Chapter 72: Blood-Stained and Turned to Ash

"Guh… haah!?"

"Hah!!"

Breaking free from the chains binding her limbs, she burst from the shattered cage, hurled clear by the explosion. Kicking down the metal door, she rushed outside.

Mika wasn’t the kind of opponent to faint from something like that. Fighting in her current, pitiful state was reckless beyond measure.

"Y-you… gah!?"

She struck the waiting member of the Justice Realization Committee outside—first the gut, then the jaw—knocking the air and balance out of them. Grabbing their collar, she broke into a run.

There was no way this one guard was the only watcher.

"Escaped…!! The ‘White Devil of Arius’ has escaped from prison!!"

"Knew it… thanks, I’ll be taking this."

"Ah—"

She stripped the disarmed student of their weapons and ammo.

A bullpup-style assault rifle—awkward to reload, and not something she was familiar with. Still, it was better than nothing. She also took a few flashbangs and smoke grenades. A bomb would’ve been ideal, but they didn’t seem to have one.

"Requesting backup! The White Devil has escaped from the underground prison! I repeat—!!"

"Man, you’re noisy… beep beep beep beep, squawk squawk squawk squawk."

"Guh…!!"

"Ahaha! Weak, weak—so weak. Guess that’s all kids like you amount to."

…Well, it was probably better to go all out like this.

There were maybe ten of them, give or take. Even if their numbers had dwindled lately, the Justice Realization Committee still had manpower.

"But, y’see…"

She didn’t have the luxury of fighting seriously. Because—

『Suou-chan…! I’m not letting you escape…!』

"Hahahaha!!"

Mika’s voice echoed from behind, followed by the sound of destruction. She could barely sense it with her Mystic awareness—still some distance away.

…Then—

"Ah, ah— ahem."

"...?"

She poured mystic energy into a flashbang and pulled the pin.

"Waaaaaahhhhhhh!!"

"Ghh—!!"

With her lungs and throat reinforced by mystic power, she let out a scream that robbed everyone nearby of sight and hearing. Using that moment, she snatched up every bit of ammunition and weapon she could find.

"…Oh, a bomb. Nice."

Now she could at least fight properly.

"Alright then, you’re coming with me."

She wrapped an arm around the first student she’d disarmed and took off running. The scenery blurred past until she spotted a staircase.

"Okay, here we go—the exit... So, Miss Justice? Mind telling me where my weapon is?"

"L-like I’d tell you—"

"In the underground prison? …No? Ah, I get it. The confiscation room inside the Justice Realization Committee’s building, right?"

"Ghh…!"

Her pulse changed. Sweat, temperature, and the subtle flicker in her body language—everything confirmed it. The weapon was there.

"Okay, that’s all I needed. Nighty-night."

"Ugh…"

…So, the Justice Realization Committee’s building, huh.

"They say, ‘no reward without risk,’ but still…"

She had no choice but to go there. She needed her original equipment, along with the gear meant for killing Beatrice.

And besides—Mika was closing in. There was no reason to stop now.

"Well then, better hurry."

Elsewhere, in the Old Cathedral—the venue for the Eden Treaty signing ceremony.

"Hey now, birdies… what’re you glaring at me for?"

"My, what vulgar language. As expected, Gehenna truly is barbaric."

Tension thickened—both sides locked in a stare that refused to yield an inch. Hard to believe this was supposed to be a peace meeting.

"Sigh… at this rate, I fear for what comes next…"

"Haha…"

Nagisa murmured quietly beside Sensei, who was observing the scene. His eyes showed traces of exhaustion.

"Still, regardless of how it goes, we must see this ceremony through. As for the Arius issue, we’ll need the Sisterhood’s cooperation… ah, there’s just so much to do…"

"If there’s anything I can do, just tell me, okay?"

"…Yes. Thank you."

It was thanks to Hifumi’s persuasion that Nagisa could now show her weakness so naturally. Sensei smiled faintly at the change before regaining his composure.

"Ah, Lady Nagisa… it’s almost time."

"Ah, Hinata-san. Understood. Well then, Sensei, I’ll see you later."

"Yeah. Do your best."

Waving as Nagisa headed toward the waiting room, Sensei stayed behind with the Sisterhood, watching over the venue.

"Will everything be alright, with things like this…?"

"Ah, um… you’re Hinata from the Sisterhood, right?"

"Y-yes! I’m surprised you remembered my name."

Hinata Wakaba blushed slightly, both surprised and flattered that Sensei remembered her. She was a member of the Sisterhood, responsible for managing the cathedral’s property.

"It’s just… the atmosphere’s so tense, it feels like anything could spark a fight."

"Yeah, I can see that."

Her bright red eyes wavered with anxiety as she took a deep breath to steady herself.

"This old cathedral is amazing, though."

"Ah, yes. It was treated like a ruin for a long time, but it’s been fully restored for this ceremony."

"Wow… must’ve been tough work, huh?"

Taking a short break, Sensei continued the conversation.

"Yes… there wasn’t much time, and the lower floors are still like a ruin. Oh, that reminds me—Sensei, have you heard the rumor?"

"...?"

"They say there’s a massive catacomb beneath this cathedral. Just a rumor, of course. But some people heard about it and tried to sneak in illegally…"

A catacomb—in other words, a burial site. Likely thrill-seekers treating it like some kind of ghost story.

A deeply disrespectful act, though Sensei could at least understand the curiosity behind it.

"This place really has a lot of history, huh."

"Yes. After all, this is where the First Council was held."

The Council—that must’ve been the one where Arius Academy was condemned. Sensei recalled faintly, nodding along as Hinata continued.

"The decrees passed at such councils, and their protectors, are sacred. Perhaps that’s why Nagisa-san and Makoto-san chose this place for the signing."

"Protectors…?"

Sensei tilted his head, unfamiliar with the term.

"Yes. When rules—or decrees—are broken, punishment must be carried out. The people responsible for that are called ‘Protectors.’ They were the Justina Council of Saints back then—the predecessors of us, the Sisterhood."

"Huh, I see…"

"Ah—Sensei, it’s almost time for me too! Sorry for cutting the talk short, but I have to go!"

"It’s fine. Take care."

Left alone, Sensei sat down on a nearby chair. Fatigue from everything recently began to pull at his eyelids.

"…"

He shook his head, trying to stay awake, and let his mind wander.

Worries surfaced—about the Supplementary Lessons Club, the Volunteer Activities Club, Mika who was likely still watching, and… Kirihana Suou, imprisoned in her cell.

According to Nagisa, her confinement couldn’t be eased, both for security and political reasons. It made sense—only a handful of people even knew Arius’s current situation: the former Arius students in those clubs, and the two members of the Tea Party.

"…Hm?"

A soft notification tone from Momotalk rang out.
When he opened it, he saw it was from the Supplementary Lessons Department group. Photos from their recent celebration had been posted—and right beneath them, a new message appeared:

"Azusa-chan, where are you right now? I’d like to talk."

That’s what it said.

Today was the day the students of Arius would escape from the Arius Branch School.

He had already done everything he could to prepare. Members from the Supplementary Lessons Department, the Volunteer Activities Club, and the Student Life Support Department were all arranged to assist with the escape.
Sensei’s role would come after that—once the students were safely out.

There was no way he could just leave the signing ceremony, especially with Beatrice from Arius Branch’s upper ranks—one of Gematria’s members—present. He couldn’t let her suspect anything.

Of course, remote cooperation was possible. Thanks to Mayumi’s efforts, the equipment had been set up well enough that he could issue commands from afar.

"……"

That was exactly why he had to stay sharp—to be ready for whatever might happen.
Yet, in contrast to that resolve, his thoughts began to drift and dissolve. Holding tightly to the precious System Box in his hands, Sensei slowly let his consciousness sink into a deep sea of sleep.

Around the same time, at a certain facility within Trinity’s autonomous district—

"Preparations?"

"…No issues."

"Y-yes! All checks are done!"

On-site were all divisions except the Seventh and Second Squads.

"What about contact with that puppet?"

"No problem… but regarding Suou’s situation…"

"I wonder if she’s alright."

In the original plan, Suou was supposed to make contact with that wooden puppet—Maestro, one of Gematria’s members.

The reason was simple: to prevent information from reaching Beatrice. It seemed Suou had a strategy that could serve as a bargaining chip.

"…I don’t know. Even so, we have to do what we can."

"Azusa…"

"…"

Azusa’s expression was clearly dark.
Of course it was—what they were about to do was destroy the Eden Treaty signing ceremony.
What was about to happen would inevitably hurt people.

"…Everyone’s going to suffer, aren’t they…? B-but still…"

"We don’t have a choice. It’s okay—no one’s going to die. We’ll make sure to minimize the damage as much as possible."

"It’s… selfish, but… yes, you’re right…"

And so, Arius Squad, along with the entire Arius Branch School, began their operation.

"Seventh Squad Leader—launch the cruise missile."

"…Got it."

As Misaki’s transmission came through, Shio fired the missile toward the old cathedral.

"Estimated time of impact is five minutes… After that, you know what to do."

"And the Arius Branch students?"

"No problem… as long as that thing—the Mimesis—is there, they can escape anytime."

Saori’s question was answered immediately by Firi.

"M-more importantly, what about Big Sis!? What’s the rescue team doing!?"

"This is Third Squad. We’ve sent half our forces to assist the Squad Leader. It should work, but if anything goes wrong, I’ll go myself. The gap we leave will be covered by the Fourth Squad. That’s fine, right, Rei?"

"Yeah, leave it to me!"

Transmissions crossed back and forth, the final checks almost complete.

"Regardless of whether we rescue the Squad Leader or not, once we’ve extracted the children, we’ll pull out of Trinity District. Seventh Squad Leader—don’t mess it up."

"No promises."

"Hey, who failed to convince her again?"

"That’d be me!"

A tense laugh rippled through the line—just as the tension began to crest.

"Ahh, ahh… This is the Squad Leader. I’ve successfully escaped."

"…!"

That lazy, familiar voice—they’d heard it countless times before.
The same voice that always called herself their “big sister.”
The same voice that had always saved them.

Through a static-filled transmission, it reached every one of their ears.

"You idiot…! You damn fool, I was worried sick…!"

The words burst out of Saori’s mouth before she realized it—a desperate cry of relief. Even she looked startled, pressing a hand to her lips.

"Hahaha… I’m sorry. But hey, your big sister’s the strongest, remember? I promised I’d make it work, didn’t I? Have I ever lied to you?"

"…You have."

"Huh?"

The truth slipped out before she could stop it.
Suou opened her mouth, about to ask what she meant—

"Big Sis!!?"

"W-whoa, whoa, Shio—it’s fine! I’m okay!"

"Big Sis…! Big Siiiis…!!"

But Shio’s voice drowned her out.

"Squad Leader… I’m glad you’re safe. You can’t just leave me behind again."

"Haha, sorry, Tou…"

"…Squad Leader, we’ll need to talk later."

"Y-Yakou? Please don’t be too mad, okay? Just… a little mercy?"

As the flood of worried voices filled the channel, Kirihana Suou smiled faintly, almost helplessly.

"…But I kept my promise."

Her voice, however, sounded fragile—like a cracked ornament ready to shatter.
Only her squad members noticed that change.

"So please… believe in me. Believe in what your big sister is about to do."

"Suou, you—… tch, connection’s gone."

Before Saori could voice her question, the transmission cut off abruptly.

"…Saori. You’re really going to do it?"

"Yeah… this is the only time."

Staring down at the dead communicator, Saori clenched her fist, steeling her resolve.

"…I’ll find out here and now—what Suou truly is."

She exhaled those words like a vow.

"…Hey!"

A voice echoed—one he knew well. He’d heard it countless times since coming to Kivotos.

"Sensei, please wake up!"

When had he first heard that voice?
Through his hazy consciousness, Sensei tried to recall.

During the biometric registration? No.
When he’d received this tablet—the System Box? No…

───So, Sensei.

"…"

Ah… that’s right.

───If it’s you, an adult I can trust… perhaps you can reach an ending different from the twisted destination ahead.

That voice—

"Arona…?"

"Sensei, are you alright!? Please, stay with me!"

"What’s… going on…"

His thoughts were still foggy as he stared blankly at Arona standing before him.

No—that didn’t make sense. Arona was the main OS of the System Box. There was no way she could appear before him in the flesh.

"The Old Cathedral was bombed… I tried to protect you, but…"

Arona tried to explain the situation as best she could, but her voice began to fade.

"I… can’t… hold on… any longer…"

"Arona!?"

His vision blurred—then came the sight of a burning world.
And within it stood… a twin-headed mannequin.

"That… vision…!"

Darkness swallowed his sight.

"Oh—there you are."

Thanks to the faint glow of the tablet, finding him wasn’t hard.

"Hey there, Sensei!"

"…Suou?"

Sensei looked at her dimly, still struggling to grasp the situation.

"Haha, glad to see you’re still alive! Hang on, I’ll clear the rubble off you."

With careful precision, Suou shattered each chunk of debris surrounding him—leaving nothing behind.

"Can you stand, Sensei?"

"Urgh…"

Hmm… still a bit dazed, huh? Even after I went through all that trouble…

"Sensei, you’re safe—thank goodness… Wait, you!!"

A voice called out from behind. Turning, Suou saw Hasumi of the Justice Realization Committee, covered in serious wounds, glaring her way.

"Step away from Sensei—agh!?"

"Don’t get in my way, brat."

With a flick of her wrist, Suou fired a mystic-charged bullet from her hand cannon, locking Hasumi’s movements in place.

"Suou, what are you…!? No—why are you even here!? And that way of speaking…?"

"Hahaha… what can I say?"

Finally noticed, huh? Geez, after all that effort, you didn’t even recognize me right away. So rude.

"Let’s just say… the mastermind’s finally making her entrance☆! Kidding~"

"…!"