Chapter 9
Saturday, October 27. The day of the thesis competition was finally tomorrow, and the First High School representatives and support team, including security, were heading to Kyoto ahead of time. First High School was sixth to present, at 1:40 p.m., so they could have left that morning and still made it in time. But when the competition was held in Kyoto, First High School had a tradition of arriving a day early.
The large bus and the trailer carrying the demonstration equipment headed to a dedicated terminal. From there, they would take a car-carrying train-a high-speed train that transported large vehicles along with their luggage-to a station on the outskirts of Kyoto, then travel to their hotel in the city.
The CR Hotel, where First High School regularly stayed, was a little too upscale for high school students, but once it became their regular lodging, changing it was difficult. No student had gone out of their way to suggest a cheaper hotel, so they had kept things as they were.
"We're heeere!"
The first person off the bus was Kanon, who had thoroughly enjoyed the journey with Isori. Her hopes of traveling with him by bus for last year's Nine Schools Competition had been dashed, so she had made the most of this trip. She should have made up for it at this year's competition, but perhaps it was human nature to dwell on even one occasion when things didn't go as hoped.
Izumi was the last off the bus. Miyuki had intended to make sure everyone had gotten off without leaving anything behind, but Izumi had insisted, "Let me handle this sort of chore."
Miyuki, in turn, handled check-in on everyone's behalf. Tatsuya and Honoka shared the task of handing out the keys.
Then the First High School students each went to their assigned rooms.
The students were staying in twin rooms, which were cheaper than Japanese-style rooms. Tatsuya sharing a room with Mikihiko was, of course, deliberate rather than accidental.
"Mikihiko, I'm counting on you from here."
"Leave it to me. It's a shame I can't go with you."
"I can't ask you to do these things, and there's also the question of what information can be disclosed. Besides..."
"What is it, Tatsuya?"
Seeing Tatsuya hesitate, Mikihiko tilted his head.
"...Nothing. Mikihiko, I'm counting on you to look after everyone from school. I don't think anything will happen, but it's best not to let your guard down."
"Yeah, I know."
What Tatsuya left unsaid was, Mizuki's here too. The art club, which had been responsible for making the demonstration equipment this time, had been very active and had been given priority in the selection of support staff. Mizuki was among them. Tatsuya figured Mikihiko would be concerned about her.
But in the end, Tatsuya still didn't say it. He decided it would be meddling. Tatsuya thought that sort of thing shouldn't come from someone else.
"I might be back late. If I'm not coming back, I'll contact you."
"Got it. Tatsuya, be careful."
Tatsuya first went to a smaller, less conspicuous hotel than the CR Hotel where the First High School students were staying. It was a hotel the Kuroba Family often used for work.
"Good afternoon, Tatsuya."
"We've been waiting for you, Tatsuya."
Fumiya and Ayako were waiting for him in the lobby.
"I'm sorry you had to come all this way."
"No, this was a matter we brought to you in the first place."
"It's a little awkward talking while standing here. Tatsuya, shall we sit down?"
With that, Ayako guided Tatsuya to a sofa. After Tatsuya sat down, Ayako took a seat across the table, and Fumiya brought over drinks.
When Tatsuya asked, "Can we eat and drink here?" he noticed a 3H wiping another table. No, it was a commercial humanoid servant, commonly known as a servant-type unit. Deciding there was no problem, Tatsuya accepted the drink.
Ayako put up a soundproof barrier. The alarm for unauthorized magic use didn't sound. This hotel was more than simply a place the Kuroba Family often used, as Tatsuya had heard; it had been completely refitted for the Kuroba-Yotsuba's work.
"That should do it. Tatsuya, we've fully investigated how the commission is going."
"We've also prepared the same type of motorcycle you use, Tatsuya. It's parked in the parking lot."
"We've prepared clothes with blade- and bullet-resistant properties too. Would you like to change?"
"The boots, gloves, and belt are all combat equipment."
"That's quite a thorough service..."
Seeing how much care they had taken, beyond what he had imagined, Tatsuya couldn't help wanting to laugh. Of course, he knew they had both given it serious thought, so he didn't actually laugh.
"Thank you. I'll use all of it."
At Tatsuya's words, Fumiya and Ayako smiled, genuinely pleased.
"Then I'll show you to your room."
Ayako set down her empty teacup and stood. Fumiya also finished the rest of his drink and got up, so Tatsuya followed suit.
The clothes they had prepared fit Tatsuya so perfectly it was creepy. Tatsuya was very curious where they had gotten his measurements, but somehow he felt it was better not to ask, so he didn't press them.
"How far have you narrowed it down?"
It went without saying that Tatsuya was asking about Zhou Gongjin's hiding place.
The information obtained on Monday had already been passed to the Kuroba Family through Hayama. Using it as a basis, Kuroba had continued searching for Zhou Gongjin throughout the week.
"We've almost pinpointed it."
"I see. That's Kuroba for you. So where is he?"
At Tatsuya's question, Fumiya visibly hesitated.
"I see. Is it hard to believe?"
"The National Defense Force Uji Second Supply Base. There's practically no doubt he's hiding there."
Ayako answered in place of Fumiya, who was still struggling to speak.
Tatsuya didn't say the words How could that be?
"I see. No wonder he was so hard to find."
Muttering that, Tatsuya walked over to the communications console.
"Fumiya."
"Yes."
Addressed by Tatsuya in a hard voice that made him shudder, Fumiya replied with more deference than necessary.
That voice was proof that Tatsuya's emotions had reached their limit. Tatsuya was incapable of feeling emotions stronger than a certain level, and the moment his anger reached that threshold, his voice would become devoid of emotion, conveying only intent.
The National Defense Force's betrayal had exceeded his tolerance. Ever since the Okinawan rebel soldiers attacked Miyuki, he had become particularly intolerant of betrayal.
There was a saying: draw the sword, and jeweled droplets scatter from its icy blade. It described a Japanese sword so sharp that it reflected a cold, ominous light. Tatsuya, rendered emotionless by anger, brought those words to mind.
"Can I contact someone outside?"
"Please wait a moment."
Fumiya reached past Tatsuya and entered a security code on the keypad.
At Fumiya's urging, Tatsuya sat down in front of the console.
Tatsuya then entered a complicated number. After about five seconds, a female officer appeared on the screen.
"Tatsuya, what did you need so urgently?"
Tatsuya had entered the emergency contact number assigned to Fujibayashi in the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion.
"Second Lieutenant, I'm in Kyoto now."
"I see..."
That alone was enough to bring a look of understanding to Fujibayashi's face.
"Have you found him?"
Hearing Tatsuya's question, with its intent left unstated, Fujibayashi let out a resigned sigh.
"We've found Zhou Gongjin's hiding place."
Tatsuya had told not only Hayama but also Fujibayashi about the information obtained from the Traditionalists at Kiyomizu-dera and Arashiyama. To the National Defense Force, Zhou Gongjin was also a major criminal who had guided a foreign military force. They would search for him even without Tatsuya asking, so Tatsuya had intended to take advantage of the opportunity.
"Where is he?"
At Tatsuya's direct question, Fujibayashi wore a bitter expression this time.
"...The military police are already scheduled to go. Special Lieutenant Ooguro, please don't get involved."
"That doesn't qualify for application of the special duty regulations. Ms. Fujibayashi, where is Zhou Gongjin? Please answer me as someone connected to the Kudou Family, who has promised to assist."
"...Inside the National Defense Army Uji Second Supply Base. Tatsuya, leave this to the National Defense Force. Even for you, it would be no laughing matter if people found out you illegally entered the base."
"I understand. Goodbye, then."
"Tatsuya!?"
Without explaining what he understood, Tatsuya ended the call. Not only that, he operated the console and locked the line.
He turned and nodded to Fumiya and Ayako, who had been watching his conversation with Fujibayashi open-mouthed behind him.
"It's confirmed. What's the plan?"
"We'll begin at sunset and infiltrate the base."
Asked by Tatsuya, Fumiya composed himself and answered.
"What's the infiltration route?"
"We'll go straight in through multiple gates. We won't have you climbing over the wall."
"Of course, we'll also station people outside the wall in case he escapes from inside."
"That's a bit short on people..."
With that, Tatsuya stood.
"Fumiya, Ayako, I'm going to find some more firepower. There might not be time to meet up at the scene, but I'll move in when the time comes."
"Understood. Tatsuya, please be careful, since we won't be able to communicate."
"Tatsuya, please be sure to take care."
"Both of you too, Fumiya, Ayako. Don't let your guard down."
"Yes."
"Of course."
Nodding at their replies, Tatsuya went to the parking lot where the motorcycle had been prepared.
He immediately knew which motorcycle was his. The key had an arrow indicating the direction of the vehicle, so there could be no mistake.
The western sky was already tinged red. There wasn't much time left before the operation began. Riding the motorcycle, Tatsuya used voice input through the wireless port of the information terminal built into his helmet to call Ichijou Masaki.
"Shiba? What is it?"
Tatsuya's call seemed to have taken Masaki by surprise. If Tatsuya had suddenly received a call from Masaki, he would probably have reacted the same way. Tatsuya had expected as much, so he didn't say anything more about it.
"Ichijou, I know where Zhou Gongjin is hiding."
"Really!?"
"It's true. Where are you now?"
"Near Kamigamo Shrine."
So he did come, Tatsuya thought. He had heard that Third High was making the thesis competition a day trip, but he had figured that since Masaki had come to investigate the previous week, he would probably arrive a day early too.
"Come to the southwest entrance of Uji Futagozuka Park. I'll wait until seventeen hundred."
"Seventeen hundred!? Understood. I'll be there in time."
Masaki had probably meant to say there wasn't enough time. But he had immediately understood the significance of the appointed hour. He must have ended the call curtly because he was about to get moving.
He was a troublesome enemy, but a reliable ally. Tatsuya liked people like Masaki, who were quick to understand.
I'd better hurry too.
He would look pretty lame if he was late after calling Masaki out himself. Tatsuya sped along on the motorcycle.
In a room in one of the buildings at the National Defense Army Uji Second Supply Base, Zhou Gongjin, the man Tatsuya and the others were looking for, was adjusting his clothes to go out.
"Master Zhou, are you leaving already?"
A soldier in his thirties, standing straight beside the door, addressed Zhou in a regretful voice.
"Captain Hatae. I don't wish to leave either, but it seems they've found me."
"I see. What a shame. As long as you're at this base, I won't let those upstart magicians calling themselves the Ten Master Clans lay a finger on you, Master."
Captain Hatae was a soldier who advocated appeasing the Great Asian Union, while also leaning toward the conservative thinking of continental ancient magicians, who regarded modern magicians as "upstarts without even a hundred years of history." He believed Zhou Gongjin's claim that he had not been involved in the Yokohama Disturbance-or rather, was made to believe it-and, thinking Kuroba's pursuit was a personal vendetta by modern magicians, had hidden Zhou out of a sense of justice.
"It can't be helped. After all, they have Lord Kudou on their side."
Zhou smiled faintly. The smile suited his handsome features.
Captain Hatae pressed his lips together. As Zhou Gongjin had said, if the base commander ordered them to accept an inspection, Hatae, who was only a company commander, could not resist. And Kudou Retsu, a former major general, naturally had enough influence to crush resistance to an inspection conducted through proper channels.
"I had hoped you could teach me more about Senjutsu..."
"I'm only a novice Taoist myself. Never mind ascending to immortality, I can't even see the path to Corpse Liberation yet. I'm not qualified to speak to others about the principles of the arts..."
With his usual excuse, Zhou gently declined Hatae's request.
Captain Hatae showed no sign of being offended and changed the subject.
"Then when will you leave?"
"I intend to slip out at night."
"The inspection is indeed scheduled for tomorrow morning, so that would be best..."
"I'm grateful you were able to learn about the surprise inspection, which was to be conducted without prior notice."
When Zhou said this and nodded, Hatae's expression grew increasingly crestfallen.
"But the gates are locked at night."
"I can manage something like that myself."
Seeing Zhou's confident smile, Hatae remembered the magic in which he specialized.
"That's true. Then at least let me prepare a car for you. It won't be a military vehicle, but my own private car. That way, it shouldn't be tracked."
Not only military vehicles but official cars were also fitted with anti-theft tracking devices. Although there were ways to fool the devices, using a privately owned car was more reliable.
"My heartfelt thanks for taking such thorough care of me."
Zhou bowed his head politely in gratitude.
Leaning against the motorcycle he had borrowed from Fumiya, Tatsuya had been waiting for about fifteen minutes when he spotted a red motorcycle approaching.
He really does like red.
He muttered it to himself without thinking. Third High's school colors were also shades of red, so it might have been an expression of school spirit. Surely he wasn't concerned about his nickname.
"Sorry for the wait."
Masaki addressed Tatsuya as he got off the motorcycle and removed his helmet.
"No, there are still ten minutes until the appointed time. We have enough time for the operation plan."
It was now 4:50 p.m. Sunset was at 5:10, so they still had time to spare.
"So, what's the plan?"
At least he could explain the operation plan to Masaki in detail.
"The place where Zhou Gongjin was suspected of hiding was over there."
As he spoke, Tatsuya pointed south.
Ahead of them was a National Defense Force base.
Masaki did not immediately understand what Tatsuya's gesture meant. But several seconds later, he realized what "there" meant, and his eyes widened.
"You don't mean inside the National Defense Force base!?"
"The National Defense Army Uji Second Supply Base. There's a strong possibility Zhou Gongjin is hiding there."
"...Are you sure?"
"It's only a possibility. That's why we need to sneak in and confirm it."
"Into the base!?"
Masaki's expression had gone from Is this guy serious? to Is there something wrong with this guy's head?
But Tatsuya spoke from experience when it came to infiltrating areas sealed off by the National Defense Force and engaging its forces in combat. At this point, he had no reason to back down.
"A certain group of magicians is secretly mobilizing to capture Zhou Gongjin."
"They're not with the military police, are they?"
"That's right. In other words, it's an unofficial operation."
Masaki correctly understood the implication: it was an illegal operation.
"They'll be breaking into the base through all the gates shortly."
"Through all the gates?... I see. Users of Non-Systematic Magic?"
Tatsuya nodded in answer to Masaki's question.
Masaki had already figured out the true identity of the "group of magicians operating in secret."
A group of magicians skilled in Non-Systematic Magic, fighting against the National Defense Force. Putting those facts together, Masaki could think of only one answer.
"Shiba, are you..."
"I'm operating separately from them."
Before Masaki could press him, Tatsuya flatly denied it.
"It's almost time. I'll jump over the wall and infiltrate the base. Ichijo, what will you do?"
Masaki could not answer immediately. Sneaking into a National Defense Force base was clearly a crime. He had not yet reached Tatsuya's level, where he could put his respect for the law to sleep whenever it was convenient.
His parents, he supposed, placed their responsibilities as members of the Ten Master Clans above their civic morals. His father in particular, seeing Masaki so torn, might not only give him a push but kick him in the rear to get him moving.
The problem was his position as a Third High student. If he became involved in an incident requiring police intervention just before the Thesis Competition, and a major incident rather than a minor offense at that, he would probably be forced to withdraw from the competition. It would surely come as a great shock to Third High's students, whether they were above, in, or below his year. More importantly, he could not bear to let the efforts of his friends and family go to waste.
-But I'm a member of the Ten Master Clans.
In reality, Masaki hesitated for only a few seconds.
"...I'm going too. If I hadn't been deceived last year, it would have ended perfectly in the first place. I can't pretend it has nothing to do with me."
Tatsuya glanced at the information terminal mounted on his motorcycle's handlebars.
"Five minutes until the operation starts. Let's go, Ichijo."
"All right."
The two put on their helmets at the same time, mounted their motorcycles, and set off.
At that moment, a car was parked on the east side of Uji Bridge, which spanned the river near Byodo-in, famous for its Phoenix Hall and its delicate, splendid atmosphere.
"Thank you. I'll contact you when I'm done. Could you find somewhere to wait for me?"
The person who spoke to the driver and got out of the car was a beautiful boy who made people doubt their own eyes.
Passersby who happened to be there stared at him as if their souls had been stolen. The fact that it was just before sunset lent Minoru an otherworldly, ethereal beauty.
A middle-aged man approached from behind Minoru. He was not particularly bulky, but one look at his well-trained physique made it clear, without explanation, that he was the boy's bodyguard.
"Lord Minoru, are we waiting here?"
"That's right."
His tone was one accustomed to ordering people around, distinctly different from the one he used with Tatsuya and the others.
"If Zhou Gongjin succeeds in escaping the encirclement, he'll definitely flee this way. I'll have to hold him up then."
"But there's also a bridge at Oshima if he wants to cross the Uji River."
Rather than hesitating, the bodyguard seemed somewhat intimidated as he questioned what Minoru had said. He was not challenging his master's judgment; he was worried their efforts would be wasted. If Zhou Gongjin escaped by another route, Minoru would have strained himself to come here despite having only just recovered from his illness, all for nothing.
"That one is only for the elevated road, isn't it? Once he gets onto it, the places he can escape to will be limited. To bring out the true value of Demon Gate Dunjia, he needs the freedom to move in all eight directions. Zhou Gongjin won't use the elevated road."
"But there's also the possibility he'll flee east..."
"Mount Takamine is to the east. Judging by his escape routes so far, Zhou Gongjin prefers streets to mountains. His Demon Gate Dunjia is that kind of technique."
"But-"
"How annoying."
Minoru cut off the bodyguard, who was about to voice another concern, with an overbearing tone.
"Are you saying my reasoning is wrong?"
The bodyguard fell silent. It was not out of consideration for his employer's family. The atmosphere emanating from Minoru was so piercingly cold that it sealed the bodyguard's lips.
"It's time. Begin the operation."
"Yes, sir. Understood, young master."
A brisk voice came from above the man who gave that reply, still wearing sunglasses despite the setting sun.
"You idiot, it's young lady! The young master's dressed as a girl-"
"Shut up!"
Fumiya, now disguised as "Mimi," cut off the argument between the men in dark glasses.
"Is this the time to be bickering!? The operation's starting!"
"Yes, sir."
The men in dark glasses dropped to one knee and bowed their heads together, then blended into the twilight like a mirage.
"Honestly... And those guys are supposed to be Kuroba's top illusionists..."
Seeing Fumiya mutter to himself with a hand pressed to his temple, Ayako, disguised as "Yoru," came up behind him to comfort him.
"Mimi, they know when to be serious. Ability and personality are different things. Isn't a capable subordinate with a bad personality better than a kind but incompetent one you don't want to love?"
"Well, yes, but..."
"Anyway, Mimi, it's starting."
An alarm rang out loudly inside the base. His subordinates could not possibly have done something so clumsy. Though Fumiya had plenty of problems with their personalities, he had to acknowledge their abilities.
"That must be Tatsuya."
"Yeah. He's acting as bait for us. He's probably planning to drive the prey out from north to south."
"Why would Tatsuya do something so dangerous?"
"He must be confident that he can get himself out of any danger he faces. That's probably why he goes one step further and takes on the most dangerous job."
"...I suppose so."
"We'd owe him an apology if we wasted all the trouble he's gone to. We have to make sure we track Zhou Gongjin."
"I know."
A small car painted deep navy blue waited behind Fumiya. Naturally, it was no ordinary car. It was a custom-made automobile with a body as tough as a tank and an engine that rivaled a race car's.
An alarm sounded inside the National Defense Army Uji Second Supply Base. On top of that, numerous gunshots could be heard.
"What's going on!?"
Captain Hatae roared toward the door. The subordinate waiting outside answered, his face changing color.
"Intruders in the base! There are two of them! Both are believed to be magicians!"
"What!?"
Hatae's astonishment was by no means an exaggeration. Even a single magician possessed formidable combat power. The abilities of individual magicians varied greatly, so it was impossible to generalize, but on average, a military combat magician could match a company of ordinary infantry. A powerful magician could single-handedly constitute a battalion's worth of combat power.
And there were two of them. Magicians bold enough to rampage through a base rather than sneak in could not possibly be below average.
"What's the situation!?"
"The intruders are heading this way while destroying supplies. Our forces can't stop them even when they engage."
Zhou Gongjin, who had continued packing without so much as looking up at the emergency alarm, snapped his bag shut and rose quietly to his feet.
"Perfect."
"Huh? Mr. Zhou, what did you say...?"
"This is a good opportunity. Everyone, please go eliminate the intruders. Use the base's full combat strength."
At Zhou's words, Hatae and his subordinate both shuddered as if struck by electricity.
It was not just a strange occurrence confined to that room. The same thing happened to every member of the company under Hatae's command.
"Captain, I'll take the liberty of borrowing your car. Please give me the keys."
With an unnatural movement, Hatae handed Zhou the car keys.
"Now then, what are you still doing here? You must eliminate the intruders at once. To preserve the military's prestige, the criminals who invaded the base must be utterly erased, without even fragments of their bodies remaining."
"That's right. This is a challenge to the prestige of the National Defense Force. Don't let your guard down. Crush them with everything we have."
"Yes, sir."
Contrary to the content of their words, their voices held no warmth.
As Hatae and his subordinate turned and left the room, both had marks on their necks where spiders had bitten them.
Though the two intruders wore motorcycle helmets, Tatsuya still located every surveillance camera and used Decomposition on them all, just to be safe.
Of course, the hard-to-spot surveillance cameras were not the only things he dismantled.
"What's with that magic!?"
"Is this the time to be asking that?"
Tatsuya coldly evaded Masaki's question. Since both were careful not to call each other by name, their conversation grew increasingly cold.
"I've never heard of magic like that!"
Perhaps Masaki could not help shouting. This was the first time Tatsuya had shown him Decomposition.
Weapons and armaments in the direction Tatsuya pointed his CAD were all broken into pieces and scattered across the ground. Guns came apart into their individual components. Vehicles had their wheels and doors removed, all their plugs pulled out, and their engines taken apart piece by piece.
"More importantly, you're taking too long with the fuel."
"This takes work, you know!"
To keep the leaking fuel from catching fire, Masaki was vaporizing the hydrogen storage fluid used as fuel, separating out the hydrogen with convergence magic, forming it into hydrogen balloons, and sending them high into the air, away from sources of ignition. The magic itself was not difficult, but the process was more complicated than Tatsuya's Decomposition.
"Explosions aren't the only thing you can do, are they?"
"I know!"
Although Masaki protested, he still followed Tatsuya's instructions, presumably because he had judged that the technique would be useful to him in the future, not merely in dealing with the present situation. He used magic to vaporize only the fuel, then used convergence magic to isolate it from sources of ignition and send it into the air. This method could disable armored weapons without needlessly increasing casualties. It was definitely a more useful attack spell than Rupture.
As the two continued destroying weapons, the hail of gunfire grew more intense. The rubber bullets meant to incapacitate them were replaced with live rounds.
Masaki hurriedly deployed a physical barrier. Tatsuya secretly dealt with whatever it could not stop using an area-setting-type Decomposition spell. The two split to either side and jumped behind cover.
"They're shooting at us!"
"Live rounds? It seems they're being controlled too, just like that ancient magician."
Understanding spread across Masaki's face.
The mad magicians who had attacked them in Arashiyama the previous Sunday had used self-immolation attacks little different from suicide bombings. They had been controlled by a continental practitioner of sorcery hidden in the dense forest.
The battle tanks appeared to the accompaniment of a rumble from behind a building. There was more than one, too: four formed a battle line.
"Hey, they've even brought out tanks!"
"I'm speechless. Are they trying to start a civil war?"
Though they were small models classified for urban combat, they were excessive force against two people on foot. Looked at another way, however, they could be said to be insufficient against two magicians.
And the latter was the case now.
"Take them all out at once. Don't let them explode."
"That's crazy... No, leave it to me!"
Masaki had wanted to say it was asking too much, but with their guns pointed at him, there was no use voicing such discouraging words.
The tracks and the wheels inside them came apart at the same time. Gun barrels fell, and turrets tilted. Armor plates scattered all at once.
The same thing happened to all four tanks simultaneously.
Fuel began leaking from their engines.
Before it could ignite, it was vaporized, lifted into the air, and dispersed into the atmosphere.
"Impressive."
"I'm not happy to hear you praise me."
Seeing Masaki's sulky attitude, Tatsuya gave him a mischievous smile.
"Should I have Miyuki praise you instead?"
"D-don't be ridiculous! Is this the time for that!?"
Masaki became amusingly flustered.
"Never mind that, we have to go! If we let Zhou Gongjin escape... There he is!"
"What?"
Tatsuya looked with his "eyes" in the direction Masaki was facing.
Tatsuya did not ask whether he was sure.
Masaki had encountered Zhou Gongjin at close range. He would not mistake an opponent he had met under such unusual, memorable circumstances.
Zhou Gongjin was heading for the south gate in a bronze-colored sedan. As planned, they drove him out of the base so that the monitoring devices installed throughout it would not record how he was dealt with.
...What's this?
Within Zhou's Eidos, Tatsuya sensed a familiar foreign object. It was not something that belonged to him, but something embedded in his body.
A strike made at the cost of your life... Your death will not be in vain.
Tatsuya made a casual vow to the dead man, a stranger he had met only once.
"Zhou Gongjin is approaching the Great South Gate."
"Has he noticed that our people have surrounded the other gates? He's certainly worthy of being the magician who once broke through our Kuroba encirclement and escaped."
Hearing Fumiya's words, Ayako answered in a tone that might have been admiration or sarcasm.
"That would be troublesome."
Fumiya sat in the back seat of the automobile. Ayako slid in beside him.
At the same time, the bronze-colored sedan carrying Zhou Gongjin shot out of the Great South Gate.
"After him!"
"Yes, young master. No, young lady."
"Either is fine! Just get going!"
Although it was an automobile, it could not be driven outside traffic-controlled areas without a driver for emergencies. Fumiya yelled at the sunglasses-wearing leader who had been chosen as their driver, and they set off after Zhou Gongjin's car.
I have a bad feeling about this...
As he drove south, Zhou Gongjin felt an unprecedented sensation of being gradually squeezed.
As things turned out, he had escaped the enemy by a hair's breadth today. The persistence of the Kuroba-the Yotsuba-left him speechless, though he was accustomed to being hunted, to varying degrees. He had lived peacefully in Chinatown for the past ten years, but for the thirty years before that, he had been hunted and forced to live in hiding.
Oops... I'm only twenty-four right now.
That was what his identification said. He had bought his Chinatown shop four years ago, and he remembered writing "age twenty" on the documents he submitted then.
To us, age is just a label, like a name.
Perhaps because he had been thinking about those things, Zhou Gongjin did not notice the figure standing in the road as if to block his car until its collision prevention system activated.
After Zhou sounded the horn, his expression changed, uncharacteristically.
He had seen the boy's face.
It was a pale beauty that was hard to imagine existing in this world.
Zhou himself prided himself on his handsome features, but the difference between him and this boy was on another level.
And this was not a beautiful boy he had never seen before.
He remembered seeing the boy.
"Kudou Minoru! Why are you here!?"
He was one of the few magicians Zhou had to watch out for.
Zhou had learned of Minoru's abilities when he had been directing his pawns in Nara.
Zhou disabled the collision prevention system, intending to force the car forward.
But Minoru reached out his right hand toward the car.
Sparks flew from under the hood.
Before the engine exploded, Zhou leaped out of the car.
A chill ran down Zhou Gongjin's back. He had never felt this way against either Kuroba Mitsugu or Nagura Saburou.
Kudou Minoru had not hesitated at all to blow up the car.
He had not hesitated over killing Zhou in the explosion, nor over involving passing pedestrians and other vehicles on the road.
It was not because there were no pedestrians passing by. It was not because there were no other vehicles on the road. The boy had never taken such things into account in the first place-.
That ruthlessness, combined with his unearthly beauty, made Minoru look like an inhuman demon.
Zhou took a token from inside his clothes and pointed it at Minoru. What he summoned was not an embodiment but a phantom beast from the start. Zhou's intuition told him that a killing attack was the only way to deal with this boy.
A black unicorn flew out of the token and charged at Minoru too fast for the eye to follow.
It was not a speed a human could react to.
Minoru could not dodge its charge, and the black beast's horn pierced his body-and passed straight through.
"Parade!?"
Zhou Gongjin knew this magic. Parade, the Kudou Family's secret technique. It was the ultimate camouflage magic, capable of altering not only information about appearance, form, and position, but even the location information of an Eidos.
Zhou changed his plan to escape. He could not break Parade. He had understood that after only one exchange.
Minoru extended his right hand toward Zhou.
A flash of electricity appeared and vanished on the road a meter to Zhou's right.
Minoru tilted his head slightly. The gesture had nothing human about it, like an angel's. His smiling expression, devoid of any mercy, was also like an angel's.
Electric flashes burst on both sides of Zhou Gongjin.
Minoru was not deliberately missing. Zhou's Demon Gate Dunjia was preventing him from aiming.
Even so, Zhou was the one who shuddered. He had intended to throw Minoru's sense of direction off by ninety degrees. In reality, however, Minoru's eyes were still fixed on Zhou, and his aim was off by less than thirty degrees.
He made the token spew out as many shadow beasts as possible.
At the same time, he took out a black handkerchief and spread it wide in front of him.
The shadow beasts all passed through Minoru's figure.
The black handkerchief fell to the road.
Minoru looked downstream along the Uji River and smiled innocently.
His eyes, which could see Eidos, had not lost sight of Zhou's yin-not his shadow, but his yin.
Zhou Gongjin fled downstream along the Uji River at forty to fifty kilometers per hour. This was the Divine Movement Technique, a Taoist art made famous in Water Margin.
Although this took him back toward his base, there was a bridge carrying an elevated road along the way. He intended to cross to the opposite bank along its underside.
Suddenly, however, a girl appeared in his path. She did not leap out from the roadside; she appeared in midair.
"Pseudo-Teleportation!?"
Among the parasites he had once brought with him, there had been one who used the same magic. But that one had not appeared so unpredictably, without any warning.
The bob-haired girl swung a fist fitted with brass knuckles, her sleeveless dress fluttering.
She was too far away for her fist to reach him.
Even so, Zhou felt an agonizing pain in his right leg that made it impossible to stand.
Zhou hurriedly spread a white handkerchief.
The handkerchief widened enough to hide him.
Thanks to that, Zhou had time to insert a needle into a pressure point to block sensation in his right leg. The agonizing pain continued, but he told himself it was phantom pain and shut it out of his mind.
He took out his last spare token.
When the cloth blocking his view fell, the bob-haired girl was gone.
Standing in her place was a stern-featured boy holding a red, handgun-shaped CAD.
"Ichijou Masaki...!"
"It's been a while, Zhou Gongjin. You really fooled me back then."
Zhou tried to jump into the Uji River.
But as if to stop him, the surface of the river exploded, sending water flying.
"Jumping into water in front of the Ichijou Family's Rupture is like jumping into a volcano."
Hearing the voice behind him, Zhou Gongjin turned around.
"Shiba Tatsuya..."
Zhou used Demon Gate Dunjia with all his might. Then he tried to slip past Tatsuya.
But Tatsuya's hand, held like a blade, came at him. Knowing it was as sharp as a demon sword that could cut through steel, Zhou Gongjin had no choice but to step back, dragging his unfeeling leg.
"Why doesn't my Dunjia work?"
Even now, Zhou was still smiling.
Was it composure, or a bluff?
Masaki could not tell what he truly meant.
Tatsuya thought either was fine.
"Demon Gate Dunjia really is impressive. I heard it loses its effect at close range... but your technique did work. I had no idea you were trying to slip past me."
"...I don't understand. Then was that attack just now a coincidence?"
The corner of Tatsuya's mouth twisted.
Though not as beautiful as Zhou's, the smile was the same in essence.
An empty smile, containing no emotion.
"I don't know where you are. But I know the whereabouts of Nagura Saburou's blood on you."
Zhou's eyes widened.
For the first time, Masaki saw genuine emotion from the Taoist of indeterminate age.
"Nagura Saburou's blood... from back then."
"He made needles from his blood and drove them into you, didn't he? It's been two weeks, so any foreign matter that entered your body should have been removed by now. But it seems to contain a fairly powerful will."
"Will, you say? I thought that was a factor discarded by modern magic theory."
"No matter what reasons you give, what exists, exists. What doesn't, doesn't."
"Are there also things that exist yet do not, and do not exist yet do?"
Tatsuya pointed his silver CAD at Zhou Gongjin.
"Explain it in prison. Though you might not be given much time."
"Either way, are you going to kill me?"
"I'm not the one who decides that."
"In other words, begging for my life would be pointless?"
Tatsuya gave no further answer.
"As long as Nagura Saburou's blood remains, you can't escape my grasp."
That was Tatsuya's ultimatum.
"So this is the end..."
Zhou sighed deeply.
The next instant, he leaped toward Masaki.
The Divine Movement Technique did not rely on the muscles in one's legs to move. Even if one had no feeling in one's legs, it could be activated as long as one had legs.
Masaki could not have known that.
But the countermeasure he took was, in this respect, just as theory prescribed. It would probably be unfair to say he had succeeded by chance.
The moment Zhou Gongjin leaped, Masaki pulled the trigger of his red CAD.
Almost without a delay, he activated the magic, Rupture.
It was a modified version that vaporized blood in a localized area rather than throughout the body.
Both of Zhou's calves burst from within.
The Divine Movement Technique was broken, and Zhou Gongjin fell to the road.
"This is the end."
Still holding his CAD, Masaki urged him to surrender.
Zhou Gongjin got up immediately. His pride would not allow him to lie sprawled on the ground in such an unsightly manner.
"It certainly is the end."
Although he should not have been able to move below the knees, Zhou slowly stood.
His movements were like those of a ghost.
"But you won't catch me."
Zhou grinned wickedly.
It was a smile like a mask.
"I will not perish. Even if I die, I will still exist!"
"Ichijou, get back!"
Tatsuya shouted as he leaped backward.
Ichijou likewise put distance between himself and Zhou Gongjin.
The next instant.
Blood sprayed from Zhou's entire body,
And the crimson blood turned into red flames.
"Hahahahahahaha..."
Raucous laughter rang out again and again amid the burning flames, until the fire went out.
After the fire vanished, not even bones remained.
"Did Zhou Gongjin really die?"
Masaki spoke in a low voice. Twilight had given way to night, and the stars were beginning to shine.
"He didn't escape. There's no doubt Zhou Gongjin was burned to ashes in those flames."
Tatsuya was not looking at Masaki's face. His eyes were fixed upstream along the Uji River.
Masaki unconsciously looked in the same direction and said, "I see," in response to Tatsuya's answer.
Masaki did not ask how he knew, or what his answer was based on.
"Then the cleanup after the Yokohama Disturbance is completely finished, right?"
"That's right."
"I see... That was dangerous."
"What do you mean?"
Tatsuya turned to look at Masaki.
Even Tatsuya could not make sense of Masaki's disjointed remark.
Masaki looked at Tatsuya too.
"I never imagined the National Defense Force would be manipulated, or that tanks would come out. It nearly turned into a civil war."
"There was such an excessive exchange of magic in the city streets. We'd already stepped halfway into civil unrest, hadn't we?"
Masaki smiled at Tatsuya's serious answer.
"Then let's 'celebrate' the situation ending early, with the unrest put down before it could spread."
"I suppose you could put it that way."
Tatsuya laughed aloud as well.
Their laughter faded into the lonely autumn wind.
"Good work, Tatsuya."
When Tatsuya returned to the hotel to return the motorcycle, Fumiya and Ayako were already back.
"You and Ayako were the ones who worked hard, Fumiya. Your coordination was excellent, as always. Thanks to you, we were able to hold that man off."
When Tatsuya praised them, they both looked away shyly.
"Come to think of it, Tatsuya, how did you know where that man was? Even though we followed him by car, we still lost him."
Perhaps to hide her embarrassment, Ayako asked without looking Tatsuya in the eye.
"A magician's lingering obsession kept chasing that man even after death... I suppose."
"?"
Ayako looked as though she didn't understand what he meant. Fumiya stopped looking down and tilted his head in puzzlement as well.
"I still don't know exactly how it worked. I'll tell you once I know the details."
Tatsuya went into one of the two adjoining rooms next door.
It was the room where he had left the clothes he had been wearing when he arrived.
Leaving the door open as he changed, Tatsuya spoke to Fumiya.
"Fumiya, could you report the completion of the mission to Hayama? There are still a few things I have to smooth over."
"Understood. Leave something like that to me."
Tatsuya came out after changing.
"I'm counting on you, then."
With that in place of a farewell, Tatsuya left the hotel.