In the original timeline, news anchors (a term often replaced by "anchorpersons" in other developed nations) often brandished a misguided sense of justice. In this world, such displays were absent. Between the Kamisaka Group's aggressive acquisition of media shares and the government's formal designation of the terrorists as criminals, the press understood one thing: pushing an anti-Master Clan or anti-magic narrative right now would result in an immediate public backlash. Consequently, the tone of the reporting remained relatively restrained.
From the perspective of the non-magician majority in the media, magical power was often viewed through the same lens as the political or bureaucratic authority held by elites. The primary reason for this was that magic was an "invisible force." To counter this perception, FLT was preparing to launch a new "Silver Blossom" series equipped with an optical visualization system for modern magic—a world first. On the same day, a research paper would be published under the name of the "Taurus Silver" development team.
It is worth noting that while the team's name was used for the brand, no individual developer names were officially registered. Even for the paper, the name "Kohito Kamijo" was used as the submitter, maintaining the status of "Taurus Silver" as an external collaborative group rather than a single individual. While the "Project Dione" might still undergo changes, Yugen had laid enough groundwork to counter it regardless of the form it took.
Then there was the matter of the "Active Air Mine." When Tatsuya registered the spell, Yugen had him submit a revised activation sequence. On the surface, the data appeared unchanged, but a specific variable process had been added: if the spell exceeded a certain power threshold, the reading order of the sequence would shift, causing it to manifest as an entirely different magic. This was a concealment technique borrowed from ancient magic, similar to the logic used in modern optical camouflage; even if it were discovered, it wouldn't be a significant loss to their strategic secrets.
While Tatsuya and Touya were meeting at the Juumonji estate to coordinate, Yugen was at the Kagurazaka villa. The gathering consisted of Yugen, Mototsugu, Shuji, Himeki, Yumu, Shizuku, and Miyuki—a meeting of the "Shinshokai."
Although the mission to track the terrorists had been officially requested of the Ten Master Clans by the two Guardian houses, there was an underlying anxiety. Since the enemy consisted of ancient magicians from the Continent, it was unclear how much they could rely on the standard clans. While the abilities of Tatsuya, Touya, and Katsuto were beyond reproach, the situation changed if the USNA military decided to join the fray alongside Gu Jie.
"That covers the current status of the terror attacks," Yugen concluded. "But the real problem starts now."
"The Humanists haven't gained full momentum yet because we've suppressed the media," Mototsugu noted. "But we can't afford to be complacent."
To be honest, Yugen had agonized until the last moment over how far to take the media acquisitions last spring. Even with his knowledge of the "original story," he couldn't rule out the possibility of unforeseen events triggered by such massive changes. Ultimately, he decided that reducing future risks was worth whatever ripples he caused now.
"We've separated the Master Clan Conference from the Government and the Defense Force, but we can't sever the mutual relationship entirely," Yugen said. "The fact remains that a certain number of people are terrified of magicians. Honestly, it would be easiest if the USNA—the birthplace of Humanism—took responsibility, but instead, they're moving to assassinate Gu Jie themselves."
"Is that related to what you mentioned at lunch, Yugen?" Shizuku asked.
"I kept it vague then, but yes."
Their movements suggested they were wary of the risks involved in an assassination on Japanese soil. Every move they made was being monitored by the Yata no Kagami (Eight-Span Mirror) system. The man at the center of their operations was undoubtedly Benjamin Canopus, the No. 2 of the Stars.
"Their scenario is likely to lure Gu Jie into international waters and sink him—along with whatever ship he's on—using a Molecular Divider. They probably intend to use this country's 'Enhanced Soldiers' for the job, but they're in for a surprise. I've already taken custody of every single Enhanced Soldier at Zama."
Camp Zama housed a training center for "Special Tactics Soldiers" who had undergone post-natal enhancement. The facility existed as a joint US-Japan research project. During the Southern Shield Island incident, Yugen had contacted the USNA President directly. He demanded that Japan take custody of all Special Tactics Soldiers at Zama. He had forced the President's hand by threatening to expose the existence of "Alcatraz"—a dark secret the USNA couldn't afford to let go public.
As a result, the "Special Tactics Training Center" had been reduced to a mere label, serving as a standard training facility for base personnel while the actual subjects were moved.
Not just at Zama, but across the entire Kanto region, every experimental subject who had undergone enhancement had been treated and healed. They were now undergoing rigorous training based on Yugen's magical theories. Eventually, they would be assigned to the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion or as private magicians for the Ten Master Clans. In terms of sheer power, they rivaled the unit commanders of the Stars, but because they were being taught strict human ethics, their loyalty was absolute. In fact, some had pledged their personal fealty to Yugen himself, and it looked like the Kagurazaka house would be taking them in.
"To go to such lengths..." Miyuki murmured. "What will you do with Gu Jie?"
"We'll draw him away from the metropolitan area and then apprehend him," Yugen replied coldly. "I don't care if he's a ninety-seven-year-old man. He committed an act of terror, and in a nation governed by law, he must pay the price. If the USNA tries to interfere, I have several cards to play that could deal them a fatal blow."
The USNA would likely deploy "Stardust" or illegal operatives to avoid leaving tracks, intending to discard them once the job was done. If they're going to throw away good assets, I'll just pick them up, Yugen thought. He had done the same with the soldiers who deserted during the Parasite incident; it wasn't a problem.
"We'll arrest him in Japan, then eventually extradite him to the USNA to face proper trial. During that process, we'll leak scandalous intel to the media to expose their involvement. If we leak proof of the collusion between the USNA opposition and the terrorists at the same time, the entire USNA domestic political scene will be paralyzed."
"…I expect Edward Clark or Raymond Clark might make a move," Mototsugu cautioned.
"We'll deal with them if they do. But they are government agents, not the masters of the political and financial world. Even if they scream about our interference, their own government won't be able to back them up."
No matter how much influence Edward Clark had over the military, breaking the premise of civilian control was a taboo he couldn't easily bypass. He might have connections with the Secretary of Defense, but Yugen had a direct line to the President—a "merit" earned from accompanying Gozo on his world travels.
"If the Stars actually attempt an assassination, I won't hesitate to walk right into the Oval Office. If that happens, the heads of their Joint Chiefs of Staff will roll."
"Is that a metaphor?" Yumu asked nervously. "That's a metaphor, right?"
"They might literally roll," Yugen said flatly.
"Um, surely in this day and age, that's a bit..."
Leaving aside such pessimistic forecasts for the USNA's future, Yugen turned back to the immediate task: Gu Jie. After leaving the residence in Odawara, the old man's "foul presence" had been picked up near Kamakura. No matter how cunning an ancient magician he was, it was nearly impossible to perfectly suppress such a deep-seated thirst for revenge. Since he was no martial arts master, his leaking negative emotions were easy to track.
"For now, we've entrusted the mission to the Ten Master Clans, so it's only right to let them handle it. I've already extracted the locations of all his hideouts in Kanto from Zhou Gongjin's memories. Also, I've deployed a powerful 'Sanctuary' along the Tama River. Gu Jie is effectively trapped; he can't move north or west out of Kanagawa."
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