After moving a short distance away from us at low altitude, Keiko spiraled upward to the top of the buildings.
Through the eyes of the raven, I surveyed our surroundings. The Tokyo cityscape was recreated as far as my memory allowed… but only our immediate vicinity was clear. The further away you looked, the blurrier the scene got. Beyond the edge of our vision was just pure whiteness… like a movie with a special effects budget that ran out mid-production.
Ah, there’s Mount Fuji to the west. So, in my mind, west just means, “there’s Mount Fuji”, and that’s it… My lack of detailed memory was discouraging. But that wasn’t the main issue.
The problem was to the north. A gigantic jellyfish, the one that had shot down Mia, was swaying and closing in with its numerous tentacles.
In that moment, every tentacle simultaneously fired a bullet at Keiko. Unfazed by this barrage, Keiko called, “Deflection!”
The bullets were reflected with a perfectly timed magical shield, exploding in rapid succession in midair. Still, the shockwave spun Keiko around like a top.
As expected of a Greater Ninja, Keiko skillfully controlled her body even as she spun, quickly maneuvering behind the shadow of a building. The next second, a follow-up shot exploded into the side of the building.
Immediately, the building began to collapse, scattering debris and leaving a trail of destruction across the cityscape below.
“Wow, this is a disaster… It’s like a monster movie, Kazu-san,” Tamaki commented lightheartedly.
Since my vision was coming through the raven’s eyes, I was trying to keep up with Keiko’s rapid movements, but it was making me dizzy…
Finally, Keiko stopped and floated still. Maybe it’s stopped attacking?
“Hmm, looks like it attacks whenever a face appears above the building. It’s like an automatic reaction,” came Keiko’s voice, still relaxed, through the raven.
So, she deliberately put herself in danger to test that theory. Reckless, but… I guess it’s something only Keiko-san or my familiar could do.
Wait, wouldn’t a familiar by itself have been enough for this?
Well, for acquiring real-time intel, maybe Keiko was the better choice.
A moment later, she descended and returned to us.
“Thanks for your hard work,” I told her. “Before we go over what you saw… Mia, are you okay now?”
“No problemo. At this point, losing an arm or two isn’t going to shake me.”
What’s with the tough guy voice? And she’s puffing out her nonexistent chest… Maybe she’s trying not to worry everyone.
“I didn’t see any other monsters,” Keiko reported. “Maybe we should deal with that jellyfish fast.”
“Right… Our long-range firepower is lacking compared to when we were fighting in the forest. Rushia, can you handle a tenfold consumption of Prominent Snake?”
“Yeah, let’s snipe it from somewhere nearby for a one-shot kill.”
“Getting closer will help. It’s too far right now.”
We could use Dimensional Step, but…
“Let’s try this first,” I said, attempting to summon Sha-Lau. I was a bit anxious about whether I could summon the Phantom Wolf King in this space, but…
Sure enough, the giant silver-furred wolf appeared just like normal.
Sha-Lau seemed a bit off however.
The Phantom Wolf King looked around restlessly and wrinkled his nose in discomfort. His fur bristled, and he let out a growl.
“Did you notice something?” I asked him. “Well, it’s no surprise in this city of buildings. This sight must be strange for you.”
“Regarding the scenery, that’s one thing, Master, but I sense an anomaly in the mana constructing this world.”
“An anomaly in the mana? What do you mean?”
Sha-Lau asked us to fill him in on what we had seen first, after which he nodded in understanding.
Now that I thought about it, he was also known as the Wise Wolf. I should have consulted him from the start.
“In a nutshell, the mana that constructs this world is unlike anything I know.”
“Could you be more specific?”
“There’s one more thing I have to tell you, Master. I am currently under attack.”
Wait, hold on, what does that mean? I watched as Sha-Lau’s body flickered a few times. Does that mean… he’s using magic?
“I’m being eroded by a type of mental probe magic. I’ve cast a counter spell. Master, is your defense adequate?”
“Uh, yes, I’ve put Isolation on everyone… Oh, wait!”
I looked around at the party. The first to realize something was amiss were Rushia and Mia, who both looked awkward.
“I apologize, it was my responsibility to notice,” Rushia said.
“No, it was my place to react,” Mia argued.
“No… it’s actually my mistake,” I insisted.
Everyone else just looked puzzled, so I shrugged and explained with a wry smile. “It’s about why this world is based on my memory of Shibuya. I’d turned off Isolation for myself so that I could share thoughts with my familiars… so the enemy must have been stealing my thoughts freely.”