Book 1: Chapter 9: (4)


    He scowled at the elevator disy. Trna continued in a grave tone.


    The power possessed by a high mildita cannot be simply dismissed as mere sleight of hand. Many a warriors eyes have been fooled by their magic, their tempered des and arrows deflected in the blink of an eye. Furthermore, they are capable of releasing poisonous mes from their very fingertips. To say nothing of Dorini weapons


    You saying they wont work?


    Yes. Your arms do not possess a soul.


    Umm, a soul, eh? Dont know what you guys mean by that.


    Drawing his favorite pistol, Matoba checked its remaining ammo.


    Well, this babys got a soul. Thats for sure. A Sig Sauer P226. 9mm cartridge. Powers so-so. Capacity too. But its a damn good gun. You can tell the designer put all their heart into making it. uracy, operation  all of its perfect. Been a while since I got this thing, but Ive cared for it ever since. Shes always been with me even in the toughest of times, so Ive kinda gotten attached to it. Even so, would you go so far as to say that shes just another soulless Dorini weapon?


    A well-worn ck pistol covered in scars  there was no doubt it was a pros weapon. Trna carefully examined the gun.


    I see. It is slight, but I do indeed sense a sliver of rahtenaing from this gun.


    There was no cynicism in her words; she stated with a straight face.


    That so?


    That is so. The thought is what matters; rahtena shall dwell in any object containing such feelings.


    Then, what about this?


    Alongside the pistol, he showed her his Zippo lighter. It had been in his possession for quite some time as well. As Trna brought her nose closer, she scrunched her face up.


    It just smells of oil.


    The hell is up with that..


    Anyways, we must remain on our guard. Otherwise, we might be unable to save that little one..


    As the elevator approached the top floor, Trna began to act out-of-ce. Constantly turning her neck, she knitted her eyebrows and covered her ears.


    Try swallowing.


    What?


    Yknow, gulping? Itll fix your ears.


    Mmso it does.


    Trna did as he instructed, opening her eyes in surprise.


    Lets go.


    Reaching the top floor, the elevator doors slowly opened.


    Readying his gun, he prepared himself for the worst as he stepped out of the lift. A dreary service corridor revealed itself to them on both sides. He nced at the floor n posted on the neighboring wall. Straight and up the stairs. There was the roof. Going down led to the showroom.


    Beside him, the telephone rang. It was the security center.


    You appeared to have reached the top floor. Keep in mind the helipad on the roof


    Over here.


    He hung up the phone, forgoing any semnce of etiquette. Turning the corner, they dashed up the stairs, opening the door to the roof.


    Wait.


    Trna grabbed the hem of his suit.


    Do not stray too far away from me, Kei. I am the only one capable of detecting any surprise attacks that mildita may unleash.


    Still


    He thought back to that time in bares apartment. That time, they had been acting separately from each other, which proved a burden on the other. He did not want to step on her toes this time around. And vice versa.


    Sensing that, Trna said.


    I am aware of your distrust in me. However


    Their eyes met. She peered into his face with those big, charming eyes of hers. He wanted to say the words on the tip of his tongue, yet he could not muster the courage to do so.


    If you cannot bring yourself to trust me, I do not believe we can call ourselves partners.


    Partner. Partner, huh?


    Just yesterday he would have said Partners? You gotta be fucking kidding me.. But now, he no longer felt that sense of difort. As an adult man, it did not feel right to rely on this child he could not bring himself to say that now.


    Fair enough. Im counting on you.


    I shall keep that in mind.


    They stepped foot outside, climbing another flight of stairs, all the while the cold, outside air pierced into their skin. A strong wind was blowing atop this skyscraper. The dull sight of steel and concrete. In this dim light, rows upon rows of mercurymps lit up the darkness. Further up the stairs was the helipad.


    A strand of purple was slowly bing visible in the pitch-ck sky. Signaling the break of dawn, no doubt. Three steps up the stairs, Trna suddenly pulled his arm back.


    Stand back!


    Matoba did not bother to resist. Following her instructions, he tilted his body, taking two steps backward. At the same time, a bolt of blue me descended from the heavens, blinding his eyes as it scattered like fireworks. Just a little closer and it would have shaved off his nose.


    Ghrk!


    The afterimage was so powerful, the pupils of his eyes burned. Blinking repeatedly, he pointed his gun above his head and took aim.


    Do not shoot! Advance to the front!


    A slender finger pushed his back. Obeying Trnas words, he gave up on shooting and ran forward. He rushed up the staircase two steps at a time. Not a moment sooner, the same blue mes struck their previous position.


    What the fuck is going on?


    Do not be so loud. He will discover our location. That man is blind, remember?


    As she ran alongside him, Trna whispered into his ear, her lips almost touching his earlobes. Of course, this was no time for sweet temptations. Matoba recklessly charged forwards, finally arriving at the roof proper.


    Where the hell is he?


    I am looking for him no


    An impact. Striking the freshly-painted handrails, sparks gushed out of the mes. Ducking their bodies, they continued advancing onwards.


    Ngh. Be most careful. If you are hit by his mes, your blood vessels will burst. Your lungs shall be exposed to his miasma, and unable to breathe, you will


    Death by asphyxiation, huh? Shit.


    Twice, thrice the mes shot down once more. Through Trnas prompt warning, he somehow had been able to avoid the direct brunt of the mes. Bodies pressed against one another, they deftly moved from cover to cover, sprinting for the helipad.


    Above. Theyre above!


    Trna raised her eyes towards the helipad overhead. For a man like him to stand in the open like that. Most suspicious indeed.


    You sure?


    Although there is no guarantee. The fairy is above us as well.


    Fuck.


    Swearing aloud, Matoba rushed towards the staircase leading to the helipad. sping thegging Trnas hand, he desperately pushed his way forwards. Her cold, slender fingers were especially soft to the touch.


    Zda attacked.


    Fire off all you want, old man. Without so much as a warning, countless blue mes materialized out of thin air. Thanks to Trnas timely advice, he managed to get past them, all the way to the top of the stairs.


    At the very center of the helipad, therey a familiar ss cylinder.


    The Spirit Bomb.


    There was no sign of Zda. Regardless of his aims, the barrage of blue mes had died down.


    This is a trap.


    Course it is. No need to tell me that.


    Mounted on the bomb was an LCD. Even from their position, the two were able to spot the numbers on the disy counting down.


    00:03:25


    Three minutes and twenty-five seconds left. Twenty-four seconds. Twenty-three, twenty-two


    That bombs on a timer. Its gonna blow any time now.


    Can you destroy it with your pistol?


    No can do.


    He muttered in a grim voice.


    One look at the thing tells me its just like any other bomb. You try do anything strange to it, itll explode right there and then.


    It appeared as though some form of electric current or radio wave had already begun coursing into the fairy, thereby activating the bomb. Judging by its make, the explosion would probably be instantaneous. In a way, the fairy was no different than a glorified gunpowder keg.


    Then, what shall we do?


    No choice but to disable the circuit manually.


    But, is that not what Zda is aiming for?


    Yep. Still, weve got no other options. Im going. Watch my back.


    Matoba and Trna approached the Spirit Bomb lying in the middle of the helipad.


    Zdas attack had note just yet. It was most unsettling.


    He observed the bombs mechanism. An electric circuit was attached to the frame. Arge-scale condenser. And a sensor, to boot. Moreover, bits and bobs that did not make a lick of sense to him were scattered about the setup.


    Shit


    This was all Greek to him. If it were just any other explosive, Matoba might have gotten by with his limited expertise. And yet, rather than a bomb you would find on Earth, it was more of a hybrid between that and a Semani magical device. After all, its creator had been that Elbajhi fellow.


    Can you make sense of any of this?


    Wonder bout that. It should be electronic in nature. If we could just get bypass the circuit, I might just be able to trick it.


    At that moment, Zdas voice echoed through the air.


    Good heavens, such reckless actions.


    Ten meters away, Zda stood at the other end of the helipad. He was dressed in his unmistakable red attire. Squatting on his knees, the rod in his hand gave off a dim light.


    You bastard


    Please do not address me with such a boorish term. Might I not persuade you to turn back now? I assure you it is for your own safety.


    Dont sweat it, old man. I love messing around with grinning assholes like you.


    My, oh, my. Even though you are powerless to do anything


    Shut the fuck up!


    There were no shouts of Dont move!or Put your hands up!this time around. Matoba mercilessly aimed his pistol at Zda and opened fire. Bullets entered his head, shoulder, and nk, eliciting a momentary cry from the magician.


    No, nothing happened.


    The 9mm rounds simply passed through Zdas body, colliding with the fence behind him, sparks scattering all around.


    See. You were unable to do it.


    Zdas image smuglyughed.


    Wha


    It is but an illusion! Look up!


    Three bolts of mes were conjured up in mid-air, flooding straight into Matoba all at the same time.


    Immediately, Trna sent them flying. However, she had no leeway to do anything else. One hit the ground. Another left a big hole in Matobas coat. And thest one.


    !


    An impact right in the center of his back. He had directly received the brunt of the blue mes. It felt as though a bucket of concentrated sulfuric acid had been poured onto his back. His back burnt, an unfathomable pain coursed through the entirety of his body.


    Kei!


    Matoba copsed to the ground. The pain in his back was gradually getting worse. Something hot, something cold had invaded his air ducts, lungs, and heart, constricting them with overwhelming power.


    Gah


    How disappointing, Matoba-sama! Once again, it is your loss.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Trna lower her body, keeping a close watch on her surroundings. The magicians image disappeared, appearing once again a few steps away. Sneering at Trna, who had jumped away in surprise, Zda vanished once more. The blue mes were after her. Barely jumping out of the way in time, Trna had managed to dodge his initial attack. In front of the onughting from this illusion, her hands and feet were tied.


    Well, what do we have up next Ooh, Archduke Devols How interesting!


    Zda gave a boisterousugh.


    Despite having an old mans voice, heughed just like a cheerful, young boy in high spirits. He was enjoying this.


    kh.


    His body was numb; he could not breathe.


    In anguish, his body writhing in agony, Matoba could only let out a hoarse voice.


    He was suffocating. At this rate, he would most surely die.