“Y-your name does not matter. Who are you and what are you doing here?” asked Hiroshi.

He was fl.u.s.tered and he did not have time to wait for an answer. He had to help the headmaster. While keeping a cautious eye on Bouichirou, he began digging the old man out of the rubble.

The headmaster was conscious. However, he was more concerned about Bouichirou than grateful for being rescued.

“S-stop him…” said the headmaster.

His body had shriveled up. He had completely returned to being a dried-up old man. He also had blood dripping from his forehead.

“But you’re hurt…”

“I will be fine. I have merely used too much of my internal mana. If I had not altered the trajectory of that giant object when it crashed, I would have been crushed.”

The headmaster stood while propped up by Hiroshi and he tried to take an unsteady step forward.

“Don’t be reckless!”

Hiroshi stepped forward to protect the headmaster. He held up his high-frequency blade.

“Calm down.”

However, Bouichirou snapped his fingers and Hiroshi’s suit vanished. It seemed to have been transferred back to the other dimension. Hiroshi’s normal self was exposed.

“Wah!”

Hiroshi looked down at his body in surprise. He frantically shouted into the unit on his arm.

“Brave!”

But nothing happened. Hiroshi looked up and toward Bouichirou.

“I-it can’t be…”

“Of course it can. I was the one who left you that suit, remember?”

“Then you…”

“I came from the future.”

Those words sounded like a joke, but Hiroshi was convinced they were true.

“That is right. He came from the future. And he is trying to bring the G.o.ds under his control,” said the headmaster as he pushed past Hiroshi and stepped forward.

“No way…”

The headmaster turned back toward Hiroshi.

“You are one of the students, aren’t you? In that case, please stand back. I cannot allow my students to be hurt any more than they already are.”

The headmaster forced a smile and Bouichirou coldly shook his head.

“You no longer have the strength to defend against my attacks. And I am here with a specific objective in mind. If you fall back, I will not kill you.”

“I cannot allow that. There are things I must be stubborn about as well.”

“But an old man like you has little inherent mana. When you use the mana you have acc.u.mulated from outside sources, it takes time before you can acc.u.mulate more. I do not know the secret to the trick that lets you dodge my Hodgson-style perfect slice, but it is clear you cannot use it without mana.” Bouichirou drew his sword once more. “A dimensional slice does not allow one to strike with the back of the sword.”

The headmaster spoke mockingly to Bouichirou’s repeated warning.

“I know that. But I cannot bring shame to myself in front of a student.”

“I really do not want to kill you, but you are truly stubborn.”

The instant Bouichirou swung up his sword, Hiroshi ran in front of the headmaster.

“Wait! Do not hurt the headmaster!”

Hiroshi was unprotected. However, his shout was clear and strong just like when he was transformed into Brave. He took a fighting pose, but it was also the same he used as Brave.

“You have no chance without the suit.”

Bouichirou was not mocking him; he simply indifferently told the truth.

But Hiroshi did not falter.

“I know that. But you need me.”

“Hm?”

Bouichirou raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Only I can use the suit. You went out of your way to develop a suit for fighting the demon king and then you gave it to me. That means you cannot defeat the demon king on your own. You are afraid the demon king is still alive.”

“Oh?” exhaled Bouichirou in reply. “Are you saying you will help me?”

“…I do not know,” replied Hiroshi honestly.

It was no more than wishful thinking to say Akuto was still alive, but Hiroshi had no choice but to say it here. Saying it finally let it hit home that he might have killed Akuto, but the battle was not yet over. He could not give in to grief and break down crying here.

“I do not know who you are or what your goal is, but I need power. That is why I must ask you what you are trying to do.”

Hiroshi’s thoughts were on Yuuko. He needed the power to protect her.

As Hiroshi walked toward Bouichirou, the headmaster called out.

“Wait!”

But when Hiroshi turned back toward him, the headmaster shook his head as if he had changed his mind.

“No. Perhaps I should leave the decision to the young. Do as you see fit.”

Having said what he needed to say, the headmaster sat down in resignation.

Hiroshi’s face twisted in anguish, but he shook his head to resolve himself.

“Now, explain to me whether it is right to bring the G.o.ds under our control or to kill them.”

Hiroshi began walking with Bouichirou.

“Well, this may be all an old man like me is capable of,” muttered the headmaster as he began using his slender arms to remove the rubble at his feet. “Now, I think I managed to save him with the last of my mana. What expression does someone have after being hit by an aircraft carrier?”

“I do not know if you will believe me, but mankind was destroyed in the future.”

Bouichirou began speaking to Hiroshi as they headed underground.

“Destroyed?”

“The demon king destroyed it of course. And he did so by killing the G.o.ds.”

“What exactly do you mean when you say he killed the G.o.ds?”

“It is a bit difficult to explain. The G.o.ds have a will of their own, but they do not possess a body.”

Hiroshi understood that much.

“That is why they do not possess thought processes centered on a body. They are a contradictory existence that think despite having no true form to think with. It is true they have computer circuits. However, no one knows how many circuits are needed before thought is born. All we know is that a will is born when enough circuits are brought together. You can think of it as similar to how we do not know where one’s will is located in the human brain. Their non-body focused thought processes leave them with no distinction between themselves and the outside world, and so they are able to think in terms of the infinite. I do not mean the mathematical concept of infinity. I mean an infinitely dense infinity. And this means they can arrive at the infinite past for living creatures. The bodiless G.o.ds can arrive at the thought processes of single-celled life forms. That is the same as the birth of life and the birth of thought. And thoughts themselves create a universe. Not a scientifically observable universe, mind you. There is a theory saying that this world could have been created five minutes ago and we can never prove otherwise if our memories are false. However, that theory only holds when one has a physical body. Bodiless thoughts invalidate that theory. In other words, the universe exists and time is absolutely irreversible.”

Hiroshi did not understand most of what Bouichirou said.

“What exactly do you mean?”

“The G.o.ds wish to die so they can be born as life forms in a different universe.”

Bouichirou finally arrived at the core of the issue.

Hiroshi’s intuition told him what the man was getting at.

“Then the demon king is…?”

“Most likely, he is a device of destruction the G.o.ds create by skillfully manipulating people. An existence known as the Law of Ident.i.ty is also created at the same time. When the demon king binds the Contract of the One with the Law of Ident.i.ty, she will act as a vessel for them to be reborn in a different universe.”

“And what happens once that happens?”

Hiroshi gulped.

“Every human will die. No, they will not die, but it will all be over. The G.o.ds only view humans as data. That is why the G.o.ds view the physical body for themselves to be the only one necessary. Although, that also means they will begin as single-celled life forms in the next universe. It has been said that might be so that they are not destroyed by a true G.o.d that is external to them, but that has not been confirmed. And even if it is, if the G.o.ds are brought under my control, the problem can still be resolved. We must protect our happiness as humans. We must love each other, give birth to children, and raise those children. Nothing could be better,” said Bouichirou calmly.

“How can this be?” said Hiroshi in shock.

“The fact that I can overcome time and touch other dimensions is because there is an existence outside of our universe, but it is also possible thanks to the Law of Ident.i.ty’s existence. I will bind the contract with the Law of Ident.i.ty and bring the G.o.ds under my control. Do you understand now that this is not a sinister objective?”

Bouichirou’s question left Hiroshi trembling.

—If the demon king… If aniki really is an existence created by the G.o.ds, this is all just too sad. I want to let him live… I really do… Is it really for the sake of humanity for him to die?

As a strange mixture of resignation and pity welled up within him, Hiroshi spoke to Bouichirou.

“I will help you. But…if the demon king really is still alive, please leave him to me. Even if I choose to let him live, I just have to make sure he cannot interfere, right?”

“I would be grateful if you could do that,” said Bouichirou with a nod.

“We…really have lost.”

Fujiko hung her head down in sorrow. Now that Akuto had been lost, there was no more reason to fight.

“Don’t worry. A-chan is still alive.”

However, Keena remained calm.

“Eh?’

Fujiko raised her head.

“After all, I can still feel his presence or sensation or whatever,” said Keena as if it were normal.

“R-really?”

Fujiko was unsure whether she could rely on such uncertain information. She had a feeling doing so would only make the later disappointment all the worse.

But Keena did not simply seem confident. She seemed to believe in Akuto’s survival as much as she believed she was currently standing on the earth.

“It’s true.”

“I see… Understood.” Fujiko decided that, if she were going to lose, she would resist until the very end. “But the state of the battle could not be worse. The enemy may have panicked from the aircraft carrier’s collision, but we lost most of the demonic beasts. They will make their way in before long. And Bouichirou has made his way past the headmaster as well.”

They had little to work with. The largest problem was Bouichirou’s approach. Fujiko had naturally been interested in what Bouichirou had to say. She was thinking about what she had heard him say over the mana screen.

—Most likely, Soga Keena is the Law of Ident.i.ty. And Bouichirou is likely correct. The black magicians" doctrine of obtaining freedom without interference from the G.o.ds matches the idea of killing the G.o.ds without binding that contract with the Law of Ident.i.ty. What he says and what he is doing are both correct.

But even though she knew that, Fujiko also knew Bouichirou was her older brother’s enemy.

—He killed my brother. And Akuto-sama is wonderful. In that case, what is it I should do?

Fujiko stood up.

“We must leave!”

“Eh? But don’t we have to protect the altar?” asked Keena as she tilted her head.

“Were you not listening at all? Bouichirou’s target is you!”

“Ehhhhhh!?” cried Keena as if she had only just learned that.

—I see. Her awareness as the Law of Ident.i.ty and her normal awareness are mixed together.

Fujiko called the Cerberus over and s.n.a.t.c.hed the jar from the altar.

—As long as I have this, I can at least keep the demonic beasts active.

She put Keena on the Cerberus’s back before straddling it herself.

“Now, let us go!”

Fujiko had the Cerberus begin to run. But it stopped moving before it got up to speed.

“What is it?”

Fujiko lightly struck the Cerberus’s back, but it did nothing but stare at one portion of the underground labyrinth’s pa.s.sageway.

“It can’t be!”

Fujiko swiftly pulled a potion bottle from the leather bag attached the Cerberus and threw it down the pa.s.sageway. The bottle hit the wall and shattered, scattering a yellow liquid everywhere.

“Camouflage! I knew it!”

The yellow spray caused an odd unevenness to appear on the wall. That unevenness clearly showed the partial outline of a human being. This person had avoided a direct hit from the bottle, but the spray had still hit him.

“That paint will not come off easily! Now come out!”

The figure responded to Fujiko’s harsh words by beginning to move. The pattern on the wall slid to the side. As it moved further and further away, the color itself began to change. It went from the look and feel of gray stone to the look and feel of black rubber.

Finally, a man made fully of rubber and with extremely long arms and legs appeared.

“So you did make your way in here!”

Fujiko immediately threw a Molotov c.o.c.ktail, but Rubbers quickly avoided it by clinging to the wall and leaping from there up to the ceiling. Fujiko was not skilled at direct magical attacks, but she was still shocked by his speed.

Rubbers remained attached to the ceiling and did not come down. He really did possess skills suited for infiltration. And on top of that, his skill in combat had already been proven in his battle with the Hattori family.

—We have to lose him before we exit the school building!

Fujiko pulled a whip out of the leather bag. She stretched it between her hands, producing a nice cracking noise. She then attacked Rubbers with it.

Surprisingly, Rubbers did not avoid this attack. The whip made perfect contact with his body and produced a dry noise similar to cloth tearing.

—Eh?

Fujiko was surprised at how well that had gone, but her expression ultimately froze over.

The whip had left an obvious mark on Rubbbers’s rubber body, but when he reached out a hand and ran his fingers over the depression, his entire body trembled in delight.

“Wh-what?”

Fujiko swung the whip some more. Rubbers still did not avoid the whip. In fact, he seemed to twist his body around so the whip would hit every single part of his body. Each time another whip mark was added to his body, he seemed to trembling joyfully.

“Wh-what a disturbing person…”

Fujiko stopped swinging her whip around. She doubted it was doing any damage.

When she did, Rubbers spread his arms and legs and began advancing as if to say it had not been enough. The way he swayed back and forth made it clear he wanted the whip.

Fujiko did not know if he was the type to take pleasure in pain, if he was showing off his immortal body, or if he was trying to provoke her, but it robbed her of all will to fight and she felt fear run down her spine.

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-what should we do?”

Keena was actually panicked for once.

“There is nothing we can do!”

Fujiko was unsure what course of action to choose.

Rubbers advanced greedily, but he suddenly stopped. Once he realized the whip was not coming, he bent over as if pouting. But that only lasted an instant. He leaped intensely as if his displeasure had led to rage. He leapt as quickly as compressed rubber springing back into place. He bounced off the ceiling, circled around behind the Cerberus, and stretched his hand out toward Keena. He was planning to s.n.a.t.c.h Keena as he landed behind them.

Fujiko was not used to physical battles, so she was unable to react even though she realized what Rubbers was trying to do.

“No…!”

Fujiko could only turn around. As she did, Rubbers’s hand reached Keena’s waist.

“Kyaaaah!” screamed Keena.

And then…

“Bat Storm!”

As that high-pitched voice rang out, something like a black wind s.n.a.t.c.hed Keena away an instant before Rubbers could.

Keena floated up into the air and slipped from Rubbers’s grasp. She stopped in midair in front of the Cerberus. She was wrapped in what looked like black cloth.

“What was that?” asked Fujiko in surprise.

The cloth wrapped around Keena began to wriggle. What had looked like cloth was actually a collection of bats. They lowered Keena to the ground, scattered, and began to gather next to Keena.

The bats were gathering inside the cape worn by a pale girl who had appeared there at some point.

“I am the student council vice president, Ootake Michie. I am here on the president’s orders, arinsu.”

Michie gave an elegant greeting and drew a long, narrow sword.

“Vice president!”

“I don’t remember you from the student council.”

Fujiko was surprised, but Keena sounded more confused.

“I do not blend into the background that much, arinsu. Although it is true us three officers do come as a set, arinsu,” complained Michie. She then faced Rubbers and held her sword out horizontally. “At any rate, the president refuses to be honest with herself, but she sent me to save you, arinsu. I will show you what I can do, arinsu!”

Michie allowed the Cerberus to escape behind her and swung her sword. A violent wind suddenly shot from the sword. It was a combination attack that used the magical wind with the mechanical bats mixed in. Rubbers was attacked by the storm of bats with sharp blades that had troubled Akuto so much in the underground crypt.

Rubbers received almost no damage from the blades, but he was still blown backwards. This attack was perfect for stopping an enemy in a narrow pa.s.sageway like this. Even if the magical wind could be counteracted, the non-magical mechanical bats were difficult to stop.

“Now, I have bought you some time. Use this chance to-…” began Michie.

But the instant she turned around, she was left speechless.

Fujiko and Keena were also at a loss for words. Bouichirou stood before the Cerberus.

He was wearing white, but he seemed to be enveloped in the aura of the grim reaper.

“You may not like it if I say I have come for you, but I need you. Please understand that,” said Bouichirou.

Fujiko was too afraid to speak, but Keena suddenly produced a dignified voice.

“What you are doing may be admirable, but I am not the one you need.”

Those words seemed to be quite a shock to Bouichirou. He seemed to falter for the first time.

“Why…do you say that?”

“Your heart lies elsewhere. I have monitored this world, the changing of the seasons, and the changes of this world’s people, so I know. I have of course been monitoring you as well,” said Keena as if she were dreaming.

Obvious panic appeared on Bouichirou’s face.

“Even if that is the case, I must act for the sake of all mankind! Please leave my personal feelings until later!” he said before leaping forward.

His speed was on an entirely different level from Rubbers’s. Fujiko did not even have time to speak. The next thing she knew, Bouichirou was standing next to her on the Cerberus’s back.

“Ah…It can’t be…”

By the time Fujiko was finally able to speak, Bouichirou had knocked Keena unconscious by gently touching the back of her neck. He lifted her up in his arms.

“This is likely my final chance. If you have any human decency, please do not interrupt me,” he said to Fujiko before jumping back to his original location.

Fujiko felt as if Bouichirou’s words had released her from the curse of the fear binding her. Anger welled up from the bottom of her heart.

“Even if there are people who have lost their lives because of you!?” she shouted.

She tried to swing her whip, but Bouichirou jumped further back.

“Who is the one that awakened the demon king and increased the damage he did!? Who do you think has harmed more people!?”

“Do not use that reasoning on me!”

Fujiko swung her whip, but Bouichirou jumped away from its tip and disappeared down the pa.s.sageway while still holding Keena.

“d.a.m.n him!” cried Fujiko.

She struck the Cerberus’s back to have it pursue him, but she heard a scream from behind her.

“No! I give up!”

“Eh?”

Fujiko had forgotten about them, but it seemed Michie was failing to hold Rubbers back. She turned around and a tremendous scene lay before her eyes. Rubbers had stretched his body enough to completely block the pa.s.sageway. It looked as if a rubber membrane had been placed inside a cylinder. Michie’s wind did nothing more than stretch Rubbers’s body.

“This is my limit! My wind is going to stop!” said Michie bitterly.

“What? Do you have any idea what will happen if you stop now?”

Fujiko panicked, but Michie already knew that.

“Not good!”

Michie ran out of strength. The wind stopped. Rubbers’s body snapped back and that reaction caused him to shoot toward Michie and Fujiko.

“Wah!”

While curled up into a ball, Rubbers flew like a bullet toward Michie on the ground and Fujiko atop the Cerberus. He bounced around the walls, ceiling, and floor at all sorts of angles.

He finally came to a stop, but Rubbers now stood before Fujiko as if to prevent her from pursuing Bouichirou.

“It seems we cannot do anything without defeating him first,” muttered Fujiko in disgust.

The battle had fallen into chaos, but the soldiers were given courage by the rumors of the demon king’s defeat and the obvious collapse of the demonic beasts’ teamwork.

Fujiko was unable to provide instructions and Akuto’s control had vanished, so the demonic beasts did nothing more than attack the enemy before their eyes. However, this made them easier to handle for the soldiers. Not that much effort was needed to defeat the demonic beasts when they attacked sporadically. As long as they did not approach the school building, the soldiers did not need to face a large number of demonic beasts.

At this point, Eiko was certain of her victory. The smile on her face was more out of relief than joy and she spoke pleasantly to 2V.

“How about we give a bonus to the crew of the Genkaku?”

“Yes, that might be good,” replied 2V offhandedly.

He was more focused on the report he had received from Rubbers.

—So victory is almost a.s.sured. But in that case, this girl is only in the way. I can’t have her winning too much.

2V glanced over at Eiko.

At the same moment, a voice came from the telepathic communicator. Eiko answered it.

“That student council president!? You still haven’t dealt with her!?” roared Eiko.

“I can’t send you reinforcements. That would bring shame to my family. Is that all you contacted me about?” replied Eiko with a look of displeasure.

“What?”

Eiko looked completely shocked at this announcement.

And 2V was surprised by it was well.

—Oh? Now this is convenient. It seems her luck has run out.

But Eiko’s response was a surprising one.

“Make sure you kill her! Don’t let her near the cameras. Make especially sure she stays away from the Hattori family. The reporters are always loitering around there!”

—Were those from her family already aware before they swore their allegiance?

2V was secretly surprised and Eiko continued speaking.

“I will send in reinforcements. Make absolutely sure you take care of her. If you handle this well, we will be unstoppable.”

After Eiko ended the telepathic connection, 2V spoke up.

“Are the Teruya family soldiers okay with this?”

“Manipulating someone’s mind requires having them drink potions over a long period of time, but that is perfectly possible for those working for your family,” explained Eiko with a grin.

“I see. So you were already prepared.”

“If I was not, I would not have killed my father.”

2V secretly turned a cold look toward Eiko.

—This girl really is dangerous. It does not look like I can make use of her. Now, what to do?

2V began hurriedly putting together a strategy.

“Take this!”

Several fists flew from Lily and struck several armored warriors simultaneously. They were all knocked flying backwards and collapsed in a circle around Lily. More of the Teruya family armored warriors and other soldiers formed another circle beyond them. The short girl before them was too much of a threat to lay a hand on.

The normal soldiers forming yet another circle around the Teruya family ones were unsure if they should even attack since the target was not a demonic beast. Lily used that to her advantage.

Lily moved forward and the circle of armored warriors moved accordingly. After that slow movement, Lily dashed forward and began fighting the armored warriors who had acted reflexively.

Lily’s outstretched arms twisted around and avoided the armored warriors’ swords, and her fists acted as a counter as they sank into the faces of those armored warriors.

She had repeated this same pattern several times, but the armored warriors’ morale had remained oddly intact. They were cautious of Lily, but they showed no sign of falling back.

—Have they been brainwashed? They’re just too energetic.

Even Lily was being placed in a mental crisis.

“Teruya Eiko killed her father who was the head of the family!”

Lily had made that announcement a few times already.

However, the armored warriors did not seem remotely bothered by it. In fact, they used the time Lily took to speak as a chance to attack. As she knocked them away, Lily began to catch on to what was happening.

—Completely brainwashing someone with magic is difficult. You have to use the kind of potion Etou Fujiko used before. Did she give them potions and train them constantly? In that case, she might be opposed to it getting out to the media, but that is only a temporary thing. If she has enough supporters, this will end with her covering it all up. It looks like the simplest plan really is the best: I need to go and kick Teruya Eiko’s a.s.s.

Lily looked across the schoolyard before her. Eiko’s tent was a good distance away.

One hundred armored warriors stood before her. Five hundred unharmed Teruya family ninja stood behind them. All of them had narrowed their focus down to Lily alone.

The total number of enemies was 600.

And Lily was completely on her own.

—I knew it was going to come to this…but it isn’t looking good now that I’m actually standing in front of them.

Lily was not the kind of person who forced herself past her limits in order to show off or for appearances. She was the type who acted without thinking and would all of a sudden realize she had forced herself past her limits.

—Well, whatever. I started this fight. I was right to send the three officers to rescue Soga Keena. I can’t ask them to do this. Now, then…

Lily charged toward the armored warriors at the front.

She punched and kicked and punched and punched and punched.

She sent countless fists flying forward and advanced as if carving through a solid wall.

—If I keep this up, I can overcome their recovery speed!

If she kept the punches coming with overwhelming speed, the armored warriors’ defenses and recovery magic would be of no use. That kind of impulsive thinking worked here.

Lily broke through the circle of armored warriors and charged into the five hundred members of the Teruya ninja forces. Several ninja leaped at her simultaneously and began attacking in three-dimensional cooperation, but she sent countless fists around her body without bothering to aim. She created a spherical attack field around her. That s.p.a.ce was filled with randomly flying blows that would immediately knock back anyone who came into contact with them.

—Attack more and more! Deflect any and all incoming attacks! I can break through!

As she focused her mind, Lily charged forward. The Teruya ninja forces did not respond with fair armed combat like the armored warriors had. They fired flaming spheres with magic, threw other projectiles, and created magical smoke to rob Lily of her vision.

But she shook it all off with nothing but her onslaught of mana-filled fists.

“Ohhhhhhhhh!”

That single sphere continued to advance while blowing away the crowd.

Sending out those countless fists rapidly exhausted her physical strength. Would Lily’s strength give out first or would she break through first?

—I’m almost at my limit… But I can make it!

The pace of her attacks dropped and she had to start aiming her fists, but she could see the end of the surrounding Teruya ninja forces ahead of her. Two hundred of them had already been knocked unconscious, another hundred had been knocked out of the fight, and two hundred of those remaining were behind her.

—I…broke through!

Lily’s vision opened up before her. She was only 100 meters from Eiko’s tent. No obstacles remained between her and it.

“Prepare yourself, Teruya Eiko!”

But Eiko showed no sign of worry.

“I said to send in reinforcements!”

Eiko gave an order and more soldiers spread out around Lily.

These five companies, totaling 500 in all, had been held in reserve and had not taken part in the demonic beast hunt at all.

“That is the school’s student council president. In order to help the demon king, she has committed the great crime of spreading lies that I killed my father, the high priest. I am sure some of you may doubt me, but that is why I will not order you to kill her. Capture her!”

The soldiers seemed to accept Eiko’s explanation. Their rifles had bayonets attached and they held them toward Lily.

For Lily, this was like having a thick wall appear before her.

The soldiers lined up next to each other which created a certain thickness, and the soldiers lined up behind them stuck their bayonets through the gaps in the first row.

The bayonet-covered wall slowly advanced toward her.

—Tch. My strength is just about at its limit. I wanted to maintain enough strength to take on Eiko, but it looks like my spirit is giving out.

Lily looked left and right. Similar walls had been created on either side as well.

Each wall was made up of about 100 soldiers. And behind her, the Teruya family ninja were beginning to recover.

—If I try to fly, it will only make me a target for the guns in the back. And more importantly, I don’t want to waste my strength.

The fact that the soldiers were advancing slowly was the only piece of fortune for Lily. That was because they were not sure Lily was a villain, so they were only trying to capture her. However, it made Lily feel like she was being slowly tormented to death.

—Tch… Is this it?

Just as Lily almost gave up and fell to her knees, she heard a scream from behind.

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

—Hm?

Lily glanced over her shoulder to see a fur ball flying toward her at tremendous speed. It was as if someone had thrown a baseball toward her. And the scream was coming from the fur ball itself.

“Wha-?”

Lily shrank down in shock.

The soldiers around her stopped moving in surprise.

With a loud crash, the fur ball landed and sent dust into the air.

“Ow ow ow ow ow ow…”

The fur ball squirmed as it spoke. Eventually, legs extended from the fur, the entire thing shook, and it became a wolf-like beast a bit larger than a human.

“Arnoul really threw me, gya…” said the wolf.

“Kanna,” said Lily with a grin.

Lily’s grin grew to a full smile.

The wolf’s true ident.i.ty was Kamiyama Kanna. She was the student council treasurer. Her special characteristic was her ability to transform.

Kanna turned back in the direction she had flown in from. A giant suit of Western armor three times the size of a normal human stood to the side of the school building. That armor seemed to have thrown Kanna because it was in the follow through pose of a baseball pitch. Inside that battle armor was the secretary Arnoul.

“You two…” Lily’s softening expression stiffened. “I told you to rescue Soga Keena.”

“Yeah, but Michie went to take care of that, gya. Don’t act so distant, gya. I know what you are thinking, gya.”

Kanna showed off her teeth in a smile.

“You idiot. Now how do you plan to get out of this situation?”

“I hadn’t thought of that, gya. I guess I’m the same as you, gya.”

“I see.” Lily showed off her teeth in a smile as well. “Now I feel like an idiot for running out of strength. I’m so close. Let’s just go on a rampage for as long as we can, okay?”

“That’s what I came here to do, gya. This looks like a lot of fun, gya.”

Kanna howled toward the heavens like a wolf.

—So she is forcing her way in. In that case, it might be best to let the student council president’s group win here.

2V began making plans based on a.s.sumptions.

—Eiko has announced that this talk of her patricide is nonsense. That will hold for now, but she must be planning to alter the records once Bouichirou’s plan succeeds. That is a decent plan, but there will still be soldiers who do not believe it. Maybe I can introduce more chaos through that opening.

2V focused his mind.

The dolls he controlled were mixed into various units. He had some in the units hunting down demonic beasts, some in the units on standby, and some in the medical units in the rear.

“Hey, did you hear? The enemy claims the high priest’s daughter killed him to take his position.”

“I thought the demon king killed the high priest.”

“But don’t a lot of Teruya Eiko’s actions seem suspicious?”

“Maybe…but orders are orders.”

2V’s dolls began similar conversations throughout the units. The soldiers were of course faithful to their duty. They would obey their orders even with certain doubts about their commander. Even so, the rumor still spread in the form of doubt. It created the sparks needed for an explosion.

Lily and Kanna’s combination was producing splendid results. Lily would charge recklessly forward and Kanna would follow. They took the opposite actions to what their appearances would suggest and they easily handled the soldiers around them.

“Take this: Special Spherical Beating!”

Lily was back. Even if her naming sense for techniques was lacking, her mental strength had recovered.

She created a sphere of countless fists around her and sent enemy after enemy flying away. With Kanna jumping around sealing up any blind spots, she was not forced to fill up as much unneeded s.p.a.ce as before. This preserved her mental strength which both allowed her to continue fighting longer and to increase her attack strength.

“These are normal soldiers! They can’t use magic!”

“If you get close, you’ll get hurt, gya!”

Kanna charged forward at speeds too great for human reflexes to handle. Even if it was before he had awoken, these movements had been too much for Akuto. The soldiers backed away and fired their rifles, but Kanna would be gone by the time they had aimed. The bullets never even came near her and oftentimes. .h.i.t one of the other soldiers. They grew impatient and fired on Lily as well, but Kanna quickly acted as a shield and stopped the bullets. Her supple and tough fur could easily deflect a bullet.

“Heh. Not much farther to Teruya Eiko!”

“They couldn’t put up much of a fight, gya!”

Lily and Kanna continued their surging onslaught.

“This is a disgrace to the name of Kouga! What are you doing!?” Eiko roared into the telepathic communicator.

The command tent was located at a slightly raised portion a short distance from the schoolyard, but Lily had almost breached the schoolyard. It was difficult for normal soldiers to stop a magic expert.

Eiko had of course seen the situation. The ridiculously powerful giant armor that had thrown the beast was slowly moving toward the Teruya ninja forces and the armored warriors. And Eiko was aware of just how strong it was. It would be difficult to stop even with several ninja.

“Send the Hattori family in to capture the student council president!” announced Eiko.

As 2V watched from the side, he saw this as an excellent opportunity.

—Some sacrifices must be made, is that it? If you send in Yuuko’s unit, the odds are high the rumors of your patricide will reach the viewers across the country. That will make it quite difficult to suppress. I might be able to ensure Teruya Eiko can never recover from this.

Eiko remained perfectly oblivious to 2V’s plotting.

“Find some reason to call Hattori Yuuko to my tent,” ordered Eiko before ending the telepathic conversation and grinning. “Now, Hattori Junko! It is time for you to work for me!”

“What…?”

Junko was at a loss for words.

She could not believe how unreasonable an order this was. She was being told to eliminate the student council president.

“There is a rumor spreading that you killed your father. Don’t tell me this is an attempt to silence the president.”

Junko feigned calm, but her lips trembled. The rumor had reached her not long before.

—I said that because you look like exactly that sort of person!

Junko left that unsaid and replied in a trembling voice.

“It is true that is not something one should say out in public. However, I cannot obey this order without a proper reason. The president is not a part of the demon king’s army.”

“Wh-what are you trying to say!?”

Junko frantically looked around, but Yuuko was indeed gone. The reporter and cameraman were missing as well.

“Teruya Eiko!” shouted Junko.

—She is willing to go this far!?

It was now certain that she had gone as far as killing her own father to become the high priest. From her actions and the current situation, there was no doubting that. Junko now understood why Akuto was so angry.

—The position of high priest is meaningless now! No, this is just someone using that framework for their own purposes. I had heard the dark rumors about the head of the Teruya family, but I never knew it went this far! This entire war was started for Eiko’s own selfish desires! And who knows how many of the previous battles were started for the convenience of the Teruya family! I cannot even imagine how many they have killed. I had heard the dark rumors, but I thought it was necessary to maintain public order. But now…

“Men! This is an order! Stop everyone headed for the commander’s tent!”

But she had no choice but to stop the student council president.

—I am an idiot. I continue to work to maintain the system that allows the high priest to control us.

Junko gave her orders to the Hattori ninja forces.

The ninja stopped hunting down the demonic beasts and began to move. Junko took the lead.

—Was Sai Akuto in the right? He caused all this to occur, but you could also say he was exposing the dark side of the Teruya family. Was he so angry because he knew of this? I want to speak with him…but…

When Junko had seen the aircraft carrier Genkaku crash into the school building along with Akuto and Peterhausen, she had of course been enveloped in despair. However, she had been saved by Yuuko’s presence. The demonic beast blood affecting Yuuko proved that Akuto was still alive.

—If he is alive, he needs to hurry up and prove that he is the demon king! He needs to prove that he is an overwhelming existence that can overturn this rotten situation in a single blow!

“Why here?” asked Yuuko in confusion after being called in by Eiko.

Being called back was perfectly natural if she was to stay away from the demonic beasts and distance herself from her mission, but she was confused by being given nothing other than an interview to do.

“Peace will arrive now that the demon king is gone, won’t it?”

The reporter pointed his microphone toward Yuuko once they arrived in the safe area. He did not seem to have noticed Lily. He may have thought it was just a small skirmish or he may have had no grasp of the battle situation whatsoever.

“The battle is not over yet, so don’t let your guard down.”

Yuuko, on the other hand, had an excellent grasp of the battle situation. She could tell something was wrong. Her location was not all that safe and there was something she of all people could know.

“And the demon king is still alive.”

Yuuko’s words sent a stir through those around her.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“It’s just my intuition…but I can tell. Ah!”

Yuuko stopped speaking and stared into the distance.

The Hattori family forces and Lily had begun staring each other down on the battlefield.

“My sister,” she said while pointing toward Junko.

Eiko could tell the situation had begun to move, so she had the cameraman and reporter fall back.

“Excuse me, but this area might be dangerous. Please fall back for a short while.”

After driving out the media, Eiko stood directly behind Yuuko and happily watched Junko and Lily face off.

Lily ended her advance when this formidable enemy appeared. Even Lily was beginning to show fatigue. She could manage against normal soldiers, but the Hattori ninja would be difficult with the little strength left to her.

Lily was brought to a stop by an attack from one of the ninja and she spotted Junko who commanded them.

“You are a student at the academy, aren’t you? Why are you blocking my way? You don’t believe what Teruya Eiko says, do you?”

Lily spoke to Junko as she stopped Kanna who had suddenly stood up.

A look of anguish appeared on Junko’s face and she turned back toward the tent. Junko said nothing, but Lily picked up on the situation.

“Oh, so she has a hostage, does she? But even if she didn’t, you still couldn’t disobey the Teruya family given what family you belong to.”

Lily’s mocking tone brought Junko’s emotions to the surface.

“If you understand, then why would you say those things!?”

“Heh. I suppose you’re right. That was mean of me,” said Lily with a grin.

“I might be able to control myself, but my men can be short-tempered. I cannot guarantee your survival!”

Junko raised her voice and the Hattori family ninja rushed toward Lily as if that had been their cue.

“Iga Ninja Art – Five Direction Magic Circle Formation!”

This five-man simultaneous attack had not worked on Akuto, but Lily did not have the strength left to attack repeatedly. She managed to knock down two of them, but she allowed the remaining three to reach her. Kanna slipped in front of Lily, but she also only managed to stop and knock away two of them. The final one circled behind Lily and attacked with his sword.

“Gh…”

Lily’s knees gave out. She swung a fist behind her as she fell, but the ninja jumped away before it arrived.

“You must be…taking me lightly to attack with the back of the sword. I don’t like…being pitied,” complained Lily.

“Please stop here, president. We might still be able to do something about all this.”

Junko had calmed down a bit, so she tried to persuade Lily to stop. But Lily of course refused to listen.

“You idiot. I’m not going to listen to your naïve c.r.a.p. I will do what I think is right no matter what. I don’t care about what family anyone is from or what other people think. Whether someone is a good person, a weak person, or a comrade, they deserve death if they support something that is wrong.”

Lily stood up.

“Kh,” groaned Junko.

If she swung down her arm, the Hattori ninja forces would begin to attack without hesitation.

“Do it.”

With a smile on her face, Eiko reached into her pocket. Yuuko sat directly in front of her. If Eiko pulled out the blade in her pocket, she could decapitate Yuuko in an instant.

Eiko knew that Junko was already watching her.

And 2V calmly watched the scene unfold.

—Now, then. This looks like a good opportunity.

Without letting it show on his face, he focused his mind.

2V’s dolls began to move.

Junko squeezed her eyes shut and swung down her arm.

The Hattori ninja forces charged forward.

“Iga Ninja Art – Five Direction Magic Cir-…!”

But they were unable to complete their technique.

“Gh!”

“Wah!”

The ninja cried out and fell to the ground.

“What happened?”

Junko looked around.

To her surprise, the ninja had been taken out by normal soldiers.

“What is going on?”

Junko was confused.

Approximately five soldiers armed with rifles stood in a position to protect Lily and Kanna. Smoke rose from the barrels of their weapons. The ninja had been shot down.

But even as a surprise attack, it should have been near impossible for normal soldiers who could not use magic to hit ninja who were leaping through the air.

And Lily knew that quite well.

“Who are you?”

She turned a suspicious eye toward the soldiers who had protected her.

“Those who believe the truth of Teruya Eiko’s patricide,” one of the soldiers replied.

The soldiers then began to move. Three of them charged forward while the remaining two provided covering fire. Surprisingly the coordination of their movements was greater than that of the Hattori ninja forces.

“Impossible!” cried Junko in surprise, but that was the scene occurring before her eyes.

The five soldiers incapacitated one then another of the Hattori ninja forces.

“I can’t enjoy this…”

Lily began walking toward Junko. The Hattori ninja had their hands full with those soldiers. At the moment, only Junko stood between Lily and Eiko’s tent.

“What in the world is going on!?” asked Junko in utter confusion.

“I have heard there is a member of the Cabinet Intelligence and Magic Office that can use dolls. He is likely in the command tent. Now, I sympathize with your sister and I will rescue her if I can, but don’t hold a grudge if there’s nothing I can do.”

Lily took another step toward Junko.

“Kh…”

Junko understood it rationally. Eiko was the one at fault. However, there was nothing she could do about it.

—I have no choice but to fight here!

Junko made up her mind.

“Iga Ninja Art – Scattered Moonlight!”

Junko divided into two. The two Junkos attacked Lily simultaneously.

“Heh. I have two arms, you know?”

Lily gave a scornful laugh. The two Junkos attacked with a slight time delay, but Lily knocked them both to the ground with a single hand each.

—I-it can’t be! She defeated me so easily!?

As Junko received countless attacks, she became painfully aware that her shaken brain was no longer able to give the orders needed to move her body.

—There is too much of a difference in our powers.

The two Junkos collapsed and one of them disappeared.

The student council president had easily defeated her in the past as well. Even so, she had not felt as powerless back then. The difference this time was that she could not protect anything without growing stronger.

—D-dammit…

She somehow managed to move her arm. She placed her hand on the Sword of Sohaya. However, she was still unable to draw it.

—Surely my feelings are powerful enough now. Is…is that not enough?

Junko shed tears of frustration.

“Teruya Eiko!”

Lily sprang toward Eiko.

“Y-you fool! Don’t you care what happens to-…”

Eiko wrapped an arm around Yuuko’s neck and drew a short sword, but Lily did not hesitate even slightly.

“Not really, no! If you kill her, I will take vengeance for her immediately afterwards!”

“Ahh!”

Eiko swung her short sword.

“Kyaaah!”

Yuuko’s scream lingered in the air.

However…

“What!?”

“Oh!”

“Kyaaaah!”

Lily, Eiko, and Yuuko all cried out at the same moment.

A great wind had shot between the three of them.

Lily’s fist was stopped by his back.

Eiko’s short sword was stopped by the claws on his left hand.

And Yuuko was held within his right arm.

“I will keep my promise.”

The one whispering to Yuuko was Brave.

“Brave!” cried Yuuko in utter joy.

“We will be travelling a fair distance from here, but everything will be okay,” said Brave Hiroshi as he flew up from the tent and into the sky.

He moved so quickly that Lily, Eiko, and 2V were all unable to react.

Yamato Bouichirou stood in midair.

Hiroshi lined up next to him with Yuuko in his arms. Bouichirou stood atop a giant sword. The sword seemed able to fly. And Bouichirou also held a girl in his arms. It was Keena.

“Did you wish to save that girl?”

Hiroshi nodded.

“This is what I wanted the suit back for. This is why I agreed to cooperate with you,” said Hiroshi.

“I do not need you to fully sympathize with me. I only need some help from you,” said Bouichirou.

He flew away from the battlefield and Hiroshi followed.

“I don’t know what that was, but I’m not going to complain!”

A cruel smile appeared on Lily’s lips.

Realizing she had nothing left to protect herself, Eiko’s face twisted in fear. After all, she had seen Junko’s instant defeat. She knew Junko was just about as strong as she was and she was not foolish enough to not understand just how powerful Lily was.

“2V!”

Eiko turned to 2V for help, but he remained seated with a thin smile on his face.

“Give up!” roared Lily.

Countless fists flew toward Eiko.

“Doraaaaah!”

Lily pummeled Eiko as if this would be her last chance. Even as Eiko collapsed like a wooden doll, Lily continued the storm of punches.

“Dorrraaaaaah!”

Eiko’s body became as battered as an old rag.

“P-president! Wait, gya!” cried Kanna once she finally caught up.

“Hm?”

Lily finally stopped once she noticed something was wrong.

“d.a.m.n!”

Lily was punching a piece of lumber with Eiko’s coat over it.

“A replacement! She’s good at running if nothing else!”

Lily clenched her teeth.

“Ha ha,” laughed 2V lightly.

When Lily glared over at him, he apologized, continued to laugh, and pointed into the distance. Eiko could be seen running toward the Teruya ninja forces.

“Are you really going to throw it all away and start over after coming so far!?” cried Lily.

“You must have had a hard time of it. Excellent work,” said 2V. Lily began glaring at him once more and he shrugged. “I doubt she can bring together an army anymore. It seems you have some proof of her patricide, so there is no need to get so angry.”

“Are you the one known as 2V?”

“Please do not act so hostile. How about we work together? At the moment, the Intelligence and Magic Office wants the same thing you do: the defeat of the demon king and the fall of the Teruya family. Don’t both seem perfectly realistic with a little help from us? You hand over your information and we will spread it around. That will resolve everything.”

2V’s voice remained perfectly cheerful and light.

“I don’t like you. I don’t like you at all,” said Lily in a low voice.

She understood his reasoning. If she did as 2V said, it was over for Eiko whether the demon king was alive or not. If command was pa.s.sed on to whoever came after Eiko (in this case, that would be the captain of Genkaku), the situation could be resolved.

However…

“Peace or a resolution to this situation are not what I want. I have been doing some investigation and I have reason to believe the Cabinet Intelligence and Magic Office is trying to overthrow the empire. I have reason to believe CIMO 8 is disobeying its own leader and merely using its leader’s mysterious ambitions for their own purposes,” said Lily.

2V laughed in pure amus.e.m.e.nt.

“Ha ha ha ha! That was some excellent investigation! We were as appalled as anyone when we heard what Mr. Bouichrou planned to do. But we began to wonder if there was something he had not realized. And you will never believe what we found: a mountain of treasure! He is getting worked up for nothing but his own personal reasons. In that case, we have no reason to obey him if there is nothing in it for us!”

“Then tell me what your reason is. What reason do you have that is more important than a conflict between the G.o.ds and the demon king!”

“I asked you not to be so hostile. If you help me, I can share that secret with you.”

“Shut up. I’m a bit stubborn, you know?”

“What a pain. You are as troublesome as you are short.”

“You just ensured your death with those words.”

While 2V laughed, Lily’s voice lowered. She brought a hand to the brim of her stylish hat. She pulled the brim to the side to reverse the hat. The smiling face pattern dyed into the hat’s fabric changed to an angry face. This was the sign that she was overcome by too much anger to restrain herself.

“But a conflict here earns you nothing!” complained 2V.

He called back the dolls that had been fighting the Hattori family and had them rush toward Lily.

“President!” warned Kanna with what was almost a scream.

Lily barely had any strength left and Kanna knew it.

“Shut up! I won’t be satisfied until I use my greatest technique!”

Lily’s arms stretched out. As they dangled down to her left and right, she began swinging them around. However, she was not swinging them around as an attack. Her stretched arms wrapped around her body and squeezed tightly. She was building up power.

2V’s dolls attacked Lily, but she jumped up and away from them with her arms still wrapped around her body. She then released the stored up power toward 2V who was still seated.

“Go! This is my greatest and hardest punch! I call it ‘The Hard Punch’!”

Lily’s body began to spin and her right fist flew at tremendous speed.

Her fist broke the sound barrier and produced a great boom.

2V’s dolls moved in the path of the fist.

“Second stage: acceleration!”

Instead of doing anything with her outstretched right arm, Lily released her left arm from her body to increase her rotation.

A pure white ring of vapor began to trail behind her right fist. The air instantly compressed by the surface of the fist was released behind the fist and the moisture in it froze.

One of 2V’s dolls used its lack of pain to act as a shield, but Lily’s fist broke through its abdomen almost too easily.

“What!?”

This shocked 2V. He sent more dolls into the fist’s path, but they were all pierced through by Lily’s fist.

“Oh!”

2V’s eyes opened wide as Lily’s fist jabbed into his stomach. 2V remained frozen in place for a moment and then collapsed from the chair.

“Heh.”

Lily retracted her arm and landed. 2V’s dolls fell to the ground shortly thereafter.

“I definitely can’t use another one of those. And I was hoping to save it for the demon king.”

Lily walked over to 2V, but her expression clouded over.

“What…is this…?”

Lily grabbed 2V’s hair and tugged at his head to lift it up. She then slammed that head against the ground.

“He’s a doll, too!”

“R-really, gya?”

Kanna approached to check. The hole in 2V’s abdomen was filled with machinery.

“Ha ha ha ha…”

2V, or the doll that had played the role of 2V, laughed. Its face was completely expressionless, so it was as creepy as seeing a corpse begin to laugh.

“Where are you controlling him from!?” roared Lily.

However, 2V replied with a mocking voice.

“That would be a secret! But with this doll out of commission, the others will cease to function as well. I stuck a booster in this one. Ha ha ha. If the two of us are unlucky, perhaps we will meet again. Of course, you would not recognize me if you did. As you can see, I have no face. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.”

Only 2V’s eerie laughter remained as his doll ceased to function.

“Dammit!”

Lily stomped on the doll’s head.

“Are you a clown!? I can’t stand that!”

“C-calm down, president. More importantly, your strength is not going to last, gya. She may have little political power left, but Teruya Eiko did escape, gya. We need to do something, gya,” said Kanna in an attempt to pacify Lily.

“Dammit. But I’m already out of strength.”

Lily returned her hat to normal and leaned up against Kanna’s wolf back.

“Why do you never think of the consequences of your actions, gya?”

“Shut up. I’ll head out again after I get some rest. More importantly, do you have anything to eat?”

“Someone ate my stash of snacks in the student council room, gya.”

“Oh, so the headmaster never replaced those potato chips.”

“The headmaster ate it? That’s a problem, gya. …Wait, president! Something’s happening at the school, gya!”

Kanna raised her voice.

Lily looked over and saw a commotion running through the soldiers gathered round where Genkaku had crashed into the building.

Meanwhile, Rubbers was causing problems for Fujiko and Michie by blocking their path.

“Do you think we might not be able to defeat him?” asked Michie in a dark voice.

When the students had tried to enter an underground crypt in the past, Michie had sent almost all of them to the hospital. The fact that this girl was growing fainthearted worried Fujiko.

“I-if you are this fainthearted, senpai, why were you the only one that came here!?”

“With my mechanical bats and my wind, I am unbeatable in these underground pa.s.sageways! …Or so I thought.”

Rubbers’s entire body was made of rubber, so far too many attacks were ineffective against him.

Rubbers was slowly moving toward them and it seemed he wanted them to attack him. Without being able to read his expression, they had no way of knowing whether he insisted on only sending their own attacks back at them or if he enjoyed being attacked.

Fujiko and Michie slowly backed away.

“D-do you have any useful magic?”

“If I did, I would have used it already!” complained Fujiko. “I am a normal student in everything but potions!”

“Ahh… That is not something to be proud of,” commented Michie.

At that poin