The wait didn't last long. Soon, some noisy sounds came from Kusakabe Ryouko's earpiece.
"Yes, yes, this is location A. The results are as... eh?"
Ryouko's eyes widened because of the information that was transmitted to her eardrums.
"Understood..." Saying just those words, Ryouko ended the call.
"That scared me. The sniping permit actually came down."
Holding her chest, Ryouko was being honest, she was somewhat surprised. She had thought that they would undoubtedly issue a standby order.
But, speaking of which, the attack order on the school building yesterday was also a strong attack strategy that they had never considered before.
Perhaps there had been personnel changes in the upper echelons.
Well, Ryouko was just doing her job. Specifically speaking, it was... handing the trigger over to the team member with the highest success rate in this operation.
"Origami, you shoot. You're the most suitable among everyone here right now. Target the Spirit, ignore that man, failure is not allowed. It must be a fatal blow."
Looking at Origami Tobiichi, who was lying on the ground calmly and quietly, Ryouko suddenly felt that her reminder was somewhat superfluous.
The other party would definitely perfectly complete this mission, after all, the concept of revenge was sometimes stronger than any power!
"Understood." Still answering with those two cold words, Origami Tobiichi had completely entered the state, like a precise machine.
Fine-tuning, aiming, and then pulling the trigger, the three steps were completed in one go.
The bullet that had been specially developed for the Spirits, even with eyesight that had been enhanced countless times by the Territory, was difficult to capture its trajectory.
The next moment, it would hit, if Itsuka Shiori hadn't pushed Tohka away.
"Ah, eh..."
Making a harsh sound as if something was stuck in her mouth, uncontrollable tremors arose from her body.
She actually... She actually hit Shiori-san...
The jewel-like pupils seemed to have lost their luster at this moment. She had done something absolutely unforgivable, just now...
"...Origami!!!"
Hearing Captain Ryouko's urgent voice in her ear, she regained her senses slightly.
"Regret it later! I'll scold you to death after this! So right now - just focus on thinking about how to survive...!"
Survive? Would she be allowed to live after doing something like this?
"AST, huh?"
Even Arthas didn't have time to react to what had happened just now, or rather, because his attention was on Tohka, he didn't have time to save Itsuka Shiori.
The attack was launched with a firearm. Cold weapons didn't have any killing intent, so Arthas only realized what had happened the moment the trigger was pulled.
An assassination... An assassination from an AST member.
Even if he had only reacted at the end, Arthas was confident that he could save Tohka in an instant, but what he hadn't expected was that Itsuka Shiori would actually jump out at this time.
He had indeed erected an ice shield in front of Tohka, but the bullet had pierced through Itsuka Shiori's body first.
"You're really... like an idiot."
Stepping forward and hugging Itsuka Shiori's body, crimson liquid stained his hands. Itsuka Shiori, who was only human, couldn't resist such a terrible attack at all.
The girl had lost a part of herself, half of her body had disappeared, leaving an ugly scar.
"What's... going on?"
Tohka, who had fallen to the ground because of Itsuka Shiori's actions, looked at her hands with some confusion.
Blood, warm blood that seemed to still carry the breath of life, was sliding down her fingertips like this.
Somewhat afraid, she reached out and shook Itsuka Shiori's body, which had completely lost consciousness.
In her crystal-like eyes, tears of something called 'sorrow' and 'despair' were filling up.
"......Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!!"
After a brief silence because she was too grief-stricken, a cry of blood from a cuckoo burst out from Tohka's throat.
The space seemed to resonate with her and weep, and the colorful world collapsed in an instant.
"Calm down, Tohka! Shiori, she can still be saved!"
The girl's condition was close to collapse, but Arthas couldn't spare any time, because right now, as long as he left Itsuka Shiori's body, the girl's weak flame of life would be completely extinguished.
"......Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!"
But clearly, the girl, who had lost her mind, couldn't hear Arthas's words anymore.
"————『Astral Dress·Tenth Number』...!!!"
Wringing out that name from the depths of her throat, Astral Dress, as the absolute strongest, Tohka's territory.
Instantly, the world wept.
The surrounding scenery distorted limply, wrapping around Tohka's body, creating the shape of a solemn Astral Dress.
Along with that, a membrane shining with light was dotted with a long skirt on the inside - the calamity had descended.
Creak, creak, creak, creak.
The sky was creaking.
As if complaining about Tohka, who had suddenly manifested her Astral Dress.
Tohka lowered her gaze slightly.
On the high platform that looked like a mountain had been cut off and leveled, the human who had just shot Itsuka Shiori was there.
The humans whom she couldn't hate enough even if she killed them were there.
Tohka stomped her heel on the ground. Instantly, a throne with a huge sword appeared from there.
The aura of violence seemed to burst out from the throne more than ever before in order to respond to its master's anger.
Tohka 'thumped', kicked the ground, jumped onto the armrest of the throne, and pulled out the sword leaning against the back.
And then.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!" Her throat trembling. "Alosarf!!!"
Seeming to want to declare the sorrow and anger in her heart to the entire world that had abandoned her in this way.
The dreamlike sword was raised high by Tohka.
Trembling, it was the sword, and also the girl's heart...
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Screaming from her throat, it was just a sound that was being made to vent.
Kill everything, destroy everything, annihilate everything!
This world or something... was not needed at all.
The earth was shaking, and cracks were spreading like spiderwebs from under the girl's combat boots.
Shouting... to numb her mind, to erase her self.
"How dare you..."
Her eyes were wet.
"How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! How dare you!..." Without reason, roaring like a beast.
Tohka poured strength into the hand gripping the sword, and slashed down fiercely towards the distance at the very front of her vision.
"I told you to calm down, did you hear me!"
A roar rang out, not only startling Tohka, but also Origami Tobiichi and Kusakabe Ryouko, who had felt despair.
The earth-shattering giant sword was stopped, hanging high above their heads, stopped by someone with one hand.
____________________
For more advance chapters visit my patreon
patreon.com/kane45
Tier: 10$ Casual Reader - +20 Advance Chapter
20$ Intermediate Reader - +40 Advance Chapter
40$ Expert Reader - +80 Advance Chapter
Update: "Monday to Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day"
"Saturday and Sunday - Off"