Infinite Stratos, Volume 3, page 13
“Ling— Damn you!”
Houki hefted a katana in each hand and made a diving slash at the Gospel. Taking advantage of its lost balance from its sudden acceleration, she plunged toward its exposed right shoulder. Got it! At the same moment as she thought she’d grasped victory, though, unbelievably, the Gospel turned and caught each blade in one palm.
“What?!” Even as the blades’ energy melted through its armor, the Gospel again spread its arms wide. Houki, still gripping them, felt her arms pulled apart too as her front was exposed. And then the remaining wing trained its barrels on her.
“Houki! Drop your weapons and get out of there!”
But Houki couldn’t loosen her grip. If I give up here, what have I been fighting for? As the energy bullets charged, a glowing light shined from the wing, and then it erupted in fire. What do I have strength for? Just before the bullets struck, Akatsubaki quickly spun away. Its toetips, as if responding to her will, sprung blades of pure energy.
“There!”
As if delivering an axe kick, the blades raked across the Gospel. The Gospel, finally bereft of its wings, fell toward the sea.
“Haa... Haa...”
“Are you okay?!”
Houki calmed her ragged breathing as she heard a rare sign of concern from Laura.
“I... I’m fine. What about the Gos—”
Just as someone answered ‘we won,’ a sphere of light burst forth from the sea.
“......?!”
A round cavity in the surface formed around it, as if the flow of time had stopped. Inside, the Silverio Gospel, racked with blue lightning, floated as if embracing itself.
“What?! What on earth is happening?”
“Oh no! This is its second shift!” The second Laura shouted it out, the Gospel turned its face toward her, as if responding. The mechanical visor covering its pilot’s face hid her expression, but it was obviously malevolent, as each IS’ warning buzzers sounded off in a cacophony. However—it was too late.
[GRAAAAAAAAAGH!] With a shout like the roar of a beast, the Gospel rocketed toward Laura.
“What?!”
Its speed was too fast to evade, and it grabbed Laura by the legs. Like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, two wings of raw energy began to sprout slowly, but steadily, from its cut off head.
“Let go of Laura!”
Charlotte quickly switched over to a blade and thrust in. But, effortlessly, with its free hand, the Gospel pushed the blade aside.
“Get away! Run away! It’s going to—”
Laura’s sentence was cut off as the blinding beauty of the wing wrapped around her. A moment later, its hail of energy fired from point-blank range, and she fell, crumpled, down to the sea.
“LAURA! Dammit!”
Throwing away her blade, Charlotte swapped to a shotgun. Placing the mouth of its barrel to the Gospel’s forehead, she pulled the trigger. BANG! But the sound that ran was not of the shotgun firing. Suddenly cracks began to form across Gospel. On its chest, its torso, and its back, it was as if it was an eggshell hatching. Through the cracks small wings of light emitted from within. Their fire blew Charlotte’s shotgun away before pelting her.
“What’s going on?! This is just too much, even for a military—”
Cecilia set her eyes on the Gospel, preparing for another attack. With ‘Ignition Boost,’ thrusters on each of the Gospel’s arms and legs roared.
“Ugh!”
A long-range gun was a liability in a close-in fight. Even as Cecilia swung its barrel to bear, the Gospel kicked it away. And in the next blink of the eye, its wings erupted again. Cecilia sunk into the ocean, unable to even mount a counterattack.
“I won’t let you do that to my friends!” Houki suddenly accelerated in. Using her variable-sweep armor, she acrobatically evaded each counter, boosting at each turn to slash without regaining her footing. “HIIIIRAH!”
A dance of dodges and pressed attacks unfolded in midair. As Akatsubaki sped up, slowly but surely, it put the Gospel on the back foot. I can do this! I just need to keep going! Houki put her all into a sudden checked swing to the head. But— Fshhirrr.
“What?! I’m out of ener— GAH!”
Seizing the opportunity, the Gospel caught Houki by the neck. Slowly, its wings wrapped around her.
I’m sorry, Ichika...
◇
Waves crashed. I listened to them as I watched her. Somehow her singing, her dancing, reminded me so, so much of home.
Huh...? I noticed that her song had quieted. As her steps stilled too, the girl stared up at the sky. Wondering why, I stood up from my log and walked to her side. As the waves crashed and washed over the beach, their cooling water moistened my feet as I stepped to the water’s edge.
“What’s wrong?”
Even though I called out to her, the girl kept still, motionless, staring at the sky. When I looked up too, she finally spoke, “They’re calling. It’s time to get going.”
“Eh?”
I looked back to my side, and she wasn’t there. What the... Casting my eyes from side to side, I saw not a sign of human life. Nor could I hear her song. There was nothing more than the sound of the waves.
“Hmm...”
With nothing else to do, I turned to return to the makeshift sofa. And then, from behind me came a voice, “Do you desire strength?”
“Eh?” I spun around, and amidst the waves stood a woman—the water lapping up to her knees. Her body was encased in sparkling white armor, like that of a knight. A great sword was planted in the ground before her, and upon it she rested both hands. Armor covered her eyes, and I could see only the bottom half of her face.
“Do you desire strength? And why?”
“Strength? Well... That’s a tough question.”
The endless flow of the waves continued, it was the only thing that stood between us.
“I... I have an answer, though. To protect my friends—my comrades.”
“Your comrades?”
“My comrades... How should I say it... There are things in this world worth fighting for, right? Not just for the sake of fighting. For goals.”
Even though I didn’t even have my own thoughts about it sorted out, I was able to give her a clear answer. As I listened to myself speak, I was sometimes surprised at what I really thought.
“And sometimes, when you pursue those goals, what happens doesn’t make sense. There’s a lot of pointless violence. And when that happens, I want to protect my comrades. The people I fight alongside.”
“I see...” The woman quietly nodded.
“Then you need to get going.”
“Eh?”
Another voice came from behind me. I turned to see the girl in the skirt again. She gave a friendly smile, and gazed at me calmly.
“Ready?” As she grasped my hand, she broke out into a grin. Suddenly blushing, I nodded ‘yes.’ Immediately after, my surroundings changed.
“W-What’s going on?”
The sky—the whole world—began to glow brightly. As the white light enveloped me, the beach around me blurred. As if a dream was ending, it occurred to me. Now that I think of it... That woman looked familiar. That white knight.
◆
“Guh... Ghrgh...”
A gasp of pain escaped Houki’s throat through the choke hold. The Gospel’s hand gripped tighter around her neck, and a Silver Bell of pure energy wrapped around the Akatsubaki. Is this it? I can’t believe it would end like this... The wing’s glow grew more intense. As she counted down to it firing, a single thought floated through her mind.
—I want to be with him—
—I want to be with Ichika—
—Right now, I want to be with him—
—Ah, to be by his side—
“Ichi... ka...”
Unconsciously, his name passed her lips.
“Ichika...”
As the glow intensified, she made her final peace.
Fshooom!
[—?!]
Suddenly, the Gospel’s grasp on her loosened. Confused, Houki opened her eyes, only to see a particle cannon burst blast it away. What just happened? The voice she’d longed for rang like a bell through her confusion.
“I won’t let you lay a hand on any of my comrades!”
Just before Houki’s eyes, a white IS glimmered with light.
“A-Ahh...” Tears welled up in her eyes. Hovering in her clouded vision was Byakushiki’s second shift, Setsura—and Ichika.
◇
“Ichika! Ichika, is that you? How? You were so badly burnt—”
I made my way to Houki’s side as she struggled to control her voice.
“Yeah. Sorry I took so long.”
“I... I’m so happy...”
“Were you crying?”
“I most certainly was not!”
I gently patted Houki’s head as she dabbed tears from the corners of her eyes.
“Don’t worry. It’s okay now.”
“I wasn’t worried...”
Trying to show she was still in control. That was definitely Houki. As I patted her head, I noticed she wasn’t wearing a ponytail.
“Good timing. Here, have this.”
“Eh...?”
I passed what I was carrying to Houki.
“A... ribbon?”
“Happy birthday.”
“Ah...”
It was July 7th. Today was Houki’s birthday. I hadn’t been sure what to get her, so I’d asked Charl to help me pick something out.
“Go ahead. Put it on.”
“Y-Yeah.”
“All right, here I go. This isn’t over yet.” As I spoke, I dashed toward the incoming Silverio Gospel. “Time for a rematch!”
I brandished the Yukihira Nigata in my right hand, and slashed. As it grazed over the IS, I followed up with the new weapon in my left hand—Setsura. It appeared when Byakushiki changed to second shift, and could seemingly adapt to any tactical condition. It seemed to share the same name as the second shift, too. This time, I envisioned an energy claw springing from my fingertips.
“You can’t dodge this!”
A claw more than a meter long sliced through the IS’ armor. Even though it was dissipated by its shield, it was a clean hit.
[Updating data on enemy IS. Engaging with attack level A.] Silverio Gospel spread its energy wings, and the wings growing from its body snapped taut. After evading, it returned strafing fire.
“How many times do you think you’re getting away with that?!”
Rather than dodging, I raised my left hand before myself and switched the Setsura to shield mode. It would absorb the bullets. With a ringing noise, the Setsura changed form. A barrier of light spread out, and the rain of fire from Silverio Gospel had vanished. It was an energy canceler, like the Reiraku Byakuya, but as a shield. It may have had a high cost in energy, but being able to completely cancel the enemy’s attacks gave me the advantage. I’d looked over the datasheets earlier, and they only had energy weapons.
“RAAAGH!”
Byakushiki Setsura’s four gigantic wing thrusters roared to life, as I activated Double Ignition. Even the nimble Gospel couldn’t evade, and I closed in fast.
[Change of tactical situation. Using maximum attack power.]
As Silverio Gospel’s artificial voice announced its next tactic, its extended wings folded in to wrap around its body. They formed into a sphere, and encased itself in a cocoon of energy. Oh no. I have a bad feeling about this. And I was right.
The wings spun around, opening again, and filled the air around it with a storm of bullets. An attack which would hit Rin and the others, who were still recovering. Ugh! Can I protect them?! I dove in front of them to take the blow, only to be kicked away.
“What are you doing?! We may be wounded, but we’re still National Cadets! Don’t worry about us! Take down the enemy!”
“Rin... Okay!”
I had to believe in them. There was no other choice. No matter what, I had to just believe. With Yukihira in my right hand and Setsura in my left, I brought forth the shining blade of Reiraku Byakuya from each, and charged back toward my enemy.
◆
Ichika! He came! Her heart fluttered. Her passion leapt forth. And seeing him fight, she wished, more than anything. I want to fight alongside him. I want to protect him! Wished with all her heart. As if to answer her prayer, sparks of gold blended with the red light of her variable-sweep armor.
“Is this—”
As the stream of data from her hypersensor entered her mind, she could sense energy suddenly flow back into Akatsubaki.
[KENRAN BUTOU ACTIVATED. DAZZLING DANCE. ENERGY BYPASS TO VARIABLE-SHIFT ARMOR: COMPLETE.]
An indicator reading ‘One-Off Ability’ floated before her eyes. I can still fight? Then— Tightening the ribbon she’d received from Ichika, Houki looked at the Gospel and steeled her will. Here we go! Akatsubaki! A crimson streak trailed golden stardust as it sliced across the evening sky, backlit by the setting sun.
◇
“I’ve got you now!” The glowing blades of Reiraku Byakuya cleaved through the Silverio Gospel’s energy wing. Landing a follow-up strike, though, was near-impossible, and my second slash went wide. As I followed through, its lost wing regrew, and coiled for another impossibly-fierce barrage. “Ugh!”
[REMAINING ENERGY: 20%. ESTIMATED OPERATIONAL TIME REMAINING: 3 MINUTES.]
Shit! I’m not going to be able to— I had no clue how much energy a military IS without a limiter had available. Meanwhile, my own was operating at its limits. A sense of unease began to eat at me.
“Ichika!”
“Houki?! But, you took so much damage—”
“Don’t worry about me! Take this!” Houki’s—Akatsubaki’s—hand stretched forth and rested on Byakushiki. At the same moment, a feeling halfway between an electric shock and a burning sensation spread over me, and my vision wavered.
“W-What’s going on? My energy... Is refilling?! Houki, what did you just—”
“Don’t worry about that right now! Just go for it, Ichika!”
“Yeah!”
Focusing again, I raised Yukihira Nigata to its maximum power. A massive blade of pure energy sprung forth from my grasped hands.
“HIIRAAAAAARGH!”
Silverio Gospel ducked to the side to evade my sideways slash, and as it reentered my sight I saw its wing of light begin to curl around me. This is our chance!
“Houki!”
“Got it!” Houki’s twin blades cut a double slash through the wing as it thrust forward. “You’re not getting away!”
The variable-sweep armor on her legs opened up as it drove a fierce kick to the Gospel’s body. As it staggered under the unexpected assault, I slashed back upward, cutting through the remaining wing. Finally, with a thrust forward, I sheered the smaller wings from its body.
No turning back now! Bathed in a hail of fire, I thrust Reiraku Byakuya’s blade into the IS’ chest with a roar. As I felt the energy blade make contact, I pushed my thrusters to their limit. Even as I cut through Silverio Gospel, its hand reached toward me. Only as its fingers began to wrap around my neck did the silver IS finally shut down. I panted for breath as the pilot, now armorless and clad only in an IS suit, fell toward the sea.
“Oh no—”
“Jeez, you’re so sloppy.”
Rin had finally recovered from her damage, and scooped her out of the air just before she splashed down. It looked like Charl and Laura were fine too, even if they weren’t exactly unscathed.
“It’s over.”
“Yeah... Finally.”
Side by side with Houki, I gazed up at the sky. The sky, which was so blue earlier, was fading to the warm, dusky vermilion of twilight.
◇
“Mission successful... Is what I’d like to say, but your insubordination is a major problem. When we get back to the academy, be ready for a formal written apology and some special corrective training.”
“Understood...”
A chilly welcome for the returning warriors. The thrill of victory had faded like mist before Chifuyu’s cold reproach. Now, we knelt in the banquet hall. The wait had already been thirty minutes. Cecilia’s face had faded from a bright red to a sickly wan hue, as if signaling oncoming danger.
“Er, Ms. Orimura. Isn’t this enough by now? They’re injured...”
“Hmph.”
Chifuyu’s anger was matched by Ms. Yamada’s concern. She’d been busy assembling first aid kits and rehydration packs.
“Take a quick rest, and then we’ll need to get you checked out. This will be a full-body exam, so undress first. Ah— Wait! Boys and girls will be examined separately! Understood, Orimura?”
Well, of course. That was practically a given. Anyway, the moment she said ‘undress,’ the girls all subconsciously covered up. It stung. Did they think I was the kind of guy to start leering?
“First off, though, make sure you rehydrate. If you don’t pay attention to that kind of thing in the summertime, it can catch up with you fast.”
A quick agreement, and we passed the sports drinks around. They were lukewarm, of course. It wouldn’t have been healthy to just chug something cold.
“Oww... Wow, I think I have a cut in my mouth.”
A metallic taste filled my mouth, which I thought to be blood. I may have bitten myself without noticing during the fight. It looked like I’d be skipping the wasabi in my soy sauce at dinner tonight. That would be hell on earth.
“.........”
“Is there something else, Ms. Orimura?
She had been glaring in our direction for a while, and I was unsettled enough to speak up. Ugh, no, that was probably just going to make her angrier.
“Honestly, that was good work out there... I’m glad you all made it back safely.”
“Eh? Uh...”
A hint of embarrassment flitted over her face before she turned around and it disappeared from our sight. Having seen her worry about us, I silently thanked her. If I had spoken it aloud, I’m sure she would have been displeased.
“.........”
