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When she opened her eyes, the scene that filled her vision was a ceiling
a ceiling that she seed to recall belonged to the large cargo truck that served as their mobile base.
The dank, stale air caused her skin to feel clammy.
Still, if placed under the bitter cold, this would probably result in a cold, though complaining about the canned air right now would be pure decadence Lina thought.
Only half awake, Lina surveyed her surroundings.
Though there wasnt any particular intent behind her actions In her heart, the sense of unease was growing. This wasnt normal.
The mont that crossed her mind, her sleepiness vanished. Theres no one here
Given that she was now fully awake, it was unbelievable that she couldnt recall how this ca about.
Though the vehicle was a large cargo truck that boasted the utility of sothing that can be driven on a camping trip, they werent here for fun and gas.
An incident must have occurred to prompt them all to leave.
The very fact that Lina had been defeated was stunning. Personnel could easily have been mobilized for observation as well as a search and rescue mission.
Still, it was plainly impossible for everyone to be absent. (What is the reason for this?)
Based on her perspective, abandoning the mobile base was unthinkable.
In that case, who could possibly cause them to
Suddenly struck by a thought, Lina hustled to the control panel that operated the observation caras. She rembered that the interior of the vehicle was monitored 24 hours a day. While she felt that this setting was a little out of date, this was still a viable thod to recover her mory. At any rate, she turned back the record 10 minutes.
--Only to be greeted by a blank monitor. (Eh?)
Linas jaw dropped at the unexpected result and imdiately fell into a sheepish smile since no one was watching her. She assud that she had made a mistake manipulating the controls.
Once again, she carefully adjusted the record for 10 minutes ago. --As expected, there was nothing.
She commanded the machine to rewind at 4 tis the speed. She even swapped the speed. The rewound ti changed to 1 hour ago, then two hours, even three hours.
No matter what she did, the end result was the sa. The recording had been erased.
Lina frantically examined the data that was not attached to the monitor, only to find the cache had been wiped.
With a furious expression, Lina hamred at the keys before suddenly laying her hands on the keyboard. Though her fingers and palms stung, her inner agitation far outweighed these trivial matters.
(Right, I need to report this to Control)
Unfortunately, Lina was once more thrust into a pit of frustration.
The entire communication console had been damaged by a clever technique that could not be identified from the outside.
She hit the console twice, then thrice before slumping powerlessly into the chair.
Her hands had grown numb and were slightly heated. Lina carefully raised her hands to check for any injuries. Luckily, she wasnt bleeding anywhere.
How childish would it be for her to injure herself in the throes of a tantrum? The fact that her display of anger wasnt recorded allowed Lina a small sight of relief.
Once she cald down
she realized another detail that made her even more uneasy.
Theres no sign of any Pain, wounds?
She ran her hands over both legs, then crossed her arms to check the shoulders and wrists.
But, the wound that brought her hideous pain and caused her to lose consciousness had vanished.
Not only was the injury gone, her clothing remained unblemished, nor was there any trace of blood.
What is going on here?
All of a sudden, Linas mind was starting to lose touch with reality. --Which one was the truth?
--Had she truly been injured?
--Were they trying to make
unable to tell the difference? --Maybe, they were
(Could this be, Non-Systematic Magic ntal Assault?)
(Could it be That we have made a terrible mistake?)
(Tatsuya isnt a Magician who employs matter to energy conversion magic, but a Magician with outstanding compatibility with ntal Interference Systematic Magic An Illusionist?)
(If thats true, then much can be explained.)
(The truth behind the charred arm reverting to its original form could be explained if I saw the illusion of an arm being burnt.)
(Likewise, he might have broken through Parade because he has a higher degree of compatibility with illusions.)
(If purely in terms of direct application of ntal Interference Systematic Magic, then the nullification of Muspelheim also makes sense.)
(Since magic requires fine control, even if I didnt notice, once the mind has been sent off kilter then the magic would fizzle as well. This is much easier than destroying the magic itself.)
(After all, Tatsuya is the disciple of a ninja renowned for his skill in Illusion Magic. That Tatsuya himself is also a ninja is much more probable.)
All of this ran across Linas muddled mind.
Tatsuya had no way of knowing whether Lina persisted in her misguided way of interpreting the clues (not that it made much of a deal, since he only fixed her limbs and clothes) in a way that benefitted him.
Compared to that, he had other pressing matters to handle. There was still 20 minutes until he had to pick up Miyuki.
If possible, he wanted to ensure all the arrangents were in place.
Inside the automatic car, Tatsuya activated the heavily encrypted communication line.
Ho, if it isnt Tatsuya-dono. Has sothing happened? Hayama-san, my apologies for calling at such an hour.
The one who answered was the Yotsuba Familys butler, Hayama, though he was more of Yotsuba Mayas personal butler.
This line was a hotline that led directly to Maya.
It is not too late in the evening, but unfortunately the madam has other urgent business and cannot co to the phone.
Forgive my discourtesy.
Based on the ti, she must be bathing. A definite miscalculation.
This isnt sothing that requires repentance. According to my recollection, this must be the first ti you have called in from your side. Things must be grave.
Just as the old butler pointed out, this was the first ti Tatsuya activated this hotline.
In truth, asking the Yotsuba for help riled Tatsuya and was sothing he tried to avoid at all costs, but this wasnt the ti to be stubborn.
This was a situation wholly unlike No Head Dragon or the invasion of the Great Asian Alliance, where strength alone was enough to carry the day.
Hayama, who stood at the core of the Yotsuba Family, undoubtedly had access to more information and clues than Tatsuya did. However, in order to tap into that power, tradition dictated that Tatsuya personally explain the situation at hand.
In reality, we were just under attack from a USNA squad. The first attack was beaten back thanks to intercession from the second son of the Chiba Family, Chiba Naotsugu, but damage from Stars High Commander Angelina Sirius rendered him unable to continue. Afterwards, I engaged Sirius
--After striking down Lina, Tatsuya couldn't even afford wasting ti on restraining her as he walked towards the parking lot at the parks edge. Not that there was any need for him to do so. Even if Lina recovered consciousness, movent was impossible. Assuming she could block out the pain, under her current state with the nerves responsible for movent severed, standing or crawling were both out of the question. He had attacked Linas limbs precisely for this reason.
Furthermore, if she had been trained in the very beginning to feel no pain, then she wouldnt have fallen unconscious in the first place, thus Tatsuya concluded that Lina wasnt likely to awaken any ti soon.
Thus, his first priority was the enemys reserves.
Currently, the Light (light wave oscillation type) Magic overhead that was blocking any sight was still in effect. This was the obvious approach since there were no worries about recording Linas real visage. Yet, at the sa ti, this implied that the reserves were forced to co here directly.
Because the USNA military would never abandon Sirius.
In order for them to retreat, they must dispatch a unit to recover Lina. This ti fra was precisely the opening for Tatsuya to slip through.
The enemy should be expecting Tatsuya to strike at this ti and be appropriately on guard. After all, they had witnessed him striking down Sirius. Nevertheless, leaving the reserve force alone was not an option for Tatsuya.
It wasnt like he could execute Lina.
Though he could not kill her, at the very least he could still restrain her.
Still, killing or capturing her posed major issues of their own.
Tatsuya had already buried one of the international Strategic-Class Magicians known as the 13 Apostles. Though it was not Tatsuyas intent to do so, he had already fundantally upset the worlds balance. The aftershocks of him wiping out another Strategic-Class Magician that balanced the international balance of power were simply unimaginable.
However, the support personnel were another story altogether.
In regards to those who plainly bore him enmity
they were possibly an organization that sought to capture him for use as an experintal subject. These people sought nothing less than his destruction.
For such opponents, rcy was not required.
They required a reminder of the cost when it ca down to tangling with Tatsuya in the shadows.
Though he was unable to concentrate on the reserve force during his standoff with Lina, now that he reached out with his senses once more, he found that they were still in their original positions and hadnt moved yet. After the shocking turnaround with their trump card taken out, they were probably still waiting for orders from command. There was no other explanation for their delayed reaction.
Although this was perfectly plausible, Tatsuya felt that this was too nave.
In the event of a tactical retreat, forming a combat squad was of utmost priority.
He should say they had too much hubris. Of course,
(This was the ti that he should be thankful for their oversight.)
If the enemy had launched an all-out frontal assault, it was plain that he might have succumbed before the force of numbers. After intentionally creating a situation where Lina would square off against Tatsuya 1-on-1, he could only say that they had too much hubris on their side.
On the other hand, the enemy might have also taken into consideration that they couldnt cause a spectacle in another nations capital.
Regardless, for Tatsuya, this was an excellent opportunity to take advantage of.
Skipping the ti needed for proper aim, Tatsuya used his own ability to lock on before clicking the trigger on his CAD.
The targets were the electronic equipnt in the cargo truck.
The first shot struck the communication line, the second fell on the power supply leading to the cara systems on the outside, and the third landed on the power supply feeding the caras in the interior.
Originally, magic wasnt a technique that could be properly employed against electrical equipnt. For that, he had to thank Fujibayashi and Sanadas influence.
Though any personal communication devices were still operable, Tatsuya had no ti for such things as he laid a hand on the cargo trucks door. The door wasnt locked.
Nor was there any biological verification for anti-theft prevention. Instead, he was greeted by a hailstorm of bullets.
Maybe it was thanks to high quality silencers or special ammunition, but there were practically no sounds of gunshots. For Tatsuya, who stood in the doorways shadow, it was more like the dulled open and release of an assault rifle.
However, the gunshots quickly stilled.
That was because the decomposition of weapons was one of the magics he was most well versed in.
n leaped out from the car door brandishing knives. Activation Sequence filled the cars interior.
Close quarters combat from the front followed by Flying-Type equipnt support in the rear
the situation looked to be a magical assault. Slightly traditional, but undoubtedly an effective tactic.
Naturally, that was under the assumption that Tatsuya was unable to discern his opponents Activation Sequences.
So long as he acted during the deploynt phase of the Activation Sequence, psion bullets would be sufficient even if he didnt use decomposition.
Tatsuya reached out with his empty left hand.
In his left hand, he created the basic form of the compressed psion bullet, Far Strike, that he had been furiously training. Not only did he target the developing Activation Sequence, but rcilessly included the caster as well.
Tatsuya saw the Activation Sequence shatter into pieces.
Though the enemy Magicians were able to deflect the psion backlash, the damage suffered from the psion bullet rendered them unable to prepare the next spell.
Of the three combat personnel who leaped forward, two were already staggering.
Far Strike affected the astral form rather than the physical form, the soul to be specific. While it was more effective against human beings trained to use their willpower to control the physical body, experts in chi utilization would be able to deflect or avoid the attacking psion bullets.
In other words, it was super effective against half-assed Magicians who failed to properly learn how to control their physical flesh.
The aforentioned half-assed Magicians were hanging on because they didnt want to lose face in front of Tatsuya. The last remaining Magician appeared to be a believer in the Asian arts of discipline.
A simple, straight forward fight actually made it more difficult. Tatsuya seized the initiative first.
He exchanged the CAD in his right hand for the dagger-shaped equipnt that belonged to Lina and tightened his grip.
He swung his right arm from the left shoulder forward and hurtled the blade towards the center of the chest belonging to the enemy who had not been affected by Far Strike.
The unexpected throwing attack was launched at extrely close range.
The trajectory of the dagger was such that injuries could not be avoided even if blocked.
As expected of an expert, the man elected to choose to avoid the blow.
Yet, the mans evasive maneuver fell along Tatsuyas calculations. Precisely because the action was too logical, planning for it also beca easier.
The man raised his left shoulder and leg while the right arm holding the dagger swung outwards from the inside, causing the hurtled dagger to fly past his flank.
Based on his posture with the right arm extended outwards swung down toward his left flank, the next attack was not going to co from the blind spot at his right back, but from lower below.
Tatsuya kicked out with his right leg.
Seeing the pivot foot during the throwing motion make such an irregular movent, the man was unable to hide his shocked expression. The mans right hand that was warily held in a tight fist and had just returned due to the centrifugal force of his movent took Tatsuyas kick dead on.
The man didnt lose the dagger in his grip.
Biting back the sudden pain from the kick on his wrist, he planned on striking down Tatsuyas kick.
If the pivot foot provided the blow, then that foot must have been used to jump. In reality, Tatsuya was currently in a state with both feet off the ground. If the force of his blow had been blocked, then no matter how agile Tatsuya was, his sense of balance would be compromised.
If this fight was going to be decided on pure physical blows alone.
This ti, Tatsuya activated the Gravity Control-Type Magic lurking ahead of ti in the magical calculation area. For a continuous 3 seconds, the axis would alter over ten tis during the Flying-Type Magic. After his right leg had been blocked, Tatsuya continued to rise in the air without touching the ground and delivered a roundhouse kick with his left leg.
This ti, the man didnt even have ti to react.
The left heel struck the back of the mans neck directly.
A heavy sound ca from the impact as well as the feeling of a solid hit.
This was a sound Tatsuya was well familiar with, the sound of bones breaking under a kick.
The mans body flew sideways.
Dictated by inertia, Tatsuyas body slid towards the left.
A blade pierced his afterimage. The weapon was thrown by one of the two companions accompanying the man who had successfully defended against Far Strike.
Though he was still under the influence of Flying-Type Magic, Tatsuyas feet still touched the ground.
He used magic to lessen the force of contact.
At a speed beyond the human body
at least a speed that Tatsuya could not achieve, Tatsuya rushed towards the two of them.
The CAD he held in his right hand had already been returned to its holster when he whipped out the dagger.
Afterwards, he didnt use magic to slow himself down but used the forward leaping movent to harness the kinetic energy. At the sa ti he launched off the ground, he sent his right arm that was fueled by inertia and the kinetic energy straight into the enemys chest.
This was not a fist, but a palm strike directed towards the enemys heart position.
Upon being struck, the man was lifted bodily from the ground and went flying.
Tatsuya lowered his height slightly and once more made contact with the ground on his feet.
Flying-Type Magic was still active for another second.
After he jumped two ters into the air, the sound of oncoming bullets could be heard from behind him as they fell where he stood earlier.
The shots ca from within the vehicle. The assailant must have picked up another firearm to replace the deconstructed assault rifle. Nonetheless, adopting that tactic at this stage was far too late.
Tatsuya pulled out a gun from his waist.
This was not the handgun-shaped CAD he usually held, but a real gun that he also took off of Lina.
He turned in mid-air and returned a gift of lead towards the shooter poking out from the window. After Tatsuyas bullets pierced his chest, the mans body slid from the window back into the car.
Imdiately, Tatsuya landed atop the third man.
His right foot stamped on the shoulder while his left foot snapped the collarbone as it landed.
His body, free of any more magical influences, landed behind the third man just like that.
The ensuing rain of bullets that splashed around his body was a clear sign of how panicked the opposing shooter was.
Though it was difficult to hit the enemy taking cover in the car, there was thankfully only one opponent left.
After using gunfire to suppress the enemy and charge into the car, Tatsuya surveyed the situation and couldnt help but feel a little let down.
Besides the two who had been shot and killed, there were two other n knocked unconscious on the floor.
Based on the CADs on their wrists, both of them should be supporting Magicians.
It appeared that Far Strike had a few unintended effects. This also reinforced that Yakumos training was particularly effective.
As insurance, Tatsuya stomped on every mans chest to check for any reaction before hurtling the bodies of the slain and unconscious out the car.
Since Linas gun had a small muzzle, the bodies luckily didnt show any major wounds. Though everyone had a few holes on their bodies, not a whole lot of blood escaped.
After making a copy of all the records on board, Tatsuya set about wiping all the onboard machines.
After taking into consideration that the next group of guests would clean up after him, Tatsuya did a cursory job wiping away the blood and exited the vehicle.
Throughout this entire sequence, Tatsuya pretended that he was oblivious to the mysterious individual spying on him.
When I carried Angie Sirius over to the vehicle, there was no trace of the subjugated reserve force.
Were they taken by the observer?
I assu they decided that this outweighed my continued observation, since by the ti I returned, the immobile Chiba Naotsugu had also disappeared.
After listening to Tatsuyas situation report, Hayama adopted a contemplative posture. Given that there was no way to see if he was putting on an act, this could only be chalked up as an older mans extensive experience.
Looks like our observer is closely connected to the Saegusa Family. The Saegusa Family? Are you sure its not the Chiba Family?
Tokyo belongs to the Saegusa Familys jurisdiction. We have also caught wind of Koichi-samas subordinates taking certain actions.
Koichi-sama was the head of the Saegusa Family, so Tatsuya naturally understood that this was referring to Saegusa Koichi. The nas of the various heads within the Ten Master Clans were common knowledge among Japanese Magicians.
Limiting the usage of magic to a minimum and primarily relying on close quarters combat to settle the issue are both born of the fact that you are aware that of the surveillance, but ultimately this was sothing to be avoided if possible given the observer.
None of the string of events that started since April were instigated by
Tatsuya. He had always beco embroiled in the events because he had been dragged in. Regardless, Tatsuya was very cognizant that a guardian like him being so conspicuous was not a wise course of action, so he demurred.
Still, we are also aware that Tatsuya-dono has not done anything worthy of bla. Although protecting one of the candidates for the next head of house, Miyuki-dono, is your mission, you are definitely not the only one assigned to this task. Even if she is not yet by Maya- samas side, it is far too early for the other families to be aware of Miyuki-donos position. Of course, given that this is Koichi-sama, he may already have caught on
Caught on must refer to the idea that Tatsuya was soone affiliated with the Yotsuba Family. Tatsuya was inwardly impressed that this was still caught on and not a growing concern.
In spite of this, we cannot allow them to seize any evidence that would move beyond speculation. Tatsuya-dono, please transfer the copied data over to . I will begin handling the USNA military side.
The light words that dropped from Hayamas mouth sounded like a proud boast to Tatsuyas ears.
In terms of numbers, the Yotsuba Family were plainly outnumbered by the Saegusa and Ichijou Families. Yet, their combat prowess were comparable. In 1-on-1 confrontations, the Yotsuba would have the advantage. Despite their limited numbers, they were more than capable of becoming the counterterrorism trump card and carrying out actions that went beyond the reach of the law that the governnt needed. In terms of black ops and assassinations, none among the Numbered Families could match the Yotsuba Family.
So long as we dont leave an opening for the JSDF to intervene, Koichi-sama shouldnt be able to intercede directly.
The other agents were another story altogether, but at least Hayamas words were trustworthy.
At the sa ti he hit the switch for the communication line, Tatsuya bowed deeply before the cara.
The instant she saw Tatsuyas face as he arrived to pick her up, Miyukis eyes widened in shock.
Did sothing happen? No, nothings the matter.
Though the response was imdiate, Miyuki understood very well that those were only superficial words ant to cover the situation.
Onii-sama, you arent hurt right?
All of a sudden, Miyuki hugged Tatsuya tightly. This actually threw Tatsuya for a loop.
No, Miyuki, please calm down a little.
I cant possibly calm down! This sll Onii-sama, you fought against Lina, right!? And, it wasnt one-on-one, right!? You sll like you fought against ten people at least!
Just as Tatsuya could use sight to capture information, so too could Miyuki detect information through touch. However, Miyuki was more capable than that, as she could also use sll to receive knowledge that was practically instinct. Although Tatsuya carried no traces of physical injuries, he still carried the scent of battle.
Please, Im asking you to settle down a little.
Having soone feel concern over him was sothing worth cheering about, but there was no way to converse if she could not calm down.
You should know that no one is capable of leaving a mark on .
Anyone else might have been bemused by those words, but Miyuki imdiately grasped the aning within.
Gradually, her excitent settled.
Five seconds later, she had entirely cald. Onii-sama, my sincere apologies for my display.
Not only was she apologizing verbally, but even his sisters body was huddled together in embarrassnt. Tatsuya couldnt help but smile
maybe he felt a smile was the only proper way to respond
and slightly shook his head.
No worries. I was the one who caused you to worry.
Such a thing Of course a sister would be concerned for Onii- samas safety.
Of course? Though that question flashed across Tatsuyas brain on reflex, he was well aware that voicing that aloud was taboo.
It was nothing more than a thought.
True, feeling concern for others was a matter of course, but Miyukis fervor was slightly atypical.
Naturally, theres no way Lina could beat you no matter how she challenged you. Thats because theres no one in the world who can beat Onii-sama.
As he watched his sister sprout her usual fervent words, Tatsuya self- consciously watched her with slightly colder eyes.
As long as Miyuki believed in him, he had to et that expectation no matter the cost. This thought truly existed sowhere in his heart, an understanding born of both determination and pride.
Yet, at the sa ti, his own objectivity that was completely unrelated to this understanding saw that this was far too dangerous.
If not for the fact that his opponent was an emotionally immature young lady of 16 years, if both sides had brought their full might to bear, he might have been the one who fell in the end.
However, even if he wasnt relieved of his duties, it would be terrible if his principle detected this sort of defeatist thinking.
Which is why, more than ever, he needed to present an indomitable front.
So long as you are waiting for , I will bow to no one. Except, these words seed a little overkill.
Rather, the presentation was a tad overkill. Tears ford at the corners of Miyukis eyes.
Seeing the warm gaze Miyuki directed towards him, Tatsuya realized that he had made a tactical error.
Nonetheless, there was no way for him to take back the words he spoke.
Nay, even if he could erase them, this situation was beyond his control.
In addition, Miyuki was in a state that went well beyond any easy ans of defusing.
(Oh well, still better than being rcilessly interrogated.)
Right now, Tatsuyas mind was filled with escapist thoughts.
By the ti Lina returned to her apartnt, it was already the second day. Furthermore, it wasnt imdiately afterward but far later. At the very least, the sun hadnt risen when she returned ho, so at least she could draw a little comfort from that.
While all of her equipnt had been confiscated, for so inexplicable reason Brionac was still with her, so personal safety wasnt going to be an issue.
Unfortunately, since her communication device had been taken away, there was no way to call a car to pick her up.
Furthermore, since she always used electric currency, she wasnt carrying her purse. Even more importantly, in order to prevent any investigation on her combat operation, she didnt bring any personal items either. Thanks to that, even 24 hour public transportation was denied to her, forcing her to walk all the way ho.
Since her Specialized and Generalized CAD were both gone, Flying- Type Magic and high speed mobility magic were both inaccessible. By the ti she finally arrived at the apartnt she lived at thanks to intermittent Leaping techniques, Lina was practically on the verge of tears.
If anyone had been unfortunate enough to witness her state, Lina might have fired with Brionac on reflex out of incredible sha.
Thanks to biological identification, Lina managed to get inside without much trouble.
At the sa ti she breathed out a sigh of relief, fury roused within her.
(Do you hate
or sothing, Tatsuya!?)
From an objective perspective, Lina had a mountain of reasons to complain about him. Even so, the majority of them ca from her emotions. In the end, thanks to her military training, she broke through these feelings and rembered what her priorities were.
First, she opened the signal to the command center. However, no matter how she signaled, she failed to receive a reply.
Cold sweat dripped down Linas back. In order to dispel the dark premonition in her heart, Lina furiously shook her head.
She tried using the communicator in her room once again to call the command center. Earlier, she still bore hope that the signal wasnt going through, but as she repeatedly called out, this hope flickered and died.
What happened to the colonel, Lina couldnt help but think.
Lina swiftly equipped herself with CADs and other weapons, told herself to buck up, then jumped off the balcony into the night sky.
Her destination ahead of her was the skyscraper that housed their secret command center.
By the ti she discovered that the place was abandoned, it was well after an hour since she began her thorough search.
The next morning.
The news on the television reported that a small USNA vessel was found in Japanese waters and had been rescued by the Japanese Naval Defense Force after said vessel was left adrift after suffering chanical failure.
However, the news failed ntion as to why a high ranking officer stationed at the Tokyo embassy was on board.
Additionally on that day, the beautiful transfer student at First High continued to call in sick on account of physical infirmity.
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