Chapter 47

While Lingmeng and Shiori were still trying to make sense of things, a sound they both knew all too well rang out—

"Wooo! Wooo! Wooo! Wooo!"

It was a sound neither Lingmeng nor Shiori would ever forget: the warning siren before a Spacequake!

"Lingmeng, the Spacequake alarm's going off. Does that mean a new Spirit has appeared?"

Shiori's expression grew complicated.

He still hadn't resolved things with Lingmeng. If another Spirit showed up now, he would have more than he could handle.

"No. I haven't felt anything unusual in space. The alarm probably isn't because a Spirit has appeared. It's likely just meant to evacuate nearby residents."

"Then who set it off?"

"Wait a moment, Shiori."

With that, Lingmeng used Mind Detection again. Sure enough, she found exactly what she had expected.

They had access to models more advanced than those used by AST, the national Self-Defense Forces unit, and could issue Spacequake warnings at will.

Other than Ratatoskr, which Shiori belonged to, DEM was probably the only organization capable of both.

"I've already taken care of your teammate! How much longer are you planning to hide, people of DEM?"

Lingmeng shouted toward the sky. She was now certain who had attacked her.

The moment she finished speaking, a gale swept through the sky. Hundreds of young Wizards slowly emerged from above.

There was no doubt about it. They were DEM Wizards.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Standing in the middle of the group, a curvy European beauty with long, wavy red hair and red eyes began to applaud. She wore a black-and-gold Realizer.

"As expected of Element Make, the Strongest Spirit so far—the one who defeated Lady Ellen! You brought down our teammate with a single strike and spotted us instantly. Your physical abilities and powers really are top-notch."

Lingmeng showed no pleasure at the red-haired beauty's praise. She merely gave her a disdainful look.

"Save the flattery. Was that supposedly outstanding teammate of yours really such a pushover that she couldn't take one casual hit from me?"

To be honest, Lingmeng would never have said something like that to AST, no matter how weak its members were.

Why was she talking to DEM this way? Simply because they had opened fire without a thought for Shiori, who was standing right beside her.

"Tch! I show you a little respect, and you get this arrogant? I'm Anlia Finlander, one of the World's Top Five Wizards. I came to capture you on Lord Isaac's orders."

The red-haired woman clearly disliked Lingmeng's attitude, and her expression hardened at once.

"Hm? Is being in the top five supposed to impress me? Even if you brought that Strongest Wizard, Ellen, along with you, I'd still wipe the floor with both of you!"

Lingmeng refused to back down from the threat. It might have sounded arrogant, but it was true.

"Huh? You really are an arrogant Spirit. Are you saying I, Emilia Reylos, don't even register to you?"

A blonde girl with twin tails and blue eyes stepped out from behind Anlia Finlander. She wore silver-white armor and looked strikingly like Airi, right down to her haughty expression.

Like Anlia Finlander, Emilia Reylos was one of the World's Top Five Wizards. Lingmeng's mockery of Anlia Finlander had sounded as though she thought Emilia was no good either.

"Little girl, that hairstyle and face of yours are dangerous."

Looking at the girl who had introduced herself as Emilia Reylos, Lingmeng couldn't help remembering Airi Akizuki, the heroine of an adult anime she had seen in her previous life.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Emilia Reylos, who had no idea what the anime Lingmeng was thinking of was, looked puzzled.

"Ahem. Nothing. Those who know, know. If you don't, you're better off."

Lingmeng coughed twice in embarrassment and brushed it off.

"You make no sense..."

Emilia Reylos muttered with a scornful look.

"Hey, that's cold of you. You kept asking me to lead the way, and now that we're here, you just leave me behind?"

A listless voice rang out. Another girl appeared, with long silver-white hair, golden eyes, gold armor, and a slack expression.

Her name was Amabane Shizuna. She shared fifth place in the world rankings with Emilia Reylos. As someone of mixed Japanese and British heritage, she had naturally been made their guide once they arrived in Japan.

Seriously, another one? Are top-five Wizards that common? I've run into four of them myself!

Lingmeng was baffled by the Wizards appearing one after another. Not only did these minor characters have so many lines, they even got individual introductions. Was the author padding the word count on purpose?

(Zhongsheng: "Ahem. These three are original characters I made up. They'll probably appear for only a few chapters in Lingmeng's arc and hardly ever show up again, so don't worry about them.

Oh, and a friendly warning: everyone's intelligence will take a forced dive next chapter. Read at your own discretion?")

Bomb

Why did villains in TV shows and anime always introduce themselves when they came looking for trouble? Hadn't they heard that villains died from talking too much?

Lingmeng stared at the hundreds of Wizards before her, along with the three fools who claimed to be among the World's Top Five, and found herself at a loss for words.

"Lingmeng... there are so many of them. Can you handle this?"

Seeing how bad things looked, Shiori tugged anxiously at Lingmeng's clothes.

Lingmeng answered him with a confident smile.

"No problem at all. I'm the Strongest Spirit!"

Then Lingmeng shouted up at the Wizards in the sky.

"Come at me head-on if you've got the guts, you blockheads! I'll beat you so badly your own mothers won't recognize you!"

Her tone was outrageously cocky. She rarely acted like this, but since she had already started showing off in front of Shiori, she might as well see it through.

Besides, Lingmeng had the strength to back up her words.

If she used all her abilities, she was confident she could win even if ten more Ellens showed up, let alone these Wizards.

That was right. In Lingmeng's mind, Ellen had become the benchmark for measuring combat strength in this world.

(Meanwhile, at DEM headquarters, Ellen suddenly felt annoyed for reasons she couldn't explain.)

"Why, you! What a foul mouth! Have you no manners?"

A vein bulged on Emilia Reylos's forehead. She looked ready to charge down and punch Lingmeng.

Anlia Finlander quickly stopped her.

"Don't act rashly, Emilia Reylos. We have to follow Lord Isaac's orders."

Anlia Finlander looked no less angry than Emilia Reylos, but she held herself back.

"Fine..." Emilia Reylos swallowed her anger and backed down.

"Hm? Weren't you just saying you came to capture me? What happened? Scared?"

Lingmeng was puzzled by the girls who clearly wanted to fight her but had held back for some reason.

"Element Make, I suggest you stop acting so smug. We might not be able to beat you in a straight fight, but we do have a way to keep you in check."

That was what Anlia Finlander said.

She clearly understood the gap between their strength and Lingmeng's. Why, then, had they come here anyway? Lingmeng couldn't figure it out.

"Hah. Keep me in check? You?" Lingmeng gave a quiet laugh.

At that moment, Amabane Shizuna, who had been silent for ages, spoke up.

"Looks like you still haven't realized what kind of situation you're in. I'll tell you straight.

"Before we came to meet you, we planted a bomb in the center of this city.

"If you use even a trace of Spirit Power or use your abilities to escape, it'll detonate. The blast won't be strong enough to threaten you or us, but it'll have no trouble destroying Tengu City."

"!!!"

Lingmeng's eyes widened. If they were telling the truth, DEM was threatening her with the lives of everyone in Tengu City.

Though her thoughts were in turmoil, Lingmeng forced herself to sound calm.

"A bomb? Anyone can make up a lie. Besides, I'm a Spirit! What makes you so sure I'd put myself in danger for a bunch of strangers?"

"We can't be certain you'll stop using your powers for the people here. But as for whether the bomb is real..."

Amabane Shizuna produced a metal ball no bigger than a marble from somewhere.

She activated it with her Territory, then casually tossed it behind her.

Boom! The moment the metal ball landed, an enormous blast of force and heat erupted.

When the shockwave subsided, the buildings that had stood there—and even the ground beneath them—had vanished. The explosion had been nearly as powerful as a Spacequake.

If Lingmeng remembered right, that was where Dingding Tower, the hotel she had visited not long ago, had stood. The explosion had wiped it out completely.

"This..." A bead of cold sweat appeared on Lingmeng's forehead as she stared at the scene in the distance.

"Well? That was only one percent as powerful as the bomb we planted in the city center. You can decide for yourself whether we're telling the truth."

Amabane Shizuna spoke in her usual half-asleep voice and gave a casual shrug.

"Lingmeng, I think they're telling the truth! What do we do?"

Shiori's brow was tightly furrowed. If the bomb they were talking about really went off, Tengu City would be finished.

"You scum are so desperate to catch a Spirit you've lost your minds! Why put an entire city at risk just to capture me?"

Veins stood out on Lingmeng's forehead. She had never expected DEM to pull something like this. Compared with them, AST was practically saintly.

The threat might not have worked on other Spirits. But Lingmeng remembered her past life and never wanted anyone else hurt because of her. Against her, it was the most effective tactic they could have chosen.

Seeing that Lingmeng seemed shaken, Amabane Shizuna's expression barely changed. She simply yawned.

"Say whatever you like. All we have to do is complete our mission. The rest isn't our problem. Even if the bomb goes off and people die, DEM will take care of it for us."

"..."

Lingmeng clenched her fists. She wanted nothing more than to hit them with a Personality Correction Punch, but if she used even a trace of Spirit Power, the bomb would explode. All she could do was hold her anger in.

Knowing she had the power to beat them senseless but couldn't use it for this reason was agonizing.

"I just have to avoid using Spirit Power, right...?"

Lingmeng spoke quietly, wearing the angriest expression of her life.

"Lingmeng, you're not thinking of—" Realizing what Lingmeng intended, Shiori hurried to stop her. "You can't! If you give up your powers, they'll capture you!"

"And if I use them, everyone—including you, Shiori—will die in the explosion, won't they?"

Lingmeng gave a bitter smile. She could bear being captured. What mattered most to her was whether her actions would hurt anyone else.

"..." Shiori fell silent. He hated admitting it, but Lingmeng was right. Either she would be captured or Tengu City would be blown up.

"But you can't just give up without a fight—"

Shiori spoke with a conflicted expression, but Lingmeng pressed a finger to his lips, signaling him to stop.

"Idiot. Who said I was giving up? Even without my powers, I can still take them on with a Spirit's maxed-out strength."

Lingmeng gave him a painfully forced smile, trying to reassure him.

Even without her powers, her physical abilities rivaled Ellen's when she used a Realizer. Against three of the World's Top Five Wizards and hundreds more who were far stronger than ordinary AST members, Lingmeng couldn't say she would win, but she could hold out for a while.

"Anyway, Shiori, hurry and get away. I'm the only one they're after, so they probably won't attack you. Besides, with things as they are, you might only slow me down if you stay..."

Lingmeng forced herself to smile as she spoke. Normally, she would have had no problem letting Shiori stay. But now that she couldn't use her powers, protecting him was more than she could manage.

"I..." Shiori looked torn. He knew staying would put Lingmeng in danger.

But for some reason, he felt certain he would regret it for the rest of his life if he left her now.

"Didn't you hear me? I said go!"

The shout broke through Shiori's thoughts. When he looked at Lingmeng again, her face was on the verge of tears.

Unlike before, Shiori could clearly feel how much pain Lingmeng was in. It was the last expression he ever wanted to see on her face.

"Please... I... I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me..."