "contents".
"Tch... It was too much to completely avoid any feedback."
"Are you insane!? It doesn't look to me like you can just freely cut off the pain!!"
"... I see. So this is insane, is it? Unfortunately, I had the #1's offensive thought patterns artificially implanted within me, so I have some inconsistencies at the instinctual level. I sense danger when it comes to little bits of pain, but I have almost no fear of fatal wounds. I simply can't get used to standard group psychology, so it seems there are some areas where I tend to stand out."
A medical amateur like Kamijou had no way of knowing if the damage had only affected her mechanical parts. However, he felt it would be too much to ask Kuroyoru to fight any more with how much she was trembling.
And Kuroyoru did not give Kamijou time to think.
"This is no time to be looking away. The enemy leader is here."
"!?"
On the lower portion of the top of the cliff, Saronia A. Irivika alone remained. She must have immediately jumped off of the collapsing ground. When she realized all of the PMC soldiers had fallen into the ocean, she gave an order over her radio.
"... to West Napali Coast. I repeat, send reinforcements to Napali Coast!... Dammit, their command cloud has been completely taken out."
Saronia clicked her tongue, tossed aside the radio, looked at Kamijou, and smiled.
For a moment, all was silent.
They faced off, one on one, as if in the eye of a hurricane.
If Kamijou could defeat Saronia there, he would effectively be destroying Gremlin and Olay Blueshake's plan.
"Okay, then!! I'll give you the privilege of playing with me while I wait for my pizza to arrive!!"
"Sorry, but the only thing you're going to be tasting is defeat!!"
Part 12
(November 10 – Kauai – Waimea Valley – From a camera for recording proceedings)
Waimea Valley was a giant valley in the mountainous area of Kauai. The sight of cliff after cliff each dozens of meters high made it a valuable tourist attraction, but it was an inconvenient place to get around in. It was one of the routes that led to Napali Coast where Lindy Blueshake was thought to be, but few roads were made in such a dangerous area and that made advancing difficult when a defensive line had been built up.
Presidential Aide Roseline Krackhart was stuck.
The narrow paths through the mountains were blocked by multiple armored vehicles Trident had brought in. Luckily, the enemy force had been eliminated with anti-tank missiles and the mercenaries had retreated, but the wreckage of the armored vehicles remained. They could not advance until that wreckage was removed.
Roseline clicked her tongue and then noticed the video camera recording her.
"Are you still recording this?"
"I-if I don't focus on my job, I feel like I'll pass out..."
"That camera is cut off from the internet, right?"
"Yes, I switched it over manually. All those kinds of services have been shut off."
"Are you sure?"
"Look, the display says off."
"Hm, fine then."
Just as Roseline took her focus away from the camera, a different worker called out to her.
"Ma'am! Um..."
"What is it?"
"You have a phone call."
Roseline took the proffered cell phone and grimaced upon seeing the string of letters displayed on the screen. She answered it and heard a familiar male voice.
"Hey, Roseline! I thought it was about time I spoke with you."
"I am the one that needs to speak with you!!" Roseline gritted her teeth, thinking that man must have a talent for angering others."Why have you convinced some of my marines to split off and form their own group!? We were at enough of a disadvantage against Trident. We do not need our chances lowered even further by splitting our own troops!!"
"I thought you'd say that. And that's why I've come to make a deal with you."
"A deal!?"
"I'm not keeping up this resistance because I want the marines to be fighting each other. It was actually a complete coincidence that I managed to get their help, but since I have them, I want to use them to their fullest."
"This doesn't seem like one of your bluffs. How do you intend to defeat Trident?"
"I don't intend to."
He said that so readily that Roseline's mind went completely blank.
Finally, she came back to her senses.
"Wha—What!? You... but... !!!?"
"Y'know, I think you have the makings of a Japanese tsundere, Roseline. You're usually so perfect in everything, but you have no ability to adlib to deal with sudden things you didn't expect."
"Enough with the jokes!! And I think that qualifies as sexual harassment!"
"I guess I need to explain myself. Even if I had not split the marines in two, they would have gotten stuck in a long, drawn-out battle against Trident's units attempting to retrieve Lindy. I am the president, so I have to do my best to avoid a situation where this nation's citizens' lives are needlessly wasted. What do you think?"
"... So you purposefully split my force just to interfere?"
"They are the US's forces, not yours, " corrected Roberto Katze."There are currently two problems on Kauai. The first is the Trident group trying to recover Lindy and the second is you, Roseline. I would like to solve those problems one at a time. This only looks so complicated because I was trying to solve both of them at once."
"Are you trying to say you could resolve this if you had command of the marine volunteers?"
"Even I think before I take action."
"I'm sorry, Mr. President, but I cannot trust what you are saying. I'm going to hang up."
"You trust me that little!? But the people showed how much trust they have in me during the election!"
"The Washington Stream said you had more pipedreams than any other politician but that your crazy ideas might help jumpstart the stagnated economy."
"Just listen. There is a way to defeat Trident."
"Other than Lindy Blueshake?"
"Other than Lindy Blueshake."
Hearing that, Roseline sighed.
She ground her teeth as she could feel her conscience crumbling inside her after she had worked so hard to solidify it.
She lightly kicked the tire of her off-road car and said, "So what are you going to do? We will take it into consideration, so just tell me."
"Thanks, tsundere-chan. First, their source of money is Olay Blueshake. We intend to deal with her master plan by capturing Saronia A. Irivika. Just by defeating her, it will all fall apart. But that still leaves one problem. Do you know what that is, Roseline?"
"... Even if Olay gives up, Trident will not necessarily stop. They are fighting under the assumption that all of their crimes in America will be cleared from them by Olay's political influence. If they withdraw, they will not just be traitors, but unheard-of criminals who started a war with America. More death penalties would be handed out at once than ever before in American history."
"And they know that the world police will chase after them even if they flee the country. After all, former American soldiers make up a good portion of Trident. That is why Trident will not stop and we need to do something about that. If we can just solve that issue, it will all be over. I doubt those from Gremlin mixed in with the PMC troops will continue fighting on their own. If they could have, they would have done so from the beginning. That is why we need a method of dealing with Trident."
"And how do we pull it off?"
"At the very least, it has to be a method that does not use Lindy Blueshake as a shield. That only worked as a trump card against Olay, so it will be of no help against the PMC she hired."
"Again, how do we do it?"
"As you said, the primary driving force behind them is the fact that they will be executed if they retreat. I don't know whether the former American soldiers wanted to get something across to the country or if the reward was just too tempting, but that is the only way we can get them to back off."
"... If you have no intention of telling me, I'm just going to hang up."
"We start with Trident's commander. Or in this case, would it be their manager?" the president said."Anyway, he must be here on Kauai. I'm guessing either he—just like Saronia—wanted to use Lindy as a means of preventing Olay from betraying him or he wanted to show that he saved her 'personally' to get in Olay's favor. Either way, he would gain a lot.... Also, their command cloud uses even radar and civilian satellites to allow high speed intelligence support. The main server is likely overseas, but the information network the data is being sent through uses the internet within America. That allows Olay to spy on them using her FCE surveillance network and it allows me to interfere with my Imperial Package."
"You know where the commander is?!"
"I have a question for you, Roseline. It would be difficult to defeat the Trident troops deployed across Kauai and the other Hawaiian Islands using only the marines we have. But what if we only had to deal with the platoon protecting the commander?"
Part 13
(November 10 – Kauai – Napali Coast – From UAV Lesser Emperor #300)
Kamijou Touma charged across the rough ground and straight for Saronia A. Irivika. His greatest weapon was his right fist. Preparing circumstances in which it was effective was the starting point of any of his strategies.
But...
"(... What? I'm so unsteady... !)"
"Yes, yes. You can't control your own weight, can you?" Saronia grinned."Your arms are balancers used to control your weight and your left arm is currently unusable. Someone who has been without an arm for years may be fine, but with it suddenly switched off like that, you can't control yourself properly."
"!!"
"And your weight is the true force behind your fist."
A dull noise exploded out.
Saronia had jabbed her leg out toward Kamijou's chest. He had just barely managed to block it with his right arm, but it still sent him backwards. After reeling two or three steps back, he finally managed to regain control.
She was indeed well trained, but Saronia was still a small girl.
It was likely only due to Kamijou's lack of control over his own weight that she had been able to send him so far back.
"Gh..." groaned Kamijou
While humming, Saronia continued with her kicks. The next one circled around toward Kamijou's left side.
He could not move his left arm.
Her sharp strike stabbed straight into that gap in his defenses.
"Gaaaaaaahhhhh!?"
"Gremlin is desperate for any countermeasures we can get against Imagine Breaker. Why do you think we tampered with the leylines to send that fortress to see if you were alive, nyaaahn!?" Saronia thinly smiled as she estimated the damage she must be doing from what she felt with her foot."Thanks to that, even an indoor type like me has been going to the gym and working up a sweat! I've gotten some lovely muscles for my legs☆"
"Tch!"
"Yes, and now you will try to put some distance between us."
Kamijou forced his right arm around to hold his left side and tried to fall back, but Saronia's slender arm grabbed at his collar.
She pulled him forward while swinging her head down as a blunt weapon.
With a dull noise, Kamijou's body bent backwards.
"(This isn't how someone who merely controls people would fight!!)"
Saronia continued to throw kicks, focusing on the left half of his body while words leaked from the bottom of Kamijou's throat.
"(But she isn't using her magic either. Is this another sign of their unease over Imagine Breaker just like Radiosonde Castle!?)"
"More or less." By aiming for the left side of his body, Saronia was making sure he could not grab at her feet."But everything has its use. Even if I cannot directly bind Imagine Breaker, I can lower its strength by sealing off your left arm."
Unable to support his own weight, Kamijou rolled across the ground while undergoing a rush of kicks from Saronia. Saronia then moved her right thumb as if flicking something straight up.
"(... Here it comes!!)"
Still on the ground, Kamijou held out his right arm, but much to his surprise, nothing happened.
Silence hung over the area for a few seconds.
Still not sure what that meant, Kamijou rolled to the side to put some distance between them. The sole of Saronia's shoe seemed to chase after him.
She had no real reason to pull a feint in that situation, so...
"A misfire!?"
"Looks that way, nyahn."
She caught up to Kamijou with a motion like she was trying to kick a soccer ball as hard as she could.
With the breath knocked out of him and while suppressing the urge to vomit, Kamijou muttered, "... What are... you doing... ?"
"Ahn?"
"That war is finally over and everyone was beginning to walk down a new path..."
"Oh, you're asking why I am interfering?" Saronia's expression loosened, but a piercing light remained in her eyes. He had touched on something he should not have."Yes, the war ended. You played an important role in ensuring that. The chaos ended and the countries of the world took action to rebuild." Saronia paused for a second."But my country was used as a stepping stone to do so."
"..."
"It isn't funny. It truly isn't funny. Children starve needlessly and the elderly shiver in the cold needlessly. The major countries have control of the flow of resources and money. They dole out only what they absolutely have to and call themselves heroes for doing so. It feels like justice is up for sale in a whorehouse."
Kamijou had no idea what the truth of the matter was or if Saronia was even telling the truth from her point of view.
But whether she was being truthful or not, he should have guessed it.
Even then, something was advancing.
He could see glimpses of the shadows of the greedy ones.
He was no prophet, so it was impossible for him to know the ripple-like effects his actions would bring about. But this time at least, his actions had clearly been involved in how things had turned out.
"Saronia..."
"I suppose the one piece of luck for you is that you do not have piles of money at your disposal."
The green magician smiled.
It was the smile of a fairy.
It was the smile of the ruler of the forest.
It was the strange smile of the one who brought death to those who lost their way and who would distribute her riches in gambles she held at a whim.
"But even so, I still have enough reason to kill you."
"..."
No matter what he would do from then on and no matter how he would face the ripple-like effects brought about by that war, he had to survive his current situation first.
He had to find the truth behind Saronia's attacks and the spell she used.
What were the rules behind it and what process did the attacks use?
What could he negate and what could he not?
He needed concrete information.
"(What do I have to destroy to regain use of my left arm? I need to find out!!)"
"Let us begin again, " said Saronia as she loosely clenched her hands and charged forward."Let us begin the gamble of the Leshy, the ruler of the forest!!"
She moved both her thumbs as if flicking something straight up.
Part 14
(November 10 – Kauai – Nohili Port – From a tide level monitoring camera)
In a civilian port on the western side of Kauai, Cinesic Evers, commander of the Trident PMC, raised his hands into the air. He was wearing an old-fashioned but popular French military uniform for high officials. Even after leaving the military and joining a company, old men seemed not to lose their desire for power.
The reason he was raising his hands was quite simple. American marines were spread out around the dock, their rifles were aimed at him, and his command armored vehicle covered in antennae had been blown up.
Amid all that, Roberto Katze pushed passed the marines protecting him and approached with a clear smile on his face.
"Hey there. If I had to take a guess, I'd say you are a former French naval officer who lost his standing after having the failures of British Halloween shoved on you. You couldn't have worked your way up the ranks this quickly using normal means, so did you manage to take control during the confusion of the war?"
"... Why do you want to know?"
"I was just asking. So what, are you being backed by the EU? They're having economic troubles of their own and they were left ruined by that war without being able to profit."
"Ridiculous. There is nothing that proves the EU is in any way connected with us."
"As I said, I'm only asking. But I get the feeling I know the truth by the fact that you spoke to defend the EU rather than Trident. And when I think about it, I can see political intent in the fact that Trident's primary area of activity was in Eastern Europe that is not a part of the EU. There must have been a connection even before you took over.... Well, that doesn't really matter, " the president said before changing the subject."To be honest, we have a difficult problem here."
"Are there really any easy problems?"
"True enough, but this one is different. The crime of declaring war on the United States is so unprecedented that I'm not even sure there is any legislation dealing with it. That means that if we arrest you, the odds of you getting thrown in prison are a complete unknown."
"..."
"And that's a problem." Roberto Katze shrugged."If we can't judge you under existing laws, we might have no choice but to deal with you simply as foreign invaders. And remember, if you cannot be judged by the law, you cannot be protected by the law either. We cover it up with the word war, but in reality it is no different from slaughtering people without a trial."
"... It's too late. Once Olay Blueshake and Saronia A. Irivika take control of the government at its core, everything will be turned around."
"Sorry, but that isn't going to happen." Roberto shrugged."Mister, I'm sure you've realized that Saronia is not a normal soldier and that she does not use normal firepower. She uses those techniques that a certain sadistic British princess (who would make a good tsundere) showed us during British Halloween and that we saw all too much of during World War III. I may not look it, but I am a high school dropout, so I leave difficult things like magic to the specialists."
"The specialists... ? You don't mean... !!"
"Mister, they may be the greatest target of your hatred, but it is still best to leave it to the specialists. I have taken the proper measures and so Saronia will soon be defeated. Once that happens, both you and Olay have no means of victory.... You don't seem to understand, so let me be very clear." Roberto spoke slowly as he stared straight into Cinesic's eyes to emphasize his absolute advantage."This is not a negotiation to see who wins and who yields. Your and Trident's defeat is a sure thing. What is on the table is how much your crimes can be reduced. So get serious about this. As things stand now, you and the rest of Trident will pay your debt by being slaughtered as a wartime enemy. Currently, Kilauea's eruption has sealed off our various advantages, but if this issue is prolonged and our forces clash once more, do you really think Trident's fifty thousand troops can defeat five million troops from the four branches of our military as well as troops from our various allies? It would pain me to simply slaughter you all without a trial... but there just isn't any legislation for this kind of situation. You need to seriously think about how you can survive this."
"So you're telling us to break our contract with Olay and quickly withdraw all our troops?"
"If that is your choice, then you should do so. I will let you assess the situation here and make your decision, but just remember that time is of the essence."
"..."
Roberto Katze took a military radio from a nearby marine and pressed it against Cinesic's chest.
Holding the radio, Cinesic thought for a bit and then sighed.
He set the frequency and brought the radio up to his mouth.
With a tone like he had given up on something he said, "To all troops deployed among the Hawaiian Islands. All other areas do not matter. It does not matter how much ground the Americans recover. All forces are to assist Saronia A. Irivika in Napali Coast of Kauai."
Roseline Krackhart's face paled when she heard his words.
Roberto Katze's face stiffened and he asked, "Are you serious, you bastard?"
"I am quite serious."
"That decision does not merely affect your own future. It affects the futures of all fifty thousand of your subordinates including the ones who are not in America."
"If you want to shoot me, do it, " Cinesic muttered as he tossed aside the radio."As long as Saronia is safe, we can turn this situation around. My target is right here and Lindy Blueshake, the tool I can use to deal with our client, has shown herself. Saronia with her occult powers and your anti-occult personnel will face off. The victor there will show us who truly needs to withdraw."
Part 15
(November 10 – Kauai – Napali Coast – From UAV Lesser Emperor #300)
Saronia A. Irivika's magic took its name from the Leshy, a Russian fairy that was said to rule the forest.
The identity of the attack was unknown, but something had paralyzed half of Kamijou's body centered on his left arm.
Saronia loosely clenched her fists and moved her thumbs up as if flicking something straight up and Kamijou rolled to the side to gain some distance.
But...
"Nothing... again? Another misfire!?"
"Chehh. They just won't hit!!"
Seeming not to care that nothing had occurred, Saronia tried to continue attacking Kamijou with her kicks. However, she was just a little too slow. Kamijou managed to effectively gain some distance and stand up.
He used his right arm to stop the foot that flew toward him like a hammer and gave voice to his speculation.
"Is it something like a mine or a trap? Is it an attack that waits for me to step into it rather than firing a bullet!?"
"I guess it was only a matter of time before you figured it out. But a mine can be used as a grenade if you get close enough to throw it."
Kamijou could see that Saronia was holding some things in her hand.
Each one was only about a millimeter across.
The identity of the sand-like objects she held was...
"Plant seeds!?"
Kamijou immediately twisted his body to the side and managed to avoid the rain of seeds that were thrown at him like a scattershot.
However...
"Too bad, " said Saronia with a sneer."Pollen is good enough to bring about the effects."
Kamijou's body fell straight down.
Unable to support his own weight, he collapsed to the ground.
It was a simple matter of prestidigitation. Saronia had openly held the seeds to draw his attention while using her other hand to undo the cord holding a small bag shut.
"Gh... gh..."
"Looks like I got your entire left side this time. I gotta say, you did put up a fight. Normally, you would have undergone multiple organ failure by just breathing it in."
The first attack when Kamijou and Kuroyoru had hidden behind the log house must have been due to pollen on the wind.
"It's a bit like a chemical weapon, so it can be pretty nasty, but it can get a little difficult to use once the trick is revealed. Then the enemy just has to maintain a position upwind of you or even produce wind themselves. That's why there are really only two ways to use it. You can either get a first attack in before the enemy has had time to analyze it or find the perfect time like I just did.... It's pretty rare for someone to get hit by both types like this."
Plant seeds.
Or pollen.
The Leshy fairy that Saronia's magic was based on was supposedly the ruler of the forest. The Leshy controlled all living things in that zone and gave or took away things in gambles. That was what Birdway had told Kamijou.
Which meant...
"So this is a penalty against someone who injures the property... of the zone... ?"
"I have no intention of giving you the answers, " said Saronia as she brought the seeds into her palm once more.
However, she may as well have given him the answer. It was most likely a punishment for those who obstructed the development of the plants. That was the base of Saronia's spell. That obstruction could be stepping on a seed or getting in the way of the pollen as it flowed through the air.
But...
"(I still don't know where the attack comes from once I step on the seed. What rules are behind it? Where does the damage come from?)"
A few images flew by in the back of Kamijou's mind.
He spoke while unable to get up.
"The ruler of the forest, hm?"
"Yes, but I'm not a forest girl."
"If you could have the animals attack me, you would have already done so."
"... Well, I'm not all powerful."
Saronia seemed to try to respond without faltering, but Kamijou noticed a slight hesitation.
Kamijou's suspicions were confirmed.
For someone who claimed to be the ruler of the forest, only having a connection to the plants was too weak. She could likely interfere with the insects and other animals in the area. As Birdway had mentioned, even if she could not directly control humans, animals with simpler brain structures like insects and reptiles were a different story.
So had Kamijou been attacked by some kind of poisonous insect?
No, he would have felt some pain if that were the case.
His only hint was...
"(In her first attack with the pollen, I was hit but Kuroyoru was not. )"
Was it because she was a cyborg? Did it have no effect on a mechanical arm?
No.
It had only been Kamijou who had taken the pollen to his left arm. Kuroyoru had been standing next to him, so she would likely been hit by the windblown pollen elsewhere. And yet no effects had shown themselves. Other than her arms and part of her upper body, Kuroyoru was no different from a normal human.
The fact that she was a cyborg should not have mattered.
Something other than that had to have made Kuroyoru Umidori a special case.
She had a portion of the #1's thought patterns artificially implanted within her.
She had inconsistencies at the instinctual level. She could not get used to standard group psychology.
As Kamijou lay on the ground, he looked back over at his unmoving left arm.
He had thought there had been a problem with the "hardware" that was his arm, but he had been wrong.
The "hardware" was being sent commands by the "software" that was his mind. That "software" was where the interference was occurring.
However, Kamijou's mind had not directly fallen under Saronia's control. If that had happened, he would have taken much more damage. It was the punishment for treading on the development of a plant. That punishment was being accomplished solely by controlling a group of insects or small animals.
Kamijou thought for a bit.
"!!"
He suddenly grabbed his cell phone with his still moving right arm and quickly pressed a few buttons.
"I thought I told you I have no intention of giving you the answers!"
Saronia let fly a kick.
The kick struck his right wrist and another one stabbed into his side after he had let go of the phone.
"Gh... gah... !!"
"Calling Birdway of the Dawn-Colored Sunlight again? Quit thinking you can just ask her anything and get an answer! Search engines really have emptied the minds of this generation."
Kamijou glanced over toward his phone which had flown a fair bit away and then looked back toward Saronia.
"This is an exclusion from the 'forest' you have created in this zone. By gathering the small, simple creatures like insects and reptiles, you can control the minds of a majority of the creatures in this area. That way, you always win in issues of majority rule. The 'forest residents' are forcibly linked by something like group psychology and this allows you to focus their malice and hostility on one point. That results in what is happening here. You can externally interfere with and distort the mind that is normally inside a person."
The penalty was the exclusion of an irregular element to maintain the stability of the society.
It was the suppression of a minority by the majority.
Saronia was the one reproducing it as an attack, but she looked surprised.
"I can see why you need to rely on that phone of yours. Group psychology only exists among humans. You were heading in the right direction with the idea of being rejected by the forest residents, though." Saronia sneered."With my spell, I first evenly maintain the minds of all living things within the specified zone. There is no distinction between human and beetle, but there is a division between those within the zone or outside of it. Only then can something like group psychology be used."
The identity of her spell was made clear.
Kamijou had the information he needed to find a way past it.
But...
"So have you figured out its weakness?" Still sneering, Saronia approached him."Even if you have, can you pull it off with the left half of your body completely paralyzed? As I said before, control of your weight is directly linked to the force behind your fist. Now that you can't brace your legs, you would need muscles on the level of a grizzly to knock someone unconscious."
"... Not necessarily."
"?"
Saronia did not even have time to raise her voice in confusion.
Kamijou Touma's body suddenly stood up from its collapsed state on the ground. It was an impossible action for a human. As if his heel was acting as a hinge, he stood up like a basement door on the floor opening.
"Wha—!?"
Saronia was utterly shocked, but then she realized what had happened.
Two slender feminine arms were wrapped around Kamijou's waist. The palms had produced something like lances made of air which had launched Kamijou's body up and forward.
As Saronia watched, the two arms smoothly wrapped around Kamijou's left leg and reinforced it like a cast.
No, it was more like a powered suit that mechanically augmented his strength.
"Mechanical... arms? So you were using the phone to—!?"
"I never said I was calling Birdway. In fact, I never said I was making a call!!"
It may have been improvised, but he now had control of his left leg.
Saronia had carelessly drawn close enough for him to plow his right fist straight into her at full strength.
That was the strike that she—that Gremlin—was so worried about.
Imagine Breaker slammed into her and a dull noise burst out.
Saronia A. Irivika's small body bent backwards.
But that was it.
She held her ground. Her lip split and a trail of blood dripped down, but she did not go down.
"I already told you!" she spat out while grabbing a large number of seeds in her right hand."Even if you can use your leg, your left arm is paralyzed, so you can't control your goddamn weight!!"
She threw the seeds at Kamijou as if scattering salt.
Taking the shower of seeds straight on, Kamijou collapsed to the ground once more. His entire body convulsed. He had no idea what expression was on his face and he could feel his blood vessels pulsating unnaturally. He could not move anything except for the part of his right arm that was past the elbow.
"... Chehh. So your organs are still functioning. I guess it really is best to get the pollen directly in the target's mouth."
"... Gh... Khah..."
Kamijou could not even breathe without focusing on it.
He moved his right arm and slowly crawled, scraping himself across the hard ground.
"You are the one who ended the war. There was one thing I wanted to ask you if I ever met you."
Kamijou now knew the details of Saronia A. Irivika's Leshy spell.
But he still had a question.
She could only use her magic after creating numerous "enclaves" linked back to her small forest in Russia. Birdway had suspected the preparation time for one of those enclaves was a few days long.
However, Saronia had only learned that Lindy Blueshake was there a half hour or so before.
Saronia would not have had time to prepare an enclave.
"Why did you end the war the way you did? The areas like Russia that were brought to ruin by the war are undergoing reconstruction, but do you know what is actually going on there?"
"Academy City and America are..."
"They are messing with other people's countries as they see fit just for fun." Saronia smiled, but it was completely devoid of joy."In exchange for all the money they are throwing around, they are interfering with the structure of the government, seizing control of infrastructure like electricity and water, and deciding who will be saved and who will not. And yet they are part of the group that pulled the trigger that started that war. They are dividing people up like oranges being packed into boxes and then throwing away the boxes they don't like the taste of."
"..."
"Even my small forest was cleared away and covered in asphalt. If I had not joined Gremlin, I would have been unable to transfer over the power that makes me a magician."
Had she started by making all of Hawaii or at least Kauai into an enclave? That was not it. If she had done that, she would have put Lindy into a trance before trying to forcibly abduct her. Even if she was up against amateurs, it would have been better to eliminate all possibility of escape or resistance.
"I know that world has ended and cannot be brought back, but we can live on even after it has ended. I want to make the preparations for that. And this life will not be something forced on us by Academy City or America."
That meant there had to be a reason.
There had to be some kind of trick that allowed her to create an enclave there without waiting for days.
"It seems Gremlin as a whole and Olay are trying to destroy the balance between science and magic by recreating the United States into a theocracy, but that is nothing more than a trivial task to me. I don't care what it is as long as it rids Russian and Europe of those who use the name of justice to profit."
"We..." Kamijou forced out his words even as it felt like his breathing would stop."We did not... end that war... for that to happen. We..."
"But that was the result."
"Then... it is my duty... to fight those who... are making you suffer in the... name of justice. There is no... need for you to... do these things... that will make the world... blame you."
"How naïve. You were only able to end that war because of all the preparations made by others. What can a mere pawn do when faced with the people who made those preparations?"
Saronia needed two things for her Leshy spell.
Plants and animals.
When Saronia possessed plants and animals that created a cycle of oxygen and carbon dioxide, she transformed that area into a "forest". In that twisted zone, she ruled over the twisted community and had assaulted Kamijou with a twisted penalty based on twisted rules.
"And you are weak. Gremlin has joined together to fight the world's victors. How is a loser who cannot even defeat a single one of us supposed to accomplish something as grand as you are proposing?"
In that case, couldn't she use a type of supplement?
Instead of using the cycle of oxygen and carbon dioxide to make an enclave out of the local plants over the course of a few days, she could bring in one of the original plants and plant it directly into the soil. That would get rid of the few days of lag. If she also opened cages holding insects and small animals already under the control of that plant, Saronia would indeed have control of the majority of the forest residents.
And as an extra hint, Kamijou Touma had seen someone bring a plant into that area.
"And so I think it is about time I sent the finishing blow to your heart."
"Saronia... !!"
"If you're going to make some idealized argument, I wish you would give some strength along with it. After all, that's what led to us getting trampled on during that war."
Harzak Lolas.
That large man who was Lindy Blueshake's guardian. Just before the attack, he had been planting a seedling. Kamijou doubted Harzak was working for Saronia, but all the flower shops or vending machines he might have stopped by to buy the seedling could have been attacked and had the seedlings switched out. That way he would have unwittingly carried out his role.
It was also true that Trident had waited until after he had finished planting the seedling to attack.
In that case, it had to be the origin of Saronia's magic.
The seedling had been planted in the small garden to the side of the log house!!
"... Ah?" said Saronia A. Irivika questioningly.
She was surprised because Kamijou was still breathing even after she had scattered countless seeds atop him.
And then she realized something.
At some point as Kamijou used only his right hand to drag himself along the ground, he had made it to the garden. And he had used that single usable part of his body to pull out the seedling that had been planted in the soft soil.
That seedling was the origin of the spell that took its name from a fairy that ruled the forest.
Normally, countless such origins would exist within the zone, but that one plant was the core due to that zone's rushed construction.
And he had pulled it out using that right hand that had an absolute effect on magic.
"Im... possible..."
"..."
Kamijou Touma slowly stood up.
His body was no longer bound by anything. All his limbs moved as he wished them to. He once more had everything necessary to put all his weight behind his fist.
Kamijou spun his right shoulder around to check on his arm and Saronia merely stood watching without attacking due to having lost her absolute trump card. She had developed her special foot techniques based on the assumption that Kamijou would be unable to control his weight due to an unusable left arm.
One had regained his trump card.
The other had lost hers.
"... Sorry, Saronia."
"Ohh..."
"I've caught up to where you stand and I can now see what you see. But if what you say is true, then you are not the one that should be risking your life in this fight."
"Oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?"
After that, primitive sounds of violence continued for a time.
Part 16
(November 10 – Kauai – Nohili Port – From a tide level monitoring camera)
Having received the report, President Roberto Katze pointed to the military radio that Cinesic Evers, the commander of Trident, had tossed aside.
"Pick it up, you bastard, " said the president.
"So Saronia A. Irivika was defeated."
"Your dream has been shattered. It's time to look at the cold, hard truth, mister."
Cinesic could have all his troops fight to take Saronia back, but it would be all over if they held her hostage. If it seemed likely Trident would actually succeed in taking her back, they would just kill her. At that point, Saronia and Olay's plan to conquer the United States would fail.
Now that Trident's crimes could no longer be cleared away, continuing the fight would be nothing more than tying a noose around his own neck. The isolation of the Hawaiian Islands due to Kilauea's eruption would not last forever.
"... What are your terms?"
"How about we start with three hundred years in clandestine detention facilities in the Arctic and Alaska, with no chance of trial. If you quickly withdraw all your troops, end this chaos, and reveal all information you have on the organization you dealt with named Gremlin, I might consider reducing your penalty.... So basically, get your troops the hell out of here and tell us everything."
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