Willpower - One_End_to_Another
The next city over from Mikado City was facing their own crisis in the form of animal-looking Trion Soldiers attacking their city. It was not something they were expecting since Mikado City had been attracting the Neighbors the whole time.
They had all heard about the invasion that had happened a while ago but never thought that it would happen to them at any time. They had no way of fighting back against the Neighbors without any Border agents.
They were going to fall as a city before anyone would come to their help.
That's how it was suppose to be.
"...!"
The animal-looking Trion Soldiers were quickly cut down with ease by a Trion-made sword. Their armor looked relatively tough, yet there was no protection to their cores. Under normal circumstances they would have been able to protect themselves using those tough shells.
Currently...
"...! ...! ...!"
The one taking them was too fast for them to prepare any sort of defense to protect their cores.
Each attack was vicious, sharp and calculated.
Shobu spent no time in deciding his next attack. The only thing he thought about was teleporting to to the next target before anyone could realize he was doing so.
To the side, Kirigiri Kazekiri and Mori Kirisame were busying themselves by guiding any civilians away from the fighting. With no direct support from Border it meant that they were the only ones to do such a thing. It was tough in its own right when they were the only two on the job.
"Where the hell are these things coming from? This city shouldn't have any way of attracting Gates over from Mikado City! Why does it seem like an invasion is going on over here instead of over there?"
"We don't know the current situation over in Mikado City, so the same could be happening over there for all we know. But besides that... Come over here and help me already. Shobu is already taking the brunt of everything, having already become a B-Rank."
"That's what I meant! I wouldn't have thought to put him through this today, when we aren't near Mikado City! I want to help him out-"
"Then help him by helping your other friend! If you do then you're getting the people away from the fighting, you stupid brat!"
Kazekiri and Kirisame looked out when they noticed multiple Trion Soldiers get taken out at the same time while Shobu was on the opposite side of the battlefield. Teleportation had occurred to them, but the distance and angle were too much for him to work under. That left another option.
They now had assistance from someone else.
"Don't go spacing out now. I'll just take you both down if you get in my way. ...Yeah, yeah! I know already! Tch. I guess I can't take you out regardless. Damn that Kiyoshi! The next time he asks for a favor I'm going to charge him for it!"
The two C-Rank agents watched in amazement as Kageura Masato easily ran forward while taking out any and all Trion Soldiers he saw. His use of Scorpion was amazing to watch with it seeming more like a whip or grappling hook at times. He even moved around Shobu and his fights.
Any of the Trion Soldiers that the two could not get to in time were dealt with by a clean snipe from a distance or bombardments from Kitazoe a few feet away.
They knew it was best not to just stand around and watch, so they went back to work. They started guiding the citizens away from the fighting.
There was just one issue with their job.
The whole city had been encased within a dome of Trion. That meant they were all trapped inside of the City. Even if they were to hide somewhere that did not mean they were guaranteed safety from the attackers.
Even so, they knew that it was best to keep any fighting within a set area and keep everyone else away from the fighting. It was the basics in protection of a city.
.
Shobu could feel his mental strength go down each time he cut up the core of a Trion Soldier.
His physical skills were great, especially for a recent B-Rank agent. They far exceeded that of some others who shared the same rank. That was more because of his teachers being Tsukiko Yuki and his own uncle than anything else. They had taught him multiple things in order to maintain some sort advantage.
They had once mentioned that it would help him keep a presence with others as well. They quickly corrected themselves by stating that he was the type to not have much of a presence to begin with and that that fact would be helpful to him as well.
Even so, those were all physical attributes that helped him as a Border agent. His mental strength was far weaker than anything he could do physically. He usually wore a multitude of devices around his neck for one reason or another. He would stick close to people he knew and who could help him when it comes to conversations. They all helped him out so that he could keep his mental strength up.
That may have been why his father had left.
That was neither here nor there at the moment. All that mattered was that he had no one to rely on during this time and no devices to look at to assist him with his mentality. All he had was the blade in his hand and some assistance via Kageura Squad.
That was when he remembered it.
That black bracelet-like object that had been entrusted to him by his uncle and boss. It had apparently been created during the exact moment of his own mother's death. That may have been why it was given to him over someone like Mei or Mukuro. That black bracelet-like object may have been able to take them all out in an instant.
His knowledge would be able to protect everyone.
His emotions would be able to smash his way through.
His willpower, although low, would create a blade that none could defend against.
Then it occurred to him that he had no choice. Due to him knowing just how strong that black bracelet-like object was he decided to only take a part of it instead of it all. He could not use his emotions to smash through and could not use his knowledge to protect. All he could do was create a blade that none could defend against.
Truly useless at the moment.
What good would a blade do right now?
It could take out these Trion Soldiers without issue. That did not solve the issue of where they were coming from. He could take out whoever had made them. That did not solve the issue of knowing where they were. He could create a path for others to walk through. That did not solve the issue of them having nowhere to go.
"...Useless... ...Even then...I'm useless... ...I can't help... ...I can't be like...any of them... ...So useless..."
There was another issue that black bracelet-like object could not solve. The blade that was created used a person's Trion to create it. It also had to decide that the user had enough willpower to use it. If they did not, they would be unable to use it to begin with.
"...Us-"
"Stop mumbling to yourself over there! If you have the time for that then help out over here! You're suppose to be Kiyoshi's student, right? Then stop slowing down!"
"Kage-san, yelling at Tenryū won't help. Sorry about him, Tenryū. He doesn't mean any harm."
"Shut up, Ema!"
Shobu was amazed by this small conversation. He did not think that someone - especially someone he only knew in passing - would say something to defend him. It had happened only with people he knew well enough. Hearing Ema say something for him from atop a building itself was something uncommon for him.
Kitazoe was even trying to say something to him concerning the way his captain was speaking. It was a nice sentiment, even if Shobu himself felt like the yelling was deserved. There was no reason not to be yelled at like that. He could not continue on when he could not focus and there was no way for him to muster up the willpower to use Shikifuku for anything.
The thought of just giving it to one of the members of Kageura Squad came to mind. They all seemed well off in areas he was clearly lacking in. They would be able to use Shikifuku well enough to get out this. They may be able to find a solution.
It felt wrong.
Just thinking like that felt wrong. He knew what was given up to create Shikifuku. He had been the one to be allowed to use Shikifuku. His own willpower was suppose to be the factor that allowed for Shikifuku to create that blade.
Handing it over to someone else was not something he was going to readily do.
"...Okay... ...I will...continue to...help... ...I am...sorry for...causing issues..."
"Ah, ey, oh! Oh, ey, ah! Tenryū-chan~ People from Kageura Squad~ I've found something for you to work with! No, no. Rather, Mukuro found something for you all to work with! Yes, yes! Attention, attention!"
Shobu looked over to see the only Operator the Yagura Branch had at the moment. Nakagami walked forward without a care, as if the threat of the Trion Soldiers was nonexistent.
Her voice echoed out as she walked right up to Kitazoe.
"Hey, big guy, you'll need your shots for something else." She looked from Kitazoe to Ema. "You too, boy. Mukuro found some small spheres around the edges of the city. They're the things creating this dome of Trion. You two can take that down, okay? That'll be enough, I think, for everything to work itself out."
"Don't go ordering us around like that! Who the hell are you anyways?"
"Not nice at all. Zero points in total. Whatever. I'm Yagura's Operator, Kageura-san. I've got nothing to do while those guys have fun on the multi-layer overpass. Basically, I'm being a messenger for people who can kick my ass."
"Shitokei and that shitty woman... Fine. You two go find those things. The shrimp and I will deal with these things. Hey, you two better hurry up and get the people out of here or I'll just take you down!"
"We're doing what we can! There is only two of us, you know!"
Things were finally looking up.
They found a solution to an issue.
That meant there were only a few more issues left.
"...Nakagami-sama... ...Did he...say anything about...the northern area...having any...?"
"Hm? If it had to guess... Probably. I didn't hear him too much between his yawns. He mentioned the possibility of there being some spheres going around the city. So my guess would be North, South, East, West, and everything in between. Eight in total. Why?"
Shobu gave a nod.
There was something he could do now.
"...Could you...find Mei-san... ...Tell her...to go...north... ...I will...let her...out..."
"Wait a damn minute! -These damn things...! You can get her out but not everyone else? What kind of crap is that? Playing favorites now is-"
"Kage-san, calm down. Yelling at him right now will just set us back."
"Tch!"
"Tenryū, continue."
Shobu gave another nod. This time to show his thanks to Ema.
"...Black Trigger... ...I can...create an...opening... ...But I...don't know...if something will...happen after..."
"Oh! Takaoto would be able to deal with anything if something goes wrong! That's why he wants it to be her. It does make sense. But wait, you said Black Trigger. Do you have one?"
Shobu was glad that Kitazoe spoke up before he got yelled at by Kageura again. He was not sure how much more yelling he could take at this point.
"...Yes... ...Shikifuku..."
It was a simple answer.
Maybe too simple seeing as Kageura looked ready to yell at him again.
By this point Shobu guessed that Kageura either like yelling, liked yelling at him or was just that mad about the current situation. It was hard to tell since he had also yelled at his friends and Nakagami.
Once again, he was saved by someone else speaking up.
"I'll head North with Tenryū. From there I'll go clockwise to find those spheres. Is that alright?"
"So that leaves me going South. Alright. I'll follow that clockwise pattern."
"Oh... Looks like Kageura-san isn't even paying attention to us anymore. Right, right. Alright. I'll go do my part and tell Mei-san about this then. She should be able to catch up to you guys in about ten minutes. Luckily that overpass isn't too far~"
Here it was.
Solutions were being found to the issues they were having.
This was the time for them to really get to work and help out the city that was under attack.
That meant there was only one issue Shibu himself had not deal with now.
Takeshi let out a sigh as he stopped firing his laser-like beams, and scaring the people who were also stuck. He scratched his head in annoyance and turned to his two teammates.
"Do you two want to try now? I'm getting kinda bored with this."
"(You aren't allowed to say that after firing like that for so damn long!)"
Toby had been so angered that he had not noticed his language had switched to one almost no one in the building could understand.
While the two of them were having their small argument, the people behind them were whispering to themselves.
"Are we ever going to get out!?"
"What is with that kid...?"
"At least we're safe from those things in the sky."
Hearing the last comment, Takeshi questioned what the person had meant. When he got his answer he quickly ran over to the main area, where the large glass window was. He looked out and saw a large Trion Soldier that looked like an over-sized falcon flying around and letting out a screech.
He had not noticed them at all and had not heard them outside. It seemed as if they had appeared out of nowhere and we're now swarming the skies of Mikado City.
Being someone who could not pass up an opportunity like this, Takeshi readied himself.
"Suzume-senpai, please get ready to fire," Takeshi said a three orbs appears by his head.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to make a hole in the wall and that'll give you around a five second opening to fire at that Trion Soldier."
"Okay... If you're sure."
Nodding to himself, Takeshi waited for the right moment before muttering "Gimlet" and firing three powerful beams.
The beams collided with the glass, shattering it completely, but also destroying the Trion wall that was covering it.
Taking her chance, Suzume aimed just right and fired her shot. It went through the hole and made contact with the large falcon-like soldier.
"Alright! Everyone, please get back and take cover."
Doing as they were told, everyone in the area ran away from the shattered window as Takeshi stood ready with the three orbs by his head and Shield in front of him.
The giant falcon-like Trion Soldier had smashed through the opening and into the central lobby at full speed.
Before it could completely get passed it, three shots were fired from the orbs by Takeshi's head and managed to take out the Trion Soldier's core.
Without it's core functioning, the falcon-like soldier was stuck in the Trion made wall that regenerated five seconds after being destroyed. The difference now was that it wasn't closing up and seemed to be stuck with the falcon-like soldier in the way.
"Okay... Now what!?"
"That's easy." Takeshi fired more shots that went right through the Trion Soldier, but didn't destroy it. "You will get out of here and see what's going on out there while I go look for what's making this barrier."
"What!? But-!"
"I had my suspicion." Giving a shrug, Takeshi turned away. "I just didn't want to go to the roof."
"... I hate you. I really hate you, ya know..."
"Yeah, yeah. Now hurry up and leave before I send Senpai instead."
"Hey!"
"Gotcha."
Toby let out a sigh as he used Teleport. He appeared right in front of the soldier that was stuck in the regenerating wall of Trion and put his hand on it. A small mark appeared on it.
Some laser-like beams went passed him and hit the wall that was trying to regenerate around the stuck Trion soldier and destroyed it for around 5 seconds.
Toby used this small window to push the falcon-like Trion soldier out of the hole and was quickly gone from his spot in the air. He reappeared on the other side of the wall and gave a small wave to the people inside before taking his leave.
"Alright then... Let's go see if we can find the thing that's using this Trion to keep us in."
Mei, Kushikage and Mukuro stood atop the multi-layer overpass that was pointlessly placed in the city so that it would look like cars were constantly going in and out of the city for one reason or another. They looked around the city to try and find exactly what it was that could help them out.
After leaving the younger agents, Mukuro had tried to find his older sister. When on his search he found something else that seemed to function as an interest point for him. Once he come across the three girls who could easily beat almost any man to a pulp if they really wanted, he pointed out what he saw. Nakagami was quick to leave so that she could tell the younger agents.
After figuring that their best changes were to get to higher ground, the three made their way to the multi-layer overpass while getting rid of the Trion soldiers.
"So... This is fucking boring. There's absolutely no one here and we can't find anyone from way the fuck up here."
"Well if you would actually look out there instead of focusing on how much bigger your breasts are to mine then maybe you could be useful."
"But I'm seriously wondering how a 19 year old girl has such a flat chest."
"Are you two really talking about boobs right now?" Mukuro let out a tired sigh. "I expect this from Kushi-nee, but you..."
"Don't give me that."
"By the way, what do we suppose we do with those two walking up to us? I mean, according to what Nakagami is showing us, there's a way for you to get out now."
"...You two handle these two coming up. I'll go and get out so I can get in contact with HQ."
Two people came at the three from both side of the road with their weapons at the ready.
One was a tall blond woman with padding all around her body. She had a large claymore in only one hand that she used to try and slice them in two.
The second was also a girl that seemed to be an inch or so shorter than Mei who also had blond hair, but no padding. She had a whip in her hand that seemed to extend to greater lengths than any other whip.
Seeing the attacks coming, the three went to action. Mei jumped from the edge of the top road and quickly made her way to the place Shobu had told them about. Kushikage easily blocked the claymore with her broadsword. Mukuro easily dodged any movement of the whip while looking like a drunkard that was simply getting lucky.
The two attackers moved away as the two defenders stood ready for the fight.
"So these two think they can take us on? I feel kinda insulted," the blond with the claymore said.
"Well we can take these two out so our lovely leader doesn't have to worry about them later on." The blond with the whip flipped her hair as he looked at Mukuro. "Don't take this the wrong way, hun. We really have no quarrels with this world. We're just testing something out. We promise we'll leave the civilians alone~"
"You say this after you destroyed buildings and cut this multi-layer overpass off from the rest of it."
"Hey, that isn't our fault!" The claymore wielding one seemed to get irritated by the comment. "Blame those two idiots that love Trion Soldiers they make as if they were lovers!"
"That sounds pretty nasty." Slamming her sword to the ground, Kushikage let out a sigh. "Why do we have to go along with what she says? Does she seriously want us to waste Trion here? Come to think of it, I can't think of a single reason I have to go along with this."
Shobu and Ema were making their way towards the most northern area of the city. They had taken out some Trion Soldiers while they jumped from rooftop to rooftop.
They had both been quiet throughout the entire run to the edge of the city. It was a comfortable silence that both would have rather stayed with the whole time. Neither one were the type to start a conversation with each other.
And yet something needed to be said.
"...Thank you...for helping me..."
"If you're talking about Kage-san, it's fine. He just had some high expectations of you without knowing how you usually are. It was actually his own fault for taking everything Tsukiko-senpai said as fact."
"...?"
"Tsukiko-senpai has come into our room bragging about you before. He always says how he had a great student who could beat us with little to no issues. No offense but...he was overselling it for you."
"...None taken..."
"Anyway. That was why you were getting yelled at. Besides that, he was also mad that he was being used by Tsukiko-senpai. We came over here because Tsukiko-senpai had asked us to come in case something went wrong. ...I guess he was right to do so."
"...His instincts...are very good..."
"Apparently. It was short notice, and Zoe-san had to convince Kage-san to say yes. Although that may have been more because Zoe-san just wanted to come over here."
"...And what about...you...?"
"...Hm. That's because Tsukiko-senpai had asked me to make sure you were alright. He called in a favor that I owed him. Besides what's going on right now, it's not too bad that we came. We're in the same grade but don't talk to each other. So this is fine."
There was a nice feeling.
A nice feeling of knowing that Yuki spoke so highly of him. A nice feeling of have a conversation with someone he did not know too well. A nice feeling of someone actually expecting something of him. A nice feeling of someone thinking that it was fine to speak to him.
The list of people that he had always been able to talk to could be counted on a person's hands with extra fingers to spare. Even so, this conversation felt like it could have been an indication of a new person being added on to that list.
"Now then... I told you something that you seemed to like. Mind telling me why you keep looking at that thing?"
Shobu halted for a moment. Completely stopping in place without looking up from the object in his hand.
The object was black in color with some blue lines circling it. The size was rather small, around one third of an adult's wrist. It's general appearance looked like it connected to something else on both ends, yet there seemed o be nothing to connect it to.
Throughout their entire discussion he had been looking down at a single piece of the Black Trigger known as Shikifuku.
"By its color... I'm guessing that's the Black Trigger you had mentioned before. Do you know the person who made it?"
"...'Did you know'...not...'Do you know'..."
"Sorry. I don't know too much about Black Triggers. Or their creation. I know the bare minimum, more so because I never had a reason to care too much about them."
"...They are made...by giving up...a life... ...Shikifuku was...created by the...death of my mother..."
"...Oh. Then I really am sorry."
"...It's fine... ...I did not know her... ...I can't be...too sad about it..."
"Right... Well, is something the matter with it then? You said that you can use it. Then you are compatible with it, right? Or is that not the problem?"
"...Everyone is compatible... ...Shikifuku...is not picky... ...It's that...you need 'Willpower' to...use this part... ...So I...will be the...worst at using it... ...That is why...I want it...to be her to use it..."
"If you need 'Willpower' to use it then you should be fine. You can't really say you don't have any when you were fighting like that before. You didn't know we were around and yet you were still fighting. That should be enough, right?"
"...It's...complicated... ...That time... ...I was just being...selfish..."
"It's fine to be selfish at times. Being selfish can give you the 'willpower' to do things. Whether you do it for yourself or for others..."
This was not the time for him to be giving any sort of advice, they both knew that. It may have been because they still had time that brought this kind of conversation up.
No. The reason is hard to explain, but easy to figure out.
Ema let out a sigh through his nose.
Tenryū Shokubutsu had a strange feeling about him. An unsure feeling that created uncertainty in whoever he spoke to, as if he was the manifestation of the word itself. At the same time, it was a feeling that made whoever spoke to him want to get over that uncertainty.
That strange feeling may have been why Ema was able to easily speak to Shobu without much issue, regardless of if they hardly knew each other. It was as if just speaking to the boy was enough to get rid of that uncertainty.
Ema could only think that it was because of that strange feeling that he was fine with Shobu continuing the conversation even after they had finished speaking.
"...Ema-sama... ...May I ask...a question...?"
"Drop the '-sama' and sure."
"...Have you lost something important...?"
It was an easy question to answer.
A mentor.
Ema knew loss well enough to answer without hesitation. Yet he was unsure how to properly answer at the moment. He would never say anything about specifics to someone he barely knew. Giving so little would also be an issue when there was no way of knowing how this person would react.
There was both pain and happiness when it came remember someone you have lost in some way. The pain of remembering could be reduced by thinking of the happier times. The happiness of remembering could always be reduced when thinking about the painful things.
It was a simple question with a simple answer.
He was unsure on how to correctly answer right now. If only because he did not know about this person too much. Even if it seemed fair enough since he had heard about his mother dying, he could not fully bring himself to answer.
So someone else answered for him.
"...Thank you... ...That's enough...for me to know... ...I will never...bring it up...again... ...I am sorry..."
That was a surprise for him. Without saying a single thing, Ema had given an answer without knowing. It may have been because of his silence or because Shobu could read people better than he let out. That did not matter. What mattered was the reason why he had asked that.
Ema felt that strange feeling once more. This time it gave him the answer he needed.
The answer for a reason concerning that question.
"...We are...coming up...to the spot..."
The asphalt continued on and on and on like a runway. Someone stood further down the road. She wore a black outfit with padding all over the place as if to give her the silhouette of armor. And on top of it all, she had an unnaturally large sword called a claymore hanging down from her hand. It looked like she was holding one of the steel sheets used in construction.
As she walked, the tip of the sword, or rather, the "corner" audibly scraped across the surface of the asphalt.
Her name was Tsukia and her Trigger's name was Ostó.
"So you're my enemy, huh?"
"I'm sure this'll be fun."
Kushikage then heard a voice from behind her. She was standing back to back with her youngest brother who was by far smarter than her.
He was facing a different enemy.
"Sigh. This really is annoying."
Kushikage just gave a laugh as she faced Tsukia, who was still approaching. She started walking up as well.
"Might as well make the most of this."
"Shouldn't you be more focused on just winning instead of having fun?"
"You already know that both of those things are always on my mind."
With a slight sigh, Mukuro turned around to face his enemy as well.
His enemy was Shona. She was one of the Neighbors that seemed to have come to their world without Border taking any notice. Her Trigger was known as Ourá, but only the ones who have faced it before and her own teammates knew that fact. A smile that could be viewed as lively appeared on her face.
"How about we get this started?" she asked.
"Sorry that I kept you waiting. I want to actually end this as well."
"Oh, don't worry about it. I got to see something wonderful, so I'm satisfied. …And it really was wonderful. I wish I had been on your side this time."
"It's not too late."
"I guess that all depends on how this all turns out."
The sound of something slicing through the air could be heard. It was coming from a long, long whip in Shona's hand.
"I am jealous, but surely you understand that this is not a situation where I can act based on my own personal desires."
"My enemy sure is pathetic."
"Hearing that is painful. The sad thing is that I'm not currently in Mikado City to see how everything's going there."
A conflict could not be avoided. That battle between the powerful would spread destruction around the area whether they liked it or not. But if it could be contained to this one area that was nearly deserted, it would at least be better than the worst case scenario where the situation covered multiple areas of the city simultaneously, even those causing the damage had no idea who was getting caught in the middle of it all, and the overall scope was unknown.
"Alright. Let's start… Perform final check. Once it is done, begin output."
As soon as Mukuro muttered those words, his eyes turned from a bored and tired look to a focused look that could put anyone on guard.
His fingertips began emitting a green light. This was his Trion coming out as a type of blade that didn't really cut like one.
Most of the time he would fight using different close combat fighting styles, but he knew that this opponent was strong. So he went all out from the beginning. Also, unlike Minoru, this was more of a long-range fight, meaning distance was key.
Shona simply whistled.
"I see. So you have tricks like that."
"Don't try to say this isn't fair. You probably have a multitude of tricks hidden up those tight sleeves of yours."
As he spoke, Mukuro lightly waved his right hand. Beams of light similar to a blowtorch were emitted from his fingertips. And they grew to 5 meters right away.
Ignoring the noise of the two woman behind him, Mukuro opened his mouth to speak. He had a look of disinterest on his face despite bringing out enough firepower to level a building just by waving his hand like he was shooing away an insect.
"Man... We're talking like if we were in some sort of manga. Not to mention these fights are pretty straightforward. Definetly not what this series should be like. Either way... Let's finish this quickly. I doubt a fight with someone as pathetic as you will be any fun at all."
Murakami let out a small sigh as Suzunari Branch was freed from the barrier made of Trion that had covered it only a little bit ago. His gratitude was directed towards the two in suits that had just helped them out.
Kuruma Squad had been attacking the barrier relentlessly before they came to the conclusion that it was best not to waste Trion and instead tried their best to figure a way out of this issue.
That had been the time that Tsuji had appeared from above, striking the top of the barrier. He hit the top a total of five times before moving over to allow Inukai to fire a barrage of shots that seemed to destroy something.
The moment the two from Ninomiya Squad touched the ground so did the barrier.
"Thanks for the help."
"No problem! We're just following orders! HQ is cut off, so Akasora-san told us to help out the branches. You should be thanking him really."
"Where is Sensei now?"
"He went off with Ninomiya-san and Yuki to the next city over to see if they could cut the Trion that's supplying the barriers all around. Oh. Let it be known that they were forced to do so and are probably arguing right now."
"I see."
"We can't get to HQ, but Tamakoma, Yagura and Hisama branches seem to be free from the barrier as well."
"Do you think you can find out if anyone's not able to fight anymore?" Kuruma asked, speaking to his squad's Operator.
"Yeah. Give me a second." It didn't take more than a minute for her answer to come. "It looks like a fight had occurred earlier and some others, including our own troublemaker, are out for the time being."
"I have some new information. Awdry is going around to the branches and doing the same as you two. There is also a fight going on between an unknown person and multiple strange Trion Soldiers."
"Whoa~ That many in such a short amount of time. What's more, that person must he something if he is fighting multiple of them," Inukai noted. "At least that means we don't have to go all around the city if Toby is helping everyone else out."
Murakami made sure not to look at anyone as he thought to himself.
There was he had heard about earlier in the day that could pull off fighting multiple Trion Soldiers. That meant he was not hiding anymore and did as he pleased out in the open.
This did bring a question up that he could not answer without asking others.
Why was Tenryū Seidō helping out Mikado City?
"By the way, what's with those things in the sky? I'm guessing they're Neighbors as well."
Murakami blinked before looking up.
Kuruma had asked that question but did not get an answer from the three he was standing with.
Murakami was surprised that he had not noticed them earlier.
"We just got some information from Tamakoma regarding those. Apparently they are Trion Soldiers. Yuki-kun, Director Shinoda and someone else were able to take some out, but they are so high up that it would take quite a bit of Trion to use Grasshopper or Teleport to reach them."
"Just reaching them would be enough for Tsukiko-senpai and Shinoda-san," Tsuji said as he looked up at the flying soldiers.
"You can say that again. Yuki would just need to reach one of them to go on a rampage." Turning back to the one in front of him, Inukai changed the subject. "Well, we're gonna go finish up helping the other branches that haven't gotten out yet. Reaching those in the sky would probably take too long, and they don't seem to be really be doing anything. I'd say to go help out at HQ, but that's just me."
"No, that's a good call," Kuruma said, looking at the blond. "We'll do that while you two help the other branches. The sooner we can get everyone out of the barriers the better."
"Right. Give it your all. We'll be off then."
As the two in suits left, both Inukai and Murakami had the same thought.
I'm just wondering if those two will be able to work together long enough to end this...
"Tsk. Can't this go any faster? This guy's hot air is leaking from his head."
"Any more of that and I'll make sure you end up in front of one of the trains."
Akasora let out a furstrated sigh as he listened to Ninomiya and Yuki bicker on and on without end. This was inevitable when it came to the two idiots who could not agree on anything other than hating each other. This had been expected, yet Akasora had hoped that some kind of deity would hear his prayers of having the two at least be quiet until they needed to speak.
That may have been asking for something impossible when neither one let up on their childish insults. No, any child would have able to come up with better insults than these two pitiful agents of Border. It had gotten to a point that Akasora was ready to just leave the two and move on ahead.
Deciding he would try to stop them, he made a pointless sharp turn before doing it again to fix his position on the road. He had succeeded in smashing the two into the sides.
"You two brats need to stop. At least wait until we're done with everything to start arguing like idiotic brats."
The two were quiet after that.
Smirking to himself, Akasora continued to drive.
Taking whatever I need to out won't be an issue if I can get to Shikifuku. I won't need more than a single part of it to really work on this issue. That being said... I would need to find Shokubutsu first.
Taking a look to the side, Akasora saw his student looking to the side with a bored expression.
Even at a time like this Yuki did not look like an A-Rank agent ready to fight off Neighbors.
It shouldn't be too much of an issue with this guy around. He could probably cover at least half the city in little time. I'll just rely on him to search for Shokubutsu once we get there. Masataka and I will help out wherever it is that we-"
Akasora's train of thought was cut off by the ringing of a phone.
It was his.
Since he was not in his Trion Body it meant that he had everyone he usually had on him at the ready. That included his phone.
Giving a look towards Yuki again he let his student answer the call and put it on speaker for them all to hear.
"Chishi, get back here! Now!"
"What? We're already halfway to the city. We can't go back right now!"
"Just get back here! Let the other two handle the next city! Seidō has Shikifuku!"
There was a screech as the car came to a sudden halt. Ninomiya and Yuki were slammed into the side once more.
"What!? How the fuck did he get Shikifuku!? Shokubutsu should have it right now!"
"I don't know. From what I can see... He's fighting some strange Neighbors and using 'Knowledge' to deal with them. I'm guessing he doesn't have 'Emotion' or 'Willpower' otherwise the Neighbor wouldn't be faring so well."
"Shit... This is my fault. I should have known that Shokubutsu wouldn't handle taking all of Shikifuku with him... Alright. Masafumi, go to Yagura and look in my personal room. If I know that kid well enough, he should have left another part of Shikifuku there. Seidō probably got the one from my office..."
"Got it. Hurry up and get back here. He seems to be opposing the current attackers on Mikado City but..."
"Yeah. We don't know if he will do anything else afterwards. Okay then. I'll hall ass to get back."
Akasora let out another frustrated sigh as he violently opened the door and slammed it back. He turned to the two in the car while turning on his Trigger. His usual track suit had changed colors, showing that he was in a Trion Body.
This was not something he wanted to do when it came to Ninomiya and Yuki but figured this was their best bet.
"Masataka! Take over the driving! Yuki! Get ready to deal with any incoming attacks! Make sure to meet up with Mei!"
The two watched as the older man ran in the direction they had just came from, using Teleport and Grasshopper to make things quicker. They looked at each other for a moment and tried their hardest to keep certain comments from coming out.
They both did as they were told with Ninomiya taking the driver's seat and Yuki taking the passenger's while being on guard.
In a subway tunnel, the white rhinoceros beetle weapons created from Pyrínas' Trion were glaring at each other and aiming their cannons at each other.
They fired without hesitation.
They fired again and again.
Six of them acted as pursuers. The remaining one was the traitor that was protecting Satori, Mitsubachi, and the others. Not only did the pursuers outnumber the lone beetle, but they only needed to kill the humans within the tunnel. It did not matter if Rhinoceros Beetle 07 resisted or not; the pursuers could crush their targets' organs by filling the tunnel with the shockwaves of their blasts.
But...
The same could be said for Rhinoceros Beetle 07's side.
They did not need to defeat the other six beetles. Rhinoceros Beetle 07's primary objective was to allow Satori Ken, Sthénos, Kitora Ai, Michelle, Stepney, and Mitsubachi to escape the tunnel and distance them from the threat to their lives.
And so...
"Brace for impact," said Rhinoceros Beetle 07.
A simultaneous attack was carried out by the six beetles that had decided killing Michelle and those around her was the best method to carry out their objective of taking the Trion they needed to continue working. They were not aiming for direct hits. Instead, they were firing the shells at the ground just in front of their target to fill every nook and cranny of the tunnel with a shockwave wall.
Normally thinking, this was not something a flesh-and-blood human could withstand.
Even if Rhinoceros Beetle 07 acted as a shield for Satori and the others, the shockwave would fill the entire area to swallow them up and crush their organs from within. Even with Trion Bodies, it meant that the three children would not survive.
But...
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 vibrated its giant thin wings at high speed to create an artificial voice. It was not trying to speak. The vibration it scattered through the air struck the coming shockwave and forcibly altered its direction.
"What...did they mess up? My ears don't hurt."
"I sent a wave of my own towards their wave. It cannot be seen so it may be difficult to understand, but a shockwave can easily be influenced like a billiards ball using other waves or obstacles."
Several hurdles had to be overcome before that theory could actually be pulled off.
The beetle had to accurately repel or turn aside the shockwave and the fragments of the shell and ground created in the explosion to keep them away from those it wished to protect.
"(Is this still using it? It feels more like actual tanks than anything else.)"
"Are you talking about a Trigger?" asked Kitora.
"I used a theoretical routine based on our potential enemy's actions, but I doubt I would be able to achieve the level of an actual Trigger. Our shells are unsuited to killing a target using the secondary effects such as the shockwave."
"?"
"Because my body is made entirely out of Trion, I have no means of creating the gunpowder needed to fire or detonate a shell. A spring system is used to fire the shells. It is said that in the past, a 'strange' weapon reinforced with the power of Trion competed for market share with a shoulder-fired launcher. The shells detonated by breaking the hardened outer coating with sponge springs, so their acoustic effect was only 36% to 50% that of the normal shell. I conclude that is the reason my evasive actions have been successful. ...Meanwhile, a real Trigger would likely have no problem handling another attack." Rhinoceros Beetle 07 continued to use its giant wings to produce sound waves outside of the audible range to repel the shockwaves while using any gaps to produce its artificial voice. "There is a worker's exit 15 meters behind us. On my signal, I will create a wall by making the ceiling collapse and you will run for the exit."
The beetle had no intention of defeating their opponents.
For one thing, all of the rhinoceros beetles were strange weapons created by Pyrínas' Trion. They had no "core" or "weak point" to speak of and they would automatically heal any part that was destroyed. The one exception was Rhinoceros Beetle 07 who had made an "interpretation" that opposed the will of Pyrínas himself.
Satori turned around to check on the location of the small metal door.
Sparks flew and the door burst open. Most likely, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had skillfully turned aside the shockwave of the enemies' shells to break the lock.
"Now," said the beetle.
"O-okay!"
It began with an obvious explosive noise.
Rhinoceros Beetle 07's cannon barrel moved and fired a shell at the ceiling. The ceiling collapsed around the other four beetles.
"Satori-senpai, run!" shouted Kitora.
While practically carrying Stepney and Michelle, Satori ran through the ominously shaking tunnel. Mitsubachi was being pulled along while hand in hand with Kitora. Each time Rhinoceros Beetle 07 fired again to hold the other beetles in check, the tough tunnel ground seemed to sway like a ship in a storm.
Sthénos charged through the worker's door first, Michelle and Stepney came next as Satori pushed them along, and Kitora and Mitsubachi made it last. Sthénos grabbed Mitsubachi's other hand to help Kitora pull her through the door.
Once it saw all of them had evacuated, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 moved backwards to slam into the worker's door.
But the door was too small.
It slammed into the door with enough force to dent the wall around it, but it was unable to squeeze through the narrow exit.
Satori's eyes opened wide.
"What are you doing!?"
"Do not worry. This is part of my plan." With its back end slightly crushed, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 sat in the doorway like a giant stone blocking the way as it moved its thin wings to produce an artificial voice "Since I have left Pyrínas' control, I can no longer renew my Trion. In the near future, I will break apart. Also, our shells are unable to destroy fellow beetles. The only way to escape from these enemies that can regenerate infinitely is to block their path in some way."
"This bastard."
Satori almost yelled his comment out loud.
For nothing but a weapon, he's got a lot of nerve to lie and put on a show of being tough.
"Hurry up! Your shells are powerful enough to destroy this wall, right!?" he shouted instead.
"That would allow the enemy beetles to continue pursuit. Also, if I can destroy it, so can they. They will soon free themselves of the wreckage. I have determined something more is needed to act as the 'wall' that blocks their way."
"...Dammit."
"Good luck. I will make sure to carry out my primary objective. Take care."
"God dammit!"
Just as Satori let out that curse, the entire area shook ominously. The enemy rhinoceros beetles had blown away the pile of rubble. They now began firing on their fellow weapon that was unable to evade if it was to block their path.
It had no escape.
It would never end.
Using its ability to regenerate to a certain extent even while outside of the Trion Soldier's control, it could only continue the tragic shootout without end like a zombie even as its body was crushed further and further.
The joint of the building materials must have been shaken because a powder sprinkled down from the ceiling.
Kitora pointed towards the staircase up and out of the subway tunnel with her chin.
"We have no idea how long this will stop them. We need to head to the surface."
"But...!" started Satori, but Sthénos grabbed his hand.
In a quiet but clear voice, she said, "Let's go. It cannot escape even if we stay behind."
Satori gritted his teeth.
But it was true they would eventually be killed if they stuck around.
While only half able to brush aside his reluctance, Satori ran up the narrow worker's staircase. Sthénos and Kitora followed him. At the top of the metal staircase was a door. It was locked, but it was only meant to keep people out. In other words, they could easily unlock it from the inside. After doing so, they charged outside.
Kitora looked up into the sky while holding a hand up to cover the bright light of the sun.
"It looks like that man has moved elsewhere."
"But that doesn't mean we're safe. Dammit, we need to call Arashiyama-san or Toki..."
Satori trailed off.
Sthénos with her pink hair was looking around with a puzzled expression.
After looking in the direction she was looking, Satori finally realized something.
"Wait...where did Mitsubachi go!?"
"It looks like Awdry...is gone too. Along with that other girl."
.
In that moment, the white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was not even attempting to move from its spot blocking the door in the subway tunnel even while receiving a fierce bombardment from the other beetles. Errors were constantly popping up over the discrepancy with the theoretical ideal evasive and tactical actions, but it forced all of that down and remained on the course of protecting the humans.
It was still firing shells to hold the other beetles at bay and vibrating its thin wings to interfere with the vectors of the shockwaves filling the tunnel.
But it was not enough.
The humans hiding behind it were a much smaller target to protect than the entire wall around the door that needed to remain intact to prevent the fleeing humans from being buried. And of course, the wider the area it had to protect, the harder it was to do so.
Several cracks had appeared on its smooth white surface.
It did not feel pain like a living being.
It was less concerned about the destruction of its own body by the relentless bombardment than it was about receiving too much damage to recover from in time and allowing the other beetles past. It did not want to make any predictive calculations concerning the scene of being unable to move and only able to watch as the enemy beetles headed past and brought danger back to the humans who had supposedly escaped.
It could not avoid being overwhelmed.
As the damage piled up, it quickly overcame the speed at which it could be regenerated. Whether Rhinoceros Beetle 07 liked it or not, it would eventually be left unable to function and the wall behind it would be destroyed.
But the humans would have fled far away by that time.
The threat of the other beetles would not reach them.
The beetle could not win and no amount of wearing down the enemy beetles could change that.
Any normal calculations would leave only the word "impossible" to describe the situation, but Rhinoceros Beetle 07 gave its all to protect that door.
The shells continued to fly.
Cracks ran through its surface around its red glowing eyes.
It checked the time.
It decided it had bought enough time. The humans would have arrived at the surface by then.
It had carried out its mission.
It recognized this fact.
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 also recognized that its body would be completely crushed after receiving 5 or 6 more shells, but it dug its 6 legs into the concrete ground to maintain its defensive position.
But…
"(You need to run too!)"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! We won't seriously let you stay behind!"
"We won't...let you sacrifice yourself!"
When the white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 heard those voices, it felt like its body had suddenly shrunk down in size. An organic life form with a normal construction of muscles and internal organs would likely express it as feeling like one's heart was being squeezed.
It could only buy a short amount of time.
Once the other beetles wore Rhinoceros Beetle 07 down to the point they could make it past, those children would be torn apart right away.
This is not over yet!
It did not take long for the beetle to make up its mind.
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 moved its body slightly away from the door. It created enough of a gap for the small children to come back into the tunnel.
"This way!" it shouted. "We need to escape. Please hurry!"
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 ignored the children who began trying to climb on top of its body for some reason and began vibrating its large thin wings at a set amplitude.
As soon as it did, Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi's bodies began floating in midair.
"Nyawah!? This is seriously like a spacewalk!"
"Are you making us float with the vibration? I read something like this from our library!"
"The high frequency waves outside of the audible range are causing resonant vibrations in the extra space of the material of your clothes. It may be more similar to the way a flying fish glides through the air by beating its tail fin against the water surface than it is how a bird or insect flies using its wings."
The children may have not completely understood the situation because they let out screams of delight as they floated. Meanwhile, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 took action for a retreat.
While the other beetles continued their close range bombardment, it moved backwards deeper into the tunnel.
Naturally, the enemy beetles immediately reacted.
They could continue their bombardment even at a fair distance. They had likely determined that blowing away the traitor and sending it rolling through the tunnel would be enough to crush the targets floating above it.
But they never actually fired the shells to carry out this plan.
Based on the systematic vibrations they felt in the tips of their six legs, they immediately took evasive action.
In other words, they had determined that something was likely approaching.
"...?"
But even after 30 seconds had passed, something did not appear.
And then another possibility finally floated up in their minds.
The fleeing traitor could be travelling while striking the subway track in a pattern identical to the vibration of a train.
.
After moving backwards through the tunnel at tremendous speed for a certain distance, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 decided it had made it far enough away. While still remaining wary of the darkness, it turned 180 degrees and began moving at full speed in the same direction as before.
And then a change occurred to the back of the beetle.
The children floating above it were doing something.
To be specific, they had begun drawing something with a pen on the surface of the opened armor plate.
"Huh, huh. There are seriously a lot of you, so things will get confusing if we don't give you some kind of mark."
"(What is that? Those weird scribbles.)"
"This is the mark of our own team!"
"I'm sorry, Beetle. I didn't think they would both be on for drawing on you..."
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 appreciated the sentiment but wished they would at least use something other than a permanent marker.
They were both biting their tongues to keep any comments in.
Tsukiko Yuki and Ninomiya Masataka were trying their best to pretend like the other did not exist at all. They both had their heads turned in a way that prevented them from. Seeing eCh other.
As he was looking around, Yuki noticed something as they crossed a rather long bridge with tracks right under it.
"Hey... N-... Ni-... Masataka... Phew... Got that out... Anyways, I'm sure you know I hate asking you things, but do you know if those tracks are always open?" The two could feel the ground rumble a bit, meaning that the large vehicle was heading their way. "I know it goes through a mountain, but is that all?"
"I wish I had recorded that..." Ninomiya muttered. "It switches. From the station we just passed to Mikado City it is in plain sight, but from here on it goes through multiple tunnels. Each have varying heights in their ceiling. That was made to ward off robbers... Why?"
As he turned his head, Ninomiya saw the sight of Yuki looking ready to jump from the car and onto the tracks.
"What are you-"
"There's a train heading this way! There's no way they wouldn't have someone move around to see how things are going if their communication went out!" Yuki yelled over the wind that was hitting him as he waited for the right moment.
They could both hear the loud roar of the engine making their way.
Ninomiya was about to poke a hole in that logic by adding that the A-Rank didn't even know if that was the correct train, but did notice a figure on top of said train. He had to let out a sigh as Yuki quickly jumped from the car and into the train.
"What an idiot."
Yuki landed on the top of the train's roof as it rushed through the mountain tunnel. He slowly stood up as the car unsteadily shook back and forth. The train was made up of five different cars and it was not even 100 meters long.
As Yuki got ready to fight, a blond girl with what seemed to be a crown made of metal on her spoke through a phone as if giving commands while a human-like soldier stood next to her. However, a smile could be seen on her face thanks to the slight illumination from the fluorescent lights that seemed to flow in the opposite direction of the train.
"This is your maker, Sanshū. Don't hurt the civilians or anyone in a Trion body, try not to damage the buildings and pull back when the opponents have done their own retreat."
With the loud sound of the train around them, Yuki couldn't make everything out and so misinterpreted it, putting him a little on edge.
The girl put the phone away and looked directly at him while touching her crown. She was not running away and she was not being forced back. She was going to attack using whatever Trigger it was that she had. And once she had finished, the girl slowly swung her palm.
"Génnisi."
As soon as she said those words, the girl's clothing was replaced with a tight, black outfit with a transparent dress over it. The crown still stood on her head.
She lifted her head and pointed one finger at Yuki, who brought up Idōgetsu to defend.
"Get him, Man."
The effect was instantaneous.
The human-like soldier next to Sanshū ran forward, not caring that the roof of the tunnel hardly gave them any room. As a matter of fact, with the human-like soldier being at least twice Yuki's size his head was scraping the ceiling of the tunnel.
Yuki waisted no time in blocking it then slicing it in half.
Damn! Teleport is a no-go while on a train... Guess I didn't really think it over that much... Whatever. It got me away from that airhead.
"5%. Sturdy. Make/ /Leo."
A small core that was found in a Trion soldier appeared in the girl's hand. She tossed it in front of herself and grinned as the image of an unfinished graphic lion appeared around the core.
Yuki started to take action to cut the core, but the human-like soldier he had cut before grabbed his legs and managed to hold him in place.
A circle, one like someone would see on a computer as it scanned an item, went over the lion before seeming to materialize the new mechanical beast in front of the two.
With a glittering core on its forehead, the lion gave a tremendous roar and charged toward Yuki.
As the lion drew closer, Yuki got his weapon ready. A crescent blade made of Trion appeared on the pointed end of Idōgetsu. He swung the blade and managed to hit the lion, but only to push the beast back.
He couldn't cut it.
He had aimed at the core, but it seemed that it was protected by a small barrier.
The lion went in for yet another attack, but was quickly taken out as the core on the forehead had been smashed to pieces while still on the forehead.
Forgoing his blade, Yuki now held what seemed to be a large ball made of Trion that was attacked to the double-arm length pole that had both a blunt end and a pointed one.
Yuki's weapon was Idōgetsu, a powerful Trigger only used by him, so he had to approach Sanshū who was backing away.
However…
"10%. Speed. Make/ /Rise. 10%. Power. Make/ /Blaze."
In the time it took Yuki to destroy the lion, Sanshū had already thrown two new cores into the air. They were 'scanned' as two birds - falcons to be exact - that quickly materialized and charged at Yuki from the right and left.
"Damn!"
Yuki had already grasped the overall situation. He had tried to destroy them using Asteroid, but ended up missing as they had dodged.
Sanshū could produce soldiers faster than Yuki could destroy them while on a train. In the time it took him to cut one, she would produce two. In the time it took him to smash two, she would bring out four. In the time it took him to destroy four, she would create thirteen. Her mass production would continue on and on.
"10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior. 10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior. 10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior. 10%. Speed. Make/ /Stallion. 10%. Speed. Make/ /Squirrel."
You have got to be kidding me!
Three large men stood before him. A horse stood with them while a mass of muscles that looked like a squirrel chased after the others, causing them to charge in a frenzy toward Yuki. It was not much different from having the quickly-rotating blades of a lawnmower or shield machine approaching him. They mowed down and cut down everything in their path as they advanced.
"Sigh... This sucks."
The sound of something hard being hit reverberated loudly throughout the tunnel. As it did, the Neghbor let out a whistle before bending over and laughing while showing no concern for the danger she had appeared to be in.
"Ah ha ha! Amazing. Simply amazing. I never thought you would crush my surefire method like that!"
Deciding he would think more strategically, Yuki noticed something about the ones attacking him head-on.
They were all close to each other.
He quickly got rid of the Squirrel with Asteroid and used his Idōgetsu to smash the first human-like soldier coming at him with a good amount of power. That was all he needed for them all to fall like dominos before having their cores destroyed by a single shot.
They all quickly rolled off the train's top and onto the limited amount of ground that was provide between the train and the tunnel wall.
Yuki took the chance and ran forward while taking out the two falcon-like soldiers.
Sanshū responded by throwing a core.
"10%. Power. Make/ /Man…Uh, oh."
The young-looking girl bent her back and crouched down. Yuki frowned slightly at that action that made it seem like she was giving up, but then…
"What the..."
The large man that had been "scanned" by Sanshū collapsed as if his head had been struck by a hammer. Seeing that, Yuki finally caught on.
The tunnel ceiling just got a lot lower! Seriously!? Right now!?
He crouched down as quickly as he could.
The top half of the large man's head had been crushed, he lost his balance, and he fell off the train and onto the ground.
Sanshū giggled while still bent over. Despite the darkness, she somehow had an accurate grasp of how high up the ceiling was. She straightened her back once more and scattered a large number of cores.
No time to waste!
Yuki sprang up from his crouching position and ran forward.
Meanwhile, Sanshū repeated the same thing.
"10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior. 10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior. 10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior. 10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior."
Multiple large man-like soldiers appeared.
However, the variation from before was gone. That may have shown she did not have the leeway for creativity now that Yuki was closer than before.
And when the exact same type of soldier charged down a limited route with the exact same movement pattern, Yuki had a much easier time dealing with them. They did not fly around like birds and ignore the footing. They did not crawl along the walls of the train like snakes and circle around behind him. If they all charged at him at once, he would have an easier time of causing another domino effect.
"This isn't a kind of fight I think any agent has had before."
Yuki readied his heavy-hitting Trigger as he charged toward the large man-like soldiers.
However, Sanshū grinned in her dress and flicked a single core up with her thumb.
"1%. Absorb. Make/ /Boar."
As she spoke, the "scanning" produced a boar behind the soldiers and closer to Sanshū. Yuki was cautious, but it was smaller than the soldiers. And more importantly, the soldiers filled up so much of the limited space on the train that the Boar would not be able to move properly. Once he began the domino effect, the Boar would be struck by the other soldiers before it could reach him. If it fell to the ground, that was the end of it. But even if it remained on the roof, he could destroy it with one good hit from Idōgetsu while it could not move. Either way, it would not be much of an obstacle.
At least that's what he thought. This was complelty wrong in every way.
Sanshū pointed her index finger forwards and made an announcement, "Take them."
Yuki went wided eyed as the Boar went forward and took the man-like soldiers' cores before "eating" it and incorporating it into it's body.
Another "scanning" went on with the Boar as it "ate" the cores.
"-1%. Devour. Strength/ /Boar."
This isn't even something you would see around here! Is this really a Trigger!?
Yuki could not let that boar continue to eat those soldiers. He had a feeling the situation would change in some definitive way if it got any larger. He had to eliminate the boar's food before anything bad happened.
"That's it, my baby Boar. Keep on growin'!"
Before Yuki could do anything, the Boar had taken the cores and didn't seem like it would give them back.
The boar had grown too big as it almost crushed the train car below it. It seemed to fill the entire half circle space of the tunnel. Its body was constantly scraping against the walls rushing by at high speed, but it did not seem to be taking damage. In fact, the tunnel was noticeably being destroyed.
Yuki went forward while firing Asteroid and getting his Idōgetsu ready for either a slice or a smash.
With so many cores in it... This'll be stupidly difficult.
"Ahhaha!" laughed Sanshū. Not even the top of her hair was visible from behind the giant boar. "I know you probably don't chat while fighting, but why don't we get to know each other?"
"Like you just said, girl, I don't want to talk while I fight."
"Fine, fine. Let's just get you out of your Trion body for now." Just as she said that, the giant boar that filled the entire empty space of the tunnel attacked like an approaching wall.
"Screw this..."
No matter how powerful the opponent, Yuki knew he had the skills to win. He had fought with different agents and multiple Trion soldiers that this seemed like just another step up. In fact, the larger the target, the easier it was to hit. This could even be called a chance to make a comeback.
He didn't plan for what would happen next though.
As the boar charged, Yuki's feet floated up from the train's roof and he was blown backwards.
When a train arrived at one of the the platforms, an odd gust of wind blew through the station. The large mass of the train passing through that sealed space pushed the air like a piston.
The giant boar that had the same name as it's type did the same.
It had grown so large it filled the entire upper portion of the tunnel and scraped against the concrete tunnel walls. Naturally, a mass of air with nowhere to escape would be sent straight into Yuki when a large anything rushed stright ahead like that.
I refuse to believe a Trigger can produce something like this! Boar shit!
Having been in mid-air fight before, Yuki quickly straightened himself, but couldn't do much as Boar continued charging toward him at an even greater speed than he flew backwards. If he continued to be pushed by that explosive gust of wind, he would be knocked off the back of the train. If the giant boar touched him, he would be be forced back into his real body.
That was bad on its own as he was prone to getting sick at the worse times imaginable.
"Will Idōgetsu even be enough at this point?"