Visitor Chapter (I) is the 9th volume in the Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Light Novel series.
Synopsis[]
Miyuki's classmate Shizuku Kitayama is on her way to study abroad.
For Magicians, this is normally impossible, since allowing the genes of someone who can use magic outside their home country's borders is tantamount to giving up national secrets.
But it's allowed to happen in one case-exchange programs. And that's how Angelina has arrived in Japan from the USNA to study at First High School. But it seems she's a part of something much bigger than a simple cultural exchange![2]
World Affairs as of 2095[]
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| This section begins by summarizing changes in the names and borders of various countries, resulting from conquests, around the globe in the aftermath of World War III. It also mentions military alliances, a split in the EU, isolated nations, and nations entirely destroyed by the war. |
Strategic-Class Magicians - Thirteen Apostles[]
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| The Thirteen Apostles (十三 使徒) are Strategic-Class Magicians who possess Strategic-Class Magic, and have had their identities revealed to the world for the sake of national prestige. [1]
Currently, there are only Twelve Apostles (十二 使徒). [2] Liú Yúndé died with the Great Asian Union's fleet at Scorched Halloween, bringing the number down to twelve. |
Chapter 0[]
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| National Particle Accelerator Lab, Dallas, Texas, USNA; the linear particle accelerator (almost 30 km in full length) prepares to experiment with micro black hole creation and evaporation based on the Hawkin's Radiation theory. The experiment was stuck for 2 years despite preparation being complete because of the largely unknown risks. The project restarted because of the major crisis – Titanic Explosion of Scorched Halloween.
Scientist from Department of National Defense debate the cause of detonation and conclude it to be matter conversion (matter to energy conversion). They used an experimental device to record the annihilation reaction and estimated what had happened. The scientist after concluding were scared of this unknown enemy as there is no countermeasure. And so the experiment that was stuck for 2 years is restarted. Even though the theory is sound, the experimental and observed (titanic explosion) data differ from the estimates. They only had a slim chance of getting the same distinctive properties of that “titanic explosion” in the experiment, but the desperation by the leaders of USNA caused such a risky experiment to restart. This willful ignorance would likely cause the entire world hitherto undetected disaster. |
Chapter 1[]
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| A month before the change of year, in Japan, Tatsuya, as his friends are studying for the final exams, goes over the incidents that happened this year – Terrorist in April (Blanche Incident), No Head Dragon Incident during the Nine Schools Competition in August, then, The Foreign Invaders during the Thesis Competition in October.
The 8 friends have gathered in Shizuku’s house (Mansion). They are studying for their written exams. Only Leo’s grades are so-so but still in no danger of failing. Shizuku suddenly surprises everyone by informing them that she would leave for America to study overseas. Honoka is the person who was most affected by this news. Due to heavy restrictions, most Magicians are not allowed to leave their country and Foreign Exchange among magicians is a rare thing, since it would reveal some of their technologies. Military and government officials impose this, as to prevent the drift of high-class magicians and their genes to other countries. Countries remain allies on surface but compete with each other underneath that mask. Shizuku is allowed by the officials under the foreign exchange student exception. Shizuku informs them that she would only study in USNA for 3 months which makes everyone relax. And so, they plan a farewell party. Shizuku’s farewell party is held on Christmas Eve, December 24 (Saturday) and their final exams have already finished. They celebrate it with a cake and drinks in the Café “Einebrise”, which has been reserved completely by them. In Dallas, Texas, USNA, before the date changes to December 24, a masked young girl, Major Angie Sirius (Commanding Officer of Stars), confronts Lieutenant Alfred Fomalhaut (1st class star of honor) for desertion, and other crimes such as arson and homicide. He possesses the ability of Pyrokinesis (fire starter ability, which is not modern magic from any system but a special-power/superpower) and attacks Sirius by burning the cloak that was covering her body. The Area of Effect (AOE) Magic “Mirror Cage”, which removes the light and creates pitch black darkness is used to limit the visibility of Lt. Fomalhaut. Sirius with her authority, enforces his punishment by killing him with a bullet which uses Data Fortification. Tatsuya’s group discusses Shizuku’s destination, during their farewell party, being Berkeley, California, and not Boston (the center of America’s Modern Magic Research Facilities) in the East Coast, which is currently unstable. The "Human Ideologist”, an anti-magic movement focused in Boston, is rampaging there. The said group is often being covered in the news. Leo here retorts, that the ‘Witch Hunts’ have now turned into ‘Magician Hunts’. They then turn towards how the similarity and difference between the New White Supremacist movement and the “Magician Hunts” and Tatsuya informs that the roaster for both organizations share a few members. They then discuss and speculate about the details of the new foreign exchange student (a girl of same age) who would replace Shizuku here. They party for some more time, as Shizuku, Mikihiko and Erika have no other calls from Families to attend any family gatherings hinting that Kitayama, Chiba and Yoshida Family probably hold galas for adults. After the party, Honoka gets on the train with Shizuku (hinting that she is staying over Shizuku’s house and a fact that Honoka is not close to her parents is mentioned) and Erika, Mizuki, Leo and Mikihiko, leave by train as well. At home, Miyuki and Tatsuya discuss the lack of details regarding the replacement student for Shizuku’s foreign exchange program and about the program itself hinting of ulterior motives and reminding them about their aunt’s earlier warning that they are under suspicion, that the exchange student would be from the USNA and would likely be here to investigate Material Burst user. Maya has forbidden Tatsuya from contacting the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion for using the strategic class magic without her permission. He follows her order this time to avoid any undue risk. They also discuss that this program being ratified suggests that their aunt’s (Maya) agreement to this arrangement and her probable plan to have Tatsuya and Miyuki catch the Americans by the tail instead. Back in the States, after reaching her base and reporting to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Angelina Kudou Shields looks to take some rest after the recent Search & Destroy missions (which she still isn’t used to and she also had to kill one of her subordinates who had deserted his post), as per her duties as High Commander of Stars with the title of Sirius. While she was lying there, one of her subordinates, Major Canopus, talks to her and comforts her as a parent (father) figure. He has a daughter who is around the same age as (younger than) Lina. He wishes her good luck on her mission overseas in Japan. Details About Stars – Stars consists of 12 Units, each led by a Captain and then a High Commander. The Captain is a subordinate to the High Commander and is in charge of taking care of their own unit. Maj. Canopus, call sign “Two” within Stars, Capt. of the 1st Unit and the de facto High Commander in absence of Maj. Angie Sirius. Positions/Ranks in Stars do not always correlate with Military Rank, and is rather an odd arrangement for a military unit. It is unheard of for a Capt. to outrank the High Commander, but it is common to see the High Commander & Captains sharing the same rank. 6 other Captains share the same rank of Major with their respective High Commanders. While the remaining 6 hold the rank of Captain. Maj. Sirius is somewhat displeased that Canopus being much older than her, yet holds the same rank as her and not greater, and which makes her uneasy. Maj. Canopus has a daughter who is 2 years younger than Maj. Sirius. Angie Sirius is unhappy that she is being sent for an infiltration op., which isn’t her specialty, along with the fact that her targets are just 2 high school students among a list of almost 51 people. Hence, the possibility that they may very well not be the Strategic-Class Magicians at all. Canopus tries to console Maj. Sirius. She will be provided a host of support personnel working in the shadows along with a Planet-Class Magician to support her. |
Chapter 2[]
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| Tatsuya & Miyuki welcome the New Year for 2096 AD together. Their father spends his New Year eve at his first love’s home, which is convenient to both Miyuki & Tatsuya, since the awkward situation was avoided and they have no complaints about it.
Wearing a kimono and looking extremely gorgeous, Miyuki along with Tatsuya meet Yakumo and Haruka outside their home. Tatsuya initially expressed concern about Haruka been seen in public with Yakumo, but she side-lines this by stating that her meeting up with Yakumo-sensei is a complete coincidence. She declares herself to be their guide for the day. The four of them then meet with Mizuki, Honoka & Leo (Erika & Mikihiko are not present due to family reasons) and get immediately complimented by Mizuki and Honoka on their attires. Tatsuya also returns Honoka’s greeting earnestly and he honestly feels that Honoka’s kimono is exquisite. Leo (wearing a jacket) compares Tatsuya to a mafia boss rather than a police chief for wearing a haori hakama so well. They are all at a shrine and after a little discussion about that, Leo & Yakumo get introduced to each other. Leo is surprised about Yakumo knowing his identity, for which Yakumo explains it as because of Nine Schools Competition recordings. No one questions Haruka’s presence. At the shrine, Tatsuya (Yakumo as well) notices the gaze directed by a foreign girl (also hinting Japanese ancestry) towards him. Miyuki following Tatsuya’s gaze checks and calls the girl “a beautiful child”. The beauty, on some level, rivals that of Miyuki's. The girl is seen to have dressed in a rather peculiar fashion though. The infiltration mission assigned to Maj. Sirius includes the misdirection by allowing the siblings to notice her. Back at her house, she is welcomed by her roommate and support personnel, Silvia Mercury First, who is ranked First among the Stars Planet-class “Mercury”. At 25 years of age she is a CO and Warrant Officer who is regarded highly as she earned her title “First” at an early age. Silvie comments about Lina’s (Maj. Sirius’s) getup to be out of fashion and the reason for her easy discovery. Lina is also her pet (nick) name for the mission to hide her identity. Silvie later decides to spend the rest of the day informing Lina of the latest and proper fashion in Japan. After the tearful departure of Shizuku (starring: Honoka & co-starring: Miyuki & Mizuki), the rumors about the new transfer/exchange student starts at First High School. Erika talks about it with Tatsuya, informing that she couldn’t get any glimpse due to the huge crowd. Mikihiko informs the others about the short term transfer students arriving at Second High, Third High & Fourth High & researchers arriving at Magic University as well, at which Tatsuya wonders at the amount of personnel invested in this. During their discussion about the situation about USNA information gathering, Leo suggests that them being spies, which is immediately retaliated as something not to be said out loud. Leo questions how does that concern them and Erika informs him that as long as Miyuki is involved as a classmate and the Student Council Vice-President, they have to be careful and maintain a cordial relationship, at least for appearance’s sake. They later meet Lina at the cafeteria with Miyuki and Honoka and Tatsuya realizes that she is the same girl they had seen (noticed) at the shrine. Lina spoke fluently in Japanese albeit with a heavy accent. As Miyuki, Honoka, and Lina leave to get their food trays, the other students scamper away from them in awe. Leo and Mizuki express their familiarity with Lina, which surprises Erika but before the hesitating Tatsuya can dispel his friends’ bewilderment, the trio returns with food. Honoka introduces her to Tatsuya, and after the comedic jabs from Erika and Mizuki, Miyuki takes over the introductions. During introduction, she fails to correctly pronounce Mikihiko’s name, and Mikihiko suggests her to call him Miki instead. After her struggle with the chopsticks finally ends, Tatsuya asks if she is a blood relative to Elder Kudou. Also called as ‘sensei’ among Japanese magicians, Tatsuya instead used the catch-all term ‘Elder’, as an honored title for retired officers, for Lina’s sake (as an American). Lina verifies Tatsuya’s statement that she is indeed the granddaughter of Elder Kudou’s younger brother who went to America and started a family there. Lina’s mother’s grandfather is Shogun Kudou’s younger brother (Shogun, used instead of General, is often used for Kudou Retsu, in Europe and America). As Lina uses that as a reason to explain her coming here to study, Erika asks if she did not come here on her own volition. Lina’s nervousness and anxiety over this question was not missed by Tatsuya (or was observed by Tatsuya). |
Chapter 3[]
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| Toshikazu is grumbling at his job and gets reprimanded by Inagaki, when Inagaki gets a call and is informed about another crime. 5 dead bodies are found and the cause of the death is similar to that of their earlier mysteries case – no external injuries and loss of blood.
Since the arrival of Lina at First High, Miyuki’s title of “Queen” (given by the combined consensus of the upperclassmen and female student body) has now morphed into “Twin Beauties” as they are always together and so are also compared. Her beauty rivals and is equal to Miyuki’s, yet diametrically opposite in appearance. Apart from just her beauty, she also has Magic Power that rivals Miyuki as well. During their practical skills class, they are competing to take control of the metal ball placed between them. They attract the attention of all their classmates, as well as some of the third year students (who possess the freedom to select their course schedule) including Mayumi & Mari. Miyuki, since last month, has reached a level that her peers cannot hope to reach and the instructors have already deemed continued practice with other students as meaningless. Not even the newly recruited Student Council members and Public Moral Committee members, who came to challenge Miyuki, were any match to her. Some of the observers, who have not mastered the suppression magic interference techniques, are pressing their temples and cannot stop shaking their heads, due to the strength of Miyuki and Lina’s magic. In this neck-to-neck competition, Miyuki is ahead in wins by two rounds. And after four more rounds, the competition ends with the result split as 2-2 wins for each side, with Miyuki winning the overall competition. In terms of Activation speed, Lina is faster, but Miyuki wins in Interference Strength and so, seizes control before her opponent’s magic is finished. Initiative vs Power, a tactical Victory. In Mayumi and Mari's eyes, in terms of single systematic processes, the two of them possess equal Magic Power. After a week of interacting with other groups, Lina again has joined them today. After being praised for her popularity by Erika and skills by Mikihiko, she tells them that she used to be undefeated in high level competitions, and yet she cannot beat Miyuki, and when against Honoka, she may win in her overall skills but loses in the complexity of design. At Miyuki’s gentle reminder that practical exercises are not competitions, Lina rejects it by saying that 'holding competitions are a way to improve ourselves'. Tatsuya while agreeing to it, adds that there is no need to carry that beyond the event itself, with practices being different than exams. He also tells them that Miyuki's motivation rises due to Lina’s excitement. Lina agrees but calls Tatsuya a sis-con. Tatsuya inquires Lina about “Angie” being the usual nickname for “Angelina”, a simple question for those around them but Lina seems to falter for a moment (Hint at Lina being Angie Sirius). She explains it to also being used as a nickname for “Angela”. Trivia - First High doesn’t have any student dorms. Only a few specialized boarding schools have them. At home, Lina is visited by Michaela Hongo (Mia or Mina), (Lina’s subordinate and also her neighbor), who like Lina has Japanese-American heritage but due to her slightly darker skin color, she can easily blend in here. She is one of the the spies sent by the USNA (before Lina's group) recently and has infiltrated (under a guise of mutual research) the magic university under the identity of a salesperson and engineer from the Japanese branch of Maximilian Industries, "Mia Honda". Her true identity - a magic researcher attached to the Department of Defense who specialized in Release-Systematic Magic. She is a talented woman who participated in the last November's black hole experiment in Dallas. She has volunteered for this mission, in search of an alternate breakthrough for "annihilation reaction energy conversion" after the debacle at the Dallas Research Center. Lina, Silvie and Mia have gathered to exchange intelligence but Silvie and Mia currently haven't yet found any new data. Lina mentions that she isn't cut out for the job and adds that the targets seem to have seen through her disguise. She talks about how he questioned her nickname being Lina and not Angie (she is publicly known as Angie Sirius), and that she was very nervous when he asked. Seeing the worried looks around her, Lina tries to rally her and their spirit with empty enthusiasm. In the underground facility, after measuring Miyuki's data for CAD adjustment, Tatsuya informs her that the CAD is now unable keep up with Miyuki's Magic Power, due to her growth being faster than expectations. At home (coming from the underground facility), Miyuki’s revealing clothes confuse Tatsuya of her true intent, but soon again reopen Lina’s topic, trying to understand the intent of sending USNA’s trump card Sirius over here. Understanding Lina’s failure to hide her identity, they realize that her strengths don’t lie in intelligence work but her mission is maybe something else, hence the disguise. Tatsuya, after trying to figure out the situation and Lina’s mission, tells Miyuki to compete freely with Lina, as the USNA has provided her a rare opportunity. Trivia – CADs are tools that shorten the time needed to activate the Four Systematic Magics. It is only of limited use to other magic, such as Outer-Systematic Magic, Non-Systematic Magic, Ancient Magic, and especially if the Non-Systematic Magic is only releasing Psions to the point that the lack of a CAD would not seem unnatural at all. Tatsuya, on his way to the committee to collect the committee CADs, sees Lina and later Kanon asks him to let Lina accompany and observe him. (How Japanese high-schools govern themselves.) Tatsuya wonders about Lina’s intentions and also the probability of incoming troublesome events happening, due to the jealousy that can be seen on male upperclassmen. Tatsuya agrees. During the round, Tatsuya is more troubled by the sneaky inquisitive looks sent by Lina towards him. Tatsuya asks if she was unaware of this system. Sensing the cornered Lina, due to his strong words (and feeling somewhat guilty for it), he gives her a lifeline by stating that a 1st year might now be much aware about this. Lina uses this lifeline properly (Tatsuya thinks Lina is smarter in this aspect than Miyuki) to ask why he, as a Course 2 student, was selected. Lina stops near one end of the building, which is near the Research labs, and asks why he is (pretending to be) a Course 2 student, informing that she has already asked this to Miyuki and Kanon (she called Kanon as cannon). Miyuki got pissed at that question and Kanon informed Lina that Tatsuya stands at the top among First High Magicians. Tatsuya informs her that he indeed is a poor student as per the general standards of evaluation, but in live combat, victory depends on a lot of variables. He tells her that he can hold his own in a fight and that he is greatly supported by his physical prowess. Lina then suddenly attacks Tatsuya. After neutralizing her attack, they end up in a position that would look like Tatsuya is forcing a kiss. Lina complains but realizes that there are no lingering after effects. After apologizing, Tatsuya comments that the refinement doesn’t suit Lina’s character. Lina, in his statement, counter attacks by stating that she has been invited by the President for tea, which actually is a blow to Lina (as she needs to keep her identity secret. Here, it is mentioned that Magicians, when meeting a few special people in power, need to take periodical antidotes to defuse the Psions in their bodies before meeting them. The statement – 'Why’d a high school girl be invited for tea with the President unless she is “Sirius”' – lurks behind those words.) Tatsuya does not pursue much in that regard as well and changes the question to ask the reason for attacking him. It is explained by Lina that she wants to check his capability, and offers him to come to USNA. She informs him, that the USNA also follows the international standards generally, but in some places, this is not the case and he will be properly recognized for his true potential. Tatsuya suggests that place be Arlington, which Lina answers in affirmative and she adds that there are other places as well. Tatsuya comments that the merit-based assessment is for selecting tools, while comparing the USNA military (Arlington) and the National Defense Force as two sides of the same coin with little differences, and then drops the topic completely. Lina asks if he isn’t going to ask her anything else (regarding her identity). He tells her the saying "some stones are better left untouched” and this leaves Lina irritated. |
Chapter 4[]
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| 14th January, 2096, 11 PM, Shibuya.
The town of Shibuya is described in modern times and its uniqueness. Shibuya, as a result of being the first town to expel the foreigners, has been spared the absolute total destruction. The town is very much lawless at night. Leo is strolling here with no clear destination in mind (his habit of roaming). Leo is the 3rd generation of the “Burg Folge (Fortress Series)”, developed in Germany through gene/genetic manipulation. The 'Burg Folge' is a body tuning technique, developed to emphasise on improving the body’s durability. At that time, during close quarter combat, a magician's weakness was focused and the physical abilities were strengthened rather than magical abilities. This is to create a breed of “Super soldiers using magic” or “Enhanced Human simultaneously using both superhuman physical abilities and magic technical abilities”. The enhancements were done by raising the performance of the physical body, rather than removing the body’s limiter with external means. The subjects often went insane and they died due to the nature of their modifications. As such, he fears that the same thing might happen to him someday, which is why he tries to follow his impulses like his grandfather, who lived a natural life span. Leo has similar fear of “going mad one day”. Leo, who is in Shibuya by coincidence, is called by Inspector Toshikazu (Erika’s eldest brother) and Inagaki. He follows them to the upper level of a small bar. Leo inquires if he has interrupted an investigation and Toshikazu informs him that they were just trying to conceal their presence while investigating the strange murders. Upon Leo’s questions why he is here and not in Yokohoma, he tells that as part of the Police Department, they are always transferred. Leo is questioned of his reason for being here today and if he regularly travels here, which he informs is occasional, and was also here on New Year’s Eve. Toshikazu then leaks information about the murders to Leo, informing him about the unnatural deaths with loss of about 10% of blood without any trace of any external injury (like a supernatural phenomenon). They are trying to find any occult angled reasoning to this strange murders, especially from foreigners. Toshikazu then enlists Leo’s help and asks him to report anyone suspicious he thinks of. January 14, 2096, USNA Washington D.C. 11:30 local time. January 15, 01:30, Japan time – Midnight. Lina is woken up by Silvie for an urgent communication from Maj. Canopus. It is about the desertion incident of Stars, a great shock to Stars and to USNA executives. Almost 7 magicians and magic factory masters had escaped from the USNA forces, included among them were also members of the Satellite-class (the lowest rank). Canopus informs them that the fugitives, after landing in Yokohoma, are currently located in Tokyo. He informs that this is a secret mission (that the Japanese govt. doesn’t know about). He passes on the instructions from the General Staff HQ about the changes in priorities and the new mission to hunt down the fugitives. Next week, the strange murders event is discussed as the hot topic in the classroom. Erika also starts talking about the news to Tatsuya. Both discuss about the cause of death and the reason for the crime, and they are joined by Mizuki. Tatsuya, after hearing a headline from the news – Homicide by occult means, he feels that if creatures such as vampires and hobgoblins really existed, then, they would have been disclosed at the same time as the wizards. Thinking this, he asks if Youkai, or demons, or those sorts of beings are involved. Tatsuya over hearing occult, remarks that until a 100 years ago, magic was a prime example of occult. He, in the end, refrains from judgement due to lack of information. Mizuki is worried about the rise of Humanism/Humanist movement. (“Magic isn’t a power permitted to humans” essence of cult ideology for a sub-sect of Christianity. Have and are expanding influence in central east coast of America.) During such conversation, Leo arrives, who is unusually late. Lina is absent from school, due to some business related to family and the like. Mizuki is worried and Erika is curious about this. Erika asks Honoka about Shizuku, and is informed that she seems well and the lessons are not that difficult. Change is class discussion forums including teachers still remain there, is surprising & interesting. When Mizuki inquires that Lina should be in a similarly perplexed situation, Miyuki flatly rejects – hinting that it is as though Lina only attended Japanese High School from the beginning. Then Honoka’s next announcement surprises them. She tells them that a similar Vampire Incident also happened in America, in the central area in southern Dallas. Tatsuya is also surprised at this news as he regularly checks USNA-related news. Honoka informs them that there is information restriction about this incident in USNA as well but Shizuku stated to Honoka that the source is a well-informed student, who was a former exchange student. Honoka, after sharing the information, is rather happy as she has drawn Tatsuya’s attention to herself. Lina is at the USNA embassy in a secret meeting where she is being reported and educated about the changes in First Lt. Alfred Fomalhaut’s brain as compared to the normal brain found during the autopsy. She is informed that previously unseen neuronal structure is found in Fomalhaut’s cerebral (pre-frontal) cortex. This newly found organ is thought to be linked to unknown mental functions. She asks if Fomalhaut’s mind was altered or if he was being manipulated. She is informed that even if one could interact with someone else’s mind the brain’s structure couldn’t be affected & “magic which alters the mind’s very structure does not exist”. At the last phrase, she recalls the legend of one such magician but who had already died after 20 years of hospitalization without getting married or having children. Katsuto and Mayumi meet (as representatives of their respective Houses) in an empty club-room. It is more of a ‘secret meeting’ than a ‘date’. There is an ongoing Cold War between the Saegusa & the Yotsuba since a month ago, which was instigated by Kouichi's secret meddling in a certain section of Defense Military Intelligence under the Yotsuba's patronage. Katsuto then understands the reason for the firm stance in this case of the Yotsuba (the Yotsuba had rarely hardened their attitude until now). Mayumi asks the Juumonji Clan for a united-front. She informs him about the details of the Vampire Incident - the victims being exactly 3 times than reported (24 victims). The victims of this incident belong to the Saegusa clan or their supporters. It is seen that all the victims are magicians, such as students of Magic University, etc. The police, not being informed, makes Katsuto think that it would have been better for the Saegusas to cooperate with the Yotsubas. The chronological events are- the Vampire attacks on Magic University students and staff, then, the Saegusa clan members, who were investigating the murders, are killed, and then further deaths in avenging the deceased victims. Suspecting the foreigners, Katsuto points out that there are a lot of foreign magicians transferred as students and engineers recently arrived including Lina. He says that he is suspicious and thinks that they are probably not the culprit but even so not completely unrelated. He, then, finally agrees with the plan to form a united front. |
Chapter 5[]
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| During the night in Shibuya, in one of the parks, two people, one completely covered and concealing their gender and the other lying on a bench, which is shown as a female corpse. Another person comes and talks to the completely covered individual with the corpse using telepathy.
They discuss the lack of compatibility for transferring the replica. The process involves connecting to the body and then absorbing Psions from the blood before the replica becomes stable in the new host. The body cannot become the host without the presence of strong individual desires, even though they may have physical compatibility and also other conditions. Just when they decide to have more samples, they feel that three people are coming near and have broken through their spiritual barrier. They decide to handle two of them first (the 3rd being separated from the two), as they are strong enough to break the barrier. Tonight, Leo, having received the details of suspicious individuals from a close friend, is in Shibuya to verify the truth of the eyewitnesses. He hears a broken series of noise that sounds like insects flapping their wings (not within the audible spectrum), but the sound reaches deep within his consciousness. What he is currently experiencing feels like it is a conversation using the magic calculation area within the depths of consciousness to speak. Details of the 3 Strategic-Class Magicians officially registered with the USNA – Only Angie Sirius is affiliated with Stars, the other two are currently split between an Alaskan base and a base in Gibraltar. The desertion of Alfred Fomalhaut, a planet-class magician has caused a huge blow to the high command in the USNA. So, they have decided to execute every deserter as a warning to the rest. Stardust, like the Stars, are also under the direct command of the Joint Chief of Staff, but are only remnants that couldn’t become Stars. They have specific talents, well-honed to the level of the Stars with considerable combat prowess. The current hunters are specialized in pursuit and identifying Psion waves and traces of magic (previously inactive assets). Their current target is Stars Planet-Class Specialist, Charles Sullivan, aka “Demus Second”. Sullivan considers that he has been underestimated as they have sent only two Stardust members, and is reminded by the other that this is based on his previous capabilities. He is now able to use magic without the need of a CAD. He, then, decides to handle this alone and his vampire companion vanishes. He is unable to hide anything from the other vampire companions but he doesn’t mind it. He has a new sensory organ and by focusing between his brows, he can figure out what his companions are thinking and also they all can reach a consensus. The entity Charles Sullivan is also part of “them”. Splitting towards Sullivan’s left and right, the two hunters use the Cast Jammer, which is a device developed by the USNA R&D that doesn’t use Antinite. It targets CADs and creates additional Psion waves that interfere with Activation Sequence’s processing. It has limited usage and cannot be used just by anyone because it requires a high level of Non-Systematic Magic to release Psion waves. Its effective range is less than 5 meters. Sullivan calls out their call-signs Q and R (hunters from the Stardust unit), which surprises the two for an instant, but then, they start attacking. They fail to attack him but his “Trajectory Alteration” Magic makes it a friendly fire, which makes the two wonder if their Cast Jamming failed. He informs the two women that he doesn’t need a CAD now to cast magic, implying that their Cast Jamming was ineffective. They then switch to their Stilettos and attack again, but he is still dodging them fluidly while using his magic (“Trajectory Alteration”). Just when his attack is about to land on R’s back, he is blocked by Angie Sirius’s strong Inertia Reversal. After Sirius’s arrival, he has to defend and runs away. Sirius follows him. Leo arrives near the bench where he finds the dead woman. He informs Toshikazu that “the Vampire is here” sees that the woman is dead and then sends an emergency distress signal to the ambulance. He is then attacked by a police baton and his terminal gets shattered in that instance, which is caused by a completely covered person. He concludes that this person is a female, since during their fight, the fist are the size of a woman’s. Leo doesn’t sense any signs of magic activation and so doesn’t have any time to react and use Fortification Magic. He uses his left hand to block the baton which hurts him (not fractured but limp for some time because of the pain/blow) but he manages to strike the opponent. Unfortunately, the opponent is wearing Carbon armor beneath her coat, which makes Leo regret not having any weapon. Later during their battle, the vampire manages to get a hold of Leo’s arm and Leo’s strength gives away. He still fights back, realizing that if he lost consciousness, he might just die here. Leo catches a glimpse of Lina as Sirius and the other vampire she’s pursuing. Lina sees Leo’s crumpled figure and wavers but she decides to continue her pursuit. Lina checks the pursuit conditions with Silvie (there is a lot of background noise), while still having visual on her target. Eventually, she loses the target in a park due to background noise, not because of cast jamming. While she is able to recognize her target’s Psion waves in an area with less people around, the reverse is also true and the background noise is a type of long distance magic and to use this the target brought her to this remote location. Lina then withdraws. Erika rises early in the morning (5:30) for her daily training. Until April, she has done it out of habit, but ever since meeting Tatsuya, she did it for her own will/wish to become stronger. She notices the new messages on her terminal and due to some premonition, she checks them. Her brother has informed her about Leo’s encounter with the vampire and also that he is in a police hospital in Nagano now and out of danger. After cursing her brother, she changes her clothes to visit Leo and sends a message to Tatsuya. She takes the day off from school and she also notifies Mizuki and Mikihiko. Tatsuya conveys the message to Miyuki (who is shocked) and decides that they can visit him after school. Erika, in the name of caretaking, is watching Leo’s sickroom and meets with Mayumi and Katsuto outside Leo’s room. Erika isn’t there to take care of Leo but to watch out for him/to guard him from ‘uninvited guests’. When Mayumi and Katsuto enter, she goes to the admin room where Toshikazu and Inagaki are watching Leo’s visit. Erika had hit Toshikazu with a fist (swelling and redness on his face has disappeared) and now regrets not hitting him harder when she had the chance. She doesn’t have a lot of chances that he lets her beat him without resistance, and she wants to release at least a little bit of her pent up resentment still left from her adolescent years. When questioned about Erika’s plans for further violence by Inagaki, he gets overcome by Erika’s sharp gaze/glare. Despite her father’s cold shoulder, she has the largest number of supporters among the disciples because of her looks and skills (Secret Arte - Yamatsunami), like an idol. Her glare makes many disciples cave in and Inagaki as a sparring partner, is compared to a toy for Erika to play with. In Chiba style, only her brothers and her can only become worthy opponents for her, because of her original outstanding ability, along with the meteoric rise in the past half year (her older sister being mundane in swordsmanship and talent). Toshikazu informs that the last night’s victim Leo has encountered is from Saegusa family. He added that the region, Sakuradamon, is not within his current jurisdiction (Kasumiseki), even though it is within Chiba family’s territory. They are not able to find anything about this visit, as the wiretapping is disabled by the Elfin Princess, Mayumi (she has used Multi-scope to find it). They also cannot set up devices outside, as they will be useless due to Katsuto’s sound barrier of Phalanx. Toshikazu and Erika then discuss about the reason for Saegusa Clan’s intervention and secrecy in this matter (crime). After school, Tatsuya and the group visits Leo and they find Erika in the hospital. Tatsuya asks if she was here all day, as they are all aware that Leo was asked for assistance by Toshikazu, who was investigating the vampire case, and got dragged into this. Erika informs them that she went back home, but she returned an hour ago waiting for Tatsuya and the group to arrive. Everyone understood that she was lying. Upon entering Leo’s room, they meet Kaya-san, Leo’s older sister (4-5 years older and she has blonde hair and only accounting for their gender difference, she and Leo look similar), who is sitting beside the bed. Kaya leaves to give them privacy. Mizuki comments behind her that she seems to be a gentle older sister, but the ensuing reaction reminds Tatsuya that every family has its dirty laundry. Leo expresses that he didn’t want to be seen like this. At Tatsuya inquiring on where he was hit, he replies that he doesn’t understand that part but tells that he lost all strength at contact. Similar to the vampire murders, he has no external wounds, no sign of laceration, no puncture on body, or any foreign elements in his blood. He describes the features of the vampire, the armor and tells them that he thinks it was woman. Mikihiko is the most surprised at this, but Erika says that even an elementary school girl can strangle an adult male with the right medication. Mikihiko suggests that it might be something inhuman and the comment is immediately shot down by Erika. Upon Tatsuya’s questioning on why he said that, he says that it might be a “Paranormal Parasite”, aka Parasite. He goes on in a lecturing fashion about how the Ancient Magic has also globalized and International conferences have been hosted in London (England) with the aim to standardize terms and concepts and refine them. Quote by Mikihiko on Parasites can be found here Category:Ancient Magic#Parasites. After hearing about this, Honoka is surprised that monsters and djinns do exist. Tatsuya places a hand on her shoulder, telling her that magic was also not believed to exist, but it is used now. He also added that there is no reason to fear their existence just because of ignorance. He was aware of what impact his touch and his words would have on her and it would dispel her blind unease. Even so, he is aware that ignorance can compound the threat. Mikihiko then examines Leo’s spectral form, after asking for his permission. Quote by Mikihiko on Spectral Form can be found here Category:Ancient Magic#Spectral Form. Mikihiko used bona fide talismans and traditional mediums that even Tatsuya had never seen before, for the examination of Leo’s spectral form. After checking, Mikihiko is astounded and says that he is surprised to see Leo sitting and talking (credit to his physical abilities). He thinks that Tatsuya is in a league of his own and is followed by Leo in that regard. Tatsuya sets the question about “Life Force” aside for now and asks the level in Leo’s body. At the current level of Leo’s life force, an average person wouldn’t remain conscious. After this, Mikihiko questions the reasoning on why the blood is being sucked, wasting their additional time and energy on this, for which even Tatsuya has no answer. After leaving Leo’s room, except Erika who says that she has to meet her brother, the rest walk back. Tatsuya, as though he just remembered to ask (actually Tatsuya intentionally did not ask, for concern of listening devices), asked Mikihiko if creatures like demons and parasites occur frequently. Mikihiko answers in the negative (rare) and it would occur about once in 10 generations, last being the nine-tailed fox around 900 years ago. After leaving Leo, Erika joins her brother, who has been listening up to their conversation. She then informs, with a cold line of reasoning, that Leo is her disciple (Leo being directly instructed from her) and a user of the Chiba style. She also adds that no master would just stand by while their disciple gets beaten. At the same time as Tatsuya’s visit, Lina visits the Tokyo branch for Maximilian Devices, where Michaela Honda works under the alias Mia Honda. The location is also a secret meeting grounds for the unit hunting for deserters. It’s rare for high school students to visit CAD manufacturing sites but she is passed through security due to a letter from the embassy and Fist High’s uniform. She, as Sirius, meets yesterday’s Stardust members that she had rescued. They update her about the events that had occurred during their encounter with Charles Sullivan. She then orders them to not engage any deserters and wait for her to arrive. Silvie, who was waiting for Sirius, takes her to a changing room, where she turns off her ‘Parade’ and changes. Discussing about the meeting, Silvie questions why the deserters are attacking the Japanese, because when being pursued, normally, they would try to hide their presence as much as possible. Lina has no answer for that but Silvie feels that it is connected to the deserters/vampires new powers (of removing blood externally). Just then, Silvie spots Lina striking a few poses before the mirror. Upon asking, Lina recovers and leaves with her head dropped and blushing. |
Chapter 6[]
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Tatsuya is training at the temple with Kokonoe. At this point, Tatsuya is equal to Yakumo. In terms of techniques, he is better in physical prowess but he still lacks far behind in strategy. Yakumo uses ‘Mirage Cloak’ and his presence wavers. Tatsuya uses Gram Demolition to stop Yakumo and Yakumo's false image completely disappears. But after being unable to perceive Yakumo’s actual body, he extends his 5 senses and tries to analyse and guess Yakumo’s location before attacking. His attack lands, but Yakumo’s body is 30 yards away from it. Tatsuya is blindsided by the attack and thrown in the air. Yakumo praises Tatsuya and says that he did not expect him to break through ‘Mirage Cloak’. He warns Tatsuya that his ability to read an opponent’s technique maybe a threat to his enemies but they can still take advantage of it. He also informs Tatsuya that 'Mirage Cloak' is a technique originally designed to shield against "Eyes that are not of this World". He doesn't tell Tatsuya the design but lets him figure it out himself. With that, Tatsuya asks about things that are out of this world. He tells that the enemies are not restricted to just humans and it isn’t rare for some of them to strike a deal with forces beyond this world. Tatsuya conveys Mikihiko’s opinion about Ancient Magic’s claims regarding encounters with actual spirits being rare. Yakumo verifies that Tatsuya’s friend is from the Yoshida Family. Tatsuya then verifies Yakumo's statement/explanation by commenting this - "actual run-ins with bona fide Spirits are extremely rare, but incursions because someone else provided the impetus are not that infrequent." Upon Tatsuya’s understanding of this part only, Yakumo is not completely satisfied with his initial explanation, so he further explains that Spiritual Beings (SB) are legitimately “creatures from another world”. He also tells Tatsuya that he should have an encounter or two with them.
They further discuss the current theory of spiritual magic and turn the subject to Paranormal Parasites. Tatsuya states that the Modern Magic Theory/View Point of Spiritual Magic - “Modern magic believes that a Spiritual Being is an information body isolated within the information dimension from its natural phenomena. Since it originated from natural phenomena, it is possible to use Magic Sequences to recreate the original effect. This is the current theory behind Spiritual Magic.” Tatsuya asks about their origins, in which Yakumo tells him that he also doesn’t know. He suggests that they may have the same origin as a human spirit. Yakumo further talks about Paranormal Parasites with Tatsuya - "I believe, regardless of whether the monster comes in humanoid or beast form, the only thing that can cause the living creatures of this world to alter in such a fashion must come from demons originating from spirit information bodies. Afterwards, just as how the physical manifestation of these spirits have one step in our world and the alternate shadow of this world, demons originating from the spirit also straddle the mental landscape and the aether. The reason that spiritual encounters are infrequent is not because they don’t exist, but because we are not equipped with the ability to observe the human spirit. While this line of thinking would definitely be heresy in the eyes of London, these are my true feelings on the matter." Two days after, Leo is still recovering in the hospital, confined to bed. Due to this, Erika and Mikihiko have been arriving late to school, but they still are able to arrive before the morning bell, with exhausted expressions. During lunch break, she slumps over her desk and goes to sleep (small snores can be heard), instead of going to the cafeteria. Mikihiko also finishes his lunch and goes to the infirmary, probably due to a headache, which is caused by over-exhaustion. Tatsuya asks Honoka to ring up Shizuku. During the call, Tatsuya and Shizuku (even though she squints her eyes with a smile on screen, Tatsuya understands that she is extremely pleased) keep each other on their main screen, and Honoka and Miyuki on side screens. He asks her about the ‘Vampire Incident’ that had happened in USNA. She informs that it is still treated as an urban legend in America with no media coverage. He says that even rumors are fine and tells her about Leo’s incident. Upon Shizuku’s shocked and worried expression/reaction, he tries to calm her down. When she asks him if he thinks there are clues in USNA, he says that he thinks that the perpetrator came from there. She assures him that she will look into it but not act rashly and to wait for her without any high expectations. Reminding her again to be careful, he finishes the call. Based on Erika’s knowledge, three organized groups are currently taking action against the Vampires - the police department’s Special Investigative Unit (Japanese Version of FBI), along with various public safety divisions; the members of 10 MC (Saegusa clan & Juumonji family in support) along with the support of Internal Affairs (Cabinet Department of Information Control); the private vigilante team formed by the Chiba family and Yoshida family in support. During the hunt, Erika and Mikihiko are together. Mikihiko suggests joining forces with the Saegusa and Juumonji for this but Erika rejects it by saying that people with the greatest access to surveillance systems have failed to find anything. The Yoshida clan passed down the Ancient Magic in Shinto style. Their combat skills are outstanding, though not the same, as families specializing in Onmyoshi. Being from the Shinto style group, they still used talismans as a medium, indicating that they are not a stickler for ruler. After being informed by Toshikazu, that the scientific approach yields a little result. The Chiba family head requested the cooperation of the head of the Yoshida family, which was their closest friend among the Ancient Magic users. Mikihiko is providing the directions, using his divination while hunting the vampires. Sensing that they are getting closer to the target, he adds another name to the list of people who know of their location. Meanwhile, Charles Sullivan is fleeing from Angie Sirius. Sirius had been immersed in Psion noise several times but due to the help from the mobile base (disguised as a news van), she could still continue her pursuit. It is mentioned that the USNA is ahead of Japan in recognizing Psion Wave Signatures/Motions. Sirius (Lina) dislikes calling people by letters and started calling Q & R as Clara & Rachel respectively. At Sirius’s orders, they engage Sullivan, and Sirius then throws a dagger (a Weaponized Integrated CAD, with non-reflective dark coating). The throw itself activates the Move-Type Magic with Trajectory Manipulation controlled by Sirius. Sullivan is unable to use his Trajectory Alteration on the dagger (to make it a friendly fire), this is due to the difference in interference strength between him and Angie Sirius. He blocks the dagger with his hand while the other 2 slash his back (this would have been fatal injuries to a normal person), but he fights off the two. While he is being distracted by Clara (previously Q) and Rachel (previously R), Sirius intends to use a pistol, but is interrupted by a surprise attack (electrical attack). Lina disperses the electric attack on contact with her body by activating Wide Area Disruption on reflex, and manages to shoot Sullivan with a bullet reinforced with Data Fortification, killing Sullivan. After using Mikihiko’s Divination two more times, he and Erika arrive at a small park, at the place where Sirius and the vampire are fighting. Erika is carrying a long box which contains an unsheathed sword covered with engravings – a weapon forged by the Isori Family and Isori Kei’s gift to Erika as a replacement for the overly conspicuous Orochimaru. Though not as powerful, it is equipped with the same ability to execute Inertia Cancel (cancellation). Mikihiko is using a supplemental CAD based on Tatsuya’s suggestions and his own ideas (designed to streamline Ancient Magic that utilizes both Incantations and Talismans) – a fan like object, made of metal strips that have engraving of various incantations and formations (favored by practitioners, iron strips forms a conduit for Psions), which is connected to another device inside his sleeve that has activation sequences (replacing any need for incantation). They pick their target, Mikihiko - the vampire and Erika - the masked magician (Angie Sirius – Erika chose her as Sirius is having a large blade and is handling it expertly). Erika attacks the already engaged Sirius (should be extremely difficult to avoid) but she dodges it (by activating magic at shocking speed and the attack was only realized at the last instant before the blow is struck). Sirius picked a selected appropriate magic, activated it and successfully avoided the attack. Sirius moves directly under the street lamp, and letting Erika see her dramatic features illuminated by the street lights. With Sirius’s feminine body, golden pupils, dark red hair (can be mistaken for black), and her black skin, she is being compared to Kali. Erika uses her eyes (trained by swordsmanship) to determine that her opponent is first-class and so she doesn't use Reinforcement Magic, she uses Inertia Cancellation. During their fight, Erika cuts through Sirius’s head band. Erika’s opponent is first class and she realized that losing the initiative would force her into defense and result in her crushing defeat. Mikihiko realizing Erika has a formidable opponent, but he cannot offer any aid because he also has difficulty in dealing with his opponent. The female vampire is wearing heavy gloves, which prevent any injury to her but dealing damage to the opponent’s internal organs. Mikihiko uses ‘Wataboshi’ (based on the application of Ancient Magic concept “Riding the Wind”), it combines gravity nullification and inertia cancellation into phenomena alteration. Due to the opponent’s ‘Barrier’ (a projectile repellent field), Mikihiko’s cane is broken and his dagger fails to damage his opponent. Mikihiko decides to use ‘Thunder Child’. The Modern Magic ‘Thunder Child’ is known as ‘Thunder Spawn’ in Ancient Magic. It is an inferior version of the true ancient magic that actually manipulates the clouds ‘Thunder Clouds’, which creates powerful discharge and voltage. After Mikihiko’s attack hits the vampire, she howls but holding her head, she gathers electricity greater than his attack – a Dispersion-Type Magic. The Modern Magic’s Dispersion-Type Magic is able to channel higher amounts of electricity than Ancient Magic. He starts dodging the attacks and when creating a dense block of air as magic shield, his opponent is faster as she doesn’t resort to Activation Sequences for casting magic (and her spell is still as powerful). He is cornered but just before the attack, the vampire’s magic is neutralized (blown away) by a block of Psions (Tatsuya’s Gram Demolition). Erika during her fight with Sirius, manages to deal damage to Sirius’s collarbone. They are both suddenly distracted by Tatsuya, who is seen riding on a bike, with a silver CAD pointed at the vampire (Sirius doesn’t recognize Tatsuya due to his helmet). Tatsuya watches all the members involved Erika, Mikihiko, the Vampire and finally Sirius whose golden eyes seem to draw him in. Sirius starts to attack Tatsuya but the magic fails to activate, this is repeated three times as she tries using different sorts of magic. Meanwhile, the vampire escapes, and seeing that Tatsuya is distracted, Sirius shots five times at her feet, the sparks creating flashes that obscure her body. Tatsuya tries to use Decomposition Magic on her legs, but fails as the information body that should represent the actual body contains only surface data and no actual data (only records of color and outer appearance but no information of mass, physical design or chemical composition). Tatsuya then asks if Erika and Mikihiko are alright. Erika has gotten torn clothes due to Sirius’s attacks, revealing her flesh and hints of her curves, but her protective undergarments are still undamaged because of her under armor. Erika accepts Mikihiko’s jacket. Tatsuya tells her that the attack that caused her to be in this state appeared to be Kamaitachi mixed with the gust. At Erika’s anger, due to her tattered clothes, Tatsuya tells her that she did manage to damage her opponent’s collarbone, causing her great pain. When she asks Tatsuya about why he is here, he is clueless as to why she asked and tells her about Mikihiko’s message thinking she is already aware. She thanks Tatsuya for saving her on time, and also Mikihiko but questions him regarding when did he contact Tatsuya without telling her. Tatsuya interrupts them after seeing Mikihiko’s condition (like a frog under the serpent’s gaze), informing them that other groups will be here soon. He asks them if they have approval from the Clan Meeting, which makes them realize the implications of that, and so they should move out. Tatsuya then offers Erika a ride, but upon Mikihiko’s question, informing him about the overcapacity, he leaves a sulking Mikihiko behind. After returning to her mobile base, Sirius gives the order to retreat. Clara and Rachel apologize to her for the falling behind in the pursuit and for the resulting failure. Looking at her condition (the ruined hair and the dirtied boots), it is clear to them that she has fled back. She assures them that it was her responsibility. Upon the recovery of Sullivan’s corpse, their mission wasn’t really a complete failure, even though a 3rd party intervened. Sirius orders to conduct an autopsy on Sullivan’s body. They inform her that they have recorded a Psion wave signature for the other Vampire but they were unable to find any match for it. They discuss the reason for the same. She casts Healing-Type magic on herself, while keeping a stoic expression on her face. Due to her firing the gun when her collarbone was already cracked, had caused it to become a full-blown fracture, causing her intense pain. She is frustrated that she never knew about Erika’s strengths and Tatsuya’s mysterious ability to completely nullify her technique, implying that she doesn’t know (or isn’t aware) about Gram Demolition. At home, Tatsuya asks Miyuki to call up Maya, as his call will be curtailed immediately without reaching to her, as he is only Miyuki’s guardian. It is mentioned that not even Miyuki is aware of the number for the direct line to Maya (forget Tatsuya), explaining that the Information Control surrounding the Yotsuba Family is several times more intense than the government. Miyuki calls Maya, who appears with her age-defying beauty and mysterious smile. Hayama is seen to be standing beside Maya and Tatsuya is seen beside Miyuki. Tatsuya ponders the oddity of having Hayama attend a family call, but him standing next to Miyuki, is probably also the same. After the usual customary words between Miyuki and Maya, Tatsuya speaks to Maya, telling her that he has a question and a request. He asks Maya about the workings of Kudou Family’s Counter Magic ‘Parade’. This surprises Hayama. On the other hand, this makes Maya burst into laughter and deflect the question by telling Tatsuya that ‘Parade’ is one of Kudou Family’s closely guarded secret, so, she won’t know about it. Tatsuya pushes further by saying that she was his student and even though she doesn’t know the Magic Sequence, to at least tell the ins and outs about it. Tatsuya presents his own hypothesis about it to Maya – "Counter Magic “Parade” applies Data Fortification on your own Eidos and rewrites or alters your appearance. To be precise, it is a Magic Sequence that applies a different appearance or a fake mask on the Eidos and creates a false appearance, using the new appearance to mask the original in order to protect the real form from hostile magical effects, correct?". Maya responds by saying that ‘Alteration’ Magic cannot be achieved in the real world. Tatsuya further discusses about ‘Parade’ with Maya stating - "Rather than using “Alteration”, a simple adjustment at the visual level by using Light Refraction Magic would be enough. The problem lies in that Light Refraction Magic cannot escape my “eye”, hence where the issue lies". Tatsuya further mentions that ‘Mist Dispersal’ was also avoided, which surprises Miyuki. Maya replies that then the Trident should have no problem. He asks Maya if Parade can be cast on top of itself, to which she reveals that, in regards to Parade, Kudou Retsu’s younger brother was much more adept at it. After hearing this, he finally requests for reinforcements, stating that he is unable to handle this incident alone. Maya allows him to contact Maj. Kazama. | ||||||
Chapter 7[]
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| In the morning, at the station near the school, they are usually joined by their friends, but today, Mayumi is waiting and when the siblings go to her, she just leaves, after telling them to come to the second Cross-Field Club room after school. Katsuto was a member of this club (a club for magic combat survival games), before becoming the Group Leader of the Club Management Committee. He still uses this room privately, even after leaving the club, which is an open secret.
Katsuto and Mayumi are waiting for Tatsuya there. Tatsuya arrives there alone, surprising Mayumi, who even though wanted to talk only with Tatsuya, didn’t expect it. On the other hand, Tatsuya had to coax Miyuki into cooperation, who was insistent, by promising to accompany and treat her to a cake buffet. Mayumi immediately broaches the topic, by asking about Tatsuya’s whereabouts the previous night. He answers that he did go out by bike. He also tells her that he was called by Mikihiko, who was engaging the vampire. Mayumi is surprised by the information that was voluntarily given by him. He then tells them that he was only involved yesterday, and they (Erika and Mikihiko) were tracking the vampires because Leo got hurt by the vampires. Mayumi requests his help, intending to share info if he agrees to cooperate, which he immediately does. She asks him why he is joining now and not before when the notice was released (which he should not have known about, obtaining non-classified info wasn’t hard). Tatsuya answers that the notice was sent to the 10 MC, 18 auxiliary houses, and 100 families. Not even being from any of them, he tells them that it was none of his business, but being directly asked is a different thing. His disclosure regarding the info even before them surprises Mayumi, but he tells her that if she can back out then even he can back out easily. She tells him that his personality is very terrible. Tatsuya, from the given info, understands the scale of damage, the possibility of the existence of multiple vampires, and the presence of a third force (other than Erika and Mikihiko) interfering with the efforts, with the last two points bugging him the most. He asks their intentions after catching one of the Vampires - it will be for interrogation (finding out their identity and purpose), then dispose of them. When Mayumi asks him to join their search parties, Katsuto overturns her and tells him to work independently, thinking that it would be better. Revealing nothing from his side he leaves. Mayumi says to Katsuto that he might just go and join the Chiba group, which he agrees will probably happen but says that if they keep faith in Tatsuya, then he won’t betray them (that’s his personality). It is Saturday noon, but school has ended. Tatsuya realizes that he is still missing several crucial pieces, in other words, he has enough information to know that he is missing something definitive, but he still thinks that it is still a satisfactory result. Tatsuya, then, rushes to the Student Council Room using his physical abilities, knowing that Miyuki will be waiting for lunch. He meets Lina at the door and both try to get out of the way. Tatsuya enters and calls out to Lina while patting her on the shoulder. Without crying out ‘Sexual harassment’, she simply smiles while replying and returns his pat twice. Tatsuya, while waiting to be served by Honoka and Miyuki, asks why Lina came. Miyuki answers that the school has suggested that she will be made a special SC member during study periods. This is because she was unable to decide on what clubs to join and was troubled. Honoka adds that the soliciting behind the scenes became intense and so Leader Hattori came up with this idea. Miyuki says that the clubs all had ulterior motives since she’s studying for only 3 months and so won’t be able to participate in any events. Also, the Art Department’s photography team (Tatsuya doesn’t remember there being a Photography Club), wanted Lina to join the light Gymnastics club to take pictures and make photo albums of Lina to sell off. Tatsuya comments that - it would make for quite the picture but wouldn’t be sure of selling them, which makes Honoka & Miyuki angry and jealous. This makes the mood between them delicate and Honoka tries to cool it off. They discuss Lina’s lack of enthusiasm and Tatsuya concludes that she isn’t keen on spending any time after school and so had been undecided on Clubs. After dinner, Tatsuya was sitting on the sofa in the living room looking at a large screen that was mounted on the wall. Miyuki was snuggled up beside him. Thanks to the access privileges granted by the 101st Battalion, the screen depicted a real-time video feed of Tokyo, seen through stratospheric surveillance cameras as well as three glowing dots, representing the Saegusa, Chiba, and USNA personnel moving through it. From their movements, Tatsuya determines that the USNA has better tracking methods for the parasites and decides that it’s time to take action. He asks Miyuki to remain at home and heads out, equipped with his favourite CAD and other equipment as he went to battle. After Tatsuya leaves, Miyuki switches on the display terminal with the tracking system and watches, even though the scroll speed is fast for her. She is able to do this because of her extraordinary memory, although she does not have a vast memory capacity like Tatsuya (a side effect of Tatsuya’s mental remodeling). She decides to go against her brother’s wishes. Even though she would be scolded by him, she thinks it is better than not doing anything when he gets hurt. She realizes his opponents would probably be the Stars. Miyuki has one of the highest levels of power in the country and also the world, at the age of 15. She is aware of her short-comings – her ability isn’t farsightedness or clairvoyance, nor the power to mobilise the Yotsuba nor a personally built-up network (like her brother), nor the hacking skills like Fujibayashi either. She hugs herself trying to feel Tatsuya through the limiter (of which the lock, the chains, and the key is she herself). Tatsuya can always know her situation no matter how far he is from her. Tatsuya’s vision is said to analyse existential information, and the whereabouts and conditions are always known to him in the form of data, giving her no privacy against her brother. She doesn’t care about that though and instead wants the unsaid feelings within her heart to be known to him, but his powers do not extend to the mental realm. She has Mental Interference magic and can ‘sense’ the ‘location’ of the mind and when the Limiter on Tatsuya is released (also freeing her own abilities). She can ‘Touch’ the minds of others and may even be able to touch the spirits drifting in the world. The limitations for her are, unlike Tatsuya, is that she cannot use it to find something that she doesn’t already know the location of. There is a chime to announce a visitor at the door and checks who the person is. She sees that Yakumo is on the intercom. Tatsuya watches the fight between the Parasite and the masked magician from the shadows, awaiting an opportunity to intervene. In this moment, the vampire was more of an enemy, so Tatsuya pulls something from his waist, not his CAD but a gun, and aims it at the Vampire. He casually pulls the trigger, which brings them down. The masked magician turns towards Tatsuya, with an unmistakable hostility. She abandons her knife at the same time Tatsuya releases his gun. Her hand goes to her waist, as Tatsuya's goes for his CAD. The masked magician fires but Tatsuya disintegrates the bullets before they can hit him. The masked magician was left open by the failed attack and so Tatsuya fires magic in an instant, hitting the masked magician head on with the anti-magic Gram Dispersion, destroying her disguise and transforming the demon into an angel. Under the night sky, a Sedan is racing along the highway in the heart of the city. Sitting in the back seat of that quiet cabin, Miyuki asks Kokonoe Yakumo why he is taking action when as a rule that he only observes. He replies that it’s due to an obligation as a Shinobi to protect secret techniques as the enemy is using the Kudou Parade which originates from Matoi, a spell from Yakumo’s school of ancient magic and he needs to ensure that she knows how to protect its secrets. As the demon became an angel, she fired another five bullets and all five were disintegrated before the gun itself fell apart, leaving the girl frozen with shock. Taking advantage of the lull, Tatsuya tried to contain the situation by asking her to stop, as the vampire was his target, and the fight with Lina was a waste of time. It didn’t work and she pulls Knife style Integrated Armament CADs and throws them, reactivating Parade to mask her real location. Tatsuya struggles to relocate Lina and to make matters worse, Lina's magic activation was blindingly fast, surpassing even Miyuki. Since he could not find her or bring down Parade long enough to attack, he settles for the third option. He took out a small grenade and threw it into the air. Both throw up magical defences to stop the shrapnel, although Tatsuya takes some injury to his arm, flank and thigh. Suppressing his self-regeneration, he attacks Lina to destroy her defences and then pins her to the ground. After a brief exchange of words, Tatsuya moves to remove Lina’s mask despite her protests. Lina casts a spell to have the knifes she threw before to launch at Tatsuya but as they touched his flesh they dispersed into dust, shocking Lina. She tries to resist but Tatsuya ignores her. Frustrated that the Vampire had slipped away in the confusion and unmoved by her teary eyes, he removes the mask. Lina screams and as if lying in wait for Lina's scream as a signal, the sound of rushing footsteps could be heard as four police officers came running from four directions. Tatsuya tears off her CAD glove as he gets up. A police officer begins to try and arrest Tatsuya but he spins behind Lina and shoves her into him before vaulting over him and kicking him in the face to escape the encirclement. Saluting Tatsuya’s resolve, Lina tells him since he removed her mask, she no longer has any choice but to kill him. One of the fake police officers hands Lina a knife and handgun and the four took position around him. Just as the fight was to resume, Miyuki shouts out and a light leaves Lina stunned. All three men attack Tatsuya at once, but he disables the spells on their knifes and one of the men collapses in a pool of blood. Tatsuya uses Gram Dispersion to stop Lina’s counter attack at Miyuki. The remaining man falls to the ground, stalked upon by a shadow from behind, the fourth already unconscious. Having incapacitated two of the Stars members in an instant, Yakumo strolls up with the same unconcerned expression as always. The one surrounded now was Lina. Realising that Tatsuya allowed himself to be surrounded to gather intel, Miyuki apologises for interrupting. Tatsuya turns his attention to Lina and she realises that she’s going to be interrogated. After a three-way dialogue between them and Miyuki, Tatsuya suggests a one-on-one battle, if Lina wins she goes free and if she loses, she answers some questions. Miyuki insists on being the one to duel Lina. Miyuki's prowess with cooling and freezing magic is unrivaled, but it doesn’t protect her from the cold when riding tandem on a bike at night in midwinter, so Miyuki clings tightly to Tatsuya’s back as they changed location for the duel. This amuses Yakumo, as to him, the feelings that the siblings have for each other was something quite of interest. In the car, Yakumo and Lina discuss the situation. Yakumo assures her that what happens between Lina and Tatsuya does not concern him. She struggles to comprehend his objective and how a ninja, a magic user, isn’t a magician nor serving the national interest. Despite the difference in values, she finds it that she couldn't agree, and for some reason, she couldn't object either. The car Lina rode stopped somewhere at a riverbank. With no moon and only the starlight to guide them through the darkness, Tatsuya and Miyuki walks up. Suddenly, Lina is attacked by anxiety. She has her CAD, but her other equipment was taken and was worried that she may even be assassinated. Tatsuya makes her jump, as he reassures her that they’ll honour the deal, having silently closed in on her. After reconfirming the deal, Lina sets her eyes behind Tatsuya — towards Miyuki. Tatsuya declares that the referee will be Yakumo, but he’ll only be judging the winner. The victory conditions are obtained when one party surrenders or is rendered incapable of further combat. The rule 'No killing' is relayed. Both were confident that they would win. "Master, one moment please." Absolutely ignoring the stares Yakumo and Lina were sending him, Tatsuya walked to his little sister and embraced her. Without a hint of resistance, Miyuki let Tatsuya kiss her forehead. “Although it's only temporary, I restore your power to you. Please compete to your heart's content." Lina, standing next to Yakumo, was making a face as if she had eaten too much and gotten heartburn. Lina looks at Miyuki and decides that she doesn't intend to engage in close combat. From her observations, she had figured out that Miyuki was a typical magician, deficient in physical abilities. For the rogue magician executioner 'Sirius', they were the easiest type of prey. Not waiting for a start signal, Lina decides to close the gap with self-acceleration magic, neutralise the opponent's magic with Data Fortification, then eliminate in CQC and use high speed magic to make an escape. That was the plan. However, she could only let out a silent cry as Miyuki attacks first and a tempest was rushing in at Lina. Lina dodges and was hit from the side by a second spell but she managed to weather it. Realising that she won't hold back, Miyuki declares that she will get serious. There’s a slight pause, likely in order to cast a stronger magic for the decisive blow. Lina simultaneously activates self-acceleration and Data Fortification and rushes straight towards Miyuki but stops five meters away to avoid Miyuki’s defence, which blocks Lina’s counter attack also. Everything so far had proceeded just as Miyuki had planned. "Always be prepared two or three steps ahead of your opponent", it was something repeatedly taught to her by Tatsuya daily. Whilst doubling over the inside zone, Miyuki released the outer area. The forcibly-slowed air molecules returned to their original speed. The air, once contained in a small area, was freed in a great rush of pressure, and engulfs Lina in a blast. Lina manages to hit the ground and brace with a barrier. Realising that if she didn't retaliate at least a little, she would be overpowered. Lina grips her combat knife in her right hand. Her gun had been taken, but this knife, capable of operating 'Molecular Divider' had not. With her left-hand, she scatters daggers where Miyuki couldn't see them. She cancels her inertial increase, then rising at full speed, to a knee, she swung her knife. At that time, Lina feels an overwhelming interference strength, surpassing anything she had ever seen. "Dancing Blades!" Even before confirming that Molecular Divider had been disabled, Lina activates her next magic. Her discreetly scattered daggers rose and flew forwards, in the blink of an eye. Sensing magic tinged objects closing in at high speeds, Miyuki cancels her offensive magic sequence partway, and switches to an area defensive magic, stopping the daggers. Deciding to go all out next, the pair launch spells simultaneously. Miyuki casts Niflheim, and Lina Muspelheim. A storm of Ice and a storm of Fire collide and in less than a minute, Miyuki’s spell begins to overwhelm Lina’s. Realising that she’s going to lose, Lina decides to gamble using multicasting, despite it likely being suicide. Shouting for them to stop, Tatsuya pulls the trigger of his CAD. His 'Gram Dispersion' dispels both Miyuki's 'Niflheim' and Lina's 'Muspelheim' at the exact same time. The cold and hot air rapidly mixes, creating a gale that would cause both frostbite and burns, but Tatsuya is protected by Miyuki but both she and Lina are shocked. Yakumo is amused and points out that Tatsuya violated the victory conditions he himself had set. Tatsuya had no words to reply with. In that situation, if he had not intervened, it would have gone against the condition of 'no killing', and so, he had no regrets, concerning the intervention itself. But the entire match after all had simply been an excuse to slip around regulations. As an actual soldier, Lina had guaranteed rights as a prisoner of war and the legal aspects of the situation were messy either way. How in the world will we sort out this situation... Tatsuya thought as he felt a headache approach. But his worries are unfounded as Lina admits that she would likely have died had he not intervened, but as the conditions of the duel were changed, she will now only answer yes or no questions. |
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