"KNIGHT"
"ARMOR TIME!"
"ADVENT! KNIGHT!"
The IS-equipped Tatana-san is now additionally clad in Knight's armor.
"I see... okay, I can do this."
Tatana-san nods, checking her body. It seems she was able to equip it without any issues, even with her IS active.
"(Giving abilities to others... and not basic ones, but skills that would be considered rare in the general public.)"
Tatana-san looks like she wants to say something, but she keeps her mouth shut. This is the first time I've used Armor Time on someone else at Section Six. She's probably thinking something along the lines of "another new ability" or "a dangerous power."
However, I have no intention of holding back when it comes to resolving an incident. I'll just have to accept that judgment.
"Shall we go?"
We enter the mirror with Tatana-san in the lead.
Yes, even Yō, who shouldn't have Armor Time, enters the mirror "without any problem."
Into a world where everything is reversed. In this world, where there's no one else, we hear no sounds other than our own. A city with no cars or people is honestly eerie, but I know there's no danger.
We run straight for the Keystone Gate. The AMF and defense systems aren't active. There are no obstacles.
If we run straight, it'll take less than five minutes to reach the entrance of the Keystone Gate.
"Seriously, this is cheating..."
I hear Tatana-san's mutter.
"It makes planning an operation feel pointless."
Then she turns to me. It's probably her impression of how easily we were able to get to the Keystone Gate.
"I think you're cheating, too, Yō."
"Am I?"
Yō cocks her head. As expected of a Gift from one of the world's greatest problem children.
"From where I stand, you're both two sides of the same coin."
Tatana-san says in a tone mixed with exasperation.
We arrive just in time.
The entrance to the Keystone Gate is a large glass automatic door. It doesn't open when we get close. It seems the electrical systems aren't working.
"Is it okay to break this?"
"Yes, it's fine. It won't affect the real world."
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
Tatana-san fires the vulcan on her lance. The glass shatters into a million pieces, ending its role as a door.
We proceed.
An empty lobby. An empty reception desk. In the security camera footage, this is where Kagetane and his group activated the security system. Many people should have been shot down. As proof, the machine gun turrets were active.
"Tatana-san."
"We don't have time for useless combat. Our objective is to stall Kagetane and his group. We need to catch up as soon as possible, right?"
I know, but... some people were shot and are bleeding. Hiding from the turrets, they probably haven't been able to get first aid. Lives that could be saved might be lost.
"Yeah. At the very least, I want to destroy these guns, if only in this area."
Yō agrees with me.
In reality, there are people in other places besides this lobby. There might be injured people. Thinking about those people, it might be unfair to give preferential treatment, but...
"...Fine. It's a waste of time arguing. It won't take long to deal with those four turrets."
"Thank you!"
We begin our actions.
---------
"Sigh, what's going to happen...?"
"I know..."
Eina, who had been hiding behind the counter ever since the first gunfire, huddles with her colleague, Misha.
Fortunately, this counter was designed with emergencies in mind and has the same durability as an armored car. It would be difficult for even a high-powered rifle to penetrate it.
But the fact remains that the machine gun turrets are active, and they can't move.
Many others were also taking cover and enduring. No one was making a sound. The only things echoing in the lobby were the sounds of the turrets' mechanisms and the groans of the people who had been shot by them.
"Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick..."
"Hey, are you okay?"
Misha's face turns pale as she covers her mouth.
It's understandable. Dozens of people are lying on the lobby floor, covered in blood. Since they're continuing to bleed without receiving proper treatment, some might already be dead.
The smell is also pervasive. It wouldn't be strange to feel sick.
"...Ngh, I'm okay."
"Don't push yourself."
Eina rubs her back and thinks.
"(There's no way the Bureau isn't acting with a terror attack of this scale. The AMF is preventing them from moving effectively. Where did those people go? Are they going to negotiate with the Bureau...? But there's no point in taking us hostage. Taking over the Keystone Gate's security system isn't worth the cost...)"
There are so many things to think about, but no matter how much she thinks, she can't find an answer.
"Gah!?"
The sound of a turret's gunfire interrupts her thoughts.
---------
We leap out of the mirror. The four turrets immediately target us.
Tatana-san will handle defense, and Yō and I will handle the offense.
"Ha!"
Tatana-san raises her arm, and a part of the water veil, which was an IS component, separates and envelops the turrets before they can fire.
It's not a very thick film, but most of the bullets' energy seems to be absorbed by the water veil. The bullets that reach the outside of the veil simply roll off the surface and fall to the ground.
"I'll take the one over there, okay?"
"Got it."
Yō leaps high. Tatana-san releases the water film on the turret she's targeting.
Yō's attack is, incredibly,
"BOOOOM!!!"
She breathes fire from her mouth.
It's not on the level of a street performance. A 5000°C fireball that can even melt steel—a Draguletter attack.
"Godzilla..."
I couldn't help but mutter at the sight.
The turret hit by the fireball spectacularly explodes—before being re-enveloped in the water film. The explosion happens inside, preventing collateral damage.
Although I knew about it, it feels like I'm witnessing Yō's true value with my own eyes.
The 'Genome Tree of Life' is a Gift of Grace with the ability to "collect information from living beings it comes into contact with, analyze and imitate that information, and fuse it to create new powers."
Yes, 'living beings.' If Mirror Monsters are considered living beings, they can be subjects for the Genome Tree of Life to collect.
That was Yō's idea, and the result was the sight before me.
Yō's Genome Tree of Life perfectly adapted to the Mirror Monsters. Thanks to that, she gained the abilities of various monsters and the most basic ability, entering and exiting the Mirror World, in just a few minutes.
While this is happening, Yō sets her sights on the next enemy.
As for me,
"I'm going too!"
"Go for it!"
I start running.
"I can't use a combo, but..."
I flick a silver medal. I activate the watch that the medal is sucked into.
"OOO"
"Henshin!"
"ARMOR TIME!"
"TAKA! GORILLA! BATTA! OOO!"
I equip the TakaGoriBa OOO Armor.
I use my gorilla arms to block the rapid-fire machine gun bullets. They've become powerful punching gloves that greatly absorb the impact of the bullets, reducing damage.
I continue to move forward, taking the bullets and closing the distance to the turret.
"Hmph!!"
I punch the turret's barrel and bend it.
The remaining turret is a little further away.
"Alright!!"
I operate the belt.
"FINISH TIME! OOO SCANING TIME BREAK!"
"Hah!!!"
I leap high with the power of the Batta Legs. The reloaded machine gun starts firing.
I pull back my arms, not caring about being hit.
The Taka's eyes lock onto the joints in the turret's armor.
"SEI-YAHHH!!!!"
The launched gorilla arm pierces the turret, and it explodes.
"Whew..."
I land on the ground and let out a sigh.
Yō has also finished her destruction. The area becomes quiet as all the turrets have been destroyed.
"Hm...?"
I feel the people around me are wary of me—no, not exactly, but they're unsure how to approach me. Of course, a guy with a mask suddenly appeared.
I try to deactivate my transformation, but—
"Wait."
Tatana-san stops me.
"Did you forget? You're not supposed to reveal the Rider's identity in front of civilians."
"Oh, right."
Since I fought Another OOO in front of a large crowd, the entire island knows about Zi-O. His reputation is mixed.
Most consider him a hero who defeated a monster, but a minority believe he used a monster for a false flag operation. This is on a different level than the rumor of him being a "womanizer" that's circulating at the Butei High School.
I take my hand off the belt.
Yō, who landed nearby, pulls my arm.
"Shō, can you go on ahead?"
"Yes. Shō-kun, you go on ahead. I'll talk to the person in charge here."
"Understood."
I'm pulled by Yō's arm, and we head to the back, avoiding the gazes of the people around us.
"Yō, there's no one around, right?"
"Yeah. It's fine."
After confirming that I don't feel anyone's gaze,
"Phew..."
I let out another sigh and deactivate my transformation.
"Are you okay? You're not tired?"
"Hm, nah. I'm fine."
"You seemed pretty tired when you came to Section Six, though."
"I'm able to move, so it's fine."
The fatigue from the combo, well, I'm probably fine. As I told Yō, I'm not unable to move.
"Don't push yourself. If anything happens, I'll go in front."
"Hey. Just because you can use the power of the Mirror Monsters doesn't mean you should be careless."
It's true that she's gotten stronger, and I think she's fine on the front lines, but that doesn't mean our opponent is someone we can be careless with.
"Shō, you're the one who needs to stop thinking you're always the 'protector.'"
"That's..."
I don't mean to, but...
With the Genome Tree of Life, it's possible that I could be the one being protected.
"Okay. This time, I'll take responsibility and look after you, Shō. Besides, everyone, especially Kokoro, told me to. 'Don't let Shō get hurt, and don't let him pick up any women you don't know.'"
"Hey! Did they really—they might have..."
The women part is normal, but 'don't let him get hurt'? They might always be thinking that, but did they specifically tell Yō this time?
Is it because I was completely exhausted from the combo? I haven't explained that part yet...
"Then, I'll leave it to you until Tatana-san comes."
"Yeah, do that. I'll keep watch over our surroundings."
I leave the area to the unusually motivated Yō and rest my body.
---------
"Hm..."
"Is something wrong?"
Kagetane, who was walking while looking at his PC, frowns at the content displayed on it. Eustach, who is walking behind him, asks the question.
"It seems the turrets in the lobby have been destroyed."
"Did they receive a counterattack?"
"That's right. The problem is who did it. This is..."
Kagetane looks at the security camera footage and his voice trails off.
Eustach looks over his shoulder at the silent Kagetane. The screen shows three people.
"Are they... perhaps from Special Section Six?"
"It seems so."
Kagetane explains.
"The one wearing an IS is Sarashiki Tatana. But the IS's armament is different from the information... She's probably equipped with special gear for the decisive battle."
"Sarashiki of Japan? She was the one who was persistently chasing you."
"To even mobilize a trainee..."
"The island is on the verge of sinking, you know. They can't afford to hold back on forces that aren't sorcerers."
And then,
"This one in full armor is Yatsugizaki Shō. I can't believe he's back on the front lines so soon..."
"This boy..."
Eustach mutters a thought upon seeing Shō for the first time.
"To be precise, it's the full armor he's using. We don't know the technology behind it, but it can cut through space and probably even control gravity."
"That's dangerous."
"But there is a way to deal with it."
Eustach's gaze asks 'What?' and Kagetane continues.
"We don't know what other means he has hidden, but there is a starting point for him to use his abilities. It's the belt."
"The belt...?"
Eustach's gaze is directed at Zi-O's belt.
"As you can see in this footage, when his appearance changes, his abilities change too."
"Indeed. He's putting something on the belt and rotating it."
"In other words, if we don't give him a chance to operate the belt, this full armor won't be able to exert its performance."
"I see..."
In his fight with Shō, Kagetane carefully observed Zi-O's combat, where his appearance and abilities changed freely. Although he ended up retreating, the information was put to good use.
"Sarashiki Tatana is no match for your homunculus's familiar beast."
"That's right. Rosodactylos's Divine Wave Drive is completely different from the AMF."
Even an IS that nullifies the effects of the AMF won't be able to do anything if it's hit with the Divine Wave Drive.
"We have little information on the other one, Kasukabe Yō. Is she just there to fill a spot, or is she a promising newcomer?"
"No matter who our opponents are, our path will not change."
"Of course. We must reach the deepest part before that happens."
They must move forward while Kagetane has control. Because he failed to secure Asagi, she now has the possibility of regaining control.
"(Her skill is beyond my expectations. How long will this application continue to function...)"
It's working fine now, but there's a time limit that's not being displayed.
If they can just unseal the keystone, the Bureau and Butei will have no choice but to respond by evacuating the residents. They won't have time to chase Kagetane and his group. If they can just unseal it.
"So it's a race against time, is it?"
Kagetane shivers with a thrill he only feels on the battlefield, and he and his group continue their advance.
--------------------------------------------
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