"Kill her? Hmph, that's not quite the right word to use."
Surrounded by flames, Kotori's figure appeared beside them.
"Tobiichi Origami, I originally thought you were a smart person — yet you acted so recklessly, attacking without even triggering the spacequake alarm in Tenguu City?"
Kotori sighed softly and snapped her fingers.
Immediately, the wall of fire surrounding her vanished without a trace.
"You know me?"
"No, I don't know a madwoman who treats life as worthless."
(Meanwhile, still dizzy on the ship, Tenqi Sanluo couldn't help but sneeze.)
"..."
Origami didn't answer. She simply stared at Kotori with eyes full of hostility.
As her CR-Unit activated, countless missiles launched from the devices on her back, guided by her Territory, flying toward Kotori along precise trajectories.
Thanks to the barrier surrounding Itsuka Shidouu, he was not harmed by the explosions.
"Ah—so there's no room for negotiation?"
Kotori calmly raised her hand. As she murmured under her breath, crimson flames burst from beneath her feet, swallowing every bullet Origami had fired and enveloping her entire body.
"[Divine Spirit Armor—Type V]!"
The flames receded instantly, revealing Kotori once again clad in the same kimono-like attire she had worn during the rooftop battle — a flowing robe, sleeves burning with fire, and the strange, mismatched horns atop her head.
The Spirit Armor, the strongest shield of a Spirit.
"A Spirit…"
Upon seeing Kotori's Spirit Armor manifest, the hatred in Origami's eyes deepened.
There was no mistaking it — this was the same sight she had witnessed five years ago.
"Camael — Flame-Devouring Demon!"
As she spoke, Kotori opened her hand, and flames gathered within her palm, forming a massive battle axe.
"Tobiichi Origami, it seems there's no room for discussion between us."
"I finally… found you…"
Origami's doll-like, delicate face twisted in rage — an expression Shidou had rarely, if ever, seen on her before.
He knew then that Origami was absolutely convinced Kotori was the one who had murdered her parents.
However, having lost his memories from five years ago, Shidou himself had no idea what had truly happened back then.
And then—
Origami lifted her hand, and Shidou suddenly felt his body grow light.
That was the effect of her Territory.
"Shidou, this place is dangerous."
With a flick of Origami's wrist, Shidou's body was flung away, rolling several times across the grass.
He looked a bit battered, but that wasn't what concerned him. What truly worried him were Kotori and Origami — he didn't want either of them to get hurt.
"Kotori!—Origami!—"
Shidou's cries were useless; the two of them could see no one but each other now.
As Origami's devices activated again, even more powerful missiles than before emerged from her back — far beyond what had come earlier. They locked onto their target and launched straight toward Kotori.
A deafening explosion erupted, accompanied by violent winds and shockwaves that spread in every direction.
Without the protection of a Territory, Shidou was once again thrown through the air, tumbling across the grass.
...
"What… is that?"
Rubbing her temple and trying to suppress her nausea, Tenqi Sanluo suddenly sensed the clash of Territory and Spirit Energy in the direction of the amusement park.
Though she was in poor condition, she could clearly feel that the Spirit energy colliding with the Territory belonged to Kotori Itsuka.
Recalling the look on that white-haired girl's face when she had seen the Flame Spirit on the rooftop earlier, Tenqi thought for a moment and basically understood what was happening — even without seeing it firsthand.
"Ugh…"
But she wasn't exactly in great shape to move right now. Not only would revealing her Spirit Armor in such a crowded area cause chaos, but her seasickness debuff was also heavily impairing her combat ability.
Even so, Tenqi's raw power was nothing to scoff at — even with the debuff, her strength far surpassed that of most Spirits. Still, judging by the intensity of this Territory, her opponent's power exceeded any AST members she'd encountered before.
If she got careless because of her current state and got caught off guard, wouldn't that be a disaster?
But then again — even if her opponent's equipment had improved, so what? From analyzing that Territory's structure, it was still nowhere near her level.
Besides, this battle was sure to be entertaining. Wouldn't it be a shame to miss such a show?
Moreover, that white-haired girl's attention was clearly focused on Kotori. Tenqi understood well what kind of emotions lay behind a face like that — and until Kotori was dealt with, the white-haired girl wouldn't have the leisure to bother with her. And Kotori wasn't weak either.
Having made up her mind, the only issue left was how to slip away from this place naturally.
She didn't want to call Tohka or Yoshino — both were dead weight who might interfere with her fun.
So…
Tenqi quickly formed a plan. She walked to the edge of the boat and rested her chin on her hand, pretending to simply enjoy the sightseeing.
Then, with a light push of her legs — as if a seasick tourist had lost her balance while admiring the view — her dizzy head tipped forward, and she fell straight off the edge, seemingly about to plunge into the water below.
"!!"
Just before hitting the water, Tenqi silently activated her Spirit Armor:
"[Divine Spirit Armor—Type III·S]!"
As Spirit power surged within her, a blood-red dress and black jacket replaced the swimsuit she had conjured earlier. Using her Spirit flight ability and a burst of Spirit energy, her toes skimmed the water's surface, sending ripples outward as she shot away at high speed.
Meanwhile, all around — including nearby Tohka and Yoshino — everyone's attention was fixed on the tour guide at the bow of the boat and the scenery being described. No one noticed the figure that had suddenly disappeared from the side.
And since Tenqi made virtually no sound throughout the process, no one realized it in time.
Once she left that cursed place, Tenqi immediately soared into the sky to avoid detection. To any curious onlookers below, she would have seemed like nothing more than a bird flying high above — nothing suspicious at all.
"Tch."
Even though she tried using her Spirit power to steady herself, her head still throbbed with dizziness.
But Tenqi didn't seem to care. She flew straight toward the site where Spirit energy and Territory were colliding.
The explosions Origami triggered obliterated part of the amusement park in an instant. The spot where Kotori had stood moments ago now looked like a miniature spacequake zone — the stone pavement was gouged out into a massive crater, and everything within it had vanished.
The destructive power was astounding, at least for a mass-produced CR-Unit.
Though Shidou had witnessed numerous battles between Origami and other AST members before and had a general sense of their combat strength, he had never seen a device unleash such overwhelming firepower.
At this level, it was practically a human-shaped anti-Spirit artillery platform.
However, after scanning the area, Shidou finally spotted Kotori's figure, floating unharmed in the sky and wreathed in fire. He exhaled in relief.
Thankfully, Kotori was completely unscathed.
"What a crude weapon."
Kotori's expression showed clear disdain.
"Ugh—"
In contrast, Origami — though she was the one attacking — looked as if she were enduring tremendous pain. Her twisted expression and heavy breathing made that clear.
Even so, she didn't stop. Driving her equipment once more, she unleashed another torrent of firepower toward Kotori.
And not only that—
"Directional Territory, deploy!"
Just as the cannons and missiles were about to strike Kotori, Origami shouted loudly.
At once, a spherical barrier similar to the one that had protected Shidou appeared around Kotori.
However, since the missiles and shells passed through the barrier unhindered, its purpose clearly wasn't to protect Kotori — but rather…
To trap her inside, amplifying the destructive effect of the attack to its maximum.
Even though Shidou couldn't directly feel the shockwaves this time, the continuous explosions within the barrier — and the cracks forming across its surface — made it obvious how fierce the assault was, and how much greater its power had become when confined to that space.
At that moment, Tenqi Sanluo, flying swiftly toward the battlefield, spotted the scene from afar with her keen Spirit eyesight. She also saw Itsuka Shidouu, standing uselessly on the side like a bystander.
She clicked her tongue in irritation.
"Itsuka Shidouu, you really are such a useless man."