We’ve stormed the research facility. Kanata remembers his promise with Marika.
Marika-san takes point, leading the No. 0 Unit thugs into the facility.
Security guards appear down the wide corridor.
Automatic rifles open fire, but we deploy our Psyche-Barriers to defend.
We close the distance, and hand-to-hand combat begins.
Marika-san attacks three enemy soldiers.
The first is cut down before he can even switch from his gun to his sword.
With a returning strike, she cleaves the second in two. The third swings his sword horizontally, aiming for Marika-san’s neck, but she ducks under the slash, spins, and delivers a roundhouse kick infused with Psyche-Strike.
A sickening crack echoes as his neck snaps.
“So that’s the real deal, her Ane-kick. What power. If I’d taken that during the Entrance Exam, I’d have ended up in a Medical Pod, if not dead.”
Another enemy soldier stands before me.
We both deploy our barriers, and our swords clash.
My slashes shatter his barrier, while his strikes bounce off mine.
Sweat beads on the face of the enemy soldier as he creates distance.
Whether it’s cold sweat or nervous sweat, showing your panic on your face means you’re only half a man.
Right now, he must hear the footsteps of the Grim Reaper in his ears.
He’s about my age, maybe a little older.
Is he a newly assigned recruit?
I made a promise with Marika-san the night before the operation.
…That promise is heavier than your life.
I amplify the power of the Psyche-Strike I’ve imbued into my sword to its limit.
My control over Psyche-Strike isn’t perfect yet, but I can push the accelerator to the maximum.
I close the distance and bring my blade down diagonally from above.
The enemy soldier blocks with a reformed barrier, but my slash cuts through it and the soldier himself.
The soldier dies with a pained expression, falling to his knees and then face-first.
An excuse-like line spills from my lips.
“It’s your fault. It’s your fault for having the will to fight and standing before me!”
After that, I took two more lives. I didn’t make any excuses then.
Marika-san grabs an enemy soldier she spared by the chest and lifts him for an interrogation.
“Where are the brats? You have three seconds. Three, two…”
“The guinea pigs are in the basement and the laboratory. You can reach the basement through the passage on the left, and the laboratory through the passage on the right.”
“Thanks. Then… die!”
Marika-san’s beloved sword, the Red Inscription, pierces his chest, taking his life.
Marika-san tossed the corpse aside as if it were trash.
“Fool. He could have lived if he hadn’t called them guinea pigs.”
“Natsume and Hotaru, head to the basement! Ane-kick and Shuri’s squad will head to the laboratory. Kanata, come with me.”
“Yes, Mom!”
We proceed down the passage on the right and arrive at a door that appears to lead to a laboratory.
“Shuri! Hurry and set the directional explosives!”
Shuri’s squad takes explosives from their gear pack and sets them on the door.
At Marika-san’s signal, we move back a short distance, and Shuri detonates them.
A hole large enough for a person to pass through opens up, and we enter one by one.
Inside, it looks just like the laboratory in the facility I used to be in, with about ten adjustment pods.
Inside are children dressed in white lab coats.
My eyes meet one of the children.
…Eyes unfocused, mouth slightly open.
I instinctively look away.
I was prepared, but seeing it reality makes my heart feel like it’s about to break.
“Shuri! Smash the pods!”
Shuri’s squad quickly applies adhesive tape to the pods and begins smashing the glass with hammers.
Marika-san puts her index finger in her ear. It’s probably a communication from Hotaru.
“I see. Understood. Are the children with you safe? Take them and escape first. If any troublesome individuals appear, have Natsume handle them.”
“Marika-sama, we’ve finished destroying the pods. These children are safe, as in alive.”
…”…alive,” you say. Shuri’s expression is grim.
“…We’ll leave them behind.”
Shuri, uncharacteristically, offers an opinion to Marika-san.
“Weren’t the children’s lives the priority?”
“There were thirty children in the basement. They’re scared before the experiment, but they’re in a normal state.”
“…That’s ten over the planned number. And there are ten children here. We have no choice. As planned…”
Yes, we have no choice. There’s a limit to how much baggage you can carry.
Marika-san’s decision is correct. I can understand that.
But the words that came out of my mouth were the opposite.
“Marika-san, let’s take these children with us. They might have a chance to recover.”
“Kanata, shut up! Do you think I or Marika-sama are okay with this? I want to take them if I could!”
“Shuri, you want to take these children too?”
“That’s… I do want to. Like Kanata said, there’s a possibility of recovery.”
“…Kanata, Shuri, take responsibility for your words. Shuri’s squad, take these children and rendezvous with Hotaru’s squad. Be sure to escape with everyone safe. Kanata, we’re short on personnel due to the extra rescue efforts. You and I will go after and retrieve ‘Diabolos X’. Come with me.”
Shuri and I exchange glances, then affirm in unison.
“Yes, Mom!”
Marika-san and I leave the laboratory.
Marika-san moves forward without hesitation.
“Marika-san, where are we heading?”
“To the upper floors. Generally, classified information is either in the deepest part or the highest part.”
“The basement had children before their experiments, so it’s the upper floors? A simple process of elimination.”
“Also, the security was weaker than expected. This means they’ve concentrated their troops where the truly important things are.”
“And we’re going to charge in there, just the two of us? Sounds thrilling.”
“Thrill is a form of entertainment, isn’t it? Life should be enjoyed.”
While we were having that conversation, we arrived at the elevator hall.
There were two guards, but Marika-san and I took one each.
We board the elevator and head for the top floor, the fifth floor.
“We’re likely to have a flashy welcoming party before we exit the elevator.”
Marika-san replies, lighting a cigarette.
“It would be stupid if they didn’t.”
“What should we do? Break through the ceiling and hold out up there?”
“That sounds troublesome. Let’s go with something simpler. Kanata, get closer to me.”
I lean into Marika-san without hesitation. A perk of the job.
“I didn’t tell you to rest your face on my chest.”
Hmph, I almost had it.
Marika-san deploys a full-body Psyche-Barrier in front of the door.
A ‘pong’ sound, and we arrive at the fifth floor. Gunfire immediately erupts. As expected.
However, the barrier deployed by Marika-san endures the barrage of countless bullets.
Marika-san spits out her cigarette and says to me,
“Let’s go, Kanata!”
“Aye aye, boss!”
Marika-san attacks the soldiers with the speed of a gale.
I form a barrier and follow behind.
There are eight enemy soldiers. My part is three.
Marika-san’s sword is wreathed in flames. The bodies of the soldiers she cuts down ignite.
Psyche-Strike? No, is it a gimmick that generates fire?
Then I remember the words of our golden-haired teacher, Todd.
“There are rare abilities within Psyche abilities… you’ll understand later.”
“I think this might be it. Among superpowers, there’s pyrokenesis, the ability to generate fire.”
Marika-san was also a possessor of a rare ability.
Marika-san fought five soldiers while still covering me, allowing me to defeat the remaining three.
Even so, I wasn’t unharmed. The wound on my left upper arm, in particular, is quite deep.
While I’m applying a hemostatic patch to the wound, Marika-san interrogates the enemy soldiers.
Diabolos X is being researched on the sixth floor, the deepest part, and can only be accessed by a dedicated elevator.
It seems there’s also a gate in front of the dedicated elevator.
“We should assume the most competent person is there. This is getting fun, Kanata.”
I can’t enjoy it that much. The boss is finally making an appearance, I guess.
Marika-san and I head towards the gate.
On the way, Marika-san deploys a micro-drone shaped like an insect for reconnaissance.
“The area in front of the gate is a wide entrance, and the welcoming party is waiting. Twenty-one people, huh? Blackjack.”
“Can we get insurance here?” (Note: Blackjack sometimes has an “insurance” rule.)
“No insurance for us or them. Let’s bet with our lives as chips. There’s one guy in a pompous uniform. Must be the Captain. Take him down. You don’t have to win. Don’t worry about the others. Just stay alive until I finish dealing with the riff-raff.”
“I’ll survive pathetically.”
Marika-san and I charge into the entrance. They’re ready for hand-to-hand combat from the start.
I head towards the security captain. I form Psyche-Barriers on both my hands.
It’s the double-shield tactic Marika-san used against me.
I’ll show them my desperation to live!
The captain is on a different level than the previous ones. Estimated mid-weight.
My Psyche Strength is superior, our speed is equal, but his power and technique seem to be higher.
It’s a bit disadvantageous for me.
I don’t pay attention to my surroundings at all.
Anyone who tries to get me from behind will just become Marika-san’s prey.
I use my Psyche abilities, even if it means going over the limit. This compensates for the power difference.
I’ll utilize my superior aspects. That’s the iron rule of combat.
Besides, I have a decisive advantage.
I just need to stay alive, but he wants to defeat me quickly and fight Marika-san while he has the advantage in numbers.
Now, let’s try the whisper tactic.
“You’re already checkmated, you know? Even if you defeat me, Marika-san is ten times stronger.”
Marika-san, after bisecting a soldier who flanked me, says,
“A hundred times!”
“See? I won’t laugh if you run away.”
“Silence! This is your grave!”
Good, good. Get angry. Get flustered.
His eagerness to end the fight quickly leads to wide, sweeping attacks.
This creates opportunities for an upset, even against a lower-ranked opponent.
I brace my shield in front of me and form another shield on my left hand. The outer shield is large, the inner shield is small.
It’s an on-the-spot improvisation, but I managed it well. Perhaps I’m more capable under pressure than I thought.
It’s two shields, but it should look like one from the front unless you observe closely.
Given his panic, there’s a high chance he’ll fall for it.
Alright, here comes the thrust. The outer shield is destroyed. He thrusts forward, but I block it with the inner shield.
However, not everything went according to my plan.
The captain’s thrust, concentrated with Psyche-Strike on the tip of his sword, shattered the inner shield as well and pierced my forearm.
But in exchange for an arm, I’ve sealed his weapon.
Now, take this full-force thrust of mine!
With a yell, I unleash my ultimate thrust. It shatters his barrier and pierces his chest.
The captain gurgles, spits out blood, and falls backward.
I succeeded in a giant-killing! Marika-san, I did it!
I’m a Lawson person myself.
