Chapter 10

"So it's true... Another Spirit really has appeared besides me!"

Lingmeng marveled at the news, then flew to the top of a tall building to see what the Spirit looked like.

Strictly speaking, this was the first of her own kind Lingmeng had encountered. She wasn't sure whether Mosaic was a Spirit, so she didn't count her.

Cupping her hands around her eyes like binoculars, Lingmeng used her superhuman vision to see clearly into the distance.

"Oh, I see her!" Lingmeng sounded excited to have found the Spirit.

She was a girl who looked about Lingmeng's age, with long purple hair and a sweet, innocent face. Her crystal-clear eyes sparkled with an extraordinary light.

Her outfit was unusual too: a princess-like gown made from something Lingmeng couldn't tell was fabric or metal.

Its seams, lining, and hem were formed from an uncanny, immaterial film of light.

But what mattered most was the Greatsword in the Spirit's hand, nearly as tall as she was. She seemed to be pointing it at someone.

Lingmeng had been curious to see who was unlucky enough to run into a Spirit. But when she looked at the person at the end of the blade, her expression fell.

The unlucky person was none other than Shido Itsuka, the boy Lingmeng had met over a month ago!

"Holy shit! Isn't that Shido? What's he doing there? Is he stupid? There's been a Spacequake! Instead of hiding in a Shelter, he's running around outside. Isn't he afraid it'll kill him?"

After calming down, Lingmeng muttered, "No, I have to save him. If I don't, either that Spirit will cut him down or the shockwaves from her fight with AST will kill him.

"AST probably won't attack the Spirit right away. I can still make it."

With that, Lingmeng used her spatial powers to teleport over...

"What on earth is going on?"

Shido stared at the girl pointing a Greatsword at him, his emotions in turmoil.

He had promised his younger sister Kotori that they would go to a family restaurant for the "Deluxe Kids' Meal" after the opening ceremony. He hadn't expected a Spacequake to interrupt them.

Shido had thought his sister had escaped to a Shelter, but when he checked his phone, he found she was still near the restaurant. Without a second thought, he ran out of the Shelter. That was when he encountered this girl.

"Who are you...?" Shido asked, dumbfounded.

"...My name? I don't have one..."

The girl's voice was as lovely as a lark's, but her words carried a trace of sadness.

After meeting Shido's eyes for the first time, she tightened her grip on her sword.

"...Wait! What are you doing?" Shido asked fearfully.

"What am I doing? Killing you as quickly as possible!"

She swung her Greatsword at Shido...

"Wait, beautiful! Don't kill him!"

A voice rang out, interrupting the girl's attack. Sitting on the ground, Shido found it uncannily familiar.

That voice... Could it be?

"Who are you? Come out!" the girl shouted, looking around.

"Okay, okay." Lingmeng stepped out from behind a damaged building with a helpless look.

"Ah, good thing I made it. If I'd come any later, Shido, you might've ended up like Makoto." Seeing him unharmed, Lingmeng could joke about it.

"Hey, Shido! Long time no see!"

She waved at him with an easy smile.

"Ling... Lingmeng? Why are you back?" Shido looked at the girl he had met a month ago in surprise.

"Ah, I had my reasons. Just came back to take a look."

Lingmeng shrugged, giving him a casual, evasive answer.

"...Hey... You can't just show up and ignore me!"

The Purple-Haired Girl angrily raised her Greatsword and sent a blade of light at Lingmeng...

I Only Came Out to Look for My Sister!

With a sharp whoosh, a purple blade of light hurtled toward Lingmeng at tremendous speed.

Ordinarily, Lingmeng could have dodged it with ease. But Shido was beside her, and she didn't want to reveal that she wasn't human. She decided to keep a low profile.

"Aaaah..." Pretending to be terrified, Lingmeng flailed her arms and fell backward, successfully avoiding the blade. To anyone watching, though, it would look like sheer luck.

Behind her, the already shattered building was instantly sliced down to an even height.

"Ling... Lingmeng, are you okay?" Shido asked anxiously. As far as he could tell, she had nearly died.

"I-I'm fine. I'm tougher than I look." Lingmeng stammered, cold sweat beading on her forehead. She looked as though she really had just escaped death.

"Hmph! You actually dodged?" The Purple-Haired Girl looked displeased to see Lingmeng unharmed.

"Why... why are you attacking us?"

Shido could no longer hold back his questions and asked the girl why she had attacked them.

"Do you even have to ask?" The girl looked deeply saddened. "Because... you two are here to kill me too, aren't you?"

"...What?" Shido's mouth fell open. That answer was the last thing he had expected.

What does she mean, "here to kill me too"?

Shido couldn't understand it, but Lingmeng had a fair idea.

Has she mistaken us for AST? No wonder she attacked.

As a fellow Spirit, Lingmeng had more or less grasped the situation. Shido was still completely lost.

"You're joking, right? We could never do something like that!"

"Exactly! I couldn't even kill a chicken, let alone a beautiful girl like you!"

As Shido and Lingmeng explained themselves, the Purple-Haired Girl's expression shifted. She studied them with surprise, speculation, and doubt.

"What?" The girl seemed about to say more, but then she frowned and looked up at the sky.

Is AST here? Lingmeng and Shido looked up with her.

Sure enough, the AST members Lingmeng had spotted earlier had arrived.

Lingmeng was used to the sight. To Shido, it was utterly shocking.

Several girls in strange outfits were soaring through the sky. Their weapons launched a volley of missiles straight at them.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

Shido screamed before he could stop himself.

Lingmeng couldn't stand it. She smacked the back of his head.

"What the hell are you screaming for? Open your eyes and look!"

"...Huh?" Shido opened his eyes in confusion and saw that every missile fired from the sky had stopped above the girl, as though an invisible hand had caught them.

"Lingmeng, what's going on?" he asked in astonishment.

"How should I know? We nearly got blown up, and that's what you're worried about?"

Despite what she said, Lingmeng answered his question in her head.

She's using her Spirit Power to form a shield around herself.

"These things are useless! Why won't you learn?"

The girl raised her free hand and clenched it. The missiles crumpled like clay, then exploded.

AST didn't give up. They fired missile after missile at her.

Lingmeng had expected as much. If those people were willing to listen, why would she spend every day suffering up in the mountains? She could have been having tea with AST instead!

"Hmph!" The girl sighed softly. For a moment, she looked close to tears, but her expression quickly hardened into the one she'd worn when she pointed her sword at Shido and Lingmeng.

"...Disappear. Disappear. All of you, just disappear!"

She swung her sword, sending countless blades of light toward AST.

AST barely evaded the attack and kept firing at her, seemingly forgetting Shido and Lingmeng were there.

"Lingmeng, why are they attacking that girl...?"

Shido had barely asked when he saw Lingmeng's kindly expression and immediately shut his mouth.

Her face all but said, Ask one more question and I'll throw you out there!

To be fair, if Lingmeng hadn't disguised herself as an ordinary girl with her powers today, and if she hadn't avoided causing a Spacequake,

she probably would have been dragged into the fight too. AST would have lost all hope. Fighting two Spirits? They might as well order their coffins.

Shido, meanwhile, was utterly bewildered. What was happening in front of him? He had only come out to find his sister. How had he ended up in this?

All he wanted was for someone to explain what was going on.

"Your classmate? That's a surprise!" Lingmeng chuckled.

"Hmph! You really are annoying."

"I won't fall until I've defeated you."

The Purple-Haired Girl spoke with irritation; Origami replied coldly.

Nearly everyone in AST had been taken out. Origami was the only one still capable of fighting.

It might have been unfair to say so, but Lingmeng could already see how this would end: the Purple-Haired Girl would win.

Origami was stronger than the average AST member, but facing a Spirit alone was still a tall order. Not everyone was a monster like Ellen.

The Purple-Haired Girl and Origami stood at an impasse, ready to fight at the slightest movement.

Just then, Shido's phone rang, becoming the spark that set them off.

"Hah!"

Both rushed forward. Their weapons collided, sending a powerful gust outward.

"AAAAAAAAH!" Shido cried in fear.

Lingmeng scooped him up in her arms and leaped back with all her strength, sparing him from the shockwave.

"Hey, Shido, wake up. It's over."

Lingmeng patted his cheeks, but he showed no sign of waking.

Did the commotion make him pass out? Oh well. The Spirit and AST are both gone now, so he should be fine if I leave him here, right?

The Spirit had returned to the Neighboring World a little while ago, and someone had carried the injured Origami away.

Lingmeng propped Shido against a pillar, dusted off her hands, and walked away...

You Again?!

"Ah, if I'm going to stay here for a while, I should sort out some money first, shouldn't I?"