Just as Shido was surprised by his unexpected encounter with The Hermit, the situation on the screen suddenly changed!
Several missiles trailing flames and dense bullets, like a bloodthirsty swarm of bees, shot mercilessly from all directions towards the tiny blue figure, who appeared incredibly small in the rain!
"...! Danger!"
Shido practically squeezed the warning from his throat, instinctively leaning forward as if he could shield the girl. However, across the cold screen, his voice couldn't reach that battlefield.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions and smoke instantly engulfed The Hermit's location.
"Those guys... they actually attacked a little girl...!" Shido's eyes widened, watching the AST Unit's relentless assault in disbelief. He bit down hard, his fists clenched, knuckles white. The shy appearance in the rain contrasted cruelly with the scene of her being covered by artillery fire.
"...At a time like this, why are you still saying such things?" Kotori narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone tinged with helplessness and a calm, knowing insight. She continued, "Didn't you learn this lesson when Tohka first appeared? To the AST, it makes no difference what form a Spirit takes—whether it's an innocent girl or a monstrous creature."
"They possess only a sense of mission to protect the world, and the most primitive survival instinct inherent to living beings: 'eliminate threats to humanity.'"
"Even... even so..." Shido tried to argue but found himself at a loss for words.
The moment he spoke, the small blue figure reappeared from the smoke.
She didn't retaliate, nor did she even adopt an offensive stance. Instead, like a startled bird, she frantically dodged left and right in the sky, using her peculiar ice-creation ability to form barriers, desperately resisting the continuous attacks. Her figure appeared exceptionally helpless.
"That child... she doesn't intend to fight back at all?" Shido watched The Hermit on the screen, who was only evading, and an indescribable pang of sorrow welled up in his heart.
"Exactly. They are always like this." Kotori confirmed Shido's observation, "The Hermit is considered one of the gentlest and least aggressive types among known Spirits."
"...If that's the case—" Shido looked eagerly at Kotori, as if grasping at hope.
But Kotori interrupted him, her tone still cold and realistic: "If you ask the AST to go easy on them, it will be in vain—as long as she is still a Spirit, as long as she could still trigger a Spatial Quake."
"...!" Hearing this unequivocal answer, Shido felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over him. He bit his lip, swallowing his reluctance.
No—he actually understood. He had profoundly learned the futility of arguing from Tohka's incident. Her nature, her innocence, meant nothing in the eyes of the AST.
Because what they were determined to subjugate was the very existence of a "Spirit," the "phenomenon" that could endanger the world.
—There was no way to overturn their ideology. Unless... "Hey, hey, so—"
Koushi, who had been watching, interjected at the opportune moment, nudging Shido with his elbow. His face wore his usual teasing expression, but there was less playfulness in his eyes and more seriousness.
"Now that the plot has reached this point, it's time for our hero—Itsuka Shido—to make a dazzling entrance, stage a 'hero saves the beauty,' and then naturally flirt with her... ah, no,'seal the Spirit,' right?"
Kotori heard this, shifted her gaze from the screen to Shido, crossed her arms, and said at her leisure:
"The original plan was indeed that. However, Shido, you seem to... not have fully made up your mind yet? Facing a Spirit who doesn't fight back and only flees, is your 'resolve' sufficient?"
Instantly, the eyes of almost everyone on the bridge focused on Shido. A silent question and expectation filled the air.
Kotori looked directly into Shido's eyes and asked, word by word, "What are you thinking, Shido? Do you want to save her? Now, make your choice."
Shido took a deep breath, the air seemingly carrying the scent of gunpowder and rain, piercing through the screen and lingering at his nostrils.
He closed his eyes. In his mind, he saw the shy, sky-blue eyes from yesterday in the rain, Tohka's trusting and dependent gaze, Chinatsu's cold and resolute back... Finally, his gaze fixed on the small, helpless figure dodging amidst a hail of bullets on the screen.
He suddenly opened his eyes, no longer bewildered or hesitant. Instead, there was a clear and firm resolve.
"Does that even need to be said?"
His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally steady, carrying an undeniable power, "I must go."
Kotori seemed to have anticipated his answer, a barely perceptible curve forming on her lips, but she still challenged him with a testing tone:
"Oh? Can you do it? Facing the AST Unit's attacks, facing a Spirit who might be unable to communicate due to fear, facing all the uncertainties and dangers—can you do it?"
Shido met Kotori's gaze without the slightest evasion. His answer was resolute and filled with the determination to bear everything:
"It's not a question of 'can I do it.'"
"It's that 'I must do it.'"
For the girl who had given him a shy smile in the rain, for not adding more Spirits like Tohka to be hunted, and also for... finding a path different from the AST's, a path that could truly save them.
His resolve had been conveyed.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Rexlent
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"