"Alright, first, I want to ask you honestly, are you going to let us escape?"
"Of course not!"
"I thought so."
I flatly denied the words of the man in the tuxedo and mask, Kagetane Hiruko.
"Kohina."
"Yes, Papa."
The girl called Kohina turned to Claudia.
"Oh, is it my turn?"
Claudia looked relaxed as she held her sword. Her smile hadn't faded, even under the AMF's influence.
"Wait, don't...!! Don't pull...!! Ah!?"
Kagetane snatched a bag from a flashy-looking girl standing nearby.
(I didn't expect her to show up here.)
I knew the girl's name. Asagi Aiba. She's one of the heroines from Strike the Blood and a genius programmer.
I didn't know why Kagetane had come to her house, but it definitely wasn't for a good reason.
I didn't even consider the possibility of Asagi-san being his accomplice. I knew her well enough to know she wasn't that kind of person.
I just noticed another woman lying on the floor. Bound and gagged, she was clearly a victim.
Wait, isn't that Asagi-san's mother? I can't be sure about her mother, though. There are no illustrations, and I don't remember if she ever appeared in the anime.
But I'll think about that later. Right now, I have to defeat Kagetane and his daughter.
"OOO"
I went on the offensive.
"FINISH TIME! OOO! GIRI GIRI SLASH!"
I set the OOO Watch into the Zikan Girade and activated the technique.
"Wait, I have a hostage—"
Kagetane made a perfectly reasonable point, but I ignored it. I knew he would dodge.
Claudia, perhaps seeing the future, continued fighting without flinching, even though she was in the line of fire.
With a certain amount of trust, I swung my sword in an exaggerated arc.
"Seiyaaaah!!!"
The Zikan Girade, with three 'O's floating on its blade, sliced through "space" along its path.
"What!? You've got to be ki—!!"
"Tch...!"
"Papa!!"
Kagetane clicked his tongue and leaped away. I had aimed the attack so it wouldn't hit Kohina in the first place. Asagi-san protested, but it was too late.
The space where Kagetane had been, and accidentally involving Claudia and Asagi-san, was horizontally shifted.
Asagi-san's eyes widened when she saw her body. Claudia, on the other hand, just continued fighting. There was no bleeding from the cut, but their bodies were cleanly split in two. Then, in the next moment...
"What...!?"
Kagetane let out a cry of shock.
Asagi-san's and Claudia's bodies, which had been shifted, reconnected perfectly.
This technique was a recreation of the OOO Bash. It was a spectacular attack that ripped through a wide area, space and all, and then repaired everything except the target.
It was no wonder that someone seeing it for the first time would be surprised. I would use that opening.
"HEY!! FAIZ!"
"SCRAMBLE TIME BREAK!"
This time, the blade of the Ride Heisaber glowed red as it was filled with Photon Blood energy. I swung the Heisaber along the ground, and the energy surged forward in a straight line toward Kagetane.
"Whoa."
But he easily dodged it. I had hoped to restrain him with that, but it wasn't going to be that easy.
However, I had successfully separated him from Asagi-san. Kohina was being occupied by Claudia.
I stepped in between Kagetane and Asagi-san. Now I didn't have to worry about her being taken hostage.
"You never cease to amaze me. I thought you were going to attack me, hostage and all. I was completely deceived."
"..."
Not just Kagetane, but Asagi-san was also glaring at me. Well, it was natural for her to look that way after her body was sliced in half without warning, even if she was saved.
"A weapon that can slice through an opponent and the space around them. I wouldn't have thought that level of magic was possible under this AMF. Is it your own rare skill, or the effect of that powered suit?"
"Which do you think?"
Kagetane traced the brim of his top hat.
"My apologies for not introducing myself sooner. I am Kagetane Hiruko. And you are?"
"I'm Yuuki Kakeru, Special Division 6 of the Bureau of Magic."
"..."
When I replied, his eyes behind the mask narrowed with what seemed to be interest.
"What is it?"
(Yuuki Kakeru... Is he the person Jagras Juggler warned me about?) "...No, it's nothing. I just didn't expect the Bureau to track me down so quickly. This is your doing, isn't it, Asagi Aiba?"
"Hmph! As if I'd ever cooperate with you!"
Seriously? She made that kind of gamble, even with her own mother as a hostage!?
"I admire your courage. (So if I dawdle, more Bureau members will show up.)"
With that, Kagetane pulled out two pistols with gaudy decorations.
"(As long as I have this PC, the plan can proceed... I'll take this chance to collect Asagi Aiba and gauge Yuuki Kakeru's power.) Kohina, I'll leave her to you."
Kagetane shouted toward me. The sound of clashing swords had been echoing from behind me the whole time. Without looking back—and without taking my eyes off Kagetane—I called out her name.
"Claudia!"
"I'm fine! You focus on him, Kakeru!"
Her voice, amid the fight, wasn't as relaxed as usual. But she answered with a firm tone. It seemed they were evenly matched. No, if they were even with the handicap of the AMF, the fight might have already been decided without it.
My role, then, was to break that balance. To defeat Kagetane in front of me.
I glared at Kagetane, who held his two pistols ready.
He pulled the trigger. Without hesitation, aiming at Asagi-san.
"Tch!?"
I felt an unexpected impact on my sword as it deflected the bullet.
"Anti-Mage rounds...!"
In this world, where combat presupposes the use of bulletproof vests and BJ, regular pistols are little more than "blunt weapons." They don't penetrate, they deliver shock through the armor.
That's why new weapons were created to be effective against bulletproof vests and BJ. One is the Butei bullet, and the other is a high-power rifle with an increased amount of gunpowder and a modified mixture. These guns are powerful enough to not only penetrate bulletproof vests but also affect mages through their barriers.
Naturally, a normal person couldn't handle the recoil.
But...
"Urgh...!"
Two shots, three shots, four, five. Kagetane's aim was precise. He's probably able to shoot so accurately because his whole body has been surgically enhanced.
I couldn't let these bullets, which were strong enough to shock a rider's armor, hit an unarmed Asagi-san or her mother.
I was forced to step in front and become a shield.
"Kurokage Dark Shadow, protect them!!"
"You got it!!"
"Hey, what is this!?"
A shadow extended from my feet and enveloped Asagi-san and her mother. Their safety was secured for now.
Time to go on the offensive!!
"Haaaahh!!"
I ran through the hail of bullets to close the distance.
"HEY!! GAIM!"
The Heisaber was filled with a fresh, orange energy. A few more steps and the blade would reach him, but just then...
"Heh—"
Kagetane held out his hand, and...
"Whoa!?"
An invisible force field lifted me up. I was slammed into the wall and then through it.
"Damn it..."
It was just like the combat footage from yesterday. No matter how much power a rider has, if you can't plant your feet, you can't fight. To close in for melee combat, you need more than just footwork and gravity; you need another way to accelerate.
"Hmm."
Kagetane glanced at Kurokage Dark Shadow.
Gak! Gak! Gak! Gak!
He fired several shots into the shadow's body.
"No effect. It seems difficult to break through with bullets."
No matter how high-powered the rifle was, it was hard to break through Kurokage Dark Shadow with a physical attack. Kagetane's right hand wavered. A force field was concentrating.
"Hey! Help! Help!"
"I know!!"
"BUILD"
I activated a new watch.
"FINAL FORM TIME!"
"B・B・B BUILD!"
Various parts of my body changed to those of RabbitTank Sparkling.
"Endless—Maximum Pain!!"
The repelling spear that Kagetane was about to unleash on Kurokage Dark Shadow was now coming at me in the form of a wall.
He had changed his target, anticipating my approach.
My fist collided with the wall of repulsion. But a simple punch wouldn't hold up for long. That's why I had transformed into this form.
A light popping sound echoed.
"...!? What? What is this...!"
My momentum, which should have been repelled, was getting stronger. A light popping sound rang out with each advance. I was using the ability of RabbitTank Sparkling, high-speed movement with bubbles, like a two-stage rocket booster to counter the force.
And then...
"Ugh, gack...!?"
My fist broke through the repelling wall and connected with Kagetane's face. He was sent flying and tumbled to the ground but quickly got back up.
The mask must have also served as a helmet, as I felt the impact being absorbed. But a piece of the cracked mask scattered on the ground. He pulled his top hat down, so his expression was completely hidden.
"Heeheehee, that hurt. That really hurt, Yuuki-kun. You're more than I expected."
Kagetane laughed, blood streaming from his head. He was holding the wound with his right hand, and his white glove was rapidly turning red.
But this seemed to have agitated him. He was still determined to fight. And judging by his demeanor, he no longer cared about the damage to his surroundings.
"Finishing move... no..."
Based on his current state, I could probably break through his Imaginary Gimmick. But it was hard to gauge the force needed.
"Should I use it...?"
I pulled out three gray medals. If I used this combo, I could crush Kagetane's Imaginary Gimmick force field.
But...
"If I use it, I might kill him... No, I have to do this carefully...!!"
Clink!!
I flicked the three medals into the air.
"OOO"
I activated the OOO Watch, and the falling medals were instantly sucked into it. Once they were all in, the OOO symbol changed.
I set the watch on my belt and rotated it.
"ARMOR TIME!"
"SAI! GORILLA! ZO! OOO!"
A rhino, a gorilla, and an elephant—three miniature animal parts—appeared and attached to me.
I could feel an immense power surge through me, different from a normal Armor Time.
"Urgh—Oooohh!!!"
I let out a roar to unleash that power. I wasn't even using an ability, but the sheer force of it made the air tremble and caused a subtle vibration in the surroundings.
"What is this..."
Kagetane's wariness of me increased.
"Kurokage Dark Shadow-san, over here."
"H-Hey—"
Claudia, who had a momentary glimpse of the future with Pandora, stopped fighting and pulled Kurokage Dark Shadow toward me.
It was a brilliant move by Claudia. Now I could go all out without holding back. I was about to unleash the power of the combo.
"Don't run away! I can't cut you properly—"
"Kohina, wait!!"
Kohina charged toward me. Two black katanas loomed. Kagetane's voice of restraint. But faster than that, my right hand hit my chest.
It was the same motion that gorillas and other animals perform—drumming.
"—Huh?"
Kohina's body floated gently.
I drummed my chest over and over. With each beat, a shockwave rippled through space, distorting the gravity around me. Not just Kohina, but even the rubble began to float, robbing it of its freedom.
It was the inherent ability of the Sagozo Combo, gravity manipulation.
"Endless Scream!! What!?"
The repelling spear that Kagetane had fired, having wisely escaped the range of the effect, was crushed by the super-gravity and plunged into the ground.
The gravity was spreading bit by bit. Kagetane, who was standing right at the edge, stepped back, but then...
"Kohina, I'll come back for you later."
He said briefly, and then retreated.
"Wai—"
I couldn't even shout "Wait!" before I fell to my knees. I tumbled to the ground and managed to undo the transformation.
"Hah, hah... hah..."
My heart was pounding, even though I hadn't been attacked.
"The combos are incredible..."
Just a light use of its power had half-destroyed the surrounding buildings. Sagozo, especially, with its wide-area effect, had caused a lot of damage.
As I gazed at the OOO Watch, which now had the Sagozo symbol on it, the medals it had absorbed were ejected and clattered to the ground.
"Are you okay, Kakeru!?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Claudia rushed over and helped me up. I was exhausted, but not injured.
"Ughh! Let! Me! Go!!"
Kohina was tied up tightly in a binding and lying on the ground. That was Claudia's doing. She's so efficient.
"Claudia, are there any medals lying around?"
"Yes. Let's see..."
"Here, are these it?"
A perfectly manicured toe picked up the elephant medal.
"Oh, thanks."
"You look pretty tired."
Asagi-san smiled wryly. But she still picked up the medals and placed them in my hand. I transferred them to the storage space.
"Thanks for the help. You guys are from the Bureau, right?"
"Yes. We received a report."
Claudia answered.
After that, we began a short debriefing on how this all happened.
"Haaah... can I rest for a bit?"
"Of course. If there's any space left to rest in."
Asagi-san said, looking at her house.
"Ah..."
The house was left with the scars of our fight (mostly from my attacks). Not just the house, but even the yard was a mess from Sagozo's power. It would take heavy machinery to fully repair it. I really hope the Bureau will cover the costs.
"I hope so too. Well, our lives were saved, so I'll put in a good word for you."
"Thanks, Asagi-san. My name is Kakeru Yuuki."
"Just call me Asagi. It's easier that way, right? I'll call you Kakeru."
She's so casual. I guess that's just her personality.
"Y-Yeah... Well, I guess we'll be seeing more of each other, right?"
Asagi turned away with an awkward expression.
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