Published at 17th of August 2019 9:00 am

Volume 16, Chapter 4: The Invaders' Battlefields

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

Sunday, July 4

Theia and the surface troops got into position 15 minutes after Kiriha had vanished underground. They had sneaked up to the northern part of the island, near the radical faction's base, and were observing it.

“...It's smaller than I thought.”

That was Shizuka's first impression upon seeing it. The base surrounded by a steel fence was larger than Corona House, but far smaller than Kitsushouharukaze high school. Shizuka's image of a base was something gigantic like you'd see in the movies, so this was kind of a let down. As it was night, lights were lighting up the base, giving it a lonely impression and making it look even smaller.

“Shizuka-sama, that is just the entrance. Most of it is built underground so that it won't stand out.”

Ruth smiled and showed Shizuka a hologram on her bracelet. It was an estimated 3D model of the base that Ruth and Clan had built up through analyzing the information they had gathered. This showed that the top part was just the tip of the iceberg and the remaining 90% of the base was underground.

“I see, it's a secret base after all.”

Since it was base where a weapon of mass destruction had been set up, it was build to stand out as little as possible. Taking observation satellites into consideration, it was only inevitable that the majority of the base would be built underground. Since aircraft or other vehicles weren't intended to be used at the base, there was no inconvenience in it.

“Things won't go as they have up until now. Men, are you prepared?”

Theia and the others would be raiding this base and destroying the earthquake weapon, Earth Dragon, that should be inside. They had avoided contact with the enemy until now, but that wouldn't work any more. They had to defeat the enemies in their way and complete their objective.

“I'm ready at any time. I'm ready to fight. Even if I'm going up against Maya-sama.”

Maki strongly grasped her cane and nodded. Since the moment she had landed on this island she had prepared herself for a battle against her master, Maya. There was no sign of hesitation in her eyes. And if she lost against the radical faction's soldiers, there was no way she could win against Maya, so she didn't fear them at all.

“Leave it to me, Theia-chan. I'd rather move my body than anxiously sneak around like this.”

Shizuka was already ready to fight. With her invincible body, and the mind of a high school girl, she felt less tense fighting than having to sneak around and worry about the entire plan failing.

“I'm starting to get nervous.”

“Calm down, Kotarou. If you're like that, you won't even be able to do something you normally can.”

“But you're trembling too, Hayato-niichan.”

“Kotarou, Hayato, we're all scared. That's why we fight together. Right?”

“Kenichi is right. Let's focus on doing what we can.”

“Yeah. That way the triumphant celebration feast will taste more delicious!”

This battle was different from the small skirmishes the Sun Rangers had been in before. It was a battle that would determine the future of both the surface and the underground, and the Sun Rangers couldn't hide their nervousness. However, they were confronting that trial through the support of each other. That sight gave courage to the conservative faction soldiers who were around them. That was probably the essence of heroes, but the Sun Rangers seemed unaware of it.

Next, reports that preparations were complete came from one squad after another. Confirming that all 89 of them were ready, Theia nodded.

“...We were all born and raised in different places, but we must win this battle no matter what, and that is what ties us together. Let's forget about those differences! It doesn't matter how ungraceful our fight is! We will destroy the Earth Dragon and come out victorious!! Men, follow me!!” Theia loudly declared, and her 88 allies replied in unison.

““Yeah!!””

Aliens, a magical girl, a normal high school girl, a sun squad and the underground people. There were all kinds of people gathered, but they all shared a common goal.

Part 2

Theia made the first attack. Overwhelming the others in scientific power, she was capable of just that. That's why she began her attack as she jumped through the bushes.

“Blue Knight, Multi-Launching Ground to Ground Missiles! Destroy that annoying fence!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

According to Theia's orders, two large hexagons appeared slightly behind her shoulders. They were missile launchers, and as they appeared their launch ports opened and fired the missiles within, a total of twelve. First they headed straight up from Theia before curving and heading towards the radical faction's base.

The missiles were targeting the fence around the base and, along with loud booms, the steel fence was blown away, removing the obstacles from Theia's and the others path.

“Ruth!”

“Yes! Deploying Distortion Field!”

Ruth took over as the frontline and widely deployed the barrier built into her armor. She would serve as the shield until they reached the entrance to the base. This was a fitting role for Ruth, who had the title of Guardian Knight.

“Mirror Image – Modifier – Area Effect – End – Effective Area Large!”

Maki's specialization, mind manipulation magic, extended to illusion magic as well. She created copies of all 89 allies and placed those copies around the real one. Doing this made it seem like a much bigger force was attacking, and it also lowered the chances of someone getting attacked. It was a probabilistic way of defending.

“Let's close in before they can recover! Run as fast as you can!”

Following Theia's orders, the surface troops advanced as one. In total there were about ten radical faction soldiers protecting the entrance. They had been thrown into disarray from Theia's missiles, but they wouldn't stay panicked forever. Once they recovered they would call for backup and counter attack. Before that happened, they needed to close the distance.

“Your highness, they're firing!”

About 100 meters away from the base site, small sparks hit Ruth's barrier from time to time. It was the light from bullets striking the barrier. Having recovered, the radical faction soldiers noticed Theia and the others and began their attack. While it wasn't much of a problem right now because of their few numbers, once the backup arrived, that might not be the case. Having judged the situation thusly, Theia gave her next orders.

“Blue Shine, shoot that cable that's coming out from the lookout post!”

“Leave it to me! Kotarou!”

“Got it! Live ammunition loaded, night vision scope activated, distance 180, the wind is north west, wind velocity two meters, humidity is 55%!”

Blue and Green temporarily left the file and entered a sniping position. It may have been because they were using a Forthorthe weapon, but their preparations were swift. Seconds after leaving the file they already had the target in the scope.

“Niichan, that weapon doesn't need corrections so just shoot!”

“Firing!”

The bullet shot left the rifle along with a solemn sound. Since the bullet speed exceeded a velocity of 1000 meters per second, by the time the sound could be heard, the bullet had already hit its target. The bullet didn't stray off target and destroyed the cable coming out of the lookout post.

“Direct hit!”

“Alright! Let's go, Kotarou!”

“Yeah!”

Done with their sniping, the two rapidly stood up and chased after Theia and the others.With that Theia had a satisfied smile and she gave them words of appreciation.

“Well done, Sun Rangers! With this, their reinforcements will be delayed!”

The cable that Theia had them shoot was used for communication. The cable was used both for calling for reinforcements and for sending camera feeds down. With that destroyed, they can slow down the reinforcements as they switched to an emergency line. That time should be enough to let Theia and the others reach the entrance to the base.

“Your highness, I'm detecting metal up ahead! It's a minefield!”

Ruth's computer was giving out warnings. On the outside of where the fence had been were landmines. They covered a distance of about ten meters, which was enough to blow away problematic intruders.

“What a nuisance! Blue Knight, fire the remaining missiles! Create a path for us to take!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

The missile launchers, floating behind Theia, fired a large amount of missiles once more. Like before, it was a total of twelve, and they rained down on the minefield.

This caused even grander explosions than before and kicked up a cloud of dust that hid the entrance of the base from sight. The ground shook like it was an earthquake and the blast shook the surrounding trees.

“The course is clear!”

“Men, we're pushing through!”

Theia and the others charged towards the minefield before the cloud of dust and fire had settled down. The shockwave assaulted them, but thanks to Ruth's sturdy barrier they were unharmed. With the minefield blown away there was no longer anything in Theia's and the others path and they were able to successfully enter the base site.

“Theia-chan, they're lying in wait for us!”

But they were still in danger, as Shizuka sensed enemies past the cloud of dust. Having seen Theia's missiles clear the minefield, they lay in wait for them to come from that way.

“Don't worry!”

As Theia shouted that, ten radical faction soldiers appeared past the cloud of dust. They weren't incompetent. Having seen Theia deal with the minefield, they had changed their weapons to grenades and bazookas. Ruth's barrier was powerful, but it couldn't protect against attacks from below or above which was their goal.

“Maki!”

“Flash!”

The next moment Maki, who had been in the rear, unleashed a spell that created an intense flash. Having all been looking at Theia and the others as they approached, the radical faction soldiers all saw this flash and the night vision goggles they were using ceased functioning, leaving the soldiers blinded.

“Now, attack!”

The soldiers' hurriedly removed their night vision goggles, but it was already too late. The soldiers were all shot and lost consciousness.

As the troops entered the base they found a tunnel heading underground. The tunnel had a gentle incline and stretched 20 meters wide. The tunnel also had lights set up intermittently, lighting up the entire thing. Assuming that trailers would carry goods to and from here, it was a very appropriate make.

The large weapon on Theia's left arm, the mechanical pile driver, let out lots of exhaust. She had just used the weapon to destroy the entrance gate. Using the weapon at full power created a lot of steam as exhaust, and made Theia give off an even more powerful impression.

“Uhm, Devil Princess-san, Wouldn't it be better if we infiltrated the base more quietly as according to plan?”

Overwhelmed by Theia's appearance, Red Shine timidly gave her his opinion. According to their original plan, Theia and the others of the surface troops would be infiltrating the base more slowly and carefully. Since they were entering an unknown base, it was considered best to move forward carefully. However, they had forcefully broken through. While the results were a success, they had already had several dangerous moments.

“I would like to do so as well, but.. hearing how the situation underground is going, I can't.”

“Is it that bad?”

Blue Shine joined the conversation. Amongst the Sun Rangers, Blue had the most knowledge of the military.

“Indeed. The radical faction lost their patience waiting for an answer and attacked. If we don't destroy the earthquake weapon before the conservative faction get into position for a proper counter attack things will get problematic.”

“...That said, the conservative faction can't keep themselves from counter attacking, huh.”

“That's right. It seems like we don't have the time to take it slowly.”

“Hayato.”

“Steel yourself, Kenichi. This is the eleventh hour.”

“...Okay. Let's do our best. It does seem like we don't have any time.”

Once Blue supported Theia's opinion, Red stopped his objections. He trusted in Blue's decision. Besides, they were already on enemy grounds, doing things casually could prove fatal.

“Men, from this point onward we move in squads. Do not move on your own.”

When they were moving they had prioritized everyone moving together, but now they would need to stay in formation. Each girl from room 106 would lead 20 conservative faction soldiers. These 21 would be the smallest unit from now on. The only exception was the Sun Rangers who would act as a flying column, striking at enemy weak spots or backing up allies. Not destroying this composition was essential to come out victorious.

Having formed in squads of 21 the surface troops continued down the tunnel. After going down for about 100 meters, the tunnel ended and their view opened up. The tunnel was connected to a wide space. It was a large cave created by the People of the Earth's technology. It was several hundred meters large, and despite being underground it was properly lit up. A globe like the sun itself was lighting up the entire vast cave from overhead.

“It seems like the earthquake weapon, Earth Dragon, is in there.”

In the middle of the cave, underneath the globe was a building resembling a base. It was over a 100 meters large, and since Earth Dragon was, according to the design plans, several tens of meters, it seemed like the ideal size for the weapon.

“I'm getting a big energy reaction as well. It is most likely that building.”

The computer in Ruth's armor calculated an estimate of energy within the building from the trace amounts leaking out. It was enough energy to support a city and it seemed to be generated from within the base.

“It looks like they're getting serious as well.”

In front of Shizuka's glance were armed radical faction squads, standing between them and the base. They far outnumbered the guards on the surface. Normal soldiers numbered over a hundred, and then there were mechanical soldiers, automated soldiers and assault vehicles. Their formation was solid as well with mechanical and automatic soldiers in the front and assault vehicles behind them. The soldiers were positioned to give these back up.

“It looks like they never intended to back up the ones on the surface, but rather settle this down here.”

Looking at the same thing Shizuka was looking at, Maki reached a conclusion.

The girls had believed that it would be problematic if the radical faction had blocked them off at the tunnel leading to the base and attempted to break through before that happened. But there would only be a point in doing that if their forces rivaled each other. If the radical factions forces far outnumbered their enemy then they could fight in an open space to make use of their superior numbers. There was no point in fighting in a narrow space and limit their forces.

“So they figured they could win in a frontal attack. Hah, I'll make them pay for underestimating me.”

Theia showed a chilling smile as she spoke. While Theia had grown physically and mentally, she still had a lot of pride. Nowadays she could mostly forgive what people say to her as long as they're on friendly terms, but she couldn't forgive those hostile to her for making fun of her. Theia felt like she was being made fun of in this situation and was enraged.

“We are not underestimating you at all, princess Theiamillis.”

“This voice is!?”

“Elexis!”

That was when a voice could be heard from a nearby speaker. It was a voice that wasn't just familiar to Theia, but to Ruth as well. He was Ruth's previous fiancé that had turned into an enemy, and he was someone that Ruth couldn't forgive.

And almost at the same time as his voice, a half transparent hologram of Elexis appeared in front of Theia and the others. He was as refined and handsome as usual. However, that rubbed both Theia and Ruth the wrong way.

“It is because we are not underestimating you that we chose to fight in this place where we can use our full force. Doing it on the surface would simply make us stand out too much.”

Theia and Ruth were surprised by Elexis' sudden appearance. However, at the same time there were a lot of things that hadn't made sense until now, such as the production technology for their weapons being so exceptionally high.

“You bastard... how dare you appear in front of us. And working alongside the radical faction at that.”

Theia angrily glared at the hologram. To her, Elexis wasn't simply just an enemy. He was someone who had tried to kill Koutarou, which was something she could never forgive. As a result, her sharp glare pierced through the camera and reached Elexis directly.

“I must have misjudged you. Goals and means aside, I believed you at least had your pride.”

The same was true for Ruth. She sent a chilling glance at Elexis.

“That smarts. However, we have a goal as well. It's something we have to accomplish, even if I have to somewhat throw away my pride.”

“We? Could it be... are you working together with Maya-sama?”

Maki had quietly been listening in, but she sensed the presence of Maya from Elexis' nonchalantly words and couldn't stay quiet.

“Whoops, you were Maya's apprentice weren't you... what a careless thing of me to say.”

Elexis had a happy smile on his face. He had taken quite a liking to Maya. With her unexpected things happened, one after another, even Maki's appearance felt like it.

“Is Maya-sama here!?”

“That's not something I can say. Koutarou-kun has gotten angry at me for not treating my allies well before. But I think you'll find out if you make it all the way to me.”

“Then I'll be right there. So just you wait.”

“There you have it, so brace yourself, Elexis! Now that we know that you're here too, we definitely won't back away. We'll make you regret making an enemy out of us!”

“I'll prepare some snacks and tea and await your arrival, princess.”

With those words as his last, Elexis' hologram vanished and the speakers turned off. At the same time, the radical faction began moving towards Theia and the others. Seeing that, Theia ordered her allies to advance.

“Let's go men! We'll disperse these pests, beat down Elexis and destroy Earth Dragon!”

Like that, the surface troops' battle began.

Part 3

The underground city built by the People of the Earth, the town of Sial. It was intended to become the People of the Earth's second hometown, and its name was taken from the name of their original home. And in fact, many considered it their home. Their pride and traditions existed in this place.

Now that town of Sial was burning. While Kiriha was being taken to the radical faction's base she could see it burning through the window of the car.

Bullets flew through the streets and many people could be seen lying down in the alleys, untreated. The executive branch had been hit first and the city was left paralyzed. Explosions were occuring all over, and more than half of the temples for the goddess of creation had been blown away.

The nation, the traditions, the history, the belief and the people. The very identity of the People of the Earth was being trampled and was being led down the path of ruin. However, what made this problem more complex that it was yet another part of their identity that was ruining it.

To the radical faction, the town of Sial was not a symbol of tradition, but a symbol of defeat and humiliation. Despite having superior technology, the People of the Earth had been robbed of their territory and chased underground. That was a prideful choice of not picking up arms, but the radical faction didn't think of it that way. To them, the town of Sial was a prison for the defeated. That's why they believed returning to the surface and reclaiming their home was absolute justice, and for that sake they wouldn't mind using military force. In fact, it was their right. On top of that, being ruled by superior people would make the people on the surface happy as well. That was the correct tradition and pride of their people. Or so the radical faction believed at least.

The radical faction rejected their history as being false ever since they were driven underground. They also couldn't see any value in the town of Sial. To them, this was just a refugee camp. That's why they wouldn't hesitate to destroy their own hometown as long as they secured enough of a productive capability.

This battle was between two parts of their identity. A tragedy born from their collision. It was something that they hadn't been able to solve while keeping it contained. If left alone, this tragedy would spread to the surface as well.

And in order to avoid that, she didn't fear for her own life. Looking at the state of the town, Kiriha's resolve grew stronger. That was why a strong light resided in her eyes even after arriving at the radical faction's base and standing face to face with Maguz.

Kiriha was taken to the radical faction's base which was located in an area with the oldest buildings in the new district. The radical faction had been formed a long time ago, and their secret base had been around for ages. Originally this area was supposed to be designated as part of the old district as well, but those in the radical faction that were on the administration had secretly removed it from the list, because it would stand out if people visited a certain area of the old district time and time again. The conservative faction also had a preconception that if a new secret base was going to be made, it would be in the old district. Thanks to that, this place was in their blind spot, and they could continue to hide from the conservative faction.

“...Kasumi Raiga... to think you were Maguz...”

“If you stand behind the light, nobody can see you... it's a proverb from this cursed underground, but it is unmistakably true.”

Meeting Kiriha in the deepest portion of the radical faction's base, the command room, was Kasumi Raiga, the man suspected of being related to the radical faction. The truth was that he wasn't just related to the radical faction, he was in fact their leader, Maguz.

Kiriha stood in the center of the command room, facing Maguz who was sitting on the commander's seat. Her hands and feet were chained and she was unable to move. On top of that, there were armed soldiers surrounding her. As a result, the chances of her breaking free from this situation were all but zero.

“Have you ever even thought of how that light felt?”

Kiriha glared at Raiga, at Maguz, with anger filled eyes. Despite being in such a disadvantageous situation, her resolution remained firm. She was the commander left in charge of the surface invasion, she couldn't show weakness to the enemy.

“I have. That's why I spent time trying to make him understand.”

Being showered with Kiriha's glare and words, Maguz showed no signs of minding it, instead he smiled. In a few years he would be in his forties, but his smile was overflowing with the innocence of youth. Sensing that, Kiriha felt like a lot of people had been attracted by that innocence.

“However, I have run out of time for that. In the end, my message couldn't reach my father's heart. How regrettable.”

Maguz sadly dropped his shoulders. He wasn't lying. The man known as Maguz truly felt it was regrettable.

“Of course. How could the distant words of some unknown stranger reach Kouma's heart. If you had spoken to him closely as Raiga, they might have reached.”

“What did you say!? You impudent little girl!!”

The words unknown stranger didn't anger Maguz, but Tayuma who was standing next to him. He shouted at Kiriha like he was about to bite down on her. Faithful dog were apt words to describe him.

“To call Maguz-sama a stranger!!”

“I don't mind, Tayuma.”

“But―”

“It's fine, Tayuma. Her words are true.”

“Maguz-sama...”

However, Tayuma was stopped by Maguz, and he reluctantly closed his mouth. He looked like a dog scolded by his owner.

“Indeed, it is as you say. If I had repeatedly tried to convince my father, he might have understood our justice. But coming to understand your child's selfishness is not the same as true understanding. That is unfortunate for anyone. Is it not?”

Maguz struck back. He seemed neither angered nor shaken up. On top of that, his argument was proper. A character fitting for the heir to Kasumi family could be felt from Maguz. That rubbed Kiriha the wrong way.

“That kind of argument doesn't work. It would only work if you have directly spoken to Kouma. Not having done that, your words are nothing but feeble.”

“As expected from the daughter of the Kurano family, how strict. However, if I spoke to him directly my father would find out about my identity even if I hid my face. As such, if I failed, I would be over. That's not acceptable.”

“You've shown your true colors, Raiga.”

With her strict eyes still on Maguz, Kiriha smiled. It was a callous smile she would never show Koutarou and the other girls of room 106.

“There is no justice with you. You are only using it for your own convenience.”

Fearing for his identity to be known, Maguz never tried talking with Kouma. From that moment there was no justice to be found in their cause. It was impossible for justice to exist if you gave up on trying to converse with someone before even trying. That was something even children knew.

“Kuh...”

There, confidence vanished from Maguz' expression for the first time. Unable to come up with a rebuttal to Kiriha's words, he showed an obviously unpleasant expression. To the radical faction, justice was a very important factor. It is because they had absolute justice that they could permit their own use of military force. Yet when Kiriha pointed out Maguz' flaw, he was shaken up.

“...Then I shall do so the next time I meet with my father.”

However, Maguz soon recovered. Having helped with Kouma's work for a long time, he was skilled at dealing and bargaining with people. He wouldn't stay shaken for any noticeable period of time.

“So you'll capture Kouma and forcibly make him listen. That's some justice you have, Raiga.”

“That sharp mind and solid judgment of yours... I should have talked to and made you an ally sooner.”

“It's useless. That would only have been possible more than eleven years ago.”

From the time Kiriha met Koutarou, any kind of persuasion would be meaningless. Kiriha would never try to harm the surface. So she would never have followed Raiga, who would permit such a thing.

“Hmm, more than eleven years ago... I wouldn't have thought to make you an ally back then. And in that case... we would have ended up like this anyways.”

“You being taunted by a young girl was something that was decided eleven years ago.”

“Then let us stop this roundabout discussion. It seems like I'm the only one losing out on it after all.”

Maguz' smile vanished and he stood up from his seat to face Kiriha. Being taller, he ended looking down on her, which gave him an even more overpowering impression.

“We have captured Chief Daiha. Surrender at once and have your surface and underground troops cease their attack at once. If you do, I guarantee yours and Chief Daiha's safety.”

“What value does a guarantee without justice behind it hold?”

“...However, there's nothing you can do except to believe in that.”

Maguz' glance grew colder and colder. His feelings towards justice were strong.

“Before that, is the Chief even still alive?”

That was the most important point to Kiriha. Nothing could start before she confirmed that.

“A most just point. Tayuma.”

“Yes Sir... Indigo Soldier, bring Kurano Daiha to us.”

Tayuma called to outside the room, a door opened to the room and a lone woman entered.

“Okay, okay, you sure work a woman to her bones, really... go on, it's your turn.”

The woman wore a very exposing, indigo colored outfit. Kiriha couldn't help but feel that she had met this woman before.

“Father!”

“Kiriha!?”

But that was for just an instant. The next moment, she lost all interest in the woman as she saw Daiha entering after the woman. Her heart was filled with emotions from having been able to reunite with her father.

“I'm glad, you look fine...”

Confirming that her father was safe, Kiriha let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Why did you come, Kiriha!! You knew what would happen if you came!!”

However, Daiha's reaction was the opposite, and he was in a panic seeing that Kiriha had come. He wasn't the kind of father that could remain calm after seeing that his daughter's life was in danger.

“But even then, you are my only relative.”

“I see... you're right, Kiriha...”

But in the end he ended up accepting it. Having lost her mother early in life, Kiriha could never abandon Daiha. Kiriha's feelings towards family was far greater than a normal person's, and Daiha knew that better than anyone.

“I'm sorry Kiriha... because of me, even you've gotten...”

“No, it's fine this way...”

Relieved upon having seen her father's face, tears formed in Kiriha's eyes. Regardless of what fate they faced, one thing was for certain. Kiriha and Daiha wouldn't return alive.

“Now then, let us hear your answer, Kurano Kiriha! Do you surrender, or do you choose death!”

“Surrender is not an option. We are proud People of the Earth. If you want to kill us then just go ahead.”

Kiriha was in a serious situation, but fortunately she had been able to reunite with Daiha. Having succeeded with that, she wished for nothing else. She couldn't allow their lives to turn both the surface and the underground into battlefields. Kiriha was planning on dying together with Daiha.

“...What a foolish choice, Kurano Kiriha.”

Maguz was astonished by the unexpected development but soon collected himself and sent a sharp glance at her. Maguz was getting frustrated that things weren't proceeding according to plan.

“If my choice is foolish, than what about yours? If surrender is so wise, why attack the surface? You don't even know what you're doing!”

Kiriha wiped away her tears and calmly laughed. She was a descendant of the proud People of the Earth. While they might disperse for the sake of the weak, they would never give in to a villain's threats. She was the very definition of a dignified ruler.

“Wahahaha, well said, Kiriha! Raiga, that is your limit!”

Daiha joined Kiriha and laughed loudly. He felt the same way Kiriha did. Neither of them ever had any intention of bowing down to this villain. The apple didn't fall far from the tree.

“Curse you! Very well, I'll grant your wish right now!”

Enraged that Maguz was being taunted yet again, Tayuma pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the two. He was about to pull the trigger.

“Wait, Tayuma. You can't kill them.”

However, Maguz stopped Tayuma yet again.

“Why, Maguz-sama!?”

But this time Tayuma didn't stop right away. Overly excited, he questioned Maguz for his reasons.

“We are people on the side of justice. Even if they are enemies, killing them because of personal emotions is absurd.”

“F-Forgive me.”

Noticing that Tayuma himself was about to harm Maguz' honor he hurriedly apologize. He was moving to kneel, but Maguz beckoned him closer before he could do so. As Tayuma rushed forward, Maguz whispered something so only he could hear.

“I see... that is a good idea.”

Upon hearing Maguz' instructions, a vulgar and cruel smile appeared on his face.

With Maguz' giving the order, Kiriha and Daiha were moved from the command room to a different place. That duty fell onto Maya. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she seemed to be having fun, and her existence caused Daiha to become puzzled.

“Where are you taking us?”

“To your execution chamber.”

“Execution chamber? Didn't Maguz say he wouldn't kill us?”

“Yes. That's because there were a lot of soldiers around at the time.”

“I see, that makes sense.”

“You and your daughter will be executed. But you will be announced as having fled overseas. Rather than having you die at the hands of the radical faction, it would be more convenient if you abandoned the conservative faction and fled.”

“So you'll drag our reputation through the mud as payback for before.”

“So it seems. While he's got a sharp mind, Maguz is quite a petty man...”

Secretly executing the two and announcing that they fled was a method to lower the conservative faction's morale, but Maya believed that his urge to retaliate for before played an even bigger part of this decision. He wanted to lower their reputation as payback for hurting his pride. While Maya didn't object to the actions themselves, she couldn't feel any pride in his words, and she didn't feel very good about it. As a result, she seemed ill-humored for just this moment.

Kiriha stared at Maya from the side. She looked familiar to Kiriha, but she hadn't seen her lately so she couldn't be sure. Filled with doubt, she ended up staring at Maya's face. Eventually, Maya noticed her glance and approached Kiriha.

“Now that I think about it... you were Kii, weren't you. How nostalgic, it's been about eleven years since we last met.”

“So you really are the soldier from back then...”

“You remembered. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Maya, I am Maki's master.”

“Maki's...?”

Upon hearing Maya's self introduction, Kiriha's brain started busily working.

If the woman from eleven years ago is Maki's master then...

Kiriha began thinking of the relationship of herself, of Maki and the people around them. Dissident magic users and the underground's radical faction formed a connection a long time ago, and the victims of that time were Sanae and Kiriha. Maki was Maya's disciple and fought against Yurika. People who were first believed to be unrelated appeared to have a complex connection.

Depending on the circumstances, our fighting over room 106 might also be... no, that's overthinking it...

Kiriha felt like the seemingly random pieces of a puzzle were coming together. Kiriha didn't know what its whole image would look like, but she was certain that it would be completely different from what she had imagined when she first arrived at room 106.

“But still, to think I'd end up killing you again...”

“What!?”

Daiha who had been quietly listening in shouted in surprise. He had heard what had happened eleven years ago, but he was surprised to hear that the culprit was in front of him.

“Fufu, it's like that time all over again. In that case... that boy might be making his way here.”

“Boy..? You mean Koutarou.”

When Maya mentioned Koutarou, Kiriha stopped her train of thoughts. He was something she couldn't ignore.

“Koutarou won't come. He has an important mission. Even if he came here, it wouldn't be to save me.”

Kiriha clearly shook her head.

Kiriha had actually come with the radical faction for one more reason on top of seeing Daiha. That was to find their base. If Kiriha went along with the radical faction, Sanae would be able to track her with her ability to see auras. Sanae could easily pick up the trace of someone she was familiar with, and Kiriha had left behind her card that she was so deeply connected to. Sanae's abilities are far above what Koutarou's were eleven years ago, so they should be able to find this place right away.

However, this was a very dangerous act. Kiriha couldn't think of any conclusion other than being killed, once captured by the radical faction. In return for leading Koutarou and the others to the base, Kiriha would give up her own life. She had come, prepared for that ending. If she didn't, both the surface and the underground would be turned into battlefields. All she could do was to bet on this method.

All that was left was for Koutarou and the others to attack this place after making proper preparations. Though Kiriha and Daiha wouldn't survive, everything else would go well. Kiriha had also left her card behind to let Koutarou know of her intentions. She wanted him to forget about her and save what should be saved. That devoted desire of hers hadn't changed since that day eleven years ago.

“You really are a strange girl. You'll do the same thing you did eleven years ago.”

Maya smiled at Kiriha. Her expression was less that you would show an enemy, and more that which you'd show to an old friend.

“...People don't change in just ten years.”

“I think so too.”

There, Maya stopped their discussion and thought about the continuation of their conversation in her mind.

That's right, people don't change over something like that. And in that case...

And Maya smiled, things had been developing in ways she didn't like, but she felt like that was about to change.

Part 4

Despite being tied to a pillar in the execution chamber, Kiriha was calm. She had been prepared for this from the very beginning. Instead, it was her father, Daiha, who was getting upset. He had prepared himself for getting killed from the moment he was kidnapped, but with Kiriha joining him, the circumstances were different. It was painful for him as a father to be unable to do anything as his daughter's life was in danger.

“I'm sorry Kiriha... please forgive your useless father.”

“It couldn't be helped. But Kiriha is happy to be your daughter.”

With Daiha apologizing for the umpteenth time, Kiriha showed a gentle smile. She had no regrets in this situation, there was nothing she could do but this. She neither resented Daiha nor was she angry at something else. She had no regrets about any the choices she had made until today.

I returned to the surface and reunited with Onii-chan... I no longer have any regrets. And I'm sure Onii-chan and everyone will be able to defeat the radical faction. There's nothing to worry about...

Kiriha's eyes were clear. But Daiha felt deep regret for having his daughter show such eyes in this situation. She should be able to live as a normal girl. He felt it was far too cruel for her to die after shouldering all of their tribe's problems.

“...Me too. I am proud to be your father.”

However, Daiha endured those feelings and spoke his farewells. He didn't want to bother her by saying something that neither could do anything about. He at least wanted the two of them to go out smiling.

Kiriha and Daiha spoke, full of love, but Tayuma who was watching over them didn't feel even an inkling of affection. He had the eyes of a stray dog staring at its prey.

“Fufufu, Hahahaha, Maguz-sama, finally the time for the accursed Kurano family to meet its end!!”

Tayuma, Maguz and Maya looked into the execution chamber from observer seats built so they could look down from above. Tayuma, who was overly excited, clung to the window as he stared at Kiriha and Daiha. Because he had been betrayed by the Kurano family over and over again, he felt immense joy.

“The Kurano family are both the conservative faction's leaders and at the same time their mental support. With them gone, the conservative faction will collapse from within. Our victory is near.”

In contrast to Tayuma, Maguz' glance was chilling. But even then, he felt not an inkling of affection. While there might be a difference in hot and cold, it didn't change that Kiriha and Daiha were loathed enemies.

“Hmm... you sure seem to have quite easily decided to have them killed despite having served them for so long.”

Compared to the other two, there was still some affection within Maya. Maya prioritized herself, while Kiriha and Daiha prioritized the whole. While there was a difference in their priorities, she could sympathize with them sincerely facing their problems. In her words, good and evil both had their own ways of blooming.

“Indeed, I have served the Kurano family for over 20 years. However, they were just days of submission. I have continued to sharpen my fangs during those days.”

Maguz, or Raiga, had served the Kurano family together with his father Kouma. Their family had done so for over four and a half centuries. But to him, those days were nothing but humiliating memories where he had been forced to serve. He felt the same way towards them as the radical faction felt towards the town of Sial. For better or for worse, Maguz was the embodiment of the radical faction.

“...You have a lot going on too.”

Maya didn't try speaking any longer and ended their conversation with vague words. As expected, its content was nothing but undesirable. That was the only way Maya could interpret it.

Maya had saved Maki from the slave merchant because she needed her talent, but looking back at their relationship now, she felt like that hadn't been all there was to them. That's why Maya would give it her all and crush Maki if she stood in her way as an enemy. That was Maya's way of living.

That was why Maya didn't like that Maguz held no emotion whatsoever to the underground world and its populace. Maguz was already on the footsteps of entering his middle ages, but based on the way he spoke, he had spent his years without even looking at his surroundings. There was a big difference between an action taken after learning everything, and knowing nothing. To Maya, Maguz looked like a child.

Elexis would never act like this... I guess it's because he shut himself in, in this small underground world...

While she didn't like it, pointing that out would only result in a loss for her. Instead she chose not to continue on that topic but to switch to something else. There was actually something she wanted to ask of him.

“By the way, may I ask you something, Maguz?”

“I don't mind.”

“Does that codename of yours... does Maguz have some kind of origin?”

“It does. I took it from the name of our ancient leader. That leader's name was forbidden to speak as he strived to use military force to obtain supremacy. As a result, there are now very few that now of the origin of that name.”

The People of the Earth's ancestors were chased out from their true homes as criminals. The reason for that was a leader by the name of Maguz. Using force, he tried to rule the world. For that reason, he was stripped of his position and exiled. The ancestors of the People of the Earth were those who had exiled him, that was why they always sought to avoid conflict, because they knew of their own sin.

“That was why I chose that name. Using force, I will reclaim our home. He was ruler at the time, a legend who bravely chose to fight, and his name was―”

“Maxfern?”

Maya spoke the name Maguz tried to say before him. Hearing the name spoken, Maguz was horribly surprised that she knew of it.

“...I am amazed you know of that name.”

In the legend of the People of the Earth, that leader's name was said to be Maguz Fern. Though the pronunciation was different, it was only natural for change to occur from having been passed down for so long. In fact, the difference made it sound truer. Because you could tell it wasn't stolen information.

“We have a similar legend too. Though speaking of it is also forbidden.”

Maya showed the surprised Maguz a cheerful smile.

So that really was it...

That was what Maya wanted to hear. She wanted confirm the legend shared between her people and the People of the Earth.

“Now that I think about, you were from the lost seventh tribe. It wouldn't be strange for you to know.”

Maguz quickly remembered Maya's place of origin and accepted it as fact. It wouldn't be strange for her to know, considering they shared the same roots.

“We both have a hard time with worthless ancestors.”

“I just don't have to worry about it.”

“...I expect high things from you.”

As the two reached a pause in their conversation, the soldiers in the execution chamber gave the sign that preparations were complete. Seeing that from the window, Tayuma turned to look at Maguz and Maya.

“Maguz-sama, it seems the preparations for the executions are complete.”

“Then let's begin right away.”

“Yes Sir... Begin right away!”

Receiving orders from Maguz, Tayuma gave the soldiers the signal to begin through the window.

Thus, Kiriha's and Daiha's execution began.

Part 5

The execution method underground didn't differ much from that on the surface. Since this was a military base, they chose the simplest execution method. Which was execution by shooting. There were four men for each person to be executed. Amongst the four guns they used, three would use blanks and only one would have a real bullet. This was a method to treat the shooters' mental health by making it unsure who was the actual shooter.

“Finally, huh...”

Daiha mumbled while looking at the four shooters lining up in front of him. Death was near, but he had no fear. He only felt chagrin for not being able to protect his daughter.

“Father, keep your head up until the end. You can't show weakness to these people.”

Kiriha kept her firm attitude. Despite death approaching, she felt neither fear nor regret. She simply stood there in a dignified fashion.

“...You are strange, Kiriha.”

His daughter's appearance was a saving grace to Daiha. If she had been screaming out and crying, he could surely not remain calm. Though at the same time he was saddened by this. He was happy that she had matured, but he still wished for her to remain a child.

“No, I was simply thinking that soon I will be able to meet with mother.”

“You're right. I'll think about the same.”

Kiriha and Daiha smiled at each other one last time.

Eleven years ago, Kiriha had lost her mother, and Daiha his wife. That's why, while they felt sad that they would die, those feelings were softened up when they thought that they'd reunite with their lost family member.

Onii-chan, I'll leave the rest to you... I'm sure you can protect the People of the Earth and the surface... and all the girls of room 106...

Kiriha's only wished that she could take responsibility until the end. She simply didn't have the time to find the radical faction's base, and ended up having to rely on Sanae's abilities. She also left the fighting itself to Koutarou. While she felt bad that her all hadn't been enough, she didn't regret anything. The person she left the rest to was someone she trusted more than anyone. She had no worries about the future. It was because of that, that she had been able to choose such a reckless strategy.

“Take aim!”

Following the captain's orders, the eight shooters aimed their guns. Four muzzles each were pointed at both Kiriha and Daiha. While staring into those muzzles, Kiriha thought back to everything that had happened until today.

The meeting in room 106. The days when they had fought over that small room. When they had gone to the beach to take a break, Sanae had been kidnapped and the girls worked together for the first time. Next, when they were doing the play, they had learned of each others unexpected sides. Christmas, the second play, the ski trip. At first they had only fought, but as time passed Kiriha could only remember the happy memories. That's why she thought that she had lived a happy life.

I was able to find Onii-chan and learn that he is living happily, and while for a short time, we had been able to support each other. That's enough. Onii-chan, please protect the others...

Her bonds with her friends had grown deep, she had spent every day happy and experienced a love unlike all others. Kiriha had been happy. That was what she truly believed. That's why she had to stop this fighting as quickly as possible. Kiriha wasn't the only one that had spent this year happily. The happiness that overflowed from both the surface and underground couldn't be allowed to be lost.

“...I love you, Onii-chan...”

Kiriha smiled as she whispered and closed her eyes. The muzzles were already aimed at her. Once the captain gave the order to fire, Kiriha would lose her life.

“Fire!!”

And just as the captain gave the orders, a loud sound came from above and the ground shook a little. The shooters fired at the same time, but for some reason, the bullets didn't harm Kiriha and Daiha.

“...J-Just what...?”

Confused, Kiriha opened her eyes. In front of her she saw a familiar back. It was a large back clad in blue armor. Kiriha would never mistake that back. It was her beloved, Koutarou.

What had protected Kiriha and Daiha from the bullets was the barrier created from Koutarou's armor, after he had destroyed the ceiling and entered the chamber, and Harumi's and Yurika's defensive spells. They had made it in time, though only barely.

“I'm sorry for being late. Are you okay, Kiriha-san?”

Koutarou slightly turned to look behind him so he could confirm that Kiriha was alright. The moment their eyes crossed, large tears fell from her eyes as she cried out loudly.

“Onii-chan!? Why did you come to save me!?”

“...It's been a while since I heard you say something like that.”

Those were words Koutarou had heard eleven years ago. They were words Kiriha had thrown at Koutarou when he prioritized her over his mother.

“The people close to you will fall in danger for my sake!! And there's also the people on the surface and underground!! Do you understand!?”

Kiriha feared that many would be sacrificed for her sake. That's why she wanted Koutarou and the others to take more certain actions. She wanted them to take their time to prepare and challenge the radical faction once their defeat was a certainty. A certain victory would be the method to protect the most people.

“I don't get it at all.”

Despite Kiriha's desperation, Koutarou disappointedly shook his head.

“I... We are stupid, so we only get one thing.”

“What do you understand!?”

“That is that Kiriha-san and Kii are important to us.”

When Kiriha had disappeared, knowing she would die, Koutarou and the others' opinions were all the same. That was to save Kiriha as quickly as possible. They knew that Kiriha wanted a certain victory, but they still couldn't bear it.

“And I would never accept it. There is no way that a small happiness should be sacrificed for a bigger one!”

Ever since Koutarou had parted with Alaia in the past Forthorthe, he had always been thinking about whether the few should be sacrificed for the many or not, like how Alaia had sacrificed herself for her people. However, no matter how hard he thought about it, Koutarou couldn't accept it. That's why he wouldn't allow the same unhappiness to repeat himself in front of him.

“I will beat down these guys and bring you back safe and sound! I will protect the surface and underground on top of that! There's no correct path, other than this!”

In order to obtain a correct result, he couldn't choose an incorrect method. If he did, the results would be the same as the radical faction's. The correct result had to be gained through the correct method. That was the justice that Koutarou had accepted.

If he didn't, he would surely fail somewhere along the line. A result built upon a lie didn't have the power to grant people happiness. In order to obtain a long lasting happiness, he would need to travel down the correct path, no matter how difficult it may be. That was the path Koutarou would travel down.

“...Onii-chan... okay, I understand...”

Thanks to Koutarou's decisive words, strength returned to Kiriha's eyes. To obtain correct results, she had to travel down the correct path. Just a while ago, she had been so rushed that she hadn't chosen that path. However, now she believed that she should have.

“Lend me your strength, Koutarou!!”

“That's more like it, Kiriha-san. Everyone, you got it!?”

“Leave it to this Sanae-chan!”

“The time has come for the magical girl to fulfill her role!”

“Let's do our best, Kurano-san!”

The path Kiriha was about to choose was an extremely difficult one. However, she had those who would walk down that path with her. Koutarou, Sanae, Yurika, Harumi and Theia and the others on the surface. As long as she was with them, she firmly believed that she could reach the goal.

Part 6

Maya's eyes shone when they laid eyes on Koutarou, standing magnificently behind his bright shining barrier.

You did well to come, my boy!

Maya didn't like Maguz' way of doing things, so while she didn't say out loud, she welcomed Koutarou's appearance to the execution chamber, to the point where she would dance out in joy if she could.

The radical faction soldiers weren't smiling like Maya was. From the moment Koutarou and the three girls had jumped in, the radical faction soldiers had fallen into chaos.

The majority of the soldiers were a disorderly crowd with no actual combat experience. Not only were there very few who had fought against an anti-invader squad like the Sun Rangers, even those who did had little experience. The Sun Rangers who had a shortage of manpower and had therefore been able to gain a great deal of experience made a nice contrast to the soldiers. As a result, it would take a lot of time before the soldiers could recover.

“What are you doing! Get it together!”

“E-Everyone, reload! Switch over to real bullets!”

Upon hearing the irritated Tayuma's voice, the captain of the execution squad hurriedly ordered his men. Their weapons were loaded with a mix of blanks and real bullets. They wouldn't be able to put up a proper fight like that. So they hurriedly changed to real ammunition and reloaded.

While the shooters were confused, the haniwas cut the rope that had been used to tie up Kiriha and set her free.

“Thank you, Karama, Korama.”

“Ho-, we're glad you're alright Nee-san, Ho-!”

“Take us with you the next time you are kidnapped Ho-! Don't be so reserved Ho-!”

“Yes, I will do that. I'm sorry.”

“We and Nee-san are as one Ho-!”

“We will die together Ho-!”

Meanwhile, Sanae, Yurika and Harumi set Daiha free. This was their first meeting, but Daiha looked at them like friends, having guessed from the circumstances.

“I am sorry, girls. Are you Kiriha's friends?”

“Yeah. We didn't get along well at first, but now we're friends.”

“Kiriha-san was kind from the start.”

“I was surprised to hear she was from the underground though.”

“Thank you, it seems my daughter is blessed with good friends.”

Next, Daiha looked at Koutarou's back.

“...And he is Koutarou, huh.”

Koutarou stood between his allies and the enemies, protecting them with the barrier created from his armor. While the soldiers may have been confused, the party had only been able to rescue Kiriha and Daiha because Koutarou was standing in the enemy's way.

“You know him?”

“Yes. I have heard of him from Kiriha. A weak yet strong man, unable to live his life skillfully. It seems like he is exactly like I was told.”

Looking at Koutarou as he spoke with Kiriha without dropping his guard, Daiha felt like he was the kind of man that was only able to go straight forward, and when the world turned, he would repeatedly crash into the wall, hurt himself all over, but still continue to walk straight forward.

As Daiha was looking at Koutarou, Kiriha lined up next to him.

“Koutarou.”

“I'm really glad you're okay... Don't go too far ahead, you'll step outside of the barrier.”

“I know. I will always walk by your side.”

“I don't want any more repeats of today okay?”

“Yeah. I'm sorry.”

Kiriha looked up at Koutarou with eyes filled with trust. That much was obvious even to Daiha.

Of course Kiriha would fall for him. While she looks skillful, she can only walk straight forward as well...

Daiha held complex feelings for his daughter's beloved. However, Koutarou had saved Kiriha several times, and this time he had saved him too. That's why he didn't want to intervene with Kiriha's decision any more. Daiha's only saving grace was that Koutarou was someone he had a good feeling about. While the world might think of him as a doting parent, Daiha truly felt relieved.

“Fire! Fire! Don't leave any of them alive!”

That was as long as Koutarou and the others could rejoice together. From the observer seats, Tayuma flew into a rage and gave the order to attack. In response, the soldiers in the execution chamber, the eight shooters and their captain, and an additional four guards, pulled the triggers of their guns at once.

The bullets fired from these 13 men rained down on Koutarou and the others. However, all of the bullets were repelled by Koutarou's and the others' barriers. The distortion field from Koutarou's armor, the Spiritual Energy Field from the haniwas, Harumi's and Yurika's defensive spells all of different characteristics formed a composite barrier, which simple firearms lacked the power to penetrate.

“Damnit, once again!! Curse you, you little brat!!”

Seeing the bullets get easily repelled, Tayuma grinded his teeth as if he was being personally insulted. Those feelings were directed towards Koutarou who had turned the tables on this definite situation. Since the same thing had happened several months ago when he had attacked the surface, Tayuma, with his pride, was enraged as he glared at Koutarou.

“Calm down, Tayuma. Did you forget why we gathered that data at the factory?”

In contrast to Tayuma, Maguz was calm. With a nonchalant gesture, he waved his right hand and sent a signal to his subordinate standing by in a corner. The subordinate then quickly operated a nearby panel.

“R-Right!”

Realizing Maguz' intentions, Tayuma barely managed to regain his calm. At the same time, the large door leading to the execution chamber opened and a radical faction combat squad entered.

The squad consisted of 24 mechanical soldiers created through spiritual energy technology, behind them were 24 infantry armed with heavy weaponry, and eight large machine guns that would automatically attack targets. From the combat data taken from the factory, this was believed to be enough firepower to defeat Koutarou and the other four.

“Maguz-sama, please run away.”

“Abandoning our stronghold, where exactly should I run to?”

“T-That's... it's indeed as you say...”

“We'll finish this here! We're going too, Tayuma!”

“Yes Sir!”

On top of the original 13 soldiers, and the additional 56 that had entered, Maguz and Tayuma also headed for the execution chambers. The two of them were armed with spiritual energy technology and magic.

The two wore armor made using spiritual energy technology. The armors were decorated in traditional People of the Earth fashion and their design was based on old documents regarding war.

They wore large helmets, strong armor covering their entire body and each held their own weapon. Maguz had a longbow and Tayuma had a long sword. They were both weapons made through magic just for them, and held power that surpassed modern weaponry. Since Maguz and Tayuma both came from families known for their bravery, they were quite skilled at handling these kinds of classic weapons. Thanks to that, they were much more dangerous than the soldiers armed with firearms.

Adding together the soldiers and weapons there were 69 plus Maguz and Tayuma making for a total of 71. That large force were pointing their weapons at Koutarou and the other five. Considering the battle at the factory, Koutarou and the others had no chance of winning.

“Don't think you'll be able to get out of here alive, brat!”

Tayuma threatened Koutarou full of confidence with an overwhelming force at his back. But even in this situation Koutarou remained confident.

“Tayuma, just getting out alive wouldn't be that hard.”

“What!? You sore loser!!”

“I'm not a sore loser, you'll find out soon enough.”

“As if I'd let you! I'll crush you!”

“The fact that it's not difficult is the difference between Kiriha-san and you guys... not that you would understand.”

“Then I'll start by killing that girl!”

Tayuma roared as he dropped Kiriha's name. However, Kiriha didn't seem to be shaken by Tayuma's threat either. In fact, she was pretty much ignoring his existence as she called out to Maguz.

“Raiga... is there no way to convince you to stop this battle?”

“Having abandoned battle for several thousand years is what's really unnatural. It's not like I wish for the battle to continue on forever, but there should be some kind of reaction.”

Throughout their long history, the People of the Earth had avoided fighting. Maguz felt like that was unnatural. With humans being living creatures, it was only natural for friction to occur. If you continued running away whenever that happened, you would eventually run out of places to run and be ruined. Just like how the People of the Earth were now falling into ruin. There were times when people had to use any means necessary to remain in place. The People of the Earth should return to that natural state, though that was Maguz' idea of their natural state. That was Maguz' true desire.

“Before that reaction settles down, we will be ruined! That much is obvious if you observe the history on the surface!”

Kiriha also knew that there were times when you had to fight. That's why she picked up weapons to stand against the radical faction. However, in the history of the surface, every single nation that had turned their weapons on their own people had without exception been ruined. Kiriha and the conservative faction believed that battle should be limited to some conditions. It was the same reason why the People of the Earth had avoided battle for all this time.

“We are different from the surface dwellers. We are superior to them.”

Domination by the superior and obedience by those inferior.

Maguz believed that was the real duty of the People of the Earth. However, their ancestors had not done so and instead headed underground to avoid battle. Those who remained on the surface threw away their culture and assimilated into the surface dwellers. They feared taking responsibility and delayed mankind's leap forward by some several hundred years. But if the People of the Earth ruled the surface, they could make up for that lost time. A future that was bright for everyone would open up.

“Who determines who is superior and who is inferior! Are you going to choose the path to ruin because of your elitism, Raiga!?”

In history there had been many who believed that a superior leader should rule the world. However, there were many large pitfalls when it came to just that. Those superior would need to stay superior at all times. And even if they did, they would eventually age and die. When that happened, was there an heir just as superior? And what happened if someone even more superior appeared?

“There's no need to determine. I will forever rule under the name of Maguz! When combining our spiritual energy technology with magic, it wouldn't be impossible!”

Those many problems caused these rulers to hold foolish wishes, including eternal life and omnipotence. From past to present, many rulers had been possessed with those wishes. That could be said to be a waste of time. Ironically, attempting to remain superior got in the way of just that. That was true even in the 21st century.

In short, domination by the superior was flawed and contradicted itself. That's why, during a longer period of time it would inevitably fail. Of course Kiriha would never choose that.

That same had been true for Maguz at the time, but once he found out about magic, his pride and ambition flared up. Immortality and omnipotence might not be an impossibility when magic and spiritual energy worked together. The development of Earth Dragon was yet another test case for it. Maguz ultimate goal was to raise himself to become a truly greater existence and rule the world for all eternity.

“That kind of rule would only lead to battle between immortal monsters!! Why don't you show your superior intellect before you get started on that, Raiga!!”

If there truly was a way to obtain immortality and omnipotence then others would eventually reach that same stage. If something was shown to be possible, it wouldn't be as difficult to reproduce it. Not only that, but it would be hard to protect a secret for all eternity. There was also the possibility that the techniques were stolen. And eventually a battle between immortal and omnipotent monsters would begin. In the end, there would still be misery.

“Oh I am showing it! This is the most superior of choices!”

Maguz believed that absolute justice was on his side, and for its sake, he would do anything. Surprisingly enough, beyond the calm in his eyes burned insanity beyond even Tayuma's.

“If that is possible, then someone, even if it's not us, will reach it! In that case, we must reach that stage before anyone else, or we will ourselves be ruled! We need the power to protect ourselves!”

“So you would rather open the gates to hell yourself than let someone else do so... how foolish...”

Even at this stage, Kiriha wished to reach a conclusion through conversation. But there was no way she could convince Maguz to stop in such a short time, not when he was so certain of his own justice. Before she did, the conservative faction would be defeated.

It was just as Theia-dono said... there is not enough time to reach your ideal... we are fools who can do nothing but push forward...

Thus Kiriha finally made up her mind. She would defeat Maguz and put an end to his ambitions. She had to stop him from opening the gates to hell. Even though she might stop Maguz here, the same problem might occur somewhere else. But that wasn't right now. There was no reason to bring about a nightmare yourself.

“Maguz, I understand what you want to say. However, I can't allow that.”

Kiriha readied her own weapon. It was a long naginata capable of manipulating fire and lightning that Clan had sent over for her.

“You would do well to remember this, we are prideful People of the Earth! Maguz, we won't let you rule over anything!”

Kiriha looked magnificent and beautiful with her naginata in hand. The radical faction soldiers that were faced with her appearance instinctively held their breaths. Ironically enough, Kiriha who had rejected a forced domination had the true qualities of a ruler.

Part 7

Listening to Kiriha's words, Maguz lost his temper and grew ever enraged.

“Then I will bring ruin to you right now, and begin my rule! My soldiers, kill them!”

He no longer had the expression of a calm leader. That was now the expression of a cold-blooded cruel beast baring his fangs. His heart was as twisted as Tayuma's.

“...I'm sorry, uncle Kouma. Your son has gone to a place from which he can no longer return...”

Koutarou mumbled sadly as he looked at the attacking crowd of enemies. He had no sympathy for Raiga. However when he thought about his father, he felt incredibly sad as he strongly valued family.

“What are you mumbling about, brat!”

However, Tayuma erased that sadness. Standing at the front of the soldiers, the sight of Tayuma's desire to rule by force and only caring for his own egotistical justice filled Koutarou's heart with anger which grew even greater because of this sadness.

“Did you lose your mind from this difference in power!?”

“I'm glad you are here Tayuma! Thanks to you I remembered my role!”

Angered, Koutarou extended his right hand forward and he took a stance as if he was going to attack Tayuma, but what he did next was not an attack.

“Cradle, give me my sword!”

Koutarou gave orders to Clan's spaceship above the surface through his bracelet.

“As you wish, my lord.”

Clan's spaceship, the Cradle, obeyed those orders without delay.

“Comeeee!! Signaltiiin!!”

“Call sign confirmed, coordinate axis fixed. Commencing transfer of Signaltin.”

A black hole appeared in front of Koutarou's extended right hand. It was a hole in space-time created so that the Cradle could deliver Koutarou his sword.

“Hm...?”

When Koutarou grabbed a hold of Signaltin's handle in the hole, he noticed something strange. Apart from the first space-time hole, an additional six had surrounded him. Inside the additional holes were devices each larger than a soccer ball and they left the holes and approached Koutarou without permission.

“Clan, what is this?”

“It's additional equipment for you that Theiamillis-san and Pardomshiha prepared for you. It's name is Garb of Lord.”

“Theia and Ruth-san did?”

While he understood the situation, Koutarou was still puzzled. That was when a hologram with two choices appeared in front of him. They were 'Become the emperor' and 'Do not become the emperor'.

“It seems like Elfaria-san was also part of the development.”

“...It sure looks like it.”

Koutarou touched the 'Become the emperor' choice while wryly smiling. It was the startup order for the additional equipment, but Elfaria had put her own twist on it. It was almost certainly some kind of joke or prank.

“Engaging Legendary Weapon System series 01-A, Garb of Lord. Garb of Lord has been put under control of the maneuver suit.”

Through Koutarou's selection, his armor and the Garb of Lord connected through gravitational waves, and was put under control of the armor's AI. That was when the independent parts began connecting to the armor. The pieces of Garb of Lord flew around the air and automatically attached to each part of Koutarou's armor.

“I see, so this is what the Garb of Lord is...”

The additional equipment named Garb of Lord strengthened the functions of Koutarou's armor. There were mainly six parts that made up the Garb of Lord. Shoulder armor that covered left and right shoulder, armor that covered his chest, armor that covered his back and armor for each leg. From his back hung a decorative mantle. Its overall design was a Forthorthe-style, filled with curves and it used blue and white colors like the Satomi band of knights. As a result, Koutarou's armor became more extravagant, to the point of looking regal.

“Your excellency, Blue Knight, this ship, the Cradle, will pray for your fortune and glory in place of the nation of Forthorthe.”

“Hahaha, you're full of openings brat!! Did you give up already!?”

The ten something men around Tayuma all trained their guns on Koutarou. These guns were different from the weapons used for the executions as they were all larger calibers intended to be used against vehicles. No matter how strong his barrier was, it shouldn't be able to block this many shots of that caliber.

“I don't know about that, I'm simply dumbfounded from my friends mischievous trick.”

Koutarou readied Signaltin and closed in on the soldiers before they could attack.

“Detecting that armed force is being used on the enemy force. GOL will begin its attack.”

“H-Hey!?”

However, the first to attack was neither the enemy nor Koutarou, but GOL, the additional equipment on Koutarou's armor, Garb of Lord.

“Activating laser cannon on right shoulder. Neutralizing the enemy forces.”

The combat algorithm that Ruth had created was based on Theia's mind. As a result it was quick to decide and it didn't hesitate to use force.

“Wai―”

Before Koutarou could finish saying anything, GOL expanded the right shoulder armor and began its attack using the built in laser cannon.

The laser cannon swiftly altered its aim and intermittently fired laser beams. This looked like the laser cannon was disorderly firing, but it was actually focusing on the enemy weapons and robbed them of their ability to attack. The accuracy of its aim was also inherited from Theia.

“Could this be from back then...”

Before Koutarou could do anything, the additional equipment had defeated the enemy on its own. Koutarou remembered its concept from before. This was ' The Super Koutarou I've Thought Up' plan that Theia had tried creating in the past. Of course like Kiriha had predicted, its scale had been made much smaller but more realistic. However, it seemed clear that Theia had brought that concept to life.

“Curse you brat! Mechanical soldiers, move up front!”

With GOL having blasted the weapons away from the heavy infantry, the mechanical soldiers created using spiritual energy technology stepped up to the front. These mechanical soldiers were equipped with the same kind of Spiritual Energy Field that Karama and Korama had. Since GOL had restricted its firepower to only blast away the weapons, it was blocked by the mechanical soldiers barriers.

“Exchanging right shoulder weaponry, activating High Convergence Beam Cannon, beginning bombardment.”

“I said you're too fast! Clan, what is going on!?”

“GOL is a completely automated system! You just fight against the enemies you want to fight against! GOL will carve open your path!”

“I see! I'm not sure if I like it or not!”

GOL would create a path for the emperor. At the same time Koutarou understood the circumstances, the weapon on his right shoulder was changed and began its attack. The weapon this time was a highly powerful beam cannon.

The beam wasn't as accurate as the laser, but it had a lot more power. While it didn't have enough power to destroy the mechanical soldiers, it could overload their barriers and cause it to lose its function.

“Sanae-chan God Arrow!”

“Thunder Lance – Modifier – Change Element Mana Energy!”

“Gather, spirits of the wind, gather as an arm and destroy my enemy!! Roar!! Air Sledgehammer!!”

However, if their barriers were down, the girls attacks could reach. And once GOL's beam had struck the mechanical soldiers the girls unleashed their attacks. The mechanical soldiers excelled at both offense and defense yet they didn't stand a chance. In no time at all, three soldiers had been turned into scrap.

“Impossible, this easily!?”

Seeing this result, Tayuma's eyes were wide open. According to their calculations, they should be able to win with ease with this force. Yet five heavy infantrymen had lost their weapons and three mechanical soldiers had been destroyed before they knew it, decimating their forces. This was a result nobody could believe, and the soldiers were just as shaken as Tayuma.

“Let's go, Koutarou!”

“Yeah!”

“It's our turn Ho-!”

“It's finally our time to shine again Ho-!”

Not missing that opening, Kiriha and Koutarou stepped forward. Since both of them were protected by strong barriers, they were suited for cutting into an enemy line. Their targets were Tayuma who was leading in front of the soldiers, and Maguz commanding them from behind. If those two were defeated this battle would end sooner.

“Fire! Fire! Don't let them get close!”

But by the time they had gotten half the way, Tayuma and the others recovered. 19 infantry with heavy weaponry and the eight large machine guns opened fire at Koutarou and Kiriha.

As the 27 weapons opened fire it sounded like the earth itself roared. These weren't the rifles used for execution but large caliber weapons used for battle. Koutarou's and the haniwas' barriers wouldn't be able to stand up against this for long.

“Protection From―”

Yurika tried putting a spell on Koutarou and Kiriha that would protect them from the bullets.

“Look out Yurika!!”

However, just before she could, she was pushed away by Sanae. And the next moment a rain of bullets showered down on where Yurika had been standing. It was an attack from the 13 shooters in the execution chambers.

“Owowow...”

“Get up Yurika! I won't last for long!”

“Sanae-chan, thank you!”

Sanae jumped over and lent Yurika her hand. The shooters continued their firing during the time, and Sanae was repelling it with her powers, but since her powers were strong but rough, she drained quickly. Standing still for too long was dangerous.

“Sakuraba-senpai, protect Satomi-san and Kiriha-san!”

As she stood up, Yurika called out for her other ally, Harumi, to back up Koutarou. However, Harumi confidently shook her head while smiling.

“Satomi-kun and Kurano-san will be okay. Let's calm down and deal with our own opponents... Come, spirits of earth, meld into rock and become an armor to protect us!! Block it!! Armor of the Earth!!”

With Harumi's hair glowing silver, she cast a defensive spell on herself and the others. This defensive spell was powerful and easily repelled the shooters' bullets.

“Sakuraba-senpai!? Satomi-san and Kiriha-san are in dang― eh? Huh?”

Yurika had been surprised by Harumi's actions, but when she looked back at Koutarou and Kiriha she saw that they were continuously advancing, not even caring about the fire raining down on them.

“W-Why?”

“To put it briefly, it's the mania's victory.”

Sanae called out to the confused Yurika.

The GOL that Theia and the others had built didn't just have weapons built into its right shoulder, but had several special abilities. One of which was the large barrier generation device in his left shoulder.

Koutarou's barrier also had a generation device built in into it, but since it was designed using ancient armor as its basis, it couldn't find that large of device. The design took priority over its functions.

However, that wasn't the case with GOL. It had been designed with the purpose of fitting large weapons on the right shoulder and a large barrier generation device on the left. The shoulder parts weren't large just because they looked cool, but to draw out the maximum possible performance.

The barrier generation device got its energy supplied to it by the power plant built into the back armor. As a result it had far stronger defense than before. Normal firearms had no effect on it at all.

“Karama, Korama, limit the Spiritual Energy Field to only defend against spiritual energy! Leave the rest to Koutarou!”

“Roger! Changing attributes to prioritize spiritual energy defense!”

“We'll show you what we can do when we get serious Ho-!”

Forthorthe's barriers, the distortion fields, were weak against spiritual energy, but the haniwas would block that. Since the Spiritual Energy Field normally worked against all kinds of attributes, limiting it to just spiritual energy raised its potency considerably. As a result, attacks from standard spiritual energy weapons wouldn't break through.

“I'm counting on you, Signaltin!”

And the other weakness, magic, would be protected against using Signaltin's ability to dissolve magic. The spells that the heavy infantry were using were limited to the bullets they fired. Their effects were to increase the firepower and improve the accuracy, so there wasn't all that much magical power in them. So the moment they entered Signaltin's sphere of influence, they turned to normal bullets, which were no match for the barriers.

“...and that's how it works, we'll defend Kiripapa and defeat the ones over there. Once we're done we'll go help Koutarou and Kiriha.”

As she finished speaking, spiritual energy overflowed from Sanae's body. This was her mimicking Harumi's PAF, strengthening her body, but the spiritual energy was so concentrated that her body emitted light. When it came to power from within, Sanae was second only to Shizuka.

“O-Okay.”

Realizing that Koutarou and Kiriha wouldn't need help, Yurika pointed the tip of her cane towards the nearby soldiers. These thirteen were their first priority.

“So I'm Kiripapa, huh... fufufu.”

Daiha smiled happily as he readied his own weapon. It was the Kurano family's treasure, a Japanese katana, that Kouma had left with Koutarou and the others. From the moment Daiha held the sword, it started to faintly glow. This katana was also covered in spiritual energy.

“Let's go everyone. Don't overwork yourself, let's start with what we can.”

Finally was Harumi. Her hair shined silver and she silently stared at the thirteen soldiers without fear or hate. To her, the radical faction was still Kiriha's countrymen, so she didn't feel any hostility towards them. She had simply recognized that she had to stop them. She held her hands in front of chest and focused magical power into them.

No wonder Kiriha always looks like she's having so much fun. In this group, being from the underground is next to nothing. It might be because they're all special that they can truly understand each other...

When looking at the three girls Daiha, he felt that Kiriha truly was lucky, and that she truly had some good friends.

“...I'm sure they'll laugh at me for being a doting parent...”

That's why he would protect the girls, he wouldn't let the radical faction lay on finger one them. Daiha was determined to protect Kiriha's friends for the troubles he had caused her. Filled with determination, he gripped his katana firmly.

Part 8

Realizing that normal shooting wouldn't be effective, Tayuma had his subordinates reorganize their formation. The remaining 21 mechanical soldiers would take the front while the accurate but slow moving automatic eight machine guns stayed behind. The remaining 19 heavy infantry split into groups of ten and nine and spread out around the flanks. They would put as much stress on Koutarou's barrier as possible, and finish this up close with the mechanical soldiers.

“As always you are at least cunning, Tayuma!”

Koutarou readied Signaltin and faced the incoming mechanical soldiers. In total ten of them were closing in, five for Koutarou and five for Kiriha. Attacking with any more than this would only work against them, so the remaining eleven stayed back to open fire.

“Quit your crap! Is that something you can say when you're relying on great powers!?”

“Is that something you can say when you rely on a truly great power like that earthquake weapon!?”

“Justice is with us! For the sake of justice, any and all means are forgiven!”

Falling for Koutarou's provocation, Tayuma held his large sword and stepped forward. As a result, the mechanical soldiers' formation became slightly disordered.

With this it's a little bit easier to fight...

The mechanical soldiers' weapons were magically enchanted blades. If they touched Signaltin he could erase that magic temporarily, but they still functioned as normal blades. If the magical blade broke through the spiritual energy, and physical barrier before being erased, Koutarou and Kiriha could still be harmed.

On top of that, the mechanical soldiers further away had hand cannons he could sense magical power from. Since he could only sense the magical power he didn't know its effect, but it would be troublesome if they opened fire in the middle of a melee. Fortunately, considering they weren't using them before, there must be limited ammunition.

Since Koutarou sensed danger from the mechanical soldiers he had chosen to taunt Tayuma. If Tayuma joined in then it would be slightly harder to use ranged weapons.

“Koutarou, we have to work together to do this!”

“Koutarou, we have decided to synchronize and move together with your armor Ho!”

“Take care of Ane-san Ho! Show them how well you get along Ho!”

“Alright! Let's go together!”

Koutarou and Kiriha advanced while repelling the enemy fire. The mechanical soldiers met them on their way. The first to enter their range were the four mechanical soldiers that had been the closest.

“Moveeee!!”

Using a naginata, Kiriha had the longest reach, which allowed her to make the first attack. She swung her naginata as she screamed loudly. Since she was going up against mechanical soldiers there was no hesitation in her swing. Reacting to Kiriha's intention to fight, electricity formed in the blade and she struck the approaching mechanical soldiers.

Among the two in front of her, one was split in half. Since the naginata was covered in spiritual energy and electricity it had exceptionally high attack power. But having cut through the first one, it lost too much power, and the second one could block it.

“I guess it won't be that easy!”

Koutarou clicked with his tongue as he crossed swords with the two that had approached him. Alone they wouldn't be all that impressive, but they had bigger numbers. It was difficult to not show any openings to all enemies.

“Maybe it will be.”

However, Kiriha still seemed confident. And that reason soon revealed itself.

Koutarou's right shoulder began shining and the three mechanical soldiers in front of Koutarou and Kiriha were smashed into pieces. It was a bombardment from the beam cannon built into Koutarou's right shoulder. Since the opponents he was just about to defeat were smashed into pieces, Koutarou instinctively felt let down.

“...It looks like the armor will do this on its own.”

If the radical faction showed any openings towards Koutarou or Kiriha, GOL would finish them off. They were swift and accurate attacks that made Koutarou wonder if he might actually win just by standing there.

“GOL will wipe out our openings! We're pushing through, Koutarou!”

“Yeah!”

Koutarou and Kiriha wiped out the oncoming mechanical soldiers as they continued their advance.

“Not good Ho-! We're losing to this armor's decoration Ho-!”

“Guts Ho! We won't lose to some soulless machine Ho!”

Thanks to GOL, the haniwas following after the two were given some space to attack and not just focus on defending. They fired beams from their mouths that knocked the soldiers out and attacked the mechanical soldiers with fire and lightning. Thanks to GOL's defense and counter attacks, Koutarou and the others became more aggressive overall. With that, their attack speed increased and the defeated enemy after enemy.

“C-Curse you, damn brats!! Don't get full of yourselves!!”

Tayuma excitedly stepped forward and swung at Koutarou with his long sword infused with spiritual energy and magical power. It was only obvious for Tayuma to get so excited, as at this point he had already lost 30% of his forces. Despite having an overwhelming advantage in numbers, 71 vs. 6, neither Koutarou or the others had been harmed, yet they had lost over 20 soldiers. Thinking about that normally this was a disastrous defeat, but Tayuma was frantic to not let it end like this.

“Koutarou, leave the small fry to me!”

“Please do!”

Up until now they had been working together, but they would need to split up when dealing with Tayuma, so Koutarou would deal with Tayuma while Kiriha restrained the surrounding troops.

“Dieeeeee!!”

Tayuma's sword broke through the armor's distortion field and the haniwas' Spiritual Energy Field. Koutarou's and Tayuma's swords clashed with a loud noise. While Signaltin temporarily erased the magic when they collided, Tayuma was wearing a powered armor, so his blow was still heavy. Koutarou\s armor had to use its maximum output to block it.

“The hell I will!!”

Koutarou used both hands to push Tayuma back. When it came to the armor's physical strength, Koutarou's was superior. Forthorthe's generators were superior in output.

“Braaaat!!”

However, Tayuma was more agile. He quickly fixed his posture and attacked Koutarou again. Since his armor was made using spiritual energy technology, it was superior when it came to replicating its user's movements. On top of that, Tayuma was a master with the sword. His armor reproduced his sword handling and swung down the sword towards Koutarou.

“No you don't!!”

His own sword wouldn't make it in time, so Koutarou focused on his left hand. He was still wearing the gauntlet that let him create fire and lighting. Using its power, Koutarou created fire to launch a counter attack at Tayuma.

However, Tayuma's armor was equipped with a Spiritual Energy Field, the underground's version of a barrier. That barrier worked excellently at dealing with natural phenomenon. Since the flame was a natural phenomenon created through converting spiritual energy, it didn't harm Tayuma.

“Guh!”

However, with the flame blocking his view, Tayuma interrupted his attack and distanced himself. Humans were living creatures of nature, they too were instinctively cautious of fire.

“You're pretty good, brat...”

After distancing himself a little, Tayuma turned the tip of his sword towards Koutarou once more.

“That's my line. Aren't you pretty old.”

Koutarou also pointed his sword towards Tayuma. As they turned their swords against one another, their fighting spirits increased.

“I can't retire until I fulfill my duty for our great cause!”

“Then we'll make you retire!”

“You're full of crap, brat!”

Having run out of patience, Tayuma attacked Koutarou again. Koutarou calmly looked at the approaching Tayuma while holding Signaltin ready. During that time, GOL was actively assisting Kiriha, but Koutarou himself was focusing only on Tayuma.

“What's the matter!? Weren't you going to make me retire!?”

Tayuma unleashed a series of attacks to corner Koutarou. Since multiple enemies were surrounding Koutarou, his barrier and weaponry couldn't focus on Tayuma. On top of that, Harumi was busy dealing with other enemies and couldn't assist him. Because of that, Koutarou could only use his sword skills to fight against Tayuma. Tayuma was born from a warrior family, and his skill with this sword was considerable. On top of that, his armor made him more agile than Koutarou, so Koutarou was on the defensive and being cornered.

“That's my intentions. However, there's no reason for me to go out of my way and make you retire on my own.”

However Koutarou smiled, and he had a proper reason to do so. He had realized that he couldn't lose.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Koutarou!”

“The Kurano girl!?”

In the next moment, Tayuma's sword was intercepted by Kiriha's naginata. Tayuma looked at her with surprise. She should have been busy dealing with the surrounding enemies.

“Don't forget about us Ho-!”

“The brothers of flame and thunder, Karama and Korama are here Ho-!”

While Tayuma was stopped, Karama and Korama assaulted him with fire and electricity. Since this was just as Tayuma had launched his attack, parts of his spiritual energy barrier had been undone. Part of the haniwas attacks reached one of those unguarded areas.

“D-Damnit!! You damn automated dolls!!”

Tayuma's armor was scorched and he had received a slight shock, but it wasn't enough damage to take him down. As expected, just having part of their attack go through the barrier wouldn't be enough. However, disliking Kiriha and the haniwas attacking together, Tayuma leaped backwards and greatly distanced himself from them. As he did, he realized why Kiriha had been able to go support Koutarou.

“Impossible! This easily!?”

What he saw was the thirteen shooters in the execution chambers collapsed on the floor. This was Harumi's and the others' doing, and defeating these thirteen with such weak firepower wasn't all that difficult. Once that was over with, Harumi and the others moved to help deal with the other enemies. With that, a huge load was taken off of Kiriha's and the haniwas' shoulders and they were able to go back up Koutarou.

“Tayuma, our real fight starts now.”

The beam cannon on Koutarou's right shoulder turned towards Tayuma. At the same time, the barrier generation device in Koutarou's left shoulder adjusted its output. With Koutarou and Kiriha close again, GOL shrunk the barrier's effective area, and made it thicker.

“What!?”

“We're angry... at how you radicals do things.”

Koutarou pointed the tip of his sword towards Tayuma once more. That was when Tayuma shouted out in rage.

“So what if you're angry!?”

Kiriha readied her naginata and faced Tayuma.

“Therefore, brace yourself, Shijima Tayuma! We're going to completely destroy that justice that you speak of!”

The two haniwas were by Kiriha's sides. Both she and Koutarou were serious. All of that equipment was pointed towards the enemy in front of them, towards Tayuma.

“...Then I'll have to join in as well.”

“Maguz-sama!?”

“I have protect my own justice. From people like you, that would look away from reality...”

Maguz who had been surveying the battle from behind advanced to right behind Tayuma. He was holding a large bow in both hands and was aiming at Kiriha.

“It's dangerous, Maguz-sama!”

“Tayuma, its even more dangerous if you fall. We should work together here.”

“...I understand. But please focus on protecting yourself. You are our hope.”

“I shall.”

Koutarou and Kiriha. Tayuma and Maguz. The two groups pointed their weapons at each other. The groups couldn't come to an agreement. There was no peaceful solution to their current standoff. Kiriha had desperately been trying to avoid that, but there was no longer anything she could do but fight.

“Let's go Koutarou!”

Kiriha took the front and began running. Even as she did, she had her naginata at the ready and kept her surroundings in mind. Kiriha was a pacifist, but now that she had decided to fight she was definitely going to win.

“I'll adapt to you, so just do as you want!”

Koutarou followed after Kiriha. As he did, he gave orders to the AI in his armor. Since he was going to let Kiriha do as she pleased, he needed to give the armor and GOL more detailed orders rather than just to support them.

“I won't let you!”

Maguz fired an arrow at the approaching Kiriha. The arrow was infused with pure spiritual energy and had spells cast on it that raised its speed and the strength of the arrowhead. Since the bow had been made under the premise that its user would draw it while wearing powered armor, it had the power equaling a cannon.

“Nee-san!”

“It's not a problem!”

The haniwas moved to protect Kiriha, but before they could the power hidden within the naginata was unleashed. What she unleashed was the power of electricity and a huge electromagnetic field was created which threw the arrow of its trajectory.

When the arrow passed by Kiriha the sound it made was less that of it cutting through the air, but rather the air being torn apart. While nothing had happened thanks to the electromagnetic field, if the arrow had hit Kiriha would have been blown apart.

“Now it's my turn, Maguz!”

“I won't let you little girl!”

Kiriha moved to counter attack Maguz, but Tayuma stood in her way. He greatly swung his sword to cut her in half.

“Tayuma, your opponent is me!!”

Koutarou swiftly swung Signaltin and a crimson blade was formed from the arc he had cut. It was a basic attack spell, and while its power was weak and it couldn't reach far it was enough to slow down Tayuma.

“Curse you brat! You're always getting in my way!! I hear you got in the way in the incident eleven years ago too!!”

“That's because you're always working on your evil schemes.”

“Justice is with us! You are the evil ones!”

“I don't care who justice is with, as long as the many can live happily!”

While the crimson blade was stopping Tayuma, Koutarou stepped between Kiriha and Tayuma. At that time Kiriha swung down her naginata and unleashed a lightning bolt at Maguz.

“I won't let you do as you please, Maguz!”

“It's no use!”

However, Maguz didn't even try avoiding the lightning as he nocked a second arrow to the bow. That was only natural, as the moment Kiriha's lightning bolt touched Maguz' barrier it easily dispersed. Maguz' armor had been created with defense as its number one priority. Not only was he the commander, but he was also using a weapon that required him to be stationary. A strong barrier that didn't require him to move was necessary.

“That might be the case if it was just me.”

“What!?”

“Ho-! You've forgotten about us Ho-!”

“Raiga you still have a long way to go Ho-!”

The next moment, Karama's and Korama's attacks assaulted Maguz. Karama used flames and Korama used lightning.

“Guaaaaaaaaaaah!?”

Scorched by the flames and shocked by the lightning, Maguz let out a scream.

Karama and Korama who lacked in power had been able to attack Maguz because Kiriha had drawn away his attention and because their bodies were small. While Kiriha was attacking Maguz, the haniwas landed on the ground nearby him. They then walked up closer to him and unleashed their attacks by his feet. Even the powerful barrier created by his armor didn't fully protect his feet in order to not obstruct his movement. With Korama's and Karama's size, it was possible to launch an attack from under that gap.

“Guuh, c-curse you!! You are but mere automatic dolls!!”

While the attack had reached inside Maguz' barrier, he was still wearing a sturdy armor. While he felt pains from the burns and numbness from the shock, he hadn't taken enough damage to dull his movements. If anything it was his pride that had been harmed, and with a red face he moved to counter attack the haniwas.

“He's angry Ho-!”

“I'm sure he has a scary face Ho-!”

The haniwas swiftly flew up into the air and fled out of Maguz' reach. Their humorous speech and behavior hurt Maguz' pride even more and stripped him of his calm. He sent arrow after arrow after the haniwas, but since they were swift and small he couldn't hit.

“Maguz!”

“Kuh, what an oversight!”

Kiriha's naginata collided with Maguz' barrier. The blow wasn't enough to break his barrier, but it allowed Maguz' to calm down. With that, he gave up on chasing after the haniwas and focused on Kiriha again.

“Are you in a fluster because things aren't going to plan, Maguz!?”

“That's not true at all! If I kill you here, the plans will work out just nicely!”

Maguz' drew an arrow with all of his might and fired it at Kiriha just past his barrier. Since she was so close its power wouldn't fall off. This was the most powerful attack Maguz' longbow was capable of.

“That's what you call being in a fluster.”

Kiriha didn't even try dodging the arrow and simply smiled as she stood in place.

“What!?”

The arrow pierced Kiriha's chest, but in that moment, she vanished like smoke. At the same time as she vanished, another Kiriha appeared from some dozen centimeters to the side. This was the real Kiriha. The arrow had been fired at an illusion.

“That's why this happens to you.”

Kiriha thrust her naginata forward, through the hole in the barrier that had been opened for the arrow. The naginata passed through the hole and struck Maguz.

“Guaaa!? Impossible, how could I possibly be led by the nose!?”

The naginata struck Maguz' left hand holding the bow, this blow shattered the armor and the bow, leaving Maguz' left hand exposed. While the hand was bleeding, the armor had protected it from the worst of it. Maguz quickly readied a new weapon.

“But it won't go like that this time!”

Maguz pulled out a large gun. Like the mechanical soldiers' guns, this could also fire magic. It was also a gun specially made for him. It was his ace in the hole.

“Take thiiiisss!”

Maguz fired his gun three times. For some reason he wasn't firing at Kiriha but in a direction where no one was standing. But the fired bullets, the fired magic, suddenly changed direction after leaving Maguz' barrier and came after Kiriha. At the same time the bullets changed into several lightning bolts. The gun fired lightning magic.

“Hahahaha, surely you can't avoid this!!”

Maguz laughed loudly, convinced of his victory as six lightning bolts rained down on Kiriha. Maguz was blinded by the flash and lost sight of Kiriha.

“They'll keep on coming, Kurano Kiriha!!”

Despite that, Maguz didn't stop attacking. Before the flash died down, he put his finger on the trigger. Once the flash vanished he was going to attack again.

“Though you can use magic, you're a novice when it comes to magic battles, Maguz.”

But that was when something surprising happened. When the flash vanished, Kiriha suddenly appeared in front of Maguz.

“What!?”

Maguz' eyes shot open wide in surprise. Kiriha didn't seem to have been hit by the bolts, on top of that she was inside the effective area of his barrier. He didn't know how, but Maguz had allowed for Kiriha to get inside of his barrier.

“This ends here, Maguz!”

Kiriha swung her naginata at Maguz.

“I won't let you!”

Maguz pulled the trigger to stop her.

At this distance, even if it hits us both I'll come out on top because of the armor!!

He fired three times just like before. He wouldn't miss at this close of a range, and just as he had aimed the bullets headed straight for Kiriha. According to his calculations there was no way he could lose.

“...That's why I said you're a novice, Maguz.”

“Whaaat!?”

That was when Maguz was surprised once more. The Kiriha that had been attacking him vanished like smoke once more. In her place, a new Kiriha appeared where Maguz had fired his first lightning bolts. The Kiriha that had been attacking him was yet another illusion. Of course, the bullets fired passed through her and flew off somewhere.

“Hahaha, which one of us is the novice!? You're hurt all over from the lightning!!”

But this time, Maguz wasn't shaken. He knew that Kiriha had taken damage from the lightning bolts. Her protection had been imperfect and some of the electricity had burnt her. That's why Maguz laughed at Kiriha, once again convinced of his victory.

“A magic battle is a battle of creativity, Maguz. Since you can only think of conventional ideas, you will lose.”

Despite her deep burns, Kiriha was smiling. At this point, the battle had already ended in her victory.

“Guaaaaaaaaa!!”

The next moment, an explosion occurred in Maguz' armor. What exploded was the pipe supplying the armor with power from the generator. This was one of the few weak points in the armor. Having taken an attack there, Maguz' armor suffered severe damage, the barrier vanished and the armor seized its functions.

“Nee-san is a genius Ho-!”

“Nobody else could come up with this kind of strategy Ho-!”

The ones that had attacked Maguz were Karama and Korama who had snuck into his barrier. Everything had gone according to Kiriha's plan.

“Kuh, I see, so that's what the second illusion was for...”

Maguz realized he had fallen for a trap.

The second illusion was to get Maguz to open up a hole in his barrier. With him firing his gun, the armor's system automatically opened a hole in the barrier. If they could find out where that hole would open, the haniwas could infiltrate it. That was where the second illusion came in. Koutarou had created it according to Kiriha's wishes.

What Kiriha needed to fight against Maguz were two basic spells. That was all she required to overcome Maguz who was repeatedly firing higher level spells. This was a complete victory for Kiriha thanks to her creativity.

“Surrender, Maguz. Surely you can't move anymore.”

Kiriha walked up to Maguz and turned the naginata on him. Kiriha was burned all over, but it didn't seem to have impeded her movement. Maguz on the other hand was unable to move now that his armor had lost power. The armor he wore was now nothing but a shackle to him.

“You should know my answer, Kurano Kiriha.”

“You say the radical faction will continue fighting even without its leader?”

“That's right. While I might not be able to rule, at least we will be able to reclaim our home.”

Maguz had accepted defeat but a dark flame continued burning in his eyes. His insanity continued smoldering on as embers.

“I'm sorry to hear that, Kasumi Raiga.”

“No, I am Maguz. The leader of the radical faction.”

“Then, Maguz, take your responsibility.”

Confirming that insanity, Kiriha swung her naginata down towards him. While the blow was light, the unleashed electricity caused Maguz to faint.

“...Why didn't you use that indomitable spirit for the sake of your people...”

Thus Kiriha defeated Maguz and came out victorious. However, her expression was far from bright.

Part 9

With Maguz falling, the radical faction soldiers' movements grew noticeably duller. There were still twelve soldiers fighting, but having lost their commander, unrest spread and their morale plummeted. There were still several mechanical soldiers and automatic machine guns, but with the people using them in a panic, they couldn't exhibit their full strength. They became unable to endure Harumi's and the others' attacks and routed.

“Why, why can't we win!? We should have had enough forces!! We analyzed the data from the factory and gathered a sufficient force!! Yet why does this happen!?”

Maguz falling came as a huge shock to Tayuma. To him, Maguz was the symbol of absolute justice. He was a savior that would use his vast knowledge and excellent leadership to cut open a path into the future for the People of the Earth. Having lost Maguz, Tayuma was greatly shaken. Looking at Maguz and the other fallen soldiers, Tayuma recoiled and stepped backward. Unable to accept reality, all he could do was scream and shout.

“It's only obvious. You didn't take one thing into consideration.”

“What is that!?”

“Kiriha-san's feelings for her friends, in other words, love.”

“Love!? Preposterous!! That kind of thing is unnecessary!! Absolute justice is with us!!”

“...You lost because you don't understand that. If you had understood how prideful of a leader Kiriha-san was you would have won.”

When Kiriha fights she always tries to make sure her allies comes out as unscathed as possible. And since her enemies this time around were the radical faction, one could say that they are her allies in a roundabout way. She never forgot that. Kiriha had continued fighting so that neither ally nor enemy would suffer any casualties.

However, this fight had been different. Having been cornered, with no way to back down, she had prepared herself for some casualties both among her enemies and her allies. That was of course not her intention. If she was going to force others to sacrifice themselves, she would prepare to sacrifice herself as well. That was the only choice Kiriha could make.

As a result, Koutarou and the others were far stronger than they were in the battle at the factory. Since they didn't fear themselves or their allies getting hurt they could cross the dangerous bridges as well. That was the reason why Koutarou had said that escaping alive would be easy.

“Or maybe it's the other way around. You don't care about the lives of your allies, so you're always fighting at your limits. You're fundamentally different from Kiriha-san and the others who control and save their powers for others.”

“As if I could accept something as vague as that! All that is needed is absolute justice! Rule under that will lead to eternal prosperity!”

Tayuma believed in the radical faction's justice and that Maguz would become their ruler. But with Maguz broken, his belief was starting to waver. Since he didn't want to accept that, Tayuma raised his voice. He feared the collapse of the world he believed in.

“Surrender, Tayuma. The justice you believe in is not absolute.”

Koutarou turned his sword towards Tayuma who was reeling. At the same time Harumi and the others lined up behind Koutarou. Their battle had ended a short while ago. All radicals in the execution chamber, aside from Tayuma, had been neutralized.

“D-Damnit! But if I call for reinforcements―”

Tayuma began calling for reinforcements through his armor. He simply couldn't accept defeat.

“Why!? Why is nobody answering!? This is an emergency!!”

However, he couldn't hear any voice from the command room he was supposedly connected to. Since he was Maguz' right hand, the operator always answered as quickly possible.

“It's no use. This base is already under the conservative faction's control.”

Kiriha answered Tayuma's question. She then placed herself as to block off his retreat. She had no intentions of letting him get away.

“There is no longer anyone who will stand with you. Surrender, Tayuma. The battle is over.”

Kiriha indifferently declared that the battle was over, and it wasn't just limited to the execution chamber. At the same time Koutarou and the others barged into the execution chamber, a conservative faction force infiltrated the base. They cut off the communications from the inside and occupied the command room and neutralized the base in its entirety. This base no longer had any fighting power left.

“No, not yet! This isn't over yet! Maya!”

“...Yes, yes, you really do work me to the bones...”

However, there was still one left capable of fighting. It was a woman wearing an indigo outfit. It was Maya, a magician of Darkness Rainbow who had replaced her body parts after being seriously injured and returned to active service.

The magicians and the radical faction shared technology, but they had taken a stance to not intervene with each others battles. This was a measure to make sure that they didn't get in each other's way. That's why Maya hadn't taken part in the battle, both here and in the factory yesterday.

But there was an exception to everything. Maya had two favors she owed the radical faction. One was that they had restored her body, the other was that she had received information pertaining the People of the Earth from them. In return, she had promised to lend her aid if they really needed it. She had lent her aid to rescue Tayuma, and she would lend her aid now.

“Maya!?”

“It's been awhile, boy.”

Maya seemingly appeared from Tayuma's shadow and brightly smiled at Koutarou. Her smile was so cheerful that Koutarou almost forgot the situation he was in for a moment.

“But sadly, I don't have the time to play with you...”

“Maya, help me and Maguz-sama escape!”

Tayuma had called for Maya so that she could help him and Maguz escape. If they used the power of magic then they might be able to escape from this situation.

“It would be impossible for me to save two in this situation.”

However, Maya shook her head. In the past she might have been able to help both of them escape, but having lost the majority of her body she no longer had that much magical power. As a result, she had lost much of her ability to respond to unexpected troubles.

“...Guess it can't be helped, just save me then!”

“Oh, you'll leave Maguz behind?”

“I still have a mean to turn this around! I can take him back later!”

“So that's what you mean. I understand.”

Having realized what Tayuma meant, Maya nodded and raised her right arm. A miniature cane had been built into her right arm. She was going to cast a spell and escape.

“Koutarou!”

“I know!!”

Noticing that Tayuma and Maya were going to escape, Kiriha and Koutarou charged towards them. They had to catch Tayuma to truly end this battle.

“Recall – Precast – Teleport.”

However, Maya unleashed a spell she had cast ahead of time. As a result, it activated incredibly quickly and by the time Kiriha and Koutarou arrived, Tayuma and Maya were already wrapped up in the light of the spell. For the same reason, Harumi's and Yurika's jamming spells didn't make it in time.

“Fuhahahaha, this isn't over yet brat! We will definitely win! Because justice is with us!!”

“...Good bye, boy. Let's meet again.”

Tayuma and Maya vanished, leaving behind only the blue light of her spell. Maya had used a teleportation spell, and while she didn't have the same range on it as before, it was more than enough to escape in the case of an emergency.

“Damnit, they got away!”

“Koutarou, we can't give up yet! They should be headed towards the island!”

“I see, they're going to use the earthquake weapon!”

Tayuma's goal was to use the earthquake weapon to cause catastrophic damage to the town of Sial and to the conservative faction. At the same time, a war would break out with the surface, so the conservative faction would have no choice but to give in to the radical faction. Which would naturally force them to release Maguz.

“Let's go after them right away! There's no time to lose!”

“Yeah, everyone, let's go!”

Right after Tayuma and Maya had vanished, Koutarou and the others dashed out from the execution chamber. They had to join up with Theia and the others as quickly as possible and stop Tayuma from using the earthquake weapon.

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