Chapter 39: The Calamity

"Sir, a mysterious source is attempting to establish connection on the island."

The Captain of Arbatel acknowledged that report with a nod.

"It seemed it was attempting to circumnavigate the interference through different patterns."

"Hmm, that's interesting." The Captain remarked. The screens in front of him were all focused on the island. Particularly, on Tohka and Shidou. "Sooner or later, that thing that was attempting to connect to the island will show up on its own. If we somehow detected it, annihilate it immediately."

"Yes, sir!" The staffs that handled the detection and armory answered. The Arbatel begun to release some of the Bandersnatch within its storage.

"Bandersnatch deployment in progress."

Somewhere in a different building, not far from the hotel where the students where staying, were Ritsuka and Mashu who are currently sleeping. Now, Ritsuka received the message from Circe and was now concerned. She glanced toward Mashu, who was still sleeping soundly.

Ritsuka felt poking her cheeks but there's another time for that. She just smiled fondly on that thought.

"Ne, Mashu."

Ritsuka gently shook the Shielder from her sleep. Immediately Mashu rose from her slumber and wearily wore her glasses and stare at her Senpai weakly. She rubbed her half-closed eye and yawned.

"What is it, Senpai?"

"Get, ready. It seemed that whatever invisible thing that happened to float above the island has started to move."

Immediately, Mashu's sleepiness was gone and was replaced with alertness.

"W-what?!"

"Sssshhhh…" Ritsuka immediately placed her index finger upon Mashu's lips. Mashu just stared at her finger for a while. The Shielder sweatdropped from this.

"...Can't let them wake up." Ritsuka cautioned her. Mashu immediately understood her Senpai and just nodded at her confirmation.

Then a gentle light covered Mashu's entire body, transforming her bit by bit. Her impenetrable armor replacing her current sleeping robes. Even her glasses disappear from her transformation. Ritsuka just stood there, observing the entire process with a hand caressing her own chin. If she would rate Mashu's transformation, then it would be eight over ten. Reason? Not enough bling-blings and sparkles.

It seemed that she based it on the magical girl genre. Ritsuka suddenly became nostalgic because of that particularly singularity where they found Chloe and Illya and that Mashu temporarily became a magical girl.

Meanwhile, Mashu was not amused at her Senpai. She could feel her Senpai's perveted stare again.

"S-senpai!" She exclaimed her.

"Alright!" The Master of Chaldea immediately shook herself out of thought. Mashu already summoned her shield.

"You know what to do?"

Mashu immediately nodded.

"We only need to use the degraded version; we don't need to have a permanent fortress rising at the center of the island, am I right?" Ritsuka said wryly.

"Yes, Senpai!" Mashu immediately understood, no matter how sarcastic her Senpai's voice is.

Then Mashu begun chanting, slamming the shield down the floor. "Noble Phantasm, activating!"

At that moment, the entire island lit slightly and no one on the island noticed. If they somehow saw the unnatural minute lighting of an island, they would recognize it as something beautiful and just attribute it to the lunar phenomena.

However, at the Arbatel their instruments in detecting mana readings just raised moderately and the staffs really noticed it at that moment but they will not see it because Mashu made it mere invisible to the naked eye. They reported it to their captain about this phenomenon but he found it partially useless until he found some evidence it was really happening on the island.

He couldn't see anything happening explosive on the island, only the multitudes of Bandersnatches swarming the skies.

A similar vein happened to the Ratatoskr too. They detected it a large surge of mana happening recently but they are too focused in trying to establish the connection their Analyst Officer Reine Murasame.

"Tohka can I ask for an advice?" Shidou will try to confess something to Tohka.

"Sure, by all means ask away." Tohka happily obliged.

"Here it goes…" Shidou gathered his breath. "Kaguya and Yuzuru is having a battle on who will try to establish the main Spirit and I really meant to save them both."

"Oh, that's why you are sometimes absent through out the program." Tohka just chuckled and seemed to be understanding. "I understand you, Shidou-kun and the twin's story are so sad." Tohka leaned toward Shidou sides.

"Even though their battle for dominance was intense, I could see that they were caring to each other. They confessed to me earlier that they want the others to live even if that means they will no longer exist. It's so sad that they still didn't realized it each others feeling until now."

"Though I must say that I understandment both of them. If I were told that if I didn't die, then you would them I'd probably do the same." This Tohka looked sullen. Shidou could see her almost tearied eye.

"Tohka…?"

Tohka immediately shook herself. And tried to assure to Shidou that she was just alright. "N-no. Just forget what I've said and please just continue."

"I've been told that; what do you think I should do about them?"

Then a strong wind blew the hell out of them. Tohka shielded her face from the harsh winds.

"What do you mean, Shidou!?" Kaguya asked him as she appeared out of nowhere. She wasn't amused.

"K-Kaguya?" Shidou exlclaimed.

"Yuzuru? I don't fricking buy that! It doesn't make any sense!" By the tone of her voice, Kaguya was just very angry. As if she wasn't accepting of what she has heard from Shidou.

"Just calm down, Kaguya." Shidou tried to assure her.

"Demand. Repeat." Even Yuzuru appeared on the other side. Even though she didn't show her emotions. Shidou and Tohka could tell by her voice that she was not pleased from what she has eavesdropped.

"Y-Yuzuru, you too?" Shidou was flabbergasted.

"Kaguya, she told you to choose me, is that really what she said?" Yuzuru matched Kaguya's fury as well.

It seemed that Tohka and Shidou will be get caught in their upcoming battle.

Ishtar just munched on the popcorn. No one knows where she got it. Maybe she got it from the locals? It was even complete with a bucket. She was holding it in her hands while floating carefree in the midair. Ishtar dunk her hand into the large bucket before grabbing a handful of popcorn.

She even has a 3d-glasses wore on her face.

"It's starting, sister!" Ishtar said as she mentioned Ereshkigal. The Goddess of the Underworld wasn't amused by it. Ereshkigal was floating beside Ishtar and was berating her sister by her glare alone. Ishtar could feel the pressure emanating by her sister.

Ishtar just frowned to her sister. "Geez, can't take a joke?!" She was disappointed because Lancer didn't even laugh.

"This is serious, Ishtar. We need to help Shidou."

"On whose command was it?" Ishtar just became highly all of the sudden. Ereshkigal wasn't amused.

"Master, of course. You know she just ordered us to help him, don't you?" Ereshkigal said with 'are you kidding me' look.

"That's why you can't take a joke, Ereshkigal." Ishtar was even more disappointed and she just 'hmmph' and looked away from her while crossing her arms underneath her chest.

"Just… can we just go over with this?" Ereshkigal facepalmed.

"Ok!" Immediately Ishtar's face beamed in delight. Just what the hell is happening to Ishtar? Could be Ereshkigal's thought.

At least they were in for some action.

Yuzuru and Kaguya's mundane clothing were immediately shed out as the winds whipped and form a tornado around them. Then slowly but surely, they were immediately cloth with their astral dress compose of chains, bonds, half-paired wing and scantily clad clothing; over all they were some sort of bondage suit.

"Girls, please stop!" Shidou pleaded but the raging howls of the wind prevented him from being heard.

Raphael El Re'em!

Kaguya shouted with all her might and the weapon was offered in her hands. It was a large lance that can drill into anything. It's pointed area was focused greatly on her other twin, Yuzuru.

Raphael El Na'ash!

Yuzuru's commanded her weapon to reveal itself and lo behold, it was the longest chain Shidou could have ever seen. It was dancing wildly, in symphony with the raging wind around Yuzuru with a sharpened end. Yuzuru treated like a whip.

They could no longer hear Shidou for their business is there business alone. It seemed that they could no longer be in peace as long as they are in two. One must be a fully-fledge Spirit whether they like it or not.

They were about to clash mid air when beams of light interrupted their wake. The Hurricane Twins looked up and saw two figures in silhouette. Shidou and Tohka even managed to squint at the two figure in front of the bright moon.

Shidou felt his heart gripped with shock for they were just so familiar.

One was a scantily clad crowned Goddess who wore a white and gold theme. Beside her was a floating golden bow so large that one could sat on it. Even in the darkness, her reverence and beauty was fully lit for everyone.

The other was a crowned Goddess whose cloak is reminiscient of the darkness of the Underworld. What she was holding was a very large spear that is taller than her, a protruding large blade end-to-end with a spiked wheel adorned at the center. It was emanating with an eerie glow.

Shidou knew who they are and they are the one who helped him retrieve Kotori to her but this time they unmasked for their face to see. It was Ainu and Izanami as Shidou recognized them, but remembering them as a regular human was too hard for him. Instead, he could only describe them as a powerful [Goddesses, as what Ratatoskr mentioned.

What is a [Berzerk] to a [Goddess]?