The ambush failed to achieve anything, and Binah let out an enraged shriek.
At the same time, after being carried to an open area on the other side and firmly setting my feet on the ground, I looked at the girl in front of me with both surprise and a sense of familiarity.
"Toki, it really is you!"
Ever since a certain suspected embezzler of public funds had a disagreement with me and cut ties, Toki, her personal maid and bodyguard, had also barely been seen.
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl with a cool expression responded in a distant tone.
"Sensei, it is obvious you have mistaken me for someone else. I am merely a pacifist who happened to pass by this area. Peace∼ Peace∼"
As she spoke, she raised both hands and made a peace sign, her expression not changing at all.
As Rio's bodyguard, Toki's combat ability goes without saying, and her identity is also strictly classified.
When going out, concealing one's identity is only natural, so I understood that much.
However, the question was why she was here.
"Actually, I have a roommate."
Toki answered seriously.
"She told me to say that she is simply here on a business trip nearby today by coincidence, and absolutely does not have any intention of worrying about anyone. I also did not specifically mention this at all. Peace∼ Peace∼"
I immediately understood.
No wonder, when I invited Neru and the other C&C members to assist today, they regretfully said they had other work arrangements.
So it was because Big Sister was both worried about my situation and did not want others to know about it. In the end, she must have had Toki come to help me because of this unexpected situation.
As expected of Millennium's most tsundere woman.
…But at least don't pull Neru away like that!?
"Your roommate… is oddly humorous."
That was all I could say.
"As her roommate, regarding your evaluation, I must reserve my judgment."
Toki nodded repeatedly while speaking in a righteous tone.
Now was not the time for too much idle banter.
After exchanging a fairly consistent and valuable understanding of a certain person with Toki, I confirmed with her whether she could help fight Binah.
"Of course."
Toki nodded.
"This is a good opportunity to collect data related to the Nameless Gods. The Special Mission Decagrammaton head Himari and student Eimi are also on their way."
This situation indeed had connections to the current research subject of the Special Mission Decagrammaton.
But if Himari was coming…
"And Rio?"
"Who is Rio?"
"Ah, a slip of the tongue. Your roommate?"
"She has already returned."
Toki paused slightly.
"Before the two from the Super Phenomenon Task Force arrive, I should also be returning."
After saying that, she looked toward the mechanical giant serpent in the distance that was currently firing laser beams and said casually.
"So, until then, let's end the battle."
With Toki joining the fight, the pressure on those directly confronting Binah was greatly reduced, and the balance of victory had even completely shifted.
Perhaps thanks to Atsuko's mediation, Azusa and Saori, who had been fighting fiercely not long ago, were now working together against Binah as if they shared a common enemy, coordinating with surprising tacit understanding.
That much was only natural.
After all, they had originally been teammates who lived together, trained together, and fought together.
But seeing that scene left a faint, inexplicable discomfort in my heart.
Still, in the current state, Azusa alone on the front line could not both fight Binah and protect me.
The two girls from Arius Squad had also, as I had overheard earlier, given up on escaping in the chaos and instead stayed behind to fight Binah for now.
Perhaps not only those two, but even Misaki and Hiyori might also be on their way.
Maybe… they all held goodwill toward me.
If that was the case, then even though they had already decided to betray Beatrice, they still refused to surrender to me for only one reason.
It was not that they were stubbornly unrepentant.
It was that I was someone worthy of their goodwill, but not worthy of their trust.
I wanted to defend myself, yet I did not know how to prove that I could protect them.
Defeating Beatrice would allow me to directly present the result in front of them. But if they did not believe I could do it in the first place, then how could I ever reach that point?
It felt like I had fallen into an unsolvable loop.
If that was the case, then I could only stick to my original idea and capture the entire Arius Squad, cutting off all other paths for them.
Even though I understood that, I still could not suppress the feelings of frustration and irritation, and could only do something to divert my attention.
So I checked through communications to confirm how long reinforcements would take to arrive, only to receive an unfavorable answer.
After being influenced by the Decagrammaton, the Justina Council had become far more troublesome than expected.
Not only had their combat power increased significantly, but their ability to multiply infinitely still remained. Most importantly, they had even begun to show basic tactical coordination.
Although it was still unclear whether this was a new mutation of the Justina Council itself or someone manipulating them behind the scenes, the result was the same either way.
In the short term, it would be difficult for other students to arrive.
After observing the situation on the battlefield, I clicked my tongue and estimated that by the time they did arrive, the few present would have already mostly driven Binah back on their own.
Then I took out my card and checked the various authorities I currently possessed, trying to see if any of them could speed up the battle.
…Come to think of it, since the Prophets are AI-based, they should also count as electronic products, right?
With that thought, I tried using Millennium-type authority on Binah.
After a moment, an intermittent curse came through.
"Antichrist! I f*** you, I, I… I f*** you yourself!"
I nodded in satisfaction, feeling refreshed, even their insults sounded much more pleasant.
I tried a few more authorities on Binah. Some had no effect at all, others only minimal results.
However, each time, it would notice in time and immediately start spewing profanity.
Thinking about it…
Looking at Binah's form, and then at the description of a certain authority, I fell into thought.
"Arona," I asked, "you will protect me, right?"
"Of course! Leave everything to me… huh? Sensei, what are you planning to do?"
After receiving Arona's assurance, and while Binah did not seem to notice me, I walked toward a certain direction.
Soon, I arrived beside the long tail that had erupted from the ground when Binah ambushed me earlier and had not yet retracted.
With a mixture of excitement and nervousness, I casually kicked the pure white segmented armor.
Then I turned and ran, quietly anticipating what kind of reaction would follow.
A few seconds that felt unusually long to me passed.
Suddenly, an earth-shaking wail erupted, startling even me.
…A Dragon-type special attack really works on Binah?
And moreover, this effect seemed…
I could not help but stop and look back.
Binah, who had just been struggling to hold its ground, had now fully retracted both its head and tail underground. Then, rumbling sounds rose again from beneath the earth, gradually moving away.
It… ran away.