Vol 11 Chapter 1 (1/2)
Chapter 1 - Price
When he opened his eyes, he could feel his brain shake
Gasping in severe nausea, he looked around with his eyes that ached so much it felt like they would pop out
The world eird
Everything seeht seemed to be slow
He felt he was going crazy just fro at it
Kusanagi Takeru immediately recalled the circumstances that had led to this
They infiltrated the Critical Point in order to retrieve Mineshi+ro Kazuht with the EXE and Kurogane Hayato hom they met in there Driven into a corner by Hayato's overwhelth, when he used the technique he should have——Takeru surpassed the human boundaries
He could re, the sense of crisis as he felt he will no longer be able to return to being a human, he could remember it all
The scenery spreading in front of him, was extension of his state from back then
While having an urge to voi Takeru called out
Lapis Lapis
With a voice as if he was looking for help
In fact, Takeru was indeed seeking help fro about his brain way on a rae
He thought he will die at this rate This world wasn't a place a hule second longer of it
When he thought so,
《”—— Ho —— st —— can —— you —— hear me?”》
The voice of his partners had appeared in his head
It was still too slow It was too slow so it took hi of the words
《”——I'll——believe——that you——can hear——and continue Currently, the operating rate of Host's brain is out of control”》
As the voice had caught up he could hear it clearly, but Takeru still hasn't returned to his usual world The world was still slow
What should I do?
He only sent these feelings to Lapis
《”Most likely Host will never return back to the original state That's just how far Host has crossed boundaries the of humanity Currently, this state is Host's default brain processing speed”》
This is no joke As if I could withstand this
Takeru felt like raising a white flag
《”Host's life will run out in this state There's one solution Please do the opposite of Soumatou As you are now, you should be able to do it”》
Hearing about the opposite of Soumatou, Takeru closed his eyes
Speaking of Sou the limiter in his brain It could be also said to be the activation of absurd strength in times of crisis
He recalled the every-day training with Orochi
The training he was made to do in order to learn Soumatou was simple and intense
What constituted the training, was ju off a hundreddown by Orochi As he was being pushed down, Takeru grasped the rocks and tree branches on the cliff, then cli, he was kicked off the cliff again
He repeated that every day for a dozen times Takeru was broken on daily basis, he lost his life countless times
But as he repeated it, he grasped the trick He got accusto with it
Takeru couldn't forget that feeling It was like there was a lid closed on a key in his brain, an i it forcibly
Lapis told him to do the opposite
Close the lid
”————khh!”
As if closing a wind in , Takeru concentrated his consciousness
Normally he would be able to iered, but now that it was going out of control, it required powerful concentration
Close, close
——Zzuuunn
I sound, he felt bass and returned back to the original world
His breathing returned to nors, and the pain and body sensations returned
”ihthh!”
Takeru had a horrible headache, his eyeballs were screa from pain and were so bloodshot he felt like they would rupture, but he was somehow able to return to his normal state
《”The ht be difficult, but please concentrate as to maintain your current state I'll try to help as er abilities”》
It see berserk was the default state, if he doesn't hold down the lid he would enter that state again
He nodded in his brain in response to Lapis' words and looked up in order to understand their current situation
”——Takeru, did you wake up?!”
Ouka's voice had entered his ears, Takeru tried to reply
But, he bit his tongue at full strength
”Agh hat is it?”
His body was shaking up and down
Apparently Takeru was being given a piggyback ride by Ouka and she ran at full pohile carrying him
”Ouka, why are you in such hurr——”
”Sorry, but I have no tiue so clench your teeth!”
Ignoring the state he was in, Ouka sprinted as fast as she could
As a yback ride by a woman, Takeru felt a little miserable
Just how ane Hayato?
What happened to Mineshi+ro Kazuma's document?
While he felt disappointed in hi, Takeru turned his head to look behind, and there,
——So from behind them
”hat's that”
Being frightened was the right thing to do
Behind Ouka, there was Mari and Usagi, Ikaruga and Kyouya
Everyone ran desperately, their faces pale
”It's Akashi+c Hazard, yes, that Akashi+c Hazard! The one where you get a tour of heavens just by touching it!”
With flight rings expanded on her ankles, Mari as flying beside Takeru shouted
”Then, ever since I lost consciousness”
”Not even five minutes passed, you damn early riser!”
Kyouya who carumpy expression
”Five minutes?! Only five minutes passed since then?!”
”That's right As you can see, we're out of ti from Akashi+c Hazard”
Ikaruga carried on Kyouya's back spoke in the usual, languid manner
”Out of tiane-san?”
”We successfully recovered the docuane Hayato is I don't know It seems like he remained there in order to let us escape, nor him”
””
Takeru's one
But he didn't think he was able to win against Kurogane Hayato with that blow The reason Hayato remained there, was probably to turn someone's attention to himself so that 35th platoon can escape
Honestly speaking, Takeru had s
He and Hayato couldn't understand each other With conflicting beliefs, they couldn't proceed in the same direction
Wasn't there any different ending for that? He felt regret first and foremost
”Also in order not to waste captain Kurogane's act, we need to bring this document back no matter what”
”In short, we're in danger!”
Yeah, Ouka nodded while running
Mari seemed to have been exhausted by fierce combat, Ouka was also injured Kyouya too received Hayato's blow and hasn't fully recovered Moreover, he was carrying Ikaruga
And,
”Haa, haa”
The problei Her basica big gun wasn't an easy task
”Usagi! You okay?”
When Takeru called out to her, Usagi raised her weary face and tried to respond
”I arh——wah?!!”
Her foot hit a raised tile on the ground and she was about to fall
At the saround, Takeru jumped off Ouka's back
——Make it in time!
He triggered Sou all the round at full power
《”Host! Don't!”》
Although he could hear Lapis' voice stopping him, Takeru was just a moment faster
The s slowed down——no, stopped completely
As he moved his body in this state, Takeru's consciousness shook violently
”Ugh——ghhh!”
Feeling as if his brain burn out was inserted into a liquid iron, Takeru released Soumatou in the same way as earlier and fell on his knees
Everyone who ran turned around and tried to run over to Takeru and Usagi Usagi tried to raise herself seeing Takeru run over to her, but probably because she injured her knee she couldn't move
If he stops here, he won't ht in front of him There were at most three seconds left until it reaches her
If he didn't use Soui wouldn't——!
He shook off the pain and tried to ain
Then leaped extending his hand to Usagi
A vortex of darkness approached froi
On the brink of not i
——She disappeared from in front of him
”?!!”
His outstretched hand cut the air
Immediately after, Akashi+c Hazard approached hi his body like a tsunami
I can't avoid this
Takeru prepared himself for death
”——Reckless as ever, aren't you”
At the same time as he could hear a man's voice, his left arm was pulled up
Takeru's body vigorously soared upwards until it finally stopped only when he was about to reach the clouds
Looking down at the Critical Point sed up by the Akashi+c Hazard, Takeru confirmed the identity of the person who pulled him up
”By a hair's breadth”
Pulling Takeru's arht device, was an owner of almond eyes and platinum-blonde hair
Pureblood Party's Seventh Squad's captain, a e
The reason it seei disappeared, was because one of his subordinates pulled her up into the sky
He could see the other members of the seventh squad who put his fellow ht devices
”Everyone safe?!”
When Takeru called out, everyone confir froht device because there was no space for him on the broom
”All right, seems like it!”
”Does this look like I'ii——WooAOAAhhh?!”
Ignoring Kyouya as trailing behind the brooe who helped him
”You guys weren't you involved in a different mission?”
”The schedule changed Our new lad we made it”
Sage pulled up Takeru and sat him down on the back of the device
Takeru breathed out with relief and cancelled the Witch Hunter form
”you've saved us If not for you ould have been inside Sanctuary by now”
When he pat Sage's shoulder and thanked him, he heard ”don't mind it” in response
”By schedule change you mean what happened?”
”Ah Everyone from the Heretic Alliance had evacuated from the headquarters Currently, they have all returned here”
”Everyone?”
”correction Hoshi+jiro-dono's whereabouts are unknown According to Oonogi-dono she re but that the connection was lost”
Surprised, Takeru squinted
He had no clue as the reason for evacuating the alliance aru's reason for re alone
Although he knew it can't be helped even if he thinks about it, there was no doubt so on
”Kusanagi, did you succeed with yourafter a document”
”yeah, somehow”
He had no clue whether that could be called a success, but it was a fact they secured the document
”We'll confirm it later Let's hurry now”
Sage started to increase flight speed
”We need to hide for now There's a need of discussing the future course of action There was a change in the world during your mission”
”Did the enemy move?”
They pierced through the clouds and when rose to an altitude where they could see the cityscape under thee said
”Valhalla appeared near the Inquisition's headquarters——right now, the city turned into hell”
At the sas lined up in the distance
Explosions and pillars of s from everywhere
The city he used to live in, rapped in flames
The flames wrapped around the city in a mere moment
A surprise attack that used transferthe city
Inquisitors were told in advance that eneoon cans of transfer
However, the enemies weren't so few in number that would enable inquisitors to cope with them
As if a theround and had the inquisitors at their mercy
The elusive sorcerers launched an attack while riding flight devices
They indiscriround
This place, was 18th line of defense near the main station, at this hour it was croith office workers and students returning home from work and school
So fast the evacuation couldn't catch up to it, everyone flocked to the shelters like moths to flame
”If they knew this would happen, why didn't the higher-ups prioritize evacuation of the civilians?! It's impossible to accommodate everyone in the shelters!”
One of the Seelies calling for people to evacuate ran against the crowd Inquisition headquarters' shelter was sturdy enough to survive nuclear boh to let the entire city in Moreover, in this confusing situation where they have received a surprise attack with transfer uide people in there properly
Eneic It hardly ic to break through the bases than transfer ic
《”Notification fronore civilians' evacuation and take the headquarters' defense as priority, the frontline troops are to focus on annihilating the enemy”》
”You nored this!”
Ignoring the orders from above, the Seelie moved
While raising in his aric bullet in her back, he took out a ent and injected it into woic bullets wasn't power, but the toxicity Ordinary huic power in their blood and die
The Seelie tried to move the woman into the first aid station near the station, but he was rendered speechless at the sight in front of him
Countless injured people and bodies filled the main street Even now the attack continued and numerous witches filled the sky
Unlike during co with civilians
Although unwilling, he was rean
A sorcerer in a red robe noticed the Seelie and started covering ical power at the tip of a wand