Tsushima’s heart wavered at the sight of her desperately clinging to the faintest shred of hope. Memories of the past he had tried to forget came into sharp focus, overlapping with the present. Irrational feelings twisted Tsushima’s judgment.
“Guess this is karma,” he grumbled quietly, catching Holy’s gaze. Then he let out a bigger sigh than he had ever given.
“I’ll get you to tell me the details afterward. For now, hide behind me.”
Holy’s eyes lit up at Tsushima’s words. A single tear slid down her cheek, before she immediately smiled with sincere, heartfelt emotion for the first time.
“Okay!”
Canus’s expression clouded over as he watched their interaction. He shook his head in exasperation.
“You really are an idiot, aren’t you, buddy? You gonna have a go at me?”
“Even I think I’m being stupid. But the thing is: I’ve got a rebellious streak,” Tsushima stated, making a clear declaration of war.
Canus looked at him, then pointed to the ceiling.
“Guess we’re doing this, huh? Other passengers might get harmed if we fight here, and it sure is scary getting an earful from the emperor, so let’s be good and go at it up top, buddy. After I’ve beaten you to death, I’ll make her hold your freshly severed head while I cut off hers, too.” Grinning cruelly, Canus made his eyes glow blue.
Gray limbs resembling spider legs burst from his back. Skillfully moving the eight limbs, Canus pointed at Tsushima and said, “Don’t keep me waiting,” on his way out to the roof.
Left with the disturbing image of his defeat, Tsushima watched Canus depart. He then placed his hand on the window frame.
Holy called out from behind.
“Tsushima! I’m sorry for not telling you the truth.”
Holy clutched the hem of her clothes and fidgeted as she searched for what to say. Tsushima looked at her, then pointed to the floor of the room.
“If you’re reflecting on what’s happened, then come up with an explanation for me by the time I get back from kicking this guy’s ass. Got that?” Tsushima spoke as if disciplining a child. Holy nodded meekly in response.
Once he had confirmation, Tsushima stepped out the window.
The roof of the train would be their battlefield. Feeling the intense wind, Tsushima looked at the sky in annoyance. It was just past noon. Clear skies stretched out above them—perfect for a showdown.
✦ ✦ ✦
The train tracks ran through a vast field, and they were about to go into a dense forest.
Despite the fierce gales blowing against him, Tsushima looked unconcerned as he stood calmly on the roof of the train. Facing him, Canus also appeared unfazed at the unstable footing. Both of their eyes were already faintly glowing blue.
They had each executed Codes that would allow them to move easily atop the train, where even standing would normally be difficult. For Informationists like Tsushima and Canus, activating Codes like these was as simple as breathing. It was basic knowledge for Informationists.
“My, this late already? I’d like to get this over with quickly and have lunch. So could you hurry up and die?” Canus looked at a pocket watch he had taken out from his uniform, then flashed his white teeth. Every one of his gestures was irritating; such an arrogant brat.
“Don’t worry. We’re both busy people. I don’t intend to drag this out,” Tsushima replied, rolling up the sleeves of his jacket. As if in sync, they both flared their eyes with an intense blue glow.
Canus seemed to have a slight advantage when it came to Code construction speed. Gray particles swirled around him at a breakneck pace, forming an impressive creation in no time at all.
Behind him, Canus brought forth a monster that looked like it had been summoned from another world.
Its four long, thin limbs were similar to a human’s, but their strength and distorted shape brought to mind an insect in some respects. Where its head should have been, countless octopus-like tentacles writhed around, dripping digestive fluids. Its body was more gray than white, and scattered across it were patches of a rusty reddish-brown and shades of crimson reminiscent of the color of human blood.
It was quite the construct. Tsushima was impressed.
The phenomena that Informationists brought about were often linked to one’s particular academic field of expertise. Tsushima’s specialization was physical mechanics. For Canus, it appeared to be a biology-related discipline.
However, the Codes Canus wielded were unfathomable. Most Informationists who specialized in biology only did things like healing wounds or enhancing physical abilities with their Codes. Someone couldn’t even execute a Code unless they thoroughly understood the structure and mechanism of the phenomenon they wanted to implement.
Yet Canus had effortlessly synthesized life. And an imaginary monster that didn’t even exist in the real world at that.
Such was the power of an Exceptional Level Informationist.
Informationists of this distinction included those who had transcended the general requirement of adhering to the bounds of science. Some wielded unobservable phenomena, while others produced phenomena whose mechanisms had yet to be defined. Informationists who used these kinds of supernatural phenomena were deemed “exceptional.”
“Ha-ha! First, let’s see what you’ve got!” Canus shouted confidently, as if he had already won. Using the spider legs extending from his body, he maneuvered behind his monster.
However, even as he faced off against a skill that overshadowed ordinary Informationists, Tsushima’s expression didn’t change. The monster approached with agile movements despite its massive size, yet Tsushima didn’t take a single step.
The creature stepped within killing range and raised its arm. The limb transformed into massive whip, and the monster swept it sideways in an attempt to kill.
Tsushima stepped forward to dodge the enormous arm, narrowly avoiding it. He calmly walked along the train roof as if nothing had happened, his gaze fixed solely on Canus.
The monster, appearing openly enraged, like it had emotions, launched more attacks at Tsushima as he strode around at its feet.
Yet somehow, none of the giant’s attacks hit him. Tsushima was dodging them all by a hair’s breadth.
The monster started to show signs of frustration, unable to comprehend what was happening. At that moment, Tsushima looked up at the head of the creature, which was directly above him.
“What’s your deal? Do you have emotions? Maybe it’s cruel to toy with you, then.”
The monster tilted its head at Tsushima’s words. As it did, a drop of digestive fluid dripped down from the octopus head toward Tsushima. The liquid emitted white smoke as it fell and seemed to boil in midair before instantly evaporating.
A moment later, the air distorted like a mirage. Then a wave of searing heat instantly blasted off the monster’s head.
Smoke rose from the severed stump of its neck. The monster’s quadrupedal body sprang up before gradually falling backward to the ground.
Just as it seemed it would crash into the train car, the remains of the creature reverted to ash-like dust and billowed back down, returning from whence it came, beneath Canus.
The stench of charred flesh choked the area, strong enough to be noticed even on top of the moving train. It was a truly unpleasant odor, but Canus clapped his hands in satisfaction.
“I see. You’ve exceeded my expectations. No wonder the Fourth Division couldn’t handle you,” Canus said, gazing at Tsushima with great interest. Even though they were in killing range of one another, Canus kept his arms folded, showing no sign of executing a Code.
“Are you really a level seven, buddy? Nah, there’s no way. You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”
Tsushima brushed aside his disheveled bangs, revealing glowing blue eyes fixed in a piercing glare.
“I’m sick and tired of you calling me ‘buddy’ like we’re friends. Knock it off, now.”
“Tha—” Canus tried to deliver a retort, but his words were cut short. Before he could finish speaking, Tsushima blasted away his upper jaw. A single heat ray, like the ones he had used the other day, shot from behind Tsushima, turning Canus’s head to ash.
But out from Canus’s body came the same fluttering ash the monster had turned into just before.
Tsushima immediately realized the boy in front of him was a fake.
“What a pain in the ass,” he muttered, sensing something behind him.
He turned around and saw three knights clad in sturdy-looking armor. One held a sword and a shield, another held a halberd, and the third shouldered a massive greatsword. All three wore the same armor.
But their appearance wasn’t their only noteworthy quality.
Although their bodies were clearly smaller than the monster from earlier, the knights dented the roof of the train with their every step, making their weight clear. These humanoid beings had been formed with far greater density than the previous synthesized creature.
Tsushima clicked his tongue at the sight of the three ash-silver knights.
While the Codes Tsushima constructed boasted overwhelming firepower, he had a hard time making fine adjustments to them. His skill worked best against large numbers.
In other words, his abilities weren’t well-suited for hand-to-hand combat, which required delicate, split-second decisions. This was his critical weakness against the Six Imperial Swords. Canus had discerned that peculiarity of Tsushima’s solely from their earlier clash.
Between Tsushima being forced into a style of combat he was lacking in and the girl he was supposed to protect being right underfoot, there was no way he could fight aggressively.
“Ugh, this guy’s playing dirty. This is why I hate brats.”
With the ash-silver knights slowly approaching, Tsushima took out a cigarette. He wouldn’t be able to smell it in the wind, but he felt an irresistible urge to smoke.
He tensed the finger he struck the lighter with. Getting frustrated by its refusal to ignite, he shot a sharp glare at the knights.
“Your faces are pissing me off.”
The knights shifted into combat stances. The one with the sword and shield rushed to close the distance with the other two concealing themselves behind. Tsushima’s eyes glowed fiercely as the battle began.