4/10.

Was it truly kindness that drove his every action?

Did they all truly lead their lives with their ideals?

No matter. The kindness he would provide would be with their deaths.

Shua stood at the very top of the Schale tower, gazing out at the golden horizon. Dawn had arrived, and with it, another day to lead. He'd awoken relatively quickly, just as he thought he would, and had taken care of the usual cleanliness-rituals that he had forwent just the day before.

The staggering height of the Schale tower, while seemingly precarious to the innate fear of heights that all had, made for a splendid view across the entirety of Kivotos. Of course, he couldn't see the entirety of it, but it definitely felt like it. It was beautiful, in ways that he couldn't really fathom the words to describe.

Dawn was a time of preparation, he had always internalized, as he gripped the cold can of cheap, mass produced coffee he had obtained from a vending machine. With the always recognizable pshh that came with opening one, he drank the beverage that many took as their savior in a white-collared world.

It tasted stale to him, however. He grimaced. His innermost feelings only put a damper on everything he did, and tasting the overly sweet coffee was no exception. It stuck to his tongue like a brown sludge that one couldn't clean off from a wall, and it filled him with a sense of disdain that knew no end.

Or was he only feeling that because of what he thought of himself? He really messed up yesterday. He should've prepared more, known more, and guided Arisu better. There was no excuse for his failure to know in totality the strength that she had, and just what she could do. He had fallen to complacency, just because he had a few minute successes that got to his head.

Common sense dictated that these girls were no threat, but that common sense didn't apply in this world. It was simply too different, but it was difficult to shrug off norms that one had lived with for the entirety of their lives.

It was only luck, and the stunning durability that the students of this world had that it hadn't ended in greater disaster. That was another case of his common sense not being applicable.

The instant he saw that destruction, he could only assume the worst. Having seen many things like that in the past, mangled corpses and unrecognizable remains were synonymous to him with such mass destruction. If he even was in the vicinity of that, there would be nothing left of him, merely a stain on the sand that would be so easily blown away.

It hadn't really occurred to him till now, but this world was truly a dangerous one to him, wasn't it? It was an eye-opening experience, seeing just what Arisu could do. He was disappointed in himself for not doing better, and not knowing better.

In such a situation, he could only blame himself for his own failures. Arisu was an innocent girl who held too much power, and that in turn led to disaster. The book he had lent her to read, Lord of the Flies, held such a notion in its texts, and despite that, he had overlooked such a thing. The exact medium he utilized for a lesson, having such a detail overlooked could only make him laugh in self-deprecation. What a terrible oversight.

Just what possessed the creators of this world, if there were any, to make such a strange world? It was impossible to ascertain the answer to such an existential question, that banked on the very fundamentals of this world's principles. Perhaps, since he was an outsider, he was the strange one.

But there were plenty of outsiders, weren't there? The entirety of Gematria came to mind. Perhaps their methodologies and goals had merit, trying to figure out just what made the world here tick.

However, he thought. They were diametrically opposed at nearly every turn. They held no regard for the wellbeing of his students, of the children that lived in this world. That meant they couldn't work together much, if at all.

The him of the past would've most definitely taken their hand, though. He wasn't that much better. He thought back to the atrocities he committed in the name of good, and the lives he had taken in the course of it. The blood that stained his hands was an ever present weight upon his conscience. Every time he closed his eyes…

There was no greater kindness, than to grant the sweet release of death.

His name was different back then. He, too, was different back then.

He wanted nothing to do with it now.

But it was a part of him, nonetheless. He wasn't a good person. He would never be.

…Then what right did he have to undertake the responsibility he now did?

Arisu was now his charge, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was now viewing her as his daughter. He hadn't wanted to get that attached, but the girl weaseled her way into his heart so quickly.

He didn't even know why.

Feelings were complicated, he thought.

The sweetness of the coffee now only filled him with a sour feeling. What right did he have, really? A man like him…

Finishing up the drink, he dropped the can to the ground where it clattered with the distinctive tone of metal, before he stomped upon it violently, crushing it into an unrecognizable aluminum pancake.

A habit of his. He was a man of habit, and he hated himself for it.

He picked up the metal waste, before throwing it into the nearby trash bin. A sudden thought came to his mind. Who the hell cleared up the trash here, anyway? He was the sole staff of Schale, after all.

He opened the trash bin's top, seeing the insides to be completely clear beyond what he just threw in. That didn't make sense. He came here quite often to mull over things, and always had a drink in hand.

Meh. He just chalked it up to one of the wonders of this world. Maybe there was some autonomous cleaning system he hadn't known about. Maybe it was even Arona being a darling, sending some robots here to clean up the place every so often. There was always a pleasant, flowery scent here, so perhaps that was the case.

He shook his head. It wasn't worth thinking about. He turned his back to the balcony, and walked back into the elevator that awaited his return. He sighed.

What right did he have… really?

Millennium was one of the newer schools, but their impact on Kivotos was unprecedented. Plenty of the emergent technology and devices of the current age had been produced by students of this school. The well-renowned Engineering Club was one of the hallmarks to fame that Millennium always touted and flaunted, their inventions paving the way for the future of Kivotos.

That lattermost tidbit was via a pamphlet Yuuka had given him ages ago, near the time when he had first come to this world. Speaking of which, where was she? Arisu and him were standing side by side, and had been waiting at the designated meeting spot, at the bottom of the Millennium Tower, the highest structure of the school. It was more or less a blue pillar that reached into the sky, with mild etchings of white and azure here and there. It was where most of the major clubs in Millennium were situated.

They had quickly arrived here through public transport, since this was 'under the table' business, apparently, and Schale's automated helicopter would be way too conspicuous.

He wasn't even sure if Arisu was allowed to be here. Whatever the case, they'd have to get through him to prevent her from participating. It was best she garnered all kinds of experience, and learned as she went. It was part of her education plan he had cooked up on the fly.

Ah! He thought. Was that a familiar head of navy blue hair and two pigtails rushing towards here? It was!

"S-Sorry!" Yuuka bent over and panted, out of breath with her face completely red. "Some complaints from Veritas had me occupied for a while."

She raised her head, her bright blue eyes observing Shua, and then at Arisu, who stared blankly back at her. Yuuka stared back into Arisu's eyes, most likely trying to figure out who she was, before her eyes came to the lanyard that Arisu wore over her neck with the logo of Schale upon it.

She nodded. "She's with you, then? Interesting, I didn't know you had such a cute bodyguard. Did the GSC put her up to this?"

Shua nodded, shrugging as he did. "Kinda. She's my assistant, not my bodyguard. Say hi, Arisu."

Arisu looked low and waved shyly at Yuuka. "H-Hi…"

Somehow, Yuuka's eyes seem to darken, seeing that seemingly lackluster response.

"Such long hair, and so cute…" Yuuka murmured, sneaking glances at Arisu's long, black locks. "Wonder how she takes care of it… ah." She stopped her thoughts abruptly and stared at the two once more.

"Whoops, let's get back to business, shall we?" Yuuka said, her eyes brightening once more.

"Since she's with you, her involvement probably isn't an issue. I'll bring you over to one of the members of the club. Her name's Eimi, and… well," Yuuka coughed. "She has some interesting tastes in clothing, so please don't be surprised."

Yuuka walked away, motioning for Shua and Arisu to follow her lead. They walked to the elevator as a group, whilst discussing some things along the way.

"So, what's with the complaints, Yuuka? Overworked, as usual?" Shua inquired, trying to make small talk, lest this be a torturous, silent affair.

"Yeah," Yuuka rolled her eyes. "All of Veritas' drones situated in the ruins near Millennium's grounds had all suddenly died en-masse for some unfathomable reason. Hell, all electronics near the area had suddenly become unresponsive. They're trying to get Seminar to foot the bill for the costs to repair them…"

The ruins? Wait, that meant… Shua's eyes widened.

Was that why no one seemed to know that he and Arisu had come from there? All the surveillance in that area had just suddenly got up and died? Thinking back, it was foolish to think that people wouldn't observe such a key area, shrouded in so much mystery.

He hadn't thought of it in the heat of the moment, but if Yuuka knew that he had run into the ruins alone, she would've immediately dropped what she was doing, run over and helped him. She was that kind of girl, always so ready to support him and worried about his well-being.

…It was best to keep the details of that excursion, and the fact that he had gone on it in the first place a secret. He wouldn't want Yuuka to worry unnecessarily.

Arisu poked his hip, giving him a confused glance. Shua had to think for a moment. Arisu most likely knew that news pertained to them to an extent, so she was most likely asking about it. Shua shook his head.

She nodded in response, closing her eyes. He hoped she got the message.

"I see." Shua closed his eyes in thought about this new revelation. "That's rough, have you gotten an estimate on it yet?"

They walked into the elevator, Yuuka clicked a nondescript button on the panel and the door closed in front of them. "Yes, and it'll bankrupt us for this semester. So it's a no-go. Besides that…"

The elevator whirred, slowly raising them in level. "There's been a club that's not been keeping to standards. They're a club of three out of a required four, known as the Game Development Club. But however, all they do is play games, and they even have an award for making the worst game of all time."

Shua raised his eyebrows. "The worst game of all time? That's certainly an achievement…"

"Mmm. Their club leader is always missing, so I can't find the opportunity to discuss details with her. At some point, I'll have to talk to the other two in her stead." Yuuka sighed in exasperation, shaking her head with her hand atop it.

"Just another day for Millennium's one and only treasurer, huh?" Shua smiled in a sarcastic fashion.

Yuuka seemed quick on the uptake, an annoyed yet cheeky grin coming to her face. "Yeah," The elevator came to a stop, finally opening to their destination. "Just another day."

A pink haired girl with a shotgun greeted them, dressed in, as Yuuka had said, interesting clothes. A black and red jacket worn loosely, a bra with zippers upon the front for some unfathomable reason, a white dress shirt that barely constituted being 'worn', and a red tie. She also had red headphones slung around her neck.

His eyes couldn't help but twitch. What the hell was this girl wearing? He looked back at Arisu, who just stared blankly at her. He recognized the shotgun, at least. It was a relatively iconic shotgun, a SPAS-12. The heat shield and folding stock were unmistakable, even with the myriad additions and customizations that were cast upon it.

Whatever, he would get used to it quickly. All of his students had weird quirks that made them who they were, and he'd just chalk this up as hers. "Hello." He waved. "We're here for your commission?"

Arisu waved hello, smiling as she did.

"Hmm." The girl, now known to be Eimi nonchalantly stared at them three. "I see. Follow me."

Before he could go with her suggestion, Yuuka poked his shoulder, tiptoeing to his ears to whisper: "I've got to go handle some things, so I'll be taking my leave. Be careful about her, you hear?"

Yuuka stayed in the elevator as Arisu and Shua walked right out. As the doors closed, Yuuka gave Arisu a vivid stare, before giving her a thumbs up. Arisu avidly nodded in response. There was probably something there, but he didn't quite catch it. It was great that Arisu was mixing around and making friends, he supposed.

The door closed fully, and they followed the aloof girl to a nondescript room with no labeling upon it.

"Here. Enter." The girl monotonously stated, before pulling the door open, walking into the room directly afterward.

Immediately, a gust of warm wind blew out of the room. Shua was mildly puzzled. Was that the air conditioning? Who used it to blow wind that was room temperature?

"Club Prez, I'm here with Schale in tow." Eimi said, shaking her head at the warmth that enveloped her.

"Ah, thank you, Eimi." A white haired girl sitting in what seemed to be a wheelchair nodded in response. She clicked a button on it, and she came rolling into full view in front of them.

White hair, elf ears, dressed in a long sleeve uniform and black gloves. Pale violet eyes. An interesting combination.

"My name is Himari. A pleasure to meet you, Sensei, and this is…" She bowed her head slightly in greeting, before her eyes widened in mild shock when she looked at Arisu.

What was with that reaction? They walked into the room, which beheld a stunning amount of monitors.

She seemed to gain back her composure relatively quickly, though.

"I see, Sensei. You've attained the great flower of old, have you not?" Himari closed her eyes and smiled.

"...You know what Arisu is?" Shua raised his eyebrows. That was a first. Arisu looked interestedly at Himari, clearly curious as to what she knew.

"Well, I knew she was in the ruins, from some really old records." Himari sighed. "No matter what, I couldn't seem to figure out how to get to her, however. Considering…" She pointed to herself, sitting in the wheelchair that she did.

Shua didn't know what to say to that, so he kept quiet, staring at Himari.

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Himari opened her mouth to speak again.

"Whatever the case, this is a boon." Himari said, smiling knowingly as she did. "We're one step closer to discovering the truth."

What on earth was she talking about?

"Interesting." Shua put his finger on his chin, pointedly looking at Arisu. "Arisu, any idea what she's talking about?"

"Not at all, Sensei." Arisu shook her head. That made them two peas in a pod.

"Anyway, you must've heard of me, have you not?" Himari pointed to herself with smug anticipation. "The beautiful flower of Millennium, a paragon to all sickly girls in the world, the genius hacker leading Veritas…"

"Cut to the chase, Prez." Eimi cut her off. "We're burning daylight here."

"Hmph! No decorum for the grandeur of a splendid introduction, Eimi." Himari pouted. "Anyway, we're here to request for Schale's extrajudicial authority to help us work in other autonomous districts. Recently, a stunning occurrence had befell Millennium's management AI, 'Hub'. It had been hacked by something, much greater than anything we knew of."

"I've heard of Hub." Shua said. Yuuka had filled him in on plenty of details in the past. "It's an AI that's been built upon for ages, has it not? How did it get hacked?"

"Therein lies the conundrum. Hub is no slouch in the computational department, but… it took a mere 0.00000031 seconds for this being to hack it." Himari paused, taking a breath as if to comprehend such a stunning feat. "Rio and I suspect a rogue AI known as 'Decagrammaton' had hacked it, overtaking Hub for it to become its prophet."

"An interesting name." Shua pondered, his eyes narrowing. "The 'Ten Letter Name of God', hmm?"

"You're aware of the origins of its name?" Himari raised her attention to Shua, looking at him in surprise.

Shua grimaced. "Let's just say it pertains to some things I've done in the past."

"Then I will cut to the chase. Upon hacking Hub, the following text appeared on Millennium's network."

At last, I have found the path to providence.

Ahh. My path is fulfillment through honor.

My title shall be Glory through Splendor.

I am Hod.

The eight prophet,

witness to the god of the ten divine letters,

and foreteller of miracles.

"Hod?" Shua couldn't help but scrunch up his face in annoyance. "That's what Hub is calling itself now?"

He couldn't help but feel flashes of anger, hearing these names come up again.

"Mmm. The 'ten divine letters', as you would've surmised, is referring to Decagrammaton. This is what led me to joining this club." Himari sighed. "I normally wouldn't have acquiesced to Rio's controlling whims, but this was something I just couldn't refuse."

"One other notion: 'If one were to research God and prove its existence, then one could analyze its structure and recreate it. In other words, a method to create a new god.' This is the basis of Decagrammaton, the 'Absolute Being Autonomous Analysis System'." Himari shook her head.

"So it succeeded, then." Shua grit his teeth. "Considering the name it has taken, it declares itself to have recreated God and become as such."

"Arisu doesn't understand a single thing here, Sensei!" Arisu held her head in confusion, seemingly trying to make sense of all of the concepts and words that were being thrown around by Shua and Himari.

"I'll explain eventually, Arisu." When he eventually got around to compartmentalizing it, that is. That was a whole can of worms to open. "So, this is the enemy that this task force was set up to fight, then?"

"Correct, Sensei." Himari grinned menacingly. "It dared to take on Millennium, so it has challenged me directly. I won't accept a defeat from some AI who declares itself to be God! That'd be an affront to my Omniscience Degree!"

"Ah. I forgot you had that." Eimi blankly stared into a corner of the room, seemingly uncaring about the grandiose title that Himari so declared she had. "Also, isn't it really hot in here?" Eimi fanned herself with her hands, sweat noticeably trickling down her neck.

"Get with the program, Eimi! Who cares about your atrocious temperature resistances in a time like this?!" Himari brazenly held her fist up in the air, as if to motion for a fistbump. "So, Sensei! Are you onboard?!"

Was he? He stared into her raised fist.

Well, it really wasn't a hard choice. Considering his vested interest in Binah, who seemed to be connected to this being from its name, and what it had done to Hoshino based on his conjecture, it was only natural that he would.

He raised his fist in response, bumping it with hers in affirmation.

"This is the start of a beautiful partnership, Sensei." Himari said, giving a grin that promised pain.

What a violent, rambunctious girl. He hoped he didn't regret this.

"Sure thing. Let's get this show on the road."

Time to take a stand against this enemy who dared hurt his students.

So there they stood, now in the middle of the Abydos Desert, with Eimi in tow, and Himari back at Millennium.

Sand, sand and more sand. Rolling hills of sand. Dunes of sand. He really should've worn something else today. It got up his socks and pants, and everywhere else. It was coarse and irritating.

Whatever the case, it was a stunning coincidence that the first one she wanted to work on getting information on was the mecha-snake that he had been reading up on just recently. Then again, Himari did state that Binah was the one with the most sightings and was the most active, so it would be the easiest to track down first.

The thing was usually burrowed underground, but it eventually surfaced. When it was underground, it was neither possible to get a hold of by any means, nor could one scan to see its composition. So, Himari hatched a plan.

In essence, they would be tracking it down via pattern recognition— while the movements of it were essentially erratic and random, it was apparently prone to some form of recursion due to the nature of it being an AI. It would eventually return to a certain area, after a given period of time.

What they didn't expect however…

"What is with these things?!" Shua shouted from behind cover.

Tiny, cube shaped bots with tasers were chasing them. They were plentiful and myriad in colors, and he damn well didn't want to get tased on this day. That'd hurt. They were cute for sure, but that didn't make them not dangerous.

"BANG! Ker-chak!" Eimi came in and out of cover as she shot a flurry of buckshot at the sea of robots. She seemed to hold no qualms in destroying them in succession with every pump she gave her shotgun. Though, wasn't the SPAS-12 also a semi-automatic shotgun? It was strange that she was utilizing the pump-action instead in such a situation. Another quirk of hers, most likely.

The endless swarm at least seemed to be thinning out through both Eimi and Arisu's efforts.

Arisu seemed to be capable of taking out one with every shot of his handgun, but it only did so much when there were so many of them. They had been taken by surprise by these things crawling out of every crevice imaginable, which was why he was unfortunately in the frontlines with them.

Well, he had to try to help, at least. He pulled out a stun grenade from his jacket, pulling the pin.

He popped out from under cover, and threw it into the technicolor swarm, before falling back behind the makeshift protection he had.

"FWING!"

The bots seemed to stop in place, their receptors being overwhelmed by the loud sound and the brightness that overcame them.

A certain girl seemed to take this as a signal.

"Arisu's got this! Thanks, Sensei!" Arisu abruptly said, jumping over cover and running into the swarm.

"W-Wait?! Arisu?!" Shua raised his hand to stop her, but he was too late.

"BOOOOOOOOOM!"

A storm of sand suddenly arose from the swarm with that loud sound, rendering everything unable to be seen. Shua wished he brought goggles, considering despite the fact that he was behind a concrete barrier, his eyes stung from the sand that had been flung into his eyes.

He rubbed his eyes. The dust, after a while, finally settled. His eyes stung quite a bit, but the sounds of the bots moving aplenty had stopped.

"I'm done, Sensei!" Arisu said as she stood in the middle of the swarm… or what was left of it.

Bits and pieces, torn asunder. They were almost indistinguishable from the orange sand, considering how destroyed they were.

"...Hm." Eimi stood up, her index finger over her lip and her gun over her shoulder as she gazed upon the scene. "That certainly simplifies things. Good work."

"Did you just punch them, Arisu…?" Shua facepalmed as he stood up as well.

"Well, they were all gathered up like that thanks to your grenade!" Arisu smiled avidly, though her usual charming face and long hair was caked up by sand. Her white jacket too, had been soaked in the orange tint. It would be a mess to clean up later. "Isn't it best to deal with enemies in the fastest way?"

"...I guess?" Shua couldn't help but sigh. "Never mind, good work, Arisu."

He walked over and patted her on the head for a job well done. She closed her eyes in content, taking in the warmth of his hand. Despite the brutal nature of it, he couldn't fault that simpleminded thinking, considering how effective it was.

"Whatever the case, that certainly was a surprise." He dusted off the sand from his clothes, with Arisu pouting as he moved away. "What was with those things?"

A voice suddenly popped up from his earpiece. "They're mooks made by one of Decagrammaton's prophets. Essentially, they're cheap cannon fodder to protect locations."

It was Himari. He was rather taken aback by her sudden interjection, to say the least.

"I know you're there, but could you give me some warning before you speak like that?" Shua patted his chest where his heart was to calm himself. "Nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Well," A hologram of Himari popped up in front of him, projected by his earpiece. She seemed to speak from its position. The supreme wonders of technology, he thought. "Is this better?"

"...Mildly." He looked at her, as did the other two around him. "So, there's a prophet that produces these machines, then? Sounds like we have an army to fight…"

"Yup, we do. I'm still actually trying to get a signal on this prophet that produces them, but to not much avail at the moment." Himari's figure sighed, before she smiled in delight. "Never mind. That was pretty impressive, Arisu. Guess with you, our firepower is much greater than anything Eimi could even muster."

"...Ugh." Eimi glared at the hologram. "I can't even refute that like usual, and that annoys me even more."

"Whatever the case," 'Holo-Himari' paused with her face scrunched up in thought. "Since those things popped up, I think we can say with utmost certainty that we're on the right track."

"According to projections, we should be coming up on it already right up ahead, right?" Shua narrowed his eyes, trying to see into the distance.

"Correct. Our research subject should be surfacing… now."

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—"

The sand ahead shook with ferocious intensity. Slowly, a white mountain rose from the depths of the dunes.

The great vastness of sand. Arisen, awoken, split apart by the might of a machine.

'Enormous' was an understatement. The wind grew, emanating from its position. A coiling, white wonder. Shua couldn't help but feel like a mere ant in the presence of an irate child, though the thing hadn't noticed them yet.

This was Binah? The pictures had told him so, but seeing it in person was a wonder.

A mechanical snake— or was it a large, segmented whale? It had yellow lights separating each section. Four glints of light that were its eyes. A massive jaw that seemed to be capable of devouring all.

A golden sun of a halo stood above its head. A ring, extended at the ends of the radii, and an orb in the middle. It left him dumbstruck.

He had certainly seen the reports. A halo was definitely present, clear as day to his eyes. So, what made this being what it was?

They were here to find out.

"Alright, Sensei." Himari's determined voice jolted him back to reality. "I'm beginning scans. Try to keep it there."

"...How do we do that?" Shua stared at the monstrosity that lay before his eyes.

…How? This thing was ginormous.

"What do you think, Sensei?" Himari grinned. "Command is yours to handle, Sensei. Show me what you're made of!"

"...Ugh." Shua rolled his eyes in annoyance. What a tall order, with just two available combatants against such an ineffable foe. They barely knew anything about its capabilities! "Arisu, Eimi. I'm sorry to put this upon you guys, but are you ready?"

Arisu looked back at him with a determined look in her eyes, before winking and giving him a thumbs up. How cheeky, he noted. Where did she learn that? One of his games?

"Let's get to it. I've loaded some frag rounds I had in reserve." Eimi had been fiddling with her shotgun all this while, loading new ammunition unbeknownst to him. "It should get its attention."

"Alright." Shua nodded in response. "I'll go and seek cover, since I'm a lot squishier than you two. Arisu!"

"Yes, Sensei?" The named girl stood at attention.

"You have my express permission to use the coins on Binah. Full force!" Shua knew this was going to be an arduous affair, so he'd even the odds. "While destroying it is most likely an impossibility, do your best to disable it long enough for Himari to get a reading on it!"

Arisu gave an enigmatic, yet conflicted look in response, before nodding in affirmation. He kind of understood why. It was strange to have told her off about holding back just a day prior, and now he was telling her it was okay to go all out? Perhaps he could spin this as a lesson of restraint, depending on the situation. This definitely wasn't a situation where holding back was an option.

"Coins?" Himari questioned, a confused look overcoming her face.

Shua couldn't help but respond in an opaque fashion, considering just what Himari just threw upon his lap. He ran away, grinning to himself like someone who had just pulled off a grand heist. "You'll see."

Once he reached a fair distance away, sitting in the remnants of an old shack, he tapped his earpiece, wiring it to everyone's communications devices, and creating a hologram of an overview of the combat area right before his eyes. "Alright, Eimi. Get its attention, and take its sights off Arisu while she prepares! Arisu, you know what to do!"

"BANG!"

An explosion was set off upon the mechanical scales of the beast. Eimi had struck true, and despite the distance between them, the reverberating sounds across the empty desert made its way to him.

"GROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR?!"

And there, they had its attention. It coiled around, turning its head to look at Eimi, who stood there with a blank stare, with her shotgun over her left shoulder, and her right arm outstretched.

She pulled her fingers back to her palm, signaling an unspoken challenge.

'Come at me.'

How brazen. He had to admire her spirit, gaining its attention in such a fashion.

Binah seemed to take great offense to that. It lunged for Eimi immediately with its head, but it had significant windup to its movements, considering its size. Eimi dodged the strike with ease, and countered immediately with another shot that only earned the ire of the beast even more. He had to admit, he was quite impressed with how swiftly she moved.

They had a back and forth, with Eimi dodging every stroke that the beast attempted, and firing at it in response. It seemed to grow incredibly annoyed, its eyes glowing more and more.

Any time now, he thought. He grinned, seeing a glint of the sun's reflection in the hologram. It rose above Arisu's position.

A coin. A test flight, before it would embark upon a grandiose journey.

He could see her close her blue eyes, mentally preparing herself. What thoughts were going through her head? He could only hope she didn't think bad of him for being so wishy-washy about this. They'd need to have a talk about this later.

"What is she doing?" He could hear Himari murmuring to herself.

Another glint of the sun.

Her fist clenched. He could see her black hair flowing with the wind. Why was her hair so long, anyway? Her creator must've had some reasons for it. Perhaps, perhaps.

Another glint.

She opened her eyes. He knew, even if he couldn't properly see them, they were now red. Red was a color of seriousness, of anger, of blood. Just what would she think of him if she knew of his past? He only hoped that she would never know.

One final glint.

He could see her wind up her arm. No holding back, this time. She arched back swiftly, and her fist flew forward with a speed that was hard to comprehend to the naked eye. An unstoppable force, making contact with something that just had no chance.

"BOOOOOOOOM!"

A loud shockwave made it to his ears, making him cringe in pain. But he couldn't take his eyes off the sight.

The parting of the Red Sea, he thought, as he saw a sandy wave parted by the winds that the makeshift projectile's speed entailed. He could even feel the wind from here.

Considering this world seemed to take massive inspiration from those texts, it only seemed appropriate.

In a blink of an eye, the molten coin struck the beast. It didn't even have time to react when the sheer force sent its head flying in recoil. Not even a whimper, or a roar of pain.

It struck. It then fell.

Simple cause and effect. He glanced back at Arisu's figure upon the hologram. Her right sleeve was ripped again. At this rate, they'd go through many, many jackets. He couldn't help but feel mild regret, knowing that those jackets were really comfortable. What a waste.

David and the Goliath was one of the first things that came to mind as he saw the unmoving mechanical snake, its halo now blinking in and out of existence. A menacing foe like that, downed in a single strike.

What a terrifying notion. He had been rightfully scared by this thing, but Arisu was admittedly even scarier. Considering it still had its halo, it was still alive, but just stunned. Might as well take the opportunity.

"...Well." Himari abruptly popped up as a hologram, right next to him. "That was… something."

"Get scanning, Himari." Shua bluntly said, his thoughts rendering his usual decorum null and void.

"Aye, sir."

Just like that, they got the data they needed, though Himari kept hammering him with questions about Arisu.

What a long day.