After 5:00 PM, at the reception of the Butei Bureau attached to the Keystone Gate.
It was almost time for the reception to close for the day. A half-elf woman at the counter, Eina Tulle, was doing her final push of work.
A line of Butei was sliding in just before closing time, but Eina was handling them one after another.
At only 19 years old, Eina boasted top-tier skills at this reception. Combined with her looks, she was known as a popular receptionist.
She had been lightly flirted with under the guise of "reception" many times, but she was a workaholic and never swayed. Her motto was to never bring personal feelings into her work.
And even now,
"Eina-chan, you're almost done, right? If you have time after that-"
"The procedure is finished," she said with a smile, sending the man who had been leaning on the counter to flirt with her away.
She was used to it and didn't seem tired at all.
Then,
"...Huh?"
As she glanced away, she saw some figures entering the entrance of the lobby.
A man in a top hat, a large man with a monocle, and a girl with long blue hair. The man in the top hat was holding a bag that didn't match his attire, and the girl with long blue hair was carrying a silver-haired girl on her back.
They looked quite suspicious, but on this island, they were just on the cusp of being normal, just barely not enough to be reported.
"...Eina-chan?"
"Eh? Oh, s-sorry!!" The next person in line called out to Eina, who had not started processing their request.
Eina hurriedly began to move her hands, but her eyes couldn't help but follow the trio (or quartet).
The man in the top hat took a PC out of his bag and started operating it.
Suddenly,
BEEP!! BEEP!!
"W-What!?" A loud siren blared, and a shutter came down over the entrance.
"W-What is this!?"
"What's going on!?"
"You've got to be kidding me! Hey!!"
Having been trapped, some short-tempered Butei started kicking the shutter, and some even pulled out their pistols.
But the special alloy shutter didn't even get a scratch. The violence, however, spread to others, causing more confusion. Before it could get worse, Eina raised her voice.
"E-Everyone! Please calm down!!"
Then, another strange thing happened.
"...! Ugh, this... is...!"
A sudden, overwhelming sense of discomfort, as if she had been thrown to the top of Mount Everest, assaulted Eina. She remembered this feeling.
"(This is the AMF I felt during training...!? Did the emergency program activate!?)"
Many other people were also feeling the same discomfort. Those who were unconsciously supporting their bodies with magic were affected even more.
Standing calmly amidst them was the suspicious trio.
"Next." The man in the top hat operated his PC again.
Then,
CRASH!!
Four turrets rose from the floor. They were machine gun turrets that fired high-powered rifles in rapid succession.
They started attacking the people around them. The bullets, powerful enough to pierce bulletproof uniforms, quickly turned the lobby into a sea of blood.
Amidst this, the trio stood calmly. Even the most ignorant person would be able to tell that these three had caused this situation.
A Butei who had survived the initial barrage tried to attack when he saw an opening, but,
"Nameless Reaper," the man in the top hat said, throwing a blade made of a force field at the swarming Butei.
It tore through their bulletproof uniforms, and fresh blood gushed out.
Learning from the sight, Butei and Bureau members who weren't foolish enough to get close took cover and aimed their guns.
They fired from all directions, but,
"Hmm..." All the bullets were stopped by a repulsive force field and bounced back.
Some tried to aim for the turrets, but they weren't weak enough to be destroyed by handheld firearms.
Eina, who had hidden behind the counter, was unharmed.
"(A terrorist attack on the Keystone Gate!? I have to contact the outside...!!)"
She thought, taking out her emergency terminal, but,
"(It won't connect... a communication jam...!)"
There was nothing a powerless person like Eina could do.
The gunshots stopped.
The people who were safe had hidden behind objects, so there were no targets. If anyone showed even a little of their body, bullets would immediately fly at them, but for now, the lobby was quiet.
The large man with the monocle, Eustache, looked at the Butei and Bureau members scattered around.
"Hmm. We were able to conserve a lot of energy."
"It may not be the same as 'speed is the essence of war,' but once all the pieces are in place, we should act immediately. We are isolated and alone. The longer we wait, the more we will be worn down and disadvantaged. They probably already know our objective."
"So you're saying we should act before they can take countermeasures. But what about your daughter...?"
"The Bureau captured her. There's no fear of torture; she's probably being treated as a valuable source of information."
Kagetane's expression was hidden by his mask. Although Sho had broken his old one, he had already replaced it with a spare.
"Also, there's Yozuki Sho."
"The person that Jugglus Juggler warned us about... was he that good?"
"Yes. He has a wealth of combat methods that don't rely on magic. I fought him, but I couldn't see the bottom of his power. I don't know if your homunculus familiars can beat him."
"Hmm..."
But Kagetane also guessed that Sho was tired. Since he simply fled, there was no pursuit.
"(That power that captured Kohina... If he used that much power, he must be quite exhausted. Now is our only chance to act.)"
"Then, shall we proceed?" Eustache suppressed his impatience and started walking slowly.
---------
"And that's the last footage, from 30 minutes ago."
The footage ended, and the screen froze on Kagetane, Eustache, Astarte, and Index, who was being carried on Astarte's back, as they walked deeper inside.
"After this, all communication to the Keystone Gate facilities was cut off, and the safety of the staff inside is unknown. A super-high concentration AMF is deployed in a 100-meter radius centered on the Keystone Gate."
The Unit Commander and Jakura-san took turns explaining.
"Furthermore, the security system installed outside the facility has also been activated. Anyone who carelessly approaches will be turned into a pincushion."
"Due to the AMF's effect, it's difficult for even an A-rank mage to use magic. As a result, the Bureau's response has been delayed. Right now, we are in the process of urgently forming a unit centered around espers."
That was the current situation.
Everyone who had been investigating the homunculus adjustment facility had returned to Section Six, and a strategy meeting was being held to deal with this situation.
"So, as for Section Six," the commander said, but Jakura finished her thought.
"There are no specific instructions. Well, the headquarters is incapacitated. We're an independent unit to begin with, so they probably don't have the luxury of worrying about us."
...Then.
"You mean Section Six isn't going to move?" I asked.
"Can you stand by and do nothing, Sho-kun?"
Of course not.
"That's right, so Section Six will move." The Unit Commander smiled with a reliable expression.
"Even so, the situation for Section Six isn't much different from the others. Section Six is a unit primarily composed of mages."
"If we confront them head-on, we'll have to fight all of the Keystone Gate's defense systems. That's extremely inefficient." Jakura-san also sighed in frustration.
Asagi also said it. According to her calculations, even if Section Six's commanders attacked, they couldn't take down the Keystone Gate. Even if they managed to overturn the calculations, it would take too long. In that time, Kagetane and his group would achieve their objective.
It might be a different story if we could use a nuclear missile, but Section Six doesn't have such a thing, and the damage to the surrounding area would be too great.
If a frontal assault is difficult,
"What about infiltrating from within a mirror?" I proposed.
The Ryuki series Ride Watches have become my go-to for infiltration. But I can't help it. The Mirror World is just too convenient.
"We can travel through the mirror world and come out at a suitable location... like a restroom. If we do that, we can bypass the external defense systems."
"That would certainly save a lot of time. How many can go?"
"Two people."
"Two people... That's a small number," Sigmun-san said with a serious expression.
It was indeed a small number of people to infiltrate a facility with a security system.
Moreover, the facility has a high concentration of AMF. Mages are not even counted. Section Six (like most of this world) is an organization primarily composed of mages.
The people who can go in this time are those who can use other abilities. Me, Yau, and Tatamie-san, who has an IS.
"(Well, if I wanted to increase the number... no, it's probably too difficult this time.)"
My mind, which was about to get carried away with an idea, immediately dismissed it.
With some luck, I might be able to get a Zolda or Ouja Rider Watch. But that requires an action, and there's no time for that in this urgent situation.
...On second thought, even if I get more Ride Watches, the number of people who can use Armor Time won't change. It's just me and one other person.
Well, I could go back and forth...
"There's no point in taking more time to send in a unit if we're trying to shorten the time it takes to break through the front defenses, is there?"
"You're right. But, right now, that's the best plan." Jakura-san nodded, stroking his chin.
"Yes."
The one who spoke up was, surprisingly,
"Yau?"
"I need to talk to Sho for a second."
"Me?" The eyes of everyone in the meeting focused on me.
"I had an idea, and I want to try it."
"Hmm...?"
"I want everyone to see it, too."
We were led outside by Yau, as she said, and a few minutes later, we returned to the conference room.
Yau's "idea" was a huge success. It was something I hadn't even considered, and I was surprised that such a method existed.
"Alright, let's resume, but we already have a conclusion. Tatamie, Sho-kun, Yau."
"Yes!" the three of us said, standing up.
"The three of you will infiltrate. Prioritize stopping Rudolf Eustache and Hiruko Kagetane and rescue the people trapped inside only when necessary."
"Understood!!" we all saluted.
"And, Aiba-san."
"Hmm?"
The Unit Commander called out to Asagi, but she didn't look up from her PC screen. Of course, no one reprimanded her. Asagi was doing a job that only she could do. She had been doing it since she got here.
"How much longer will it take?"
"Less than an hour."
In less than an hour, Asagi would regain control of the Keystone Gate.
"Continue your work. As soon as Aiba-san is done, the mages will also infiltrate. They will rescue people while joining up with the advance team. We will arrest the criminals."
"I'll relay this information to the other units."
Jakura-san's arrangements ensured that Section Six's movements were relayed.
"The time limit could be up at any moment. Everyone, let's start moving!!"
With that voice, we all got to work.
---------
Time was short. We were to depart in five minutes. We had to prepare and gather at the heliport by then.
I finished my business in the restroom and was heading to the meeting place when,
"Hmm?"
I saw two people in front of a vending machine at the end of the hallway. It was Stiyl and Kanzaki, who I had heard about but didn't attend the meeting.
They were talking about something with serious expressions.
I remembered the footage from earlier and called out to them.
"Hey. Is something wrong?"
"...You."
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Stiyl said dismissively.
That's to be expected. After all, Index had been kidnapped.
I saw in the earlier footage that Kagetane and his crew had her. However, Jakura-san had forbidden me from telling these two about it. He said it was to prevent them from acting on their own with unnecessary information.
I called out to them without thinking, but I can't say anything more...
As an awkward silence filled the air,
"Huh? What are you doing here?" Asagi called out to me. She walked past me and bought a drink from the vending machine.
"What about you, Asagi?"
"I'm in the middle of running a program. Just taking a little break." She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head. She looked quite cool.
"You're about to leave, right? You should probably get going soon."
"Yeah, I'm heading out now."
I glanced back, but the mages didn't seem to want to talk anymore.
I walked away from the two of them. Asagi walked beside me.
Then, she quietly said,
"...I'm sorry. You're in a dangerous position because of me."
"The criminals are the bad guys, not you. I'll come back safe, so don't worry."
"Well, I've already seen how strong you are. I'm not worried about that."
"Do you really think the three of us can break through?"
"I don't know. I'm not a battle expert. I sent the internal data, so the Koroshiki-san over there would know better, wouldn't she? She's from the family that's in charge of Japan's defense."
"...Right, that makes sense."
We walked while making small talk.
"Senpai! Koroshiki-senpai is about to leave—" Yukina popped her head out.
"Oh. I'll be right there. Well, I'm off."
"Yeah. Be careful."
"I'm counting on you, too. It would be a great help if you could get things back up and running quickly. See you later, Yukina."
I ran to the heliport.
---------
We were heading to the scene in a helicopter piloted by Weiss-san.
The Keystone Gate was surrounded by the Bureau. Our destination was the outside of it.
"Alright, everyone! Be careful!!" she said, flying away.
"Then, let's go."
The infiltration team consisted of the three of us: me, Tatamie-san, and Yau. By default, Tatamie-san was the leader.
"Understood." I put on my Ziku Driver.
ZIO!
RYUKI!
"Henshin!!"
RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ZIO!
ARMOR TIME!
ADVENT! RYUKI!
I transformed into Zio Ryuki Armor.
"Now then..." I took out the Knight Watch.
"Shall we?"
The infiltration was about to begin.
--------------------------------------------
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