Chapter 15

Air had focused her Qualia on operating the Exelia, but Kirlilith had used hers to try to land a killing blow. The bullets that zoomed past them were charged with deadly heat, and when they crashed into the nearby ground, they created depressions that seemed like the work of a meteor shower. The Belial and Traxil divinities, the bullet of Oblivion and the bullet of Death, clashed. Each Exelia unit consisted of two people. Kirlilith served as the gunner, while her manipulator was some unknown western soldier. He’d been doing a fine job supporting her, but Rain knew he was the easiest target. “Air…” “Got it.” Air instantly realized his intent and shifted their Exelia’s positioning. She changed her strategy, deciding to get into the best possible position to help Rain aim, instead of focusing on evasion, as she had so far. “I’ll place my faith in you.” Rain activated his utterly ordinary Bullet Magic…Pharel. “Shoot, Rain!” The moment Rain opened fire, their opponent dodged nimbly, evading a direct hit. But his bullet didn’t stop there. If normal bullets were a point that extended like a spear, then Rain’s bullets were a surface that spread out like a shock wave. The bullet that had initially missed its mark rebounded against a tree, striking the Exelia from the rear. Boom! It was a trick that surprised ordinary mages. The more experienced they were, the more unavoidable the bullet became. But… How predictable. …Kirlilith had seen right through it. Just before the bullet had struck, she’d fired a shot backward, hitting Rain’s bullet with a feat of precise marksmanship akin to threading a needle. I already know you use Pharel, so I can include it in my predictions… Rain’s magic fizzled out. The bullet itself broke apart and fell to the ground as scrap. Your magic…won’t work on me! Once she confirmed she was safe, Kirlilith looked around to assess the situation. No one, not a single person, will ever touch me! Kirlilith’s bullets affected everything equally. Anything they touched was annihilated, enemy Bullet Magic included. Even if her opponent far outclassed her when it came to Exelia combat—or even if they shot advanced, multilayered Bullet Magic at her—she would always be able to turn the tables on them with a single shot. On top of that, she’d perceived the way his bullets rebounded. Pharel was already effectively useless when one expected it, but she’d even analyzed all the subtle movements of his bullets to make sure they’d never hit her. Long story short… He’s so weak… …Kirlilith was disappointed. Their lack of strength had greatly disappointed her. You’re so weak! What the hell?! Are you…really a Ghost like me?! Filled with rage, Kirlilith fired the Traxil’s bullet. Air responded deftly, swerving her unit to easily avoid Kirlilith’s attack. Her precise reactions exceeded human capabilities, proving that Air was indeed a Ghost. But that only made things worse. No, Air! You weren’t like this before! You were far more noble, far stronger, because you always fought alone! So why...? Why are you letting that child handle things?! The boy’s lack of strength was especially apparent when he was next to Air. If you’d just used him as a pawn, you’d be so much stronger! The rules of Exelia combat stated that all teams must be formed of pairs, but not once had Kirlilith ever treated the manipulator beside her as a partner. She’d bound the soul of the mage riding with her through the pact, controlling him to suit her needs. And that was the natural order of things. Ghosts were at their strongest when they fought alone. That was why the magic of the pact existed. It was why all the Ghosts she’d encountered thus far had fought alone. But that silver-haired girl didn’t completely subjugate the boy. She did give him some instructions, but it seemed she fully entrusted the timing and power of the attacks to him. She hadn’t been like that before. She had once treated her partners as slaves, just as Kirlilith did. She had abandoned her source of strength. “……” Unable to bear it any longer, she decided to address Air’s unit through the megaphone. “If you use the pact to control him and fight alone, you’ll be so much stronger! You do know this, don’t you? So long as you let that human handle the magic, you’ll never beat me!” No answer came. In place of a response, Bullet Magic fired in random directions from Air’s unit. Enough! She knew those random shots would never hit her; they’d turned into an annoyance. “That’s enough. If you aren’t going to put up a real fight, I’ll just put an end to you!” In an attempt to show Air the error of her ways, Kirlilith closed the gap between them and unleashed the Traxil’s bullet of death. And one out of the seven shots she fired… “Ah…!” …hit Air’s unit. A violent impact jolted them. “Ugh, aaah!” Kirlilith’s bullet had hit their Exelia’s front section, blowing it apart. Luckily, they’d purged that leg right before the shot had landed. If they hadn’t, their unit would’ve been reduced to scrap altogether. “Ugh…” That wasn’t to say they got away unscathed, though. The aftershocks of the massive blast had definitely reached Rain and Air. “A-Air…” Rain’s consciousness was hazy. Every part of his body screamed in pain. Kirlilith’s bullet had sent their unit flying, and his body jostled and banged repeatedly until the unit eventually stopped tumbling at the bottom of the forested mountain. The only real silver lining was that they’d gotten out of Kirlilith’s range. “Hey… Air. Hurry, we’ve gotta move!” Kirlilith would be here before long, so they were in as much danger as ever. Rain had called out to Air blindly, since his sight was still muddled, but Air had never fully ignored any of his requests before. He had no reason to worry…but her silence surprised him. Rain gazed at her back, trying to focus his vision…and froze. “That wound…” Red was everywhere. Blood was pouring from Air’s right arm. “Haaah… Haaah…” Air panted heavily, barely managing to stay conscious as she put pressure on her wounded arm with her healthy one. But upon realizing that it hadn’t helped at all, she swiftly returned to operating the Exelia. “Wait, you’re too injured to do that!” Rain reached out to grab her shoulder and stop her, since she was clearly in no condition to drive. But… “Ow! Hey!” “I’m fine.” …Air slapped Rain’s arm away without even turning to face him. She’d rejected him. Just like always, Air refused to let anyone touch her. “I’m fine. I can still fight… One of the Exelia’s legs is missing, but it can still move.” Upon hearing that, Rain looked at the heavily damaged unit and replied, “There’s no way that’s true… You seriously think you can drive a damaged Exelia with one arm?” “Well, what other options do we have?” Still breathing heavily, Air struggled to turn the Exelia on with her good arm. “We can’t keep running. In this state, Kirlilith will definitely corner us. Our only way out of here is…through her…” Wasn’t there any way to win? Kirlilith had shown off the incredible advantage she had over them, so Rain knew a frontal assault wouldn’t work. He couldn’t overcome the difference in their skill, which meant he needed some other method of turning the tide. And as he started racking his brain, it dawned on him. Earlier, didn’t Kirlilith say… “If you use the pact to control him and fight alone, you’ll be so much stronger! You do know this, don’t you?” He’d never heard of any such thing before. Air had kept this little detail hidden from Rain thus far. “Air.” “…What now?” “Was what Kirlilith said earlier true?” “Oh… Yeah,” Air said, clearly still in a daze. “She’s right… If I forcibly manipulated you, I’d be stronger for it. That much is fact.” “If that’s the case…” Why hadn’t she done it already? Rain was a soldier who preferred to use the most logical, sound tactics available, and he knew Air was in the same boat, so this felt wrong. I did think it was strange… Air had demanded he enter a pact in exchange for the Devil’s Bullet, but she hadn’t actually ever used it to bypass his will. She may have verbally ordered him at times, but she’d never invoked the actual pact to force his hand. He’d always thought that it was simply because nothing they’d faced had required it, but he realized he was wrong. Air had made a conscious decision not to use it, even in life-and-death situations. Kirlilith had mentioned the pact let a Ghost exhibit their full capabilities. They excelled at fighting solo, and manipulating others was a part of that. “Why not use it?” he asked. “Shouldn’t you control me with the pact in this fight?” “…So what if it’s the ideal solution?” “What are you…?” “Doing that has never”—Air hung her head and briefly paused before continuing—“changed anything.” Her voice was hoarse, and she wasn’t at all her usual self. The wound had clearly muddled her consciousness and clouded her judgment. Still, that also meant she was being completely honest with him. “Forcing you to do something is easy… I can even make you commit suicide if I want. But a person who’s been forced to do something…will never truly forgive the one who coerced them.” Those words weren’t directed at Rain; they were more of a warning for herself. “The stronger your powers get, the lonelier you become… And magic that lets you command others is the most extreme example of that… All people who manipulate others to suit their own needs…end up in the same place. All alone.” They would find themselves in utter darkness, drowning in their own despair. “I believed in them… I thought we had a special bond, but…” Blasts of Kirlilith’s long-range fire roared around them as Air spoke. “I was…the only one who felt that way…” Air struggled to convey her true feelings, her voice little more than a whisper. “The moment I invoked the pact, I ended up alone.” She’d finally regained a bit of her strength now. Tightening her grip on the Exelia’s steering wheel, she moved their three-legged unit to widen the gap between them and Kirlilith. She’s lonely… Air had said that the world never truly changed. Even with the immense power of the Devil’s Bullet in hand, she’d been unable to make a real difference. ...... Rain didn’t know how much she’d suffered. He didn’t know what she’d lost in exchange for her great power, or how she’d felt when people betrayed her… But… “The moment I invoked the pact, I ended up alone.” …he’d caught a glimpse of the burden on her shoulders. However, he didn’t have the time to entertain such thoughts as Kirlilith’s unit came into view in the distance. “I’m just asking to be on the safe side, but it’s not too late for you to start using the pact, right?” “It’s not impossible.” Luckily, Air seemed to have recovered enough to think of a plan. “But our timing is bad… The rig’s missing a leg, and I’ve only got one working arm.” “…So we’ve got no real chance, huh?” “Pretty much.” He’d realized they were in a hopeless situation, but he still didn’t intend to rush in and accept death. Rain wanted to act only if they had some small chance of success. It’ll come down to a gamble. If we get even the smallest chance, we have to bet on it… However, the moment the word gamble rose to his mind, he thought of something. “…Air, I might have a plan.” “Oh? What?” “It’s pretty risky…” They had no realistic shot of winning, but that plan at least gave them a fighting chance. So Rain informed Air of his idea, then patiently awaited her response. “You want to blindly fire off Pharels?” “Right. Multiple shots, so many that even my future sight can’t keep up, all over this thicket.” It was actually the simplest plan imaginable. He’d shoot at random and pray for a hit. “Hmm, well… I suppose the probability you’ll hit her isn’t zero.” If Rain couldn’t predict the trajectory of his bullet, then neither could Kirlilith. That meant the best strategy was to fire Pharels at random and bet on their luck. At best, he’d hit Kirlilith. At worst, his own bullets would hit him. It was a literal gamble. But mages always employed methods with the highest probability of success, so this would throw Kirlilith off her game. “…You think that relying on luck, on a reckless attack that could end up killing you instead, will fool Kirlilith because she relies on logic?” “Exactly.” If they were going to gamble anyway, this was the best available option. After all, the bigger the risk, the greater the reward. “Fine. We’ll go with that.” Air eventually approved of his tactics. Shooting Pharels at random… The plan had an excessively low chance of success, but it was their only hope. ...... “Air.” “What? Do you have something else to add?” Bam! “Ouch!” Rain whacked Air in the head with his gun. She’d already suffered a major injury, so the blow only made it worse. “What was that for?!” “How long are you gonna keep being so weak?” “I’m not weak.” “Then how’d I manage to land that hit on you?” “That’s…” Normally, Rain would never have managed to hit her, so he knew something was up. “…I’ll be honest. I can’t really understand the baggage you’re carrying. I can only try to imagine your reasons for not invoking the pact and why you said the world won’t change.” Rain paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. “But…we still have to change it.” “……” “This isn’t about who’s right. When two sides that won’t back down clash, one of them has to crumble.” There was no point discussing who was right and wrong, because neither was actually wrong. Both had sound arguments. But if battle was the only proper form of debate, the only way to figure out who deserved to come out on top, then they’d fight. Rain fixed his grip on his rifle and held his breath. He was nervous, betting both their lives like this. “You said you can’t change the world…but I can. If everything around us is evil, then I’ll change every last bit of it.” “…Ha-ha-ha,” Air chuckled as she heard his bold proclamation. Then she replied, “You sure talk a big game for someone so naive… But sure, I’ll humor you. Go on—show me what you can accomplish.” She fixed their unit’s bearing, but it was no longer angled toward retreat… “We’ll gun down Kirlilith here and now. How hard could changing the world be, right?” Instead, she’d aimed to intercept the Ghost charging at them. Rain’s strategy was fairly basic. He’d decided to shoot wildly in her general direction, which left him with a less than 50 percent chance of victory. In other words, he’d abandoned his abilities as a mage. He’d thrown aside his Qualia to create a weak spot in Kirlilith’s future sight, meaning he was basically just praying the bullets hit. Kirlilith could still evade the bullets’ trajectories, so their chances of success were slim, but this wager was their only hope of seeing tomorrow. The enemy entered Rain’s firing range. I have twenty shots… As Kirlilith’s unit charged toward them, Rain activated his magic, unleashing all his mana-charged bullets at once. Ugh...! The bullets rebounded. Rain had unleashed his Bullet Magic, but he couldn’t tell any of their trajectories. Hit her… The rebounding bullets flitted about before his eyes. He’d shot the bullets straight ahead, but a few of them rebounded back in their direction. Luckily, Air’s superhuman reflexes allowed them to evade. Hit her, dammit! The results of their gamble soon became apparent. “Ah…!” A blast filled the air. Kirlilith’s unit billowed black smoke from a few feet in front of them, scattering damaged parts into the air. And when Rain’s remaining bullets dispersed, the threat disappeared with it. “Haaah… Haaah…” Rain’s breath caught in his throat. I…won? Kirlilith’s unit had been destroyed, so they’d come out on top. However, right when that thought crossed his mind— “Ugh!” “Even an utterly idiotic plan can be…formidable at times, it seems.” —Kirlilith’s unit leaped out from the smoke, ramming their Exelia. Unable to evade, they took the blow at full force and slammed into a nearby tree. “Kir…lilith…!” “You…got lucky. But on the battlefield, those who rely on luck…will die!” The enemy Exelia was also heavily damaged, but it still had them beat in terms of sheer horsepower. Its front legs pinned their Exelia, rendering them completely immobile. The two units were locked together, no longer able to move at all. “It all…ends here!” Kirlilith’s face appeared behind her windshield. Blood trickled down it from the previous blast, but that was all. They’d only succeeded in wounding her lightly. “Tch…” Rain lifted his rifle to fire Bullet Magic. …Dammit! But he couldn’t see a path to victory. His Qualia told him that no matter where he fired, he wouldn’t hit Kirlilith. It seemed the brief openings had disappeared now that she’d started taking him seriously. “Die.” Kirlilith noticed Rain’s momentary lapse and knocked their Exelia off balance with a sideways sweep from her unit’s forearm. Oh no...! And Rain was dislodged from his seat. Ah… His body soared through the air. He reached out to try to grab on to the machine, but he missed the mark. And as he fell down toward the ground, Rain realized he’d lost the gamble. Shit...! If he were to hit the ground now, Air would essentially be a sitting duck, with no offensive capabilities of her own. And Rain would have no Exelia. No, who were they kidding? This match was all but decided already. Rain and Air had lost the moment their sneak attack had failed to finish Kirlilith. That had been their one chance, but they’d flubbed it. Goddammit...! Many emotions were at war within him at the moment, but bitter frustration won out. Given the situation, he had no choice but to admit he’d failed. He’d driven both himself and the silver girl to their deaths, leaving nothing to show for it. However, just as Rain started accepting his death… Huh...? …his prediction changed altogether. What’s going on...? The sense of despair filling him dissipated as his fate changed. Soon enough, he realized what’d happened. Seconds had passed, yet he hadn’t hit the ground. And when he lifted his gaze, he understood the reason why. Air had grabbed on to his arm. “Air…?” “Quit…daydreaming, you idiot!” Air had touched him. Air had actually touched Rain. Until this very moment, she’d violently rejected the idea of coming into direct contact with other people. But that same girl was clasping his arm tightly, her skin touching his. “Air, why…?” “Why…? Didn’t you swear we’d win?!” Letting go of the steering wheel, Air reached out her free hand and grabbed on to him, refusing to let go. “You said…you’d change the world, didn’t you?” she rasped. “Then your only path forward is to aim and shoot, Rain Lantz!” Air yanked hard at Rain’s arm. She’d just saved Rain. And that single act had shifted all his predictions. “Ah…!” That near-impossible feat had made the situation entirely unpredictable. Both for Kirlilith, who’d believed Air would never act to save someone, and for Rain, who hadn’t believed Air would touch a person of her own volition. And more than anyone else, for Air, who’d reacted almost on instinct. Luckily, that single moment, when all their predictions were annulled, was Rain’s chance. …I’ll end things here! Rain unleashed his Bullet Magic straight at Kirlilith. Fire raged through the air, and this time, his spell burned away half of the Ghost’s body.