The entire road was destroyed.
From where Oriana was standing, all the pillars to the end of the passage were destroyed. Seemed like those pillars were just decorations, as in reality, they were not used to support the ceiling. Well, at least it removed the danger of collapsing the ceiling. The walls, the ceiling, all the decorations on the floor, were ripped apart like a gift package, and even the materials on the ground looked like they had been ploughed through. In front of her, there was no flat surface at all. The ground was all fragmented and the sprinkler hoses in the peeled ceiling were all damaged; water was flowing out like a faucet being completely open.
"…"
Oriana stared at the devastation that she had caused.
(I damaged a surveillance camera? Security's going to be tighter from now on.)
The opposing magician seemed to have dodged into the blind corner of a pillar, and lowered his body to avoid further damage. However, this level of dodging wasn't going to prevent him from getting hurt. On the back of Tsuchimikado, who was sprawled on the floor, there were 4 metal pieces pierced into his body. Each piece of shrapnel, that were several centimeters long each, were as sharp as a knife. Several pieces of rubble from the damaged pillars had also slammed into his body, and each of these concrete slabs were as big as a honey dew.
"It's over, huh?"
Oriana would normally keep the number of sacrifices she made to a minimum and quickly leave the scene, but it was different for a magician who had declared his own magic name. In Oriana's mind, a magic name was what kept a magician alive; ignoring it was the biggest insult to a magician. Whether it was done to her, or when she did it to others.
Thus, Oriana didn't like it.
Even though she knew that she had to remove the danger in the shortest time possible and get away from it, even though she didn't like to go all out, she was still unsatisfied now that victory was so easily decided.
(Should I deactivate the boundary I set around here and get away? Though nee-chan likes to leave some finishing touches.)
Interrupting her hasty thoughts and coming to a conclusion, Oriana looked around. If she wanted to remove this boundary, she'd have to use some sort of a code to deactivate it, and let the unstable 'original' self-destruct.
However,
"…?"
Oriana revealed a surprised look. Though it was just the twitching of eyebrows, such a change was enough for her to reveal her inner thoughts.
The boundary had been removed.
Oriana Thomson hadn't given any commands at all.
(What's going on? Though it's unstable, it's still an 'original'. There's no magical interference, so it can't be destroyed at all. Or, have his allies arrived…?)
Oriana moved to the front and back entrances to check, but there was no one there. A destroyed boundary would mean that the owner of the destroyed boundary would know that it was destroyed. As there was no way for anyone to use surprise attacks, when the boundary was destroyed, one would normally use a blitz attack.
The puzzled look on Oriana's face became even more obvious.
She suddenly thought of a possibility.
"Don…don't tell me…"
Her movements suddenly froze, and then she turned around.
She was staring at the magician on the ground that had four pieces of shrapnel pierced into him. He was still the same as before, but Oriana suddenly spotted something.
Tsuchimikado, who was sprawled on the ground, had a blood-red paper-folded bird beside his hand.
(At that critical moment, he seemed to be setting up some sort of spell…maybe he wanted to destroy the barrier? But why? Facing such a hit just now, why didn't he defend, but do that sort of thing…?)
Destroying the barrier wouldn't result in Oriana's defeat, as that was just a countermeasure.
That meant…his aim was…
"Seems like…it's a spell…that I can break."
Oriana was shocked by that voice.
That 'enemy' that was definitely buried together with his magic name wasn't dead.
"I can't really see it…you can endure this strenuous exercise, huh?"
Oriana refused to admit defeat. Hearing this, the enemy magician on the ground slightly moved his lips, and smiled.
It was like he wanted to smile to show that he was alive.
Tsuchimikado Motoharu moved these lips that were bloodied, and happily said,
"Oriana Thomson, didn't you say that in this boundary, 'nobody from the outside will know what happens inside?' I'll be troubled if that's the case."
"What…"
Oriana suddenly realized something.
Since it was an enemy one couldn't defeat, then what would the person think of first? Of course one would call for allies.
Realizing what the enemy was thinking, the tension on her shoulders disappeared.
It was a tad too sad to rely on this.
"Idiot. Aren't those comrades of yours those two that are chasing after this nee-chan? Those two don't have any real threat. Even if those two work together, I won't even be gasping for breath."
"I'm not referring to them."
"What?"
Oriana couldn't help but ask back.
Right now, there were only three direct enemies that she could see.
"You're really an idiot. We're representing the Anglican Church, the religious power of a country. Think, would there be only three members? If so, isn't your mind a bit too simple and peaceful? They might as well go wash their hands in the golden basin of the magical world and go sell flowers? Just think, how many Necessarius members are there? For us who're supposed to be hiding our identity, how can we let the National authorities, who are living such a peaceful life that they're almost stupid, realize this?"
This wasn't true, Oriana concluded.
Oriana hadn't come to sightsee, so she hadn't checked the schedule of Daihaseisai, but she had checked with Lidvia before, and thus she knew there was a delicate balance of power between the science side, which had Academy City as center, and the magic side.
Academy City, especially during Daihaseisai, couldn't possibly let in too many magicians who belonged to the same organization. If they did so, the relations between the science side and the magic side would worsen.
The plan this time was to aim between the crack in relations between these two sides, and set up the Croce di Pietro. Thus, she couldn't possibly believe the exception that Tsuchimikado was talking about, especially for the Anglican Church, which was supposed to be in charge of the magic side's security.
Thus, Oriana could respond with confidence.
But she didn't completely know it — caring about Tsuchimikado's words showed that there was some sense of insecurity.
"If it's true, this nee-chan would be troubled. But this is impossible. The Anglican Church and Academy City won't allow this sort of stupid thing to happen."
"Why would we need their permission?"
"…"
"You forgot my magic name? I should have asked you to memorize it. I'm the back-stabber; which side am I backstabbing in the first place? The state of the Anglican Church? The state of Academy City? So what? You think that my mind is so peaceful and stupid that I'll ignore the minor details and let victory run away?"
Oriana felt that there was a rather irritating silence surrounding her.
She slowly exhaled.
"I can do anything just to get the victory. I can do anything just to hide in the darkness. As long as I can sneak onto the enemy, I'll think of anything to get the victory no matter what. Watch it, Oriana Thomson. As long as I am willing, I can defend against all these metal shrapnel no matter how many are they. However, I won't be able to get my victory like this, so I used a bigger trump card. That's all."
"…You think that I'll believe this bluff? If you had plenty of comrades, why would you be working alone? When you used that searching magic, you should have gotten more people to protect you, right? Even if this wasn't the case, at least two people would be working together."
"If you like to talk, then I'll accompany you for that. To me, I can gain some time like this. When the boundary was broken, I'd already sent the message. It won't take long for the enemy to get here. Because that person is serious, that person will not hesitate to declare her magic name just to prevent someone from dying."
Tsuchimikado extended out that blood-stained arm that was resting on the ground just now.
There was a simple piece of paper in his hand.
It was a piece of paper that was shaped like a talisman that's sold at a shrine. In the middle, there were Eastern words written in a straight line. Instead of saying it was written in ink, it looked like the words had been formed by burning the paper.
"'Sealed Scripture' – on first look, it looks like some sort of Shinto talisman, but in yinyang terms, it's actually a cursed tool. This causes someone far away to hallucinate, creating internal conflict inside the person…if I reduce the power, it can be used in peaceful ways. That's…"
"Don't tell me that it's a communication spell?"
"Bingo. This thing is made into a bag-shaped thing, and inside it is a wooden piece with somebody's name on it. Very classical, eh?"
Tsuchimikado grinned,
"Come to think of it, in this situation, who would be my most likely contact?"
He slowly said.
Though he was covered in blood, it was like he was blackmailing his prey.
"It wouldn't be fine if the thing you're transporting is the 'Stab Sword'. Since we know that it's not that, we can let that person join in the battle without any hesitation. Or should we say, since there's no 'Stab Sword', there's no need for that person to remain on standby. Besides, that person's greatest weakness is gone."
Oriana's throat unknowingly dried up.
She had heard of it before.
In the Anglican Necessarius department, out of the less than 20 Saints in the world, there was a Saint among them. She had tremendous power, and would swing her sword to prevent anyone from dying. Oriana Thomson was originally a British citizen, and her main base of operations was in England, so she knew about the Saints. Once she met a Saint, she'd lose; it was said that only a real god or angel could beat those monsters.
"That's right, it's Kanzaki Kaori."
The glow in Oriana Thomson's eyes became sharp.
She licked her dry lips.
"Since I know that you have the Croce di Pietro and not the Stab Sword, you shouldn't be surprised when you consider the scale of this situation, huh? Kanzaki was a central character in the conflict between the Anglicans, Roman Catholics and Amakusas ten days ago. Isn't it possible that she's still staying in Japan? Also, there are people that Kanzaki is familiar with living in Academy City. She can be seen as a special guest, and even if news leaks out, there won't be a problem."
Tsuchimikado added on,
"You should know, Kanzaki owes a debt of grace to me. Think about it, when she first came to England, who was the one who took care of her? Of course a fellow Japanese would be suitable. To me, it's a rather trivial matter. But that person is rather sensitive about this sort of thing. If she knows that something like this is happening, she'll immediately rush over."
(Cheh…)
Oriana started to make her own calculations.
Seeing Oriana like this, Tsuchimikado seemed to treat her like an idiot, and continued,
"Oh my. Don't tell me that you intend to destroy the 'Sealed Scripture'. Let me tell you, that's impossible. This thing is like an alarm, once it sends the signal, it's over."
Saying this, Tsuchimikado seemed like he wanted to prove that it wasn't a hoax, as he pinched on his own hand-made talisman that he used as a communicator.
"…"
Oriana slightly adjusted her breathing.
Right now, she couldn't tell whether 'Kanzaki Kaori' would come here or not. Even if that Saint was to arrive, Oriana didn't think that she'd lose. As long as she could set up an effective strategy, ready to sacrifice her limbs, she could probably kill one or two Saints in battle. But this wasn't appropriate. Compared to a simple one on one battle, Oriana Thomson had to achieve a higher goal and not hurt anyone else.
(If so,)
Anyway, she chose to kill Tsuchimikado, who was using the searching magic, and got out of here quickly.
"Hoo!!"
Tsuchimikado, who was on the floor, squeezed his last ounce of strength, pulled a bar away from the rubble, and threw it onto the devastated floor. The gray dust was floating around like curtains.
Visibility had become zero.
"!"
Oriana suddenly moved towards where Tsuchimikado had fallen, and stamped onto the ground hard like she was going to break her ankle.
However, she could only feel the hardness of the floor.
(He intends to buy some time!? Why must he work so hard…)
To this point, there was no 'anyway' now. The enemy could still fight, though it was somewhat troublesome to make a comeback in this dust. From the looks of things, Oriana had to spend quite some time before she could even kill Tsuchimikado. In other words, there were only two options.
If she assumed that Kanzaki Kaori wouldn't arrive, she'd take her time to beat Tsuchimikado down.
If she assumed that Kanzaki Kaori would arrive, she'd abandon Tsuchimikado and quickly get the heck out of there.
The dust in front of her could be dispersed by a flashcard. But if this was to end up being the signal that began the battle, she'd have to stay behind and fight until Tsuchimikado died.
It was not that Oriana didn't know what to choose.
It was that she would regret whichever option she chose.
(Anyway, this nee-chan has already destroyed the searching spell, my objective. It's not worth it if I get injured because I was fighting against this troublesome boy…)
Oriana Thomson pulled her tongue back and ran to the exit of the subway.
If his words were true, the Saint of the Anglican Church, Kanzaki Kaori, would join in the battle. Oriana thought that if this was so, she should have made use of the rumor that it was the 'Stab Sword' even more. If she could set up a strategy, she might have been able to beat the Saint, but a Saint was not someone who could be taken down without taking damage.
Of course,
She didn't want to admit defeat.
"She…"
Left behind and alone in the damaged subway, Tsuchimikado muttered. When Oriana left, he checked to see whether the enemy had left behind any flashcard spell.
The dust had scattered.
Tsuchimikado was sprawled where Oriana had first done her flying kick. Now heavily injured, even if she was to use all her strength, he could only move this distance. In other words, he removed the visibility of the enemy, using it to cause anxiety in Oriana, causing her to be unable to 'confirm it calmly,' and barely escaped from this predicament.
"I can use the communication spell 'Sealed Scripture' and summon Kanzaki Kaori when I'm in trouble, huh?"
Tsuchimikado blankly stared at the ceiling.
He moved his lips, mocking himself,
"It'd be great if this sort of thing really existed nya…"
Of course there wouldn't be any reinforcements. The only people who were chasing after Oriana and Lidvia were all in Academy City, Tsuchimikado, Stiyl and Kamijou, only the three of them.
He looked at the folded paper talisman that he made.
"This talisman and spiritual item, 'Sealed Scripture'—forget about yinyang, it doesn't even exist in the world." Tsuchimikado concluded that Oriana wasn't versed in Eastern magic, so he just folded a piece of paper. Of course, there was no magical meaning behind it, and there was no wood piece that had Kanzaki's name on it.
(A 'seal' and a 'scripture' have the meaning of a 'love letter'…it's really like a curse anyway, being seriously in love is like being cursed nya.)
Before this, Stiyl had mentioned dejectedly that 'I have no knowledge on Eastern magic at all, so I can't do it by myself.' To think that it'd come in use now.
In other words, Tsuchimikado gambled on the possibility that 'Oriana wasn't familiar with the incantations of yinyang,' so he just confidently showed her a piece of paper that had kanji written on it.
But,
(If the enemy believes it, at least they'll proceed slowly with their actions, but they probably won't delay it. It'll be great if I can get my revenge…)
Tsuchimikado was lying on the ground as he looked at the devastated subway.
(The magic array is destroyed, the flashcard is gone, and even my phone's split. Now, how can I do my recovery nya… To be honest, I can't activate the 'all-around reality array' again.)
He wanted to get up, but his entire body was aching really badly.
He was hurting so badly that he wanted to roll on the floor, only to realize that he didn't even have the energy to do so.
His body was so cold, yet so heavy.
Even if he breathed, he might not breathe in oxygen successfully.
"First…"
Tsuchimikado thought about the power that existed within him as a member of Academy City.
Level 0 Auto-Rebirth.
It was a self-recovery process that created a film on vascular ruptures.
"…With such a broken up body, I have to think of an idea nya…?"