novelMiniature Garden Within the Investigation. Area_No.23 (2)
| ← Ch.093 | Ch.095 → |
Part 5
Carissa was unmistakably Britain's second princess and also the woman who had plotted a revolution to usurp the throne.
William Orwell was a mercenary who had once conquered under the name Acqua of the Back.
And Knight Leader was the man who led one of the magical forces of England as the head of the knights.
Two of them had been imprisoned in the Tower of London on the charges of treason (Knight Leader had not been charged with a crime, but he had his own issues), but they had been temporarily released for an emergency situation.
They stood in a naval port on the northernmost edge of Scotland.
Carissa spat out some words while the sea breeze struck her cheek in the darkness of the night.
"I can't believe they brought out the princess who lost Curtana and the injured man whose insides have been churned up. England must be really shorthanded right now. Mr. Macho, will you really be any help?"
"I have of course lost my powers as a member of God's Right Seat and as a Saint. However, the methodology for freely manipulating great power still remains within me. I can parry, deflect, and otherwise handle whatever your average magician can throw at me."
"You are speaking to the second princess, you know? You certainly treat her differently from the third princess, " muttered Knight Leader in shock.
That third princess had not been informed of this personnel usage. She was usually quite gentle and obedient, but she would likely come along while carrying a giant crossbow if she knew William was heading to the battlefield with his severe wounds still unhealed.
That sheltered girl (or rather, princess) had gained a desire to take action during a certain incident, but it had a way of working out for the better or for the worse depending on the situation.
And if the third princess took into consideration that the young second princess would be together with William the mercenary, the target of her crossbow might change considerably. That was another reason to keep her in the dark.
"How many of the mobile fortresses can we use?"
"The recently commissioned Queen Mermaid and Hotel Ariel for sure. It might be difficult to get Fly in the Heavens ready in time. The others are either in for maintenance or needed to maintain a military balance elsewhere."
"But World War Three is over..."
"The ones that were not ready in time for the war are just now being completed. We had hoped to retire them without ever once using them as a sign of peace, but oh well."
The fact that such large-scale mobile fortresses were being prepared suggested a certain fact.
Namely, they had had a decent guess as to Sargasso's location from the beginning.
While the mobile fortresses could move quickly across the sea and through the air, they could only be deployed instantly within a certain range. Carissa, William, and Knight Leader were making preparations under the assumption that the enemy base would be located within that range.
"The North Sea or the sea near Iceland, hm?"
"Do you know what month it is? If we're unlucky, we'll have to head into the Arctic. A naval battle at this time of year should be exciting. The cold of winter is a great enemy that has frozen even tanks. Check the weather forecast down to the minute. Taking the weather lightly will lead to nothing good."
"If Gremlin is staying in such an extreme environment, does the location hold some special meaning?"
Knight Leader was a member of adult society, so he spoke differently depending on if he was speaking to his old friend William or the second princess.
"The reports we have received make it clear they are based in Norse mythology. However, the spread of Christianity destroyed most of the documents on Norse mythology throughout Europe.... And the name of their base is Sargasso. There may be a spot in the ocean where fragments and ruins of ships have gathered after floating aimlessly for hundreds of years. There may be more documents remaining on the ocean than on land where they have been destroyed by fire or acid rain."
And it was not just those three who thought Sargasso was in the North Sea or the sea near Iceland.
Otherwise, Knight Leader would never have been removed as the Queen Regnant's bodyguard in New York. Elizard was not narrow-minded enough to let a grudge from the past affect others. In fact, Carissa and William were only imprisoned in the Tower of London because they had refused her amnesty and entered the cells on their own.
There was a job more important than protecting the queen while she visited another country.
Knight Leader stood here now because Elizard had made that decision.
And it had likely been more than just Elizard. Anyone belonging to a group familiar with magic would have guessed at the same place before the investigation even began. No one had said anything, but a large number of magicians were waiting for the signal to attack while in the cities bordering the northern seas of the EU.
And then a cell phone rang.
It was Knight Leader's.
As the young man answered, Second Princess Carissa gave him a sidelong glance and spat out some more words.
"It looks like we won't get to use Fly in the Heavens. We'll have to use Queen Mermaid and Hotel Ariel to their fullest.... Let's make them regret ever trying something like this right in front of us."
Part 6
The misunderstanding had been resolved.
It had to have been resolved.
(Please let it be resolved!!)
Kamijou could only hope, but for some reason, Index, Misaka Mikoto, and Birdway disturbingly gave him an oddly kind smile and unconditionally agreed with him like yes-men.
"I don't want to be here anymore, " muttered Kamijou blankly.
The group only replied kindly once more. Birdway and Lessar stopped choosing swimsuits without purchasing anything and led Kamijou out of the store.
Lessar understood the truth, but her ability to think properly had been destroyed by the sense of defeat from having him so splendidly escape her erotic trap.
For the moment, they had decided to calm down and find somewhere to drink tea, so they were searching for a café.
However, this was surprisingly difficult. It was not that they could not find a café in the airport shopping mall. The problem was the great number of them. Kamijou felt putting over 1000 stores in the same building had been overkill. There were too many redundant stores.
It was often said that humans had trouble choosing when there were too many options. Index's revolutionary idea of going around to all of them and ordering coffee and sandwiches at each one had been immediately rejected.
Kamijou and Lessar were useless now that their spirits had been broken, so the uproar over which café to go to was mostly between Misaka Mikoto and Birdway. They each seemed oddly picky about it (and mostly in a negative way). Having a single high-class girl with you was convenient and added some beauty, but this scene proved that gathering more than one together was never a good idea.
While Kamijou's soul was partially detached from his body in search of an escape path, a girl's voice called out to him from behind.
"Hm? Oh, that guy over there is... Kamijou Touma was it? What are you doing here instead of at school?"
It was a maid with an outfit eccentrically colored in the yellow and black of a bee.
Technically, she was only a maid in training. She was a student at Ryouran Maid School.
Her name was Kumokawa Maria.
"Touma has won over another girl I didn't know about!!"
"What do you do to know so many girls!?"
"I do not know who she is, but perhaps I should study your unstoppable skill at creating connections between people. It could be useful for the cabal."
"Heh... heh heh. First you escape my sex appeal and then you treat me like this? I need to study more to make sure I am not lost within the crowd."
Everyone except for Kamijou and the calico cat exchanged a glance. The look said, "What? Do none of you know this girl?"
A lot of what had happened in Baggage City had occurred in something like a black box.
Meanwhile, Kamijou began speaking with this potential maid who had wonderful black ringlet curls.
(Oh, it's almost heavenly to have a friend who hasn't made any strange misunderstandings. )
"Why aren't you at school? Aren't you a middle school student?"
"I am in the middle of some on-site training. I have to use different languages to guide foreign businessmen. And with a smile so they do not find me suspicious or annoying. I wish the EU would standardize its language like it did its currency."
It was obvious Kamijou could not keep up with this, so Mikoto shrugged and spoke.
"She needs to learn how to actually speak the language rather than just read the textbook. The etiquette and position one takes with a guest changes subtly between countries, so the ability to instantly determine that kind of thing is needed to handle visits from unexpected guests. An international airport and a world-famous amusement park naturally gather people from different races, so they are decent training grounds for languages."
"Unlike the amusement park in District 6, everyone is walking around restlessly in the airport. Not many people give off a welcoming aura. It's important to know how to skillfully interrupt, have them stop, and speak with them while not making them feel uncomfortable."
"Um... Do you do this too, Misaka?"
"None of my excursions have been this involved."
Mikoto's words of denial felt like a sort of salvation to Kamijou.
After all, he was the only one who only knew his native language. And yet he was obviously the oldest one! He had felt the common knowledge below his feet warping as he grew uneasy and wondered, "Wait... Am I the wrong one here?"
And then Mikoto said something else as if it was completely normal.
"It was a lot easier at my school. Everyone drew a card with a foreign language written on it and we had to speak that language for the rest of the day. I would have to speak English while listening to French, so it was some nice mental exercise. And all the voices around me were speaking in different languages."
Kamijou Touma thought silently.
He decided giving up was not something to be ashamed of.
"That does not sound like something middle schoolers should be doing. I do think it's a problem that I only know Japanese, though."
"Wait a second. Then how did you get to Baggage City in Eastern Europe?"
A lot had happened in the world.
Whether in France during riots, England during a coup d'etat, or the snowy plains of Russia during the intense battles of World War Three, Kamijou Touma's rare skill allowed him to charge through with nothing but Japanese. He was on the same level as an old woman who spoke the Kansai dialect.
"How have things been since then? You don't seem to be suffering from any odd aftereffects."
"No. My heart was stopped, but it didn't leave any kind of arrhythmia. Oh, and I'm email friends with that mixed martial artist. That ninja disappeared somewhere, so I don't know about her. But she wasn't the type to die easily."
"?"
Kamijou frowned.
He did not fully understand the circumstances surrounding Baggage City.
"I'm still not satisfied with what happened to my teacher... to Kihara Kagun. I was sure he had completely died back then, but then that eyepatch girl arrived. She did something to him and he stood back up. But unlike us, it didn't look like his stopped heart had started again. Anyone would have said he was dead."
"Kihara Kagun..."
Kamijou did not know much about him either.
He only knew he was one of the people he had not saved at Baggage City.
And due to what he had left behind, he had indirectly given Kamijou the first step toward rescuing Fräulein Kreutune.
He had left behind several backdoors while working as a researcher in Academy City, he had fled from the city, and he had been closely related to the lightning god Thor of Gremlin. That put him in at least as rare a position as Tsuchimikado Motoharu. And that was the very least. It was possible he had lived somewhere even deeper. That was a world Kamijou could not even imagine. He actually felt guilty for casually wanting to know more.
"Who was that eyepatch girl?" asked Kumokawa Maria."While in Baggage City I saw those people who were not from Academy City, but she did not simply seem the same as them. The sword that brown girl had wasn't normal either, but I could not even comprehend the fear I had for that eyepatch girl. What kind of creature is that girl who took away my teacher? Where does someone like that stand?"
She was a magic god.
She was Othinus.
And Kamijou himself had experienced a portion of her power in Baggage City. It had not simply been a case of being able to do nothing. It had not simply been a case of being defeated the instant the battle began. She was in a completely different dimension.
He was left wondering when the battle had even started.
And without even knowing that, a decisive final line had been crossed. As if it had been left behind by something, a hopeless sense of defeat had arrived a moment later. That strange feeling was all there was. Even after his defeat, he was left with nothing but mysteries and questions.
Kamijou had suffered defeat at the hands of a few different monsters in the past, but none of those defeats had been that overwhelming. He had not been told the rules, what the stage was, or what the time limit was. The next thing he had known, it was already over.
That was the kind of competition it was.
What kind of creature was a magic god? In what world did a magic god stand? It was as if he had been told someone who did not know those fundamental facts could not even take part in the fight.
If Kamijou Touma was thrown in front of Othinus once more, what could he do? He was not sure he could do anything. He could find no factor that made him think he could manage with his right hand that could negate anything.
However...
"We will know before long."
"?"
"We will know. I don't know how dangerous a monster she is, but we will finish this. And once that happens, you might be able to meet Kihara Kagun once more."
"You mean-... ?"
Kumokawa Maria began to ask a further question.
But then Birdway's cell phone rang. That elegant magic cabal boss did not hold her phone in one hand and move to an abandoned area. She raised her index finger to silence everyone there and boldly answered the phone amid them all.
"Okay, got it."
It was a short conversation.
The next thing she said was addressing those around her rather than the phone.
"It's time. We finally have our cue."
Part 7
A certain simple cabin was made from a number of logs.
However, not even a single breeze was allowed within that space and the kind heat from the fireplace evenly filled the air. A space was not defined by the monetary value of the furniture and other items within it. It would contain what the person who arranged it saw value in. That obvious fact was driven into this room with tremendous force.
The softness of a sunbeam coming in through the window seemed far more elegant than a gaudy furnishing made of pure gold.
One room contained a few chairs and a wooden table that looked like a cross between a piece of furniture and a camping supply. Sitting at the table was a blonde woman wearing a thick work jacket, thick work pants, and a work apron. On her blonde head, she wore large goggles meant to protect factory workers' eyes.
Her name was Silvia.
She was one of the fewer than twenty Saints in the world. She was also one of the most skilled of the royal maids that looked after and protected the British Royal Family. Everything she wore was unrefined and would only bring the word "austere" to mind, but the way Silvia wore them, they somehow produced the silhouette of a delicate maid. This was due to her occupation and her natural disposition.
Another woman spoke to her.
The woman speaking to Silvia was named Brunhild Eiktobel.
"You could pretty much call this the last supper, so why is the table covered in sandwiches? I would also like to ask about the simple water filling this glass."
"When in a country and region where you can drink water fresh from a spring, it is sacrilege to boil it and steep tea in it. In fact, most of the world sees delicious water as a luxury. This is similar to how the truly top-class fish is only eaten by fishermen. I won't insist you tell the difference in taste, but at least give it some thought before complaining."
"I find it difficult to be thankful for something with no flavor."
"So if I filled your glass with salt, would you give it perfect marks?"
Brunhild was a Saint as well, but she also had the unique characteristics of a Valkyrie which drew out special Norse power. However, the two powers did not work well together, so they would alternately strengthen and weaken on a fixed cycle like the waxing and waning of the moon. During the worst time, the powers cancelled each other out, leaving her no different from a normal human.
She had long, wavy blonde hair and she wore a dress with denim pants worn under the short skirt. Over that, she wore a bulletproof jacket, supporters to protect her knees and elbows, and a feathered hat. Altogether, her outfit used modern materials to produce the silhouette of a legendary warrior maiden.
The joints of the chair held together by nails creaked under Brunhild's weight.
"Have you received word yet?"
"I already passed the message along."
"Then we do not need to wait around any longer."
"Yes, it's about time we began the destruction."
After that short exchange, Silvia took a single sip of the chilled water in her glass.
Brunhild grabbed two or three of the sandwiches containing various contents, lifted them up as if crushing them in her grip, and put them all in her mouth at once.
She then asked, "May I ask a question?"
"You're surprisingly talkative. I thought you would be more silent and harder to deal with."
"Are the picture books scattered across the table part of standard British hospitality?" she asked while licking her thumb.
Among the books on the table were Peter Pan, the Golden Axe, and Snow White. The collection had no obvious connection such as all being from Grimm, Andersen, or Aesop. The only possible connection was that they all contained fairies or characters that could be interpreted as being fairies. They were likely meant for children as they were thin books with few pages, but the parchment used for the covers exuded a kind of tension that made even Brunhild hesitant to touch them. It may have been similar to how a stuffed bear was cute, but seeing one floating in a ditch filled with rushing water made one think something terrible had happened.
"They are a trump card, " spat out Silvia casually."A trump card against the magic god."
"I see."
Brunhild did not press further.
She had not known them for long, but when Silvia and "those not currently there" said they had an idea, it was difficult for a normal person to understand yet tended to be constructed so as to always achieve results. There was no need to ask for details to understand it.
"The preparations are complete and the time has come. Is there any reason to stay here any longer?" asked Brunhild instead.
"No."
And with that, the two women stood up from their chairs.
The mass of metal Brunhild called a sword was lying on the ground, so she kicked it up and caught it in one hand. Silvia gathered what looked like a bundle of laundry rope in both hands.
They opened the door of that simple log cabin.
The wind roared as it blew in.
They abandoned that log cabin more easily than a cheap tent as they headed for the battlefield.
Part 8
The North Sea could most simply be described as the ocean between England and Norway. It was near the Arctic, so no one would want to throw themselves into that dark nighttime ocean during November. This was one of the places one could call the "garden" of the Vikings who had once conquered the Arctic by ship. For that reason, there could easily be a pile of documents in the ruins of ships that contained the Norse knowledge that had been lost in the storm of Christian conversion.
Sargasso.
There were said to be tens or even hundreds of them throughout the world, but the exact number was not known. Here was one of those twisted islands that could be said to be both manmade and natural.
A large number of military rubber boats approached it.
The main members of the group were Second Princess Carissa, William Orwell the mercenary, and Knight Leader. This was an allied anti-Gremlin force mostly made up of British forces.
Carissa wore a showy red dress and she brought an unrefined radio up to her mouth as the quickly moving boat rocked beneath her.
"Gentlemen, it looks like America and Russia will be a little late. They will enter as the second wave of the attack just as I explained before. You know what we must do, right?"
"We must take all glory for ourselves before they arrive."
"Good. This pile of trash isn't on any map, so let's blow it away to make reality match!!"
While the North Sea was a former "garden" of the Vikings, it had another important role as well.
It was a large-scale offshore oil field.
The towering shadows of cranes could be seen here and there in the white fog covering the ocean. Red lights blinked at fixed intervals at the ends of those cranes.
England owned half of the offshore oil platforms in the North Sea.
Carissa and the others had used the heliport on one of those oil platforms to arrive by air and then continued toward Sargasso by boat.
William Orwell spoke from within the same boat.
"When will that right arm boy get here?"
"He should make it in time for the second wave. Academy City's supersonic planes can travel around the world in just a few hours. He might even arrive before the normal forces from America and Russia."
Many mysteries still remained concerning Magic God Othinus, so that boy's rule-breaking right arm was needed to destroy the equipment used to produce the lance. However, he was not needed for anything else. They could raze Sargasso and then have that right arm boy dropped from the supersonic plane like a bomb.
Several dozen military boats travelled through the cold ocean water while almost skipping along the surface.
Something like a giant mountain became visible through the white fog.
At the same time, they all heard the low noise of something tearing through the air above their heads.
Carissa spoke into her radio.
"Don't hit the oil platforms."
Immediately afterwards, several aerial bombs were let loose at an altitude of 10, 000 meters. They mercilessly exploded above Sargasso.
These were known as fuel-air bombs.
A special combustible substance packed in a metal case was chemically made to expand, turned into an aerosol, scattered over an effective range of several hundred meters, and ignited. This allowed the weapon to cover a broad area in flames and explosive pressure. It was classified as a normal weapon that did not use nuclear technology, but it was rumored to have the destructive power to produce a mushroom cloud if used on a large enough scale.
In this case, a parent metal case produced several dozen child cases, each child case produced several dozen grandchild cases, and those finally scattered and detonated great amounts of the combustible material at just several dozen meters above the surface.
The darkness of the night was blown away.
A flood of light, heat, and noise filled that small world.
And it did not end after that single bomb.
There were five, six, seven... By the end, thirteen such bombs had been dropped on that same location.
Even if a mushroom cloud had been produced, no one would have been able to see it. The explosions swallowed up the other explosions and that worthless scenery spread as far as the eye could see.
"Silver Bullet A here. Every grape jelly we dropped hit. We will begin dropping the Mont Blancs."
"Good. We will move in close while you do so."
"Remember to check for toxic gas when you land. It is possible the high temperatures caused a chemical reaction in the ruins of those ships."
A few more explosions occurred.
This time, the blast was used to drive thousands or even tens of thousands of sharp metal stakes downwards. That was why the weapon's nickname was a chestnut dessert.
"Your methods never change, " said William without moving his eyebrows in the slightest."The incident you caused in England is well known around the world. Gremlin may have analyzed your methods."
"If you remove all the waste and search for the optimal usage of your weapons, everyone will ultimately arrive at the same place. What a military run by a nation needs is an attack method that is impossible to avoid even if you know it's coming."
As that downpour of deadly weapons fell on Sargasso, the group of military boats continued toward it. Carissa was not optimistic enough to think that bombing was enough to kill all the members of Gremlin. But whether they were a magician or a magic god, they still had the physical body of a human. They would have to use a good amount of their magical power on defense to push back that storm.
Carissa and the others would attack Gremlin's flank while they were wholly focused on defending from the front.
That way, they could exterminate Gremlin before they could use their many strange spells.
The young British soldier operating the boat's engine gave a report to Carissa.
"No toxic substances were detected. We do not need masks!"
"Good. Let's accept the invitation to this home party. Ladies and gentlemen, let's remain sensible, mind our manners, put on a gentle smile, and use plenty of flowery speech while we eat all the food prepared on the table!!"
Even as their boats approached the coast, they did not slow down.
They crashed up onto Sargasso all at once like a large killer whale hunting seals on the beach.
Everything was dyed black.
No toxic gas had been detected, but Carissa's shapely nose detected the stench of melted plastic.
"Oh?"
She heard a voice.
It was an elderly voice.
Carissa and the others looked up toward a tanker sticking up diagonally across Sargasso. On the front of the tanker stood an old soldier holding a cane and wearing a silk hat and tailcoat.
He looked like an illusionist or a stage performer.
That impression was emphasized by the complete lack of hostility or malice he gave off even as he faced those who meant to kill him.
However, that did not mean he was not a threat.
It was the exact opposite. Someone with no hostility and someone able to completely hide their hostility appeared the same on the outside, but were completely different on the inside.
"I did not think this island was on any map. Did you ask the local fishermen perhaps? You certainly have grown soft if you are willing to entrust your life to the rumors spreading through the city."
He spoke politely enough, but he had a mocking smile on his lips.
Carissa ignored his light comment.
The second princess spoke quietly with the head of the knights and the top mercenary on either side of her.
"Who is he?"
"You may call me Loki. Lady Othinus gave me the task of protecting this place with my-..."
To repeat: Carissa ignored the old man. She ignored him from beginning to end.
A flying blade similar to a giant arrowhead stabbed directly into the center of the old man's neck and pierced through.
This happened an instant after the second princess raised a hand.
Robin Hood.
This was an Anglican spiritual item. It was a magical arrow accurately guided by the knights' spell. It dealt enough damage to take Loki's life in a single blow. The spells of the knights who protected an entire nation had evolved in a different direction from the average magicians who aimed to stand at the top as individuals. On the assumption that an excellent statesman would manage its use, all ideologies were stripped away. Their techniques were simply made to be powerful, to be easy to use, and to assuredly kill their enemy.
They would not know how heir enemy planned to evade or defend, but they would attack head on to crush that enemy's armor and smash their shield. They would not hesitate to stab their blades into the soft flesh beyond.
And...
They would take that enemy's life.
"Gh... bh?"
Loki tried to say something, but Carissa continued to ignore him.
She spoke to the men behind her rather than to her enemy.
"Continue on and eliminate everything that moves."
The fully armed and armored knights moved in an organized manner throughout Sargasso. The old man fell from the tip of the tanker sticking up diagonally and slammed into the ground, but no one bothered to watch.
And then...
Carissa, Knight Leader, and William began walking past Loki who was just a corpse on the battlefield.
But they heard a small noise.
It sounded like the clattering of a window during a stormy night.
The noise continued and refused to stop.
"Cough cough cough cough cough... Well done, second princess of the country of knights. I cannot assess your performance any other way."
The stench of rusty iron quickly spread out.
As he lay on the ground, Loki tried to forcefully pull out the Robin Hood projectile that had pierced through both his windpipe and his spine. It was a rough action that did not look like an attempt to heal himself or prolong his life. Instead, it looked like he was removing it so he could speak more easily.
Carissa did not look down.
She faced forward and spoke to the old man for the first time.
"Do you want to suffer as you die?"
"Loki spreads chaos through both the gods and their enemies to guide the entire world toward the final battle. He is a character who could be called the source of malice."
The old man smiled despite having received a wound so fatal that it was hard to tell if his voice was coming from his mouth or the dark red hole in his throat.
"But at the same time, Loki is not an all-powerful lord of evil. Even in the legends, he is captured and harshly scolded by the gods whenever he spreads chaos. Sometimes he cries, sometimes he fails, and ultimately he is bound to a giant stone and eternally tortured until the beginning of world's end.... In other words, the trend of the situation has no bearing on my strength or weakness. It has no bearing on my victory or defeat."
They heard a noise.
It sounded like countless insects flying around by their ears.
"Wait. Don't tell me..."
"My victory was assured from the moment you set foot here."
The noise grew.
And grew.
And grew.
"As the bearer of the name Loki, it is my style to deceive both my enemies and my allies. Lady Othinus said it was unnecessary, but I still maliciously doubted every single member of Gremlin! I gave thorough thought to what a supposed traitor would need to determine the location of the true Sargasso. The answer I arrived at was the signs in the sky such as the stars, the moon, and the sun. So what if I had a spell that could encase all of Sargasso in a dome and display false stars like a planetarium? And with enough precision to fool both this enemy and my allies! What if I took such a selfish action that could even affect my allies' ceremonies!?"
As the sound of wings grew ever louder, the old man's body began to disappear.
And it finally vanished altogether.
It dissolved into the fog as if nothing had ever been there at all.
Only his voice remained.
"The Territory of Víðópnir may have cracked my bonds with my comrades, but it has proven my theory correct and given me certain victory!! I even altered Marian's memo pad! Now, you sublime supervisors of war who have challenged Gremlin head on, be struck down by the malice of someone as lowly as I!!"
All that remained at Carissa's feet was a bloody doll the size of a human palm that appeared to have been cut from a large wooden board.
Carissa stepped on the Robin Hood stabbing into its neck to completely destroy the wooden board.
At the same time, a magical transmission arrived from the knights.
"I have a report. Teams A through F have found no trace of the magic god or the production of the lance. I repeat: we have found no trace of them! This Sargasso is completely empty!!"
"So we picked the wrong target. All men, do not even think about escape. We don't have time!! Focus all your power on defense, so you can outlast the-... !!"
Before she finished speaking, something else happened.
Sargasso was swallowed up by an explosion and disappeared from the planet.
Part 9
"What... ?"
The presidential aide Roseline Krackhart frowned within one room of New York's UN headquarters building. She glanced over at Queen Regnant Elizard without thinking.
"What do you mean?"
The nun Orsola Aquinas was providing support with information organization and analysis in London's national library. When she received the report, she exchanged a glance with Sherry Cromwell, the brown magician who specialized in using a golem.
"Wait..."
In Academy City's District 23 international airport, Leivinia Birdway initially thought she had misheard. But the subordinate she was speaking with over the phone, Mark Space, repeated the exact same words.
"We received a second report. The spy noticed a trap set by the enemy and corrected the information. The real Sargasso that Gremlin is using as their headquarters is located..."
The background noise was loud.
A violent impulse rose within Birdway's chest that made her want to fry every single thing that could produce noise.
But that was nothing more than her impatience and tension rising to the surface.
Her subordinate continued speaking.
"... in Japan. It is almost in the very center of Tokyo Bay!! They are already on the move!!"
Part 10
"This is no joke, " muttered Birdway as if spitting out the words. Her voice quickly grew louder."This is no joke, dammit!! It had nothing at all to do with the layout of the ley lines or the historical foundation of the location? Damn Gremlin!! Was freeing themselves of those locational conditions part of their preparations around the world!?"
"Hey, Birdway, what's going on?"
Unsurprisingly, Kamijou and the others had not heard everything said to Birdway over the phone.
"The-..."
Just as Birdway started speaking, something else happened.
They felt a low rumbling in the earth.
Small objects floated down from the ceiling. They were pieces of various materials that had scraped off.
"What?" Kamijou looked up."That was distant. It sounded like thunder, but... was that an explosion? To hear it this far away, how big was it?"
"This is no time to be worrying about that, " said Birdway quickly."They placed their Sargasso base in Tokyo Bay near Academy City!! Academy City has given no official opinion on the destruction of Gremlin. They aren't part of the international conference in New York! Units have been sent out to places all over the world in preparation, but the area around Academy City is the one place where the usual military balance won't work. After all, this one city caused a world war! Gremlin is using that fact!!"
"Wait... Hold up..."
"From that commotion just now, I assume Gremlin has learned the investigation is over. And to deal with it, they've started an attack of their own! I don't know if this is a preemptive strike out of fear of Academy City's military might or if they're targeting your right hand!!"
"Wait a second, Birdway!! Tokyo Bay? Gremlin's in Tokyo Bay!? But that's a terrible place for them to be... With Gremlin in the bay and Academy City to the west, the primary battlefield between the two of them will be... !!"
"That's right."
Even Birdway was showing some panic.
Even so, she spoke clearly.
"The battlefield today will be Japan's capital of Tokyo. And it will be the 23 special wards at the heart of the city where most of the administrative agencies are!!"
Kamijou felt faint.
This was insane.
Gremlin had placed their base right next to Academy City. If they launched an all-out attack on Academy City, the city would not remain silent. They would do whatever they could to set up a defensive line in the center of Tokyo. If that happened, the two forces could end up mercilessly clashing throughout Tokyo. It would be Baggage City all over again. And this time, it would be in the capital of a nation, even if Academy City tended to overshadow it. Kamijou could not even guess how far the effects would spread if the city was paralyzed by a battle that made one want to cover one's eyes.
But this was no time to be standing around in shock.
No matter how they spent their time, the crisis would arrive just as soon.
Birdway struck Kamijou's back and shouted at him.
"We need to get to the supersonic passenger plane. Pass through the employee gate and get to the electronic cart!!"
"We're going to run away!? Even though we know blood is going to be shed here!?"
"The only way to stop this is sinking Gremlin with a swift attack before the two forces collide! And right now, the only way to stop the production of the lance is with your right hand! We need to get to Sargasso no matter what. We can jump out of the plane with a parachute if we need to!! You need to assume each decision you make here could lead to a capital city's... no, an entire nation's destruction!!"
"Dammit..."
He did not even have time to worry about Index, Mikoto, or the others.
He did not know how exactly Gremlin would attack. Depending on the route they chose, a large-scale battle could occur right next to the part of the city his parents had moved to.
"Where the hell is the employee gate!?"
He started running through the airport.
Even if they did not know what exactly was happening, a slight commotion had started running through the airport. The electronic displays were saying all flights had been cancelled due to an emergency. At first Kamijou thought a lot of foreign businessmen were rushing toward the airline reception counters, but it turned out that was not the only place people were headed. An announcement began cycling through different languages.
After a few loops, Kamijou finally heard the Japanese announcement as he ran.
"Please head to the special shelters. Halls A3, E4, F2, and H3 have underground shelters large enough for 2000 people each. For information on the situation, please check the displays throughout the airport or the official site. Please get to a shelter that has room left."
District 23 had the city's aerospace development facilities contained within it. In addition to the terrorist countermeasures common to all international airports, this one had airtight underground shelters in case rocket fuel containing toxic components leaked out.
However, this was the first time Kamijou had ever heard this announcement.
The announcement sounded gentle and calm at first, but that hinted that the situation was actually quite out of the ordinary.
(Damn. The atmosphere has grown tense. )
Kamijou grimaced as he ran in the opposite direction of the flow of people.
(Do I really have to smell this stench here? This dangerous stench!! Can wars really start this easily? I thought this was only supposed to happen when someone made a decisive mistake as they steered history!)
"Wait! Wait up, you!!"
He heard a loud voice.
He turned around while still running to see Misaka Mikoto behind him.
"Tokyo is going to be a battlefield? Like in Hawaii!? You have to be kidding. Please tell me you're kidding!!"
"I don't know what's going on either!! But you can tell things are bad from the smell, right!?"
"My mama lives there! I need something more concrete than that!!"
Kamijou clenched his teeth.
And he spoke.
"Come with me! That's better than just watching, right!?"
Index ran up behind him as well.
That white nun holding a calico cat looked indignant.
"Touma! Why aren't you relying on a magic expert when you're about to fight a group of magicians!?"
"... Fine!!"
He did not have time for these questions.
If it came down to it, he could have just him and Mikoto parachute down when they passed over Sargasso in the supersonic plane. This was not the time to get bogged down in an argument.
"Where's the employee gate anyway!?"
"Did you just start running without thinking!?"
Part 11
Kumokawa Maria thought over the conversation she had heard just before the situation began to move.
(Gremlin. )
She felt overwhelmingly more fear toward that organization than she did hostility. She wanted to keep her run-ins with them to a minimum. After that one incident, she simply never wanted to see them again.
Bersi.
Kihara Kagun.
Kumokawa Maria understood that teacher of hers was already dead. She had accepted that. The problem was that the eyepatch-wearing girl who called herself Othinus was controlling Kihara Kagun's supposedly dead body.
She would not have done so for no reason or with no need.
That eyepatch-wearing girl did not seem as violently emotional as the brown girl Kumokawa Maria had once met in Baggage City.
She would use someone because they were useful.
She would ensure she had something because she could use it in her plan.
In that case, why had she done that?
(His life should have ended there. No one would ever accept it, but that had to be the best end for him! Yet... Yet... !! She's using his empty shell to do something? That oppression could twist what kind of person he truly was!!)
She would take him back.
She had been unable to rescue the human named Kihara Kagun, but she could not let her teacher's honor be disgraced any further.
And so she set her sights on retrieving that teacher's body no matter how frightening an opponent it put her up against.
The thin thread she needed to do that lay before her eyes.
That thread was Kamijou Touma.
This meant she would cross paths with those monsters from Gremlin once more. It had been a miracle that she survived in Baggage City. It could be even worse this time. She might not come back alive.
(I will do this. )
But Kumokawa Maria could not stop.
(I will do this!! If I overlook this chance, I will live a life of regret, so I need to focus my entire life here. I will make sure I am decisively rejected and then give up! I will bring an end to everything related to him!!)
Part 12
They could not even spare the time for a detailed explanation.
Kamijou and the others jumped over the employee gate like it was a hurdle and ran down the narrow passageway while ignoring the cries of the airport employees. They threw open an oddly thick stainless steel door and jumped into the electronic cart waiting there.
Birdway and Lessar must have used a shorter route because they were already aboard.
But something else happened before the cart could move toward the supersonic passenger plane on the runway.
"Wait!!"
It was Kumokawa Maria.
Instead of using the cart's door, she practically climbed in through the window to force herself inside.
"I'm going, too. I've already made up my mind, so you can't talk me out of it!! I'll do anything, so please take me with you to where Gremlin is!!"
"Gnyaaah!? She managed to casually climb on the lap of my target, Kamijou Touma. Such exquisite negotiation skills. And she's also a maid that managed to slip in the fact that she will do 'anything'!? I-I may have been mistaken about who my greatest rival is!!"
Lessar raised her voice in confusion, but Kumokawa Maria did not seem to be listening.
"From what I heard, it seems Gremlin's base is in Tokyo Bay. In that case, I don't need my passport. Adding on a last-minute passenger shouldn't be a problem!!"
"N-no, wait! There's still the hurdle of leaving Academy City without permission!"
"All of you are slipping past that restriction, so that means there's a loophole here, right?"
"We don't have time to argue, " cut in Birdway."We can easily take someone with a death wish to the battlefield. What matters right now is getting Kamijou Touma out of Academy City! If Gremlin's primary objective is Imagine Breaker rather than Academy City, then we can draw their aim away. That might prevent the two forces from entering into direct conflict!!"
Birdway tapped on the driver's seat headrest and the driver set off. The electronic cart produced no engine noise and moved surprisingly smoothly toward the unique silhouette of a supersonic passenger plane.
It was a civilian craft that used bomber technology.
And since it would now be carrying what firepower they had (i. e. Kamijou Touma), its role was not much different.
"It looks like the engine has already been warmed up. Get on! We'll take off in five minutes!!"
Urged on by Birdway, Kamijou and the others climbed up the stairs and into the plane. The plane lurched before they had even sat in their seats properly, much less fastened their seatbelts. That would have been bad enough in a normal airplane, but this supersonic plane could fly at 7000 kph. They could easily be freed from the bonds of gravity while in a narrow tunnel-like space.
"Sorry about asking you to do this, " said Kumokawa Maria just before they took off."But I just couldn't let go of this last connection to my old teacher. This might be the point where my life switches over to another set of rails. So... !!"
"It's fine."
Kamijou did not know the details of the situation.
But he did not think that was a major issue.
It was rare for someone to truly understand the situation another person was in.
She wanted to accomplish something for the sake of someone else. Kamijou had met several people with similar feelings hidden within them. Kumokawa Maria had the same light in her eyes.
"I've lived my life so far by doing the same thing. It's nothing admirable, though. The place you think you are is not as much of a dead end as you think it is."
"Y-your panties are striped yellow and black, too!! You're too shocking! Your seat is over here!!"
Lessar dragged Kumokawa Maria away, but they truly took off before she managed to sit down.
Kamijou frantically spoke up because he was familiar with the world of 7000 kph.
"H-hey! Hurry up and fasten your seatbelts! Just grabbing on with your hands isn't enough!"
"You're still focusing on that bee girl!? Are you trying to turn me into a jealousy character!?"
Hearing that, Mikoto covered her face with one hand.
"Bee girl? That reminds me of her. [1] No, I can't have her showing up here..."
The sense of acceleration pressing against their gut grew.
The supersonic passenger plane left the international airport's runway and glided nicely up into the air. By the time Kamijou looked at the scenery outside the window, thinking they would be outside Academy City soon, the cityscape below had already greatly changed.
They were no longer in Academy City.
He was seeing the scenery of Shinjuku or somewhere similar.
At this rate, he thought they might arrive at the Sargasso on Tokyo Bay before reaching 7000 kph.
But he was being naïve.
With a great roar, some kind of giant monster flew alongside the plane outside the window.
"..................................................................................................................................................................... Wha-?"
He did not have time to voice his question or give a warning.
The creature was the size of the passenger plane and it looked like a lizard with bat wings added on. Its entire silhouette appeared to be formed from massive amounts of red thread.
However, one would never find this creature in an animal encyclopedia.
In picture books, it may have been called a dragon.
A giant eyeball with a vertical, snake-like pupil rolled in the creature's head and looked at Kamijou Touma through the window.
It did not breathe fire.
Instead, it gave a large flap of its giant wings.
In an instant, that crystallization of cutting-edge technology was mercilessly sliced in half.
Kamijou Touma, Index, Misaka Mikoto, Leivinia Birdway, Lessar, Kumokawa Maria, the calico cat Sphinx, and the pilot were all mercilessly thrown out into empty air.
The plane may not have made it to its proper altitude yet, but they were still three hundred meters up.
And they fell toward the center of Tokyo.
Between the Lines 2
The power of Academy City's #2 Level 5 was known as Dark Matter.
No matter where the essence of that power or the primary personality ruling it may have been at the moment, "he" was undoubtedly the one who had first brought that #2 power into the world.
His name was Kakine Teitoku.
He was currently known as an empty husk because he was nothing but a collection of a few organs including his brain.
"Bhah!!"
Those few organs began unnaturally wriggling like a worm as if an invisible hand had grabbed a bag filled with water. A pure white and sticky substance gathered around those organs. Details began to form and pale color appeared on the surface. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into something that could not be distinguished from a beautiful human boy.
"Ghahhh... Cough cough! Cough!!"
The sea breeze stung at his nose.
The merciless chilly air stabbed at his exposed skin.
He was lying atop a strange land made up of the ruins of countless boats. He realized he had several cables attached to his body here and there. He had seen something similar before. That was back when the dark side of Academy City had hooked him up to a life support device and had him do nothing but produce Dark Matter as a material for weapons. The equipment around him now was junk compared to back then, but he thought it was praiseworthy to catch up to Academy City using nothing but junk.
He heard a female voice coming from somewhere.
"It looks like he's conscious."
A gloomy male voice answered.
"That does not matter. I only need to have him produce what we need."
It seemed they were indeed after his Dark Matter as material for a weapon. The reason him being conscious "did not matter" may have been because the man thought he could eternally control and restrain his physical body by sending special electrical signals into his brain.
That was not entirely wrong.
Or at least, it was not wrong when talking about the Kakine Teitoku who had sunk into the depths of Academy City's dark side.
"A new age has arrived."
He slowly moved his lips.
This must have been an unexpected reaction. He could clearly tell focus had turned to him. He heard the sound of some kind of meter being operated, but no change came over him. His smile did not vanish.
"The old age is long over. I don't know who you are or what you're after, but your fate is clear now that the age has left you behind. How sad. If you had tried this exact same thing just a few weeks ago, you might have gained everything you wished without issue. I really do feel sorry for you."
The sounds of narrow tubes breaking from the inside could be heard.
The Dark Matter ate into the objects around him as if flowing back through the electrodes and cables meant to control the device known as Kakine Teitoku. All color turned to white and the electronic devices at the other end of the cables were swallowed up in an instant.
"Ha ha ha!! Ogaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"
It seemed they had set up a parallel processor by constructing a giant system out of hundreds of computers, but it did not matter. It was too late. He spread out through each and every one of the cables set up like a spider web. He devoured all of the computers, all of the power sources allowing those computers to run, and everything else they were connected to. He bit into them, swallowed them, digested them, and turned them all into a part of him.
"I don't care who you are. It doesn't matter what you've built up. I'm not interested in what you'll give to the world. Good and evil? Kindness and malice? Gain and loss? Positive and negative? We can let historians decide that 100 years from now. All I know is what fate you deserve for trying to use me as a tool!!"
A horrible noise continued as if he were breaking every last bone in his body from within.
Pure white wings extended from his back. They spread out like plants growing in fast forward. They were not merely a few dozen meters long or a few hundred meters long. In an instant, those wings enveloped that giant pile of ruined ships that could be mistaken for an island.
They formed a dome around it.
They formed a cage of slaughter.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!"
The situation was thrown off track.
The situation tilted and then toppled over in a direction no one had imagined.
During the Cold War in which both sides had thrust thousands of nuclear missiles before their enemy as a threat, the most feared thing had been an uncontrollable chaos. That nightmare was blooming here.
And an instant before that chaos arrived...
An eyepatch-wearing girl unhesitatingly grabbed Kakine Teitoku's neck in one hand.
Not even a subtle change could be seen on her face.
Even with that horrifying result before her, her entire body appeared perfectly relaxed.
"Bh... gh... ?"
For a while, he did not understand why there were groans coming from his mouth.
The eyepatch-wearing girl had grabbed Kakine Teitoku's neck with a single hand and lifted him up. No, she was not just grabbing his neck. Her fingers were digging into it. Those fingertips sank deeply into that body made of Dark Matter. She used pure strength. Her fingertips had dug in deep enough to reach his spine, but she increased that strength a bit further and those fingertips sank even deeper. The sensation of that hard bone being crushed was followed by indescribable pain filling his entire body.
It only took a single attack.
The dome-shaped cage of slaughter covering the entirety of Sargasso shattered and floated down like snow.
"Gh... gbh!? Gagugh!!"
"I see everything is on schedule."
"This is the scientific material needed to fill the gap magic left in the construction of the lance. Any pure specimen tough enough to withstand the development into a holistic esper can be used, so Fräulein Kreutune specifically is not needed. We do not need any combat ability from the device that produces the material."
The eyepatch-wearing girl and the gloomy man exchanged a few short words.
All the while, a cracking sound could be heard as the girl poured tremendous strength into Kakine Teitoku's neck.
"Listen, you piece of scrap. I only expect one thing from you. Just one." The eyepatch-wearing girl spoke slowly to him."Be of use to me.... If you can't, I'll carefully remake everything about you until you can and do. It will be like holding a girl's head down and beating her face into something completely unrecognizable with your fist."
"Ah... Uh..."
The sounds of breath escaping had no connection to Kakine Teitoku's will.
The girl dug her fingertips inside his spine and disturbed what lay within. That stimulus caused his body to involuntarily convulse. He was like a ventriloquist doll made of living flesh.
"Where's you answer? Say 'as you wish'."
"... Azzzz... yuuu... wISh... !!!???"
"Good boy."
And with that, a dull sound exploded out.
This was nothing as simple as breaking his neck.
It was unclear what force was acting on him, but the object that made up Kakine Teitoku's human form was compressed from all directions and transformed into a mass the size of a volley ball.
A distorted pattern could be seen on the surface similar to when transparent glass was forced against someone's face or someone wore a stocking over their head.
The eyepatch-wearing girl grabbed the ball in one hand and tossed it to the gloomy man.
"Do what needs to be done. You should be able to finish this before the same happens to you."
"Understood."
Suddenly, a deep noise similar to a dinosaur's roar burst out overhead.
The vibration of the air filled Sargasso and a few of the ruined boats rolled down the pile. The girl looked unconcernedly up into the white steam-filled sky.
"Mökkurkalfe and Níðhöggr. So their turn has finally come. It took you a while to find this one little base, " spat out the girl.
However, she showed no interest in the enemies surely making their way toward her.
She was speaking only to what lay within herself.
"The production of the spear is in its final stages. Bring in Marian Slingeneyer. Have her finish the work with the skills of a Dvergr."
Notes
1. ↑ The "hou" of "Shokuhou Misaki" means "bee".
| ← Ch. 093 | Ch. 095 → |