"A familiar!?"
Vita gasped in surprise at the sight before her. A pale blue arm extended from Astarte's back. It was a mass of magical power, a summoned beast from another world—a Familiar.
Based on Vita's assessment, the blue-haired girl was a human—no, a homunculus. Yet, she was using a Familiar, something only vampires could use.
There was no time to think, though. The Familiar had already been summoned, and its attack was underway.
"Yukina!!"
"Yes! Sekkarou!!"
Yukina stepped forward.
She planned to face the looming giant arm with just a single spear.
"What is...!?"
Next, it was Eustace's turn to be astonished.
A physical attack was meaningless against a Familiar, a mass of magical power. The only way to counter it was to strike back with an equal or greater amount of magical power.
However, Sekkarou, which nullified magical power itself, was perfect for this. It was, in fact, the most optimal weapon.
After all, Sekkarou was a secret weapon with the power to kill a vampire progenitor. And Yukina was a wielder who understood that fact.
"..."
Astarte's expression remained unchanged, but having her first attack blocked made her hesitate on her next move.
That's when Vita seized her chance.
"You're the one pulling the strings for that thing, aren't you!!"
"---?!"
Vita, with her hands free, lunged at Eustace. Her body was small, and her weapon didn't look particularly menacing, but the ground shattered where her hammer came down.
Eustace drew a battle-axe. Despite being overwhelmingly superior in size, it was Eustace who was being pushed back.
Eustace tried to block with his weapon, but Vita's hammer sent him flying. Vita's skill was clearly dominant.
"Come on, what's wrong with ya!!"
"Ugh...!! Astarte, cover me!!"
"Order accepted—"
"You will not!!"
Astarte changed her target to Vita, but in that moment, Yukina stood in her way. While it looked like Yukina and the others were caught in a pincer, the tide of the battle was overwhelmingly in their favor.
"Let's end this, Yukina!!"
"Yes!!"
Yukina kept Astarte at bay, while Vita pressed her attack against Eustace. Yukina didn't pursue Astarte, instead focusing on keeping the one-on-one fight between Vita and Eustace going.
"Haaaaaaahhhhhh!!"
"Ugh!?"
Vita's powerful swing knocked Eustace's battle-axe away. It embedded itself deep in the side of a building.
Now unarmed, Eustace tried to retreat from Vita, but...
"Like I'd let you get away!!!"
A baseball-sized iron sphere appeared before Vita, and...
"Take this!!"
She launched it with her hammer.
Just before it struck Eustace...
"!!"
The iron sphere hit an invisible wall and bounced away.
"My comrade. Do not waste your strength."
A man in a top hat appeared between Vita and Eustace.
"!!"
Vita and Yukina held their breath at the sight of him. It was the illegal smuggler they had heard about in their briefing—Kagetane Hiruko.
As the two of them tensed up, an invisible field spread across the entire area. It was an AMF field, a magical field that sapped a mage's power.
"This guy, an AMF user...!!"
Vita scowled, her body feeling heavy.
"You're Kagetane Hiruko!!"
"The personal knight of Hayate Yagami, Knight of the Hammer, Vita."
They weren't having a conversation.
The only thing you could direct at an opponent you couldn't talk to was this.
"Eisen!!"
A cartridge was loaded.
Eisen transformed. From one side, three divided boosters appeared. On the other, a sharp spike formed.
The boosters roared to life.
"TAAAAAKE THIIIIIIIISSSS!!!!"
Vita spun like a hammer thrower, building momentum. Raketenhammer. It was Vita's signature move, capable of punching through even a weak barrier.
However, even with the cartridge loaded, they were under the effect of the AMF. There was no way it would have its usual power.
Kagetane held his palm out toward the incoming attack.
From it, a transparent field of repulsion generated.
"Gah!?"
Vita slammed into the wall of force. Eisen was deflected, and she crashed into the side of a building.
"That's...!!"
Yukina held her breath.
She couldn't sense any magical power at all. It was Kagetane's ability as a mechanized soldier, an ability they'd seen in the briefing Hayate had shown them—the ability to generate a field of repulsion.
"That is correct. I call it the Imaginary Gimmick."
A mechanized soldier who killed mages. Since he didn't rely on magic, he could embed an AMF generator in his body, giving him an overwhelming advantage against mages.
The basic strategy for a mechanized soldier was to attack with weapons and abilities supported by drugs and machinery.
"...Hmm? The AMF field isn't reaching you? No, it's being nullified. Interesting."
Yukina was using her Divine Vibration Wave Drive to nullify the AMF that was designed to steal a mage's power.
But then...
"Sekkarou!!"
Yukina poured magical power into Sekkarou, but it was useless against the repulsion field. When an energy strong enough to lift her body was thrown at her, she couldn't even keep her footing.
"Ugh!? Ngh...!!"
Like Vita, Yukina was slammed into the side of the building.
Kagetane's repulsion field, which could block even anti-tank rifle rounds and construction crane wrecking balls, was described as the 'strongest shield'. It was a powerful ability that could be used not only defensively but also offensively by throwing it at an opponent.
"Damn it...!!"
"(I can't even get close...!!)"
Ignoring the sharp pain in their backs, Vita and Yukina braced their weapons.
For two people who primarily fought in close combat and weren't skilled with tricky tactics, Kagetane was a difficult opponent. Even if they could use spiritual sight to 'see' the future, they weren't guaranteed to see a convenient vision where they could win.
Kagetane, with two weapons pointed at him, was completely at ease. While his expression was hidden by his mask, his composure was genuine.
"My comrade."
Kagetane called out to Eustace, who had disengaged from the fight.
"It is too dangerous to remain here. Let us retreat. Has your meal been finished?"
"Yes. This is enough."
Astarte had sucked the magical power dry from the fallen vampire. She had taken more than usual due to the combat, but the vampire's life force would be fine.
However, Yukina and the others couldn't just stand by while they openly declared their escape right in front of them.
"Don't screw with me!! There's no way I'm letting you get away!!"
"We won't let you escape...!!"
"Do you two truly believe you can stop us now?"
Kagetane sneered at their declarations.
With that, he wrapped his right hand in his repulsion field.
"ENDLESS SCREAM!!!"
A transparent field of force shot out from Kagetane's arm like a spear. It wasn't just a simple force blast. It was released in a clearly defined attack form.
Realizing that the field was not magical power, Yukina instinctively shouted.
"!? Vita-san!!"
"Get behind me!!"
Vita put up a barrier with all her strength. She reinforced its weakened state from the AMF by forcefully pouring magical power into it.
The repulsion spear slammed into the barrier. Yukina held up Vita, who was on the verge of being blown away. The force field, which had been condensed into a spear shape, dissipated and spread out.
It carved away at the buildings and road, kicking up a storm of dust—and then the attack ended.
"Phew..."
Vita sighed in relief, but she didn't drop her barrier. She couldn't risk being attacked if she let her guard down.
However, nothing happened.
"Vita-san..."
"I'm fine. But..."
As the dust from Kagetane's attack settled, the area became visible again.
"Tch!! They got away...!!"
As Vita clicked her tongue, the area where they were standing was now empty.
---------
"That was fun today!"
"Yes, it was."
"Yeah. It was."
Index, Kanzaki, and Stiyl were in a taxi on their way back. After spending the entire day sightseeing, the three of them were now safely headed home.
After the second time, they were able to use the app without any mistakes and tour the city smoothly. It was a perfect way to create a final memory.
"Index, are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah. I'm okay so far."
"Is that so."
As the scheduled date approached, Index would be afflicted with a terrible headache. The pain was beyond what anyone else could imagine, but the two of them had seen her suffer during the last cycle.
Both of them had been on edge, worried that the headache would start during their outing today.
As they talked about the day's memories, they arrived at the church of the Anglican Church. Only Index was getting out here. Kanzaki and Stiyl, who would be leaving the island once their job was done, didn't have a room in this church.
"Well then, see you both tomorrow."
"Yes."
"Yeah."
The two of them watched as Index went into the church and then had the taxi drive on.
Without Index, the two of them weren't close enough to just chat. Their conversations were strictly work-related.
As soon as Index was gone, Stiyl lit a cigarette and looked out the window.
"Considering the scheduled date, it's highly likely that she won't be able to move by tomorrow."
"Yes. This might have been the last time."
Kanzaki took out her phone. A photo she had taken that day was on the screen. It was a picture of a smiling Index with the two of them awkwardly smiling behind her.
She had taken many other pictures as well. All of them were photos of Index's smiling face.
A gentle smile appeared on Kanzaki's face as she looked at the photos, but...
"Don't get too lost in your memories, Kanzaki. It will only make the emptiness worse."
"...You're right."
Kanzaki closed her phone.
"Are the preparations for the ritual complete?"
"They were ready as of yesterday. We can start immediately even if we turn back now. And of course, the ritual spell has been adjusted for the celestial alignment on the scheduled date."
"...Then, all that's left is to wait for that day to come, is that it?"
Stiyl didn't respond to her question.
---------
Stiyl and Kanzaki's prediction was not wrong.
That night, in the sister's dorm where the church's nuns lived, Index clutched her head.
"Ow, ow..."
After cleansing herself, Index had taken off her usual habit and changed into her sleepwear. The dull pain had struck her while she was getting ready to sleep. Her head was pounding. It was a different kind of pain than when she had a cold.
It was a pain Index didn't remember. For her constitution, it was extremely rare for her to say she 'didn't remember'. Even though it was a physical change that happened to her once a year, she couldn't remember it. It was something she was incapable of remembering.
Even so, Index understood what this meant.
"Ugh..."
She lay down on the bed.
At this rate, she might not wake up tomorrow. If she closed her eyes, the person she was now might disappear.
She looked at the light bulb, lost in thought.
"I should call someone..."
She reached for the bell on the desk. Ringing it would send a magical signal, alerting the nun on duty.
"Huh? The window..."
It was open. She didn't remember opening it.
And from there...
"!?"
A girl in a black dress silently slipped into the room. The bell that had been on the desk was stolen by the girl.
"Give me back—"
Just as Index was about to protest, the girl covered her mouth with a cloth.
Index, who couldn't even put up a slight resistance, forgot the pain of her headache and was overcome by an intense drowsiness.
---------
"What was that?"
Kagetane and Eustace had returned to their base. Kagetane turned his ominous masked face toward Eustace.
"Yes. The spear that girl was using had the Divine Vibration Wave Drive incorporated into it. We have already had the sample data read by the Rosary of the Rhododendron."
"In that case, we no longer have a need for the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, do we?"
Kagetane looked toward Index, who was sleeping with labored breaths. Even while she was sleeping due to the drug, her headache was intensifying, and her nightwear was soaked in sweat.
She was clearly not in a normal state, but the two men didn't care. The two girls were also indifferent—no, Astarte seemed a little concerned.
Astarte was created as a medical homunculus. When she saw a patient, the commands etched into her would stir.
However, since she couldn't act on her own without her master's orders, she remained standing straight without moving.
Ignoring Astarte, Eustace continued.
"Yes, with this, we don't have to risk reading the Index. It is a shame for your daughter who did the work for us."
He looked at Kohina, but she showed no reaction.
"If the timing had been better, we could have avoided giving the Anglican Church a reason to intervene."
"No, that was a risk we were already prepared for. Let's think of it as a way to easily perfect the Divine Vibration Wave Drive."
The Divine Vibration Wave Drive—in other words, the nullification of magical power—was essential for Kagetane's plans.
Originally, they had planned to use Index's power to implement it into the Rosary of the Rhododendron, but they had obtained more perfect data from their battle with Yukina.
With this, their plan would make significant progress.
There was no longer a need to use the kidnapped Index. In their original plan, they were going to use Index's presence to checkmate Stiyl and Kanzaki.
They would exploit the fact that the ritual for Index was more important than pursuing them, using it as a means of escape.
They didn't think the Guild would be a problem in the first place, as they would have to prioritize rescue operations if the island sank.
"Is that so. However, Astarte also needs to be adjusted. I am planning on heading to our cooperating company's facility tomorrow."
There was a company on this island that wanted their plan to succeed. That's why the two of them were able to infiltrate the island so easily.
"Yes. Now that the Guild has found us, we don't have much time. It's highly likely that the investigation will reach the homunculus adjustment facility tomorrow."
They would be cut off if it came to that, but there was no need to worry about that with just the Guild's investigation. If they were the kind of company to cut off support over that level of risk, they wouldn't have supported criminals in the first place.
"I understand. You, too, must not fail in obtaining the other piece."
"Hmph, of course. Including our main plan, let us settle everything within two days."
Kagetane declared.
No matter how much they could nullify magical power, it would be difficult to survive by turning the entire island into an enemy. That is, unless they had control of the island's system.
"But is it really true? That this island's central system is being operated by a high school girl?"
"Yes. It may be hard to believe, but we've verified it."
Kagetane took out his phone and confirmed the target's face.
"The 'Electronic Empress'—Asagi Aiba."
Kagetane's mask was still smiling.
--------------------------------------------
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