Hum~
A streak of lightning flashed past the soldiers ahead.
"Ugh—Aaaah!!" ×N
They screamed as one, and in the next second, their bodies turned to ash and scattered into the air.
Crash!
After the blade's flash, the wall behind them began to split apart as well.
Crack!
The mechs in the rear aimed their cannons at her, but in a blink, she appeared right in front of one. With a powerful leap, she stepped onto its head and drove her blade straight into its mechanical eye, using it as a conduit to unleash a violent thunder shockwave.
Hum~
The shockwave rapidly spread to the surrounding mechs, paralyzing them one after another like an EMP.
"Ugh—Aaaah!!" ×N
Even from outside, the screams of the operators could be heard, their neural connections affected—though they weren't physically inside the machines.
"Haa..."
Seeing this, she returned to the ground and let out a breath.
Finally... it's over.
She had to admit, the reinforcements had been quite numerous. The mechs struck by the current had all gone dark, indicating that the control room had already disconnected the pilots' consciousness. What remained on the ground were nothing but immobile heaps of scrap metal.
"Ugh... ah... cough..."
At that moment, she heard a groan behind her. Turning around, she saw a heavily injured GHQ soldier slumped against the wall, clutching his bleeding abdomen and coughing violently. Clearly, he had narrowly escaped death.
"..."
She walked over to him and placed her blade against his throat.
"W-Wait—!"
The man raised both hands in fear, begging for his life.
"..."
She remained silent.
"Please... spare me... I had no choice... I'm just doing my job... I have a family to support—a wife, a child... please don't kill me. Let me live."
The man lowered his head, pleading in a muffled voice, almost breaking into tears. She could hear the tremor in his voice.
"Look... here's a photo of my family. This is my daughter... this is my wife..."
He pulled out a crumpled family photo from his pocket and showed it to her.
Her gaze fell on the picture—the little girl, the woman... and the man himself. Something in her softened. Slowly, she withdrew her blade from his throat, then turned without a word, intending to leave—exposing what appeared to be a completely defenseless back.
The man's eyes turned cold. A faint, mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips. After she had taken a few steps away, he swiftly pulled out a proximity grenade and activated it.
Beep—!
A red light lit up on its surface.
Die, you bitch!!!
He roared inwardly and hurled the grenade at her back. It flew straight toward the Shogun with deadly precision.
"..."
Without turning around, the Shogun's eyes flickered slightly. The grenade suddenly stopped midair beside her face, as if caught by an invisible force.
She raised her hand and lightly flicked the air, sending a ripple through space.
Bang!
A puppet hand manifested briefly, maintaining a flicking gesture as it struck the marble-sized grenade and sent it flying back.
"Hahaha—!!!"
The man's laughter froze instantly. The returning grenade flew straight into his mouth—
BOOM!!
With a violent explosion, blood, limbs, and organs burst outward like a grotesque firework, splattering across the walls and floor. The scorched family photo drifted down and landed at her feet.
Rumble!!
In the next moment, the entire facility trembled. She stepped back slightly and instinctively glanced toward the elevator. The display above it showed that it was ascending.
"...That fast?"
She muttered, then walked over to the elevator doors and waited for Gai and the others to arrive.
Bzzzt~
[Mio, can you hear me?]
The communicator crackled—Gai's voice.
"Loud and clear."
She replied succinctly.
[We ran into a bit of trouble. Meet us at the elevator.]
"I've been here for a while."
She narrowed her eyes, sounding bored.
Whoosh~
As if to confirm her words, the elevator doors slid open, revealing Gai and Inori inside, both looking slightly grim. Kenji Kido still lay unconscious.
"Get in."
Gai beckoned her.
"..."
She sighed and stepped into the elevator. Once the doors closed, she looked at them.
"What happened? Did you fail?"
Beep—
Gai pressed the button for the top floor, restarting the elevator, then sighed.
"No... not yet. But things have gotten complicated."
He said.
"When we reached the underground level, we ran into Daryl. He was probably waiting for us."
"While I was using my Void to support Negev, Gai was engaged with Daryl, but—"
Inori began, then glanced at Gai.
"...Yeah. My mistake. I destroyed his mech, but one of his shots hit the floating cage. Just like Kido said, any physical interference triggers a lockdown. No... it's worse than that now."
Gai frowned.
"Haa... how bad is it?"
She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, asking with clear annoyance.
"I'll explain... Due to damage to the core, Leukocyte No. 1's orbital adjustment system has malfunctioned. Its orbit is descending."
At that moment, Tsugumi connected to the comm line. While rapidly typing on her keyboard, she explained the situation.
"And the consequences?"
"...At this rate, Leukocyte No. 1 will retain most of its mass... and crash into Tokyo!"
Whoosh~
Tsugumi transmitted observational data to Gai's terminal. On the screen, a yellow point in the sky was steadily growing larger. It would impact Tokyo in less than fifteen minutes. If something of that size fell, the entire city would be reduced to ashes.
"...That's the situation. There's no time—we have to stop the satellite from falling."
Gai said. Though his tone remained calm, a faint sheen of sweat was visible on his forehead.
"So what's your plan?"
She asked.
"Not yet... I'm thinking. Tsugumi, send me the real-time trajectory."
"Got it..."
Beep—
A dynamic trajectory map appeared on the terminal, showing Leukocyte No. 1's descent path along with the positions of No. 2 and No. 3.
"—!"
Gai seemed to notice something.
"This trajectory... there might be a chance. During its descent, it will align in a straight line with Leukocyte No. 2. It will definitely pass through its firing range."
He murmured.
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out into the top-level corridor.
"You mean... have Leukocyte No. 2 shoot it down?"
Inori followed, asking.
"Yeah... if we can, it's worth the gamble."
[But how? We can't control Leukocyte—you're not thinking...]
Before Tsugumi could finish, Gai interrupted her.
"Right. We can't... but GHQ can."
He stopped and looked ahead at a man approaching them in the corridor.
"...?"
The Shogun also turned her gaze forward. The man wore a white uniform and had parted purple hair. If Hare were here, she would recognize him instantly—Major Segai.
"What a pleasant surprise to meet you all here. Especially you, miss."
Segai approached with a delighted smile, his gaze lingering on the Shogun with unmistakable fascination.
"..."
The Shogun looked at him with clear disgust.
"Are you Segai?"
Gai asked.
"Yes, our first meeting, Gai Tsutsugami."
Segai smiled and gave a polite gesture.
"You're aware of Leukocyte, right?"
Gai got straight to the point.
"Mm, of course... this situation is giving me quite the headache as well."
He shrugged, though from his expression and tone, there was no sign of any real distress—he seemed completely unconcerned.
"Is that so? Then I assume you don't want to die either."
"Mm... you could say that."
He smiled faintly.
"In that case, I have a method—"
"If you're thinking of using Leukocyte to shoot down the satellite... I'm afraid that won't work."
Segai interrupted as if he had already guessed what Gai was about to say, shrugging casually.
"—!"
Gai frowned instinctively.
"I'm not lying, Gai. It's a good idea, but don't forget—the floating cage that controls Leukocyte has already been damaged. That means even we can't control it anymore."
"..."
Gai fell silent, cold sweat forming more visibly on his forehead.
[He's not lying, Gai... the floating cage is currently disabled.]
Tsugumi confirmed.
"Damn it..."
Gai muttered through clenched teeth.
"Then why are you here?"
The Shogun, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and questioned Segai.
"Oh? If I said it was just a coincidence... I doubt you'd believe me, miss. In truth, I came to see you. After all, you once displayed such a beautiful radiance... it captivated me~!"
Segai pressed a hand to his chest, speaking as if making a confession.
"Heh..."
She suddenly seemed to think of something and let out a soft chuckle. Stepping forward again, she grabbed his collar with one hand and slammed him against the wall.
Hum~
Musou Isshin manifested in her hand and pressed against his throat. The crystalline glow along the blade resonated with the brilliance in her amethyst eyes.
"Ah—this light... so pure!"
Segai became intoxicated by it.
"Segai, was it?"
She asked, staring down at the man pinned beneath her blade.
"Yes..."
He nodded obediently.
"Do you want to see that light again?"
She asked, almost teasingly.
"Mm~! Of course I do!"
He nodded eagerly.
"Then how about we make a deal?"
"And what would that be?"
His eyes widened, the mechanical pupil in his left eye spinning rapidly.
"I'll destroy the falling satellite for you and ensure you avoid death. In return... you will erase every piece of data related to Hare Menjou from this entire incident. Not a single record left. Restore her to a completely innocent status. How about it?"
"Mio..."
Inori was briefly stunned, then revealed a faint, relieved smile. Even at a time like this, she was thinking about Hare... she really was gentle.
"I see... ensuring the safety of someone important. I'm touched. If that's all you ask, I accept."
Segai smiled and agreed.
"I don't trust you. Do it in front of me."
The Shogun said coldly.
"Of course. I'll call them right now."
Beep—
He took out his terminal and connected to one of his subordinates.
"Major Segai, what is—"
"Delete all records related to Hare Menjou, including infection registries. I want everything gone—not a single trace left. If anything remains, you'll pay with your life. Do it now."
Segai issued the order in an icy tone.
"Y-Yes, sir! Right away!"
The subordinate immediately got to work.
"And return her school bag exactly as it was. If anything is missing, your life will still be forfeit."
The Shogun suddenly added.
"Huh?"
The subordinate froze for a moment.
"You heard her. Move!"
Segai reinforced the command.
"Y-Yes, sir!!"
Beep—
The call ended. Segai shrugged.
"My apologies... my subordinates are rather incompetent."
"..."
The Shogun said nothing. She simply withdrew her blade, then turned to Inori.
"Inori... take the satellite trajectory and come with me outside."
"Mm."
Inori nodded obediently, took Gai's terminal, and walked over to her.
"What are you planning to do?"
Gai asked.
"No matter what, as long as the satellite is destroyed, that's enough, isn't it? If necessary, I can destroy Leukocyte along with it."
Without waiting for a response, she left with Inori, heading out through the corridor to the facility's rooftop. From that elevation, the golden point in the night sky was clearly visible—and it had grown larger due to the time lost earlier.
"Haa..."
She exhaled softly. Purple light began to emanate from her body, and her feet slowly lifted off the ground. A manifested puppet hand bloomed beneath her like a flower, supporting her form. As she spread her arms, a massive Eye of Baleful Omen appeared above, covering half the sky. The eye moved like a cannon, scanning before locking onto the satellite.
"Inori, tell me when they align."
She instructed the girl beside her, who was momentarily stunned.
"Mm..."
Snapping out of it, Inori quickly checked the terminal. Once the satellite's trajectory aligned with Leukocyte's firing range, she spoke.
"Now."
"!"
Crackle—!
At her command, the pupil of the Eye began rotating clockwise, accelerating rapidly. Thunder particles gathered around it like an electromagnetic cannon, dimming the surrounding colors.
Then, with a swing of her arm—
Hum~
A massive violet beam, dozens of meters wide, shot forth from the eye like an arrow, streaking toward the glowing point in the sky!
The beam crossed mountains and cities, visible to everyone on the streets of Tokyo.
"...Mio."
Hare, resting in the rear, saw the light and instinctively thought of her.
The beam struck the descending satellite directly, piercing through it and continuing onward, breaking through the atmosphere before striking Leukocyte No. 2, which stood aligned in a straight line.
A flash of white—then both the satellite and Leukocyte exploded simultaneously. The beam's overwhelming power melted their structures completely, leaving almost no debris behind.
Hum~
She dispelled the Eye and returned to the ground, releasing a breath. She glanced at Inori beside her.
"..."
Inori stared at her in a daze.
"...It worked. Otherwise, debris would've fallen."
She awkwardly brushed her hair aside, knowing what Inori was thinking.
"Mm... yes."
Inori nodded, equally awkward.
"..."
They fell silent.
"Mio, you—"
"This body is not human."
She answered plainly.
"Mm... I can tell. But thanks to you, everyone was saved... whether you're human or not doesn't matter. I never cared about that."
Inori shook her head.
"...I see. That's good."
She let out a small breath of relief.
[Um... is it over?]
Tsugumi asked awkwardly over the comms.
"Yes... it's finished."
Inori replied.
[Phew... really? That's great. Thanks to Mio again~ good work!]
Tsugumi teased lightly.
"...Mm."
So it was finally over.
She felt... exhausted.