Tatsuya's mastery of flight magic, a spell he crafted from scratch, made the distance from the trailer's mobile HQ to Yanagi's unit a mere blink. Scenery blurred past, but Tatsuya didn't rely solely on his honed dynamic vision. Combining his eyes with Elemental Sight as a radar, he scanned for obstacles mid-flight. That's how he spotted it—a meter-long, black-painted, delta-winged unmanned drone circling his destination.
To evade its magic detection, Tatsuya ascended high above, then drew his CAD, cutting his flight spell. Plummeting headfirst, he closed in on the drone and unleashed his decomposition magic, Mist Dispersal. The drone dissolved into dust, scattered by the wind. Reactivating his flight spell, Tatsuya landed smoothly.
When he joined Yanagi, the first skirmish had already ended. Yanagi was tending to the wounded. Before Tatsuya could speak, Yanagi spotted him and waved him over. After a crisp salute, Tatsuya knelt beside an injured soldier, stripped of their suit.
"Special Lieutenant, perfect timing," Yanagi said. "Bullet's out. Can you handle the rest?"
"Understood."
Yanagi's expressionless face betrayed a flicker of guilt in his eyes, but Tatsuya's curt reply dismissed it. Drawing a silver CAD from his left hip, Tatsuya worked as the soldier's groans faded. A faint grind of his teeth echoed in Yanagi's ears.
Using Honoka's magic to gain an overhead view of the enemy, Rinne noticed their forces were smaller than expected.
"Yet the frontline's spread so wide," Mari remarked.
"There is no frontline," Rinne clarified. "Inland fighting is scattered, with guerrilla infiltrators disrupting communications. The landing force targets key points directly. That's their strategy."
"If you say so, Rin-chan," Mayumi said, tilting her head. "But what's their goal?"
Rinne paused, thinking. "The Magic Association's Kanto branch, as you guessed, is one target. The other seems to be civilians escaping by sea—likely for hostages."
"Hostages?" Mari echoed.
"Killing civilians isn't their aim," Rinne said. "If it were, they'd have used bombardment ships, not landing craft. Ransom or leverage, perhaps."
"So, no immediate risk of shelling," Mayumi concluded.
"Likely not. But if hostages are their goal, this area's a prime target."
"Kyoko-san said Tsurumi's reinforcements are due soon," Mayumi added. "They'll secure civilians at Mizuho Wharf, then sweep the enemy."
Rinne nodded. "If hostages are their aim, they'll come here where defenses are thin. I'll join Kanon's group."
"With Miyuki there, her freezing magic's practically strategic-grade," Mayumi said. "But Mari, don't overdo it. You're not great against mechanized units."
"Got it," Mari replied, jogging off.
Airi approached Mayumi. "Should we intercept too?"
"No," Mayumi said. "You're needed for the helicopter evacuation. Miyuki's team is on alert, not offense. We're not pro combat mages—we shouldn't risk ourselves. We need to focus on escape."
Airi and the others exchanged glances, certain Miyuki would never flee.
At the fork where Mayumi's alert team split, Kirihara spoke up. "Mibu, Tomoe-senpai, maybe you should fall back."
"I might not be much help," Chikura admitted, "but Mibu's fine, right?"
"Exactly, Kirihara-kun," Sayaka said. "I'm ready for a real fight."
Kirihara shook his head. "Mibu, don't talk lightly about 'real fights.' Swords are made to kill, unlike spears or bows. Accepting that's fine, but does kendo need to wield a live blade? Can't a sport rise from a killer's art?"
"I get you, Kirihara-kun," Tomoe said. "Mibu, you don't need to stain your hands. Leave that to us swordsmanship club members."
"I understand you both," Erika cut in, her gaze piercing. "Real combat's different from practice. You don't want Sayaka's blade bloodied, and that's not wrong. But Sayaka not wanting her friends to face danger alone isn't wrong either." She laughed awkwardly. "Ugh, so not like me."
Blushing, Erika turned away. "I'm out. You three sort it out."
As Erika hurried off, Sayaka, Tomoe, and Kirihara faced each other, calmly discussing their next move.
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