The barrier at the Tama River was modeled after the one at the Uji River, but its intensity was on a different level. It was tuned to be lethal to anything "evil" that touched it. Against a terrorist, mercy was a luxury that could get his own people killed.
"The Humanists have become active following the bombings, so we'll prioritize cleaning them up for now. If necessary, we'll use the Anti-Terror Act to freeze their assets and conduct forced raids on the grounds of their connection to Gu Jie."
It was clear that every major Humanist organization had ties to Blanche or No-Head Dragon. They were essentially the remnants of those groups. By extension, they could be viewed as indirect accomplices to Gu Jie. If they tried to capitalize on the terror he caused, Yugen was prepared to crush them under the law.
The police and Public Security would be busy, but Yugen viewed this as the price they had to pay for ignoring these organizations for so long.
"Honestly, if they claim using 'miracles' is the power of the devil, then modern technology is the exact same thing," Himeki noted. "The logic that magic is evil but science is okay is completely broken."
"Well, they just want an excuse to deny magic," Yugen said.
"I get that, but why 'devils'?" Yumu sighed. "Fanatics who have forgotten how to love their fellow humans seem much more devilish to me."
To Yugen, religion was merely an element used to define the human heart. To brandish the name of God while performing immoral acts was the height of hypocrisy. He might respect faith, but he had no intention of letting it dictate his goals or methods.
The Humanists used God as a shield to justify their violence. But their "fear" was rooted in the very existence of magic, and they simply interpreted things to suit their convenience. In Japan, freedom of speech and belief were protected by the constitution, but only as long as one followed the minimum rules of society. Once those rules were broken, they had to be judged by the law. If that principle failed, the nation would cease to function.
Sadly, too many people broke the law without a second thought. Therefore, the Humanists would have to serve as an example. Under the Anti-Terror Act, the penal scope included "Treason against the State"—punishable by death. Keeping them alive risked turning them into martyrs, but if it came to that, it would be faster to simply dismantle the entire organization.
"On a related note, once the current incident is settled, the Pope is scheduled to visit Japan," Yugen added. "He intends to issue a final ultimatum of 'Excommunication' against the Humanists."
"Was that because of your grandfather, Yugen?" Shizuku asked.
"I had a hand in it too."
After dealing with the Mafia in Italy, Yugen had visited Vatican City through Gozo's connections. Several cardinals who had been backing the Mafia sent assassins after them. Naturally, their killing intent was obvious, and they were neutralized instantly. Gozo, using his uncanny intuition, tracked down the evidence, and the cardinals behind the plot were "evaporated" by Gozo's lightning.
The credit officially went to Gozo, but the Pope had given Yugen a gift as an apology. The most troublesome item was a "ring." Yugen had no intention of converting to Christianity, but since the Pope insisted on it as a token of gratitude, he couldn't very well refuse. He had accepted it and immediately relegated it to deep storage; he couldn't risk other Christians finding out he had it.
"Returning to the plan: as the Shinshokai, we will stick to rear support until the Humanists are dealt with. With Grandfather and Mother acting as mobile units, the enemy shouldn't be able to do anything reckless, but we can't be careless."
"Especially regarding the USNA, right?" Mototsugu asked.
"Exactly. They might try to aid Gu Jie's escape. If they do, we deal with them under domestic law, regardless of their nationality."
Aiding a terrorist's flight would be interpreted as supporting terrorism. Yugen didn't care if their ultimate goal was to kill Gu Jie later. Unless the USNA personnel contacted them formally—aside from Lina, who was on a special mission—any interference would be treated as "Supporting a Terrorist" under the Special Measures Act.
"Who will you deploy for the actual operation?" Himeki asked.
"I've assigned Tatsuya, Touya, and Masaki under Juumonji-senpai. Say what you will about them, they have the strength, and they proved their worth during the pursuit of Zhou Gongjin. Miyuki, I know you have your feelings about it, but I'd like you to accept this."
"…Yes," Miyuki said after a moment. "I recognize their strength, so I have no objection."
Even though Yugen and Miyuki were engaged, Masaki's persistent interference was starting to become a nuisance to both of them. It would have been simpler if he'd just sent a formal challenge, but he showed no sign of doing so.
Still, there was no denying his talent as the "Crimson Prince," and Yugen knew the Third High curriculum was heavily focused on practical combat. His strength was real. Acknowledging Yugen's pragmatism, Miyuki nodded, though the others in the room couldn't help but let out wry smiles at her obvious reluctance.
The reason the two Guardian houses had moved to secure control of the Master Clan Conference was that they had a grander plan in mind. They wanted to create a foundation where national organizations could act as one to handle threats like this terror attack. However, they knew all too well that old grudges wouldn't vanish overnight.
In the office of the Ground Staff Office of the National Defense Force, General Soga, the Commander-in-Chief, sat at his desk listening to a report from Chief of Staff Otomo.
"—So, there's still no word from Saeki regarding our request?"
"None, sir. She was always part of the anti-Master Clan faction, and that sentiment runs deep in the central command."
Since this incident had a heavy magical component and the terrorist's manifesto suggested a high-level magic user was involved, command had requested support from the 101st Brigade—which housed the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion. However, Major Saeki had remained silent. Soga hadn't expected an immediate answer, but the problem was that the 101st Brigade was a cornerstone of the anti-Master Clan and anti-Retsu Kudo support base.
"They seem to be moving independently, though... What are your orders?"
"The request from the Kagurazaka house—from him—was strictly for 'voluntary cooperation,'" Soga mused. "Perhaps he never trusted the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion or the 101st to begin with."
Soga suspected that distrust stemmed from the incident two springs ago. Yugen had performed the bare minimum of technical duties required of him, but he had shown no interest in going further, especially after the military had tried to dump their own scandals on his lap. It was only natural that he would view the Defense Force with skepticism.
"Furthermore, the USNA military has been leaning on us, telling us not to make any 'unnecessary' moves… When did we learn to be so obedient to them?"
"…Should we ignore them, then?"
"We have to maintain the dignity of civilian control. We will proceed as planned: a state of high alert centered on government facilities in the capital. Humanists are likely to stage demonstrations; we will move to prevent any acts of terror that might exploit that chaos."
Normally, this would be police work, but against terrorists of this caliber, it had entered the military's domain. Soga instructed Otomo to maintain the alert and keep a sharp eye on any public gatherings.
As for the capture of the terrorist himself, Soga concluded that it was best—however reluctantly—to leave it in his hands. Mentally apologizing for placing such a heavy burden on someone who wasn't even an adult, Soga began issuing his orders.
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