Chapter 31: End of the Raid

"Everyone, is anyone hurt? I’ve just neutralized Yurizono Seia. Fili, Mine—report your positions."

『…We moved… quite a while ago, I think. We’re heading toward the squad leader now…』

Enhancing my hearing with Mysticism, I focused on the sounds within the building.

The clash of weapons echoed faintly through the halls, and among them, one set of footsteps was noticeably faster than the rest.

That had to be Mine.

"Confirmed. All units, begin retreat. I’d appreciate it if the squad could hold out just a little longer."

『Guh… understood!』

『Should the 4th squad pull out too? If we do, we’ll lose our decoy…』

"No problem. Instead, support whichever unit looks like they won’t make it out."

『Th-then the 6th squad! Send help to the 6th!』

『H-hey, Fushinuki Yose! Are you saying my support isn’t enough!?』

『I didn’t say that, but seriously—the Justice Realization Committee’s too damn strong! We might manage to escape Tsurugi, but the others can’t handle the rest of them!』

So it’s that bad… I guess I underestimated the Justice Realization Committee.

"Are the 3rd and 5th squads holding up?"

『No problems here.』

『We managed to temporarily push back Utazumi Sakurako. That said, there’s still way too many of them… we don’t exactly have breathing room.』

"Understood. Rei, I’m leaving that side to you."

『Got it. I’ll head over nowー』

"Alright then…"

Even as I spoke, Mine’s footsteps were drawing closer. There wasn’t much time left.

"I’d rather not run into her if I can help it…"

As for the squad—who knew how long they could keep holding out against Mika?

I wasn’t too worried, since I’d gathered top-notch members like Saori, but still…

"Better hurry anyway."

Smashing the glass window, I stepped onto the frame.

"No one below… good."

Then I kicked off hard, leaping into the open air.

The wind rushed past my face as I fell. I bent my knees upon landing, letting the force roll through my body to absorb the impact.

"Whoo… that one rattled me a bit."

After a quick hop to check my legs, I started heading toward Saori’s position.

"Hey, just who are you people? Why are you doing this…?"

"!?"

"Hmm. Silent, huh? Well, that’s fine. In that case, you’re ready to face the consequences, right?"

Joumae Saori could feel her anxiety creeping in.

Sure, Arius Squad could hold their own—even against Misono Mika. But still—

"Take this!!"

"…!"

The wall behind Saori exploded into rubble—blown apart by nothing more than a light, jab-like punch.

"Tch…!"

In raw strength alone, Mika surpassed even Kirihana Suou. Of all the opponents Saori had ever faced, this Arius squad leader was the strongest—a fighter who mixed gadgets, trickery, and sheer martial prowess.

But the monster standing before her—

"Haaaah!!!"

"Ga-hah…!!"

"…Shallow? No—you redirected the impact. Not bad at all."

"R-Leader!!"

"You’re good at support too. Makes this a real pain."

───Violence.

There was no other word for it.

Overwhelming violence that tore through everything in its path.

It wasn’t that Mika lacked thought or strategy. It was simply that, at the end of her calculations, every conclusion led to the same answer—strike with brute force, or fire until nothing remained.

"Leader, let us take the front line."

『Leave it to us. Rest for a bit.』

"…Fine. I’m counting on you."

Even if they could match her in direct combat, their own attacks barely scratched her. Better than when they’d faced Suou, but still far from decisive.

If their mission had been to defeat Misono Mika, it would’ve been difficult—but not impossible.
But the current order was to stall her.

That made everything exponentially harder.

If Mika focused on breaking formation, even forcing a single member out of the fight could collapse their defense.

The longer this dragged on, the worse their odds became.

"Kyah!?"

A sniper round from Hiyori’s rifle struck Mika squarely, staggering her for a moment. But—

"…That hurts!!"

『Eek…! Wh-why isn’t it working!?』

"Calm down. She’s feeling it—it’s hitting harder than it looks."

Chiding Hiyori’s panic over comms, Saori returned to the front line.

"Over there, huh!"

『Eeep!? Sh-she’s coming this way!!』

The next moment, Mika locked onto Hiyori.

"Let’s reset the board, shall we?"

"Whoa!?"

Misaki, who’d been holding a rocket launcher at the ready, fired directly at Mika as she advanced.

"Nice one, Misaki! Everyone, fall back for now! Hiyori especially—get further away!"

『U-understood!!』

"Cough, cough…!"

If they could keep repeating this pattern of hit-and-retreat, they might just be able to buy enough time against Mika. Or so Saori hoped.

But only if they could keep repeating it.

That was the pressure she felt building in her chest.

How many more times could they retreat from this monster? Mika was already adapting to their tactics.

And stamina wasn’t infinite—fatigue was setting in fast.

"Enough already!!! That’s it!!"

"Wha—!?"

Mika suddenly slammed her fist into the ground, unleashing a shockwave that tore through the battlefield like an earthquake.

The earth cracked, split, and crumbled.

Saori barely managed to evade, but—

"!?"

"Princess!!!"

For Hakari Atsuko, who’d been closest to Mika, it was another story.

"First, you!!"

At this distance, she couldn’t count on backup.

As for Shirasu Azusa, she was still down from the earlier blast, unable to stand.

"Tch…! Hiyori!!"

All or nothing—Atsuko shouted to Tsuchinaga Hiyori, desperate for a clean shot even if it meant risking friendly fire.

『…! Understood…!! I’ll do it…!』

The balance of the battle was finally about to tip when—

"ORAAAH!!!"

"Uwahh!!?"

A white-haired woman suddenly appeared, kicking Misono Mika aside.

"…Hah… too slow, stupid squad leader."

"If anyone’s stupid, it’s you, sis. Sorry, I took longer than expected."

Adjusting the new mask that had replaced her broken gas mask, Kirihana Suou turned to face Mika.

"Now then…"

For Suou, the real fight began here.
And sensing that, Saori steadied her gun once more.

---

"…"

"Sis…? That way of speaking, that hair color… don’t tell me, you’re…"

…She noticed quicker than I expected.

"Suou-chan…?"

"…Yes. It’s been three days, Mika-san."

Removing her mask, she revealed her face to Mika.

"W-why are you here? Y-you should stay away… those people are dangerous! They suddenly started targeting Trinity—"

"Mika-san."

"…Ah."

She gestured toward Saori, who quietly removed her own mask and hat.

"Saori-chan…?"

"……This incident—the culprits are us. Arius."

"W-what… why… how could you…!!"

"…Because those were our orders."

Seeing Mika’s expression twist in disbelief hurt her more than she wanted to admit.

"No way… I… I really thought…! I really thought we could all get along!!!"

"I felt the same. I wanted to understand you—and I truly believe that, at least between you and me, we did."

"…!"

"Even so… we had no choice."

"No choice… to do what…?"

Now was her only chance to say it.

"…To destroy Yurizono Seia’s Halo."

"…What?"

"…"

"What do you mean? Then… what about Seia-chan!? Hey!! What happened to Seia-chan—"

"Please, calm down."

"Of course I can’t calm down!! Answer me!!!"

Mika’s punch slammed into her. Suou didn’t dodge—she took it head-on and was sent flying.

She felt a sharp crack in her ribs.
A flash of pain burned at the back of her head.
Her lungs compressed, forcing the air from her chest.

"Suou!?"

"Wh-why didn’t you dodge!? With your speed, you could’ve—!"

"…Cough…! Haa…! We… harbor no hostility. I wanted to prove that…"

"…!! After killing Seia-chan!? You think I’d believe that!?"

"Seia-san is alive."

"…!!"

"You may not believe me—but it’s true. If you think I’m lying…"

She pulled out the Halo-destroying bomb Azusa had given her and strapped it to her body.

"S-Suou…!? What are you doing…!?"

"…That’s…?"

"This is the Halo-destroying bomb. Any student with a Halo caught in the blast will die instantly—no exceptions. There’s only one of these. We were ordered to use it for this mission."

"And?"

"If you truly can’t believe me, then I’ll detonate it and prove it with my death—that I didn’t kill Seia-san."

Her hand gripped the trigger, finger trembling over the button.

『S-Suou-san!? No, you can’t…!!』

『Don’t! Absolutely don’t! Please don’t do this!』

"Quiet. Right now, Suou-chan is speaking with me."

"So… what will you do?"

She refastened her mask and faced Misono Mika squarely.

"…Judging from everyone’s reactions, it doesn’t sound like a lie. Fine. I’ll accept it."

"…! Misono Mika!! Please, anything else—just stop this!!"

"Then… let’s do it on three."

…It’s fine. The Misono Mika I know—

"Three…"

"Wait, Suou, what are you thinking!? You’re not seriously—!?"

The real Misono Mika would—

"Two…"

"Suou!! Stop!! We’ll help convince her too, so please reconsider!"

"Don’t move."

"Kyah!?"

The Mika I know—the Mika who feared killing—

"…One."

"Stop!!!"

"…Zero."

Just as Suou pressed the button down hard—

"Okay. That’s enough."

A single gunshot shattered the detonator, the bullet splitting it clean in half.

"……Haa…"

Cold sweat poured down her body. Her heart pounded like a war drum, deafening in her ears.

…As she thought. The Misono Mika she knew would stop her at the very last moment.

"…Alright. For now, I’ll believe you. You were really about to press that button… and I’ve never seen that bomb model before. It looks custom-made. So yeah—I think you’re telling the truth."

"Thank you…"

She was glad she’d kept her mask on. If she really died here… who knew what would happen afterward.
She couldn’t afford to die yet.

"But why come all this way to meet me? And why target Seia-chan in the first place?"

"…We don’t have much time, so listen carefully. Seia-san was targeted because her ability to foresee the future was an obstacle to the people above us."

"…I see. So that means…"

…Did she want to blame herself for letting information slip?

"That’s wrong. It’s a hundred percent the fault of the ones who tried to kill her. You were just used—nothing more."

"…"

"And besides, Seia-san is alive. She’s in critical condition, but unconscious."

"Wh—critical!? Why… why would you—"

"To fake her death. Right now, Aomori Mine of the Rescue Knights is heading to her. She’ll treat Seia-san as if she truly died. No one knows who’s after her, after all."

"…So that’s why you came to me…"

"Yes. To tell you Seia-san is still alive."

…And that was why.

"That’s why… it’s better if you stay away from us. Otherwise, you’ll just be used again."

"…Haha… I thought I was doing a pretty good job thinking things through…"

…Good. That’s fine.

There was no need for her to carry guilt.
As long as she understood that carelessness could make her a target again—as long as she learned that lesson through experience—then she wouldn’t end up like before. She’d think for herself, act for herself.

"…I really… from the bottom of my heart… wanted to help you."

"…That alone has saved us."

"I wanted… to understand everyone."

"I believe we did understand each other."

"…Was I… just too powerless?"

"Not at all. But the ones above us… are far too powerful."

It wasn’t that Mika was blameless. But at the root of it all, Beatrice—that damned woman—was the true culprit. The one who used them like pawns.

"…Goodbye, Misono Mika-san. Please… live happily."

"W-wait—Kyah!?"

She activated the bomb, flooding the room with blinding light, and switched to comms.

"Everyone, retreat."

『…When we get back, there’s something I want to talk about.』

"…Heh. I figured. Tomorrow, maybe?"

『…That’s fine.』

Pulling back as fast as she could, Suou regrouped with the others who had already withdrawn.

---

"…Why did you do something like that?"

"Uh, well…"

The following night. I thought I’d just been invited over to the building where Saori and the others lived—but instead, I found myself surrounded by all five squad members.

Just in case, I enhanced my hearing with Mysticism to check for any bugs.

…Honestly, this habit’s starting to stick.

"You really would’ve pressed it if Mika hadn’t stopped you, wouldn’t you? Were you planning to die?"

"Th-that’s, um, because—"

"If you want to say it was just part of a bluff, fine. But even then, you should’ve told us beforehand."

"I-I’m sorry…!"

"Seriously…!! Do you know how worried I was!?"

"Yes…"

"…Really. I’m just glad you’re okay."

…I worried them that much…!

"B-but please, let me explain—!"

"Shut it."

"That’s cruel!!?"

Wouldn’t even let me talk back!?
Okay, yeah, I get it was my fault for worrying them, but still!!

"B-but!! This mask—"

"…The mask? Does this have something to do with borrowing mine?"

"Yes! Exactly that, Atsuko!!!"

"…Fine, then talk."

Honestly, I hadn’t wanted to tell them this, but…!

"This mask has the power to keep its wearer from dying once!!"

"…Alright, Misaki. Go fetch the oil. It’s been a while since we set this idiot on fire."

"Got it, leave it to me."

"Wait!! I’m not lying!!"

…Ahh, this atmosphere. It’s been a while, huh!?

"…Hold on, Suou. Explain properly."

"A-Atsuko…!? You believe me…!?"

"…You still put yourself in danger. That doesn’t change. But I think we should at least hear you out."

"…I agree. Maybe Suou actually had a reason."

"M-me too…!"

Ahh, thank you, you three…!! At least you’re not the violent type…!

"…Sigh. Fine. Tell us everything."

"So, when I checked the internal mechanism of this mask, I found that it has the ability to let the wearer escape death once. But in exchange, the mask itself breaks afterward."

"…Is that really true?"

Well, of course she’d doubt it.

"I have proof. Atsuko."

"…Me?"

"Atsuko, you were supposed to be sacrificed, weren’t you?"

"…"

"Of course, I won’t let that happen. You don’t have to worry."

"…Thank you."

"No problem. But that’s exactly why—it wouldn’t benefit Beatrice either if you died, right? So—"

"…I see. That’s why the mask."

"Exactly."

Alright, looks like she’s convinced—

"…But was there any guarantee?"

"Ugh…!"

Ah, that’s the weak point…! Sure, I knew this from the original story, but… was there ever any proof that my mask had the same function?
Well… not exactly…

"…Hey."

Saori’s eyes were growing sharper by the second.

"Uh, well…"

No matter how I spin it, I’m definitely getting scolded…!!
W-what do I do…!?

『B-big sis…?』

"O-oh! A sudden call from Shio!! I’d better answer right away!!"

Nice save, Shio!!

"Hey, don’t you dare run away from this!!"

"Heh-heh, can’t hear you~! Shio, what’s wrong?"

『A-are you with Joumae Saori right now…?』

"Uh, y-yeah."

"Shio, get over here too! This idiot—"

"Wah, wah, wah!!"

『…I’ll hear the details later…! But for now—!!』

Come to think of it, it’s rare for Shio to call this late at night. Something must’ve happened?

『Misono Mika made contact again!! She’s right in front of the Arius district right now…!!』

"……WHAT!?"