October 31, 2095, Afternoon.
Morning passed quietly; Yugen patrolled the hall's entrances. Noticing a stare, he masked his presence, approached, and reverted—causing the observer, Haruka Ono, to nearly drop her canned coffee. Yugen caught it with swift movement and gravity magic, spilling nothing.
"Ono-sensei, sneaking around screams guilt. Yakumo's right—learn to mask better," Yugen teased.
"Haha… I was confident, but you saw through me. Frustrating," Haruka replied, chagrined but smiling.
Yugen's stern expression unsettled her; she sensed a near-lethal edge.
"Ono-sensei, I get it's public security's job, but poking too deep risks more than snakes—like me," Yugen warned.
Haruka knew Yugen's background but not his ties to Tatsuya. She knew he lived with Tatsuya and Miyuki, but Mitsuya's Ten Master Clan connection and Tatsuya's role were unclear. Gousan's warning echoed:
"Haruka, public security's probing Tatsuya, but I'll ensure no blame if you back off. Leave gods untouched—no curses. Same for my grandson."
Gousan's words weren't exaggeration; Haruka couldn't dismiss them. Caught between superiors, she'd been passive, but now Yugen warned her directly.
"Kagurazaka-kun… what are you?" Haruka asked.
"Who knows? I'm unsure myself. Advice: only open Pandora's box if you're brave enough," Yugen replied, walking away.
Haruka's trembling hand betrayed her fear of Yugen—a primal instinct. Had she shown hostility, she might've vanished instantly.
(What is he? His killing intent matched Joushima-sensei's—ready to kill.)
During Joushima training, Gousan's full killing intent knocked her out. Yugen's was close, but she stayed conscious—small mercy, she thought.
3:00 PM.
Yokohama, under terror alert, was a ghost town. Non-mages were gone, save port security staff. Trailers sped through empty streets, watched by a girl from Yokohama Bay Hills Tower. Her modern combat robe—dark green with pale green lines—marked her identity. She activated her earpiece.
"'Hoshimi' reporting. Enemy's moving. Commander, orders?" she whispered.
Coinciding with First High's presentation, Yugen, in a black-and-gold combat robe, responded to his earpiece without touching it.
"'Hoshimi' reporting. Enemy's moving. Commander, orders?"
As predicted, the enemy acted. Absent civilian vehicles aided them. Lu Ganghu's escort vehicle was attacked, but no deaths—thanks to fourth seat "Gouen" repelling Lu. Minor injuries only.
"'Kusanagi' to 'Tenei,' 'Hoshimi,' 'Gouen,' 'Raitei.' Execute phase one," Yugen ordered, cutting comms.
Crouching, he touched the floor, eyes closed, emitting a faint psion wave—undetectable to most mages. It pinpointed enemy positions, triggering his magic.
"Divine Summoning—[Phoenix]."
At 5,000 meters, a flaming bird-shaped independent information body appeared, hovering gracefully. Despite Tenjin magic, it evaded detection due to Yugen's unique magic—details omitted for now.
(Per plan, unmanned drones should appear… there.)
Fourteen drones entered Yokohama. Yugen, suppressing a heroic quip, focused. [Phoenix] deployed fiery projectiles, piercing drones at subsonic speeds, vaporizing them with extreme heat.
On a disguised landing ship at Yokohama Port, an operator reported in panic.
"All drones destroyed!"
"Impossible! No Defense Force main units or anti-air guns reported! What hit them?" the commander demanded.
"Data suggests high-altitude, superheated projectiles," the operator replied.
The commander, stunned, hadn't heard of such magic from Chinatown or scouts. Failure loomed, but he rallied.
"No choice. Plans disrupted—deploy mobile units!" he ordered.
"But the comp venue's setup isn't ready…" the operator protested.
"Operation's live! No better chance with their military idle. Contact other units!" the commander barked.
He understood the operator but couldn't fail a mission tied to national prestige. Sacrificing the comp for the Magic Association's databank was the fallback.
(Their chatter's all intercepted—best left unsaid.)
Yugen's [Reiki], claimed limited to Chinatown, actually networked Yokohama via [Kaleidoscope]. Shikigami in the ship's bridge relayed all to Godo Kai.
At 3:30 PM, an explosion at Yamashita Wharf's control building signaled the invasion. The Police Agency mobilized; the Prime Minister ordered Defense Force deployment. Southern Tokyo evacuation began.
A trailer stopped near the venue, disgorging anti-mage-equipped soldiers. Masaki held the entrance hall, but back entrances—used by vendors—were vulnerable.
Using Tenjin's Eye, Yugen counted soldiers. Most hit the front, but a small team aimed for the hall. Drawing Odin, he targeted the rear team and fired.
"—[Ozone Bullet] activated."
Soldiers clutched their throats, dropping rifles. Yugen closed in, severing heads with a tachi, wiping blood with magic, then erasing bodies with decomposition to spare students trauma. [Ozone Bullet], a pinpoint Ozone Circle, caused acute poisoning or death, its lethality situational. Here, it stopped soldiers via lung-targeted ozone.
Masaki, from the entrance, approached, stunned by Yugen's attire.
"Ichijou, entrance secure?" Yugen asked.
"Pros took over. You good here?" Masaki replied.
"Handled, but more may come via backdoor. Bus there for student evacuation. Your move?" Yugen asked.
Masaki, sensing the bus's role, replied, "I'll take it. You?"
"Front enemies circling back's a hassle. I'll clean up," Yugen said.
"Got it," Masaki said, sprinting off.
As he left, the hall door opened—Tatsuya's group. They gaped at Yugen's attire.
"Yugen-san, combat gear?" Miyuki asked.
"Yup. Help chase front enemies?" Yugen replied.
"You could handle alone, but I'll assist," Tatsuya said.
The entrance hall was chaos. Pros lacked defense against anti-mage rifles, but Leo charged in.
"Shoot!" a soldier yelled.
"Too weak! Phase-Shift Armor!" Leo roared.
Leo's enhanced hardening magic and new psion wall deflected rifle rounds, turning him into a high-speed, armored juggernaut. Soldiers flew as he struck.
Erika, sparked by rivalry, joined.
"Let me in!" she shouted.
Her refined self-acceleration and unconscious dynamic vision dodged bullet storms. Soldiers targeting her were floored by Leo; those aiming at Leo faced Erika's strikes. Their seamless teamwork stunned Miyuki and Tatsuya.
"Leo and Erika… incredible growth," Miyuki said.
"Grandfather trained them alongside me," Tatsuya noted.
"Mikihiko, blast them. Those two'll dodge," Yugen said.
"What!?" Mikihiko gasped.
"Yugen, you're ruthless," Tatsuya remarked.
Mikihiko's [Raikoji]—an upgraded Raidoji—unleashed lethal lightning. Yugen provided it. Leo and Erika dodged via psion flow, felling over half the entrance soldiers; the rest succumbed to their attacks.
"Nice, Mikihiko!" Leo grinned.
"Great, Miki!" Erika cheered.
"It's Mikihiko! No one'll believe Course 2 students did this," Mikihiko sighed.
"True," Tatsuya agreed.
"You're the worst offender, Onii-sama," Miyuki teased.
Mikihiko's point was fair, but Tatsuya, the prime example, lacked persuasiveness. He suppressed a sigh.
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