Chapter 108

The shot sent out flames as it was fired at five times the usual speed and rotation. A boom louder than what anyone might expect from a projectile of its size roared. The ground cracked under Menou’s firmly rooted feet from the recoil. Michele didn’t even attempt to dodge. Gauging the bullet’s trajectory, she swung her sword when Menou pulled the trigger. The Guiding Force bullet was sliced neatly in half, the pieces flying past Michele. They carved holes in the ground and sent up clouds of dust, leaving Michele unharmed. Abbie, who’d created the Guiding gun, was just as stunned as Menou. “This is the best you can do, even using a Pure Concept?” Michele had sliced the quintuple-accelerated bullet apart with a mere flick of her sword. The shot had been powerful enough to pulverize a small building, yet she’d neutralized it with nothing but Guiding Enhancement and skill. Michele readied her sword again, without even the slightest show of pride. “You and this Primary Color life-form disappoint me. You don’t even measure up to the most common weapons of a thousand years ago.” “Yikes. I guess you really are a living weapon masterpiece from the ancient civilization. You aren’t even pretending to be human anymore.” “Amusing words from a mere conjured soldier.” Michele’s eyes blazed, and her voice dripped with disdain. She charged the weapon in her grip with Guiding Force, clearly intent on killing this time. Guiding Force: Connect—Sword of Judgment, Crest—Double Invoke [Current, Compression] As she invoked the crest conjurings, she raised her sword high in the air. Menou and Abbie both reacted immediately to the movement of the round-edged Sword of Judgment. Guiding Force: Merge Materials—Primary Red Stone, Pseudo-Concept of Primary Color—Invoke [Primary Color Type: Insect-Shell Armor] Guiding Force: Connect—Modified Priestess Robe, Crest—Invoke [Multi-Barrier] Abbie transformed both of her arms into glittering ruby-red armored shells and took a defensive stance, while Menou’s multilayered barrier appeared in front of them. Both were sufficiently strong enough to weather any normal scripture conjuring. However, they could not withstand Michele’s attack. “What…?” Menou whispered in disbelief as the two layers of defense were cleaved through. When Michele brought down her blade, a slash rent the air and sent Abbie’s head flying. Menou’s eyes widened. Water droplets speckled the ground. Michele had used a high-pressure water current to extend her range. By timing the release with the stroke of her sword, she’d cut through Abbie’s neck from beyond the normal distance. With a loud snap, Abbie’s body splintered and fell apart. She was reduced to dust and scattered—only for an unharmed Abbie to appear on the same spot a moment later. “Ahhh! I lost a life! This sucks!” Michele didn’t look surprised by Abbie’s abrupt return. She only squinted one eye in a show of irritation. “Primary Color life-form. You manifest in this world by splitting your soul and segmenting your spirit to control an artificial body. The enormous amount of material used in exchange for the body must come from Primary Color space…making you similar to Guardian, as I suspected. Annoying though it is, I will simply have to seal all of your connection pathways one by one.” “Yikes. That’s not very nice, you know. Have you ever thought about how it feels to be the one locked up in that boring place?” “As if I care. Rot for eternity.” Abbie, whose laid-back attitude showed through even in battle, wrinkled her nose at Michele. She was only able to revive because the part of her that existed here was like a terminal. If the pathway connecting her Guiding Force was closed, her real self in a separate dimension would no longer be able to interact with this world. Michele’s strength really was abnormal, especially considering that a freshly made Primary Color Triad conjured soldier had once beaten Ashuna and Menou singlehandedly in the desert. However, if Michele had a weakness, it was that she didn’t carry a scripture. “What happened to your scripture?” Menou asked. “I have no need for it against the likes of you. That’s all,” Michele replied without hesitation. However, while her claim was true, that was hardly a reason to deliberately leave behind such a powerful weapon. If she had access to the many effects of scripture conjurings on top of her own pure strength, Menou and Abbie might not be standing now. The scripture that Maya dropped right before the attack must have been Michele’s. Menou tossed out another question. “Is Hakua still after me?” “Don’t be so full of yourself. Lady Hakua no longer has any use for an imitation like you.” Menou had already suspected as much, considering Michele’s obvious intent to kill. Evidently, Hakua had reasoned that she no longer required Menou’s body. That was strange, since Hakua wanted Menou because of her Guiding Force connection with Akari. Hakua’s goal was to return to Japan with Akari, which meant she needed to become one with her in terms of Guiding Force. To that end, she’d tried to acquire Menou’s body just half a year ago. But now Michele was trying to kill Menou, to the point that she’d gone out of her way to separate Maya before the attack. Those two facts led to one conclusion. “Abbie. Maya’s probably off on her own right now. Our top priority is to find her,” Menou said. “What? Nooo! Why should I do anything for her?! Can’t we use her as bait to escape instead?!” “Quit whining! I thought it was your duty as a big sister to protect the young!” “But she’s older than meee!” “I know, but still!” Since Maya had turned into a Human Error a thousand years ago, even if she’d only recently regained her sanity, she was undoubtedly older than Menou and Abbie. “But she’s still a child, you know.” “Li’l Menou, you underestimate that nasty creature’s disposition. I do wish you’d listen to your big sister’s warnings.” “I’m sorry. But it’s only because I don’t trust you in the least.” “After all I’ve done for you?!” Ignoring Abbie’s whining, Menou focused on her battle with Michele. This was the Magician, an obstacle on the path to killing Hakua. Menou readied her dagger, hoping to gain even a little bit of information from this battle. Maya was completely dumbfounded. She’d been summoned somewhere right before that surprise attack blew her away. Now she found herself in an empty alley not far from the house. Even at night, the city wasn’t dark. In this world, where Guiding Force was an integral part of technology, light was the most common application of Guiding Force. The Guiding Light produced as an aftereffect of any Guiding Force phenomenon was widely employed to illuminate homes and streets. Maya stood in the light of a Guiding lamp. She heard what sounded like a battle nearby, so she couldn’t be far from the house. But even if Maya went back, there wouldn’t be much she could do to help. “Well…I’m sure they’re all right.” Maya’s main problem was what to do next. Though she worried for Menou’s safety, Maya wouldn’t be any use in battle. Maya had hoped to ask for Menou’s advice just moments ago, thinking she would handle Hakua’s invitation and the scripture. But now the situation had changed drastically. Maya wondered what to do, until something clicked. “You can just go home, you know.” “Please, come see me.” Two lines with opposite meanings flashed through Maya’s mind. The contrast between the two messages, spoken by girls with the same face, gave Maya a flash of insight. “That’s right.” Maya hurried off in the opposite direction of the battle with Michele. “I’m not going to be totally dependent on anyone… Never again!” Maya had a piece of paper clutched in her hand, the one torn from the scripture. The book had fallen from her hand when she was summoned here, but she still had the page she’d tucked into her sleeve. If Hakua really was coming just to see Maya… Then there was something she, and she alone, could do. Maya’s pace gradually quickened into a run. She couldn’t use normal conjurings and dared not use her Pure Concept of Evil and deplete her memories. “Huff…huff…!” Without Guiding Enhancement to help her, Maya’s young legs could only carry her so far. Fortunately, no one was chasing her. People regarded her oddly when she bought a ticket, but only because she was a child riding the train alone. “The third line…third line…” Maya repeated the words under her breath as she searched for the train that matched her ticket. It wasn’t easy, since she was used to Menou leading the way, but she managed to find the stopped train that was emitting Guiding Light from both ends. The train departed almost as soon as Maya boarded. The seats were almost entirely empty, probably because it was so late. Maya took a vacant seat while the train rocked gently. Just as her frazzled feelings finally calmed down, she caught a glimpse of her pale reflection in the window, mirrored over the dark night. It reminded her that she’d made a choice that left her alone. “I can do it…all by myself!” The train’s vibrations shook Maya’s small frame back and forth. By now, its steadily moving wheels were carrying her forward whether she liked it or not. In stark contrast with her determined expression, the clunking train made her tiny body look like it was trembling.