CHAPTER 1

THE SEMIFINALS: MATCH ONE

“…I get it now. I see why our master Camilla holds you in such high regard, Saya Sasamiya.” Rimcy slowly rose from the dust and smoke and pushed back her hair.

Saya’s bullet of light had landed a direct, unmistakable hit, but her opponent showed no signs of damage.

A closer look, however, revealed that the heavy artillery Lux in Rimcy’s hand was warped and crushed. She must have used it as a shield—which confirmed that she lacked Ardy’s ability to generate a defensive barrier.

Judging from appearances, Rimcy was likely created for mobility and long-range attacks, whereas Ardy specialized in defense and close-range aggression.

“I have to admire your skill, controlling a highly unstable Lux with such precision. And you not only read my attack perfectly, but you countered with impeccable timing. Very impressive,” she droned indifferently with an equally detached expression.

“It’s just as Kirin said a moment ago,” Saya answered drily, the barrel of the Waldenholt still trained on her opponent. “Your attacks are based on flawlessly accurate predictions. But that makes them easier to deal with.”

“…I see,” Rimcy stated with a slight frown. “But I too am able to feel this humiliation, as our master granted us personality and emotion. I’ve taken your words to heart.”

She tossed aside the remains of her Lux. The large device on her back activated with a high-pitched hum and a green glow.

“And so, I will meet you with my full strength.”

With that, another gun-shaped Lux materialized in Rimcy’s right hand, and she floated softly into the air—until, all of a sudden, the green light blazed, and she rocketed upward.

“Oh, wow— Rimcy’s flying?! She’s airborne!” cried Mico, the tournament’s announcer.

“Huh, so that thing on her back was an aviation unit. Now, competitors who can fly aren’t all that rare, but having the skills to maneuver freely and fight at your full potential—well, that’s another story, so.”

As Saya listened to the commentary, she followed her opponent with her eyes.

True, some Dantes and Stregas could use their abilities for flight—Julis herself was one example. Plus, personal flight modules smaller than Rimcy’s were already widely available.

But as the commentator pointed out, using flight in combat was a different matter entirely. Needless to say, taking the higher ground over an opponent would generally work in one’s favor, but that advantage meant nothing if a grounded Genestella was fast enough.

Still…

“…!”

Rimcy’s airborne mobility was truly astonishing. Saying that she flew like a bird would have been an understatement. It was all Saya could do to keep track of the green arcs trailing behind the Puppet.

“Here I come.” A green ray streaked through the air, and bullets of light rained down after it.

Saya tried to set her aim as she dodged the barrage, but her opponent was nowhere to be seen.

It was all but impossible to capture her movements as she sped through the air. Her rapid deceleration and acceleration, which would have injured a human, made aiming especially difficult for Saya.

“…This could be trouble,” Saya admitted, though a thin smile spread across her face.

Right—if this were easy, there would be no point. If the weapons of these Puppets embodied Camilla Pareto’s credo, then Saya’s victory lay in defeating them with her father’s creations.

That was why she’d fought this far.

“Burst,” she murmured as she poured her prana into the Waldenholt’s manadites. Massive amounts of energy flowed to the barrel of the gun, creating a limited force field. Like a glimmering shield, it deflected Rimcy’s fire.

Channeling just enough prana to keep the barrier from collapsing, Saya aimed. “There.”

She shot an enormous ball of light from the right-side barrel, and it easily swallowed the other girl’s incoming bullet. In terms of raw firepower, Rimcy’s gun didn’t stand a chance against Saya’s Waldenholt.

The airborne Rimcy twisted to dodge the shot, but at that exact moment, Saya fired another from the left barrel.

No matter how impressive Rimcy’s aerial ability, it was possible to limit her movements by forcing her to evade. All Saya had to do was aim properly.

This was just what Kirin had said earlier: The precision with which Rimcy reacted to incoming attacks made it easy to manipulate her.

And Saya’s shot was on course for a direct hit. But then—

An instant before impact, the bullet fragmented with a dull explosion.

“Hrm…?” She scowled at the sight. It should have been impossible for Rimcy’s Lux to counter the Waldenholt. How did she…?

High on her guard, Saya strained her eyes.

The smoke cleared to reveal Rimcy holding out her left arm. It had transformed into a cannon from the elbow down, the massive barrel starkly contrasting against Rimcy’s slender frame, as if her limb alone had morphed into some monstrous beast.

“Did you think that I was just a doll? That all I could do was a little flying? Even that dim-witted oaf was granted the perfect shield. Is it so strange that Master should have bestowed a fitting gift upon me?”

Even though Rimcy spoke matter-of-factly, the pride in her voice was unmistakable.

“A fitting gift, huh?” Saya muttered as she quickly scanned the data readout on her HUD. Judging from the energy flow, Rimcy’s gun was not external equipment but a part of her. That meant that the energy was coming from the parallel manadites that served as her power source—which explained how its firepower could have matched the Waldenholt’s.

“I suppose you could say that my Ruinsharif is the perfect spear,” Rimcy went on.

The perfect shield and the perfect spear… I’d like to see them up against each other, Saya thought. “…I suppose that will be tough to handle.”

She glanced sideways to see Ardy and Kirin locked in vicious combat near the center of the stage. Rimcy had yet to position herself so that the other two fighters were behind her, and Saya was in the same boat. They were both paying partial attention to their tag-team partners, even as they focused on each other. After all, the smallest lapse in concentration would endanger not only themselves but their partners as well.

As the teammates in charge of long-range combat, the responsibility fell naturally to both Rimcy and Saya.

“Well, I have no problem with that,” Saya challenged. “Let’s see who’s got more power.”

A straight-on fight was exactly what she’d been after this whole time.

Energy poured into Saya’s Waldenholt and Rimcy’s Ruinsharif.

“Ruinsharif—fire.”

“…Kaboom.”

Instantly, two bullets discharged from Saya’s Lux, and a stream of light burst from Rimcy’s left arm. The two projectiles clashed at the midpoint with a deafening roar; the gust from the explosion nearly blew both combatants away.

“You canceled out my shot. Impressive.”

“…Yours, too.”

Rimcy and Saya glared at each other, their hair rippling in the ensuing gust.

These two had something in common. Both were enigmatic for the most part, but inside them burned a fierce and unyielding conviction.

“……”

Neither spoke as they readied their weapons anew.

At the same time…

“Haaaah!”

“Naaaah!”

Kirin’s Senbakiri arced swiftly through the air, but Ardy deflected it upward with his hammer. She rounded behind him to cut downward from on high, but his barrier blocked the strike an inch from his body. Yet the girl’s sword did not pause for an instant, flowing from one attack into the next.

“Now, at the center of the stage, we see Toudou unleashing a fierce combination attack! Ardy’s managing to ward off every blow, but he seems to be completely on the defensive, unable to launch a strike back!”

“So this is the famous Linked Cranes technique of the Toudou style I’ve heard so much about. Yep, it really is impenetrable.”

The Linked Cranes, the master technique of the Toudou style, was not one maneuver. Rather, by connecting moves together, it created an incessant series of attacks.

“Bwa-ha-ha! Your blade is truly formidable, Kirin Toudou! Your technique is divine—or rather, diabolical! To think that the likes of me would be unable to find an opening to fight back!” Ardy laughed, fending off Kirin’s fierce offensive by the narrowest of margins. “Most excellent! So this is what elation feels like! I can hardly bear it! You see it, too, do you not? With every strike of yours that I defend, I learn and evolve! Wonderful! You are a peerless teacher!”

Kirin continued striking mercilessly in reply. The point of her katana was deflected by Ardy’s barrier and sliced his shoulder—but the cut was shallow.

She whirled and made a circular swipe at his midsection, but his hammer blocked it as easily as if he could read the air.

Just as I thought… A pattern that he’s already seen won’t work.

She frowned slightly, but there was no stopping her blade. The Linked Cranes allowed her to shift into the next attack from any position or situation.

She did see the truth behind his words. As their weapons crossed, Ardy was evolving at a frightening speed. That was unmistakable.

I can’t use the transition from Nine Thousand Leagues to Yoshiwara Sparrow… And I doubt that going from White Orchid to Rice-Planting Maiden would work again…

There were forty-nine connecting techniques in the Toudou style, and combining them with basic attacks allowed for countless patterns. But as Kirin’s sword carved through the air, she could feel her available options gradually dwindling.

Ordinarily, defending against a technique perfectly on the second try would be near impossible. Not even Ayato could manage such a feat; human beings learned physical skills slowly through repetition.

But this opponent was different. All he needed to learn an attack was to gather data on it once.

I might have to take back what I said earlier… Kirin smiled self-deprecatingly as her Linked Cranes continued.

While she had pointed out to Ardy the weakness of his mechanical nature, his extraordinary capacity to learn was undoubtedly a strength that arose from the same source. And what was more—Kirin was now providing him with the very fighting experience that he lacked.

At first, Ardy’s hammer had been simply fast and precise. But his movements were growing sharper before her eyes, his blows heavier.

Still, Kirin did not expect to lose.

The girl had no self-assurance, but she held a considerable confidence in her katana technique. It was not pride in her talents but simply faith in the training she had practiced day in and day out.

Despite Ardy’s rapid progress, the gap between his and Kirin’s close-range combat skills was overwhelming, not to be easily overcome.

But then—

“Still! Even if I am collecting invaluable data, such a one-sided fight does leave something to be desired…!”

With those words, Ardy body-slammed Kirin to send her flying, then held his hammer high.

Of course, against the Linked Cranes, such a brutish maneuver left a wide opening. It presented Kirin with the perfect opportunity.

As Ardy’s huge war hammer came down, Kirin turned it aside so as not to break her blade, then rounded to his flank. This was not the ideal location for striking the school crest on his chest, but it was a clear shot at victory.

“I have you now!” Kirin swung the Senbakiri with deadly force.

“Hah! Very well— Do your worst!”

“Wha—?!”

Far from attempting to dodge her blow, Ardy stuck out his head to receive it. The sensation of her blade cutting metal vibrated through the sword and into her hands. She’d landed a solid blow, and yet Ardy failed to even flinch. Instead, he shook her off with his massive trunk of an arm.

Kirin had no choice but to withdraw to a safe distance and assume her fighting stance again.

Needless to say, for a human being, the head was a vital point that one would instinctively protect. But he’d used his as a shield…

“You are quite reckless,” she remarked.

Before, Ayato had taken a hit from Kirin to escape the Linked Cranes. What Ardy had just done was superficially similar, yet not the same at all—a maneuver he could pull off because he was fundamentally different from a mortal.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Indeed, if I had a human body, our match would be over!” Ardy crowed. “But my body is a machine! My head is just an expendable part! You seem to have forgotten that!”

“…”

Kirin had no retort. It was just as he said.

She had been the one to point out his weakness as a machine, but at a critical moment, she had acted according to the common expectation that her opponent would be human. “I have much to learn as well…”

Admonishing herself, she regained her focus. The fight had only just begun.

“Well, I suppose I should thank you for giving me such valuable data,” Ardy said, gently giving the wound on his head a test rub.

A neat slice from a katana was etched deep into his right eye—or where his right eye would have been, were he the type.

“Thank me…?” Kirin said dubiously.

Ardy thrust out his chest proudly. “Heh-heh…! Rimcy, now is the time to let them see it!”

“No.”

Rimcy, fighting Saya from above, bluntly shut down Ardy’s shout without so much as looking at him.

“And why not, pray tell?” He sounded dejected.

“I should be asking you why, you imbecile. Why would we do such a thing in the present situation? First of all, that decision is mine to make, not yours.”

As she spoke to her brother in creation, Rimcy kept her gaze fixed on her opponent.

Saya steadied her ragged breath and replied with a thin smile. “You’re still holding back?”

“This is our strategy. I am already fighting you with my full strength. Are you dissatisfied?”

“…Not at all,” Saya replied as Rimcy’s left hand—the Ruinsharif—filled with condensed energy.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

With a blast akin to a monster’s roar, a maelstrom of light large enough to swallow Saya whole rushed at her. The Waldenholt was in its cool-down phase; she wouldn’t be able to use it to counter.

As Saya rolled to dodge the shot, the ground where she’d just been standing was vaporized in an explosion.

Needless to say, a direct hit would have left even a Genestella in bad shape.

With the gun in her right hand, Rimcy mercilessly fired a barrage of light at the spot where Saya had rolled. Using the barrel of the Waldenholt as a shield, the human girl zigzagged to evade the attacks.

I knew it from the start, but I’m at a disadvantage if this drags on…

To compare the Waldenholt and Ruinsharif purely in terms of performance, the Waldenholt paled in firing rate but had a slight advantage in target accuracy. That much was probably due to the difference between them in combat experience, and indeed, Rimcy was gradually closing that gap.

The two weapons were roughly equal in firepower. Saya had yet to use the Waldenholt’s maximum output, but the same was probably true of the Ruinsharif.

“What’s wrong? You seem to be doing nothing but running,” Rimcy said as energy filled her left arm once more.

The Ruinsharif fired roughly three times as fast as the Waldenholt—which meant that in the time it took Saya to attack once, Rimcy could attack thrice. The Waldenholt had two barrels and improved versatility, but the Lobos transition system required a cool-down interval between shots. The heat would build up with extended use, and that period would increase as the battle dragged on.

Despite this, Saya wouldn’t say that her father’s Lux was inferior to Camilla Pareto’s work. It had catastrophic firepower that could not be achieved any other way. This weapon simply embodied the essence of that approach.

“…And I’m going to prove it,” she said aloud.

Checking that her weapon was in standby mode, Saya fired several anchors to hold herself in place.

“And just what do you think you’re doing? You won’t be able to evade me like that.”

“I have no need to dodge.”

“Oh?” Rimcy’s eyes narrowed. “I see. The energy output pattern is different from before. So this is your trump card.”

“…”

Saya made no reply as she put the two barrels of the Waldenholt together. With a click of interlocking metal, two circuits connected into one.

This was the weapon’s true form.

“Ha-ha… I must say, this all seems really silly to me—but very well. I’ll play along. Let us compare our firepower again.” Rimcy slowly descended to the ground, presumably to allocate the power used for her flight unit to her gun. “Ruinsharif—maximum output.”

“…Full Burst.”

Both weapons filled with extraordinary amounts of energy.

Miniature lightning bolts crackled around Saya, and the air itself groaned under the strain of the energy.

The slightest error in her prana control would result in the Waldenholt exploding. If that happened, Saya would not escape unscathed.

At last, the stored energy reached the critical limit, on the cusp of breaking free.

“Fire!”

“Kaboom…!”

A swirling stream of light burst from Rimcy’s left arm, and a hyper-condensed shell of light shot from Saya’s Waldenholt. Saya grimaced at the recoil as the anchors around her creaked.

The two shots clashed between them, just like before, and for a moment they appeared evenly matched. But then—

“What—?!”

The bullet from the Waldenholt overpowered and scattered the Ruinsharif’s laser-like beam.

Rimcy turned to dodge—an instant too late. She stifled a cry, and a giant dome of light swallowed her body.

After a brief silence, the explosion that erupted might have blown away the whole arena. The raging shock wave shook through all the protective barriers surrounding the stage, enough that it threatened to break them. Screams of terror broke out from the audience.

When the explosion finally subsided, Rimcy knelt with her face twisted in agony in the center of a sizable crater. Her left arm was completely destroyed, emitting sparks and black smoke.

The Ruinsharif was disabled.

Still… Why doesn’t she have any other major injuries?

Even if she had avoided a direct hit, Rimcy had suffered little damage for an explosion of that magnitude.

As Saya strained her eyes in disbelief, she spied a thin wall of light, shimmering its protection before the robot girl.

“Why, that’s…”

“Bwa-ha-ha-ha!” A boisterous laugh suddenly rang across the stage. “That was very close, Rimcy!”

Ardy was standing at the rim of the crater, looking down at his partner in amusement.

“I couldn’t protect you entirely, but you can’t complain, right?”

“I know…” Rimcy’s voice, in contrast, was bitter with defeat.

“I see. So he can generate that barrier to protect things other than himself.” Saya hadn’t expected this, but it made sense. What’s more, the barrier looked thinner than usual, probably because the generator—Ardy—was some distance away.

“S-sorry, Saya. I couldn’t quite stop him.” Kirin ran up to her and bowed in apology.

“No, Kirin. You did a good job fighting that hulk. More than enough.” Saya patted her lowered head and thanked her gently. “I couldn’t finish her off, but we’ve basically neutralized one of them. So now it’s two-on-one. We have the advantage—”

“Are you sure about that?” Rimcy interjected, standing unsteadily.

“…Hmm?”

“You did surpass me, I admit it. But that is not the same thing as surpassing us.” She slowly looked up to her partner. “Ardy, we have little choice in the present circumstances. As much as it pains me, I’ll do as you wish.”

“Ho-ho, now that’s more like it! I’m ready whenever you are!”

Rimcy let out a short sigh and spread her arms. Her body emanated a manadite glow. “Purging ACM unit, first exterior armor, Luxes. Transferring limit control.”

Her flight unit and armor separated from her body and floated up as several enormous gun Luxes activated and did the same.

“Ah! Here we go, here we go, here we go!” Ardy cried. “Commence connection!”

Rimcy’s parts were guided toward her partner, and as the light beacons adjusted their positions…

“Ohhhh! C-could this be—?!” the thrilled announcer blurted.

Steam hissed from Ardy’s body, and his shoulders split wide open. Rimcy’s flight unit separated into two pieces and docked onto the opening he’d made—in other words, the Luxes and their armor attached to his arms and legs.

As his eyes shined brightly, the light pouring from his body turned from green to blue.

Was this really happening?

“They…combined?”

Saya and Kirin stared in disbelief.

“Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!” Ardy crowed. “Now you gaze upon my true form!”

Meanwhile, in the exclusive spectator booth of Allekant Académie’s student council, Ernesta sat with her legs crossed, feet up on the seat. “Oh, boy, I didn’t think they’d get into enough of a pinch to use that. This is a teensy bit unexpected.”

“Are you sure this will work?” Camilla demanded with a stern look from the seat beside her.

The booth was empty except for them.

“The simulations were fine. No reason to worry.”

“I hope you’re right. I’m still regretting the decision to equip them with that thing.”

“Tee-hee. But your Ruinsharif was overpowered— Isn’t that the whole reason we’re in this situation?”

“W-well…” Camilla sheepishly averted her gaze.

“Not that there was any way around it. That Lux of Dr. Sasamiya’s does have ridiculous firepower.”

“I admit, it’s a better weapon than I expected.”

“Well, if we want to win, then we have no choice but to use it! Right? Right?”

As Ernesta’s eyes gleamed with utmost joy, Camilla let out a long sigh. “I don’t know— I can’t say that the situation looks very good. What are you so happy about, anyway?”

Giggling, Ernesta glanced back at Camilla, her expression relaxed and playful. “It’s just that my babies are growing at such an awesome speed. Really, they’ve completely exceeded my expectations. They’re so amazing!” She kicked her legs in sheer elation. “If they can control that on top of everything else, who knows what they can do?”

Perhaps because of the bulky equipment added onto his shoulders, Ardy seemed far more massive and imposing than before. Each arm sported a Lux resembling a gun with an enormous muzzle, and his legs had sprouted several similar weapons. He looked, literally, fully equipped.

“What do you say now?!” Ardy asked, sticking out his chest in pride. “Look at me, more majestic and dignified than ever!”

“Grrr… So freakin’ cool,” muttered Saya, which prompted Kirin to turn to her in surprise.

“Go ahead and attack me!” Ardy declared with raucous laughter, spinning his hammer lightly in his hand and then slamming the butt against the ground. It was enough to create a dent in the earth beneath him.

“I guess it’s more than just tacked-on parts,” grumbled Kirin.

“…” Saya gave her a small nod, then quickly checked the Waldenholt’s status. She’d fired it at full power, and now it needed extra time to cool down. She could switch to another weapon, but it was probably the only one in her arsenal that could break through the robot’s defensive barrier.

“Hmm… If you won’t attack, then I shall come to you.”

Saya had hoped to buy more time, but her opponent had other ideas. As Ardy held up his hammer, she braced herself. She glanced over to Rimcy to find her completely disarmed and uninterested in joining the battle.

Then we should take advantage of the fact that it’s two-on-one…

As that thought crossed Saya’s mind, she was stunned to find a massive black frame before her, just like a wall.

He’s fast…!

“Saya!” Kirin cried.

The hammer came down too swiftly for her to dodge—she would have been a smear if Kirin hadn’t rushed in to sweep her up in her arms. The two distanced themselves from the boy to recoup, both exhaling in unison.

“Thanks, Kirin. You saved me.”

“Never mind that. His movements—they’re completely different from before.” Kirin carefully readied the Senbakiri as she continued, sounding suspicious. “But from the looks of it, his attack is still the same. It’s just his speed and power that’s shot up to a completely new level…”

Saya gasped at her analysis and turned to Ardy.

The additional parts on his shoulder were a flight unit. If he was using them for propulsion, that could explain the increase in speed—but she didn’t think that was all there was to it. If his overall performance had been boosted at a more basic level…

“Kirin. This is a guess, but I think I figured out his trick.”

“His trick?”

“They use multiple parallel manadites as power sources. I think Rimcy gave several of her manadites over to the big one.”

“Oh…”

That would explain why his basic abilities—like speed and power—had improved. “Which means…,” Saya added, “that the big one must have some kind of flaw.”

“A flaw?”

“If the big one could handle all the manadites without a problem, there’d be no reason for such a cumbersome system; they would’ve equipped him that way from the start. But they didn’t, because it isn’t perfect…I think.”

“I see. It makes sense.”

The first possibility that came to mind was that they had a time limit, like Ayato. If Ardy was now forcing a power output higher than he could normally withstand, he wouldn’t last very long.

Or perhaps having Ardy in this state posed some sort of risk. Here, too, Saya could think of several reasons why that would be—it was common for excessive power output to strain a processing system and cause it to break down.

“In any case, we don’t have enough information. Kirin, can you buy us just a little bit of time?”

“All right. I’ll do my best.” Kirin nodded, then held the Senbakiri down at her side and took a few measured breaths.

“Hrm, are you finished with your strategy session? I thought you might try me first, Kirin Toudou.”

Glaring at Ardy as he casually closed in, the swordswoman drew him step-by-step into her attack range—and the instant he set foot within her radius, she leaped at him to strike. “Hyah!”

Ardy received her backhand diagonal slash with his hammer, but the repelled blade immediately moved to the next attack. It was the Linked Cranes.

He was definitely faster, able to respond to all of Kirin’s attacks. Nevertheless, he couldn’t escape.

“Mm, your skill is truly excellent, Kirin Toudou…! Even now, it’s impossible for me to contend with this technique.” He laughed as he parried the Senbakiri. “However—!”

Blue light erupted from all over his body, creating a gust of wind.

Undeterred, Kirin continued with an overhead slash, but Ardy’s hammer blocked it and then hurled her backward.

She bit back a cry of shock.

It was unbelievable. He’d broken out of the Linked Cranes by brute force.

Though she was just thirteen years old, Kirin was a Genestella who had endured arduous training. She had tremendous physical strength. Her blows were heavy, and most Genestella—no matter how strong—were hard-pressed just to ward them off.

A skilled swordsman like Ayato might be able to deflect Kirin’s blade somewhat, but to fling her whole body was no ordinary feat. At the very least, it would be impossible for a human being.

“Bwa-ha-ha! We’re not done yet!” Ardy boasted, rushing in to pursue the girl.

She tried to parry with the Senbakiri, but Kirin had just landed and was caught off-balance. She couldn’t entirely handle the blow.

“Ngh!” she groaned, as the hammer swept her away once again. She slammed into the defensive barrier at the edge of the stage.

“Kirin!” Saya began to run to her, but the girl motioned her back.

“I-I’m fine,” she said, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. “But—look out!”

Turning back to Ardy, Saya saw the massive black form holding out his hammer like a gun, pointed straight at her.

A chill went down Saya’s spine as she saw an enormous mass of energy gathering at the hammer.

It’s a projectile weapon…?!

“You are formidable opponents, worthy of respect. You have taught me much. And so, I will follow one of your lessons and crush you with my full strength.”

“…That sounds like trouble. Kirin, can you move?”

“Yes!” —But Kirin winced as she tried to stand.

“Kirin…is your leg okay?”

“I-I’m fine!” Despite Kirin’s dauntless declaration, her right leg was visibly swollen. It didn’t seem broken, but the injury would make it difficult to dodge the incoming attack.

“…”

Saya silently made up her mind and joined the barrels of the Waldenholt again. It still wasn’t cooled down from the previous attack, but under the circumstances, she had no other option. “Kirin, get behind me.”

“B-but, you’ll—”

“Just do it.” There was no time to talk it over, and Saya stopped doing so. She directed her prana into the Waldenholt, instantly reaching the mana excitation threshold in the manadites and filling them with energy—but perhaps because the weapon had not cooled down sufficiently, the response was duller than usual.

It won’t charge in time…!

Just as that realization crossed Saya’s mind, Ardy’s hammer discharged.

“Wolnir Hammer, firing!”

Saya gritted her teeth in frustration, but she had to pull the trigger now. “Full Burst!”

The head of the hammer whirled rapidly toward the girls, but the Waldenholt’s shell stopped it at the last instant.

“Ngh…!”

Saya had no time to deploy her anchors, so she stood firm the best she could as the recoil nearly bowled her over. The shell of light and the hammer clashed in a shower of energy sparks. But eventually, as if it had succumbed to fatigue, the shell exploded, throwing the two girls into the defensive barrier.

Still, they’d managed to block Ardy’s attack. That wasn’t nothing.

The hammerhead, pushed back by the explosion, returned to Ardy and found its home again at the end of the shaft as he held it aloft.

“Hmm… I did not expect you to fend off that attack,” he praised. “I must say that I’m impressed.”

“…” Saya stood unsteadily and glared back at him. “…Ready, Kirin?”

“Of course.” Kirin rose to her feet behind her partner and readied the Senbakiri.

Kirin’s voice was full of strength, but she had suffered more than a minor wound. The injury to her leg was certain to have a significant effect on a swordswoman who relied on speed as she did.

Saya’s Waldenholt, meanwhile, was shorted out all over. It was no longer usable.

And yet…

Saya bit down hard on her lip, closed her eyes, and then opened them wide again. “…We can’t give up.”

She deactivated the Waldenholt and activated another Lux.

Type 39 Lux laser cannon Wolfdora—in terms of firepower, it was the next strongest weapon she had after the Waldenholt. She wasn’t sure how effective it would be against Ardy, but she had to try.

“Will you cover me?” Kirin stepped in front of Saya, showing no hint of the injury to her leg.

“How strange. Before this match, I would have called your actions a futile gesture. But now I am struck with awe at seeing you fight to the end.” Ardy’s tone was uncharacteristically placid, and his whole body erupted once again in blue light.

As if on cue, Kirin and Saya split up to run in opposite directions.

…The first semifinal match concluded shortly after that.