Eternal Crystal

Beneath Edogawa Ward, not far from the site of the first scrapyard incident, lay a hollow formed by civil defense fortifications.

Rows of stolen construction vehicles were neatly parked inside.

"Iris, you brought in so many. Can these be used as mobile shells?"

The girl speaking was named Tiriye. She had long pink hair and wore a high school girl's uniform. Of course, she was no high school student-or even a native of Earth. She came from a dying planet called Altoria.

The Iris whom Tiriye addressed was also a girl, but she was not a real human. She was a humanoid AI terminal given physical form.

"Yes. I've already finished modifying them."

Although this planet had virtually no magical agencies, it was under the Time-Space Administration Bureau's watch, with one of the Bureau's warships stationed in orbit.

They had to seize their target before provoking armed intervention from the Time-Space Administration Bureau, or things would become troublesome.

These mobile shells were the only weapons they could currently deploy.

"The high-density life energy crystal, the Eternal Crystal-it really can save Dad and our planet, right?"

Tiriye had no other options left. This was her only lifeline.

"Of course. Once we have the Eternal Crystal, everything will get better," Iris whispered in her ear.

She was an AI, but that was precisely what made her so convincing.

Things will get better. Her father would be saved, and their planet would come back to life. Tiriye could not afford to doubt. She had to believe, because she had nowhere else to turn.

"So our top priority now is finding the key to the Eternal Crystal."

"Do you have any leads?"

"Of course. That key is hidden in a magic tome called the Book of Darkness. It used to be called the Book of the Night Sky."

"But this world is so big. How are we supposed to find a single book?"

No sooner had Tiriye finished speaking than a 3D projection materialized in Iris's hand, displaying over a dozen images.

Some of the images featured a little boy, while others featured a little girl. There were only those two children, and they had one thing in common: they were holding the same book.

"These are images I retrieved from street surveillance cameras."

"Are you sure that's the Book of Darkness?"

"Yes. There's absolutely no mistake."

For an extraordinarily powerful AI like Iris, checking an entire city's surveillance footage was simple. In truth, even Iris was somewhat surprised. She had assumed the Book of Darkness would be concealed somewhere secret or sealed away by the Time-Space Administration Bureau. After all, it was an S+ class Ancient Belka Relic. Its value hardly needed explaining.

She had never expected someone to be casually carrying it around in broad daylight.

"So we just have to borrow it from those two children?"

"Actually, they aren't two children. They're the same person."

"The same person?"

Tiriye looked at the photos again, but the person holding the Book of Darkness was clearly a boy in some pictures and a girl in others.

"The boy's appearance is a disguise. She's a girl."

That simple disguise spell could not fool an AI versed in magic, but Iris herself found it strange. According to the records she had found by hacking into official systems, Huo Lin Yagami was indeed supposed to be a boy.

"Anyway, as long as we find her, we can get the Book of Darkness, right?" Tiriye did not want to think about all that. She only wanted to find the Eternal Crystal as soon as possible.

"Yes. Leave this to me. I'll find a way to get the book. Tiriye, be ready. That Huo Lin Yagami should also be a mage. Once I move to seize the Book of Darkness, any fighting is likely to be detected, and the Time-Space Administration Bureau's mages will intervene. According to my investigation, the Bureau currently has two mages ranked AA or higher on this planet: Nanoha Takamachi and Fate Testarossa. Hold them off for me. I'll need at least ten minutes."

"Don't worry."

Tiriye was confident in her own strength, and even more confident in Iris.

Ordinary mages could never stand against Iris and the magic unique to their planet: the "formula system."

Through extraordinarily extensive, precise calculations provided by artificial intelligence, it briefly overclocked magical power, thought processes, and bodily functions, producing combat power far beyond that of traditional Belkan style or Midchildan magic.

So even if she might have to face two AA-ranked mages, Tiriye was not concerned.

As for Huo Lin Yagami, even if she was also AA-ranked... no, even if she was an AAA-ranked archmage, she could never defeat Iris.

Meanwhile, Huo Lin and Hayate were walking home after finishing their meal.

The cultural festival would last three days, so they had to get up early again tomorrow. They planned to bathe and go to bed once they got home.

Just then, Huo Lin heard a succession of police sirens.

Several police cars were speeding along in the distance.

The sound kept drawing closer.

Sensing something, Huo Lin looked toward the sound. Before the police cars arrived, a strange sight came into view.

A whole mass of construction vehicles.

There were excavators, loaders, road rollers, and large box trucks-an entire construction fleet advancing in force.

"Barrier!"

Huo Lin extended her hand and deployed a barrier with her magic. The sirens vanished, but as she had expected, the construction vehicles remained, driving toward her and Hayate without slowing.

That could only mean one thing: these construction vehicles were magical constructs!

And if her guess was right, they were coming for her.

"Hayate, get back!"

At her words, Hayate immediately ducked into the building behind them-the restaurant where they had just eaten.

Hayate knew that staying out here would only get in the way. She would be no help at all.

"Be careful, Huo Lin. Don't get hurt."

"Okay."

Before long, the construction vehicles stopped twenty or thirty meters in front of her, positioned to surround her completely.

Huo Lin had guessed right. There was no doubt that these construction vehicles were here for her.

She looked over them. Every cab was empty, without a single driver.

The real "driver" was in the air!

"You're Huo Lin Yagami, correct?"

Huo Lin looked up at the girl standing in midair. She was quite different from every magical girl Huo Lin had seen before-although Sakura was the only true magical girl she had actually met.

She looked to be in middle school or high school and wore a long red dress, with fittings resembling accessories or armor on her arms, waist, and other parts of her body. Compared with Tomoyo's designs, this was a real "magical girl" outfit.

It clearly provided magical protection and support.

"I don't know you."

"You don't need to know me. Please rest assured, I mean you no harm. I only wish to borrow something from you."

"Borrow?"

"Yes, the magic tome in your possession, the Book of Darkness. It is a storage device for data on lost technology, and it contains something I need. If you're willing to lend it to me, I will return it intact once I'm finished. That way, we can avoid coming to blows. Would you consider my proposal?"