The former Border agent didn't do anything.
Kanzaki stood in front of Oshiro, and she reached for the blade at her waist.
"I do not know what is going on with him now, but his mentality seems to have changed since he went into that body. Maybe this is his real face, but we cannot be too sure about that either."
Kanzaki said in a curse-like voice.
Misó didn't say anything.
There was no need to talk. He raised his arm high as if it was a lit fuse.
Oshiro felt a chill, as if his heart was speared by an ice pillar.
No anger, no frenzy, no mockery, no sneering, nor any guilt.
He wasn't moving at all.
Seeing that, a strange feeling came over Oshiro. He had seen at least two to three sides of Misó before, but this was something completely new to him.
The Neighbor had only one command to itself, and that was to do as he was commanded by his leader.
He didn't seem to care about the team he was now betraying, or even what he had really just done. He was now just a tool to be used.
Oshiro gritted his teeth and looked up.
It was a sight no one had seen. It wasn't something special like a meteor falling to the ground. In all honesty, only a handful of people would actually care.
Oshiro turned to glare at Misó of Aftokrator.
"Damn it..."
Misó was just staring at Oshiro expressionlessly.
His eyes were like someone standing high above, looking down at insects rolling around in the dirt.
The Neighbor who had just shown his true colors didn't say anything.
His eyes didn't have any look of danger, not even a look of pity.
Because there was no need to pity a bug that was going to be crushed to death.
"What kind of sick joke is this!? At least say something! Listen up, I'm angry, I'm really angry! There's no room for negotiation, stop this stupid farce right now!"
Oshiro roared at the boy who was taller than him, but his voice was trembling.
At that moment, the three girls who had heard him yell went wide eyed.
Oshiro recalled the speed, the power, the distance control and the battle skills that Misó had when in a simple Border Trion Body. He knew that he wouldn't win against Misó in an actual one-on-one match. His use of a Trigger that no one had any information on meant that Oshiro was in a terrible place in this fight.
Besides, right now, his victory was just right in front.
Because he didn't need to disguise himself anymore.
"..."
"Hogo-dono."
At that moment, Kanzaki Shizuka silently turned her head back and looked at Oshiro.
"I shall take care of this guy, hurry up and take out the Neighbors heading this way. Afterwards, head for the other B-Ranks."
For a moment, Oshiro was unable to understand what Kanzaki meant.
Because she had said it so casually.
In this situation where it was not much different from using martial arts to take on a tank.
Kanzaki wasn't hesitating, bothered, tolerant, fearful, anxious.
She stood before Oshiro, facing the Neighbor.
"W-why...?"
Thus, Oshiro could only choose to ask that.
Facing this question Oshiro barely managed to make out, Kanzaki said without turning her head back, "No reason. There is something I should do here, which is why I am standing here. It is just that simple."
Kanzaki then said in an uninterested tone, "Betrayal? Is that what you had planned? How meaningless, really meaningless. If you do that, I really will not be holding back. This time I have a reason to slam your head into the ground with all my strength."
Kanzaki stepped forward.
Oshiro was unable to stop her, nor was he able to catch up to her. Though they were less than a meter away from each other, it made Oshiro feel like he wouldn't be able to catch up with her. It wasn't because the enemy was strong, not because of the pain within him, not because of the sharpness, weight, speed, cold or heat.
But because of their nature.
With her back facing Oshiro as she faced the Neighbor, Kanzaki gave off a presence of nature that indicated that she had the right to do this.
Kanzaki didn't turn back as she continued to say to Oshiro, "Backup will not be too long. Hikigane-dono and Hato... Minoru-dono has to pass by this area to reach Taiyōko and his fight. They will be able to provide assistance, should I need it."
Now that Kanzaki said it, Oshiro finally realized it.
He couldn't participate in this fight because he still saw Misó as a friend. He could shout and scream all he wanted, but he didn't want to really believe that Misó was a Neighbor, one who was attacking the city no less.
"Just leave this to me. Do not forget, I am A-Rank now, and not material for it. And I do not ever plan on losing to this guy in a million- No. A trillion years."
Kanzaki spoke.
Oshiro was speechless.
"If that's the case, that's even more reason for me not to run away! I want to fight! Against this enemy that was my friend, my skills should more or less be of some help!"
"Do not be stupid, if we let any more damage come to the city, we do not even have the right to commit seppuku."
Kanzaki sounded rather casual.
"Why are you still so confident in yourself!? He doesn't show any mercy!"
Oshiro sounded like someone who was trying to prevent a lunatic from jumping off a building.
"How can I leave such an opponent to you! I want to fight, how can I run away even at this point!"
"Listen to me."
But Kanzaki seemed abnormally calm,
"This thing in front of us is already past help. It is stupid to fight against him, let alone beat him, for someone like you."
Oshiro held his breath as he stared at Kanzaki.
"But do not be mistaken. I do not want to lose like that. I may not be able to beat him when he uses this Trigger, but I do not think that I will lose. Maybe I can divert him away and hold him off."
Kanzaki said silently.
"Hogo-dono, while I hold him off, please take care of the Neighbors and protect the city."
"Wait, what did you say?"
"Have you forgotten that these guys are going after the C-Rank agents? Those Neighbors are the ones who are really taking them away. If we cannot protect something... We are no better than people like him."
The last sentence didn't seem to be directed at Oshiro, but at the Neighbor.
The unmoving Neighbor didn't respond to her.
Misó let Oshiro run out off to the side.
His attitude was like saying, no point arguing with you since the outcome will be the same.
He was wielding a Trigger that no one had knowledge on. What's more was that he was allowing these two to talk. He didn't seem to care that they were in the middle of a fight. He just thought so lowly of them.
"But what about yourself? Is it really alright to go against Misó..."
"Who knows, but this is the best choice. With your ability, you cannot contain it. You have to seriously do your job well and try to destroy the Neighbors. Your hard work will increase my chances of continuing to be on the battlefield."
Kanzaki stared at Misó of Aftokrator and stepped forward.
"And I do not wish to cause ordinary civilians to be taken because of battle between us and these guys."
"...Can you really do that?"
"Yeah. Though it is a little disrespectful for me to say this, I decide to trust you for now."
Kanzaki didn't say any more.
Oshiro wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say.
It would be a waste of time to stop Kanzaki. Every meaningless action would decrease Kanzaki's survival rate.
Oshiro gritted his teeth.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Kanzaki-san! I'll trust you this time!"
Oshiro shouted as he grabbed his blade and ran off.
Misó turned away from Kanzaki and stared at Oshiro.
Kanzaki moved her body and again blocked Misó's line of sight.
"Your opponent is me. You have never beaten me, correct?"
At this moment, Kanzaki actually smiled.
"Speaking of which, did he really just say that he decided to trust me? He is usually the one who goes wild in order to keep others out of situations. But this is the best way to say it. Because of that, my chances of survival have really increased."
After saying that, Kanzaki grabbed onto the hilt of her Kōgetsu.
Misó that was staring at Kanzaki silently suddenly muttered under his breath.
"Stupid."
With a loud boom, a huge explosion occurred behind the Neighbor.
His back let out something that looked like wings.
They weren't wings that were as elegant as a swan's, but the screen of ice wings like a peacock.
Numerous sharp wings that looked like they were carved out from ice extended outwards like a hill of swords. At the same time, several tons of water in the air rushed out and gathered behind the Neighbor.
The back fused with the water, forming a huge wing of water.
The huge ice wing of blades opened up behind the Neighbor, and each of them were about ten to twelve meters in length. They looked like a wall of sharp crystals that could cut anyone's fingers on the slightest touch.
The numerous ice wings stabbed up at the air.
Each wing was thoroughly infused with trion, and each attack could flatten buildings and create craters. Even if it was on the battlefield as per normal, Kanzaki, who often caused enemies to back away in fear, was now stiff with tension. If it were anyone else, the killing intent released would have caused the person to faint.
"I really got quite a bad job now."
Yuki used small and rhythmic wrist motions to spin the pole in his hand.
His opponent had stopped moving for the moment and he followed suit.
The way she had been moving around meant that she had been setting up since the start of the fight.
So have I.
Using his fingers for a solid sounding flick, the pole in his hands was held in a way that allowed for the pointed end to face him and the blunt end to face his opponent.
Her Trigger is easy enough to figure out. At least the basics. Whatever she touches, be it with her hand or arm, a mark appears. The marks seem to only be numbers though, so that makes it easier to keep track of. Anyway, explosions occur on anything she has touched. The flash is likely just a way to distract her opponents since it can throw off their timing and make them think the explosions will be going off right away.
But.
The higher the number, the longer it takes for them to detonate. That would be fine, if not for the fact the damage each one does seems to grow depending on the number placed.
She could turn anything she touched into a bomb. All that was needed was for her to set the timer and let the rest happen naturally.
Words had gotten to him about other Triggers that the Neighbors were using and he had only one thought about them:
Damn it. I can't tell if this is the best opponent for me to fight or the worst.
There would be no chance for him if he fought the Shooter-type Trigger Izumi, Yoneya, Midorikawa, and a group of B-Ranks had fought against. Even less likely against the Black Trigger Kazama Squad had lost to.
But this one was still someone who made things difficult.
"..."
Yuki resisted the urge to face palm as a realization dawned on him.
His opponent's general style and methods were different from his own in a major way. His feints and tricks would be blown away by the explosions she created, but there was something else. Something that stood out to him the most after thinking about it again.
We're the same! That's why this is so difficult!
There were large differences in their fighting styles, but the Triggers they used were not too different and countered each other well.
But I have the advantage against her main gimmick.
Looking down, he saw the pole in his grasp. The pointed end was pointed towards him while the blunt end was pointed at his opponent. This had been meant as a way to determine which form of it he wanted to use. The three he currently had each had their own uniqueness to them, but each one of them had one thing in common.
They could disappear at a moment's notice.
If he were to create the crescent blade, he would only need to rid himself of the blade once it had been touched. Creating a new one did not take much tiron to begin with, so it would not be a problem in the slightest.
If he were to create the wrecking ball, he would only need to destroy it if it were to take a hit from the woman's hand. It took more trion to use, but the damage it did was something he would not overlook.
It had all been a matter of timing.
I should thank Müller-san again. Idōgetsu would not have gotten finished if not for her. And now I get to show it off here.
The changing moon was held in his grasp as he advanced.
His opponent had stopped moving and he was the type to always be moving.
So with the woman having stopped, he moved.
.
Pyr saw the Miden boy move forward on light feet. The way he had been moving made it hard to reach him, but there had been signs of damage done to him by the explosions she had used.
He will be really fun to use after this.
Even after being defeated, he would simply return to his base so that he would not remain on the battlefield. She had seen as much before when Enedora had defeated one of Miden's fighters. It had been the reason for them going after the weakest people they had.
They could not escape like that.
This boy would be able to do so, but it only meant that she would have needed to go to the base and reach him in his real body.
There would be no way to stop her at that point as she would be able to lay her explosives down as she pleased.
Speaking of which, we're the same in that way.
I don't know the full meaning of them yet, but he has been placing his own marks all around the battlefield as he continued to dodge my attacks. Are they related to how he suddenly appears without much warning?
There had been some placed on her body as well, but those had been destroyed the moment they appeared.
It kept her from figuring out their purpose, but it also made an immediate stop to anything he had been planning.
So for now, she would continue this way until one of them ran out of trion.
And from what I can tell, that will be him.
The trion receptors on her head were placed on top of her head and curled backward, moving towards the ground. They had been placed there when she was younger and continued to grow with her, increasing her capacity for trion since back then.
That's right... I decided back then too. I wouldn't be held down and I would go however I wanted. I lost to a lot of people, so I can at least follow them to where they want to go. But I refuse to ever listen to that disgusting piece of mud. Hyuse gets a break since he lost someone already, but I won't be going easy on him if we ever fight.
There had been so many battles where she learned her limits and the limits of those around her.
From a good glance she was able to determine the extent of her opponent's abilities. All that remained was how much trion they had and if she could react to them in time.
This Miden boy's physical abilities had been on display since the very start. His speed was not something to overlook, but the power he had was minimal most of the time. There was a hidden part of his Trigger that had increased his power, but that did not seem like something he could use regularly.
So she thought:
I can win this. That one-horned idiot and Hyuse were nothing back then, and this one doesn't seem to be at their level. It should be easy to…
No. There's more to it than that.
There is something he isn't showing me. That pisses me off. I want to see it! I want to see everything you have! That way it'll feel great to destroy you and drag you back with me! I want to see it! Show it to me!
...
Pyr sighed in her heart.
He won't show it to me. It's easy to tell that whatever it is won't be showing up at all.
Whatever this boy was hiding, he was making sure not to show it no matter what happened.
That much she could figure out.
But that was fine.
After all...
I'll drag that out of him once this is all over. I'll destroy him again and again until I see just what that is. And from there, I'll destroy whatever he is hiding. I'll destroy it all until I'm satisfied.
All that was left was to finish this fight.
Once that was over she would only need to take him by force.
So that's what she did.
.
Yuki covered the distance between the two of them first.
He had used his natural speed and lightness to bounce off the ground in light hops that barely touched the ground.
Seeing that he would not be activating her traps, Pyr moved forward to meet him. Her own steps were heavy and took her more steps to cover the same amount of distance.
But she had an advantage.
Her explosions.
Pyr created explosions behind her that forcibly threw her forward. They were not strong and could only manage to get through her cloak. The cloak then repaired itself for defense.
Yuki, noticing this, took a leap into the air.
The markings the two used had required that they touch something to place them, so being in the air prevented either one of them from making direct contact with each other.
But...
"—!"
It did not stop things from being thrown into the open air.
Rocks of all sizes were thrown into the air, each one having a single digit number on them.
Idōgetsu was pushed through the air while creating a crescent-shaped blade on the pointed end.
The curved blade cut through the air and the rocks as they counted down and began to flash.
The flashes themselves were only a distraction that took attention away from the decreasing numbers. Cutting through the mark itself would stop the activation of the Trigger's abilities the moment it happened. That much he was certain of as someone who also used marks.
But his marks were different.
Pyr's marks were used to create active bombs that could be set off at set intervals.
As for his...
"...!"
They were used to teleport.
"The fu-"
Pyr moved back the moment she felt a presence behind her.
Yuki had been in the air a moment ago, but his body had flickered for a moment before disappearing completely from sight. The airspace he had taken up began to fill itself back up in a ring-like shape. But that had only been because Yuki's body had vacated that spot without pushing the air aside and letting it fill back up naturally.
Since his sudden disappearance had caused that, there was only one question left.
Where had he gone?
The answer came immediately to Pyr.
The presence she had felt appear behind her had been too sudden and unexpected to be anyone else.
There was no time to turn around to confirm if her thoughts were correct or not.
Instead of turning her body, she tapped her foot on the ground once.
A single digit number appeared on the ground as a glow began to form where she had tapped.
Using all of her strength, she began to push herself forward.
In that same moment, a noise arrived in her ears.
The presence behind her had disappeared as quickly as it came.
In its place was something else.
Once she was able to turn her head to see it had already been too late.
A solid fist had reached her back at the same time her small explosion had gone off.
.
Mei felt the feedback of her fist connecting with the person who had been in front of Yuki until a moment ago.
There was no big damage done by her fist, but she had directed the blow to the upper part of the person's body.
Using the momentum she had built up with her sprint, she had thrown herself over the person's body while putting all of her weight on top of them to throw them to the ground.
Then a small explosion happened.
The explosion had been behind her by the time she finished her jump over the person. It had caused her to be thrown forward even more, but not once did she lose her balance.
Turning herself around in midair, she came to a skidding halt before taking two backwards leaps. Her feet touched the ground as a new body appeared next to her.
It was Yuki.
"Good to see that you could make it, Mei."
"Don't give me that. I was already rushing here."
"I see you forgot that you weren't using Gauge. Why else would you try to punch her like that if not for that fact? By the way..."
"I know."
Mei took off the wrapping that had been around her hand when she had punched the person. With a single motion, she cut through the cloth, a number on it being cut as well.
She flexed her fingers while looking down.
"I didn't forget that I'm not using Gauge, but I am too used to using it. That's all. My brain registered that I didn't have it on me, but my body instinctively went for a punch."
"Yeah, that makes sense. I've been having to stop my body from moving the entire time, so I get where you're coming from."
"I don't really need that patronizing tone coming from you."
"Sorry, sorry. A bit of the past was brought to the surface, is all."
That sounded like it was a terrible time.
From her own experience, she knew that something like that could only end horribly for Yuki.
But this was not the time for that.
Mei placed her hand on the hilt of Kōgetsu while lowering her stance.
She faced forward as the smoke from the explosion was forced to the sides by a hand.
"For now, focus on the opponent in front of us. I want all of the details you managed to get and the current situation of this battlefield. Everything you have done and everything she has done. Your new Trigger, it's abilities, and her Trigger and its abilities."
"Right, right, just give me a second to get that all down."
Only one "right" is enough, you fool.
She let it slide as the information about everything she asked for was sent directly to her in the form of multiple recordings and word messages. They took up a large portion of her sight, but were gone quickly enough that she did not have to worry about them.
Once she had gone over all of the information, she nodded her head.
"Let's get this over with so I can go help you all as your Operator."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Are you sure it's a good thing to only send those two to fight one of the humanoid Neighbors!?"
Netsuki dabbed his forehead to take the sweat off. He was sitting in Border's main control room alongside the other directors. They were all keeping track of the happenings going on in the city and the battles taking place.
From the many that were going on there was one that caught his attention in the worst way possible.
"They cause more than enough damage on their own. I doubt their opponent will care about the area! I know we gave Amō freedom to go all out, but he was taking out an army in a vacated area! Those two are fighting a humanoid Neighbor in a part of the city!"
"Yes. The other squads are busy and those two are strong enough to get the job done. Minoru and Sekai are on their way, but for now these two will take care of it," Director Shinoda answered while looking at the big screen in front of them all. "You are right about the area they're in, but that area has been cleared out for a while. I doubt most people would care for it."
"Those two are animals when they fight opponents like these. It's a good thing they are in that area. Not only that... Tsukiko's Trigger doesn't help any situation with multiple people around. It was a hassle to start its creation, but then he went and finished it in Germany. Now he refuses to tell us how they managed to finish it, and those guys over at Germany are also keeping it a secret. That combined with that special Teleport... You were showing favoritism, Shinoda."
It was true that the special Trigger made for the Tsukiko Squad Captain was something hard to overlook, but Netsuki found himself caring less about that than Director Kinuta seemed to be. It was just not something he could think about as the RP Director for Border.
Director Shinoda seemed to think it was also not something to talk about right now as he continued to face forward while speaking back to Director Kinuta.
"Say what you will, but both of those Triggers are well suited for those two. If he doesn't want to tell us how it got finished then that means there is more to it that he doesn't want to let out. The same goes for Germany. Pushing the matter too hard will only result in negative things to happen."
"Then answer me this: Will that Trigger be enough to win?"
"No."
The immediate answer was frightening.
They had already lost Kazama to a Black Trigger. While his thoughts on the Tsukiko Squad Captain and Operator were not the best, he knew that they were skilled enough to hold their own against strong opponents.
He had seen it for himself.
But if Director Shinoda was saying that they could not win, what did that mean for them?
"That Trigger alone won't let them win this fight. But the two of them are use to relying on everything they have and everything around them to win. Mei doesn't have her personal Trigger on her, but she never needed that back when that squad had been at its peak performance. If you all remember, that entire squad was not one to take lightly."
That was right. There were things about those two that made them different from the other agents around them. From the way they were taught to the way they thought about things, they were different in a simple way that most people overlooked.
Netsuki himself could not see the full extent of that, but he had been able to see firsthand how people who knew how to fight saw those kinds of differences.
But still, there was something on his mind with that.
"What are you basing that on exactly?"
"My own experience. As well as who their teacher is. There is only one person who can perfectly match the two of us. Even if he isn't in Mikado City anymore, if he were to have a student of his own, I would believe that they are on the same level."
Commander Kido scoffed at those words, but did not deny them.
Both Netsuki himself and Director Kinuta turned to look at the man. His face remained stoic, but there was a glint in his eyes that told them he was thinking of something they did not know about. Likely something in a time before they were brought into Border.
"The three of you are always too much to handle. Please don't give me any ideas that he would also take up a student."
He had failed to escape.
Tanaka was hiding at an abandoned gas station. He was breathing heavily while crouching behind one of the vending machines on one side of the building.
Only seventy centimeters away but on the other side of the vending machine, he could hear countless creatures passing by. He could only hear the sound of feet on hard concrete. If he was found, he was done for. His hand was not on his chest, but that thought made him overly conscious of his heartbeat.
The company ID hanging from his neck said he was a children's instructor.
He had stuck with his professional ethics too much and had failed.
He had failed at life.
Immediately after the commotion had originally broken out, Tanaka had directed the children in his class to an abandoned building where the Neighbors would not reach. The building held nothing more than dust and roaches, but he knew it had a civilian shelter. The room was only a few meters across, but it was enough to hide in. A highly polished building that could be seen from all over was one thing, but he doubted that the Neighbors would force their way into an old, run-down building like that. All they had to do then was close the thick door and wait it out.
But then one of the children had told him one of them was missing.
"I should've just abandoned him. Dammit. This isn't worth it."
Despite having left that safe area, he had not found the missing child.
Large bipedal creatures made of white and shone in the sun were all over the place with the kind of destructive power often seen in movies. That had made it difficult to go anywhere. Their equipment was different from the normal human military he had heard about or seen in media. And if they were not on the side of Earth, what were they? About all he could figure out was that it would be bad if he ran across them. The smaller ones had not found him yet, but it was only a matter of time. Every route was already blocked.
"..."
He recalled the weight in his right hand.
It was a .38 revolver that had been in the gas station he was hiding by. However, he doubted he could accomplish anything with it. A gunshot would be like telling a pack of wild dogs where some meat was. Also, he was unsure he could hit with the first shot and he was at a gas station. He could not deny the possibility that there was enough evaporated gasoline floating around that gunfire would cause a giant explosion.
The gun was more a good luck charm than anything.
He needed it to ensure he did not panic and do something stupid.
"At any rate, I have to survive this somehow. I need to get out of here. Wait, there's gasoline here. If I put it in some kind of container and set that off, I can draw their attention elsewhere. There's nothing wrong with it if it's to save my life."
He may have been speaking out loud in order to forcibly get himself to accept what he was saying. In other words, even then, Tanaka's softheartedness remained.
And a further trial remained for that softhearted man.
He heard the cry of a small boy.
Tanaka frowned, leaned back against the vending machine, and covered his face with his hands.
"Shit... Is that Toori...!?"
Toori was the last student that had gotten separated from the group.
Tanaka crawled forward along the oil-smelling concrete in order to peer out from behind the corner of the vending machine. He spotted a dozen or so men and women running across the solid concrete. They were being chased by four of the crab-like Neighbors he had often heard about.
Amid that group was a single ten-year-old boy.
The difficulty level had just shot up.
The same question crept up in the back of his mind as back in the shelter: should I abandon him or not?
"What can I even do...?"
His breathing grew even more erratic. He felt a great pressure in his gut. However, that pressure was not simply fear for his life. It was caused by his decision to leave another human being to die.
"That's it. I've done enough. For only as much money as I get a month, saving seven of them is commendable. I don't need to get greedy, right?"
After realizing he was saying it out loud, Tanaka stopped breathing for an instant.
Saying it aloud was his ritual for forcibly getting himself to accept what he was saying.
That meant he did not actually accept it.
"...I would just get myself killed..."
After saying that one last thing that he could not accept, Tanaka looked around the area.
He was at a gas station. There was tons of gasoline there. He could divide it up into small containers. The wind would carry the evaporated gasoline that was scattered about the beach. Depending on how he used it, he might be able to temporarily toy with the Neighbors.
Just as methods started entering his mind, he heard a slight metallic noise.
One of the Neighbors had approached without Tanaka noticing and it held it's blade high above the back of Tanaka's head.
It had been a mistake to peer out.
The situation had been worsened by the fact that he held that handgun. The Neighbor had no way of knowing he was only using it as a good luck charm.
"Dammit. I don't want to die...!"
He spoke out loud, but he was not about to convince the Neighbor of anything.
Just as Tanaka squeezed his eyes shut, he heard a loud crash.
The crab-like Neighbor with its blade raised had suddenly flown a few meters to the side.
For an instant, Tanaka thought the Neighbor had been hit by a dump truck.
Even after turning around and seeing it with his own eyes, he could not believe that the Neighbor had actually been struck by a solid hammer-like object from a boy.
The great crash of the Neighbor's body destroying a vending machine brought all attention to that spot. However, the one who had thrown the hammer-like did not seem to care.
He had long hair and his eyes were covered.
The impression he gave was more that of a small animal than a human.
"...Safe..."
.
Tenryū Shokubutsu lifted the shrunken down Raygust in his hand before moving forward with a push off the ground.
There had been a man hiding in the gas station that he could not overlook.
His nature had prevented him from making too much noise, but that seemed to have worked out in the end. The man had almost been attacked, so Shobu had reacted to that by changing his Raygust so that he could use the full force of it and Thruster to push aside the Marmod that was ready to attack.
Once the Marmod had been pushed away he moved forward to cut through its core.
He had wanted to make sure the man was alright, but he could not bring himself to speak up to this person he didn't know. So he focused on the group running away from the Marmods.
With eyes turned to their direction, he disappeared.
A ring appeared where he had stood. The ring quickly closed up as if the air was filling back in the space he had left behind along with the sound he had made.
He had teleported.
Using the teleportation he appeared in front of one of the Marmods.
With a single swing of Raygust and the activation of Thruster he tore through both the armor and the core of the Marmod.
The Marmod fell to the ground, clearing his vision to see the remaining three that had decided to stop before they ran into him or the fallen Marmod.
Cutting through them all would be easy enough, but there was something else that he had started worrying about.
...The group…
There had been a group from his school that he had been watching over and guarding from the Neighbors. None of the new models had reached them making the rest easy enough to do. The lesser Neighbors were easy enough to take out without leaving his schoolmates behind.
All of them had been keeping their distance from him, but that was fine. He had been use to that sort of thing. While most of them were rather lax in their attitudes and nice, he was someone who could not face others easily. The shyness he felt when around others had always been a problem. That had been why he always moved forward to take out Neighbors before anyone could say something.
Then a message had come through to him.
It had been from his uncle.
Red Sky: "I'm sorry for the trouble, Shokubutsu. I'll be going to your location soon to pick up Shikifuku, so just continue to do a good job, okay? Oh, but there was a favor I wanted to ask. Apparently there is a boy there who is related to one of Hikigane Squad's members. You don't have to interact with him, but can you just make sure that he is safe?"
That was what he had said.
So Shobu did just that.
He had made sure to check over everyone there and who this person could be.
It had been a boy who looked exactly as described. Once he had confirmed that the boy was safe, he went back to looking out for Neighbors and guiding everyone to the best of his abilities.
And his abilities had been useful.
The multiple devices around his neck had been synched up with him personally. This had told him where Neighbors would be moving so that he could direct the citizens to a less dangerous route. His guidance had saved them from a lot of trouble already.
Then he had seen the man hiding behind the gas station vending machine.
He had done his best to tell his school to stay hidden, so hopefully they listened to him.
But now he had something else to deal with.
These Neighbors who were chasing after a group of people.
Since they would be in danger if he did not help he had moved forward in order to protect them. But then what would he do to make sure they remained safe?
...This is...scary…
The invasion had been terrifying for him.
It was not something he was ready for.
The noise and the destruction was something that came to suddenly that he had wanted to stay away from it.
But...
...I can't...just leave others...like that... ...Yuki-san...said that I...would need to be...strong…
His own mentor had only told him words of encouragement once the invasion had started. From there he had been told more words like those from his mentor's friends and those around him believed him to be strong due to his quiet nature.
Even his own uncle had said he would be at his location soon and that he was doing a good job.
So he could not stop here.
The neighbor in front of him would only continue to chase others around and cause destruction if he did not take them out now.
"...Here I...go..."
As soon as he said those words, a noise came.
The noise had come from a distance before reaching the locations directly in front of him.
Someone had appeared.
They used their speed and power to stab their blade through the first Marmod's core before moving on to the next one.
Their movement was smooth and flowed directly into their next one.
And this person was...
"...Uncle..."
.
"Ah, good job there. I'm proud of you."
Akasora held back from patting his nephew on the head. That kind of interaction was not suited for a battlefield.
So instead he only smiled and turned.
Looking over his nephew's head, he could see the group of people who had likely been running from the group of Marmod he had just taken out.
Walking out towards them, he held out his hand and addressed both them and Tanaka, who had managed to get up and check on one of the people there. A child.
Looks like he can be a good teacher when it matters. That's good. I won't have to beat that into him after this is over then.
Tanaka likely recognized him as a fellow teacher, but said nothing as he spoke.
"This area is clear for the moment, but it would still be best for all of you to meet up with my nephew's group so that you can be better protected. He isn't the strongest Border has, but he is great at finding a safer route. He can make sure that you don't run into too much trouble while you are evacuating."
Akasora watched for a moment to gauge the reactions from the group.
He was not disappointed.
"I thought Border was pretty bad since they let such young people join, but they sure have amazing people on their side."
"That kid took out the Neighbor with ease, so I don't doubt he can do it again. Man, Border has some reliable people with them."
"He's hiding his face, but that just makes him even more adorable! I'm fine with following him!"
"Hey, what's the kid's name!? At least tell us that much!"
"Yeah, we need to know who to thank once this is all over!"
Akasora smiled down at his nephew and saw that the response of everyone had left him a shy mess who tried to not look around.
His nephew was still bad with people, so he made sure to get permission before giving out his nephew's name. When he got a small nod, Akasora readily turned back to the group.
"His name is Tenryū Shokubutsu. I am his uncle, Akasora Chishi. Use one of those names and some Border agents will be able to vouch for us. I would like to help out as well, but I need to get back to taking out the Neighbors."
The group responded quickly to his words.
"Thank goodness. I didn't want some old man following us around with a sword."
"Right? I feel safe with Tenryū-san, but that old man would just creep me out."
"Hey, old man! If you need to go, then go! We'll be fine over here!"
He could feel his irritation start to well up as everyone agreed that he was not needed here.
Still...
I'm glad they trust Shokubutsu to protect them. He needs something like this.
"...Uncle..."
Focusing back on his nephew, Akasora looked down to see his nephew holding out his hand. In his grasp was something neither one of them could mistake.
Shikifuku…
The object in his nephew's grasp was a black object that appeared to be 1/3 of a bracelet. An intricate set of yellow dots decorating its full length. Overall it gave off the impression of a fancy piece of jewelry that should not be taken out of a case.
And yet they held it between them.
Akasora reached his hand out and took the black object from his nephew.
His smile quickly became a bitter one as he placed it into his pocket.
"I'll make sure to return it once this is all over."
His nephew only shook his head before turning around.
Akasora could only sigh at the response.
You don't have to be that strong, you know.
One battle had finished. The first battle. It had involved the Mud King of Aftokrator and Border's #3 A-Rank squad. The result had been a victory for Aftokrator and word had gotten out.
The second battle had only just ended, yet word of that had also gotten to the Border members fighting. This battle was the one between the red haired Neighbor and multiple B-Rank agents, along with the support of three A-Rank agents.
It was a difficult battle that showed just how strong both sides were. The Neighbor - Ranbanein - had held his own against the large number of Border agents. While on the flip side, Border had been able to deal with the powerful Trigger he had been using.
As the second battle came to an end, the third one between the old-and-young Neighbor duo and two of Tamakoma Branch's members continued.
While Kizaki was handling Hyuse, Konami was going hit-for-hit with Viza.
"Oh my. Ranbanein, defeated... Miden warriors cannot be underestimated. This young lady is also quite skilled. Being stalled any longer would be problematic. What to do...?"
Konami gave a less than serious reply of, "What are you talking about? You've been evading this whole time, not even taking me seriously."
Viza simply continued to smile.
"Oh, no. I am always serious."
Just as he finished that sentence, a large Bambster tore through the buildings behind the old man.
Konami starred in shocked at not noticing the large trion soldier until now. Even with all the fighting going on, she should have still noticed it coming from the side.
It was a clear indicator as to the caution she was showing in the fight.
Myth: "Kirie-chan, just focus on your fight!"
Something shot from the sky just as the Bambster was passing by. That something raced to the ground, impaling the trion soldier in a single hit. It was followed by a falling person, who grabbed the something and cut the Bambster in half.
It was Viza's turn to be shocked.
There stood Ketsueki, trident in hand.
The armor of the Bambster had been reinforced, and yet this single man had thrown his Trigger directly into it before cutting it in two.
"It looks like another one has appeared..."
Konami moved over to stand next to Ketsueki.
"It's about time, Ketsu-san."
"Sorry about that. I was debating on whether I should go back to help Kanzaki with that traitor Misó."
As he spoke, Ketsueki took a glance at where he had just been, but saw nothing there. He had been informed about the twelve meter wings that Misó had sprouted at the beginning of his fight and worried that they would be able to grow even larger.
"So, what exactly do we have here? What can their Triggers do?"
"I'm not sure about this old man, but the guy over there controls magnets. It's a really irritating Trigger."
"Magnets? Hm... Alright."
Ketsueki lifted his trident up, ready to attack. His eyes looked as if they were reading over something at a quick pace.
"Kirie-chan, can you do me a favor?"
"Hm? What?"
"I...kind of did not notice that more trion soldiers were headed in the direction that big one was going. Would you mind taking them out?"
"..."
Konami shifted her gaze to give an almost expressionless look.
Ketsueki seemed a bit twitchy at this. He shifted a bit before gulping.
"S-so...is that a yes?"
"Tsk. You owe me for this."
With those final parting words, Konami leaped up onto one of the buildings. She moved away by jumping from one roof to another.
Ketsueki let out a small sigh before moving to stand back-to-back with Kizaki.
"Rei-san, we have to do our part over here."
"Of course."
2.7 Maime: "Well that's unpleasant."
Maki did not expect to hear that as he ran.
There was a small amount of distance between him and the fleeing group now. All that he needed to do was make it there before anything happened.
But then Jin had spoken up.
Maki Roll: "What is it? Did you see something that needs changing?"
2.7 Maime: "Give me a second."
Maki waited that moment while firing at some stray Neighbors that had been nearby.
2.7 Maime: "So that's their plan... This is going to be troublesome. The fact we have to rely on him for the time being doesn't help anything either."
UMA: "What is it?"
Maki had the same question, but refrained from asking it out loud.
Jin gave the answer soon after it had been asked.
2.7 Maime: "It's that..."
Intruder alert.
Intruder alert.
"Unidentified trion signature within the base! It seems to be a breach via an exhaust pipe!"
"Through a vent!? Is it one of those scout trion soldiers!?"
"No! It's...!"
Sawamura put the display up for all the directors to see.
What they could find was something creeping out of one of the vents before forming together like mud being molded.
It was...
"A Black Trigger!?"
"What was it again...? Oh, right. Butsudō mujin seiganjō. That is what can describe me."
Still Young girl: "So you will finally take action? What brought this on? I thought you would be leaving things to the other two? Ko ko ko. Could it be that you now have a soft spot?"
"Please don't be like that."
Footsteps were heard through the hall as green lines traced all along the walls, ceiling and floor.
The person making the footsteps was also the focus point for each green line running along the hallway.
"Those two can deal with the city. The only reason I'm doing this now is because he decided to come in here. A place where I decided to stay. Since that's the case, I can't overlook this."
Still Young Girl: "Then would you like for me to cut the line? That way you can focus?"
"You can stay if you want."
Still Young Girl: "Ko ko ko. You sure do make life easy."
With that, the line was cut.
No voice could be heard and no messages arrived.
The man walking the hall only scoffed as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Right then. I guess I'll see if I can take anything. ...Sorry for what comes after, Yūko."