Knowledge - Protection_of_Wisdom
Mikado City was in a state of disarray. There was no doubt about that.
Groups of people crowed together in multiple areas for seemingly no reason. Strange falcon-like Neighbors hung over the entire city. Multiple buildings near the Forbidden Zone were encased in cubes made of Trion. White rhinoceros beetles were traveling underground while their control was fighting against a Black Trigger.
It was no just Mikado Ctiy that was having issue. This extended to the next city over, which was also encased inside a dome of Trion that covered the entire area.
Amidst the chaos throughout the city were two people who seemed unaffected by it all.
"Do we really have to wait~? I really, really, really wanted to get one of those 'hotdogs' again~"
"Sir, please focus."
"But we aren't even fighting~ Everyone else is busy and it doesn't help that the agents would have to deal with all the Rise in the sky. By the way, why did she send out Ultimate in the first place? I thought she was nitpicky when it comes to the 'percentage' of each one."
One of the people was a handsome man in his late teens to early twenties. His general appearance was as normal as one could possibly get with his clothes and color of hair being that of anyone else in Mikado City. He was Futoyuki, the current leader of a group known as the Wanderers.
Next to him was an older man.
Futoyuki spoke to the man in a carefree tone.
Hatomi let out a frustrated sigh. Even with all his years of experience he could not handle his leader's impatient attitude and so chose to just ignore it altogether. He cared for his leader dearly, but everything had a limit, and he was quickly reaching his. Leaving the area entirely came to mind, but he knew that what they were doing was a requirement for them, so he always kept his mouth shut.
Futoyuki on the other hand found the whole thing pointless and a waist of resources. While he could always just say "Hey, why don't we just stop? As a matter of fact, let's go about this a different way, 'kay!?" he listened to what the others of his group had to say and took into consideration what they thought.
Not to mention he always thought he could get some good fights in.
While the two waited for whatever it was they were waiting for, they had taken note that another branch had been freed from the Trion barriers they had set up.
They had to admit that their test was bringing in good results.
"If you want, I can tell you the possible outcomes for all of this."
The two turned around to see a certain brown haired Border agent standing there with a grin in place. They both seemed relaxed, but still had their guard up.
"Now, now, no need for that. You aren't really here for a full out confirmation. At least that's what my Side Effect is telling me." Hopping down to the lower building, Jin kept his eyes on the two. "Foresight is a wonderful thing when you're trying to keep people safe."
"Oh~ So you can see the future~!? So coooooooooooool~~!" Futoyuki started at Jin with an awestruck expression. "Hey, hey, hey! So does that mean you can put up a great fight!?"
"And that knocks off three possible futures."
"Awesome! Let's start!"
Jin brought out two blades and got ready for the fight as the younger looking one of the two Neighbors pulled something out of his pocket. It looked like a regular black wristwatch you could find and buy at any store you vist. The only thing was that there was no time, or even any type numbers, on it.
It was just all plain black.
Meaning it was beyond the level of a regular Trigger.
"Let's get started! I wanna see if you can last long!"
"And if I do?"
"... Ah! I'll tell you everything about our plan! You said you can see different futures, right!? Well we'll give you a definite answer!"
"Sir! You can't just-"
"Ah! But can you keep it a secret then!? Oh wait... Then there would be no point in telling you... I know! If you can last 5 minutes then I will release one area that's been trapped! How does that sound!? And every 5 minutes you last, I'll release another area!"
"Futoyuki!"
"Okay~ You have a deal."
"Great!"
Futoyuki got an excited smile on his face as he held out the completely plain black wristwatch-looking Trigger.
"Prosforá!"
As the white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 floated Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi above it like a skydiving training device, it moved from the complexly intersecting subway tunnels, through large scale city heating pipes and multipurpose drains used for flood prevention, and finally to an underground pathway that was under construction. From there, they headed out the exit and to the surface that was overflowing with sunlight.
Normally, a giant beetle would probably have caused a commotion, but chaos was underway. Multiple things were going on at the moment and there was almost no one around the area to even notice them in the first place. It was not a place that was considered "safe" meaning the crowds of people did not gravitate towards it like many other places. Even Border agents did not seem to be in the area or they would have surely started attacking Rhinoceros Beetle 07 and taken the children away from it.
But they could not just stay there forever.
Rhinoceros Beetle 07's creator was receiving full-scale support from the Wanderers' ship, which had been able to connect to parts of Mikado City. If he had free use of the cameras and sensors around the city, he would be able to spot that large beetle moving through the city.
The beetle had few options.
The first option was to allow the children to take advantage of their small size and escape via some small area such as a ventilation duct. Once they did, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 could go elsewhere and cause a commotion as a diversion.
The second option was to be constantly moving around at high speed and not using any one hiding spot. Even if their location was detected using the cameras or sensors, they could hide their presence by always moving elsewhere before anyone could rush to their location.
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 stopped temporarily at an impromptu basketball court made from an empty lot between buildings. While still keeping the children floating above it, the beetle also changed the amplitude of its giant wings to produce an artificial voice to begin explaining the situation.
Both options were risky, but the white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had decided the former was less so. In the former option, the children could move through areas with no cameras or sensors while the latter option required them to be exposed to the cameras and sensors.
But...
"Hey, hey! Are you still seriously saying that!? In the first place, I can never abandon you now that you have the mark of our own team!"
"We can manage somehow if all four of us are together, so don't worry. I'll even puff out my chest to show my determination!"
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had no say in the decision. Shoving the children into a narrow duct or a dumpster would be meaningless if they would simply follow the beetle as it tried to create a diversion.
Even if it was more of a risk, the beetle had to act alongside the children.
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 immediately changed its line of thought.
"The three of you are being pursued by several different enemies, but I suggest we give those enemies an order of priority and act based on that."
"Hm, what enemies?"
"Currently, there are two major enemies... The first is the force made up of my colleagues...that is, the weapons created by the Wanderers' best Trion Soldier... But while this force is incredibly powerful, I can easily estimate what their actions will be... After all, I am a part of it... I simply have to think about what I would do in a given situation..."
That could also work against them as the enemy could estimate their actions the same way, but it was better than nothing.
At the very least, the situation would not turn deadly the very instant they happened across that force.
And on that note...
"The more dangerous enemy is Pyrínas... I do not know how powerful that man that is fighting Pyrínas is, so the risk of a surprise attack is exceedingly high..."
Only the general idea of that man had been memorized within Rhinoceros Beetle 07.
It took the estimated derivative information of that data and converted it into words.
"Pyrínas is a Trion Soldier that ecloses due to acquired information... He has come up with a way to gather massive amounts of information faster than observing it with his normal five senses... He wishes to take control of any sort of knowledge to strengthen the Pyrínas System that creates us... Large amounts of Trion are also needed for something like this to be pulled off..."
"Huh?"
Mitsubachi gave a blank look, but Michelle and Stepney fell into a deep silence.
"That network uses identical brainwaves and it can be felt as long as one has a means of sending signals... For example, my body is equipped with an antenna that uses the structure of the ampullae of Lorenzini that sharks use to find their prey... But..."
"Is it the same as how you cannot receive a TV signal by sticking a metal pole up into the air? I'm just asking for confirmation."
"Yes, you need a program to act as a decoder. The most suitable person for that is the girl next to you as she has a high amount of Trion and most likely as a Side Effect that can distribute information...or rather, have an involvement that allows for information to be gathered... Yes, you... By consuming you completely, he hopes to access the Side Effect you most likely have so he has a way to gain more knowledge..."
"(Consume...do you mean eat?)"
"What?! They can do stuff like that!? That is seriously creepy!"
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 hoped they were right.
But it doubted they were.
The data it had been given said those that girl had been able to understand others through unknown means.
And that seemed to happen more so when a person seemed to be thinking about something to themselves.
"Pyrínas is not being driven by reason, desires, urges, or instinct...contrary to what I just said... This is nothing more than a function... And for that reason, it is powerful... Just as someone who uses their cell phone calculator forgets how to do simple arithmetic in their head and someone who uses their cell phone's input method editor forget how to write kanji, this new function has forcibly changed his way of life... Pyrínas's own thought patterns are of no consequence... Even if he tries to stop himself, this function will overcome him..."
He had been a Trion Soldier created by the former leader of the Wanderers and worked on by the current members of the Wanderers.
He was now approaching using the fastest method available to him in order to devour a small girl's head.
To be blunt, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had determined it was unlikely it could stop Pyrínas' advance even if it was able to attack in any way it wanted. Firing countless shells, charging at him with its giant body, stabbing at him with its thick horn... The beetle could think of countless ways of doing great damage, but it could see no way that would stop him.
The beetle had a mental image of his legs continuing inexorably forward even if his head was blown off, his core crushed, or his entire upper body ripped off.
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 itself was a weapon with no weak point. It was made to eventually regenerate any damage and regain freedom of movement even if it took some time.
But Pyrínas was a bit different.
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had a nice proportional relationship between the amount of damage done and the time needed to regenerate, but no such relationship could be seen in Pyrínas.
The beetle would be unable to move for a while if it was heavily damaged, but Pyrínas could continue the attack with zero time lag even when heavy damage was done.
It was a subtle difference, but Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was able to understand exactly what it meant like an artisan who had reached a certain level of skill.
Ideally, they would never meet him.
That was Rhinoceros Beetle 07's conclusion.
Facing him would be like playing an extended game of poker against an opponent that had an infinite amount of money to bet. The slightest mistake would bankrupt you. You would never last if you kept at it.
Luckily, Pyrínas was busy fighting with Tenryū Seidō.
He could not turn his back on the fight or there really would be consequences.
It would raise the risk of being captured by Border, but they could set a hurdle obstructing him path simply by travelling along building walls or moving from rooftop to rooftop. The beetle could use the special characteristics of its insect-based form to their fullest.
But as Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was thinking that...
"Yup. If that's the case, we need to seriously help him!"
"Right. This just means we will also help in protecting Michelle while finding a way to help Pyrínas."
Their thoughts had shot off in a completely different direction.
The answer the beetle had come to based on its many different decisions had been completely blown away.
As Rhinoceros Beetle 07 fell into a confused state like a machine that had lost track its current coordinate position due to electromagnetic interference, the three children spoke.
"(After all, you said this doesn't have anything to do with his thoughts. That means it isn't his fault. I don't get all this hard stuff about functions or whatever, but we can't overlook this if he's being forced to do it.)"
"I knows what it is like... I know how painful it is to be made to do something you don't want to for someone else's gain due to someone else," says Stepney tapping his temple with his index finger. "We can't let this happen. If that is happening to someone, we have to help them."
Because he was suffering.
Because they wanted to save him.
Because someone was hurting.
Because.
The white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 fell silent when it saw that those children would act based on such small reasons despite knowing their lives would be at risk if they were actually attacked. The beetle analyzed why its carefully calculated thought process had not been valid. In addition to the standard logical thought process, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had also obtained the ability to produce signal patterns modeled after simple human emotions. It began to investigate why it had been unable to predict how those children would feel.
It came to a likely conclusion:
Because they possessed real hearts.
They put emotions above logic. They put their wishes above calculations. Even if it was foolish, that may have been what a real human heart was. Even if it was ridiculous, it was something precious that no one could laugh at.
In that case, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had no choice but to go along with it.
The answer those children had come to was something precious, noble, and beautiful. But at the same time, it was immature, dangerous, and would likely lead to failure. And so something was needed to bridge the gap between the ideal and reality. Before Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi could save anyone with that answer, something was needed to break through the risks of reality.
That irregular beetle that had left its creator Pyrínas' control was unlikely to have much of a future.
Its fate was to be pursued by its master Pyrínas - the one that they were both avoiding as well as helping - with nowhere to return to and no new goal point. Its fate was to be rejected as an outsider or a rampaging weapon by all other organizations and groups.
So...
It would at least make sure to return these three children to the place they had come from. If it was normal to risk one's life for someone in their world, the beetle would give priority to their way of doing things. And so it would not just view it as an objective to work at; it would make sure to perfectly accomplish it no matter what.
And that would also give meaning to the fact that it had left its master's control.
"Understood," said the white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 using its giant wings as it felt great inner distress over how great a risk it estimated this to be. "We will escape Pyrínas pursuit and also work to save Pyrínas. Is that okay?"
"(That's what it means to be people!)" Michelle said as she banged her palm against Rhinoceros Beetle 07's open armor plate while floating in midair.
"Right! I wouldn't expect any other answer from a member of our team. Doing your best is great, but never forget that we all have to return home together!"
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 lacked the ability to create expressions using the muscles of the face.
But it felt that was for the best.
It appreciated the children's promise, but it doubted it could live up to that.
Willpower, emotions and knowledge were three basic and essential parts of life that created what was known as a human being. They were easy to understand, yet they were also difficult to describe. People might be able to explain them in basic terms, but there were always underlining meanings to things.
A person could have an outstanding amount of willpower, yet be very shy.
A person could have an abundance of emotions, yet choose not to feel them.
A person could have more knowledge than anyone else, yet still be an idiot.
If someone were to use their willpower, emotions and knowledge at all times it would mean they would be a perfect example of what it take to be a human.
That was Shikifuku.
A Black Trigger that would only activate using portions of its three parts depending on the user. It was not so picky as to reject someone simply because they were lacking in something.
It was the exact opposite. It welcomed anyone and everyone to use it how they wanted. They could use it to attack others, to defend others, or simply to let their frustration out. It was all up to the user.
That did not mean it did not have its own restrictions on its usage.
Shikifuku was, in reality, a Black Trigger that was created with three separate parts making up a single object.
The first was a blade that would be able to cut through anything the user wished to cut. An embodiment of strong willpower.
The second was a boost to the user's physical parameters that granted them speed and power. An embodiment of raging emotions.
The third was a shield which could not be penetrated no matter what the weapon may be. An embodiment of knowledge for the sake of others.
That was all a lie. Only those who know of Shikifuku's existence would be able to know this.
The blade that embodied strong willpower could be stopped if the user was weak of heart.
The speed and power that embodied raging emotions could all be feeble if the user could not understand their own feelings.
The shield that embodied the knowledge for the sake of others could be broken through if the user did not understand even the most basic things.
That was exactly what Tenryū Seidō was experiencing as he continued to bring up the reflective shield that embodied his knowledge.
.
Tenryū Seidō clicked his tongue as he held out his arm.
On his wrist was a black object that made up 1/3 of a bracelet. It circled around his wrist on a thread of Trion that had been changed from the usual green coloring to a vibrant yellow. It continued to circle around his wrist like the rings of Saturn while multiple yellow shields were created from it.
This was a single portion of the Black Trigger known as Shikifuku.
His fights with the Autonomous Trion Soldier known as Pyrínas had been going on for some time now. A regular Trigger would not have been able to keep up with the multiple variants of Pyrínas that surrounded him. That was why he had brought out the Black Trigger.
He had known from the start that Shikifuku would be the best way for him to fight the multiple Trion Soldiers. That was why he broke through the ground, sending the children and Border agents underground. The use of Shikifuku had prevented them from getting injured in the fall.
It was what he was using to defend as well as to attack.
Only those two know... Yeah. Only Masafumi and Chishi know how to properly use Shikifuku. No matter how much knowledge someone has they won't be able to fully utilize this part of it. If they can properly understand everything about Shikifuku then they will be able to understand it.
Seidō lifted his arm once more.
A shell was fired at him from a rhinoceros beetle that had stayed behind to fight.
The shell had hit the yell shield that protected Seidō before being sent back with twice the speed. There was no time for the rhinoceros beetle to react before it was destroyed.
Only ten seconds after being destroyed, the rhinoceros beetle was reformed.
This reflective power is a perfect offense for this defensive Trigger. This was a reason I loved her. It's like I'm holding her hand again.
Seidō knew all too well. He knew that his wife was dead and would never be coming back. The proof continued to circle around his wrist like the rings of Saturn. It was painful knowledge like that which allowed him to continue fighting.
Rejecting that knowledge, being in denial that she was dead because of Shikifuku, it would have meant that he was denying what she had given for them. It would mean he would not understand the basics of life and death, something that would prevent him from using this part of Shikifuku.
Since he knew and understood this much, fighting continuously like this was fine. He knew just what to use and how to use them.
That may have been why he also knew that this fight would go on longer than it should. If that happened then he would be unable to do the things he wanted. His own plan would be ruined and he would not get the chance to escape.
Understanding that much, he started to think about the next thing to do.
Right. If this works out how I want it to... I will at least be able to get away from this monster. Even I am wondering just what Border plans to do against it...
The repeated sound of concrete being struck by metal grew more distant. The sound was coming from an underground tunnel, but Satori was still able to hear it from the surface.
"It sounds like those beetles are heading somewhere else."
"Do you think they're chasing Mitsu and the other girl?"
Kitora Ai operated her cell phone while glancing over at Satori and Sthénos who were discussing the issue.
But she did not receive a response.
"He isn't answering... But it might be safer if his phone isn't on. That eliminates a means for his pursuers to track his location."
"What do you think happened?" asked Satori.
"I am not exactly optimistic, but my guess is those beetles are chasing the three children. I doubt their specs are low enough to lose to children's legs and yet they still have not caught up. I suppose the logical conclusion is that someone or something is helping them."
"Like that irregular beetle?"
Satori recalled that giant beetle that had blocked the exit with its own body.
But he was left with the question of who had released those weapons and for what purpose. And if they were being controlled by someone, were they equipped with any unpleasant functions?
For example...
Could the irregular beetle's own thoughts be bypassed to give top priority to a remote command?
"Those tunnels were made for many different purposes: subway lines, underground passageways, multipurpose drains, and laying cable and other infrastructure. However, they all have one thing in common. Their layout is about as convoluted as an ant hill. If they are travelling while ignoring traffic rules, it would be difficult to predict what exit whoever is guiding them will use."
"Even if we do catch up to them, what then? The pursuers will not be far behind. They have at least the firepower of a tank and they have a strange ability to delicately manipulate shockwaves. Plus, they can regenerate given enough time even if split in two. ...This is no enemy to stand up to with something like a bazooka," said Kitora.
"There's still something we can do." Satori crouched down and used a small rock he found to scrape a simple schematic diagram on the sidewalk. "We can't destroy these beetles without getting the children involved. In fact, they will regenerate even if we do. But what if we just obstruct them? For example, if we keep them in place by using Spider to hold them in place or even stabbing the wires in their armor, they wouldn't be able to pull them out."
"Satorin, do you know how tough their armor is?" asked Sthénos.
"We saw a bunch of them fighting, remember? Maybe it's because they're made to regenerate, but they definitely didn't look like their armor is so ridiculously strong that not even a shot from an Egret could destroy them. If we use something strong enough that can destroy the ones from the last invasion, we should be able to break through their armor."
"We need to remember that they seem to be more aware than other Trion Soldiers. We can't just randomly attack when we feel like. Of course, that's not to say we should be taking things easily and take our time."
To shoot through those white rhinoceros beetles' armor, they would have to go right up to them. But to remain at a safe distance from those white rhinoceros beetles that had the specs of a tank with Trion, they needed to defeat the beetles while staying over 5 kilometers away. They of course could not prepare any means of doing that. And any distance less than 5 kilometers was the same. Whether they were 4 kilometers away or only 1 mm away from the enemy, they would still be shot by those shells the instant they were detected.
They could try to snipe the beetles from a safe distance, but Lighting would not cause enough damage while Egret and Ibis would most likely be too slow for them not to notice.
Up close would be best.
"But Satorin, that means..."
"Yeah, the irregular one protecting the children isn't perfect either. If its movements are sealed, they'll be defenseless. We need to save them before that happens."
But suddenly they heard a familiar voice come from the side.
"Hm? What the hell? What happened here?"
"Suzu-chan?" Satori in puzzlement after he turned around.
Standing next to Suzume's form was Kotowari Takeshi who was waving at them.
"We were kept inside of the mall by some annoying people that decided to trap us in there using Trion. This seems to be happening all around the city. Mostly to the branch offices and HQ. I managed to get us out and come with Suzume-senpai when all of a sudden I spotted you guys."
"Ken-kun, honestly explain the situation in 30 seconds."
As the situation required a lot of explanation, Satori began speaking very quickly. Suzume followed along politely enough at the beginning, but before long she fell silent and a displeased look appeared on her face. By the end of the explanation, she had grabbed Satori by the collar.
"Is that so, Ken-kun? So what you're honestly saying is you have no idea where Mitsu is, you've left her with an out-of-control weapon that might not be safe, and you honestly have no idea why she is being attacked or who is behind it?"
"Heh...Eh heh heh. You could put it like that, I suppose."
"..."
"Wait, Suzume, wait! This may be unfortunate, but forgive Satorin!"
"Yeah, if you keep slapping Satori-senpai like that, you'll really knock his head off!"
Takeshi and Sthénos frantically tried to stop the tyrannical queen after they saw Satori's head sway back and forth in time to repeated striking sounds as if he had become a human metronome.
With the casualness of throwing away an empty drink can, Suzume tossed her classmate to the side with one hand. He crashed into the same tree he had kicked and slid down to the ground.
Takeshi couldn't tell whether she was done beating him or just got bored.
"You honestly get a failing grade for pretty much everything about that, but the one thing that is truly out of the question is your means of opposing the enemy weapons. What is this nonsense about it all being over once you're spotted whether you're 4 kilometers away or 1 mm away? Your plan is honestly as irrational as deciding to throw a landmine because you don't have a missile. Of course being 4 kilometers away is safer than being 1 mm away."
Satori felt a strong desire to look away since he actually had once fired something akin to a landmine known as Meteora once during training with someone, but averting his gaze might upset Suzume and that could make her begin again with those deadly slaps.
And so he simply told the truth rather than making unnecessary excuses.
"But we don't have proper support right now since other things seem to be going on in the city. Where are we supposed to find a means of attacking from kilometers away that can break through their arm-...bffaaah!?"
Satori suddenly shouted out because Suzume had mercilessly used her heel to step on his crotch as he sat on the ground.
Satori looked like he was about to start foaming at the mouth.
As he began to tremble, Sthénos stared at him with a blank look in her eyes and said, "Satorin, what's wrong? Why are you shaking?"
"Maybe his entire body is just grateful for that unexpected reward."
The real answer was that he was simply unable to give a straight reaction.
Just as Satori began to seriously worry about where a girl's boiling point was, he heard Suzume's voice.
"Basically, you just need firepower that can take out a tank from 5 kilometers away while making sure those children aren't hurt, right? That's honestly easier than spinning a pen in my fingers. Why are you getting so worried about something like this that you're honestly preparing yourself to run up with a landmine in hand? What nonsense."
"...Suzu-chan?"
"Or what? Are you honestly trying to say Takeshi's special laser Trigger is cheaper and harder to use than some 10,000 yen rocket launcher!? Well, Keeeeeeeeen!?"
"Nooooooooooooooooo! I don't know if you're trying to cover up your embarrassment or if you really are pissed, but stop performing a denki anma in public! And the heel of your boot is seriously about to crush them, so stoooooooooooooppppppppppppppp!"
Satori was unable to do anything to stop that hell of adolescence. As his consciousness grew faint, he noticed Kitora Ai had called someone with her cell phone. She had said she was unable to reach Stepney, so this was likely someone else.
And...
That prep-school girl who would probably look good in a lab coat grew visibly dejected as she spoke. She looked like a plant that had been left in the window during the heat of summer or a child who was being scolded by her teacher for forgetting her homework.
By the time she had hung up, a dark mood had come over Kitora.
With a somehow distant look in her eyes, she asked, "It looks like I am also going to be scolded for inadequate supervision. I wonder if I will receive a denki anma from a scary sibling too."
After coming up to the surface, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 came to a stop while thinking. It lowered Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi to the ground nearby. It could have continued to keep them floating in midair using its giant thin wings, but they had started to rotate around and around on their centers of gravity and enjoying themselves so much that other children were drawing near. The beetle decided it was best to stop for the moment.
"Do you seriously know that there are some pretty fun stuff here?"
"Um..."
"(Hey! How many times do I have to tell you I can't stand having you looking down on me like that!?)"
"Can you listen to me for a moment...? Hello...?"
"I am sorry, Mr. Beetle."
At first glance, it appeared Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had left Pyrínas' control, but it had been unable to completely escape the Trion Soldier's curse. Even now, the order to capture the large Trion Source known as Michelle was constantly repeating itself inside the beetle's head(?).
"Tah dah! I have the card for the stamp rally go on right now. If you don't have one of these ahead of time, you can't enjoy the events, do you get-..."
"(Hey, hey! I have one of those too! Yuki gave it to me when I met up with him!"
"Oh... I don't have one of those."
"Ah! I'm sorry, Stepney!"
"(Don't get sad! I am sorry!)"
The reason Rhinoceros Beetle 07 did not actually take action on that order was because it was using its role of "narrowing down ideas" to constantly intentionally convert the oral command into its own interpretation. It was not rejecting the command or creating a new command on its own. The relationship of master and slave had not changed.
"We both have a card! We need to see who wins as we go around to the area stands! Stepney, you can seriously play some too! I'll let you use mine!"
"What happened to wanting to save Pyrínas...!?" asked the beetle.
And so...
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 determined that it itself was most definitely one of the biggest threats to the three children before it.
"Heh heh heh. Just filling up the stamp rally card is easy enough, but the elegance of the card changes depending on what stamps you use. Don't seriously think you can defeat me without filling your card up with stamps for foods limited to 15 people or secret stamps! I am declaring my victory!"
If Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was given an oral command intentionally made so it was unable to convert it incorrectly, it would be forced to kill Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi without hesitation.
"(Ha! I need to hurry up! At this rate, you'll hog all of the dangerous rare stamps for yourself!)"
"Hnya ha ha ha ha! If you think dangerous rare is as high as it goes, you have no chance of defeating me-...Wait ,wait! Hear me out before running off-...!"
And even if things did not go that far, if the information being gathered by the beetle's five senses was shared with the entirety of what made up "Pyrínas", the Trion-made army would be on them in no time at all.
"Huh...? Where did those children go...?"
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 stopped thinking once it noticed the noisy voices were growing more distant. It emitted its artificial voice with its wings, but it received no response.
When it looked around, it found the three children charging toward a nearby stand with stamp rally cards in hand. The beetle decided the children had lost all awareness of the fact they were being pursued. It needed to capture them immediately to keep them safe.
But how?
It could use its giant wings to float the children in the air, but that did not possess the powerful constraining ability needed to capture people who were running around at random.
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 rechecked the specs on the foremost two of its six legs. Those legs were made to provide high speed movement and suppress the recoil when firing a shell. They also had claw-like spikes on the end, so there was a very real risk of slicing the children apart if it tried to restrain them with its legs.
After thinking for a while, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 simply gave up.
It could not think of a way.
"Fine then...!"
A few orange sparks began to fly from the asphalt as Rhinoceros Beetle 07 began chasing after Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi.
As it was late in the day and this seemed to be a "safe place" for others, the area around the stand was crowded with people. The beetle saw no way it could blend into that scene, but to its surprise, no major commotion occurred.
A flood of voices reached its ears...or rather, the thin wings it spread out to detect the vibrations in the air.
"This is from that leading university, right? That thing where they fight while riding robots shaped like rhinoceros beetles or stag beetles. Boys sure do love bugs."
"But did they have a white one? Is it a rare version or something?"
"The sad truth is that they will lose their research funding if they don't periodically display the fruits of their research in a way even a child can understand."
Once they had accepted the beetle in their own way, they saw no reason to find fault in it. That may have been due to it being considered a "safe place" that lead others to it. That meant anything within the area would be considered "safe" to the people. Even so, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was a bit worried about the fact that a strange weapon could make its way onto a crowded area without any kind of permit, but it was finally able to catch up to the two girls running through the makeshift labyrinth of stands.
It seemed they were able to pay up front by handing their subway IC cards to the girls running the stand.
"What are you doing...?" asked the beetle.
"Well, well, well! This is seriously a sharpshooting stand! Don't you think it's cheating to make the rare stamp itself be the prize!? It's seriously too small to hit!"
"(Is it true the standard thing to do with these is to shoot the girl running the stand?)" Michelle asked while holding the cork gun in one hand.
"I think that it really just matters on where you are in the world. Every place does things in their own way."
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 looked over at the stand.
The girl running it was forcing a smile, but the smile was beginning to twitch a bit. The stand itself had several stepped shelves made of wood with cute stuffed animals and other prizes set up on them. It seemed to be a game where one attempted to shoot those prizes with the rifle.
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 shook its cannon barrel slightly in a mannerism similar to tilting its head in confusion.
"Isn't this a slightly violent setup...?"
"What are you saying? I feel a lot sorrier for the one stuffed animal that is left all alone in the end," insisted Mitsubachi while holding up her cork gun. "This strike will release this stuffed animal's soul! Even when I lean way up over the counter to bring my cork gun closer to the target which is completely fair and definitely not cheati-...fgyahhh!"
"..."
As Mitsubachi practically climbed up on top of the counter, she very nearly fell inside the stand like a seesaw, so the girl frantically stopped her.
As Michelle used up cork bullet after cork bullet in her attempt to hit the rare stamp, she suddenly turned toward Rhinoceros Beetle 07.
More specifically, she turned to look at the thick horn that acted as its cannon barrel.
"(Hey. You can't use that.)"
"I know that..."
"(Yeah! No matter how much trouble I have trying to hit the rare stamp, you can't get frustrated and use that!)"
"I am having trouble determining whether you are trying to stop me or to get me to do it... At any rate, I am not going to..."
"Huh... Just watching them is fine with me. I think. I guess I don't have a right to complain when I never got a card."
"Stepney was it...? You are currently the one I like the most..."
While providing that ideal response, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 continued staring at the stuffed animals lined up within the sharpshooting stand.
They were all nothing but colored cloth stuffed with cotton and shaped like animals.
One was shaped like the animal known as a lion, so it was called a lion.
One was shaped like the animal known as a giraffe, so it was called a giraffe.
One was shaped like the animal known as an elephant, so it was called an elephant.
It seemed that the standard human way of looking at it was that the one shaped like a lion was not called an elephant even though they were both made in the exact same way and they both contained the exact same thing inside. Yet the leather shoes the girl running the stand was wearing were made of real cowhide yet they were not called a cow.
That mysterious world where the real thing and imitations were mixed together got Rhinoceros Beetle 07 wondering what that would make it.
Was it a rhinoceros beetle because its external appearance was made to look like one?
Was it Trion because it was made up of that single material?
Was it merely something that was constantly receiving orders from Pyrínas?
Was there any value in something that continued to intentionally misinterpret its orders?
"Hey. Do you want the lion?"
"What?"
"You've seriously been staring at it. If you want it, just say so! We can work together to get it! Yeah, yeah. So point that giant horn towards the stand."
"...I told you guys I am not going to fire..."
"You seriously don't have to, so hurry, hurry..."
Still confused, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 simply did as it was told. When it did, Mitsubachi suddenly started to climb up it. She slowly made her way to the tip with her thighs wrapped tightly around the thick horn as if she was carefully crossing a log lying across a canyon.
When she reached the end of the cannon that was practically sticking into the stand, she held up her cork gun with an air of importance.
"There. I can't miss at point blank range!"
"..."
Rhinoceros Beetle 07 did not want to help her cheat, so it shook its cannon barrel back and forth.
The schoolgirl running the stand still did not understand some of what was going on, so she simply smiled at what she could understand of the situation.
Right after that, the small sound of a crack running within Rhinoceros Beetle 07's body could be heard.
The toll of leaving Pyrínas' control had taken on the beetle was finally beginning to show itself.
"So that's how it is..."
Mei let out a sigh.
After having met up with Shobu she had been told everything he knew about what was going on. There was little to go off of, but there had apparently been something he knew that others did not.
"So that man was a Trion Soldier. For him to fool Mukuro of all people... That guy is lazy as hell but he isn't an idiot by any standards."
"...I am sorry... ...I didn't tell...Kageura Squad... ...That man seemed...fine to me... ...There were...no brainwaves... ...But he...didn't do...anything wrong..."
"I know. It's fine. You didn't do anything wrong. I already know that you're a good judge of character. ...Putting Yuki aside that is... If you found nothing wrong with him then there is no need to be sorry."
"..."
Mei halted in her movement.
With no hesitation in her movement, she turned around to look at Shobu. Their height was not too far off yet she lowered herself to look him in the eyes.
"There was nothing wrong with your choices. If you think that there was nothing wrong with that man then that is fine."
The only response was a simple nod.
Mei knew that he would not argue against her, something she actually did not like. It was hard to get the boy to open up at all yet he had been able to speak freely with some people. While she was not one of those people she knew that she was on better terms with him than most people.
She was trying to be someone he could open up to. It was not for any sort of gain for herself but instead for the boy. She was well aware of others viewed him and wanted to help with his issues.
It was made more difficult when given the current circumstances.
I suppose I should pick a better time and place. For now... Yes. I'll just deal with that thing right now.
Mei let out a sigh.
It was rare for her to do multiple times within a day.
"Shokubutsu, you can continue towards Mikado City. I think I might end up busy with something else for a bit. I will catch up later on. For now you need to get the last part of Shikifuku to Akasora-san."
She was pleased with a nod for a simple answer.
Once she saw that he was out of view she lowered her stance to that of someone ready to jump into the air. The two gauges on the side of her combat boots went up by multiple bars.
A strange Trion Soldier had been flying over them for some time now. Mei had noticed it before but figured that it was about time to take it out when she heard the feint sound of a vehicle coming towards them.
The falcon-like Trion Soldier that was over here right now was different in appearance from the one taken out in front of Karasuma and Konami. This one's wings were shaped differently and instead of talons it just had one big spike coming from under it.
A hard screech came from the Trion Soldier as it made a sudden dive bomb towards Mei, who was currently crouching in place. The speed it was going at was far greater than the regular Marmod or Bado that came through a Gate on a daily basis.
Once it reached a certain point in the air, Mei took action.
With little thought she flew into the air at a speed that could actually rival the dive bombing Falcon Trion Soldier.
With the way things were going Mei was able to gain more height due to moving upwards while the Falcon Trion Soldier was going down. This meant that she had the best position to attack.
Figuring out that it was no longer the one attacking, the Falcon Trion Soldier took a few seconds to stop in midair to fix its position.
There was no time for it to defend.
I'm not as good as Yuki when it comes to this stuff, but that's neither here nor there at the moment.
Yuki was a professional when it came to moving his body freely in midair. If if he was at an odd angle, there was always a way for him to move the way he wanted. It was how he was able to counter the downside to his Side Effect.
Mei was not so proficient at doing that. Even so, she managed to force her body into a flip as the Falcon Trion Soldier stopped. With no lag time from the flip, she brought her foot down onto the Falcon Trion Soldier.
The top of the head and the core within the head were destroyed while being sent towards the ground once more. This time its speed was even greater as it slammed into the ground with enough force to break the asphalt.
Mei landed next to it and examined the still form.
"I should hurry up. Especially since it's only Ninomiya who is coming towards me."
Repeated sounds of solid objects being destroyed rang out.
Those were the sounds of the giant boar charging toward the back of the train while destroying the fluorescent lights and other objects on the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. The boar was only a Trion Soldier being controlled by the girl behind it, so it did not possess the standard instincts of a living creature. It ran right off the back of the train and ended up not moving.
The dress-wearing Neighbor named Sanshū gave a long sigh.
Nothing remained on top of the train's roof and Boar had not been destroyed by the impact of hitting the tracks, yet it didn't seem to be moving either. After being thrown into the air, for at least two times, Yuki had either been crushed by the giant boar and sent into his real body or thrown to the side and fallen to the ground.
Either way, he was certainly out of the fight.
With her job done for the moment, Sanshū reached to her hear to communicate with her comrades.
"Alright then. I've won this fight. I'm pretty sure they said something about another agent coming from that city."
Just as she began carelessly muttering to herself, she heard an ominous creaking noise.
"…"
At some point, a glowing core had appeared between her five fingers.
She looked toward the source of the sound.
It was quite nearby. It was on the edge of the train's roof. While looking to the front of the train, it was on the right. She saw what looked like fingers.
No.
They really were what they looked like. They were fingers. There were five of them. Someone was holding onto the quickly-moving train with just the strength of their hand. She peered over at this person and realized who it was.
It was Yuki. Idōgetsu was no in it's holder.
"Wow~ How the heck did you manage to survive that?"
Sanshū grinned and began to release the core in her fingers.
But before she could, Yuki used his free arm to swing around the coat of his uniform by the sleeve. He had removed it in advance.
The powerful wind caused the cloth to swell out and it covered Sanshū's entire face. It robbed her of her vision. She lost her vision while peering down from the edge of the train.
Yuki had been blown toward the back of the train by an artificial blast of wind and the giant boar had tried to charge at him. However, he is an A-Rank, so he's dealt with worse.
Even when he had gotten his balance in the air, he was still hit within the limited space. That didn't matter though since he resorted to using his specialy known as Teleport.
As the giant boar scraped along the top of the tunnel, it ran directly along the roof of the train. Yuki couldn't see much and with the train moving fast he couldn't get to the exact spot he wanted, so he ended up hanging from the side.
He had survived for the time being.
But if he climbed up now, Sanshū would begin her attack once more. And she might not wait until after he had finished defenselessly climbing up.
He was use to coming up with trick on the spot.
Fortunately, Sanshū would likely assume she had won. With that much destruction, checking for his real body would be difficult. He had to make his preparations during that slight period of safety. Currently, Yuki was supported only by his ten fingers and was about to fall to the ground which was rushing by with tremendous speed below. Even in a Trion body a person would have trouble getting up from a moving train with only their fingers.
The biggest obstacle was removing his coat. Removing his arms from the sleeves meant he had to temporarily support himself with only one arm. With his removed coat in hand, Yuki supported himself as if performing a pull up and slowly moved toward Sanshū while clinging to the side of the train.
Once he was close enough, he only had to wait. He waited for her to peer down at him. All he did was throw his coat up to block her vision.
"Seriously!? What kinda trick was that!?" shouted Sanshū.
Yuki had to climb up onto the roof in that time, but it was still not enough. With her vision still blocked, Sanshū purposefully dropped the core in her hand.
"25%. Power. Make/ /Blaze!"
Like hell!
While getting a little irritated and supporting himself with one hand, Yuki swept his other hand along the roof. While Sanshū struggled nervously with her vision cut off, he tried to get her with Idōgetsu in hand and with a crescent blade as his weapon.
She dodged it by skipping over the blade, but ended up skipping as she landed and ended up on her butt.
"Damn!"
Before checking to make sure Sanshū's feet were taken, Yuki climbed up onto the train's roof. While lying face down, Yuki saw the core on the floor being scanned.
He frantically stood up and readied Idōgetsu. Just as it took the form of a falcon and attacked, he smashed it to pieces with his wrecking-ball-formed Trigger.
I just need to take out those cores before they can finish "scanning".
After making sure the falcon had been destroyed, Yuki quickly turned toward Sanshū.
I don't even know how much Trion she has... The cores are coming from her personal Trion supply, but... There's still an off chance it is coming from an outside source.
He started for the girl again and got ready to destroy anything she would make. He didn't know how long the fight would actually last, so he was actually thinking of something else entirely.
"Come on... One of them."