Infinite Stratos, Volume 5, page 10
“Over here.”
“Huh?”
A hand caught my foot, and I fell from the heights of the set.
◇
“We’ve made it out.”
“Phew... Thanks.”
I’d been led through the paths below the set to a locker room. It was the one I’d used before, so my uniform and things were all ready for me.
“Um...”
I’d had enough time to catch my breath and realized that it had been too dark to see who I was following. Taking a closer look at her, I saw it was Makigami Reiko, the woman who’d given me her business card earlier. She was grinning—it was the only expression I’d seen her have, really.
“Huh? Why are you—”
“Oh, yes. And now I’ll be taking Byakushiki.”
“...Huh?”
Her grin remained fixed in place and she replied, “Just hurry up and hand it over, punk.”
“Um... Is this a joke?”
“Ugh, do you seriously think I want to make small talk with a little shit like you.” Her expression was completely out of sync with the words coming out of her mouth. While I was still processing the gap between the two, she struck me with a fierce kick to the gut. The impact slammed me back into a locker. “Son of a bitch. Looks like my face got stuck this way.”
“Wh-Who are you?!” I muttered, as coughs wracked my chest.
“What? Me? I’m a mysterious beauty disguised as an industry insider. Are you happy now?”
She kicked me a couple more times for good measure as I lay on the ground. It was only then that I realized she was a serious threat. I’d gotten far too soft.
“Ugh... Byakushiki!”
This was an emergency, and I materialized my IS suit along with it. My costume dissolved into particles, only to reform. It may have taken more energy than usual, but this was no time to be sweating the small stuff. There was an enemy right in front of me who I knew nothing about.
“I’ve been waiting for you to do that.” Makigami—no, the woman’s smile finally disappeared, as her eyes twisted into snakelike slits. As she spoke, her long tongue flitted forth, making her appear even more serpentine. “Because now, it’s time for this!”
“......?!”
Her suit split open, and sharp claws extended from her back. They were striped a menacing black and yellow, jointed like spider legs, and each was tipped with a blade.
“Eat this!” The blades at the tip of her eight armored legs split open, revealing the muzzles of eight guns.
“Shit!” I slammed my leg-mounted thrusters into the floor and fired them at full output. The PIC’s inertial canceling carried Byakushiki and I toward the ceiling in an evasive maneuver.
“Oh? Not bad!”
I dropped thrust as I was about to hit the ceiling, and activated Setsura in claw mode. Using Setsura, a built-in weapon, was quicker than materializing Yukihira Nigata would have been.
“Who are you?!”
“Hmm? Haven’t you realized yet? I’m from a shadowy organization!” She replied while dodging backwards.
“Quit fucking with me!”
“You think I’m kidding, you little turd? I’m Autumn, from the secret society Phantom Task! Does that ring a bell?!”
The woman—Autumn—had fully deployed her IS, and was nimbly dodging my attacks with slight PIC movements while at the same time firing bullets from the guns at the tips of her mechanical legs.
“Eat this!”
All eight guns began to converge on me. As the lines of fire closed in from my sides, I leapt into the air. Planting my feet on the feeling, I fired my thrusters, tumbling forward to close the gap. At the same time, I materialized Yukihira Nigata in my right hand and took an overhand swing at her. I’ve got her!
“Not even close!” Her eight armored legs folded to catch Yukihira Nigata.
“Dammit!”
The legs wrapped around the blade, and I couldn’t finish my slash or pull it back. At the same time, Autumn materialized a machine gun in her hand and fired at me.
“Ugh!”
Bullet after bullet pierced my shields, and the shockwaves pummeled my body. The emergency defenses may have saved me, but they did nothing to dull the pain.
I can’t take much more of this! Casting aside my weapons, I fired the retro rockets on my wing thrusters, hopping backward and into the air. As I twisted around the bullets, I kicked her gun into the air while wrenching Yukihira Nigata back from her mechanical legs.
“Hahaha! Not bad, punk! Not many can escape my Arachne!”
“Shut up, will you!” There were plenty of obstacles in the locker room, but the training in manual control I’d gotten from Tatenashi let me weave past Autumn’s attacks while closing in. Those lessons were really coming in handy. “URAAAH!”
“Whoa! That was close!”
Autumn’s attacks hammered at me as I struggled to close the gap. It seemed like each of her mechanical legs had its own independent PIC, as the Arachne moved faster and more unpredictably than any IS I’d ever seen. Almost like a spider.
I’ve got to predict her movement and cut her off with Ignition Boost! Using Circle Rondo strafing to evade the bullets raining down on me, I waited for my chance. Calm down. Calm down, and wait for the right timing. Then rush her and take her down.
“Oh, right, I may as well tell you. We’re the ones who kidnapped you during the second Mondo Grosso! What a touching reunion this is!”
“......!!”
My mind boiled over in rage as I heard her. Really? I see, then...
“Then I’ll pay you back!”
“Such an inexperienced little boy. No subtlety, just rushing from the front like that... There!”
I barely noticed her weaving a cat’s cradle of sorts between her fingertips before she flung it at me. The ball of energy wires burst before my eyes into a gigantic web.
“Ugh! Damn you!”
If it was energy, Setsura could cut through it! Or so I hoped... but it wrapped around me, disabling me within seconds.
“Hahaha! That was so easy! It’s what you deserve for underestimating a spider’s web!” As I struggled and squirmed, she strode toward me with a half-smirk on her face. In her hand was a device with four legs which I hadn’t seen her use before. “And now for the fun part.”
It was around 40 centimeters wide. With a whirring sound, its legs began to stretch out.
“Now, have you finished your goodbyes? Gyahaha!”
“To who?!”
The device latched onto me. Its legs wrapped firmly around my chest.
“To your IS, of course!”
“What?!” For a moment, it felt like electricity was coursing through my body. “GAAAAH!”
It felt like I was being torn apart. Every joint in my skeleton screamed in pain. Autumn’s glowering smile as I twisted in agony chafed at me. I didn’t understand how I could focus enough through the pain to resent it so much.
“And, done.”
The feeling of shock evaporated, and the device unlatched from around me. At the same time, the web dissipated. Now! I put all my strength into a haymaker punch, but—
“You’ve got no chance, punk! Not without an IS!”
Instead, she kicked me, and I flew back into the lockers again. Only then did the pain make me realize. Byakushiki was gone.
“Wh-What’s going on?! Byakushiki! Come on!”
Only my IS suit was left on me. Byakushiki’s armor and weapons had disappeared.
“Hehehe, your precious IS is right here.”
“What?!”
Autumn held up her hand, to show a diamond-shaped crystal. It was unmistakably Byakushiki’s core. Its gleam, and its shape instead of the normal sphere, were more than enough proof.
“Remember that device? It’s called a ‘Remover!’ It’s a secret weapon that forcibly strips your IS away. Feel lucky that you got to see it while you were still alive!”
She kicked me twice more. I was too injured to stand, and could only glare at Autumn until she stepped on my face.
“Give... Give it back...”
“What was that? I can’t hear you.”
“GIVE IT BACK! Quit fucking with me!”
I’d finally worked up the strength to move again, and tried to sweep her legs out from under her.
“You’re too slow!”
This time, she kicked me in my side. My back crunched into the wall, and I lost my breath. What was with her? Did she just like kicking people? To be honest, I didn’t get it. It wasn’t like her legs were all that great. And I should know; if there’s anything I get to do all day, it’s enjoy some beautiful legs.
Ha... Hahaha... What the hell is going on? Is this what people get like when they crack? I laughed bitterly to myself. It really was just the same. I was never strong enough. But— But I still can’t forgive that! I wrapped my arms around her leg as she wound up for another kick, and pulled it close to me. At the same time, I reached out, grabbing for the IS core.
“Not happening!”
Her mechanical legs smashed me into the wall. Dammit, dammit, dammit!
“Anyway, punk. I’m done with you, so now I’m gonna finish you off.” Her grin was still plastered over her face as she said it.
“That would be unfortunate. I’ve taken quite a liking to Ichika here.”
I heard a voice which sounded entirely too cheerful for the situation. Looking over, and saw Tatenashi standing in the doorway. She was holding her fan, as usual.
“How did you get in here? I had everything locked down! Whatever! You saw me, so I’ll just have to kill you first!”
“Tatenashi!”
Autumn spun around to attack Tatenashi. Her eight armored legs stretched forth.
“I’m the head of the students here. So of course, I need to live up to that.”
“What in the world are you talking about?”
In the blink of an eye, Autumn’s mechanical legs tore through Tatenashi’s body.
Chapter IV: Mysterious Lady
“Tatenashi! Shit, you killed Tatenashi!”
Tatenashi’s expression remained unchanged, even with the mechanical legs impaling her. Looking more closely, I saw that not a drop of blood had spilled from her wounds.
“What’s going on?! That felt like stabbing through nothing!”
“Fufufu.” Tatenashi grinned, briefly, before fading into thin air with a hiss of steam.
“Was that just water?!”
“Correct. A decoy made of water.” Tatenashi’s voice, completely calm, called out from directly behind Autumn. As Autumn spun around, Tatenashi swung her lance in a wide arc.
“Ugh!”
“Oh, did I miss? That IS of yours is quite mobile, isn’t it.”
“Who the hell are you?!”
“Sarashiki Tatenashi. And the IS Mysterious Lady. Remember it well.” Tatenashi grinned again.
Her IS was like none Ichika had ever seen before. Its armor was small and tight-fitting, but covering the gaps was a transparent fluid field, almost like a dress made purely of water. What caught my eye the most about the Mysterious Lady’s unique appearance were the two crystalline parts floating at its sides. Those ‘aqua crystals’ extended a veil of water which swirled around Tatenashi like a cape. Wrapping around the massive lance in her hand was a spiral of water, which began to spin as if the entire thing was a drill.
“Gah! I’ll kill you right here!”
“Ahaha. Playing the villain, are you? Don’t you know that only assures my victory?”
Tatenashi plunged forward with her lance as she taunted Autumn, seeking to strike while warding off attacks with its bulk, parrying Arachne’s eight mechanical legs and Autumn’s own two arms with only a single weapon.
“Dammit! You’re full of yourself, kid!” Autumn slipped a pair of katars out of sheathes on her hip armor, and swung with them as her mechanical legs returned fire in ranged mode.
“A scattershot attack like that will do nothing against water.” The hail of fire was easily stopped by Tatenashi’s veil. As each bullet struck, it froze within the flowing water, robbed of its momentum.
“That isn’t just water!”
“My, you’re a clever one. It’s shaped by nanomachines which conduct my IS’ energy. Impressive, if I do say so myself.” Tatenashi stayed on the attack as she spoke, and Autumn’s skillful attacks with the katars were parried with the lance, and even kicked down when they got too close.
“Just who the hell are you?!”
“I thought I already introduced myself.”
“You stuck-up little bitch!”
Autumn’s frustration began to get the better of her as she failed to land a single blow. Tatenashi, meanwhile, was the picture of perfect calm, maintaining absolute composure as she gradually ground forward.
“Did you know? The student council president is the strongest student here.”
“Who gives a shit?!”
Autumn suddenly threw the katar from her left hand, leaping forward in the opening this created. At the same time as it struck Tatenashi, she kicked the lance downward toward the floor.
“Oh my.”
“Eat this!” Autumn pressed the attack, four mechanical legs firing while the other four struck with their blades.
“Ah, yes. Intense indeed.”
“Hahaha! Still feel like talking shit? ‘Strongest’? Give me a break!” Autumn was right. Tatenashi was beginning to stagger under the relentless assault. She may have had armor to rely on, but the strikes were beginning to land on it.
“Tatenashi!”
“Just rest, Ichika. Leave it all to me. All you have to do is believe.”
“You stupid kid! Stop pretending you’re not in deep shit!” Autumn had broken through Tatenashi’s defenses, and delivered a crushing kick to her, sending her flying backwards. At the same time, she wove a web in her hands, and wrapped it around Tatenashi, trapping her. “You... You little... You’re really a fuckin’ handful... Kid!”
“Oh dear, I can’t move.”
“This time I’ve got you pinned down!” The joints of her eight mechanical legs clanked as they slowly extended toward Tatenashi. But there wasn’t a single hint of panic or fear in her face.
“Hey, is it just me or is it getting hot in here?”
“What?”
“I mean, not actually hot, but it certainly feels that way.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You know, the heat index is based on humidity. So, I guess, is it just me or is it humid in here?”
“......?!”
It was only then that Autumn noticed the mist filling the room. A thick cloud of it wrapped around her body.
“Ahh, that’s the expression I’ve been waiting to see. The moment when you realize your plan failed.”
Tatenashi wore the unfathomable smile of a goddess. But behind it was all the certain doom of the Grim Reaper’s skeletal leer.
“Mysterious Lady... The Lady of the Mists. It can control water as if it was an extension of itself. And, as I told you before, the nanomachines which do this can conduct energy straight from the IS.”
“D-Dammit!”
“Too slow.” Tatenashi snapped her fingers. In the next moment, Autumn was swallowed by an explosion. “Ahahah. Did you really think I told you that because I wanted to show off, or because I liked to overshare? I told you it because I wanted to see the look of shock on your face.”
This was ‘Clear Passion’—an attack which used the nanomachines flowing through the water to superheat it, enveloping the target in explosions. It may only be effective in a limited area, but every move she makes in a fight contributes to setting it up, so it’s extremely useful in real combat.
“Guh... Ugh... This... This isn’t over yet!”
“No, I’m pretty sure it is. Right, Ichika?”
Autumn, filled with dread, turned around. Before her was Ichika, grasping his right forearm while focusing intently.
“Come, Byakushiki!”
He was wrapped in light, then—
◇
Tatenashi said to ‘believe.’ She must have meant to believe in Byakushiki. I’d never seen something turn out so conveniently. But still, I believed it would this time. Byakushiki will respond. As long as... As long as I keep calling for it!
“Come, Byakushiki!”
I focused intently on my right arm, and soon enough, I could see a warm glow even though my eyes were squeezed shut. Then... In my right hand, the core materialized—no, was summoned.
“Byakushiki, emergency materialization! Yukihira Nigata, full power!”
The core’s glow changed to particles of light which wrapped around me. The feeling in my hand changed from the core to the firm weight of a weapon and I opened my eyes. I can do this! Byakushiki was already fully materialized, and I synchronized my thoughts with it as I rushed at Autumn. As I raised my blade over my head, I felt Reiraku Byakuya activate.
“What the fuck?! How did you—”
“I don’t even know! But take this!”
“GWAHH!”
Her eight mechanical legs came together, stopping my slash over her head. But I pressed harder, refusing to be stopped, and soon it carved through them.
“What the—”
I could see Autumn move in slow motion, framed by the wreckage of her IS’ legs. No. She wasn’t moving that slow. I was moving that fast.
“GUH!”
I landed a kick propelled by both Ignition Boost and my thrusters at full power, and Autumn flew back into the wall. It was forceful enough to leave cracks in the wall I could see into the next room through.
“Ichika, tie her up!”
“Got it!”
“D-Dammit... Is this the end?” Autumn muttered. With a sucking whoosh, her IS detached from her body onto the floor.
“What?!”
“ICHIKA!”
It began to glow, and a few seconds later erupted in a massive explosion. I was almost caught in it, but Tatenashi dove in front of me to keep me safe.
“Are you okay, Ichika?”
Her water veil had extended as far as possible to defend me. No matter how effective an IS’ emergency defenses were, eating that at close range definitely would leave a mark.
“I... I think... Wait! Where’d she go?!”
“Huh?”
A hand caught my foot, and I fell from the heights of the set.
◇
“We’ve made it out.”
“Phew... Thanks.”
I’d been led through the paths below the set to a locker room. It was the one I’d used before, so my uniform and things were all ready for me.
“Um...”
I’d had enough time to catch my breath and realized that it had been too dark to see who I was following. Taking a closer look at her, I saw it was Makigami Reiko, the woman who’d given me her business card earlier. She was grinning—it was the only expression I’d seen her have, really.
“Huh? Why are you—”
“Oh, yes. And now I’ll be taking Byakushiki.”
“...Huh?”
Her grin remained fixed in place and she replied, “Just hurry up and hand it over, punk.”
“Um... Is this a joke?”
“Ugh, do you seriously think I want to make small talk with a little shit like you.” Her expression was completely out of sync with the words coming out of her mouth. While I was still processing the gap between the two, she struck me with a fierce kick to the gut. The impact slammed me back into a locker. “Son of a bitch. Looks like my face got stuck this way.”
“Wh-Who are you?!” I muttered, as coughs wracked my chest.
“What? Me? I’m a mysterious beauty disguised as an industry insider. Are you happy now?”
She kicked me a couple more times for good measure as I lay on the ground. It was only then that I realized she was a serious threat. I’d gotten far too soft.
“Ugh... Byakushiki!”
This was an emergency, and I materialized my IS suit along with it. My costume dissolved into particles, only to reform. It may have taken more energy than usual, but this was no time to be sweating the small stuff. There was an enemy right in front of me who I knew nothing about.
“I’ve been waiting for you to do that.” Makigami—no, the woman’s smile finally disappeared, as her eyes twisted into snakelike slits. As she spoke, her long tongue flitted forth, making her appear even more serpentine. “Because now, it’s time for this!”
“......?!”
Her suit split open, and sharp claws extended from her back. They were striped a menacing black and yellow, jointed like spider legs, and each was tipped with a blade.
“Eat this!” The blades at the tip of her eight armored legs split open, revealing the muzzles of eight guns.
“Shit!” I slammed my leg-mounted thrusters into the floor and fired them at full output. The PIC’s inertial canceling carried Byakushiki and I toward the ceiling in an evasive maneuver.
“Oh? Not bad!”
I dropped thrust as I was about to hit the ceiling, and activated Setsura in claw mode. Using Setsura, a built-in weapon, was quicker than materializing Yukihira Nigata would have been.
“Who are you?!”
“Hmm? Haven’t you realized yet? I’m from a shadowy organization!” She replied while dodging backwards.
“Quit fucking with me!”
“You think I’m kidding, you little turd? I’m Autumn, from the secret society Phantom Task! Does that ring a bell?!”
The woman—Autumn—had fully deployed her IS, and was nimbly dodging my attacks with slight PIC movements while at the same time firing bullets from the guns at the tips of her mechanical legs.
“Eat this!”
All eight guns began to converge on me. As the lines of fire closed in from my sides, I leapt into the air. Planting my feet on the feeling, I fired my thrusters, tumbling forward to close the gap. At the same time, I materialized Yukihira Nigata in my right hand and took an overhand swing at her. I’ve got her!
“Not even close!” Her eight armored legs folded to catch Yukihira Nigata.
“Dammit!”
The legs wrapped around the blade, and I couldn’t finish my slash or pull it back. At the same time, Autumn materialized a machine gun in her hand and fired at me.
“Ugh!”
Bullet after bullet pierced my shields, and the shockwaves pummeled my body. The emergency defenses may have saved me, but they did nothing to dull the pain.
I can’t take much more of this! Casting aside my weapons, I fired the retro rockets on my wing thrusters, hopping backward and into the air. As I twisted around the bullets, I kicked her gun into the air while wrenching Yukihira Nigata back from her mechanical legs.
“Hahaha! Not bad, punk! Not many can escape my Arachne!”
“Shut up, will you!” There were plenty of obstacles in the locker room, but the training in manual control I’d gotten from Tatenashi let me weave past Autumn’s attacks while closing in. Those lessons were really coming in handy. “URAAAH!”
“Whoa! That was close!”
Autumn’s attacks hammered at me as I struggled to close the gap. It seemed like each of her mechanical legs had its own independent PIC, as the Arachne moved faster and more unpredictably than any IS I’d ever seen. Almost like a spider.
I’ve got to predict her movement and cut her off with Ignition Boost! Using Circle Rondo strafing to evade the bullets raining down on me, I waited for my chance. Calm down. Calm down, and wait for the right timing. Then rush her and take her down.
“Oh, right, I may as well tell you. We’re the ones who kidnapped you during the second Mondo Grosso! What a touching reunion this is!”
“......!!”
My mind boiled over in rage as I heard her. Really? I see, then...
“Then I’ll pay you back!”
“Such an inexperienced little boy. No subtlety, just rushing from the front like that... There!”
I barely noticed her weaving a cat’s cradle of sorts between her fingertips before she flung it at me. The ball of energy wires burst before my eyes into a gigantic web.
“Ugh! Damn you!”
If it was energy, Setsura could cut through it! Or so I hoped... but it wrapped around me, disabling me within seconds.
“Hahaha! That was so easy! It’s what you deserve for underestimating a spider’s web!” As I struggled and squirmed, she strode toward me with a half-smirk on her face. In her hand was a device with four legs which I hadn’t seen her use before. “And now for the fun part.”
It was around 40 centimeters wide. With a whirring sound, its legs began to stretch out.
“Now, have you finished your goodbyes? Gyahaha!”
“To who?!”
The device latched onto me. Its legs wrapped firmly around my chest.
“To your IS, of course!”
“What?!” For a moment, it felt like electricity was coursing through my body. “GAAAAH!”
It felt like I was being torn apart. Every joint in my skeleton screamed in pain. Autumn’s glowering smile as I twisted in agony chafed at me. I didn’t understand how I could focus enough through the pain to resent it so much.
“And, done.”
The feeling of shock evaporated, and the device unlatched from around me. At the same time, the web dissipated. Now! I put all my strength into a haymaker punch, but—
“You’ve got no chance, punk! Not without an IS!”
Instead, she kicked me, and I flew back into the lockers again. Only then did the pain make me realize. Byakushiki was gone.
“Wh-What’s going on?! Byakushiki! Come on!”
Only my IS suit was left on me. Byakushiki’s armor and weapons had disappeared.
“Hehehe, your precious IS is right here.”
“What?!”
Autumn held up her hand, to show a diamond-shaped crystal. It was unmistakably Byakushiki’s core. Its gleam, and its shape instead of the normal sphere, were more than enough proof.
“Remember that device? It’s called a ‘Remover!’ It’s a secret weapon that forcibly strips your IS away. Feel lucky that you got to see it while you were still alive!”
She kicked me twice more. I was too injured to stand, and could only glare at Autumn until she stepped on my face.
“Give... Give it back...”
“What was that? I can’t hear you.”
“GIVE IT BACK! Quit fucking with me!”
I’d finally worked up the strength to move again, and tried to sweep her legs out from under her.
“You’re too slow!”
This time, she kicked me in my side. My back crunched into the wall, and I lost my breath. What was with her? Did she just like kicking people? To be honest, I didn’t get it. It wasn’t like her legs were all that great. And I should know; if there’s anything I get to do all day, it’s enjoy some beautiful legs.
Ha... Hahaha... What the hell is going on? Is this what people get like when they crack? I laughed bitterly to myself. It really was just the same. I was never strong enough. But— But I still can’t forgive that! I wrapped my arms around her leg as she wound up for another kick, and pulled it close to me. At the same time, I reached out, grabbing for the IS core.
“Not happening!”
Her mechanical legs smashed me into the wall. Dammit, dammit, dammit!
“Anyway, punk. I’m done with you, so now I’m gonna finish you off.” Her grin was still plastered over her face as she said it.
“That would be unfortunate. I’ve taken quite a liking to Ichika here.”
I heard a voice which sounded entirely too cheerful for the situation. Looking over, and saw Tatenashi standing in the doorway. She was holding her fan, as usual.
“How did you get in here? I had everything locked down! Whatever! You saw me, so I’ll just have to kill you first!”
“Tatenashi!”
Autumn spun around to attack Tatenashi. Her eight armored legs stretched forth.
“I’m the head of the students here. So of course, I need to live up to that.”
“What in the world are you talking about?”
In the blink of an eye, Autumn’s mechanical legs tore through Tatenashi’s body.
Chapter IV: Mysterious Lady
“Tatenashi! Shit, you killed Tatenashi!”
Tatenashi’s expression remained unchanged, even with the mechanical legs impaling her. Looking more closely, I saw that not a drop of blood had spilled from her wounds.
“What’s going on?! That felt like stabbing through nothing!”
“Fufufu.” Tatenashi grinned, briefly, before fading into thin air with a hiss of steam.
“Was that just water?!”
“Correct. A decoy made of water.” Tatenashi’s voice, completely calm, called out from directly behind Autumn. As Autumn spun around, Tatenashi swung her lance in a wide arc.
“Ugh!”
“Oh, did I miss? That IS of yours is quite mobile, isn’t it.”
“Who the hell are you?!”
“Sarashiki Tatenashi. And the IS Mysterious Lady. Remember it well.” Tatenashi grinned again.
Her IS was like none Ichika had ever seen before. Its armor was small and tight-fitting, but covering the gaps was a transparent fluid field, almost like a dress made purely of water. What caught my eye the most about the Mysterious Lady’s unique appearance were the two crystalline parts floating at its sides. Those ‘aqua crystals’ extended a veil of water which swirled around Tatenashi like a cape. Wrapping around the massive lance in her hand was a spiral of water, which began to spin as if the entire thing was a drill.
“Gah! I’ll kill you right here!”
“Ahaha. Playing the villain, are you? Don’t you know that only assures my victory?”
Tatenashi plunged forward with her lance as she taunted Autumn, seeking to strike while warding off attacks with its bulk, parrying Arachne’s eight mechanical legs and Autumn’s own two arms with only a single weapon.
“Dammit! You’re full of yourself, kid!” Autumn slipped a pair of katars out of sheathes on her hip armor, and swung with them as her mechanical legs returned fire in ranged mode.
“A scattershot attack like that will do nothing against water.” The hail of fire was easily stopped by Tatenashi’s veil. As each bullet struck, it froze within the flowing water, robbed of its momentum.
“That isn’t just water!”
“My, you’re a clever one. It’s shaped by nanomachines which conduct my IS’ energy. Impressive, if I do say so myself.” Tatenashi stayed on the attack as she spoke, and Autumn’s skillful attacks with the katars were parried with the lance, and even kicked down when they got too close.
“Just who the hell are you?!”
“I thought I already introduced myself.”
“You stuck-up little bitch!”
Autumn’s frustration began to get the better of her as she failed to land a single blow. Tatenashi, meanwhile, was the picture of perfect calm, maintaining absolute composure as she gradually ground forward.
“Did you know? The student council president is the strongest student here.”
“Who gives a shit?!”
Autumn suddenly threw the katar from her left hand, leaping forward in the opening this created. At the same time as it struck Tatenashi, she kicked the lance downward toward the floor.
“Oh my.”
“Eat this!” Autumn pressed the attack, four mechanical legs firing while the other four struck with their blades.
“Ah, yes. Intense indeed.”
“Hahaha! Still feel like talking shit? ‘Strongest’? Give me a break!” Autumn was right. Tatenashi was beginning to stagger under the relentless assault. She may have had armor to rely on, but the strikes were beginning to land on it.
“Tatenashi!”
“Just rest, Ichika. Leave it all to me. All you have to do is believe.”
“You stupid kid! Stop pretending you’re not in deep shit!” Autumn had broken through Tatenashi’s defenses, and delivered a crushing kick to her, sending her flying backwards. At the same time, she wove a web in her hands, and wrapped it around Tatenashi, trapping her. “You... You little... You’re really a fuckin’ handful... Kid!”
“Oh dear, I can’t move.”
“This time I’ve got you pinned down!” The joints of her eight mechanical legs clanked as they slowly extended toward Tatenashi. But there wasn’t a single hint of panic or fear in her face.
“Hey, is it just me or is it getting hot in here?”
“What?”
“I mean, not actually hot, but it certainly feels that way.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You know, the heat index is based on humidity. So, I guess, is it just me or is it humid in here?”
“......?!”
It was only then that Autumn noticed the mist filling the room. A thick cloud of it wrapped around her body.
“Ahh, that’s the expression I’ve been waiting to see. The moment when you realize your plan failed.”
Tatenashi wore the unfathomable smile of a goddess. But behind it was all the certain doom of the Grim Reaper’s skeletal leer.
“Mysterious Lady... The Lady of the Mists. It can control water as if it was an extension of itself. And, as I told you before, the nanomachines which do this can conduct energy straight from the IS.”
“D-Dammit!”
“Too slow.” Tatenashi snapped her fingers. In the next moment, Autumn was swallowed by an explosion. “Ahahah. Did you really think I told you that because I wanted to show off, or because I liked to overshare? I told you it because I wanted to see the look of shock on your face.”
This was ‘Clear Passion’—an attack which used the nanomachines flowing through the water to superheat it, enveloping the target in explosions. It may only be effective in a limited area, but every move she makes in a fight contributes to setting it up, so it’s extremely useful in real combat.
“Guh... Ugh... This... This isn’t over yet!”
“No, I’m pretty sure it is. Right, Ichika?”
Autumn, filled with dread, turned around. Before her was Ichika, grasping his right forearm while focusing intently.
“Come, Byakushiki!”
He was wrapped in light, then—
◇
Tatenashi said to ‘believe.’ She must have meant to believe in Byakushiki. I’d never seen something turn out so conveniently. But still, I believed it would this time. Byakushiki will respond. As long as... As long as I keep calling for it!
“Come, Byakushiki!”
I focused intently on my right arm, and soon enough, I could see a warm glow even though my eyes were squeezed shut. Then... In my right hand, the core materialized—no, was summoned.
“Byakushiki, emergency materialization! Yukihira Nigata, full power!”
The core’s glow changed to particles of light which wrapped around me. The feeling in my hand changed from the core to the firm weight of a weapon and I opened my eyes. I can do this! Byakushiki was already fully materialized, and I synchronized my thoughts with it as I rushed at Autumn. As I raised my blade over my head, I felt Reiraku Byakuya activate.
“What the fuck?! How did you—”
“I don’t even know! But take this!”
“GWAHH!”
Her eight mechanical legs came together, stopping my slash over her head. But I pressed harder, refusing to be stopped, and soon it carved through them.
“What the—”
I could see Autumn move in slow motion, framed by the wreckage of her IS’ legs. No. She wasn’t moving that slow. I was moving that fast.
“GUH!”
I landed a kick propelled by both Ignition Boost and my thrusters at full power, and Autumn flew back into the wall. It was forceful enough to leave cracks in the wall I could see into the next room through.
“Ichika, tie her up!”
“Got it!”
“D-Dammit... Is this the end?” Autumn muttered. With a sucking whoosh, her IS detached from her body onto the floor.
“What?!”
“ICHIKA!”
It began to glow, and a few seconds later erupted in a massive explosion. I was almost caught in it, but Tatenashi dove in front of me to keep me safe.
“Are you okay, Ichika?”
Her water veil had extended as far as possible to defend me. No matter how effective an IS’ emergency defenses were, eating that at close range definitely would leave a mark.
“I... I think... Wait! Where’d she go?!”
