Chapter 37: One last Step

The hands of the clock had long passed midnight. Nearly two hours had gone by since.

Under the faint glow of the moon and stars, Shidou, Sawa, and Kurumi stood silently, eyes fixed on the towering structure before them.

“Tohka is… right here,” Shidou murmured, scanning the area around them.

They were standing in a quiet corner of the office district in Kagamiyama City, east of Tenguu City. At this hour, the streets were nearly empty. The buildings, dimly lit, gave off an eerie, pressurized stillness that hung in the air.

Shidou looked up. At the end of the road stood a massive building, looming silently.

“Have you noticed it?” Kurumi asked from his left, catching the focus in his eyes.

On his right, Sawa spoke up, her voice calm.

“From this point on, everything belongs to DEM. All the buildings you see—offices and research facilities.”

“All of them…” Shidou repeated softly. He glanced to the side and swallowed hard. But he wasn’t afraid. Somewhere in there, Tohka was waiting.

Earlier, they had split their Tasks. Shidou and Kurumi were assigned to confront Miku, hoping to convince her to abandon whatever plan she was working on. But it didn’t go as expected—they were forced to retreat. Meanwhile, Sawa had taken on a task of her own, one she had personally requested: to find where Tohka was being held.

“You already knew about this place, didn’t you? At least since I told you about DEM’s base in this city back when we first met, right, Sawa-chan…” Kurumi said softly.

Sawa quietly nodded at Kurumi’s words, lowering her eyes. Whether it was fear or anxiety, she wasn’t sure. Ever since that conversation, she had been gathering as much information as she could about DEM’s movements in Tengu—just to stay out of their way. She never imagined that knowledge would become useful this soon… or that she would be the one to target them directly.

“...Then, where is the first office?”

Shidou cut the conversation short, shifting their attention back to what was important at the moment.

“Mm, it’s the gigantic structure in the middle of these buildings. But unfortunately, I don’t know her exact location inside.”

“So that’s the case...”

“There’s nothing to discuss if we can’t get there. Let’s move without being noticed—then,” Kurumi said, turning to lean against the wall, facing Shidou.

“The plan will depend on you, Shidou-san.”

“Me?”

“From now, I will be infiltrating DEM territory with Shidou-san. But before that, let’s go over our plan.”

“How?”

“Eh. The plan itself is simple. First, we will head to the first office building of DEM’s Japan branch. Any issues before that?”

“Ah.”

“Even so, this is DEM’s main base in Japan. It’s impossible they wouldn’t have any security measures in place.”

“...True.”

Shidou nodded awkwardly. Their enemy was DEM—the creators of the Realisers. Even though it was night, and large-scale combat on an empty street was unlikely, there was no room to underestimate their opponent.

“After we reach the target block, I’ll summon us within their territory and begin attacking the other facilities.”

“I see... so we’ll infiltrate during the chaos. But if we go too far and they tighten their defenses... what then? DEM definitely has countermeasures in place for anyone trying to rescue Tohka.”

Listening to Shidou’s words, Kurumi lightly nodded her head.

“Indeed, Tohka-san is the most valuable sample they have within their premises. If the facility were attacked, they would undoubtedly reinforce the defenses around her, correct?”

“Yes. Hence—”

“Indeed so. It would be virtually impossible to enter the building Tohka-san is being held in without being noticed. That’s why diverting their attention isn’t a bad strategy. No matter how important Tohka-san is, there’s no way they would just sit by and let their other facilities be destroyed.”

“Umu…”

Shidou placed a hand under his chin and nodded. It was a simple plan, but a highly effective one. After all, only Kurumi could instantly summon thousands to the scene and pull off such an improbable strategy.

“I understand. Then let’s do it as planned.”

“It’s a pleasure to be trusted by others—now, let us move.”

“Oh…”

Shidou clenched his fists, bracing himself. Together with Kurumi, they advanced toward the DEM building.

But—the moment they stepped onto DEM premises—

The three of them frowned, their eyes meeting in alarm.

It was a familiar sensation. Faint, but unmistakable—like an invisible brush sweeping over their bodies.

“Oi, what was—”

Shidou started to speak to Kurumi—but stopped.

No, to be exact, his voice was drowned out by a much louder sound.

—

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—

The moment Shidou’s group entered the area, a shrill noise began to echo through the surroundings.

At first, Shidou thought it was an intruder alarm. But—no. That wasn’t it.

He had heard this sound before.

“A spacequake warning…!?”

Shidou scowled. Yes—this was the alert signaling an imminent disaster caused by the arrival of a Spirit: a spacequake.

“A Spirit… appeared!? In this area!?”

It was unbelievable. Shidou quickly scanned his surroundings. Nearby workers and convenience store clerks working late shifts all froze in shock, then began evacuating. Underground shelter doors opened, and in an instant, the city shifted into emergency mode, prepared to defend against a spacequake.

“No. It doesn’t seem like it.”

Kurumi narrowed her eyes, analyzing the air.

Meanwhile, Sawa kept her silent, eyes closed, words that seemed random chanted beneath her breath...

“I don’t sense the spatial distortion that comes with a Spirit’s arrival. At the very least, it doesn’t feel like a Spirit is crossing over from the other world.”

“Then… this alarm is…”

“…This is only my hypothesis. But I believe it was DEM who triggered the alarm. Shidou-san—you felt it earlier, didn’t you? That subtle sensation… the feeling of being touched by a Wizard’s Territory.”

“Eh…? But this is a spacequake alarm… isn’t it?”

Shidou couldn’t grasp DEM’s intentions. This alarm hadn’t been triggered from inside the DEM facility. Even if they could activate a spacequake alert, doing so just because of a few intruders seemed like an overreaction.

“That is correct. There are a few possibilities, such as—”

Kurumi placed a hand under her chin, thoughtfully beginning to speak—then, without warning, she grabbed Shidou by the collar and leapt to the side.

“Kuuh…eh!? You, what are—”

Shidou started to protest, startled by the sudden movement—but then stopped.

The reason was clear. The spot where they’d been standing just a second ago was now a smoldering crater, torn open by a piercing beam of light. A burst of explosive force had followed, shaking the air and scorching the earth.

“Wh-Wh-What…?”

“It seems they’re trying to create a scene—likely to eliminate witnesses.”

Kurumi narrowed her eyes and looked up at the sky.

Following her gaze, Shidou’s breath caught in his throat.

Against the backdrop of the moon and looming city buildings, several silver figures floated in the air—each clad in CR-Units.

Helmets shaped like those of motorcycle riders. Arms bulked unnaturally large. Legs bent in the opposite direction of human anatomy. Shidou instantly recognized the silhouette.

“That’s… <Bandersnatch>…!?”

Just as the words left his mouth, the <Bandersnatch> raised their laser cannons—but this time not toward them...

“Wait—where’s Sawa!?”

“Hehehe~ You should be worrying about yourself right now, Shidou-san. Look over there.”

Still midair, Shidou followed Kurumi’s line of sight—back to the place they had been standing just moments before.

Sawa was still there.

Unharmed. Surrounded by smoking rubble and scorched holes. But she hadn’t moved an inch.

Her eyes were fixed on the <Bandersnatch> in the sky above.

Shidou saw it clearly—the depth in her gaze. Fear. Anxiety. Terror.

But more than anything else—there was something he had never seen in her before.

Anger.

Sawa hadn’t spoken in a while. She didn’t intend to.

Her hand lifted slowly toward the sky, gaze fixed on the floating <Bandersnatch> above.

Then—the ground beneath her shifted.

Black tendrils slithered from the earth, coiling up her legs like vines thirsty for moonlight. They spiraled upward—twisting around her legs, her waist, and finally coiling around her arm like living shadows. Then, all at once, they surged toward her raised hand.

“Wha… what is that…?”

Shidou’s voice caught in his throat, his eyes wide with disbelief. A shadow had suddenly engulfed the area—massive one that overwholmed th whole area.

A form loomed over the battlefield, blocking out the stars.

It was monstrous.

“Oh my… that’s new to me,” Kurumi murmured softly, placing a hand on her lips, her crimson eyes narrowing with interest.

The air shifted.

In an instant, the space surrounding the <Bandersnatch>—several miles in every direction—was swallowed whole. The very sky seemed to curve inward, trapped inside a colossal shape.

It wasn’t just a shadow.

It was a jaw.

A dragon’s mouth, massive beyond reason, had formed in the sky—tendrils acting like muscle and bone, locking everything inside. The <Bandersnatch> tried to scatter—but it was too late. There was nowhere to flee.

Then—

Boom.

A deep shockwave pulsed as the dragon’s jaw snapped shut.

The dragon’s head compressed inward, its shape twisting tighter and tighter—crushing everything trapped inside.

FLASH.

A sudden, violent burst of light erupted from the gaps in the tendrils—followed by a muffled explosion.

Piece by piece… the giant form began to shrink. The dragon’s head collapsed in on itself as the tendrils slowly retreated back into the earth from where they came.

And standing in the middle of the silence—was Sawa.

Her hand was outstretched.

Resting in her palm was a perfectly round iron sphere—barely the size of a baseball. Its surface glinted faintly under the moonlight.

Without a word, she flicked her wrist and let it drop.

THAP.

The ground cracked beneath her, spiderwebbing out from the impact point as the sphere struck the earth.

Dust rose around her. Silence followed.

Sawa slowly lowered her hand—then pressed it to her forehead.

A breath escaped her lips—shaky, uneven. As if she’d been holding it the whole time.

I’m strong… I’m strong…

“…Oh my. That was quite the show~”

Sawa blinked and turned her head. Her eyes met Kurumi’s, who had just stepped back into place beside Shido.

She finally let go of his collar, allowing him to catch his balance as he dropped back down to the ground.

“T-That was... incredible…”

“This is not the time to be amazed. Reinforcements are approaching.”

Just as Shido voiced his awe, Kurumi cut in—just as quickly as the <Bandersnatch> began to approach from every direction.

Weren’t you amazed too…?The words found their way to Shido’s lips in a murmur, but they reached no ears.

Kurumi looked toward the worksite without relaxing.

The earlier <Bandersnatch> had merely been a defense layer. Now, from within the surrounding buildings, more <Bandersnatch> and Wizards began to appear. The buildings themselves shifted—walls opening up, transforming to reveal entry points as new enemies emerged. Their numbers were uncertain, but it was already clear—

There were more than five hundred.

Kurumi smiled darkly.

“Kuku~ I suppose it’s my turn now… Us!”

[Kehe, hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe!]

As Kurumi raised her hand, the shadow beneath her feet expanded outward.

From within it, dozens—nearly a hundred—Kurumis rose up, each one springing into action, launching themselves at the incoming <Bandersnatch> and Wizards without hesitation.

“—Leave the marionettes to [us]. Let us use this opportunity to blow through the defenses!”

“Al-Alright… um...!”

Shido was about to call for Bride as he turned his head toward her—then he stopped.

Once again, Sawa seemed to be in her own world, eyes lifted slightly toward the sky—or more specifically...

"Hm?"

Following her gaze, he saw it too. Her eyes were fixed on the main DEM building—the massive, towering skyscraper—specifically, the highest floor.

It was dark up there, with no visible lights in any of the windows. Shido couldn’t tell exactly what she was looking at… but as he focused, he could just barely make out a figure behind the glass wall. A shadow. Someone was there.

Kurumi was the first to figure it out.

“…Shido-san… it seems we should go on ahead from here.”

“Huh?”

“Sawa-chan isn’t coming with us.”

Retrieving his eyes back to Sawa… he could see she was abnormally sweating, trembling just slightly… but the look in her eyes—

“I understand… Stay safe… Sawa-san…”

Though Shido just remembered—he hadn’t even asked for Bride’s full name yet. He’d just awkwardly kept calling her by the name Kurumi had been using all along.

He decided to shake off those minor thoughts for now—He could just ask her later....

Charging forward alongside Kurumi… he gave one final glance back toward Sawa, before turning his eyes ahead—

…

…

The outside noise in Sawa’s head had long faded… replaced by that high-frequency buzz.

The one she’d been hearing for the last five years in that place.

The image of the world around her was already gone, replaced by a blank white space—empty, save for the one fixed point her gaze was locked on.

She drew a deep breath… and let it out slowly.

Letting the world return again.

Letting—

The world snap back into place.

The haze cleared.

And her eyes fixed sharply on the figure standing behind the glass—on the top floor of the DEM building.

That cold, unblinking silhouette…

It was her.

Ellen Mathers.

Sawa’s fingers curled slowly into fists. Her breath steadied. That sound in her head—the piercing buzz—

Of course, it was her.

Of course it was them....

It has always been.