Episode 181: The Fork in the Road
As Rui and Misaki entered the facility with the Self-Defense Forces personnel, the guards stationed there yielded the way and opened the doors.
As a result, they were able to proceed to the underground levels of the facility with surprising ease.
“Is this also thanks to Honda-san?”
While hurrying down the corridor, Rui called out to Misaki, who was beside him.
“Who knows? The director shouldn’t have asked for the Self-Defense Forces’ cooperation. Cooperating with us would be a crime for them.”
“Then, why…”
“There’s no point in thinking about that now! Let’s hurry on ahead.”
“Y-yes!”
Everyone descended the stairs and opened the thick Iron Door.
“Third basement level… Yuma is here.”
Rui touched the Katana at his waist. Even though he didn’t know, it was he who had defeated Yuma. Because of that, his childhood friend was in dire straits.
–It’s my responsibility to rescue Yuma.
With renewed determination, he turned the corner of the passage. Suddenly, the sound of gunfire erupted.
“What’s going on!?”
Misaki asked the Self-Defense Forces officer who was guiding them.
“P-presumably, in an attempt to rescue Mitaka, the Self-Defense Forces and the government-affiliated Seekers are engaged in combat. The government’s Seekers have a completely different chain of command, so they are not on our side!”
Rui clicked his tongue in frustration. He had heard that the Seekers managed by the government were quite strong. Originally, they were recruiting people who had been active in the private sector and assigning them to maintain public order.
If they fought against such Seekers, even the Self-Defense Forces with their firearms would be no match.
“Misaki-san! I’m going ahead!!”
Rui dashed forward, increasing his speed.
“Don’t push yourself!”
“Yes!”
Rui drew his Katana from its sheath and pointed the blade at the Iron shutter blocking his path.
◇◇◇
“Hey, you guys! Do you even know what you’re doing!?”
While dodging the rain of bullets, the three Seekers hid against the wall. They were members of the Metropolitan Police Department Security Division, clad in gray battle suits.
Their hair was cropped short in a buzz cut, and they held Daggers with blades about fifty centimeters long in their hands.
Suddenly, the Self-Defense Forces personnel had turned their guns on them, forcing them to engage in combat.
“There’s such a thing as civilian control, right!? On whose orders are you doing this!?”
The leader of the Security Division, Sonozaki, raised his voice. He never expected to find himself in such a situation.
A Self-Defense Forces underground facility that was difficult to infiltrate from the outside.
The security was only for show. The only danger was if the Black Armor went on a rampage. But–
“To think… the Self-Defense Forces would betray us.”
He looked at his comrades behind him.
“No choice. We’ll suppress them. Activate your magic!”
Sonozaki and his comrades poured Magical Power into their Daggers, igniting flames on the blades. They emerged from the hidden passage and stood in front of the Self-Defense Forces.
“Fire!!”
A simultaneous volley from five Self-Defense Forces officers. The bullets flying at terrifying speed burned out before reaching Sonozaki, disappearing with the smoke.
They were incinerated by the Flame Barrier.
“Ha! Rubber bullets for suppression, huh? Don’t underestimate us.”
Holding the Flame Dagger low, Sonozaki dashed forward. His two comrades followed suit.
Once they could neutralize the bullets, humans who couldn’t use magic were no match for Seekers. He slashed the rifles of the pale-faced Self-Defense Forces officers and kicked them in the stomach.
The Self-Defense Forces officer, with a look of agony, rolled on the ground and began to retch.
The other Seekers also suppressed the Self-Defense Forces personnel one after another, quickly subduing them all on the spot.
“Seriously, you’re just giving us extra work!”
Sonozaki clicked his tongue, and a subordinate officer asked, “What do we do now?”
This was a Self-Defense Forces facility. A large number of Self-Defense Forces personnel might come running. That would be troublesome, Sonozaki muttered to himself.
“For now, we’ll contact the Metropolitan Police Department! We don’t know where the traitors are in the government.”
After restraining the five Self-Defense Forces personnel so they couldn’t move, Sonozaki was about to move to the guard room with the telephone when the shutter behind him exploded and blew away.
“What!?”
Protecting himself from the Ember and blast with his left arm, Sonozaki turned his gaze to the shutter.
Were they Self-Defense Forces reinforcements? That’s what Sonozaki thought, but standing beneath the completely destroyed shutter were several figures in Black battle suits.
Not the Self-Defense Forces. That was–
As Sonozaki was on guard, the person at the front rushed forward with tremendous force.
Flames erupted from the “Katana” in his hand.
“So, it’s a Seeker after all!!”
He hastily readied his Dagger, taking a defensive stance. He couldn’t see their face.
He didn’t know who they were, but Sonozaki intuitively felt that they were highly skilled. The moment the two swords crossed–the opponent turned the blade of the Katana and struck with the back of the blade.
“A non-lethal strike!? Are you kidding me!!”
The moment Sonozaki’s angry sword hit the opponent’s Katana, an explosion occurred in front of him. The impact caused Sonozaki’s head to snap back.
He didn’t understand what had happened.
His back slammed hard against the floor, and he lost consciousness.
The two officers behind him were frozen in place by the sudden event. Not missing that opportunity, the person with the Katana unleashed a flowing series of slashes, striking them down with the back of the blade.
Small explosions occurred, reaping both of their consciousness.
Confirming that he had defeated the three security Seekers, Rui exhaled a “Phew” and raised his headgear.
“Did you get them, Rui?”
“Yes, they’re just unconscious, but I don’t think they’ll be waking up for a while.”
Misaki and the others also passed through the shutter and entered the containment area.
“Is this it?”
Misaki turned around and asked the Self-Defense Forces officer who had guided them.
“Yes, this is definitely it. Mitaka-san should be in that room.”
The Self-Defense Forces officer pointed to a room sealed by a thick Iron Door. When Misaki asked, “Can you open it?” he replied, “Ah, please wait a moment,” and rushed over to the fallen Self-Defense Forces officer.
“Sergeant First Class Okada, please wake up!”
He shook the fallen Self-Defense Forces officer, trying to wake him up somehow.
“Is he the only one who can open it?”
To Misaki, who was peering in, the young Self-Defense Forces officer replied apologetically, “Yes, I can’t open it myself.”
The man called Sergeant First Class Okada quickly regained consciousness, but he was still dazed and unable to move. The young Self-Defense Forces officer took the card, asked for the password, and decided to open it instead.
“Then, I’ll open it!”
Rui gulped. Yuma was inside this room. He didn’t know what to say.
Would Yuma forgive him for pointing his sword at him? Such anxiety welled up in his chest.
The Self-Defense Forces officer swiped the card through the card reader and entered the password. He grabbed the Iron handle, twisted it, and pulled it towards him.
The heavy door slowly opened.
Unable to wait any longer, Rui also helped, opening the door together. Once there was a certain gap, Rui forcibly squeezed his body inside.
“Yuma!”
A small, pure white room.
A bed was placed in the center, and someone was collapsed beside it. A black-haired man wearing a bluish patient gown. He was lying face down, so his face wasn’t visible, but Rui immediately knew who it was.
“Yuma!!”
Rui rushed over in a panic. He knelt on the floor and lifted Yuma up.
His body was limp, and his limbs were dangling. Rui was at a loss for words at the sight of his childhood friend foaming at the mouth and rolling his eyes back.
“No way…”
Misaki and the others also entered the room from behind. Everyone was speechless at the sight of Yuma’s condition, but only the Self-Defense Forces officer checked to see if he had a pulse.
“H-he’s in cardiac arrest! We have to transport him immediately!!”
The people around him snapped back to reality and tried to administer first aid. Beside them, Rui didn’t know what to do, his mind blank.
◇◇◇
The Pacific Ocean– There was a red swarm advancing midway between Japan and Hawaii.
Led by the Red King, hundreds of Dragons were heading towards South America. The group seemed to be flying without hesitation, but the Red King twitched its face slightly.
It flapped its large wings and slowly tilted its body. The direction of travel gradually changed, turning to the right.
The Dragons following also changed course in the same way.
It wasn’t a move to slightly change the destination. It was in the completely opposite direction. The Red King changed its final destination from South America to Japan.