Chapter 119: The One Who Decides Meaning

The one who set off the opening signal of battle was Hokaze Junko,

was not.

Hyugagagagaga!!!!

From a completely unexpected direction, arrows of light rained down in rapid succession. Seeing this, Hokaze couldn’t stop herself from shouting in surprise.

"Yumiya-san!? Why!?"

"Kihara or whoever, I don’t really care."

From the shade of the trees, Yumiya Iruka stepped out slowly, almost seeping into view. In her hand was the same laser pointer she had prepared earlier when Kihara Amata appeared. On the ground lay Kihara, knocked down and riddled by countless beams.

Yumiya Iruka’s ability was Wave Manipulation, Wave Conductor. A powerful Level 4 esper ability that allowed her to freely control wave phenomena such as light and sound. Without a source, it was useless—but with the right source, she could easily unleash firepower on par with weapons.

With a cheap laser pointer, she could create deadly laser beams. With an ordinary whistle, she could improvise a sonic bomb. With a military flashlight, she could even form something like a beam sword. Her strength was such that she had once managed to incapacitate Shokuhou Misaki herself.

"This was something you could predict? That someone eliminated from the game, a pawn supposedly gone from the board, would suddenly stab you from behind? Of course you couldn’t. You couldn’t predict that Blackguard-san would reach Level 5, nor that Hokaze-san would reach Level 5!!"

Her expression twisted with fury.

──Once, Iruka and Hokaze had undergone ability development at a facility known as Talent Workshop Clonedry. Specifically, in the Third Laboratory, Internal Evolution Ideal. This lab, which had produced Level 5 esper Shokuhou Misaki, was dedicated to creating more Level 5s. The two of them worked desperately there, striving for that goal.

But that was just a pretty lie. The lab’s true purpose was to use Yuuri Senya’s Astral Buddy to create an "Ideal Ability" that would serve the adults’ convenience. In the end, the experiment failed, leaving many, including researchers, dead or injured. Iruka’s right eye too was lost, replaced now with a prosthetic.

And that was when she learned the truth. The promise of becoming a Level 5 was a complete fabrication. The adults had known from the beginning that children had limits, but they lied anyway, using them for their own ends.

That was the moment Yumiya Iruka broke. She became convinced everything was determined by talent, and no amount of effort could change it. So she entrusted everything to Hokaze. She herself lacked the gift, but Hokaze──the girl who had once saved her life──surely could.

In truth, she already knew. When she saw her own parameter sheet, she had also seen Hokaze’s. She knew Hokaze could never reach Level 5. Even so, she put her hopes on her.

And Hokaze Junko answered.

She broke through what adults insisted was an unscalable wall. Even if their definitions said otherwise, even if irregular, Hokaze Junko reached out to that realm. She lived up to Yumiya Iruka’s reckless expectations.

And now, before Hokaze stood a cruel researcher, trying to block her path.

──Yumiya Iruka wasn’t the kind of girl who could turn her back on that and just walk away.

"You people don’t understand anything. You don’t even know why you fell, and being left behind without ever realizing it suits you perfectly, 'Researcher.' …Now then, Hokaze-san. The obstacle is gone. Let’s go and free this Gensei’s possession, or whatever it is."

Iruka beckoned to Hokaze as she spoke. In a way, it was a repeat of Hokaze’s earlier strategy: a flashy threat of "Electromagnetic Acceleration" that drew all the enemy’s attention, followed by a strike from outside their awareness. Here, the sudden appearance of Level 5 Hokaze Junko had distracted them, lowering their guard, allowing Iruka to strike with her ambush.

"Tch, that was a cocky little stunt you pulled."

At that moment. A voice rang out from Kihara Amata, who should have been finished by those countless lasers.

Instinctively, Iruka aimed her laser pointer again and, without hesitation, fired another volley. Tossing aside the overheated, useless pointer, she drew another—only to see something unbelievable.

The lasers she had fired at Kihara Amata──were circulating. Not hitting him, but spiraling around him in orbit.

"You know, I’ve got the Fourth on my side. That brat, the Fourth-ranked."

With a grunt, Kihara Amata got back on his feet. Not a single burn mark marred his body.

The lasers she had unleashed were circling endlessly. Faced with such an abnormality, even Hokaze couldn’t move. Any action might trigger a catastrophe. …That unnatural tension dominated the scene.

"Of course I’ve got cards prepared to lock down beams and lasers as a countermeasure against Meltdowner. That brat could throw a tantrum and rampage anytime."

And then──Iruka noticed. Floating around Kihara Amata were so・ap・bub・bles. The light refracted through them, bending into orbit around him like the rings of Saturn.

"And there it is. That thing. Ahh……"

Then, more casually than making small talk, Kihara Amata said:

"Annoying. You two can just die here."

And he 'released' the lasers that had been circling around him.

---

Chapter 3 – The Worth of a Soul Is Worthless – Double(Square)_Faith.
Episode 99: The One Who Decides Meaning – It's_not_a_Scientist.

---

Of course, dodging was impossible.

Even so, Hokaze Junko was still able to keep moving because the cloak of crackling violet lightning surrounding her body interfered with the lasers, preventing fatal damage. As long as she minimized lasting damage to her senses, her regeneration could handle burns and injuries within seconds.

The bigger problem wasn’t Hokaze—it was Iruka.

"Ahhhhhhggghhh…!!"

"Iruka-san!! Are you alright!?"

Abandoning her counterattack against Kihara Amata, Hokaze rushed to catch Iruka as she collapsed. She prioritized Iruka’s safety over pressing the attack, because the injury was severe.

(Horrible burns…! If I don’t get her to a hospital fast, she might even lose her arm…!)

It hadn’t burned all the way through, but Iruka’s left arm was scorched and immobile. By "outside" medical standards, it would be considered hopeless.

"So that’s one down, huh? Heh, I figured as much, but I guess a Level 5 esper doesn’t take a scratch from something this small."

"…Of course not."

Laying Iruka down gently under a nearby tree, Hokaze turned back toward Kihara Amata. He raised his fists, and Hokaze crouched low, answering by raising her own.

"This power doesn’t carry just my own feelings. Senya-san’s, Iruka-san’s, and everyone who was sacrificed in that experiment—their weight is on my shoulders. I cannot fall to something this trivial."

"Yeah, I know that type. Can’t do it yourself, so you dump all your hopes and pressure on someone else. That’s called 'parasitism.'"

"Shut up!!!"

The rising cloud of dust came even before the thunderclap-like explosion of her step. With a deafening DO-PANNN!!, Hokaze tore through the sound barrier, appearing in an instant before Kihara, fist cocked back. A straight, unrefined punch, nothing clever—but at supersonic speed, it became a decisive, crushing strike.

Kihara had no time to react—

DO-PANNN!! Hokaze was smashed sideways, sent flying several meters like a rubber ball by a sudden impact.

"Gh…!?!?"

"Pretty flashy tumble there. Keeping you as some pampered princess is a waste. How about switching careers to a rubber ball?"

Twisting in midair, Hokaze managed to land on the trunk of a tree. She wanted to strike back immediately, but forced herself to calm down and think. That supersonic blow should have been far too fast for Kihara to counter. And yet he had. Which meant…he had read her move.

That mocking provocation earlier had probably been bait to narrow down her options.

(Reckless…! No matter how fast, if he can read me, it’s the same! Just as we fight by calculating and predicting the future, the enemy can do the same…!)

And beyond that, she still didn’t understand what had hit her from the side. She didn’t understand the soap bubbles that bent her lasers either. There were too many unknowns. Charging in without a plan now would be suicidal.

《Junko-chan! But if this drags out too long, Kamijou-san will be left alone…》

《…Yes, I know.》

Iruka’s aim had been to end things quickly with a surprise attack, securing Hokaze as an ally. But instead, she had been gravely injured. And if Hokaze got bogged down here against Kihara Amata, Kamijou would have to face those two monsters alone.

"…Oh? Not coming? Smart girl. I like smart girls. And as a reward──take this!!"

Bwoosh!!

At Kihara’s voice, countless soap bubbles spread out, filling Hokaze’s vision. A smokescreen. She realized it too late. Wham!! A blow slammed into her head, sending her flying again. But through the pain, Hokaze noticed something.

The air around her glittered with silver powder.

She had heard of this from Kamijou’s reports.

(Conduction Powder…! In aerosol form, it transfers shock especially well…! Which means he can hit me from range using it as a medium!)

If she avoided the powder, she could avoid the damage. Forcing her battered body into motion, she backflipped to steady her stance. Now all she needed was a way to slip through that haze and strike back—

That thought cost her dearly.

"Come on! Don’t just stand there playing it safe, Level 5!!"

Bofahh!!

Kihara Amata, of all things, charged straight through the Conduction Powder itself. Hokaze scrambled to raise her guard, but even before she could bring her fists up, the silver haze surged forward as if alive, closing the gap for him.

Protecting her lungs was the right move, but it left her unable to block. With a casual backfist, Kihara slapped the silvery cloud. The powder faithfully carried every ounce of that impact straight into Hokaze.

GOGAN!! It felt like being smashed across the skull by iron pipes. Staggering, she leapt back, desperate to escape the smoke.

"Your weapon is your body. That absurd regeneration of yours."

The silver cloud slithered after her like living serpents.

"Laser burns deep enough to reach the bone, healed in an instant—that’s what lets you push your body to such insane speeds. But that doesn’t mean your body’s beyond human."

Surrounded by countless silver serpents, Kihara Amata grinned.

"Take breathing, for example. Even if your body had superhuman durability, your lungs don’t magically improve their efficiency. In fact, with all that power, you burn through more oxygen than a normal human. The difference may be small—but it’s there."

She wasn’t facing a monster. She was facing a human. And Kihara Amata knew that better than anyone. Perhaps, for a researcher, seeing espers as human despite their powers could be considered a virtue.

But he twisted even that virtue into something malicious.

If you’re human, then you can be killed the human way.

"A strategy aimed at your lungs. Your attacks blocked by Conduction Powder counters. My tangled haze sealing you in from every side. …You think you can win against this?"

"～～～～!!!!"

Unable to endure, Hokaze used electromagnetic acceleration to put some distance between herself and her opponent.

Despite the overwhelming difference in physical ability, the battle was tilting against Hokaze. Speed was certainly an advantage, but no matter how fast she was, once the space itself was dominated, there was no way around it. Being "just fast" was weak against attacks that controlled the entire area needed to maneuver.

"...! In that case!!"

In midair, Hokaze twisted her body, then dove straight toward the ground using electromagnetic acceleration.

Zudon!!!! A thunderous crash resounded as she landed, whipping up a storm of wind from the impact point. ── A landing as flashy as expected from a Level 5 esper. But this was Hokaze’s real aim.

(Wind!! Whether it’s static electricity or nanomachines, if he’s manipulating the smoke in some form, then if I create stronger winds, I can disrupt his control…!!)

"You think a gust of wind is enough to mess with my smoke control?"

But.

Through the swirling storm of wind, Hokaze could still see him ── Kihara, standing firm with the silver serpent-like 『Conductive Powder』 trailing around him as ever.

"Wh-what…!?"

"Pathetic. That’s sweeter than strawberry shortcake, you dumb brat!!"

The price of such a half-baked strategy was steep.

Zaa!! Smoke spread overhead, covering the sky just tens of centimeters above Hokaze’s head.

With the sky blocked, flight was no longer an option. No matter how fast Hokaze was, charging blindly into that veil would mean her brain, the very organ needed for calculations, would be rattled directly, knocking her out before she could recover. Worse still, stirring up the air too much might jostle the smoke, making it brush against her body.

Since no one could predict how the impact-conducting powder might transmit shocks, it became dangerous for Hokaze to use electromagnetic acceleration recklessly.

"……!!"

Which meant that now Hokaze had no choice but to defeat Kihara Amata using hand-to-hand combat alone, without relying on electromagnetic acceleration.

…And yet.

Even then, Hokaze smirked defiantly.

"A little careless, aren’t you? Yes, with that canopy of smoke, you can block my electromagnetic acceleration and high-speed maneuvers. But you’re just as trapped as I am! If you move the smoke too fast, the canopy will collapse, meaning you’ll also be forced to face me in close combat!!"

After all, there was no reason Hokaze should lose to Kihara in pure close-quarters fighting.

Even without her ability, her raw physical performance exceeded the speed of sound. Even if she had to restrain herself to avoid disturbing the air currents, the limits of human movement were nothing to her.

All she had to do was overwhelm his processing capacity with the sheer turnover of safe, controlled strikes.

Keeping her body low in a charging stance, Hokaze slipped into Kihara’s guard, driving her palm straight toward him as a starter blow──

"Don’t get cocky, brat."

Gohh!!

Before her palm strike could land, Kihara Amata’s elbow smashed into her right arm. The blow was aimed precisely at the joint, twisting Hokaze’s arm in a direction it was never meant to bend.

"Ga…h!?"

"Supersonic? Please. Two arms, two legs. The human body hasn’t changed its basic blueprint, so the patterns of behavior that come from it won’t change either."

Hokaze instantly repaired her right arm while using her left to block his follow-up strike. But the moment she tried to retreat, her balance collapsed as though she’d tripped forward. Looking down, she realized Kihara had stomped on her foot with all his weight.

"────!!"

"There!!"

Gori.

Kihara’s spear-hand strike stabbed into Hokaze’s throat.

"A-ah!?"

By the time Hokaze realized her throat had been crushed, Kihara was already accelerating his assault.

Right shoulder. Left knee. Right waist. Right temple. Face. Stomach. Throat again.

Blow after blow, his barrage tore through the air. Despite her superior physical abilities, Hokaze could barely keep up with healing the damage and had no room to counterattack.

No ── it wasn’t just that.

(I can’t… breathe!! He’s weaving attacks to my throat into his combos…!! Without oxygen, I can’t supply my brain… can’t calculate…!!)

The destruction of her throat led to oxygen deprivation.

Sure, Hokaze could heal such damage in seconds, but Kihara wasn’t giving her the chance. Gradually her breathing grew labored, her calculations sloppier. That meant her powers weakened, and injuries kept stacking up.

(This man… he’s used to killing espers…!?)

Not even hatred, just a mechanical, workmanlike "killing intent."

Kihara Amata stripped away Hokaze’s advantages piece by piece, like moving pawns on a chessboard.

(I have to think…! His hand here is what’s cementing this situation! The smoke control!? Yes… why can he manipulate smoke this freely!?)

Even while cornered, Hokaze’s mind desperately searched for a thread of hope. Thinking ── and there, she caught on a discrepancy.

(Why… why doesn’t he make fuller use of this 『Conductive Powder』…?)

Sure, sealing Hokaze’s electromagnetic acceleration and close-combat specs with the powder was impressive.

But he could have ended the fight earlier. When he first struck Hokaze’s head, if he’d simply delivered a stronger shock then, it would’ve been over. Yet he didn’t. He kept propagating shocks through the powder as if it were just one more tool.

Yes. Thinking along those lines revealed another discrepancy.

The coincidences felt too convenient.

Right after the lab introduced 『Conductive Powder』, Hokaze fights Kihara ── who suddenly happens to use 『Conductive Powder』? This wasn’t a game. That kind of timing was unnatural.

Then what if…

(Could it be… his real card is "smoke manipulation technology"… and using smoke itself wasn’t part of the plan originally?)

That possibility.

Come to think of it, hadn’t Kihara already admitted it? That all of this was countermeasures prepared against Meltdowner, the atomic buster.

Which meant his original application was soap bubbles, and his use of 『Conductive Powder』 was just improvisation on-site with a handy material.

If so────

(Airflow control!!)

It all clicked. Kihara Amata was obsessed with Reicia Blackguard. That obsession would drive him to analyze her ability and scientifically reproduce it. Meaning──

(He’s using devices hidden somewhere to manipulate the airflow across this whole area…!?)

Hokaze’s eyes darted around.

And sure enough, her deduction was correct. Near the surrounding trees, several devices were installed. Even at a glance, at least six were active.

Most likely, Kihara had set them up in advance, giving him control over the local air currents. Perhaps the machines themselves were mobile, moving along with Kihara’s position.

(But…)

But that only brought despair.

The area was blanketed in silver smoke. With little oxygen, it was hard enough just to breathe, let alone escape. She couldn’t take out the airflow controls here. But unless she did, she couldn’t continue fighting.

A perfect stalemate.

( Ugh, my consciousness… I-I’m sorry, Kamijou-sama, Yumiya-san, to collapse in a place like this— )

"Don’t give up!!!!"

The one who hurled that cry at the fainting Hokaze was not her partner, but Yumiya Iruka herself.

Ordinarily, the wounds she bore should have left her unable to even move, much less speak through the agony—yet she stood. …No, that wasn’t quite right. Hokaze realized it immediately. Because—she could not feel Yuuri inside her.

Most likely, the moment Yuuri realized her own powers—electromagnetic acceleration and all other enhancements—had been sealed, she understood that there was little she could do directly, and so she moved to support Iruka instead. And with her sense of pain suppressed, Iruka regained freedom of action.

"…I won’t… give up either! Just like you showed me how to push past your limits… I can do it too!!!"

Shouting, Iruka charged forward at full speed.

──No doubt, Kihara was reminded of that second-order persona, Square Faith.

But that was only a bluff. In truth, Yumiya Iruka had no ability to wield Square Faith. That phenomenon could only be achieved through extraordinary scientific techniques. In Reicia Blackguard’s case, it had required a month-long possession, resonance of personalities, and the preparation of many collaborators. In Hokaze Junko’s case, it was the resonance of personalities coupled with the unique ability Astral-Buddy.

Only when such irregular conditions aligned could such a feat occur.

But Kihara Amata didn’t know that. And so, the bluff of an overwhelmingly powerful attack took hold. He prepared to counter it—with bubble-shield defenses designed against lasers.

That was Iruka’s strategy.

(Of course he’ll think I’m firing a laser! But that’s not it. My real goal is—)

She thrust out her palm.

From that point, a blinding flash erupted.

(Photostimulation seizure!! He’s too wary of Square Faith to take his eyes off me! The effect varies between individuals, but he’ll definitely take damage! Even if I go down from the counter, Hokaze-san will use the opening to finish him!!)

But—

In the very next instant, Iruka saw the unthinkable.

Namely, Kihara Amata—standing there with his eyes already shut, braced against the light.

"Wha—!?"

"Nice try, dumb ape. Your only win conditions are photostimulation seizures or lasers. So if I nullify the laser with bubbles and keep my eyes shut, your tricks are dead in the water, brat!"

DOOM!!!

A merciless roundhouse slammed into her unguarded side, and Iruka’s consciousness was snuffed out in an instant.

"…No. That move of Yumiya-san’s has become nothing less than salvation for me."

From behind him.

Hokaze, whose throat should have been crushed, had found her voice again.

"…Tch. Damn it. Guess we’re starting over from scratch again."

"No. From here on… this is the final clash!!!!"

BOOM!!!

Lowering her stance, Hokaze burst forward straight at Kihara Amata. She didn’t care that the shockwave disturbed the ceiling of smoke above them. She pressed the charge, then—

BANG! Spun midair and drove a heel-drop into the ground.

(…Electromagnetic acceleration!? She’s using magnetism to hold herself in place, then kicked the ground to fling dirt into the air! A dirt spray!! That’ll block my line of sight, and she’ll try something in the meantime—no! Wait! Dirt spray means the ceiling of smoke is blown away too!! Which means her real next move is—!)

The low stance had been a feint, a bluff to suggest another strike from below.

Her true goal: destroy the smoke ceiling, then leap skyward for an aerial ambush!!

"That’s why no matter how many cheap little tricks a brat like you strings together, they don’t mean a damn thing!! Just drop dead already!!!"

"Whether they mean something or not—"

At that instant.

Hokaze leapt exactly as Kihara had predicted. Yet she still pulled back her fist without hesitation.

And there, Kihara felt something wrong.

Electromagnetic acceleration?

Wasn’t that a technique she could only use through coordination with Astral-Buddy? And Yuuri’s avatar had gone to Iruka—

"『I won’t let you decide that for me』"

Immediately after.

From before Hokaze’s eyes, sparks scattered. No—"sparks" wasn’t quite right. More precisely, they were "specific patterns of light signals."

It was a technique Hokaze Junko herself had never known. But Yumiya Iruka—while possessed—had enacted it. And Yuuri Senya, who had seen it firsthand, now understood it.

(Ah.)

Photostimulation seizure.

That created a momentary blank in Kihara’s thoughts.

"『Because it’s us who will decide what meaning it has!!!!』"

Like a falling star, her right fist smashed into his face.

And as the culprit collapsed unconscious in a single blow, the one who carried another’s admiration spoke with calm, ladylike grace:

"……So? Even ‘shallow tricks’ can’t be dismissed so easily, can they?"

---

"……Ah, no kidding."

Hokaze froze, startled. She hadn’t expected an answer. But──Kihara Amata was completely down. Most likely, speaking at all was the limit of his strength. Naturally so, given that Hokaze had struck his face with her full might. The fact that he could even remain conscious was abnormal.

"Tch, guess going in fully flesh and blood was rough after all. But hey… the stalling worked out."

"…What?"

That single phrase filled Hokaze with a terrible sense of foreboding. As if she had made the worst possible mistake.

"I’ve finished taking control of the Mi・sa・ka・Net・work. Preparations are all set. So do it already, puppet."

The next instant.

A pillar of light pierced the night sky. That in itself wasn’t strange. The abnormal part was its origin. What appeared from beyond the mountainside with the roar of thunderclouds wasn’t a Doppelgänger.

It was far larger. A perfectly round silhouette.

Fifty meters across.

All across the spherical machine’s frame bristled cannons of various sizes, as if stitched on by some cosmic seamstress. Most striking of all were the four massive arms extending from its sides, pointing toward the sky where a colossal "main cannon" floated. That was what had fired the pillar of light.

With a KYUGAAAAH!!!!, the massive form moved.

That fifty-meter colossus charged across the mountainside with the speed of an F1 car, darting with the nimbleness of a boxer. Trees shattered like matchsticks in its wake, each pillar of light fired skyward as if in casual greeting. The sight itself was nothing short of monstrous.

If nine more of those existed, current wars would vanish without a trace. They would be replaced by a whole new system centered around these things.

Ending all existing warfare.

That absurd "social transformation" felt imaginable—such was its overwhelming might. So much so that even the title of Level 5 Esper seemed small in comparison.

"Gyahahahaha! Glorious, absolutely glorious! This is better than I ever imagined! Took a bit too long to spin up to full power, sure, but…"

"……!"

Kihara’s jeering laughter no longer reached Hokaze. She knew: if she didn’t flee immediately, Iruka would be crushed to paste in an instant by this thing’s sheer movement alone.

"…You too, hurry and escape!"

Calling out to Kihara, Hokaze scooped Iruka into her arms and ran. She couldn’t spare the thought for Kamijou right now. All she could do was pray he was safe.

That was when—

"Hokaze-san!? Are you all right!?"

A voice rang down from above.

She looked up to see a young lady with black-and-white wings beating the air—Reicia Blackguard.

"Yes, somehow… Forgive me, though. I lost sight of Kamijou-sama…"

"Don’t worry yourself. If it’s him, he’ll be fine on his own. More importantly… you’ve been dealt a harsh blow, haven’t you?"

Only then did Hokaze notice her own appearance. She was practically naked. Her underwear clung on, barely. Her blouse survived only as a shred around her left shoulder, and her skirt dangled by a thread at her waist.

…She was deeply grateful no gentleman had seen her like this.

"In any case, that thing seems poorly matched against you. I’ll draw its attention. Take Iruka-san somewhere safe."

"Yes… I leave it to you."

Answering, Hokaze dashed down the mountain. Watching her go, Reicia rose into the air—then froze as the massive main cannon swung directly toward her. For an instant, her heart nearly stopped.

"It’s aiming for me!?"

She twisted away at once, deploying black-and-white "Fissures" as a shield. But—

ZUDDOOOOM!!!!

With a thunderous impact, all fifteen layers of her "Fissures" shattered in one strike.

"What…!?"

She had expected not a full defense, but at least some damping of the force. Yet to be pierced through so effortlessly—Reicia reeled at the shock. And that hesitation proved fatal, as the next blast locked onto her—

BOBOOOM!!!!

The monster’s footing exploded. The detonation didn’t damage it, but the collapsing ground tilted the entire structure.

The culprits were unexpected.

"Well, well. Guess this pays you back for driving off Mugino and the others. Thanks to that, we’ve got room to move now."

Blonde hair and blue eyes. Long wavy hair beneath a beret. A high-school-aged girl with a mocking smile.

"Sorry, but we’ll need you to keep stalling. Doesn’t look like we can handle this on our own."

Brown hair, black eyes. Cheap ochre tracksuit and jeans. A face so plain he could pass for any random civilian.

They didn’t belong in this mythic battlefield of war. And yet, they regarded the threat surpassing Level 5 with the casualness of a couple of locals at home.

And together, they added one line:

" "We’re gonna smash that oversized toy to pieces." "

──Now the colossal, deadly puzzle, the Heavy Object, towered over all.