Chapter 4: Each of Us Is--

Chapter 4:
Each of Us Is--

 

Kuon was still fighting, all alone.

He remembered eliminating three of the Queens and two of the lights in the disc Jave. He had long since given up counting mantas.

The fight was miraculous, like a work of art. He overcame numerous situations where he seemed certain to die. In this one long battle, Kuon had repeatedly obtained the kind of experience and inspiration one normally gained over a very long life. He realized that the ultimate art could affect the light of life without Division 5 power when he killed the second Queen. Shichisei Kenbu was a Fencing school for those without power, so it made sense, really. That realization allowed him to minimize the use of magic across all his arts. He had finally reduced his magic expenditure by 1 kei, and Kuon was sure he’d gone up a rank or two within his school.

He was even enjoying himself despite the rage and hatred fueling his swings, despite the number of monsters he’d killed, despite the fact that his death was looming ever closer.

It was like threading the eye of a needle. His body was always on the brink of death. One false move and his life would be forfeit. No matter how much he reduced his magic expenditure, his focus couldn’t last forever.

He’d long since lost track of time, but then it hit him: a multiple-choice problem. How could he dodge the disc Jave’s light bullet cluster?

A) Use Shitotsu to eliminate them.

B) Use shukuchi to gain distance.

C) Leap over them with his thrusters.

He chose A. As he eliminated them, dozens of mantas came rushing in. The Queen Jave’s bullets blocked his retreat. He realized he’d fallen for their trap. He decided to cut through all the manta and lunge towards the disc Jave. He used all the arts he could and avoided the Queen Jave’s bullets before realizing that, too, had been a trap.

A swarm of mantas rushed him from above. There was not enough room for a single hair to escape unscathed. Hundreds of mantas all swooped towards him like fish trying to swallow up a single plankton.

Dodge! his instincts screamed, but he knew that was impossible. There was no way he’d make it. He stopped time with Tensetsu and looked in every direction, but all of them were filled with open manta mouths and terrifying quantities of teeth. One second from now, each part of his body would be torn away by a different manta. In that light, the manta on his right was unlucky. He’d already lost that arm.

As this thought crossed his mind, Tensetsu was running out. No good plans had come to him. It seemed Okegawa Kuon’s end had come. In which case, he might as well go out with a bang. He picked a very dumb plan—his final self-destruct art.

His master had said she’d be sad if she let a second Shichisei Kenbu student die. Would she forgive him? She’d probably kick him out again, but…he wished he could see her again.

Had Tooka finally woken up? He was going to die first, so if she activated a black hole Gate at the cost of her life, she wouldn’t need to mourn him. Next time he’d be a better brother to her.

Hanabi-senpai.

He’d been trying not to think about her. Remembering her made him not want to die. What he’d done to her was awful. He hurt her by not telling her his secret, breaking his promise to be with her, and going off alone again. If they met again in his next life, he would have to find a way to make it up to her. No matter how many years passed, no matter the age difference, he would find a way to say “I love you” to her once more. She would likely call him a liar and refuse to believe him, but he’d do it anyway.

Hanabi-senpai…!

Damn. It was too late. He really didn’t want to die now. He didn’t care if she rejected him, he didn’t care if she ignored him. She could punch him, kick him, stab him, kill him if she liked, but he wanted to see her again. He wanted to see her smile once more, see that bashful look on her face. See her mad at him. Hear her gallant voice. Hear her gentle, cooing voice. Have her cuddle up to him. Wrap herself around him. Kiss him. Rub his hair, stroke his cheek, feel her warmth on him.

Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi…!

A wish rose up from the bottom of his heart—I don’t wanna die!—and Kuon hated it. How pathetic. The soul of his last life, the hatred of a Hero long since gone, had tainted him. It had driven him through the Gate alone like an idiot, and now he was stuck here screaming that he didn’t want to die.

Don’t be pathetic. Head up! Dignity till the bitter end! At least take these enemies with you! Give Tooka the best chance you can!

Kuon took a breath. He was staring death in the face, clinging to a desire to live, but nevertheless he chose the optimal path. In that sense, perhaps Kuon was the hero people said he was.

Which meant he was doomed to meet this fate. A Division 1 powerless hero rushing in for no good reason would inevitably die like a dog. In this world, that was the way of things.

Yeah, he thought. In this world.

Kuon’s Tensetsu would run out, the enemy attack lines would pierce his body, and there way no way for him to avoid death. His future sight had shown him that. He had to accept it.

But Kuon had failed to realize one thing: he was not in his world.

Shichisei Kenbu: Soryu Ranbu.

He could not predict attack lines that came from the other side of the Gate.

Tensetsu released. Time resumed. The magic compressed within Kuon’s frame was ready to run wild, just waiting for him to pull the trigger. The mantas’ maws were almost on him, and he tried to pull the trigger, but then…

He heard something. He was sure he did. A voice from deep in his past, a young voice asking him a question. The voice he loved more than anything.

“Hero, are you gonna die?”

An instant later, two light bullets shot out of the pseudo-Gate that had appeared right behind Kuon, brushing aside all the Jave around him. In the blink of an eye, all the enemies were gone. What? he thought in shock. How? How am I still—

“I finally caught up.”

The voice came from behind Kuon. Still unable to comprehend what had happened, he slowly turned towards it. There, he found his goddess, Suzuka Hanabi, smiling awkwardly.

“How could you leave me like that?” She pulled away from the Kiryu and put her arms around Kuon. “Thank you, Hero. I’m only alive because of you.”

She’d finally said it, after so many years, after thirteen years. That’s what it felt like.

Then she saw his right arm and her face crumpled like his pain was hers. “Sorry it took me so long, Kuon-kun.”

He didn’t ask why she was here. He was just glad to see her again.

The tears came gushing out.

 

***

 

The Jave reacted swiftly to these new reinforcements, and the deaths of their fellows at the hands of their magic.

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

The Queens screamed, firing bullets wildly. They approached the embracing humans at terrifying speeds, and by the time the girl turned towards them it was too late to dodge. Even if she avoided instant death, the wounds would certainly be fatal, and they could have their way with her, draining her magic until she died.

“Hmph.” The girl just laughed, wearing an indomitable grin tinged with disgust.

Before the Jave bullets hit home, they were deflected by a black membrane.

Huh? thought the Queens. What the—?! No, we know what that is. That barrier is the final magic from the twilight of our technology. The same magic that was on the black egg that “doll” came on. How are they…?

No. It didn’t matter. They’d find out once they ate them and stole their memories. They multiplied rapidly in such a short period of time. A top-class meal had been born quite recently and then the next a few days after that! They would have no lack of food. No need to let this one go. If they crossed to the other side, there would be more humans than they could ever consume. They’d start by eating these two, along with the doll.

Yes, they thought. Kill them, kill them, kill the humans. The humans used us to protect them from disaster, turned our fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers and sons and daughters into beasts! Not one of them should be left alive. Consume all the humans in all ages and worlds, in the past, present, and future, make them regret what they’ve done.

Every Jave in the solar system screamed together at the two humans in the skies over the Capital.

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Their war cry terrified all humans, without exception. But these two hovered in the skies, unflinching. The Jave instinctively understood that these humans could very well be their natural predators.

 

The Jave fired. Suzuka Hanabi and the Kiryu, connected by a magic line, deployed their Heavy Magic Field and watched as it deflected hundreds of bullets. “Thank you, Kiryu,” Hanabi said, looking up. She seemed awfully calm.

It was strange. Despite their cries, she didn’t feel at all afraid. She wondered if the fear was numbing her emotions, but she had plenty of those urging her to fight, so that didn’t explain it. The Witch Bubble and Heavy Magic Field were certainly dampening the soundwaves, but she suspected the biggest factor was the boy holding her hand. “Strange,” she told him. “When I’m with you, I’m not scared of anything.”

“I feel the same way, Senpai.”

“You do?”

“I do.”

The Jave weren’t moving. Were they working on some scheme?

Then a familiar Guide popped up right next to Kuon, surprising him. “Here we are in enemy territory, and you two can’t stop flirting.”

“En!”

“Nice to see you, too, Kuon-sama. Sorry we’re late. I thought the only thing broken was your internal clock, but that arm…no, first let us carve our way out of this mess.”

“Yeah… Wait, aren’t you smaller than usual?”

He was right. En was usually the size of his palm, but now she was only half that big. “This is merely a satellite. My primary instance is still linked to Kaede-sama back on Earth. This one is linked to Hanabi-sama.”

“Then we should call you En-chibi.”

“Your flair for names remains the dumbest, Kuon-sama,” En laughed. “No backup is coming. The Kiryu’s output could only manage a Gate large enough for Hanabi-sama. For the moment, it’s still open, and I’m linked to my main instance, but it will collapse momentarily.”

“The Nürburg couldn’t get the Black Hole Gate open, could it?” Hanabi asked.

“No, it couldn’t. Tooka is likely still unconscious. The disc-shaped enemy has multiple lights of life, and rapid extermination is a challenge. If we don’t wake up Tooka and open the black hole…”

“Hanabi-sama,” En said. “Head for the Nürburg. Assess the condition.”

“Roger that. What about Kuon-kun?”

“I’m ready any time, Hanabi-senpai!”

“Okay, then…” En said.

More bullets came at them. As they scattered off the Field, Hanabi merged with the Kiryu again, still holding Kuon’s hand. He connected the tail line, riding its back. Hanabi glared at the manta going into a wedge formation. “Lunatic Order, Fuji Squad! Double attackers, the Twin Stars, coming at you!” she yelled.

“Yeah!” Kuon yelled back, and Kiryu took flight.

Three Queens came at them from the fore while mantas swarmed on their right and left flanks. Kuon and Hanabi each took a breath.

“Shichisei Kenbu: Shijin Reppakuzan!”

“Twin Nova Launcher—fire!”

A red sword of light eliminated all three Queens, and the massive light beams fired by the twin dragon heads left not a single manta alive.

“Hanabi-sama! Nürburg below you on your right, on the surface, surrounded by enemies!” En cried.

The Kiryu pointed its head down. Over a dozen Queens and a swarm of manta were gathered around the Nürburg, and the two heroes lunged towards them without hesitation.

“Kuon-kun, time to try you-know-what out.”

“Got it, Hanabi-senpai!” Kuon held his Blade aloft, and Hanabi put the Kiryu’s engines at max revolutions. Their voices overlapped.

“Shichisei Kenbu!”

“Field at max!”

“Ryujin—Reppakuzan!”

The Kiryu became a dragon of red fire.

This technique was Hanabi’s idea. Ordinarily, Shijin Reppakuzan gathered magic heat and turned it into the shape of a sword. She suggested that instead of doing that, they use the heat directly. When Kuon said their frames wouldn’t hold up to it, Hanabi added to her idea. What if it was outside the Heavy Magic Field? And what if they also added the heat used by the High Nova Launcher?

The resulting Twin Fire Dragon plunged towards the Nürburg from 20,000 meters above. It was enveloped by a Witch Bubble with a Heavy Magic Field over it, and on top of that, Reppakuzan’s super destructive capabilities merged with the Nova Launcher’s magic heat and wrapped around the frame, forming a dragon of light which vaporized anything that came in contact with it. The sheer volume of heat was so intense that the Kiryu’s outline was imperceptible to the naked eye, as if the sun itself had plunged out of the heavens to destroy the enemy.

“Rahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

With a roar, their Kiryu slammed into the clustered enemies. The mantas trying to break through the Heavy Magic Field were blown away by the shock waves alone, never even managing to touch the real thing. Over half the gathered Queens were instantly turned to mist.

That was just the beginning. The Kiryu immediately swooped up back through their formation and turned to target the enemy again. After the third strike, the dragon finally did a tailspin above the Nürburg, releasing the light. By then, there was not a single living Jave around.

“Hah…hah…hah… You okay there, Hanabi-senpai?”

“Ha-hah…hah…! Yeah, of course, Kuon-kun…”

The intense magic output and aerial acrobatics had left both pairs of shoulders heaving.

“Nürburg contacted!” En yelled. “Damage sustained! Tooka-sama’s alive! Starting repairs and evaluation! The two of you protect it with your lives! Please! For the next thirty-three minutes, all our lives are in your hands!”

“Got it!” Kuon and Hanabi spoke as one while watching Jave gather from across the entire planet on their radar. The number of Queens alone probably numbered in the tens of thousands, and there were trillions of mantas. The disc Jave above maintained a sinister silence, but no matter how they looked at it, the two of them alone stood no chance of winning. Yet neither Kuon nor Hanabi were at all afraid.

Because Hanabi’s here.

Because Kuon’s here.

The Twin Star Heroes each took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Come at us!”

 

It was the longest thirty minutes of their lives.

In the first eighteen minutes, the Kiryu used up all the Mother Servant Pods, Nova Gravity Bombs, flash rupture wires, back torque limiters, and prominence gull arms, leaving it with only the main Twin Nova Launcher and the proximity Servant Blades. Even for a Division 5 like Hanabi, her magic was almost tapped out by the time she’d slaughtered a few hundred Queens, and her mental fatigue was pushing against her limit. After fighting alone for so long, Kuon was in a similar condition. No matter how low he set his magic output, there was still a finite amount, and his missing arm often slowed his judgment.

Attacking tentacles while acting as bait for bullets and mantas, Kuon shouted, “En, how much longer?!”

“Three minutes, twenty-eight seconds!”

“Heh heh, so precise!”

“I am a very high-spec AI!” Since neither Kuon or Hanabi let their fatigue show, En answered cheerily, working as fast as she could. She’d identified inadequate magical compression as the cause of the activation failure. The Nürburg had substantial electronic protection, so hacking the main CPU was tricky. She was forced to enter through an external socket, secure a bypass, and inject a fake version of herself. While the security protocols were killing that, En then had to attack the main systems, wrest full admin rights, and fire the boosters to the engines running the magical compression.

It still wasn’t getting her anywhere. Tooka had seen Kuon right before passing out, so she had not permitted self-destruct. With Tooka still unconscious, she might have to resort to a final solution, but she still had one trick up her sleeve. The problem was that the kick didn’t have enough power, so she could redirect the anti-magnetic field engine’s electric away from stabilizing the Field, and in another three minutes and thirteen seconds…

Just then, the disc Jave far above them moved.

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Its form changed. It shifted from a disc shape to a sort of tower, then extended downwards into a T-shape, and the extended tower part began crackling with electricity. Both Kuon and Hanabi realized that they couldn’t ditch the Nürburg to dodge this. The Heavy Magic Field could defend against any light bullets—

Craaack!

With a noise like a lightning strike, something pierced the Kiryu’s right wing, slamming into the ground below. It had penetrated the Heavy Magic Field. Buffeted by a tremendous impact and shock wave, Kuon managed to identify the attack and yell, “It’s a railgun!”

The disc Jave had turned a portion of its own flesh into a bullet and formed an electromagnetic acceleration device to launch it. The Empire had developed technology to turn magic into electricity, too, but this was the first recorded example of the Jave doing so.

If it had been just a physical bullet, the Witch Bubble could withstand it, whether it was a railgun shell or a nuke. If it was a light bullet, the Heavy Magic Field could deflect it. But they had no defense against a physical bullet charged with magic.

“They’ve adapted to the Heavy Magic Field!” Hanabi moaned, purging the damaged sectors with a shudder.

“En!” Kuon yelled.

“Two more minutes!”

The disc Jave’s tower was pulsing above them, taking aim. “Next shot’s coming! Kuon-kun!” Hanabi yelled.

“Protect the Nürburg!” He activated Tensetsu and saw the enemy attack lines. They were going to miss.

Baaaaaaam! Whoooshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

The railgun hit home just behind them, generating a massive shock wave. Where it hit, it left a crater so big the Nürburg could fit inside it. If that hit them head on, they were done for. The one saving grace was its low accuracy, but that was no reason to relax. The Nürburg was sitting immobile directly between the two shots. This was known as target straddling. The next strike would be a direct hit.

This technology! They really did used to be… Kuon thought, and shook away the distraction. “Senpai! I’m going to cut it down! You cover the Nürburg!”

“Go for it!”

The Kiryu took position directly above the Nürburg, and Kuon stood on top of it. Kuon had blocked several massive light bullets from the Queens, which traveled much faster than the railgun shells. But the reason a physical shell was so scary—

“Seriously…?”

The disc Jave was extending one tower after another, each one pointed directly at them.

“Shijin Reppakuzan!”

“Twin Nova Launcher!”

The moment they saw this, both abandoned their defensive stances, going on the offensive. Using nearly all their remaining magic, they managed to blow away a number of towers, but those that remained…

BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!

Kuon stopped time and looked at the bullet trajectories, but there were too many to handle. He and Hanabi estimated which bullets would most likely cause major damage if they struck the Nürburg, chose to block those trajectories, and then prayed.

Kuon released Tensetsu. Bullets like the manifestation of death itself came thundering towards them, and they turned their Blades and Servants and even their frames into shields, guarding the Nürburg.

It sounded like the world collapsing.

“…Guh!”

Their ears rang. When they opened their eyes, their vision was blurred and dust clouds filled the air. Kuon found himself on his hands and knees. He’d been thrown some distance from the Nürburg. His remaining limbs, at least, seemed to be intact.

Hanabi-senpai!

“Unh…”

He turned his head towards the voice and found Hanabi surprisingly close by. The Kiryu was filled with holes, badly damaged. It stood immobilized with its back against the rubble, its belly exposed. Only its head managed to slowly swivel, pluck Hanabi out of its embrace, and lay her down by Kuon’s side. Then it went still.

“Kiryu, thank you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Hanabi stroked its face. She was uninjured, but out of magic, and too tired to move on her own. For the moment, she was safe.

“En…are you alive? How’s the Nürburg?” Kuon asked. He feared there would be no reply.

“Thanks to the two of you, the Nürburg is not badly damaged. But…” En sounded deeply sorry. She was crying. “I’m sorry. I’ve lost my connection. I’ll have to go in again.”

“How long?”

“I’m starting over.”

In other words, another thirty-three minutes, Kuon thought. “Right.”

“Enemy forces are still gathering. The disc Jave is repairing itself, but it won’t be long before it fires again,” En said. Her voice was calm but choked with tears. She didn’t sound like an AI at all.

This is how it ends, Kuon thought. He wasn’t Suzuka Hachishiki, but it was time to go out with a bang. He looked at Hanabi lying next to him. “Senpai, will you stay with me till the end?”

“Of course I will. We’ll be together even if it kills us.”

He reached his one hand out and touched her cheek, using the last of his strength to kiss her. “I love you, Hanabi-senpai.”

She looked back at him with tears in her eyes and said, “If this is it for us, will you at least call me by my name?”

The disc Jave above them was making towers again. Jave from across the planet were gathering around them, and the disc Jave was doing everything it could to ensure the destruction of its natural predators.

In the midst of all that, Kuon said, “I love you, Hanabi.”

“I love you, too, Kuon.”

The wish Hanabi had been nursing all summer was finally granted.

She looked up. The dust clouds were thinning, and they could see the pitch-dark sky above. The disc Jave’s towers glared down at them, ready to finish them off. This was Hanabi’s last moment, and yet… Huh, she thought. That’s weird.

Only now did it strike her as odd. The damage Kuon had done was the equal of what Suzuka Hachishiki had done to the Queen Jave back in his time, but the disc Jave was repairing itself far too quickly. That Queen had taken thirteen years to recover. Thirteen years and it still hadn’t been fully restored. Was that really because of Magic Dispersal?

Something tugged at the back of Hanabi’s mind. Next to her, Kuon was compressing the magic in his frame, preparing to unleash it.

There were no Jave nearby. The disc Jave was too far above. Even if Kuon used Soryu Ranbu to cause Magic Dispersal, they’d barely do any damage. But it would at least buy En a little more time. That seemed like enough.

But only to Kuon.

Shichisei Kenbu.

Who said that? Kuon, Hanabi, even En all swore they’d heard a voice. Were they hearing things? This was the Jave World. Another world. There was no one else around them, and certainly no one else who could use Shichisei Kenbu, not here, not…

“Seven-count Strike.”

Kuon and Hanabi couldn’t see her. How could they? The Cavalleria was above the disc Jave, out of their line of sight. But even so, they saw.

Maybe it was a dream. Maybe it was an illusion. But they both saw humanity’s strongest Cavalleria, seven wings of light at her back, a red sword of light in her hands. Both Kuon and Hanabi saw her plain as day.

“Shijin Reppaku Ryuenbu!”

A wind blew, and more than a wind. It was a storm, a tornado. A tornado-shaped blade of fire that cut through everything it touched and mercilessly melted the edges of everything it sliced, tearing through the heart of the disc Jave.

It didn’t just pierce the disc. It ripped open a space so large it was like the hole in a donut. Kuon and Hanabi found themselves surrounded by a membrane of red light and realized it was protecting them from that incredible area of effect attack.

They truly saw her through the hole she’d opened. It was a little Cavalleria whose hair always turned red when her DM was deployed, someone Kuon knew better than anyone.

“Sorry I’m late, Kuon!”

It was Nanahoshi Kaede. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he yelled, “Master!”

“Jeez, you sure know how to worry people, you fool of a student! When we get home, you’re gonna get a piece of my mind!”

“Yes! Totally!”

“Headmaster? But…but how…?!” Hanabi wanted to know how she’d even made it here. Only Hanabi could open a Gate, and just barely. Which meant…

“Oh, I see! Of course! Of course! That’s how!” En suddenly got very excited. “That’s why Kuon-sama and Hanabi-sama’s clocks didn’t match up!”

“My clock…? Oh…!” Hanabi exclaimed.

“Exactly! When I got here with Hanabi-sama, Kuon’s internal clock said only three minutes had passed! I thought it was just an error, but it wasn’t!”

Kaede nodded. “Your real body noticed the same thing, En.”

The little En yelled back, “The flow of time is different! One minute in the Jave world is a full day on Earth! Kuon-sama fought for three minutes on his own, while three days passed on Earth! Why it took thirteen years for the Queen Jave to recover last time, why enemy reinforcements only just started pouring out of the Gates back home, why it took Tooka-sama thirty years to be reincarnated… This explains everything!”

The Queen Jave’s thirteen years were only three days in the Jave world. The Jave had first appeared on Earth over twenty years ago, but even that was only a matter of days on their world. They had taken some time in this world to create Tooka, but far more time had passed on Earth.

“To the Jave, our world was an ideal environment that seemed to produce fresh food endlessly. We may only have one Division 5 every decade, but to them it seems like one is born almost every day.”

“No, wait, En… How does that improve our situation…?”

The Jave clustered around them had seen the disc Jave’s damage and were acting cautious, but once they’d appraised their strength they’d attack once more. Nanahoshi Kaede was unquestionably humanity’s strongest Cavalleria, but she had a time limit—she could only fight for five minutes. It wouldn’t be long before she ran out of magic, and then she’d be in the same condition as Kuon and Hanabi. They still had no chance.

Or so Kuon thought.

But En looked super pleased with herself. “Don’t worry, Kuon-sama! While we fought for thirty minutes, over a month passed back on Earth! With that amount of time,” she said as she spread her hands dramatically, “more than just Kaede-sama crossed over!”

Behind the little Guide’s outstretched hands, as if responding to her signal, more Gates opened, one after another. Kuon counted them.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…!

Twenty-eight Gates opened from the Earth to the Jave World, and what came through those Gates were…

“Kiryu?!”

An incredible number of Kiryu, even bigger than Hanabi’s. Each dragon had three Cavalleria on board. A rider mounted on the back of the dragon’s head, operating it, and behind them Attacks, Gunners, or Controls.

The swarm of Kiryu passed slowly over Kuon and Hanabi. These must be Alliance Cavalleria—they didn’t recognize the majority of them. But Kuon did find a few familiar faces, and they waved down at him.

“You okay there, Okegawa-sensei?”

“Get hype, men! We get to save the Bushi Hime this time!”

“Can’t let the assistant instructor hog all the glory!”

“Cavalleria!” A veteran called, clearly the one in charge. “Junryu Squads, attack!”

A roar went up from all quarters, and countless light beams shot towards the disc Jave. Heavy Magic Fields deployed as High Nova Launchers fired. These were definitely Kiryu. Their output was lower, and they likely took all three Cavalleria to activate, but they were still Kiryu.

Watching in awe as their allies fought the disc Jave in the skies above, Kuon sputtered, “But…but how…?”

“Mass-produced Kiryu. The Junryu, Kyuu-kun. Powered by three Division 4s.”

Hanabi turned towards the voice and saw the Junryu rider speaking. Her jaw dropped. “How…?” she said and then swallowed the question.

“’Sup, Hanabi? You still alive there?”

“Rin! You came?”

“Of course I did! Our team’s the ace of the Junryu Squad!”

The Control and Attacker behind her grinned awkwardly. “I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen. Glad to see you alive, Suzuka-kun.”

“She wouldn’t be a Motegi if she didn’t come!” Another familiar voice spoke. “Oh, and Suzuka, Okegawa-sensei, you should know I joined the Fuji Squad.”

“Fuji-kun and Okayama-kun!”

On the dragon’s head, Rin puffed herself up, grinning. “Don’t need both legs to fly, do I?”

Hanabi smiled through her tears. “Argh… You’re all idiots…!”

It all fell into place. “I see,” Kuon whispered. “You had the Crystal II and the Core with Tooka and Hanabi’s data, so if you could just get the frames, then a month was enough time…!”

These frames were why the Empire had been so hell-bent on getting the Capital back. With the Jave occupying it, the plans had been frozen, hidden underground. Nanahoshi Kaede had gone to the underground storage bays in the Capital to recover those units. The critical Heavy Magic Engines, like Kuon said, were reproduced using the Crystal II and the Core data. All they had left to do was place the engines in the frames. Their output was only half the Drag Ride’s, but they didn’t require a Division 5 to use. Three high-level Cavalleria would be enough to give the engine the kick it needed.

“High magic?” Kuon said. “Then not just Hanabi…”

“Exactly,” his master said. The weapon on her back closed as she landed on the Fuji Squad’s Junryu, glaring down at Kuon. “We no longer need a single Hero. Hmph. I’ll give you credit for figuring that much out, at least.”

“Now we don’t have to make Hanabi do all the fighting!” Rin said, giving them a dramatic thumbs-up that was so like her. “Now, hurry up! While we’re buying you some time!”

“Wake Tooka up, Kuon! I’m sure I taught you how.”

En had joined them at some point. “Kuon-sama. Tooka-sama is not just asleep. She’s retreated into her shell. At this rate, we’ll never get the Black Hole Gate open. Come on!”

Kuon scrambled to his feet.

“You’ve got a way of contacting the inside without cracking the shell, right, Kuon-sama?” En asked.

Kuon had an idea what she meant. But… “I’d need magic equivalent to Tooka’s, or…”

“You’ve got that! She’s right next to you.”

Oh. He looked at Hanabi. “Hanabi, lend me your power?”

She looked surprised and then made up her mind and nodded back. “Of course, Kuon.”

He took her hand and pulled her to her feet, and they flew over to the Nürburg together to wake up their sister.

 

On top of the Nürburg once more, Kuon took a Blade from Hanabi and aimed the tip at his feet. His left hand closed around the hilt, with Hanabi’s hands cupping it. He closed his eyes and took a breath.

Shichisei Kenbu Hidden 8th Form: Resonate.

Then he tapped the tip of the Blade at his feet.

Tiiiiiiiiingg.

There was a faint noise. He pictured ripples spreading out, waves of magic entering the Nürburg, bouncing back like sonar. Found her. He’d caught Tooka’s magic waves. He borrowed Hanabi’s magic from the hands on his and let another set of ripples flow, contacting Tooka’s waves. A moment later, Kuon’s consciousness melted into the Nürburg.

Inside, Kuon’s mind felt like it was sinking into the pitch-black depths of the ocean. When he reached the bottom, he found layers below him that were made of a gel-like sticky substance.

Inside that gel, at the bottom of the darkness, was Tooka. She was sitting, hugging her knees to her chest. He stuck his hands into the gel, reaching for her, but she was just out of reach. Kuon called out to her. Tooka!

Tooka looked up, without expression. Onii-chan, no. Go back. If you’re here, I can’t open the Gate.

Yes. Let’s open the Gate and go home together! You don’t have to stay!

I can’t go back. I’m not human. I’m a Jave. It’s my fault everyone died. Tooka buried her face in her knees again. She was trying to punish herself for supplying the Jave with information and causing the deaths of countless humans.

That isn’t your fault! The Jave did that! You didn’t know!

It’s the same thing. It’s still my fault. I don’t mind. I’m a Jave, so I’ll die here with them. So… There was a thump, and the egg shook. Tooka had activated the Black Hole Gate. Go home. You shouldn’t get caught up in this.

I’m not leaving you here!

I’m done. Just let me be.

His hands and words weren’t reaching her. But he had to. Desperately, he called out. If you die, Master…you know what it’ll do to her?

Tooka’s shoulders quivered. Mother…?

Not just her! If we lose you, me and Hanabi and Squad Leader Fuji and Rin-san will all be sad, too!

As if realizing this for the first time, Tooka looked up, shaking her head. That’s…that’s not…I don’t understand. I don’t know.

That’s what dying means! Everyone around you grieves!

But…but…!

He was crying now. Screaming. Suzuka Hachishiki’s voice mingled with his. I don’t want to let any more family die! My family… They all died! I don’t even remember what my parents looked like! The nuns who raised me, the friends I lived with there, the friends I fought alongside… They all died! I don’t want anyone else to die! Please, Tooka, please! Don’t die here!

Tears trickled down Tooka’s cheeks. But I…I let so many people die…

And you’ll save far more! Your Kiryu! The Junryu! The Nürburg! The research you left will save the world! And if that’s not enough, then I’ll pay for it with you!

But…but I’m not human…

Who cares?! That doesn’t matter! Kuon shouted as loud as he could. You’re my sister!

But…but…Onii-chan, I…I just… She was sobbing now. The space around them was throbbing.

Crap, Kuon thought. At this rate, she was going to be swallowed up in the Black Hole Gate. Give me your hand, Tooka!

Onii-chan! Tooka reached a trembling hand up. Kuon leaned forward, desperately trying to grab it. Their nailed tapped, their fingers touched, their palms grasped. He had Tooka’s hand in his. But…

Damn it!

The more he leaned forward, the more his body was swallowed by the egg. Tooka was in the bottom of a shell, deep in a swamp-like ooze that had swallowed her up. The more Kuon tried to pull her out, the deeper it pulled him in. He tried reaching out his other arm to pull himself up…

Shit!

But he didn’t have a right hand. Kuon and Tooka both sank into the muck. Even his toes were growing cold, losing sensation. Tooka clung to his side, and he hugged her tight, trying to banish her fears. Then…

Jeez, you two. Trying to leave me alone again.

Something grabbed them both and yanked them up. Surprised, Kuon opened his eyes to find his goddess smiling at him.

I’m not letting you go.

Hanabi!

An instant later, Kuon’s mind went white.

 

The disc Jave had been reduced to a tenth of its former size. On a Junryu above it, Kaede yelled, “Company Retreat!”

One by one, the Junryu Squads fled back through their Gates.

Kuon awoke to find himself held in the Kiryu’s mouth, his arms around Tooka. Hanabi, of course, was flying it. He looked down and saw the Nürburg shining with a brilliant white light.

“Seven seconds to black hole deployment!” Hanabi shouted. She was headed for the Gate the Fuji Squad had opened. Rin and the others were on standby there.

“Hanabi, hurry, hurry, it’s closing, get a move on, nowwwww!”

“Mantas approaching from below, on your seven! Okayama-kun, take ’em out!”

“Awright!” The Kiryu plunged into the Gate. Okayama cut down the manta on their heels, and Rin turned the Fuji Squad’s Junryu into the Gate, but…

Screescreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

“Yiiiiikes, what the heck? They’ve come after us! Oh crap oh crap oh crap!”

The disc Jave had changed form again, thrusting out a massive tentacle several times larger than the Kiryu. It was like a wall chasing them through the Gate.

“Fly, Motegi-kun!”

“I aaaamm!”

Behind them, the Gate closed. A moment before, Kuon thought he saw the Jave World turn white, and it was probably not a trick of the eyes. The Black Hole Gate had opened. The magical black hole had swallowed up their world, destroying it. All they had to do now was finish off the massive tentacle Jave the disc Jave had sent after them.

“Someone do something!” Rin wailed, already flying as fast as she could.

At this rate they’d all end their lives here, inside this Gate. Kuon was at his limit, and Hanabi’s Kiryu had sustained so much damage it was all she could do to keep it flying. Fuji and Okayama were shooting, but the puny rifles Control and Attackers wielded were useless against the sheer size of the thing. En popped out and started babbling in a very human-like fashion. “We’re finally done for, we worked so hard, I hope it was enough, hopefully our next lives will be better ha ha ha ha wahhhh I don’t wanna die!”

“Don’t give up,” someone said. The voice was calm but tinged with resolve.

Then two massive arms appeared from inside Kuon’s grasp, palms forward. Exo-arms from a Division Maneuver. They had a second Division 5 with them.

“I want to live with you, onii-chan.”

The massive, full-power light beam Tooka Nürburg fired swallowed the oncoming tentacle whole, evaporating it.

“Almost out!” Rin yelled. Their vision went white. Their long, short fight in the Jave World was over, and the Fuji Squad was home at last, back on Earth.

And back to Jogen.