The conversation at the Siba residence veered slightly off track, but Yugen accepted Tatsuya's proposal. He'd revealed his traditional magic use during pre-Nine Schools training and assisted Mikihiko with CAD adjustments, knowing some skills might be exposed.
"For attacking Parasites, targeting information dimension entities is most efficient. I'll craft the activation sequence while we train," Yugen said.
"You're making the sequence?" Miyuki asked, surprised.
Miyuki's Overd Inferno—a modified Inferno—meant she didn't know the extent of Yugen's spell modification skills. Tatsuya, aware of his own magic, showed no surprise.
"Parasites can't absorb psions themselves; they don't need to in their dimension," Yugen explained.
"So, possessing humans—especially mages with magic calculation areas—causes transformation," Tatsuya deduced.
Parasites required human hosts, specifically mages, to function. Records in Tenjin secrets and Juumonji/Kagurazaka annals confirmed they needed constant psion absorption to persist, as all attacked humans were mages.
"I'll build a Parasite sealing spell, traditional magic, so Miyuki's the limit for teaching. Tatsuya, using Elemental Sight to identify psion connections between spirit entities and hosts, then Decomposition—that's feasible, right?" Yugen asked.
"You're a freakish genius," Tatsuya said.
With incomplete "original" knowledge, Tatsuya's Elemental Sight was ideal for invisible foes. Yugen's spell would contain Parasites; Tatsuya's would destroy their spirit forms. Tatsuya's killing experience and muted emotions lowered the spell's psychological barriers. Training was essential for perceiving the information dimension.
"Let's consult Master Yakumo. Via Gramps, he'll agree readily. By the way, Tatsuya, Lina tested you after school—okay?" Yugen asked.
"Onii-sama, really?" Miyuki pressed.
"Yeah, just a light probe," Tatsuya confirmed.
Yugen's Tenjin's Eye, surpassing Elemental Sight, could trace memories. Tatsuya downplayed the incident, unbothered.
"You brought it up—something with you?" Tatsuya asked.
"Celia attacked with a kendo sword. I sliced hers reflexively," Yugen said.
He'd used some Shinkage-ryu swordsmanship, unlikely to expose magic. Still, the training incident likely deepened suspicions about him. Unmentioned to Tatsuya, Yugen sensed satellite surveillance while heading home, using stronger cloaking and light-wave magic—akin to Nine Schools' barrier magic—to disguise himself.
"Are you okay, Yugen-san?" Miyuki asked.
"It was expected. I even sent a letter to the USNA president, but they're too dense to get it unless I hospitalize their goons," Yugen said.
"Wait, you sent a letter to the USNA president? You're joking… right?" Tatsuya asked.
"Just through Gramps. I didn't want to meet him," Yugen clarified.
Disposing of trouble via Decomposition was tempting, but avoiding grudges was trickier. Years ago, Gousan grumbled about meeting rigid leaders for closure, despite warning about micro black hole risks. History followed the "original," suggesting a hardline USNA military faction.
"The Parasite hosts are Stars soldiers. Angie Sirius will likely show up. I don't want modern-magic-only amateurs stirring trouble, except you and a few others," Yugen said.
"Are you goading me by saying I can handle it?" Tatsuya asked.
"Onii-sama can do it," Miyuki chimed.
Tatsuya sighed inwardly, spurred by his sister and friend.
After they left, Yugen pondered Celia—Exelia Kudou Shields. Irregulars like her were possible, especially given his own existence. The "Igniter," Igor Bezoobrazov, appearing post-Okinawa was within expectations, per Gousan and Chihime. Unofficial strategic mages existed in the old EU, and global investigations into Material Burst and Starlight Breaker were evident. A call with Moto suggested Europe pushed for transfer students to probe Japan's strategic magic—USNA's move was likely the first wave.
At Tokyo Skytree, rebuilt post-World Cluster War as a revival symbol, a woman stood on the observation deck's ceiling. Goggles covered her eyes, and she held a large, stringless bow-like CAD with an auxiliary scope. A receiver in her ear relayed a message.
"Target lost, Sis," the voice said.
"Got it. Stars inactive?" she asked.
"Yes. A Saegusa mage was hit but not fatally," the voice confirmed.
Shizuru Mitsuya packed her bow CAD into a case. Her task was to repel the target, with full handling left to another section. Clan restrictions limited her role.
"Kana says it's fine? Clan politics are a hassle," Shizuru said.
"Sis, Dad probably feels it most," Kana replied.
Shizuru and Kana were tackling "Vampires" because they, with Mika, encountered the first one. Kana sensed its inhumanity, Mika blasted it with Tenjin magic, and Shizuru wounded it, but it fled unscathed. Deemed supernatural, the Mitsuya, lacking the protective base of other clans, assisted the Saegusa. Sharing all intel depended on Moto, their head.
"We shouldn't involve Yugen yet," Shizuru said.
"USNA link?" Kana asked.
"Speculation, but Parasites are near them," Shizuru said.
Hypothetically, Parasites attached to USNA affiliates, sharing intel via telepathy-like abilities, explained their elusiveness. Kana didn't refute Shizuru's theory.
"Tell Dad?" Kana asked.
"Yes, but not the Saegusa," Shizuru said.
Military use of Parasites warranted secrecy. As Tenjin practitioners, Shizuru and Kana agreed on their danger, confident Mika would concur.
"Even after hitting its shoulder and knee with Defense Breaker, it moved," Shizuru said.
"Your full-power shot rivals an anti-tank rifle," Kana teased.
"Don't say that," Shizuru retorted.
Shizuru's Defense Breaker, using the Mitsuya's Speed Loader, combined acceleration, movement, convergence, and divergence, firing dense psion arrows into the information dimension. Air resistance was internalized, making arrows denser than physical ones, rivaling anti-tank rifles at full power—crafted by Yugen. Aimed to maim, the target still escaped.
With injured to transport, Shizuru tossed her goggles into the case and leaped into Tokyo's nightscape from the deck.
Despite staying with the Sibas, Yugen's Kagurazaka duties persisted. As a Guardian, he couldn't tolerate threats to Japan. After talking with Tatsuya and Miyuki, he headed to Shibuya. Wearing a coat for winter but dressed for mobility, he carried a CAD. Amid the neon-lit streets, he spotted a familiar face.
"Leo?" Yugen called.
"Yugen? What's up this late?" Leo asked.
"Work. You… wandering like your grandpa?" Yugen teased.
Reading Leo's question, Yugen answered evenly. "Gramps knew him. A troubled mage who wandered a lot."
No lies—per "original" knowledge, Leo was third-generation Burg Folge, a German Fortress Series. Without reincarnation context, it was incomprehensible. Leo seemed satisfied.
"It's rough lately. Wandering's risky, even with your skills," Yugen warned.
"Yeah… wait, isn't that Erika's brother?" Leo pointed.
Sure enough, Toshikazu and Inagaki, plainclothes police, were investigating covertly. Yugen cast cloaking and perception-altering barriers, approaching with Leo.
"Evening, gentlemen," Yugen greeted.
"Whoa! Kagurazaka-dono, and… Erika's pickup guy?" Toshikazu said.
"You did that?" Yugen asked Leo.
"Got dragged into it," Leo grumbled. "Why are cops here?"
Involving Leo, an outsider, wasn't ideal, but his mage status and wandering habits justified sharing intel. Inagaki was wary, but Toshikazu focused on Yugen.
"Yugen-kun, you okay with this?" Toshikazu asked.
"Leo's a developing mage. No guarantee he's safe," Yugen said.
"Fair. Let's move," Toshikazu said.
Toshikazu led them to a back-alley bar, securing a private room. Yugen soundproofed it with a barrier. Inagaki remained cautious of Leo, who, with Toshikazu, smirked.
"You two hit Shibuya often?" Toshikazu asked.
"By chance," Leo said.
"Every other day, though I rely on my family," Yugen added.
Initially unconcerned, the Mitsuya ramped up intel after learning their sisters were targeted. Yugen patrolled, but enemies evaded him, causing incidents elsewhere.
"Toshikazu-san, seen the Imperial Police's memo to the Ministry?" Yugen asked.
"Yeah. We're stuck, so we'll cooperate, but…" Toshikazu trailed off.
The memo: Divine Assembly had full police backing. Yugen's heir status was known among mage families, and Toshikazu grasped his involvement but hesitated. The reason? Clan territorial disputes and bureaucratic silos, driven by the Ten Master Clans.
"The Saegusa aim to resolve this independently, but can they?" Toshikazu asked.
"They might, but their head's ambitions are questionable," Yugen said.
Yugen gave the Saegusa a binding spell for temporary containment, not root-cause elimination. Sealing or erasing Parasites required traditional magic. Inagaki, wary, questioned Yugen.
"Yugen-kun, badmouthing a clan head?" he asked.
"As Kagurazaka acting head, I'll say internal feuds are a waste," Yugen replied.
With USNA's heavy involvement and deserter intel, military data poured in, per Moto and Yugen's analysis. Clinging to pride was pointless. The Saegusa's obsession with the Yotsuba bordered on stalking, Yugen mused bitterly.
"The enemy isn't a single entity. I request your cooperation, Toshikazu-san, Inagaki-san, as Divine Assembly's First Seat, Kagurazaka Yugen," he said.
The USNA would likely deny involvement. Gousan's warnings were ignored for modern magic pride, making his and Chihime's actions inevitable after the Parade incident. For Leo, Yugen planned a custom CAD and cautioned against night wandering.
Breaking habits was no simple task.
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